Part 16: Heaven and Hell

The monster fired.

"YAMEROOOO!!! YAMEROOO TEME!!!!" Uranus yelled, till her tonsils were sore. However, she could not move. She could not save Venus. Closing her eyes, Uranus took in shallow breaths, then a long deep one. Her breath quivered, as she felt a cold wetness trickling down her cheek. She cursed silently, bowing her head in defeat. Useless. That was the word. She felt so useless.

It had happened twice now; she had let somebody die before her very eyes. The first time was Michiru. It was the day they were supposed to find the talismans. Michiru had been captured, but she still managed to save Haruka's life. Michiru's heart crystal was revealed, thus taking her life. The deep aqua mirror, one of the three talismans, was born from her heart crystal. Haruka felt no purpose in going on after Michiru's life had been taken away, so Haruka shot herself, freeing her heart crystal, another one of the talismans, from her body. Thus, the space sword was born.

"Minako... Neko-chan..." Uranus choked back a sob, her head still lowered. Her hands began to tremble convulsively. Anger... rage... was invading her system. Raising her head, Uranus gave the monster and the man a scornful look. Her hands continued to shake. Suddenly, the jewel on her tiara began to glow, and a bright aura surrounded her. She was still unable to move, but the energy she was summoning was extremely powerful.

"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!!!" Her whole body started to glow furiously. The man and the monster took a step back.

"WORLD... SHAKING!!!" Uranus yelled, her fist ramming the wall she was sprawled upon. The wall crumbled; fragments shattered everywhere, shattering like pieces of glass. Something shined on her forehead, as her tiara disappeared all of a sudden. It was an emblem of some sort. The symbol of Uranus. She was free from the man's hold on her, as she stepped down from the now-destroyed wall to face the two evils.

"Ooh, you're going to pay," She said menacingly to them, then turned her head to look at the courageous, unmoving Venus crumpled on the floor.

"This one has a nice strong feeling, boss," The monster informed the man with the strange letters on his forehead, holding a ghost-like blue flame in its hand. The man took it, as the monster handed it to him. He eyed it carefully, a content smile forming on his well-shaped lips.

"Strong feeling?" Uranus echoed, then demanded, "What do you mean??"

The man raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?" He steadily held the blue flame in his palm. "This is the soul of your lovely friend over there."

"NANI??!"

He laughed. "Don't act so surprised. Very soon Ningenkai shall be a graveyard, and Makai and Reikai shall be ruled by Meikai!"

"Say what?! Look, pal, I don't get what you're saying, but it would be real cool of you to return my friend's soul!" Uranus said, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to get by him first," The man replied, pointing his thumb at the monster.

"With pleasure!" Uranus shot back. Outstretching her arm, a long, shiny object appeared. Gems sparkled at the handle, and its tip was sharp as it was deadly. It was the Space Sword.

The monster took a frightened step back. "W-where did that come from?"

"Well, duh! Like where all the other attacks came from!" Uranus replied. "Now, prepare yourself!" And she charged, yelling at the top of her lungs. "HAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The monster was too stunned to move. Uranus was headed its way at lightning speed with the sword. Without thinking, the monster took out another one of its weapons. But Uranus was quicker. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!!!" Leaping into the air, she gave one final yell, and plunged the sword down on the monster. The monster gave an ear-piercing cry of anguish, and vanished in a dark cloud of haze.

She faced the man who held Venus' soul; and cracked her knuckles. "Your turn, Meikai scum!"

The man put his guard up. "It is not that easy to defeat me, sailor senshi," He said, as he took out something from his pocket, and put it in his mouth. "Now come at me!"

Uranus ignored the object he had placed in his mouth, and ran towards him, her Space Sword ready. She was about ready to thrust the sword into him. He knew what she was upto. In a gliding motion, he moved out of the way to dodge her attack.

She knew he would do that.

Instead of the blade of her sword slicing through him, her fist found his cheek. It was a strong blow, making him fall to the ground, and his lip bleed. The powerful slug made him spit out the thing in his mouth. It fell to the floor with a soft 'thunk'. Uranus looked down at him in a smug, arrogant way, and picked up the object on the floor. She knew she was victorious. However, her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw the young man gone, to be replaced by a bratty kid, who was crying his eyes out!

"What the---?! You! Give back Venus' soul!" Uranus demanded in a bullying tone.

The kid continued to cry; louder this time. Uranus gritted her teeth to control the irritation she was feeling. She grabbed the kid by the front of his shirt, and lifted him off the ground, so that they were face to face with each other.

"You! Quit your crying if you know what's good for you!!"

"Put me down, and give me back my pacifier!" He bawled.

"Geez, you're such a pathetic brat!" Uranus retorted, and put him down none too gently. She took a look at the object in her hand, and choked back her suprise. It _was_ a pacifier!

The small child stopped his crying, and blinked. "Where am I?" His head turned from left to right, surveying the destruction of what seemed to be an arcade. The place was a complete mess! Eyebrows lowering, the boy got to his feet, and expression of bitterness forming on his face. "The Meikai..."

"Are you playing innocent to get away with this?" Uranus pointed at the topsy-turvy area, and bonked him on the head. "Now either give back Venus' soul, or I'll definitely mangle you!"

The boy winced slightly as the tall girl's knuckles hit its target, but the seriousness never left his face. "This is bad," He said in a low voice. "What's happened to Reikai?"

"Who's Reikai?"

The boy groaned. "Never mind." Then he said, "Take me to where your friend is."

"Why??" Uranus demanded. "So you can beat her up some more??"

"No, so I can heal her damaged body. A soul is useless with---"

"Hold on a sec... First, you want to kill us, now you want to help us," Uranus said in disbelief. "You know I have the right not to trust you!"

"I know," He replied, not looking up at her. "But what choice do you have?"

Uranus could not find the words to answer back. She knew she had lost this time. Sagging her shoulders in defeat, she led the brat to where Venus lay. Uranus despised the little urchin! Was he really friend or really enemy?

The boy outstretched his arms in front of him, as he stood before Venus. Uranus did not know if it was her imagination or not, but Venus' body started to glow a vibrant orange-yellow. Uranus eyed the child carefully and suspiciously. She hoped he was nursing her, and not killing Venus off for the second time. A strange sort of energy escaped the boy's palms, as he continued the ritual of healing Venus' body. They heard a soft moan come from deep within the golden-haired senshi's throat. The cuts and bruises on her body were vanishing, much to Uranus' surprise.

"Haruka-san..." Came a soft, inaudible croak.

A surge of sheer joy rushed through Uranus' system. Venus was alive! MINAKO WAS ALIVE! Uranus breathed out a sigh of relief. She was thanking the heavens right there and then. She glanced at the boy who had just helped. She did not understand how a vile, wretched being as he could actually undo all his evil doing. He dropped his arms, and smiled shortly at Uranus.

"She'll be all right now," He concluded, amusingly sounding like a physician who had just finished seeing a patient for a medical check-up.

Uranus swallowed her pride, and smiled back. "Thank you very much... a..." She faltered, not knowing his name or how to address him.

"Koenma." He replied.

"Doshita no, Botan-san?" Keiko asked worriedly.

Botan stared into space for a few seconds more, and let out a long breath. "It's nothing." She reassured them, smiling. "It's probably the weather." The weather and climate had been drastically changing from cold to warm, unbearably hot to freezing, due to the Meikai's attacks. Botan, the blue-haired deity of death of Reikai, sat alongside Urameshi Yusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma, Yukimura Keiko, Yukina, Kuwabara Shizuru, Sailormars, Sailormercury, Sailorpluto, Tomoe Hotaru, Hinageshi, and a dead-weight, lifeless Hiei, at the Hikawa Shrine .

"Oi, Botan," Yusuke, the Reikai's spirit detective, eyed her lazily. "You sure you're not being possessed or something?"

Botan glared at Yusuke. "What's that supposed to mean?? Are you telling me I have a weak will, and can be possessed that easily??" Everybody cringed, as if they were seeing Botan with evil eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

"So you're saying that this shrimp here," Kuwabara pointed to the stiffened Hiei on the floor. "Had a weak will, and had his soul removed?"

Yukina paled. "Ano..."

"Don't you think we should be moving?" Mercury asked everyone, her visor and mini computer still handy. "The gateway---"

"Wakatta, wakatta," Yusuke replied, rolling his eyes. "I still can't believe Hiei was defeated so easily. If so, the enemy shouldn't be underestimated."

"It was my fault," Yukina said softly, sadness contorting her lovely face.

"It wasn't your fault, my dear," Came a woman's voice from out of nowhere. Yusuke thought there was something vaguely familiar about that voice, but apparently it was not his old sensei's, `Baasan Genkai. Everyone stood up in alarm, their heads turning from side to side to find the person who spoke.

Kuwabara eyed everyone carefully, his expression serious. "Anyone of you..." Everyone stood still and silent, as they looked at Kuwabara. "...do impersonations?"

Everyone collapsed to the floor {with sweat drops}.

"Oi, Kuwabara, you dimwit! Don't _do_ that!" Yusuke shot back.

"Kazuma!" Shizuru chided to her younger brother in an exasperating tone, and lit a cigarette.

"But who said that?" Hinageshi asked, red hair bobbing up and down at the toss of her cute little head.

Mars readied a spirit ward in her fingers. "It must be some evil spirit."

Pluto and Hotaru stood back to back, their eyes inspecting their surroundings. And then they saw... Hiei's body was missing!

Everybody formed a circle, their backs towards each other. Their guards were up, and their defenses ready. It was deadly quiet, as they waited for that unknown and deep female voice to drift into the air once again. What ever happened to Hiei? The fire youkai was right there where they left him on the wooden floor just a moment ago. However, now he was gone. Did he suddenly come back to life just as Hinageshi had?

They heard the voice; chuckling.

"Oi! Kono ama! Show yourself!" Yusuke bellowed.

"It's not good to insult me, Urameshi Yusuke," The voice said. "I'm right..." A hard blow onto Yusuke's jaw sent him crashing onto the small tea table, knocking it over into splinters, much to Mars' dismay. "...here."

"Yusuke!" Keiko exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"Who was that?? I didn't see snyone hit Urameshi," Kuwabara looked panic-stricken.

"The speed..." Hinageshi said.

"...so fast..." Hotaru added.

Yusuke sat up, his lip bleeding from the tremendous force of the slug. That was some punch! Shaking his head to clear the fogginess in his brain, Yusuke got to his feet. His legs felt wobbly, like cooked spaghetti, but he tried his best to steady himself. He wiped the dripping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, as Keiko joined him by his side. "Yusuke, are you ok?"

He did not answer her, but gave a slight nod instead. His attention was focused on the being who had landed that powerful sock to his jaw. Keiko took a frightened step back, when she saw Yusuke's eyes: menacing, cold, and ready for battle. Everyone's eyes traveled to the direction of Yusuke's gaze. And gasped.

Sitting cross-legged by a wooden pillar was the fire koorime, Hiei. Arms crossed, and a smug smile playing on his lips, he looked up at them, fighting the urge to burst out laughing at their gawking and gaping expressions. He diverted his eyes towards Yusuke, and he gave out an amused chuckle.

"What are _you_ laughing at??" Yusuke burst out

The fire youkai got up, a smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You."

"Hiei teme!!" Yusuke exploded, and ran towards Hiei, his fists clenched. Hiei did not move from his spot, even as Yusuke charged for him with annoyance and anger. Instead, he motioned for Yusuke to stop by extending a hand in front of him. That caught Yusuke off guard, and he stared wide-eyed at the ghost-of-a-Hiei.

Hiei laughed softly. "I'm not Hiei."

Everyone blinked twice, looking at each other for some sign that they had heard correctly. Evidently, everybody looked as bewildered as a mole in a disco. There was an uneasy silence before Kuwabara decided to speak up, and break the ice.

"GAHAHAHAHA!!! You're actually saying that you're _not_ Hiei??" Kuwabara laughed so hard, it rocked his body. He grabbed Hiei by the neck with the crook of his arm, and his body shook with mirth once more. "When did you get so witty all of a sudden, eh, you little shrimp?"

Everyone groaned, as Kuwabara went flying into the air, hitting his back on one of the paper doors, much to Mars' dismay (again). Hiei clapped his hands together as if finishing a dirty task, and placed his hands on his hips. "That's not a proper way of handling a lady, Kuwabara," Hiei dictated coldly to the orange-haired youth comically sprawled on the floor.

Whipping their heads back to Hiei, everyone had decided that they had either gone deaf, or their minds were playing tricks on them. Did Hiei just say 'lady'?

"Looks like you're gonna have to be calling him 'oneesan' instead of 'oniisan', Yukina-chan," Shizuru whispered to a dumb-struck Yukina, her cigarette almost half finished. Yukina did not seem to like the idea. The look on her face was evident enough.

Pluto's serious expression never wavered, but she hung on to every word, every action, every detail of what was happening, and seemed almost ready to give way to a fit of uncontrollable giggling. Shizuru eyed her for a brief moment, and took out the pack of cigarettes from her pocket. "Want one?" Shizuru offered to Pluto.

