4/23/01

I have finally started putting dates on these things to show you how long it takes me to write one of these things. The last one was posted on April 15, 2001. Now for the standard disclaimer. I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters/settings/attacks or whatever else is mentioned on here. I do own Prince Neptune, the Knowledge Ruby, the Caretakers, and the L'Tari, so back off. They're mine.

I'd like to thank Stef and Mercury Hime for letting me bounce ideas off of them. I also need to thank my muse, Priestess Mars. Without her, I don't know if I'd be able to get over my occasional Writer's Block. Enjoy the fic.

Episode 6:

Desperate Measures

Haruka wandered around the apartment looking for something to do. She wished that she could go out driving. Her car had thrown a rod, so it was in the shop. Michiru had got Jeff to take her to get some art supplies, so she couldn't use his car. Setsuna and Hotaru had been 'vacationing' in the time stream since before these new threats came to Tokyo, so she couldn't depend on them for entertainment. In the living room, she flopped down on the couch. This was so boring.

As she watched the fish swim in their tank, she wondered how long it would take for those two to get back. A pair of the fish, one goldfish and another with a red stripe down the side, started chasing each other around the tank. It looked like they were racing each other. Fascinated, she watched them speed around the tank. They really did seem to be racing. She decided on a number of laps and waited for the outcome. The goldfish seemed to be winning, but halfway through the race, the striped one seemed to be catching up. Another lap, and the striped one took the lead. Two laps to go and they were neck and neck, each striving for the lead. Down to the last lap and the two little fish were still even. As they came to the point Haruka had marked for a finish line, the goldfish put on a burst of speed and crossed just ahead of the striped one.

Haruka jumped up. "We have a winner!" she shouted.

"Well, it's nice to see that you kept yourself amused, dearest, but why are you yelling at my fish?" Haruka turned around to see Michiru and Jeff closing the door behind them. They truly were twins, for the looks were identical. Except for minor differences, such as hair and eye color, they were exactly alike. They had the same facial expressions, the same dimples when they smiled, and even the same way they titled their heads when they were deep in thought. Right now, they had the same exact amused expression on their faces.

"Uh, hi, guys. I didn't expect you to be home so soon."

"Obviously," said Jeff, "Tell me, what were the fish doing and how did they 'win'."

"I'll tell you later." She could feel her face grow warm. She had to get out of there. "Hey, Jeff. Could I borrow your car?" Jeff barely had time to say yes before she grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

She paused to cool down in the hallway. She could hear both Michiru and Jeff laughing their heads off in the apartment. Scowling, she went down to Jeff's car. It was a nice car, sporty like hers, but a deep blue, just like ninety percent of everything else he owned.

Getting in and revving the engine, she tore out of the lot and down the street. The drive would do her good. Hopefully, by the time she got back, those two would be calm enough to be around. Hopefully.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Computer in hand, Ami tried to ignore the noise that filled the Fruit Parlor Crown. She needed to concentrate. This program could help track the energy signal of these peculiar enemies. Finally, the noise grew too great and she gave up. Saving her program, she turned off the computer and put it in her purse. Turning her attention to the source of the noise, namely her friends, she joined the conversation.

"...So he tried to lift it all at once and fell right over backwards!" finished Makoto. She had been telling them how eager John was to please, so she had him working around her apartment. Apparently, he had tried to lift too many boxes of assorted junk Makoto had accumulated over time. The conversation wandered about how silly some guys acted when they wanted to impress some girls and eventually, a waitress came over to take their orders. They all got a soda, none of them had much money, today, all for various reasons.

The waitress return with their drinks and, while she was setting them down, she almost dropped one, but caught it just in time. This, however did not prevent some of the soda to go all over the table. Ami was suddenly glad that she put her computer away. It would have gotten soaked!

