A/N:

Hey look! I posted when I said I would! Weird that.

Hope you all enjoy!

….

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor V or Yu Yu Hakusho. I did write this story though; it's my incarnation of Sailor V.

Enjoy.

Codename: Sailor V and the Thief

Youko Kurama has been captured, a botched robbery spelling the end of his infamous crime spree. He is scheduled for execution but before the sentence can be carried out, Koenma approached the jaded spirit fox with the chance to save himself but at what cost?

…

Act 4: Shadow from the Past Pt 3

Minako made it across town and into the closed arcade as Sailor V, de-transforming once she was inside. Looking around the dark building she could not help but feel out of place amongst the brightly colored, but uncommonly silent, games that, in the dark, resembled oddly grotesque tombstones. She hugged the sleeping Youko closer to her chest, "Okay, what next?"

But no response came. The arcade remained as silent as ever.

"Hey! Are you listening?" Minako demanded, panic fueling her anger as she shouted into the empty building. "I thought you said you could help!"

A chirping noise from the center of the arcade made Minako jump. Light spilled into the room, throwing sharp shadows across the arcade cemetery. Still holding Youko close, heart still racing and anger still boiling, Minako crept closer towards the light. A single game console stood in the center of the room, it's screen the source of the light. She stared in awe at the name scrawled along its side:

"Sailor V: Guardian of the Galaxy!"

"You've gotta be kidding me." She whispered.

She stared at a life-sized but highly stylized depiction of Sailor V that grinned back at her, striking a proud pose and throwing a peace sign at the viewer. Swallowing, Minako crept around to the front of the console and stared at the screen. Block letters shone brightly across the background:

WELCOME SAILOR V. DO YOU WISH TO ENTER?

YES?

NO?

"Okay, this is just weird."

Minako cast one look around the silent store before looking back at the screen. Figuring that, if this was a trap, she could handle anything the Dark Kingdom threw at her, Minako pressed the red button and selected "YES."

A creaking sound made her jump away from the console: a good thing too as the tile directly in front of it dropped away to reveal a set of stairs leading below the floor. Minako hesitated for only a moment before slowly making her way down the stairs. As she descended below the arcade floor she stepped down into a vast room full of buzzing monitors and beeping hard drives.

Minako's jaw dropped, the place was absolutely huge! TVs lined the walls, running multiple news sources from across the world, webpages flashed across the screens and hard drives downloaded and sorted the data.

"Uh…"

Welcome to the headquarters, Sailor V.

Minako turned in slow circles, trying to take the whole room in at once, "You but a secret headquarters under the arcade?"

Yes.

"Okay, you just got exponentially cooler."

Thank you, Sailor V. Now please, bring the fox over here.

"Over where?" was on the tip of Minako's tongue when a light popped over by a table behind the stairs. Casting a bemused look around the room she hurried over to the table, suddenly very aware of Youko's weight in her arms. The table was white and covered with a beautiful silk sheet that shone like the moonlight. Minako ran her hand across it and at once knew that she had never felt anything quite to soft yet, at the same time, she felt like it was the most familiar thing in the world to her. She remembered the touch of it draping from her arms and trailing to the floor as she carried it to…

Sailor Venus?

Minako snapped out of her daze and hastily laid Youko down across the table. There was a moment of nothing and Minako began to feel frantic as Youko's blood stained the fabric; then the table began to glow. Minako thought it was a trick of the light at first—her tears pooling in the corners of her eyes to blue the light—but then the gentle blue light intensified, casting sharp shadows across the room. Despite the intensity of the light, though, Minako found she did not have to shield her eyes or turn away from it.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

Yes, it is.

Minako thought the voice sounded oddly sad, "What is it?"

Moon Light, the purest form of Celestial Energy. It will heal him.

Minako frowned, watching the table with growing concern; "It won't hurt him, right? I mean, Celestial Energy interferes with his own spirit energy and it weakens him. Won't this do the same?"

To an extent, yes, it will weaken him, but he is a white fox and they are connected to the Moon so it will do more good than ill.

"What do you mean?" Minako asked, looking towards the ceiling.

