The crystallized room went cold with the chill of evil… Each person within the room tensed, some a little more than others. A moment before he materialized, the red clad Senshi had pinpointed his exact location. The hash wind began to blow, swirling about the small room like a tornado. The girls cried out, one in particular holding a little more closely to the child in her arms. Laughter resounded and they looked up at the ceiling, to where a white-haired young man appeared from thin air. "The King is such a fool… To think I didn't know of this place!" He laughed, his head thrown back in genuine mirth. Below him, the girls and one male looked up in shock. Just who was this man?

"I demand to know who you are!" The blonde Senshi cried out, her grip remaining tight on the little girl she held. Blue eyes had already taken notice of the black moon tattooed upon his brow- he was of the Black Moon Clan. The evil beings were after the child and the future, she wasn't going to let him have her. No matter the cost. This girl was precious to her, more precious than anyone else, she would die before she let that Clan have her.

'Those beautiful eyes…" The man murmured, locking gazes with the Senshi, the same eyes of the Queen… Those eyes that looked upon me that time.. Now she will only have eyes for me! His face twisted in a malicious smile and a moment later, the moon upon his forehead morphed, becoming instead a facing up and down eye, which narrowed then focused its energy. Immediately the group below felt its affect- each one felt their power, their very energy drain. So much so that they began to wilt, their knees buckling beneath their weight. "You will come with me now, Sailor Moon," the man spoke clearly, the eye swiveling to face her. Instantly she felt her body freeze, felt his invasive power take control. It was as if she no longer held control of her own body. He extended a hand, gesturing upwards with it; a second later, Sailor Moon felt her feet lift off the ground. She gasped aloud, fear contorting her features.

As she went up, she felt her arms weakening. "Usako!" She heard Tuxedo Kamen call from down below; a moment later his small staff was thrown upwards, hitting the man, forcing his power to disperse.

"No!" Sailor Moon cried as she felt her grasp slacken and the child free-fell from her arms. But, to her relief, Tuxedo Kamen stepped forwards, catching the little one with ease. She looked back up, frightened by the look upon the man's face. His moon, which had momentarily reappeared, vanished, the eye once again in its place. She could see the malice in his eyes as he looked upon her, his lips set in a grim line. His powers flooded the room once again, forcing the ones below nearly to the ground. She turned, reaching downwards, hoping with all of her might that one of her friends could reach… But, she knew that even if they weren't under duress, she was too high for any of them to even think about reaching.

"The Rabbit,…? I have no need for her. It's you I'm after, my minions can have her." The man said, not caring one ounce for the little princess. He had no need for her, he only needed the Queen. And if he could not have her, he would have the next best thing: her past self. There was no difference to him- after all, he had seen her eyes.. They were the same eyes… That… Was enough. He reached down, one hand grasping the girl about the upper arm, his grip strong and painful.

In an instant, both the unknown man and Sailor Moon had gone. His heart dropped into his stomach; his limbs were shaking, and he thrust the girl at the closest Senshi. Where had that man gone? What did he want with his Usako? He had to find her! At that moment, the King reappeared, his form offering little comfort. However, his words would. "Fear not, I know where he has taken her…"

[ x x x ]

Her head was throbbing- the worse headache she had ever felt. She blinked back into consciousness, her hand rising to gently touch her temple, trying to remember what had happened. Why… Why was she here? And more importantly, just where was here? Eyes fluttered open and she glanced down, noticing for the first time that her clothes were different. Gone was her Senshi fuku, replaced instead by an exquisite gown of white silk with gold details. Were she not so freaked out by the prospect of someone changing her clothes, she might have found the gown beautiful. Stricken with fear, Usagi reached around, palm searching for the familiar feel her crystal compact. Fingers found it and she gripped it tightly, groaning softly as her body radiated with pain.

She suddenly became aware of eyes upon her and she looked back up, not really surprised to see who she saw standing there. "I am impressed… Even after my attack and bathing you in the Evil Black Crystal… You still woke so quickly…" He said aloud, as if he were musing it to himself and not aloud to her. "You may find it a little difficult to be within this castle," he then told her, his gaze dark and hungry, looking over her as if she were a prize he had just won.

"Who are you?" She asked him, trying to keep her voice strong, her eyes focusing on his to show she was not frightened. But she was frightened… So frightened. She was alone here with this man, a man with powers unlike any other she'd ever faced before.

He chuckled, his eyes never leaving her face. "I am Prince Demando. Welcome to my clan's forward base, Sailor Moon… No… Future Neo Queen Serenity." He paused, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "Perhaps that would be the more proper way to address you… Now, let us have a long talk." He extended his arm, fingers curling into form a tight fist.

Immediately, her body went numb, much as it had when Prince Demando had first attacked her. Her body rose from the bed which she'd been asleep upon, and she told herself no, this wasn't happening. Clutching it close to her chest, Usagi's grip upon her compact tightened. "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!" She cried out, extending her hand into the air. A shocked moment later and Usagi realized, she wasn't going to be able to transform. A terror like no other filled her- this was worse than anything else she'd ever gotten herself into. She was alone with a strong enemy, far away from anyone that could help her, and unable to transform. This was becoming an increasingly worse situation with every passing moment.

Prince Demando laughed in her face as he rose to the same height in the air as she was. "The ginzuishou is nothing compared to the power of the Evil Black Crystal."

"The Evil Black Crystal?" She parroted back, the bulky name one she had never heard of before. Luna had never mentioned such a thing before.

"This room is full of its power. All other power is absorbed by it, even the power of your ginzuishou." He explained, reaching his hand up towards her, as if he meant to touch her face. She snapped backwards, pulling away before he could lay a hand upon her, blue eyes narrowing in dislike. How dare he try to touch her without permission!

