SailorStar9: You ladies wanted this chapter, so here goes. This is Chapter 10 of this fic; so please be a dear and review.

Disclaimers: I do not own the animes. But I do own the pairing, I hope.

Chapter 10: Be Careful After School! Usagi is a Target


Time passes...

"Now, Sailor Moon!" Luna shouted.

"Moon Princess Elimination!" Sailor Moon released her attack.

"Cleansing!" the Cardian screamed as the attack washed over it. Returning to its card form, the card turned black as usual.

"Damn you! Sailor Senshi!" Ali growled.

"Just you remember this!" Ann promised, the twins disappearing.


"I'm gonna be late!" Usagi exclaimed in horror, the three Juuban Junior High students dashing towards school.

"I am going to be late!' Ami added. "And I have never been late in all my fourteen years of life!"

"Unless we run faster, we'll be in trouble!" Makoto noted.

"Oh wait!" Usagi cowled, the two girls running ahead as the school bell rang.

"Tsukino-san? Tsukino-san? Is she late again?" Ms. Haruna inquired.

"Here!" Usagi burst in from the back door, stepping into an empty bucket in the process and knocking into the cardboard at the back of the class.

"Tsukino Usagi is here!" she reported.

Even when I try this hard, she'll still mark me for tardiness!" she wept when Ms Haruna appeared behind her.

"Tsukino Usagi, it's nice that you are always so energetic," Ms Haruna told her. "But please be a little more quiet when you enter the classroom."

"Yes madam." Usagi was astonished when Ms Haruna did not blow her top.

"Then I will continue to take attendance." Ms Haruna remarked.

What's going on? She's in an awfully good mood today. Usagi wondered.


Later in the teacher's room...

"Sakurada-sensei, you have a phone call." one of the teachers informed her.

"Oh, thank you." Ms Haruna took the phone. "Hello, this is Sakurada. Oh, Kouichi! If you're talking about today's date, everything is fine. I will be there as soon as school is over..."

"You have urgent business and have to cancel. Oh, okay..." she paled when her date told her the unfortunate news. "Oh, don't worry. I'm fine. Okay then, I will talk to you later."

With that, she slammed the receiver down.


Meanwhile in class...

Oh, I'm hungry. Usagi whined.

Oh, I need energy. Nastumi sighed.

"How long will you keep up this noise? Get back to your seats!" Ms Haruna barked.

Everybody sweatdropped and obeyed.

"Once upon a time, there was a pretty girl on the moon." Ms Haruna begun the English class.

"Now,, let's have someone translate this for us. Tsukino-san!" she ordered.

"Uh-oh!" Usagi panicked and Ms Haruna tapped her pointer on the book, revealing Usagi eating her lunch box in class.

"You have some nerve, eating lunch in my class, Tsukino-san." Ms Haruna remarked.

"Oh no! it's not what you think!" Usagi defended.

"Stay late after school!" Ms Haruna ordered.

"No way!" Usagi sighed.

"How about you, Nastumi Ginga-san?" Ms Haruna turned to her next victim.

"Yes madam." Nastumi let out an exhausted breath. "Hali le la sa su lela..."

"What are you saying?" Ms Haruna fumed after a dramatic pause.

"You asked me to translate it," Nastumi pointed out. "So I translated it into our planet's language."

"Quit joking around!" Ms Haruna slammed her hands on the desk. "You will also stay after school!"

"Yes madam." Nastumi replied.


After school on the roof top...

"So? I assume she didn't find out who you are." Seijuro inquired after Nastumi told him what happened in class.

"No, I don't think we need to worry about that." Nastumi replied.

"This could happen again. You have to be very careful." Seijuro advised.

"I understand." Nastumi replied.

"I have no choice." Seijuro concluded. "I will carry out the new plan to steal more energy for myself."

"This is all those Sailor Senshi's fault!" Nastumi fumed.

"That's right." Seijuro agreed. "This time, make sure to pick a Cardian stronger than them!"

"Okay." Nastumi picked out a card from the card fan.

"Nastumi-san! Nastumi-san!" Usagi called out. "Oh, there you are!"

"Haruna says detention starts now." she informed her.

"Oh, but I..." Nastumi barely made out a protest when Usagi dragged her off.

"If we don't hurry up, she'll give us even more homework!" Usagi added, the two girls running off.

"Okay, okay! Please don't pull me so hard." Nastumi pleaded.


In the nearby park...

the rest of the group were meeting by the fountain.

"That's right! Usagi has to stay late and study." Minako remarked.

"She has no motivation whatsoever!" Rei retorted.

"But we had a busy morning to start with." Makoto pointed out.

