Shin Kidou Senso: Tsuki no Wing (New Mobile War: Wing of the Moon) A Sailormoon/Gundamwing crossover by Heero and Marj Edited by Duo, Chibi-Imp and Fizzy-chan CHAPTER TWO: THE GUNDAM CALLED DEATH ". . . and now for the international news. Five hours ago, a section of the Juuban District of Tokyo, Japan, was reduced to almost nothing after a few minutes of continuous explosions emanating from the area. Witnesses say that a huge, armed robot approximately 20 meters high and five girls in short skirts and sailor outfits - more popularly known in Tokyo as the Sailor Senshi - were the cause of the destruction. They also claimed that, seconds after the huge battle in the city streets, another was held between the aforementioned robot and a "battalion of machines" which mysteriously appeared in the skies from unknown sources. Although many were able to escape, the number of people injured and dead is still rising as rescuers search through the buildings that were leveled by huge amounts of heavy artillery . . ." A boy dressed in black stared at the old television, an interested expression on his face as the screen flashed pictures of sailor- suited girls facing off against a white humanoid machine amidst a ravaged city block. "Hmm . . . so there they are . . . and I thought it'd take forever to find them . . ." The boy ran a hand through his brown hair and casually flicked back the braid slung over his shoulder. "I guess I'll be heading off to Japan . . . ne, partner?" Heaving an inaudible sigh, he turned his gaze towards where a silent, dark- colored Man Machine knelt within the cramped quarters of the abandoned aircraft hangar, the shadows caused by the late afternoon sun almost concealing the entire machine from plain view despite its size. Giving his "partner," the Man Machine, a somewhat amused glance, Duo Maxwell started to gather up the things scattered on the floor of the hangar as his thoughts reverted once more to the pictures he had seen on TV. Placing his things inside a large, cylinder-shaped bag, Duo slung the pack over his shoulder as he climbed up a makeshift ladder that led to his Man Machine Deathscythe's cockpit. <. . . Well, at least, it'll make things interesting.> ***** Things were quite different at the Juuban District during the morning aftermath of the battle. Instead of the usual hustle and bustle of people heading off to work, most paused at the scene of the confrontation, where a mixture of fear, sadness, and depression was present. The area was surrounded by police and relief workers, striving to save those that could still be saved, and help those who were fortunate enough to have escaped or survived so they could at least have a last moment with those whom they loved yet who had not been so fortunate. Other government officials were helping people evacuate to places where they could stay temporarily until they managed to rebuild their lives, all of which had come crashing down after the previous day's madness. It was this grim sight that greeted Rei early that morning while she walked to school. She was not really in the mood to go to school, but the school officials had announced earlier that classes would continue despite the recent tragedy, so she and many other students could not object. Rei thought angrily to herself. She remembered the scene at her grandfather's shrine - ever since the battle had ended, the shrine had been full of people praying for their safety and lamenting for those who had been lost. The feeling that filled the air had been so dreary, Rei almost suffocated inside her own home from it. She stretched, trying to relieve the stress in her body, but she ended up wincing instead. Her body still ached from being slammed against the wall the previous day by the powerful draft their enemy's huge shield had created. Rei asked herself. Images of the previous battle raged through her mind. The feeling of hopelessness when the huge slabs of concrete rained down upon them . . . the face of death brought about by the menacing, glowing saber carried by the machine . . . if anything, Rei thought that the events during the final battle against the Dark Kingdom were taking place again, except this time everything would be much, *much* more painful with no hope of winning . . . The glowing eyes of the metal giant . . . the glowing green eyes of the five shadows in her dream . . . Rei closed her eyes and shook her head, willing the image to go away. She couldn't see where she was going, so she couldn't have known that she was about to bump into someone who had paused to look at the waste left behind by yesterday's skirmish. "Whoa!!" Rei exclaimed as she knocked into him. She lost her footing and started to fall, her arms flailing out in a desperate attempt to regain her balance. Before she felt the ground underneath her, however, she felt an arm around her shoulders as the boy she bumped into managed to catch her in the nick of time. She sighed in relief before looking up to see the face of the one who saved her from possible embarrassment. And she silently gasped. The young man was a good-looking gaijin bishounen, with long, brown, braided hair that hung behind his back, and a shining face with a huge smile. He wore a black school uniform, his school bag slung over his shoulder with his free hand. Rei stared at him for a while, then blinked, blood starting to creep to her face. "Go-gomen!" she stammered as she straightened herself. "That's okay. Be careful next time, alright ojou-san?" the young man said, the smile on his face not dissipating, not even a little bit. Rei nodded slowly, her face flushed. "Hai . . . arigato." "No prob. Oh, could you help me? I'm kind of new around here. Could you give me the directions to Juuban High School?" the young man asked. "Juuban High School? Sure!" Rei said, helping him find his way to Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Minako's school. She sometimes envied her friends - they always had some sort of new classmate worth hanging around with, while she usually got left behind. Rei thought, sighing to herself. The young man gave her a bright smile again. "Arigato. Hey, I heard the news last night. What happened here?" Rei frowned slightly. "Well . . . there was some sort of a battle here yesterday afternoon," she answered quietly. "The newscaster said something about giant robots and girls in mini- skirts . . . ?" "Uhh . . . they said so." The young man nodded slowly. "I see." He glanced at his watch. "I have to go now. Thanks again!" "Thanks, too. Sayonara!" Rei said. The young man waved good-bye before leaving her, going towards the direction she had told him to take. After he disappeared around the corner, Rei took a deep breath and smiled. She felt slightly elated, especially after meeting the cute guy. Her steps became a lot livelier, and for a moment it seemed as if she was a small island of happiness in the midst of a sea of despair. Until she passed by an area where an apartment once stood. Since the price of land in Tokyo was so expensive, most of the population lived in condominiums, like Ami, or in high-rise apartments, like this one. What had once been a tall, proud building had been reduced to rubble, with rescue workers working feverishly to save those who had been trapped inside. Rei felt a stab in her heart when the workers retrieved the lifeless body of a young boy from the ruins. Hastily wiping away the tears forming in her eyes, Rei stormed down the walkway, a determined look on her face. Rei thought grimly. ***** The wind gently blew past the deserted landscape, the soft touch of its fingers creating a stir among the endless sea of emerald grass, brushing over the petals of fresh wildflowers and carrying their fragrant scents into the heavens above. A rare man-made paradise, built for a specific purpose . . . Thousands of small, ivory monoliths, eerily similar to tombstones, adorned the entire countryside, the