Moon Knight

[Legend of the Kyuubi]

Act 1 - Uzumaki Naruto

"Another burglary thwarted by Sailor Moon, Mercury and … Sailor Mars? Oh, my. Another one. First Sailor V. Then Sailor Moon. Mercury and now Mars. Just how many more are going to show up?" Ikoku wondered.

"Ah! I'm gonna be late! Stupid mom! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!"

Tsukino Ikoku, wife and on days like this - which were pretty much every day, actually - exasperated mother, could only sigh as her crybaby of a daughter rushed out of her room, came down the stairs - fell was more like it - as she brushed her teeth, and ran out the door towards school like clockwork. Except…

"She knows it's Saturday, right?" Shingo, the only son of the family asked.

"She'll know soon enough," Kenji told him, the patriarch was unbothered by the scene.

"Morning," came a voice from the stairs.

"Morning," both Kenji and Ikoku greeted their nephew.

"Morning, Naruto-niisan," Shingo greeted.

"Any coffee left?" Naruto asked, the empty rattling was his answer and Naruto sighed.

"Bad night's sleep again?" Ikoku asked, her hand pressed against his head once more, "Should you see the doctor?"

"I'm fine, Ikoku-baachan," Naruto told her. And got a whack on the head for his troubles, "Ow!"

"What did I say about calling me that?" Ikoku told him.

"Sorry, neechan," Naruto apologized. Aunt or not, Ikoku disliked being called baachan. Saying she was too young to be called that. The dynamics of the Usagi family were a blend of unique and typical everyday family events.

Case and point, "AH! Can't believe I forgot my lunch!" Usagi cried as she rushed back into the house. "Morning, Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto blinked as he observed his younger cousin go into the kitchen and search in vain for the packed bento box Ikoku normally made for her during the week, "Forgot it's Saturday?" whispered the blond. Ikoku merely put a finger to her lips and winked. Well played.

"Mama! Where's my lunch!? I can't go to school without it! I'll starve!"

"Yeah, cuz that's what's important when going to school. Airhead," Shingo commented.

"I heard that! Sailor V Ki-"

"No kicking in the house!" Kenji stopped his daughter.

"But…" Kenji's look silenced her and Shingo stuck out his tongue from behind his father's back, "Grrrr!"

"Usagi-chan, here," Naruto handed the pigtailed blond a few bills, "Buy yourself lunch."

"Waahh! I love you, Naruto-oniichan!" cried the thankful blonde. Now she wouldn't go hungry. Why couldn't Naruto have been her brother instead?

"Yes. Yes. I'm awesome. And you're gonna be late," Naruto told his cousin.

"Crap!" And out she went once more.

Waiting a few seconds, Naruto turned to the family and asked, "Any bets on when she'll realize those bills were fake?"

"Don't you mean if?" Shingo said.

"I'd like to give her some credit," the rest of the family laughed. Sweet and kind as she was, Usagi was unfortunately an airhead and klutz at times. And a crybaby.

"First off, I'd say a little after 9:00 AM but before 9:30. Secondly, back to what I asked: you're certain you're fine?" Ikoku had a look of worry, "Ever since the accident-"

"I'm fine, Ikoku-neechan, don't worry," Naruto reassured and perhaps he did so a little too quickly as the matriarch wasn't convinced, making him sigh, "If it'll make you feel better, I'll call Dr. Mizuno and see if she can squeeze me in tonight."

"Thank you," Ikoku expressed her gratitude by pulling in her much taller than her nephew for a hug, "I've already lost my sister, and I can't lose you either."

"I know," Ikoku told him that many on the scene of the accident that occurred well over two years ago claimed it had been a miracle he survived the incident that took his parents' lives. The exact circumstances were unknown to him, all Naruto could recall was a bright light, a scream and then he woke up almost a year later in the hospital.

But despite that, he remained in tip-top shape and his recovery had astounded every doctor involved. Patients in a coma, even short-term ones, developed muscle atrophy due to lack of use, taking months to fully recover from it. Naruto had no such symptoms. Although he did develop odd sleeping patterns and had trouble sleeping regularly, frequently having odd and vivid dreams. Dreams that didn't make sense and some of which he forgot the exact details. It got better as he started working out and the sleeping problems improved.

But the odd dreams remained.

"Morning!" A voice from outside the home called.

"Neechan!" Shingo went to greet the visitor but found himself running on air, having been hoisted off the ground by Naruto.

"Sit down ya little perv," Naruto scolded the pre-teen, putting him back into his chair and in his place with a whisper, "Move from that spot and I'll tell Usagi where you hide your stash."

Shingo gulped and did as he was told. Not like it was a request anyway. Mom and dad would scold him, his mom more so than his dad. Usagi would use it as blackmail to get him to do whatever she wanted.

"Door's unlocked!" no sooner than he finished saying that did the door open to reveal a teal-haired young teen, a year younger than Naruto, Kaoi Michiru. His classmate, best friend, and occasional workmate. Though aside from Usagi, the rest of the family believed they were more than that.

Something Naruto denied on many occasions, which didn't help when Michiru feigned to be the heartbroken maiden whenever he said that around them. The girl was a tease, a flirt, and a very good actress. In short, a minx.

She was also an immensely skilled violinist, frequently being asked to perform in high-class venues and concerts despite only being fifteen. As her closest friend, Naruto lost count of how many times he had attended her performances.

"You ready?" Michiru asked but one look at him had her say, "Bad dream again?"

Naruto nodded but said nothing.

"Make sure he calls Dr. Mizuno to set up an appointment," Ikoku told her.

"Will do."

"Traitor," Naruto muttered but his friend heard him regardless and merely laughed.

"Come on, whiskers," grabbing his arm, Michiru dragged him out of the house, "Let's go."

"Later baachan!" Naruto said just as the door closed behind him, Ikoku's shout being cut off when it did. Just another day.

---

"Jadeite has failed me once more," Beryl spoke, "If this continues he will need to be replaced. I cannot suffer ineptitude in my kingdom, not when we are so close to awakening Queen Matelia. But I won't suffer the incompetence of one general only to replace him with an equally incompetent one. Nephrite, you will be in charge of the next mission. "

"It shall be so, Queen Beryl," the man bowed.

Teleporting away to his secluded mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo, Nephrite took on the persona of his alter ego, Sanjouin Masoto, and began to consult the stars.

A firm believer in humanity's fate being guided by the stars, Nephrite didn't believe in Jadeite's half-cocked approach in targeting scores of humans to acquire as much energy as quickly as possible.

It was archaic, inefficient, and lazy.

Did it work? Oh, certainly in the beginning, even if the results weren't substantive, but it was enough to please Queen Beryl. That was before the Senshi became active. Now, because of their interference this strategy ended with an unsatisfactory amount of energy being collected, much of the energy that was collected ended up going back to the humans they came from. And Queen Beryl was growing impatient. Her power greatly weakened when Queen Serenity sealed away Metalia and the rest of the Dark Kingdom ten millennia ago at the cost of her life. For millennia, Metalia had sustained them with her own power at D-Point, until she no longer could and was forced into a deep slumber.

It was only until just recently that the seal that stopped them from leaving D-Point had weakened enough for them to become active again. But even then their army, their powers, and their capabilities were but a shell of what it once was. A consequence of being sealed forced them to cannibalize many Youma to survive once the dark energy of the Dark Kingdom became critically low. Back when Beryl had pledged herself to Metalia and first led their dark god's army against the Moon Kingdom the Youma were beings to be feared! Their current might was truly pathetic by comparison, they were weak to the powers of the Senshi. Especially Sailor Moon's.

By awakening Metalia they would grow stronger and more resilient than they presently were, for as Metalia grew stronger, so too would the byproducts of the Dark Ruler. And the Senshi would be of no match. But the energy required to revive their dark queen was immense, akin to powering up an entire country. And vastly more to restore if they hoped to restore her to full power. Collecting energy was the easy part, having been doing so for the better part of a year now they were getting close, but there were other conditions required according to Queen Beryl.

This was why locating the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou (Phantom Silver Crystal), was so crucial. The legendary artifact had been used by the Goddess of the Moon, Queen Serenity the First to create the Moon Kingdom, and its capabilities and the queens that came afterwards had made the Moon Kingdom the most powerful of the celestial kingdoms of its time.

A power that Metalia had desired. A power she craved. A power that could easily restore her to her former might within a heartbeat and then some! A power she failed to obtain in the end.

And, mostly importantly, a power they had no clue on how to find in their current state. A few leads had occurred every so often, but none had ultimately bore fruit in the end.

Which was why they needed to awaken Metalia once more, and time was of the essence. Three of the Senshi had returned. Fortunately, their strength was not as strong as their past lives, but even then it was enough for them to be a thorn in their side. And each day they would only grow stronger. Unlike the citizens of the Dark Kingdom who drew their strength given to them by Metalia and Beryl, the Sailor gained theirs from their planets and the moon itself. Which was why gathering energy was so important.

Each Shitenno had their own method of gathering energy. Jadeite went after mass audiences, using their greed against them. Zoizite and Kunzite liked to turn humans into Youma, sapping them of their life force while gaining a minion in the process. Nephrite preferred getting involved personally, taking on disguises, and going after a single individual with large amounts of energy.

"Why catch fish when there are whales nearby," one simply needed to know how and possess the means to accomplish it. And Nephrite had since developed a way to use the stars to do so. It was a gift few possessed. Having the celestial map, a device of his own creation, helped as him in this endeavor. That said, the right conditions needed to be met, and luck also played a factor. And patience. Lots, and lots of patience.

But even with the celestial map, it was not as easy as it sounded. Nephrite had spent countless hours looking up at the stars for days on end before he could find anything of substantial worth. And as hours passed without success, Nephrite did one final sweep before he was forced to leave, "Too far. Too weak. Too…what? This can't be right."

Could it?

Focusing, stretching out his senses, his inner eye, and very being, Nephrite couldn't believe what he was seeing. Three energies of great potential: one akin to a tsunami, the other a storm, and the last one, was vastly bigger, comparable to a maelstrom and a hurricane. Compared to it, the other energy holders were more akin to two frogs in a well.

The energy taken from these three would be more than enough to awaken Queen Metalia.

"But not with what I currently possess," even for the smaller energy signatures he doubted the Dark Kingdom's current devices would be strong enough to contain all their energies, let alone the other. This would require special preparations. And as he attempted to look closer Nephrite found his efforts interfered with.

"Begone!"

Suddenly back in his body with a jolt, and falling to the ground, Nephrite found his hand shaking, and left confounded by what just transpired. Never before had he experienced such a thing when using the celestial map.

Regardless of that, Nephrite did uncover one thing. A location. And luckily for him, Juban wasn't that far away. Unfortunately, he already had prior commitments for the night, ones that might make the necessity of these individuals irrelevant. But Nephrite didn't like leaving things to chance, and made a mental note to find them and appease his queen just in case.

---

(Sometime Later)
​

"Okay, thanks doc. See you tomorrow," Naruto hung up the phone, "There, ya happy?"

Michiru merely smiled, "I still can't get over how you can be so scared of the doctor's."

"Don't make me get the sock puppet," Naruto fired back.

"You said you got rid of that thing!" Michiru glared.

"I did," Naruto smirked when she developed an embarrassed blush, "When's this event again? I honestly, don't know why I'm going to this thing."

Sure, Princess of the D Kingdom, the world's largest source of precious was visiting Japan. And Naruto and Michiru were invited. Why he was invited he had no idea. Michiru he could understand; she had musical talent.

"7:30PM. And no backing out or I'll tell Ikoku-neechan," Michiru threatened.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved her off just as he jumped to grab a hold of the metal beam above him and began his workout routine. However, realizing he had an audience, Naruto looked down at the ogling Michiru.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Michiru, ever the flirt that she was, eyed him like piece of prized meat. Naruto had gotten used to it a long time ago, sorta, and he could give just as good when he wanted to. Haruka did the same, it was a game all three played.

Speaking of which, "How's Haruka? Haven't seen her in a while. She gonna be there?" Naruto asked, never once stopping his pull ups, the heavy weights attached to his waist clanging against one another as he did so.

"You know her. Racing from one place to another. And no, prior commitment at another event," was the teal haired teen's reply. It made sense. Haruka was a speed and adrenaline junkie.

"Lucky her. Still don't get racing cars, though," Naruto wasn't as rich as either of his friends. The money left over from his parent's death was substantial. It wasn't the ridiculous amount left by Michiru and Haruka's parents, to the point that he could afford his own helicopter - well, he probably could afford a small one, but he had no desire – or his own series of racing cars like Haruka and many apartment complexes but to each their own. He was very well off suffice to say.

"I'll be honest, and this doesn't leave this room, neither do I," Michiru replied. Give her string instruments, an ocean, a lake or some kind of water-based scenery along with some colours and a sketchbook and she was good to go.

"I know, you get your jollies knowing she's taking risks, rather than the race itself," Naruto stopped, and then began only using one arm.

"Anyone tell you you're too perceptive for your own good at times?" Michiru told him, her gaze never leaving Naruto's form as he did his newest exercise. She honestly didn't know how he did it.

Though she was an excellent swimmer - better than Naruto in terms of skill, though he could swim longer - Michiru wasn't as active or involved in fitness. At least not on the same level as Naruto or Haruka, and even then, Haruka's training intensity was tame when compared to Naruto's. Before Haruka transferred from her old school, Michiru had believed that her friend was just simply good a working out. It wasn't until Haruka told her that few to none in the world could do what Naruto was capable of, and fewer still could do it for even a fraction of the time he lasted.

And he had not even reached his prime. There was only going up for him. It was pretty darn close to superhuman many had said. But then again, she wasn't surprised. Where many went with the norm, Naruto did not. Never Naruto. Naruto didn't believe in barriers and more than once did he break away from the norm on so many levels, and not just physically. It was one of the reasons why they were so close.

"Heard you guys went out last week. Paris, right? How was it?"

"It was nice," was all she said, and she meant it. It had been nice.

"I'm sensing a but," sure enough.

"It's… hard to explain. We had a great time. Unforgettable. Amazing! But something just seemed…I don't know, off?"

"Off?"

"Off. Not in a bad way. Just that it felt like something was missing. I was …antsy, for some reason. Even Haruka."

"…"

"…?"

Naruto blinked, "You're right. That was difficult to understand," and then continued his workout.

"Jerk!" Michiru threw a pillow at him, which did little to stop him, "A fair maiden pours her heart out and you make fun?"

"When don't you pour your heart out, my lady?" Naruto flourished his free arm as though her were a gentleman from one of Michiru's chick flicks.

It earned him a giggle. Few could get away with moments like this. Naruto was one, Haruka the other. But then, Naruto, Michiru and Haruka were close.

Though if asked Haruka and Naruto would admit they were closer to Michiru than each other, very close. Michiru had been his first friend since he woke up from his coma and moved to Juban after all. Due to his foreign looks and incredible height, coupled with his unnatural physical talent, few wanted to approach Naruto, thinking him a thug. A gaijin, he was called in hushed tones.

It was a welcoming if unique relationship they had. They flirted, they got close, there were tender moments between each out, even a kiss on the cheek as well, but nothing more than that.

Naruto had to admit to herself that there were times where it looked like they'd cross over to being more, and it had happened more than once. But they never officially crossed that line. The same thing applied to Haruka. Much like with Naruto, Michiru and Haruka flirted, got close, and they had their moments, too.

Again, they never officially crossed the line, and none of them could explain why. The latest date between the two girls proved that.

It was odd how such a relationship between all three worked. Haruka was purely a woman's woman. Michiru went both ways, and Naruto by contrast was the only straight one of the trio.

Although there was that one Halloween, and Michiru giggled at the memory.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

"Just remembering a particular Halloween prank you pulled. You know, the one where you embarrassed Haruka?"

"Hey, she flirted with me," Naruto defended himself.

"You kissed."

"She initiated it! How was I to know she'd do that?"

"Well, you were also dressed up as a woman, Naruto. A rather attractive and extremely convincing woman, I might add," Michiru giggled again, "and you danced quite well, too."

Naruto shrugged, "You either go all out or go home," Naruto never did half-assed pranks. Although, in hindsight, this one did get away from him in the end. Naruto had tried to warn Haruka before her lips made contact with his. When she learned it was him she wanted to run him over with her car. Luckily for him, she got over it. Sorta.

"Fairly certain Haruka would have liked to have done the latter if she wasn't the host," Michiru had not let Haruka forget it, nor would she ever, much to her embarrassment.

The blond woman still couldn't believe that she had been attracted to Naruto, at least physically, of all people. It had her briefly question a few things for a bit before she reaffirmed that she was a ladies' lady. And Michiru certainly could attest to that. But Michiru knew that Haruka did have a taste for certain women: tall and blondes were two of her preferences.

And Naruto was indeed tall for a sixteen-year-old adolescent. At 5'11" he was a giant compared to most of his age. And incredibly athletic to boot. His academics had never been the best, Michiru was the brains of the trio - not that neither Haruka nor Naruto weren't intelligent, but it was clear she was the smartest of them - but he wasn't the worst either. On certain subjects, he was almost as bad as his cousin, while in others he was better than even herself and some of the teachers; something that confused many.

Where Naruto truly excelled however was any form of gymnastics and sport he participated in, rarely losing a game and being called a stamina demon despite being in a coma for almost a year. Having broken previously established records both at Juban Middle School and Juban High School, and other schools in the district by a wide margin. His level of stamina was unheard of and baffled doctors and well-established athletes alike. Tests had been done to see if drugs had been used to enhance his performance.

Everything came back negative.

His skill as a mixed martial artist was widely recognized too, having represented Japan on a national level despite his age, much like she did as a violinist, and easily dominating the opposition. During a charity event four months ago, Naruto had gone up against one of the best fighters of Japan of their division group, a man five years his senior. No one had expected Naruto to win, let alone in the first round, though many claimed his opponent did so purposely for the sake of the event, a claim Michiru and Haruka didn't believe and others also had a hard time believing when they watched the recording. Especially when his opponent never got back up.

His aggressive and unpredictable style earned him the moniker Juban no Tokijin (Demon Fighting God of Juban).

Michiru knew many were looking to scout him once he graduated high school, not like money would be a problem for him anytime soon.

Being dubbed the giant of Juban Highschool, along with his impressive physique, unique exotic looks, mainly his blond hair and whisker-like birthmarks – many of which doubted Naruto was even Japanese because of them – Naruto, much like Michiru, had been given a job as a part-time model and on occasion would travel abroad. The amount wasn't anywhere compared to professional or full-time models, but it was easily more than what most in high school could ever dream of making and would allow a very comfortable life.

Some of what he earned he tried giving to his extended family, to which they refused - something Usagi and Shungo complained about - though they finally, if reluctantly, accepted when it was clear that the house needed a few additions due to their home being cramped.

Michiru knew he had enough to own a large house, heck perhaps even a small high-end apartment complex. The studio apartment they were in was given to them by the company, which was mostly used by Michiru and Haruka whenever they wanted to get away, as Naruto seldom used it except for when they hung out or after a photo shoot as he preferred to stay with his family. It had led to a few inconveniences in the beginning with some pushy reporters, of which Haruka and Michiru tried helping out.

Unfortunately, it only made things even more hectic. The moment the press learned of the close friendship all three had, all three had been dubbed the Sanshu no Jingi (Three Sacred Treasures) of Juban High School. Michiru for her once-in-a-generation skill as a violinist that was well known throughout Japan; Haruka for having the greatest wealth, track skill - to which she was captain of the girl's track, and the only one who came close to matching Naruto's speed - and being a famous race car driver; Naruto for his martial arts and athleticism that was very much recognized on a national level.

All three were recommended to be transferred to Mugen Academy – a highly selective and elitist private school for gifted individuals – because of their outstanding qualities. This was despite Naruto's poorer grades in certain subjects.

"Anyway, that's enough showing off for one day. Shower and get dressed," Michiru had to be there early.

"We've got time," Naruto told her.

"Naruto."

Naruto didn't have to look at her to know she was giving him her no-nonsense. Sadly, it was quite effective.

"Fine," Naruto relented, and Michiru smiled victoriously, "But I'm driving."

The smile didn't last long.

"Shit."

---

"I hate you," Michiru grumbled as she got off the blond's Kawasaki ninja bike, happy to have her feet back on solid ground even if it was on shaky legs. Sports cars were one thing, at least they had seat belts and offered more protection. Even then she held on for dear life.

"You wound me, my lady," Naruto swooned, heartbroken by her remark, "Nice hair by the way."

"Grrr," Michiru smacked him on the arm, only to pout when Naruto merely danced out of arm's reach. Fortunately, neither wore their evening wear so nothing was ruined.

"Halt! IDs and invitations?"

"Kaio Michiru, and-"

"Oh! You're Uzumaki Naruto, the Tokijin! Big fan!" One of the guards had stars in his eyes.

"ID?" the other guard didn't.

"Do you not know what this kid can do?"

"Don't care. ID," he asked once more.

"Say that after you wake up in the hospital without knowing how you got there."

"He can try."

"He doesn't have to try."

"He just wants to get in!" Naruto told the two and showed his invitation and ID.

"…Try not to cause trouble," the guard with a stick up his ass handed his effects back.

Naruto made a mental note to prank the jerk's ass if he had the time.

"Be good. No pranks," Michiru ordered.

"Damn it," she knew him too well. Both went their separate ways to get changed and in Michiru's case, to get herself ready with the rest of the musicians that were hired.

A couple of hours passed and the event was well underway, and Naruto watched as Michiru played along with the rest of the orchestra. Even with the mask she wore, a mask he and others at this event wore, he saw that her eyes were closed but her demeanor was relaxed compared to some of the other players.

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to dance?" A young woman asked him.

Naruto respectfully declined, "Sorry, promised someone we'd share our first dance of the night."

"Lucky girl," said the young woman, disappointment evident in her voice.

Naruto honestly lost count of how many times he was approached and asked for a dance tonight. Then again, he did draw attention to himself with his white tuxedo, a stark contrast to the black ones worn by the other men at the event.

"Well, at least you're not wearing your orange one," Naruto spotted his uncle - not surprising given he was an editor for a big newspaper company - coming this way.

"Tried. Michiru wouldn't let me," was Naruto's response.

"Remind me the thank her," Kenji told him, and Naruto would remind himself to prank his uncle for that, "Enjoying yourself?"

"It's okay," Naruto was being honest. It wasn't unpleasant, but this wasn't his scene, "Meet the princess yet?"

"Not until a little later," was Kenji's reply, "By the way, did you see a young woman with blonde pigtailed hair?"