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" The waitress pulled a rag out of her apron. Some of the soda had gotten on Rei's shirt and was she was grumbling too bad to say anything. The waitress just went about wiping the table. She must have been particularly clumsy because the rag went right out of her hand, off the table, and into Rei's lap. Rei was barely able to contain herself. She felt ready to explode. Instead, she calmly picked up the rag, which had now caused a damp spot on her jeans, and coolly handed it back to the waitress.

"You dropped this." Some of her irritation must have came through in her voice, because the waitress cringed. As the waitress took the rag from Rei, Rei normally would have felt a warning of evil in the area, but she was too absorbed (author: no pun intended!) in the fact that she was soaking wet.

The waitress was still very apologetic. "Let me make this up to you," she said to all of them, putting a hand on Minako's shoulder, who happened to be closest. "I can get you a free round of sodas, if you like."

"No, that's all right," Rei said, trying to ignore Meatball Head's laughing, "I'll just go home and change." She suited her words by standing and heading for the door. She paused and turned to her friends. "You guys coming?!" They all stood, and dragging a still laughing Usagi behind her, they followed the Fire Senshi out the door.

On the street, Usagi had finally calmed down to the point where she could talk again.

"We could have waited a bit longer, you know. We could have gotten free drinks!"

"Shut up, Usagi! I'm not going to wait around for a soda while my clothes a soaked through with some cheap soda!"

"Oh, chill Rei," Minako was exceptionally cheery, today, "It isn't like you can't see the humor of the situation."

"But she got you, too," said Rei, "Just look at your shirt." It was true. Minako now sported a dozen small spots of soda down the front of her shirt.

"But, like I said, you can't fail to see the humor of it. A wise man once said 'Laugh and the world laughs at you'."

"That's 'with you', Minako." corrected Ami. Minako laughed.

"Whatever."

* * * * * * * * * * *

After driving for a good, long time, Haruka had stopped off the side of a small road near nothing of any interest and watched the sunset. Luxuriating in the cool breeze that was blowing and the beautiful sight of the red-orange sky at dusk, she just stood there, leaning against the car for what seemed an eternity.

No sound intruded on her peaceful retreat for a long time, so she heard the footsteps long before she saw the owner of said footsteps. Jogging along the road, was man wearing the classic running gear, a jersey, shorts, a headband, and running shoes. He jogged right up to Haruka with an excited look on his face.

"You're Haruka Tenoh, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah. Who are you?"

"I'm just a fan. I was you race last year at the track. I saw that that turn where you almost hit the wall, but pulled out of it at the last moment." He was really quite excited. Too excited. She really didn't remember any experience like that, but races did have a tendency to blur together. The stranger reached out to take her hand and shake it.

"Wow, wait till I tell my friends that I met Haruka Tenoh the racer!" And with a delighted grin, he jogged off. Haruka had the oddest feeling when he felt, like a residue in the air, oily and heavy. She scrubbed her face with her hands and got back in the car. 'Hopefully, I can go back in the apartment without having to endure those two.'

* * * * * * * * * * *

The Caretakers were watching the progress of this mission, as usual.

"Was it really necessary to send two?" said the Third.

"Yes," said the Second, "We need these humans energy. If we don't get any, we're doomed." The words hung in the air and the three of them endured an awkward silence. They all knew that the L'Tari were approaching fast. "This just makes it twice as certain that we will get the energy we need." she finished, weakly.

"Twice nothing is still nothing." said the Third.

"Be patient, my friend." The First was as calm and collected as when they had first arrived at the miserable little planet.

"Really? Patient? How am I supposed to be patient?!" the Third roared, "Just what have you been doing to help us? You are doing nothing but preventing us from draining that other one. She seems to have the most energy of the group!"

"I have a plan for her. Be patient." The Third almost hit him. He could do nothing, though. All he could do is sit back and wait.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The forest was huge. It didn't seem to end. The trees loomed on all sides and the grass grew up to Minako's knees. She wandered along a meandering path, like the person who made it had no idea where she was going. It was a good long time before she saw anything. When she did, she immediately wished she hadn't. She saw the same three hideous shapes that she saw in her previous dream. 'What are they doing in a forest,' she thought. She realized that she would be seen if they simply turned around and she quickly hid behind a tree.