The calm, mysterious, dark-haired senshi smiled shortly, but refused with a slight shake of her head. Shrugging indifferently, Shizuru took out another cigarette, placed it in between her lips, and lit it.

"You humans can't very well sit around all day," 'Hiei' said, folding 'his' arms across 'his' chest. "We have a Meikai gateway to catch, haven't we now?"

"Err... Hiei...?" Yusuke struggled with the words, and did his best to keep a straight face. Kuwabara, who had finally seated himself up, choked back on a snicker. Yusuke swallowed, and took a deep breath before continuing. "Were you originally a woman?"

Botan's, Mars', and Keiko's knuckles found Yusuke's head. "Aho!! Baka!!"

"Yomi, you there?" Kurama asked in his head, but he continued down the street.

"What do you think?" Came the calm reply.

Kurama just needed someone to talk to at that particular moment. He did not really care if the person was sadistic or not. And since Yomi was his old partner... Kurama knew that reliving the past was impossible, but they could always try to be friends.

"I goofed up, didn't I?" Kurama said through telepathy. He walked on and on, not knowing where he was going. He just relied on where his legs and feet would take him.

"You should have let her die."

A small spark of anger ignited inside Kurama. "Say that again, and I'll..."

"You'll what? Attempt to kill me? Would it be by your hands this time?" Yomi mocked coolly.

Kurama drew out a ragged breath. "I do not wish to argue nor fight with you, Yomi. I know you are a good person."

"You didn't think that before."

"Drop it, Yomi! That was the past!"

Yomi laughed softly. "Oooh, he's touchy... So what are you going to do about the girl?"

"I hardly think this is the appropriate time to discuss that. After all, we're going to defeat Meikai by joining our powers, right?"

Mako was thinking back hard now. A frown appeared on her cheerful-featured face. She remembered... a struggle. A battle. She remembered the pain. The pain on her leg was shearing, and she could not fight back. While she could not move, a hard blow rammed onto her chest, and sent her crashing off the bridge she was on. Mako closed her eyes. She had not felt the pain after that; just the freezing cold, and the numbness that conquered her body. She had heard somebody's voice before she lapsed into unconciousness... calling her name. After that, she could not remember anything else, except that she kept drifting in and out of sleep. And the cold... the unbearable, chilling cold. And the words... the whispered words... "Sshh... I'm here. I'm here, don't worry."

Her eyes flew open. Could it have been possible that Kurama had saved her life for the second time? She coughed. She forgot to breathe! Thinking back made her see the truth. She lowered her eyes, and saw the thick dirty blankets draped across her nakedness. Kurama had used the blankets to help her keep warm. And knowing that they would not be enough... he... Mako turned pink. He used his body heat to increase her temperature. Mako did not even think twice. She hurriedly got out of bed, put on some decent clothes, and headed outside the apartment.

"Hiei's a woman?" Hotaru whispered to Pluto. Pluto just looked at her from the corner of her eye, but kept quiet. Everyone else did not have the nerve to speak. 'Hiei' looked especially irritated by that.

"All right," The female-voiced Hiei interrupted the lengthy pause. "I shall do some explaining here. First of all, like I said, I'm not Hiei." He looked up to see if there were any reactions from his ogling audience, then he continued. "I am Mukuro. And If we don't act quickly, Hiei's body will be damaged by my possession."

Ears perked up.

"Mukuro?" Yusuke lifted himself up from the floor he sat on. "You're..."

"Whaaaat!! You mean you possessed Hiei's body??" Kuwabara said in a high-strung voice. "Do you know where Hiei is??"

Mukuro shrugged, and shook her head. "He's probably in the depths of hell right now. Suits him, don't you think? Though I'd rather he join me in Makai as my right-hand-man." Her arms were still folded across her chest, as she leaned on another wooden pillar.

"I still can't get used to the fact that that's a woman in a guy's body," Mercury admitted to Mars in a hushed tone. "It reminds me of the Three Lights."

At the mention of the Lights, Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten who were in America, Mars gave a sad sigh. She missed Usagi. She missed her infectuous laughter, and her stupid, crazy antics. Odango atama Usagi... Mars smiled. Usagi was a boke, a baka, a clumsy, ditzy crybaby. But she loved her because of that. Recently though, Usagi had proven herself quite a heroine. She was indeed a princess. Usagi/Sailormoon had fought with love, courage, and she always stood by her friends. Mars hoped she would return to Japan soon.

"Now," Mukuro continued. "I know I shouldn't be helping you on this, but there is a hole here on Ningenkai that connects to Makai, which serves as an entrance for youkai ."

"Ah! That-- that's at Genkai-san's shrine!" Hinageshi half-exclaimed, rising to her feet. Kuwabara grimaced, trying hard not to recall the devastating scene that took place there.

"Very good, little girl," Mukuro replied. "Some of you will have to stop the youkai from entering Ningenkai vicinity, is that clear?"

"Oi, Mukuro! We're not your military soldiers who'll do your every bidding," Yusuke blurted. "Why are you helping us on this anyway?"

Mukuro smirked wryly. "If I were going to take over Ningenkai, Urameshi Yusuke, I wouldn't need Meikai's help to do it. I believe in fair play." Then going back to the rudamentary topic... "A few of you are coming with me to the Meikai gateway." She pointed at Yusuke, Botan, and Pluto.

"Nani?? You mean I'm not coming with you guys??" Complained Kuwabara.

"That's right, and it's better that way," Yusuke said. "It's gonna be too dangerous for you."

Kuwabara stood up, and faced Yusuke, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "What's that supposed to mean??! Are you saying that I, the manly Kuwabara Kazuma, is a weakling???"

Yusuke brushed his hand away, and looked at him straight in the eye. "I'm saying that if anything bad happens to you, then I wouldn't forgive myself. You're much safer here where you can defend the girls from youkai. Botan and Pluto... they are better off here, but they know the direction to the realm of the underworld." A small smile replaced the hard thin line of a mouth. "Ok?"

Kuwabara let his anger subside, and nodded. "Ok." Then without warning, he slapped Yusuke on his back, making him lose his balance and stumble. Yusuke steadied himself, and regained his composure. He looked up at Kuwabara, and grinned, as his hand formed a thumbs-up sign.

"Yosh, we'd better get moving," Botan suggested. It was followed by chorus of agreement.

Snapping out of his dazed state, Kurama realized that he was by the bridge; the bridge where he had rescued Mako from drowning. He was about to lean his elbows and lower arms onto the bridge's cement railing, when he heard footsteps behind him. Running. The enemy? He put up his guard, just in case; the rose from his flaming hair ready. As soon as he was about to turn around to strike out with the rose whip, a pair of feminine arms encircled his neck, and pulled him down, making him bend. And the funniest thing happened. Kurama's eyes widened in shock, as the girl who clung on to his neck kissed him square on the mouth! To add to his surprise, the girl who was kissing him was none other than the impulsive, bright-eyed Kino Makoto; the same girl who had slapped him, and had called him all sorts of names. Kurama did not quite know how to react, but he put his arms around her, and closed his eyes. And kissed her back.

The sun was sinking ever so slowly on the horizon. Red, orange, and yellow hues filled the sky, as they pulled away from each other, and gazed into each other's eyes.

"Bright-eyes..." He said softly, his arms still around her waist.

Mako smiled. "Thank you for..." She bowed her head to hide her flushed face. "...for saving my life, Kurama-san."

He chuckled softly. "It's nothing, really."

"Looks like you scored, kitsune," Yomi cut through his thoughts, and laughed quietly. Kurama rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway.

"Oh, by the way," Kurama said, reaching into his pocket after he let go of Mako. "I forgot to give you this." He took her hand, and opened it, placing a somewhat small device onto her palm.

Mako blinked. "Ara... it's my communicator!"

"You dropped it back at the shopping mall," Kurama explained. "You were unconscious for quite a while, so I kept it in my pocket. It kinda slipped my mind, gomen."

"That's ok," She replied cheerfully. "I shouldn't have been so careless in the first place." As soon as she tucked it in her pocket, a constant beeping sounded. Hastily taking the communicator back out, Mako lifted its lid, and a black cat with a golden crescent moon on its forehead appeared on the tiny screen.

"Mako-chan!" The cat on the screen said in surprise. "Oh, thank heavens! We were so worried about you!" Came the anxiety-filled female voice.

"I'm ok, Luna," Mako assured the cat named Luna. "Just a little... uh... heated up." Mako giggled, then asked, "Where are the others?"

Another cat, a white one this time, came into view on the screen. "Well, as far as we know, Rei-chan and Ami-chan are back at the Hikawa Shrine. Haruka and Mina said they'd be at the Crown Game Center to check out some things. Better see if they're all right. I sense something terribly wrong." The cat had a masculine voice.

Kurama raised an eyebrow. Odd how cats these days could talk. But then again, he had seen and encountered stranger and weirder things. Kurama shrugged, and inserted his hands into his pockets again.

"I understand, Artemis," Mako nodded, and kept the device. "C'mon, Kurama-san," She said, as she tugged on Kurama's sleeve, and pulled him by the arm. "We have to see what's happening at the game center!"

Part 17: On With the Show

�It's time to take out the garbage!� Came a voice from atop the roof of a building. There stood Sailormoon, her winged figure silhouetted against the pale light of the night. With her arms crossed, she looked like she meant business. �By the power of the Ginzuishou and Mamo-chan, I shall right wrongs, and triumph over evil! The souls of human beings is a sacred thing. Without it, our hearts wouldn't be whole, and love wouldn't exist! Not even hatred would exist! I won't forgive you, Goho! I am Sailormoon!� She jumped off the building, and made a perfect landing on the pavement. Her hair glistened a shiny golden color from the silver raindrops that fell from the cloudy evening sky.

She took off the brooch she wore which contained the Ginzuishou, and used its power to heal Yaten's and Taiki's body. The wounds on their chests had vanished. She eyed Goho intently. �Give back their souls!�

Instead of replying, Goho ran, hoping to escape with the souls of Mamoru, Taiki, Yaten, and the victims. Sailormoon chased him. �Oh no you don't! MOON TIARA ACTION!!!� The tiara sliced through the humid air, passing the droplets of moonlight rain, hitting Goho's lower ears. His bell-like earrings crashed to the ground with a tinkle and a shatter, freeing the souls of the innocent people, including Yaten�s, Taiki�s, and Mamoru�s.

�Nooo!!! This can�t be!!� Goho was hysterical.

�It _can_ be, buddy!� Sailormoon countered, taking out her septre. �It�s my turn now! STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS!!!

Goho gave an evil snicker. �Even if you defeat me, Meikai shall rule! You hear me? Meikai shall rule!!� The powerful blast engulfed him after that, and then he was gone. The septre�s energy filled the entire park, curing the bodies of the innocent victims.

Sailormoon exhaled loudly, and turned to smile at Seiya and Sailorneptune. Around them the civilians and couples awoke, blinking in surprise at what had happened. Three soft groans were heard behind the winged sailor. Whipping her head around, Sailormoon could not help but smile at the three. Mamoru, Yaten, and Taiki were sprawled on the ground, trying to get up, and wondering what on earth they were doing on the pavement. And then realization struck them.

�Hey, what happened to that Goho dude?� Yaten asked.

�He�s not going to be bothering us anymore that�s for sure,� Seiya said, putting an arm around Neptune.

Sailormoon lowered her eyebrows. �Yes... but the battle has just begun.�

Neptune nodded, a grave expression on her face. �The fight isn�t over yet. The Meikai can win.� She took out her mirror... the deep aqua mirror... and looked into it.

Gentle-eyed, and grateful Sailorvenus was alive, Sailoruranus walked towards her, and knelt down beside her. �Koneko-chan? Oi...�

Venus� eyes slowly fluttered open. She winced slightly at the remaining pain on her body, but gave Uranus a small smile. �Uranus...�

�Are?� Venus said, after Uranus helped her up. Venus searched the arcade center for a trace of that handsome young man they saw earlier. Instead, she gasped, as she saw the center in disarray. It looked as if a hurricane passed through the place! �Mou! What happened here??�

�Ano...� Uranus rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish grin forming on her face. �At least I didn�t wreck the arcade games.�

Venus eyed the place slowly, her eyes traveling inch by inch at the heap surrounding her. Her expression reflected disbelief, then surprise. Moments later a look of understanding crossed her face, and she averted her attention towards Uranus.

Uranus rested her arms at the back of her head, as Venus said, �Uranus...�.

The tall, short-haired senshi looked briefly at Venus, then turned away. Venus had the oddest expression...

�Ne,� Venus continued, her voice filled with curiosity. �Haruka-san...�

Uranus tried her best not to make a face. She absolutely did not like confessions, and she knew one was coming up very soon. �Maybe if I change the subject,� She thought desperately. She wracked her brain for something appropriate, but nothing seemed to be registering. All she had to do was say, �Thank you for saving my life�, right? Why was it so hard to say? �Damn.� There was no way out this time.

