Catch A Shooting Star

by Lady M Harris

This story was written by my sister who doesn't have an email address at the moment. An action-romance adventure story surrounding Sailor Star Healer and an intriguing, American new high school student! Completed story!

5. Chapter 21-25

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR

RATING: R

CHAPTER 5

BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit from their use.

Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:

Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four
Chapters 21 thru 25 are now Chapter Five
Chapter 26 is the Chapter Six

I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.


PART 21

"My biggest problem with this whole scenario is Ryu Sakamoto himself," Nancy told the Sailor Soldiers.
"Why's that?" Sailor Jupiter asked from her station by the balcony doors.
"His reputation," Ronnie supplied. "Tia had me doing some work concerning him for her. She got me hooked. But I didn't like any of the things I found out about him. Spooky stuff."
"Spooky," Nancy scoffed. "From what you've shown me, this creep is the worst kind of necromancer," she caught the puzzled looks on the Sailor Soldiers all had. "He's the kind of mage that would use the energies released by death and blood for less than sterling purposes. And from everything I've snooped with others, he'd make Aleister Crowley seem like Glenda the good witch."
"If he's as bad as you say," Sailor Moon said, a slight frown on her forehead, "we might be able to help you out a little. We've had some little experience in dealing with people like him."
"No, you haven't but," Nancy stared at Sailor Moon speculatively, "I think you might be of some use to us. The police would brush off the suggestions of the supernatural. Most police do, dealing as they do with the everyday criminal and the use of all the forensic technologies available to us. But if something should go wrong, you might be able to mitigate some of the
damage. Come on, we'll let you know what we have planned."

None of his men would come into this room. It wasn't the darkness of the place, there was only one dim light in the room, every surface was painted black, even the vents were covered in black cloth. It wasn't that the room was entirely claustrophobic, there weren't any avenues of escape, no doors or windows, and the dimness brought in the walls, even though the
room was quite open, spacious even.
It was due mainly to the fact that if the boss brought someone besides himself into the room, they never left alive or, even worse, human again. This was the room they all feared the most and the reason none of his most trusted men dared to violate his trust or their loyalty to him. No, they new the consequences to that only too well. And their boss made sure they stayed that way.
He was in that room today. The room that horrifying sounds had been coming from. None of the men had missed the fact that for several days one person, thankfully none of them, a day was brought into that room. None of them had been able to ignore the screams of those sacrifices as they ripped through the door, but none of them dared to interfere, to protest, because none of them wanted to be the next man to go through that door.
Ryu Sakamoto looked upon his creation with an air of unconcealed pride, "Oh, you are much more than I expected. Much more," his voice took on an almost seductive note as he moved forward to caress his creation. His fingers touched it, and it moved under his touch, and he reveled in the rubbery, clammy flesh under his hand. He put his other hand up, running his
fingers over the body of the creature, "Magnificent, truly magnificent."

Nancy gasped, her eyes widening, her head coming up. She stared into the air, a slightly unfocused look entering her eyes.
"Nancy? What's wrong?" Ronnie became worried when she didn't answer him. He would have gone to her, had Sailor Moon not restrained him.
"No," Sailor Moon shook her head, she recalled that Sailor Mars would get that same look when she was having one of her visions. "She'll come back once her visions stop."
"Her visions? Are you telling me she's psychic?" Ronnie couldn't have been more flabbergasted.
"Didn't you know?" Sailor Mercury asked, surprised.
"No. Quite frankly, I'd only just met her a few days ago. Tia never mentioned this."
"Why should she?" Sailor Moon asked, shaking her head, pointing at Nancy. "She's a FBI agent. Her credibility would be shot to pieces if word got out."
Nancy gasped again, then sank deep in the cushions of the chair she'd been sitting in. She let her head drop back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She sat that way for a few moments then raised her head and looked at them. She seemed almost astonished to see them sitting there, silent, staring at her, "Sorry. I usually don't space out when the visions come."
"What did you see?" Sailor Neptune frowned, staring down at her mirror. She hadn't got anything from it and wondered why.
"I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with the raid. There were lots of men there and a huge, dark presence. And you all, I think and those other women from the night at the club. I saw a fight, a big one, lots of guns and smoke, and other darker things. And an overwhelming sense of dread," she let her head fall back onto the headrest. "Dread, so much, I feel almost sick. It's like something wrong is going to happen and I don't know what it is."
"We've planned for anything that could go wrong," Sailor Uranus said, arrogant confidence written all over her face. "And if something wrong does happen, we'll handle it."
"I hope you're right. I really do."

"Well, really, Miss Tia," the nurse cheerfully chided her patient, "you could've rang for some help."
"I've never been sick like this before, you know," Tia laughed shakily, trying to control her heaving stomach. "I couldn't help myself. I was fine until a few minutes ago, and then my breakfast decided it wanted out. Ugh. I'm very sorry for this mess."
"Nonsense, it's only normal in your condition, after all," the nurse dumped the soiled towels she was using to clean up Tia's mess into a bin in the bathroom. "How far are you along?"
"A couple of months," Tia laid back, hoping that her stomach would still if she settled down. "But, I've never been sick like that before. I mean, I was nauseous, then sick, but not just sick all the sudden."
The nurse frowned, "This is new?"
"Yes, just started today," she swallowed and grimaced. "Do you think I can have some water, please? Just to get this taste out of my mouth."
The nurse got her water, then insisted on taking her temperature, her blood pressure and heartbeat, explaining, "Well, it's new. I'll inform the doctor about it. He'll probably want to check you out. It could be serious."
Tia didn't argue. Even though she had some doubts about her heaving stomach being caused by a physical problem. But how could she explain about the feeling of intense dread that struck her shortly after breakfast. It was almost as if she were receiving a premonition about something. What, however, was another question, and it worried her.

"Have you ever had these kind of premonitions before?" Yaten asked, sitting next to her on the bed, their fingers interlaced.
Taiki was sitting, staring at their intertwined fingers, and Seiya was leaning against the wall staring out at the city. They'd been shocked when Yaten had told them that Tia had figured out who they were. When they'd faced her, she had smiled slightly, "It wasn't all that hard to figure out you know, after I found out Yaten's little secret."
Now, she was shaking her head, saying, "Nothing like this. I mean, I've had bad feelings, usually just before a physical attack. But nothing like I've been feeling since that night at the club. I think something happened when they took the Star Seed from me."
"Not surprising," Seiya laughed, turning his head from his perusal of the city. "Nothing like what you did has ever happened before. Nothing. I was thunderstruck when I saw you move."
"You're serious?" she looked up at Yaten for confirmation. He nodded, not really able to stop staring at her. She blushed, looking away from him, "That might explain a great deal. You know there are some stories . . . maybe they weren't stories after all," she caught them staring at her, puzzled. "Never mind, I'll explain later. Thing of it is, I've got a real bad feeling. Something bad is going to happen, and somehow, it's got to do with me," her fingers tightened on Yaten's.
He could almost see her thoughts and he leaned down, and said quietly in her ear, "I'm right here. You're not alone this time."
He heard her breath catch and she looked up at him. The look in her eyes told him that he had read her thoughts right, "I'm going to be with you. I won't leave until this thing is over, whatever it is. If something bad is going to happen, I'll be here with you. I won't leave you."
"We'll all be here," Taiki was astonished to hear himself say. But he'd seen the raw pain in her eyes a moment ago and didn't know if he could take it if she looked like that again. "We won't let anything bad happen to you."
Good grief, he thought to himself. I'm getting soft in the head.

Ryu Sakamoto emerged from the black room, but not alone. All the men who had been waiting for their boss froze in terror. For rising above their leader was a thing straight from their worst nightmares. A demon from hell was too pale a comparison to this thing that brushed the ceiling, leaving wet trails in its wake.
Ryu Sakamoto was pleased at the raw terror he saw on his men's faces, "Do you like my little friend?" He laughed at some of the disbelieving glances given to him by one or two of his men. "Don't worry, men, he's totally subject to my will. He won't attack you unless I order him to," he smiled, a wholly inhuman thing, as he gestured to the nightmare. Then he laughed in
pure delight when it reached out with one of it's preternaturally long arms and plucked a screaming man from his feet. But he didn't scream long, the nightmare devoured his head with several bone crunching bites, "You see? Nothing to worry about."

Nancy stood straight up, grabbing her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, "OH MY GOD!"
Stood, every muscle and tendon stretched taut for a moment. Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed in a dead faint. Takumi was just in time to prevent her head from being caved in from impact with the sharp edge of the kitchen island.
"What the hell was that all about?" he demanded, shaken to the core at the scene.
"I don't know," Nikki swallowed past the fear suddenly lodged in her throat. "We'll have to wait until she's come round before finding out."
Takumi carried her into her room and laid her on the bed. Nikki brought in a bowl with ice-cold water and a cloth. She began bathing Nancy's forehead, worry straining her features. Nancy came to a few minutes later, bolting upright in bed, yelling and flailing her arms. Nikki tried to restrain her, but she was too strong, "Takumi! A little help here!"
He dodged the flying arms and grasped her around her upper arms, in a bear hug. He began yelling in the struggling woman's ear, "Nancy! Nancy, it's all right! You're home, you're safe. Wake up!"
His voice finally brought her to her senses, she stopped struggling abruptly, her eyes suddenly focused, "Takumi? Oh, God, I'm sorry."
"You had a vision, right?" Nikki asked, taking her foster sister's hand in her own. "Did you see anything?"
"It wasn't a vision, not really. It was a feeling of utter terror. It's nothing like I've ever felt before in my life. Then a feeling of intense pain and after that nothing," her breath caught and Nikki wrapped her arms around her sister. Takumi put his arms around both women as Nancy whispered, "Somewhere nearby, someone has just died a horrible, horrible death."

"So," Dr. Yutaka Namura stared with disapproval at the young man sitting on Tia's bed, holding her hand, "I take it you're the father?" He had the satisfaction of seeing the young man blush a deep red to the roots of his silver hair, "I don't approve of the way you've been handling things in the matter of her pregnancy. Yes, Miss Tia, I know your feelings on the matter. That doesn't mean I can't have my opinion on the matter and that I can't express them," he turned his attention back to the still blushing Yaten. "It is my hope that you are going to do the right thing?"
"I hope," Yaten's fingers tightened on Tia's, as he looked down at her, "and I pray that I can. It might take a long time to straighten things out. But I hope."
The doctor hummphed, not in the least mollified, but understanding nonetheless, "See that you do work it out. If you don't, you'll answer to me."
"Tia," Yaten sighed, staring at the doctor as he checked her responses, "what is it about you that makes every man you meet turn into some sort of self-appointed guardian angel?"
She shot him a look full of laughter, as the doctor glared at the boy, and said, "I was hoping that you could tell me, cause I have no idea."
Suddenly, both Yaten and Tia gasped in shock. It seemed as if great waves of fear were washing over them. Their fingers tightened in each other's grips and their breath seemed frozen in their lungs. Then it was gone, and they could draw in gasping breaths. They looked at each other, their eyes full of shock.
"What the hell was that?" They both looked up at the shaky voice of Dr. Namura. He was looking a little wild about the eye, and his gaze jerked from one point in the room to another.
Tia swallowed, forcing her voice into a semblance of normalcy, "What was what?"
Yaten looked at her, frowning for a heartbeat, then asked the doctor, "Is something wrong, Namura-sensei?"
"Y-you," he stopped, clearing his throat. "You didn't feel that?"
"Feel what?" Yaten's voice was amazingly steady even though his heart was racing.
"It felt---," he stopped abruptly, then shook his head, is face unusually pale. "Never mind. It was nothing. You're progressing in your recovery quite well. If there are no other attacks on your person," a sarcastic note entered his voice at that point, "I see no reason we can't release you into the care of your family within a couple of weeks. I'll come in and check you again soon. Good evening."
They waited until he'd exited the room and heard his footsteps faded down the hall. Tia grabbed Yaten's sleeve, saying, "You guys need to keep an eye on him. If he could feel that, he might come under the eye of those two freaks on a leash," she was referring to Sailor Aluminum Siren and Sailor Lead Crow.
"But how come he was able to feel that at all?" Yaten asked, staring at the door with some speculation.
"He's got a reputation, you know," Tia said, adjusting the pillows under her back. "Dammit, I'll be glad when I can get out of this bed permanently. Anyway, Dr. Namura's got the honor of being one of the best doctors in Japan. I had him checked out, you know," she gave a faint smile, leaning forward a bit when he reached behind her and adjusted the pillows for her. "He gets results when others have failed. I think he has some sort of psychic healing powers. And I don't think that he's even aware he has them. Most of the best doctors probably have the same kind of power, I guess. I never really thought of it that way either, till I came here. He's probably got a low level empathic ability, so he was able to feel that."
"And you felt it too?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm gaining more power everyday I think. I just don't know how strong it'll get when it's all said and done."

