Pre-notes: Well, here I am again. We're now in the meat and potatoes of the story. One quick note: I have decided to incorporate the other 4 girls later in the story. Reason being is that I'm dividing it into separate arcs. This first one concentrates on Rini, the second on her relationship with her friends and Hotaru, and the third with the Queen. That being said, it's storytime!
Chapter 08: Not Like the Others
It was 2:37am. So late into the night and I still could not seem to get any sleep.
It had been a week since my return to the city. All routes to the major parts of Tokyo where either highly guarded, shut down, or both. That meant that there was only one viable option if I wanted back into the city: West Tokyo. A cesspool of crime, greed, and corruption; a ghetto where the less fortunate live because they could not afford the cost of living in the better parts of the city. It was a place where even the most powerful of warriors feared to tread.
Many years ago, when the Great Freeze first took hold and the Neo-Queen used her crystal to save those she could, she had also used the crystal to erase the corruption of man from their hearts. It was an end of the chaos of the human race and the beginning of a millennium of peace and prosperity.
That all changed though, when the Black Moon Clan invaded. Under the guidance if Wiseman, they wiped out about two thirds of the population before the rest could be evacuated by the Royal Guard. After the conflict ended, the Neo-Queen used her crystal one more time to revive those that were lost in the invasion. That's when she made a grave mistake. When she revived those who were lost, she also, however unintentional, revived the corruption of man within their hearts. By the time she realized what she had done, it was too late. The Underground had been well underway. The black market had started up. Crime was once again a problem for the first time in over one thousand years...
As the city proper began to recover, those with greed in their hearts and souls started taking advantage of the innocent and the less fortunate. By the time I was born; or reborn, as it seems, the majority of the city had recovered, except West Tokyo. By the time the Neo-Queen's Senshi started paying attention to this part of the city, gangs had already laid claim to most of it. Arsenals of weapons had made its way into their hands. They had used brute force to get what they wanted. They would come and go via the old tunnel systems, what once served as Tokyo's subway system was now a network for drugs, prostitution, illegal weapons, mercenaries... you name it, and you'll find it in the Underground. Granted, some of these peddlers where just regular people trying to sell their wares to make a living, but if you knew where to look, you would always find the seedier stuff waiting there, ripe for the picking. Fearing that the corruption could spread out of West Tokyo and into the other sections of the city, the Queen instructed her Royal Guard to quarantine the area. There is only one way in and out of the city... at least, there is one way in and out above ground.
Ever since the... incident... that took place between those gang members and myself several years ago, I had found that I had some control over the wards that kept certain parts of the tunnel system separate from the rest of the Underground. These wards where installed originally some time before the Great Freeze to keep the youma at bay, using raw Terran energy to block off certain sections of the Underground, either to protect vital components and reduce costs or to protect the service entrances for specific areas. The wards where so effective that they survived the Freeze and where still serviceable today. I can, through concentration, bring down a section of the wards temporarily to grant myself access to these otherwise inaccessible parts of the Underground. This is where I stayed while I recovered from my ordeal those years ago, and it is where I am staying right now. I have been slowly bringing in furniture from the top down here whenever I wasn't out looking for food or exploring my Senshi powers: couches, beds, tables, counters, cabinets, cupboards, portable stoves and grills, I even had two refrigerators. It was a simple matter of simply finding the circuit breakers to activate the power in this long since deserted terminal. This area where I found myself in appeared to have been a service area for the old subway trains, with one access point connecting it to the main subway system of the old Underground. The old train tracks were still there, as well as the rails, the platform, the old control room for the cameras and the electrical systems, the break room, the bathrooms; everything was still there and still intact... more or less.
As intact as everything was, the wear and tear that it had to endure still took its toll on it. I had spent the first three days here just cleaning the place up. I needed to make the place liveable; this was where I was going to stay until I could find an Underground path back into Central Tokyo. One of the pillars and some of the wall and floor had crumbled since the last time I was here. Luckily, the support beams where still intact and in good condition, but it still left a good deal of debris to clean up. I had to transform into my Senshi form for that, for many pieces of the debris where too large and heavy for my regular form. The showers where the next thing I worked on. I had found one inside the bathrooms which was inside the old employee break room. I had to let the water run with the showerheads unattached to get the gunk out of them, but eventually most of the showers where letting out clean water. There were two on the men's side and one on the women's side that just refused to let out anything other than gunk, so I covered those up with plastic to set them apart from the others.
