Author's Note: I haven't been sure exactly how I wanted this chapter to go. It's been on my mind for a while but I was stuck between two ways the plot could go. It was very frustrating for me. I also want to apologize for taking so long between updates. I know it can be very annoying. Please rate and review. That drives authors more than you know.

Battleground Earth
Kidnapping Sailor Moon: Book Two
Chapter Two

***Usagi***

When school had ended for the day and everyone was gathered at the house, Luna called a meeting. Artemis had been working most of the day to discover the origins of the ship that had come to their city and had some answers for them, Usagi hoped. As she settled into one of the seats at the head of the table next to Mamoru, she looked around the room.

Sixteen Senshi and their companions filled the space. It was a large group, but they seemed to work well together. She could see Shingo and Hotaru looking over their transformation aids. Shingo's was a small silver scroll. Luna had given it to him, though Usagi wasn't sure when. He had come to her the night before, worried about Hotaru, but Usagi knew the girl was determined to help her father. She was worried Shingo would ask to transfer schools. Already, she knew she couldn't be the one to tell him no. Not after turning his life upside down.

Minako, Kunzite, Nephrite, and Makoto were all working on a set of papers that included their patrol schedule. The rest were either working on homework or their notes. It wasn't long before Luna and Artemis came into the room and everyone quieted, looking at the white cat.

"Well?" Nephrite asked, looking excited. "Is it a ship?"

"It is," Artemis answered, causing a stir among the group. For a moment Usagi couldn't hear herself think, and eventually stood to calm the others. Artemis continued. "The Silver Millennium had no records matching the elements we found in the crater. I would wager it is from very far away. We can't be sure who, or what, arrived in the ship, so Luna and Usagi worked out a more strict schedule of patrols. I could wish there were more of us," he added with a sigh.

Usagi thought that a bit much. There were sixteen superheroes already. Wasn't that enough?

"The tree in my vision," Jadeite said, his voice full of banked emotion. "She was begging for help. Something is wrong with her. We need to find her and save her."

Usagi looked over at Rei, who was sitting next to him, her hands clasped tightly together. "Do you think you could try for another vision? Maybe if the two of you work together you could come up with something clearer. We have no idea where to look."

"We can try," Rei said. "It's all I can promise. Usually I just let the visions happen. I've never sought a specific one before." She shrugged. "First time for everything. If she's in trouble, and I think Jed is right, then we have to help her."

"What else needs to be done?" Mamoru asked, speaking for the first time.

"I would like to go back to the dark kingdom," Kunzite said, standing up. "Minako is willing to come with me. I have questions I need answered and I think I have something to find."

Usagi looked at her husband. ::What do you think?:: she asked through their mental bond.

::It couldn't hurt,:: he answered.

::I say he should go for it. Follow his instincts.::

"Do it," Mamoru said, his voice ringing with authority. Usagi knew he wasn't trying to sound that way, but couldn't help it any more than she could since she'd accepted her birthright.

"I want to go out and study the stars tonight," Nephrite told them. "I think I might find some answers there."

"Ami and I want to do some research in the command center," Zoicite added.

"I'd like to join in," Michiru said, frowning. "Haruka can join Makoto for her watch, if that's okay."

"It sounds like a plan to me," Usagi said, looking to Mamoru to make sure he agreed. At his subtle nod, Usagi turned to Luna and Artemis, who both agreed. "Shingo and Hotaru have the first watch. And make sure you stop by the Crown to check on Motoki. The dark kingdom liked to attack that area, and for all we know this new enemy could do the same."

"Hai," Shingo said, smiling. "We have to save the video games." His words brought chuckles and smiles, diffusing the tension as the meeting broke up. There was still much to be discussed, but they all had things that needed to be done and little time to do them.

As soon as she left the meeting room, Usagi made a beeline for her mother, who was in the dining area unpacking dishes. She knew her mother was exhausted and wanted to help.

***Rei***

She sat facing the fire. Jadeite was on the other side of the flames, staring back at her through the dancing light. They had a very specific goal in mind. The tree they had seen in their vision. She had intelligence of her own and obviously needed their help.

Closing her eyes, Rei brought a vision of leaves into her mind. She was grateful when the vision came easily. They all had since she and Usagi had repaired their friendship. She could believe the flame had a will of it's own, and that it was calling out for her to be the best person, best Senshi, that she could be.

::Help my children!:: the mental voice was loud in her mind, almost screaming.

::I can hear you," Rei told the entity. ::Tell me where they are, where you are. We are the Senshi. We can help.::

::The Shining One,:: the tree murmured, ::the one who shines silver. She can heal me. But my children. He has taken them and makes them do horrible things. He makes them hurt people. My children need help.::

::Where are they?:: Rei heard Jadeite ask. ::We cannot help them if we don't know.::

::The one who shines silver...:: the tree said, repeating what she had already told them.