The Next Day

"Okay, now you," Nancy pointed to Sailor Saturn, "will be positioned here. You'll use this," she handed Saturn a radio transceiver, "to radio us and give us reports on what goes on outside while we're inside."
Saturn gazed out of sharp, solemn eyes as she said quietly, "I'm as much a soldier as any of the others here. I am as capable in battle as any here. I want to be inside with you."
Nancy stared at the girl seriously and said in a hard voice, "You are our rear flank, Saturn. And you will be in as much danger as the rest of us. I've lost some of my best men because our rear flank was disabled during the course of an operation. By disabled, I mean killed. Do you understand? If I were trying to keep you safe, little girl," at this sarcastic remark Saturn blushed, "you wouldn't even be going on this operation with us, is that clear?" At the girl's nod, she went on, "There is the very real possibility that whoever or whatever is in that warehouse will be able to kill all of us. If that happens, you and those snipers are going to be the ones who will have to deal with whatever's gotten us. As it is, you will be giving us information about the police force when they get here, and whoever or whatever is out there."
She bent over the map, "Sailor Venus will be with you, in case things get out of hand. Sakamoto is a Necromancer, which means he'll probably summon demons to be used as sentries and razing squads. He'll probably set some outside to harass and kill any police officers they encounter. You'll be there to back them up if that's the case."
"Now we need to go over the plan, again; we have one more day to get this down," Ronnie bent over the blueprints. "And this time, you guys tell us what you're going to be doing," they all bent over them.

TWO DAYS LATER

Takumi secured the final strap on his bullet-proof vest and looked at his partner, "You ready for this?"
"Yeah," Joji strapped his holster into place, then checked the condition of his gun, snapping the clip neatly into place. "As I'll ever be."
"All right, people," Takumi raised his voice over the din of many police getting ready for action, "let's go."
The mass exodus caused a bottleneck at the door at first then flowed out of the station smoothly after that. Takumi walked out with rest, shrugging into his jacket and checked his weapon one more time. He slid into the passenger seat of the car he was sharing with his partner. They drove in tense silence. They didn't mull over the plans for the raid, they had come up with every nuance of the plan themselves and knew it forwards and backwards.

They reached the police checkpoint and were waved through right away. Two blocks from the warehouse they were flagged down by one of the surveillance team.
"You made a good call on when to move in on them," the officer told them, slightly breathless in his effort to head them off before they got to the staging area. "You should see the amount of activity that has been going on."
"You think that might be a problem getting us in there without being detected?" Joji asked, a frown creasing his forehead.
"No," the man said a puzzled look coming over his face. "Actually, all it really is, is trucks pulling into the warehouse in convoy numbers, the door sliding shut and an hour later they all drive out. It's like their on a schedule, every two hours or so. The last convoy went out not half an hour ago. The next one isn't scheduled to pull up for another two hours."
"Getting on to dusk," Joji looked up at the darkening sky. "We better got this show on the road, before darkness takes away our advantage."
Takumi nodded, but he had a bad feeling, as if something very bad was going to happen and he wouldn't be able to prevent it.


PART TWENTY-TWO

High above the gathering police presence, two Sailor Soldiers stood watch over the guardians of their city. The wind whipped their hair this way and that, but the two ignored it as a minor inconvenience.
Sailor Saturn turned, catching sight of a police sniper coming onto the neighboring roof and hurriedly nudged Sailor Venus, indicating they should get out of sight. So when the sniper detected movement on the roof where they were stationed, all he saw was a fine, white cat crouched on the lip of the roof, staring intently down at the activity below. And behind some rotating ventilation outlets, the Sailor Soldiers continued their vigil.

"He's where?" Tia's voice suddenly held a sharp edge, as she spoke with her sister, Nikki over the phone. "Do you know when ? No, of course you don't. No, no, nothing that can't wait. Look, I'll check in later, see if he's in, okay? All right, yeah, I'm fine. Little stir-crazy, they won't let me out of this bed. Yeah, I know. Look, I'm gonna go, okay? Yeah, bye," Tia was silent as
she put down the phone, but Yaten knew there was something wrong by the tense set of her shoulders. She sighed and looked up, an overly bright look in her eyes, "Takumi's gone on a raid. My sister said that it's a big case he's been working on for the last several months. She doesn't know the details, but I'm pretty sure that it's the raid on the Sakamoto warehouse. So, you can be pretty sure that whatever is going to happen, will probably happen tonight."
"Then I'd better call the other two, shouldn't I?" Yaten picked up the phone and dialed his apartment. He told Seiya the situation when he answered the phone. Seiya didn't waste any time after that, but was off the phone and had Taiki out the door in less than five minutes. They were at the hospital in twenty minutes.
Once they were in Tia's room, she was treated to the sight of all three transforming into the Starlights. She grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation, "Pretty spectacular. But still unnerving to see ya'll turn into women, though."
Star Fighter grinned, hitching a hip, planting fists on her hips, "And I'll bet you know something even more spectacular, don't you?" The innuendo wasn't lost on Star Healer or Tia and they both blushed.
"Take it easy, Star Fighter," the cool amusement in Star Maker's voice matched her smile, "she's not used to our brand of humor. Besides, I don't think you can really say anything, considering a certain someone's caught your eye."
"Oh, so?" Tia cast a sharp eye at the now flushed Star Fighter and a grin slashed across her face. "And who might that be? As though we couldn't guess already."
"Ah," Star Fighter stared astonished at Tia, "you know?"
"It's about as obvious as the nose on your face, my dear," she stifled her laughter at the the look of shock on Star Fighter's. "Why is it when someone falls in love, they think they can hide it or something, when they're falling all over themselves trying to attract the attention of the object of their desire? I mean, not that I ever had that problem, though," she grinned at Star Healer, "I made my feelings quite plain.
"But as to you," she was serious now, "I think it's a lost cause myself. Now, now, don't get your panties in a bind. I just think that Usagi is totally devoted to her Mamoru. Not that I blame her or anything, cause that guy is fine," this was said with such admiration that Star Healer felt a sharp stab of jealousy in the vicinity of her heart. Tia smiled a knowing smile at Star Healer, "Well, he is. You may have my heart, my dear, but I'm not blind, nor dead for that matter."
"Well, I for one, refuse to give up hope," Star Fighter grinned, indomitable as usual. "He's not here, and I am."
Tia frowned, "Just don't be disappointed, my dear, if it comes to nothing."
Star Fighter only smiled. Star Maker brought their attention back to the matter at hand and they huddled as best they could around Tia's bed, making plans.

INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE

"Ah, they're here," Ryu Sakamoto was amused as he watched the gathering police outside his warehouse through a scrying mirror. "So predictable. But they should provide me with some amusement," his look of amusement changed to sharp interest as the mirror focused on two men in the midst of the milling police officers, who were obviously giving out orders, since whoever
they spoke to hurried off in a purposeful sort of way. "Ah, Miyake and Yoshida. How special. The brother-in-law of the little thorn in my side and his faithful sidekick, this should prove most amusing, for I now have some wonderful plans for you."
Sakamoto looked over his shoulder at the huge looming presence behind him. The look of pleasure on his face was almost sensual in nature as his eyes once again traveled over the lines and contours of his latest and best creation. Even the grisly sight of one of his former lieutenants being munched on by this thing didn't dampen his pleasure. If anything it increased his pleasure, since he was absorbing the death energies released from the man's death even
as he watched.
"Ah, my dear," he sighed, as if to a lover, "you must leave off your feast for the moment. It will be here when you return. I have a task for you."
Five minutes later, an inhuman cry rent the dusk, freezing everyone within a mile in their tracks. The sound caused a chill to shiver up and down their spines.

"What the hell was that?" Ronnie whispered as he stared into the shadows above him, wild-eyed.
"Whatever it is," Sailor Uranus voice was just as quiet as his, staring up into the shadows tensely, "I don't like it one bit."
Nancy hissed in surprise, clutching her head with her hands. Even as she had her vision, she was mindful of the precariousness of their situation and didn't shout or make any noise any louder that the activity going on around them. She rode the vision through, then gasped as she came out of it, "I have to get to the hospital!"
"What? The hospital, why?" Ronnie whispered furiously at her.
"Whatever that was, it's going to go after Tia!" She didn't stay to hear the vitriolic curses that Ronnie as hissing furiously, but scuttled from behind the crates that they had been hiding behind. She had to get to the hospital before it was too late.
"What is it?" Sailor Moon whispered to Ronnie. "What's going on?"
"I've got no idea, but Nancy seems to think it's pretty important," he whispered back. "You stay here, I've got a feeling that they're going to need you somehow. I'll go after Nancy, with these three," he pointed to Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. You, the one they call Mars," he nodded to the fiery soldier, "I want you go to back-up Venus. Tell Saturn that I want her to meet
us at the hospital."
Mars nodded, then faded into the darkness in silence. Ronnie nodded to the remaining Sailor Soldiers, "Good luck."
Then, with a stealthiness that belying his sheer bulk, Ronnie also faded into the darkness, with the three Sailor Soldiers following closely at his heels.

"Gods," Yoshida swore under his breath, the hair on the back of his neck still standing straight up, his gun out, his eyes darting everywhere. "What in hades was that?"
"Nothing good, I'll bet," Takumi was just as wild-eyed as his partner. It was taking a good deal of his not inconsiderable self-discipline to keep the hands cupped around his gun from trembling violently. He had never in all his life ever heard anything so otherworldly or frightening for that matter. Like some great beast was loosed from the depths of the pit onto this
world to hunt. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straighter. He shook his head as if to clear it, "We can't be worrying about that now. We've got a job to do," he raised his voice to gain the attention of the still unnerved policemen. "Everyone into position now."
Relieved to have something else to think about, they shook themselves out of the case of nerves the wail had imposed on them and got back to work. The supernatural was all well and good, but they had work to do in the real world.

"Hang on!" Ronnie half shouted over his shoulder and he swung the wheel of the sleek sports car he'd rented and fishtailed his way through heavy city traffic. He shifted gears again, then cursed as someone cut in front of him, "That does it. I've had enough of this," he swung the wheel again, and Sailor Neptune winced at the sound of scraping metal as Ronnie scraped
between the two cars in front of him. Then she winced again as Ronnie returned some rather crude gestures the other drivers were flashing them.
"Couldn't you just lean on the horn?" Nancy shot him an exasperated look. "It'd be easier, and less costly on your wallet, than causing all this damage."
He grinned, wolfishly, "Thanks for the concern, but it's not going to bankrupt me. Tia always tells me that I have more money than most third-world countries." Nevertheless, he leaned on the horn all the way to the hospital. He spun into the parking lot of the hospital, barely missed slamming into a ambulance that was sitting in front of the emergency room doors, and was out the door before the smoke from the tires had cleared.
As they exited the car after Ronnie, they froze in their tracks as the long wail of a hunting predator split the deepening night. And each ran into the hospital with a growing sense of dread.

The instant they heard the howl, the Starlights were on their feet, one at each side of Tia's bed and Star Fighter at the foot. Tia herself held a rather large unwieldy knife in her hands, her eyes alert to the windows and the door. Suddenly, her eyes snapped to the window, as she received a premonition.
"The window!" she hissed, shifting her weight slightly away from the window. "Move me into the corner, now! It's coming through any second now."
They shoved her into the far corner away from the window just as the window exploded inwards, showering the room with flying glass. For a split-second, they was relieved to see that the hospital had had the forethought to install safety glass, so there were no sharp glass to lodge into tender skin. But then their attention snapped to the thing from the depths now standing amongst the shattered glass.
It stood there for a moment, grinning at them sinisterly with a hundred or more razor-sharp teeth. Tia stared with fascinated horror as saliva oozed slowly down its teeth, over it's lower lip to drip to the floor.
"What . . . ," Star Maker said, slowly, fear making her voice quaver, "the. . . hell. . .is . . . that?"
"I have no idea," Tia answered, her voice as quavery as Star Maker's. "But it looks hungry."
She heard Star Fighter gulp audibly, "I was afraid you'd say that."
"This is not good," Star Healer muttered, staring with not a little fear at the thing that was almost calmly assessing them.
It crouched for an instant, and threw its head back and howled. The sound, of course, drew hospital staff as nectar drew honey bees. A queue formed around a young doctor as he threw open the doors demanding, "Just what is going on here?"
He took one look at the thing crouched in the middle of the room and froze. It swung its head to look and him and his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backwards in a dead faint. The others were too shocked at the sight of the monster to even notice that he'd fainted. When it threw back its head and howled again, their hair quite literally stood on end in fright, and to a man (and woman), they screamed and fled down the corridors as fast as their feet could take them, leaving the unfortunate young doctor laying in his faint at the door.
Thinking to take advantage of the monster's momentary distraction, Star Maker made her move. Tia had to bite back a protest, the monster's attention was still focused on the young doctor. Star Maker flew through the air, straight at the monster. She didn't know how much damage, if any, she could do with a physical assault, but if she could do any, so much the better. The monster, sensing movement, whipped it's head around, then flinched away from the blow with inhuman quickness. Still, Star Maker's boot heel connected to solid flesh, dug deep into the fleshy part of the monster's right bicep.
It growled, more in annoyance than in pain, but swatted at Star Maker. It moved far faster than she could and it swatted her right out of the air. It leapt after her, muscles rippling smoothly. Another movement caught its eye and it twisted, lithely to meet Star Fighter mid-air. Its long arm whipped out, intent on capturing it's first meal of the Hunt.
Star Fighter flipped her body out the way of the grasping claws. Her heel landed squarely between the thing's eyes. She ground the heel into the bridge of its nose, using its mass to launch herself away from it, while it howled, reaching for the painful spot. Neither Star Fighter's weight or momentum were enough to stop its forward movement. It hit the ground clutching its nose, hissing in anger. It sat holding its nose for a second, before its head whipped around, its eyes seeking the cause of its present pain.
It rose up, stalking straight for Star Fighter. Anger overrode instincts and it followed Star Fighter's movements to the exclusion to everything else. That is until Star Healer decided to make her presence felt.
"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO," the thing let out its fiendish howl as Star Healer's energy weapon caught it full on the back. But, while it hurt, it only slowed it down a little bit, if at all. Recovering with frightening speed, it swung out its arm and caught Star Healer in her torso. She slammed into the cloth screen set up against the wall. Star Maker was there, standing protectively in front of her while her comrade recovered.
"STAR GENTLE UTERUS," despite herself, Tia's lips twitched a little at the incongruous words. How the heck did they come up with these things anyway?
The force of that blast threw the surprised monster backwards, but was struck by another energy burst and tossed in another direction. Star Fighter gave a fierce grin, and lowered her weapon. The monster was slow the rose from the wall it had been stopped by. Pieces of rubble and plaster dust falling from it. But it was moving slowly because it had been seriously injured.
The monster had a few surprises of its own. Even as it lay where it had landed, it had begun gathering power. Energy from the dark forces from all the negative energies released by evil men everyday from the bad things they did as a part of their lives. It pulling in all the energy into its pool of already stored resources. Then it rose to face its enemies.
And unleashed its fury on the unsuspecting Star Lights.

