Chapter Nine

Chasing Rabbits

It's too late... avenge me...

Tetsuya opened his eyes only seconds before the alarm clock went off. He thought he heard a voice whisper something about avenging, but he'd been having bad dreams all night that were forgotten the second he woke up.

"Dammit..." he mumbled as he stumbled out of the bed and silenced the alarm clock for another twenty-four hours. It was another Monday and time to get ready for school. Time to get ready to see his Mako-chan! But first, the news and current events on the TV. He clicked the power button of the remote and dropped it at the sight on the screen.

"Again," the voice from the TV said. "We cannot confirm if this is a hoax or genuine. Police are not releasing any information in regards too..."

Tetsuya yanked the cord from the wall. He had come, and that meant that they were here. They were all here already. Will I even get to see Mako -chan again? He closed his eyes and began chanting the mantras of peace and calm. He hated relying on them, but he needed to function. He needed to be ready to come to the Sailor Senshi's side at a moment's notice, no matter what. Would he even make it through the day without having to give up his identity in front of everyone? Would he even make it through the day at all?

The image on the TV flashed through Tetsuya's mind again. It was a Polaroid of a dead girl stripped to her undergarments. There were cuts all over her and a message carved onto her belly. The face had been blurred out to the point where he couldn't even tell the color or length of her hair, but the letters were clear and precise. And they were in Klijargan.

'Traitor, keep your eyes upon the tower. I'll bring another friend of yours to keep things interesting. Do you think you can save her at the falling of the sun? Jorvist.'

Someone he knew was dead. Was it his beloved Makoto, the girl he had finally been able to utter those three evasive words to? Was it Ami Mizuno, the first friend he had made after falling from the sky? Was it the goofy and lovable Usagi Tsukino who could melt the heart of an ice giant in deep space? Was it the sometimes eloquent and sometimes aloof Minako Aino? Was it the mysterious soul devourer Rei Hino? Was it one of his classmates? Was there really only one victim? Were they all dead already, save the one he would bring to the Tokyo Tower?

A false and empty calm flowed through him like a clog through a pipe after being broken up by a drain cleaner. Jorvist was an initiate in the Klijargan Elite Corps and a former Scout like Tetsuya. He was even more powerful than Vendeusi and his crimes against life itself made the first attacker's rampage look like a misdemeanor. I hope her heart gave out. Tetsuya knew what the faceless young woman's last moments had been like and hoped against all hope that she had died quickly, but he didn't believe it to be true. Jorvist knew how to keep a victim alive...

Was he already working on another victim? Is my Mako-chan safe? He had to get to school. He had to know! Please be safe...

*.*.*

Usagi yawned and rubbed her face, making a silly vocalization while doing so. After a few weeks, the other students thought nothing of her antics and accepted it as her norm, for lack of a better classification. She had been woken up earlier by a frantic Rei who was calling everyone over the communicators and telling them about her dream and making sure they were all still okay. As annoying as an early wake up call was, that one truly scared her. What if someone else had already been murdered by the Klijargans? Fifteen people had lost their lives the day Vendeusi appeared out of nowhere and began killing people just to get her attention. Fifteen fatalities and zero injuries. Was there a sixteenth victim already?

She hadn't been able to go back to sleep and showed up at school early that day. As the hands of the clock inched closer and closer to the start of class, she thought of something to ease her mind. Omi-chan! Omi hadn't shown up, yet. Unfortunately, Ayako was also not there. Usagi hoped Ayako would make it on time, but as long as Omi was late, it'd be okay after all. She started smiling. I'll get to laugh at you this time, Omi-chan!

Usagi had despised Omi the moment she met her when she started laughing at her for being late the first day of second year. She started to like her during lunch that day when Omi shared half of her food with a starving Usagi after apologizing. The two had been close acquaintances, but never really did anything friends did. Usagi was going to change that! After she had her laugh at Omi, she was going to invite her and her sister over for supper. Or maybe even have them crash Ami's belated eighteenth birthday party on Friday. Ami-chan won't mind!