Uranus took a deep breath, and faced the orange-suited sailor. �Ano, Koneko-chan,� She coughed nervously... which practically took forever. She straightened, but managed to find a wrinkle or two on her skirt, and smoothed it out. After her hands left the dark blue fuku, they found her hair. With skillfull fingers, she brushed her long bangs away from her green eyes, and swallowed convulsively. Finally, she gave one last clearing of the throat, and spoke. �I...�

Then she could not find her voice.

�Ne, Haruka-san,� Venus said again, eyeing the fidgeting sailor strangely.

�N-nani?�

�Was there a fight here?�

Uranus fell to the floor.

�Haruka-san? Daijoubu?� Venus asked worriedly, as she looked at the boyish senshi who was on the floor trying hard not to cry.

Uranus got to her feet, composure forgotten. �Baka baka baka BAKA!!! How could you do such a stupid thing, getting yourself killed?? You could�ve thought of a much better strategy, you know!! Do you expect me to say �thanks for rescuing me� after what happened?? You got me so worried, that my hair probably turned white!! Just because I---� She stopped.

�Haruka-san, you were actually worried about me?�

�No... I mean... not...� Too late. Uranus sighed in defeat. �Me and my big mouth,� She mumbled to herself.

Venus gave her a hug, and smiled. �Thanks, Haruka-san.�

Uranus could feel her face grow hot, but she laughed it off. �Hahahaha, you�re still a horrible strategist!�

�Nani yo?! And what were _you_ doing? I didn�t see you doing much!�

�That�s because I did all the work when your were �asleep�!�

�_You_ did all the work?? You were splat against the wall like a pancake!�

�Well, how would you know with that ditzy head of yours??�

�Grrr... why you--!!� They bit back in unison.

�Hey! Excuse me, but have you forgotten about me?� Came a tiny voice below the two. Turning to look down, the sailors� gazes met with an extremely annoyed kid, who was tapping his tiny foot impatiently on the floor.

�Oi, Koenma,� Uranus greeted. �You�re still there?�

�A... Where did he come from?� Venus asked in hushed tone.

�You wouldn�t believe me if I told you,� Uranus replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Venus glared at her, but did not attempt to fire back.

�Sailor senshi,� Koenma�s voice cut through the tense atmosphere. �We�re going to need your help...�

Still pulling on Kurama�s arm, Mako and Kurama continued to run towards the Crown game center. They stopped short just outside the building, gasping quickly at the wrecked and ruined walls. Slowly, they walked inside, surveying the damage that was done. What a mess! Who could have done this? Then suddenly, they heard a scream; not a feminine one, but more of...

�That sounded like... Koenma-san!!� Kurama exclaimed, and ran towards the direction of the voice.

Mako was about to follow him, but realized that she might be courting trouble if she was not Sailorjupiter. She raised her transformation stick in the air, and yelled the phrase, �JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!!!�. After the change, she ran after Kurama. She was now ready to face any possible danger; and this time, she was not going to fall prey to those Meikai sleazes.

�Koenma!!!� Uranus yelled, as Koenma was being dragged off by a weird person with blue hair. He... or she... chuckled merrily, as Koenma struggled in _its_ grasp.

�VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!!!� Venus tried using her golden-heart chain as a lassoo, but to no avail. _It_ dodged the chain! �Mou! Missed!�

�Hu hu hu hu... nice try, dearie, but tough luck!� _It_ mocked.

�ROSE WHIP!!!�

The being gave a shriek, as Kurama�s rose whip went slicing into the air. _It_ was fast. The whip cracked, and hit nothing but the marble floor, scratching it.

�Oh it�s you again,� _It_ said to Kurama, a quirk of a smile forming on _its_ face.

�Maja! Let Koenma go!� Kurama demanded, his eyes venomous.

Maja smirked. �Not on your life, plant boy. The prince of Reikai holds many possibilities for Meikai. Now, ta-ta!� He moved away from the three soldiers to make his exit, still holding a writhing Koenma.

�MATTE!!!� The three called fervently.

�SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!!!�

The three stared wide-eyed as Jupiter�s thunder-dragon blast went rushing through the air, headed for Maja. ...and Koenma!

�Jupiter! The blast�ll hurt Koenma!!� Uranus panicked, referring to the small boy being dragged off in the most uncomfortable position in Maja�s arms.

�Kuso~!! Why didn�t anyone tell me sooner?� Jupiter said, as she looked at the child in the evil Maja�s grasp. �How can we stop it??�

As if answering her, another being, taller than the previous one, appeared. A long cape was draped across his neck and shoulders. He did not look human, especially with the color of his skin, and that scar in the middle of his forehead. With one slight upturn of his hand, the blast was gone.

�Raigo!� Kurama said his name with scorn.

Jupiter put her guard up.�What a powerful enemy!� Jupiter gasped, as the so-called scar that was on the being�s forehead slit open, revealing a third eye. Jupiter shuddered, as she looked at it.

�Jupiter! Don�t look at his evil eye!� Kurama warned.

However, Jupiter was already entranced by it. The sparkle in her eyes were fading, as her arms dropped limply to her sides. She could not move. She could not breathe.

�Jupiter!!!� Kurama, Venus, and Uranus exclaimed

�Raigo-sama,� Maja said. �I have the brat.�

�Good,� Raigo nodded in approval. �Now it�s my turn to have some fun with them.� He eyed the motionless Sailorjupiter, standing as still as a statue.

�Kisama!!! What did you do to her???� Kurama asked viciously, clenching his fists tight.

Raigo bit back a laugh. �What�s it to you?�

Kurama narrowed his eyes. �Kisama!!�

Uranus and Venus looked at each other, and nodded.

�WORLD SHAKING!!!�

�VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!�

They combined powers; a powerful blast of orange light with a surge of hot electric fire, shaking the earth. The result would have been great... if it had hit their target. Unfortunately, Raigo had other plans and intentions. With a foreboding smile, he opened his third eye wide. A trace of dark energy flickered in it, as he stopped the attack in midair!

�No way!� Uranus gasped disbelievingly

�He stopped our combined attack! Now what do we do??� Venus said vehemently, her brows still lowered.

�Cht,� Kurama made a sound through his teeth. He continued to stare virulently at Raigo. He glanced at the frozen Sailorjupiter to his left from the corner of his eye, and cursed in his head.

�Ahh,� Raigo said, as he saw Kurama�s expression. �What�s this? Does the little gardener boy want his precious flower released from the power of my evil eye?� Then, he eyed Jupiter, his smile knowing.

�Kuso~!� Kurama thought, regretting looking at Jupiter. �I know what he�s going to do! Kuso~!! So help me...�

Raigo turned himself slightly to face Jupiter, who was still standing motionless. Using the power of his third eye, Raigo held up the powerful blast of Uranus and Venus in his palm, and gave Kurama a naughty smile. Kurama sucked in his breath. He was right! He knew Raigo was going to do it!

And he did.

He had the enormous power to control it. And without reluctance, he threw the World Shaking-Venus Love and Beauty Shock-attack towards the unmoving Sailorjupiter, much to everyone�s shock!

�USO!� Uranus cried. �JUPITER!!! Get out of there!!!�

�MAKO-CHAN!!! Snap out of it!!!� Venus cried out as well.

Jupiter did not even flinch. No blink, no heave, nothing. She was paralyzed by the dark power of Raigo�s evil eye; Meikai�s doing. Kurama did not hesitate. With his youko speed, he ran for Jupiter, vaguely aware of the surprised gazes from Uranus and Venus. He reached her just before the blast had made impact, however it was too close to be dodged; too near to be avoided. Kurama braced himself, as he faced his back towards the blast, and shielded Jupiter, her limp body cold against him.

�REI GAAAaaaaN!!!�

Kurama heard Venus and Uranus scream and yell, but he did not hear a sickening explosion, nor did he feel any pain. He did hear something faint, but the sound was drowned out by Uranus and Venus noisy clamor.

Kurama raised his head. He was alive. He looked down at the immobile, yet fair, girl in his arms. She was breathing... Alive. _They_ were alive. He exhaled loudly; an immense wave of relief flooding over him. How many times must he save her? He blinked. ...Or_ try_ to save her, for that matter. �This girl will be the end of me,� He thought, shaking his head; but a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth.

�Who dares---,� Raigo began, but fell silent quickly, a pleased smirk appearing on his ugly face. �Urameshi Yusuke, how nice to see you again.�

Yusuke? Kurama turned his head. True enough, standing side by side with their defenses up was Yusuke, Hiei, Botan, and another girl whom he did not recognize. She was apparently with Uranus and Venus. The sailor costume gave it away. She looked especially serious; the type who was calm and quiet on the outside, but beneath that was a boiling passion. She carried a staff resembling a giant key, a fine, dark red orb made out of garnet fixed at the top of it. Somehow, she sensed Kurama�s burning gaze on her. She looked sideways at him, and gave him a formal bow with a slight dipping of her head. Kurama was a bit taken aback by the conventionality, but he nodded back, and smiled nonetheless.

�I�ve waited for this day,� Raigo said, more to himself than to them. �However, you will have to defeat all my Meikai followers before you can conquer me, Urameshi Yusuke.�

�Yaro~! Lead on! I�ll beat them all up into a bloody pulp!!� Affronted Yusuke.

Raigo chuckled. �Very well. But,� He added, as he and Maja, along with the captured Koenma, were heading deeper into a vortex seen only by youkais� and spirits� eyes. �You must enter the Meikai passageway to save Reikai�s prince, and the impertenent fire demon.� With that, they disappeared into the darkness of the gateway, Raigo�s deep laughter trailing behind him; echoing, hurting their ears.

�KUSO~!!� Yusuke shouted, letting out the frustration he felt within him. It worked. He felt a little better. But he vowed that he would not rest till those Meikai rabble were history. Utter history!

�Eto... Yusuke?� Kurama asked curiously, but his expression never wavered; and he still held the half-sleeping Jupiter in his arms. �Raigo mentioned about having Hiei as his captive, right? So who�s this?� He moved his head sharply in the direction of the so-called Hiei.

Yusuke tried very hard not to burst out laughing. It ended up as a snicker. He could not help himself. �Hiei� kicked his shin.

�As you can see, Kurama, I�m Mukuro� �Hiei� explained, as an obstreperous Yusuke hopped up an down around the game center clutching his leg. Uranus, Venus, and Botan could not help the big sweat drops at the sides of their heads. �Hiei�s soul was stolen by Raigo. I told him combining our souls would help defeat Meikai. However, he was particularly stubborn about not accepting the offer.�

Kurama was _very_ surprised about Hiei having a female voice. But then, things like these were not entirely new to him. Possessions happened all the time. He chuckled in his head. He had possessed the human body of Minamino Shuichi due to the fact that he wanted to escape death. It was a rather cowardly thing to do, but he was much wiser now. He eyed the female-voiced Hiei carefully. Mukuro had possessed Hiei�s body! How long had Hiei�s body been inhabited by the youkai woman? He hoped it was not more than 30 minutes, hence Hiei�s soul would never be able to return.

�I notice that your thoughts seem very ponderous, Kurama,� Mukuro observed, her tone blase. Kurama looked blankly at her, then grinned sheepishly.

�Ahahaha... gomen,� He apologized. �My mind wandered off.�

He suddenly felt a gentle stir in his arms. He shifted his gaze towards the cheery girl whose head was laid on the crook of his arm. Her eyelids fluttered, and the shine and sparkle in her forest-green eyes were restored. Her pretty face grew bewildered, as she saw the number of people staring down at her.

�Jupiter, you ok?� Venus asked, crouching down; her hands on her knees.

�H-hai,� Jupiter faltered, and blushed at the embarassing situation.

�You sure had us worried there, girl,� Uranus said, entwining her hands behind her head. �You sure you�ll be all right?�

�She�ll be fine,� Kurama smiled at her. Jupiter�s blush deepened. �Right, Bright-eyes?�

�Ooooooh, it�s �Bright-eyes� now, is it?� Everyone teased, much to Jupiter�s perturbation. She blushed even more. She wanted to hide. She wanted to yell at them. She wanted to wring their necks!

�I hate to be a spoiler of the mood, but we had better move on,� Mukuro said, straight-faced. There was no time to lose. Hiei�s soul had to be saved within 30 minutes, or else Mukuro would have to stay a dweller in the fire koorime�s body. And Hiei�s soul would probably be floating about in the dreary kingdom of Meikai. How dull. There were only 19 minutes left. Hiei... She had to save Hiei. �Actually,� she mused, lowering her eyes. �I _want_ to save him.�

�Mukuro,� Yusuke broke through her pensiveness. �Why are you here on Ningenkai only as a soul? Where�s your body? Isn�t there a Makai gateway in `Baasan Genkai�s shrine?�

Mukuro cleared her throat. �I am an upper S-class youkai,� She explained with such pride. �The hole connecting Makai and Ningenkai does not allow A-class and S-class youkai to pass through. Strangely though, our souls can. Yomi must be somewhere around here as well.� She glanced at Kurama.

�What about your bodies?� Kurama asked, knowing Yomi preferred to remain passive because he was not at all interested in this kind of conversation.

�That is another story. Forget about that,� She dismissed the topic with a wave of a hand. �Now, we must go.� Everyone nodded, and headed on their way... through the passageway of Meikai.

