SailorStar9: Since you guys wanted this chapter, here it is.

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except the plot.

Chapter 23: Earthbound

"Kaolinite, we have found another human that may be the carrier of a talisman."

Kaolinite nodded and looked at the picture "Good. I'll go and check on her right away."

The two figures watched as Kaolinite vanished. "This is not as easy as we thought," one of them said.

"Those Senshi are constantly getting in our way," the other commented.

"Then maybe we should take care of them..."

Kaolinite teleported into Mamoru's apartment and looked around. "Perfect, now to leave the Daimon..." She produced a Daimon egg and it floated into the couch. "Done. All I gotta do now is wait," the evil woman said and teleported out.

Mamoru closed the door and sighed. He then walked to a couch and sat on it. As he did, it started glowing. He stood up rapidly with a gasp and watched as the coach transformed into a humanoid crab-like creature. "Oh damn..." he muttered as the creature charged at him.

Sailors Uranus and Neptune were standing on top of a nearby building, looking at Mamoru's apartment. "Do you think the Daimon got him yet?" Uranus asked.

"Well..." Neptune started, then gasped as the Daimon was sent flying out the window and pummelled down to the ground, "I guess that answers your question..."

Uranus nodded then looked down "I think it needs help..."

Mamoru looked down from his window and saw the creature was still out cold. "Well, I guess I'm safe..."

"You're wrong..."

Mamoru turned around and saw Kaolinite standing there. "Who the hell are you?"

Kaolinite smirked. "My name's Kaolinite, and I'm the one that sent that Daimon. I never thought a human could beat my Daimons, but it's not like I am powerless myself..."

Mamoru said nothing but charged at Kaolinite, taking her completely off-guard and knocking her to the ground. He then walked out the door turning around to say "Next time, fire first and gloat later."

Kaolinite stood up and growled "So the little human wants to play hard to get... Okay..." She chuckled and vanished.

Mamoru dashed out of the building and looked back "Good, she's not following me..."

"Wrong again," Kaolinite said materializing right in front of him.

"Want to get beaten up again?" Mamoru asked.

"Not really... I'm just distracting you so the Daimon can catch you. "

Mamoru realized what Kaolinite meant a second too late, as the crab-like creature that had once been a couch grabbed her with its massive pincers and a star-shaped beam of light shot from its eyes, taking his Heart Crystal off his chest.

"Good job," Kaolinite commented as Mamoru fainted.

"World Shaking!"

Kaolinite turned around and deflected the attack with a red energy blast. "Can't you see you can't beat me, girl?"

An ice shard came flying by and stabbed Kaolinite's hand, making her drop the crystal. Neptune went to grab it but a grey blur hissed by a second before she could get to where the crystal was. She followed the blur and as it stopped, she could see it was Griffon Vermeer. "Give me that crystal," she snapped.

The Death Knight shook his head "Sorry, but I can't give it to you."

Just then, the Daimon leapt at Vermeer. He leapt aside dodging the attack then dug his sword on the creature's side. Tried to, actually, since the creature's hard shell deflected the stab easily. Vermeer leapt away from the creature and frowned.

"Daimon, destroy him!" Kaolinite ordered.

The Daimon growled and charged, but was interrupted by a beam of icy shards ramming on its head, knocking it aside and Mercury came running towards her guardian.

"Just in time," Vermeer said.

"As usual," Mercury added with a grin. "Give that crystal back to Mamoru, I'll take cover you,"

Vermeer nodded and walked towards Mamoru. Uranus and Neptune were about to stop him but a pair of ice beams shot right over their heads. "Next time I'll aim a bit lower," Mercury warned.

Kaolinite tried to get past them but Mercury saw her and summoned her ice shield right under the villain's feet, sending her tripping and crashing into a tree. "I see villains can't ice skate," Mercury mused.

Vermeer walked towards Mamoru, but he sensed movement behind him. "The Daimon..." he muttered and turned around, just in time to see the large crab-like creature dashing at him.

"Morning Star Smash!"

Vermeer sighed in relief as the creature was blasted apart by Venus' energy beam. He looked at her and smiled, then walked towards Mamoru and put the crystal over his chest, it melted into his body and he opened his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Vermeer asked.

"I feel like my heart was taken off my body," Mamoru muttered.

Uranus, Neptune and Kaolinite all glared at Mercury. "That was stupid! Now how will we know if that was a talisman?" Uranus snapped.

"I don't care," Mercury snapped back.

Uranus looked at Neptune, then shrugged and walked away. Neptune followed her.

Kaolinite had finally recovered from her close encounter with the tree, and stood up only to see her prey was conscious again. "Damn it, now I'll have to get his heart crystal myself."

"You won't touch her," Venus snapped.

"Heh... And who will stop me?" Kaolinite asked.

"V-Laser Blast!"

Kaolinite was blasted face-first into the tree she'd hit earlier on, and fell on her back. "All right, that's it, next time I will destroy you all, Senshi!" the evil woman shouted and vanished.

"If I had a dollar for each time I've heard that, I'd be richer," Vermeer joked.

"Are you okay?" Mercury asked Mamoru.

Mamoru nodded "Yeah, I'm fine... How did you guys know I was being attacked?"

"I saw Kaolinite," Vermeer replied, de-transforming.

"Saffir…" Mamoru blinked. "Well, thanks for saving me. By the way, you owe me a couch," he commented looking at Venus.

"Well, uhhh... I was saving you from that creature, so I guess that kinda covers it..."

Mamoru shrugged "Okay, as long as you don't break anything else from my apartment..."

Uranus and Neptune were walking through a deserted street, in silence. Neptune decided to break the silence and said "You know, we shouldn't have left like that."

"That wasn't a talisman," Uranus said.

"How can you be so sure? We couldn't see that crystal closely."

"Yes, we could. It was the same as the other crystals we saw before. Hence it wasn't a Talisman."

"Maybe you're right..." Neptune admitted.

Someone else was watching them walk away. "So..." Sailor Saturn stepped out into the daylight as Uranus and Neptune vanished into the distance "... I was right. Those two are only interested in these Talismans. I must find out what they plan to do with them."

SailorStar9: Woot! This chapter is down! Read and review!