"A high of 91... what. This totally makes me want to stay indoors." Astria groaned and sat on the edge of her bed, looking out of her window with a pout on her face. She had just finished flipping through the channels on her TV, and the only reason she ever paused for more than a minute on the news was to catch the weather. Even though she had lived in the southern state for her entire life, she still didn't feel any more inclined to go outside and get her skin burned off within 15 minutes.

However, she knew that if she remained inside, she'd just continue thinking, and thinking wasn't her ally lately.

Astria trained her hazel eyes on the spot where Twilight would usually be sitting, either observing her casually, talking about senshi business or a bit of what the past was like, or deep within her own train of thought that Astria couldn't hope to penetrate. At that moment, Astria wasn't sure where Twilight was. The girl knew that her feline was probably off scouting, following psychic twinges or however the heck the cat managed to be tuned into people who were destined to be Sailor Senshi. The last two Seasonal Senshi still had to be found, and Twilight was sure to be doing her part to find them.

This pretty much left Astria with nothing to do. She supposed she could help... if she just knew how. She didn't know who was a senshi until Twilight said something about somebody. I wonder if I had more of my past life memories would I be able to spot them. Immediately after that thought came to mind, she wrinkled her nose and stood up, busily looking around her room for her sunscreen. She had already decided that she didn't want to think that day, but it always happened anyway.

The truth was, Astria was having a lot of mixed feelings when it came to her past persona, Princess Celeste. Not only did it seem unreal in a completely different way that transforming and being a Sailor Senshi was, she didn't know how to integrate it in her current life. It seemed a hard enough task if she even knew what to expect. Outside of the things that Twilight has mentioned from time to time, she didn't know anything. Maybe Twilight has the wrong person... because while she was mentioning these things about this person I was in Staria, shouldn't memories have come flowing back by now? It still seems like I'm being told a story.

She walked out of her house then, almost forgetting to give the customary goodbye to her parents who were relaxing in the living room, and started walking down the block with no real destination in mind. Astria had the fleeting idea that she could pop over Dawn's house and finally get started watching that live-action Sailormoon drama of hers, but that soured in her mind the moment she connected it with last night's events. She was no longer shaken up about it, but it also wasn't something that she wanted to rehash, either.

It was strange, actually. As unbelievable as her life had unexpectedly gotten as of late, and as much as she DIDN'T want to think on it, it had become the center of her life almost without her realizing it. She was tentative friends with two other girls who shared the same fate... and somehow, she was the unspoken leader. Yeah, but what kind of leader freaks out in the face of an attack? Astria thought sourly, a soft hot breeze drifting by and blowing her brunette bangs away from her face briefly. She still couldn't get over that. It seemed like her brain was a projector that was stuck on repeat. She saw Winterstar's attack coming at her, she felt the ground beneath her... but what was strongest was the barely disguised looks of disappointment on Winterstar and Twilight's faces. Springstar's silence after all of that occurred also disturbed her, even though she wasn't sure what that meant. She just didn't want the bubbly Californian being upset with her.

I don't know what to do. I guess the first thing I should do is make amends... with Dawn, that should be easy enough. But with Nicole, I don't know what to expect from one moment to the next. She looked up and out her mind for a moment to assess her surroundings, and was faintly surprised to find herself unconsciously in the little shopping district that she remembered wandering in the day before high school started. Astria didn't buy anything that day, but she was considering buying something now. Nothing like a gift to smooth things over, right? She walked past a few of the store windows, making quick glances at what was set up in their front windows. It was hard to gauge what exactly she was going to get, since she hadn't planned and these were people she kept forgetting that she just met. Gah... I should probably stick with something basic. Unfortunately, she didn't see anything basic in the stores thus far, and she also had to worry about the limitations of her wallet.

Astria kept walking, the hot late-summer breeze tousling her hair until she came to a store that looked like it just recently opened. She furrowed her brows for a second as she looked up to the name, "The Lucky Clover" that was written in scrawling, fancy script above the door in green. Curious, Astria pushed open the door and walked inside, a little bell sounding to announce her entrance.

