Hito bit his lip. He didn't feel so good. He felt tired and weak, as if his energy were being drained. He looked at the other lady, the good one. Meioh-san. She didn't look so great either. As he watched her face, her hand let his go to put it over her stomach. The girl with the funny hairstyle was moaning so loudly Hito wanted to tell yell at her to shut up. The man who was also at the table looked at them all with concern. Hito looked back at the lady--Meioh-san. He suddenly knew exactly what was happening. From the sudden hardening in her eyes, she did too. She blinked rapidly, as if trying to keep her eyes open, then nodded weakly at the boy and turned to the man.
"Mamoru-san," her voice was so weak! "You have to stop them--I'll try to help, but..."
The man looked puzzled. "What are you talking about, Setsuna-san?"
Meioh pushed herself forward. "You know what I'm talking about. You've already figured out I'm Pluto, thanks to Hito-kun's big mouth. You're Tuxedo Kamen. You've got to stop them from draining us before we-I can transform!" With that she slumped back into the booth with a groan and closed her eyes. Hito watched the man spend a split second staring at Meioh-san, then he pushed himself to his feet and with a curious gesture swirled into a column of light. His eyes cleared and before him stood Tuxedo Kamen. With a swirl of his cape he leapt over the counter. Hito looked over and noticed that while Meioh was still unconscious, the blonde was finally quiet, and staring with surprised eyes and a pale face after the caped hero. She turned shocked blue eyes toward Hito. Her expression reflected desperation, as if her world were suddenly changing so fast that her feet were being yanked out from under her. Then she suddenly lost whatever strength she'd had left and collapsed on the table.
*****
Setsuna blinked her eyes open. Someone was making an awful racket. . .
"Meioh-san! Meioh-san! You have to help him!" She looked up. It was the boy--Hito-kun. She flexed her shoulders to get him to let go of them, and was surprised to be able to move at all. Tuxedo Kamen! He'd stopped the draining! But he couldn't take out the youma on his own...he'd need help! She pushed herself off the chair and pulled her wand out of her dimensional pocket. The boy was staring at her. She shot him an annoyed look.
"If you're going to help us, wake up that girl too."
"What?"
"Wake her up!" Setsuna pointed to Usagi, and as soon as the boy turned his eyes to follow her hand she shouted. "Pluto Crystal Power! Make up!" She closed her eyes as she transformed, her senshi strength wiping away almost all her remaining weakness. Now if only Usagi were a strong enough senshi that she could overcome her weakness. But somehow Setsuna doubted it. A crash sounded in the kitchen, and cracks appeared along her side of the wall. She only hoped that wasn't Tuxedo Kamen! With a muttered oath she ran to the back of the store. She'd have to trust her instincts about Hito, and leave Usagi with him. If they lost Tuxedo Kamen...
*****
"Wake her up!"
Hito shook his head. This other lady usually was nicer than the black lady, but she could be just as short and commanding, it seemed. The similarities grew. He desperately shook the girl. "Wake up! Wake up!" He heard another crash in the kitchen and watched the wall give way. A strange blue woman fell through the wall, then scrambled to her feet screaming incoherent insults into the room she'd fallen out of. With one more shriek she opened her mouth impossibly wide and exhaled. Ice covered over the hole in the wall, then she turned to the door and breathed some more, sealing the kitchen off. Hito ducked down behind the back of the booth as the weird creature began to survey the room she'd sealed herself into. He heard crashes against the ice, and imagined Tuxedo Kamen and Pluto bashing at it, only to get through and find them all frozen to death. He grabbed the girl's arms as tight as he could and shook her furiously. "Come on!" he growled into her ear as loudly as he dared. "Wake up! We're in trouble!"
"Huh? Wha-" Hito slapped his hand over her mouth before she could make too much noise.
"Shh! There's a monster in here. Tuxedo Kamen and Pluto were fighting it, but it's sealed them out. You have to help them!" She tried to say something, but his hand muffled it. He took it away with an embarrassed cough and a muttered apology. She gave him an annoyed look and began to sit up. "Don't!" he hissed. "You want it to see you?!?"
She frowned and slipped under the table. Hito followed her, trying to decide if he was brave enough to peek around the edge of the booth to see what the monster was doing. The crashes were still sounding from the other side of the ice wall, but it sounded as if the ice was growing as fast as they were breaking it. The girl was still looking at him. She asked him a question. "Do you know who I am?"