"You mean Usagi?" sure sounded like his cousin. What was she doing her?

"I thought so too, but-"

"Thank you, everyone. Please give a big round of applause to the musicians and their incredible performance," a woman announced, and the hall was filled with clapping hands, "The orchestra will now take a short recess. In the meantime, please enjoy yourselves and don't go too far."

Watching Michiru put away her violin, Naruto knew she spotted him, even with a mask on she'd recognized him, as she came his way and excused himself from his uncle, "Having fun?"

"Well, the music's not half bad," he complimented, "You look like you're enjoying yourself?"

"I'm in my element aren't I?" Michiru's smile showed just how content she was. It was no secret her dream was to become a professional violinist who was renowned worldwide. She was already well-known in Japan but had few chances to play overseas.

"Like a fish in water."

"Haruka!" Surprised by the unexpected but welcoming outcome, Michiru hugged the short-haired sandy blonde, her tuxedo cutting a handsome figure, "What are you doing here? Didn't you have an event?"

"Naruto and I wanted to surprise you. His idea," Haruka told her.

"He did?" Wasn't he the one who- "You tricked me!"

"Well, I am good at pranks," Naruto laughed as she swatted his arm, "Careful, this suit's pricey."

"It certainly makes you stand out."

"Says the lady in a suit," and judging by the not-so-subtle glances from other onlookers he was right. Though given her looks it was safe to assume that many assumed she was a man.

Many of those who knew or suspected otherwise didn't hide their disapproval. Homosexuality in Japan wasn't outright banned, but discrimination was still very much alive in many parts of it, and it was expected of them to keep it behind closed doors or conceal it while in public.

Naruto didn't understand that.

"At least I'm making this look good," Haruka smirked.

"At least I can pull off wearing a dress and turn heads," Naruto smirked back.

"Now, now. No need to fight," Michiru told them.

"We're not fighting," both blonds simultaneously said, perhaps a little too loudly if the looks they got were anything. Both blushed while Michiru laughed at their predicament.

"You planned that didn't you," Haruka accused.

"Me? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, played milady," Naruto bowed, and Michiru curtsied in return. And then realized what she had just done.

"Damn it," it was now Michiru's turn to blush as Haruka laughed.

"Better luck next time," Naruto grinned; Michiru blushed even harder.

Before anything else could be said - and so engrossed were they in their conversation that they nearly missed the announcer finishing up her speech and a man appeared on the stage. It was apparent he was about to sing.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked, the man looked vaguely familiar.

"Some singer from England, I think. Now, you owe me a dance, remember?"

"Save one for me," Haruka left the two to find her own dance partner.

"Lead the way, milady," Naruto offered her his arm which Michiru gladly took. Both bowed to one another as once they reached the dance floor and the man started singing.

I can remember when we walked together

Sharing a love I thought would last forever

Moonlight to show the way so we can follow

Waiting inside her eyes was my tomorrow
​

"Wish I knew everything he was saying," Naruto commented, his English was…passable if one wanted to be kind.

"English never was your strongest suit," Michiru poked fun.

Then something changed her mind,

her kisses told me

I had no loving arms to hold me

Every day I wake up, then I start to break up

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I wake up, then I start to break up

Knowing that it's cloudy above

Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out

Lonely is a man without love
​

"Thank you."

"Hmm?"

"For the surprise," Michiru elaborated, her head resting on his chest, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Naruto said back, his head on top of hers.

I cannot face this world that's fallen down on me

So if you see my girl, please send her home to me

Tell her about my heart that's slowly dying

Say I can't stop myself from crying

Every day I wake up, then I start to break up

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I wake up, then I start to break up

Knowing that it's cloudy above

Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I wake up, then I start to break up

Lonely is a man without love

Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out

Lonely is a man … WITHOUT LOVE!
​

When the song ended the hall was filled with the sound of clapping hands and applause, Michiru and Naruto included. Then the night turned sour.

"Kya!"

"Hime-sama! Get a hold of yourself!"

Looking at the cause of the commotion, Naruto and everyone else watched as Princess D barrelled through the crowd, knocking people down without a care in the world, holding a small jewelry box tightly to her chest.

Naruto and Michiru were surprised when they saw the guards rush her and attempt to contain the seemingly out-of-control princess without causing any harm. Only for some to be knocked back several feet, while others went crashing into the nearby tables, pillars, and guests.

"The hell?" It didn't take a genius to know something was wrong. Just by looking at her, it was clear that there was no way the princess had the build necessary to pull off that kind of move. Seeing her move this way, Naruto moved in front of Michiru and suddenly grabbed the princess in a bear hug to prevent her from doing anything else.

The princess struggled but Naruto's strength proved superior, but even then it was taking his all just to keep her from escaping his grasp.

"Let go! Anyone that gets in my way we'll be offered up as a sacrifice to our Great Ruler!"

"The fuck?!" Great Ruler? Sacrifice?

"I said let go!" The princess ordered with a snarl, struggling to break free.

Naruto denied her, "Not a chance in hell, princess."

Facing her captor, Princess suddenly developed a shocked and then nasty unwelcoming smile, "Very well, then. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Say what now?

"HAAAAAAHHHHHH"

An ominous dark wave exploded from the princess' form and suddenly began enveloping everyone in the hall. Many fell to the ground the moment it made contact with them. Naruto, however, gritted his teeth in an effort to stave off the waves of lethargy that began sapping away his energy, only he and Michiru as well as Haruka remained awake, but the latter two had since fallen to their knees.

"Impressive! You'll do quite nicely!"

There was no time to ponder on exactly what she meant by that before an aura rose from the princess, took the shape of a man, and delivered a strong blow to the head that had him releasing his grip involuntarily. The blow had him rolling a good dozen feet away from her. The aura soon returned inside her body and the princess took that opportunity to flee the scene just as three new presences entered the room.

"Naruto!" He heard a voice call out his name, a familiar voice. Usagi?

"Sailor Moon! Now's not the time!"

"But!"

"She's right they'll be fine! We have to go!"

The sound of retreating footsteps was all Naruto could hear until they were no longer audible. The blond forced himself back up, his legs akin to lead, a sensation he had not felt since his last triathlon. But that didn't matter. He had to check on Michiru and Haruka.

Due to her being closest, Naruto checked up on Haruka first and breathed a sigh of relief, "Wha…what…" Haruka barely had any energy to finish her sentence.

"Hang on," Naruto grunted, carrying her firemen style and taking her out of the hall. Whatever stunt the princess pulled apparently extended further if the passed-out guards outside the room were any indicator.

Each step chipped away at his stamina more and more and sweat poured from his flushed face, his head akin to a tomato. But Naruto didn't stop and forced himself to move. His friends and family needed him. Fortunately, the effects of whatever that wave was were lessened the moment they arrived outside.

"HEY!" Naruto shouted at the guards standing at the gate.

The guards took one look at him and Haruka and came to his aid, "What happened?!" One asked while the other took Haruka from him.

"An attack. People were knocked out. Call an ambulance!" Naruto told them and rushed back towards the embassy building.

"Hey, wait! Stop!"

Naruto didn't stop as he rushed back inside. Michiru would be next since he had no idea where his uncle was after they parted. The blond gritted his teeth again as the waves of exhaustion began working their magic once more.

Finding Michiru quickly enough, Naruto grabbed her in his arms and lightly shook her to see if she was okay, "Michiru?"

"…"

The lack of reply had him shake his friend a little harder, "Michiru!" please no.

But fortune was kind, "Na-ru-to?"

Naruto released a sigh of relief, "I'm here," he said.

"So…tired," Michiru could barely speak. Hell, she could barely whisper. But she was alive.

"Hang in there. I'll get you out," he promised.

"Sorry to disappoint."

Across the dance floor, Naruto watched in disbelief as a dark portal formed, and from it came a man in a dark grey soldier uniform.

"What the? Who are you," Naruto asked, his instincts telling him this guy was bad news.

"Who I am is of no concern to you. While Nephrite deals with the Senshi, I'll help myself to the spoils he left me," thrusting his hand out, Naruto covered Michiru's body with his own and felt his body going airborne, his back felt as though it were struck by a steel beam, and the air escaping his lungs.

The pain turned to agony when his back crashed into a wall, cracks forming on the structure and most likely his ribs. If he was tired before then this stunt had his stamina shot to hell. But Naruto never once let go of Michiru.

"Ho! I'm impressed! You're a special one aren't you," the sick freak laughed, and Naruto glared at the pompous ass. Were circumstances different, nothing would have made him happier than to cave that pretty little face of his in.

But Naruto had other, much more important priorities. Through sheer willpower, Naruto rose to his feet, Michiru in his arms, and moved to hightail it out of here.

"Oh, yes, very special indeed. You'll do quite nicely," Jadeite had other plans, "Come out! The evils that serve our Great Ruler!"

A stunned Naruto watched as the floor crumpled into fine dust that rose and swirled before forming into two vaguely humanoid shapes. The blond didn't bother sticking around to know what was about to happen next and ran for it!

"After him!" Naruto heard and the sound of scrapping on the floor echoed behind him.

Naruto was fast, very fast, and in the right conditions, he could maintain a running speed of thirty-one kilometers per hour for a solid hour, a world record. His sprinting speed was almost double that and few could catch up to him.

But these weren't optimal conditions, Naruto wasn't in optimal condition, and what chased him wasn't human by any means at all. The blond barely ran for ten seconds before whatever was chasing him backhanded him into the men's room.

Through the wall.

Naruto by now could hardly breathe, his eyes heavier than he ever felt them to be, the left one blurry and its vision impaired. Blood fell from his mouth, he was fairly certain he was missing a tooth, or three. And something was piercing his side and back. Deeply.

"Pity, I was hoping for more. Disappointing really."

With his good eye, Naruto looked on as a spindly, canine-like being entered the damaged room. Naruto went to move Michiru closer to him.

"Oh, what have we here," that is until he realized she was no longer in his arms. Naruto could only look on as the creature hoisted his friend by the throat and squeezed.

"Let … go."

"Ooh, this one's brimming with energy," materializing a cylindrical device from god knows where the device began to glow dark, tendrils branching out from it and latching on to Michiru's exhausted form. The act caused her great discomfort and filled the cylinder with glowing red energy.

"Let 'er go."

"Unbelievable! It's already at one-fourth and still rising! Half full already! How's this possible?"

"Let her go!"

"Full already? Ah, who cares! Jadeite-sama will be pleased!"

Naruto, through sheer willpower, coupled with an unimaginable stubbornness, stood up on barely working legs, blood spilling from his body like a faucet, and lunged, "Let. Her. Go!"

The punch landed on the creature's face by some miracle and a bruise began to form as it dropped Michiru and whatever the hell that device it was using was.

The Youma found itself on the receiving end of the enraged blond's ferocity. Blow after blow thundered upon its face and chest, and when it tried clawing at Naruto's throat, he severed its fingers with its teeth. It was painful for both human and evil being.

"Arrgh! You bastard!" Shouted the angry and hate-filled Youma, "Die!"

"You first!"

Blows were struck by both parties, both were bloody, but even with his monstrous stamina it eventually became clear that Naruto's injuries and subsequent blood loss and whatever that wave was finally proved too much even for him. A clawed fist to the chest from another Youma sent him crashing into the wall where he was left embedded, and even then Naruto tried forcing himself to stand despite his life-threatening injuries.

Having witnessed the scene, Jadeite couldn't help but whistle, "Impressive," and Jadeite was being honest. His hunch that the human before him being special had been spot on.

No ordinary being could face off against a Youma, especially in the hellish condition this one was in. If he lived he'd have to take him back to the Dark Kingdom. Queen Beryl would be intrigued and more than likely welcome having such a powerful soldier on her side. It was clear that the amount of energy he had was unheard of. Luck was on his side this night. It would more than make up for his past failures.

Grabbing the device that had the girl's energy - a full cylinder, too! - had the device sent away to the Dark Kingdom. Impressive indeed. Two birds for the price of one it seemed.

Fortune was kind to him this night.

But Jadeite had other priorities at the moment, especially after hearing a shudder from above, "Damn. Sounds like Nephrite's having trouble with the Senshi. Take him back to the Dark Kingdom. Alive."

The Youma scowled but didn't disobey its master, and took the new device he conjured for it, "As you command, Jadeite-sama."

"What about the girl?" Naruto's heart stopped when he heard this.

"Continue collecting energy from the girl. If she dies, she dies," Jadeite told them. And got a wade of blood-covered phlegm on the back of his uniform.

"Damn it," Naruto had been aiming for his head.

Brimming with anger, Jadeite decided that Naruto's suffering wasn't finished just yet. With a wave of his hand, Naruto felt a minuscule amount of relief. It wasn't not enough to take away the pain but it was much more manageable. Unfortunately, he also found himself unable to move, "Feel free to rough him up a bit before you do. Just make sure he lives. I've no doubt Queen Beryl will be very interested in him."

Sadistic bastard. So that's why he healed him.

The Youma had an evil grin on their faces when they heard that, "It will be done," and with that their master was gone and the two humans were left at their mercy. Tossing the energy collector to its fellow Youma, the injured being moved towards Naruto, its intent evident. And despite his efforts, Naruto's body finally reached its breaking point.

"Get up!" His body refused. He watched as the approaching Youma extended its nails to the length of daggers.

"Get up damn it!" His arm twitched but that was it. And the Youma holding the cylinder began collecting energy from Michiru once more. Her face showed her discomfort as each moment passed.

"God fucking damn it, Naruto! Get your ass up and move!" Michiru was gonna die if he did nothing. Someone, do something for fuck sakes!

"There's no need to shout."

Blinking, Naruto wondered if he was hearing things, "…Who said that? Where are you? Help Michiru!"

"To the first: a friend. To the second: the less you know, the better. And alas, I cannot help your friend. Now shut up and listen! Time is quite limited. If this goes on, your friend will die. And so will you if they take you to the Dark Kingdom. And I can't have that."

"Why do you c-"

"I said we don't have time, idiot! Just tell me this. Do you want to save her?"

"Now who's wasting time with dumb questions."

"A simple yes would have sufficed. Very well. Swear yourself."

"Swear?"

"Swear yourself to me. Swear your life to me, and she will be saved. If not the girl will die and you will suffer an even worse fate."

"Swear myself?" Like, swear his soul or something?

"Do you swear?"

"…Yes."

"And do you swear to protect the travelers of the night and do vengeance upon those who would do them harm? Do you swear to eradicate the enemies of the Light, those who serve Chaos, and end them forevermore?"

Naruto never hesitated, "Yes, damn it!" If it meant protecting Michiru he'd go to hell and back a thousand times over.

"Then rise. Rise. And live again. Rise as my fist of vengeance. Rise, as the Guardian of the Night. Rise as my…Moon Knight!"

---

"Burning Mandala!"

Nephrite dodged the flying orbs of fire, knowing from last time that Mars' fire attacks weren't to be underestimated. They were strong enough to have overpowered Jadeite's cryokinetic ones and nearly resulted in his death for underestimating the newly awakened senshi. Instead, he opted to use his magic to enable himself to move more quickly. Out of all the Shitenno, he was the most proficient at using this, and it was more than enough for him to move too quickly for the flaming orbs to touch him, and any other attacks the senshi had sent his way.

"He's too fast!" Mars declared, out of all the current senshi she had the most magical energy, likely due to her training as a Miko but she was starting to run low, "Mercury! Give me-AHH!"

"Mars!" Sailor Moon looked and spotted the source of her fellow Senshi's pain: ominous needles were embedded in her legs. A shout from Mercury showed she had also been struck by the man's needles

"Mercury! Waahh!" Sailor Moon by some miracle dodged the ones meant for her, but she lost her balance in the process.

"Tut, tut," chided Nephrite.

"Tut this! Akur-Uhhhggg," Mars saw her vision spin and forced her to support herself with one arm.

"Mars! It's the needles! They're imbued with negative energy! You need to remove them," Mercury declared.

"Shush you!" Jadeite suddenly appeared and kicked the downed Mars into Mercury sending both sprawling.

Now there were two of them to deal with.

Sailor Moon tried paying him back twofold with her Moon Tiara Boomerang but a simple wave from Jadeite's hand stopped it in its tracks and then a wave from the other sent her flying into Tuxedo Kamen, who skidded back from the blow.

"Sailor Moon! You alright?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"Owie!" Was her reply.

"Jadeite? What are you doing here?" Nephrite asked, his fellow general of the Dark Kingdom appearing on the same rooftop as he.

"Regaining our queen's favor," Jadeite materialized two energy collectors. One looked mediocre at best, while the other was filled to the brim with potent energy, "While you were busy playing dress up, I helped myself to the spoils you so gracefully left behind. And you?"

"Tch," Nephrite looked again, unwilling to admit this had all been for nothing, and annoyed that Jadeite had stolen his prey.

"So, it was a bust, huh? Queen Beryl's not gonna be happy~"

"How careless of you, Nephrite."

The three Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen, and Luna watched as two others appeared alongside Nephrite and Jadeite in a shroud of darkness. One possessed silver long hair and tan skin, while the other had auburn hair tied in a ponytail.

"Who...who are you!" Sailor Moon asked the quartet.

"I'm Kunzite, a servant who serves our Great Ruler!" spoke the silver-haired one.

"Zoisite," said the ponytailed one.

"Nephrite," the brown-haired one said.

"Jadeite, but then you already knew that," spoke the blond.

"As for who were are? We are the Shitenno of the Dark Kingdom. And as for what we want? Well, you already know that."

"The Silver Crystal," Luna snarled. Her suspicions were correct. Queen Beryl was back! She had hoped only the lower-rank members of the Dark Kingdom had awakened. Her hopes were dashed by the revelation.

"Correct. And we will get it at any co-"

CRASH!

All four Shitenno jolted from their spot as the roof section they stood on caved in and shuddered, while Mars and Mercury on the balcony ducked as best they could to avoid something crashing near them at high speed.

"What!" the four generals of the Dark Kingdom watched as a panicking Youma, one that Jadeite recognized as his own, screamed in terror, more like a shriek really, as it tried lifting itself out of the hole it was stuck in.

Only for something to forcefully drag it back in against its will, "No! NO! HELP ME!"

Its nails scrapped on roof tiles, leaving rows of ruined tiles and brick to prevent whatever was dragging it back down. Its efforts were for naught, and it fell back into the building kicking and screaming until its cries could no longer be heard

All who witnessed this could only ponder on what had just transpired until a cloaked, hooded being in white bandage-like clothing bulldozed through the wall beneath the Shitenno faster than they could blink.

Its speed was faster than anything all those present had ever seen that wasn't in a movie or comic. The Senshi and the Shitenno watched as he approached the last Youma

"N-no! Please! MER-AAAHHH!"

Its pleas were ignored as it was kicked to the ground, its chest caved in from the sheer force, much like the deck below it. The Youma vainly tried forcing air to enter its now destroyed lungs before a powerful fist thundered onto its face. The blow resulted in one of its eyes being destroyed along with much of its teeth, the rest went flying from its bloody broken muzzle.

A second blow pulverized its head into ground meat, killing it, but one last blow was struck, one that ended with a loud audible explosion. The head had vaporized and the explosion came from the surrendering stone deck behind it, a hole greater than the size of a man-cover in its place. The sound had the Senshi flinching and left Jadeite bewildered, Nephrite and Zoisite confused, and Kunzite admittedly scared once he saw the being's glowing white eyes and his mind finally registered who this was.

So focused was their attention on the dying Youma that Jadeite registered the pain coming from his leg too late. A crescent metal moon deeply embedded into the bloodied limb and playing havoc with his balance and mind. A cry of agony escaped his throat.

"GAHH!"

"Jadeite!"

Thrusting a hand outwards in retaliation, Jadeite instead found his head swirling, the world spinning and his magic failing to heed his call.

"W-what's happened to-"

A knee suddenly striking Jadeite's head cut the thought short and sent him skywards well over a story high, and likely he would have gone further were it not for before the cloak extended, becoming a coiling rope that wrapped around the damaged leg and slammed the general of the Dark Kingdom back to onto the roof, the pavement caving from the force. Jadeite was made of much sterner stuff than the Youma, but the pain he registered remained intense all the same.

"Moon Knight-sama!"

Moon Knight? "Luna?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I'd given up hope he'd be reincarnated," Luna spoke in a daze, "This… this changes much."

"Luna!" Usagi's shout got the moon cat out of it and also left her ears ringing.

"Nya! Was that necessary!?"

"Says the one who was spaced out!" the Senshi defended herself, "Who is he?"

"An ally… I hope," was Luna's cryptic reply.

"Hope?" Was he an ally or wasn't he?

"It's complicated. But I can assure you of one thing, even if he's not our ally, he most certainly isn't an ally of the Dark Kingdom," Luna was dead certain of that.

"Okay, so not an ally but not an enemy either," that was good…right?

Boom!

"Incredible. Look how powerful he is," Mercury commented. Her goggles registered Jadeite's vitals and they were all over the place. The other Shitenno showed spikes of heightened adrenaline caused by fear. Kunzite's vital being surprisingly higher than the battered Jadeite's.

"He can fly too!" Sailor Moon commented, and sure enough, Mercury saw him use his moon-shaped cape as a means to fly, "Oh, come on that's not fair!"

Mars agreed, but ignored Sailor Moon's rant, "Luna, just how powerful are we talking?"

Before Luna could answer, the group watched as Jadeite went crashing into Nephrite, both going ass over head, Jadeite's arm twisting at an odd and clearly uncomfortable angle judging by his cries. Kunzite and Zoisite attacked him simultaneously with fire and darkness but Moon Knight merely used his cloak to shield himself from their elemental attack.

"Very powerful, as you can see. One that, I have no doubt, would have thwarted Queen Beryl's first invasion had he not been away from the moon."

"He's that powerful?" Mars couldn't help but ask, a stupid question when she saw the devastation he rained down upon the Shitenno.

"I don't know the exact extent of his strength. But it was said that without him the Silver Millennium might not have come to pass had he not dealt with its enemies."

"Gahh!"

"It's out!" Nephrite shouted, a bloody metal crescent in his hand.

"Now!" they heard Kunzite declare. All four Shitenno had their arms stretched out. But rather than aim at the one causing them problems, they aimed at the embassy instead!

"RUN!" Mars declared, getting a glimpse of what was to come.

"Shitenno Ikari (Wrath of the Four Heavenly Kings)!" the spell, their most powerful, a combination of various elements merging into one, left devastation in its wake. The roof of the embassy was utterly destroyed, along with much of the balcony, it would take quite some time before repairs were done.

