CHAPTER SIX

His mind was trapped in the dream again. Over and over, he went over it in his mind, wondering what had possessed him. Arriving.comments being exchanged.splitting up into fighting groups.trapping her in the shield. And, as always, a little shiver would run up his spine. The wind blowing her hair.her eyes. The problem, he decided, was when he had failed to attack immediately. The little witch had obviously done some spell on him, for what purpose he didn't know. It didn't matter. She'd pay for that, the sneak. "DAMON!" A sharp whack to his head by Ithengil's staff ended any of Damon's musings. "What?!" He yelled. "Would you wake up, boy!" Ithengil growled, thumping him on the knee. "Have off." Damon muttered. "I was thinking." "About the Senshi, no doubt." Ithengil snapped. "And about her." "Her?" Damon asked Spike in an undertone. Spike gave him an incredulous look. "Their leader. He's been raving about her for the past fifteen minutes. Practically foaming at the mouth." He shook his head admiringly. "Your Sailor Diamond must be some character, to make Ithengil so pissed off." "She's not my Diamond." Damon said with such hatred that Spike looked alarmed. "Chill man! I wasn't implying that she was!" He said, backing away slightly. "She'll be my kill, that's all." Damon said in a low voice, teeth bared slightly. Spike knew better than to argue with Damon on that one. Damon only got this way about killing when the scout was an extra treat. And usually the death was good. It would be fun to watch. As long as he wouldn't take too much time about it. Ithengil frowned at the two of them. "Enough, both of you! We are getting nowhere! This is the fourth time we've tried to drain this planet and get sufficient energy, and what do we get? Next-to-nothing!!!" "Chill out!" Katrina snapped, irritably. She'd had a rough time from Jedin. "We've tried, okay?! This isn't easy!! Dratted Senshi." "No excuses." Ithengil snapped. He turned to Spike and Ivy. "And you-you go in all cocky and come out being easily defeated!!! You didn't even manage to injure them that much, by your description! Worthless, brainless, spineless-" "Let's see you go out and take them on, Ithengil." Spike said coolly. "Let's see you get farther than we did." Ithengil's face twitched slightly. Spike laughed derisively. "See? It's easy enough to yell at us for failing, but a whole other thing when it comes to going out yourself!" THWACK! Ithengil gave Spike a resounding blow to his head. Spike winced as he rubbed his scalp. Ivy came floating over to hold Spike's head to her chest. "Poor baby." She murmured "Don't worry. Mummy will take good care of you." Ithengil raised his staff to bring it down on Ivy's head, but almost before he could blink, Spike was on his feet and had grabbed the crystal at the top. "Don't-you-dare." He whispered through gritted teeth. There was complete silence and stillness for a moment. Ithengil lowered his staff. Spike backed down to cradle Ivy protectively in his arms. "What's the plan?" Jedin asked, breaking the silence. Ithengil gave Spike a final glare before spinning around haughtily. "We have been approaching this the wrong way." Ithengil informed his audience huffily. "We've gone out in our true forms, tried to steal energy, and are usually spotted right away by-those-girls. The solution? We will disguise ourselves as human males-and females." He added hastily to Katrina. "No one will think it weird if a seemingly human male kisses a human female and vice-versa. No one will suspect we're stealing energy at the same time!" Uther sniffed. "Jedin and I went out in disguises." "Not very good ones." Ithengil said snippily. "You looked exactly like your real selves. A bit of color change to your hair, different eye color, different clothes, a hat-unrecognizable. The Scouts will have no clue what hit them." Jedin eyes sparked. "Simple, yet entirely brilliant. Excellent!" He threw Ithengil an admiring glance. "Not a bad plan for once, O Great Priest." Ithengil snorted. "Spare me your approval and get out there and get energy!!" * * * Angie gave the punching bag a mighty punch. It shot into the air and rocketed back at her. She knocked it again, too angry to feel the pain that shot up her arm. She battered the bag with a multitude of forceful blows, occasionally spinning to give it a kick. Why? Why, why, why, why, WHY?! She punctuated this last why with a terrific blow to the bag that nearly knocked it off its hook. Why hadn't she been able to pull her eyes away? Why had she grabbed his hand? What demon had made her do that?" It must