Part 7

Part 7

A Day at the Vet

It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, and Uni, Sammy, Apollo and Alex were slowly making their way back home from Raye's temple. Alex was ahead of the others, eager to get home. She turned on her heels and faced Sammy and the others, who were lagging behind.

"Can't you three go any faster?! We don't have all day!" she said angrily, her hands on her hips. Sammy and Apollo were looking at Uni, who didn't look too good. Her head was hanging low, her eyes staring at the ground moving below her as she walked. She was breathing heavily and groaning. Finally, Sammy knelt down and stroked her back.

"Uni, are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, Uni," Apollo said, "you don't look so hot…" She turned her head up and looked from Sammy to Apollo.

"I'm fine, you guys…just a little tired, that's all…" she said weakly. Sammy bent down even lower.

"You sure, Uni? There's a veterinary office around here if you don't feel too good. We can see what's the matter with you?" she suggested.

"No, Sammy…that's ok…I'm sure I'm just exhausted from my dream…" she replied. Sammy scooped her up in her arms, holding her close.

"Well, ok then…I'll just carry you the rest of the way home if you're tired." Alex shook her head and continued on.

"Whatever…"

~~~

"Here ya go, Uni!" said Sammy, bringing her a bowl of Cheerios. She set the bowl down in front of Uni, who was sitting on the table, ready to eat.

"You're Cheerios, Madame," Sammy said in a French waiter accent. Uni looked at her and laughed, but soon after she started laughing, she winced in pain. Sammy gasped and bent down and looked at Uni's face. She began to give her back quick strokes.

"Uni! Are you ok?!" Uni didn't answer, but after a few seconds, she went back to normal and looked into Sammy's worried eyes. She smiled crookedly.

"I'm fine…" she replied. "Just have a bad tummy ache, I guess…must be from lack of food…" she said, and looked at the bowl of now slightly soggy cereal and began to dig in. Sammy got out of her kneeling position and sighed.

She doesn't look good at all…maybe I should call the vet's office and tell them what's up…Uni kept on munching on her Cheerios, smiling in between bites, but she was really trying to hide her pain from Sammy. Sammy sighed and scratched Uni behind the ears. Uni swallowed her mouthful of Cheerios and began to purr. Slowly, she began to lay down, still purring, then she finally stopped after a while. Sammy looked at her, and smiled.

"Poor thing's exhausted…" she whispered. Apollo walked in and smiled when he saw Uni asleep on the table, Sammy still scratching her behind the ears. He walked up to her and leapt onto the table. Sammy looked over at him, as he approached Uni's sleeping form.

"It's a good thing she's asleep. Poor girl hasn't been able to have a decent catnap for the past few days…" he said, then looked from Uni to Sammy. Sammy stopped stroking Uni and gently scooped her up. She took Uni into her room and placed her into the bed that Sammy had made for her. Sammy stroked her one more time before getting up and leaving her to sleep. She made her way to the door.

"Good night, Uni," she whispered, quietly closing the door behind her. She walked back to the table, Apollo still standing on it, looking at Uni's bowl of cereal. He looked at Sammy with a smile as she slumped down into the chair.

"Ya gave the kid Cheerios for dinner?" he said.

"Well, she likes them…"

"But still," Apollo continued, jumping into her lap, "cereal isn't really a good supper, especially for a cat, ya know?"

"Yeah, well…like I said, she likes them…" Sammy said with a smile.

"Just like Alex does…"

"Yep!" Sammy said, "She's just like Alex!" Apollo looked up at her with a smile.

"Yeah, well, don't tell Alex that!" They both began to giggle at the remark, thinking of what Alex would do if they did tell her that.

~~~

Alex was in her room, reading the Sailor V comic she still had to finish from last night. She was on the last page, and Sailor V was about to kill the youma, a big blue sluglike monster. She did a Sailor V kick, landing her foot right on the youma's nose, knocking it to the floor. Sailor V did her Venus Love Chain Encircle attack and turned the slug to dust. Alex was on the last square now, and it showed Sailor V making a peace sign with her middle and index fingers. One of her eyes was closed in a wink, and her mouth was curled up into a smile. Alex sighed and closed the comic book. She didn't like the real Sailor V that much, but she thought that the comic books were ok. The Sailor V in the comic was much tougher and cooler to her than the real one she knew. She closed her comic book and set it on the mini cabinet that held her lamp next to her. She folded her hands on her stomach and looked up at the white bumpy ceiling above her…then her stomach began to growl.