The only consolation was damage would have been made worse had the Knight not put himself between the blast, his cloak fanning out like wings as a white aura shielded the group from the worst of it. But while he bore the brunt of it, the strength behind the spell was enough to send him crashing through the building.

"Retreat!" Kunzite ordered, and all four battered Shitenno disappeared. But they'd be back. Of that the Senshi were certain.

"Oh, no. Princess D!"

"Mercury!" Sailor Moon wondered what was wrong.

But as she, Mars, Luna, and Tuxedo Kamen approached a shaking Mercury they knew the answer. The princess was dead.

"Luna. Is…is there-" a tear-streaked Usagi tried asking.

Luna sadly shook her head, "Your power over the light will allow you to do many things, Sailor Moon. Bringing back those on the break of death is one, but bringing back the dead isn't," only the wielder of the Silver Crystal had that kind of power. And that in itself costs the user's life. A life for a life.

Needless to say, a distraught Sailor Moon buried her face in a sympathetic Tuxedo Kamen's chest, while Mars comforted an equally upset Mercury.

Luna could understand. Tonight had been their first failure and ended in the death of an innocent. And not just any innocent, but a royal one. But Luna knew that wars weren't won without loss. And this was war. The Senshi would have to accept that loss would be unavoidable. Minimized yes, but unavoidable nonetheless.

"Wait! Naruto-niisan!"

"Sailor Moon!"

Luna and the other Senshi watched as the first Senshi to awaken rushed back into the heavily damaged embassy, followed quickly by Tuxedo Kamen. Mars and Mercury and Luna hot on their tail, the moon cat not trusting the masked man to be alone with her ward. In the end, they were unable to find Sailor Moon's cousin. Instead, they found that Princess D wasn't the only casualty of the night.

---

"What happened!" Beryl thundered from her throne. Of all the sights she believed she'd see tonight, her four generals beaten and battered was not one of them.

"Complications arose, Queen Beryl. We barely survived," spoke a battered Kunzite, the bloodied Shitenno bowed low, despite the pain and injuries.

"And why should I forgive you?" asked the Queen of the Dark Kingdom.

"My Queen," Beryl turned slightly to look upon Jadeite, of the four he looked the worst, but even then he produced an energy container bursting with energy. With a wave of her hand, Beryl summoned the device towards her, her face alight as she sensed the incredible amount it contained.

"Consider your past failures forgiven, Jadeite," Beryl rewarded, handing off the vial to her personal Youma, Thetis. The blue-skinned Youma's gaze lingered on Jadeite's form. It was no secret to Beryl that her personal Youma harbored affections for the Shitenno. But when she dismissed the Youma she left without question.

"I live to serve," Jadeite thanked, and bit back a grimace as his injuries flared up. He'd be forced to use the other energy vial to heal himself.

"And the crystal?" Beryl inquired, looking at Nephrite, "What of it?"

"A dead end," Nephrite informed her, "The treasure they boast about being nothing more than an ordinary gem," a very large gem, but not a supernatural one.

Beryl frowned but it hadn't been the first time they followed a false lead. At the very least, they didn't come empty-handed. But it also begged the question, "What happened? Have one of the Outer Senshi awakened?" the Inner Senshi, the guardians of the princess, were strong but even at their full might - aside from Venus who had greatly injured her with the now destroyed Silver Crystal Sword - they had posed little threat when Beryl led the war against the Moon Kingdom.

The Outer Senshi did and had they returned - even weakened - she knew even her Shitenno would struggle against them. They were more powerful than the Inner Senshi combined. It was the reason why they were the first line of defense during the Silver Millennium.

"Worse, My Queen. The Moon Knight. He's back," Kunzite revealed.

All were silent and none dared to move or speak as they processed what had just been said and what it meant.

"Im-impossible! If the Moon Knight were back, you wouldn't be standing before me!" He couldn't be back! He just couldn't.

"I wish it weren't so, my Queen," and Kunzite truly did, "We're alive only because the Knight likely just awoke. But we have proof."

"Show me!" Was her command.

Nodding to Nephrite, the man produced a bloodied metal object. A crescent-shaped moon. The Youma that were present backed away from Nephrite as much as possible, and even Beryl couldn't help but flinch. Many had fallen to this weapon.

Before anything else could be said, a tremor shook the room, and before Queen Beryl and the Shitenno did a dark pillar with a red spherical mass at its center take shape in the middle of the throne, and a voice not heard in ages was heard, "The knight …posses a threat to … our plans."

"My Queen," Beryl prostrated herself before the Dark Ruler, along with everyone else in the room, "What is your command."

"…Caution," she spoke.

"Queen Metalia?"

"The knight … is not to be … underestimated," Metalia said, "His power was second… only to Queen Serenity's. He …was their shield… and their sword…"

Queen Beryl knew that all too well. Their invasion of the Moon Kingdom only succeeded because the Moon Knight had been absent. By the time he returned, it had been too late. Her dear beloved Prince Endymion, dead. The Inner Senshi, dead. Their little whore of a princess, dead. And the Moon Knight left grief-stricken but rageful. It was only due to the interference of Queen Serenity that the ultimate goal of their plan had failed.

"The Knight…must die," by the sound of her voice it was clear to Beryl that the Dark Ruler was still heavily weakened.

"My Queen, you've only just awakened. Don't push yourself," Queen Beryl implored.

"I am strong enough for this!" Metalia declared, chastising Queen Beryl.

"Forgive me," Beryl prostrated herself even lower. Beryl might be her chosen, and Metalia favored her greatly, but even then there were limits.

"My Queen, I believe I have a solution to our problems," Nephrite announced.

"Speak!"

Nephrite knew he spoke out of turn, and would likely die if he wasted their Dark Ruler's time, "I've located an enormous source of energy in Juban. Three in fact! More than enough to restore you to half your original power."

"… Are you… certain?"

"I have seen them. I have looked upon them with my own eyes. It's merely a matter of locating them, and developing the means to obtaining them," Nephrite declared.

Silence reigned for what seemed like an eternity before Metalia spoke once more.

"You… will fail…" Metalia declared as a matter of fact, "…the knight …will stop you…And you will… lose."

Nephrite lowered his head, knowing she spoke true, and all he had said had not been enough to appease their Dark Ruler. Feeling a surge of power, Nephrite closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. But nothing was done to him. Instead, a mass of dark energy swirled before him, Jadeite, Kunzite, Zoisite, and Beryl until they condensed into five dark glowing red prisms.

"Use…these…collect…I must…"

"My queen?" Beryl looked up and watched as the Dark Ruler fell back into her slumber.

The awakening had been temporary it seemed, the conditions not fully met for a full awakening, but it had been enough for them to be granted this boon. The prisms were filled with Metalia's potent dark energy, power coursed through her and the Shitenno once their individual geometric gem reached them.

Jadeite felt his wounds heal and his pain subside the moment their ruler's gift reached his hands, strength coursed through him. He felt stronger.

"Your orders, my Queen?" Kunzite asked her. Even with the boost in strength from this gift, it wouldn't be enough to deal with the Moon Knight, and the Sailors would still pose a thorn in their side. Not as much perhaps, but enough to remain a nuisance. Not until Metalia regained much of her former strength.

"Continue collecting energy. And if you find the knight. Kill him by any means necessary," she told them. "I believe Kunzite is right. The Knight has likely only just awakened. He needs to be eliminated before he regains too much of his past might. Fortunately, the Knight's power is greatest at night and weakest during the day."

"My Queen, I believe I may know of a way to accomplish this," Jadeite announced.

"Do tell," Beryl was intrigued and in a good mood.

"While Nephrite was playing dress up and dealing with the Senshi," Nephrite scowled at Jadeite's choice of words, "I came upon a very unique human. A very special human."

Zoisite scoffed, "A human? Hardly noteworthy," Beryl frowned at his words. She had been human, once. A nudge from his lover stopped him from making any further remarks. Beryl would punish him still by assigning him a few demeaning tasks.

"Not this one. This one risked his life protecting a girl whose energy we used to awaken the Dark Ruler," Jadeite revealed.

Now that was interesting, Beryl mused, "All that energy came from one human?" 10,000 years ago it was not unheard of, though not common, for some humans to have such energy levels, most being the magic users of Elysium.

During her first year on Earth, when the seal that imprisoned the inhabitants of the Dark King had weakened enough for her and only her to escape, Beryl had scoured the world to find out just how much had changed. It had been an eye-opener.

At the time of the Silver Millennium, back when Beryl was only a low-level sorceress and one of the many apprentices of the court mages at the time, Earth hadn't been anywhere as scientifically advanced as the Moon Kingdom or the other celestial kingdoms. The might of Earth had come from the arcane and eldritch rituals instead.

Fast forward countless centuries later and Earth had advanced by leaps and bounds. Nowhere as close as the former kingdoms' level of technology but the difference was quite evident. In exchange, it seemed ninety-nine percent of humans had long since lost the gift of magic, and those who didn't were no better than charlatans performing cheap tricks. For some humans to have that amount of energy was exceptionally rare in this day and age.

But something nagged at her, "And what became of the girl?" Beryl asked.

Jadeite answered honestly, "I don't know. I had the Youma drain her of her energy but only managed to fill one energy cylinder before the Moon Knight interfered. She was masked, too, like many there. Finding her again will be difficult."

Pity. This event had individuals not only from Japan, so the girl could be from anywhere in the world, and Beryl couldn't waste time with a global search, "What of the boy? What makes him worth our time and effort."

As Jadeite explained, Beryl became more and more intrigued as he retold the events that transpired.

"I remember him," Nephrite added, "He was quite strong. Strong enough to somehow hold my shadow in place and continued to do so even after my spell rendered everyone else unconscious."

Now that was interesting and worth investigating.

Humans turned into Youma were much stronger than those made from elements and materials such as dust, dirt, or water.

Pureblood Youma, Youma born directly from Matelia herself such as the Seven Great Youma, were the strongest of them all but generally only listened to Matelia and Beryl. Unfortunately, their form of imprisonment was different than the rest of the Dark Kingdom. Where they were remained unknown, only Metalia would be able to tell.

And based on what Jadeite and Nephite told her, this human had an exceptionally strong will. And a Youma possessing a human with that kind of willpower had risks. At best the Youma would be driven out of the host, at worst the Youma would find itself possessed instead.

"Who is he?"

Jadeite had no answer, "I don't know. However, I do recall something. Whisker marks!"

"Whisker marks?"

"When his mask fell off I saw he had whisker marks on his face."

"Was he blond?" Nephrite asked, to which Jadeite nodded.

"You know him, Nephrite?" But then, Nephrite was the only one of the four that lived in the human world.

"Hard not to recall. Blond, whisker marks, incredible strength. He's been in the papers more than once for breaking multiple records. He's only sixteen and practically superhuman. His name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto. A strong name for a strong soldier of the Dark Kingdom, Beryl noted.

"My Queen, allow me to retrieve him for you, and finish what I started," Jadeite asked.

"You wouldn't even know where to look. Allow me, my Queen," Nephrite.

"No," Beryl denied both of them, "The Moon Knight is active, and chances are he knows this boy was targeted. He'll know what to expect. And will likely be keeping a close eye on him and possibly any family he has. You four are known to him."

"What do you suggest then, my Queen?"

Beryl merely smiled a wicked smile that had each of the Shitenno forcing back a shudder.

---

(Hours Later)
​

Naruto couldn't help himself as his leg twitched due to his worry. Hours had passed since the incident, he vaguely remembered parts of it, and Michiru was currently being looked at by the hospital staff.

Haruka was here too, but she recovered more quickly than the rest of the victims, kicking up a fuss and telling every doctor involved she was fine. Unfortunately, money and reputation meant nothing in this scenario. As a minor, she had no say in the matter and was forced to remain bedridden until she was cleared to go by the hospital staff. Which would take a while since the incident at the embassy now had the police involved and they were questioning anyone who had been there. Naruto included.

A few people had been killed apparently, one of them being Princess D. Already did news of the incident reached the media, many of them calling it a terrorist attack or hostage situation gone wrong. Fortunately, he had been cleared of suspicion when the guards he handed Haruka off to vouched for him.

"She'll be fine," Ikoku told him, "Michiru's always been a tough girl."

Naruto could only nod. His aunt was right. But he worried for her, too. When word had reached her that his uncle Kenji had been hospitalized, she and Shungo had rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. Which hadn't been easy. Roadblocks and checkpoints had been made and everyone questioned. It had been a gridlock of hellish proportions. And that was putting it kindly.

Now here she was, sitting on a chair while her son rested his head on her lap. It was past midnight, so Naruto couldn't blame him. Usagi wasn't with them, apparently, she had been out of the house at the time. A note telling her what happened and to remain home to await their call. Hopefully, she would listen.

Hearing the door open, Naruto caught his aunt's attention as Dr. Mizuho came out. Before he could ask her the question she answered it preemptively, "She's very exhausted, and despite having a few bruises on her, especially her neck, we didn't find anything else wrong with her. We expect she'll make a full recovery if given time to rest," she told him.

"Oh, thank God," that brought Naruto some relief.

"You should be thanking me instead," a voice in his head said, and Naruto had to stop himself from flinching.

"What about Kenji?" Ikoku asked, "How's my husband?"

"Same thing. Exhausted but he'll recover if allowed to rest. Honestly, this whole incident is just bizarre. Aside from the deceased, everyone who attended are merely exhausted. And that's the strangest part, aside from Princess D who died from blunt force trauma, the cause of death for each of the deceased was due to extreme exhaustion. Normally I shouldn't be telling you this but given it's going to be on the news it's kind of irrelevant. The fact that you're perfectly fine Naruto is quite…troubling."

"Troubling?" Ikoku didn't know how to react to that.

"Don't get me wrong, it's great that he wasn't affected by whatever happened. But the fact of the matter remains that Naruto was the only one unaffected by all this. I know you've been cleared of all suspicion, the fact that you got Haruka out only adds credit that you weren't involved, but people will have questions and they will want answers."

Naruto frowned but nodded all the same, "What should I do?"

"Allow me to run some tests."

"Tests?"

"Yes, tests. Something we can give to the media that shows the reason why you weren't affected. Going silent on this will only work against you."

"She's right," spinning around, Naruto saw Haruka making her way towards them in a wheelchair.

"Ms Tenou, I told you to remain in your room," a nurse rounded the corner.

"And I told you to fuck off!" Haruka retorted and tried to prevent the nurse from taking her back.

"Leave her," Dr. Mizuho ordered, "I'll take care of this."

The nurse left without complaint. Naruto swore he heard them say, 'Thank God.'

"So, how is she?" Haruka asked him, "Can we see her?"

"She's fine. Exhausted but fine," Naruto informed his friend, relieved by the news, and then looked to Dr Mizuho to answer the second question, "Can we?"

"She's asleep, so I'm afraid not," was the doctor's answer, "She's exhausted and needs all the rest she can get. I'll check on her in the morning and you two will be the first to know."

"I'm not going anywhere," Naruto told the doctor.

"Same."

Despite towering over her, and having a physique that could likely snap her like a twig, Saeko Mizuho stood her ground in front of Naruto, "Yes, you are. The both of you. You, Ms Tenou need rest, even if I had to strap you down and sedate you myself. And you, Mr Uzumaki, although I can't find anything wrong, I could just as easily make something up."

Naruto should have known better. Saeko wasn't your ordinary doctor who would kowtow to everyone who didn't like her answer, despite knowing what they were capable of.

"I like her spunk."

"Look, I understand your concerns. If my Ami was in there I'd do everything in my power to make certain she's alright. But the difference between you two and me: I'm a doctor. I know what's best for my patients. And what's best for Michiru is rest, not being crowded by her worrying friends. Seeing you in that state could make her situation worse," taking a breath, Mizuho calmed down before continuing, "Now, I'll agree to letting Mr Uzumaki stay with you Ms Tenou since you have a private room, but you are to stay there until morning. And you Mr Uzumaki are not to wander off too far. Push me on this and I will make certain neither of you see her until I clear her to leave. Am I clear?"

Neither one objected and simply nodded. It wasn't what they wanted but it was better than knowing nothing at all.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have many other patients that require my attention. Mr. Uzumaki, if you would kindly escort Ms. Haruka to her room, I'll come get you both when your accommodations are ready," and with that said, Dr. Mizuho left them to their own devices.

"…Under normal circumstances, I'd say that was kinda hot," Haruka told Naruto, who began pushing her back to her room.

"Of course you would," leave it to Haruka to try and break the tension, though Naruto wouldn't admit it out loud but he, too, found Mizuho's assertiveness attractive, "She's got a daughter, ya know."

"Not a turn-off," Haruka shrugged, and it honestly wasn't.

"Her daughter's fourteen," he added.

"... Still not a turn-off," Haruka said after a brief pause.

"Of course not," what else could be said?

"But she's right you know," Haruka was referring to media, "The media isn't gonna let this drop. You give them nothing and they'll eat either you alive or spin some bullshit story that countless idiots will accept. Better nip that in the bud sooner than later."

Naruto merely nodded. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with these vultures, but it was fucking annoying and a real pain in the ass regardless. Better to get the tests over and done with as quickly as possible so they'd shut up.

"Turn right."

"I remember," and in only a few turns they were back in Haruka's room. A room that was quite spacious and had everything necessary: a single bed, a small tv, and a chair that looked comfortable enough for him to sleep on. A perk for those more than capable of affording it. Naruto just hoped Haruka didn't snore.

"Need help getting back on?" A stupid question he knew but he had to ask.

"No need. Thanks anyway, stripes" Haruka called him by his nickname. And despite looking like she had a bit of trouble standing, Naruto watched as the stubborn fellow blond put herself into the hospital bed, "See. Told ya."

"Hmm," Naruto rolled his eyes at her headstrong behavior before he made himself comfortable on the chair.

"I can scoot over if you want," she offered, knowing that Naruto wouldn't do anything. It would be a bit awkward and it would be a first between them, but it was better than sleeping on a chair.

"I'm fine, Haruka," thankful for the offer nonetheless, but fine all the same. The only person either of them had done that with was Michiru.

"Are you? Fine that is," Haruka asked.

"You referring to our last talk?"

"It's a fucked up situation, Naruto," the male blond couldn't deny that, "A princess dead along with a few others. The rest are exhausted, Michiru included, while you and I are fine. How's that possible?"

"Don't know. Other than me getting you out and then going back for Michiru, I can barely recall what happened," he told her.

"Now that's a lie."

"That's what's scary, Naruto. I was the first one out, and yet somehow Michiru was the first one to arrive at the hospital along with you. And unlike everyone else, me included, you weren't affected at all. It doesn't make sense," great, Haruka was now in full-on detective mode, as Michiru and he liked to call it.

"Like I said, I don't know. The Senshi, maybe?" He lied.

"Maybe," Haruka conceded, however, "But then-"

"Haruka," Naruto grabbed her hand and stopped her in her tracks, "I'm worried about her, too."

Haruka said nothing, and did nothing but look again and squeeze his hand harder, "I'm scared, Naruto," Haruka admitted, and even from this angle Naruto knew she was forcing back tears.

"I know. I know," so was he went unsaid, "If I could trade places with her I would."

"Heh, and knowing Michiru she'd do the same for either of us," Haruka laughed and Naruto released a small chuckle of his own.

"But I'll tell you one thing. When I find out who did this, they're gonna pay," Haruka vowed, determined, and angry.

Any normal person would have tried talking her out of it. But Naruto didn't do normal; he, too, was angry, "Not without me."

But first Haruka needed rest. For despite her bravado, and efforts to show otherwise, Haruka was indeed tired. Perhaps nowhere as exhausted as the others, but tired nonetheless. A few hours later when she had finally fallen asleep, Naruto discreetly left the room. Not like he would get much sleep anyway. His mind was too alert, and the events that transpired not that long ago kept playing in his head over and over like a broken record.

Making his way to the rooftop, having been there more than once whenever he came to Azuba-Juban General Hospital, Naruto looked around and thankfully found no one.

"Alright, you there?"

"I'm always here," spoke the voice.

"Okay, not that I'm not thankful for your help-"

"Your tone says otherwise."

Already irritated, Naruto demanded, "Will you show yourself already!"

"As you wish."

No sooner were those words uttered did a whirlwind of sand and dust kicked up before the blond, nearly turning into a full-on twister that threatened to sweep him off the roof to his doom before it vanished to reveal a towering being, the moon shining more brightly than previously before.

Naruto blinked and gaped, not able to comprehend what he was seeing, "I was saved by a giant, bird-skulled mummy?" Maybe getting his head examined once more wasn't such a bad idea after all. This was just insane.

"Hah," the giant sighed, his voice weary, "If you cannot see my true form, then you truly have forgotten, haven't you? Then again, ten thousand years have passed since we last met."

Ten-thousand years? What the hell was it talking about?

"But, I suspect you will remember in due time. Introductions are in order. I am Khonshu of the Ennead."

"Ennead?"

"The ancient gods of Egypt," Khonshu elaborated.

Well, that was new, "Uh, okay. I'm-"

"I know very well who you are, Uzumaki Naruto. Cousin of Usagi and Shingo Tsukino, nephew of Kenji and Ikoku Tsukino. Son of no one significant."

"Hey!" Not cool to speak ill of the dead. Especially his parents. Even if he couldn't remember them all that well ever since the incident.

"Your parents are dead, and therefore insignificant in my eyes," Khonshu told him.

"You're a real douchebag, ya know that?"

Khonshu merely chortled, "Ha! I've been called much worse!" much, much worse.

"I can imagine," Naruto muttered, but managed to compose himself, "So, you know me?"

"I know everything there is to know about you, little worm," Khonshu told him.

A tick mark formed at the comment, "Little worm? That supposed to be a nickname?!" then again, the asshole god did have the skull of a bird.

"Take it as you wish. Now that introductions are over with-"

"Woah-woah-woah! Slow down there, Tweety-"

"Never call me that again!"

"You said you were a god, right? Prove it," Naruto asked him.

"What?"

"You heard me. Prove it."

"Prove it?! Did I not bring you back from the break of death? Heal your wounds that you otherwise would have died from? Did I not give you the power required to save your friend, to crush your enemies? What more proof do you require?"

"Some background info would be nice. Anyone can give a show, can claim themselves to be a god. The Senshi have been shown using magic, so how do I know you're not pulling a fast one?"