sunlight glinting upon their silvery surfaces. They are what they seem to be, memorials of lives long lost, souls long departed, and dreams long shattered. Even the glare of the artificial sun and the beauty of its surroundings failed to lift the mood of sadness clouding the whole panorama . . . For this is an abode for the dead . . . a place of graves . . . Right now, a man knelt in front of one of those graves, shedding dry tears even after all those years since the tragedy. The silent breeze served as the only witness to his sorrow. Under his right arm sat a white helmet, tightly pressed against the red and gold fabric of his coat, a symbol of a military officer. With his free hand, he gently laid down a single white rose upon the unmarked grave, part of his face covered by his long platinum hair. " . . . My dear sister, I must be going now . . . " Touching the base of the grave briefly, the man slowly stood up, revealing the crescent insignia of Lunar II upon his breast, and donned the helmet, which covered half his face beneath a white mask, signifying a vow of revenge made many years ago. Turning on his heels, Zechs Merquise started to walk away but paused in mid-step when someone he hadn't expected to see came walking down the stone walkway . . . "I'd thought I'd find you here . . . " the woman said, with a solemn look in her eyes. She was wearing a Lunar II uniform, like him, except that hers was a deep blue in contrast with the stark red of his. "Noin . . . " The name of his longtime friend and companion somehow tasted bitter upon his lips, his guilt creeping up the walls of his conscience. He had involved her in this . . . and he knew he would pay the price . . . sooner or later. Lucrezia Noin glanced at the white headstone, before turning her dark eyes towards him. "You still haven't marked her grave even after all these years . . . " "It will be . . ." Zechs answered, but it all sounded like a bleak whisper, ". . . when my goal is achieved." The emptiness in his voice was not lost on Noin. "Zechs, I . . ." But Zechs silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Please, don't say anything more. You know I have to do this." With that, the masked colonel started to walk away, but not before telling the woman behind him, "There's no need for worry. I will not die . . . not until I have avenged her." His long white tresses flowing in the wind, he then left the speechless Noin by his sister's graveside. ***** The sound of scampering footsteps warned the students that were still loitering in the hallways of Juuban High School to give way to two desperate girls trying to make their way to their classrooms before the bell rang. "Why does this *always* happen to us?!?" Usagi complained as she rushed up the stairs, Minako right behind her. "Maybe ~heave~ I should have let ~heave~ Artemis set ~heave~ my alarm clock again today!" Minako said between gasps. They were in such a hurry that Usagi would almost have run over a young man with braided brown hair walking casually down the corridor, had she not applied her brakes. Minako, in constant coordination with Usagi, skidded to a stop as well. They caused so much noise that the young man turned around to look at them. "Hmm?" Minako's jaw dropped as she stared at the good-looking young man. To her, everything was in slow motion and surrounded with flowers as he turned around and looked inquiringly at them. She saw nothing else. Usagi glanced funnily at her gaping companion before grabbing her arm. "We're really sorry we almost bumped into you and we would really like to stay but we have to go because the bell's about to ring so maybe we'll see you around the school later so bye-bye!" she blabbered before running off, dragging a still distant and dreaming Minako behind her. Duo shook his head as he watched them run off. "I seem to keep running into a lot of girls this morning," he said to himself. Shrugging, he continued to walk casually down the hallway, seemingly not bothered by the sound of the bell echoing across the hallway . . . ***** The scene inside the classroom was not so different from what was transpiring outside the school grounds. The instructor had still not arrived, so the students milled around, listening and talking about the event that had transpired the previous day. Most, like Rei, were complaining about still having class that day when the government should have declared a state of mourning. Some were very nervous and were becoming quite insecure of the days to come. One of these students was Makoto, who was staring at Ami as she quietly read a book. "I can't believe you're so calm about this, Ami-chan," Makoto said, pacing about. Ami said nothing. She just turned a page. "Of course, you're probably not bothered about it at all, seeing that it certainly hasn't distracted you from your studies," Makoto continued dryly. Ami finally shifted her gaze from the book to Makoto. "I *am* bothered by it, Mako-chan. Especially after discovering what I did last night," she said, her voice lowered as she said the last sentence. "I'm just trying to relax, that's all." "Relax? Right . . ." Makoto leaned closer, her voice lowering as well. "Did you find anything?" "I'm not sure . . ." Ami shrugged. "But it is something to ponder and worry about. I'll tell you later, when we all get to Rei's place." Usagi suddenly burst inside the room, panting and out of breath. She looked around, surprised to see that most of the students were still standing and talking with their fellow classmates. "Eh? Where's the instructor?" Usagi asked as she, still dragging Minako behind her, walked towards her friends. "We don't know. He should have been here by now," Makoto said, looking around as well. Ami noticed the spaced-out look on Minako's face. "What's wrong with her?" she asked Usagi. Usagi shrugged. "She saw some good-looking guy earlier while we were on our way here, and she's been like that ever since." "A cute guy? Where? Where?" Makoto asked, suddenly paying close attention to them. "Outside, in the hallway-" Before Usagi could even continue, Makoto had already rushed towards the door, trying to see if she could get even a small glimpse of him. Ami and Usagi sweatdropped. Minako, who up until then still had the vision of the young man facing them in her mind, suddenly broke off from her reverie when she saw Heero sitting alone in his seat, reading a book. Forgetting about the other young man for a while, she decided to approach this much-harder-to-please guy again. "Hee ~ ro ~ kun!" she said cutely, leaning her face closer to his, trying to vie for his attention. He never even lifted his eyes towards her. "Why don't you come and converse with the rest of the students?" she asked, still smiling. Heero suddenly closed his book. Minako thought, thinking that she had succeeded. That is, until Heero, still carrying his book, decided to stand at the farthest corner of the room and continued reading there. Minako stood up straight and continued to think up of ways to get him to act a little bit more casual around her. she thought to herself. She never lost the smile on her face as she sat down on her chair. ***** Haruka clenched her fists as she watched the television, greatly upset at the estimated number of people who had died and who were injured in that single battle alone. Muttering a curse under her breath, she turned the television off just before Michiru entered the room. "The number of casualties will continue to increase unless something is done about this," Setsuna said gravely from the kitchen as she prepared their lunch. "Where did those machines come from?" Michiru asked as she sat at the dining table, a deep frown on her face. Setsuna shook her head slowly, almost remorsefully. "Sadly, I was . . . unable to perform my duty. They were able to pass through the timestream and had slipped into this era." "But for what reason?" Haruka leaned forward on