She looked at it and rubbed it. Slowly she got up and headed for the kitchen. When she got there, she flipped on the lights and made her way toward the fridge. She grabbed some leftover chicken that she had made a few days ago and stuck it in the microwave. When she was done nuking the chicken, she looked at the microwave's digital clock. It was already two in the morning, and she wasn't tired at all. She shrugged her shoulders and brought a chicken leg up to her lips. Opening her mouth, she stuck part of it in her mouth and bit down, taking a chunk of the meat off. She didn't like the taste of leftover chicken that much, but there was nothing else good to eat in the fridge. She went back into the fridge and grabbed the carton of half full orange juice they had in there. Orange juice wasn't really good with chicken, but she didn't care. She set the chicken down on a plate and poured herself a glass. She tilted her head back, ready to take a sip…

"ALEX!!!" Sammy screamed from behind her. Alex, completely taken by surprise, let out a quick scream and accidentally dropped the glass. It shattered all over the kitchen tile, orange juice and glass flew all over. She turned around and stared at Sammy, who was panicking.

"Sammy!? What are you doing up so late!?" she whispered harshly. Sammy ran up to her, trying to avoid the broken glass. She grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her to her bedroom.

"Sammy, what's the matter? Did ya see a spider or something?" Sammy didn't answer her and pulled her over to her bed where Apollo was, standing next to Uni's bed. Sammy let go of Alex's hand and dropped down next to Apollo, and grabbed Uni's body, which was extremely limp.

"Alex," Sammy said, looking at her sister with worried eyes, "she won't wake up…" Alex groaned, then turned around.

"She's just asleep, Sammy. Get back to bed." Sammy leapt forward and grabbed her hand again.

"No, Alex…I don't think she's breathing…" Apollo leapt up to Uni and placed a paw near Uni's nose. Then he bent over and placed an ear on her chest. Alex looked at him unusually.

"Apollo, what the…" Apollo interrupted her with a loud shush, and Alex became quiet. Apollo squinted his eyes, then brought his head back up. He looked up at Sammy, who was almost in tears.

"Don't worry, Sammy, she's breathing…and her heart's still beating, too…" Sammy let out a deep sigh, then began to stroke Uni's body.

"But she doesn't look to good…she's barely breathing…we'll have to get her to a doctor." Sammy put Uni on her bed, leapt up and ran into the bathroom. Alex, her arms folded across her chest, rolled her eyes and looked over at Sammy's bathroom.

"Sammy," she called, "What are you doing?" Sammy came out a few seconds later, now dressed in jeans and a tee shirt.

"You're not thinking of doing what I think you're going to do, are you?" she said coldly. Sammy was now leaping on one foot, trying to get a sock on. She had a scrunchy in her mouth, so she couldn't answer Alex. She switched feet and put her other sock on. She took the scrunchy out of her mouth and tied her hair back. As she did that, she stared at Alex.

"Uni needs a vet, and fast. I'm just going to take her over to the veterinarian's office and see what the matter is with her."

"But," Alex said, pointing out the window, "it's the middle of the freakin' night, Sammy! You don't know who or what's out there!" Sammy sat on her bed, slipping her shoes on her feet. She just kept on staring at Alex, giving her an "I-don't-care-what's-out-there-and-you're-not-gonna-stop-me" look. Alex threw her hands in the air.

"This is crazy, Sammy! You're getting so worked up just cuz you're dumb stray cat is sick…"

"She is not dumb!" Sammy snapped, getting up and looking at her sister. She turned around and grabbed Uni gently, then turned back to Alex.

