Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Feedback is always appreciated. Email me at danielmcdonagh@hotmail.com

Chapter 3

Sailor Centauri faced Sailor Lead Crow, who was rather surprised at this development.

"Attacking a girl who just wants a fair fight to regain her status? In the name of Centauri, the Sailor-suited beautiful fighter Sailor Centauri won't forgive you!" The cheesy speech came naturally to her.

"Sailor Centauri!" Lead Crow cried in surprise.

Centauri looked puzzled. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"You killed Sailor Copper Eagle! I've waited a long time to avenge her." Lead Crow fired her bracelets at Centauri, but she easily avoided the fireballs.

"Centauri Star Shot!" Centauri fired her own attack, but Lead Crow leapt out of the way of the glowing white sphere.

Crow pulled out her whip and was about to hit Centauri, when the other Senshi appeared.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Uranus and Neptune both attacked, but Lead Crow fired her bracelets at them; the attacks hit each other and exploded harmlessly.

Lead Crow looked around and saw that she was really outnumbered. She smiled at everyone. "Ja ne," she said as she slipped into her phonebox and disappeared.

Well, that's her dealt with for now." Centauri dusted her hands and turned to everyone.

"Look out!" Mars yelled as Sailor Karate was about to attack Centauri.

"Huh?!" Centauri said in surprise.

"Silence Wall!" Sailor Saturn put her defence around Sailor Centauri, and Sailor Karate's fireballs were absorbed harmlessly.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Sailor Venus weakened the Farce, and Eternal Sailor Moon raised her Tier.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Sailor Moon healed the Farce.

"Beautiful…" Kimiko said as she returned to normal.

"Galaxia, my target didn't have the star seed, but Sailor Centauri appeared and attacked me," Lead Crow said, her voice seemed half-apologetic at failing to get the star seed and half-triumphant at locating Sailor Centauri.

"Maybe you're just making it up." Tin Nyanko emerged from the shadows.

"Silence!" Galaxia yelled at Tin Nyanko, who seemed to shrink in fear. "I also sensed her, but she is of secondary importance right now. I must have the star seed; it is the only way I can rule the galaxy." Galaxia sat brooding in her throne.

Lead Crow smiled evilly. "I saw her transform; I can find her anywhere now. If she becomes a problem, I'll eliminate her."

"Do that," Galaxia responded.

"Of course." Lead Crow bowed and left, Tin Nyanko glared at her from the shadows, her eyes full of hate.

"You escaped once, but now there is nowhere to run," Galaxia whispered to herself. A smile crept across her face.

The Senshi were all at Rei's shrine.

"I feel kinda bad about leaving Kimiko high and dry like that…" Noriko said. "But I've decided I want to help you. Galaxia must be stopped, and I should help instead of just sitting around hoping she'll go away."

"That's great, Noriko! We can work together, and nothing can stop us," Hotaru enthused.

Usagi looked at Haruka and Michiru, expecting them to object, but they didn't even seem to be paying much attention.

"Yes, we could use all the help we can get," Usagi said pointedly. But Haruka and Michiru continued there studious disinterest.

Minako caught what Usagi was trying to say, and decided to speak up for her. "I'm glad that Noriko will help us," she began. "But what about Seiya and the others? Why are we not allowed to fight with them?"

"That and this are totally different," Haruka said flatly.

"How?" Makoto demanded.

Noriko and Hotaru were starting to become uncomfortable with this.

"The Starlights have their own agenda. Noriko has promised to help us. We don't know what the Starlights want," Michiru explained.

"We can defend the planet by ourselves. If Noriko wants to help, she can, but we don't need anyone mysteriously following their own agenda, which might align with ours at any one time," Haruka told everyone.

"We didn't know everything about Tuxedo Kamen at first." Usagi flinched as Ami argued her case. "Or you two."

"Well, in fairness, Tuxedo Kamen got brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom, and Haruka and Michiru kept trying to kill Hotaru," Rei pointed out.

"Thanks, Rei," Ami said sarcastically.

"No, but the point is, they all came good in the end," Minako said.

"Actually, Michiru and Haruka kept trying to kill me right to the end," Hotaru stated.

"And they beat up Usagi for protecting you," Makoto added.