Rei sent calming thoughts to the presence, trying to get more information. ::I know the shining one,:: she said, suspecting that it was Usagi the tree was calling for. ::How do we help your children? Where are they and who has taken them?::

::He won't let me see them. The Shadow Man. He has them locked away from me, in the normal world. They are here, on the earth, but he watches them constantly. He wants them to attack, to gather energy. He searches for something. A Crystal. A very special Crystal. He needs it to finish something. I don't know what. Can you help my children?::

::We can try,:: Jadeite answered. ::What do they look like?::

::They have taken the form of human teenagers. They look like people.::

::What are their names?:: Rei asked.

::Ail, An, and Fiore,:: the tree replied, and there was the sound of muted weeping. ::I want my children.::

The connection broke then, but Rei and Jadeite had heard enough. They needed to report back to Usagi and Mamoru. And there was one bright silver lining. The tree seemed to get stronger the longer they talked to her.

***Fiore (Tomatsu)***

::Help comes my son,:: he heard Mother tell him though their mental connection. Fiore made sure no reaction showed on his face. He didn't dare to let the Shadow Man see him look happy or relieved. And he couldn't be sure when the promised help would appear. For now he had to keep his head down and do as he was told, though it tore him up to do it.

"Are you ready children?" Shadow Man asked.

Fiore searched for him in the shadows of the ship, but saw nothing. An hid her face in his shoulder and Ail moved to sandwich her between them. Shadow Man had been taking an interest in her and they would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

"We're ready," Fiore said, wishing he wasn't about to be forced to harm innocent people.

"I want this to be as visible as possible," Shadow Man continued. "Draw out the Senshi. I'm sure the one I seek is hidden among their number."

With a heavy sigh, hidden from his captor, Fiore looked to Ail, who pulled out his flute. "Where should we attack?" the younger teen asked.

"There. The Azabu-Juuban shopping district. It is a high traffic area, but still few enough people to move about easily. It is also known that when the dark kingdom attacked there, the responses were faster. Go. Do not fail me or your mother will suffer for it."

"Hai," the three teens agreed automatically. They had no choice. They would die without Mother, but could not reach her. Shadow Man held all the cards. Literally and figuratively. Fiore reached out and took the card the shadowed figure held out to them. It was Vampir, a Cardian that slightly resembled a dandelion puff and had pink skin. He sighed, but the three of them teleported out of the ship and into the shopping district. They had an attack to start.

***Minako & Kunzite***

"What are we doing here Kunzite?" Minako asked, narrowly avoiding a low-handing stalactite. She could hear water dripping and a low rumbling sound that never seemed to end. Kunzite had told her it was the sound of the ice moving, but Minako suspected it was something more. The Dark Kingdom was shrinking.

Kunzite moved a heavy panel out of his way and began fiddling with a set of wires that looked frayed. "There were rumors," he said, grunting as he discovered the wires were now too short to connect. He sighed and turned around, glancing at the door the panel had once opened. There was no choice but to teleport beyond it, unless he wanted to take the chance of bringing the whole cave system down on their heads.

"What sort of rumors?" Minako asked, exasperated. He had been less than forthcoming about this trip.

"There are other generals."

"But we searched for them," Minako argued, growing more and more frustrated. "We spent hours down here."

"I know," Kunzite explained, grabbing her around the waist. Before she could protest he teleported them into the hallway beyond the door, then carefully let her stand on her own. "The problem is there are hundreds of tunnels. We could never search them all in a single day. Youma are still appearing in Tokyo, and if someone isn't down here setting them loose, then there is an active portal we didn't find before."

"Why now?" Minako wondered. "It's been weeks."

With a heavy sigh, Kunzite turned away from the three tunnels he had been peering into and back to his wife. He had to admit to someone what he was feeling, and he knew he could trust her to keep the secret. "Because I'm worried," he admitted. "Terrified for Usagi and Mamoru. I don't know what fell from the sky, but I do know the dark kingdom. I know what monsters might still be lurking." He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Besides, if there are dark generals hidden down here, they deserve to be rescued like we were."

Minako nodded. All of that made sense. She couldn't help asking her questions, but she understood and agreed with his answers. "Then we'd better start looking. While we're down here," she added, "is there a sort of Youma that can make people act badly? Other than those Amanojaku, I mean."

"There is. Shadar. He was created to turn little nuggets of bad feelings into desires meant to destroy. So, for instance, if someone is a glutton about certain things, it would become overwhelming, driving the person to eat themselves sick, or even to death."

"What about greed?" Minako wondered.

"I've seen that too. People who started shopping and couldn't stop, or who never left the office, or who started to gamble. Money makes people crazy enough even without a Youma." He shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"What if," Minako bit her lip as she followed him into the tunnel he had chosen. "What if it was a Youma that messed up my parents. You've seen them. They act like being wealthy is the only thing that matters. But they were never like that before we left for England."

"When did it change?" Kunzite asked, slightly distracted by a door that was open on his left. He nudged it wider with his foot and peered around the edge. Nothing. The room was empty.