Five... four... three... two... one... "Whhhooooooo!" Usagi realized the whole class was staring at her. She then saw the folly of her plan. If Miss Sakurada wasn't there, Omi wouldn't be marked as late. Cute, Omi-chan. Real cute.

*.*.*

"Dammit," Kenji Yamato muttered as he and Tetsuya slid into their class just seconds after the tone sounded. Fortunately, Mr. Kawazu wasn't there yet. "Oh, good."

"They can't prove a damn thing," Tetsuya said as he glided towards his desk behind Ami and next to Lila. Kenji did his odd walk to his desk behind Tetsuya and next to Motoharu, or at least Motoharu was supposed to sit there, but Tetsuya wasn't completely sure as he and his twin Motomi switched places from time to time just to be funny. The teacher's inability to not laugh at it did nothing to discourage the pranksters. "Hey, Ami-chan." That's all four of 'em, and no one's absent from my class today. Oh, Usagi... I'm so sorry. It was Rei. He kept mumbling the calming mantras under his breath while scratching his unshaven stubble to cover it up. He knew Rei and Usagi were close and had just recently made up after a longstanding disagreement or something to that effect. I swear he won't take anyone else away from you!

Ami smiled at him. Although the smile was genuine, she had a defeated look to her. "Why is your shirt wet?"

Tetsuya quickly finished the mantra and shrugged. "I was only allowed to let Kenji out of the locker he got stuffed into after I got swirlied, which is why we were almost late."

"Ew."

"No, no. I have the utmost faith in our janitorial staff." This got a few chuckles as most Japanese students were responsible for cleaning their own school, including the lavatories.

"Well, I'm guessing you're dying to brag about what happened after the dance?"

"Mako-chan didn't tell you and the others?"

"She was being a bit tight-lipped."

"Well, I think I'll let her decide what to divulge."

"That means nothing happened," Lila said.

"Not exactly nothing, but fairly close."

"That's not what happened with me and my Omiko," Kenji gloated. "Got some rooftop action with her. I guess I'll have to wait until lunch to see her again, thanks to those stupid bullies."

"Good for you," Lila said. "You've corrupted a sweet, pure young girl for your own personal gain."

"Pure, yes, but pure hotness! She is a very lovely, lively, confident young woman and shouldn't let foolish social stigmas shame her from being honest with herself and her desires, me being one of them."

"Wow. Um, anyone else wanna brag?"

"We struck out," the twins said in unison.

"Which one was your date again," Tetsuya asked Lila, getting a glare from her and a snicker from Ami.

She looked at the twins who weren't giving any clues. "I guess it doesn't really matter." The one in back winced. "Him." Had Tetsuya not been silently dreading the fact that Usagi would be told her close friend was dead, he would have wondered which one was which as he never figured out which one took Lila and which one took Ayako Midori.

"Kenji Yamato," Mr. Kawazu said softly as he stuck his head into the classroom. "Please come with me." He had a very serious look on his face.

"Hai, Sensei." The group shared uncomfortable glances as Kenji walked out to the hallway.

*.*.*

"I know you're weird," a male classmate said, "but usually not this weird."

Usagi looked to the back of the class. She wasn't familiar with his name yet, even though school had been in session for three weeks. "Omi's late and I'm not. I get to do the giggling this time."

"That's kinda mean," the girl next to her said. Her name was Keiko... something. "Sure, she only laughs at you when you're late, but I thought you two were friends."

"Oh, we're friends alright! I'm just gonna have a quick laugh at her expense before I pass along my friend's invitation to her eighteenth birthday party. Besides, Omi-chan's a great sport!"

Something-san shrugged. "Well, I still think it's kinda mean."

Usagi smiled. "Just a bit, I guess, but it's all in good nature, or whatever the saying is!" She looked back at the door. "C'mon, Omi-chan, it's a Monday. Show us those cute little pigtails of... Ohayo, Sensei!" Game, pair, um... something.