Breathless, Kuwabara reached Genkai�s shrine first. The others followed closely behind. Now where was that hole? He glanced around. Damn, he had to use an impartial amount of rei ki to see it. He knew he would be the only one able to see it. The others did not have the slightest clue about the Makai gateway. Hinageshi knew, but she only knew that it was located somewhere around here. It took a youkai, or a very powerful spiritual person to see that hole. �Like me!� He boasted quietly, placing his hands in his jeans pockets. He eyed the area, and shivered slightly, as he recalled what had happened to Hinageshi earlier. The reddish sun had already sunk and hid itself behind the vast horizon. Evening was falling. He took a deep breath, and sighed contently. He was glad Hinageshi and Yukina were safe. And then he scowled. No, it was not over yet. It would not be over, not until those Meikai scum had disappeared from the face of the earth!

As a couple of stars came into view in the dusky sky, Hinageshi, Sailormars, Sailormercury, and Sailorsaturn arrived.

�It�s around here somewhere,� Hinageshi stated the obvious.

�We�ll have to use our spirit powers to find it,� Mars said.

�No,� Kuwabara replied. �I can do it on my own. I just need a small dose of ki.�

The four girls stood back, as Kuwabara willed a small amount of rei ki to make his body glow. He closed his eyes to concentrate, blocking out all the insignificant noises in the background. Mars, Mercury, Hinageshi, and Saturn watched, and waited. Kuwabara finally opened his eyes. Resting on a tree just beside the dojo was a deep eddy, which seemed to be about a diameter in height of a tall ladder. He squinted his eyes, making out the vile-looking creatures that were emerging from the unpleasant cavity.

�I found it,� Kuwabara informed them, as he pointed to the thick-trunked tree. They jogged towards him, frowns creasing their features. Kuwabara knew why. They did not see anything. The youkai that were able to pass through the maelstrom were very low-classed. Kuwabara breathed a sigh of relief. Things would have gotten more difficult and messy if A-class and S-class youkai had gotten though.

�How do we stop the youkai if we can�t see the gorge?� Mars crinkled her nose.

�I wish I were a better spirit guide,� Hinageshi whined.

�Ah!� Mercury lit up, bringing out her mini computer, and clicking on her earring. The blue tinted visor materialized across the bridge of her nose. �I�ll be able to see it through these.�

�Oi, Mercury-chan,� Kuwabara blinked curiously at the high-tech devices. �Where did you get all those nifty gadgets?�

Mercury let out a soft feminine chuckle. �It is one of my so-called �gadgets� as a sailor senshi, Kuwabara-kun. The sailor senshi are not of this earth, but from the moon. I am the guardian of the planet mercury, senshi of the books and water. Sailormars is the guardian of the planet mars, senshi of weapons and fire. Sailorsaturn is the guardian of the planet saturn, senshi of destruction and death.�

Kuwabara looked skeptical. �C�mon! you�re pulling my leg, right?�

Mercury laughed softly with amusement, and shook her head. �I�m afraid not, Kuwabara-kun.�

Kuwabara eyed the silent Saturn cautiously. �She�s a senshi of destruction and death?? I�m sure glad she�s on our side.� Saturn smiled gently, but her glaive-staff looked ready to kill. Heck, it looked like that everytime!

�Don�t worry, Kuwabara-san,� Saturn said in the most gentlest of voices. �I might have been an enemy a long time ago, but surely I am for the forces of good now.� That was a relief.

�Sugoi!� Hinageshi breathed in awe. �You guys are really from the moon?�

Saturn and Mars nodded. Mercury punched her fingertips vigorously on the keys of her computer. She was picking up something! �Minna... be on your guard. They know of our presence.�

Kuwabara eyed the tiny monitor. Geez, he did not understand a single thing there! Mars took out a spirit ward, ready to make a move if someone... or something... attacked her. Hinageshi brought out her oar, which was similar to Botan�s. She knew they knew it would come in handy, especially in a situation like this. Saturn readied her staff, its pointed, sharp-edged blade gleaming under the starry firmament.

�REI KEN!!!� Kuwabara brought forth his spirit sword, a fiery weapon of pure energy. He held it in his grip, prepared to face danger.

And then they appeared. Monsters of different shapes and appreances stepped into view. Numerous.

�Eeeyaahh!! There�re so many of them!� Hinageshi exclaimed.

�We can take `em no problem!� Mars said conceitedly.

�Or we die fighting!� Saturn added, her eyes turning to slits.

�Hey, wait a minute now...� Kuwabara tried to say. Such brave girls. He hoped they were not all talk. He never could stand seeing a woman hurt or injured.

�All right,� Mercury finalized, closing her computer shut. �We have to stay by that tree over there.�

�Ano... didn�t I already say that?� Kuwabara asked, as a sweat drop rolled down his temple. They ignored him, due to the fact that the youkai were distracting them. The monsters surrounded the five youths, licking hungrily on their chops, and surveying every inch of their human body.

�Hey, sexy,� Hooted a hideous faced youkai to Mars. �I�d just _love_ to eat you up!� Mars felt insulted. This atrocious creature was actually making a pass at her! Of all the nerve! She glared at it, her anger starting to break though her calm barrier.

�Come now,� The youkai moved closer. Mars grimaced. The thing stank! �What do you say you and me get together for dinner? You�d fit perfectly well in my belly.� That was it! She had had enough of this verbal abuse!

�AKURYOU TAISAN!!!� She launched the spirit ward between her fingers, throwing it at the blasted youkai. It laid itself on the thing�s forehead. The creature froze in place, a gurgle of complaint rising in its throat.

�I-I can�t move!� It said.

�Of course you can�t,� Mars replied. She gave it a haughty smile. �Now... FIRE SOUL BIRD!!!� Red hot fire sprung out from her forefingers. It blazed wildly, as it took on the shape of a bird. A phoenix. Its tail was a magestic trail of flaming feathers, and its wings were burning, lava-colored sails of flight. It sped swiftly through the air, and hit its target. The youkai gave a cry, as it disintigrated into ashes.

Kuwabara charged briskly, heading for the horrid youkai, his sword at hand. He yelled loudly, not hesitating to slice his ken across their demonic bodies.

Hinageshi�s forehead furrowed, as she clutched the oar�s handle tightly to her bosom. She did not know where to start hitting. ...until a heavy-framed youkai ganged up on Kuwabara from behind. �Don�t you dare!!!� She shrieked at it, and bonked it hard on the head with the paddle. The creature staggered, trying to stay up on its two wobbly legs. Then a minute later, it fell to the ground, swirly-eyed.

Saturn giggled. �Way to go, Hinageshi-chan!�

Hinageshi tittered back. �Thanks!�

Everyone heard a �plunk� of water bouncing off water. A shimmering liquid of some sort rose to meet Mercury�s gloved hands. �SHINE...� She rotated her body dramatically, and raised her arms; her hands above her head. �...AQUA...� Then, she hurled the glistening liquid at a horned youkai by the shrine�s steps. �...ILLUSION!!!�

The blast scored a direct hit. The horned creature cried out. The sparkling, crystal-colored liquid sprayed itself around the youkai. Its cries died down, as the shining water froze; encasing the youkai in a thick-layered chunk of glassy ice. Mercury waited. Very soon, the ice began to crack. The huge mass of hardened crystalline water broke and shattered.

�Too many of them,� Saturn observed, as she swung her glaive upward, slicing an extremely tall, bean-pole-like youkai in half. �If any more come through the vortex, the world�s Ningen population will decrease instantly.�

�NITOURYUU!!!� Kuwabara hollered, as he swayed twin spirit swords in opposite directions. Two youkai crumpled to the ground, as he went off to deal with two more.

Mars leaped into the air, aiming her heeled foot at a brown-colored youkai. The demon gave a grunt, and stumbled back. However, it stood up again a few moments later. Mars flashed an annoyed look at it, and tried for a 360-degree kick. It fell to its knees again, but managed to get up, much to Mars� irritation.

�Dah hah hah hah!!!� It laughed at her. �Try and get me, you---�

*BONK!!!*

�Nanda--?!� The puzzled youkai exclaimed.

�Leave her alone!!� Hinageshi shouted, her oar solidly crashing down on the dun demon�s hard head. She did it again, and again, and again, and again...

�Uh, Hinageshi-chan,� Mercury interrupted ever so politely. �You can open your eyes now.�

Hinageshi did so, and stared wide-eyed at the now bump-headed youkai lying on the ground, with �# #� for eyes. It looked bunglingly stiff because of its position; its clawed hands were closed, except for its thumbs, index fingers, and pinkies.

�Oh... I guess I did good again, ne?� She laughed merrily, leaning the paddle on her shoulder.

More youkai emerged from the whirling black hole of Makai. Mars was getting fed up with this routine! She took fast strides, approaching them. Then, she ignited her fingers once again, drawing a sphere of fire around her. �BURNING...� The train of blazing fire separated into pieces, shaping themselves into little balls of burning embers. They circled her, as written characters appeared on them. She joined her wrists together, the balls of fire subjecting to her whim. �...MANDALA!!!�

The balls shifted shape, changing into glowing, hot stars. She directed them towards several youkai who were running as fast as they could to avoid the hellish attack. All stars had marked their targets. Mars placed a hand on her hip, and smiled with approval. But then, more youkai started to come out of the gateway!

�Kusoo~!! They just keep on coming! We�re going to lose all of out spirit energy that way!� Kuwabara said, a twang of panic starting to flood over him, like a wave of nausea.

�This isn�t good...� Mercury told them softly, as they backed up into each other. The foul creatures had them surrounded!

�What now?� Saturn asked worriedly.

�We have to think of something, guys,� Mars added. �Guys...�

�They�ve outnumbered us,� Hinageshi gripped the oar tightly, her hands grew clammy. �I wonder how Botan and the others are fairing off? Better than us, I hope.�

The youkai around them took lengthy steps towards them, and grinned evilly. They licked their mouths hungrily, excited about their Ningen feast. Kuwabara, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Hinageshi hoped they could think up of a plan soon. And they needed it speedy fast!

Part 18: Troubled Waters

Raigo laughed. "Isn't this convenient?" He said, as his third eye told all. But what caught his attention most of all was the fact that Yusuke and the others were racing through the Meikai gateway. "Urameshi Yusuke and the others are coming to play with us."

He, along with Maja and a captured Koenma, hurried deeper into the bottomless pit of hell. The raging and scorching heat of the fires flickered wildly. Even as the fires were bright and blazing, several parts of the desolate place were dark and dreary.

Koenma felt a knot in his gut as the spirits called out to him. He felt sorry for the lost souls who moaned and cried out in the depths of the flames. He shut his eyes tightly, refusing to witness the depressing event.

"Raigo-sama," Maja said. "Shall we release the river of death?"

Koenma's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to protest, however Maja had tied a piece of cloth on his mouth. Raigo nodded in approval. "Very well, Maja. Goho is dead. Make it more interesting for those who interfere." Maja bowed in obedience, and left.

Raigo turned to face Koenma. "Now this time, it shall not break so easily..." Another angry and frightened protest escaped the child-god, as Raigo opened his evil eye. That was the last thing Koenma remembered.

Through the Meikai passageway they ran; not fearing anything or anyone. They had to hurry, or they'd never be able to save Hiei's soul. They only had eighteen minutes left before Mukuro would be in Hiei's body permanently! Yusuke, Mukuro (in Hiei's body), Kurama, Sailorjupiter, Sailorvenus, Sailoruranus, and Sailorpluto ran as fast as their feet could take them. Botan followed alongside on her oar. The whole of Ningenkai and humanity were at stake! Heck, the worlds were at stake!

"Jupiter," Kurama's voice cut through the sound of heels hitting and scraping the passageway floor. "You really didn't need to come with us." Jupiter knew that he meant Uranus and Venus as well, by the darting of his eyes.

"I'm a big girl now, Kurama-san," Jupiter huffed. "I can take care of myself. I'd appreciate it if you thought more highly of me."

"Double for me!" Venus agreed.

"We're not exactly incompetent, you know," Uranus added.

Before Kurama could reply, Mukuro broke into their conversation. "That's not what he meant, you ninnies! And this coming from a youkai, too!" She looked at Uranus. "Very careless letting yourself be forced on a wall. You should be more alert!"

Uranus lowered her head in humiliation.

Mukuro eyed Venus. "Relying on 'movies' does not work either!"

Venus let in a sharp breath, but did not say anything. She flushed; a pink hue tinting her cheeks.

Last, Mukuro turned to Jupiter. "And you should always think first before resulting to action!"

Jupiter was taken aback. She remembered the thunder dragon she hurled at the enemy, only to find out that a friend was being held prisoner in the enemy's grasp. She recalled the scene where she was held paralyzed under the stare of Raigo's evil eye. She bit her lower lip, and looked at her feet.

Mukuro smiled, and provided softly; almost like a whisper, "Never fall for a youko."

Jupiter lifted her head, and looked at Mukuro strangely. She wasn't able to make out the last words.

Kurama coughed loudly; almost like he was choking on a piece of onion.