She looked up and around at the contents of the shop, her eyes blinking as they readjusted from being outside in the sun. The first thing she noticed was a wind charm that was delicately carved with Celtic designs, swaying slightly from the current that Astria brought in when she walked through the door. Her hazel gaze scanned the shop, taking in a myriad of knick knacks that were both interesting yet eclectic at the same time. Some things, she couldn't even figure what use it could possibly be for. She stepped over to a bunch of things laid out intricately on a table, and picked up a painted box that had a green dragon figure attached to the top, and opened it to see the inside lined with velvet and a small paper scroll tied with a ribbon lying inside.

"It's a wish box."

Astria jumped a little bit and turned her head at the voice of the person whom she definitely didn't notice when she first stepped inside. A girl that was a few inches taller than her, but still looked to be around her age looked back at her. Her face and figure was slim, but not terribly so, and she seemed to radiate a confident, no-nonsense presence. Her eyes were a light shade of green that seemed lit from within, and her long red curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail that reached her waist. Strands seemed to be determined to escape, however, as random curls hung around her ears and upon her forehead. Astria couldn't help but stare, and her brain began working. This is what a leader is supposed to be like.

"Ah... wish box?" Astria found her voice finally, dumbly holding onto it still.

"Yeah. You know the scroll in there? You write down your wish in there, and wrap it back up, and put it back in the box. The dragon is a guardian spirit and will protect it while the wish comes true." She continued, nodding at it in her hands.

"Really?" She looked back down at the box, intrigued. "That's pretty cool... how much does it cost?" She turned the box over to examine the price tag, and her face fell. "Ah..." Astria did a calculation in her head, and she did have enough to buy it at that moment... just not enough to get much of anything else. I'm not here shopping for me... I'm here to get stuff for Dawn and Nicole.

"It's... well... I really like it, but I'm looking for something else specifically." Astria said tactfully, placing the box back down and turning to the girl who approached her with a smile. "Maybe you can help me?"

The redhead put her hands on her hips with a good natured smile on her face. "Well, seeing as though I DO work here, that'd be my job, wouldn't it? What are you in the mood for?"

"Umm..." Astria placed a finger to her chin, her eyes searching the sky for a moment. "Something dealing with friendship."

"Friendship?" The shop girl gave a playful smirk. "You can just come out and say it if it's for a guy you like."

Astria's eyes widened and she waved her hands back and forth in front of her face. "No, no seriously! Not a guy! I need something for my two friends so I can tell them I'm sorry!"

The girl blinked her light green eyes at Astria's outburst. "You're buying apology gifts?"

The brunette bit her lip and looked down a bit, embarrassed at having said that much. "Well... yeah. It's kind of complicated."

"Complicated?" The redhead crossed her arms across her chest. "Lay it on me."

Now it was Astria's turn to blink. "Uh... why?"

"How am I supposed to make sure you get the perfect gift if I don't know the details?" She answered knowingly, the same playful gleam returning to her eyes. "Don't worry; I'm not going to spill out your life secrets or anything." She spread her arms to the store. "Look at all of this stuff; we Irish have something for everything... or just about. And if we don't, then we'll probably invent it. Either way, it's something to help narrow down your options." She picked a small spot and leaned against the table, careful not to disturb anything. "So, shoot."

Astria felt like she didn't actually have a choice in the matter. Whoever the girl was, she was incredibly straight-forward. Not in the way Nicole is, since she doesn't make me feel foolish... it's kind of like she knows I need to get it off my chest, and she's letting me do it without feeling backed into a corner. "Umm... well..." Her mind worked around a way she could explain it without letting go of details that she really shouldn't say. "My friends... I just kinda met them last week. It's my first year in high school, and I'm in a new neighborhood, so I don't really know anybody. Recently, we were... working out ways of self defense. I know, it probably sounds strange or whatever," Astria babbled. "We were just fooling around. But... instead of anticipating an attack, I freaked out and pushed my friend out of the way and landed on top of her to protect her."