The Voice was silent for a moment before answering; The legend is ancient, older than any written record and beyond the memory of the stone: long ago a fox thief, coveting things of rarity and beauty, stole Light from the Moon. The Light gave the fox white fur, thus beginning the line of white yoko and bonding them to the Moon forever. Whether Youko is aware of it or not, he is a servant of the Moon.

Minako could not help but giggle, "I get the feeling he wouldn't like that idea too much."

Likely not. The Voice conceded. Once the fox is finished we'll use the Light on your arm, it should help the healing process.

It was only then that Minako remembered her battered right arm, "It's alright." She assured the Voice, running a hand over the scabs, "It's healing fine. I think I should be okay."

The Voice sighed, Very well. I apologize for being unable to provide you this service last week when you needed it. This room was not yet prepared to handle patients.

At this, Minako turned her attention to her surroundings, "Yeah, about that, what is this place, anyways?"

This is my command center; from here I can keep an eye out for the movements of the Dark Kingdom.

Minako stared around the large room in silence, her hands were shaking and she did not know why. "What exactly is the Dark Kingdom? I mean, I get that they're evil creeps and all but what are they trying to do?"

There is not much I can tell you, Sailor Venus. Many of the answers you seek you will have to find on your own.

"But why?" Minako demanded, not caring if she was whining.

What has anyone learned from just being handed the answers? If you are to unlock your true power, you must solve the mystery yourself. Minako ground her teeth together, her jaw locked in frustration.

"Okay, what can you tell me then?"

The Voice was silent for a moment, which only added to Minako's growing frustration. She was about to snap at it again when it spoke, The Dark Kingdom is a massive organization, one of the most evil in the galaxy. Or, at least, it was before it was defeated millennia ago. Now it has returned to Earth to finish what it started.

"And what's that?" Minako asked.

To consume the world in complete darkness. To leave Earth drowning in utter chaos.

Minako shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, "Why?"

They are the purest manifestation of evil, Sailor Venus. Destruction is in their nature.

But that did not sound right to Minako; sure, every Dark Kingdom agent she had encountered thus far had tried to kill her but…Petite Pandora's anguish twisted face rose from the back of her mind, the pain held in her demonic red eyes as she cursed Sailor V for stealing her sister. That wasn't something evil, at least Minako did not think it was, she could understand anger like that. She could understand that pain. She could understand why Petite hated her: to that little sister, Sailor V was the monster.

-What is an Angel but another being's monster?-

-Even the Night has Angels.-

-Come, be ours.-

She jumped and spun, her eyes wide with terror as she cast about the empty room. A shudder ran down her spine, just then, for a moment, it felt like something was trying to drag her into the darkness that clung to the corners of the room.

Sailor Venus?

"That man," Minako whispered, forcing the words past numb lips, "the one I fought just a moment ago, he called me an Angel. Why? No demon's ever called me that before."

That man was no demon, Sailor Venus. That was a member of the Spirit Defense Force, a soldier from Spirit World.

"Spirit World?" Minako repeated, turning to look at Youko, "But they're the ones who sent Youko-kun to help me. Why would they be trying to kill us?"

The Spirit World has long been a friend. They would not attack you and risk the Dark Kingdom gaining control of this world. I suspect the man that attacked you was working on his own.

"Why?" Minako demanded, rounding on the ceiling again, "Why would he attack us? Who was he?"

"Shun-jun."

Minako turned with a gasp of joy to find Youko struggling up into a sitting position, the gash on his head was gone but his eyes still looked a little unfocused. "Youko-kun!" she ran over to the fox and swept him up in a tight hug, "Thank goodness you're okay!"

Youko squirmed out of her grip and back onto the table, his fur sticking up at odd angles, "Try to contain your excitement, Aino, I am fine." He paused for a moment before adding, "And thank you for rescuing me."

"Anytime." Minako promised, and she knew this was a promise she would never break. "Now, how do you know this dude?"

Youko's expression darkened significantly "Shun-jun is the SDF officer who captured and injured me."

Shock dropped Minako's jaw only seconds before anger clenched it tight again, "What?"

"He was less than happy with Koenma's decision to let me live. I suppose I should have expected an attack at some point." Youko shrugged, "I did not think he had the balls to defy his masters. I underestimated him."

Minako, though, had other concerns, "That jerk!" she shouted, slamming her fists against the table, "So he didn't get his way and decides to attack you when he knew you couldn't fight back? That's so cowardly! I won't forgive him for this!"