"Blow it," Joji Yoshida ordered the officers to blow the storage bay doors.
"Move in," Takumi ordered the others to kick in the other doors to the building as soon as the explosives had blown open the huge metal doors.
A literal stream of the bodies flowed through the wrecked doors to be met with gunfire from those within the building. The men scattered, diving for cover behind conveniently large stacks of wooden and metal crates scattered around the building.
Almost immediately, Takumi realized that while they had the superior numbers, the others had a superior tactical advantages. Already several of his men had been picked off by snipers and gunmen who were standing on catwalks above the ground floor. They had clear lines of sight to most of his men. He cursed virulently as he had to duck out of sight, as a hail of bullets rained down on his location.
"We've got to take out those snipers," Joji shouted into his transmitter.
"Suzuki, Nishihama," Takumi began naming off his best marksmen. "Take out the men on the catwalks! The rest of you keep the ones down here busy."
Even as the marksmen began taking out the snipers on the catwalks, suddenly they were staring at a wall of mist. All of them lowered their guns in surprise, and Takumi muttered, "What the hell-?"
A few seconds later, they jumped as they watched streaks of green light and lightning spear through the mist above them. The sound of rushing water. Surprised yells from the men above them. Then the bodies of men started falling from the mist. Takumi and Joji both had to jump out of the way, to avoid being hit by the falling men.
"What the hell?" Joji stared at the man who had fallen at their feet.

"Well, well," Ryu muttered, mild surprise tinging his voice. "This is a surprise. I didn't know they had it in them. I didn't even feel them come in. Very surprising," a cruel smile curved his lips. "But it still won't help them any."
He gestured then, and the darkness around him began to boil. The air around him began to fill with shadows, "Go, my little ones. Your feast awaits."
The darkness exploded into movement about him and the shadow-born creatures left to do their master's bidding. It was a long, long time before all the dark bodies had left the room. All that were left were two dark shadows crouched at the feet of their master, their eyes glowing redly into the darkness.

Everyone stilled as the sound of rushing wings filled the warehouse. Suddenly the room seemed filled with darkness. All the men ducked out of the way of the wings, especially Sakamoto's men. They stared up into the darkness, terror reflected in their eyes.
After the sound of wings, there came the click, click of claws on the walls and the floor and the glass of the painted over windows. The police spun around, as they tracked the movements all around them. Sakamoto's men lay as still as they could, closing their eyes as if denying what was out there would save them.
"Up worm," one of Sakamoto's lieutenants was pulled to his feet but a massively strong arm, as the voice of a tiny demon whispered sibilantly into his ear. "Your work here is not finished. If I'd have my druthers, I'd sup upon your innards, but the Master has need of you. But mark me, worm, we will feast if you do not finish your work!" There was a hiss in his ear and the arm holding him shook him violently, then released him. He felt the claws of the little demon score his neck and shoulder and felt blood ooze wetly from the wounds.
"I'll let myself be caught by the damned police rather than risk my life for that monster again," the man growled savagely. He glared at his men now, "We're meat if we fight for him. Better prison than demon food."
"Idiot, do you really think the police can protect us from him or his demons?" another of Sakamoto's lieutenants swung his compatriot around roughly. "If we fight him he'll kill us or even turn us into what he turned Kuriyama into. Do you really want to take that chance?"
At the mention of Kuriayama, the man paled, "We have no choice, do we? We're dead no matter what."
Several of the men paled considerably at that. But not one of them protested what the other said. They knew what he was saying was true. Hopefully the police would kill them, but if not there was the alternative. Better they become demon food that become what Kuriyama had.

"What the hell are they doing?" Joji watched the lieutenants arguing. "Do you think they're going to give up?"
"No," Takumi watched a grim sort of determination enter their faces. "It looks like they're preparing to die."
"What?" Joji whipped his head around at his partner. "Are you nuts?"
"No," Takumi said grimly, "I only just realized what my sister-in-law was trying to tell me all along. We are way out of our league here."
"We're glad you realized that," at the sound of the woman's voice, Joji pivoted and found himself pointing his gun in the face of Sailor Jupiter."
"Put that down," Takumi's hand came down on his partner's wrist. "They're on our side," then he scowled. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"
"Fine lot of thanks that is," Sailor Mercury muttered to his right. "Your sister-in-law asked us to watch over you. She knew that this man had otherworldly help."
"Just you three?"
"No there were others but Nancy and some of the others left for the hospital," Sailor Moon spoke quietly and, noting the look that came over Takumi's face, added quickly. "Right after that howling before the raid. Apparently, she thought it had something to do with Tia. That Sakamoto might have sent something after her."
Takumi paled when she said that. But then there came more movement around them. Sailor Mercury cleared her mist from the warehouse. The sight of the black shadows now covering the walls, windows and everything around them, made fear lodge in every throat. Hands tightened on weapons and adrenaline levels rose.
"I thought I heard wings earlier," Joji whispered hoarsely.
"You did," Jupiter's whisper was just as ragged. "They went outside. They're going after your men outside. Sailor Mars and Venus are outside. They should be able to help your men out there fight them off."

When the dark cloud of demons began streaming from the warehouse, most of the police still outside stared in disbelief as the streamed out and up. Their paralysis was broken when the cloud circled back around, right straight back at them. Almost to a person, guns were raised and the night was shattered by the sound of sustained gunfire.
At first they didn't seem to make any difference. When one demon was hit, it dropped for a few feet, then righted itself and dive-bombed again, screaming even fiercer than before. More than a few police felt the rake of claws, before dropping to the ground, out of the range of the claws.
Then one of the police officers scored a lucky shot. His bullet grazed the side of one of the bat-demon's head. It dropped at his feet, stunned. The officer prodded it with his foot, then cried out in fright when the thing hissed, grabbing for his ankle. Without even thinking about it, he pumped two slugs into its head. He was shocked to see the red light die out of its eyes, then elated when he realized that he'd found out that they could be killed.
"Their heads!" he shouted at the others over gunfire. "Aim for their heads!"
"What!" another officer ducked as a large bat-demon dived for his head. "Do you think I'm that good a shot?"
"Then," the officer focused on one of the demons heading straight for him, "do this!"
As the bat-demon dived in close, the officer, to his own surprise. reached up and somehow managed to snag the demon around its neck. It shrieked in anger and surprise, its claws shredding the officer's shirt and his skin underneath. The police officer shoved the barrel of his gun into the shrieking mouth and said, right before pulling the trigger, "Die, you little rat-bastard."
One of the K-9 unit officers grabbed another one right out of the air. While the demon shrieked and tore uselessly at the padded forearm of the officer, she jammed her boot knife right up its nostril. As she dropped the lifeless carcass of the demon, she looked up, her lips skinned back from her teeth, looking remarkably like the German Shepard growling right next to her. She didn't draw her gun again, she seemed to be more effective simply snatching the things out of the air.
Her dog, one of the more intelligent beasts in the unit, seemed to be just as capable of dealing with the demons as she was. His master was in danger, and he wasn't about to run from the-great-black-flying-things, if his master wasn't running. Besides, snatching the flying-things was just like chasing down and catching a frisbee. Only this time, the frisbee was alive and he could bite and chew and shake it as much as he liked. Besides he knew his master was pleased with him, when, after the first one he'd brought down, his master whispered breathlessly, "Good boy! Get 'em, boy!"
Meanwhile, the better shooters began picking the bat-demons from the air. The ones who weren't as good shots as the others, began waiting for the things to get as close as they could and then blowing them away. Some of them realized that they weren't really going to be much good, shooting them or trying to bash in their brains like some of the other officers seemed to be doing, but realized that they could do a lot of good by being support. As the shooters began running out of bullets, fully loaded guns were being shoved into their hands, and empty guns were reloaded. It began almost to seem like a routine, until they all began running out of bullets. Then the shooters and their support, grim determination now lining their faces stood and began the grim task of grabbing demons out of the air and crushing their sculls against whatever hard surface they could find. But they were only a few against a horde of thousands, and they were tiring fast.
The K-9 officer dropped to her knee, sweat pouring down her face. She stared up at the cloud of demons and knew that they were fighting a battle they couldn't win. It didn't mean that she was going to give up, but she also knew that she was going to die before the night was over. She didn't regret that, she loved being a police officer, and she was going die with honor. She looked down at Nobunaga and she smiled, "Nobunaga, go! Go home!"
Nobunaga looked up at her and chuffed. He rose from his crouch next to her, and, looking at her one last time with concern, bounded off, to follow her last order. As he disappeared into the shadows of the alleys, his master looked back up at the horde, and stood up, screaming at them in defiance, "Come on! Come on, you bastards, come and get me!"
A small swarm of bat-demons detached itself from the main body of the cloud and did just that. They swirled around her, and she slashed the air with her knife. She grinned fiercely, as the sounds of falling bodies and shrieks of pain told her that she was doing injury, if not death to not a few of the swarm darting around her. But she was one, and they were swarm and they soon began to overpower her. One of the small, bat-demons managed to lock itself around her knife hand, and sank its teeth deeply into her wrist. She cried out in pain, the knife dropping from her now nerveless hand. The larger bat-demons then drove her to her knees. Then, surprisingly, they rose up away from her. The small bat demon, still locked around her wrist, spat in her face, and she took some satisfaction in dashing its brains out on the asphalt underneath her.
There was a great whooshing sound, and she was struck with what seemed to be a fierce wind. A large shadow fell on her and she looked up at the largest bat-demon she'd seen that night. Its eyes were glowing a fierce red and she knew that this was to be her end. It loomed over her, its mouth opening, baring razor-sharp teeth. Taloned hands were reaching out for her and despite it's fearsomeness, she faced it without flinching. It might kill her, but it wasn't going to make her cower.
A tan and black streak burst from the shadows of the nearest alley. Nobunaga leaped over his master straight at the large bat-demon, snarling, his own fanged mouth headed straight for the demon's throat. Surprised as the demon was, it was fast, and it managed to twist away even as Nobunaga's jaws snapped closed where its throat used to be. Nobunaga wasn't about to quit however, and went for the kill again. This time he made contact, his teeth sinking into the area that would have been a human's jugular. He twisted and shook and bit and chewed at that place until the bat-demon lay lifeless under his teeth. Still growling he backed away from the carcass, then raced to his master.
She threw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face, "Nobunaga! You stupid mutt, now you're going to die, too."
She heard the swarm shrieking in anger. She looked up to see an even larger swarm arrowing straight for them. She stared up at them, no fear in her eyes, and prepared to die.
Then, little more than twenty feet from her, the whole swarm went up, quite literally, in flames. Her eyes were wide as their ashes blew around her. She felt Nobunaga slew around to look at someone and turned around and stared at the two young women standing behind.
Sailor Mars smiled grimly at the woman staring at her with such shock, "Now, I know you were prepared to die, but that's such a waste, don't you think?"
Keiko Nishiyama buried her face into the neck of her dog and wept.

After that, it was a rout. Police officers cheered as the odds suddenly shifted in their favor. By the time they were done, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus were both panting and sweating, but not a single bat-demon flew the night sky. Then they all looked at each other then ran for their cars while the Sailor Soldiers ran straight for the warehouse. The police officers donned the riot gear in their cars, helmets, night sticks and plexiglass shields emerging from their trunks. Then they ran to the warehouse to back up their comrades already inside the warehouse. Somehow, in light of the fight they'd just been through, they didn't have any problem abandoning their posts.
From the amount of noise emerging from the warehouse, it seemed their comrades needed all the help they could get.

