SailorsPathfinder : Love and Without
By : Erin Flynn – fanfic@mjade.com
Episode 8 : Powers 

	Hydra stared at the so-called General that stood before her in
disbelief.  "What do you mean our forces are down by HALF!!!"
	"Well, my Queen, um, you see, the Sailor Senshi killed many of
them, and well, the fliers we sent in with the bomb were all killed-"
	"WHAT!!!  WHY?!?!" Hydrazite roared at him.
	"Well," he shrunk down a bit, "You wanted that Fortress totally
destroyed, so I had them use an anti-matter bomb-"
	"THAT WOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE!!!!"
	"Well, because you, um, gave us so little time to get it together,
there wasn't enough time to attach a timing device, so it went up on
impact-"
	Hydra's features became cold as she suddenly interrupted the
General once more with a whisper that made chills run through every person
watching the scene, "General, do you mean to say this was my fault?"
	The General paled as he fumbled for an answer, "My-my Queen, I-I
never-I--"
	What he never did was finish.  Quickly bringing up her right hand,
Hydrazite released a powerful blast of orange and yellow energy.  In an
instant it had incinerated the General in a grotesque fashion.
	Hydrazite stood and gazed around the room, "Does anyone else here
believe anything is MY FAULT?!?!"
	All the denizens of the room shook their heads no.  "Good."  She
turned to her right and looked into the crystal sphere that sat there,
"General, how are your efforts going in locating the members of my new
army?"
	An image appeared in the crystal, an image that was smiling,
"Excellent, my Queen, everything is proceeding quite nicely, so far we
have located at least one-hundred and thirty, and at least ninety percent
of these have been captured."
	Hydra smiled, "Excellent indeed.  Remember, I need but three
hundred, they should do the job.  I don't want to kill any more than that
either, when we're done with them.  Human bodies are so useless when
dead."
	The General spoke again, "My Queen, do I have permission to begin
placing all of these vermin into the dungeon beneath the castle?"
	Hydra thought for a moment, "No.  Put them into one of the farming
facilities.  Find one that is large enough and then report to me on which
one you chose."
	"Thank you, my Queen."  The General disappeared as the crystal
went dark.
	Hydra turned to the denizens of the room once more.  "We do not
have to worry for a time, the Pathfinders are undoubtedly very shaken by
their loss.  Humans are very weak like that.  They will once again be
caught off guard when we attack with our awesome new army... an army that
will be invulnerable... an army of their own kind..."
	As Hydra once more found herself daydreaming of ridding herself of
the Senshi vermin forever, the room was once more filled with the murmur
of her name as everything present hailed her.  <Soon... soon...>

	*	*	*

	Risa listened as Tuxedo Mask laid out his plan for Ann, Alan, and
all seventy-four of the Pathfinders present in the valley.  Leeota, Sage,
and Kalea were the only ones absent.  Kalea, one of the two Pathfinders
who had remained at the O.F. had been found, but was critically injured.
Leeota had escorted her and all of the civilians who had lived through the
destruction to the nearest fortress.  Risa glanced at her chrono, Leeota
should be teleporting back soon.  
	As for Sage, Risa had had her teleport to all of the fortresses to
begin to gather all of the Hex squadrons to come to this location, the
site of where they would leave to hopefully destroy the DarkNites once and
for all.  Several of the other Pathfinders had questioned her decision to
trust Sage still, and Risa angrily pointed out that if it had not been for
Sage, many of them would be dead in the first place.  Sage might have made
a mistake in leaving only two senshi, and she might have saved more lives
by leaving only two senshi, anyways that no longer mattered, all that did
was the upcoming battle, and all of the people knew Sage, and so she had
sent her.  All of this not trusting Sage business hurt Risa inside.
	But one thing was hurting her more, the way Mamoru was acting...
no not Mamoru, but Tuxedo Mask.  He had not changed out of his Tuxedo Mask
form in all of the time that he had been back.  She recalled everything
that had transpired on the hill as they had watched the Outpost Fortress
explode.  Him then stumbling down the hill and screaming her name into the
air... she felt so guilty.  <Guilt!!  That is what hurts so, so much...
Has to be...>  Guilt that she had drug him into this battle, without his
consent, to this world, and then had persuaded him to stay...  Now he
could never go back... not only to his love, but to his entire LIFE!!!
Risa closed her eyes as she realized that she had successfully ended his
life.
	And he was acting now, just as if he WAS dead.  Emotionless... no
not quite emotionless, but filled with a coldness that he hadn't shown
before.  The person whom she knew as Mamoru, as Prince Endymion she no
longer saw.  What had happened to him in that time he had been gone? 
	"Then, two of you will have to teleport into the main room,"
Tuxedo Mask indicated a room on the floor plan he had pulled from the data
on Sage's datapad.  Not only did they acquire the dark sider's technology
when they took over their fortresses, but they also acquired information.
The floor plans of every fortress and the castle were one of the finds
they had uncovered.  "It will be awhile before we can get to the two who
go in, but if everything goes to plan, we will get there eventually..."
He went on and Risa decided she had best listen once more to his plan
before she was facing off against the DarkNites once more.

