Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystalline

Episode Ten: Strike Three, You're Out

Hirome was searching in her cubby with a growl. There was a shadow cast over her as Kitei peered in with her.

"Lose something?"

"Yea, my shoes.."

"You mean those up there?"

He pointed to the near top of the wall, where, indeed, her shoes were tucked far back on the cabinet.

"You know, the girls only pick on me because we're going out." Hirome told him darkly. "I'm so sick and tired of them snickering and bitching. Especially that tramp."

"Karin?"

"Who else?!" She slammed the door and looked at her shoes. "I can't reach that."

"I'll get it."

"Wait, don't climb the…" She watched Kitei climb up the cabinet. "Oh, god, please don't fall and break yourself."

He jumped down nimbly, flourishing her shoes to her with a pronounced, deep bow. "For you, milady."

Hirome was red-faced as she tore the shoes from him. "What am I going to do with you?"

"It's been rather peaceful the last few weeks. And I think I'm making excellent headway with your dad."

"Now that he's got someone to talk sports with."

"Poor Apollo, though. Must suck to have to be quiet."

"Think my dad would have a heart attack."

Apollo was trailing behind Artemis and Luna when he violently sneezed. He literally jumped into the air and then collapsed with a gasp. "My nose! That hurt so much!"

"Bet Hirome is talking about you," Artemis grinned.

"At least she talks about him," Luna said pointedly, glancing at him with a small smile. It was a slight poke at the realization that Minako may not be the most empathetic pet owner.

"Look, how much farther is the arcade? I'm sort of far from home…"

"If we had just jumped on the bus," Artemis began.

"The last time that happened, we got kicked off! Humans won't let cats ride for free, remember?" Luna bit out.

Artemis turned red. "Whoops. Forgot about that."

"My feet hurtt.."

"Don't make me turn around!" Luna shouted.

"Are we there yet?"

"APOLLO!"

"I'm just asking!" He took a hard pause. "Are we there yet?"

"Artemis, you said you could handle this," Luna began.

"Well, it's a long walk."

"ARTEMIS!"

"Are we there yet!?"

"We'll get there when we get there!" Luna shouted. "Now shut up!"

It was a even longer pause before Artemis spoke. "So… are we there yet?"

The two boys slowly backed away from the fuming, black cat. "Whoops. Think we ought to get going, Apollo." Artemis said weakly.

"You first, I'll follow."

The two tore out of there as Luna chased them with a vicious snarl.

The two teens had just exited down the stairs away from the school entrance when there was a friendly shout. Usagi waved her arm excitedly as she tore to them, the other girls following with pants save for Minako who was as excitable as the other blonde.

"Hey, there, Tsukino-san," Hirome said with a sniff. "Um.. There's food all over your face."

"Oh, whoops! I was hungry!"

"You're telling me," Rei muttered.

"You can call me Usagi, Hirome-chan!"

"I'll call you whatever I want. It's my choice." She attempted to walk away only to have Kitei have her waltz around him and stop again in front of the younger girl who was beaming at her. "What?"

"Nothing! It's just weird, thinking I have a sister."

"We're not sisters!"

"Well, not in this life!" Usagi protested. "But you know, the past. I've been having really strange dreams.."

"So have I," Kitei offered with a wink to Hirome.

"Uh, Kouheino-san," Rei told him coolly. "It's not wet dreams."

Everyone but Rei turned red.

"You're such a friendly thing, aren't you?" Kitei asked a little sharply, with a tight smile. "Excuse me, I have to get to practice. If I'm late again, I won't get to play in the next game."

He kissed Hirome's cheek, surprising her as he waved to the others and disappeared.

"Awww.. I remember that stage," Usagi said fondly. "Always blushing.."

"Yea but at least he's closer to my age. You're dating an adult, do your parents know that?"

"Mama does.. Papa.. Not so much. He's sort of protective."

"Yea, I know all about that."

Usagi hurried after Hirome. "So, how have you been?"

"Well, aside from being picked on at school, having to deal with a insecure talking cat, and a boyfriend, which I don't know anything about, as well as that fact that I'm a sailor soldier and a reincarnation of a Princess, I'm just peachy!"