Miss Sakaruda glanced in the room quickly with a very worried look on her face. With only two seats empty, it was apparent who was tardy that morning. "Miss Tsukino," she replied softly before disappearing into the hallway again.

"Eh?"

"Do you think something happened," another student asked. Usagi really needed to pay more attention to the names of her peers. She looked back at the empty seat on her right where the little pinky was going to sit after standing out it the hall for a bit. But what was all the gloom and doom about? As the jovial mood began ebbing away to worry, Usagi and the rest of the class wondered just what was going on.

*.*.*

"Pleeeeeaaaaaasssseeee?" Minako begged. "I want details, Mako-chan!"

"I'm telling you, nothing really happened."

"C'mon, something happened."

"You're worse than Usagi."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"And shameless."

"You've known this for years."

"Fine, fine. We kissed."

"Open or closed mouthed?"

"Both."

"Tongue?"

"...a little."

"Touchy-feely?"

"He grabbed my rear."

"Anything else?"

Makoto wondered if her face had more red shading than her earrings yet. She knew the other students were listening in. Screw it. To hell with what they think! "He nibbled on my ear and I dug my nails into his neck. The end."

Minako opened her mouth for the next question when a boy's scream of utter despair was heard.

*.*.*

"...Was..." Lila looked around nervously as everyone in the room felt a sickness rising in their stomachs. "...was that... Kenji?"

"Yeah," Ami said. She and Tetsuya exchanged nervous glances.

"What's going on," Tetsuya asked.

"I...I don't know, Tetsuya."

*.*.*

"What was that," another student asked.

As the class looked around in a state of fear and confusion, Miss Sakaruda walked back into the classroom. Her eyes were alert and darting around the room as she paced for a moment trying to gather the will to say something. "Class," she said softly. "I..." She ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "Earlier today... Omi Midori was... f-found..." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed silently for a few seconds before hoarsely whispering. "Murdered."

*.*.*

Rei dropped her school bag. Another ripple of pain and confusion from those she was closest to caused her to gasp, this one overbearing.

"Nice one, psycho klutz," one of Rei's classmates remarked. "Are you trying to make a scene to get the attention your daddy never gave you or your mother?"

The only thing keeping the nameless wench alive was the seriousness of what was happening, but as quickly as it came, it ebbed away. She'd have to wait until lunch to pick up the trail again with a short meditation. She picked up her bag and carried it with her to homeroom.

"Oh, so you're too good to talk to me too, is that it, you slut?"

Yes, but saying I'm better than you isn't really setting a high standard for comparisons...

*.*.*

Usagi didn't hear them. She wouldn't hear them. Get me away from these incoherent idiots! She heard noises that were voices making words, but she didn't truly hear them as she slowly stumbled out of the class and into the hallway. She put her hands over her ears to block out the lies and the mutterings. Japanese! Do you speak it!

But the sounds continued as she was forced to pick out the occasional noises of Tsukino and Usagi. Why wouldn't they just go away? "Shut up," she whispered. They were mistaken. Omi was alright. They found someone else, but Omi and Ayako were going to be at Ami's belated birthday party on Friday. Usagi would even pay for the gifts for them because it was such short notice, and Ayako would know what to get for Ami as the two had been classmates for a year. It was a perfect plan, but first she had to get away from the simpletons who didn't know what they were talking about. "Shut up, you imbeciles..." Then the intercom added its bull to the mix...

*.*.*

"Mina-san," a voice over the intercom said, breaking the silence. Ami and Tetsuya looked at each other. Again, Tetsuya looked at her, asking her what was going on, and all she could do was look back because she was just as in the dark as he was. "I regret to inform you all that earlier this morning, fellow student Omi Midori was killed. That... is all."

"No..." Tetsuya lowered his head. The pink-haired girl who had captured Kenji's heart was gone forever. He squeezed his eyes shut as the tears rolled down. She had been so full of life and innocence, and she had met a gruesome and horrifying end at the hands of Jorvist. It wasn't me you wanted to hurt, but those I care about. You will be avenged, Omi. I swear it!