As she watched them from concealment, the three odd beings did nothing. They just stood there like the had nothing better to do. Growing bored with this, she settled back against the tree she was hiding behind and looked in the other direction. At the edge of her vision, between the trees, she thought she saw motion. And again. And again. It was getting closer. A low rumble she felt more than heard started to shake the forest. As the motion got closer, it resolved into more definite shapes. Large creatures with many legs and huge, round heads came crashing through the forest at top speed. Minako wanted to run, but if she did, she would have to break cover and let those alien know where she was. The great beasts came nearer and above them, she saw a man, raised on a platform. He seem like a born leader. He was commanding these giant insects, somehow. The strange man was yelling something at the top of his lungs.

"Find them! I will have them if I have to burn this place to the ground! I will make them pay for what they've done!!!" Minako had no idea what to make of it. Who was he searching for? The Scouts? Maybe, but she hadn't seen them in this forest.

She turned around to see if anything had happened to the strange aliens and they were frozen in horror. They somehow knew who this man was and why he was in this forest. Suddenly, the aliens gave a start and turned, only to fling their arms in front of their faces, as if shielding their eyes from a blinding light. Minako couldn't see an such light, but, as if that thought had cued it, a blinding light had appeared for a moment. When it had dissipated, the aliens had been replaced by Sailor Moon. She seemed as if she had no idea of the stampede of giant bugs that were crashing through the forest. Minako yelled out to her to move, but no sound came. The strange man had altered the commands he had been yelling. He was now yelling that Sailor Moon should be taken and questioned, for she knew what had happened to his quarry. The stampede was bare meters away from Sailor Moon and she was still oblivious to the treat. As the horde of creature descended upon her, realization swept over her face and Sailor Moon finally realized that the threat existed. The realization was short lived, for it came just as the strange creatures swept over her and the strange man commanding them started laughing in his triumph.

Minako woke from the Dream panting as if she had run a marathon. She looked at the clock. 12:04 am. For a moment, she contemplated the idea of going back to sleep, but she decided that the Dream was to urgent to ignore till morning. Throwing her covers back, she rushed into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready to leave the house and inform the others about the coming danger.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Returning home, Haruka hesitated going through the front door. She glanced at her watch. It was around 11:30 at night. She had taken her time getting home, so she could be certain that the others were in bed already. Still, they might still be up. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and went inside.

The entryway was dark, as was the living room beyond. She stopped to remove her shoes and coat. Walking into the dark apartment, she was careful to make as little noise as possible. After turning the corner, she saw that a light was on in the kitchen. She went on the defensive, immediately. It could be either Jeff or Michiru. It could also be Hotaru and Setsuna coming back from their 'vacation'. It might also be one of those collectors, come for someone in the house.

Cautiously, she went into the kitchen. Sitting at the table, it was Michiru, wearing her bathrobe and stirring a cup of tea. Haruka visibly relaxed. She had no idea why she had got herself all worked up. 'I guess I'm just tired.'

"Hello, love," Michiru looked up from her tea, "Where've you been?" Some of the amusement from that afternoon still showed on her face. Haruka recoiled in fear. That almost imperceptible smirk on her love's face was mocking her. She had no idea why Michiru harbored such evil thoughts. Michiru's expression changed from mildly amused to concerned shock.

"What's the matter, Haruka? What's wrong?" The tall blonde backed into the wall so hard that the dishes in the cabinets rattled.

"Just stay away from me." Haruka looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Michiru was thoroughly confused, and at the same time deeply hurt, that Haruka would treat such a little comment like such a mortal wound. Haruka had said worse to her when she was just teasing. Michiru had no idea why the almost imperturbable wind senshi was acting so oddly. Just then, an extremely tired, very unkempt Jeff stumbled into the kitchen. His hair was sticking in all directions and his eyes were heavy-lidded due to the deep sleep he was just pulled from. At least he was awake enough to pull on a shirt and pair of sweatpants, noted Michiru.