Khonshu remained silent but the ancient acknowledged that his avatar at least had a head on his shoulders. But regardless of that, the sky darkened at his champion's words, and Naruto was forced to put up his arms as the winds picked up considerably, "I will only say this once. Never - EVER! - compare me to those puffed-up girl scouts again! I am much more than them. Much more than you! I am Khonshu! God of the Night Skies, God of the Moon, God of Travellers, The Healer, the Wanderer, and the Last Ennead! You want proof? There is your proof!" Naruto watched as the moon and the stars began to disappear until they were no longer visible.

And then there was light!

A light that banished the darkness and sent every shadow fleeing. A light that illuminated the night sky unlike any other. A light that came from the moon! A moon that had never been this bright, ever, and continued getting brighter! Hell, the celestial body was more akin to the sun by this point.

"Satisfied?"

Naruto could only nod. He was sold, and slightly worried, "So, I just pissed off a god," this was definitely not one of his better moments.

"Haah," Khonshu sighed, and then sat, the light of the moon fading until it was back to what it previously was.

Curious, "You okay?"

Khonshu waved him off, "It's been a while since I've done that," give or take a few millennia really. But the Ennead was quick to catch his breath.

"Okay~" Did gods get tired? Naruto knew almost nothing about gods, except for some history-wise, but the most common theme was them being these powerful otherworldly entities that seemed untouchable, beyond physical limitations.

And as if he were reading his mind, "A god I am, but powerful as my kind was even we require rest for even we have our limits. And I've been around for a very, very long time. To put it into retrospect, my kind were the first gods born into existence. The Elder Gods, the Ancient Gods, the Firstborn, are what we were called."

"Okay, so can we expect help from the rest of you in finding the assholes who attacked the embassy?"

But Khonshu shook his head, "Of the Ennead, I am the last. … And the last god, to be precise."

"All of them?" Naruto found that hard to be given the amount of them listed in human history.

"It's quite possible you should know," by now it was clear to Naruto that Khonshu could read his thoughts, "You are my avatar. The connection that exists between us does allow me certain privileges. But back to your questions. Exactly how it's possible for I to be the last god, quite simply, most of the gods humanity worshipped never existed in the first place. Most of them were nothing more than primitive humans' way of coping or rationalizing unexplained events that could be understood today. Some of which were created by humans simply to justify their actions, their cruelty, and their greed. The only true pantheon aside from the Ennead were the Old Gods, the Greek or Roman gods as you would call them. The original ones have long since passed on. Their mantles having been passed to their descendants or passed on to those they felt worthy."

In other words, "So we're on our own?"

Just lovely.

"Not exactly. The Senshi are the descendants of the Old Gods, and in time they will make…decent allies. Unfortunately, their current powers pale compared to what they once were during the Silver Millennium. They will need you to give them a good kick in the ass if they are to grow stronger."

"Silver Millennium?" What the hell was that?

"A Golden Age, one brought on by the Moon Kingdom, the ruling kingdom of the solar system. An age of prosperity, technological advancement, and arcane might. An age of peace. But one that ultimately came to an end 10,000 years ago at the hands of Queen Metalia of the Dark Kingdom, and her champion: a foolish sorceress from Earth driven to desperation and madness by unrequited love. Thus ended the Silver Millennium. And you."

"Okay, so we're getting a little off... Hold on. Did you say me? Uh, no offense ya old bird, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember being 10,000 years old," was this guy for real, Naruto wondered.

"Have you not listened to have I have been saying!" Khonshu thundered, his voice echoing in the night and picking up the wind, "But then, I wouldn't expect you to remember. Seldom few do once they've been reincarnated. I had hoped that you becoming my knight once more would restore them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Then again, you might in time, or at least remember bits and pieces. But who knows? My powers aren't inherited, unlike the Senshi's."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Because I knew Selene. I knew much how she thought and I know she sealed the memories of the Senshi and they would slowly remember who they were once their reincarnations awoke their powers. Unlike the Senshi who inherit their ancestors' powers, the mantle of Moon Knight isn't. Moon Knights are chosen, by me, and unlike the Old Gods, I have not passed on my mantle… but that time will come soon enough."

"Soon enough? You dying or something?" Ignoring who this Selene was for now.

"I'm not dying!"

"Okay, sorry! " Naruto told him.

"But I am tired. So very tired," Khonshu admitted, "I've been around for an untold amount of time. I've seen countless extraordinary things over the course of it. Not just on Earth, but on countless other planets. Things I will never forget."

"Then why haven't you passed on your mantle?"

"A task easier said than done, and for very good reason. None were ever worthy. Passing on a mantle is not a simple task, nor to be taken lightly. The Old Gods passed on their mantles to those of their blood, their kin, and those would could withstand the pressure and newfound power bestowed upon them. And their powers paled when compared to my kind. The Ennead have only ever had avatars, and being an avatar for one of us can have consequences. Those who are unworthy will find their minds fractured at worst, others will simply cease to be, driven mad, or left in a permanent vegetative state."

"Well, when you advertise it like that-"

"But you were different," Khonshu continued, ignoring and cutting off his comment, "You were the greatest of my knights. You were not only able to withstand the burden of having my power, you exceeded them, vastly. A feat never before accomplished by any avatar of the Ennead. Even if you were a dreadful pain in the ass, I was more than content in knowing that my mantle would be secure. The God of the Moon and the Moon Knight become one and the same. Something new, something to be feared and beloved at the same time. And then that damned Selene caught you up in her spell! Had she not died, I would have given her such a thrashing much like when we first met!"

"Spell? What spell?"

"A spell of reincarnation," Khonshu revealed, "A spell she used to give her people, the Senshi, and you, another chance at life. A chance to live it over and find happiness once more."

"If the Mo-I was so important, why didn't you stop it?"

"Because I couldn't! Selene, also known as Moon Goddess, Queen Serenity the Fourth was a powerful being. On her own, she lacked the strength to defeat me. But when she used that damned Silver Crystal of hers she was more than enough to be my equal. And this spell was immensely powerful. But at the same time also quite costly. Despite our … passionate history, you could say, she was something to be admired at the same time."

"You loved her, didn't you?" Naruto sensed.

Khonshu laughed, "I did, but not in the way you might think. I loved her as a mentor would love a rebellious student, or a father their rebellious child. Our views were quite different on most things. But our goals remained the same, even if we had different ways of achieving them."

Naruto had a few questions, but the most concerning one was this, "If this - what was it? - Silver Crystal is so powerful, why not use it to defeat this…What was her name again?"

"Queen Metalia. And it was. Metalia was a powerful dark force, and through her champion incited a rebellion that laid waste to the Moon Kingdom and the other celestial kingdoms. The peace brought on by the Silver Millennium made the current generation complacent, they were ill-prepared and overpowered by the denizens of the Dark Kingdom and the humans that fell under their thrall," here Khonshu shook his head and looked as though he was struggling with something.

"You okay?"

"Yes and no. To be honest, the exact circumstances elude me. I can only recall bits and pieces of what happened. A consequence of the crystal's power and Serenity's spell, I believe. But then again, I am quite old, and I can no longer recall certain events as well as I once did. What I do recall is Queen Serenity using the crystal to banish the Dark Kingdom and seal them away. But by then the damage had been done. Countless were dead, including the Senshi, her daughter, and her lover. And with the last of her strength, Serenity used the crystal one final time. I honestly believe she did it for two reasons. First and foremost to bring back her daughter and those she cared for, even if it was in a different life and they forgot who they were," made sense to Naruto. He'd likely do the same thing, too.

"Second, to ensure the Old Gods' mantles remained outside the grasp of others. For when a god dies, their mantles don't die with them, it passes on, inherited by those of their choosing, or their heir. Unfortunately, as I said, the peace of their time made the Senshi complacent and none had chosen a successor or had an heir of their own to pass on their mantle. When that happens, that mantle becomes up for grabs. And many would fight tooth and nail, sacrificing even those closest to them to possess that kind of power. It's not an easy or simple process, but if one proves themselves worthy, whether their intentions were for good or ill, that power becomes theirs instead. Serenity was many things, but a fool she was not. She knew the dangers and sought to prevent the mantles' power from falling into the wrong hands."

"Then why was I reincarnated? If I was your champion, and the power I had wasn't inherited, why bother with me?" Naruto asked.

"Again, much of the exact details of that night elude me. As do its sequence of events," Khonshu told him, "But, my best guess would be that my old student knew I would choose you as my knight once more once you were ready."

"You couldn't have chosen me a little earlier?" The pain he felt last night wasn't exactly pleasant, even with his fortitude.

"I had to be certain it was you," Naruto didn't know if he believed those words, "Serenity's spell not only caused you to lose your memories but mine as well. Or, more accurately, affected them in my case. I had chosen others whom I believed were you, only to be proven wrong in the end. Who you were has eluded me for quite some time. The power of her crystal is not to be underestimated."

"And how are you so sure now?"

"The marks on your face, amongst others."

"My birthmarks? I had them before?" Shouldn't that have been an indicator when he chose the others?

"You did. And I initially looked for those who had them but I realized that reincarnated don't always have the same appearance as their past lives, nor the same gender, too. In some cases, they can be reincarnated as two people, twins, even, though such events are exceptionally rare."

Naruto wasn't gonna bother asking, "This… this is a lot to take in," Naruto admitted.

"I half expected you to tell me that not even halfway through this. But then you were always the odd resilient sort. Full of piss and vigor, as they would say, enough for a hundred men," Khonshu revealed.

Naruto scoffed, having lost track of how many had said that about him before, "So, this Dark Kingdom you mentioned. You think they were behind this?"

"Without a doubt. Serenity could have destroyed them with her crystal and powers but chose to use much of her power to give her people a second chance, and was only able to seal the Dark Kingdom away as a result. That seal has since weakened enough for them to break free, but fortune is on our side as they have likely been weakened due to their imprisonment. They are considerably weaker than before. Those four you encountered were likely their strongest fighters," Khonshu deduced.

"So what now?" Naruto was itching for some payback.

"Now? Now we wait, regrettably. Much as I'd love to be rid of the Dark Kingdom once and for all, strong as you are, you are no match for all of them, or Metalia or her champion. You caught her four generals unaware and even then failed in destroying them. They will be weary of making themselves known, and undoubtedly will not make that same mistake twice with you about. Most importantly, we currently have no way of knowing where they are."

"Seriously! Exactly what have you been doing all this time?" One would think he'd be searching for the enemy to get rid of them once and for all.

"Making certain nothing befell Earth! The Dark Kingdom isn't the only threat out there, nor the most dangerous! The Dark Kingdom and its army were sealed away, their threat non-existent. When the Silver Millennium ended a power vacuum was created, and it became ripe for the plucking! For 10,000 years, I alone ensured that nothing happened. I alone pushed back armies, ended threats, kept a watchful eye, dealt with traitors, and was forced to seek out mediocre avatars in the meantime! Powerful as I am doing all of that remained an immensely difficult task and even then it sometimes wasn't enough! But I did it. For ten millennia I did it, and I've exhausted much of my essence in the process. So don't think for one second I stood around doing nothing!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" But it still begged the question, "Do you have any idea though?"

"None. All I know is that Serenity sealed them somewhere on Earth. But much of Earth has changed since 10,000 years ago. I wouldn't know where to begin, we could search for an entire year without rest and be no closer to finding them. And undoubtedly the Dark Kingdom has since cloaked their location from prying eyes when Serenity's seal weakened. We will, unfortunately, have to be patient and wait for a minion of theirs to appear. Which may take some time now that you've awakened, and with good reason. Besides Serenity, you were the Moon Kingdom's greatest champion. So great was your strength that you alone turned 100,000 worlds to dust in defense of this system, or so the rumors that were spread about you go," Khonshu released a dark chuckle.

"You're kidding…right?" That kind of strength was insane.

Unheard of.

Unfathomable.

Unsettling.

"You tell me," was all the Ennead told him before he vanished.

"Khonshu?…Khonshu!? Great~" drawled the avatar of the Ennead.

Guessing he wouldn't be getting anything from the moon god anytime soon, Naruto returned to Haruka's room to at least catch a few z's before the sun rose. So many questions remained, a gut feeling told him the Ennead hadn't been forthcoming with them any time soon. One thing stuck out, however. The Dark Kingdom's four generals. Naruto vaguely remembered the fight, but their faces he could recall. And they did this to Michiru.

"Jadeite," Naruto remembered a short-haired blond, the one who summoned those dog-like creatures. Naruto wasn't aware of a lot of things that were revealed to him. But that mattered little. Naruto had a goal. First and foremost was crystal clear to him.

Jadeite would be the first to die.

---

She stepped away from the door. Not knowing what to make of this. One thing the daughter of Chronos did know, she was frightened. A rare emotion for her. And as she made to leave to report to New Queen Serenity, Pluto helplessly looked on as the door to the Forbidden Hall of Crystal Tokyo Castle vanished. Erased from existence. Which meant one thing. History was changing.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" this…this was all wrong! "This can't be happening!"

It begged the question. Why was this happening?

Sailor Pluto looked on as the Door of Space and Time shimmered one final time before it became a seemingly ordinary door once more. Only, it wasn't the same door as before, and the details of the past that she had seen countless times were no longer visible to her.

The Door of Space and Time was a powerful and dangerous artifact, one that from Queen Serenity the First to Queen Serenity the Fifth, also known as Neo Queen Serenity, felt was too dangerous to exist but had long since come to accept they had no means of getting rid of it. And so, when she had taken on the role as the Guardian of Time during the Silver Millennium, a duty she had taken over from her father, it was Pluto's duty to ensure that none were allowed to meddle with the events of the past.

Yet somehow someone had. And this was no small or big change. This was immense. This was a wildly divergent timeline that shouldn't have ever come into being. An entirely new reality. Yet come into being it did nonetheless. Certainly, Chibiusa had gone back in time but Pluto had allowed that to happen because it was meant to happen. She had seen it happen.

And yet, the moment she left everything went wrong. Which shouldn't have happened. Which could only mean one thing. Someone had interfered. Someone messed with the flow of time. Who, or what remained the illusive answer.

In the end, she was left with more questions and no answers. First and foremost, who was Uzumaki Naruto? Who was the Moon Knight? Who the hell was Khonshu? Because neither of them had been around before!

Pluto was tempted to go back in time herself to get those answers. For whatever affected the past, and the events of the past, prevented her from seeing what was to happen next, or what happened before. She could only see the present. And that scared her.

But Pluto calmed herself and stopped before she did anything drastic. Thanks to the taboo that came with time travel - unless it was meant to occur - going back in time without justification came with consequences. What that consequence was she didn't know. Not even her father, the God of Time, fully knew. Time worked differently for those who held the mantle of Guardian of Time, but even they weren't wholly immune to its consequences.

"Oh, my dear. Even after 10,000 years, you have so much to learn."

A startled Pluto brought forth her staff, the garnet orb shining brightly as her gaze fell upon the massive form of a being she'd only just seen moments ago.

"You? How are you here?! Why are you here!"

"He has a name, daughter of Chronos."

"Khonshu, the so-called God of the Moon. I know you. And I know you shouldn't be here. This shouldn't be here!" She pointed to the changed Door of Space and Time.

"Oh, you have so much to learn, Guardian of Time. But then, even with his gifts, even Chronos had trouble fully comprehending the power of Time itself and its ever-fluctuating rules."

"Don't talk about my father as if you knew him!" Pluto snarled.

"You forget yourself, daughter of Chronos! My kind have been around almost as long as the Light and Chaos themselves. I was here before your father and the rest of the Old Gods were even a concept! I was there to see the rise of the Moon Kingdom, and the other celestial kingdoms, and their fall. Don't forget, Guardian of Time you may be when your father passed on his mantle, but I am Khonshu! God of the Moon, God of the Night Skies, God of Vengeance!"

"God or not, you had no right interfering!"

"And you forget yourself, daughter of Chronos. I do not answer to you!" and with a snap of his fingers, Khonshu demonstrated just how powerful he was.

Pluto watched as doors suddenly appeared in the Hall of Time, each one open. Which should have been impossible! Even for her the Door of Space and Time could only be opened with the Time Key. Even her father required the Time Key. How this was possible, Pluto could only wonder.

"Oh, my dear. Your thoughts are as easy to read as stepping on an ant. But even an ancient god like me still has a few tricks," he told her, and with another snap of his fingers the doors closed with a resounded thud and disappeared to wherever they came from, "For the record, I did know Chronos, little doorman. I know you, too. But then, I wouldn't expect you to remember after the fall of the Moon Kingdom."

"Enough riddles! Tell me what you know!" Pluto demanded.

"Pass."

Pluto blinked, "…What?"

"I believe I'll pass. Clearly, you aren't ready. Some other time, perhaps."

"Another time? Wait! Stop!"

But Khonshu ignored her and vanished. Leaving a livid Pluto alone once more, and with even more answered questions.

For now, Pluto would continue watching and observing. But taboo or not, Pluto had those she cared for. She would not allow whatever was transpiring by that meddling god to erase them from history. If need be, she'd risk breaking the taboo regardless of the consequences that would befall her.

And she'd know who to start with.

---

Morning finally came, but for Naruto, it came at a snail's pace. Haruka was fortunate enough to have gone into a deep sleep. For her, it was as if she merely closed her eyes for one second and then the next her eyes were greeted by the sun.

And the smell of coffee.

"Bad night again?" Haruka took the offered beverage.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "I spoke with Dr. Mizuho. Asked her if we could see Michiru-"

"Alright, let's go," Haruka was about to get out of bed but Naruto stopped her.

"Woah, hold on a sec. Apparently, Michiru's still sleeping, and Dr Mizuho says her vitals are stable and steady. However, she's going on the side of caution and wants to let her rest. We can't see her until noon."

"Oh, god damn it. Please tell me you're kidding?" Haruka sincerely hoped he was.

"That's what I said. Dr Mizuho's taking precautions just to be on the safe side and told me to remind you not to do anything stupid. There's some good news to this," Naruto revealed.

"Enlighten me," Haruka's tone was sarcastic.

"It's a little after ten-thirty," blinking, Haruka looked at the clock and sure enough it was 10:34 AM. Small mercies were better than none, she supposed, "Which means you won't have to wait too long to see her."

"I guess…Wait, how long have you been up?" His friend inquired.

"Doesn't matter," Haruka might have bought if she didn't know him as well as she did.

"Naruto."

"Eight-thirty," Naruto revealed.

"Bullshit," Haruka still didn't believe him.

"…Six-forty-two," he finally admitted.

"Fuck," Haruka cursed. The wait had to have been killing him.

"It's fine," Haruka knew it wasn't but didn't push. She asked another question instead.

"How's your uncle?"

"He's good. Kenji-oji was cleared to go an hour ago. Ikoku-baachan took him home not long after. Usagi was bawling her eyes out when she heard, more than usual."

"More than usual?"

Oh, right, his family knew of her but out of all of them, Haruka had never gotten the opportunity to meet Usagi, "She's a crybaby. Not that'd blame her in this circumstance, but a crybaby still."

"…She cute?"

"Seriously?!" But then again, despite Haruka's attraction to Michiru, she was a flirt still and neither of them were in a committed relationship.

"I'm just gonna keep asking until you tell me," Haruka told him.

"…She's cute," not in a he found her attractive in a relationship-seeking way, but as a form of compliment, "But you're outta luck. She's straight," Naruto told her.

"Even better. I love a challenge," was the racecar driver's response.

"Of course you do," Naruto deadpanned, "Well, knock yourself out. Just know, friend or not, you hurt her, I hurt you."

Naruto knew Haruka wouldn't take it that far but he remained protective of Usagi regardless.

"Relax, you have nothing to worry about," Haruka reassured him.

"That only makes me worry even more," Naruto sighed, "Look, Usagi-chan's a big girl. It's just …She's…How can I put this delicately?"

"Simple-minded?"

"I was gonna say highly suggestible but that works too," and while it sounded mean, it was the truth. Usagi could be very simple-minded at times.

"Relax, I'm just busting your chops," Naruto knew that to be a lie and the truth at the same time, "Anyway, glad to hear your uncle's okay."

"Thanks. Me, too," he appreciated her concern.

"Anyway, did Mizuho say I was cleared to go? Because I can't wait to get outta here and start looking for those assholes who did this to Michiru," she was gonna make them pay.

Naruto fidgeted a little on what to say next, "Haruka, there's-"

"I know, I know, we wouldn't know where to start," she cut him off, "Michiru would. She has more than enough brains for the both of us and then some."

Naruto couldn't deny that, "True but what I was gonna say was-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the door opening courtesy of Saeko Mizuho entering the room, "Well, glad to see you're still in bed. I gather Uzumaki-san told you the news."

Haruka's frown could have killed the doctor a hundred times over. But Saeko wasn't even fazed in the slightest, "I'll take that as a yes. Mr Uzumaki, if you're free at the moment I'd like to get started on those tests we discussed. But before we do, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Come in."

Entering the room was a tall man with thick and wavy maroon hair that reached his mid-back, dark blue eyes, and very casual clothing.

"Who's this?" Naruto asked, the man looked vaguely familiar.

"Naruto, this is Sanjouin Masoto, entrepreneur and socialite. You've probably heard of him once or twice in passing. He's donated quite generously to the hospital more than once," Saeko informed the blond.

"And when I heard of what happened last night, I thought it best to assist even further. What happened was just horrible, and shouldn't have happened in the first place. You were quite fortunate from what I heard," Sanjouin told him

"People died," Naruto's eyes narrowed. He almost died along with Michiru. His uncle could have died.

"Indeed. A tragic turn of events that never should have happened. I merely meant you were fortunate compared to the unlucky ones. No disrespect meant, Mr Uzumaki. I've actually met Princess D a few times. Sweet girl, if a bit shy, and quite the beauty when she took off her glasses, though blind as a bat without them. A shame this happened to one so young. A shame this even happened at all. Which is why I believe I can be of assistance with your current predicament," Masoto revealed.

"My predicament?"

"The media. Despite your commendable actions last night, some are trying to spin you in a different instead, correct?" Saeko nodded along with Naruto.

"It's total bullshit! He saved my life!" Haruka told Masoto.

"And I believe you, Ms Tenou."

Haruka blinked, surprised that he knew her, "How do you know my name?"

"Newspaper," Masoto waved an article in front of them, "Both of you are mentioned on the front page, and I've seen both of your faces on it more than once when they're boasting about your accomplishments. Your friend, too. You three are quite the accomplished trio despite being so young. Your talents are considered once in a generation. Unfortunately, some in the media aren't seeing you in that way Mr Uzumaki, and if you don't do anything to address this it may very well only make things worse. Believe me, don't underestimate the power of public opinion. I've been in your current predicament more than once."

"Which is why I'm doing these tests so they get off my back," Naruto said.