Next came the beds. I wanted to have multiple beds in case I had to hide any of the girls in here, and considering what had happened to me, the possibility was very much there. Originally I had wanted bunk beds, but then at the last minute I remembered one incident that happened in one of the old orphanages I had stayed at as a little girl, where the top part of the bunk bed these two boys were sleeping in came crashing down on the poor boy underneath him. That was enough to make me decide to just get twin sized beds. I got those through the Underground above. Two days later, I had 10 beds set up in what was the old break room. Then came the appliances. The refrigerators I liberated from topside in one of the abandoned buildings. One was a half in half – the left side was a freezer while the right side was a regular fridge. The second one had the top half as the freezer and the bottom half as the fridge. From there it was a matter of getting food from the peddlers up top. The two grills and the barbeque I liberated from the apartment of a couple that had recently been murdered by local mobsters had also come in handy. I had those placed in the top-left corner of the main plaza, relatively close to where one of the benches resided at the time.
It was during this particular time that I was first tempted to use my currency card. I had bought some frozen fish from a particularly shady dealer up top and had inspected it. The frozen fish looked well enough when I bought it. By the time I had gotten deeper into the Underground I had to abandon my wares, for the ice that surrounded the fish had started melting and the smell of rotten meat was making me dizzy. I was sorely tempted, but I kept myself in check. I knew that if I used it there was a chance that the palace might be able to find me through the transactions of the card. That was something that I wanted to avoid no matter what happened. As much as the situation I was currently in sucked, it would be much worse if the Neo-Queen found out of my existence. A life of servitude was not what I had in mind when I accepted these powers.
I sigh and get out of the bed that I am using. Sleep, apparently, will not find me tonight. I might as well start doing something productive. I still need to make plans to go back up top. I need a radio and/or a holo-gen... I need to know what's going on in the rest of the city. Has the news said anything in regards to the youma? Surely the witnesses had blabbed everything they saw from when the youma, disguised as cops, where chasing me. The previous owner of my motorcycle must have given them a detailed description of me to the authorities. The mere thought of the Queen hearing about these events and putting the pieces of the puzzle together was enough to drive me to the edge of madness. Had she done or said anything to expose me? Surely she knows of my awakening by now. I need to stay informed as to what's happening out there...
I also need some kind of phone, or maybe even a computer if I could manage to salvage one. I need to get in contact with the other girls. I need to let them know that I'm alright and that I'm in hiding. I need to give them a way to contact me in case they need my help. I sigh as I start getting dressed. I'm going to have to find someone who's no longer in need of their equipment, it seems. That means going through the apartments at Youma Square.
Youma Square used to be called Starlight Square; it's a section of the city near the western part of West Tokyo, right next to the border of the city proper. According to the old newspapers, there used to be several sculptures there representing hero's of the past who helped the Senshi defend the planet during an invasion they called the Second Sailor War. Supposedly, three Senshi from another solar system came to Terra to find their long lost princess and in turn helped the Senshi of this solar system defend the planet against hostile invaders and eventually helped us against the mastermind who had taken possession of one of the strongest Sailor Senshi to ever exist. After the Black Moon invaded though and West Tokyo fell from grace, the youma started pouring in. They started to destroy everything in search of victims for whatever it was that they needed or wanted, be it energy, a body, human meat, even mating. There were few survivors; those who did abandoned everything they owned there and fled to the other side of the city. Things got slightly better after the invasion ended, but the youma where still as big of a problem as they ever were. Eventually, it drew the attention of the mobs, the gangs, and the mercenaries. Some of the groups willingly came together and started fighting back, eventually drawing the youma and the possessed to a stalemate, driving them back into the square and erecting a shield generator of sorts, similar to what is in the Underground. The place has been known to all of West Tokyo as Youma Square ever since.