"I heard a loud noise in here," he mumbled, "Is everything all right?" Haruka took one look at him. She remembered the extremely amused expression on his face from that afternoon and, with a horrified expression on her face, she bolted for the door.

The twins just looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

"I know I don't look that good when I wake up," said Jeff, "But that was uncalled for." With that, he stumbled back to his bed and fell right back to sleep.

Michiru just sat there, trying to figure out why her beloved acted so strangely. Possibilities whizzed through her mind. She came to the conclusion that she didn't have any information to base any assumption on. The only way to help her love was to find her and get her to talk about it. If she really was the cause for Haruka's hyper-sensitive state, then she would have to apologize. She thought about getting her brother out of bed, because he was also responsible for hurting Haruka's feelings, and if she had to apologize, he was going to do it, too. She decided that without a god night's sleep, he was in no shape for a delicate situation, so she let him sleep. She got dressed, got her coat, and followed Haruka into the night.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Rei rubbed the sleep out of her eyes while she walked to the corner outside her Temple. She wished that they could meet inside the Temple, but they couldn't risk waking Chad and Grandpa. If that happened, then they would have to come up with an explanation. It was hard enough to get Grandpa to go back to sleep after the phone rang. She shook her head to clear it causing her long, raven black hair to sway in the momentary breeze. Rubbing her eyes again and looking up, she saw an equally tired Ami half-walk, half-stumble up the street. Her blue eyes didn't seem as bright as they usually did. In fact, they seemed rather irritated. Rei knew how she felt. Right now, she felt like she could chew through a fence post. An aluminum fence post. Why did Minako have to drag everyone out of bed at this hour, anyway? Really, that girl could be so inconsiderate at times. She shook her head again. She had no idea why she was getting herself so worked up over this. If it was important Sailor business, then it deserved the attention it was getting. But if it wasn't...

Ami looked up at Rei and as about to say hello, but she stopped herself short and her eyes opened a little wider. The Shinto priestess had a look in her violet eyes that could kill. She was saved from having to endure it alone because the rest of the Inners had finally shown up. Usagi was being dragged along by Makoto, who was doing her best to hold the Moon Princess upright. Minako was wide awake, which seemed odd. Minako usually seemed to be living her life in a dream-like daze. Again, Ami tried to greet a friend, but this time, she was cut off by a thoroughly irritated Rei.

"All right, miss I-have-an-urgent-problem-on-my-hands, why have you dragged us all out of our nice, warm beds tonight?! I was having the most wonderful dream about..." Rei trailed off and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. She wasn't about to tell them all about her dreams, no matter who they were about! (AN: I'll let you all speculate as to who that may be!) She was letting her irritation get to her. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. When she opened them again, she found that the other four girls were all staring at her with the most surprised expression on their faces.

"Uh, Rei?" Makoto was the first to find her voice again. She continued, careful not to further upset her friend, "I know that it's late and it's getting to all of us, but try to keep it down, O.K.? After all, we don't want anyone to wake up and wonder what's going on."

Usagi suddenly had an evil grin on her face. "Rei, who were you dreaming about, anyway?" This made Rei boil inside. She was about to explode at the odango-wearing little imp, but then Luna and Artemis interrupted.

"Girls, please!" Luna wanted to avoid a tongue war at all costs, "We have something obviously important to discuss." A little irritation showed in her voice. She was upset at being woken at this hour, as well.

"Minako, go ahead. Tell them what you told me," Artemis prompted. Minako told them all about the Dream. She told everything in as much detail as she could remember. All though her voice had nothing in it except seriousness, her eyes held nothing but mirth. Usagi was the only one to notice this, though. The others were all engrossed with the fact that these current 'emotional problems' were only the beginning.

"Do you mind telling us what's so funny?" she blurted. She immediately wished she hadn't because in had gained her six pairs of eyes all staring at her.