Youko treated Minako to a dry look that made it very clear that he was no impressed with her outburst, "Calm down, Aino. It is not worth getting yourself worked up over."

"He almost killed you, Youko!" Minako protested.

"Hardly." Youko scoffed, "Trust me, Aino, I have come far closer to death than this small encounter."

"Not while I was around!" Minako snapped. Youko stared at her as though she was crazy but she wasn't. She was angry and scared and frustrated and a million other things she could not put into words. The thought of losing Youko, her only ally in this fight, her only partner, her only friend, petrified her while simultaneously filling her with the strength to tear down the whole city. "I won't let it happen again, Youko-kun."

The fox demon frowned, "You can't promise that, Aino."

"Well I just did!" Minako shouted even though it was not necessary. She just felt like shouting at something, anything! She wanted to make sure that everything and everyone, on Earth and in Spirit World, knew that her friends was off limits. Particularly this one, "I won't let anyone else hurt you, Youko-kun, and I will break your seal so you can get back at that jerk!"

Sailor Venus! The voice sounded utterly scandalized, You cannot promote revenge!

"I'm not!" Minako snapped, rounding on the ceiling for lack of something better to yell at, "I'm promoting justice!"

And Youko was laughing, the Voice was silent but Youko was laughing like Minako had never before heard him laugh. There was no cynicism in it, just pure humor. "You continue to defy the logic of your superiors, Aino."

Minako pouted and crossed her arms, "I can't tell if you're teasing me or not." She grumbled, uncertain how she felt about this laughing Youko. He did not resemble the fox demon she had come to know.

"Consider it a compliment." Youko offered, smiling at Minako, "I have come to believe your unwillingness to comply with our guidance to be one of your greatest strengths."

Minako practically glowed under the praise, her cheeks flushing and a smile splitting her lips.

"It will still get you killed though."

"Ugh! Way to ruin the moment, Youko-kun!" Minako complained, swatting at the fox demon and missing by a mile. But she kept smiling and, though he would never admit it, she saw Youko smiling too. And everything felt right.

…

"Danburite-sama, what are you doing out here? Your still healing from your injuries!"

"I am fine, Lin-Lin. Your healing abilities have taken care of the more serious injuries." Danburite assured the blonde woman, his eyes focused on the night sky. "Intriguing isn't it? Even Venus, the morning star, is shrouded in darkness."

Lin-Lin came to stand beside Danburite, her slim arms snaking around his waist, "Mmm, yes, the Dark Kingdom is truly powerful."

Danburite smirked, "Yes, even the Moon could do not but fall before our Queen." He reached out with a hand, framing the glowing light of Venus with his hand, "So what hope is there for a weak planet such as Venus?"

Lin-Lin giggled, a high-pitched and malicious sound, "None, none. Oooh, she will fall, Danburite-sama, and you shall have the revenge you have dreamed of for so long."

Danburite closed his fist and Venus disappeared behind it, "Yes." He muttered, "Soon I shall have what is rightfully mine." He turned back to Lin-Lin, a lustful light shining in his pale eyes, "But for now, my dear Lin-Lin, you will suffice."

…Omake…

Minako led the way out of the secret room under the arcade, taking a moment to gaze at the eerie scene cast by the dull glow of the arcade game screens. Youko watched the floor panel slide back into place over the secret staircase before turning towards the silent blonde. His lips twitched into a small smile: standing in the dark room, bathed in the pale light of the many machines, Aino's long hair resembled his own silver mane.

He shook the image from his mind, "What are you waiting for, Aino?"

The blonde looked down at her companion, "I don't know, I just feel like something funny is supposed to happen to serve as a foil for the drama of our day's experience."

Youko stared at his charge for a solid minute and she stared back until the demon turned, stalking towards the exit, "We made a lot of progress today, Aino, don't ruin it now."

A/N…

I could think of literally nothing for the Omake, I'm sorry.

I know you can just go pick up the manga and find out who Danburite is (or just Google it) but whatever! Play along for now and pretend that ending was super dramatic or something (but if it wasn't and you have suggestions on how to make it better please let me know )

As always, please leave a review, they are literally my lifeblood as a writer.

Thank you!