Among Friends, Part 2
Aono Elina
By Taerir

All Sailor Moon references are the property of their respective owners. Any concepts, characters, world names, plotlines, and so on not found in the Sailormoon television series or manga are the sole property of the author, Taerir, copyright 1999. No duplication is permitted without written permission from the author.

Elina grinned gratefully at Usagi as the two walked down the street together. It was her first day in town, and Usagi had immediately taken the girl under her wing. At the moment, the two were headed to the ice cream parlor to meet more of Usagi's friends. Elina sighed with relief; she had been afraid she would make no friends in her new town.

Suddenly, Usagi waved wildly at a red-haired girl across the street.

"Asami-san!" Usagi yelled, causing Elina a moment's confusion. The girl looked a few years older than Usagi; were the two such good friends? Elina had last made her home in America, and some of the Japanese customs still eluded her.

The girl in question smiled at the pair and crossed the street.

"Usagi-chan," the girl said as she approached the pair. "How has your vacation been? I don't think I've seen you since, well, since last month!" The two girls exchanged a strangely serious glance that left Elina wondering just what had happened the month before.

"Hi," Elina said, opting for an assertive front. "I'm Aono Elina. I don't think I got your name..."

Usagi grimaced, her face turning red. "Oh, I forgot! Elina, this is Asami." She beamed. "She goes to Azabu Tech, where Mamo-chan goes."

Elina smiled at the girl and stuck out a hand in greeting, remembering after the fact that she was no longer in America. Unfazed, Asami smiled and shook her hand. Frowning, Elina stared the other girl in the face. Why did Asami seem so familiar? Elina was certain she had never met the girl in her life. A similar expression crossed Asami's face, but the older girl cleared it away quickly.

"Nice to meet you," Asami grinned. "Just watch out for Usagi. She tends to run into things." She shot Elina a mock-sympathetic look.

Usagi glared for a moment. "Hey!" As she realized it was true, though, she flushed again. "Asami-san, we're going to go meet the others in the ice cream shop. Do you want to come?"

Asami laughed. "Why not?" The three continued to walk down the sidewalk.

As the trio walked, Asami studied Elina thoughtfully. At the moment, the younger girl was nervously fiddling with one of her maroon braids. Elina looked too familiar to just be another face on the street; could she be one of the other Gate senshi?

Asami sighed and decided to study the girl more before making any decisions. It wasn't as if she could just walk up to Elina and start referring to Gates, sailor senshi, and past lives. The thought almost made Asami laugh; the younger girl would probably run away screaming.

Asami smiled at the others as the group entered the ice cream shop, where Rei, Minako, Ami, and Makoto were already seated. Chattering animatedly, the four girls made room for the others, eager to meet Usagi's new friend.

"So, Elina," Asami said. "I take it you're new to town?"

Elina smiled. "Yeah; my mother and I just moved here from America."

Going to order their ice cream, the girls continued to talk. After a while, Usagi and her four other friends looked around.

"We, um, kind of have to go," Usagi said. "Elina, call me!" The girls headed out the door.

Elina frowned. "Where were they off to so fast?"

Asami knew there was probably a senshi meeting. She frowned too. "I don't know. Usagi is pretty flighty sometimes."

"That much, I figured," Elina giggled.

Nami made her way down the sidewalk, rolling her eyes. Three men had tried to hit on her by the time she had gotten here, even. Was there something in the air today, or what? She glanced around the immediate area. Nearby sat a particularly crowded ice cream shop. Nami smiled slowly.

"Hey, what's up?" a tall, tanned man approached her. Another attempted suitor? What a wonderful opportunity.

Standing up, Nami walked up to him leisurely. Suddenly, she grabbed him by the throat and concentrated on destroying that which made him human. When she was done, he had expanded and now stood as her own monstrous creation. Laughing and giving him his orders, she disappeared.

The daemon rushed into the shop, grabbing a girl with maroon braids on either side of her head. Holding her still under the threat that he would hurt her if anyone did anything, he prepared to draw the energy from the nearby patrons of the shop.