"What the hell are you talking about, Usagi?" Rei had had it. She exploded at the blonde girl with an amazing amount of fury. Usagi shrunk back, frightened by Rei sudden outburst. Even on her bad days, Rei wasn't this bad, "This is very serious business! Minako, here, says that there might be another enemy looking for your blood and all you can think are jokes!!!" Rei obviously hadn't been looking at Minako, who was trying her best to not burst out in laughter. When she let a little strangled half-chuckle escape her lips, everyone's eyes were suddenly on her. She couldn't take it any longer and she let it all out.

Between laughter and gasping for air, she managed to get out, "You...guys...are...so...funny...when you...do that!" After which, she went right back into laughing her ass off. The others failed to see what was so funny. Ami pulled out her little computer to scan Minako. Maybe the lack of sleep had done something to her brain.

Not too far away, two people, cloaked by the shadows, watched the little impromptu gathering. One was male and the other, female. This time, they looked a great deal more human. The Caretakers were getting better with their disguises. The female one looked at a little screen on a little device she held in her right hand. Punching a few buttons, she scanned the emotional potential in her victims. Grinning at the results, she angled the device so her partner could view the device. He smiled and concurred with her. They were almost ready. He took the device from her and sped off to find his quarry.

Leaning back against the lamppost, the female collector looked at her watch. Another fifteen minutes, and she could get down to business.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Halfway down to the lot, Haruka realized that she had forgotten Jeff's keys on the counter-top. She didn't stop, though. She just kept running from her fears, just like she had done all her life. Crashing through bushes, dodging around corners, and jumping over fences, she finally found herself in a very dark, very secluded area where every shadow seemed ready to jump out and grab her. As it happened, it was a scrap yard. Jagged pieces of metal and plastic stuck out everywhere. Bits of glass caught what little light there was and they seemed to be eyes in the night, to Haruka,

Finding a somewhat quite and hidden corner to hid herself, Haruka sat down, brought her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. Her green eyes darted to the left and the right, searching for anything hidden in the shadows. She could feel sweat run down her back. The night was cool, with a gentle breeze, but she felt like she was in an oven.

All of a sudden, she heard footsteps. The fear she felt was like a vice; it held her to the spot. She couldn't move. She could barely breathe. The footsteps got closer. The sound was driving her mad. She knew that she should run, get away from the sound, for she knew that whomever the footsteps belonged to wanted to hurt, even kill her. Squeezing her eyes shut and making herself as small as possible, she hoped that whoever it was wouldn't see her and that they would just go away.

Michiru came to the dark, secluded area. The breeze blew her hair back, and if she hadn't paused to feel the wind on her face, she never would have caught the faint scent of Haruka's shampoo in the breeze. Most people would have never noticed such a thing, but since Michiru knew her love so well, it was instinctive. Besides, she loved to run her fingers through Haruka's hair, so of course the scent would be familiar.

She began searching the area to see if Haruka was hiding somewhere. The thought crossed her mind that it would be silly to think that Haruka, of all people, would hide from anything, but in her current state, Haruka might do anything. Pausing and thinking about that fact, she proceeded cautiously. There is no telling what Haruka might do.

From her protected little hide-away, Haruka could hear the footsteps get closer. All of her muscles tensed all at once, the stress amounting almost to pain. Someone rounded the corner and Haruka reflexively squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe it wouldn't notice her.

Michiru saw her love rolled into a tight little ball. She did think that the tall blonde could get into such a compact little shape. Slowly moving closer, she knelt down next to Haruka. Initially, the wind senshi shied away from her touch, but then her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she only stared at her beloved, then she threw herself into her arms, gripping her tightly.

"I'm so scared," sobbed Haruka into Michiru's shoulder, "I don't know what to do." All Michiru could do was smooth Haruka's hair and tell her everything was going to be all right. Michiru wished there was someone to comfort her. She had no idea how to help her love. She wished she had someone else there to help. At least then, she might get Haruka home again without the risk of her bolting again.