TENTH STREET MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Six people burst out of the stairwell on the fourteenth floor of the hospital and ran down a darkened corridor. There was absolutely no sign of life in the hall. Doors were shut tight, with not even a sign of light underneath the doors. No sound of personnel walking the hallways. No sound of voices from the rooms. It was almost preternaturally still. Then came the sound of a howl. Then the power seemed to flicker.
Ronnie and the others poured on the speed. They found the fainted doctor on the floor outside of Tia's room. They yanked him out of the way, just as the door exploded outward from the force of some dark stream of energy. Dragging the doctor to a relatively safe distance, they ran into the room, skidding to a stop at the sight of the three Starlights lying at various points in the room. Right where they landed after the terrific dark force struck each of them. Tia was up against the wall herself, parts of her clothing still smoldering, but fortunately, she'd only received the backlash of energy and not the full brunt of it like the Starlights.
"Oh my god," Nancy's eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets. "That's the monster I saw in my vision."
"What . . . the . . . hell . . . is . . . that . . . ?" Ronnie's eyes were almost as big around as the lenses of his glasses.
"That is a lot of trouble," Sailor Uranus said grimly, pushing past the two in the lead. "Much as I hate to help them out, that thing is too dangerous to let go running around."
She summoned her sword and Sailor Neptune stepped up to back her up. Sailor Saturn's glave was held at the ready and Sailor Pluto completed the formation inside the door way. Without warning Uranus and Neptune exploded forward, Uranus going for a physical attack while Neptune used her deep submerge. Both were a little surprised when the monster actually managed to dodge both attacks.
Its arms lashed out, and while Uranus managed to avoid the razor-edged talons, Neptune looked down in mild surprise to find blood streaming from a shallow wound in her thigh. The demon seemed to grin at her maliciously. Then whipped its tail around at her, lashing her with the tips of the hair at the end of it, causing her to cry out, reddening her skin and opening new wounds. Uranus cried out in anger, but suddenly found herself in the grip of one of its massive hands. Her cry of anger turned into a cry of pain and the thing started to squeeze the life out of her. It wasn't finished with Neptune either, as its tail, now clearly prehensile, wrapped itself around her middle and began squeezing the air out of her. It seemed to be taking quite some pleasure in causing them pain as it slowly began killing them.
But they weren't the only Sailor Soldiers there. Sailor Saturn brought her glave down on its tail, slicing it straight to the bone. The metallic-like clang that sounded when the blade of the glave met bone, shocked her, even as the thing howled and dropped Neptune. It didn't let go of Uranus, however, and Sailor Saturn swung her glave around and buried it deeply into its forearm. As dark blood spurted, Uranus dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. Saturn had time to drag Uranus from the line of fire, before Sailor Pluto let loose with her death scream attack.
But this time, the monster was ready for it. It hunched down, taking the full brunt of the energy blast and absorbing it. The Sailor Soldiers stared stunned as the thing seemed to grow as it absorbed the energy. Its wounds healed as they watched, and the lights of its eyes glowed even more brightly, and it seemed that the thing's grin widened. Then it stood back up, the whip-like tendrils of its hair leaving scratches in the ceiling.
Again, it lashed out with its fury on the Sailor Soldiers. It blanketed room with its lethal energy and everyone in the room was hit. This time it let loose a continuous stream of energy, determined to kill everything within the reach of his discharge. Nancy and Ronnie were both flung off their feet and into the corridor, skidding across the floor and stopping only when they hit the wall opposite.
Tia, on her knees on the bed, frustrated at not being able to help, was hit as badly by the blast. It threw her against the wall, banging her head, and stars exploded in front of her eyes. Unlike, Nancy and Ronnie, she was still vulnerable to attack from within the room. Another stream of dark energy hit her, lifted her against the wall. It seemed that the energy stream had a life of its own, a deadly life and it wanted Tia. It slammed her against the wall twice more, each time causing the stars swirling in vision to increase.
The third time, something within her seemed to snap. Her vision turned white, for an instant, and her eyes flared with light. Not an amethyst light, like her own eyes, but a bright, peridot. Then they cleared and, to her astonishment, found herself inside what seemed like a barrier of light. None of the energy streams lancing through the room were penetrating the barrier. They seemed to be absorbed by the barrier, in fact.
Tia saw movement to the left and saw Nancy and Ronnie had staggered back to the door. She cried out to them, "No, stay where you are! You'll be killed."
"So will they," Ronnie yelled, indicating the Sailor Soldiers, "if we don't do anything. I can't sit by and watch."
So saying he dove into the room, hitting the floor and rolling. He seemed to avoid the worst streams of energy by some mysterious instinct. Not all of them missed, of course, but she could see that whenever the energy licked at him, he grit his teeth and ignored it. His hand closed over Sailor Saturn's glave, where it had come to rest when the first energy stream had caused her to lose it. He whipped around and swung the deadly blade at the monster, dragging the blade in a deep gash down its chest.
Immediately, the dark energy streams dissipated into thin air, as their cause howled in agony. It reached out and grabbed hold of the cause of its pain, digging talons into the fragile body of the large man. And despite the pain, that big man, clamped down on his own scream, and, lips skinned back from his teeth, glared defiantly at the thing holding him. But it continued squeezing, its talons breaking the surface of his skin, sinking ever deeper, blood immediately soaking his clothes.
"Ronnie, no!" Tia shouted, bolting for the edge of the bed, only run straight into the light barrier. It gave slightly, but bounced her back. She cursed, slamming a fist against the barrier. Apparently, it was going to protect her, but it wasn't going to let her expose herself to danger. Frustrated, she threw a pillow at it and watched in astonishment as it passed right through the barrier and landed a foot from the monster. Immediately, her gaze went to the poniard lying on the bedclothes. She snatched it up and, aiming carefully, sent the blade flying towards the monster.
It sank deeply into the back of the thing's neck. It dropped Ronnie and clawed at the blade buried in its flesh. Tearing it from its neck, its hunter's gaze focused on his original target. Growling at the back of its throat, it launched itself straight at Tia. She flung herself backwards, instinctively, and was still shocked when it hit the barrier and bounced off. It twisted in mid-fall, landed on its feet and launched itself, once again, at the barrier. This time, it didn't let itself to bounce back. Instead, it focused itself on getting through the barrier. Striking and slashing repeatedly at it.
Tia winced, at a particularly strong blow, and realized, that she was the one who was generating that field. And eventually, the thing was going to get through. It was only a matter of time, since she now felt all the blows that the thing was dealing the barrier.
But Star Healer had other plans. Because the time gained when the other Sailor Soldiers interceded and the time gained when Ronnie stopped the demon's energy attack, allowed her to recover. Just enough to crawl to where her energy weapon had fallen and raise herself and discharge her inferno attack, straight into the monster's back.
"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO."
The attack sent it flying into the barrier, then to its knees. The monster didn't even waste time by howling this time. Frustrated by its inability to reach its target, simply raised itself to its feet and went for the only other Sailor Soldier still moving. It reached Star Healer, picked her up and flung her at a wall. Its tail wrapped itself around her ankle and flung her at the opposite wall. Nancy, who had raced back into the room the moment the energy attack had cease and had been dragging the wounded Sailor Soldiers from the room, rushed to her side, the bloodied poniard Tia had thrown earlier gripped firmly in her hand.
The demon's tail coiled around her upper torso and snapped taut. Nancy had been raising her knife-hand when the tail and looped around her, and had almost lifted her arm clear when the tip of its tail snaked around and trapped her nearly upraised arm at an awkward angle. She yelled mostly in anger, before the coils began tightening. Soon she began running out of air at an alarming rate as the pressure of the coils forced the air from her lungs.
Meanwhile, the demon hadn't forgotten Star Healer. It lifted her from the floor, sinking its talons deep into her flesh. It grinned, once again having the advantage. It decided to play with this one a bit. So instead of just eviscerating her, like it would have earlier, it began to knead at her with the nearly foot long talons of the claw holding her. Each knead made new punctures in her flesh, and each new wound began to bleed profusely. With the other claw, it began drawing bloody lines down her exposed legs.
Star Healer didn't cry out in pain, that would've been like giving up. Instead, she glared at the thing, through the ever increasing pain. She didn't make one sound, right up to the point when she blacked out from the pain. At that point the thing seemed disappointed that its plaything had passed out and turned its attention back to the one still struggling in the coils of its tail.
Nancy had kept struggling to free herself, despite losing her air, to no avail. And now, it decided it wanted to keep her awake to play with her a little. It loosened the coils and her oxygen-starved lungs filled again with air. Once she'd drawn in a breath, she tried to pull her arm free. Suddenly, the tail tightened around her and once again, she was fighting to keep air in her lungs. It played with her for a while like that, loosening its grip on her, then tightening it sharply, to force the air out of her lungs. Of course, it was only biding its time, until the other woke up again. Which wasn't a long time to wait, really, just a few minutes, but to Nancy it was an eternity in hell. Once Star Healer began struggling in its hand again, it went back to the torture game it had been playing with her before.
By this time, Tia was almost hysterical with rage and fear. She watched at the woman she considered a sister and the person who was her lover being tortured by this thing, in horror and growing anger. She flung herself at the barrier, not caring that it bounced her back, almost gently. She was standing on the bed by this time and flung herself repeatedly at the barrier. She struck at it again and again with her fists. The skin on her hands had reddened, and was now being pounded raw by the frequency and force she was using with every blow. She began pounding harder and harder, not caring about the now open wounds on her hands, unaware of the tears streaming down her face or near continuous roar loosed from her now raw throat.
Her hands slammed into the barrier, and a spray of blood hung in the air for a second. The barrier flared, spraying a shower of sparks back at her. As it flung her backwards, stars once again blanket her vision and it seemed to her that she could hear a soft, exasperated sigh. It seemed to say, I give up, I won't let anything harm you, but I'll help you out here.
And with that, she knew no more.

She fell back on the bed, her back arched, eyes wide open, unseeing. Then again they changed, glowing amethyst for a moment, then changing to that same brilliant peridot glow. Then her Star Flower made another appearance, open its petals and releasing her double Star Seed. It bathed the room in its golden glow and hoovered, twirling slowly. It stopped its movement suddenly, then Tia's eyes flared and an energy beam flew from her eyes, and seemed to be sucked into the Star Seed, then was refracted and lanced straight towards Nancy. She was struck with that energy and internalized it immediately. She no longer struggled against the tight grip of the demon's tail, but seemed to hang lifelessly from it. Then she opened her eyes and they were no longer their usual soft silver, but glowed from within with green fire.
Almost casually, she freed her knife hand from the demon's grip and stabbed the coils holding her. She landed lightly on her feet, when, with a hiss of surprised pain, the monster loosed its grip on her. It took a swipe at her with its free hand, but she evaded the blow easily, almost seeming to dance under it's swing, and took a swing of her own at it with the poniard. The blade bit deeply into the forearm of the claw that was holding Star Healer, neatly slicing through muscle and tendon and ligament. As it howled and dropped Star Healer from its now-useless claw, she pivoted around on one foot and, with one hand cupping the pommel of the blade, drove it backwards, impaling it, nearly to the hilt, in the demon's thigh. She twisted the blade in the wound, then tore it sideways through the muscle.
As it fell to its knees, Nancy danced away from it. A calm, almost serene, half-smile on her face. It snarled at her, and used some of the reserves from its last energy attack to heal its leg. Then it launched itself at her from its crouch. Only she wasn't where she had been standing an instant before. Moving with such speed that the eye couldn't follow her, she leapt out of the way, and was under its guard even before it knew what had happened. It gave a surprised bellow as it flew across the room, from the force of a blow which should've snapped Nancy's arm in three places but didn't.
From that point on, she didn't allow it any time to regroup. She worried and harassed the demon, draining its energy reserves and its physical stamina away. She matched the monster blow for blow, strike for strike. Rare was the time she was hit, but every blow she threw made contact.
Ronnie, now wake and back on his feet, watched the fight from the doorway. It was like watching a Hong Kong action movie. Moves so fast they were blinding, Nancy flew through the air as if she were rigged with wires. She recovered instantly from blows which would have killed a normal man. The poniard was gone, knocked out of her hand by a lucky blow. But it hadn't slowed her down one bit. The fight seemed to last for a long, long time, hours maybe, but in actuality had lasted less than ten minutes. It was like she was waiting for the right time to deal the final blow.
And soon, it came.
She dealt a final, crushing blow to the monster and, while it stood, stunned from the blow, leapt clear out of range of its arms and tail and landed facing it squarely. She brought up her right arm and her left hand came up and wrapped itself around her opposite wrist, as if steadying her aim. Then came and almost unbearable stillness in the air and it was like some almost-intangible pressure was building. The glowing of her eyes, changed and it seemed that there were other colors swirling therein; silver, purple, peridot, before swirling together and again changed from those colors to and incandescent white. Abruptly, the building pressure was released and an incandescent beam of energy burst from her right hand and slammed into the demon, enveloping it in light. The light from this beam was so bright, that Ronnie, had to cover his eyes and turn away or it would have blinded him.
Soon, the light died and there was total silence from the room beyond. He turned back and looked into the room. All the strange light had disappeared from the room. The Star Seed and its Star Flower were gone and Nancy was once again herself. She was standing as she had before, one arm extended, the other supporting it. But her eyes no longer glowed the strange colors as before, but was their normal, if somewhat dazed, soft silver. She was covered with sweat and she was panting with exertion.
Lying in the middle of the room was not a demon, but a naked man, his flesh smoking. Ronnie stared at the man, realizing that this is what the demon had been originally. A man.
He looked back at Nancy just in time to see her eyes roll up in their sockets and watch her topple to the floor. He rushed to her, raising her gently, assessing any injuries.
Sailor Saturn had knelt down next Kuriyama, the man who was the demon. She gasped in shock as his eyes opened and focused on her. His hand reached out, wrapping around her wrist. He stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then in a ragged whisper, he stunned her.
"Thank you."
His eyes closed, his final breath escaped is lungs and his hand fell to the floor as he died.

"NO!!" Ryu Sakamotos shrieked in anger. Even as his beloved creation died at the hospital, he watched as the suddenly reinforced police officers and the Sailor Soldiers defeated the last of the demons which had, at first, been killing off his enemies.
Rage suffused him, as he realized that his Kuriyama demon had been killed, and that his plans here had also gone awry. So enraged was he, that he literally obliterated the watch-dog demons that had stayed by his side then he rose, took up his staff and in the blink of an eye, translocated himself into the warehouse proper.