the sofa, her elbows on her knees, one hand cupping her chin. "What are their intentions for coming here, of all time, of all places?" The Senshi of Time remained silent. Haruka sighed. Though she knew that Setsuna could answer all of her questions, she also knew that, for the sake of the future, she would never disclose enough information for them to be able to defeat the enemy. Finally she stood up and walked towards the dining table to stand behind Michiru. "Eh? Where's Hotaru?" she asked, her head turning from side to side as she looked for their young teammate. "When I called her for lunch, she was inside her room reading," her partner answered. She looked at the hallway leading to the rooms. "I'll go check on her," Haruka said. Michiru stood up. "I'll come with you." As they were nearing Hotaru's room, they felt a sense of foreboding that they had not felt since the Sailor Wars had started on Earth. Concerned, they rushed to Hotaru's room, where they found the black- haired young girl sitting silently on her bed in the darkened room. Tomoe Hotaru's attention was on the huge sphere floating in her hands, her almost disturbed, purple eyes seemingly glazed over as she stared at it, barely noticing that she had visitors. The sphere's glow was radiating across the room, and on it was a view of the satellite of the Earth, the Moon. "Is it . . . ?" Michiru started to whisper. Haruka held up her hands to silence her, then shook her head. They had seen this before, not too long ago. Back then, they had admired the view of their past lives' former home, but now they had learned to be wary, for the previous sight was a prediction of the war between the Sailor Senshi of the universe that came afterwards. The present display suddenly changed, the scene moving closer and closer to the Moon and its Sea of Serenity until the hidden ruins of the Moon Kingdom, the center of the grand Silver Millennium during the olden days, were revealed. "Millions of years have passed. All this remains a memory . . ." Hotaru's haunting voice echoed throughout the room. "A time long gone . . . a secret remains uncovered . . . forgotten people . . . forgotten civilization . . . . . . they have come back to haunt us . . ." Michiru gripped Haruka's arm as the words came out of Hotaru's mouth. "What does she mean?" she asked nervously as a small amount of fear started to overcome her. "The Silver Millennium? Forgotten people?" "I don't know," Haruka answered as she continued to stare at the sphere, a deep frown marring her face. "I don't know." ***** "Ne? What are *those* girls doing?" Usagi asked, watching a huge group of girls pass by in the far distance. "I haven't seen that big a group since the Starlights were here!" Unexpectedly, Usagi's head and shoulders were pushed down as Minako suddenly appeared behind her. "The Starlights? They're back?!? Where??" "I didn't say they *were* here! Ittai! Get off me!!" Usagi said in a muffled voice, her face shoved down on the picnic blanket that was spread below them. Minako hesitantly got off Usagi's back and resumed eating her meal for that afternoon. Usagi tried to catch her breath, while Ami and Makoto looked at both of them amusedly. "Honestly, Minako-chan," Makoto said. "Mention a boy or a popular person, and you'll go crazy!" "Look who's talking! I wasn't the one who ran out of the room earlier just because Usagi said we met a *good-looking* boy!" "Maybe not, but you were so spaced out after meeting him, you practically had yourself cut off from the rest of the world!" Usagi said cutely. Ami sweatdropped, Makoto laughed, and Minako looked as if she wanted to shove Usagi's head into the ground again. "Good-looking? Did you say a *good-looking* guy?" one of the girls Usagi had been observing earlier suddenly said, shocking them. Usagi was so surprised - the girl hadn't been there a moment ago - that she cried out loud and fell on her back, landing on Minako's lap. How the girl heard what they were talking about when they had been about fifty meters away was beyond them. Another sweatdrop appeared on Ami's forehead. "Umm . . . yes, I believe my friend did . . ." Within seconds, their small lunch spot was instantly surrounded by screaming girls. "Where? Where did you see Duo-kun???" the desperate group asked. "Duo-kun?" Minako inquired. The group of girls suddenly went into hysterics, even more so than they had been already. They all started talking at the same time so that the Senshi couldn't understand a single thing, until one of the girls held up her hands to silence the group. "The guy we're looking for has braided hair and a beautiful, bishounen face . . ." The girl's eyes sparkled as she recalled the man of her dreams. Usagi noticed ruefully that the rest of the girls sported the same looks on their faces. "Duo just arrived today - he's a transfer student . . ." "Another one?" Makoto said. "Well. For once, the new student didn't end up in our section . . ." The group glared at the four girls in front of them. "You already had the Starlights, now give this boy to us!" they said. Usagi thought for a while. "Duo, huh? Well . . . I think we saw him at the fourth floor hallway, but that was-" The girls ran off in a frenzy, leaving dust in their wake. "-earlier this morning . . . ?" the startled girl finished her sentence, although there surely wasn't anybody left to listen to her. Ami continued to stare after the group of girls as they disappeared into the school building, shock still evident on her face. "They sure seem desperate," she said as she watched a few students and teachers jumping out of their path of mayhem and destruction. "And I thought Mako-chan was bad . . ." Minako commented. Makoto nudged her playfully at the arm. "Hey! Speak for yourself!" Usagi smiled from her place on Minako's lap as her friends started arguing lightheartedly. She sighed, content, not willing to get up anytime soon. she thought as her head kept on sliding down her friend's lap. As soon as she was pretty much settled, Usagi looked at the view in front of her. The sky was beautiful that day, and everything seemed so peaceful, especially compared to yesterday's events. It was as though nothing had happened at all. The white clouds gently moved along . . . the birds flew, some of them chirping . . . the leaves of their lunch tree swayed in the soft breeze, except for that big bunch of black leaves on top of Usagi . . . Big bunch of black leaves? Usagi frowned and squinted her eyes. "Ami-chan?" "Hmm?" her friend responded. "Is there such a thing as black leaves?" Ami looked started at the question. "I think so, Usagi-chan. It depends on what kind of plant it is, although mostly some of the leaves look black only because they have such dark colors, but if you look at them closely you'll see . . ." "How about this tree?" "Eh? No, I don't think maple trees have black leaves, Usagi-chan-" "How come there're some over there?" Minako, talking with Makoto then, was startled as Usagi's pointing finger suddenly appeared in front of her face. All four of the girls looked up at where Usagi's finger was directed. True enough, there *were* some black leaves on their lunch tree, but a closer look let Ami and Makoto discern a boy cleverly hidden by the leaves and branches of the tree. "Hey there!" Makoto called out. "You, up in the tree!" The figure moved slightly, visibly stiffening. "Yeah, we know you're up there. Come down, will you?" The figure came out from hiding and turned over, his legs hanging by the branch, his head hanging upside down so that his long braided hair was suspended in mid-air. "Are they gone?" he asked. "Is who gone - oh!" Makoto exclaimed as she finally got a chance to get a good look at the intruder. "Konnichiwa! You must be the one those girls were looking for earlier," Ami said politely as the boy released his legs from the tree and flipped down to the middle of their picnic blanket. "Oops. Sorry