Noriko got up. "Well, this is none of my business. I'll see you later." She left as the argument wore on. Hotaru quickly got up as well.

"Noriko, wait for me!" She started after her.

"Hotaru, wait," Michiru told her.

"No thanks. This has nothing to do with me either. It was you two and Setsuna that decided we can't work with the Starlights. I wasn't involved at any point," Hotaru said as she rushed after Noriko.

Doctor Sawamura was leaving the hospital after completing a successful heart transplant on a little girl, when a nurse ran to him and asked to speak to him in private. They went into the car park and the tired doctor asked, "Well, what is it that you want, nurse…?" he trailed off expecting her to tell him her name.

"I need your help with a transplant, doctor!" she tore off her nurse's uniform and revealed herself as Sailor Tin Nyanko!

Dr Sawamura tried to run, but she extracted his star seed and he fell unconscious.

Tin Nyanko held up the shining white star seed. It wasn't turning black! She was ecstatic. This would show Galaxia and Lead Crow who the top Animamate was. She laughed giddily. "I've done it! I found the star seed that shines forever!" Her laughter reached fever pitch when the star seed dimmed and turned black. She fell to the ground and cried. "I can't believe it!" she sobbed.

A shadow fell over her. "Messed up again, Tin Nyanko?" Lead Crow asked disdainfully.

Tin Nyanko got up and grabbed Lead Crow. "You've been spying on me!"

But Lead Crow brushed her off. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would I spy on a failure like you? I have my own reasons for being here."

"And what reason is that?!" Tin Nyanko demanded.

"Taking the star seed of a compassionate doctor, even if Hippocrates forgives you, I won't! I'll punish you for Centauri!"

"My guardian is the planet of silence… Maybe if you were more silent, we wouldn't notice you!"

Sailors Centauri and Saturn had arrived.

"That," Lead Crow said triumphantly. She was pleased because Tin Nyanko's stupidity had actually helped her for once. She didn't have to lure them here herself.

They were standing about ten metres away, with their weapons forming a cross. They then spun them around and pointed at Lead Crow and Tin Nyanko.

"What took you?" Lead Crow asked.

They ignored the comment and charged at the Animamates. Saturn attacked Tin Nyanko, while Centauri focused on Lead Crow.

Lead Crow was a little surprised at Sailor Saturn's presence, but Tin Nyanko being here meant that she didn't have to worry too much. She just wanted Sailor Centauri.

Centauri swung her Astral Axe diagonally at Lead Crow, but she ducked under it and whipped Centauri's side, sending her flying into Saturn, who had been about to strike a lethal blow at Tin Nyanko.

A pity I didn't wait just a second before doing that, Lead Crow thought.

The two good Sailor Senshi picked themselves up, and Centauri attacked from a distance. "Centauri Meteor Strike!" She aimed her attack at Lead Crow, and the glowing red spheres of energy flew to their target.

"Galactica Tornado!!" Lead Crow shouted as she used her most powerful attack. Centauri's Meteor Strike had killed Copper Eagle, and Lead Crow wasn't about to take any chances.

She was very pleased with the result; her attack totally deflected the Meteor Strike, sending the projectiles flying back in all directions. It hit all the other combatants, Sailor Centauri herself taking the brunt of it, along with some residual energy from the Galactica Tornado.

Sailor Saturn, who had accidentally shielded Tin Nyanko from most of the attack, was lying prone on the ground. Nyanko smiled evilly as she brought her Catspaw launcher to Saturn's head. "Think happy thoughts," she said menacingly as she prepared to pull the trigger.

But she never did. "Star Serious Laser!" Sailor Starfighter attacked Tin Nyanko, sending her crashing into a car.

There was the sound of finger snapping, and Saturn already knew who had arrived.

"Sailor Starlights, stage on!" The other three alien Senshi were putting in an appearance.

Meanwhile, Lead Crow was taking out her frustrations on Sailor Centauri. "This is for Eagle!" she cried as she picked up Centauri then struck her to the ground. Picking her up again: "And for Siren!" She kicked Centauri away.

Lead Crow held up her bracelets and prepared to take Sailor Centauri's star seed. She was too weak to possibly put up any fight, but it wasn't over yet.