"You get picked on in high school? " Ami asked softly.

"Well, only because I'm dating Kitei. The girls get really jealous here. It's not my fault he's interested!"

"Oh, trust me, it's your fault."

Hirome glared at Rei. "Listen, I didn't do anything to entice him. If anything, I kept to myself. None of this was my fault! I didn't ask for a boyfriend!"

"You.. Don't want one?" Usagi asked.

"No, of course I do.. Did… it's just.. You know, he's sort of the perfect guy in school and well, I'm not… I can't even keep my focus long enough on something!"

"It's okay, I'm like that too!"

Hirome held her head. "Stop comparing us, Tsukino-san! We are not the same!"

"We have a lot of similarities!"

"Yes, save that you have both parents and a brother, a bunch of great and close friends, and a much older boyfriend with the patience of a saint!" Hirome said angrily. "I didn't have anything like that! We! Are! Not! The! SAME!"

"Wow, you're pissed."

"Apollo. Where the hell have you been?!"

"Artemis and I may or may not have ticked off Luna."

"Oh, no, we ticked her off. Minako, hide me in your bag!"

"You can't fit!"

"Just shove me in!"

"ARTEMIS! APOLLO!"

"I thought we were going to meet you at the arcade," Makoto asked the boys, who were scrambling for a place to hide.

"WE WERE BUT THEY DECIDED TICKING ME OFF WAS A BETTER PLAN!"

Everyone blocked their ears as Usagi said pointedly. "You know, people would be a little surprised to hear a talking cat."

Luna flushed hotly.

"Usagi!"

"MAMORU!" Usagi jumped to his waiting arms. "I missed you so much! How was class for you?"

"Well, as always. Hey, guys.." He smiled charmingly at Hirome. "Kougetsu-chan, hey."

"See, he calls me by a respectable level. You just assume that I want you to use my first name."

"Hiroooommmeeeeee…."

She was glomped onto by Kitei. "Practice was canceled. Coach fell sick so we get a break for the day. Sooooo… I get to hang out with your new friends.. And the strange, older guy."

Hirome pinched Kitei who shouted in pain. "You had that coming."

"No, it's just a little weird for an older guy to be dating.. Well.." He gestured at Usagi. "She's sort of young."

"I'm fourteen!"

"Physically, maybe."

Rei was snickering as Usagi looked confused.

"He's referring to your mental age," Ami told her carefully.

"It's so true!" Rei laughed loudly as Usagi glared at her and then at Kitei.

"I know how to act like an adult! But this is who I am so don't pick on me for it!"

"Why? I pick on Hirome all the time for being a little stiff."

"A little.. Why you little.. I thought I was doing better!" She looked highly upset as his smile wiped off his face.

"Teasing, teasing! I was just teasing you!" He hurried after her. "I'm not complaining!"

"She's sort of sensitive like you," Makoto said to Usagi who grinned.

"She just won't admit it."

"I'm not too old," Mamoru complained to himself softly as Minako elbowed him with a droll grin. "I'm not!"

"So, we're going to head to the arcade! The Fruits Parlor Crown is attached and we can get drinks there," Usagi was walking at Hirome's side. "It'll be great! We've been meaning to have a good talk with you."

"Still have two strikes against you."

"Please can we talk?!"

At the Fruits Parlor Crown, everyone sat at the table, a little squished as Hirome watched Usagi chug on her milkshake.

"You can really pack it away," She told her with a smirk. She took a tiny sip of her soda.

Usagi turned red as she blinked back tears.

"She's not lying," Rei said pointedly.

"God, I can't move.." Everyone could hear Kitei, who was stuck in the corner and pressed to the wall. "Why did we all sit at one table? I can't feel my legs."

"Why not have the boys sit together?"

Mamoru and Kitei were soon having a discussion, joined by Artemis and Apollo who joined because it was the 'guys table'.

"So this is your new brooch? Wow, you got a new one fast! It took us forever!"

Hirome was trying to get her brooch back from Usagi who opened it up and stared at the gem. "Wow! This is really pretty!"

"Don't' touch that, it's not yours!" Hirome lunged as the two fought. "Give me that back! It's not yours!"