The girl raised an eyebrow at her. "And the problem was?"

Astria seriously thought it was obvious what the problem was, but she continued anyway. "I should have blocked."

"So, let me get this straight." She folded her arms across her chest, her eyes sharp. "Are you telling me your friends are mad at you because you didn't react the way they wanted you to?"

"Well... sort of... I don't think they're mad, but more like... disappointed. I think I let them down, so I want to make it up to them."

The shop girl nodded. "Well. Excuse my French, but that's bullshit."

The brunette's mouth dropped open, her hazel eyes wide at the blunt declaration.

"Have you had any previous experience with self-defense? I'm guessing you haven't."

Astria shook her head, still shocked at what was said before.

"Unless you're naturally talented at knowing how to protect your ass, then you'd need some sort of training before a desired result can come about." She told Astria plainly. "I should know; I took Tae Kwon Do classes before moving here from New York. Besides, you should be glad you actually did something in the face of an attack. Most people would probably be frozen in shock and not done anything. That, and just from you saying that you were more concerned about your friend's safety than your own says a lot about your character. I admire that."

"Oh..." Astria was pretty much speechless, and a faint blush was rising to her cheeks. She came into a store to get gifts, and ended up being complimented by a complete stranger. Coming from her, that means so much. She seems like the type of girl to not take anything from anybody, and who's really secure in herself and her surroundings. I think... I think I want to be more like her. "Thank you..."

The girl waved it off as if it was nothing. "No need to thank me. Just don't let anyone make you doubt yourself, okay? You know yourself best. And if people don't like it, then it's not your problem, it's theirs." She turned around then and started walking off to another corner of the store. "C'mere, I think I have something over here for you."

Astria scurried over, wondering what the girl was going to show her. As she followed her, she noticed a very beautiful and unique barrette on the back of her head, right above where the long braid started at the nape of her neck. It was silver, and twined around an oval with intricate Celtic knots that seemed to have no end or beginning. In the center of the hairpiece was a large green gem that Astria guessed was an emerald, and it caught the light and refracted it along with the antiqued silver casing. Wow... that's really pretty... She forced herself to stop staring at it so she wouldn't be impolite, and looked over the shop girl's shoulder at a display of interesting looking rings.

"This is called a Claddagh ring." The girl said, picking up a few variations of the same ring and handing it to Astria for her inspection. Astria took them and examined the pair of hands holding a heart in the center, with what looked like a royal crown resting on the top of where the hands intersected. "Most people wear them when they're seeking love or when they've found it, but it's easily forgotten that it's a symbol of friendship as well." She took one of the rings back and held it up, pointing to its features. "Love, of course, is represented by the heart in the center. Loyalty is the crown at the top. Friendship is the pair of hands. All three of these are connected, and are equally as important."

"Oh, wow... that's a really neat background... I like it." Astria said truthfully, running a finger over the surface of one of the rings.

"I pointed them out to you, because I know you'll still probably want to smooth things over with your friends. It's kind of like one of those "friends forever" charm things that you could find in Claire's, only a lot less cheap and a lot more meaningful." She smiled and handed the ring she had in her hands back to Astria. "I say you should pick out three of them, keep one for yourself, and give the other two to your friends and explain to them what it means. You don't need to credit me; what's important is that the message gets across. It should help smooth any rough feelings over, and you'll all have something to look on when things get sticky between you."

Astria's smile could have lit up the shop, and the girl couldn't help but smile back, happy that she made her day. "OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" Astria bounced a little, and picked out three of the same ring from the pile. "I'm going to get these! And... oh... wait, how much do they cost?!?!" Her face became panicked as she did another mental check of her wallet.

The redhead laughed, patting Astria on the shoulder. "They're not THAT expensive. Besides, don't worry about it. I'll give you a discount, okay?" She started making her way towards the cash register, her braid swinging at her back.