Yusuke sniggered. Botan and Pluto couldn't help a giggle or two, but managed a straight face after a short while. The amusement flickered on their faces for only a brief moment; then a hushed seriousness took its place.

After a some lengthy time of working out leg muscles, the passageway stopped short to reveal a dark staircase by the edge of a narrow river with black, murky water. They looked at each other, questions and wonder filling their minds, and flitting across their faces. Their expressions never wavered, and yet there was a trace of fear and anxiety deep within the hidden depths of their eyes and souls.

Pluto broke the silence. "We have to go up."

Everyone nodded in agreement, as they stared at the gloomy staircase headed for who-knew-where. Summoning some bravery from their courage-filled hearts, they took one step, then another. It seemed like an eternity. The staircase was steep and spiraled; dizzying and frightening to those who were weak in will. After the immense struggle of climbing, when they were all finally panting and gasping for air, they reached the top. Sitting lazily on an old, rusty throne, and munching on what seemed to be a noodle, was Hades. <

Youkai had surrounded them. There was no plan for escape. In fact, there was no WAY of escape. Hinageshi looked at her companions behind her. Kuwabara, Sailormars, Sailorsaturn, and Sailormercury's backs were toward her. Their eyes darted from side to side, up and down, here and there; but still, there was no route of escape. The youkai, all colors, all shapes and sizes, were headed toward them, outnumbering them.

"What do we do?" Mercury said worriedly. "We've used up all our powers for our attacks."

"We'll have to take them by force then if our blasts don't work," Mars replied.

"Yo~sh!! We can take them!! Let's go!!!" Kuwabara yelled, and was about to charge impulsively at the numerous youkai, when Mercury stopped him.

"Matte!" She said, as they saw her wearing the blue visor and punching her fingertips on her mini computer again. "A tremendous force is coming this way! We have to get out of here!"

"Nani?!" The others exclaimed in unison.

"I'll go check it out!" Hinageshi offered, as a magical oar appeared on the palm of her hand. She sat herself on it, and flew above the protesting youkai. High in the air, the clouds tickling her skin, she looked down at the troubled world of Ningenkai. The air had suddenly turned chilly. A moment ago, it was an unbearable humidity plaguing the area. Now it had begun to grow cold again. Bracing herself for a shiver, Hinageshi hovered a little while longer, but kept in mind that her friends were not in the most pleasurable situation. Something caught her eye overhead. And what it was made her gasp out loud.

"Oh my golly!! It's the--!!" She didn't even have to think twice. On her oar, she raced back towards her comrades, a panic-stricken expression on her face.

"Akuryou taisan!!!" Mars cried desperately. Her spirit wards weren't a match for the hundreds of youkai around them. They only took down at least eighteen or so of them.

"OREE~~~YAA~~~HH!!!" Kuwabara bellowed, slicing his now-small rei ken on a few meddlesome youkai. His spirit energy level was sinking lower and lower. 'Even if I don't have my rei ki, I always have my tou ki, and my love energy! I am invincible, just thinking of Yukina-san smile!!' And after that passionate thought, he charged towards more youkai with a newfound strength.

Mercury still had some remaining energy. Concentrating, she readied herself for one of her strongest blasts. "MERCURY... AQUA RHAPSODY!!!" Clear blue liquid emerged from her hands, taking the shape of a watery harp. Mercury's fingers strummed, a melodious tune drifting aimlessly in the faint breeze. Ice-cold sprouts of water shot out from the beautiful instrument; crystalline sparkles making them a brilliant color. They pierced the air with great rapidity, and marked their targets. The youkai-victims of the blast froze and fell. Mercury looked at the fallen beings, and heaved a tired, but relieved, sigh.

A voice cut through the busy battle. "Minna, taihen!! TAIHEN!!!"

Saturn looked up. "Hinageshi-chan!"

Hinageshi was coming down from the sky on her oar with tremendous speed. It was as if her oar had caught fire. Her eyes were wide; her hair, in disarray from the wind.

"Minna, we're in trouble!! We have to get out of here!!"

"Oi, Hinageshi, doshita??" Kuwabara asked impatiently, however, an anxious look settled on his face. What else could possibly go wrong after the Meikai scum had made a complete mess of Ningenkai? Then again, 'mess' was a pretty mild term. The thought made Kuwabara want to punch someone's lights out. And he did, he realized, as a many-horned youkai fell back painfully to the ground. Hinageshi tried to catch her breath; but in much of her haste, her words came out slurred and not particularly understood. Mars held her by the shoulders, ignoring the youkai still coming at them. "Hinageshi-chan, get a hold of yourself!"

Before anyone knew it, Mercury had on her visor and held her computer in her hand once again. "Mizu ga..." Mercury's eyes went wide. "Minna, nigette!!!"

Saturn turned abruptly towards where Mercury was facing. "Masaka!! It can't be the--!!"

Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded and shook the earth. The five tried not to lose their balance, for the trembling was great. Even the youkai had to panic.

"Nani kore wa??!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

Hinageshi finally found her voice. "The...river of death..."

As she said this, a huge tidal wave appeared on the horizon headed towards them! It was fast approaching them, swallowing everything in its path. It drowned out everything and everyone. Kuwabara feared it, much to his disgust. This tsunami was much deeper and much more dangerous than King Yakumo's flood. This one was much more troublesome than the one that made Reikai into a living Atlantis!

"Now you tell us!" Mars stared at the tsunami, which was now just a few feet away from them. Not caring about her pride, she screamed.

The youkai tried making a run for it, however, the water had reached them. The wave smothered them, blocking their passage of oxygen. The five stared in shock, as they heard the sickening sounds of breaking bones and garbled screeches. They were next. They yelled, screamed, shouted, although they knew that that wouldn't do them any good. And in a split second, the large wave settled over them, and came down with a thunderous crash.

"Sonna..!!" Sailorneptune gasped, as she saw the scene taking place in the deep aqua mirror. The tidal wave strongly tumbled over Kuwabara, Mars, Hinageshi, Saturn, and Mercury.

"Iya..." Sailormoon whispered, as her knees wobbled and she fell to the ground. Then louder, she screamed, "Iyaa~~~hh!!!"

"Usako..." Mamoru knelt beside her, his heart breaking as he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook with each sob. Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten looked as if they might cry too. Was this world coming to an end?

"Ami-chan... Hotaru-chan..." Moon wept, keeping her golden head lowered; the yellow strands from her pigtails flowing over her back and shoulders. "...Rei-chan..."

"Odango..." Forcing a smile, Seiya walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Odango, daijoubu. They can't be beaten so easily. You'll see."

Mamoru nodded a smile to Seiya. "That's right, Usako," Mamoru agreed, as he got up. "Be strong for them."

Taiki and Yaten managed weak smiles. However, they vanished from their faces as soon as the ground they stood on started to tremble convulsively. From a distance, they heard the people scream; saw the tallest buildings crumble.

Yaten paled. "Uh oh."

"Masaka!" Neptune said. "The river of death is here!"

"Yosh!" Seiya took out his head piece microphone. "FIGHTER STAR POWER... MAKE UP!!!"

So did Taiki. "MAKER STAR POWER... MAKE UP!!!"

And Yaten. "HEALER STAR POWER... MAKE UP!!!"

As soon as they transformed, the giant wave appeared before them. Neptune, Fighter, Maker, and Healer stood ready to use their blasts. Mamoru, who was now Tuxedo Mask, readied himself as well. Unfortunately, Moon was still on the ground weeping silently to herself. The tsunami was only inches away from them. They decided to make their moves, as the gigantic wave was about to come down on them.

"DEEP SUBMERGE!!!"

"STAR SERIOUS LASER!!!"

"STAR GENTLE UTERUS!!!"

"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO!!!"

They held their blasts in place, holding back the powerful tsunami. The wave seemed to glare dangerously at them, threatening to devour them.

Tuxedo Mask knelt beside the weeping Moon. "Usako, snap out of it..."

"Ami-chan... Hotaru-chan... Rei-chan..." She sniffled.

"Baka!!" Healer snapped. "Can't you see that crying isn't going to help get them back??"

"Sailormoon," Fighter said. "You mustn't give up now. Everybody is counting on you."

"That's right," Neptune added. "Please try to understand."

Maker joined in. "Sailormoon..."

They couldn't hold on much longer. Their powers were diminishing fast. However, giving everything they've got, they held on.

�Sailormooooooooon!!!� The wave was breaking through their blast-barrier of energy!

Her sad red eyes glistened with worry. The sky wasn't a very comforting color, and the air was raw with the smell of evil doing. The ice maiden, Yukina, touched a dainty hand to her breast. Her heart beat nervously against her chest, aching with something... a feeling... she didn't understand. She had finally found her long lost brother, whom she had been searching for for a long time. Unluckily, she had lost him again.

�Onii-san...� She whispered. �Please come home to me.�

Behind her, Shizuru and Keiko looked sympathetically at their petite youkai friend. Keiko sighed unhappily. She knew how Yukina felt. Yusuke had died twice in the past years, and the hurt was much too unbearable to even think about. However, to be strong... to be courageous... to have a heart filled with patience, understanding, and tenderness... Those were the traits needed to love a youkai. And Keiko loved Yusuke; although at times she would fail to be strong. She would break down and cry instead; her emotions ruling her head. She wanted to be with Yusuke forever, in sickness and in health; till death did they part. She wanted to be with him to watch the sun rise every morning; to watch it set every time the day would end. She just wanted to melt in his arms. He would hold her like there was no tomorrow. They�d tease each other until they were old and gray, and watching their grandchildren play. She wanted that all. Perhaps it was asking too much. Yusuke wanted freedom. To be tied down meant to take away his happiness. Upto this time, Keiko had kept her word to watch him from the sidelines, and not interfere. She wanted to bring him joy; but somehow she didn�t know how without having to hold him down. She bit her lip, and weeped silently.

�Yusuke, please take care. I�ll never forgive you if you die again!� Keiko burst out.

Shizuru glanced sadly at the two, and lit another cigarette with her lighter. Propping one elbow on her knee, and leaning on a temple pillar, she eyed the dark horizon in the distance. �Will we be safe here, I wonder?�

There was a spirited argument going on between the underworld god and a trio of misshapen old cronies when Yusuke and the rest piled into the large, gloomy throne room--office, rather, for there was a rickety-looking gray oval table in the center of the chamber, and an overstuffed armchair at the far end of it. Yusuke didn't care much for the atmosphere; it was dreary and desolate.

"Jeez, this place reminds me of a funeral parlor, or something." he muttered to Kurama, who was standing nearby.

"What can we expect?" Kurama replied quietly, "This IS the underworld after all."

"Are we waiting for something, or what?" Uranus hissed impatiently. "I thought we--"

"THAT WASN'T WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW, YOU THREE OLD PRUNES!!!" The huge god roared out suddenly, startling everybody present, including the dark, hunched over forms. Venus even yelped, the sound being lost in the next outraged bellow: "I WANTED TO KNOW WHY MY RIVER SUDDENLY DRIED OUT!!! I LOST A GREAT NUMBER OF SOULS BACK THERE, AND, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I'M TOTALLY PISSED-OFF ABOUT IT!!!"

Clearing her throat, Pluto tightened her grip on her staff and stepped toward him. "I believe we may know the reason for that occurence, Hades-sama."

Hades jerked his head about to glare at her. He was about to retort with a sarcastic word or two, but the words died on his lips as recognition dawned in his sunken-in, bloodshot eyes. "Well, well, well," he said slowly, the rage leaving his features. "Sets baby!! You haven't changed a bit, my dear woman. At least, not physically."

Pluto coughed audibly, attracting stares from her companions.

�You two... know each other?� Uranus inquired, eyebrows shooting up.

�We�ve...� Pluto struggled with the reply. �...met some time before.�

�Mmmmm?� Venus teasingly narrowed her eyes at Pluto. �Wonder what kind of relationship that was!�

(Sweatdrops...)

�Don�t be silly, Venus-chan,� Botan said, waving a flexible hand at her. �I�m sure Pluto-san�s not that kind of girl.�

�Hey hey hey,� Hades cut in, popping another noodle into his mouth, and eyeing Botan. �Don�t I know you from somewhere?�

�I... uh, don�t think so,� Botan quipped, holding her breath, and crossing her fingers, just in case Hades decided not to drop the subject.

�Oh yeah? Hm, could�ve sworn I�ve seen you before,� Hades decided. �Anyway, want some?� He produced the noodle-filled platter to Botan. Botan shrieked in disgust as she realized the noodles weren�t noodles at all... but worms! Worms that were wiggly, slimy... and alive!

�You eat worms!?� Everybody exclaimed in unison.

�Yeah. Pretty scrumptious too,� The dark god replied, licking his chops. He stared quizzically at them when he noticed the color from their faces had drained. �You guys sure look pale! And you�re not even dead yet! What you need is some nourishment.� He was about to offer the platter of worms to them again.

�Uh, no thanks! We�ll be just fine!� Jupiter laughed nervously.