"Now, you listen to me, Alexis Brooke Richardson. I'm going to the vet with Uni to have a look at what's wrong with her, and if you're not with me, then you're against me." Alex was taken back by what Sammy had just said to her. She was about to get back at her, but she wasn't in the mood for arguing, and it looked like Sammy wasn't either. Sammy walked by Alex, Apollo following close behind. Alex sighed, and flopped down on Sammy's bed. What was she gonna do? She couldn't just let Sammy run off on her own at night in the streets…what if she was kidnapped? Or hit my a car? Or mugged by some psycho? Thinking about what could happen to her best friend, her sister, she looked up and ran after her.

"SAMMY! WAIT UP! I'M COMING WITH YOU!" she screamed, running after Sammy and Apollo. Sammy waited and let Alex catch up to her. Alex caught up to Sammy, and the two began to walk toward the exit to the apartment building.

"So, you changed your mind about not caring for Uni?" Sammy asked. Alex looked at her.

"No…but I'm supposed to protect you. I can't just let you walk out there in the dark on your own, what with psychos and weirdos around." Sammy smiled.

"Ya know, you're starting to sound just like my mom." Alex smiled, and took Sammy's hand. She pulled on it, trying to make her go faster.

"Well, come on, slowpoke! Ya want that stupid cat to live, don't you?" Sammy smiled and nodded. The two began to run down the dark sidewalk. Apollo gasped.

"Wait up, guys!" Alex turned around and stared at him.

"Apollo, you need to get a little more exercise! Come on!" The three ran down the dark streets of Tokyo toward the veterinary office.

~~~

The vet's office that night was full of animals that were hurt in some way or another. Everyone was busy doing something. Sammy and Alex burst through the doors, and Sammy ran up to the nurse at the front desk.

"Please help me! My cat needs a doctor, now!"

"Whoa! Slow down there, pretty miss!" said the nurse, taking a cautious step back. "Now, what's the problem?"

"It's my cat! She's sick…" she said, putting Uni on the desk. The nurse held Uni in her arms and checked her body. Sammy chewed on one of her nails nervously. Alex and Apollo were standing behind her.

"She looks bad…" the nurse said. Sammy gasped. She grabbed a clipboard and wrote something on it. "Tell me your name, please."

"Sammy White, and the cat's name is Uni!" She wrote some more on the clipboard, the set it down on the counter, and picked Uni back up. The nurse walked to the door leading to the back. She turned to Sammy.

"Will you please come with me?" the nurse asked. Sammy nodded and followed the nurse into the back room.

"Sammy!" called Alex. Sammy stuck her head out of the door and into the room Alex was in. "What should I do?" Sammy shrugged.

"Just wait here. I'll be right back." Then she disappeared again behind the door. Alex sat down in a chair and waited for Sammy to get back. Apollo sat down on the floor next to her. A dog next to him looked over at him and growled. Apollo looked over at him nervously and smiled.

"Hehehe…" he laughed nervously, and suddenly the dog started to bark at him. Apollo gave a loud yowl and leapt onto Alex's lap, hissing back at the dog. When the dog was finally calmed down by it's owner, Apollo lay down on her lap. After a few seconds, he looked up at her angry face. A drop of sweat started to slide down his forehead, and he smiled innocently. Alex groaned, and gave him a quick shove. He yowled again and fell to the floor. After hitting his head on the floor, a nurse walked up to Alex with a clipboard in her hand.

"Excuse me, miss, are you Sammy White?" Alex looked up at her.

"Oh, no, I'm not. I'm her sister, Alex."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alex." Alex shrugged.

"S'okay."

"So, the cat that Sammy brought in is a new one, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, we're gonna need some info on her for the records." The nurse handed Alex the clipboard, which held some papers. She then handed her a pen.

"Um…ok…" she said, sitting down. Great…I hate filling out forms…she thought, but she had to do it. So, she began to fill it out…

Patient's Name ____Uni ___
Animal Type ___Cat_____
Owner's Name _________________…
Oh, this is just great! What do I do now? though Alex nervously, I gotta fill that in?! Let's see…I could just write Sammy…no, that would be forging her signature, and they'll think I'm Sammy…but…I don't wanna… She eyed the space where she was supposed to put her name, and she sighed.
Looks like I don't have much of a choice… She touched the tip of the pen to the paper, and continued to write.
Owner's Name _Alex Richardson .