Hito looked at her in exasperation. It wasn't the best time to get acquainted! "All I know is you have to be one of the senshi--or Pluto wouldn't have wanted you woken up so badly." He turned and began to slowly inch toward the edge of the booth. "We don't exactly have a lot of time here. Are you going to transform, already?" The girl snorted quietly, but took a pink locket out of her pocket and whispered some nonsense about moon power. Hito's eyes finally cleared the edge of the booth. The monster was slowly being cornered--Pluto and Tuxedo Kamen would break through a couple inches of ice, and the monster would promptly breath it back--but it was taking way too long. At this rate, the generals would bring reinforcements, and it'd be too late for them all. He slipped back under the table and turned to the girl. "Are you ready ye--" She was gone!
"Sweets and ice cream bring joy to people of all ages! For turning sundaes and milk shakes into tools of evil, I will not forgive you! I am the sailor-suited soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon!" Hito peeked out again. That girl was Sailor Moon?
*****
Pluto swore under her breath. She was tempted to use her Dead Scream to kill the creature, but in her weakened state she didn't think she could use it more than once, and breaking through the ice wall was only half the job. Getting though would do them no good if they couldn't defeat the creature afterwards. The ice was getting so thick she couldn't even see clearly though it. Tuxedo Kamen wasn't looking too happy about their circumstances either. They didn't have enough spare breath to converse, but she could tell he had a lot of questions for her.
They had to break through this faster! Pluto redoubled her efforts, then gasped as she peered through the ice. It looked like--Sailor Moon!
"Sailor Moon! She's there! We have to get through and help her!"
Tuxedo Kamen didn't look at her, but she could tell from his tone of voice he was annoyed at her comment. "What do you think we've been trying to do for the last few minutes!"
An idea struck her. "Quick! Throw ten roses with the longest stems you can in a circle! Maybe we can break a big enough chunk it can't regenerate it!" Tuxedo Kamen nodded and without a second more of hesitation shot ten roses in a perfect circle at the ice wall. Cracks spidered around them, but it didn't quite break. Pluto ran forward with a scream of frustration. "Break, already!" She whacked the Garnet Rod into the middle of the circle with all her might. The Garnet Orb suddenly flared red, and the entire ice wall exploded away in a million shards. Pluto dove through, Tuxedo Kamen close behind her.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.
"Because I didn't know I could," she shot back, taking in the scene around her. The boy was still in the booth--or rather, under it. Sailor Moon was leaping over a column of that freezing breath that had almost taken both her and Tuxedo Kamen a couple times. Her tiara was lying on the ground, dented on one side. Evidently that hadn't worked. Pluto raised her staff in preparation for her attack when she saw a shadow outside the store--a silhouette she recognized. Zoicite. She had to save her strength to take the general. She raised her voice. "Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!"
Both the girl and the youma turned their heads toward her. Pluto kept her eyes on the monster, but spoke to Sailor Moon. "Use your Moon Stick!"
"Luna says it's used to heal things! I've never used it yet! And I don't think we want to heal this thing!"
Pluto leapt in to take a swipe at the creature with her staff. "It only heals humans! It destroys things that aren't human!"
"How do you know?"
Pluto remembered how the Stick had taken care of Beryl when powered up by Ginzuishou and stifled a chuckle. "Trust me!" She could practically hear Sailor Moon's resigned shrug.
"If you insist!" She closed her eyes and it appeared in her hands, but instead of using it, she just stood there.
Pluto nearly screamed with frustration. "Now what?"
Sailor Moon stared at her. "What do I say?"
Pluto silently counted to three--she didn't have time to count to ten--and answered. "Don't think about it! Just concentrate on destroying the creature. The words will come!" She darted in to deliver another blow to the youma--she couldn't expect Tuxedo Kamen to keep it busy on his own while she instructed her inexperienced princess.
"MOON...HEALING...ESCALATION!" Pluto smiled as the burst of energy crashed into the youma, dissolving it away. Sailor Moon turned to her with a twinkle in her eye. "It worked! That's great!" She ran up to Pluto to catch her in an eager hug. Pluto savored the brief resurgence of the enthusiasm and kindness in this more reserved princess, but was prepared for it when Sailor Moon abruptly pulled away. Usagi's eyes were still shining, though. "Maybe pink sticks aren't all that bad after all--HEY!"