have been him, she thought to herself. A spell, or an evil enchantment, or SOMETHING!!!!! You are NOT allowed to crush on evil awful beings!!! She drew back, and let loose with a fierce war cry as she charged the bag. It soared off the hook, hitting the far wall. Angie jumped on it, pounding it till it began tearing and ripping. "Hey, Ange?" Malorie called. "I think it's dead now!" "No, no, put it out of its misery." Elisha sniggered from nearby on the trapeze. Angela stared sheepishly down at the dead punching bag. "Sorry, Lune." She muttered, standing and dusting off her hands. She was surprised to find they were bleeding, slightly, from cuts where her knuckles had scraped the rough surface of the bag. "Never mind that, let me see your hand." Lune said severely, trotting over. Obediently, Angie lay her hands out palms down. Lune inspected her knuckles carefully before smiling. "Nothing permanent. I was worried for a moment that you had broken a bone in your hand, the way you were hitting that thing." Angie blushed. "I was thinking about Damon." She muttered. "Lousy creep. Said I was too weak to kill! ME!" "He IS much stronger than you." Demetri said from his spot beside Mary, who was taking a break. It was Saturday, and Lune and Demetri had insisted on their using their weekend for double training time. "I could have taken him." Angie said defiantly. "I could have sworn he was afraid of me!" "Not likely." Marisa said from the trapeze beside Elisha. "Those guys are tough. I don't think they'd be afraid of newbie-scouts like us." She swung forward and let go, somersaulting in the air before landing perfectly in a gymnast's pose. "Show off!" Malorie yelled affectionately from the monkey bars. Marisa gave her an indignant look before walking to the monkey bars and grabbing Mal's foot. "What are you doing?!" Malorie asked in alarm. With great care, Marisa removed both sock and shoe. Then, she brought her hand up- Malorie exploded in laughter, rocking precariously around. "No, please!" She laughed. "No tickling!" Marisa grinned in triumph. "Ah-HA!" Rachelle yelled. "We have a weakness!" She rushed forward and yanked sock and shoe off Mal's other foot and proceeded to tickle it. Mal was rocking around now, kicking and flailing, holding her stomach in laughter. "Please!" She begged. "I'm going to throw up!" Angie smiled at her friends' antics before sighing and stretching. "I think that's enough training for now. I want to go for a walk in the park. Scope out cute guys, eat ice cream.' She hesitated tantalizingly. "Me too! Me too!" Rachelle cried, running up, abandoning Mal's foot. "That would be fun." Lacie said, leaning down to touch her toes. "We've been practicing for nearly two hours now." "Can we, Lune? Demetri?" Mary pleaded. Lune shot Demetri a look. He gave her a furry smile. She sighed, then nodded. "Fine. One hour. Meet us back here after lunch." There was a chorus of happy yells as each girl ran for the door, grinning and whooping and just generally playing around with each other. Lune sighed and looked at Demetri. "You and I need to talk." * * * Rachelle sighed and stretched out on a park bench. The girls had found an ice-cream vendor in moments and were now enjoying their individual treats beneath a large tree. "You know, it doesn't get much better than this." She said wistfully. "Birds singing, squirrels playing, sun beaming down in a nice, non-sunburn-y way." Angie nodded, slowly licking what was left of her chocolate ice cream cone. "Mmmm." She looked up at the blue sky that peeked from in-between the boughs of the oak tree above them. "This is what we have to protect." She whispered. Mary nodded. "This, and the rain, and the clouds, and the grass, and the bugs, and everything in the entire world." She murmured. "Let's hope we don't fail." Malorie said, unusually serious. The seven girls sat in silence for a moment. "Nah!" Elisha said with a grin. "We won't fail." The silence broken, the girls chatted away again, occasionally teasing Angie about her insanity with punching bags or Malorie's ticklishness. Malorie laughed along with the group, but her eyes had kept being drawn to a young man with flame red hair a few paces away. He was reading a newspaper and eating a lemon ice pop. Malorie found herself studying his features. He was cute. No doubt about it, even if his hair was a weird color. His skin was nicely tanned, and his face looked chiseled and rugged. Emerald green eyes flickered rapidly over the paper. "He's a hunk, isn't he?" A voice said close to her ear. Malorie jumped and turned her head to find