Joji Yoshida looked up from the carcass of the demon he'd just killed when a shadow fell over him. His eyes widened when he realized who it was who was now standing in their midst, "Uh, oh. This is bad, very bad."
"What is?" Takumi turned and caught sight of the hooded man now standing in the center of the room. "Oh, boy."
The man pushed back his hood, and those standing near him began edging away. The rage in his black gaze was sharp enough to cut and he was looking for his first victim. The air began moving around him, the folds of his robe began flapping in the air created by his energy call. Ryu Sakamoto's eyes began to glow redly, his lips peeled back from preternaturally sharp teeth and he opened his mouth and spoke, his words chilling everyone to the core of their bones.
"You may have easily defeated my servants, but now you have to deal with me."


PART TWENTY-TWO

Sakamoto Warehouse

Ryu Sakamoto laughed, contemptuously, as one of the police officers around him, fired at him with her weapon. He merely looked at the woman, and to the horror of the rest of them, it seemed as if she folded up on herself. They had to look away as Sakamoto literally crushed her with his gaze. Joji, listening to the woman's agonized screams, almost calmly walked to her and met her eyes. With eyes overflowing with tears, lifted his weapon to her temple and pulled the trigger.
Sakamoto dropped the woman to the floor and commented, petulantly, "Now, Yoshida, you spoiled my fun."
Joji Yoshida said not a word, but the eyes staring at Sakamoto, through the tears, burned with rage.

TENTH DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

"What the hell was that?" Ronnie demanded of Nancy as soon as she recovered.
"Whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn't me," Nancy gasped, her chest heaving. The fight had taken it's toll on her body, she felt a myriad of bruises, cuts and minor injuries she had received during the battle. "I've never felt that before, but it was incredible. It was like something, or someone had taken complete control of my body.
"I could see and feel everything, but I couldn't control my actions. It was like someone else was in there with me. I could feel her."
"Her?" Sailor Pluto asked quietly, kneeling next to her.
"Yes, I could definitely tell whoever it was, was female."
"Not, Tia?" Star Maker was kneeling beside Ronnie.
Nancy thought a moment, "No. . .no I don't think so. Someone else. I don't know how I know that, but it wasn't her."
They all looked at the bed where Tia lay. She was up on one elbow, a peridot glow shining out at them. When she spoke, it was like a pair of different voices was speaking to them, "Sailor Soldiers, your compatriots are facing a dire situation in that warehouse. You are needed there," her hand lifted and suddenly the room filled with blinding light. When the light faded, Sailor Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were gone. Tia lay on the bed, eyes closed, breathing deeply and, seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
"What was that?" A confused Ronnie asked Nancy.
She scowled at him, "What're you asking me for?" She shook her head, "Anyway, it doesn't matter any more. You stay here, I'll go get some help."
"I'll go with you," Ronnie insisted.
"Hey, I'm not the one bleeding from five different puncture wounds here."
Reminded of the wounds he received in the fight, he suddenly realized he was in a lot of pain. He still insisted on accompanying her. She shook her head, put her hand on his shoulder and uttered a threat so potent he paled and sat back down. She walked over to the Starlights, Star Fighter and Star Maker kneeling concernedly next to Star Healer. She murmured to them then left the room and when looking for help.

Sakamoto Warehouse

Takumi watched another of his men collapse and cursed under his breath. He could only hope that either the man was still alive, or that he hadn't suffered before he died. There were too many under his command who were being cut down, and he couldn't do a damned thing about it.
Bullets against the monster who stood laughing in the center of the room, were appallingly ineffective. No one could even get close. They just slammed up against some invisible force and fell to the floor. They didn't even ricochet, just thudded against that force and dropped.
The Sailor Soldiers weren't really doing any better. Oh, their powers seemed more effective against the man's attacks than police bullets, but they weren't getting through either. But at least they were causing some drain on the man's shield. Takumi could see the man flinch every time a particularly powerful blast from Sailor Moon impacted his shield. They were making an impression, but nothing they could throw at him so far was getting through.
If only there was a way to get through. One way to crack his defenses, and maybe, just maybe they could figure a way to take him down. The question was how to punch through the shield and how long it would take.
'And at this rate,' he ground his teeth in frustration, 'we'll get through at the same time he kills off the last one of us."
"Dammit!" Joji, as frustrated as his partner, cursed and pounded his fist against the crate next to him. To their surprise, his fist went straight through the wood and a white cloud erupted from the hole. Joji dropped his gun and clapped that hand over his nose and mouth as he lurched away from the settling powder. As Joji forcefully blew a breath from both his nose and mouth, Takumi realized just what it was now pouring onto the floor. And what they were hiding behind.
They looked at one another, "We've got a problem."
Then each of them scuttled to the nearest person, whispering an urgent warning. The others then moved on to the next group. They had almost told everyone when Sailor Moon stood up and fired a blast from her sceptre.
Of course it didn't break through the barrier but it was strong enough to irritate the mage. He thrust out a hand and darts of energy shot out from his palm. Takumi was already moving, having sensed what the mage would do. He had to give Sailor Moon credit, she was already dodging, but she hadn't been quick enough. He leapt straight at her, shoving her out of the way, even as several energy darts passed through where they would've been, smashing into the crates and releasing a white cloud into the air.
"MARS FLAME SNIPER.'
"CRESCENT BEAM."
Takumi urged Sailor Moon to safety behind some metal barrels. He watched the attacks of Venus and Mars impact against the mage's force shield. He shook his head as Jupiter stood up.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION."
He also watched as Jupiter's attack bounced harmlessly against the for shield. Then, before his astonished eyes, several of Jupiter's energy darts hit the shield, slowed slightly then penetrated the shield. Two missed, three did not. Two ripped into the mage's arm, slicing open his robes and opening wounds and the third sliced through the robes at thigh level and blood spurted from a new wound in his thigh.
Sakamoto, as surprised as Takumi, hissed and clutched at his upper arm. A fine rage poured through him. These insolent peons dared to raise a hand against him, so he would teach them the error of their ways. His lips peeled back from preternaturally sharp teeth and he glared out at the perpetrators, "It seems I have underestimated you. Well, not a second time."
He raised his hand, and they all ducked in reflex, anticipating the coming assault. Sakamoto called out a few short words, there was a flash of light. But there was no attack, they raised their eyes to see that the mage now had an ornately carved and decorated staff in his hand. He raised the staff, speaking a few words, and a whirlwind whipped through the warehouse. The next thing they saw was what appeared to be a white, transparent bubble appear around Sakamoto. And the mocking smile reappeared on the mage's face.
Which was replaced with astonishment as there was another, more brilliant flash of light. Which, unexpected as it was, bedazzled everyone in the warehouse, Sakamoto included. When the light died and everyone had blinked the stars out of their eyes, they discovered four more Sailor Soldiers in their midst. For Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn had appeared in the flash of light.
They were standing there blinking to orient themselves to their surroundings. Which meant, they were standing completely exposed to Sakamoto's attack. Those nearby realizing this, grabbed each by their shoulders and yanked them behind cover.
"Well, well," Sakamoto's amused voice rolled through the warehouse. "I must cease to underestimate you. You brought in the big guns to help you out," he laughed smugly. "Not that it will help your cause any. You will all die anyway."
He raised his staff and a set of crates exploded with such force that the ground beneath Takumi bucked slightly. He realized suddenly that they were dealing with someone even more powerful than even he anticipated. He watched as a cloud of drugs settled over his men and as they were showered with flying debris.
Sailor Mercury, having been warned by the cops about what that substance was, froze the cloud , and the particles dropped heavily to the floor. The cops found themselves showered with frozen particles took the opportunity to shake the drug particles off.
Sakamoto growled, angered, raised his staff again, a bolt of death lancing from it straight towards the exposed men. Then a small form darted out in front of them and raised her arms.
"SILENCE WALL."
Takumi grinned fiercely now as Sakamoto's bolt now slammed uselessly against Sailor Saturn's shield wall. One of the men protected by Sakamoto's blast, gave a whoop, thrusting a fist into the air and mocked the mage, "How does it feel now! Yes!"
There were a few reports from guns being fired in the direction of the mage. None of the others wanted to subject Sailor Saturn to a sustained assault from Sakamoto and began a determined bid to draw his attention.
Takumi was near Sailor Neptune and hit poked her to gain her attention, "Do something, will you? We've got to get those men and your partner under cover."
He moved off without waiting for a response. There was the rushing sound of the ocean roar through the building as Sailor Neptune did what he asked. A quick look showed that her attempt burst uselessly against the mage's shield. He didn't even wince, but it did draw his attention from Sailor Saturn and his men.
The instant that happened, he caught Saturn's attention and he gestured towards the men behind her. She dropped her shield and ran to the first man, slinging his arm around her shoulder and did what she could to urge him to cover as quickly as possible. His other men swarmed around the other two, hauling them to their feet and hurrying them to safety.
The man who'd taunted Sakamoto was the one Sailor Saturn had helped to cover; he was grinning fiercely despite the large splinter embedded in his shoulder, "You are incredible! I could kiss you!" He reached out capturing Saturn's face between his hands and pulled her forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, "Do you know great that was, to have what he's been doing to done to him?"
He released her, and she pulled back quickly, blushing furiously. Then she grinned at the man, "I don't know what I did, but I aim to please."
He grinned even wider, and she blushed even further. He was a very handsome young man, she realized.
Then he winced, as if the splinter in his shoulder was reminding him that it didn't like being ignored. His fingers came up and cupped the splinter protectively, cursing under his breath. Saturn moved closer, concern on her face, "Are you all right? I'm going to get you out of here and to the hospital."
He grabbed her arm, shaking his head, "No, no, it's just painful is all. You're needed here," He grinned at her again, "I'll be okay."
Sailor Mercury knelt down and prized his fingers from around the wound. She frowned down at the wound, then shook her head, "He's right, he'll be all right. The splinter is actually plugging up the hole," she saw the look on his face. "Sorry. You should be okay. Let's just pack some cloth around that splinter. We're going to have to wait until this mess is over to get you to a hospital."
His grin was back, "You just make sure you win."

They were back to the impasse, Takumi's teeth ground against each other. The bubble around Sakamoto was an even more powerful shield than the one before. And now he was on the offensive. Takumi and his men found themselves jumping from spot to spot trying to avoid the mage's attacks.
They popped up from behind their shelters, fired shots, ducked back behind them and scuttled away from it, on the off chance that that was the spot that the mage would attack next. It was only a matter of time, they knew, when they would be completely vulnerable, when they ran out of bullets and were only a hinderance.
'We've got to do something,' Takumi thought, angrily. 'And soon, before we run out options.'
He watched as a bullet ricocheted off the shield and imbedded itself into the ceiling. Debris fell, wood and plaster chunks showering the area around the mage. Plaster dust turned the mage's black hair to pepper and salt and turning his robes white around his shoulders.
Takumi blinked. It couldn't be that easy. He shook his head as if to shake such ridiculous thoughts from his head then stopped. But what if it wasn't as half-baked as it seemed? It might be their last chance and he wasn't about to whistle it down the wind, even if it seemed insane.
His brain kicked into high gear and he began to form a plan. He signaled Joji, had a hurried conference with his partner, who looked at him a little strangely for a moment before scuttling away, making his way out of the building. He was back in a few minutes, moving efficiently from man to man, passing a small item to each of them. He gave two of them additional items, giving hurried instructions.
When he reached a Sailor Soldier, he gave each a the same item and murmured some instruction. They nodded then made their way towards Takumi. When all the Sailor Soldiers had gather Takumi told them what he wanted.
"Is there any one of you that is really good at throwing with any kind of accuracy?" He asked, not bothering on preliminaries.
"I am," Sailor Jupiter said without hesitation. "Why?"
"Part of the plan. You have what I instructed Joji to give you? Good. We're going to be cutting out the lights, these are infrared goggles, you'll need them to see."
He turned to Jupiter, and handed her two packages of white powder, "Don't break open these bags, whatever you do. I've got a plan and I need you to throw those two bags to a point high above Sakamoto's head," he pointed up at a specific point some twenty feet above the mage's head. "Can you make that throw?"
She gave him a pugnacious grin, "Watch me."
"Okay," he gestured them closer. "This is what I've got planned."
He outlined the plan for them. He could see that the older Soldiers were plainly skeptical about the chance of success.
"That's chancy," Sailor Uranus scowled. "I don't think it will work."
"Well, if you have any bright ideas about what would work," Joji suggested, sarcastically, "we'd love to hear it. None of us have come up with a plan up until this point. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. What harm is there in trying it?"
"Oh, Sailor Soldiers, Yoshida, Miyake . . . ," Sakamoto's voice rolled through the warehouse. "Where'd you go? We were having so much fun."
"What's the matter," Takumi was startled when the woman's voice called out in answer, "aren't we good enough for you, Sakamoto? Or are you afraid we'll play too rough?"
Sakamoto laughed, contemptuously, "You play too rough? You make me laugh. This is playing rough," there was an explosion and the floor bucked beneath them.
"Ya missed me, ya missed me, now ya gotta kiss me," the woman laughed then stopped. "Oh, wait, now that was a nauseating thought. Forget about that kiss me part. Yuck." There was a bark, as if the dog were agreeing with her.
They heard a curse and another explosion. Takumi turned back to the Sailor Soldiers, "Well, do you agree to this or not?"
They nodded, and each moved into place. They put on their infrared goggles, pushed up to clear their eyebrows. They might need them later.
First the assault. Sailor Moon, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Mars, Mercury and Venus bombarded Sakamoto's shield. Attack after attack slammed into the force shield. Takumi was right, the force shield was linked to Sakamoto. He winced every time a blast hit his shielding.
At first he flung back attacks of his own, but they impacted harmlessly against Sailor Saturn's own force shield. And so the bombardment continued, Sakamoto's shielding becoming weaker with each assault. The others waited, tensely, for their roles to play. Finally, Sakamoto's enhanced shield shattered and he was left with only the shielding he'd used before. A much weaker force, to be sure, but they knew they'd need to penetrate that too.
The instant the shield fell, Takumi bellowed, "NOW!"
Two cops positioned on the outer ring of men, shot out the warehouse skylights, shattered glass showering over crates and over the place were Sakamoto stood. Of course the glass bounced right off the shield, but it wasn't their intention to try and hit him with glass. They shot out several other windows. Then two other men shot out the lights. And they were plunged into darkness. Night-vison goggles were pulled into place and the darkened warehouse became visible once more.
Sailor Jupiter drew back and launched the first bag into the air, and without a pause flung the second bag closely behind it. They sailed in a perfect arc above the startled Sakamoto. When they were right above the mage, four guns went off at once and the bags exploded, white powder pouring down on the mage. Some of it was deflected, but most of it wasn't. As the cloud of heroin particles drifted down on the mage, Takumi shouted again, "Flash bang!"
Most of them turned away, shielding their eyes, as Sailor Mars and Venus set off a veritable barrage of attacks. They were weak actually, because they didn't even intend on their attacks reaching the mage. Two more of the cops shot at Sakamoto, but they weren't shooting guns. Instead of bullets, flares streaked towards Sakamoto, exploding on the shields right in front of the mage's face. All the while, Sailor Jupiter let loose with loud claps of thunder as she continuously let loose with her lightning attacks.
While the attacks were useless in getting through his shield, they did what they had intended it do in the first place. He couldn't suppress gasping in surprise. And in so doing he had sucked a staggering amount of heroin into his lungs. Not quite a lethal overdose, but enough to cause an instant burning into his lungs as the drug was carried from his lungs and into his bloodstream and to his brain.
Still, it was a few tense moments of waiting before they could see the overdose was working its effects on the mage. He staggered and cried out. His staff dropped to the floor with a loud clatter.
Sailor Mars and Venus combined their Flame Sniper and Crescent Beam to break through the force shield. It was only a matter of minutes before their combined attack broke the shield. Sailor Saturn leapt forward, swinging her glave in an unerring arc. Not to strike at the mage, but to strike his staff, the blade of the glave shattering the ornately decorated top. Sakamoto struck with unbelievable swiftness, backhanding Saturn away from his staff.
"Sailor Moon!" Takumi hissed, but she was already moving. It seemed to him as if the very air had begun to thicken. He could feel the energy build-up as Sailor Moon began her attack. She spoke not a word as power poured from her scepter.
It struck Sakamoto with the power of a thousand freight trains. It stripped him of his ability move, think, feel. When it was all said and done, he lay on the ground, blackened and smoking. As they stared down at the immobile figure, as if this were a thing that was too good to be true.
And they were right.
Sakamoto twitched, one arm pushing himself up. He staggered to his feet, blackened, smoking and enraged. His eyes literally blazed with power and rage, and his voice rough sliced through the air, "It will take a lot more than that to finish me off, little girl. You are way out of your league, and I'm going to make you pay for it."
There was a boom, as two guns went off at the same time. And two red holes appeared in Sakamoto's forehead as a surprised expression overtook his features. Not another word came from his lips as he fell backwards, dead.
Takumi lowered his gun, looking across at Joji as he did the same. They looked at each other, grimly, and nodded to each other.
They may have been out of their league, but in the end, Sakamoto was just as human as the rest of them.