I finished getting dressed, putting on one of the cargo pants and green tank tops that was in the backpack I had brought with me from the woods. I put on a pair of boots I had liberated and put on a pair of fingerless gloves, to give my hands some semblance of protection, and a camouflage jacket for protection against the chill of the wind, and secured my dagger onto my belt. Ready, I grab my transporter and put it into the now empty backpack before zipping it up and slinging it onto my back and I head out of the makeshift 'bedroom' out into the old terminal, or what is now the 'living room'. I head to where the old train tracks where. I had taken the western strip, which lead to a tunnel that in turn connected with an old ward-protected sewer line that lead to what looks to be a dried up lakebed just outside of the city – which was how I had snuck back into Tokyo in the first place, and in my Senshi form ripped the tracks out with a low-powered Terra Crusher, then used that same attack to turn the debris into a fine dust. I then ran my motorcycle up and down the tunnel until a sort of 'dirt' path was formed. I had to admit to my other half that being the Soldier of Life and Endurance had its advantages. Without those powers, driving my motorcycle down this tunnel would be next to impossible, as the tracks would eat away at the tires unless I used my powers to morph it back into a Lightcycle.
I shook my head from my thoughts as I reached the tracks proper, where my motorcycle was parked. I quickly glanced to the eastern tunnels. I'll have to make note to do the same for the eastern tunnels as I did for the western ones. I'll need quicker access to the main city if I'm to use this as my hide-out.
I quickly don my motorcycle helmet before I rev the engine to life. I back my motorcycle back from the edge of the tunnel where I had it parked towards the center before turning on the headlights and shifting into gear. As I went faster and shifted up I started to concentrate. There were five wards up ahead: two in the subway proper, one separating the subway tunnel from the sewer access point, one in the middle of the sewer tunnel, and a last one at the exit of the tunnel. I saw Checkpoint One up ahead and directed my will towards the energy that made the shield up. The green hue of the shield dimmed and the shield itself became transparent as I sped through it. The second one came about two minutes later, with Checkpoint Three coming up in less than thirty seconds. I kept an eye out and eventually saw the green hue of the checkpoint on the left-hand side of the tunnel. I turn the handle slightly and lean my motorcycle to the left slightly, leaning a bit to the right myself for counter-balance and speed right through, down the slopped ramp (once stairs), and into the old sewer tunnels. I followed the tunnel for a couple of more minutes before I saw Checkpoint Four in the distance.
The chances of hostiles grew more and more as I neared the end of the tunnel. Best to be prepared, I guess. As I phased through the checkpoint, I threw my right hand into the air and shouted "TERRA PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!" In a flash of light, my clothes where no longer those I had previously put on, but the uniform of the Sailor Senshi of Earth; my motorcycle was no longer the original motorcycle I had come into possession of, but the Terran Lightcycle. I kicked the cycle into the next gear as I passed the final checkpoint, tearing out of the tunnels, flying over the ramp of earth I had created and zooming out of the old lakebed and onto the road proper before veering towards the city, the golden streak of light trailing behind several yards.
The entrance to West Tokyo was not far from the sewer entrance, maybe five or ten minutes via motorcycle. It was not surprising that via Lightcycle it took about a minute or two to reach the entrance. I slow down and turn the lights off so as not to attract any undue attention to myself. This is not my first venture into Youma Square, nor will it be my last, if things were going to go my way. The last time I was here I had raided a set of apartment buildings to the east for furniture. I specifically remember that the majority of the electronics in those apartments had not survived the wrath of the youma invasion, so I decided that I would not go back to that area for this venture. Hmmm... north, I think. There are a set of apartments in the northern section of Youma Square that I have yet to visit. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there.
I slowly work my way towards the northern area of the square, and quickly find the apartments that I am looking for. It is a building of seven stories. I will have to start with the top most apartment, the penthouse, seeing as it is the apartment that is least accessible to the youma on the ground floor. I make my way up the stairs, not trusting the elevators after so much time without any maintenance. Meanwhile, I take a look around. So far, the structural integrity of the building seemed pretty solid. Almost as if this particular building did not feel the wrath of the youma as intensely as the other parts of the city. I stopped my ascension for a moment on the fifth floor and looked over the front balcony towards the rest of the surrounding buildings. Indeed, it seemed that for the most part this section of the square was not hit as hard as the rest. This gave me some slight hope. Maybe I'll be able to find some serviceable equipment here after all!
I continue my ascension to the top and reach the sixth floor. Damn, the stairs did not continue to the penthouse. I'll have to take the elevator the rest of the way. I go to the elevator on the side of the stairs and push the button. I wait two minutes before I hit it several times. Another two minutes tells me that the elevator is not working and that I'll have to use brute force. Using my Senshi strength, I pry the elevator doors open and look at the elevator shaft. It seems that the elevator itself is still on the first floor. I look up and notice that the door to the pent house is to my left above me. I jump towards the wall in front of me and kick myself off towards the elevator door of the seventh floor. I land on the edge of the elevator door, barely maintaining my footing, and pry the door open like the one on the sixth floor and take a step into the apartment.