"Seriously? But... it is okay? I think you guys just opened, and I don't want to-"

Another unconcerned wave of the hand as she punched some keys on the register. "You're our first real customer. We get some browsers, but most people just walk by without noticing we're here. Besides, Dad won't mind. He'll just be glad we made a sale."

She really couldn't believe her luck, and almost unconsciously, her blah mood had lifted as well. Astria smiled across the counter while the girl rung up her things, and she tried her best to not bounce on her toes and look too much like an overexcited kid at a candy shop. "Umm... so... my name is Astria, by the way." She offered. "I live in the neighborhood some blocks from here, near DeCastis High."

"Sabrina." The girl replied, bending down beneath the counter for a couple of small gift boxes to put the rings in. "That's pretty awesome that you live in that neighborhood. I go to one of the neighborhood schools a mile or so east of here, so I'm not exactly rolling in cash, but I'm content." A laugh rang out. "That's so funny; you live in one of the ritziest neighborhoods in Atlanta, but you're worried about going broke in a shop like this!"

Astria couldn't help but laugh herself, feeling too light-hearted and at ease to really be embarrassed about her personal financial situation. "I know, it's one big oxymoron. But, unlike everyone else who lives there, my parents don't spoil me. Before I met my friends, I would have preferred to be where you're at right now, actually."

"What, working a part time job at a family business that hardly gets customers?" Sabrina's voice asked jokingly, still rummaging beneath the counter.

"I think it's kind of neat!" Astria said, swinging her hair over her shoulder. "I never bothered to trace my own family lineage, so I can't say that I'd have the opportunity to be knowledgeable about things like this. It really makes me want to learn more about Irish things."

"I can't say I'm a complete expert, but I could teach you what I know..." Sabrina's curly red head popped back up above the surface of the counter, an annoyed look on her face. "Where the hell did Dad put those boxes? I love him to death, but I swear, he misplaces everything." She rested her palm on the counter and turned her head towards a back door that was partly open. "SAMMY! DO YOU SEE ANY OF THOSE SMALL GREEN JEWLERY BOXES BACK THERE? BRING ME OUT A FEW, WILL YOU?"

Astria raised an eyebrow. "Sammy?"

"9 year old brother. Pain in the ass, but I can't help but love the little bugger at the same time." She pursed her lips together and impatiently looked at the back room, drumming her fingers. "ANYTIME TODAY, PLEASE?" She waited for a couple of moments, and when no response came, she raised her voice again. "YOU KNOW, WHEN DAD GETS BACK AND I TELL HIM HOW MUCH YOU DELAYED OUR FIRST SALE, HE'S GONNA BE PISSED!" Pause. "AT YOU!" Another pause. "THAT MEANS NO DRAGONBALL Z FOR A WEEK!" She paused again and frowned, her look fading from irritation to concern. "Alright, the one part about DBZ should have done it. He's obsessed with that show." Sabrina scratched her head and straightened her back. "I'm gonna go back there and see what he's up to. If this is one big game of hide and seek, then he's gonna be in for a nasty surprise."

An uncomfortable twinge in the pit of her stomach set Astria on guard. "Well, if it is hide and seek, then he won't suspect another person seeking him out, will he?" She mentioned, keeping her voice casual. "Mind if I help? I won't touch anything but the kid in question, I promise."

Sabrina shrugged. "I don't care, and I trust you, anyway." A smirk tipped the corner of her mouth upward. "I'm beginning to look forward to double-teaming the little rascal. I finally get someone on my side!"

Both girls crept into the storage area of The Lucky Clover, looking around carefully. Sabrina scoured the area for her brother, while Astria was slightly behind her, looking for anything else out of place. I might be overreacting... but it's better to be safe than sorry. She figured she should start using her instincts more often, if what Twilight said the other night about bad things being attracted to strong energy pulses. And if it really is nothing, then at least I can say that I helped a new friend out with some sibling troubles. Astria was an only child, and while she grew up pretty much content with being the center of her parents' attention, a part of her always wanted to know what it would be like if she had an older or a younger sibling.