"And that's a good start, but unlikely to be enough. Your achievements are known far and wide and can be used as a way to explain why you weren't affected, but when people focus on certain things they tend to forget or ignore all that. Especially when you did nothing, or almost nothing, to dissuade them. Which is why I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine who can be of assistance, Shinku Emma," Masoto introduced.

The woman who entered the room had the reddest hair Naruto had ever seen, styled in an intricate business bob, her eyes matching her hair. A purple skirt and white short-sleeved shirt, high heels, nails painted red, black-rimmed glasses, and a bracelet on each wrist. The woman was as tall as Haruka and the outfit hugged her in all the right places. All in all, she was a very attractive woman, one that had physical qualities that both Haruka and Naruto couldn't get enough of.

"Dibs!"

Both man and woman blinked, "Pardon?"

"Ignore her," Naruto waved Haruka off, "Thanks for the offer to help but I've already got a lot on my plate."

"You'll have a lot more on your plate if you simply ignore this Mr Uzumaki," Emma told him, her face having no trace of emotion, "Leave a spark alone, and eventually you'll have a blazing inferno on your hands. This doesn't affect just you. Your family will also be affected by this. I've read about you. You don't care what people have to say about you, and I can respect an individual with a fortitude who cares not about the opinion of mindless sheep and their shepherds, but those they trust. But you did cause a fuss when the media started going after your family when you wouldn't answer any questions they wanted. And it made their lives very inconvenient. Can I be frank with you?"

"I'd prefer that to sugar-coated bullshit," the blond said and earned himself a cuff upside the head from Saeko.

"Good, so do I. Unless you want that happening again, I'd encourage you to take charge before it gets worse. People died at this event, one being a royal, this isn't something that should be ignored, nor will it be ignored. When normal people die, only some pay attention. When an important person dies, everyone pays attention. And people can get obsessed and sometimes even violent when it comes to getting answers for this. And by the time you pull your head out of your ass and try and do something, it may be too late to reverse any damage done by this shitstorm. Here," Emma gave Naruto a business card.

"My number's on there. Once you're ready, give me a call. Don't be a fool, and don't keep me waiting. Best of luck to you," Emma told him and left, Masoto leaving with her.

"If you don't call her I will," Haruka suddenly said.

"Haruka~"

"Not for that…well, partially. But she's right, Naruto. You need someone who has your back. Michiru and I were barely able to help you out last time, and when we did it was more because they were interested in knowing the relationship all three of us had and began focusing on that instead. That's the media. They'll focus on something until something better comes along and then they'll focus on that instead…Look, I don't like the media as much as you do-"

"You love the media!"

"Not when it comes to sh-crap like this," Haruka stopped herself when Saeko gave her a look.

"…Alright, fair enough," Naruto consented, "Look, I can't promise anything. But I'll think about it. And if it looks like it's getting out of hand, I'll make the call."

"That's all I ask," his friend smiled.

"Not to break up the moment," Saeko interrupted, "But I would like to get these tests done sometime soon. I'm a doctor and I have many other things I need to do today."

"Hah~ Alright, where do we start?" Naruto asked.

From another room, concealed by magic, both Sanjouin Masoto and Emma Shinku watched as Naruto left Haruka's room with Dr Mizuho.

"You did very well, my Queen," Nephrite complimented his queen.

"Did you believe otherwise?" Beryl was tempted to shift back into her usual form but as they were still in the hospital she didn't want to take that risk, "I incited the people of Earth to rebel against the Moon Kingdom and their allies at the height of their power. 10,000 years have passed but swaying others to do as I ask remains quite simple. All one needs is the right conditions to be met."

"It was quite the sight to see."

"Enough flattery, Nephrite," Beryl silenced him, "You and Jadeite were right, however. That boy is something special, very special indeed. He's practically overflowing with energy. Even in Elysium, I haven't encountered anyone who comes near to having the amount of energy he possesses. Even the Grand Mages paled by comparison. He'll not make a strong solder, he'll make a powerful one instead," Beryl's eyes shinned at the prospect.

"It's unfortunate we can't take him back to the Dark Kingdom. I sensed an echo of the Moon Knight's power on him," Nephrite frowned.

Beryl frowned as well, having sensed the echo as well, "Indeed. It's clear that the Knight is keeping an eye on him, and if the boy's been marked we will have to be patient. We can't afford the Knight discovering the Dark Kingdom's location. Not in our current state," the Moon Knight finding the Dark Kingdom wasn't the only problem, it's the damage he and the Senshi could cause that would set their accomplishments back by years. Beryl estimated that in a few months, bar any interferences, they'd have become strong enough to deal with all of them. But they required energy nonetheless.

The people here had energy, not much but they were ripe for the picking, it wouldn't be unheard of for one or two to die in a hospital. But there were currently too many eyes here, it would draw too much-unwanted attention, and the Knight was likely keeping an eye out, too. During the day the Knight's powers were significantly weaker and limited to certain abilities, but he remained a dangerous foe regardless. Less dangerous, yes, but dangerous still. And their current powers were limited, too, even with the gifts Metalia gave them.

"My Queen, how do you suggest we get the boy to come to us then?" Nephrite asked.

"Quite simply, we make it so we give him no choice," Beryl smiled. If an opportunity didn't make itself known, make one in its place.

---

Please note a few things:

One, this will be a blend of Crystal and the 90s anime, and AU. Yes, I know Crystal is more faithful to the manga (which is awesome), but I grew up watching the 90s anime and movies (which were also awesome). I do this because it will allow me greater freedom and give more stories to everyone.

Two, this is before the Outer Senshi (which I will be focusing a good deal on well even before they were meant to appear as they play an integral part) awaken their powers. Naruto's relationship with them will be complex and unique for reasons to come.

Three, Michiru as you can see here is bi. Haruka is a straight-up lesbian but remains very close to Naruto nonetheless. If you've read the manga, and watched all the animes you'll know that fandom is divided on Michiru being bi. I know, you know it, so I'm not gonna go into too many details.

Four, yes, this is the Moon Knight from Marvel, only juiced up with Naruto elements. How this occured, how Naruto and Khonshu are in this universe will be explained further down the line. For more chapters and stories go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/u2331908

 

[Legend of the Kyuubi]

Act 2 - Heaven and Earth

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The sound of a fist meeting tree echoed throughout the forest and scared the local wildlife. Naruto would have normally done his exercises at the apartment but the last time he did ended with him busting a hole clean through the punching bag and sending sand everywhere. It had been a bitch to clean up.

"I did warn you," Khonshu chuckled.

"No comment from the peanut gallery," Naruto told the ancient gloating god.

"Good luck with that."

Sighing, Naruto ignored the comment and resumed his training. Khonshu had warned him that his strength was greater than before, but seeing was believing at times.

Naruto had always been strong for his age, and stronger than most twice his age, too. But ever since he became Khonshu's avatar or re-became, apparently - man that was still weird to wrap his head around - his physical attributes had crossed over to being superhuman. And they'd become even stronger at night apparently.

"You're called the Guardian of the Night and the Moon Knight for a reason. But you have a long way to go before you regain your full strength," Khonshu interjected.

"We're really gonna need to have a long talk about you reading my mind," it was creepy, annoying, and embarrassing at times.

"Yes, I could have gone without seeing some of those dreams. How and why you would want a woman that can contort like that-"

"Shut up!"

Boom! Crash!

"…Oops," Naruto sheepishly laughed as the tree fell to the forest floor with a resounding thud. This was gonna take some getting used to.

"Hah," Khonshu sighed, exasperated, "May I remind you that you are no longer a mere human? A simple punch from you can now kill an ordinary being, destroy stone, and dent steel. And that's without the suit! You possess great control over your strength, but allowing your emotions to get the best of you simply will not do!"

"I know!" Naruto exclaimed. It wasn't like it would be his first time fighting someone.

"But it will be your first time fighting with superhuman strength," Khonshu retorted, not counting his fight with the Shitenno.

Naruto had been going on instinct then, drunk on his newfound power and acting like a berserker. A common occurrence for those who received his power for the first time. Oh, his fighting instincts had been phenomenal, but his mind for the most part had gotten lost in the battle frenzy. It was only when the Shitenno targeted the embassy building that the haze had worn off. Had it occurred sooner, Khonshu was certain Naruto could have ended one or two of them before they fled.

"Isn't there, I dunno, an off switch? I mean, I've broken records with my strength alone," Naruto didn't want to accidentally crush a person's hand just by giving them a handshake, nor draw attention to himself to give any indication of who he was. This was gonna be a pain. People already knew he was strong, he doubted they'd bat an eye seeing him do more. Hell, they'd probably think he'd been holding back this entire time. Which in itself could lead to more problems.

"It doesn't work like that. The only way that would work would be if I took away your powers and then gave them back to you. Which, I will not do. It's a hassle and inefficient."

"Of course it is."

"It's also not ordinary people that concern me. Should the Dark Kingdom learn who you are, and get to you in a weakened state…Well, given what happened at the embassy I'll leave it to your imagination."

Naruto frowned, cursed, and damned the Dark Kingdom to every hell there was. His identity as the Moon Knight couldn't be known, not for fear of himself but his family and friends. The Dark Kingdom wouldn't hesitate to go after them if it meant getting to him. And Naruto would willingly give himself up if it meant saving them.

"May I remind you to be rid of such foolish ignorant thoughts? After the Dark Kingdom kills you they will simply kill them. And that's if you're lucky."

The Ennead told him that while Metalia possessed the power to resurrect others, he flat out told him that wouldn't work on one who was once the avatar of a god. It was unknown if this also applied to the Senshi, but Khonshu had his doubts it would.

Killing him was the safer but dumber choice in Khonshu's opinion. Certainly, it would rid them of a powerful foe but it also took away an advantage. If the Dark Kingdom was smart, the moment they learned of his identity they should try and take his family or friends hostage and use him to end the Senshi. The Moon God told him it's what he would have done in their place, and that Naruto would have to be prepared to cut off all ties to his family should his identity be revealed. The Moon God even dared to say that mercy killing them would be preferable should it occur. For what were their lives worth should the Moon Knight fall under the enemy's control, endangering countless more in the process?

Naruto had flat-out told the Ennead to drop the matter or fuck off. Naruto would decide what he would do on the off chance his identity was compromised. But killing them wouldn't be an option.

Fortunately, the Moon God had been gracious enough to put an undetectable form of protection over their home just in case. One not even the agents of the Dark Ruler could get through or detect. But protection or no protection, Naruto was gonna make them pay for what happened to Michiru. The only problem, they were nowhere to be found.

Four days had passed since the D Incident, as the media dubbed it, and since then the Dark Kingdom had gone silent. But from what he knew from Khonshu, they had good reasons for it.

The Moon Knight was a brutal defender who didn't hold back. Merely hearing about him had would-be enemies rethink their plans or outright abandon them altogether. Worlds had been ended by him, and while Naruto seriously doubted the claim - or at least he hoped the claim was false - that he had previously turned 100,000 worlds to dust in defense of the Moon Kingdom, more than a few worlds had been destroyed for their actions.

Apparently, he had been so much of a threat that the Dark Kingdom only felt confident to attack the Moon Kingdom when he had been absent. And even with the Silver Millennium making many complacent, the Dark Kingdom had gone with the hit hard and hit fast tactic just to be on the safe side. He was that feared.

"Enough about them for now. Mars! What do you recall," Khonshu asked.

"Mars. Guardian of Love and Passion, Master of Flames, exorcist, and seer of the Senshi. She's the most magically gifted of the group," Naruto answered.

Khonshu had made it clear he should try and remember who the Inner Senshi were, what they did, and what they lacked. Naruto learned that meditating helped, something he had gotten into at a young age. But even then they were only glimpses. The memories of his past life were only slightly more vivid when he fell asleep, and even then it was out of reach. Something Khonshu believed was due to Serenity's spell.

"Weakness?"

"Seriously?" What was with this guy? Weren't the Senshi allies?

"An ally today can be an enemy tomorrow. Weakness!" Khonshu repeated the order.

"Hah. Like the other Senshi, she can't make full use of her powers without transforming. When she transforms the power of Mars inflames her but also makes her easier to goad and fall victim to her emotions compared to the others, which ends up with her using too much energy in her attacks and making her flames harder for her to control. Most of her spells are mid-range and she has few to no defence-related abilities. Except for her strongest spells, most of them are also overpowered by water spells, too, and like the rest of the Senshi she has the bad tendency to remain stationary when casting them, and her hand-to-hand combat skill is almost nonexistent."

"Correct," Khonshu nodded, "The Senshi are by no means weak, but compared to you they might as well be infants. They will grow stronger, but if they are anything like their past selves they may very likely repeat the same mistakes. Only two of the Inner Senshi demonstrated any form of close-up combat, and even then only one of them had true skill. Speaking of which. Here."

Before Naruto appeared a swirling wind that soon took on the form of two small almost two-foot sticks with silver metal bands and studs on each end. Naruto, being a martial arts expert, instantly recognized what they were.

"Escrima sticks?" Naruto had never used them but knew that they were traditional weapons utilized in Filipino martial arts.

While everyone else wanted to smack each other on the head with bokken, or shinai, Naruto had to admit he had done so as well, he wanted to learn something different. The blond was trained on how to use a Bo-staff of varying lengths and he also knew how to use sai. Given their similar uses, Naruto surmised it wouldn't be too difficult to incorporate what he knew with these weapons.

"Put them together."

Doing as instructed, Naruto joined the two sticks and watched as they glowed, merged into one, and then extended into a long metal pole well over a head taller than himself.

"Sweet," Naruto commented, and then separated the staff once more into its smaller forms, "Any other tricks they can do?"

"Try channeling your power in them."

Naruto did so and watched as the escrima sticks developed energy hooks, and an ethereal chain joining the two from one end to the other that made the weapons more akin to a kusarigama without the weight.

"Okay, this is awesome," Naruto admitted. He had never learned how to use any rope-related weapons but awesome it was nonetheless. Then again, the Moon Knight was lacking in the spells department compared to the Senshi. Those who carried the mantle knew some spells, but nowhere near as much as the Senshi; the Knight's forte was in close and unharmed combat by comparison.

"Why a staff?" Naruto asked, putting the weapons away for now.

"As I previously explained, you will ultimately take on my mantle. And when you do, I will also pass on this," Khonshu emphasized by bringing down his crescent staff, "The Staff of the Crescent Moon. It's a powerful artifact that will enable you to accomplish more than what you can presently do. Think of those weapons you possess as training gloves, or stepping stones to something greater. They aren't as powerful but they will give you a sense of what's to come."

"It's that strong, huh?"

"Put it this way. Once you've mastered the Staff's powers you will be able to channel the powers of the moon as easily as breathing and be more than capable of destroying planets and other celestial bodies once again. Beforehand I had to channel that level of power through you. The only other artifacts I know that possess that kind of destructive capability are the Silence Glaive of Sailor Saturn, the Silver Phantom Crystal of Queen Serenity, and likely the Garnet Staff of Sailor Pluto should its full power be unsealed."

Seriously, what was with this guy and destroying planets?

"It's capable of doing more than just that! I was known as The Healer for a reason. It can also heal planets so long as they aren't too far gone. A barren desert can be turned into a verdant woodland, a shattered moon can be put back together-"

"Can it revive the dead?" Naruto interjected.

"Yes, and no. So long as this staff remains undamaged, Death cannot claim you. But that same power doesn't extend to others unless you choose an avatar. Powerful as it is, every artifact has its limits. When you were caught in Serenity's spell, the power of this staff couldn't override the Silver Crystal's intentions to reincarnate you. I was forced to wait for you to be reborn. As far as I know, the only artifacts capable of bringing back the dead were the Silver Crystal and Atum's Sun Disc, maybe even Elysium's Golden Crystal but that's merely conjecture. Even then there's a price associated with it with the Silver Crystal."

"Atum?" Naruto was drawing a blank on the name.

"More commonly known as Ra, Ruler of the Ennead and the Firstborn."

"Oh, right! The Sun King, Ruler of the Skies, The Sailor, and The Lord of Order. He was your leader, right?" Naruto tried recalling.

"Actually, Ra was a she, not a he, a fact modern humans and your ancestors mixed up as time went by. The original word to reflect royalty, in this case, King and Queen, back then was gender neutral. But that's neither here nor there. Ra was the Firstborn, the First God, and the most powerful of us all. She was, unfortunately, also the first of us to perish," Naruto didn't pry despite his curiosity. Khonshu's tone reflected just how saddened he was by her passing.

Instead, Naruto began preparing himself for his regular workout routine by tying his weights to his waist, and then some. However, even then his better nature got the best of him.

"Hey, if you ever-"

"Shush," Well, god or not that was rude, "Someone's coming, idiot!"

Sure enough, Naruto heard the sound of feet ground the fallen tree branches and leaves of the forest floor. The sound was steady too and Naruto quickly realized it was caused by a jogger.

Looking in the direction he heard it come from, or his best guess by the way the sound echoed in the woods, Naruto's gaze fell upon a young woman with reddish brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her form was quite good actually. Not as good as Haruka's but good regardless.

As if sensing someone's gaze was upon her, the woman turned towards him and stopped her run. Her look curious upon seeing him in the woods all by himself, "What are you doing?"

"Training," Naruto told her.

The woman merely cocked an eyebrow as she spotted his weights that were tied to his waist, she looked quite skeptical, "You sure you know what you're doing?"

Rather than say anything, Naruto merely jumped several feet in the air and grabbed onto a low but strong hanging branch, and began his workout, his weights clanging against one another as he lifted himself with ease.

"Holy shit!"

Looking down and hanging with one arm, Naruto saw that the woman had since gotten much closer to him, "How are you-Oh, my god! You're Uzumaki Naruto!"

"One and only," Naruto bowed from his perch, "And you?"

"Makoto. Kino Makoto," the woman introduced, "I can't believe it! You're a legend! I've seen every event you took part of! Even in my old school, no one's ever come close to breaking your records!"

"Old school?"

"Yeah, I just transferred to Juban Middle School. I'm in my final year," Makoto revealed.

"You're fourteen!" Naruto gaped, looking the wo-girl over once more. She was quite tall for her age, "Damn! Big one aren't ya."

"Well done."

Naruto was confused before seeing Makoto appear quite despondent, and then mentally kicked himself. In Japan if you didn't have the traditional looks and stature, especially for your age, more often than not you were either a delinquent or treated as an outcast. Something Naruto knew all too well before he became well-known, even Haruka knew what that was like. Most boys his age were very much shorter than Makoto, and Naruto was taller than them by well over a head.

"Sorry! Didn't mean anything by it. I was just surprised. The only other tall girl for her age I know is Haruka and she's fifteen. And she's a badass," and he was being honest. Haruka was a badass. A flirt, but a badass regardless.

"Oh," was all Makoto said.

"Oh?" Naruto didn't know whether to take that as a good sign or a bad sign. He hoped it was the former.

"I mean, it doesn't bother you?"

"What bothers me?"

"That I'm tall," Makoto clarified, fidgeting a little.

"Does it bother me that you're tall? Hell, no! So you're tall. Big deal. Uh, no pun intended. Let me ask you something. You a good person?"

Most of the time, though if Makoto was honest she had gotten into a couple of scraps in the past, "I'd like to think so."

Why was she revealing this to him? Sure, it was the Demon-Fighting God of Juban, a celebrity she admired, but why did she reveal this still?

"You ever beat anyone up?"

Her eyes narrowed, most always assumed she got into fights because of her stature and look.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Did ya ever beat anyone up that didn't deserve it?" Makoto shook her head.

"Then what's the big deal? So you're tall. And judging by your muscles you look like you work out more than most guys I know. Big whoop! Doesn't change who you are, and it doesn't make you any less attractive," he told her.

Babump!

"Wh-what?" what did he just call her? "What did you just say?"

"You're attractive?" Naruto repeated.

Babump!

"Ar-Are you're serious?"

"Hey, I call it as I see it. And you, little lady, are attractive. If anyone says otherwise they're either blind or missing more than a few brain cells," was Naruto's honest reply.

"Little lady?!"

Babump! Babump!

"I-uh-I…I gotta go!" was all the scarlet-faced girl could say.

"Huh?" Naruto watched as Makoto took off like a shot that could give Haruka a run for her money, "What was that about?"

Khonshu summed up what any other onlooker would have thought, "Idiot."

---

Luna was, in a word, worried. Four days had passed and in that time nothing happened. Aside from the police still investigating what had occurred at the embassy, it had been peaceful.

And that's what was worried her.

The Dark Kingdom according to Artemis during his own travels had been active for a little over a year now. Operating in various locations across the world such as Europe and North America. Fortunately, their agents were quite limited so they mainly focused their efforts in Japan, which was smart but unfortunate as based on her findings Japan's populace had the greatest amount of energy compared to everywhere else. Luna guessed it had to do with those who perished during the Silver Millennium, and most of them reincarnating here compared to everywhere else in the world.

It was clear what their goal was in gathering energy. Which meant good news and bad news. Good news: Queen Metalia was very likely dormant and the energy required to awaken a being such as her was immense, let alone bringing her back up to full strength. This meant she still had time to find the remaining Senshi and get them up to snuff, especially Usagi, and locate the princess and the Silver Crystal.

Bad news: the Dark Kingdom had been operating for well over a year now and the Senshi had only just started to awaken, Sailor Moon herself had only awakened two months ago. Who knew just how much energy they had accumulated before then and how close they were to achieving their goal? And now they had gone underground, and she had no idea where they were located. While Luna was confident that they had time, the unanswered question was how much?

Not to speak ill of the dead, much as she loved Queen Serenity, the woman could have made it easier for her and Artemis by letting them know where to find the reincarnations of the Senshi. But Luna, like many that night, had been affected by the spell her queen and goddess cast. Even if she had been told she couldn't remember. Not could she recall what the Senshi looked like. Much of her memories from back then were a blur and no more than a fuzzy memory that was always out of reach whenever she tried to recall certain things. While the cat race of planet Mau was very long-lived, 10,000 years passing by in suspended animation and scouring the earth for fourteen years after they awoke hadn't exactly helped either. She too had lost certain abilities since then.

Fortunately, the Dark Kingdom's worst foe made himself known. The Moon Knight. Whether or not his memories came back was another unanswered question. If they did, he certainly would not be the biggest fan of the Inner Senshi, especially since their task had been to protect their queen's daughter, a task they ultimately failed in.

At best, he'd give each and every one of them a serious thrashing and open their eyes to the reality that for some didn't appear to fully sink in. At worst, he'd kill them individually for their failures. The sad part was, though she wouldn't want it to happen, he'd be justified in putting them to the sword.