For the most part, everything in here was still intact. There was dust everywhere from the lack of cleaning due to it being abandoned for years, and some of the furniture was moulding, but so far everything looked good. I turned on the lights to make sure the power was still good. To my surprise, the light turned on. I glanced at the far end of the living room. There was a holo-gen sitting in the corner – a 10" disk on a circular stand that projected holographic images of whatever programming was being broadcast to whatever station the holo was tuned to. I turn it on and to my surprise, it works. I set the resolution to be 20", then 45", then 60", followed by some channel surfing. Everything was in working order. I picked up the disk and the remote that went with it, put it on top of the couch and continued my exploration. In the kitchen there was nothing out of the ordinary. I looked in the drawers; there were a set of utensils in there. Opening the cupboards overhead showed a set of plates and bowls that where still intact. I grab all of this and set it on the couch as well. The fridge is full of rotten food, so I leave that as it is and move on. I struck gold in the bedroom. I spied a laptop on top of the table in one corner of the room. It essentially looked like a rectangular block, maybe 7-10" in width. I make sure it's plugged into wall power before turning it on, the display flickering into existence. Sweet! It's booting up! I start praying to the technology gods that the previous owner did not password protect the laptop. To my relief, they didn't. It booted up straight to the desktop. I ran some basic diagnostics, it was an older model laptop, obviously, but whoever was previously living here obviously had some serious money to spend, because for an older computer it was certainly decked out. It would be able to run most of the recent programs, and that is exactly what I need. I looked at the specs and found it to be Wi-Fi compatible, so I would be able to hook up to the web. Looks like I'll be speaking with my girls sooner than I expected.
I shut the laptop down and unplug everything. I take it back to the living room and set it down with the rest of the stuff before going back into the bedroom. I start looking through the drawers for paperwork, some kind of clue as to who it was that lived here before. I finally find what looks like a stack of bills. I look at the name on them.
"Darien Shields..." I mumbled to myself. "Sounds foreign, but oddly familiar..."
I keep looking and, to my surprise, I find a stack of currency in a vanilla envelope. I count 50,000 yen in there! This is definitely going with me. I set it to the side and explore the rest of the bedroom. There's a lamp that I decided would go with me as well. I needed one for the table where I would put the laptop on. In the master bathroom there are a set of towels that look surprisingly fresh. Not about to question my luck, I grab these and, together with the lamp and the money I place it on the couch. Exploring the rest of the apartment but not finding anything else I would need, I dig out the transporter out and set it on top of the couch. It is basically a 4"x4" cube with a button on it, synced to a pad back at the Underground. I found the set in a warehouse not too far from the West Tokyo harbour. It's typically used by companies to transport large quantities of items from one place to another.
I pushed the button and stepped back as the cube started warming up. About thirty seconds later, it came to a head and in a flash of light it transported the couch and everything on it to my base. Satisfied, I take one more look around to make sure I didn't miss anything useful before deciding it's time to depart. I jump back down the elevator shaft to the sixth floor door and make my way back down to the ground level. Just as I start getting on my Lightcycle though, my luck ended.
"Well well well, look at what we have here!" exclaimed an ethereal voice behind me. I turned around and saw what looked like an ordinary woman standing before me. Black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and a sexy black mini-dress that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, she appeared to be some kind of sophisticated upper class lady. I knew better though. Not only did she have a weird feeling about her, but there were two small fangs protruding from the top of her mouth. This was no lady, this was a youma.
I smiled. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," I said as I bowed to her.
She giggled. "And such manners! My oh my, you ARE a rare one, aren't you?"
"I try to be polite with everyone I meet," I replied, hoping that I can somehow talk my way out of a confrontation.
"Indeed, not quite like the upstarts that used to live around here. I must say, it's been a while since I've seen one of your kind roaming about up here. What brings you to our domain?"
She's stalling for time. I can feel two other youma behind me, getting into some kind of formation. They're trying to corral me in. I smile, playing along. "I'm doing some shopping. I needed some equipment and since these buildings have long been abandoned, I decided to liberate what I needed from them. I'm just on my way home right now," I said.