about that," he said, as he sat down with them. "Kakkoi . . ." Usagi muttered as she sat up. She had fallen completely off of Minako's lap the moment her friend had seen the boy come out of hiding. Makoto could only nod in agreement. "He looks just like my old boyfriend who broke up with me!" Makoto told Minako, who couldn't hear a thing as she went spiraling off into her own universe again the moment she saw the gaijin smile. He sighed. "Yes, well, they wouldn't stop chasing me, so I had to hide somewhere." Ami smiled. "The girls in Juuban usually get pretty excited when a new student arrives . . ." she thought, but she didn't dare voice it out loud. "I'm Mizuno Ami." "Duo Maxwell. And you are . . . ?" he asked as he shook hands with Ami, all the while indicating Usagi. Usagi grinned and extended her hand towards the newcomer. "Tsukino Usagi. I think we met earlier today . . ." "Yeah, in the fourth floor hallway, like you told those girls. Unfortunately, they didn't stay behind to hear the most important part of the message, ne?" Duo winked. Usagi and Ami giggled. In the meantime, the fourth floor hallway was filled with girls wandering about and looking inside all the classrooms, calling out Duo's name everywhere . . . "These are our friends, Kino Makoto and Aino Minako," Ami introduced them, since she knew that both her friends would be speechless for a while. True enough, Makoto couldn't speak as she shook hands with Duo, managing only a small "hi" while blushing all the while. Minako, however, was still out of it, her eyes staring off into space. "Is she always like this?" Duo finally asked, giving up on his attempt to get her attention. The other three girls nodded solemnly. "You don't know how much . . ." Usagi said. While Duo's efforts had been in vain, all Heero had to do was pass by in front of the small group, although not intentionally, since he was actually on his way towards his own secluded spot. The minute Minako caught a glimpse of his somewhat unruly dark hair, she blinked and snapped out of her reverie. "Hmm? Oh, hi!" she said, finally noticing that Duo was right in front of her, although as of that moment he looked shocked from her sudden movement. "I'm Aino Minako! We've met before, remember? Just this morning?" Duo and her three friends sweatdropped. "S-so I've heard . . ." Duo answered. "You're a new student, right? I just *know* you're going to enjoy your stay here . . ." Minako rattled on and on. Duo leaned towards Usagi and whispered, "Is she always like this, too?" "You don't know how much . . ." When Minako's voice finally trailed off - not that anyone was actually listening - she stood up so abruptly that only then did she catch everyone's attention. "Minako-chan? Where are you going?" Ami asked. "Where else? Mina-chan, you don't really intend to invite *him* over here, do you?" Makoto looked at her friend sternly. Minako shrugged. "Why not? I mean, look, Duo's so friendly here, and he's also new, so maybe Heero-kun's just shy. Besides, I have a feeling that they'll both get along, since they're new students and all." "Please, Mina, do you honestly think he's just *shy*?" Duo decided to join in the conversation. He moved between Minako and Makoto and looked inquiringly at them. "What's this all about?" "It's that guy over there," Usagi said, tilting her head in Heero's direction. "His name is Heero Yuy. He's a new student, too, although he's in our section. They also say that he's pretty rude." Duo raised an eyebrow. "Really?" "He was so rude to Minako the first day he was here, and she was only trying to help him," Makoto said, trying to contain the anger that was slowly building up as she recalled that event. "Nonsense! Maybe he was just having a bad day!" Duo said jokingly. "So he's having a bad day everyday," Usagi giggled. Duo stood up next to Minako and held her shoulders. "Sit down for a while, and let me show you how to handle him." Minako looked up to him skeptically. "Are you *sure*? You know, you haven't really met him, so I think I . . ." "Don't worry! Just watch, okay?" With that, Duo started walking away from the group before anyone could say anything else. "Ah - Duo-kun, no . . . !" Ami tried calling him back, but he was pretty determined to talk to his fellow new student. The four girls stared intensely as Duo - his back towards them - conversed with Heero - who was covered by Duo. They had been very tense at first, but after a long while, they started to relax. Minako looked at her watch. "Wow, I never lasted this long with Heero-kun. Didn't I tell you they'd get along?" Makoto shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe *anybody* would get along with that guy . . ." Ami smiled gently. "Maybe we *did* catch him on a bad day. We should have given him time to adjust . . ." "Wait!" Usagi called their attention. "Duo-kun's coming back!" They waited until Duo sat himself on the blanket, their faces expecting good news from him. He smiled. "Well . . . you're right . . ." "Huh?" Usagi asked. "Right about what?" "You're right about him being a rude, hopeless guy . . ." Duo finally said, his shoulders drooping, his smile turning sheepish. The Senshi sweatdropped. ***** Leaning his elbows on the ornate table, Dechem examined the single sheet of paper laid out in front of him. After a short moment of deliberation, the commander of OZ reached a decision. "We will do nothing. The Gundams will be able to take care of them," he stated. "Are you sure of that, Father?" A tall, purple-haired man answered, worry evident in his voice. Already in his mid twenties, Garn Harman would probably be considered as handsome for his age despite the stern look that was always present in his expression. But as of now, that stern look was marred with uncertainty. "With Sailorpluto's whereabouts unknown, Lunar II has unlimited access to the Gates of Time and-" Garn was silenced by a glare from his father that made him step back. "My orders will not be questioned," the older man said coldly. "Not even by you." Garn tried to reason with his father. "But . . ." "Sailorpluto's presence will not affect anything." Dechem said in a slightly angered voice, "Now, have I made myself clear?" Garn cleared the lump that had formed in his throat. "Yes." A moment of silence passed between father and son before Dechem turned his chair from the younger Harman. "You may go now..." "Hah." Garn had an impassive note to his voice. "De wa..." As the hum of the closing doors faded away, Dechem once again turned his chair to gaze at the spot where his son had stood moments ago. His thoughts were interrupted with a sudden, incessant beeping. With a casual flick of his hand, a holoscreen opened up from his desk and an image of a wizened old man with unusual eyewear came up. "Your Excellency." "Dr. J." White-gloved hands clasped each other and went in front of his chin as he coolly eyed the image of the old doctor. He needed no more words to let the other know to continue. Despite the fact that he was facing the most powerful man in OZ, Dr. J remained calm and composed. "Progress on the Propagator Project is proceeding smoothly. The activation of the 7th avatar has been successful, as are the inceptions of the 8th and 9th." Dr. J paused for a moment, before continuing. "So far, the 9th's growth has been phenomenal, very similar to the 1st avatar, Proto Zero. If I may suggest that we momentarily halt its development and study-" "No." Dr. J never finished what he had been saying. "There will be no halts. The Propagator Project continues." "Yes, Your Excellency" were all the words Dr. J said, his tone far from being satisfied, but his expression meekly obedient. Dechem grunted in response. No doubt that Dr. J was far wiser than his son had been. "What else, Dr. J? I'm sure the purpose of this transmission wasn't to inform me of events that I will know of sooner or later." The old doctor's answer was to divert the