herself looking into Angie's twinkling eyes. "Uh, well, yeah." She replied brilliantly. Angie scrutinized him carefully. "Not bad. Definitely not bad. Not my type or anything-hair's too light-but still, he's d got a cuteness quotient going for him, there. What do you think, scouts?" The answers were varied. "Oh, yeah! Give him an eight! Look at those cheeks!" "Uh-uh. A nine, definitely. Look at his chest! That shirt's not that thick! His stomach's so flat and you can see his muscles!" "Give him a seven. His hair's too red." "You are so hypocritical! Your hair's freaking blue! He deserves an eight, at least!" "A TEN!!! LOOK AT HIS EYES!!!! OH, YES!!!" "You guys are nuts." Malorie said with a laugh. "You don't like him?!" Lacie demanded. "Can I have him?!" "No way! He isn't that cute!!!" Malorie declared, a little too loudly. The man in question raised his head to look at her quizzically. An expression of almost shocked disbelief crossed his face before vanishing into cool interest. Angie saw this, and her eyes sharpened. The man folded his newspaper and walked over to them. There was a huge rush in which every scout disappeared into the bushes, leaving Malorie alone. She gaped at the man. Why was he even walking in her general direction? She didn't even notice her friends' peculiar disappearance. The guy loomed above her, a quirky grin playing on his lips. "Hi, there." "Hi." Malorie said coolly, amazed at herself. "So I'm not that cute, huh?" Malorie blushed, embarrassed. "You heard that? You won't supposed to. It's rude to eavesdrop." "Thank you for informing me of this." He said dryly, brushing a flame-red lock out of his face. "My name's Charles Tamahome-Charlie." "Malorie Mackey." Malorie said, raising her head slightly. "Malorie Mackey, huh?" Charlie laughed. "M and M. You're like a candy." Malorie growled slightly. "Don't call me M&M!! I'm not food!" There was a huge giggle from the bushes behind her. Whispers and hisses echoed, and Angie suddenly tripped and fell at the man's feet. He stared down at her, eyebrows raised. "And you tell me not to eavesdrop?" He asked Mal. "She's a friend." Malorie said, glaring at Angie like she was actually her worst enemy. Angie sat up like she didn't notice Mal's death glare and held her hand out to the man above her to shake. "Hi! I'm Angela Pirko! Who're you?" The man grinned as he shook her hand. "Oz Tamahome." "Cool name!" Angela chirped in delight. "Ta-ma-ho-me. Is that Japanese?" Charlie nodded. "Sort of." "Cool." Mary said, peering out from the bushes also. "Can we come out now, Angie?" "You have my permission to introduce yourselves at will." Angie proclaimed, standing up importantly. The pack of five girls scrambled out, extracting leaves and twigs from their hair. There were introductions all around. "So," Marisa began. "We haven't seen you around before. Did you just move?" "Last night, actually." Oz replied, a mysterious wry grin crossing his face. "Where'd you move from?" Mary asked. "Japan, actually." "You lived in JAPAN?!" Lacie cried. "Oh, man, why'd you ever move?!" Oz's grin seemed a little sad. "Searching for something." He murmured in reply. Malorie looked up at him in confusion. "Searching for something? Like Christmas shopping?" Everyone sighed and sweat-dropped. Oz laughed a little and bent down to look into Malorie's blue-green eyes. "No, not like Christmas shopping, candy girl." He whispered teasingly. Malorie growled slightly at him. "Oz!" Someone called. Two guys, one with deep chestnut hair, the other with white-blond, starting trotting over to them. "Oh, God!" Rachelle whispered. "Double hunk alert!" "Oh, no you don't!" Malorie snapped as the girls prepared to jump back into their bushes. "Not this time. You stay out here this time!" She didn't notice the smile that played around Oz's lips as he looked at her. "Malorie-chan! Let me-ow!" Marisa yelped as Malorie grabbed a lock of her hair to drag her back Lacie tripped over Marisa and was sent sprawling to the ground. The rest hesitated, half-obeying Malorie's command, half-desiring to run far away from the oncoming guys that they would surely embarrass themselves in front of. The white-blond man jogged up to Oz. "Hey, Oz, man, where you been?" He asked, panting slightly. "We were going to get that tour of the high school, remember?" "High school?" Malorie asked suspiciously, a bad feeling in her veins. "Atlee High School, M&M." Oz told her. "Atlee?!" Malorie wailed. "But that's our school!" "You go to Atlee?" The white-haired man asked. Malorie nodded miserably. "Hah!" Oz crowed. "Now I know where I can