Sailor Moon: Shadows of the Eclipse 10

10: Please forgive me, I couldn't protect you

"Take this!" Minako sprang into action, spiking the volleyball over the net.

Juri leapt forward, attempting to counter and knock the ball at least upwards. She missed, the ball landed on her side of the court as she skidded and skinned her knee. Nothing serious. It would heal pretty quickly. "Your point," she grinned, recovering quickly back to her feet.

The night had been crisp and cool, and instead of heading home, Juri and Minako decided to feed their rivalry and have a rematch volleyball game. Their last match at the gym had been interrupted when Dixite burst through the wall, and the two really hadn't had a chance to have another game. So the two had retreated to an empty park to duke it out on the court.

"Ah! Are you alright?" Minako exclaimed. She was used to getting dirty, but she wanted to make sure Juri wasn't going to hurt herself. It was a friendly match, not a battle.

"Oh, I'm fine," Juri brushed off the concern. "It's nothing that won't heal." She had no problem getting a bit dirty. Retrieving the ball, she tossed it back to Minako. "Your serve."

"Right right," Minako nodded, catching the ball, considering they should've worn gear while playing instead of their school uniforms.

"Hey, hey, wait a sec," Juri suddenly interjected. "Do you hear that? Is that your phone?"

Minako paused, listening carefully. Sure enough there was a pi pi pi sound coming from her bag. She knew that sound well, as it was the sound of her communicator watch sounding off with an urgent message. Someone was in trouble. Those generals must've attacked again, and someone needed help.

"It is!" Minako exclaimed, tossing the ball back to Juri. "That's my cue to go!" Quickly, Minako dashed to pick up her bag and head off down the street.

Strangely, though, the sound didn't stop when Minako had left. Juri's bag was ringing too. Kneeling down to rummage through it, she soon realized it was the communicator watch yelling. Juri hadn't heard it go off before, but she'd only had it for a few days. Since that rainy day, the battle scene had been quiet, evil taking a break so they could take their spring exams. And it seemed they were back in business and someone needed help.

Juri flipped open the watch, and a message played. "Attack at Triangle Park! Anyone nearby please help! Please hurry!" That was Luna's voice! It was time to act, time to be that ally Sailor Moon hoped she would be.

....

"You'll pay for that!" Dixite screeched, rubbing her face. It had gotten cut by the crystal in Tux's sudden attack. Dixite was incredibly vain about her appearance and hated for anything to happen to her beautiful face. She drew her hand back and threw the crystal blade at Tux.

A chain of heart links interrupted the attack, forcing the crystal blade to redirect and collide with the ground. Venus landed next to Tuxedo Mask, brandishing her heart link chain. "I am Sailor Venus, soldier of love and beauty! It's time we even the odds." Venus was well aware of Usagi's situation, of her lack of power. She had been the only one to confront Usagi on the situation, reassuring her that everything would be okay, that they'd all protect her.

"She's pretty," Doxite frowned, pulling another vial of potion from his pocket. Venus's beauty wasn't enough to distract him from his goals, however. With a lunar senshi showing up, the situation got more complicated, but no matter. He'd disable the fighters soon enough.

Dixite punched him in the arm, snatching the vial from his hand. "I'll show you, pretty face!" She shook the potion and threw it at Venus, who dodged but not enough as it collided with her foot. Crystal formed at the impact, weighing her down and quickly bringing her back to the ground. The crystal began growing quickly, overtaking her legs.

"Venus!" Usagi shouted.

"Don't!" Venus shot back. "I'll be okay!" She had a promise to keep. "We'll protect you somehow."

Tux was still mobile and approached, attempting to free Venus by striking his cane against the crystal. While he was distracted, Doxite nonchalantly tossed a potion at Tux's feet, one which began to grow and immobilize him too. Poor planning on Tux's behalf, but he certainly wouldn't let Venus suffocate in the crystal.

No, this wasn't happening. She couldn't lose them. Usagi panicked. She had all this power but right now she could do nothing. She could only transform, but fighting beyond that was near impossible, and she'd have to resort to her poor martial arts skills. Against these potions, she'd soon fall to them and probably die.

A single arrow flew past Usagi, colliding with the barrier which held Tuxedo Mask, cracking it slightly. "The Solar Eclipse, Sailor Sun is on the scene!" she announced from her perch at the top of the slide.

"WAIT!!!" Dixite shouted. "How are you there," she pointed at Sun, "when you should be there!?" the moved to point at Usagi.

Sun looked down to see Usagi huddled against the slide. "Usagi-san!" she exclaimed. She hadn't expected a civilian involved. This wasn't just a regular battle, it was a rescue mission. Leaping from the slide, she positioned herself between the generalites and Usagi. "It's okay, Usagi-san, I'm here for you."

Usagi stared up at Sun. She knew Usagi's name, and the way she said it reminded her of the way Juri spoke. It couldn't be, could it? Was Sailor Sun really Juri?

Sun smiled before turning around, drawing her bow with two arrows. Lighting them on fire, she released them, one aiming for the crystal around Tux, the other around Venus, "Double Solar Flare!" The arrows impacted the crystal enough to make it crack significantly, giving the two ample room to break free.

Sun then crossed her arms in front of her, forming an x shape with her forearms with her bow still in hand. Defensive maneuver. Think defensive. She was running on gut feeling at this point. She wasn't entirely certain she had a defensive move, but something told her she did. Something else told her that the twin generals were about to launch a devastating attack.

While Venus and Tux were working to break free, Doxite shifted, withdrawing a new potion from his pocket. He shook it, crystalizing it, before throwing it overhanded at Sun. The crystal traveled surprisingly quickly between the Tux and Venus. Sun grimaced, praying to whatever sun god she could think of for help. A flame formed at the point where her arms crossed, quickly blazing into a lens-shaped shield. The crystal impacted the shield, shattering, the pieces glistening in the moonlight and fire like a thousand tiny sparkles.

Sun sighed in relief, not realizing a second crystal had been following in the shadow of the first. The second crystal impacted her shoulder sharply, piercing through her body and coming out the other side. She could feel the world growing darker as she felt like she was floating. Was she falling? Was that the beautiful silver moon hanging in the sky?

Please forgive me, Usagi-san. I couldn't protect you.