Chapter Six: The Army of Senshi; Hit the Dirt

Time had past and now it was summertime. Most of us were out of school for summer break, except Ban'yuu, much to her dismay. So we headed out to have fun without her.

"Got the food?" Aijou asked, Naikou peering over her shoulder.

"Check." I answered.

"Blanket?"

"Check."

"Sun block?"

"Check."

"Boyfriend?"

"Che...what? What boyfriend?" I looked up at Aijou.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe C.C. would want to come?"

I snorted but headed inside my house. I walked past my parents' room to mine where I found C.C. lying on my bed, looking like a sad kitten.

"What's up with you?" I found myself talking stiffly to him. It had been like that since that day when I practically admitted to him that I liked him and well, it was getting to me.

"Nothing," he answered listlessly, his gaze going right through the wall.

I don't know what came over me. I did a flying leap on the bed, shrieking like crazy. In seconds, I had the paranoid cat in my arms as I waved goodbye to my parents.

"Ready?" Naikou asked.

"Wait, could we go to your house first?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Sure."

"Great." We stopped there where I had Naikou steal a pair of shorts and towel.

"Who is this for?" Aijou asked finally, stupefied.

"C.C." I answered, picking him up from the bicycle basket. He looked back up at me before jumping out of my arms and transforming.

"But if he's seen..." Aijou protested.

"Nonsense. I know the perfect place." It ended up being a small beach, completely deserted, save for a couple of birds. C.C. went to go change and we set up the picnic.

"Hey, C.C., you can eat our food right?" Naikou asked him as he appeared.

"Yea, just as long as none of you try to poison me."

"Well, stay away from Shuu's cookies."

"Hey, I worked hard on those. Besides, they won't be so bad."

"Ha, you said the same thing last time you made something and forced us to eat it." Aijou grinned but she picked up a cookie and munched.

"Yum," she complimented.

"Huh, well, I guess you had your mom help, no?" But Naikou grinned and munched on the cookie. C.C. was the last one to take one and he ate quietly, seemingly a little distant.

Soon we were playing in the water, splashing each other with the cooling sprays. Again I noticed C.C. who seemed to be a funk.

"Um, C.C.," I asked as I wandered up to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking."

I sat down next to him on the blanket. "Like what?"

He was silent for a moment then he stood up, reaching his hand down to me. "Could we talk, in private?"

I followed him in silence. I heard gentle chirping of the birds and the gentle splashes of the ocean waves. Amidst the trees was an air of peace and beauty that just mellowed me out. I smiled brightly at C.C. as he faced me.

"Want to sit?" He gestured to the ground and I sat down gingerly.

"I've been thinking. Maybe I should go see my family."

"What?" I asked. "Are you homesick?"

"No, it's not that. It's just, I really don't know what to do and I think it'd be for the best, anyways."

"Why? We need you."

"But I don't know anymore than you. Let me go and I'll be back, sometime soon."

I found myself getting angry. I didn't want to but it built up. "You chauvinist pig. You don't want to go for information. You're nothing but a chicken. A scaredy cat." I shouted, standing quickly. I fled the premises, running out of the woods and onto the sand, having it sprayed all over as I ran past the girls. I felt tears fall and I tried hopelessly to stop the crying. I grabbed my bag and took off, sniffling. I took a different route home and unbelievable found myself lost in a patch of trees.

"Stupid cat. Good ridance if he leaves." I muttered to myself.

"You know, talking to yourself isn't very good." A familiar voice spoke. Rikugun walked out from behind a tree, smiling gently. I sniffled and tried to wipe my face.

"What's got you down? Boyfriend acting like a jackass?"

"He, he's not my boyfriend." I snapped. "He's just some stupid idiot."

"Ahh..."

I looked at her silently. "You, you're a senshi?" I asked her finally.

"I am Sailor Mithras, the senshi of armies." She puffed out her chest and batted her eyes at me. I giggled. "There we go. Now, let's chat, shall we?"

