Chapter 56: Cancer

Nia stood outside Usagi's home with her. Chibiusa had came out of the house as she was with Hotaru, it seemed half of the Sailor Scouts and Mamour were staying at Usagi's place for the rest of the evening, until they would have to go home, of course Ami and Minako were still at the arcade.

"Sister Nia." Chibiusa spoke as the pinkette walked over to the two.

"Usagi...Setsuna and I are leaving, we're going back to the time space door, she's going to guard the door while I return to the future."

Nia looked at the child as Usagi did the same, her tears had stopped for now as she knelt down to Chibiusa. "Okay....you'll be safer there than here... Neo Queen Serenity may know something."

Chibiusa nodded as she looked at Usagi. "Don't you and papa die...if you two die."

"It'll change the future. Yes..." Usagi mumbled. "We'll do what we can to stay alive."

Nia watched the two for a moment as she turned around, she saw Setsuna walking down the street towards them, she was already transformed as Sailor Pluto. "Sailor Pluto."

Pluto smiled a bit. "Sister Nia, I'm surprised you're here." She stopped as she watched what Usagi and Chibiusa were doing. "I guess you know? Given your powers."

Nia nodded. "Yes. But I wanted to hear it from Usagi's mouth."

Usagi turned her gaze to look at Nia, with a curious look in her blue eyes and a raised eyebrow. "Wait, if you already knew, then why did you need to ask me?"

Nia sighed. "Because, I know something that may prove helpful." The spirit crossed her arms and leaned against the fence. "Scarlet wants me to aid her. She wants me to help her with you lot."

"What? But that's just...." Usagi said. "No, we won't let you help her. We need you, not her.."

Nia would nod her head lightly as she understood what Usagi was saying, but part of her wanted to find out just what exactly Scarlet had planned. Rasiel didn't seem to be of use this time around. "I wish I could help in finding out what Scarlet is planning next. But I can't."

Hotaru spoke up as she looked at the three. "Maybe I could be of some help..even if Chibiusa and Setsuna are returning to the future. I could lend a hand right now, buy you girls some time to plan something out."

Usagi thought for a moment as she looked at Hotaru. Nia closed her eyes as she pondered on if it would be a good idea or not. "Maybe, but we don't know when Ami and Minako would return from where they currently are at. That and Haruka and Michiru went back to their place."

Pluto nodded, Usagi was right about that. Given she and those two, along with Hotaru shared one big apartment. "You're right, they are there. Those two are planning their own counter attack against Scarlet. They are aware of my own choice with Chibiusa, but please forgive us, we must go." She turned her gaze to Chibiusa. "Come small lady, let us go."

Chibiusa looked at Pluto as she gave her a small nod. "Right." She turned her head to look at Usagi. "Please, please don't let this person win.."

Usagi smiled softly as she knelt down and hugged Chibiusa. "Don't worry, I'll be sure of that."

After Usagi gave her a hug and let her go. Pluto and Chibiusa vanished in a beam of light leaving the three, inside Usagi's house however. Luna was pacing back and forth as Makoto sat on the couch in the living room, she watched as Luna paced back and forth. She was silent however, the death of Rei still lingering in the air, Makoto clinched her fists to the point her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood from them. 

"Damn it." Makoto mumbled as she looked down at her hands. "Damn it, damn it. I wasn't strong enough. But it doesn't help one bit. That girl...she's something different."

"We've faced worse before. Even an immortal, but this." Luna spoke as she stopped in her tracks. "This feels ten times worse. We don't know her powers aside from her healing factor."

Makoto cursed under her breath as she slammed her fists on the couch. "We need to know who she's going to target next. We can't just sit here like ducks waiting to be cooked."

Slowly realization dawned on everyone, well everyone except Nia, Makoto and Luna ran out of the house as they looked at Hotaru and Usagi. "Scarlet, she looks just like Ruby."

Usagi who stood there lost in realization, like a tone of bricks or a truck had hit her. Slowly nodded her head. "You're right, why didn't we see that sooner? Why does she look like Ruby? The last time we saw Ruby was..."