	*	*	*

	Sage, Leeota, and Risa sat on the side of a small hill as Tuxedo
Mask explained to all of the Hex army leaders what part they and their
armies would play in the attack.  Sage saw Leeota yawn, and yawned
herself.  The suns had long since disappeared and it was getting late.
Most of the Pathfinders and the soldiers slept soundly in the valley
behind them.  Sage looked at them and stood, "I think I'm gonna head down
there and sleep some so that I'm ready for tomorrow, you two coming?"
	Leeota stood, "I will, I'm exhausted, haven't walked as far as I
did today in a long time, teleporting is so much easier."  She yawned
again.
	Risa looked up at them, "I'll be there in a little while, but not
just yet, you guys go on."
	Sage smiled, "See you in the morning, then." She and Leeota walked
off.
	
	*	*	*

	Risa watched as the Hex leaders left after Tuxedo Mask dismissed
them.  Then she watched him walk a ways off into the darkness.  After more
than a moment's hesitation she slowly stood and followed him.
	
	*	*	*

	Tuxedo Mask walked away from the light and the quiet noise of the
camp where all of the Pathfinders and soldiers were.  He wandered a bit
and then fell to his knees.  He put his head in his hands.  <Why... why do
I keep helping them?  My life is gone... Usako... I'll never see her
again... ever... and it's all their fault!  Them and their damned fight!>
	"Tuxedo Mask?"  He spun at the voice.  Risa stood not far away
from him.
	"Risa.. what... ?"
	"I... I'm sorry... Sorry about everything... I know nothing that I
could ever do or say could make up for the fact that I've most
successfully destroyed your life, but- I...  I'm sorry." he could hear
sadness in her voice and figured that if they were in more but minimal
light he would be able to see tears in her eyes.  <But... they need my
help... I can't not help... have to...>
	"Risa... it... it's okay-"
	Risa began in a rapid, emotion wrought voice, "How can you say
that, of course it's not okay.  You... what I've done-"
	"Please, let's not think about it... I don't want to-"
	"But I feel so awful, I mean... you'll never...  I feel so
awful... and so sad... I can't-,"  she stopped, her voice wavering in her
final words.
	He stood and walked over to her and put his arms around her.  She
sobbed, "I'm sorry."  He continued to hold her as she cried... for him. 
	<She needs my help... they all do, that's why they brought me here
in the first place.  I have to help them.>  "Please don't cry for me, I
have enough for the both of us, actually." 
	She looked up at him, "When?"
	"When I took off back there, after seeing the explosion."  He
looked off into the distant darkness, "I ran for a time and then found
myself totally alone in a valley.  After a time I found myself again and
decided that I needed to come back, that we needed to attack and destroy
this evil so that your world could be free again."
	"Found yourself?" Risa asked.
	"I was lost for a little bit... lost within myself.  It was such
an abrupt ending to everything.  We were celebrating and then Sage was
screaming and everything was over... forever."  He heard Risa make a sad
sound and he suddenly realized what he had said, "But, I don't want to
think about anything else now except attacking that castle and freeing the
people of this world."
	"Are you sure?" she asked.
	"Yes," he looked down at her, "We should probably sleep now."
	She nodded.  He released her and they started to walk back to
camp.  "Tuxedo Mask?"
	He looked at her, "Yeah?"
	"Why haven't you transformed out of that form since you got back?"
she looked at him with concern.
	He stopped walking, "I'm afraid I won't be able to transform
back."
	"WHAT!" she semi-yelled.
	"Shh... please!"  He watched Risa clap a hand over her mouth.  He
told her about his transformation hurting during the battle, and then how
he had been unable to fly, and finally about what had happened to him
while he was alone, "I tried to transform into my armor, to become myself
as Prince Endymion, and I couldn't.  As I tried, all I felt was pain and
then nothing happened.  And then I tried once more to fly, and I couldn't.
I have a feeling that I could de-transform into Mamoru, but then I
wouldn't be able to be Tuxedo Mask again."
	"Why?  What's wrong?"
	"I have a feeling it has to do with being so far from Usako."
	Risa's mouth hung open, "What?  The Princess... but why-"
	"The only reason I became Tuxedo Mask in the first place was to
protect her, and I no longer need to be Prince Endymion without her...  my
powers have always been based on her... and now I am no longer near her or
in any place where I could protect her... and my power is leaving me."
	Risa covered her mouth as her eyes once again filled with tears,
"Now your powers, too..."
	"Risa, please..."  She nodded and wiped her eyes. 
	"I know... I know... you don't want to think about it... only the
fight, I can't though."
	He sighed, "Neither can I really, but I keep trying.   Please
try."
	She nodded once more, "Yes, I will."
	They turned and once more walked toward where the others slept.
As they parted, Risa grabbed his hand, "I thank you, and this world thanks
you, for doing what you are...  Thank you."  she squeezed his hand and
then ran off to where the other Pathfinders lay.  
	He watched her go, and then turned to walk to where he saw Ann and
Alan sitting staring into a fire.  <That's why I'm helping them, because
they truly need help...>
	Ann smiled at him as he sat down.  "Hey, you okay?"
	"No, not really, but I don't want to talk about it, so yeah, I'm
okay."  
	Alan looked at him, "Listen, Mamoru, not one of us could blame you
if you didn't feel like fighting anymore..." he looked at Ann, "I know I
wouldn't feel like fighting at all."
	"Ah, but I do feel like fighting, simply because they need my
help, and I can help.  I could never walk away from someone who needed
help."
	Alan smiled at him, "You're a good man Mamoru."
	Tuxedo Mask smiled slightly and then yawned, "Well, I being the
human I am need a little sleep now, so if you don't mind, I'll just lay
down right here and doze off..." he stretched out on the ground and put
one of his hands beneath his head.
	Ann smiled, leaned over him, and kissed him on the cheek, "Go for
it... See you in the morning Mamo-chan."
	Even as she did it, he was halfway asleep and her final word
echoed in his mind, slowly transforming itself into Usako's voice,
"Mamo-chan... Mamo-chan..."