screen from his image into a part of the hangar, where an immense, uncompleted Man Machine stood. Various engineers were scattered around the area, around different apparatuses, conducting numerous tests. Although its outer armor plating still hasn't been installed, Dechem immediately recognized the distinctive forehead crest and the covered lower jaw . . . "Gundam . . ." Though still far from being complete, it seemingly emitted a dangerous sense of power to those gazing upon it. Dechem narrowed his eyes, admiring the raw beauty and power of the metal giant as one would a rabid lion. "We found the frame blueprints at an excavation of an ancient observatory in one of the border colonies in the Uranian Cluster," Dr. J's voice might have seemed normal to most people, but Dechem detected a hint of excitement in the twisted voice of the old man. "It seems to have been designed by the great inventor Daedalus during the time of the Silver Millennium." "Interesting. Tell me, why the features of a Gundam?" Dr. J cackled with amusement. "For one with such raw power, no doubt it deserves a name fit for the most powerful Man Machine." Dechem couldn't help but agree with the aged professor. "Continue your research about this . . . interesting piece of machinery. The various technologies hidden within it may be of some use for our mass production Man Machines." With that, Dechem turn his gaze from the screen and moved his hand to turn off the holoscreen, but stopped himself before he could. "One last thing, Dr. J . . ." Dechem once more faced the image, "Tell me its name . . ." Dr. J had only one word for an answer. "Zero." ***** The scene at the Hikawa Shrine had not changed much from how Rei had left it earlier. The shrine was so full of people that Rei's grandfather - the high priest - and his apprentice, Kumada Yuuichirou, had their hands full trying to serve them all. Rei would have loved to help them, but since there were more important matters to address at the moment she excused herself, saying that she and her friends had to study for a vital exam. She lay down on her bed, waiting for her friends to come. Lately, she hated it when she had nothing to do - her thoughts always returned to the events of the previous day, and her dream kept reappearing as well, even if she wasn't asleep. That was why she reached down to grab one of her mangas scattered on the floor, reading it before her mind brought her anywhere else. Minutes later, the shoji to her room slid open, and in slipped Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Minako. "You're late," Rei said without taking her eyes off the manga. "Gomen. We had to stop by the shrine to pay our respects," Ami said as she sat down on the tatami mat in Rei's room. The sight of all the people reminded them of the events of the previous day, and the lighthearted times experienced earlier at school were all but forgotten. Usagi pouted. "It's quite upsetting that the school officials didn't give us this day to do just that." "Where's Mamoru-san?" Rei asked, finally moving down from her bed to sit beside her friends. "Artemis and Luna went to pick him up. He should be here any minute," Minako informed them. Makoto leaned forward on the table. "So what were the results, Ami? What do we have?" Ami took out her computer. "Everything is right here, although I think we should wait for Luna and Artemis to come. They should find this interesting, too." So the five girls waited for a moment longer, with Rei immersing herself in her manga once more. There was an uncomfortable silence, each of the Senshi reflecting on her own, until Mamoru came with the two cats hanging on his shoulder. "Sorry I kept you waiting," he said. Usagi shook her head and gazed up to her boyfriend. "That's okay." "Now that we're all here, we may as well begin immediately," Luna said, jumping onto the center of the table. "Usagi and Minako told Artemis and me what happened last night, but I would like to hear from the rest of you." "Let's start with the enemy," Artemis added as he settled himself near Minako. "Tell us what you saw." "Well it certainly wasn't a youma or anything," Makoto started, squinting her eyes as she brought yesterday's events back to mind. "None of our attacks could faze it, not even if we combined them." "And the Sailor Planet Attack?" Minako shook her head. "For such a huge thing, it sure moved incredibly fast. I couldn't risk having all of us perform Sailor Planet Attack - we all would have been dead before I could even say the words," she said sarcastically, knowing that the delay would come from the enormous amount of concentration the attack required. Mamoru agreed with Minako. "Even if I had volunteered to distract it like I would usually do, it still wouldn't have been successful. I was lucky I was able to save Usagi without getting hit myself." "The weapons it used were what I would consider alien to this world, or to at least our planet," Ami shared. "The heavy artillery used were similar to those that are utilized in the military, but instead of gunpowder, it uses another element that I cannot identify. "And the armor plating . . . it's also made of something I couldn't ascertain." "What do you mean?" Luna asked. "When I asked my computer to identify the armor when I found out that our attacks were useless against it, it did not show an unknown message as I had somewhat expected, nor did it display a familiar metal. Instead, it came up with this." Ami typed a few keys on her computer before showing the screen to the others. On it was the word: Gundanium Artemis looked slightly confused. "Gundanium?" "I looked it up in various books and encyclopedias, but I found nothing pertaining to it, not even something that relates to the word itself," Ami said a little shakily. "But, it seems, from my observation, the armor is so strong that it can withstand numerous missiles head on . . . without even being scratched." There was a long period of silence as the people in the room absorbed that new piece of information. "Was that what was bothering you earlier, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked quietly. "Mostly. But there's something else. That machine, and all those that it fought afterwards, used a huge amount of magical energy that had been concentrated in such a form that I had once thought was impossible to achieve. "And that's not all that I noticed," Ami continued before anybody else could say anything. "I said that most of the data that appeared on my computer when I tried to look for information about this machine came out as "unknown", right?" "I do seem to remember seeing your computer sometime during the battle yesterday," Minako said. "Well, then you can also remember that my computer could read the enormous amount of magical energy the machine was radiating, right?" Minako nodded slowly. "Yes . . ." "Then how was my computer able to determine that, *and* the armor, when it couldn't deduce anything else?" Silence enveloped the room once more. "Well . . . your computer has existed since the time of the Silver Millennium . . ." Luna remarked. "If that was so, then . . . " Artemis looked up with an alarmed look on his face. ". . . could the enemy be using technology that was lost when the Moon Kingdom was destroyed?" ". . . technology that was lost . . ." Ami echoed, ". . . and possibly mixed with a more current technology of their time . . ." "That . . ." Luna paused for a while before continuing. "That couldn't be! No one survived that war, and everything was virtually destroyed! The possibilities of the Silver Millennium's advanced technology surviving following that time are next to impossible!" "Nothing is impossible anymore, Luna . . ." Rei finally spoke. "Not anymore." "You are partly correct," a familiar voice suddenly said. The Senshi and Mamoru, startled by the voice, abruptly sat upright and turned towards the shoji, which was now wide