*.*.*

"Shut up," Usagi growled again as two of her classmates tried to help her. "Shut up!"

"Tsukino-san, please."

"Let us take you to the nurse."

"Don't touch me..." No... Usagi fell to the ground. It can't be. She curled up into a ball, holding her hands over her ears and shaking her head back and forth. It's not true! The shaking and the sobbing began. It can't be true. Omi-chan? Where are you? Then, cold reality finally sunk in. It was so innocent and so light-hearted, but the vile truth stabbed at her heart. Her last thoughts of Omi Midori in life had been silly, petty ones of insignificant vengeance. "Oh my God...Omi-chan..."

*.*.*

"Usagi really took it hard," Minako said at the lunch table. "She had to be escorted home because she was so upset."

Ami nodded. "Do you think this murder had something to do with the Klijargans?"

Makoto glared daggers into the distance. "They're all monsters!"

"Maybe so, but we don't know for sure that this was even one of the Klijargans, or if all of the Klijargans are like that."

Makoto's gaze bored into Ami. "Seriously? You saw what that Vendeusi did to those defenseless people just to get us to fight him."

"I know, but Journeyman is also a Klijargan, and he saved Mika from a deranged gun man. I saw him do it. He even endangered himself to help us defeat Vendeusi after getting cut pushing Rei out of the way of one of his attacks. There must be some good in the ranks of the Klijargans."

Minako's lower lip quivered. "Whatever you say, Ami-chan, but Omi was barely sixteen, and although she laughed at Usagi and me when we were late, she was still a nice person. She even apologized for her giggling tantrums." A tear rolled down her cheek before she could catch it. "Dammit! I swear, I'll make whoever did that to her pay!"

"Remember..." Makoto started, her own voice stating to shake. "Remember that one time she pestered, egging me on for no reason? There was no fear in her eyes, just an innocent exuberance. She... she knew I wouldn't hurt her. She just felt like being a pest and saw that I was alone. She didn't believe what other's thought of me." Makoto rubbed her eyes before continuing. "Oh, of course you don't remember. You were both absent that day. I'm so sorry, but if only you could've seen her. It had been such a lousy day for me up until lunch. She then compared her food to mine and whined that she'd never be able to make food as well as I did after we exchanged bites. Before I could say anything to her, she was gone, off in her own world, not caring for this one. It felt so good to be treated like a normal person by someone I had just met."

"Yeah. She used to boast that she could beat me in a one-on-one volleyball match just to be silly." Minako started laughing and crying at the same time. "I want to watch him die. I want to see the person who did this die!"

"Hey guys," Ami whispered. "Be quite. Tetsuya's coming."

Minako quickly wiped the tears away and stopped its cousins before they also broke the line of her lower eyelid and the three girls nodded their hellos to Tetsuya. He returned the gesture with a solemn look as he sat down next to Makoto and took out his lunch. He noticed Minako's expression. "Are you going to be okay?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I'll make it through the day, I guess. I hope the bastard gets fried."

"I... knew about the incident early this morning from the news, but at that time, the police weren't even confirming if the Polaroid was a hoax or not. I had no idea it was..." He was unable to finish his sentence as he wiped his eyes.

"Do you think it was one of those new people who did it? Perhaps it was that mysterious Journeyman who did it."

Tetsuya's jaw dropped as he stared wide-eyed at her. "Wh-what?"

"He had the same outfit as that thing that butchered fifteen innocent people."

"That's crazy," Ami said softly. "If you consider..."

"That's stupid," Tetsuya hissed at Minako, cutting off Ami as he blinked, a tear streaming down his left cheek. "I mean, are you serious?" He wiped away the escapee. "We all saw the footage when he saved that little girl. I remember you talking about seeing the footage of when he helped the Sailor Senshi kill that thing that murdered all those people. How could you even think something like that? You really are stupid, and all this time I thought it was just an act!" Tetsuya shot up and stormed off.