	*	*	*
	*	*	*

	<No!!  This can't be happening!!  What's wrong???>  Usagi brought
her brooch down from the place in the air she had been holding it in and
stared at it.  Then once again she thrust it above her and shouted, "MOON
CRYSTAL POWER... MAKE-UP!!!"  And once again nothing happened.  <NO!!!
Have I lost my powers?  Not now!!!  I can't have>
	"Usagi!!  What's going on?  Why haven't you transformed?"  
	Usagi turned to the source of the voice, "Luna?"
	"Usagi!!  What is GOING ON!?!" 
	Usagi fell to her knees before the cat, "Oh, Luna, please don't
yell, I can't transform-"
	"WHAT!  Why?"
	Usagi shook her head as tears formed in her eyes, "I tried and
nothing happened... oh but what does it matter, Rei's gone now, too..."
	"WHAT!!!"  Usagi saw that this whole ordeal was overly shocking
Luna.  "She's GONE??!"
	Usagi nodded. "Just like Mamoru," she whispered, "I can't do this
Luna, I can't do this anymore... Rei was here a second ago... a second
ago... and now she's gone!"
	"Oh Usagi..."
	"I have no hope left Luna, I can't be Sailor Moon without hope...
and what's left anymore... nothing.."
	"BUBBLE SPRAY!!!"
	Usagi heard Mercury's attack and spun around to see a wave of
bubbles shoot out at the youma.  <Mercury... Ami... and Makoto and
Minako...  for them...>
	"Luna, go warn the others not to go near that youma!  I'll be
there in a second."  With a strength and a sense of duty, obligation, and
mostly love for her friends, Tsukino Usagi thrust a pink brooch into the
air and screamed...

	"MOON CRYSTAL POWER... MAKE UP!!!"

	Color and light swelled around her as her clothes disappeared.
Her body was pure energy for a moment.  And then she and her clothes
reformed, a metal tiara formed on her forehead, and she opened her eyes.
Sailor Moon.
	But she before she could do anything she heard Venus scream.
"AMI!!"
	<NO!!> Sailor Moon ran over to where she had heard the scream.
Jupiter and Venus stood staring in shock at the youma.  She looked at
Luna.
	"I'm sorry, Sailor Moon, I-I... she's gone..." Luna looked down,
"Ami..."  
	Sailor Moon quickly turned to the youma and screamed at it in
rage, "You YOUMA!!  I swear by the Moon that in several moments you will
wish you had never left the slimy hole you crawled out of!!"  And with
that her scepter was out, she chanted the required words and the youma was
gone.  The thing did not even to have a second to think in.
	Sailor Moon turned back to Venus and Jupiter.  Tears were in
Venus's eyes... "Ami.."
	Sailor Moon looked at her boots and then, with tears streaming
from her own eyes, looked at the two, "Rei... is gone, too."
	"No."  Jupiter whispered in a haunted tone as Venus fell to her
knees crying.
	Sailor Moon looked at Jupiter, "Was... was it a crystal... like
Mamoru..."
	Jupiter nodded.
	"Rei, too."  Sailor Moon whispered.
	"GOD NO!!!  WHY?!?!?"  Venus cried into the air.

	We are the ones who are supposed to win!

End Ep. Eight