�Heh, well, there is a saying for you humans that if the pasta wiggles, don�t eat it,� Hades said. �And this �pasta� definitely mambos! Ha-ha!�

�Forget the worms!!� Yusuke stepped forward. �We didn�t come all this way just to hear you tell us that!!�

If Hades was totally ticked off a while back, he definitely blew a fuse now. His eyes turned the color of burning coal, and his flaming hair grew blazing. With his height, he towered angrily over Yusuke, rotting teeth bared. �HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO A GOD THAT WAY???�

�I�ll speak to you however I like,� Yusuke shot back. �The world�s at stake here, and all you can talk about is girls and food!!�

�Ugh! Yusuke!� Botan reacted softly. �That is very much far from food!�

Hades face lighted up as he faced Botan. �Now I remember where I�ve seen you! You�re that new deity gal who works for that spirit world prince! How about joining my little office staff?� He points at the three hunched forms whom he was yelling at a while ago. The three step out from the shadows, revealing themselves as blind old witches quarelling over an eye.

�Meet my secretaries and advisers, the three Fates.�

�Eeeeegh!!!� Botan shrieked even louder, hiding behind Yusuke.

�So how is princey? Haven�t heard from his daddy either.� Hades said, sitting on his chair and getting back behind his desk.

�That�s the reason why we�re here,� Kurama explained. �You see, Koenma-san�s been kidnaped by the Meikai; and we need your help.�

Hades looked bewildered. �My help? No, no, no. You don�t need my help. Try big ol� daddy-o up there.� He told them, pointing upwards.

�Enma-sama is attending to some business in the other dimension and can�t be reached,� Botan said regretfully. �If only he were here, I�m sure he could help us.�

�Yare yare... This is way too weird!� Uranus restlessly commented, rubbing the back of her neck, and placing one hand on her hip.

Yusuke tapped his foot impatiently. �If this goes on, there won�t be any worlds to save!�

�Nor any Koenma-sama!� Botan provided.

�Nor any Hiei!� Kurama added.

�Hades-sama, please help us,� Pluto, without losing her composure, begged. �If you help us, then I shall join you here...� She looked briefly at the three Fates, and frowned. �...with your staff.�

�NANI??� Yusuke and the others exclaimed.

�Hmm...� Hades considered, eyeing her from head to foot. �Let me think about it, Sets baby. I mean, I don�t have all those girly-girly necessities you might need for your wardrobe and makeup---�

�DAMMIT!!!! TIME IS RUNNING SHORT!!! IF YOU DON�T WANT ME TO BLOW UP YOUR LOUSY OFFICE, SHOW US THE WAY TO DARK SIDE MEIKAI!!! WE DON�T NEED YOUR HELP, OLD GHOUL!!!!� Mukuro bellowed. The others cringed and backed away as Mukuro was ready to blow up everything in her path.

�All right, all right, you little runt!� Hades glared at Hiei�s body. �You people are weird, ya know! You into cross-dressing or somethin�? This way...�

�WHO�RE YOU CALLING A CROSSDRESSER??! I�M A WELL-BRED YOUKAI!!!� Mukuro kicked him in the jaw.

After several seconds of trying to break Mukuro free from Hades, Yusuke and the others hurried off to follow Hades through the pit-black path which probably led to the dark side Meikai, where Hiei and Koenma were held prisoner. Only fourteen minutes to go...

Part 19: We're Not Going To Lose This Battle!

"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!!!"

Sailormercury called upon her remaining power, and used it on the giant wave which was about to fall down on them with great force and rapidity. As soon as the attack reached it, it froze. Its liquified form turned solid; glistening ice shining under the limited light of the sky.

"Yata!" Mercury, Hinageshi, and Sailormars exclaimed in chorus.

"Yo~sh!" Kuwabara said, now filled with a brand new surge of confidence. "Now that that obstacle's overcome, any more youkai around?"

"I think they were all crushed under the tsunami..." Hinageshi replied.

"I'm sure there are more youkai in the vicinity," Mars cut in. "We'd better check out the city!"

"Minna..." Mercury cut in, pointing to Sailorsaturn.

Saturn stood her ground, still eyeing the frozen wave. Her serious expression was nothing to smile about. With her eyebrows lowered, Saturn turned to them.

"Be prepared. Mercury's 'shine aqua illusion' won't hold it for very long," She told them, with a hint of worry in her voice.

True to her word, the ice the wave was encased in started to crack.

"Masaka!" Mercury gasped. And in an instant, the ice casing gave way.

The enormous wave crashed down on them with much intensity to make a building crumble to rubble. Kuwabara, Hinageshi, Mars, and Mercury gave out a cry before the tsunami smothered them. Only Sailorsaturn remained calm throughout all this. With a determined look on her face, she raised her glaive up high above her head.

"SILENCE BLOCK!!"

The others stared in awe as the wave came down on them, but never even touched them. A barrier of energy surrounded them, protecting them from the deadly water. Relief washed over them. The candle of their lives was about to be blown out; however thanks to Saturn, every one of them was saved.

Saturn continued to hold her glaive staff above her head. A glow of energy encircled her, keeping the forcefield strong and secure. She gritted her teeth, focusing all her power onto the glaive and the attack.

"Saturn!" They exclaimed.

Her smile worried them. "Don't worry."

They stared at her in disbelief, knowing that what they were about to do was the complete opposite.

Fourteen minutes. Was time really that fast? It was as if the hands on the clock had wings, flying swiftly to no destination. Urameshi Yusuke and the others followed Hades down the dark and mysterious path headed towards the evil side of Meikai. As they ran, they heard several unusual sounds. Creaking walls blared through the still quietness. As they went further, rats squeaked and scurried across the stone floors. No ordinary rats, that was for sure. Their eyes were a shade of ember red. Their teeth were razor sharp, as tall as a warthog's. Their claws so fine and deadly, it could have been sworn to be a wildcat's. Their tails were horned like a crocodile's. They were so horrifying and ugly, they made Botan, Sailorvenus, and Sailorjupiter wince.

Yusuke and the others continued to stay on Hades' tail, making certain that they did not cross paths with those ferocious-looking rodents. Droplets of what seemed to be water fell from the creases on the ceiling, the sound echoing throughout the tunnel. Just gazing into the terrifying darkness brought a shiver to everyone. Meikai was not a great place to spend a vacation.

Mukuro gave a little smile. "Seems like a wonderful place."

Venus stared at the small form in the dimness, gawking widely. Botan, with teeth chattering lightly, swallowed audibly.

Hades floated towards a tall gate. Its lock was terribly rusty and old, and the iron bars were absolutely filthy. Beyond the gate was the faint sound of rushing water. Eight figures neared the gate in silence, only their footsteps and the water creating noise.

"What's this gate?" Yusuke asked uncertainly, sliding a finger on a dusty metal bar.

Sailorpluto nudged him, pointing to a broken wooden sign at the top of the gate with her key of time staff, its garnet orb flashing crimson. The sign read: 'To Dark Side Meikai'.

"Ba~ka..." Sailoruranus mumbled. "He didn't even see the sign."

"Nandato??!" Yusuke demanded to the tall, sandy-haired sailor senshi.

"Ah, so this is the entrance to the evil side of the underworld," Kurama said, his emerald eyes lighting up into a pale color of ocre-green. "What lies beyond these gates, Hades?"

Hades shrugged and batted his eyelashes at Kurama. A toothless grin formed on his hideous face. "Hey, if I told you, it wouldn't be fun anymore."

Kurama sweatdropped, his eyes reverting back to a dazzling shade of bright green.

With red-brown eyes blazing, Yusuke grabbed Hades by his shirt front. "Tell us, you old bat!!"

"Unhand me, you foul creature!" Hades breathed on the youth's face. Yusuke coughed at the stench of the god's breath. Letting go of Hades, Yusuke glared at him.

Smiling, Hades placed his hands on his hips, and said, "Memo me maim you after this misconception."

"Well, memo me MURDER you after this mega-catastrophe!!" Yusuke fired back.

"Gentlemen," Pluto stepped in between. "Please stop your bickering. Hades-sama, we have to know what is beyond these gates, for we don't have much time to lose. I know this is asking a whole lot on your part, but please, we really need your help. Our world is in terrible danger."

Hades wrapped an arm around Pluto. "Aww, Sets baby, you know you're my absolute weakness." Pluto fought the urge to burst into tears at the god's foul-smelling breath. Hades thus said, "As soon as you enter the gates, a savage animal will trail your scents. This animal is called the three-headed Cerberus. Be careful, for this creature craves blood... especially mortal blood."

Venus and Jupiter squeaked in fright.

"The next beast you'll encounter is Maja," Hades continued. Kurama's and Jupiter's ears perked up at the sound of the familiar name. "Pretty boy thinks he's got what it takes, but beat him for me, will ya? I can't stand the way he struts his stuff when he ain't got any."

All eight heads sweatdropped.

"The third... I hear he's a very powerful being. You gotta be extra careful with this guy." Hades said, a certain awe in his voice.

"Who is this guy?" Yusuke couldn't contain his excitement. He wanted a challenge. And knowing that this opponent was powerful...

"Actually, I don't know either. I just heard rumors going about that there was a fourth Meikai scum, ya know." Hades replied, shrugging.

Everyone sweatdropped again.

"And, as you all know, the invincible, powerful, absolutey genius, magnificent, strong, calculating, cunning, devilishly-handsome, sexy, ultra-gorgeous, heroic......"

"That's Raigo???" Eight people said in disbelief.

"Actually, I was talking about me," Hades said sheepishly. "I guess I got carried away. Ehehe!!"

Everyone collapsed and sweatdropped.

"Anyway, the fourth is Raigo, the controller of the evil eye." Hades finished. "I have to stay here. From this point on, it's all upto you. Good luck!" As soon as Hades disappeared, the gates screeched open.

"Let's go," Mukuro said confidently, taking the first step of entering the gates. "Let's save Hiei!"

"Right." Yusuke nodded, his face serious.

"Oh by the way," Hades' head appeared in mid-air.

"Aaaaaaugggh!!!!!!!" Yusuke jumped. "Don't do that, you ghoul!!!!!"

Hades chuckled. "Sorry `bout that, kid. I just wanted to say that make sure you don't get killed. Your souls automatically belong to me if you do. Well, ta-ta!"

"Hold it, Hades!" Yusuke called. "And what if we all survive?"

Hades thought for a while, and laughed. "Then I'll call myself a monkey's uncle and you can get a wish!" Then, he vanished again, this time his laughter trailing behind him.

"Yusuke, I don't think he took it seriously." Kurama said.

"That's because the dingbat thinks we can't do it!" Uranus crossed her arms, a bit ticked off.

"He's underestimating us, the bastard!" Mukuro seethed, clenching a fist.

"We'll show him we can't be beat!" Venus raised a hand in a victory sign.

"Yeah!!" Everyone chorused.

And as soon as they stepped through the gates, a wolfish howl cried through the hellish fires. A doggish aroma filled the air, and the sound of panting neared them. A canine-like growl came after, and slight fear and uncertainty filled the hearts of the eight people who entered the evil side of Mekai.

A loud rumble sounded, making the earth tremble. The large pieces of wood supporting Rei�s little temple started to creak loudly. Hinges on doors squeaked as their screws came loose. By the gate, the small pond�s water began to ripple. Three girls huddled closely together, praying for a miracle. A soft groan escaped the lips of Kumada Yuuichirou as he awakened from his unconscious state.

�What happened?� He asked groggily. Then, he remembered. Getting to his feet abruptly, Yuuichirou clenched a fist. �Where�s Rei-san? She can�t be fighting! It�s too dangerous!�

�Ah, Yuuichirou, you�re awake,� Shizuru said calmly; again, puffing on a cigarette. �I�m afraid that Rei-chan IS fighting the dark forces at the moment. We�ll just have to hope and pray that they�ll be all right.�

�We have to believe in them,� Keiko added, both her hands entwined together. Her eyes shook with unshed tears. �I know Yusuke and the others can save the world.�

Yuuichirou collapsed onto his knees. �B-but Rei-san---!�

A firm hand touched Yuuichirou�s shoulder. �I know you�re worried about Rei, Yuuichirou,� Yuuichirou turned his head to see Rei�s grandfather. �I�m worried about my grand-daughter too. But we must keep in mind that she was born with a purpose to protect and defend those who are oppressed and need help. She was made to fight for justice and the righteous. She is, after all, Sailormars... one of the sailor senshi.� He paused to give Yuuichirou a reassuring smile. �Now, I�m sure you wouldn�t want her any other way, would you? She deserves to marry a fine young man like yourself.�

�Ehh??!� Yuuichirou turned red, recalling the small case in his pocket which contained the ring.