"In a way, I do feel sorry for her." Luna admitted.

"And Ami's at cram school." Artemis added. "I guess we have to cancel todays' meeting."

"Then, why don't we go and see a movie together?" Minako suggested.

"Good idea!" Makoto agreed.

"There's a good one playing right now!" Rei added.

"No! You're not allowed to see a movie on your way home!" Luna objected.

"Don't worry!, it's not a big deal." Minako replied, clucking the two cats into her sports bag. "Okay, let's go!"


Meanwhile in detention...

"I will not let you go home until you finish those questions." Ms Haruna informed the two girls. "Don't worry, I will be here with you. We have plenty of time."

"Ms Sakurada, you have a phone call." the principal informed her.

"What? Oh, really?" Ms Haruna blinked. "You two keep on studying."


In the teacher's room...

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ms Haruna spoke over the phone. "Oh Kouichi! No, I'm not mad at all! What? Right now? Of course, I can! Okay, I understand. I will be there right away!"

Putting down the phone, she started reapplying her makeup, "Oh, he made me worry so much this morning."


Back in the classroom...

"Haruna's still not back." Usagi noted. "Okay, I don't have time for this!"

"I'll go home early and catch Mamoru on his way home!" she beamed, packing her bag.

"Tsukino-san?" Nastumi looked at her.

"Huh? What?" Usagi turned back.

"You still haven't given up on Mamoru?" Nastumi asked.

"There is no way I would ever give up!" Usagi retorted as she held out her pinky finger. "Mamoru and I are linked by the red string of fate!"

"You can't do something like that!" she protested when Nastumi cut off the imaginary string.

"You're such a stubborn girl!" Nastumi shot back. "Okay, then we'll play a game!"

"A game?" Usagi echoed.

"Yes, let's see who can finish these questions first." Nastumi posted her challenge. "And the one who loses will give up on Mamoru. What do you think?"

"Okay." Usagi agreed.


Meanwhile...

Ali had appeared on top of a skyscraper. Drawing a card, he played his flute to summon the Cardian.

"Come forth, Cardian Amanju!" he instructed.

"Aman!" the Cardian declared after it materialized.

"Now, Amanju, steal energy from everyone in town!" Ali instructed.

Thomas H. Norstein? He frowned at the blond doctor who was heading back to the hospital with a banquet of lilies. If I could just get rid of him, Ami-san would be mine.

"Amanju! Steal that man's energy first!" he turned to the Cardian. "Go ahead, steal as much energy as you can and kill him!"

"Aman!" the Cardian declared. Using Ali's head as a stepping stone, it leapt off.

"Wait!" Ali called out to the runaway Cardian. "You're ignoring my orders! Where are you going?"


In school...

Now, I have to tackle this seriously. Nastumi decided. I don't have enough energy. I'm getting dizzy. If I had enough energy, these questions would be a piece of cake. And I could make her give up... what am I thinking? The energy is right here.

"Man! I don't get this!" Usagi complained.

On top of that, if I steal all her energy and kill her, Mamoru will be mine. Nastumi grinned as she turned back to her alien form. I can kill two birds with one stone.


In Ami's cram school...

"What's that?" the front row students stammered when the Cardian burst into the classroom through the wall.

"A Cardian?" Ami blinked.

"Aman!" the Cardian roared. Grabbing the two students in front of it by its hands, it proceeded to drain them of their energy.

"Aman!" the Cardian then burst out of the window.

"What was that?" one of the surviving students inquired.

"This is Ami! A Cardian has shown up!" Ami informed the girls through the inert communicator in her compact computer.


At the movies...

"Are you sure, Ami?" Minako whispered.

"Where?" Makoto asked, through Minako's communicator.

"At my cram school. But it already left, heading northwest!" Ami reported.

"I got it, let's meet somewhere right away!" Minako suggested.

"Come on, let's go, Rei!" Makoto told the fire Senshi.

"What? It's getting interesting." Rei complained.

"Hey, it's time to go to work!" Luna reminded her.

"Okay, I got it." Rei pouted as she took off with Makoto.

"Oh, Allan..." Minako gushed when the male actor appeared on screen.

"Minako, you hurry, too!" Artemis urged.


In school...

Ann was about to reach out to take Usagi's energy when the blond whined.

"Oh, I don't get it!" Usagi complained.

Startled for a second, Ann then approached her victim when Usagi dropped her eraser, causing the alien girl to miss her target and fall over the desk when Usagi bent over to pick it up.

"What are you doing, Nastumi?" Usagi asked.