She considered using her Crisis Teleport to escape, but a look over at Sailor Saturn convinced her otherwise. "I can't abandon her, too!" she said through gritted teeth. Getting up on her knees, she punched the ground in Lead Crows direction and screamed, "Centauri Seismic Shock!!!"

She watched in satisfaction as the earth rippled and hit Lead Crow, sending her flying. Energy spent, she allowed herself to collapse. Her transformation reversed and once more she was simply Noriko Ka'Tenmei.

Sailor Saturn, having trouble moving herself and seeing Noriko's condition, decided that backup would be helpful. She pulled her purple communicator from her fuku. It could only contact the other Outer Senshi, but she hoped Haruka and Michiru were still with the Inner Senshi at Hikawa Shrine. She pressed the green Neptune symbol, and waited for Michiru's face to appear a few seconds later.

"Hotaru, what is it?" She sounded worried; Sailor Saturn never used her communicator.

"Juuban Central Hospital," Hotaru said urgently, without preamble. "Crow and Nyanko."

Michiru's face hardened. "We're on our way." Her face disappeared

With Sailor Saturn and Centauri both out of commission, it was up to the Starlights to deal with the animamates.

"You two take Nyanko. I'll deal with Crow," Starfighter ordered as they started their attacks.

Tin Nyanko, having recovered from Starfighter's earlier attack, fired her Catspaw launcher at Starmaker, but she managed to duck the blast, which hit a nearby car. Starhealer looked at the crumpled wreck of the Ferrari. "Ouch." She grinned at Starmaker.

Nyanko tried to ready another shot, but the Starlights were too fast for her.

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

Starhealer and Starmaker combined their attacks and blasted Tin Nyanko. The animamate tried to erect a forcefield around herself, but was too slow and took the full force of both attacks.

Lying on the ground, severely wounded, Tin Nyanko didn't like the odds. "To hell with this," she muttered as she summoned the phonebox and crawled in. "Good luck, Lead Crow!" she called out as the booth vanished, taking her back to Galaxia's lair.

"Typical!" Lead Crow spat out as she saw Tin Nyanko's hasty retreat. Then she smiled. I'll kill them all myself, she thought.

Starfighter began gathering energy above her head to attack Lead Crow. "Star Serious—" she began her attack.

"Oh no, you don't!" Lead Crow cried as she dove to the side and cracked her whip out at Starfighter.

Starfighter cried out as she was knocked backwards by the whip, and lost her concentration. The energy of the Star Serious Laser dissipated harmlessly.

Keen to press home her attack, Lead Crow held up her arms and unleashed a salvo of Bracelet Blasts at the Starlights.

Starfighter and Starhealer easily avoided the deadly fireballs, but Starmaker was about to be hit by one when Sailor Saturn yanked her leg and pulled her to the ground, and out of harm's way.

"Thanks," Starmaker said to the still prone Saturn.

"Any time," Saturn replied as Starmaker got back up.

Lead Crow then began hitting each of the Starlights in turn with her whip, knocking all of them to the ground. Hard.

She was about to hit Starhealer again when the Senshi arrived.

Sailor Venus reacted quickest. "Venus Love Me Chain!" The golden chain of interlocking hearts flashed out and wrapped around Lead Crows whip. Venus yanked it to pull Lead Crow off balance, but the animamate responded by pulling her whip hard enough to pull Venus off her feet. She withdrew her Love Me Chain before it got her in any more trouble.

Sailor Mars stepped forward. "I'll handle this," she said arrogantly. "Mars Flame Sniper!" A flaming bow appeared in her hands and she fired the burning arrow at Lead Crow. It flashed out of the bow and hit Lead Crow, surrounding her in intense flames. When they faded, Lead Crow was slightly singed.

"Not loving this," she said harshly, blowing a burnt strand of hair from in front of her eyes. "Galactica Tornado!!" She launched the powerful attack at the Sailor Senshi.

Sailor Neptune knew what to do. Pulling her Soul Mirror from her pocket dimension, she held it out and said, "Submarine Reflection!" The huge amount of energy from the Tornado was effortlessly reflected back at Lead Crow.

"Crap," Lead Crow muttered, knowing that she couldn't avoid her own attack. She summoned the phonebox behind her and was knocked into it. Before losing consciousness, she returned to Galaxia's lair.

To be continued.

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: May 21, 2007