"Sammy... come out, come out, wherever you are..." Sabrina crooned, tiptoeing around boxes overflowing with things, some marked, and some simply pushed to the side or in between nooks and crannies created by storage shelves and odds and ends. "Sabs is gonna find ya..." She saw movement from around a corner, and she held up a finger to Astria to get her to pause. Curling her fingers into a parody of claws, Sabrina made a comical face and jumped out into the open. "FOUND YA...." The triumph in her voice faded abruptly, and she just stared at whatever it was in front of her in a shocked daze. The brunette scrambled forward to see what derailed her, and let loose a sharp gasp.

The transparent youma was back. Although, in all honesty, Astria couldn't really tell if it was the same one that attacked her mother, but it certainly looked similar enough. Its shadow was currently hunched over the body of a small boy, and it didn't take much to correctly assume that it was Sabrina's little brother, Sammy. He seemed to be simply unconscious, much like Astria's mom was the day she and Dawn found her in the garden, but it was eerie how his eyes were slightly open in his comatose state, staring blankly at the wall beyond both of the girls while the demon continued sucking his energy.

Oh, god... no... Terror clenched at Astria's stomach as she took it all in, her brain rushing to process the situation. Not poor Sammy...

"You... SON OF A BITCH!!" Astria jumped at Sabrina's outburst, and turned her head just in time to see the furious redhead rush over and deliver a swift and deadly looking kick directly to the side of the youma, sending it flying into the wall with a crash before collapsing onto the ground in a shadowy heap. Astria blinked repeatedly and looked back and forth between the youma and Sabrina, watching the girl's shoulders heave up and down as she literally seethed at the being in front of her.

"Umm... aren't you concerned about what the heck that thing is?" Astria spoke up plaintively, clutching her pendant at her neck for comfort but not sure if she should transform or not.

"The only thing I'm concerned about right now is that it dies." She replied in a hiss, her eyes not leaving the youma. "Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it." She made a slight notion with her head. "Do me a favor and take Sammy and get clear from here. If this thing gets up, I don't want either of you getting injured."

Astria opened her mouth to say something, but she bit back her reply and simply inched over and lifted the relatively light boy in her arms. I'd just get in her way, anyway... she obviously knows how to take care of herself. She still couldn't shake the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach as she glanced back at Sabrina, crouched in a fighting stance and glaring down the youma with what looked like little to no fear in her blazing green eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse, and started mentally working out a place where she could transform into Sailor Star and heal the boy with her crystal. That is, until a bone-chilling hiss sounded from the corner of the room, and much faster than expected, the youma leapt from its previous position on the ground and launched itself directly at Sabrina, sending them both crashing to the ground in a death lock.

"SABRINA!!" Astria screamed, clutching Sammy to her and backing up a couple of steps, torn between what she should do. She's not a senshi... this thing could kill her if I don't do something! Making up her mind, she rushed out of the back room to the main area of the store and carefully laid Sammy down behind the counter, out of view. "Hang in there, Sammy. I'll be back." Brown hair flew behind her as she then went to the front door and turned the "Open" sign to "Closed" to make sure that this wouldn't be the day that the store would become flooded with customers while the shopkeeper was occupied.

Okay... now to get back to the action. She ran back to the storage room and heard the sounds of a scuffle, and she prayed that Sabrina was alright. "CELESTIAL STAR POWER, MAKE UP!" Within seconds, Sailor Star emerged from the bright light that had engulfed her, and she called her Star Glaive to her and rushed to the area where she last saw her newfound friend and the youma.

"What, is that all you got?" Sabrina spat, punching the youma square in the face. There was a nasty claw mark going down her left arm that was starting to drip blood onto the floor, but the redhead ignored it. She was flaming mad, and the adrenaline of the fight kept her mind off of her injury and the insanity of the predicament she was in at the moment. The youma's formally translucent shape coalesced into something completely opaque, its gray body as nondescript as its shadow counterpart. Beady black eyes stared unblinkingly back at its current opponent, showing no emotion and leaving that up to the vicious snarl on its irregular face, the mouth peeled back to reveal razor sharp teeth in perfectly neat rows. It readied itself to launch on powerful hind legs back at her, and let out another hiss.