"I'm just looking!"

"Usagi, come on, act your age!" Rei shouted as the two scuffling sent Makoto and Ami off the long seat. In the midst of Makoto helping Ami up, the two girls were plastered to the ground as Hirome fell after violently tugging away the brooch. As she hit the ground, the brooch rolled out and away, hitting the counter where other people were sitting and out popped the gem as it rolled away out of view.

"NO!"

Hirome tripped over Ami, apologizing as she surged forward with a furious crawl. "I'm so sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Out of my way! I lost my gem! Oh, god, I'm screwed! I CAN'T FIND IT!"

She spotted it rolling out of the front door as a group of giggling school girls entered. She ran after it, hobbling on her legs as she winced, still feeling the sting of falling on the other girls.

"Come on, stop kicking it!" She turned into an alley, lunging as her hands cupped the gem with a loud sigh of relief. She coughed then, aware of the dirt covering her entire front. She sat up, the garbage bin falling over and spilling its contents on her.

"Uh.. Usagi, maybe you should leave," Apollo suggested, leaning onto the ground as Kitei held her brooch. Kitei dropped his gaze when the girl appeared, eyes slitted to the point that they barely were visible.

"Uh, honey, here's your.."

Kitei ducked as the brooch was yanked from his hand. He pressed against the wall of the building as Hirome slowly approached Usagi.

"Third strike. You're DONE. You come near me again, talk to me again, do ANYTHING with me again, I will take you out."

Rei pushed forward, putting Usagi behind her. "You're being ridiculous!"

"If anyone touched her gem, would you be so chill?" Hirome hissed. "This gem is to me as her silver crystal is to her! How dare you belittle the gift that my father gave me!"

She ended on a scream, tears falling. "You know what? I can believe that! Because you all care about her and you don't give a damn about me! She's the one making all the mistakes and you act like I'm the enemy! My gem could've been crushed! Lost! Stolen! But does it matter to you? If anyone took her gem, you'd fight to get it back but you don't give a damn about me, now do you?"

Rei opened her mouth. "Now, wait, that's not what I meant.. I'm sorry.."

"No, you're not. Go away. Leave me alone. I don't need you and I certainly don't need you," She hissed to Usagi. "I've never met the most annoying, selfish, childish girl and being forced to deal with you has taught me just what the world teaches you. It's all about you and the world takes all the good people away from me and brings me those who don't care."

"Hirome," Kitei moved toward her. "You know that's not true."

"I know that!" She sobbed. "But this stupid girl is so frustrating! Her friends are frustrating! They don't want to help me, they don't want to be my friends! I don't know what they want but I want nothing to with them!"

She rubbed her eyes. "If I had lost that gem, then I would be lost. Don't you understand that, Tsukino-san? You can't just take something! When someone tells you no, it means no! You have no care for anything but yourself and I don't like you! I won't ever like you! The only link we have was some person from a past life that obviously lived differently in both of our lives! There's no link, no meaning! So just, go your own way and leave me alone. I can fight this enemy on my own. With friends like you, who needs enemies after all?" She said angrily.

"Apollo!" She shouted, turning away sharply.

"Sorry, Artemis, Luna. But I'm with her and if she can't work with your mistress, than I can't work with you."

"But.. We just got back together! You're my little brother!"

"Don't worry, Artemis, you did fine without me this whole time, right?" Apollo trailed after Hirome as Kitei rubbed his neck.

"Look, I'm not sure about this whole bit. I'll talk to her but it probably won't help. You really screwed up by messing with her brooch. Didn't you see what happened when that youma made a crack?" Kitei shook his head at Usagi. "You are young in mind, aren't you? What does your boyfriend even see in you?"

Usagi opened her mouth and then closed it silently, watching the trio leave. "I.. I just wanted to look at it."

"You should've asked," Makoto said finally. "I mean, that was pretty immature."

"But she.."

"Usagi," Rei snapped. "We all know that the enemy wants that gem. It must be really important and you nearly got it lost. You really need to think on your actions. You're.. you're.. acting like Chibiusa when you're dealing with Hirome! All grabby and needy! It's pitiful!"