"Was during the war. Before she made that wish to return everything back to normal. But...we still remember her." Makoto spoke. "We need to let Ami and Minako know why Scarlet looks so familiar...we're so stupid!"Makoto was about to grab her communicator from her pocket, but a stray bullet came flying towards her hand. 

"Ara ara, so you put the puzzle together." Scarlet spoke as she appeared from behind the house. "So you took all that time to figure it out? And here you had a spirit with you too. Nia would've known. But I guess even Rasiel has its limits."

"You!" Makoto growled. "How long have you been hiding behind Usagi's houses?" 

Nia knew something was up. She wanted to speak up, but Scarlet glared at her. Nia knew this wasn't Scarlet per se, but more or less a clone. She knew Scarlet was using Kurumi's powers to her advantage, she bit her lower lip and stayed silent. Those crimson red eyes tore into her own eyes like her soul was being swallowed up.

"Yes it is I." Scarlet spoke in a mocking tone. "But Alas..." She then began to speak in the same tone of voice, Ruby's voice was, mocking and mimicking Ruby's voice. "You should be more worried about your two friends, the brainiac and the blonde."

"Don't you speak like that, you're not Ruby!" Makoto yelled.

Scarlet smirked as she wags her finger. "Tsk, tsk. So naive, yet so useless." She slowly approached them but Hotaru stopped her in her tracks. 

"Not another step." Hotaru spoke as she swung her silence glaive at her. "One more step and I'll cut you in half."

Scarlet stopped as her gaze was fixated on Hotaru. "Go ahead, I dare you." She pressed her forehead against the blade of Hotaru's weapon. "Go on, do it. You won't." A grin played along her lips as she stared into Hotaru's eyes. "I thought so, you don't have the guts to strike me down."

Hotaru didn't seem to flinch or even move. The blade of her silence glaive was pressed against Scarlet's forehead as it drew blood, Scarlet's black inky blood trickled down her forehead and down the blade. Usagi's eyes widened, she took a step back as she saw her blood.

"Y-You." Usagi spoke with a bit of shakiness in her voice.

"Not human? Duh." Scarlet spoke as she snickered a little bit. "Why must you all be surprised? I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. You see, I am here and I am not."

Makoto raised an eyebrow up as Nia finally spoke. "Shit, she's toying with us. She sent a clone to distract us!"

~~~

On the other side of town, still at the arcade. Mercury and Venus came flying out of the arcade as Scarlet snickered, she held Black Rose tight as she dragged the tip of the blade along the pavement. Mercury and Venus slowly stood up, both holding one of their own arms. Mercury holding her left arm as Venus held her right arm, blood trickled down each of their arms and faces.

"You two should feel honored. You will be the next two I kill." Scarlet spoke as she licked her lips. "But, I'm feeling a bit peckish."

Venus gritted her teeth. "How did we not notice she was right under our nose?" 

Mercury nodded, but she stayed silent. She was watching Scarlet's movements, she was trying to calculate her next move. Venus was also doing the same, but Scarlet rushed forward. She grabbed Venus by the face and slammed her down onto the ground. Mercury quickly jumped back.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury yelled as bubbles formed around her and a blast of water formed over her head in her hand and fired it at Scarlet, trapping her in a sorta water prison. Which also caused her to drop Venus. "Let's see you get out of that one, while you deal with this next attack." She raised her hand again. "Mercury Aqua Blizzard!" A gust of snow went rushing towards Scarlet, encasing her in a block of ice.

"Did we get her?" Venus asked as she groaned and stood to her feet. "Please tell me we got her."

Mercury panted as she kept her gaze on Scarlet's frozen form. "We can never let our guard down Venus. Not for a second." 

The two stood there silently, but the pit of their stomachs told them it wasn't over. Not yet at least, Venus reached for her communicator to call in for back up. Yet she didn't, she looked at Mercury for a moment before looking back at Scarlet. "I got a nauseating feeling in my stomach."

Mercury nodded in agreement. "I do as well, something feels off."

The ice started to crack as it suddenly shattered around Scarlet, she glared at the two girls for a moment. She snarled and growled, lunging forward at them both. She close-lined both of them in the throats as she knocked them down onto their backs. Both Mercury and Venus gasped for air as they hit the ground hard.

Both of them cried out in pain as Scarlet stood over them, she then walked over to where she was frozen and yanked Black Rose out from the last remaining chunk of ice. Tightening her scythe in her grip, the Grimm girl turned her attention back to the two Sailor scouts. "Now then. Let's see here." She slowly approached the two, she swung her scythe down in between the two girls, giving them a little scare.

"What are you going to do with us?" Mercury asked with a hint of fear and curiosity. 

Scarlet smirked as she licked her lips. "Oh wouldn't you like to know?" She snickered, throwing her head back. She laughed loudly, she then looked down at the two. She noticed how quiet Venus was, but her smirk still played at her lips. "Tell me something girls, she knelt down as her warm breath blew into both of their ears. "How do you both taste?"

Venus and Mercury's eyes widened in fear and shock, both gulped nervously as they watched Scarlet stand up. They wanted to run away and flee, but with how badly damaged they were compared to Scarlet, they wouldn't be able to make it that far.

Scarlet grinned a toothy grin as her shadow extended outward and under the two Sailor Scouts, shadowy arms rose up from below them, wrapping around the two. "Devouring Shadow." Scarlet's eyes glowed with malice and murder. "Ta-Ta, you two. May you both know despair."