Just then, a sound, loud when compared to the relative silence around them, caught their attention. Looking up, Michiru saw a large man standing over them. Haruka ripped herself from Michiru's arms and backed herself up against the chain-link fence behind her.

"Aww, how sweet." The man had a cruel grin on his face. "I hate to interrupt, but if you don't mind, I'll be needing her now." He leveled the device that he had borrowed from his partner at Haruka and pushed the button. For Haruka, the whole world seemed to explode in a sea of light and sound.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The Inner Senshi were all staring at a person that they had previously thought to be of sound mind and body. Minako had just finished her little laughing fit and was now picking herself up of the ground. They were all stunned. No words would come. Taking no notice of her friends' disbelieving looks, she merely stood and dusted herself off.

"Where are ChibiUsa and the Outers?" she asked.

"I tried calling them after you so rudely pulled me out of bed," answered Rei. She was still quite irritated. "There was no answer."

"Luna is out with Artemis, somewhere, probably chasing mice," Usagi made an unsuccessful attempt at humor. Minako laughed, regardless. Usagi continued, " And ChibiUsa looked so peaceful, I just couldn't wake her."

"Oh, that's smart, Usagi. You should have woken her. This is Sailor business and she is a Scout, just like us." The heat in Rei's voice made it quite clear how she felt about Usagi's oversight.

"Stop it, Rei! I don't need this from you at this hour in the morning!"

"Well, maybe if you got things right, once in a while, I wouldn't have to yell!" This, of course, started the usual tongue war that it usually did. The others tried to intercede, but it was really no use. Even Minako, in her slightly off balance state, tried to help.

"Stay out of this, Minako!" Usagi and Rei said in unison.

"Whatever floods your boat," replied Minako.

"That's 'floats' your boat, Minako," corrected Ami. She wanted at least something to her way tonight. She had to take every little victory that she could get.

"Oh, I guess it is," said Minako. She giggled at her own little slip-up.

Over in the shadows, the female collector watched this little gathering with increasing disgust. She hated these humans. She glanced at her watch. Almost time. From her vantage point, she could see and hear the girls quite clearly. Taking a small device out of her pocket, she fastened it over her left eye. 'Right about...' she thought. Suddenly, Minako and Rei went ramrod straight and their eyes opened wide. 'Now.'

As soon as they saw Minako and Rei stiffen and stare at nothing, they knew the reason for their odd behavior. The collectors had got to them. The Scouts only had time to register the thought in their minds before the explosion of light and sound swept over them and knocked them to the ground.

The female collector smiled, 'I guess that he got his target, as well.' She launched herself at the still stunned Scouts. She dealt with them easily because they still hadn't had a chance to transform. Doing only enough damage to knock them out, she easily put Ami, Usagi, and Makoto out of the fight. She turned her attention to the four in front of her. She mentally scolded herself. While she was dealing with the others, she had allowed these four to transform. The duplicate Scouts were facing off with their counterparts. She felt a little relief in the fact that she didn't have to deal with the same problem that her predecessors did. The little device over her eye told her everything she needed to know.

Sailor Venus gave her head a vigorous shake. She still couldn't deal with having another one of her in front of her. What was more disturbing was the fact that her duplicate had the same look on her face as she had in her Dream. She quickly glanced over to Sailor Mars and her double. They were already throwing arrows of fire and other flaming object at each other. Venus's double took this lapse in concentration as an invitation and was about to attack. Venus looked back to her counterpart just in time to see silvery threads encircle it. The strange woman had her hands extended and she held the threads that held her double and the ones that were wrapping up Sailor Mars's evil twin.