Shizuru started to chuckle. Even Yukina and Keiko had to smile. Yuuichirou admitted defeat as a smile lit up his face. So many times Rei had filled his heart with joy and warmth. So many times she�d bitten his head off and screamed at him too. With or without the bad times, Yuuichirou loved her with all his heart, with all his soul. Finding out her secret that she was a sailor senshi didn�t bring him surprise nor shock; it brought him fear. Fear of losing her. He wanted to be with her forever, to be beside her when she is need of help, comfort, or affection. He wanted to be everything to her. And yet, a tinge of sadness took over his aspirations. What if she didn�t feel the same way about him? What if her job as a sailor soldier came first? What if it was more important to her? He sighed deeply. Through the long brown locks on his eyes and forehead, Yuuichirou eyed the dark horizon, praying silently for a miracle. �Rei-san...�

The temple shook more violently this time, alarming the four young people and one senior citizen. For one thing, it didn�t pass quickly. As the severe trembling continued, the ceiling started to crack. Small debris came down, making Yukina and Keiko utter shrieks of fright. Shizuru�s narrow eyes turned startlingly wide as her gaze locked onto something from a distance. It was something most terrifying! The cigarette stick she was holding fell to the floor as a sharp gasp escaped her. A large wave, almost tidal-like, was headed towards them, devouring everything in its path!

�We have to get out of here!!� Shizuru said, her usually calm voice now filled with sheer panic. Hurriedly, she ushered a frightened Yukina and a hysterical Keiko towards the back door. Rei�s grandfather and Yuuichirou followed closely behind. �Hurry!!�

Like helpless mice being chased by a deadly cat, the five ran. Due to her long legs, Shizuru was in the lead, followed by Yuuichirou, then Rei�s grandfather. Keiko and Yukina were having a hard time trying to keep up due to the clothes and shoes they wore. Panic-stricken and wrought-up, Keiko tried to retain the pace, but found it overly tiring and difficult. With a cry, Keiko lost her balance as her foot found a deep crevice on the cement walkway of their path. Wincing in pain at her sprained ankle, Keiko tried getting up again, but couldn�t.

�Keiko-chan!� Yukina exclaimed, running back to her injured friend who was chest-down on the ground. �Are you all right?�

�I hurt my ankle,� Keiko whimpered. �I don�t think I can run anymore. Save yourselves.�

�We should try.� Yukina said with determination. Helping Keiko up, Yukina supported her with as much strength as she could muster. Unfortunately, the tsunami was already in the vicinity of their location. ---and only a few feet away from them! Both girls screamed with all their might, knowing that there wasn�t any escape.

�Yukina-chan!! Keiko-chan!!� Shizuru and the others yelled to them in obvious alarm. It was too late for them, since the gigantic wave was already above them, and ready to crash down and crush them!

With one final act of impulse, Yukina outstretched her arms to summon her power of biting snow. A blizzard shield she produced, protecting all five of them from the towering wave that settled above them. It was either to be crushed or to freeze to death. Sure enough, all, except Yukina, began shivering uncontrollably from the bitter cold. The ice maiden retained her position and her resolute composure to save her friends, even if she was running out of ki. She wouldn�t freeze to death; however, giving up all her will and energy was a definite equivalent to losing one�s life.

Keiko dropped down to the ground again, clutching herself for warmth. A concerned Shizuru huddled towards her, wrapping her arms around the hurt and trembling Keiko to create more tepidness.

Teeth chattering and knees buckling, Yuuichirou said, �A-At l-l-least t-th-this willll pr-prolong our l-life a l-li-li-little m-more...�

Rei�s grandfather was less than thrilled. �F-for how long though?�

�I don�t know,� Yuuichirou thought miserably, gripping the small velvet case which contained the diamond ring, to his heart. �I don�t know... Oh, Rei-san...�

An astounding feeling flooded over her like an electric current. She sucked in a sharp breath, unsure of what it was. A deep burden dwelled in her chest; but at the same time, her heart felt light Unconsciously, she touched her palm to her breast. Psychic as she might be, the young priestess was now clueless as to what was coming over her.

Hinageshi eyed Sailormars with anxious blue-green eyes. �Mars, what�s wrong?�

Mars snapped out of her state at the gentle voice. �I...� She paused, looking quietly at Hinageshi. Then, lowering her eyebrows, she diverted her gaze towards the courageous Sailorsaturn who was struggling to keep the forecfield in tact. �How long do you think she can hold it?�

Saturn, hearing them, said tiredly, �Not for very long, I�m afraid.� Her breathing began coming in long, hard pants. �My energy is diminishing bit by bit. But I�ll hang on. I�ll hang on until Yusuke and the others defeat Meikai!�

�And we have to,� Sailormercury added fearfully. �If this forcefield breaks, it�s not only us that will suffer! Many people in the towns and city will die as well!�

Surpisingly, Kuwabara said a heroic thing. �Then I will protect my friends and the people of this world! --even if it means losing all my life energy!� With a yell, he focused all of his remaining ki onto the forcefield Saturn conceived. �Urameshi... hurry...�

Mars, Mercury, and Hinageshi nodded in agreement. �Let�s do it then!� They closed their eyes in concentration, their auras glowing bright around them.

�For Yuuichirou...� Mars thought, as she focused the burning energy from within her on Saturn�s silence block shield. Tears stung her eyes as she recalled the painful memory of the ring. The thought of Yuuichirou marrying someone else... She shook her head to block out her musings.

�For the people of the world!� Mercury pronounced, directing her power of ice and water on the shield as well.

Hinageshi did the same, concentrating all her spirit energy. �We�re not going to lose this battle!�

The growl grew louder. All eight froze in their tracks as the sound of an angry snarl neared them. They turned silent, fearful of the creature heading their way. With each passing moment, one growl turned into three.

�It must be Cerberus.� Kurama said, now on his guard.

Botan and Venus squeaked in fright. Jupiter gulped nervously, but kept her stance. Pluto remained unmoved, but she gripped her staff tightly. Uranus was a bit alarmed, but tried her best to look bored.

�So it is.� Mukuro stated mildly. �This will be easy.�

�Yo~sh!� Yusuke cracked his knuckles with a wide grin. �We�re ready, right?�

Jupiter hesitated slightly, but retrieved her composure. �Unh!�

�Eeeeeeh!� Botan and Venus huddled closely together like two frightened little rabbits, with their fists daintily tucked under their chins. �Kowaaaaiii!�

�Oh please!� Uranus rolled her eyes. �When did you two get so pathetic?�

Kurama sweatdropped, but smiled. �Girls, there isn�t anything to worry about. Yusuke and I, not to mention Mukuro, are here.�

Botan and Venus looked at Kurama, and suddenly had a surge of enthusiasm as they saw hearts and their eyes started to sparkle. �Kuramaaaa, reeeeallyyy? You�ll protect us?�

�Uh... well... I...� Kurama stammered, wondering how he got himself into this situation. Uranus groaned in exasperation.

Jupiter rushed in between the two girls and Kurama, fuming. �Hey, back off!!�

Pluto finally spoke up. �We have to separate by twos. We�ll be able to save time that way. Each group will have one underworld overlord to face. We don�t have much time. Choose your partners wisely.�

Jupiter glanced at Kurama, blushing. Kurama looked back at her, making her turn away embarrassed. Much to Jupiter�s surprise, Kurama walked up to her, smiling and offering his hand. �Shall we?�

Jupiter looked at the hand, blinking. Then, as the words sunk in, she smiled brightly. �You bet!�

Yomi�s voice rung in Kurama�s head. �Are you trying to �score some points�, as the people of your world call it?�

Kurama chuckled quietly, and answered good-naturedly, �Shut up, Yomi.�

Venus walked up to Uranus. Uranus raised an eyebrow at Venus. �Don�t tell me I�m gonna be stuck with you again!�

Venus looked mischievous, pointing a finger at Mukuro. �Well, if you prefer short men...�

�Fine, fine, partner,� The tall senshi of the sky grumbled with emphasis on �partner�. �But we�re not taking Cerberus!�

�Oi, Botan,� Yusuke said. �Let�s take this Cerberus dog-dude!�

�Eeeeh! Yusuke!� Botan cringed, but followed Yusuke down the path where the snarls and growls were coming from.

Pluto looked at Mukuro who was in Hiei�s body, smiling slightly. �Mukuro, shall we go rescue Hiei?�

Mukuro smiled back, and nodded. �Let�s go!�

Only eleven minutes to go to save Hiei, and before the gateway to Meikai would close completely!

Part 20: Going to the Dogs

�Sailormoon! Snap out of it!�

Sailormoon continued to weep, her long golden locks cascading down her shoulders. She kept her head lowered as she cried, with her knees on the ground. �Ami-chan... Hotaru-chan... Rei-chan...�

Sailorneptune, Sailorstarfighter, Sailorstarhealer, and Sailorstarmaker held their blasts in place to hold the huge wave of the river of death. Many innocent citizens stood behind them, fearful of the tsunami crushing them. The senshi didn�t know how long they could hold it, for they were getting weak and exhausted. Sailormoon, with all her power, was their only hope ---if someone could just slap some sense into that thick odango head of hers!

�Mou~... dame~...� Healer breathed tiredly, still trying to hold her star sensitive inferno steady.

�We can�t hold on... much longer...� Maker said, breathing hard. Her star gentle uterus was growing fainter. Both her and Healer�s legs trembled from weariness.

�Neptune,� Fighter said, trying to keep a stiff upper lip and a steadfast star serious laser. �How are you doing?�

Neptune managed a weak smile. �I can�t stay... up, Fighter.� She was right. She looked about to fall from fatigue. �But I�ll still... do my best...�

The people behind them began panicking quietly, for they knew that the senshi couldn�t protect them from their doom. Moon still knelt on the ground weeping as if oblivious to everyone�s hardships. �Ami-chan... Hotaru-chan... Rei-chan...�

Tuxedo Kamen closed his eyes for a brief second, and took a deep breath. Closing his heart as well, Tuxedo Kamen raised his palm high in the air, and swung. ---hitting Moon smack on the cheek!

Shocked gasps escaped the four senshi who were fighting the wave. But no one was more shocked than the speechless Moon, who had her hand to her sore cheek. She looked at Tuxedo Kamen with blue eyes filled with hurt and confusion. Tears trickled down her face as she stared at the only man she�d ever loved. �M-Mamo-chan...�

And Tuxedo Kamen felt like dirt.

�W-what happened to your saying you love me?� She whimpered. She recalled his words just some hours ago when they were seated together on the park�s bench. �Usako, if you weren't around, then my life wouldn't be worth living. I'd be a lost soul without any care in the world, with no mission in life. You are the most special person in my heart.�

�Usako, I had to do it,� Tuxedo Kamen tried explaining. Now he regretted slapping her. �Your friends... everyone... is...�

She ignored him. She wasn�t angry at him, but what she felt was pure pain. �Were they all lies?� She stood up, and approached him. �Were they?�

�Usako, this isn�t the time for that...�

�WERE THEY ALL LIES???� She screamed; but more to herself than to him. With that, a strange glow surrounded her, startling the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. Even Moon was surprised at this unexpected power enveloping her. She felt her strength returning to full level. More, in fact. What was even more overwhelming was the wave suddenly grew smaller and weaker. Moon stopped crying the instant she realized it.

�Of course!� She said, now filled with courage and confidence. �Everyone, think of your pure hopes and dreams! Think of your heart�s desire!�

Everyone blinked at her, bewildered.

With a smile, Moon said, �If the Meikai wants strong feelings, we�ll give them strong feelings!�

The senshi looked at each other and nodded, understanding. Even the people behind them understood. It was time to work together; to be one. They were going to fight for their world, and no underworld demon or any other was going to take it away or destroy it! In unity, the people held hands, combining all their ki together while thinking of their strong feelings.

Neptune and Fighter looked at each other, smiling. Offering her hand to Neptune, Fighter knew what her hopes and dreams were. Neptune took her hand; and Neptune knew what hers was too. Closing their eyes, they thought of their strong feeling. A strange glow, similar to Moon�s, appeared around them as well.

Healer and Maker did the same.

Tuxedo Mask gently took Moon�s hand in his. Moon gave him a �we�ll-discuss-this-later� look, but she held his hand tightly. And when all their eyes were finally closed, Moon yelled, �MOON ETERNAL POWER!!!�

Everyone followed.

�NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER!!!�

�FIGHTER STAR POWER!!!�

�HEALER STAR POWER!!!�

�MAKER STAR POWER!!!�

The strong force of their combined power, added with the pure thoughts of their hopes and dreams made the tsunami slowly waver and shrink. And as they felt their energy diminishing again, Moon and the others opened their eyes. The tsunami was finally gone, replaced by an ugly puddle on the cement walkway. Everyone cheered at their triumph.

�No wonder the Meikai are after the strong feelings of people,� Neptune said. �It�s a very powerful weapon.�

�Ah, but I�m sure glad it�s over!� Healer stretched her gloved arms in the air.

�But what about Ami-chan, Hotaru-chan, and Rei-chan?� Moon gasped, tears threatening to brim in her eyes again.

�It�s all right, Usagi-chan,� Neptune replied soothingly, holding the Deep Aqua Mirror. �They�re alive, but they�re holding on.�

Moon gazed into the mirror, and saw Sailormercury, Sailorsaturn, and Sailormars, with the two people she didn�t recognize, battling a tsunami similar to theirs. The five fought with all their might, never giving up; not even resting for a single second. And then as if lightning had struck, the small red-haired girl dropped to her knees.

�Dame~! Please don�t give up!� Moon appealed to the mirror. Grabbing the mirror from Neptune, Moon couldn�t stop talking to it. If only Mars and the others could hear her...