He drew back slightly, a sudden smile appearing, his gaze hungry. Those are the eyes… Neo Queen Serenity! His eyes began to flash wildly and Usagi felt her whole body go rigid as he took control over it. She could do nothing to stop him as he reached out once more, his fingers pressing themselves up under her chin, tilting her head backwards ever so slightly. "Use this room as you wish, Sailor Moon. It's yours for eternity." He gripped her face tightly, his sapphire hues staring deep into hers. He could see the fear in them, long since replacing the hatred she'd felt towards him. The fear was even more delicious than the hate. Demand pulled her face a little closer to his, his lips curving into a sick sort of smile, one that would haunt her for years to come.

She twisted her face away, trying to remove herself from his grasp. She hated that he was touching her, this strange, evil man. He had no right. No right! "Tell me… Why are you attacking my planet?"

"As long as I have the Evil Black Crystal, I can control time, space, and energy as I please. I can obtain any planet, any dimension." She gasped aloud to hear such words falling so freely from his lips. Was this Evil Black Crystal really so strong? Strong enough for him to really do anything he'd just said? Usagi felt the fear filling her heart- if her own crystal was nothing in comparison, then what would they do? "This beautiful planet will belong to the one with the strongest power. That is only natural."

"That way of thinking is wrong!" She exploded, her fear dispersing a little bit. She wouldn't let him do any of those things! There had to be a way to stop him and his crystal. There just had to be! His grip tightened a little, his fingers pulling her face a little closer still. He was staring deep into her eyes, his mouth curving into a sly smile. One hand reached up to grab her by the arm, his fingers clenching tightly against her flesh, causing her to flinch with the sudden pain.

"I wanted to make you mine no matter what," he uttered, as if this was all the reason he needed. It was as if he thought her no more than a piece of meat to claim. To him, she wasn't even a person. The black moon changed, the eye reappearing, and Usagi felt his power lay claim to her yet again. "Neo Queen Serenity.. You're finally mine." He began to inch closer, his lips coming closer and closer to her own. Usagi tried, but she could not pull herself free from his grasp. He was too strong and she too weak to defend herself… Tears sprang to her eyes and she wished, wished with all of her heart that Mamoru might have been there to save her…

Usako!

She gasped, thinking to herself she'd just heard him call out to her. Mamo-chan… Did I just imagine that? We're too far apart- our voices can't reach each other… I'm scared… I'm going to be kissed by someone other than you, Mamo-chan… The tears slipped down her cheeks, and there was Prince Demando, his lips came down to meet hers, a forceful kiss that twisted her stomach into knots. Everything spun and Usagi closed her eyes against it all, wishing that this would end…

"What?" Demando's surprised cry forced her eyes open once more. A single red rose cut between them, forcing Demando's eye to close. Usagi felt herself falling; she could not help but to scream as she fell from the air, landing on her back, on the bed on which she'd woken up only a short while before. She looked up and relief flooded her at the very sight of Tuxedo Kamen. "Who are you?!"

"Trying to force a woman to become yours by using your evil power, you underhanded devil, I cannot forgive you!" Tuxedo Kamen felt his anger rising, threatening to spill over like it had never done before. He could not get the image out of his mind, the image of that beast with his hands on Usako, with his lips on hers. He shuddered at the very thought and knew, if he got his hands upon him, he really would kill Demando. His eyes momentarily strayed to below him, where Usako was, her beautiful face pale with fear and her eyes brimming with tears. He gripped a hand into a fist, turning back to Demando.

"Don't be so conceited," he replied, his eye opening to release a streamlined wave of power which shot up at the masked man. He threw his cape up, shielding him, and as he lowered it, Tuxedo Kamen felt the wind as it began to blow. Apparently, it was not part of Demando's plan, for it was winding around him, forcing him to look away, momentarily distracted. Mamoru took this moment and his rod was in his hand, its length extending greatly.

"Usako!" He called down and the blonde attached herself to the end, and the rod began to shorten, drawing her up to him. Once she was in his arms, he held her close, breathing in her familiar scent, his heart beating hard within his chest. He could feel her trembling with both emotion and fatigue, Without a word, he turned and propelled her out of the hole which had had made to gain entry to the Black Moon Clan's fortress. Both of them heard the angry cry of Demando, who clearly knew had lost her, for he did not follow after. Loading her back onto the hang-glider which the King had provided for him, Mamoru flew her back to the safety of the Crystal Castle. Landing in the gardens, he threw aside the glider, taking her into his arms once again. "I'm so glad you're safe," he murmured against her hair, feeling her slender body quake as she softly cried. He had thought he'd lost her- but here she was, safe and sound in his arms once more.

He knew, without a doubt, he would never let her out of his sight. Not until they stopped that madman Demando. The image of him holding tight to Usako flashed before his eyes and he felt his heart skip a beat. He ran his hands over her exposed upper arms, the pale flesh marred by bruises where Demando had apparently grasped her. She buried her face into his chest but after a moment, tilted her head back to look him in the eyes. He moved in slowly, careful, not wishing to upset her so shortly after such an ordeal- but she did not seem to mind, so he gently pressed his lips to hers, his arms winding gently around her.

This… This felt right, Usagi acknowledged, her body yielding to his touch. Her knees went weak with both desire and fatigue. He held her upright and a moment later, she pulled back, her head fuzzy, but her eyes bright with a new determination. She had a future to save- now was not the time for her petty weakness. With a quick smile, she threw her hand into the air, her compact opening, filling the garden with a ray of sparkling light. When it died away, gone was the gown, replaced by her Senshi fuku. And with his arm around her, the two returned into the castle, to find her Senshi and find out what their next step was going to be.