A/N: Introducing Andrew Foreman today. Along with Serena and Amy. Wooo...

"CHAPTER SIX"

She smiled as she saw another one of her good friends standing behind the counter. "Andrew," she called.

Andrew Foreman looked up as Amara stepped forward, his blue eyes glistening in the light. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while. What've you been up to?"

"Nothing, really. Just been caught up with life..."

"Heard you earned yourself another win last week. Congratulations."

She merely shrugged her shoulders, glancing around the one-room arcade. Millions of images flashed onto the screens, encouraging the people walking through the door to test their luck at each and every game in the place. The many times she had tried herself ended with more than fair results.

Her eyes landed on the game she had played with Mina the day she met both her and Meatballhead. Her lips curved into a small smile at the memory. The red-bowed blonde had been surprised when Amara won in the game way before her. Which was the natural reaction for any normal person.

It seemed to Amara that she was a racing champion not only in actuality, but also in video games. This one fact usually sobered her, the reality of her destiny kicking in hard. To run like the wind...

Andrew nodded his head towards the person on her left. "Who's your friend."

Her eyes darted to the brunette standing beside her, the shock of seeing him glancing back at her causing her heart to stutter. She tried to mask her emotions the best she could, clearing her throat and informing Andrew with, "A new classmate of mine. Allen Toriyama."

The blonde man winced. "Yeah. I heard about how you two got acquainted."

Amara narrowed her eyes at Andrew, suddenly confused. He knew? "How...?"

"Michelle came by not too long ago, told me about the fight between this guy and Kyo."

Her shoulders slumped. "How long ago would that be?" Couldn't be not more than one minute, judging by the fact that she had to walk all the way over here to begin with...

Andrew's eyes brightened as he looked over a spot above Amara's shoulder, and she raised an eyebrow in question. "There she is now. Right outside."

Both she and Allen turned around to see the aqua-haired girl sitting outside, perched on the metal shoulder of the road. Her lips were curved into a sly smile that suggested that the cat had caught the canary. Amara didn't want to know what thoughts were going on in the younger cousin's head, but knew she had to find out or the curiosity would begin to eat at her soul.

Michelle waved her hand in a gesture Amara knew all too well. Private matters. About their mission, maybe. Maybe this time she had sensed the new target nearby, wanted to tell her to not let her guard down for a second.

She glanced at the man beside her. "I'll be right back," she told him.

Allen looked down at her with his emerald eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Possibly. "I don't know."

"Need me to come with—"

"That won't be necessary," she bit out, already walking towards the door. "Just...go ahead and have your fun."

What was it about her that made him think she needed his help all the time? She was stronger than that, been strong enough for more than three years now. It was about time they all realized this.

It was impossible to break her. Mainly because she didn't allow herself to be touched. Mentally, emotionally. Physically.

Kyo's a different story altogether.

She made it outside, wrapped her arms tighter around herself, clutching her jacket closer. Narrowed her eyes. "What?" she demanded.

"On a date, I see."

Amara growled at the younger girl. "It's not a date. He just decides to drag me in there and—"

"I sense something about him."

The way Michelle said this sparked something in her. She glanced back at the sliding glass door. "You mean..."

"I think he might be the next target." Michelle's eyes darkened, something akin to sorrow glistening in the dark blue depths. "Keep an eye on him."

She looked away, not wanting to glimpse the despair lurking in her younger cousin. "What's your problem? You're never like this when a target's involved."

"I don't think he's just a target, Amara." Michelle looked up, her eyes narrowed. "Maybe he could be something more than that."

She didn't have to say the words, but Amara heard the intention loud and clear. "I do not need a boyfriend. My life's too hectic for that."

"You don't need one. But you want one."

"You're insane." Amara rolled her eyes at the analysis Michelle seemed to have made. Questioned it herself... She shook her head to clear the thoughts that sat like birds on a power line. "Stay close," she said quietly, not able to keep the slight heat from creeping onto her cheeks. She swore her eyes were moss green by now... "If you're right about him being a target, it'll take both of us to defeat the Heartsnatcher."

Michelle's shoulders slumped as she exhaled a breath. "Don't forget about the other Scouts."

"You're right. They have a tendency to show up about the same time we do."

Michelle nodded her head in agreement. But her eyes still held the dark hue as she placed a hand on Amara's arm. "Hey. Be careful not to get too close. We're not guaranteed some of the best things in life."

Amara growled at her again. "You should know I'm not looking for a relationship."

The aqua-haired girl gave her a genuine smile. "That's what they all say. Then they end up falling in love."


