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Sailor Requiem’s stomach was twisted in knots. The young Senshi fearfully walked through the deserted alleyways of the closed off district of Destiny City. The area had been blocked off since the still-mysterious sleeping spell that had once affected the city. It has been rumored to be a cursed zone of the city, still publicly unknown why that location was the most affected. In over half a year since, the section has become worn down without any maintenance of signs of life, making it the perfect location for this meeting.

She paused, arriving at the empty public basketball court. This was the place General Tanzanite had told her to meet, right? Requiem feared this meeting. Her first encounter with Tanzanite was an experience that she wished to never relive, not even in memories. But there was hope within Requiem, hope that she would get revenge on Tanzanite. And she hoped that tonight would be the night that hope could be realized.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” she sang.

Silly Requiem. Do not taunt Tanzanite.

She watched, too.

From the top of a set several feet away, Super Sailor Ares was likewise perched, the silver heels of her boots hooked around the rusted and dented pole of a jungle gym. She had left a mirror buried in the sand of the playground, hidden should Tanzanite try to scope out the area ahead of time. She was still brushing pieces of sand from her hair when Tanzanite emerged into the dull lamplight.

All of this planning, and Ares still felt a pinch of anticipation in her gut.

There was no time to be coy. Tanzanite would have sensed her the moment she came within range. Slowly, Ares padded out of the darkness. It was not a deliberate sound, just the rapid, angry paces of a girl on a mission. "Tanzanite," she said gruffly. "I hear you have been making a sport of hunting my comrades. I hope you understand that the Blood Moon Court will not turn a blind eye to it." Did they turn a blind eye to anything? No, not really.

Another shadow was in the darkness beside her, a figure stepping up alongside...

"Can't let you do that, star-fox..."

The thought that Tanzanite would show up to this alone was, in retrospect, probably a poor anticipation. Along with the half-youma's incredible breadth of Chaos energy filling the court, there were a few other dark presences closing in as Requiem's entourage made themselves known. Out of one of the many convenient shadows provided by their surroundings, another figure emerged: first a pair of luminescently green lenses swept into view, followed by a meted clacking from a pair of steel-toed boots.

Captain Uranophane stalked a few steps around the border of the basketball court until she was a couple of meters behind Sailor Gunn, her face and poise as stern and serious as ever. She didn't say any more just yet, instead exchanging a quick glance with the General and standing her ground.

Bismuthite had learned a lot in his short time in the Negaverse. How long had it been? A little over a month now? He had made it through Elysion, and was ready to take on this new chapter head on. In truth, he liked being the predator, and he liked having this power. For once he had pride in something other than just himself. He had pride in the organization he fought for, and the people within.

Bismuthite was learning more than just about this war, and battle, but how to work with others. Bond with them. And he wasn't just talking about Ladon. Wolframite. That little revelation had revealed a lot more than just identities.
Out of everything Bismuthite had learned, the most amusing of which was that he was a wanted man. Wanted for the death of one Sailor Rota. His first kill in his first battle. He took a lot of pride in that. Not just having killed the senshi, but in getting his name out there.
Bismuthite was arrogant, and sought glory. Immortality given by the memories of others, and tales passed down. And he was wanted by the most notable Senshi court currently in existence, the Blood Moon Court. (Seriously, were they all having their period when they thought THAT one up?) Surely he would be remembered by them. ...Hmn, but that would require not completely obliterating them. Well then, he'd have to work harder to be remembered by someone, something that would actually make it through this war.

His uniform wasn't much for hiding in the dark. And he wasn't fond of hiding anyway. He stepped, no, sauntered out in long languid strides, a smirk on his caramel face. Pink eyes landed on Super Sailor Gunn. This placed her between Uranophane and himself, although there was considerable distance between the three.

Bismuthite didn't need to say a word. That arrogant smirk said it all. Breifly his glance, confident and thirsty for battle, sought Wolframite.

Tanzanite's grin could have shamed the Cheshire cat at that moment, as her most trusted allies in the Negaverse stepped out of the shadows and surrounded the Blood Moon trio. Each of the senshi bore the same unique scar, a circular pattern of jagged teeth marks left by the mouth set in that scaly black palm. It had, for all intents and purposes, marked them for death.

As though those were not enough, three more stepped from the shadows. Captain Dioptase, Tanzanite's trusted ally from her venture in Europe and Laurelite's loyal officer, stood off to one side. Helicase and Primase, two fresh-faced recruits that Tanzanite herself had found only days before, joined the General near the dilapidated basketball hoop.

“And now, Sailor Ares,” Tanzanite said, smugness drenching every word, “You die.”

Then she was running, her long legs carrying her towards the senshi of smoke with the kind of speed that only the power of the Negaverse and a lot of adrenaline could be responsible for.

One of the brightest energy signatures came through as loud and brazen as the signature of General Tanzanite. Eternal Sailor Scylla dropped from a roof like a cat as the purple-haired General slipped past her, and turned to the three who had stood next to her at the basketball hoop. Her black curls bounced out behind her, and the dark blue buttwings almost blended into them, making her look even more deceptively harmless than her height and build suggested.

"An eye for an eye." Her voice was oddly friendly, tilted and light as she was seeing the General run after Ares-- again-- and she reached out her hands in the direction of the three Negaversers; "Scylla's Hunger!" she whispered, and underneath Dioptase, Helicase and Primase, the earth began to tremble.

The wait had been pure torture. Birhan wasn't used to holding herself back, but she contented herself with a smug grin every time the Negaverse agents piped up, believing their their presence had turned the odds in their favour. They were in for a surprise.

Finally, finally, it was time to move. Birhan darted out from her hiding place with a whoop. One of the those voices had been quite familiar and she was glad to see she hadn't been wrong. The promise of revenge was in her eyes as she spied Wolframite, but another senshi got there before she could.

Cursing under her breath, Birhan turned her gaze to the corrupted senshi on the field. She leapt at Alkaid from above, one leg out in a flying kick aimed for her shoulder.

Ares felt the warm pinpricks of senshi all around her, but she had little time to appreciate it. Tanzanite flew toward her too fast for the Senshi of Smoke to dodge. So instead, she twisted sharply to the left, choosing to take the blow on her side rather than her gut. The two girls went tumbling backwards.

Planting both feet in Tanzanite's stomach, Ares forced herself painfully across the concrete, rolling out of the move and onto her feet in one fluid motion. She might not be as strong as Tanzanite, but she made up for it in agility. "Ares Smothering Blast!" she shouted, aiming her regular attack at the purple-haired Nega. It would encase her in smoke if it hit properly, hopefully cause a deal of pain for the human parts of her.

Right now, Ares just needed time.