Tia's eyes snapped open as her body jerked. She stared up the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Eyes which had that same eerie peridot glow. She jerked again, then said, "It's over."
After making that pronouncement, her eyes closed and her breathing deepened into sleep. Ronnie and Nancy, watching over her, looked at each other and nodded. They settled back in their chairs, and waited for their Tia to come back to them.


PART 23

Tia was sitting on a an old, battered fainting couch, bare feet curled under her, a guitar sitting on her lap, marking notes on staff paper. It felt good here, sitting in the sun, on the side porch to her little house, with the sun glittering off the pond in the middle of Takumi's back yard. The couch was a comfortable one, and Tia was determined to ask Takumi for the couch. It was very old, and one could see in it quality workmanship, although it was battered and the upholstery was ripped and mended inexpertly. The upholstery had probably once been some atrocious, uncomfortable dark reddish color but had faded to a sort of light, washed out rose color. She thought it would look quite pretty restored, and stuffed a little more could be just as comfortable as it was now.
She was frowning a bit over the measure she was working on, unsure about the tempo and dynamics of it, when she notice movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over and saw the black end of a cat tail. She smiled , putting aside her guitar and made some clucking sounds, "Here, kitty. I see you there."
Luna jumped up on the couch, her best cat-face in place. She meowed, cheerfully, padding over to Tia who had her hand out. Once Luna was in range, she scooped the little cat up, and Luna found herself in the curve of Tia's arm, having the backs of her ears scratched. She closed her eyes in pleasure, a low purr rolling from her throat. Tia lavished Luna with attention for a few minutes, a slight smile on her face.
"Well, little Luna, I remember you," she said softly. "You know, this is probably the last time I'll see you. You know, I'm going back to America in a few days. I can't stay, now, you know. Not with the way things stand. I mean, I know Ryu Sakamoto is gone and those two freaks aren't going to bother me again, that's for sure. Not after what I did to them. But I can't stay. You see, I'm going to have Yaten's baby," she smiled again as she felt the tiny start the cat in her arms again. "But I can't be with him. I can't, I won't be a burden on him. Never. So I'm going home," she sighed, her eyes misty. But she wasn't going to cry, and with an iron will, suppressed the tears which threatened. She stroked Luna for a few moments more before putting the little cat aside. She began gathering up her papers, pen and guitar, "You should be getting home. It's going on three o'clock and snack-time's rolling around. I'll bet Usagi's mom has a treat for you."
Luna jumped down from the couch, and, cat-like, started to pad away. Tia stuck her head around the corner of her door, "Oh, Luna?" She waited till the little cat turned her head, hesitating, and the girl called out, "Be a dear and tell Usagi and the rest of the girls I'd like them to drop by this afternoon, will you?" The girl winked one amethyst eye and grinned as she watched the most human like expression of flabbergasted astonishment pass over Luna's face
and the cat's black fur stand on end for an instant.

"It was downright mortifying to know the girl knew about me all the time," Luna felt her face burning. "I wonder how she figured it out."
"Probably deductive reasoning," Artemis muttered to himself. "She said she wanted to be a private detective, didn't she? And her IQ is at least comparable to Ami's. It wouldn't have taken her a great deal of trouble to put the clues together."
"Still, it was a bit unnerving," Luna shivered for a moment. "After all, she didn't disguise the fact that she was calling to me. If anyone had overheard it. . . ."
"They would have thought she was a bit out of her gourd for speaking like that to a cat," Artemis shook his head. "Don't worry too much about it, no one heard."
"Thank goodness for small favors," Luna gave a short sigh of relief at that. "If one of the enemy had heard, we would've all been down the river without a boat."

Tia was once again sitting on the fainting couch, when she saw Usagi and the gang walking towards her house. She waited until they came close enough before calling out to them, "I've been waiting for you."
They all came, grim expressions on their faces. They presented a unified front to her. Tia stared at them for a moment before bursting out with laughter, "You're so grim. Don't look as if I were going to blackmail you. I'm not."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Rei snapped, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"It would violate my code of honor," Tia smiled slightly. "We MacKenzies are nothing if not honorable. Besides, I've known about you since the night at the club. If I had wanted to blackmail you for some reason, I would have already. I'm not one to let opportunity to pass me by."
"But why tell us? If you weren't planning on blackmailing us, why?" Ami frowned at her.
"Because you're my friends," Tia shook her head. "And friends don't have secrets between them, do they?"
"Do you have a secret to tell us?" Makoto asked, still suspicious.
"Oh, Usagi knows my little secret, don't you?"
"Yes," Usagi sat down next to Tia. "You're pregnant with Yaten's child."
Tia let loose a peal of laughter at their astonished expressions, "Now I've done it. But this has to stay between us. Promise me you won't tell anyone else. There are reasons I can't go into right now, but this really has to stay between us."
The girls, though still stunned by the news all nodded their assent. Tia relaxed a little against the couch. Ami was frowning again, and she asked, "But why tell us now?"
"Because I've decided to return to America," Tia dropped that bomb and grinned.
"But what about Yaten? And the baby?" Mina sat on the edge of the porch. "Doesn't he have a right to know?"
"He knows already. I told him several weeks ago, while I was still in the hospital. Taiki and Seiya know also," Tia shook her head, with a gusty sigh escaping her lips. "Yaten doesn't know that I'm leaving yet. But I think he'll understand why I have to leave. There are personal reasons, of course, but what do you think the school board will try to do if I continued on here
and they found out?" She didn't continue because it was quite clear the other girls knew quite well what would happen.
"When do you leave?" Usagi asked now.
"The day after tomorrow."
"So soon?"
She nodded, "It's best I do it right away. Make a clean break. If I don't do it now, I don't think I'll be able to force myself to leave later on."
"Well, then, I guess we'll have to throw you an emergency going away party tomorrow won't we?"
"Oh, boy," Tia stared in surprise at Usagi. "I don't expect you to throw a party for me."
"Rubbish," Usagi grinned, "we're friends, aren't we? Well, you know friends do things like that for friends."
Tia laughed, shaking her head. It was so easy for Usagi to accept when she knew. She probably would've been a little more disturbed, herself, at the revelations she'd just put before this other girl. She truly was one of a kind, "Make it the day I leave and you've got a deal. I've got some things I've got to clear up first."
"One thing, though," Makoto asked, faint lines between her eyebrows. "How did you figure out who we were?"
"Oh, you can blame that on Artemis and Luna," Tia grinned, it was probably best not to tell them the truth of the matter on that score. "You see, when you become the Sailor Soldiers, you look a lot different than your normal selves. But Luna and Artemis don't transform and therefore look exactly alike when they accompany you on your missions. And the fact that they've been trailing me for some time, probably since the day I inadvertently discovered the connection between their and your," she nodded at Usagi, "names. And whenever I got into some sort of trouble after meeting them, you guys showed up, it became easy to figure out what the clues meant."
"And that's our weak link," Makoto sighed.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," Tia shook her head. "More than likely, anyone you're going to be dealing with isn't really going to make the connection. I only figured it out over time, when the clues that had been sitting in front of me finally clicked. They'd probably need a great deal of contact with you as your civilian identities and well as your Soldier personas. They would also have to know about both Artemis and Luna, and have made the
connection with your names. I mean, have you noticed? All of your names seem to deal with some aspect of your Soldier personas.
"Now, if anyone made any connections with those seemingly random clues then you'd really be in trouble. But the problem with that is, no one really stops to question certain things, Most people see and believe what they want an never see what is.."

The full moon was high and full as it beamed down on Tokyo that night.
Tia gripped the railings on Tokyo Tower and gazed down at the city spread out beneath her. The wind whipped her hair about, but she didn't seem to notice or mind. She simply continued to stare down at the light show below.
"You're late," she smiled, calling out to the four people who now stood behind her.
"And you're good," Haruka slid from the deep shadow. "Not many people would've been able to hear us coming, standing in the wind like you are."
"Oh, you'd be surprised at what I'm capable of," she smiled grimly, turning to face them, indolently leaning back against the railings.
"So was there a particular reason you called out here?" Michiru materialized next to her partner, her characteristic smiled on her face.
"Yes, of course there is," Tia's smile became as condescending as Michiru's. "You see, I've been remiss in my manners. I didn't thank you when you charged in like the calvary that night in the hospital," her smile widened as the two standing in the moonlight blinked in surprise. Obviously the others had neglected to mention a few things to these four. Her grin became a grin, then she laughed out loud, "Michiru, you know, you shouldn't use that pose so much, it's a sure-fire giveaway."
Michiru snatched her hand away from her face and Tia nearly doubled over in laughter, "Oh, my goodness, did you actually believe that's what it was? Don't be so literal-minded! There were a lot of things that tipped me off. Most of it just this and that and rest was just good, old-fashioned deductive reasoning. All the pieces fit. That's all."
She looked back out at the city, silent for a moment, "I wanted to thank you. And ask a favor of you."
"And what favor would that be?" Setsuna left eyebrow rose.
"Well, now there's the rub. I know you're not the greatest fans of the Three Lights," her lips quirked at the mulish expression that came over Haruka's face, "but I would like you to keep any eye out on them for me. Especially Yaten. You see, I'm in love with him, and I'm going to have his baby," her grin reappeared at their expressions. "Oh, sorry, did I drop a bomb on you? And that's why I want you to look after him."
"And if we don't? Or if we find out that he's one of the Enemy and have to deal with him. What will you do then?" Haruka watched her through narrowed eyes.
Almost leisurely she pushed away from the railing and took a few steps towards Haruka. She was shorter than the other woman by at least half a foot, and so couldn't stand eye to eye with her, but it sure didn't seem like it to the other woman. She swallowed as she looked into Tia's eyes. When the girl spoke, she spoke in such a low voice the Haruka had to lean in towards her.
"If something happens to him, something that could've been prevented by your intervention," she stopped for a moment as another thought occurred to her, "or if you do anything, anything at all to harm him, and I find out about it. . . . Believe me, there will be no place you can go, no place you can hide from me. Do you understand?"
Haruka backed away from her then, astonishment written on her face. Tia didn't say anything further. She turned from them, obviously having got her point across. The four didn't speak to her, to stop her. They had been chilled to the bone as she had been speaking to them. It hadn't been her words, or her voice or the determination in her voice. It had been the change.
As she spoke, her manner had changed completely. The inflection of her voice, and eventually that had changed too. By the end of her statement, her eyes had literally glowed an eerie green.
They realized that it was no longer Tia who had been speaking to them, but someone who was speaking through her. The one who had spoken to them in the hospital before sending them to join their companions. And they knew that person could do exactly what they were promising.