The sound of a sliding door suddenly grabbed his attention, and he turned around to see if it was Ten'ou. Instead, two girls about a year younger than he and his friend walked through. A blonde with a weird hairstyle—meatballs, it seemed like—and a blue-haired girl. Blue looked unsure about something, and Meatballhead was practically dragging her around the place.

Looking over their shoulders, Ten'ou and the cousin were looking in, eyebrows raised.

What was taking them so long?

"Come on, Ames," he heard Blondie say. "You can finally teach me how to beat Sailor V!"

The blue-haired girl hesitated. "I...must have forgotten," she said.

"You didn't forget. Luna's here telling me that you can't forget what's been gifted to you." She put her hands on the other girl's shoulders. "And Sailor V is definitely a gift." The hands turned Ames around, shoved her towards one of the blinking screens. "Okay! Show me what you're made of!"

The guy that Ten'ou had called Andrew stepped out from behind the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, his blue eyes narrowed. "Be easy now, Serena."

Serena groaned. "But, Andrew!" she whined. "Sailor V!"

"Which would you rather? Beating a game or keeping your friendship with Amy?"

The blonde looked unsure about what decision she wanted to make. Allen could see the moral scales weighing the choices in her head, pretty sure the video game would win. Kids. Always thinking of material things instead of what really matters.

He could only imagine what it'd be like when this one landed in high school. If she landed in high school.

Serena's eyes landed on Allen, a question embedded in her blue eyes. Sadly, this curiosity didn't intrigue him like the fury and perhaps even fear he had seen in his mystery woman's eyes. Those same blue-green depths that haunted his dreams for the past two nights.

So he decided to let his disinterest show, an eyebrow raised, a hand in his pocket, and his head cocked to the side just a bit.

"Who are you?" the blonde asked him after a while.

Probably out seeking a relationship out of this... "Allen Toriyama," he replied lowly, trying to let her know how he felt about her.

And she probably didn't take the hint, because she grinned widely at him and said, "I'm Serena Tsukino!" She tugged her friend's arm and said, "And this is Amy Anderson."

The blue-haired girl waved shyly at him.

Thankfulness rushed through him. At least Amy didn't seem like she was going to push herself onto him like Serena most likely would. Allen was surprised that the two girls were friends. But that could be blamed on the phrase "opposites attract."

"Waiting for someone?" Serena asked.

They probably wouldn't know who Ten'ou was, so he merely shrugged his shoulders. "I came down here with a friend. But he had to leave because of...personal matters." And the way Ten'ou had waved him off proved it. Allen turned around. "I've never seen this place before, so I'm just scouting out the land."

Andrew's baritone voice sounded from behind him. "Scouting out the land! That's a good one!" he said with a laugh.

Allen shook his head with a silent sigh, walked towards the first machine that grabbed his attention. It was a black machine with two red buttons sand a small red ball on top of the joystick. He looked at the title (Soul Caliber II) that had two swords criss-crossing through it. Nothing he was particularly interested in, but he could give it a shot...

"Soul Caliber II," Andrew mused to himself, a smile evident in his voice. "Just came in today. Want to try it out, Allen?"

He narrowed his eyes, fished a quarter out of his pants pocket. "Sure," he murmured. "Why not?" He took another step forward, placed his hand on the control unit.

The screen flickered on, blinking slowly at first and then becoming faster with each second. Allen stepped back, figuring it was a system malfunction of sorts, but then the thing began to glow with a white light.

Shock flowed through his entire body. Many questions flashed throughout his mind. What was happening? Why was he the one to cause this? Who could save him?

Where was Ten'ou?

That thought, that one thought, filled him with dread. What if Ten'ou were to be harmed after stepping back into the arcade? There had to be some way to protect—

The game system shifted into a unique form. The black video game for the body with pale blue arms, legs, and a head protruding from the appropriate places. There was a feminine chuckle that sounded nearly electronic, and the mutated machine took a step towards him. The cables giving her power were ripped out of the walls, electricity piercing the air.

"Gam!" she shouted with a shriek.

A/N: Okay, this is another one of my bad chapters. This is the part with the Heartsnatcher, of course, and it's going to last for about another two chapters before I go on to other things. Like the race.

I know I said I'd be two chapters ahead of everyone else, but somehow that changed into six chapters. I guess I got kind of restless, but at least I know when the race is going to be.

Which, unfortunately, is going to be just like my fight scenes. I abhor writing those because I can't seem to add enough detail in them...

Anyway, just bear with me! Another installment next week!

-BDR