Ami stood up. "Tetsuya, wait."

"Shut up and leave me alone!"

Minako lowered her head as Slouch stomped off. "He's right," she said softly. "It makes absolutely no sense. Me and my big gob..."

"It's okay," Makoto said. "You and Slouch can make up later. Listen. They're releasing students who wish to leave for the day. Usagi needs us right now. Let's get out of here, okay?"

Minako and Ami nodded silently, leaving their untouched lunches behind.

*.*.*

Rei didn't care. She'd thought she stopped caring years ago, but the first three weeks had rooted out a few care stragglers from her being. Now she really didn't give a fart. She would have even laughed at the reactions of her, for lack of a better word, fellow students, had the situation not been so serious. In an all female academy with a fairly short skirt as part of the uniform, seeing a girl in the uniform with sweat pants underneath was quiet unusual, even for that one Shinto freak, as she was often called. While there were other girls at the academy not particularly of the overall Christian persuasion, Rei was the only openly active practitioner of Japan's ancient religion. Wearing sweatpants was just icing on the top, but her skirt by itself wasn't appropriate for a lady sitting in a meditative position in public.

But, she didn't care. She didn't respond to the harassing remarks or the odd stairs as she hurried towards where she was obligated to be during her lunch break. She ignored the jeers as she sat down on top of her table and sat upright, chanting the words of power as she forced away all outside distractions and began to meditate.

"Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

Within minutes, she heard nothing from the material world as her mind transcended to the spiritual realm. Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!

Who are you?!

Rei opened her eyes and only took a mental note of the small crowd that had gathered around her. What had just happened? Who was that other voice?

*.*.*

Tetsuya didn't care. He knew he was probably going to be serving before and after school detention for a week, but he didn't care. He never checked in with his teacher after lunch, he simply left without a glance back. He was losing control and he needed to get away. After spending the morning worrying about Makoto's existence, he lost his cool and went off on her best friend right in front of her. He then snapped at Ami. He had to get away and he didn't care about anything else. They deserved better conduct from him, but in his current state of mind, he was fearful of a repeat of what happened on Yutygo...

Thinking of that world wouldn't help, so he retraced the message Jorvist had carved for him. He wanted to wish that Omi was already dead when he started carving the message into her flesh, but he knew better. He knew Jorvist too well. Traitor, keep your eyes upon the tower. I'll bring another friend of yours to keep things interesting. Do you think you can save her at the falling of the sun? Jorvist. The sicko had probably already selected his next victim, and there was nothing he could do about it. She would have been acquainted with Omi, somehow. It was a short list. Makoto, Ami, Minako, Usagi, Lila. Possibly Naru or Rei. Ayako was safe because Jorvist would want her to live on with the pain of losing her little sister. He fought his instincts to rush to Makoto's side or to try and gather the girls into one place. He was no match for Jorvist by himself and if he interfered with his sick and twisted game, he'd simply kill his next target on the spot.

So you've finally snared me in your twisted games. The only way to save the next victim was to face him in combat. He knew she'd still be alive at the beginning of the battle, but was the game rigged? Would he even have a legitimate chance to save her? Would he have to watch her die in front of his eyes?

...at the falling of the sun...help me, Sailor Senshi. Please!

Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!

"Who's there?!" Tetsuya materialized his sword and searched the room. Nothing. Who are you?!

Again, nothing.

*.*.*

"Ex...cuse me, Hino-san," one of the seventh graders who didn't know any better said, "but are you alright?"

"Don't bother," said one of the upper classmen. "She's too good to talk to any of us."

"That's right," Rei said sarcastically. "I'm too used to people talking crap to my face and loudly behind my back to care anymore." She looked at the foolish seventh grader. "And if you have any sense at all, you'll tell all your friends what a bitch I am unless you want to hate every school day for the next six years of your life." Without another word, she closed her eyes and went back into a meditation state.