find you, M&M." "Would you stop calling me that?!" Malorie growled, stomping her feet. "One day here, and you're already flirting, Osborne?" The white-blond man said, wagging a finger at him mockingly. "Flirting? With candy-kid, here? You're off your rocket, Andrew!" Oz laughed. Malorie ignored the injured feeling she felt. "Candy kid?! M&M?! Jeez! Would you just call me MALORIE?!" "Sure, M&M." Oz replied. Andrew whacked him over the head. "Your name's Andrew?" Marisa asked him. Andrew nodded. "Andrew Asahi. Me and Charlie and Lance-oy! Lance!" The chestnut haired man that the girls had seen walking with Andrew looked up at him in surprise. He was sitting on a park bench a few feet away, nose buried in a book. "What?" "Get over here!" Andrew ordered. "Meet our new friends." "Who says they're friends?" Oz muttered. Malorie turned away and tilted her nose up into the air. "I know you're not my friend." She told Oz firmly. "You are." She added to Andrew. Oz colored slightly. Andrew gave a sideways look before turning back to yell, "Lance! Get over here!" Lance sighed and reluctantly closed his book and stood up. He crossed over to them, nodding shyly. Lacie smiled at him. "Hi!" Lance blushed. "Hello." He muttered, looking down. "Don't mind Lance." Andrew said cheerfully, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "He's afraid of girls." Lance shot him a look before punching him lightly. "You didn't need to tell them that." He growled so only Andrew could hear. "If you want to meet your dream girl, you've got to take some initiative!" Andrew whispered back. "All of these girls seem very nice!" "They're so young, though." Lance muttered in defiance. Meanwhile, Lacie, Marisa, Malorie, and Elisha promptly had a furious fight over the guys. "I get Andrew!" Elisha growled. "NO way!" Marisa cried. "You've got Chase, let me have my guy!" "Can I have Lance, then?" Elisha asked eagerly. "No!" Lacie snapped. "He's cute and he's shy and he's quiet! Leave him alone!" "Already taken." Marisa whispered teasingly. Lacie colored slightly. "Fine." Elisha sighed. "I'll steal Oz." "Fine." Malorie agreed. "He's a creep. I'll take Chase." "Oh, no, you won't!" Elisha yelled. "He's mine! You take the redhead." 'Would you shut up!?" Malorie hissed, seeing the boy in question eyeing them curiously. Angie sighed as she looked at her friends. "You think they'll ever stop?" She asked Mary and Rachelle. They both shook their heads. "Not in this life time." Mary complained. "Why aren't you guys in on this?" Rachelle asked. "I mean, I've got Kyle, so I'm not really interested in anyone else, but you two don't have anyone!" "Thank you for being so blunt, Rachelle." Angie muttered. Mary blushed a little. "Well, I've-got-a crush." She muttered. "On someone." "On Tuxedo Onyx." Angie said with a grin. Mary looked shocked. "No! No, of course not! He's-he's wonderful and heroic, and he-wouldn't be interested in a nobody like me-" "A nobody?" Rachelle asked in disbelief. "May I remind you that you are a- " Angie hissed a warning and glanced over at the watching boys. Rachelle lowered her voice. "-a Sailor Scout?!?! What guy wouldn't want us?!" "What do you mean?" Mary asked. Rachelle rolled her eyes. "Honestly, haven't you seen the newspapers?! Our names are being screamed all over headlines from here to L.A.!!!! We're famous. I quote, 'The fantastically beautiful, mysterious ladies who have risen to an honorable task of taking care of kidnappers.' Apparently, that's what the mall girl thought was happening, and she actually saw some of our fight!" "Oh, jeez." Angie said, rubbing her brow. "I had hoped to remain unknown for a while. Still, it could be worse." "What are you three talking about?" Oz asked curiously. "Nothing." Rachelle said innocently, putting on her cute-girl face. "Just girl talk." Mary said smoothly. "They're probably plotting to kill someone." Malorie muttered. Angie whacked Mal lightly over her head. "Be quiet, M&M." Malorie wailed in betrayal. "You too, Angie?! Why is everyone picking on me?!" "Because it's so much fun." Oz said with a grin. "You take it too hard." Angie smiled in agreement. Malorie hung her head. "You guys are so mean." She muttered. She glared at Oz. "Especially you, carrot top." She added crossly. Lance suddenly broke into laughter. Oz grinned good-naturedly down at Malorie. "I am honored by your affections, candy girl." "Shut up." Malorie ordered crossly. Angie was about to add a remark to this, when there was a sudden tingling at the back of her neck. She glanced around uneasily. "Um-I want to check- something, real