~~~

Alex sat in the waiting room, arms folded across her chest. Her head was leaning back, her eyes staring at the plain white ceiling. Apollo was taking a little "cat nap" on the floor next to her. Just then, the doors to the back opened slowly, and out came Sammy, staring at the ground as she walked over to Alex. Alex brought her head back upright and looked at Sammy.
"Well, it's about time! I just had to fill out a stupid form…" she said. Sammy didn't answer, only sat down in the chair next to her. Apollo got up and jumped onto her lap, and lay back down. Sammy began to stroke him gently, and he began to purr. She never lifted her head up. Alex had a look of concern on her face. She turned to Sammy. "Hey, why so glum, Samm?" Sammy sniffed, still stroking Apollo's soft orange fur. Alex tilted her head a little. "Sammy?" she said, concerned. She reached out and put a hand on her sister's. Sammy turned her head and looked into Alex's soft brown eyes. "Hey, cheer up, Samm. Everything's gonna be all right." Sammy smiled, her eyes watering. She quickly wiped away the tears.
"Thank you, Alex."
"Hey, no prob, Samm." Alex turned back and leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling once again.

~~~

"Master Nemesis, sir, the next youma is up and ready for attack."
"Good work, Arachnia. And where shall you be attacking?" he asked.
"Sir, it is an animal hospital, a place that people take their pets when they are injured or ill. It is the perfect target, plenty of weak humans and animals with plenty of life energy for Master Negadeth."
"Very well. Send it out as soon as possible, those are the orders," Nemesis said calmly to the spider woman, who was bowing before his small form.
"Yes, master." She got up and turned to leave. She walked down many corridors, until she came to a dark room. In the middle of this room was a bright floating black crystal. She walked up to it and scooped it into her hands. With the other hand, she created a black portal and walked through it, entering the real world.

