Chapter 20
The Truth Will Out

The four Outer Senshi sat there and watched the video screens, occasionally saying something quietly to each other. They had not set up one camera in Setsuna's bedroom, but two. They had shut themselves in a second bedroom, and there they watched, waiting for the mysterious Kisshu to appear. Setsuna had told them that he always arrived the same way, by teleportation, and in the same place, her bedroom. And he was never late for his little liaisons with the girl from Pluto.

Setsuna turned from the screens for a second, nervously twisting her hands together. It was so unlike Setsuna to be so nervous or worried. She had always been the most mature of the Senshi, always the one in charge of herself and of things around her. Now her fears tortured her, and she muttered to no one in particular, "If she hurts him in any way, I'll smack her so hard that it will take a week to scrape the grease spot off the floor, and that's all that will be left of her."

Young Hotaru turned to her, and touched her arm gently. "The cat-girl can't transform, and she has no weapons. And she's chained to the bed besides. There's no way she can hurt him."

"She's a dangerous animal," Setsuna said. "Just look what she did to Sailor Moon."

"If your lover-boy can't handle a little girl, then he's got to be a total wuss," Haruka said. "The cat-girl was transformed when she fought Sailor Moon. Now, she's just a girl."

Setsuna's eyes threw a barrage of angry daggers at the cocky Haruka, but the girl from Uranus ignored them.

But before tempers rose any further, Hotaru said quietly, "Look, we're all transformed. If somehow the creature starts hurting this Kisshu, we'll be in there in a few seconds to rescue him."

Setsuna grunted and turned back to the video screens. There the red-haired cat-girl sat quietly on the bed. She was wearing a white sleeveless blouse and a short dark skirt. A steel chain led from a handcuff on her left wrist to another on the bedpost. She was trapped and could not escape. She was fidgeting with her fingers, occasionally getting up and then sitting down again. They had already had to release her once to use the bathroom, and the Senshi wondered if she would need it again soon. She kept checking the clock on the wall; it was a little past five in the morning. Outside of the window, the sky was beginning to grow a little lighter. Soon, it would be sunrise.

Then they saw the air shimmer, and Setsuna caught her breath. The tall young alien stepped through the teleportation gate and looked around. He was mightily handsome, the Senshi all thought. "Hotter than a pistol," Michiru said quietly.

These words gained her jealous glances from both Setsuna and Haruka: Setsuna because she wanted him for herself, Haruka because she knew that Michiru occasionally showed interest in guys, and that could pry Michiru away from her. Michiru ignored both of them, though she smiled a little to herself as she continued to watch the video screens.

The alien stood and looked around. Clearly, Setsuna was not there. Then he smiled, and said, "Kitten! Fancy meeting you here! And how's my favorite toy?"

The cat-girl gritted her teeth and answered, "Kisshu!"

"The one and only," the alien said, smirking and showing his right fang. "And what are you doing here?" he asked.

Ichigo raised her arm, showing the handcuff and the chain. "The sailor bitches caught me. That hotshot Sailor Moon called me out, challenged me to a fight to the death. It was supposed to be just me and her, but when I was winning, the bastards shot me in the back. They carried me off and locked me up here."

"And where is Sailor Pluto?" Kisshu asked with an innocent tone. "She was supposed to meet me here."

"I don't know," Ichigo responded. "I think they all went out tonight to attack the rest of the Mew Mews. It looks as if they had trouble finding them, or maybe they got their butts kicked. Anyway, she's not home yet."

Kisshu shrugged. "Where did they get the idea for the single combat?"

Ichigo shrugged in turn and muttered, "I'm not sure. I figured they got the idea from you, to get rid of me. The deal was that the other Mew Mews would surrender if I lost."

"From me?" Kisshu's eyes popped open in disbelief. "I asked Setsuna to spare you when they destroyed the others. I told them you were… valuable."

"Valuable?" Ichigo came back. "To whom, may I ask? As if I don't know."

Kisshu's smile softened. "You know me too well, Kitten," he said. "You know I loved you. I haven't forgotten, I haven't changed."

"So you still want me?" Ichigo challenged him. "And I suppose that you waited, pining away on your planet all alone."

"Of course," the alien said, nodding with all sincerity.

"And that's why you've been sharing the bed of the sailor bitch here?" Ichigo snapped at him. "If you loved me so much, why were you with her? Is she that good in bed, or something?"

Kisshu's smile again twisted into a smirk. "I can make anyone good in bed, even her," he boasted.

"Really!" Ichigo gasped, rolling her eyes. "Well, your ego hasn't changed much, that's for sure. Unless it's gotten a whole lot bigger."

Kisshu walked up to the cat-girl and laid his hand on her cheek. "Ichigo, when it comes to women, there's none that can resist me. On my planet – we call it Lovatron – I have so many fangirls that I can't count them, and they're throwing themselves at me wherever I go. But the only one I ever loved is the one I'm looking at now."

Ichigo quietly pushed his hand away from her cheek. "And I suppose you'd like me to become one of your, ah, fangirls now? Well, Kisshu, did you forget your girlfriend? I don't think the Sailor girl will be happy to find you in bed with me."

"Her?" the alien chuckled. "Look, I gave her a lot of thrills. The old hag was stiff as a board and really needed a guy to loosen her up. And believe me, I loosened her up. But care about that old hag? Please! I needed her to do me a favor, to bring me my favorite toy. And I jerked her chain around until she did it for me. That's all."

"She says you love her!" Ichigo objected.

"That old hag?" Kisshu chuckled again. "She was a fun ride, I suppose. But the one I love… is you. Only you."

"Well," Ichigo said, "I don't love you. So there."

"If you'd give me a chance, you'd find out that you do love me." Kisshu responded softly and with a gentle smile.