A look of triumph spread over the female collector's face. She had won! She had completed her mission! Even now, the threads were draining the doppelganger's of life and sending the solidified energy to the Caretaker's ship in orbit. Throwing her head back and laughing, she allowed herself a moment to revel in her glory. After she was done with her little celebration, she observed the battlefield once again and realized her error. She had both hands busy in draining her targets. If she let go of one, she would lose all of the energy that she had yet to collect. If she didn't, she'd be dead. The Scouts were all ready up and ready. The one with the odangos even had that little gem out and ready. The two targets looked pissed. The one with the yellow-orange fuku stepped closer and fired.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Bracing for impact, the collector thought she would be the one to go, but the blast hit her duplicate, instead. The Venusian double disappeared in a flash of light and the hopes that the collector had harbored until now vanished with it. Sailor Mars quickly followed suit and the collector's mission was turned from success to failure.

Sailor Moon raised the Silver Crystal over her head. Calling out the words to activate it, she felt a familiar sense of being drained as the white light lanced out from the gem to wipe the collector from the face of the Earth. Usagi smiled and put the Crystal back in the brooch at her chest. The adrenaline left her system and it seemed to take her knees with it. She fell to the ground. She felt weak, tired beyond anything she had felt before. The only other times when she had felt this tired was after battles when the Crystal had made taxing demands on her body. She dimly aware of her friends gathering around her before she passed out into a blackness deeper than sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Michiru rose and pulled her henshin stick from her pocket. The blast had knocked her clear across the yard and she had landed on something sharp. Ignoring the pain, she lifted the stick high and shouted the words to transform herself. Sailor Neptune cast her gaze about the scrap yard. She didn't have to look long to find what she was looking for. She saw two Sailor Uranuses squaring off in the same area that she had just been forced to evacuate. She ran towards the fight, only to be stopped by a dark figure stepping out from the shadows.

The male collector extended his hands towards Sailor Neptune. The gossamer threads snaked out to grab her even as she tried to attack. The threads enveloped her and she could feel her energy being drained away.

"Oh, well, it's not emotional energy, but I'm sure that the Caretakers wouldn't mind for this little extra." He grinned, evilly.

Over across the lot, twin Sailor Uranuses fought for their lives. Both had drawn rapiers, their Pure Heart treasures, and even though neither was a very good swordswoman, they put on quite a show. The metallic clang of blade meeting blade rang through out the area. One of them seemed to falter. The other took advantage and pressed her attack. She fought her double back further and further. A bold swipe caused the double to jump back, which brought her right up against a piece of metal that was very sharp and quite painful. She felt the cold metal enter her body and the real Sailor Uranus finished her double with a final thrust of the blade. The double faded and was gone.

On the other side of the scrap yard, Sailor Neptune felt as if she was going to faint. She was about to give up when, from atop a pile of scrap, came a shout, "Don't you harm my sister!!!" Prince Neptune flew from the top of the stack of metal and brought the glowing head of the Trident through the spider web-like threads that held Sailor Neptune. The cords fell from around her. She felt her energy returning as soon as the connection was severed. Her brother came to her side.

"Are you all right? I followed when I realized no one was home. It's a good thing I did." Michiru didn't hear everything he said. She was too occupied with cruel thoughts concerning the collector in front of her.

"Let's get rid of that first." She indicated the collector standing in front of her with a bewildered expression on his face. He hadn't expected more of them to show up. "He hurt my Haruka and he tried to kill me." Jeff had to take a step back. He had never seen his sister this angry at anything in his life. He thought about it for a second and then he understood. He grinned.

"You want to show him what we can do?"

"Yes. Lets."

They stood back to back, Prince Neptune held the Trident loosely in his left hand and had his right side facing the enemy. Sailor Neptune stood in a similar manner, with a hateful look in her eye for the collector. They spoke in unison.

"It's time to show you the full power of the Storm and the Sea!!" They raised one hand, Prince Neptune rose his right, Sailor Neptune, her left. Storm clouds seemed to gather above them.

"Neptune Hurricane....!!!" Water pooled around their feet. The collector stepped back so he wouldn't have to stand in it. You never knew what one of the attacks did, or how they'd be delivered, though this one seemed self-evident.