open. "Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Usagi exclaimed, standing up from the tatami mat as soon as she saw the two girls. Haruka and Michiru took one step inside the room and acknowledged the moon princess with a nod. The expressions on their faces looked strained - as if they were carrying an incredible burden. "Correct in what sense?" Mamoru asked Haruka. "What do you mean?" Two other people entered the room behind the first two visitors. "The Silver Millennium was much, much more than what we can recall of it now," Hotaru explained in a low, serious voice, sounding more like an older woman than her current age. "There are many things that have lapsed from our consciousness . . . numerous factors overlooked, all of which are being used against us, that could decide the fate of our solar system in the days to come." "But how?" Makoto asked. "The Silver Millennium is nothing but ruins lying in the Sea of Serenity on the Moon. How can anybody gain anything from such remnants? And where would they be able to receive that incredible amount magic Ami was talking about?" "Actually, they can't," Artemis said. "Unless you came from the Moon Kingdom or were part of the Silver Millennium, there is no other way or place where you can gain that kind of magic. Unless you're an alien and obtained that power someplace else, like most of our enemies." "Setsuna-san . . . do you know something about this?" Usagi asked hesitantly, looking at the tall woman, who was standing behind Hotaru, with a pleading, almost desperate look. "Is there any more to this than what we already know?" Setsuna shook her head, her face almost devoid of any emotion. "If I do know anything else, princess, I cannot tell. Right now, do not expect the future to assist you . . . do not expect the past to give you information. They have nothing to offer you, for the enemy is the affiliate of both, however unintentional it may have been." "Onegai . . ." Usagi sank to her knees, her fists tightly clenched, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Onegai, Setsuna-san, tell me how we will be able to end this madness. There've been enough deaths, and we've barely even begun to fight! We can't let anyone else die!" The ancient looked away, refusing to meet her princess's pleading gaze. Haruka fought the urge to grab Setsuna by the shoulders and demand an explanation from her. Instead she focused on the people in the room, a steady, determined look on her face, a gaze completely opposite from the turmoil that was raging inside her. "This is not your fight anymore. We are claiming it." The Inner Senshi looked at the Outer Senshi with stunned expressions. Michiru's gaze was cold as she agreed with Haruka. "You cannot handle this, as was proven by the fight yesterday. We will take care of this on our own." "Are we going to have to go through this again?" Mamoru asked, moving to comfort his girlfriend, who was slowly shaking her head. "You *can't* do this!" Minako argued, slamming her hand on Rei's table. "This is our battle as well!" "It is our duty to defend the princess from threats that come from beyond this solar system!" Haruka said, her voice rising slightly. "But they're already *in* our solar system! And defending the princess from threats from within is our job!" Rei defended. "You are incapable of this mission! Compared to us, you're too weak!" Michiru said. Makoto stood up in anger. "Says who??" "YAMETE!!" The Senshi turned to look at their princess, who was still kneeling on the floor. Usagi was biting her lower lip; the tears that had formed in her eyes were now falling down her cheeks and on to the tatami mat. "Yamete kudasai . . ." she whispered softly. "It's bad enough that we don't know who our enemies are and how to defeat them. We can't start another conflict between ourselves, too!" Usagi looked up, her gaze focused on the Outer Senshi. "Haruka-san, Michiru-san . . . Setsuna-san, Hotaru-chan . . . we need you, and you need us. We have fought the enemy, and though we may not have succeeded, we have gathered some information that will be useful to all of us. Please do not divide this team again!" Silence filled the entire room. Hotaru stepped forward, her gaze even more expressionless than Setsuna's. "It's not enough." "What do you mean?" Ami asked. "According to news sources, there are more than one enemy of the same type that you have fought. As of this moment, there had been five discovered around the world, including the one from yesterday," Setsuna informed them. "But who are they after?" Luna wondered. Minako leaned her elbows on the table, her hands under her chin. "Could it be us? It seemed to ignore everything else when it saw us . . ." "Did you see that huge rifle it was holding? If the monster was ruthless enough to kill all those innocent civilians without a second thought, why didn't it use that . . . that *thing* to wipe us out along with the entire Juuban district?" Makoto pointed out. Their conversation was interrupted by a small tremor that shook the temple. Luna, Artemis, Minako and Rei suddenly snapped to attention. "Did you feel that?" Artemis asked. The vibrations continued in separate intervals. Usagi could hear her heart pounding in her chest, the tremors feeling so familiar to her. "Oh, no . . ." "Masaka . . . !" Haruka exclaimed. The group of girls rushed outside, just in time to see a huge, black humanoid machine laying waste to a building just two blocks away from the Hikawa Shrine. ***** The man slammed his white-gloved hand down on the ornate desk, his white hair and beard signifying his old age, and the golden crescent moon scepter held in a silvery stand behind him his position - the head of the Hall of Judges, and temporary regent for the young queen, the most powerful man in Lunar II at that time. "This is preposterous! Are you saying that a single Man Machine was able to destroy this much!?" "Hai, Dermail-sama. There is no doubt of the information gathered by the scouts I sent . . . " One of the members of the Hall of Judges, a stern man with gray hair brushing the collars of the blue robe he was wearing over the white Lunar II uniform, answered the high- ranking duke, a serious expression in his aged face. "Baka na . . . this is impossible . . . " Duke Dermail set down the report previously given by the man in front of him, Tsubarov. "No Man Machine in history has achieved such power . . . " "It was rumored to have been made of a form of Gundanium, so . . . " Tsubarov said, a hard look in his eyes, disbelief painted on his features. Recognition flashed across Dermail's face. "Gundanium . . . ?" "Yes. Gundanium," the other man echoed, pausing for a slight moment for his superior to gather his thoughts. "If Dechem actually built such a monstrosity . . . " Dermail grunted in irritation. "If we had discovered their plot earlier, this wouldn't have happened . . . " he said angrily, obviously disgusted by the fact that they had been too late in reading Dechem's intentions . . . "Shiroi bakemono . . ." the old duke murmured, as he gazed upon a surveillance shot, no doubt taken by one of their spy satellites sent back into the past, showing a white Man Machine with a distinctive head, and wings, slicing a bluish gray Man Machine - a Geminas - in half. "And there are five of them . . . ?" "Yes. That's what our spies report. Each different from the others," the long-haired Judge continued, "In our present capability, even with the aid of the Chronos Gate, it would still be difficult for us to track them down, considering how much damage we could do to the continuity of time in the past and to the present Crystal Tokyo, but if we continue to leave things as they are now, I'm afraid that-" "I know of the consequences, Tsubarov. Do not try to lecture me," Dermail interrupted, an irritated note in his voice. A moment of silence passed between the two old men, both unsure of which piece to move on the