"Really? That's too bad, now that I've shown myself to you I'm afraid that I cannot let you leave. You see, my children are very hungry, and it's been such a long time since we've last feasted on human flesh," she said, a cruel smile forming on her face. I frowned. So it seems like she wanted to play.
"I don't want any trouble, creature of beauty. Let me leave and I promise I will leave you and the two youma sneaking behind me alone, whole and intact. Continue on this course of action and you'll leave me no choice but to... retaliate," I said, pulling out the dagger from its sheath.
The youma laughed at my declaration. Apparently she did not know just who she was dealing with yet. I reach deep within me to touch upon the now familiar energy of the planet, just like I did before in the woods. Unlike in the woods however, I was not handicapped this time by the split in my soul. I was whole and complete, and now had full access to the planets energy.
"So you have some fight in you AFTER all! I always liked it when my prey was able to fight back! It always made things interesting!" she exclaimed as I felt what I assumed where her two children jump at me from behind. I was ready for them. I quickly draw the planets energy to my right hand. For one instance, the small ball of light, no bigger than a golf ball, shined brighter than any sun or star seen by the naked eye. The first time I pulled this energy forth, I was not complete, and so I was limited to my Terra Crusher. No longer am I bound by that weakness. Now that I am complete, I can fully unleash Terra's fury, and unleash it I would.
I clench my hand around the ball and it forms into a glowing javelin. "WORLD BREAKER!" I cried out as I hurled my energy weapon at what looked like a demonic baby of sorts, ashy skin with glowing red eyes, and what looks like little fangs protruding from its mouth. Less than a second after I unleashed it, energy started swirling around the tip of the javelin. The energy attack pierces the child to the left right between its eyes and flares, the attack illuminating and searing the youma from the inside in a wicked display of bright lights and desperate screams as I leap upwards as to avoid the youma to the right. By the time I landed, I had the next attack ready. "TERRAN JURY!" I called out as I slashed my dagger at the second demon-baby from behind, sending a savage wave of Terran energy digging into its back. The screeching of dying monsters fill the night once again as another one bites the dust. I turn around and resume a ready position facing the supposed mother of the two youma children I just slaughtered. "Weaklings," I spat out. She looked openly shocked at the display of power I just gave. She seemed to recover for a moment before narrowing her eyes at me.
"So... the rumors ARE true after all... after all this time, a Senshi has finally grown brave enough to try to clean out our little section of this wonderful city..." she said, and I just couldn't resist answering back.
"Don't tell me you expected to be able to hold onto this territory forever... you youma should know better than that, having such a reputation of getting the stuffing beaten out of you by a bunch of girls dressed in mini-skirts!"
She growled at me before snarling "Such a shame! And here I thought that you where different from the rest, but you all are just the same!" she howled as the human skin she wore tore apart and she expanded to her true form. She looked almost like some kind of were-cat of sorts. Fur everywhere and cat ears on top of her head, towering over me by several feet with a very muscular form. She was quite intimidating.
"Now I will make you PAY for what you did to my cubs!" she screeched out as she charged at me. Her speed was astounding; I barely had time to dodge to the side. She came at me again as I was trying to regain my balance and I had to let myself fall back to avoid her claws. I roll backwards and land in a kneeling position and leap upwards just in time to avoid the were-cat youma's pounce. I tap into the Earth's energy once again and unleash another javelin at the cat. She dodges nimbly and lands in a crouched position before charging once again. I do a couple of back flips to avoid the charging cat before I shoot off another ball of energy at her to slow her down.
"You're fast, little girl," snarled the cat lady. "But let's see you try and dodge THIS!" she exclaimed as she let loose a vicious slice of her claws in my direction. A sonic boom of four crescent shaped slices of wind energy sped towards me. I cried out as I tried in vain to move out of the way on time, but it was not meant to be. I managed to block the first two with my dagger, but the last two managed to hit me. I felt the hot pain as the attack dug into my right side and back. I landed in a crumpled heap, blood starting to flow from the wound I had taken, my dagger sliding off into the night.
The youma sniffed the air, savouring the moment as I let out a whimper, trying to work my way up to my feet. "The scent of your blood is invigorating, young one. Tonight, I will eat well!" she exclaimed as she rushed towards me. My insides froze as I watched her slowly get nearer and nearer. I knew I couldn't get out of the way in time. 'Damnit if I don't do something now I'm done for!' I thought to myself. Reaching into myself to tap into the Earth's energy, I thought out 'I could use some help right about now!'