Instead of even trying to pick up on the cold trail of the voice she heard, she focused on her vision again. The dream began once more, and Rei couldn't remember hating her gift more than she did at that very moment. The shadowy girl was there again, little puffs of smoke wafting from her neck. As Rei closed in on her, she saw the outline of a ball of hair on one side. The terror in her heart subsided, but only slightly, when she saw no tail of hair flowing from the bun. She walked up to the figure and touched her face. The darkness of the shadow lifted like frozen breath, revealing the face of Omi Midori.

"My sister will need closure," she pleaded. "Avenge me."

"Oh, Kami-sama..." Rei's eyes shot open. The crowd was still there, and in addition to sweat pants, Rei was wearing a few pieces of food, but it didn't matter.

"Is it the end of the world," yet another student asked mockingly.

The only thing keeping her tears and temper in check was the overwhelming need to get to Usagi. After her stunt of charging out of the academy towards Juuban High two years earlier when Usagi needlessly blew her Rei-get-over-here-pronto whistle just to test it out, she knew that she would be forcibly detained if she was caught trying to leave campus during school hours again.

Hang on, Usagi-chan. Your Rei-chan will be there as soon as she can.

*.*.*

Where are you, little bunny girl? What secrets does the golden rabbit have that the pink one did not? Jorvist had gone from slightly amused to utterly frustrated with his inability to find his next target, Usagi Tsukino. Somehow, she would only flicker from time to time on the ship's tracking system. She was perfect for his next target. Omi was survived by a protective older sister, and Usagi had a little brother as well as a fiancé. His observations over the time between Vendeusi's death and his execution of the brat had revealed much about Pethospoe.

The traitor had made friends. He had become somewhat close to an Ami Mizuno and possibly intimate with a Makoto Kino. Usagi was Ami's best friend, and he wanted to see Pethospoe watch his good friend lose her best friend. And they both had those ridiculous buns at the dance! The brat had even kept her hair up through Earth's Sunday and had bled out wearing them. Jorvist cut one off as a souvenir, and it would nicely match a golden one with a tail. But he had to find her first.

"Bah!" He had never been known for patience and abandoned his search for Usagi. Might as well take a bit more of a direct approach with the traitor. He was classmates with a shapely lass named Lila Abiko. She would make an acceptable target to draw out the Senshi and the traitor, who seemed to be going by the title of Journeyman.

Usagi could wait. After Jorvist had killed Sailor Moon, he would be allowed to hunt her and every female stupid enough to befriend that runt from Aschothiyl at his leisure. He'd even keep Pethospoe alive long enough to see his lady friends snuffed out one by one, and then he'd put out his eyes after the last one so her body would be the last thing he ever saw before living out his days as a blind prisoner. Yes, he'd kill Makoto Kino last. He looked down at a gift he had for Sailor Moon, wrapped in a blood speckled shirt, and smiled.

*.*.*

After half an hour, Tetsuya dematerialized his sword and turned on the TV. There may be a chance that he would know ahead of time who the next target was. He kept toggling through the channels for about an hour until both his prayers and fears came true at once. A missing child alert had been filed for Lila Abiko. She had been seen leaving Juuban High but never made it home. Tetsuya rushed out the door, knowing what was happening. At the falling of the sun. It was past noon, so the sun was already falling! That motherless son of evil!

*.*.*

It had been too easy. Rei had been able to fake being sick after forcing down a cold can of asparagus and throwing up in class. Rather than go to the nurse's office, she changed into her street clothes that were not covered in vomit and snuck right out one of the windows. There were many advantages to being small and petite. With any luck, she wouldn't have to hear about it until her grandfather began berating her at the Shrine.