"Sorry," Pluto gasped as she quickly rolled to her feet in front of Sailor Moon. Zoicite's typhoon of cherry blossom petals had just missed them both. She and Tuxedo Kamen stood ready as Sailor Moon hurriedly pulled herself to her feet, only to sag with a sudden groan. Pluto looked over at her in concern, but was relieved to see it was only weakness after her energy draining and attack. Thank goodness she wasn't injured!
"YOU!" Pluto whipped her head up to face Zoicite at the general's shout. "What the hell are you doing here? Fighting for them? Helping the senshi?!? I knew we couldn't trust you! I knew you were working for the enemy!"
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen both turned to Pluto with suspicion as Zoicyte's words sank in. "Pluto? What's he talking about?"
*****
Hito breathed a sigh of relief when the monster dissolved. Thank goodness! That had been frightening!
"YOU! What the hell are you doing here? Fighting for them? Helping the senshi?!? I knew we couldn't trust you! I knew you were working for the enemy!" Hito sighed. Zoicite. Of course.
He watched Pluto take a surprised step back as both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen turned suspicious stares on her. "Pluto? What's he talking about?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Ah! So they don't know your game either! Pluto? Is that what they call you?" Zoicite narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't matter, because they're going to call you nothing but DEAD! ZOI!" He threw some more of those cherry petals at Pluto, who leapt out of the way, holding her staff before her as a shield. She landed in a ready crouch. "I will never forgive you for killing Kunzite! ZOI!"
Pluto leapt into the air again, only this time toward the general. With a blindingly fast blow she knocked the man off his feet, then stood over him, heaving in gulps of air. Hito looked at her with concern as he came out from under the table. She seemed weaker than normal...maybe that draining had taken more out of her than it had appeared at first. She held the tip of her staff over Zoicite's head, an obvious threat. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen closed in, but kept a noticeable distance between themselves and her.
"Pluto?" Sailor Moon's doubt was even more pronounced. "What's going on here?" The older woman just shook her head.
Zoicite turned desperate eyes toward Sailor Moon, and his eyes lit as he saw a chance for himself. "You don't know? She's betrayed you as much as she's betrayed me! She awakened us! She showed us how to start this offensive! She's been behind us from the start! She even promised us your princess!"
"No!" Sailor Moon took an unsteady step back, instinctively clutching at Tuxedo Kamen for support. Zoicite leered at her.
"That's right! We thought she was on our side, but now it's obvious she's playing us off each other!"
"Pluto. . ." Sailor Moon looked over at the older woman, but didn't make any moves toward her. "How could you?" Pluto just stared at Zoicite as if he had sprouted an extra eye on the tip of his nose. She couldn't even look toward Sailor Moon. "Is it. . .I mean, can it be. . .?"
At the catch in Sailor Moon's voice Pluto finally tore her gaze away from the general's eyes to look at Sailor Moon. "No! I. . .I don't know what he's talking about."
"Yeah! Right! And it wasn't you that killed Kunzite! Traitor! Bi-"
"Stop that!" Tuxedo Kamen interrupted with an angry look. Zoicite took one look at him and closed his mouth. Tuxedo Kamen leaned down to whisper something in Sailor Moon's ear, then she said something softly to him in return. Tuxedo Kamen looked at Zoicite. "What did she say when she killed him?"
Zoicite grimaced at the unpleasant memory. "I'll never forget the words that stole Kunzite from me. Dead Scream." Simultaneous gasps rose from Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Pluto. Pluto was shaking her head back and forth, her hands trembling as if she couldn't hold on to her staff any longer. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Hito ran forward, propelled by her obvious agony.
"No! It's not what you think! It's not what he says!"
The downed general looked at him with hatred in his eyes. "So, it's you too. I'm not surprised. You two have always been together."
Sailor Moon looked at Hito with confusion. "Who are you?"
Hito opened his mouth, but Pluto interrupted him. "His name is Futsuno Hito, and he works for the enemy." Her voice was flat, as if she'd turned off her emotions.
"I don't have a choice!" Hito hurried to protest as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen looked at him with suspicion.. "She made me! She won't let me go back home to my family until she's done with me!"