While it was no longer the case in this day and age - at least in most countries around the world - a guard responsible for the welfare of their charge, especially a royal one, and failing in their duty had been punishable by death even in the Moon Kingdom.

Had the Inner Senshi not died 10,000 years ago at the hands of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Serenity could have easily stripped them of their mantles and possibly executed them for their failures soon after. The Moon Kingdom didn't become the most powerful of the celestial kingdoms on kindness and technological advancement alone.

Queen Serenity the Fourth was a kind woman, a saint in almost every sense of the word, but that didn't mean she wouldn't dole out punishment when necessary. She had done so more than once, and a parent's grief was a powerful if unpredictable force to be reckoned with. Luckily for them, the Queen had seen fit to give them a second chance, likely to ensure the mantle of the Old Gods didn't fall into the wrong hands, and allowed their reincarnates to hold onto their ancestor's mantles and make up for their past failures.

There would be no second chances.

"Let's just hope Moon Knight-sama sees it that way," Luna prayed. Right now, they needed all the help they could get. Whether or not the Knight would cooperate with them was another matter. Out of all the Senshi, he was closer to the Outer ones, and they, too, hadn't been the biggest fans of the Inner Senshi either.

Not that Luna could wholeheartedly blame them for their dislike. For unlike the Inner Senshi who allowed peace and their closeness to the princess to dull their skill compared to the Senshi that came before, the Outer hadn't.

But that was in the past, and past mistakes couldn't be undone. When the Senshi regained their memories they would have to learn from their past mistakes and move forward if they didn't want history to repeat itself. A task easier said than done at the moment.

"What I wouldn't give for the Senshi to have been reborn in a different era," certainly indoor plumbing was a blessing, along with other conveniences, but at least if they were born in such a time they'd have their priorities straight.

They should be improving themselves and searching for the enemy. But no! They just had to awaken in an era where girls were more interested in romance, clothes, shopping, and bloody video games! Luna hardly ever swore, but fuck was karma a vindictive bitch.

And Usagi was the worst of them. Oh, the girl had a kind heart, she was sweet, and Luna cared for Usagi, but her mindset was hardly Senshi material. It was hardly leader material either. Ami had her intelligence and Rei her spiritual powers as a miko, but Usagi, regrettably, didn't possess anything noteworthy aside from her love of food.

If she were more like her cousin it would make things a lot easier for the lunar cat.

"If only he had been born a woman instead of Usagi. He'd have made a much better Sailor Moon," but the powers that be decided otherwise and saw fit to give Usagi the mantle instead. Luna was merely the one to deliver the means to do so.

It also appeared that the powers that be also decided to grant Usagi's cousin an enormous amount of energy, too. Easily the largest in Japan if not the entire continent based on the readings from her computer. It was likely the reason why he could accomplish what no human in this era could despite his young age.

It also made him a prime target for the Dark Kingdom. Someone with this level of energy could easily awaken Metalia and make the perfect soldier to square off against the Moon Knight.

Fortunately, Luna had sensed the protective barrier that had been cast on the household. From her computer, she learned that its power was likely designed to prevent the Dark Kingdom from targeting him and the family. The boy himself had been marked as well by the Knight, too, which in itself was a powerful deterrent.

Luna could only hope the Moon Knight was being proactive compared to the rest of them. The cat from planet Mau could only hope they'd shape up soon. Aside from Mars, none of them had taken the death of Princess D very well. Even after three days, they had yet to fully get over it, not that Luna couldn't blame them. It had been their first failure and the first death of an individual they tried to protect. The death of an evil being like a Youma was different. They were heartless evil creatures born from dark energy and emotions and desired nothing more than the pain and suffering of others. The deaths of innocent lives were different.

It was only luck that the Dark Kingdom hadn't done anything in the meantime. On the first day after the incident, Luna doubted either three of the Senshi were in the right state to work properly with one another. Usagi had cried herself to sleep and even then it wasn't a pleasant dream-filled one. Ami had buried herself in her studies.

The following days hadn't gotten either of them fully out of their funk until Luna was forced to intervene. The cat hadn't been unsympathetic to either of the girls but she had no choice but to put her foot down and snap them out of it. They were in a war and the Senshi were the soldiers. Wars weren't won by soldiers who fell into despair due to loss. They overcame them.

Loss was inevitable in war. One shouldn't deny it occurred but allow it to fuel them and ensure it didn't happen again. And, most importantly, put an end to whatever caused such pain and suffering so none could fall victim to it again.

But with only three awakened Senshi that was easier said. They needed more allies. Where these allies were remained the question.

---

"I'm telling you I'm fine," a wheelchair-bound Michiru told her closest friends, "Really, this isn't necessary."

"You almost fell on your face when you tried taking one step," Naruto deadpanned, "We're lucky Dr. Mizuho allowed you to be even cleared to leave the hospital," four days had passed and while they had been able to see Michiru after finishing his tests, Michiru had been forced to stay bed bound for another few days compared to the rest. Whatever stunt those four bastards pulled had been a little more severe than expected, Naruto was gonna pay 'em back tenfold.

"I told him we could have just busted you out," Haruka said, half joking half serious.

"That's all I need, more press about me," Naruto could already see the headlines. That Emma woman had been right unfortunately, the media hadn't left him alone despite the tests. Some had dropped it but others didn't. He just hoped it didn't get out of hand.

Speaking of which, Naruto looked down when he felt something on his left hand, "Are you okay?"

Naruto merely smiled at Michiru, "Better now that you're okay. Both of you."

"Aw, aren't you a sweetheart. Well, I guess I can handle being waited on hand and foot for the next little bit," Michiru laughed.

"So, what, I'm your butler now?"

"Of course not…You're her houseboy," Haruka's comment had Naruto miss a step and sent Michiru into a fit of laughs.

"Careful houseboy, your mistress is quite delicate at the moment," Michiru ordered.

"And stand up straight," Haruka ordered alongside, "And why are you out of uniform?"

With a twinkle in his eye, Naruto decided to fire back, "Apologies, Haruka-sama. Please give me a moment."

Both Haruka and Michiru watched as Naruto took off his hoodie and his shirt, folded them up, and showed off his very well-defined muscles to the world as he continued pushing Michiru down the street, ignoring the blushing looks directed his way by the onlookers.

"…Well played, Uzumaki. Well played," Haruka smirked.

All three continued this for a few blocks before the trio stopped at an arcade when Naruto saw his cousin hanging out with a group of students from her middle school. And someone he didn't expect to bump into so soon.

"Naruto-oniichan!" Usagi shouted, bringing attention to herself and the group.

"Usagi-nee, Ami-chan, Naru-chan, Makoto-san," he greeted.

"You know her?" Usagi asked.

"We met each other in the woods not that long ago. Surprised to see you here actually."

"My, my. Naruto-kun, how scandalous of you. Alone in the woods with such a young lady?"

"I-uh-I-" Makoto was scarlet by this point, part of which due to Michiru's comment and the other part due to him still being shirtless

"Ooh, she's got it bad for him," Haruka smirked, Michiru merely giggled.

"Oi! Naruto-san! Dress code!" Motoki called out.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry."

"Aww," Makoto along with Naru whined at the lack of eye candy and both nearly went supernova when they realized they had done that out loud. Michiru and Haruka merely smirked. Ami and Usagi, having seen Naruto in such a state of undress more than once, were used to the sight.

"Thank god," said the last member of the group.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at the origin of the voice and spotted an unknown dark-haired girl. The girl was looking at him with indifference mixed with hostility, "And you are?"

"Hmph," was her response.

"Rei," Usagi's tone told said it all, "Be nice. He's my cousin."

"He's a man," was all she said.

"Pardon?" Makoto, being new to the group, didn't understand.

"What's that gotta do with anything?" Haruka couldn't help asking.

"Men are scum," she stated simply.

"Wow, judgmental much?" Naruto wasn't exactly her biggest fan either at the moment, "What's your deal with guys?"

"Not guys. Men! You two are what? Twenty-five, twenty-six?"

By now both Naruto and Haruka had more than a few tick marks on their foreheads. Sure, they looked a little more mature for their age due to their activities leaving them with no baby fat. But they weren't that old!

"Are you kidding me!? Don't you know who this is?" Makoto exclaimed, towering over the miko.

"Tall," both Haruka and Michiru thought. She was a couple of inches shorter than Haruka, but easily three inches taller than Michiru. But the short-haired blond didn't mind in the least. Tall ones were easily on her type list.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto! Show some respect! He's only sixteen and he's broken more world records than almost all athletes twice his age!" Matoko defended.

Which through Rei for a loop, "What? You're sixteen?!"

"That's what the little lady said, didn't she?" he repeated.

Looking at them up and down, Rei finally asked, "Are you sure?"

"What is wrong with you?!" Makoto and Haruka declared, making Rei flinch.

"First of all, despite what her current attire may suggest, Haruka's a girl," Naruto revealed, much to everyone's shock, Michiru excluded, "Secondly, if you want me to leave-" Naruto began but was swiftly cut off.

"Wait, Naruto-san," Mizuho Ami, sweet, kind, if a bit introverted, gave Rei a pointed look that Naruto had never seen before, "Rei-chan, apologize!"

"What?!"

"Now!" Ami's command didn't leave any kind of argument.

"…sor…" Rei muttered.

"Loud enough so we can hear you," Haruka glared at the judgemental little bitch.

"I'm sorry!" Rei practically shouted, flushed with embarrassment, she didn't have to look around to know she had eyes on her, "I'm sorry," she repeated once more, more softly this time, before she excused herself.

Naruto merely nodded and let it go, for now. Haruka he saw following after her to no doubt give the girl a piece of her mind. It was clear this Rei girl had problems with men for some reason, but Naruto wasn't interested in hearing about it right now. He wasn't the girl's biggest fan at the moment.

"I'm sorry about Rei. Bad history with older men. It's one of the reasons why she goes to an all-girls catholic school. She's … okay with boys our age but unless it's her grandfather she's not fond of-" Usagi tried to excuse her friend's behavior.

"Forget it. Not your problem, Usagi," and Naruto was being truthful. He felt sorry for Rei for whatever happened that caused her such problems but it didn't give her the right to treat others that way. Whatever sad history she had with older men, not all of them were like that. It didn't give her the right to take it out on him and Haruka.

"Kya! I know you!" Naru-chan suddenly shouted, stars shining in her eyes, "You're Kaio Michiru!"

Michiru merely giggled, "I take it you're a fan?"

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god!"

"Naru-chan, breathe," Naruto instructed his cousin's best friend, "In and out."

"Sorry," Naru blushed, "I've heard you play countless times! I love your music! It's amazing! Only fifteen and you're well known throughout Japan. You're amazing!"

"Well, aren't you sweet," Michiru told her.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why are you in a wheelchair?" Naru asked her, a bit worried.

"I was at Kingdom D's embassy the night of the attack. Whatever happened left little energy in my legs. I was told to use this for the next little bit until it wears off in a few days," Michiru explained.

"You were there? What happened?" Naru was floored.

"No idea," a returned Haruka was the one who answered, "No one does. Aside from Naruto, everyone there was knocked out."

"You saw what happened, Naruto-san?" Ami asked, her tone slightly worried.

"Vaguely. All I recall is the princess going crazy, guards rushing her, I tried stopping her, and the next thing I know I feel like I did an entire triathlon in an hour. It took all I could to get Haruka out of there before I went back for Michiru. That's as far as I can remember before I woke up at the hospital sometime later with Michiru in my arms. I can't even remember how that all happened."

"So that's what happened," Usagi sighed in relief, "AH-I mean! I was curious as to how you got to the hospital before anyone else! That's all!"

"Ooookaaaayyyy?" that was a bit odd, but then Usagi had always been a bit of an oddball at times, Naruto surmised.

"Usagi-chan," a hidden Luna could only wonder why this girl was chosen as a Sailor Senshi when she almost blew her cover.

"Bouts of intense stress can sometimes cause memory loss," Ami interjected.

"Especially when you're suffering from fatigue alongside it," Michiru added, "Running on high levels of endorphins during such events has been known to greatly affect the opiate receptors-"

"Which in turn can affect the temporal lobe," Ami finished.

Naru, Makoto, and Usagi blinked and all three looked to both Naruto and Haruka for answers. Neither of them had one, "Don't look at us. She's the brains of the group."

"Says the guy who can understand ancient Japanese hiragana, katakana, and kanji better than even the teachers at our school," Haruka told him, "This guy showed up our last ninth-grade teacher so badly he tried to get a university professor to humble him. Naruto mopped the floor with him too."

"I know, I took an elective for ancient Japanese outside of school and struggled to understand them. I was waiting for my mother and Naruto-san had an appointment. He took one look at them and told me what each of them meant in seconds. I had to look at the answer sheet to be sure he was right," and he had been.

"What can I say, I'm a man of many talents," Naruto boasted.

"What's this about?" a returned Rei asked, the girl avoided his stare when Naruto looked at her.

"Naruto-niichan's a wiz when it comes to ancient Japanese," Usagi reiterated.

"Really? Well, I'm a miko at my grandfather's shrine, so I know better than most. What's this mean," Rei showed them a talisman.

"Rei-"

"A suppressing and immolation Ofuda," was Naruto's answer, to the surprise of everyone, except Haruka and Michiru, and Rei's shock, "A talisman designed to suppress the power of wicked individuals, and give 'em more than a nasty burn if they try taking it off without knowing the proper sequence. This one's been modified so it can be used on just about anyone and the immolation can take place at the user's command. Pretty basic all things considered."

Rei was looking at Naruto and doing a perfect imitation of a fish. Aside from her grandfather, few remained who could identify the characters on this specific Ofuda, and fewer still who could read them so quickly and easily. She was impressed. This wasn't something that most sixteen-year-olds could do. Which posed another question.

"Wait, you three are in the same grade?" Rei asked, having heard part of the previous conversation and all three nodded, "But, if he's sixteen, and you're all in the ninth grade… How does that work?"

"Being in a coma for almost a year will do that," Makoto blurted, and quickly brought her hands to her mouth, "Oh, crap! I'm so sorry! I just know about that from the articles!"

"It's alright, not like it's a secret," he waved off both Makoto and Rei after seeing the latter's look, thinking she might have said something wrong. But unlike before, Naruto knew it wasn't said out of malice but simple curiosity, so he dismissed what was likely to be an apology. It happened every time someone ignorant about his past asked about it, "Save your apology. It happened and it's not a big deal."

"It kinda is, Naruto," Michiru told him.

"You know what I mean," Naruto retorted.

"Anyway, enough about that, and onto something more positive. So you're Usagi, huh?" Haruka broke the ice. It wasn't a good Segway into a new conversation but it distracted them all the same.

"Uh, yeah?" Usagi was confused about the older student's interest.

"Naruto was right, you are cute?" Haruka smiled.

"…Huh?" Usagi felt her checks redden.

"Here we go," Naruto and Michiru both thought.

"Wait, Haruka. As in Tenou Haruka?" Makoto asked, "The race car driver and current record holder for girls' track in the district?"

"The one and only," the girl in question nodded.

"Thank god for that," Naruto said, earning a punch in the arm, one that had Haruka wincing due to his powers.

"Ow," Haruka rubbed her hand to dull the pain. Which was odd as that never happened before.

"Naruto-san," Naruto looked to Naru, "I've always wondered. How did you, Haruka-san, and Michiru-san meet?"

Naruto smiled before he looked at a grinning Haruka and smiling Michiru, "You guys wanna tell it or should I?"

"Go nuts," Haruka told him, Michiru merely nodded in agreement.

"With Haruka, we didn't meet until the summer before high school when she transferred from her old school. Even then we didn't run into each other until almost a month later during track and field. Haruka wiped the floor with them by a wide margin, even those on the boys' team. Our previous coach was old school and didn't like the thought of a girl beating boys so he wanted to put Haruka in her place."

Rei scoffed but said nothing.

"So, we were told to race. I knew what his intent was but I didn't care about that. I just wanted to see how good she was. And let me tell ya, she's good. Pretty sure she's the only student in Juban High that can match my speed," Naruto informed her.

"So it ended up a draw?"

"Nope, Naruto ended up winning that race," Haruka admitted, "But instead of gloating like the rest of them he shook my hand and told me to race him again whenever I wanted. I didn't want to admit defeat so we raced five more times that day. I lost each time."

"Haruka and Naruto have a competitive streak," Michiru added her two cents.

"For weeks I couldn't get over the fact that I lost to him. I trained my ass off to improve and then one night I saw Michiru and Naruto. Michiru was on the sidelines; Naruto running on the field wearing a weight suit and heavy weights dragging behind him that were attached to a rope. He did that training for hours and then well into the night. How I still don't know. But it was eye-opening. I thought Naruto was this prodigy where all this came naturally to him, and barely put in any effort. But the dedication I saw, the sheer grit in everything he did, hard work didn't even come close to describing it. It was humbling. I asked if I could train with him soon after and he didn't hesitate in agreeing."

"Course, she fed the birds more than once over the next few months," Naruto laughed when punched him in the arm, again Haruka winced, "Hey, it was worth it in the end, right? Only a few months of intense training and you can match my speed."

"You didn't have to tell 'em that bit though!"

"I had to. It was funny," again she punched him in the arm while Michiru laughed at their antics.

"And Michiru-san? How'd you meet her?"

"Last year of middle school. A modeling job hosted by the same company that deals with exceptional students and young teens. Michiru was being hit on by some douchebags who were a little too much into underaged girls."

"Ah, so you came to her rescue," Rei asked. While she wasn't a fan of the stereotypical damsel in distress being saved by a noble knight spiel, she was a romantic at heart nonetheless.

"The opposite. He let me handle it myself," Michiru smiled.

"What?!" Makoto wondered what kind of chivalric bull was that.

"I could tell Michiru wasn't some delicate wallflower so I didn't step in. However, when it looked like they were about to get too handsy, I intervened. Came up with a bogus lie that required both of us on set, told her if she wanted I could break every bone in their arms and hands," Usagi, having heard the story before, knew that her cousin spoke true and he would have gone through with it.

"I thought he was joking at first, acting all tough like every other typical macho boy I've met who was trying to impress the girl. All talk and no actions. But the look in his eyes told me he was serious. When I asked him why he would do that for me, why he'd risk the opportunity of a lifetime he said, 'I couldn't care less about losing this job. And I wouldn't do it just for you. I'd do it to any asshole doing that to someone.' I thought it cute, corny but cute. And when I tried flirting with him to see how he'd react, he merely laughed and then had the audacity to give me pointers!"

"Pointers?"

"You looked like you needed the help. Don't mind the flirting but at least try and be convincing," Naruto laughed, and then yelped when Michiru pinched him, "No pinching!"

"Anyway, just when we were about to part ways one of the executives saw us and thought we looked good together. Turns out their hunch was right because people responded well to it. Over time we were asked to do more shoots together, attend the same classes together, go to some events together and here we are," Michiru finished, her head resting on Naruto's shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't know you two were a couple," Naru was loving this; Makoto was disappointed.

"We're not. Just very, very close," Naruto elaborated.

"You mean, we're not a couple?" Tears began to form in Michiru's eyes, "Naruto, how could you? I thought we had something special."

"Naruto-san!"

"Michiru-san, don't cry!"

"Pig!"

"What's wrong with you Naruto-niichan!"

"…Bwahahahaha!" Haruka finally couldn't hold it in as she began laughing, something that confused the five middle school teens until they saw Michiru wipe away the tears and smile.

"And the Oscar goes to Kaio Michiru," Naruto congratulated.

"Thank you, thank you!" Michiru bowed as much as she could while being stuck in a wheelchair.

"Gah! I can't believe I fell for that again!" Usagi chastised herself. Every single time!

"Sorry, Usagi-chan," Haruka comforted her friend's cousin.

"So, you're not together?" Makoto asked.

"I mean, we've gone out a few times, but no we're not together," Michiru told the younger girl.

"What about you Haruka-san? Have you and Naruto even gone out?" Michiru bit her lower lip when Haruka nearly snorted up her drink that had just been delivered. Sending her into a coughing fit.

"Ack! Me and him? Not in this lifetime," Haruka told her.

"You mean that kiss last Halloween meant nothing?" Despite going crimson, Naruto got the mother of all evil eyes from the racer.

"I will run you over with my car," Haruka growled.

"Please, even in your car I'm faster," the evil eye she gave him evolved into something worse, "Look, if it makes ya feel any better, you were quite skilled with your tongue," Naruto smirked while the younger teens blushed. The kettle pretty much erupted at this point.

"Die!" Haruka lunged at her fellow blond, Naruto went to meet her only for Michiru to pull on both their ears despite being wheelchair-bound.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" the two whined at the painful tug.

"Be nice," Michiru chastised, her tone authoritative despite how soft it remained.

"Sorry, Michiru," they simultaneously apologized, and Michiru finally released her death grip on the two. Even then both blonds stuck their tongues out at one another behind her back.

"Ooh, are they gonna kiss again?" Except for the two older blonds, Naru's comment sent the group into fits of laughter.

From there the group continued enjoying their conversations almost into the evening. Michiru and Ami talked about things none in the group could follow. Usagi explained how she met Makoto the other day, the girl saving her from being run over, something that earned respect and thanks from her cousin, much to the tall girl's embarrassment. Haruka then went on to flirt with an oblivious Usagi, while Naruto chatted with Naru and Makoto, more so with the latter than the former.

All in all, it had been a pleasant afternoon for the group. That is until a group of reporters came into Crown Game Centre, and despite Motoki's efforts to get them to leave or he'd call the authorities, Naruto was confronted by a few reporters who wanted to ask him a few questions, despite his repeated efforts to tell them no comment.

"Uzumaki-san! Can you tell us what happened?"

"People said you were walking down the street without a shirt? Is it because of an injury?"

"Did you see who caused the D Incident?"

"Why weren't you on scene at the time?"

Despite everyone's efforts to get them to leave, one of the reporters accidentally bumped into Michiru with enough force to knock her and her chair over. Naruto only saw red afterward, taking each of the reporters' cameras, pens, and writing pads and rendering them unusable with his bare hands. Nothing more than dust remained

And then proceeded to toss every one of them out of the building and onto the sidewalk. Naruto ignored their threats to sue as they landed on top of the other. And when the last one was kicked out, Naruto finally had enough.

"NOW FUCK OFF!" Naruto roared and the reporters' sense of self-preservation won out as they promptly fled the scene, along with nearby pedestrians. Neither Haruka nor Michiru were pleased either, their fun little outing momentarily soured by the vultures known as reporters.