chessboard of war. If things were left the way they were, no doubt the stalemate would be broken and it would not be long before their enemies would poise themselves for a checkmate. A very dangerous and tricky situation indeed . . . The duke sighed in anger. He would not let Dechem grasp the upper hand. Not while he was alive. His ambition of creating an empire as great as the Silver Millennium *would* become reality. The expanse of the Lunar Kingdom would extend over the entire star system, no, the entire galaxy . . . and no doubt, in the firm, powerful hands of Dermail von Zavi. *His* hands. "If I may ask, Dermail-sama . . ." Tsubarov's grave voice interrupted his thoughts, "But what action do you think we should take in this . . . immediate matter?" Dermail grunted in response. There was no doubt that he had already come to a reluctant decision, but there were still a lot of loose ends. Of what things might bring and the consequences their actions might result in . . . The hum of the opening doors suddenly attracted the attention of the two men, as both turned to gaze at the newcomer, distinctly angry at the notion of being intruded upon. Tsubarov narrowed his eyes in irritation. Not even a fellow member of the Hall of Judges would dare barge into one of his private meetings with the duke, much less one of a more inferior rank. He opened his mouth to reprimand the rude intruder, but quickly closed it when he saw who it was. Though only wearing a simple red uniform trimmed with gold lacings, it was obvious that she was royalty from the way she carried herself. Striding confidently towards the lavish desk, Mariemaia von Zavi gave her uncle a not-so-amused look and threw down a small silver disc in front of him. "Oji-sama, what is the meaning of this!?" Dermail gave the object one glance. "Mariemaia-sama, if it is about the demonstration at Calliope, then please, ignore it. They are just ruffians who are trying to get themselves involved in the war." "Then why is it that my people are opposing my rule?" Mariemaia demanded. "As I said, they are only trying to cause trouble for us-" "You know that that is not what I meant," the young queen said coldly. "I do not want their objectives - I want their reasons." Dermail had had enough. "Mariemaia-sama, that is not yet for you to know. And even if you were informed of the details, what would you be able to do? This is not a game, and until you have reached the proper age, I suggest that you leave the matters of the kingdom to me." Mariemaia glared at her uncle before turning on her heels and storming out of the room. Tsubarov gave the departing queen a sidelong glance. "It seems that being a temporary regent appointed by the previous queen has its advantages, doesn't it . . .?" The man behind the desk grunted. "She is merely a doll set up on the stage to suit my purposes . . . A doll that someday will lose its usefulness . . . " "Dermail-sama . . . about the situation in the past . . . " "I don't care how you handle this - just do everything in your power to destroy those Gundams!" ***** The people at the Hikawa Shrine started to panic and scream in fear. The huge mob caused so much chaos, the senshi were overwhelmed as the crowd started to run in each and every direction, having no idea which route to take to escape the semblance of Death that was standing just a few kilometers away. "Minna! Please! Don't panic!" Rei tried to shout, but her voice was drowned out by the extreme amount of noise the people made. "Kuso . . ." Haruka mumbled, trying to push forward against the flow of the people as Michiru protected Hotaru from the mob. "Even people from outside the shrine are filtering in!" Makoto called out. "The shrine is a safe haven for them - they don't think even that thing would dare come here!" Minako shouted, wincing as she saw a young child trip and fall, crying before her mother hastily picked her up and carried her away. "Everyone back inside!!" Mamoru ordered, a protective arm around Usagi, whose eyes were wide with fear. Rei locked the shoji as soon as all of them were back inside her room. Luna stepped forward, her voice full of authority. "Minna, henshin yo!" Seconds after the transformation, nine Sailor Senshi and one black- caped man emerged from Rei's room, the people too panicked to notice. Luna and Artemis, determined to see the battle that would take place, ran along side them. Adrenaline coursed through their veins during the brief run, but to the Inner Senshi, fear was mixed with it as memories from the previous battle continued to haunt them. "Hold it right there!!" Eternal Sailormoon shouted as they skidded to a stop a few meters in front of the huge mecha, right before the black giant started moving to another, undamaged section of the street. Holding up a shaking finger, she called out in her loudest voice, "You who have been murdering innocent civilians and destroying countless lives and property! How dare you commit these crimes without reason and remorse, you heartless beast! I won't let you get away with this! I am the pretty sailor soldier of love and justice, Sailormoon! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!!" ***** Inside his Man Machine's cockpit, Duo sweatdropped upon hearing Sailormoon's supposedly brave speech. he thought, his dumbfounded expression slowly turning into a smirk as he prepared his "partner" for battle. ***** The Sailor Senshi tensed when the dark-colored machine turned to face them, its black armor gleaming wickedly in the afternoon sun, the green energy scythe it was holding flaring brightly even in the bright daylight. Sailormercury gulped. she thought, her computer displaying almost the same information that it had garnered from the previous fight. Luna and Artemis could only stare in astonishment and fright. Sailormars and Sailorjupiter were about to step forward when Sailorpluto's - Setsuna - and Sailorsaturn's - Hotaru - staffs suddenly blocked their way. "We will take care of this," Pluto said. "Demo . . ." Sailormars protested. "Those people need your help," Sailoruranus - Haruka - said, pointing to the people trapped under a collapsed building - the first casualties of that day's battle. "If we're hoping to have fewer victims from the battle today, then some of us are going to have to act now because the rescue workers won't arrive until later!" "We'll distract it and then try to lead the mecha back to the location of yesterday's battle, to the evacuated part of the city," Sailorneptune - Michiru - informed them. "Now, go!" "Matte!" Sailormoon said, but the Outers have already begun to move. "World Shaking!" Uranus called out. Magical energy collected at her right fist, which she held above her. As soon as she had completed gathering the energy, she brought her hand down to the ground, releasing it. The yellow sphere of magic moved from the ground to the air in an ascending path, succeeding in hitting the black giant just above the waist. "Ku-" Uranus muttered, angered as she watched her attack disappear into nothingness against the armor. In the corner of her eye, she saw Neptune moving at incredible speed towards the back of the mecha. She smirked a little, and then faced the scythe-wielding giant with renewed confidence . . . . . . just in time for her quick eyes to catch the movement of the muzzle located at the its head seconds before it started to fire ammo at them. "Silence Wall!!" Uranus was about to warn her companions when she heard Saturn call out. The volley of ammunition ricocheted on the surface of the shield, Saturn furiously concentrating to keep the protective barrier up until the end of the attack. Moving into position and taking out the Space Sword right before Saturn brought down the shield, Uranus sensed the movement of magical energy towards Pluto's staff. In a gathering of energy similar to Uranus's, Pluto whispered "Dead Scream" in an eerie voice before turning and