We sat silently for a moment before I asked her, "Tell me. Tell me how you became a senshi."

"Well, about two years ago, when we moved here, I received a gift from my grandfather. It was this pen." She held out her transformation pen. "And with it, I gained memories of long ago." Her gaze fell away from me and her eyes turned sad. "That time was a disaster. But I was awakened because She will need us soon. And so I've been working my ass off to improve myself."

"Who is She?" I asked curiously.

"She," She smiled at me, again with a gentle smile. "She was a lesser princess whose blood linked her distantly to the Royal Moon family. But her heart was as pure as the Moon Princess and had an uncanny gift of light within her."

"So where is she?"

"Near, far," she answered, her gaze falling upward. "But it doesn't matter. Now I here to help you." She empathized 'you'.

"Oh." I fiddled my fingers gingerly, my mind going back to C.C. "Do you like anyone?" I asked her shyly.

"I like lots of guys," she grinned impishly. "But I do have a special someone. He lives in America."

"Really?"

"Yea, but enough about me, what's your problem? Something wrong with cat boy?"

"How?" I asked in amazement.

"Being on the streets gave me valuable lessons." She stood and winked at me. "Besides, I'm better than everyone, got that?" I snorted.

We walked slowly back to the trail when there was a huge gust of wind. Debris flew in all directions and I heard the scurry of the local animals.

"Well, well, what we got here?" Hell Kat landed, his gruesome wings flicking back and forward slightly. "Spider's Web of Deceit." He shouted. Riku managed to jump out of the way but I was engulfed by the sticky strings.

"Moon Mithras Combat Mode," I heard Riku call out and she landed gracefully onto the wooded floor. "As the senshi of armies, I'll call upon the fight to destroy you. The name's Sailor Mithras and this war is mine."

Hell Kat sneered as he threw energy orbs at her. She jumped and dodged gracefully. I managed to struggle out of my makeshift cage and I fumbled in my pocket for my pen.

"Hah," I heard the demon shout and I looked up in shock as he sent an attack against me.

"Watch out," Combat C jumped, pushing us both to the side. My pen fell from him and wasting no time, I grasped it.

"Moon Janus Aura Power." I called out and in an instant transformed. "Janus's Beginnings of Chaos Create." The attack knocked Hell Kat down from the air, immobilizing him for a few moments.

The others also appeared. We surrounded him as he struggled to his feet.

"You think, you think you can defeat me. Hah." His sneer was forced. "I am, I am far more better than any of you and I will destroy you."

"But why? What'd we do to you?" Aijou asked quietly.

"Because you are the enemy." He reared up and leaped upwards. He landed weakly on a tree limb only to fall forward. He struggled onto his knees.

I watched him and I felt sad. My heart hurt and it was obvious the others were also feeling sorry for him.

Aijou, to everyone's surprise suddenly engulfed him in a hug. "You poor thing." Ban'yuu followed stroking his hair back.

"Since when do we help the enemy?" Riku asked in disbelief.

"I don't think he is the enemy." C.C. murmured.

"Yea, maybe he's like a pawn," Naikou added.

"What do we do?" I asked out loud.

"Aijou, think you can fix him?" Ban'yuu asked.

Aijou stood in front of Hell Kat. He watched warily, his body showing clear signs of exhaustion. "Healing Love." Energy radiated from her and swarmed into the demon. His hands grasped his head and he began to shake uncontrollably. His body began to change, glowing a bright color as he morphed into a human. We watched as he looked in surprise at his hands and himself. He looked up at Aijou.

"What happened?" The voice, though still the same, now had a note of feeling in it.

"You don't remember?" Ban'yuu asked.

Well, to make things short. Apparently the enemy enjoyed using humans against one another. Hell Kat, really a human, found in his most painful moment was brainwashed and changed to suit battle. Now that he was healed, he headed home. But we learned more then we wanted to know but that's for tomorrow. Until next time,

End Combat Mode.