"Sorry, 'bout that guys," Naruto apologized to the younger group of students, "You okay, Michiru?"

"I'm fine. A bruise might form but I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto," Michiru told him.

"This is getting outta hand," Haruka scowled, her posture reflected her agitation as she kept an eye out for any reporter stupid enough to try and come back.

"What the hell was that about?" Makoto asked. Concerned and curious at the same time.

"The D Incident," Rei informed her.

Which only confused the new transfer student, "Yeah, I only just moved here so I've been busy. What's the D Incident exactly?"

A quick summary of the incident was given to Makoto and in the end she was floored, "Damn. And no one's been able to figure out why this happened?"

"The only ones who might are the Senshi. And good luck trying to find them for an interview," whence why the reporters were going after him as the only possible eye witness.

"That's the odd part, isn't it? The Senshi as I understand weren't affected, but everyone else except Naruto-san was. Naruto-san … Are you a Senshi?"

Naruto's eyes threatened to pop out of his skull at Naru's comment. Michiru and Rei bit their lips to stop themselves from laughing. Haruka was openly laughing at the thought along with Usagi. Makoto and Ami were trying to keep a straight face but even then the corners of their mouths threatened to turn into smiles.

"Yeah~" Naruto drawled, "I seriously doubt I'd be able to pull off a sailor outfit," Naruto shuddered. There was a disturbing thought.

"I don't know. You did pull off wearing a dress, Naruto-kun," Usagi and Haruka laughed even harder at Michiru's comment. Rei, Naru, Ami, and Makoto were wide-eyed before a quick explanation had them joining soon after. Even a hidden Luna couldn't stop herself from laughing at his expense.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," Naruto pouted. That was the last time he'd ever wear a dress, prank or no prank.

"Aw, don't pout. You looked lovely," Michiru consoled him, "You were the prettiest girl there. I should know, I helped pick out the dress."

"Aha! I knew you knew!" Haruka declared, "I knew he had help! Especially, with that makeup. Oh, you are so gonna get it, Michiru!"

Attracted to her or not, Haruka would indeed try and get back to Michiru in some way, shape, or form. Damn it! Well, as the saying went: in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Actually, I only helped him with the dress and accessories," the comment had Haruka blinking and looking at the only male of the group.

"…" Naruto said nothing. Hell, he couldn't even make eye contact with her.

"…No! Really?"

"Shaddup!" was all he said.

"See! If he can fool people into thinking he's a woman, how's it impossible for him to be a Senshi?" Naru told them.

"Hey! A dress is one thing. Pretty sure people would know it's me in a sailor suit; big difference between those outfits!"

"Oh, they'd notice something big in that sailor suit," Michiru giggled.

Naruto shrugged, a proud look on his face, "You would kno-"

"Don't need to hear this!" Usagi was a bit green while the rest of the girls, Rei included, but excluding Haruka who was laughing up a storm, were redder than a tomato, or not that far off.

And with that, Naru's theory of Naruto being a Senshi was utterly debunked.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Ah, damn," Haruka muttered, her watch going off, "Sorry, gotta go back to my place. Work stuff just came up. Nice meeting you!"

Naruto and Michiru watched as their closest friend left the building in a hurry and both were concerned, "She's searching for them isn't she?"

"Yeah," Naruto didn't bother to lie. Michiru didn't ask the first few times Haruka left unexpectedly, thinking it was work or sponsor-related. But the teal-haired teen was the brains of the group for a reason and given Haruka wasn't exactly subtle, Michiru eventually deduced what was happening.

Both Naruto and Haruka had agreed to search for the ones responsible, but given he knew exactly who was responsible, Naruto didn't want Haruka involved. The blond girl was by no means defenseless, but while she knew how to defend herself, Naruto having taught her more than a thing or two, her martial arts skill wasn't on the same level as him. It would do her little good against the Dark Kingdom's Youma.

The problem was stopping Haruka and her risk-taking. So far nothing happened, but Naruto needed to nip this in the bud and soon.

"Make sure nothing happens," Michiru asked of him; Naruto didn't have to be told twice.

"What was that?" Ami asked.

"Nothing," the blond waved off, looking at the time, "Hey, Usagi do you mind taking Michiru back to my place? She's gonna be spending the next few days there until she recovers. Got a few things I need to do myself."

"Uh, I guess?" Usagi nodded, not seeing a big deal in it.

"Thanks. See ya tonight," Naruto told the group before he left as well.

Not ten minutes had gone by since he left the arcade before Naruto had the sneaking suspicion he was being followed. Thinking it was another reporter, Naruto ducked into a nearby alley to see if he could shake them, or at least scare them off. The blond hid himself before a figure made itself known, one he wasn't expecting.

"Makoto?" Why was she following him?

"Shit!" Naruto saw Makoto get into a defensive stance, one that was much better than Haruka's. It was clear the girl had some training. The tall Juban Middle School student eased her stance once she realized it was him, "Don't scare me like that."

"Hey, you were following me," Naruto defended his actions, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well, it's obvious that you and Haruka are looking for the ones who did this to Michiru. I've been there," Makoto told him.

She had? Naruto put that bit away for later, "Trust me not by choice. I'm just trying to make sure Haruka doesn't get hurt."

"So, you do know who did it," Makoto stated, "Why keep it a secret?"

"Hey, I'm strong. I can take care of myself. Haruka's a different story. She can handle herself but these guys are beyond her," Haruka had speed on her side but so did the Youma. What good was speed when your opponent was much faster and could use the unexpected variable known as magic? She'd be lucky to last ten seconds, let alone a minute.

"Again, why keep it a secret?" Makoto asked once more.

"It wouldn't do any good. You don't know Haruka as well as I do. Even if she believed me she'd still go after 'em. The least I can do is keep an eye on her."

"Believe you?" Naruto cursed at his slip of the tongue, "What happened exactly?"

"Trust me. The less you know, the better," was all he said.

"Then I'm coming with you," Makoto's response caught him off guard, "It's either that or I tell Usagi what you're up to."

"Oh, I like her."

"Haa," Naruto was already hating this, "Fine. But you listen to me and you listen good. I was serious when I said these guys were bad news. If anything goes south, you get the hell outta there and you get help. Got it, little lady?" Makoto blushed at the nickname but nodded.

"Can't believe I'm doing this," how did this happen?

"Well, you could have stayed hidden instead of making yourself known, for one," Khonshu chimed in.

"It was a dead-end alley, genius," not exactly a prime spot to lose someone.

"You could have made your way to the roof. Limited as you are during the day, it would have been doable."

"That would have only led to more questions!"

"You give people too much credit. More likely she'll have assumed she made a mistake when she couldn't find you and then believed she lost you in the crowd. By then she'd have likely decided to go home. Now we have a tag along."

"…Shit," Naruto couldn't deny that logic, "Don't suppose you know how to wipe her memories or put her in a trance?"

"Not unless you're willing to use your fists. I'm the God of the Moon, not the God of Dreams. Even I'm limited in what I can do."

Thanks a lot, Khonshu. Real helpful.

"I heard that!"

---

(Sometime Later)
​

The night was chilly, but then it was early December even if the weather didn't accurately reflect it at the moment. And it was well into the evening, the stars having since started to come out. Naruto and Makoto were standing by and waiting for Haruka to come out of her apartment complex. Makoto, having left the arcade with just her school wear didn't have the proper attire for the cool night. The girl was tough, but she was cold and she shivered nonetheless.

"You were the one that followed me," Naruto spoke up, his eyes not leaving the entrance to the complex, "You sure you don't wanna turn in?"

"Not -hah- a chance," the young girl shivered once more before Naruto gave her his hoodie, leaving his upper body with only a burn orange tank top.

"Thanks," Makoto blushed and relished in the warmth the hoodie provided her, "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm used to it," a lie and the truth. He had worked out more than once in the cold air with just a tank top, but even then he still felt the chill. Now that chill ceased to bother him.

"You are the Guardian of the Night. The night's ill effects no matter which season won't bother you," the Ennead revealed.

It was a sweet perk to have, Naruto admitted.

"There she is," Naruto suddenly spotted her, "Real subtle, Haruka."

"How do you know it's her?" Makoto asked him.

"That coat she's wearing was a gift Michiru gave her, and those pants she's wearing are part of her regular workout routine," Naruto explained as they followed after the poorly disguised teen. Well, poorly disguised in Naruto's opinion.

"We lucked out. She's not going to the garage," that was the downside of having Makoto with him, he'd be unable to fly after Haruka and who knows where and how far and fast she'd go if she drove that damn sports car of hers. Naruto waited for a few seconds before he and Makoto began to follow their target.

"So, you've done this before?"

"Huh?" was Makoto's reply.

"A while back," Naruto reminded, "you mentioned you've been there before."

"Oh, right," Makoto did recall saying such a thing, "I meant I know what it's like going after someone who wronged you. And that you're so focused on it that you don't really consider the consequences."

"Let me guess, someone who deserved it?" Naruto pried a bit.

"And then some," Makoto was heated up just thinking about it, and to the point she didn't need Naruto's hoodie, "But the consequences happened regardless of how much they deserved what was coming to them."

"I get it. Haruka and I agreed to get back at those assholes who hospitalized Michiru. We vowed we'd look for them and make 'em pay. I can only remember bits and pieces of the night in question, and then some. At best they'd think I suffered brain damage, at worst they'd think I was delusional if I told 'em what I saw. Hell, even I didn't believe it till I did some digging of my own. Turns out these guys are really bad news."

"Why not tell Haruka-san? Or the police?"

"Hah! The police wouldn't do anything, not with this kind of intel. At worst, they'd probably arrest me for wasting valuable time. As for Haruka. Good luck! Haruka's like me. Stubborn as hell and loyal to those she's close to, to a fault. If someone's wronged a friend of hers she'll get even. Even if she did believe me I doubt it would change the fact she'd still go after them. It might just make things worse really. She'd think something was wrong with me and get distracted. It usually takes her experiencing something big and shocking before she even considers stopping. That's why I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Does Michiru-san know?"

"You don't know Michiru like I do. That girl is way too smart for her own good at times. She can spot a lie a mile away, most of the time. She may not call me and Haruka out on it at times but I know she knows when we are, and she understands why we do it. It's for her sake and ours."

"You care about her, don't you," Makoto spoke, "Both of you."

"She's my best friend. Both of them. I'd do anything for them. We'd go to hell and back for one another," Makoto felt her heart fluttering at those words. She had once believed her former senpai would have done the same. Reality had struck her like a ton of bricks.

Both Naruto and Makoto continued tailing after Haruka from a respectable distance, this time in silence. It was nearly a good twenty minutes later before they spotted Haruka stopping and knocking on the side door of a bridal shop before it opened and allowed her entry.

"Well, at least it's not your cliche bad neighborhood building," Makoto commented, "But why is she coming here of all places?"

"Not to get a bridal gown," Haruka seldom wore dresses, "But you're right. Why a bridal shop?"

"Hey, wait a minute! This might be the cursed bridal shop I heard Motoki-san talk about!"

"Cursed bridal shop?" Naruto inquired. How could a bridal shop be cursed?

"Yeah. Something about a ghost bride or something. What was it? Oh! Apparently, a woman was engaged to be married but it went sideways. She had already ordered the dress, came here one day after hours, and committed suicide in the store while she wore it. People claim you can see her ghost every now and then, but she comes after anyone who meets her eyes."

"Sounds like a publicity stunt to me," not a very smart one if it was the case, "But that still doesn't explain why Haruka would come here of all places."

"Maybe it's because she saw you guys stalking her?" Came a voice from behind them.

"GAHH!" both Naruto and Makoto at the suddenness of it all, "Don't do that!"

"Don't be lousy sneaks," Haruka said back, "FYI, Naruto, if you're gonna follow me, hide your whiskers and hair. You stand out like a sore thumb."

Naruto gave Makoto the stink eye, the girl was looking the other way when she realized the hoodie he lent her likely would have served that exact purpose.

"Also, don't use orange. That pretty much screams you," now the roles were reversed as Makoto realized that even if she didn't wear his hoodie he'd have been found out.

"Hey, it's not like I'm a ninja," this was new to him.

"Hmph!"

"You say something?" Naruto asked but got no response from the Egyptian god.

"Pretty sure you'd be a lousy one if you were. More importantly, why is she here?" Haruka nodded at Makoto.

"Blackmail," Naruto summed it up.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be a girl after my own heart," Haruka told Makoto, "But this is dangerous, and not your concern either."

"Hey, I've been in your shoes," Makoto retorted.

"Good for you. Still not your concern," Haruka shot back, "Besides, tonight was a bust anyway. I was supposed to meet someone here but when I paged them they never replied back."

"You were to meet at the ghost bride shop?" What kind of individual chose this as their location?

"Yeah, pretty sure that's just a rumor to keep people away from this place at night. Turns out some of the security guards in this building use the bridal shop for some side deals the owner isn't aware of. Nothing fancy: underage drinking, gambling, sometimes they have info on new gangs or criminal activity, special services, that kind of shit."

"In other words, the ghost bride was probably someone who got drunk, put on a bride's dress, and likely attacked someone in the process which started this whole rumor," Naruto concluded.

"That would be my guess," Haruka agreed.

"Um, guys. While that's very logically sound, I'm pretty sure they would disagree," both Naruto and Haruka looked at a pale Makoto who was staring at a pale, bride-wearing mannequin, and five red-eyed thugs who were accompanying her.

"Give me…" the bride spoke menacingly, "Give me…your energy!"

"Oh, shit! Duck and cover!" Naruto warned, just as the bride shot out a wave of dark fog that threatened to grab them.

Haruka didn't think twice and dove behind a nearby dumpster, but Makoto's mind couldn't comprehend what she was seeing and reacted too late as the Youma's spell caught her in its grasp.

"Makoto!"

"Kya!"

"More. More! Give me more energy for our Dark Ruler!" chanted the mannequin; Makoto firmly in her grasp, the reddish-brown-haired girl enveloped in a dark green aura.

Haruka and Naruto tried to rush her, but their attempts were impeded by the thugs blocking their way, weapons in hand, and the storm of dark petals coming from the mannequin darkening their vision.

"Ughh," through the gusting petals Naruto heard Makoto groan. The girl feeling quite fatigued and getting weaker by the second no doubt.

"Summon the su-"

"In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

The mannequin was annoyed both by the interruption and arrival of Sailor Moon, along with Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars.

"Damn Sailor Senshi!"

The angry Youma directed her frustrations at the group of celestial maidens, showering them with her dark petals and blocking their view. But Mars was quick to dispose of them with her talismans, incinerating the magical flower segments into ash. The temporary wall of flames revealed another problem, however.

"Where'd she go!?" Mercury asked, scanning the area to find Makoto and the Youma.

"I'd be more concerned about your safety than the girl's!"

"That voice! Nephrite!"

"The one and only," appearing from a dark portal, Nephrite gave the Sailor Senshi a mocking bow, before his arm suddenly rose in front of him, "Starlight Attack: First Constellation!"

From the Shitenno's palm came a ball of brilliant white that homed in on Sailor Moon, its flight a mix of quick looping, zigzagging, and somersaults to form an unpredictable pattern that made it impossible to stop before it struck the unfortunate Senshi.

"Kya!"

"Mercury Aqua Mist!" from Mercury came a dense mist that greatly reduced visibility.

"Go! I've got him! We need to find Makoto!" Sailor Mercury told Sailor Moon and Mars.

"Dark Gale!" But the two acted too late as a fierce cutting wind blew away the mist as though it were no more than a wisp of smoke from an unlit candle. Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon were thrown back by the attack and Mercury was forced to protect her eyes from the harsh winds.

"Too easy."

Mercury dodged to the left but even then Nephrite's sword still found its mark. The bite on her arm from the sharp steel was easily the most unpleasant pain Ami had ever experienced in all her all.

The sudden kick to the head wasn't pleasant either, and Mercury found herself airborne but was fortunate to be caught by Sailor Moon. However, the force behind it still had them tumbling and smacking into a post. Mars made to attack the man but was stopped in her tracks.

"Mars! It's a distraction! The longer we focus on him, the more energy the Ghost Bride will take from Makoto!" Mercury declared, "She's approximately twenty meters east of here!"

"Damn it! She's right! Sailor Moon, you need to stop her! Mercury and I will keep him distracted."

"But I can't just leave you-"

"Go!" Mars ordered, "We've got this."

"Oh, really?" the simple snap of Nephrite's fingers summoned many more individuals, their eyes alight with malice, their hands armed with wicked weapons, as they made their way towards the Senshi.

"Shit! Fire So-"

"Stop! They're human!" Mercury's goggles revealed, "They've just been enthralled!"

"God damn it! Akuryo (Purifying Evil)!" Many talismans materialized in front of Mars, each finding its target in order to disperse the evil powers that empowered them. Unlike Akuryo Taisen, this was a weaker variant that would not immolate the individuals in question.

"Uh, Mars. It's not working!" Sailor Moon announced, jumping back as one of the thralls tried to crush her with a maul, the pavement cracking from the force.

"Did you believe we would make the same mistake as before? We've made a few modifications since we last met," Nephrite gloated, sword held high and coursing with electrical energy before it was unleashed on the hesitating Senshi.

"What the fuck! H-how the fuck is this possible!?" Haruka asked herself, the high school student's momentary distraction caused one of the thralls as she heard them being called to get the slip on her from behind. His strength proved superior to her own and Haruka watched as another came at her with a hammer.

Fortunately, she wasn't alone, and a harsh kick found her would-be assaulter thrown against the alley wall. It gave her just enough time to bring her head back into the nose of the thrall, loosening his grip just long enough for her to slip from its grasp, and deliver a two-hit combo that knocked it to the ground. But Haruka watched as the thrall didn't stay there for long and made to lunge at her were it not for another one to land on top of it.

"Follow me," Naruto was suddenly beside her, behind him were other downed thralls rising from their spots as though they were zombies. And they might as well be given that no matter what they did they just kept coming back up.

Haruka and Naruto moved a large mobile dumpster to block the thralls' path. It wouldn't hold, their numbers too great, and already could she see some trying to climb over it, "This can't be happening.

"Yeah, this is happening. No real way to sugar-coat this, but yeah. Magic exists, so do monsters, the Senshi fight them, and I'm pretty sure these guys were being used to lure people with vices to drain them of their energy. Would have told ya sooner but I doubt it would have done any good," Naruto explained, lashing out at one of the thralls that managed to climb on top of the dumpster in the chest into the one behind it.

"Ya think!"

Naruto didn't know if these guys were Youma or human or some weird combination of the two, but he cared little about it when said individual was trying to cut or bash them in. Nephrite would likely have answers, but he couldn't get them so long as he was stuck here.

Beside him, Naruto heard Haruka grunt as one of the thralls bodychecked the metal receptacle, "I just wanted answers! I didn't know it would mean this! This is fucking insane!"

"These are thralls. Beings that have been drained of every ounce of energy. They're a step below Youma. Not enough for them to be turned into one, but enough that they can be used as cannon fodder."

"Can they be saved?" Naruto asked.

"They're basically walking dead. Partially drained individuals can be saved. These, however, are no more than empty husks made to serve, live, and die for the Dark Kingdom. To try and restore them would be the equivalent of taking one off life support."

In other words, Naruto would have to put them out of their misery. And the odd part, the blond wasn't all that bothered about it. Whether it was due to aspects of his past life leaking through or because these guys were essentially dead in the first place remained unanswered.

"Shit!" He heard Haruka grunt, the thralls were somewhat smarter than the common trop undead as the four of them charged the dumpster and began pushing it back agaisn't the two high school teens, "This is batshit crazy!"

"Yeah, well, it's about to get crazier. Suit up!"

Before Haruka could even contemplate why her friend made such an announcement, she watched in fascination as Naruto's body started to become enveloped by rows upon rows of bandages until he looked akin to a mummy. That is if mummies had white glowing eyes, a crescent metal moon strapped to their chest, and a hood and cape.

Haruka watched as Naruto kicked the dumpster, sending it and the thralls barrelling out of the alley and onto the street where it was stopped by one of the buildings on the other side. A thrall was crushed between the building and the dumpster, its one visible arm hanging loosely to the side.

The blonde couldn't think of anything to say before her head throbbed and her vision blurred. Uranus blinked until she saw hordes upon hordes of monsters gnashing, snarling, and cackling before they were swept away and crushed by a giant wave of water, something that looked like a distortion in time and space that sucked in countless of the monsters before it imploded, and a large white ball that sliced through countless of them before finally exploding and widening into a giant swirling mass of destruction.

"On…r… t."

"What?" Haruka heard a voice but couldn't make out what was said, "Where am I?"

"On…yo…et ..ra" the voice echoed once more, Haruka's vision cleared slightly and she spotted Naruto standing in front of her in his mummy suit.

"What are you trying to say?" Haruka shouted, and from her came a bright ball that ripped through the ground like a shark before leaving a wave of destruction in its wake before violently exploding the moment it struck a group of monsters.

"On your feet Uranus!" Haruka finally heard and the world went white.

---

(Seconds Before)
​

Luna watched from the sidelines as Ami and Usagi struggled against the possessed humans. As far as she could recall, even in their past life neither Senshi were particularly skilled a close combat. Rei was having a better time but her strikes proved ineffective and her talismans to expel evil proved useless against them. None of the Senshi were striking to kill, for in their minds these individuals weren't Youma or the Shitenno, but individuals that were to be saved.

Admirable, but Luna suspected it might be too late for these humans. And if things continued on like this, Makoto would end just like them, or worse!

And suspecting who the girl was, Luna couldn't have that.

The situation was only made worse as Nephrite would periodically launch an attack at one of them. Somehow the Shitenno had gotten stronger than before, and that thought greatly worried Luna. For there was only one way the denizens of the Dark Kingdom could grow stronger: Metalia.

Before she could call out to them, Luna, the Senshi, and Nephrite looked on as a dumpster came crashing out of an alley and bulldozed through several of the possessed beings in a manner akin to a runaway bull. The Senshi looked on, horrified as one of the humans was crushed to death between the metal bin and the stone structure.

All looked on as two more were struck by deadly crescent moons, one buried halfway into a thrall's head. The metal object shone in the moonlight and eradicated the malevolent influence that kept what was essentially a corpse alive.

The other was struck in the arm, the limb pretty much severed and rendered unusable, the weapon it held dropping to the ground with a clanging sound as metal met pavement.

Out of the alley, soaring through the air like an owl in flight was the Moon Knight, stunned by his sudden appearance. Sailor Mars was rendered speechless and rendered even more surprised when the Moon Knight materialized two Ofuda that attached themselves to the crescent metal moons.