releasing a violet sphere of magic from the garnet orb on top of her staff. Not even paying attention to the advancing attack, the black mecha made a move of its own, launching its shield at a slightly out-of- breath Saturn. Gasping, the young Senshi leaped out of the way to avoid getting hit. The shield struck the ground, creating an explosion of dirt and debris that Saturn was unable to escape from. The force blew her small form away, toppling her over and causing her land forcefully on her leg. The Inner Senshi were making their way through the collapsed building when they heard Saturn's cry of pain. Turning, they saw the girl lying on the ground, her leg bent at an unnatural angle and bleeding. "Saturn!!" Sailormoon cried out. Tuxedo Kamen left the Inner Senshi and ran towards the injured girl, gently taking her in his arms before carrying her away to safety. Sailorjupiter bit her lip, her fists tightly clenched as she hesitatingly started to walk towards the scene of the battle, which was not going anywhere near the way they had planned. The agonized calls for help from the people buried underneath the broken building were the only factors that kept Jupiter from attacking the mecha in rage. Even gentle Mercury trembled in anger. While the Inner Senshi tried to suppress their feelings as they worked to save the people who were trapped, the Outer Senshi were enraged by Saturn's injury. In perfect unison, all three of them called out their attacks, with Neptune's Deep Submerge coming from the rear. Her water-based magic would have run into the metal giant at the same time as her companions' attack, but instead, the spheres of energy collided with each other. "Nani?!?" Uranus angrily exclaimed, looking up. Their enemy, moving with incredible agility, had jumped just before their attacks would have hit it and was now moving towards Neptune, its glowing, menacing-looking scythe held high, ready to slash. "Neptune, NIGERO!!" Neptune leapt to the side, the blade barely missing her and creating a huge gash in the ground where she had previously been standing. However, her close proximity to its emerald energy, even for a split second, had allowed her left leg to be badly burned. Biting her lip, the Senshi of the sea tried to stand, but a wave of pain washed over her. She fell back down, her aquamarine eyes taking in the vision of death before her, its huge scythe held high above her. "NEPTUNE!!!" Uranus screamed, running as fast as she could towards her partner, Pluto right behind her. When the eyes of the black giant flashed, Neptune's gaze turned to Uranus's stricken face. she thought, trying to memorize her partner's face, feeling that she would never see her again. Sailormoon had seen what had happened from her vantage point near the broken building. "IIIIEEEE!!!" she called out, about to use her attack to divert the black giant's attention when a large shadow passed over the ground where she was standing. Looking up, she saw a large, bird-shaped object streak across the sky. Apparently, the dark-colored mecha noticed it too, because it gazed at the unknown aircraft, pausing in its attack just long enough for Uranus and Pluto to reach Neptune and haul their teammate away. Suddenly, before their eyes the aircraft underwent a series of changes. What had once been a flying vehicle was now a similar mecha which landed just alongside the street they were on. It faced the black machine with glowing green eyes. The Inner Senshi gasped. It was the same white enemy that they had fought the day before . . . ***** Heero gazed at the black Man Machine, his cold, blue eyes watching its every move, all the while using Wing's main camera to scan its details and internal systems. "Data search . . . none found. Man Machine type and designation unknown . . . Scanning . . . Gundanium Terra outer plating, rest unknown." "Nevertheless . . . " Taking out its Beam Saber from a hidden hatch on its shield, Wing activated the close range beam weapon, " . . . an obstacle to the mission must be destroyed . . . " as it positioned itself into a ready stance . . . ***** "You have to get out of here!" Luna ordered the Inner Senshi. "We can't leave these people alone!" Sailormoon cried out. "If all of you were to die now, who would protect the other people the next time the enemy strikes?" Luna's stern gaze faltered as she looked at the Moon Princess and her guardians' determined expressions. She sighed. "Sailormoon . . . minna . . ." the lunar cat began, "I know that it is difficult for you to even consider leaving these people, but to try and save them now would be futile. The odds are against us, Sailor Senshi, with two machines that can finish both you *and* the Outers. Help is probably on the way for the people trapped here . . . think of how many more you can save if you survive this battle to fight in the next one! Onegai . . . Sailormoon!" Sailormoon bit her lip and turned away, tears falling down her eyes in defeat. ***** With the data search and scan of the white Man Machine coming up with nothing except for the fact that it also had Gundanium Terra outer plating like his Deathscythe, Duo waited for the white giant in front of him to make its move, unsure of what to do, his mind reeling with many unanswered questions. Duo grimaced as he recalled the events before his departure from his time. Just then, the white mecha drew its Beam Saber, its green blade flaring menacingly as it stood in a ready stance. Ready for an attack, that is. With that, Deathscythe readied itself, raising its Beam Scythe. ***** The Inner Senshi, moving with heavy hearts towards an alley, watched as the two giants burst towards each other like speeding bullets, the blades of both weapons meeting in a flash of sparks. "Where's Tuxedo Kamen?" Sailormoon asked, looking around in fright. "He's with the Outer Senshi. He's assisting them in getting Hotaru and Michiru some medical help," Luna said. "Look at them . . ." Mars said quietly, her gaze intent on the duel, both combatants seemingly performing a beautiful dance of death, as they continued to parry, evade, and attack from different positions and angles, neither one of them having been hit yet. "How will we be able to defeat such enemies . . . !?" "I . . . I don't understand . . ." Sailorvenus said, watching as the mechas fought, her muscles still tense. "The black one was fighting us earlier, the white one yesterday . . . so why are they fighting against each other now?" Artemis moved beside her. "Personally, I hope they will continue fighting each other. That way, the battle will be evened out - one robot can harm the other and vice versa." "I wish they would choose a battle arena other than Tokyo . . ." Jupiter said. Mercury could only continue to stare at her computer in awe. In curiosity, she had tried to scan the combined magical energies both machines were emitting. The result made the chart on her computer fluctuate wildly. The reading was already far beyond the capacity her computer was capable of displaying. ***** The braided pilot of Deathscythe cursed silently as he maneuvered his Man Machine to avoid the sudden thrust of his opponent's red shield. Verniers flaring, the black mecha quickly boosted upwards, increasing the distance between it and its white opponent, all the while raising its left arm . . . "Eat this, ko no yarou!" Without warning, the Buster Shield flared to life and blasted towards the winged Man Machine . . . Heero grunted as he used Wing's saber to swat away the sudden projectile, which then crashed into a nearby building. Wing followed up with a barrage of shots from the two Machine Cannons hidden near its neck. Twisting in the air so as to avoid the salvo, Deathscythe quickly flew behind a tall skyscraper, which served as a shield against the intense gunfire . . . . . . although not for long as the building started to collapse, from being continuously bombarded by the twin cannons.