"Oh!" Nastumi gaped, having returned to her 'human' form. "I'm just exercising for a change! One, two..."


Elsewhere...

"Aman!" the Cardian had leapt into the park.

"Wait, Amanju! Your target is..." Ali chided, appearing before the Cardian which had landed on the monkey bars.

"Aman!" the Cardian leapt away into the bushes.

"What in the world is going on?" Ali wondered outloud. "It's impossible for a Cardian to ignore my orders."


In school...

I will never give up. Ann swore, reaching over to drain Usagi of her energy again.

Just then, Usagi yawned, unintentionally poking the end of her pencil into Ann's nose.

"Ouch!" Ann whined, clutching her nose in pan.

"Oh, sorry!" Usagi turned back to look at Nastumi who had returned to her 'human' form. "It's your own fault. Because you snuck up on me and stood there."

Ah, I'm so unlucky today. Nastumi pondered.

"I wonder what happened to Haruna." Usagi noted.


Elsewhere...

"I fee like I'm forgetting something. I wonder what it could be?" Ms Haruna mused as she walked in the park with her date. "Well, it's okay right? it's probably not anything important."

"Aman!" the Cardian roared, appearing behind the pair.

Ms Haruna barely made out a scream before both her and her date's energy were taken.

"Okay, I don't care from whom anymore. Just steal energy frm human!" Ali concluded. "Got that, Amanju?"

"Aman!" the Cardian declared and jumped into the pond, scaring the ducks.

"What are you doing? I don't need bird energy!" Ali fumed when the Cardian started draining the ducks of their energy. "Humans! From humans!"

"That's enough!" Sailor Venus declared. "Not satisfied with just sneak attacks at morning and at night?"

"Not just once, but twice! You have some nerve!" Sailor Mars retorted.

"You won't get away with ruining the birds' peaceful day!" Sailor Jupiter added.

"We will bring you to justice!" Millennial Sailor Mercury announced,

"In the name of Sailor Moon, we will punish you!" the four chorused.

"So, you're here, Sailor Senshi." Ali laughed. "But it won't be so easy this time! Get them, Amanju!"

"Aman!" the Cardian declared, using Ali's head as a stepping stone again before it leapt off.

Shoot! It did it again! Ali hissed.

"Oh, it ran away!" Millennial Sailor Mercury noted.

"Does it mean we won?" Sailor Venus inquired.


In school...

"One more question and I'll be finished!" Usagi beamed. "How about you? Nastumi, are you almost finished?"

"Yes, well, I think I'll manage to finish it." Nastumi replied tiredly.

"Okay! I'm not going to lose though!" Usagi told her.

Tsukino Usagi, she's certainly worthy of being my mortal enemy. Nastumi thought. It's impressive that she hasn't lowered her guard against me.

"Nastumi, are you okay? You look pale." Usagi remarked. "And you haven't solved any problems at all."

"Oh, nothing to worry about. I'm just a little tired." Nastumi assured her.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Usagi offered. "Well, I know I'm going to win. So, I;m willing to help you in any way I can!"

This sounds similar to that Earth fable I've heard before. Nastumi mused. About a hare and a tortoise racing. If I recall, that story had a similar turn of events

"Is something wrong?" Usagi asked.

"Well, maybe I should ask for your help." Nastumi decided.

"Okay. But you can't ask me something like, 'give up Mamoru' or 'solve these problems'." Usagi pointed out.

"It's nothing like this." Nastumi told her. "Instead, would you just close your eyes for ten seconds and stay still?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Usagi beamed. "For just ten seconds? All right."

"Thank you." Nastumi replied after Usagi sat down on an empty chair and shut her eyes.

Tsukino-san ,please sleep eternally. Ann grinned, returning to her alien form. Resting a finger on Usagi's throat, she proceeded to draw the blond's energy.

"I feel sort of weird." Usagi remarked.

"Aman!" the Cardian then burst in.

"Gag! What is that?" Usagi blinked when the Cardian jumped Nastumi.

"Aman!" the Cardian then leapt out of the window.

That was a Cardian? Usagi blinked as she looked out of the window,

"Ali..." Nastumi whispered when the alien appeared beside her.

The Cardian is not following my orders!Ali told her telepathically.

That's impossible. Ann sent back.

Then, come with me! Ali instructed and the two disappeared.

"You can' get away from us now!" Sailor Mars declared, the four Senshi having cornered the Cardian.

"Fire Soul!" she fired her fireball.

"Supreme Thunder!" Sailor Jupiter released her attack after the Cardian dodged the flam attack.

"Crescent Beam Shower!" Sailor Venus unleashed her attack once the thunder attack hit the Cardian's leg.