"Bring it, then." Sabrina smirked, her hands clenching once again into fists.

It leapt at that moment, and Sabrina was in the middle of preparing to give it another powerful kick when the flash of metal shone in her peripheral vision, causing her to start. Before she knew it, the youma was on the ground with a pained yowl that was unlike anything she's ever heard in her life, and a girl in a ruffled miniskirt and a formidable weapon was poised in front of her. "What the..."

"Sabrina, you should probably get out of the way. Last thing I need is to hit you with this thing, ya know?" Sailor Star instructed, inching around and keeping the blade pointed at the youma who was still alive.

If this day couldn't get any more insane... she just stared unbelieving at the girl that seemingly appeared out of thin air. She knew that whoever she was, she was on her side, but she couldn't help but wonder what kind of fighter wore THAT to a battle.

Tremendously displeased, the youma launched itself again, only this time at the new target that had managed to decently injure it. Caught off guard by how fast and how deceivingly strong the relatively small creature was, Sailor Star shrieked and fell backwards, landing on her back on the floor so hard that she felt the air get forced from her lungs upon impact. Coughing and wheezing, it was all Star could do to keep the staff of her glaive crossing her body, supporting it with her arms that were beginning to shake with the effort of keeping the youma away from her. She kept switching her hazel eyes to its dark claws, and didn't want to know what those things would do if they touched her body, magically enchanted fuku or not. However, she was unfortunately stuck, not having the brute strength to toss the thing off of her and was effectively denied the offensive use of the weapon in her hands. Trying not to fall into too deep of a panic, Sailor Star did the first thing that came to mind.

"STAR BLOCK!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Star Crystal sparked briefly and a transparent shield of golden light sprung up, shaped like a star, and the force of the energy shield rocketed the unsuspecting youma straight up at an alarming rate, where it crunched on the ceiling before ricocheting down to the concrete ground. Blinking in surprise, Sailor Star raised herself up on an elbow and gazed at the lump of youma on the floor as the shield dissipated. I hope that killed it.

"Hey..." Star looked up in surprise to see Sabrina standing on the other side of the room, holding her injured arm and staring at her in disbelief. "Who the hell are you?"

Must be the glamour spell or something in the uniform that keeps her from recognizing me. "Uh... Sailor Star, at your service." She said lamely, wondering if that would have been an appropriate time to let loose a corny introduction phrase that Sailor Moon was known for spouting off whenever she entered any kind of battle. Unfortunately for Star, she had neglected to prepare one for such an event, and didn't want to put herself too much in the area of copyright infringement.

Both of the girls sucked in a breath as the youma once again stirred, and Star ignored the pain in her back as she made herself stand up, clutching onto her glaive for support. She knew she couldn't swing it too wide, since space was limited, but she also couldn't even think about unleashing her most powerful attack. If Sabrina got caught in it, she'd be dead for sure... not to mention the state of her store. Ugh, what use is having the darn attack if I can't even use it half the time?

The youma got to its feet slowly, obviously injured from the battering it got from both of the girls, combined with the impromptu intimate meeting with the ceiling and the floor. Before either of the females could react, it resorted back to its transparent form and fled the area quickly, slipping out of the half-closed back door. A jingle of bells could be heard in the distance, signaling that it had left the store.

Star couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the youma's escape. Eventually, she'd have to hunt it down and kill it, lest it continue taking people's energy. And who's telling if I'm going to be around for all of its victims... oh, Sammy! She whipped around and addressed Sabrina, who was still looking at her weirdly. "Get your brother for me, please? I put him behind the counter in the front so he'd be safe away from the battle, but I need to heal him... and I don't think I can get risked being seen looking like this." She motioned to her clothes and especially her weapon with a sheepish smile.