"Relax, my chosen one," I heard in reply. Terra! "Just as my strength is immovable, so too are my defences, for despite all I have endured and still endure, I am still here. Embrace my endurance and protection as you have many times in the past, and trust that I will always keep you safe to the best of my abilities."
Heartened by the revelation the Earth's spirit imparted to me in that moment in time, I kneel down on one knee and cross my arms into my chest before crying out "LIVING WARD!" A dome of golden energy forms around me, similar in makeup to the energy wards produced by the shield generators back at the base! This must be why I had such good control over the wards back in the Underground, I can produce them myself! I feel the youma crash into the barrier; a dull thud upon my crossed forearms is felt as impact is achieved. I hear the youma crash unto the ground. The youma gets up and looks for a second, astonished at what I had accomplished. It growled as it started sending those wind slashes in my direction. The shield was holding up against them, but I was starting to feel woozy from the lost blood. This was not good. No, don't think about that, concentrate!
I try to shake the cobwebs and try to re-enforce the Ward but the more pounding it takes, the smaller it gets. What was a decent sized dome before is now only about the size of a closet now. 'What am I doing wrong? This can't be it, I must be missing something!' Then it hit me. 'Embrace my endurance and protection and trust that I will keep you safe to the best of my abilities!' This ability didn't rely on my will, or at least, not entirely like my other attacks! No, I had to channel this ability, have to keep feeding it energy myself! I opened up my connection to the Earth and felt her respond, rejuvenating me and clearing my head, giving me the energy I needed to reinforce and expand my ward to its original position. I kept feeding it the Earth's energy and felt the ward itself start to pulse, almost as if it were taking on a life of its own. At this point I instinctively knew that I could let it go, that it would be able to sustain itself. I do so, and get up, opening the eyes that I had not even realised I had closed to see the youma staring at me with fear. My eyes narrow in fury.
"You just don't understand who you're dealing with," I growled out as the youma took a tentative step back. "I am not like the others. I do not show mercy to those who bring forth destruction. No... I am the Soldier of Life and Endurance, the Senshi of the Earth. I am Sailor Terra, and you have just made your last mistake!"
A light forms in my right hand as I summon forth my javelin once again. The youma's eyes grow wide as she realizes what is about to happen. She runs in a vain attempt to avoid the inevitable. I send a flash of energy to the ward around me and make it collapse, releasing a wave of air pressure that shakes everything within a mile. She stumbles...
"World Breaker!" I snarl out as I let loose the javelin. It impales her through her back and out her stomach. She lets out a screech and in a flash of light, nothing but dust remains. I let out a breath and wince. Despite my victory, I was still injured, the wound on my side throbbing painfully. I needed to rest if I was to let my Senshi healing factor kick in, a distinct memory of similar situations floating through my mind, memories of another time... I shake my head. I'd overstayed my welcome above ground. I walked back to where my Lightcycle was and revved it to life before taking off back home. I have a shower to take, wounds to tend, some sleep to catch up on and some stuff to organize.
'The next few days will be productive ones, it seems,' I thought as I blaze through Youma Square and blaze through the gates and out of the city, hitting the road west towards the dried up lake bed, and eventually, my makeshift home. Relief floods through me; despite my wounds I had achieved my objectives with surprising results. 'I got lucky this time,' I realize. 'Next time, things might not be as convenient as I found them... I need to be better prepared if I'm going to survive this...'
These where my thoughts as I sped through the night, concentrating on staying conscious at least until I could make it back to base, hopefully to get some rest. After all, tomorrow would be a new day.
To be continued...
Post-Notes: I would like to get this out right now: I completely and utterly love the way this story is flowing right now. I found outlining this chapter to be surprisingly simple compared to the others despite the slight trouble it gave me at the end; after all, fight scenes are not my strong suit. Nevertheless, I am happy with how this chapter turned up. Despite my difficulty with the fight scene, I feel that it came out much better than my first attempt in chapter 5, probably because I was having so much fun writing this particular scene, as it showcased Sailor Terra for the first time as a complete being. Don't worry; while she might seem all-powerful, she's not. She's actually weaker than some of the other Senshi in certain areas, the likes of which will become more obvious as this fic goes on.
That's all I have to say for now. Till next time readers, I'll be waiting and watching...