"Ice Blast!" Millennial Sailor Mercury released her ice ball, freezing the Cardian in place.

"Aman!" the Cardian roared, breaking free of its icy prison and attacked the girls.

"It's so powerful! Unless we do something, they'll all be killed." Luna gasped. "Oh, that's Usagi. I'll go get her!"

"Okay." Artemis nodded as Luna leapt into the school.

"Is the Cardian finally following my orders?" Ali wondered as the two aliens appeared on the rooftop.

"There's absolutely no way that a Cardian would ignore our orders." Ann pointed out.

"But it was!" Ali insisted.

"Go for it, everyone!" Usagi cheered.

"Why don't you stop cheering and transform too?" Luna chided.

"Luna!" Usagi looked at the cat. "Oh, where's Nastumi?"

"I don't know. Now, hurry!" Luna urged.

"Leave it to me!" Usagi decided. "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"

:Sorry for making you wait, everyone!" Sailor Moon declared, jumping in.

"You're late!" Sailor Mars scolded.

"Calm down, Rei! I'll finish it off, so forgive me, okay?" Sailor Moon soothed.

"Aman!" the Cardian growled.

"Oh, something's wrong. I don't have nay power." Sailor Moon wobbled on her feet.

"What's wrong ,Sailor Moon?" Luna asked.

"I wonder if I studied too much?" Sailor Mon mused, causing Sailors Mercury and Mars to sweatdrop.

"Aman!" the Cardian roared, reaching over to grab Sailor Moon's neck.

Just then, a white rose came in, cutting the Cardian's arm

"An evil creature belongs to an evil world." the Moonlight Knight declared. "leave this beautiful moonlight at once!"

"Moonlight Knight-sama!" the girls exclaimed as Sailor Moon swooned.

"Come! Now this the time, Sailor Moon." the Moonlight Knight told the Moon Senshi,

"Gravity Hold!" Dragon Solaris' energy cage held the Cardian in place.

"Sailor Moon, now!" the Sun Dragon shouted.

"Yes!" Sailor Moon nodded. "Moon Princess Elimination!"

"Cleansing!" the Cardian yelled as the attacked washed over it. Returning to its card form, the card turned black as before.

"We did it!" the girls beamed.

"Even a crescent moon is no match for beautiful Senshi." the Moonlight Knight remarked. "Adieu!"

"Now, I have to get back to the classroom." Sailor Moon commented after the Moonlight Knight disappeared. "Otherwise Nastumi will suspect something."

"All of a sudden, she's fine now." Sailor Jupiter noted.

"I didn't think anyone could recover so quickly." Sailor Venus added.

"She always amazes me." Millennial Sailor Mercury remarked.

"Well, we should leave now." Sailor Mars suggested.

"Yes." the rest of the Senshi agreed.

"We screwed up again." Ann cursed.

"Damn! Sailor Senshi!" Ali hissed.

"Well, I will be going back to the classroom." Ann informed her partner. "Otherwise Tsukino-san will suspect something. Then..."

Not waiting for Ali's answer, she disappeared.

"Something's going on. Is something going to happen?" Ali wondered. "Or is it already happening?"


In the classroom...

"I did it! I finished!" Usagi whooped.

"Really?" Nastumi inquired.

"Oh? Nastumi, when did you..." Usagi turned back.

"I just finished, too." Nastumi showed her the completed paper. "Once I started working seriously, this was nothing."

"Come on, Usagi, let's go home." Makoto remarked, appearing at the door with Ami.

"I know you worked hard!" Ami added.

"Oh, thanks!" Usagi smiled. "Well, Nastumi, I think we're even this time!"

"I guess so." Nastumi replied. "let's just say that the final showdown will be up to Mamoru."

"All right! I'll never lose!" Usagi decided. "Bye!"

Me, either. Nastumi frowned determinedly after Usagi left.


SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review. In the next chapter, when Seijuro and Nastumi miss school, Usagi goes to visit them at their apartment. She is attacked by the Makaiju when she tries to peek into a secret room, but the aliens explain that it's just a botany experiment. Back at Rei's shrine, the girls discover that Seijuro and Nastumi are really aliens by testing a twig caught in Usagi's hair. Later, Usagi runs into Mamoru outside of the apartment and tries to convince him not to visit. When he doesn't believe her, they end up going together. Nastumi traps Usagi in the room with the Makaiju and a Cardian. When the Cardian starts sucking Usagi's life energy, the Makaiju starts growing. Eventually, the tree engulfs the entire building. The other Sailor Senshi arrive outside and try to find a way to get inside and save Usagi and Mamoru.