Wordlessly, Sabrina walked around her and out through the door connecting the two areas, and a few moments later reappeared with her brother in her arms, cradling him gently. "What are you going to do?" She asked protectively.

"Give him his energy back. The youma escaped, so I'll have to replace it with my own. It's painless, don't worry. You can hold him while I do it, too." She backed up a couple of steps and held out her glaive. "STAR HEALING ESCALATION!" As expected, the Star Crystal began to glow, and the familiar humming that went through Sailor Star's body was felt as the energy transfer began. Sabrina studied her brother's face intently during the process, and when the glow died down, she was relieved to see more of the color returning to his face and his breathing becoming more normal.

"... oh crap, we need to get you a bandage for that." Star said, pointing to the injury that was still quite apparent on Sabrina's arm. "It seems like I can only give people's stolen energy back, but can't heal actual injuries. That kind of sucks... I'll have to ask Twilight about that, later."

"Uh..." Sabrina cut in. "Thank you for saving us." She looked around the storage area, somewhat pleased to see that there wasn't too much damage to the room during all of that fighting. "Although I have to admit, this is more than a little tripped out. I can't believe what I did..." She trailed off, her eyes looking down at Sammy's face. "I didn't even know what it was, and I attacked it... I didn't even think about it. Normal people would have freaked the hell out and ran away, right? That's not normal..." Sabrina looked more and more concerned with each word she spoke. "None of this is normal. But... it seems so crazy, but the only way I think I was able to continue fighting that was because a part of it felt natural... man, I'm freaking the shit out of myself, now..."

Sailor Star gazed down at Sabrina, the wheels turning in her head. Hey... could she be a Seasonal Senshi? If fate is supposed to bring us together, then maybe this was supposed to happen like this... "Don't worry about it. I think I know why you're feeling this way, but I need to have a secondary source check it out before I can be sure. You helped me out, so I'm not leaving you hanging on this, okay?"

Sabrina just stared at her oddly. "What are you talking about? Why are you talking like you know me?"

Sighing, Sailor Star touched the brooch on her front bow, and the detransformation left Astria standing in her place.

"YOU'RE SHITTING ME! ASTRIA?!?!!" Sabrina swore, her green eyes wide. "This is too incredible..."

"I know... it's a lot to take in. I just hope I'm not wrong about you, but something tells me that I'm not." She sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. "Listen, we need to uh... find a viable excuse for why your brother was unconscious, and seriously get you bandaged up. I wouldn't tell your father that someone broke in, because then he'll want to file a police report and that'll just start one big mess. Do you think your dad would believe it if your brother started rambling about a monster attacking him in the back room?"

"... Probably not. He is 9 years old, after all, and still apt to be seen throwing imaginary kamehameha's at evil saiyans invading Earth. So that's one thing we can use to our advantage." She looked down at her arm and grimaced. "As long as he doesn't actually see the marks, I can say that stuff fell down and I cut myself trying to keep damage control while it happened, or something. I'm just not looking forward to the bitch of a sting that peroxide is going to do to my arm. But it's better than infection, I guess."

"Good." Astria gave a small smile and shrugged. "Well, uh... let's start looking for that first aid kit, and I'll fill you in on some small things in the mean time." She paused. "Oh, and it was really nice meeting you today. Honest."

Sabrina just stared at her dumbly for a few seconds, before bursting out in the loudest bout of laughter yet.


A/N: The more I continue writing this series, the more I'm falling in love with it all over again. Completely different rewrite of Sabrina's introduction, of course too. Everything that I rewrite, I'm giving it a realistic flair. My old write of this fic was okay... if you ignore the fact that it was ridiculously corny and really did follow the lines of a typical Japanese anime, including all of the things that go unexplained and that make no sense that are excused in normal anime simply because it's ANIME and things don't NEED to be explained. But I want this rewrite to, I dunno, actually make SENSE, so I'm taking it on a slightly different path than I did before.

If you guys actually enjoy this (if you gave it a shot even after you realized it's not a canon SM fic), then feel free to let me know!