Fighting for the people and for the world was no easy task. For minutes they�ve held the gigantic wave in place; however, there were no signs of it growing weaker or smaller. Hinageshi, tired and panting, collapsed on her knees; but tried to hold on to her concentrated ki. Kuwabara tried helping her up, but wound up almost falling down as well.

�It�s no use,� Mercury said, debilitated. �We can�t win against this...�

�Ami-chan,� Mars replied in rather scolding, yet tired, tone. �Don�t say that!�

�There�s always hope,� Saturn added. �Sailormoon...�

Hinageshi and Kuwabara looked at each other, silently telling each other not to give up.

Mars kept thinking about Yuuichirou throughout the battle. The sad memories of the ring flooded her mind. And then suddenly, she heard a voice in her head. �Rei-chan...�

She recognized that voice! �Usagi? Usagi! Is that you?�

�Hai. Rei-chan, you have to think of happy thoughts. Think of your hopes and dreams. The Meikai is after the strong feelings of people. Why not turn it against them?�

�Usagi-chan!� Mercury happily exclaimed. Apparently, she had heard her voice too.

Saturn, too, was overjoyed. �Sailormoon!�

Mars knew it was time to put aside the petty thoughts. If it meant saving the world, she would do so. And she thought long and hard of what could have been between Yuuichirou and her, even though it hurt her so much. As a fiery glow encircled her body, Mars� closed eyes were now filled with tears.

Mercury closed her eyes too. Joys of her happy thoughts filled her mind. A smile lit up her face as she thought of these; and a bright blue glow appeared around her as well.

Saturn smiled in spite of the weariness she felt. Her eyes drifted closed, and she thought of her strong feeling.

Kuwabara grinned as he closed his eyes. A vision of he and Yukina getting married crossed his mind. Yukina looked so beautiful in that pretty gown...

�Kuwabara-kun, you�re drooling...� Hinageshi sweatdropped. �Anyway, it�s my turn!� As she closed her eyes, Hinageshi thought of herself as being one of the greatest spirit guides on the whole of Reikai. Just like Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Kuwabara, Hinageshi began to glow.

�Rei-chan, Ami-chan, Hotaru-chan... look! The tsunami�s getting smaller!�

True enough, the wave, which used to be gigantic, was now only a few inches above the ground. Like a sudden miracle, the five fighters finally defeated their opponent after a long and trying battle. And as their powers faded, the tower of water finally collapsed, turning into just a slosh of a puddle on the ground. The five breathed a sigh of relief and gratitude as their legs gave way, falling to the ground, exhausted. Their ordeal was over, yet they hadn�t won yet. The Meikai was still basking in glory.

Kuwabara gathered some strength, and yelled to no one in particular. �Urameshi, hurry!!�

�Yusuke, I hope you make it on time...� Hinageshi whispered.

The deity couldn�t keep up with the energetic youth, who was excitedly running down the dark passageway where growls and snarls could be heard. With an annoyed frown, Botan finally gave up running, and took out her oar. Glad she wasn�t wearing her usual pink kimono, which was rather heavy and unbearably uncomfortable in certain situations (especially this one), Botan raced through the darkness on her oar, following Yusuke faithfully.

Botan could feel her heart thumping wildly, for she was nervous and slightly frightened in confronting the three-headed beast. Even as she wore her orange jacket tightly and her thick denim slacks, she was still getting a chill up her spine. She knew she could trust Yusuke completely; but even when she did, she still shuddered involuntarily.

Yusuke, on the other hand, was overjoyed to finally face an opponent. He was so eager to fight and so hungry for a battle, he couldn�t hide his enthusiasm. He was all smiles all the way. Shrugging, Botan reminded herself that Yusuke wasn�t human.

A howl sounded. Loudly. Botan gave a soft shriek as she realized Cerberus was just around the corner, waiting. Yusuke stopped in his tracks, but a grin was still pasted on his face. With an arrogant chuckle, Yusuke cracked his knuckles to prepare himself; and much to Botan�s horrified surprise, Yusuke turned the corner and lunged for the monster!

�Yusukee~!!� Botan cried, biting her fingernails. Worried, Botan decided to see what was going on behind the blind corner. She could hear the yowls and growls of the three-headed dog, and Yusuke�s rants and grunts.

Before Botan could turn the corner, Yusuke went flying in her direction, knocking her off the oar! Botan screamed as she fell. Luckily, due to Yusuke�s quick reflexes, he was able to regain his composure, and catch the deity in his arms.

�Oi, Botan, daijoubu?�

Botan gave him a certain look that made him think she might burst into tears at any moment. �H-hai...� Her eyes widened suddenly. �Yusuke! Your arm!� Yusuke�s jacket arm was torn severely, revealing a deep gash on his shoulder which was bleeding slightly.

�It�s just a scratch. Damn that thing!� He glared at Cerberus, who was fast approaching them. Botan could have laughed at Yusuke�s remark about the cut being �just a scratch�, however she cringed as she saw the monster. Saliva seeped from its three jaws; its 3 pairs of eyes were bloodshot and angry; its claws were like the talons of a giant hawk, ready to tear human flesh to shreds!

�Yosh! Let�s try that again!� Yusuke took off his jacket, and handed it to Botan. With a yell, Yusuke once again charged for the beast, fists ready.

Botan watched with wide eyes as Yusuke tried to score some hits. She winced as Yusuke went flying again, this time hitting his back against the cold stone wall. Botan blinked blankly as Yusuke got up again ---and charged again!

�Mada mada!!� Yusuke said to Cerberus, attacking with his left fist, then his right. Botan gasped in alarm as one of Cerberus� heads came down on Yusuke! Yusuke gave a loud cry as a mouth came down on him, teeth and all! Yusuke, who had tremendous strength, used his arms to keep the jaw from closing. Trapped, Yusuke let out a savage curse.

�Yusukeeee~!!!� Botan was shocked beyond measure, but was relieved that Yusuke had not been eaten. Reacting on impulse, Botan got out her oar, and ran towards Cerberus. With the oar in her hands, she charged for the three-headed dog, unaware of the danger she was facing. With a shout, she swung at the monster, using the oar as a weapon. �Let Yusuke go!!�

Botan knew she hit her mark, because Cerberus gave out an agonized yelp as her oar came crashing down on him. However, as she was about to help Yusuke get free from his prison, a paw struck at her, flailing her against the wall. Botan gave a loud grunt as her shoulder hit the wall hard, and she let go of the oar. She fell limply to the ground, unmoving.

Yusuke looked shocked. �Botan!!�

Summoning a fair amount of adrenaline, Yusuke tried forcing himself free from the monster�s jaws. Cerberus uttered a yelp as Yusuke pried its mouth open, setting himself free.
As soon as he was released, Yusuke rushed towards Botan�s side. He cradled her in his arms, hoping she would open her eyes. He shook her slightly. He called her names and shouted at her. Finally, her eyes fluttered open.

�Yusuke?� She blinked. �What happened?�

�Baka!!� He cried, happy she was all right. He was smiling, relieved.

The light mood vanished the moment Cerberus gave an ear-piercing bay. Yusuke glanced at his hands. He only had one rei gun shot left. If he used it on Cerberus, he wouldn�t be able to fight Raigo. Yusuke and Botan were clueless on what to do. How were they going to defeat this three-headed canine?

Meanwhile, the two run hurriedly down the dark passageway. A narrow, canal-like river flowed strongly the opposite way. They ignored the musty scent it was giving. Was that the famous River Styx that everyone was talking about? Surely a boat could not fit in such a place.

She knew she was worried. So many unexpected and frightening things have happened, and she was sure that the climax of everything was soon to come. Her heart beat rapidly and loudly as she ran. She tried to keep up with her companion, who was a few feet in the lead. Her long legs had given her the ability to run with speed, however this young man was still much faster than she was. As if hearing her thoughts, Kurama stopped to turn around and look at her.

�Mako-chan, are you all right?� He asked.

Jupiter stopped as well and nodded. �Hai. I was just thinking. I�m just wondering what�s in store for us. What is waiting for us in the darkness?�

Before Kurama could reply, a mocking chuckle sounded, followed by, �Yes, what IS in store for you?�

Kurama and Jupiter put up their guard. As they did, Maja stepped out from the shadows, a derisive smile on his face. One hand was on his hip as he eyed the two critically. His eyes were on them for a while, as if drinking in their youth and their robust constitution.

�We don�t have much time for chatting, Maja!� Kurama said, narrowing his eyes. �Let us pass!�

Maja burst out laughing. �You really ARE amusing, Kurama! You really think I�ll let you pass just like that?� He pointed his finger at Jupiter. Jupiter was taken aback at this, but didn�t say anything. �Her soul was supposed to be Meikai�s! Because of your meddling, she still lives! That was foolish of you, Kurama!�

Kurama didn�t look the least bit flustered. Calmly, he took a prefect thorn-filled red rose from the locks of his flaming hair. �You talk too much, Maja. Let�s just fight and get it over with.� The rose suddenly turned into a whip with a turn of his wrist. Jupiter blinked in surprise at Kurama�s weapon.

The Meikai warrior laughed. �Kurama, did you forget? I can duplicate your powers and weapons!� With that, a whip appeared in his hand. �I didn�t think the intelligent Kurama could be so simple-minded!�

The red-haired lad cursed silently. Maja was right. His ability to copy his opponent�s powers and weapons was a dangerous thing. If Jupiter helped him to fight, Maja would copy her powers as well. Well, he�d have to take the chance of fighting Maja one on one. He shouldn�t let Jupiter interfere; but knowing her� Ah! She was stubborn.

Kurama glanced at her from the corner of his emerald eyes. She looked nervous and uncertain on what to do, but her eyes were narrowed at the evil one called Maja. Kurama clenched the handle of his whip tighter, afraid of what might happen to her. The last time, he almost lost her. He didn�t want that to happen again. However, as he looked at Maja�s bluish face, he knew he might have to go through an emotional ordeal once again. Maja was sneering with confidence at them, the identical whip in his hand.

�Allow me to start, Kurama,� Maja said, smirking. Before Kurama could reply, Maja leaped into the air, the twin whip gripped in his hand. Kurama looked startled as he backed up a step. Maja swung the whip at the red-haired youth. �Rose whip!!!�

Jupiter gasped as she watched. �He�s fast!�

Kurama tried blocking Maja�s weapon with his own. Both warriors swung their whips with the same force. Both withdrew at the same time, then leaped to attack again. All Jupiter could do was dart her eyes from left to right. They were so fast, she had a difficult time trying to keep track of what they were doing.

�Kurama-san, be careful!� She called out to the battling twosome.

�Fuu ka en bu jin!!!� She heard Kurama yell. She gazed in amazement as rose petals began flying everywhere. The stale air turned fragrant in a manner of seconds. She heard Maja laugh yet again.

�Fool!� Maja ridiculed. �Fuu ka en bu jin!!!� Another blizzard of petals filled the air.

Jupiter saw Kurama evade Maja�s whirlwind of petals in as much haste as possible. Jupiter wondered what was so dangerous about those pretty flower petals. One pink petal headed her way. She lifted a hand to feel its satiny-smooth texture, when Kurama shouted to her, �Don�t touch it!!�

Because of his warning to her, Kurama turned his head back to Maja too late. Maja�s whip sliced through his waist the minute his resplendent green eyes met with the Meikai warrior�s. Kurama heard himself gasp out loud as hot pain shot through his whole body, making him fall heavily on his knees.

�Kurama-saaan!!!� Jupiter screamed, her gloved hands flying to her gaping mouth. She stared in horror as so much blood seeped from the deep wound on Kurama�s waist, drenching his clothes into a bright crimson. The rose petals surrounding them suddenly disappeared, and the putrid stench of the underworld filled the air once again.

Kurama struggled to get up. He groaned and uttered low grunts of pain as lifted, first, one leg, then the other. His hand rested on the gash on his waist. His breathing was now labored. He knew he was tiring. It took a lot of spirit energy to do the fuu ka en bu jin formation. Time was running out. They needed to get past Maja as soon as possible.

�Maja!!� Jupiter shouted to the blue-haired Meikai warrior. �It�s my turn! Fight me!�

�Mako-chan!!� Kurama was alarmed. �You can�t win against him!! Don�t fight him!!�

Jupiter clenched her fists. �I�m not giving up without a fight! Maja, let�s go!�

Maja smiled, somewhat satisfied. �Now this I�m going to enjoy. I�ve been longing for your soul for a while now, Kino Makoto. But first, we have to get rid of unwanted company.� As he said that, several gigantic plants appeared, pushing Kurama into the narrow river. Kurama gave a loud cry as the weight of his body made the water splash and ripple. The strong current sent him deeper into the darkness, back to where the river began.

�Kurama-san!!� Jupiter shrieked, unable to save him. He might bleed to death if she didn�t do something fast! She turned her attention back to Maja, seething. �Yurusenai!! I am Sailorjupiter, senshi of thunder and lightning! And I will defeat you, Maja!!� Jupiter eyed him angrily, fighting stance ready.

�We�ll see, sailor senshi. We�ll see.� Maja looked arrogantly at her and smiled evilly.

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