"...Devastation!" The water at their feet rose up in a humongous tidal wave and the storm clouds surged forth. The collector was caught in a maelstrom of water and wind. It was as if he was a small ship on rough seas during a storm to end all storms. He was sinking beneath the waves. Gasping for breath, he knew he was done for. As the wind threw the waves over his head, he breathed his last, and then was no more.

The Twins fell to the ground. That attack had taken a lot out of them and now, they felt as if they had run a marathon. Sailor Uranus came running over.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help you guys," she said.

"That's all right, love, you had a problem of your own to deal with," replied Sailor Neptune. She let herself de-transform and immediately wished she didn't. Her senshi powers had obviously buffered her from feeling the drain on her body from that attack. She fell face first to the ground and she lay there for a moment to take a few deep breaths before standing. Haruka reached down and helped her up. Prince Neptune was using his Trident to help himself stand and the three of them started to make their way home.

Something had been bugging Haruka since Jeff had made his entrance and she finally remembered to ask him.

"Hey, Jeff. How did you know where find us?" Jeff grinned.

"I didn't."

"Huh?"

"The Ruby did. He sensed your energy." Duh. Haruka felt a little stupid. She should have known that the Ruby would have had something to do with it. To hid her embarrassment, she was ready with another question.

"All right, wise guy. How did you know to come after us? I mean, you were asleep, right?"

"Well," he began, "I woke up because I thought I heard the phone ring, but I was too late to answer it. The Ruby then tells me that you guys were gone and that he thought something weird was going on." Of course, the Ruby again. Haruka decided that she'd have to give that little gem a little more credit from now on.

Coming to the apartment and letting themselves in, they immediately went for their respective bedrooms. Jeff closed his door and flopped down on his bed, still dressed as Prince Neptune. He was that tired.

Laying Michiru down on their bed, Haruka laid down next to her and got under the covers.

"Haruka, honey," said the sea senshi.

"Hmm?"

"If you ever feel afraid, don't hesitate to tell me." Haruka felt a little chagrined. She had always felt that she was to protect Michiru, not the other way around. Before she could respond, Michiru continued. "And I'm sorry for what happened this afternoon." Haruka smiled.

"Apology accepted, dear." Haruka leaned over to Michiru and kissed her and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Usagi came to and she found that she was lying on Rei's bed. She raised her head and found her friends all around her.

"How long...?" That was all she was able to get out. She immediately felt dizzy and put her head back down on the pillow.

"Four hours." replied Rei. "Can you stand?"

"I think so, just give me a minute." It took her a few tries, but she got to her feet and was able to stand with only a minimal amount of assistance from Makoto.

"I think you've been using the Crystal too much." Luna went right to the point, as usual. "It's taxing your systems. You shouldn't rely on it so much."

"It's all right, Luna, I can handle it."

"No, you can't, Usagi! If you'd only listen to me..."

"Oh, I'll just have Ami take a look at it later, all right? I'm too tired to deal with this now." Luna relented and the girls made their way home. Luna worried about her. She still didn't act like the princess she should. Luna knew that the time they had was limited. They didn't have much time until Usagi had to ascend to the Throne and become Neo-Queen Serenity. She sighed and continued home. Perhaps after a good night's sleep. she'd figure out a way to get Usagi to act he way she should.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The Second glared at the others.

"How could you let this happen? I thought you had trained them better?!"

"Hey, you had a part to play in this, too." countered the Third.

"Yeah, but my devices worked the way they were supposed too!!" This little argument was cut short by the First.

"Will you be quiet!" This display of emotion was uncharacteristic for him. He was feeling the stress of constant failure. "The L'Tari will be here any day now. It is time to put my plan in to action." As he laid out his plans before the others, wide grins grew on their faces. This next target would give them everything they needed. The L'Tari wouldn't have a chance against them if this succeeded and with the looks on the Caretaker's faces, they would make certain that they did. They would make the universe tremble and the L'Tari would finally know who ruled over them.