Damn you, father! The only reason she hadn't transferred to Juuban High was because her father allowed her to stay at the Shrine in exchange for her attendance at one of the best schools in all of Japan. He was still her legal guardian and she was still seventeen. All he had to do was summon her to live with him and she was legally bound to obey or become a runaway and risk incriminating anyone who gave her shelter without promptly turning her in. Why was I born an Aries?! Until the seventeenth of April, she was still a minor and under the guardianship of her father whom she only saw one day a year, which just happened to be her birthday. Rei was indeed a very unusual teenager as she dreaded her birthdays rather than looking forward to them.

As the train came to a stop, she bolted out the door. She knew that Usagi was missing her and was eternally grateful to Ami for becoming so close to Usagi while Rei had gone into hiding. She knew Usagi, and she knew Omi's death while she was not henshined would leave her practically non-functional. She would be at home, and the other three Senshi would have found some way to get there already! They were waiting for her and...

WHACK!

After blindly rounding a corner, Rei bounced back and hit the ground hard. In spite to the pain, she knew she had just given whatever muscle head she had ran into a million dollar panty shot, but it was still miniskirt weather. She opened her eyes and saw Makoto stumbling to keep her balance. She quickly shut her legs and shook off the haze. I still don't think it was 'just a phase' with you...

"Rei-chan," Minako said as she and Ami rounded the corner.

"You...three?" Rei looked again as Makoto helped her up. "You're not already at Usagi's?"

"We just left school," Ami said. "We're on our way now."

"How is she?"

The quartet started a quick walk down Usagi's street. "She was in a state," Makoto said softly. "She was somewhat with it when she left school, but she really took it hard. She almost saw Omi as a reflection of Chibi-Usa."

"You already changed out of your uniform," Minako asked.

"Oh, that," Rei shrugged. "I faked being sick by eating canned asparagus and puking right after lunch, and instead of going to the nurse's office after changing, I snuck out a window."

"Hmmm..." Ami regarded Rei for a moment. "You do look a bit paler than usual."

"Well, I hate canned asparagus."

"But you kept a can of it at school with you?"

"In case I needed to get out of there in a hurry without raising suspicion."

"How did you know, though? Was it announced at your school as well?"

"No. A lot of the girls aren't Tokyo residents, so I guess that's why they didn't even bother making an announcement. I felt the shock through my vibes and I retraced the vision I had this morning during lunch. I saw Omi's face the second time, and I knew Usagi needed me."

Oddly, Ami smiled. "You were always the hardest on her and her biggest supporter when she needed it the most. You left some big shoes for me to fill."

"You were spectacular, Ami-chan. Always there in the background, keeping things together even though no one else even seemed to notice. And when it was your time to shine..."

"Gomen Kudasai," Makoto hollered as the four of them walked up to the porch. After a moment, a somber Ikoku Tsukino opened the door.

"Girls," she said softly. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in." As the four of them took off their shoes and walked in, Ikoku slumped onto the couch. "I knew you would come. She needs you right now. Please go to her."

Without another word, the four proceeded up the stairs. Rei hadn't been in Usagi's house in two years since when Seiya had also been there, yet it looked exactly the way it had back then with the addition of a Pokémon poster on Shingo's bedroom door instead of his old Dragon Ball Z poster. You traitor. In spite of everything, Rei smirked for a moment before raising her hand to knock on Usagi's door. Ami simply opened it and walked on in. The other two followed, and after a moment of appreciating the irony of how much Ami and Rei's roles and personalities had seemed to reverse, she followed suit.

Usagi was at her desk, staring blankly at an old folder. "I was thinking of a shillelagh," she said softly. "A quarterstaff isn't a quarter sized staff at all, it's more like three quarters of a long staff's length."

"Usagi-chan," Ami said, "we're here for you."

"Please, have a seat." Usagi kept looking at the folder. Rei walked behind her and saw on the folder a faded sticker from a photo machine. Usagi was wearing Omi's glasses and making a silly face while Omi was poorly trying to imitate Usagi's hair. "It took me awhile to get the pronunciation right. The word cudgel just sounds ugly."

"It's alright," Minako said. "They're not easy words."