"I noticed it when we got to England, but it could have happened before we left Japan. I didn't see a lot of Youma in England." Minako coughed as Kunzite opened another door. The room behind it was filled with dust and not much else.

"Perhaps it is just a Youma," Kunzite said thoughtfully. "If it isn't, then we can have Usagi take a look at them. If she and Mamoru could heal us, they could definitely heal your parents." He attempted to open a third door and growled when it remained jammed. "Help me with this?" he asked.

Minako stepped forward and used her shoulder to push the heavy door with him. It screeched loudly, then seemed to swing wildly before slamming into the wall. More dust escaped, coating them from head to foot. "This is ridiculous," she moaned, wiping her face, which was blackened by the dust mixed with sweat.

"There has to be something here," Kunzite said, looking all the more determined. "I think there are other dark generals down here. We never did find the little girl."

"Little girl?" Minako questioned.

"Hai. Her name was Heliodor. That's almost all I knew of her. She had this Youma, Dragon Fire Opal, who she created, but he didn't act like a normal Youma. And she was never sent on a mission."

"You called?"

Minako and Kunzite both gasped and spun to see a Youma, which looked mostly like a man with thick shoulder-length black hair with one white streak, leaning against the wall behind them. He had a jewel on his forehead, red and green shimmering lights firing from within the opal. Eyes wide, Minako backed away a step, ready to transform if she thought he was a threat for even a second.

"Opal," Kunzite said, looking worried.

"Heliodor is safe now," the Youma said, smiling. "She is returned to her time and her family." He spread his arms wide, encompassing the dark kingdom. "Why do you search?"

"The other dark generals need to be rescued," Kunzite said. "I know someone who can heal them."

"They are not here any longer," Opal told them.

"Where have they gone?" Minako moved forward, looking closely at the Youma. "Why are you different?"

The Youma chuckled. Actually chuckled. "I took them out of the dark kingdom, thinking it would crumble and fall to waste. I could not remove them from their chambers however. They remain still, though they are aware, not sleeping. They are paused between one breath and the next. It is a cruelty I do not understand. As for me, I am not technically a Youma, though I am made from dust, as they are. And also, Heliodor did not create me. It was Nephrite, though he may not entirely remember it."

"Wait," Minako said, rubbing her temples in confusion. "So there were dark generals trapped here?"

"Yes."

"But they are safe now?"

"Mostly."

"And you aren't a Youma at all?"

"Not in the slightest. I was made from a Wish and the love of two parents with great power."

"Where are the other dark generals now?" Kunzite asked, before Minako could begin another round of questions.

"The country they are in is called Russia. They are in an abandoned bunker. It was the best I could do to keep them warm."

"Could you take us to them?" Minako asked.

"Of course. Or I could bring them to the Princess. Perhaps that would be easier."

"It might be," Kunzite admitted. "And it would give us time to go back and prepare the others."

"I will bring them to you when the moon rises. The Princess is at her greatest strength under it's light." Opal smiled and a moment later he had vanished.

"Well that was interesting," Minako said, staring up at Kunzite. "I guess we should go warn the others."

***Naru***

It had been a long day. Naru sat in one of the booths at the crown, pretending to do her homework while she watched Motoki and Unazuki, who seemed worried about something. Umino was across from her, face stuck in his book as he finished math problems with an ease that annoyed her deeply.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Naru asked. She had the feeling they were nervous, but didn't know why.

Umino barely glanced up, then his eyes scanned the room before going back to the page. "I don't know," he said. Then he blinked, and frowned. "Naru, I think we should get everyone out of here."

"Why?" she asked, more worried than before.

"I don't know," Umino admitted. "I just had a vivid flash of a monster breaking through the window."

Eyes wide, Naru stood and waved to Motoki. He and Unazuki hurried over. "Umino has a bad feeling. He says we should get everyone out."

"I agree," Unazuki said, staring at Umino, then Naru, before looking back at her brother. "Trust them. Please."

"Alright. How do we do this without starting a panic?" Motoki scanned the room.

"We don't," Unazuki said, pointing out the window to where a pink monster with white hair was chasing people down and draining them of energy. "Let's go. Now."

As Unazuki and the others started pointing people toward the back room of the Crown, Naru pulled out the bright pink calculator-looking communicator Usagi had given her and pressed the largest button. Immediately she saw her best friend staring back at her from the tiny screen. "There's some sort of monster half a block from the Crown," she told her.

"We're coming. Hide!" Usagi said, then the communicator went dark.

Umino hurried over and grabbed Naru by the wrist, tugging her back toward the break area. Just as they went through the door, Naru heard the loud crash of a large window shattering, and the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. She bit back a scream and hurried to hide in the darkened room with the others.

Motoki stood at the far door, which led to the alley. He looked indecisive, but his sister was obviously determined. She slowly and carefully opened the door and ordered everyone to file out one at a time. Naru heard more crashes in the main room and prayed the Senshi would hurry. She didn't want to die.