~~~

Hours had passed since the last time Sammy, Alex and Apollo saw Uni. Sammy and Apollo were asleep in the chair. Sammy was snoring quietly, her head tilted forward. Alex looked at her with a smile. "Sweet dreams…sis…" she said to the sleeping form. A few minutes passed, and Alex was really bored. She was humming a song that she had stuck in her head. A nurse walked up to her, "Are you Alex Richardson, the owner of Uni?" Alex looked at her and got up quickly.
"Um, yes, I am," she said, uncomfortable about saying that she owned Uni.
"Well, you will be very happy to hear that she's just fine."
"Well, what happened to her? She said that…I mean…" she corrected herself quickly, "she looked really sick."
"Nothing much that we couldn't handle, really. All she had was a little infection. Has she had any serious injuries lately?"
"Well, she did have this really big cut in her side…"
"Ahh," the nurse said, writing something down on the paper she had on a clipboard in her arm, "that explains everything. You should have brought her in earlier, and it wouldn't have been so bad and we wouldn't have had to take her into surgery."
"Surgery?" Alex said, a little worried. "It was that bad?"
"Yes, but it's just fine, now. Nothing to worry about, miss." Alex sighed.
"That's a relief…"
"We also noticed that her right backleg was broken, so we set that back in place for you," she said with a smiled.
"Thank you so much for being so kind," Alex said with a bow.
"Oh, please, no need to apologize. I'm just doing my job."
"Uni…?" Sammy said, finally awake. She brought a hand up to her eye and rubbed the sleep out of it, then she did the same to the other. Apollo was awakened by Sammy's movement and yawned.
"So, sleepyhead, you're finally awake. Good news, Uni's doin' just fine." Sammy got up quickly and stood in front of them both, Apollo fell off her lap and onto the ground, hitting his head once again.
"She is!? Oh, thank goodness!! May we see her, please!?" The nurse took a step back.
"Yes, she's right this way. If you'll follow me, please…"
"HOWLING TERROR!!! AAAAWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Something above them screamed outside, everyone in the office covered their ears.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Sammy screamed at Alex, trying to get her to hear what she was saying over the loud cry.
"I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT SURE IS MAKIN' A LOTTA NOISE!!!" Alex replied. Just then, the ceiling of the room collapsed in, and in the hole were two figures, a red spiderlike woman and another gray spider next to her.
"Well, well, looks like there's plenty of energy here," said the red one. She turned to the gray spider. "Wolfio, drain them all, will you? Show no mercy."
"Yes, Arachnia!" said the youma, and she floated down into the office through the hole in the ceiling it had made.
"Oh, no! It's a monster!" screamed someone, pointing at Wolfio. All the people screamed, dogs barked, cats hissed, there was commotion all around. People began to run toward the exit with their pets in their arms.
"Oh, no you don't! Web Net!" screamed Wolfio. A sticky white spiderweb shot out of her open mouth and blocked the exit. People screamed when they realized that there was no way out. Alex turned to Sammy.
"Time to transform!" she said.
"Right!" Sammy replied, raising her transformation pen in the air. Apollo turned to her.
"Sammy!?" Sammy looked down at him.
"What, Apollo?" He gave her a look that said "Not here, Sammy". Sammy blushed and scratched her head, embarrassed. "Oh yeah. Sorry…" she said, smiling sheepishly. Alex's head drooped down.
"She's been a sailor scout longer than I have, and she's still an airhead…" she sighed.
"Hey, Alex, give me a break, would ya?" She then became serious and turned to the door that lead to the back. "Ok," she said, pointing to the door, "let's transform back there, and fast!" Alex nodded, and the three of them ran toward the door, swung it open, ran into the room, and closed the door behind them. Sammy and Alex raised their pens in the air.
"Sun Crystal Power!"
"Earth Crystal Power!"
They transformed into their rightful sailor scout forms, then ran toward the door and opened it again. "Hey, you! Negaslime!" screamed Alex at Wolfio. The spider turned its head toward them.
"Who're you?" she asked the two scouts. They both posed and did their little speeches.
"I am Sailor Sun, protector of the sun and destroyer of all evil!" said Sailor Sun.
"And I am Sailor Earth, defender of the planet earth and all that live in this beautiful world!" said Sailor Earth.
"And in the name of the Sun…"
"And of the Earth…"
"We shall punish you!" they both said simultaneously. A sweatdrop formed on Sailor Earth's head.
"Ya know, I felt a whole lot like Sailor Moon when I said that…" Sammy said.
"Yeah, I didn't like it at all…gotta come up with something better…" Alex replied.
"Well, I'm Wolfio, the wolf spider, your worst nightmare, and I'm about to destroy you both! Howling Terror! AAAAWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sailor Earth and Sailor Sun covered their ears as Wolfio did her earthshaking attack. The walls began to crumble around them. Sailor Earth uncovered her ears.
"I've had just about enough of you! Hurricane Horror!" she screamed as a giant tidal wave appeared from behind her and splashed ontop of Wolfio. Alex smiled, but then saw a blur come shooting out of the giant wave. She turned to it. "Oh no you don't!" she said, jumping after it. Sammy looked at all the people around her, trying to get out. She turned to the spiderweb.