"You know, I lost the other picture, but it wasn't a very good one. Omi-chan had the other two. I never did find out where she put them. It was such an odd thing. Last summer, we just ran into each other while I was on my way to pick up Ami-chan from juku. After less than ten minutes, we parted ways. I always meant to do things with her, but she was very active outside of school and didn't have much free time. It wasn't really anybody's fault."

"I know," Makoto said. "Sometimes things just don't happen for no reason at all."

"I was going to invite her and Ayako to Ami-chan's birthday party. It was such short notice, but I've been so busy I haven't even had time to spend my allowance and I could've paid for their gifts. Ayako would've had a good idea what to get. She was in your class for a year."

"That's right," Ami said. "First year. She went to the other advanced class the next year."

"It would have been Omi-chan's class, but she was dropped back to intermediate. That's how I met her. So silly. Giggling at me for being late that first day. I was so mad at her. I hadn't eaten breakfast and had forgotten my lunch, too. She then showed up during lunch, apologized and offered me half of her lunch. You all know what a sucker I am for food."

"We know," Rei said, not knowing if she should laugh or cry. She did neither. "That's what makes you our Usagi-chan."

"This year, different circumstances but the same result. She was waiting for me. If I was late, she was gonna be late with me so I wouldn't be alone in the hallway. She's never late and I'm late from time to time. She even offered me half of her food again, but my stomach started feeling a little off from the food Tetsuya gave me."

"Sorry about that," Ami said with a smile. "My mom's not the best cook. She can't even bake cookies very well anymore."

"It tasted fine enough, but I don't think you're supposed to cook tako sashimi like that." She looked back and counted. "Slouch isn't coming? He's like Umino 2.0."

"I... said something really stupid," Minako said after a slight hesitation. "It really set him off. He didn't go back to class."

"Do you have his number, Mako-chan?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," Makoto replied with a bow. "The thought never crossed my mind. I still don't have my own phone."

"It's not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. It just didn't happen."

"Is Mamoru-san coming," Rei asked.

"He's been under enough stress as it is, worrying about his job with his tendency to disappear from time to time. I really hope he isn't watching the news."

"Usagi-chan. Please, just let it out. Don't keep it bottled up."

"Soon, Rei-chan. I'll let it out when the time is right. Now isn't the time to fly off the handle."

"Maybe it is," Ami said. The group looked at her. She had an earpiece connected to her handheld computer. "The Journeyman's been sighted. He's at the Crown Plaza and yelling for us."

Rei stared in awe as the life suddenly returned to Usagi's eyes. "Goodbye, handle. It's time to fly!"

*.*.*

"Where is he?!" Tetsuya turned in time to see Sailor Moon tackle him to the ground. "Where is he?!" Tetsuya's suit didn't have a collar or a lapel to grab onto, so Sailor Moon grabbed him by the helmet. "Where?!"

"Tokyo Tower," he hollered back. "He has her!"

"Who?!"

Tetsuya saw the other four Senshi leap onto the rooftop he was on. "Lila Abiko."

Sailor Moon Yanked him up and shoved him towards the other four.

"Teleport us to Toyko Tower," they both said in unison. They made eye contact and nodded.

"Lila will see the sun tomorrow," Tetsuya growled through his mask.

"But he won't," she replied with a sneer.

"No, he won't."

He noticed Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars looking at Sailor Moon with a touch of concern on their faces while a savage look of resolve crossed the faces of Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter.

"Sailor Teleport!"

The six warriors were hurled the short distance to the base of Tokyo Tower in a flash of light. A crowd had gathered around, looking up at first observation deck. Tetsuya could see two figures at a broken window.

"Ah, good," Jorvist yelled, his voice carrying one-hundred forty-five meters to the ground with a bit of magic to help. "The main event has arrived." He shoved the second figure out the window, holding onto her by the wrist as she dangled.

Lila!

"Let her go, you bastard," Sailor Moon hollered.

No!

"If you insist!"

He let go and Lila Abiko fell towards the ground below.