Pluto looked at him. "I don't care what she's holding over you. I have to know. Who is 'she'?"
Hito looked at her helplessly. "She's you--at least, she looks exactly like you. You when you're Pluto, that is. You look different somehow when you're Setsuna. You and her could be twins."
"Does she call herself Pluto?"
Hito shrugged. "I don't know. She's never told me her name at all. I just...well, her dresses are always black, so I just think of her as the black lady. She travels through time, just like you. Is your home...well, do you know of the world where there's nothing but mist and darkness, except for one huge door?" Pluto nodded mutely, so overwhelmed by the information she'd just received that she could do nothing more. Hito continued, happy do be on the side of the angels for a change. "I'm pretty sure she's...well, she's definitely not you, Pluto. I don't even think she's human anymore. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's..." Hito couldn't resist looking over his shoulder as he got ready to say something that had gotten him into a LOT of trouble the last time he'd uttered it aloud. The senshi unconsciously leaned in closer to listen at his furtive glances, turning their backs on Zoicite. "...she's crazy."
"ZOI!"
Hito was knocked off his feet so quickly he didn't even realize what had happened. He blinked up at Sailor Moon. She smiled down at him, and he couldn't resist smiling back. She'd saved him! She must believe him! Maybe they could get him home. He was sure the black lady never planned to keep her promise. Hito looked over to where Pluto had been standing. A few feet away an indistinguishable mass of black cloth lay on the floor. It slowly resolved into the shapes of Pluto and Tuxedo Kamen as they quickly began to pull themselves back to their feet. Hito looked over as he heard gloating laugher. He recognized the voice immediately as Zoicite's. The man was already aiming another volley at him and Sailor Moon.
"I told you I'd get you, boy."
"NO. I won't allow it!"
Sailor Moon threw herself in front of him again, holding her arms out as if she was going to stop Zoicite's attack in its tracks with them. Hito gasped. The petals must have been aimed at him--when Sailor Moon had pulled him out of the way she'd gotten hit--nothing else could explain the torn and battered state of her back. He couldn't let her take a hit again, could he? Sure, she might be a super heroine, but she was a girl too. He pushed her out of the way, turning toward Zoicite. "My name's Futsuno Hito! Not boy! I'm sick of people calling me that!"
Zoicite leered at him. "I don't suppose your name is going to matter much longer, is it, boy?" Zoicite took a breath. Hito closed his eyes.
"Dead Scream." Hito cracked his right eye open again. Everyone stood mesmerized as Pluto's attack reduced Zoicite to a sooty smear on the floor. Suddenly Hito felt someone place a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"That wasn't very smart, boy. Remember, I still own you--unless you don't want to see your parents again?"
*****
Pluto felt sick. She looked at Hito. "Does she call herself Pluto?"
He shrugged. "I don't know." Pluto looked back at Zoicite as Hito kept talking, then she turned back as the boy's voice suddenly dropped low. She leaned in to try to hear him. "...she's crazy." Pluto's eyes widened. It couldn't be...but it was. She knew it in the pit of her stomach. Their enemy was....
"ZOI!" Pluto began to turn, but could already tell she was going to be too late. Suddenly a huge mass of darkness plowed into her, and she fell to the ground with a thud. She blinked and tried to regain her equilibrium. When she reopened her eyes she was staring up at into Tuxedo Kamen's blue eyes.
"You saved me..." she whispered inanely, then cursed herself for acting like a love-struck teenager and began to move out from under him in an effort to rise to her feet.
"Dead Scream." She shook as the ball of magenta energy rushed from her. There was no way she'd have enough energy to do this again, that was for sure. What a day... She wavered on her knees, but held herself up with an act of pure will. Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen and Hito all stared at the dark spot on the floor that used to be Zoicite, but Pluto noticed sudden movement behind Hito and stared.
At herself.
Her double politely tipped her head at her, as if this were an everyday occurrence, then quickly leaned forward, placed a hand on Hito's shoulder, and whispered something to him. He looked up at her, the color draining from his face so quickly that Pluto thought he'd collapse right then and there. Pluto struggled to move, to warn the other two, but the combination of weakness and shock she felt was so overwhelming she couldn't even summon a squeak. The woman pulled him to his feet and they shimmered out of existence. Pluto closed her eyes.
It was true.
She was the enemy.
*****