She and the rest watched as the deadly objects were thrown at the humans, but a protective barrier enveloped the unholy designs of the Dark Kingdom. One of the thralls caught one crescent moon, the other was buried deep in another's shoulder.

"Is that it? Is this all the great and terrible Moon Kn-"

Forming a hand sign with his right hand, Naruto cut off one of the commanders of Queen Beryl with one word, "Katsu!"

And the thralls found themselves blown to kingdom come as the tags released a deadly concussive force of holy fire and metal. The beings vaporized by the deadly blast that engulfed them, along with those nearby. The lucky ones were sent flying in varying directions, and the even luckier ones survived.

Nephrite scowled, more than half of the thralls were disposed of by the Knight's latest stunt, and four more were beyond salvage. Fortunately, they were too far gone for the energy stolen from them to return anyway.

Kunzite's newfound power had enabled him to recreate these beings. Not all humans could be turned into Youma, only those whose bodies had the necessary requirements could be turned into them. These thralls were weaker than Youma but stronger than the average human, and the psychological aspect involved with killing a human being worked well on the Senshi.

"If only it worked on the Knight, too," the Shitenno muttered.

"Go! I'll handle him," Naruto ordered the Senshi.

"Hey! Who said you could order u-"

"Do as he says, Mars!" Shouted Luna. Now wasn't the time to let personal feelings get involved.

"Are you serious?! He's killing people left and right!" Mars pointed out.

"She's right! We have to stop him!" Sailor Moon agreed.

"Oh, for the love of - Unless you want the girl to die, move your asses!"

Luna agreed, "He's right! We have to move!"

"But-"

"NOW!" Naruto bellowed. His wraps extended from his form, wrapping around four nearby thralls as though they were snakes, immobilizing and rendering them vulnerable. Naruto's superior strength had the thralls sailing towards him with a simple tug, simple for him at least, and a quick dash forward coupled with a devastating lariat from both of his arms took them out of the fight. Two of thralls' necks were twisted at an awkward angle from the blow, while the other two had caved-in faces from his fists.

"Now's our chance! Move!"

Neither of the three Senshi argued with Luna this time, using the opening the Moon Knight created for them to try and reach Makoto in time. Nephrite made to stop them but was stopped by Naruto before he could. The Shitenno managed to block one of the crescent metal moons with his sword, but the second that was hidden behind the first sliced his cheek despite his efforts to dodge.

Were he Zoisite he'd have been ballistic, enraged, or vengeful. The ponytailed man greatly valued his face and made great efforts to keep it blemish-free. But unlike the effeminate Shitenno, Nephrite was just pissed. Clutching the gift given to him by the Dark Ruler, Nephrite called upon its power and found himself swimming in Metalia's dark and potent energy.

The Shitenno rose his sword to the sky, the night darkening with ominous clouds and calling upon black lightning to strike the ground where the Moon Knight stood.

But the annoying white-clothed warrior was swift and dodged the first, second, third, and fourth strike that came down upon him. The fifth struck home, but a quick block by the Knight only had him take a knee. Had it been one of the Senshi trying such a stunt they'd likely be on the verge of death.

Nephrite sent a ball of light towards his kneeling foe, its speed greater than the one he previously used on Sailor Moon, but the Moon Knight was annoyingly roach-like in his perseverance. Two sticks appeared in his hand, combining into a larger weapon that spun at high speed. Nephrite's spell made contact and the ensuing explosion rattled the buildings and destroyed countless windows and doors.

But grand as the spell was the Knight's newest trick protected him all the same, and he remained unharmed. No burns, not even a singe on his annoyingly bright armor.

Nephrite decided to summon more lightning to finish him off, but found his head swimming, "Damn! Not now," Nephrite cursed his luck and the timing of it all.

He cursed even more he found two hook-like weapons digging painfully into his right arm, and the other in his left flank. Nephrite dug in his feet to stop the Knight from reeling him in for what was sure to be a painful strike.

But as each moment passed, Nephrite found himself getting weaker and his resistance waning. Great as the Dark Ruler's gift was and powerful as the effects were, Nephrite was still unused to using it. His spells were more powerful than ever before, but their effects were currently short-lived and the more powerful spells he used, the quicker the effects wore off. It would take some time for the prism to recharge enough for him to use it again.

"Unless," focusing as best he could given his circumstances, Nephrite called upon the dark energy from the remaining thralls, draining some of the dark essence that give them life to fuel himself and his Dark Ruler's gift.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to give him the energy needed to stop the knight's efforts by powering himself just enough. While this was happening, he ordered his remaining thralls to attack the Moon Knight and mentally recalled the Ghost Bride to come to his aid.

Even when trying to bring him in the Knight was quick to kick, head butt and even elbow strike the thralls trying to subdue him on their master's orders. It did little to stop him, but the distraction was enough for aid to reach him.

"Nephrite-sama!" a quick glance to the left allowed him to see the Ghost Bride, singed and battered and a lot worse for wear, "Forgive me! I lost the girl! Sailor Jupiter intervened!"

"Jupiter?! Fuck!" It was ill news to learn that another of the Inner Senshi had awakened! Queen Beryl would be less than pleased on multiple counts.

"Doesn't matter! Give me the energy you collected!" the best thing about the Youma was that they were utterly loyal to those who created them. The only exception to this rule was that they were more loyal to Queen Beryl and Queen Metalia.

The Youma didn't question nor hesitate to infuse her master with the energy she stole from Makoto. The pain subsided, his energy returned, and the Dark Gift re-energized. Nephrite surmised that the girl had a decent amount of energy for this to occur.

But he put that thought away for now. Power coursed through him once again. But it would matter little with the Knight's weapons preventing him from casting spells. And the Senshi were likely making their way towards him.

Mentally ordering his creation to attack, Nephrite watched as a dark green aura took the shape of a large, clawed hand and wrapped itself around the distracted Knight.

With his foe subdued, but likely not for long based on what he saw, Nephrite used this opportunity to dislodge the painful weapons from his form just as the Knight broke free from Ghost Bride's hold. A funnel of powerful wind escaped the Knight's hands, mowing down the thralls and the Youma into a centralized location.

Nephrite went to call upon the power of lightning once more but was forced to empower his sword and block a lightning strike that otherwise could have sent him into a world of hurt. A lightning strike courtesy of the newly awakened Jupiter.

With what few memories he could remember of the Senshi, Nephrite recalled that Jupiter easily had the most destructive and deadliest of attacks of the group. Sailor Moon and Venus' holy/light-based powers were the antithesis of the Dark Kingdom, granting them an advantage over most of their forces and usually resulting in one-hit kills if their attacks landed, but they could be dodged or blocked. Jupiter's lightning spells were the hardest to defend against unless one knew how. Even then it was tricky unless one was a user of lightning magic themselves.

Seeing he was outmatched and outnumbered, Nephrite decided upon a tactical retreat in order to salvage what few resources remained and hoped it would be enough for him to appease Queen Beryl. A good amount of energy had been collected these last few days, even if it wasn't his preferred method and a few servants were made in the process. Not all of which were here. It would have to do for now.

"World Shaking!"

The earth shook, and standing was difficult for everyone as their stability and balance became unstable by the seismic event that brought three of the four Senshi to the ground along with several of the thralls. The Knight and the Youma, who had the powers to levitate, remained unaffected by the unknown event.

Then death came upon his creation and the thralls in the form of a miniature sun rising out from the ground, impacting the Ghost Bride before she could even move out of the way. The explosion that followed proved greater than his own spell, the heat hotter than Mars' fire spells and wind turbulence sent Nephrite flying, the impact of his landing would have been painful had he not reinforced himself. Instead, it was nothing more than a dull but annoying ache.

And as the dust settled and began to clear, a form took shape, and a young but tall woman wearing a navy blue choker and collar, wrist-fitting gloves, skirt, bows, boots, and a golden hoop on each ear. The front bow of her uniform was yellow, which matched the tiara adorning her head.

"Luna, who's that?" Sailor Moon asked the question everyone had.

But the woman answered instead, "Name's Uranus. Just sit back and watch how a real Senshi goes to work," a sword materializing in her hand as she closed in on Nephrite.

"Excuse me!" An indignant Mars shouted.

"Stand down, Mars," Luna ordered. It was for her own safety. Luna didn't know if she was newly awakened or not, but neither Mars - Oh, who was she trying to fool? - none of the Inner Senshi, would last a second against one of the Outer Senshi.

It seemed the Shitenno was of the same mindset for Nephrite decided to cut his losses and make a quick retreat just as Uranus' sword stabbed deeply into the pavement.

"Hmph. Coward," a smart move on his part but a coward nonetheless in Uranus' opinion, "Well, doubt we'll be seeing him anytime soon. Later, Girl Scouts!"

"Why you!" Mars growled but could only watch as the Outer Senshi backflipped to ridiculous heights, landing on top of one of the smaller buildings before she was out of sight. The Moon Knight hot on her tail.

"Umm, what was that about?" Makoto, the newly awakened member of the group asked.

"Yeah! Isn't she supposed to be on our side?" Sailor Moon asked out loud.

"Yes, and no. Sailor Uranus is one of the Outer Senshi," she revealed.

"Outer Senshi?" Ami asked, "What do you mean?"

"The Senshi of the Moon Kingdom are divided into two groups. The Inner and Outer. The Inner Senshi were charged to be the guardians of the Moon Princess. The Outers' duties, similar to the Moon Knight, were charged with protecting the Moon Kingdom from outside threats. Their history with the Inner Senshi was …cold if one wants to be kind."

"Cold? What did we do?" Sailor Moon asked.

"It's what you didn't do."

"Didn't do?" Makoto blinked.

"Your duty. The Moon Princess died on your watch," Luna revealed. While they were short one member, Luna intended to give Sailor Moon the Moon Stick when the fourth Senshi revealed herself, symbolizing Usagi as the leader of the Senshi.

But she wasn't ready. None of them were. And while she couldn't speak about Jupiter since she had only just awakened, tonight's events made it absolutely clear to Luna that none of the Senshi had the proper mindset or the skills that were required of them.

Mars was skilled with her magic but a hothead who let her anger get the best of her. Sailor Moon was kind, but a crybaby and not exactly mature most of the time. Hardly the makings of a leader. Mercury was the most level-headed of the group but her combat skills were abysmal - Sailor Moon wasn't far behind either in that department either - and constantly had her head buried in books. The latter wasn't a bad thing but Mercury could take the time to learn or improve other skills she otherwise wasn't good at.

If they were going to win against the Dark Kingdom, all of them needed to improve on many fronts. Until then, the Moon Stick would remain with her. The artifact of the Moon Kingdom wasn't an item to be given out lightly. Luna would ensure it was given only when they proved themselves.

Hopefully soon. For if tonight was any indicator, the minions of the Dark Kingdom were growing stronger. Which meant the Dark Kingdom was growing stronger.

Time wasn't on their side.

---

Uranus leaped, sprinted, and somersaulted from roof to roof at speeds that none could match. Except for one, and even Naruto found himself giving it all he had just to catch up to her.

"Fast," he muttered. Haruka had always been quick since the day he met her, and given how quickly she improved since their first race was a clear indicator that she would one day outrace him. And it was clear as day to him that Uranus was Haruka. He didn't know how he knew. He just did.

Maybe it was the look Uranus had on her face, the same look Haruka had on her face when the wind blew across it and flowed through her hair, a look of elation whenever it occurred. Maybe it was that haughty attitude towards the other Senshi, an attitude Haruka reserved only for those she disliked. Maybe it was because she was his friend and he just knew. Or maybe it was because of the way she ran and traveled from rooftop to rooftop as though she were trying to beat someone in a race.

Not today, though.

Naruto closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Focusing on the stars, the moon, and the light they gave off. He breathed in once, deeply, and then exhaled, slowly and lightly, and repeated this process three more times. When Naruto opened his eyes once more, oh, how they glowed.

The gap between the Knight and the Senshi was reduced considerably and in a matter of seconds, Naruto caught up to her and his sudden appearance startled her. As though he had just awoken her from a trance.

Sailor Uranus stabbed at him with her sword, something he didn't expect, but Naruto parried the weapon with one of his own before countering a swift strike to the head with the head. The blow stung like mad it seemed for Naruto watched as Uranus instinctively brought her hand to her head to ease the throbbing.

"W-wha-what's going on?" Naruto heard Uranus mutter, "Oh, god, my head!"

"Haruka?" Naruto was concerned, believing he used too much in that blow despite holding back.

Haruka, or Uranus at the moment, looked up at him with a strange look before they widened, "Naruto?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, his hood and the mask fading away to reveal his whiskered face. What else was there to say?

"How's this possible? Oh, my head. Ow!" Haruka winced and moaned before she recalled what happened, "You hit me!"

"You tried to stab me!"

"I…I did, didn't I? Why?" Haruka couldn't think of any reason why she'd do such a thing.

"Likely she was in a battle haze. Uranus was the most battle-ready and prone of the Outer Senshi. She was the best fighter."

"That voice… Lord Khonshu?"

"You can hear him?" Naruto wondered how was that possible before he realized something else, "Wait, you know him? How?"

Haruka looked ready to answer but then blinked, "I don't know. I think it's my memories from before. Oh, man, this is fucking weird."

"It would appear awakening her powers also awoke some of her memories in the process. Selene's spell may have affected the Outer Senshi differently. But then, unlike the princess' bodyguards, the Outer Senshi never let the peace of Silver Millennium render themselves dull. You wouldn't let them."

"I didn't?"

"You were charged with training them as the Outer Senshi were charged as the first line of defense to invaders whenever you were out patrolling. At times you would take them with you. I can honestly say it's a relief you found one so soon. She'll make a great ally."

"I thought you didn't care for the Senshi?" Naruto recalled.

"The Inner Senshi. The Outer Senshi are different. While the Inner were busy hosting tea parties and other nonsense, the Outer were keeping themselves sharp and ready to risk their lives and ensure their borders were safe. Diplomatic duties are important and all but that doesn't excuse neglected training! Physically, Uranus was the strongest and fastest of the Outer Senshi and her power over the winds was greater than yourself."

"Uh, hello? I'm standing right here!" Uranus wasn't exactly thrilled that she was being talked about as though she weren't present.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized, "How you holding up?"

"Honestly, it's weird. Part of me feels like I've just woking up for the first time and the other feels like this is just a dream. It's pretty confusing. Am I Tenou Haruka or am I Sailor Uranus?"

"Can't it be both?" Naruto asked her, "I mean, why choose one or the other? Your old life, our old life, ended 10,000 years ago. We've made new memories since then."

"I can't just dismiss them!" Haruka told him.

"Didn't say you should. Just saying you shouldn't let your old life affect your present one. Haruka or Uranus, you're my friend regardless. I wouldn't change that for anything. Would you?"

"Hell no!" Haruka declared but sighed, "But this is gonna take some getting used to. How'd you do it?"

"Hey, I only just got my powers the night of the D Incident. I'm still working things out myself. Don't mean you can't lean on me regardless. Besides, I could use a sparing partner. Even if it means seeing you ending up face down in the dirt."

Haruka smirked at that, "Pretty sure of yourself, huh?"

"Well, I'll admit you're the fastest of the Senshi I've trained," Naruto blinked as a memory flashed before him, but grinned as he saw its end results, "but you've yet to beat me in a race in this life and the last."

Sensing where this was going, Haruka's mouth smirked even wider, "That a challenge?"

Naruto merely grinned back, his mask reforming over his head, the wind picking up beneath them, "Mugging attempt about a mile east from here. You game?"

Having sensed the same thing due to her powers over the winds, Haruka didn't have to be asked twice, the winds intensified, "You're on!" Haruka whooped as both she and Naruto soared into the night sky.

Muggers beware.

---

Kino Makoto was, in two words, dead tired. Her body was sore in places she didn't even know existed, and given she worked out fairly regularly she believed she knew all of them.

Apparently not.

Luna had warned her - oh, god she'd been warned by a cat of all things - that it was to be expected. The other Senshi had developed the same symptoms after the first time they used their powers. Sailor Moon's powers dealing with healing allowed her to innately recover more quickly than Mars and Mercury.

Makoto prayed and hoped that her years of training would allow her to do so as well. Fighting the Youma hadn't been easy, Luna made it clear she was surprised that the evil being had survived her Jupiter Thunderbolt. But the talking feline had also made it clear that the Dark Kingdom was very likely growing stronger and were being even more secretive than before.

Their strength was greater than when the Sailor Moon first faced them almost two months ago. But then, the Senshi couldn't be everywhere and while most incidents involving them had been stopped, Luna suspected that some incidents had unfortunately fallen through the cracks. Luna had made it clear they would have to be more proactive in their search and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity or rumors instead of outright dismissing them. Some would likely be dead ends but it was better safe than sorry.

Speaking of which, "I hope Naruto and Haruka made it out okay," the newly awakened Senshi had looked into the alley to see if anything had happened to either Naruto or Haruka. Nothing was found and Makoto hoped it meant they had fled the scene when they saw what they saw.

But then, even Makoto struggled a bit with tonight's revelations. While she was hoping for a fresh new start, learning she was once the Guardian of Courage, the Stormbringer, and bodyguard of the Moon Princess from 10,000 years ago was a bit little much.

"Okay, more than a bit much!" she admitted, and Jupiter's head lowered at the thought, "Some bodyguard."

Luna had revealed that the Inner Senshi had ultimately failed to protect the princess. What kind of bodyguard failed at such an important task? Luna had been harsh in her reprimand. While many during that time had allowed peace to get the better of them, a bodyguard shouldn't have allowed such a thing to occur to themselves. But the Inner Senshi had and they had been ill-prepared for the Dark Kingdom's assault.

Makoto wouldn't make that same mistake and vowed to get stronger. How she would do it she didn't exactly know right now. But Makoto would figure something out. Not like she could join a local fitness gym without drawing unwanted attention. Her strength had always been greater than most boys her age and height, and now it had indeed become superhuman.

Joining a martial arts club was also out, too. Even before her powers awoke she sometimes had trouble holding back, more often people got hurt and then the rumors began spreading to the point that she'd have to find a new club.

"If only Naruto-senpai were that strong," she'd have loved nothing more than to spar against him and get a better idea of what she was capable of for none of the other Senshi had superhuman strength. But strong as the older teen was, Naruto wasn't superhuman, just immensely athletic. She'd hate for an accident to occur and end what was certain to be a promising future.

Putting that thought aside, Makoto decided she'd figure something out later and entered her apartment for a good night's rest. Tomorrow was a school day, she'd need all the sleep she could get before then. Fate had other plans.

"Evening, Jupiter."

Despite her fatigue, Makoto entered into a battle stance and saw there were two individuals in her home. She instantly recognized both of them, Sailor Uranus and the Moon Knight. Makoto was worried. Luna had mentioned that these two were powerful, hardened warriors, and the Dark Kingdom's most feared foes.

And they weren't exactly fans of the Inner Senshi. Even more so when the Silver Millennium came to an end. It was unknown if they were allies or not. Oh, certainly the Moon Knight helped them tonight, but that didn't mean he was fully on their side. Uranus too was unknown but she had made it clear she wasn't a fan of them.

"Relax, we're here to talk," the Moon Knight tried to put her at ease.

"Talk?" Makoto repeated.

"Mummy here seems to think you have potential. I'm not convinced," Uranus frowned, "But I'm willing to give ya a chance. One! You fuck up, and I hand your ass to you on a dirty platter."

"You mean a silver platter?" Makoto asked.

"Like I'm gonna waste good silver," was Uranus' reply.

"Haruka," Naruto warned.

Uranus frowned but said nothing more. Nor did she not apologize, the memories and emotions of her past life seeping through.

"Haruka?… Haruka!" Makoto's eyes widened at the reveal.

"Yo," Uranus waved lazily, turning off her transformation to reveal the famed racer.

"My turn," Makoto heard Moon Knight utter, and his reveal had her eyes threatening to burst from her skull and sent her heart thumping wildly against her chest.

"Naruto-senpai? You're…you are…"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "I'm Batman."

Thud!

Haruka ignored the fainted Senshi and looked at her friend, "Really? I'm Batman?"

"I've just always wanted to say that," Naruto laughed, and despite her scoff, Haruka cracked a smile nonetheless.

This was gonna be fun.

---

Important Note:

Hey folks. Here is the next chapter. Please note my Christmas/New Year's vacation is almost over (I wanna cry), and I gotta return to work soon so don't expect any super quick updates like before. That said, I will still be working on this. In the meantime, enjoy kindly review, and for all of my Gamer story fans, please note that I am working on getting the latest chapters ready for you. This chapter was stuck in my head and I had to get it out.

First thing, Rei's not sexist in this story, though it can come across as such. She just doesn't care for men, more accurately older men, and even then she tolerates most boys at best. In the manga, before the 90s anime came out, her father was a politician who was constantly away and that saddened her mother. Her mother got sick, was hospitalized, and died. Her father never came to see her mother at all during that time, or at the funeral. He remained frequently absent in her childhood life and even more from then on, and was solely raised by her grandfather, one of the very few older men she cared for. She was initially sent to an all-girls' catholic school in Japan, initially for political reasons by her father but chose to stay when he tried to have to go to a different one. Rei's pretty much cut off all ties with him and her deep-seated resentment of him resulted in a dislike for older men that's borderline hatred, not enough that she won't save such an individual if they're in danger, but you won't see her talking or socializing with them by choice. She can tolerate older man when necessary, but when she thinks they're trying to 'get to know her better' her dislike rears its ugly head.

As a result of this happening in the manga, many readers believed she was a lesbian or a feminist. Rei clearly stated in the manga she has no intentions of ever being with a man, stating men are pigs, distractions, and other unflattering things. But it was never made clear if she would outgrow it or if she was a lesbian like Haruka. The Rei I'm trying to portray is a combination of the 90s anime where she can be boy-crazy and the Crystal anime, which is more true to the manga version of her

Second thing, Naruto will only be revealing his identity to Makoto for the time being, so don't expect the rest to find out who he is until much, much later.

Third, there's no DC or other Marvel characters that will show up. References will occur but they won't appear, except perhaps in flashbacks of Khonshu's memories. DC exists in this story only as a comic series in the Sailor Moon Universe, Naruto saying "I'm Batman" was just a joke and a famous line from the comic series. Sorry if people are expecting anything otherwise. Again, for more chapters, go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/u2331908

 

[ENDDRAGON]

"She knows it's Saturday, right?" Shingo, the only son of the family asked.

Click to shrink...

Japanese schools have classes on Saturday.