Tia spent the much of the next day packing and boxing up her possessions. She'd even talked Takumi into letting her have the fainting couch on the porch, although he'd looked at her like she'd taken leave of all her senses. She arranged for her things to be shipped to her home in the States. When the last of her possessions had been sent off with the delivery company, she stared at the living room, now totally devoid of any personal effects. It seemed empty somehow, sterile.
She shook off her melancholy. If she didn't so something, she'd end up a total watering pot by the end of the day.
She did some additional spot cleaning, then went over to the main house. She spent the rest of the day playing with her sister's kids and with Takumi and Nikki.
When she helped put her youngest niece down for her nap, she stared down at the contented little girl snuggled contentedly in her arms with an arrested look on her face. She'd done this dozens of times before, but she'd never been pregnant before, either. And she realized that she'd be doing this someday soon with a little girl or little boy of her own soon. As she stared down at the sleepy face of her niece, she faced the enormity of what she was going to be facing hit her. She sat there, tenderly holding the little girl, with equal parts fear and joy chasing themselves around inside her head. She felt her eyes tearing up again and didn't know if she was going to be able to keep them from flowing this time.
But she did, she managed to keep them behind her lids until after she tucked the little girl into her bed. She stared down a peacefully sleeping girl's face for a moment then went to the bathroom and locked herself in.
Then she burst into tears. She cried herself out for a good ten minutes. She stared at her tear-stained face for a while. She shook her head before quietly making repairs to her face. She washed her face, waiting until the evidence of tears were eliminated from her face and faded from her eyes before leaving the bathroom.
She made sure that Takumi and Nikki were in the den before picking up the phone in the kitchen. She made a short phone call. She spoke for less than two minutes with whoever it was who answered the phone. She put the phone back on its charger and stared into space for a moment. She shook her head, then went to spend a little while longer with her family.

An hour later, she was curled up on her couch reading a novel, when there came a knock on her door.


PART TWENTY-FOUR

Tia opened the door to find Yaten standing on her doorstep. She didn't say anything as she stood aside and let him in. She closed the door and locked it behind her before turning to follow him into the livingroom.
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Yaten held out his hand. She reached out and laced her fingers through his and she sighed. He smiled, sadly, at her, "I have some idea what this is about. You're going back to America aren't you?"
She nodded, smiling slightly, "Yes. I really don't have any choice in the matter, any way you look at it," she gestured to the couch and they both sat down on it. She settled herself into the curve of his arm, "The school system runs on the moral foundations of the country. Not that that's a bad thing, all in all, but it basically means that an unwed mother is looked on with a great deal of disapproval and an unwed teen mother. . . .Lord knows. I really don't think I could handle the censure at this point, I'd probably fall apart. Anyway, there are some good programs in America for pregnant teenagers if I decide to go back to the public school system. But, I'll probably just get home schooling.
"As for you, you're fighting a war that started halfway across the galaxy, for crying out loud. If your enemies found out about me. . . ," she let the sentence trail off and Yaten felt a chill crawl up his spine, since he could well imagine what could happen to her if the enemy found out about her and used her against him. "It's safer for me and for our child if we were out of the picture." Her breath caught in her throat, "I don't know if I'll be strong enough. . . ."
Hearing her pain, he pulled her into a tight embrace, "I'm so sorry. So sorry to cause you so much pain."
Her chuckle was watery, "Why are you trying to take all the blame, moron? I went into this knowing who and what you are, silly. My eyes were wide open and awake," she squirmed around in his embrace, until her eyes were on a level with his, "I don't know if I'll be strong enough to do this on my own, but I will endure, I promise you. I can as long as I know you love
me."
"I do," he whispered thickly. "I love you so much it hurts looking at you sometimes. I don't know if I can let you go."
"You will," she leaned her forehead against his. "You have as much choice in this matter as I do. You'll be strong enough to let me go."
"Am I really?" he sighed, looping his arms around her waist. "I have my doubts about that. I may just follow you home."
"Don't you dare, you fool," she pulled back and hit his chest with her fist. "My brothers would chop you into mincemeat before you had a chance to explain."
"Oh, god," there were tears in his voice now. "I can't even promise you anything. I can't even promise to come back to you."
"I know," she buried her face against his neck. "I don't need you to promise me anything except one thing. . . ."
"What's that?"
"That you'll love me; wherever this path leads you, however far you go, even if you find someone else, that you'll love me, in some way, and remember how very much I love you."
He smiled, his eyes misty with tears, "That's probably the only promise I can give you."
They were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Tia wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood up. She reached down and pulled Yaten to his feet.
"Where are we going?"
She turned to him and smiled, "We have one night, Yaten. I don't intend on wasting any more of it with words."
At her words, his eyes smouldered. He pulled her back into his embrace. His lips met hers in such a tender kiss, tears slid down her cheeks before she knew it.
Then an odd thought popped into her head and she laughed, unexpectedly, against his lips, "Well, at least we can't get into any more trouble than we already are in."

Yaten twitched, the sound of birds disturbing his sleep. He eyes blinked open, still unfocused from sleep.
The first thing that registered was that he definitely wasn't in his own bed. He blinked again, frowning slightly as his sleep-befuddled mind struggled to process his surroundings.
Then he froze. He definitely wasn't alone in this strange bed. His eyes came to rest on Tia's sleeping face. His breath caught in this throat at the sight of her. It was as if he kept forgetting how beautiful she was to him and was constantly surprised when he saw her again.
Watching her, he wondered if he were insane. In a few short hours, she would be boarding a plane bound for America and be flying out of his life. Maybe forever. Would he-could he-let her go? For an instant, he entertained the fantasy of sweeping her away, refusing to let her board that plane-or of following her to America, of bringing her back with him, and marrying her out of hand.
He shook his head, coming back to reality and laughed silently. Now he really was one of those idiot heroes in those romance novels Usagi liked so much. But there might not be a happy ending to this story.
Suddenly he couldn't stand not looking into her eyes. So he bent over her and kissed her into wakefulness. When he raised his head, she was looking at him, with glittering, smoky eyes. She smiled, running her fingertips over his lips.
"Good morning," a soft sigh escaped her lips. "I like this, waking up with you."
"It's only this one time," his voice was soft with something akin to grief.
"Maybe," she cupped his face, kissing him softly. "But it's still nice. We've only got a few more hours and I don't want to waste any time with regrets. All that matters to me is that we're here together right now," then she smiled widely. "And I don't intend on wasting it one bit. Time to get up."
He blinked, bewildered, staring at her as she rolled out of bed, stark naked and comfortable in her own skin, "Did I miss something here?"
She grinned over her shoulder, impishly, "Do you realize that even with all the time that we've spent together, that we've never actually been on a date? And you know, I don't intend on not having even one. So get up and get dressed, because, we gotta get out of here, before my brother-in-law catches you here. Besides my plane is scheduled to leave at four and the girls will be here for my party by one. That gives us," she peered at the clock, whose dial read 7:23, "just over five and a half hours."
She stopped, hands on her hips, "Well? What're you waiting for, you silly boy? If Takumi catches you here, he'll gut you and that's no joke," she chuckled as the bed covers went flying. She grinned even wider, as she admired the sight of his naked body. A bigger grin spread over her face as an idea popped into her head.
She hurried into a sun dress with some sandals. She combed out her hair and gathered it up against the back of her head, fixing it into a ponytail. She debated for half a second about braiding as usual, but shook her head.
Then she dove into the back of her closet, grabbing a empty shopping bag. She dashed over to where Yaten was dressing and snatched up his jacket, cufflinks and tie, and stuffing them into the bag, despite his adamant complaint about wrinkles. She countered, laughingly, that he could afford the dry-cleaning. She also snatched his hair tie from his fingers. She had no intention of letting him assume his superstar identity. She combed the tangles out of his hair, then lifted his hair high above their heads--sneaking in a toe-curling kiss while she did this-and let it fall in a cloud around them.
She caught her breath as his hair settled around them. The long, silver locks falling loosely about his face redefined his features. Making him almost look like a totally different person. Her fingertips danced, momentarily, around his face along his hair, before she stepped back. The locks of hair that had fallen over her clung to her for a moment, then fell against his chest.
"That's better," she smiled, sliding a pair of dark, sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Why is this better?" he slid the glasses back down so he could stare at her over the lenses.
"Because you're all mine this way," she grinned, laying a finger on the tip of his nose. "None of your adoring public has ever seen you this way. They wouldn't even recognize you. So, no giggling, screaming groupies mobbing you. Today I want you all to myself."

It was nice, Yaten reflected later as he stared down at the half-eaten chocolate ice cream cone in his hand, not having to deal with teeming fans. Because Tia had been right, none of his fans had ever seen him with his hair down and none of them recognized him. Amazing that such a small change could make such a big difference in appearance.
He caught the frankly admiring gaze of an older woman and grinned at her over his glasses. The woman gave him an amused smile an instant before Tia's elbow slammed into his ribs. The woman's smile widened into a grin as the air whooshed from his lungs. When he glanced over at Tia, her eyes were gleaming; she wasn't jealous, exactly, but she was putting him in his place.
Amusement threaded through her voice as she asked him from behind her butter toffee crunch ice cream cone, "Soooo, should I leave you two alone?"
A smile played on his lips as he shook his head. He slid his free arm around her waist, bringing her close to his side. He felt her tense in surprise and then relax against him. He found he really enjoyed sharing such intimacy with her. He hadn't let anyone get so close to him in a long time and he'd forgotten how nice it was. On impulse, his head swooped down and he stole a kiss, throughly enjoying the traces of ice cream lingering on her lips.
When he lifted his head, her eyes were wide; finally he'd managed to surprise her. Her voice was slightly breathless as she asked, "What was that all about?"
"Oh," he smiled again, looking out across the park, "nothing in particular."
Her eyebrow rose, her lips pursed and she shook her head as if exasperated. But she didn't say anything, only laying her head against his shoulder. They walked in a companionable silence for a while.
He'd just finished licking melted ice cream from his fingers when Tia yanked him forward. He laughingly protested as she dragged him willy-nilly across the park. Her only answer was to smile and pull on him harder. Suddenly, they were surrounded by music and laughing, dancing couples.
She whirled to face him, "Dance with me. The last time we danced, we were weighted down by all that mess between us. Just dance with me this time, without the complications from before and right now."
His fingers brushed her face and he smiled faintly, "Shall we set this place on its collective ear?"
"I'd rather set this place on fire," the corner of her mouth lifted. "But since there are children resent, we can hardly do that, can we?"
In answer, he took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. They danced, as if they'd been partners for years. No hesitation, they communicated with no words, just a look, or some movement, or even just by reading each other's minds. Each move flowed smoothly into the next. Soon they were surrounded by a crowd of admiring onlookers.
They danced, ignoring everyone around them, focusing only on each other, and the movements of the dance. And for a little while, they forgot everything that had passed between them and everything that would keep them apart.

Tia stared thoughtfully into the window of a fine jewelry shop. Yaten moved in close to her side, peering at the selection in the window over her shoulder. He became slightly distracted at the scent of her hair, making him smile wryly. He shook his head, gently, and asked, "What's got you so fascinated?"
"There," she pointed at one of the necklace displays, "that pendant. It's beautiful."
He looked at the pendant, "That it is. Why do you like it?"
"It reminds me of you," there was a smile in her voice. "A shooting star."
It was a small pendant, not much longer than an inch. Three diamonds set in gold with a spray of smaller diamonds to create the tail of the shooting star.
Silently, he took her hand and led her into the store. The sales clerk stared skeptically at them, but obligingly took the shooting star pendant off the displace and allowed Tia a closer look. She stared at if for so long, the clerk started to fidget. Wordlessly, she produced her credit card, and gave the woman a long stare.
Soon they were back on the street, Tia clutching the small package in her hand. Absently her fingers brushed the velvet case the pendant now rested in. She was silent the rest of the way back to her house. So silent that Yaten glanced at her worriedly all the long walk.
When she closed the door behind them, Yaten grasped her shoulders, "What's the matter?"
"Besides the obvious?" she smiled at him, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. "Just sad."
Releasing his hand, her fingers brushed the velvet case again. She stared down at it for a moment, then snapped it open. Her fingertips danced lightly over the glittering pendant for a second, before lifting it from its velvet bed. She tossed the case onto the couch, completely forgetting about it. She stared at the pendant a moment more, then looked at Yaten with eyes glittered as brightly as the diamonds hanging from her fingertips. Without a word, she looped the gold chain over Yaten's head, settling the chain around his neck and the pendant now rested over his sternum.
He stared down at the pendant in surprise, raising brilliant eyes to Tia's, "Why? I thought you bought it for yourself."
"You are my shooting star, Yaten. I don't need a reminder of that," her hand came down on top of the pendant. "This is merely a reminder of me for you. I hope, that every time you look at it, that you're reminded of me and what you mean to me."
His hands closed over the one on his chest, "I love you. And I'll keep this safe, I promise."
Silently, she leaned her head on his shoulder, allowing him to keep possession of her hand. She was content merely to listen to his heartbeat. Her eyes glistened as brightly as the diamonds winking on his chest.