~~~

Scarlet's clone smirked as she tapped her chin with her finger, her eyes scanning the group as she chuckled softly. "Ara Ara, looks like those two are done for. I'd love to stay and chat, but...you know me." She looked towards Nia and laughs a little bit. "For someone who has an angel that can see what'll happen before it does, you really aren't doing a very good job." 

"Shut your mouth." Nia spoke as she summoned Rasiel. "I can trap you and your original self in a fairy tale world to where you won't be able to escape so easily."

Scarlet's clone grinned as she laughed again. "Oh? You're being delusional. But, I'll let my better half deal with you."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean deal with us? What did you do to Ami and Minako?"

"Usagi, fozus. Don't let her words play you like a fool." Nia spoke " Just transform, we need Sailor Moon."

Usagi hesitated for a moment. She sighed as she looked towards Hotaru and Nia, Makoto stepped forward as she put her arm out in front of Usagi. "Do it, I'll stall for time."

Makoto raised her transformation pen up . "Jupiter, Star power! Make up!"

Scarlet's clone smirked as she watched Makoto transform into Sailor Jupiter, she laughed as she slowly backed away into the shadow of Usagi's house. 

"She's getting away!" Hotaru shouted.

Right as Makoto was in the middle of transforming. Scarlet came swooping down from the sky and kicked Makoto in the face, the kick knocked her out of mid transformation. The Grimm girl snickered and looked at the group. "Your two friends, Mercury and Venus..they're already gone, so lets see..." Her crimson eyes scanned the girls and laughed. "Oh how cute. Three Sailor guardians, and one spirit. Oh wait, let me not forget...Tuxedo Mask and the other two guardians."

"What did you do to our friends?!" Usagi yelled as she clinched her fists.

Scarlet grinned. "Well obviously I killed Rei. As for you two other friends." She licked her lips and snickered. "They were delicious~ Oh so very yummy."

Usagi's face pales in horror as Hotaru rushed forward blindly. "You monster!"

"Hotaru stop!" Nia yelled, but her words of warning fell on deaf ears and enraged vision.

The Grimm girl grins widely, she jumped over her, grabbed Hotaru by her arm and forcefully pinned her arm against her back, she kicked her in the back of the legs. Hotaru yelled in pain as she fell to her knees.

"Usagi, transform now!" Luna snapped.

Usagi shook out of her horror expression, her face becoming one of determination. "Right. Right.." She took a deep breath in and exhaled, she slapped her cheeks as she swallowed her fear. Holding up her pink brooch, she yelled. "Moon crystal power, Make up!"