"Cosmic Solar Flare!" she said, and threw the miniature sun at the web blocking the exit. It tore the web off the door, and people started pouring out of the partially destroyed building with their pets.
"What's going on?" said a familiar voice from behind Sailor Sun. She turned to find Uni standing there with a bandage wrapped around her waist and a cast on her leg.
"Uni!" Apollo cried. Uni turned to them and smiled widely with joy. "Apollo! Sammy!" she said happily, running toward her friends. She leapt into Sailor Sun's arms. Sammy hugged her gently. Apollo ran over to Sammy's side. Uni looked at Sammy.
"But…Where's Alex?" All three of them turned to the sky, where Wolfio and Alex were about to fight head on. Wolfio stopped flying away, and turned around, only to find Sailor Earth heading straight for her, her good hand curled into a fist, ready to strike her. Wolfio smiled evilly, and disappeared right before Sailor Earth could punch her. Sailor Earth plummeted back down to the ground, and landed in a kneeling position on the floor. "Darn! She's too fast for me…" She looked around nervously, searching for the youma.
"Alex! LOOK OUT!!!" warned Uni, leaping out of Sammy's arms and running toward Alex. "BEHIND YOU!!!"
"I got you now, Sailor Earth!" Wolfio screamed from behind. She charged at Sailor Earth. Sailor Earth turned around and gasped, as Wolfio brought her fist forward, ready to hit her right in the face with it. Sailor Earth closed her eyes, ready for the hit.
"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" screamed Wolfio, ready for the kill. Sailor Earth didn't see any of it happen. All she heard was Wolfio's scream of attack fade out, after she heard the slice of something sharp go through flesh. Then it was followed by Wolfio's scream of pain.
"What?" Alex said, opening her eyes. She looked around her. She saw Wolfio's body on the ground, split right in half down the middle. She also saw Sammy where she still was standing before she attacked Wolfio, her eyes wide open with surprise, and her body was stiff. Apollo was beside her, a serious expression on his face. Uni was still running toward her, and she finally reached her side.
"Alex! Are you ok?" she said with a worried look. Alex got to her feet and looked down at Uni.
"Yeah, I'm fine, kid." Uni smiled with relief. They all turned to see who had killed Wolfio, and they saw a person, a boy, about seventeen or eighteen years old, in a brown tunic with baggy tan pants and black army boots. He wore black gloves on each hand, and the fingers of the gloves were cut off, revealing his own fingers. On his back was a gold colored sword sheath, a long silver broadsword was still in his hands after he killed Wolfio. His head and part of his face was covered with a brown hood. He turned his head toward Arachnia, who was shaking with fear.
"This can't be! He…he killed Wolfio in one hit…and I bet he didn't even break a sweat…!" A portal appeared behind her, and she began to float backwards toward it. "You just wait, kid! You'll be sorry for messing with the Negaverse!" and then she was gone, the portal disappearing after she had entered it. The boy stood straight and stuck the sword, point first, behind his head and into the opening in the sheath with ease. Sammy, Alex, Uni and Apollo were stunned. He stood with his back to them.
"That was easy…too easy…there was no way that any of them could have been the one I am looking for…" he turned his head slightly, looking at the two scouts and the cats. "And it looks like neither of these two could be…her…otherwise they would have destroyed both that youma and that other one even before I got here…" Alex heard what the boy had said and took a stand, defending herself.
"Hey, who are you callin' weak, buddy!? I had that youma right where I wanted it! I was about to finish it off, before YOU came!" The boy chuckled.
"Really? It looked like you were about to get clobbered to me…" he said before he began to walk away into the shadows. Alex growled, making a fist.
"Wait!" Sammy said, and he stopped in his tracks. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" There was silence for a few seconds, and then he finally answered.
"My name isn't important to you right now, but you may call me the Hooded Knight…why am I here, you ask? I'm here to get revenge on the one who killed my father long ago…" and then he walked into the shadows. "Until next time, sailors." Sammy, Alex, Apollo and Uni stood there in the rubble, the wind blowing softly around them.
"The Hooded Knight? I guess we have a new ally…" said Sammy.
"Well, I don't like him. Hmph! Call me weak, I'll show him next time we meet!" said Alex, folding her arms across her chest. Just then, she heard something groan and fall down with a thud to the ground. It was Uni.
"Uni!" gasped Sammy, kneeling down and scooping her up again. Alex groaned.
"Great! She's not going into one of those dream memory thingys again, is she?!" she complained, rolling her eyes. Sammy gave her "the look".
"No, Alex, I think she's just tired…we should get home and let her rest, and when she wakes up, we'll ask her if she saw anything…" said Apollo. The sound of approaching police cars and ambulances could he heard, and Sammy began to walk away from the rubble, heading home. Apollo followed her, and soon Alex started to follow, her arms still crossed. As they made their way home, their uniforms faded back to their normal clothes.

~~~End Part 7

AUTHOR'S NOTE: No comment…^_^…I think it turned out pretty good…I just hope the people who have been waiting for this for like…two months are pleased with the results…-_-' (*SD*)…