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I love you, Kitten," he whispered. "Look, you're in big trouble here. I could get you out of here, and you'd be safe. I could take you back to Lovatron, and we could be happy forever. Come on, Ichigo, my love!"

Ichigo's breaths were coming in gasps now. She was frightened of the alien, but also she felt a burning desire for him. He was so hot, so sexy… Suddenly his lips were pressed against hers, and then his tongue was in her mouth. His hands slipped off of her shoulders and began caressing many places they should not have gone.

But she pushed him away. "No," she said. "I don't want to go off with you. I love my parents, I love my friends. I won't go to this Lovatron with you. And that's that!"

A quick flash of anger passed through the alien's golden eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came; and then his eyes filled with sadness. "My Kitten, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. But I could still release you, and you could escape! You could go back to your parents and your friends. I could break that chain, and you would be free. But only… only if you let me have you, just this once. But I promise you, just this once will be enough. You'll never let go of me after that, just as I can't let go of you."

"You mean I'll be able to go home safely, if I…" Ichigo began, but then she choked on her words.

And then his lips engulfed hers again, and their lips parted as their tongues met. Again his hands danced over her body, touching all those places they should not touch. The cat-girl was gasping for breath as her body ached with sweet desire. He began opening her blouse, button by button, and pressuring her to lie back on the bed.

But suddenly she pushed him away roughly. "No!" she gasped. "No! I don't love you! I only love Aoyama-kun! And I'm saving myself for him, on our wedding day!"

A look of shocked disbelief suddenly filled the alien's face. "You still hang onto that dull child? The tree-hugger? Look, a few minutes with me and you'll never even think of that little boy again!"

And he tried to force his kiss upon her again.

She slapped his face, hard. "No! I said no! And you should be ashamed of yourself, trying to get me in your girlfriend's own bed!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Kisshu barked at her. "I have a hundred fangirls back on Lovatron that are a thousand times better than that ugly old hag! I just did her to get her to do what I needed done. I can't stand the thought of touching the ugly hag, once I've touched you!"

"NO!" Ichigo screamed, and she slapped him again.

"No, not again, not this time!" the alien shouted back. "You damned whore, not this time!" And he threw the red-haired girl down of the bed, and leaped upon her.

Ichigo was still the wildcat, and she fought back. But Kisshu was much larger and stronger than Sailor Moon or any of the Senshi, and he was an experienced and nasty fighter. He fought through her flailing hands and slapped her face, hard. Then with both hands her tore her blouse open. He slapped her again as she writhed under him, and then he began pulling her skirt down. Then he grabbed at her panties…

And the door flew open. He heard it, and his head swiveled over to see Setsuna charging through, with the other Outer Senshi behind her.. "You bastard!" she shrieked. "Ugly old hag? Is that what you think of me? You said you loved me!" And she pointed her Garnet Rod at the alien.

'Why should I take a shriveled-up has-been old hag like you, when I could have her?" he said, his voice laden with hateful sarcasm. He got up off the bed. "Well, I guess it's time to go!" And the air above him began shimmering.

"Dead Scream!" Sailor Pluto chanted, but too late. The alien was already passing through the teleportation gate.

But then he stopped. Ichigo had seized his ankle, and she was chained to the bed. He could not escape.

And the death-energy of Setsuna's attack smashed into him fully, blasting him to the floor. And as he lay there, another chant came: "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The deadly black death-lightning flashed from Sailor Saturn's weapon and crashed upon the fallen alien, and the blackness engulfed him.

Ichigo stood next to the bed, clad only in her under-things, completely defenseless. Sailor Pluto leveled her Garnet Rod at her, but Michiru said, "No, Setsuna. We have a deal with her, and she's defenseless. It would be murder, pure and simple. But Setsuna's dark eyes hardened, and Michiru had to take the Garnet Rod in her hand and raise it up. Sailor Pluto looked at her angrily, but she said nothing.

Then Sailor Saturn stepped forward, and she took a key and unlocked the handcuff on the cat-girl's wrist. Then she pressed Ichigo's pendant into her hand. "You are free to go," she said quietly. "I think we can safely say that we understand now what happened, what this stupid fighting was all about."

Ichigo nodded and began dressing herself. After she pulled the skirt back up, she looked at the Senshi. Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru stood in a group back near the door, and she addressed them: "I suppose he just wanted revenge on the Mew Mews. They got enough Mew Aqua to save their planet, but he couldn't take it that we defeated them. His pride was too bruised by their defeat. He knew he couldn't beat us himself to get revenge, so when he found out about the Sailor girls, he plotted a way to get you girls to do his dirty work."

Michiru nodded. "He wormed his way into Setsuna's affections, and she got the rest of us to do his bidding. But he wanted you, so he tried to tell Setsuna to spare you. But he failed to hide his desire for you from Setsuna, so she set up the duel with Sailor Moon, to get rid of her rival. Isn't that right, Setsuna?"

But Sailor Pluto did not respond. She was kneeling next to the blasted, fallen Kisshu, and she was weeping profoundly. "Oh, Kisshu! I love you so! Say something!" she gasped. Then she looked up at the others. "Did you girls know that I loved Mamoru? I loved him, but he was fated to marry Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess. So I couldn't touch him! I had to let him go with that underage, airheaded blonde child! And every time I saw them together, it tore at my heart. You, Haruka and Michiru, had each other. I had only heartbreak! And then, Kisshu stepped into my life, and he was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. He swore he loved me, and said I was beautiful!"

Tears poured from her eyes and dripped down on the fallen alien. She stroked his torn green hair, and laid her hand on his cheek. "Oh, Kisshu, Kisshu, I love you! Kisshu, say something! Say you love me again!"

But the alien lay on the floor and said nothing.