Tia stared at the brightly wrapped gifts on her lap and scattered around her, "You know I didn't expect gifts from you when I agreed to this."
"Why, because of what you revealed to us?" Luna said, sitting on the table. "Pish. You aren't a bad person and we all like you very well. So why shouldn't we get you a gift?"
Tia couldn't help but stare, fascinated, as the little black cat spoke to her. It was one thing know that this little cat was intelligent. But as clear evidence as the cat speaking to her was still difficult to wrap her mind around. And would take a much longer time for her to get used to than she still had here.
"You're our friend after all," Makoto smiled at her, setting a tray of absolutely mouth watering looking pastries on the table, which promptly set Usagi to drooling. "And that's the kind of thing you do for friends, right?"
"Well, a gift is one thing," the corner of Tia's lip quirked up, "but the multiple is another matter."
"I don't know why you're having such a hard time accepting these gifts," Usagi stood, hand on her hips, staring down in fond exasperation.
"Maybe," Seiya grinned, facetiously, at her, "she's just greedy but doesn't want to seem like it."
He was struck by two bolsters thrown from two directions. Such was their weight and velocity that they literally felled him. When he sat up and pushed the pillows aside, he found Tia sticking her tongue out at him and Yaten glaring, fixedly, at him from across the room. He grinned weekly, smoothing his rumpled hair, "Ah-hah. Maybe not."
Usagi shook her head at him, as exasperated at him as she was at Tia," "Oh, would you just get up? Honestly, Seiya-kun, sometimes I wonder about you."
"Oh?" Seiya grinned an entirely different grin this time. "Wonder anything good?"
A remark that went right over Usagi's head, but which made Tia stand, stalk over to the bolsters still lying on the floor, pick it up and broadside Seiya with it. She scowled at him as he grinned up at her from the floor, "Behave yourself, Seiya-kun."
"Now why should I?" his grin widened. "You didn't. No! No! Wait," he laughed, throwing up his arms as Tia threatened him with the bolster again, "I'll behave! I'll behave, I promise."
She shook her head, laughing exasperated, and helped him to his feet. She rumpled his hear, playfully, over his protests, commenting, "Serves you right after making those comments. Really, Seiya-kun, did you actually think she'd get it, the innocent that she so obviously is? Sheesh."
The mood lightened considerably after that. Tia didn't quibble about receiving gifts and Seiya did behave himself. For the most part. It was after all, in his nature to be a little fractious. Especially if Haruka was present. And she was and he just had to provoke her.
They were more comfortable, it's true. But it didn't make them any less aware of the strain between Yaten and Tia. As the afternoon wore on, the tension between the two increased. Despite the happy front Tia put on and despite the indifferent face Yaten wore, they all knew that the two were more devastated by Tia's imminent departure than either let on or might have even admitted to themselves.
Tia resisted the urge to clutch at her chest. It hurt so much and wasn't getting any better. She knew it would be unbearable by the time she had to leave and wondered how she was going to handle it.
Yaten wasn't in any better condition than Tia. His fingers clutched convulsively at the pendant she'd given him. His chest was tight and it felt as if someone was slowly drawing his heart from his chest. As strange as it seemed, he had the odd notion that if he just pressed his hand tightly enough against his chest, that it would stop his heart from being ripped out.
All too soon it came time for her to leave. Takumi had arranged for a stretch limousine large enough to carry all her friends to the airport with her. Tia impulsively embraced her brother-in-law in gratitude.
Yaten caught her wrist as she climbed into the limousine and pulled her into the seat next to him. He glared a grinning Seiya, but didn't say a world. He pulled her into his embrace, burying his face in her fiery hair. She laid her head against his chest, content to listen to his heart. This might be her last chance to do so, and she wasn't to lose it.
She caught Usagi watching them worriedly. She caught the other girl's eye and smiled, reassuringly. Usagi smiled back, but she could tell the other girl wasn't any less worried.
The others were surprised when the limousine bypassed the main airport building. Instead it took a route that led directly to the airfield. It slid silently to a halt in front of the gate. Takumi and Nikki were already there to meet them. As were the Captain and Co-Pilot, who introduced themselves, then excused themselves to board the plane.
Tia took a few minutes to say farewell to her sister and brother-in-law. She smiled at her sister's whispered promise to see her soon. She grinned when Takumi leaned down and murmured, "Now, little sister, if I find out you've pulled another stunt like you did with Sakamoto again, I will hunt you down and put you over my knee."
She stared at him a moment, blinked and laughed, "I should've figured you'd know who tipped you off. I've had it with crime fighting for now," she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him again. "All I want to do now is concentrate on my baby."
He gave her a squeeze then set her aside, "Now go say goodbye to your friends."
She smiled at him, then went over to where her friends stood talking quietly. It was hard, saying goodbye to these people. Somehow they'd woven themselves to tightly into the fabric of her life that she couldn't imagine what it would be like without them. She spoke with each privately, giving a simple personal farewell.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Usagi, "I'm going to miss you so much. I don't think you realize just how much your friendship has meant to me."
Usagi stared at her for a moment, "Are you sure you're all right with this? There must be a way. . . ."
Tia shook her head, smiling gently, "This is my solution, Usagi. It might not be the right decision; there might be another solution, but I'll take care of my own troubles," she reached up and brushed Usagi's hair from her eyes. "You can't solve all the world's problems, my dear. This is such a small thing, and will work itself out. You have larger problems to solve. Don't worry so much. You'll get grey hair," she caught the look on the other girl's face. "It'll turn out all right. I know it will," she hugged Usagi again. "Now I'm counting on you Usagi, to look after him for me. I've got your number and I'll call you and let you know how things are going for me."
She'd said a rather stilted goodbye to Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna. The really didn't say much, just a polite goodbye and the shaking of hands. Tia sensed wariness from them and wondered at it. She didn't remember the threat she'd made, because it had been someone else making the threat through her. The same person who'd transported them from the hospital to the warehouse the night of the confrontation with Sakamoto.
Seiya and Taiki said their goodbyes apart from Yaten. They knew the pair would want to their farewells alone.
Taiki took her hand, his lips quirked, "You know, maybe I won't be so soft in the head anymore. You really have that effect on people, you know."
She laughed, gently, "That's not necessarily a bad thing, my dear."
"For him it is," Seiya laughed. "You were a good influence on him, in a way. It's easier to get through to him now, I think," he stared down at her in silence for a moment. "You were an especially good influence on Yaten. You made him more alive, you know. More vibrant. I don't think he's been like that for a long, long time now. Certainly, not since this whole war started."
"Is that so?" Tia turned to look at Yaten.
Seiya embraced her from behind, murmuring into her ear, "You could stay. Try and work this out."
"We would defend you against the Enemy," Taiki was looking at Yaten, a small smile playing about his lips. "It would make him happy. We didn't do all that bad a job last time. Until the end, that is."
"I think," Tia's voice was thick with tears as she turned and hugged first Seiya and then Taiki, "that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. And was the kindest thing to offer," she brushed the tears from her cheeks, "but it wouldn't work. I couldn't live with the fear and it wouldn't be fair to him or you if I accepted your offer."
They stared at her a moment solemnly a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. They each took a hand and gave it a squeeze. She gave them a watery smile, then turned to Yaten.
She blinked, surprised, as she faced the empty space where Yaten had stood a moment before. She took a few steps towards that place, feeling suddenly bereft, and unable to think where he could have gone. But then she felt the warmth of his presence behind her. Her hands covered her heart, which suddenly seemed to be beating once more. His hands came down on her shoulders, urging her to face him.
They stared at each other for a long time, neither saying a word. It was as if they were suddenly shy, despite how much they'd gone through together.
Her hand reached up, touching his hair, as wistful light in her eyes. His public persona was in place again. She couldn't help but wish that her Yaten was here again.
"Well, take care," she cursed herself for sounding is inane. "Dammit! I'm making a muck of this."
He smiled gently, his eyes beginning to swim with tears, "No, it's understandable. I don't quite know how to do this myself. It might just be best not to drag this out. Just go. Before I try to stop you."
Quickly she put a hand to his face, "Goodbye."
She snatched her hand away as if the touch of his skin scalded. She backed away then turned and walked away.
Yaten stared after her, feeling as if he was suffocating. He wanted to yell at her to stop. To make her stop; to stay with him. His hands fisted at his sides and his muscles grew taut with the effort of resisting following her.
Tia's eyes burned with tears she was fighting not to shed. She couldn't breathe; it was like there was a tight band around her chest. What she wanted more than anything was to stay, but she couldn't. She couldn't.
She realized, abruptly, she didn't want to leave this way. She stopped mid-stride, here eyes wide, staring at nothing. She whirled around to stare at Yaten.
Yaten felt that he would remember this image of her forever. Her fiery hear fanning out around her, the swing of fabric emphasizing her figure. But most of all, the expression on her face.
They stood, stock-still, gazing at each other. Then Tia was reaching towards him. She threw herself at him, trusting him to catch her. He staggered under the force of her weight, his arms closing protectively around her. There were tears now, coursing down both their faces.
"I love you, I love you, I love you," they were both saying at the same time, holding onto each other for dear life. Their lips met in a long passionate kiss.
And when they broke from the kiss, she laid her tear stained cheek next his and whispered, "I'll wait for you. For eternity if need be. I'll be waiting for you to come to me."
"I love you," he whispered back, both of them know this was as much of a promise as he could give her.
They held on to one another, their hearts breaking. After a time, Tia pulled away. The stared at each other for a moment. They smiled, despite the tears still streaming down their faces, and began backing away. Her right hand and his left clasped together. They continued to bak away until only their hands touched. For an instant, their hands tightened convulsively, as if refusing to let go. They stood that way for the longest time, until their hands just slipped free. They took a few steps backwards staring at on another before they both turned and walked away.

Yaten didn't stay to watch the plane leave. He couldn't. He just couldn't. So he left. Hailed a taxi and told the driver to take him to his apartment. He felt the tears he'd shed, drying on his cheeks, but he didn't scrub at them. He just stared out at the city at it sped by. He wasn't thinking really. If he did, he'd break down.
When he got to the apartment, the manager hailed him. The man gave him a small envelop, "This was delivered by special courier not long after you left."
Yaten thanked the man, absently, staring down at Tia's hand writing on the envelop. He didn't open it right away. He waited until he was in the relative privacy of his bedroom until he opened it. There wasn't a note, just a few sheets of music, a jewel case and a gold CD gleaming up at him from his hand. He stared at it for a long moment before slipping the CD into his stereo system.
There came the first strains of a song, then Tia's voice lifted above the music and Yaten's heart skipped:


I knew from the moment I met you,
There was something special there.
Something like love between us two,
But never knew how much I'd care

You made my spirit soar,
Made my heart fly.
I could touch the nearest star,
Sent me higher than high

Before I knew what happened,
You were deep within my heart
How can I say how very much I love you?
Don't even know where to start.

You can't know how you make me feel,
But the love you give me is so real.

There are no words I know,
That can explain how much you mean to me.
No way I could say how I love you so.
There has to be a way to make you see.

Who you are doesn't mean a thing.
All that matters to me,
Is the way you make my heart sing.
This is how we were meant to be.

Before I knew what happened,
You were deep within my heart.
How can I say how very much I love you?
Don't even know where to start.

You can't know how you make me feel,
But the love you give me is so real.

Before I knew. . . .
And the enormity of the day suddenly hit him, driving him to his knees. He clutched is abdomen, as he shivered in reaction. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, didn't even know that tears were streaming down his face once more.
All he could do is feel the pain in his heart and in his soul.

"Miss McKenzie?" Tia looked up at the flight attendant for her grandfather's plane. "You can unfasten your seatbelt now. The young gentleman at the airport asked me to give this to you when we were in the air. He told me it was important," she was holding a plain wrapped package out to Tia.
She stared at it for a moment then took it from the flight attendant with a quiet thank you. She assured the flight attendant she was fine and didn't need anything. She unbuckled the seatbelt and retreated to her sleeping cabin, firmly closing the door behind her and locked it.
She stared at the package in silence; she'd known instantly which "young gentleman" the flight attendant had meant, of course. She didn't know if she wanted to open it, but how could she not?
Her fingers trembled as she peeled off the plain paper to reveal a velvet covered box, similar to the one that Yaten's pendant came in. Her still-trembling fingers caressed the lid, hesitated, then snapped open the lid.
Inside was a gold locket. Roughly the size of her thumbnail, it had a tiny shooting star engraved on it. A diamond set into the center of the star and tiny diamond set at the ends of its tail.
She smiled, unexpectedly, brushing the star with a gentle fingertip. Then she opened the locket at stared down at its contents. On one side a miniature picture of Yaten stared out a her, a loving smile on his face; she realized he must have found a picture booth to take the picture, since she could tell it was not a professional job. And on the other side, secured together with a thin golden thread, was a coiled lock of silver hair. She stared at it for the longest time, running her finger over the silken strands. She snapped the locket closed, removed the locket from the box and secured it around her throat.
As it settled into the hollow of her throat, a tormented cry escaped her lips. She leaned back against the door, then sank down to the floor. Her body was wracked with convulsive shudders and tears streamed down her face again. She wrapped her arms around her middle and buried her faced against her knees.
All she knew now, was the emptiness filling her entire being.

Two hearts, connected by love, cried out at their loss and their souls knew only anguish.

Not the end . . . ?