quick, you guys." She said absently, looking around nervously. Rachelle blinked at her. Was Angie picking up vibes? She didn't feel anything. "Okay, Ange." She said hesitantly. "We'll meet you at the center of the park, okay? By the moon fountain." "Sure, great." Angie said, a strange look on her face as she began trotting towards the outskirts of the park. Mary looked at Rachelle. "What was that about?" Rachelle shrugged. "No idea. I don't feel anything." Mary looked at their disappearing friend and leader. "I really hope she's not going to get into another fight." She murmured. Angie headed out of the park, looking around, searching for something. She wasn't quite sure what, but something was calling her, and she wanted to find out what. It didn't feel evil or good, really. Just sort of-neutral. Powerful, though. Familiar. She was so busy in her thoughts she barely glanced at the walk sign blaring green as she began to cross the street. A cry of alarm and the squeal of tires startled her out of her thoughts. She glanced up to see a black car zooming for her, taking advantage of no traffic at the intersection. The startled driver had apparently just realized there was someone crossing the street. Angela's mind went blank. She stared in horror at the car flying at her, unable to stir her muscles to action. She closed her eyes, waiting for the shock impact of metal hitting her. An impact came, but not cold hard steel as she'd expected. Some warm weight flung against her side, tackling her, sending both flying from harm's way. Angie winced as she hit something and felt it skid under her. Yet she was unhurt.she opened her eyes. A man lay under her, eyes shut, arms holding her tightly. He had shoved from the car's path and then sheltered her fall. Saving her life, more than likely. Her mind began to move again. "Are you all right?!" She exclaimed. "Oh, my God." The man's shirt was torn in many places, revealing chest scarred by many cuts. The man glanced at his wounds ruefully. "Nothing permanent." He muttered, than he glanced up to look at her. "Are you okay? That moron." Angie nodded, gasping slightly. For a split second, she could have sworn she had been saved by Damon. But no, this man's eyes were gray, and his hair was a lighter color than Damon's black; it was almost blue. The tanned face was the same, though, and she didn't know if Damon had those excellent chest muscles. * * * Damon's physical change had been very amusing to Spike and Jedin. They informed him he looked every inch a human. He had punched them lightly before they all went their separate ways, searching for worthy targets. Damon had chosen the park close to the middle of the city. It was full of younger children whose energy was not quite at the ripening point yet, and older people whose energy was fading. And in between was the scattered mix of teenagers, healthy adolescents at the peak of their life. The selection had been wonderful. Dozens of young people. But he noticed that many of them were with other males or females. He didn't want a fight or human competition, now. He wanted a solo person, a loner. It would draw less attention. Damon had exited the park, thinking about trying someplace else, following a yellow haired girl who had just left her group. He ignored her. Judging by the group of people she had been with, she would be sorely missed should she disappear. The girl seemed terribly preoccupied. She was half-frowning, and had a searching look on her face. This was of little concern for him, so he didn't know why he focused on it. He followed her when she made a left turn out of the park, heading across the street for a small store. Damon was still on the curb when he had spotted the black car zooming up from down the street. He stepped back to wait for it to pass, then noticed in horror the blond girl was in the middle of the street, and had not noticed the oncoming car. He shouted a warning. She glanced up and saw the car, which was trying to stop but only succeeding in skidding forward, but instead of moving, she froze in horror. Before he knew what he was doing, Damon was running, charging at the girl. Why am I doing this?! He wondered as the car still came on, only feet away now. I'm not going to make it! I'm not going to make it. He took a flying leap and crashed into the girl, wrapping arms around her and twisting so he hit the ground. He skidded a few paces, wincing as he heard his shirt rip (and probably his skin as well.) The maniac driver flew by. He caught a look of the driver's gaping face and scowled fiercely. The driver grew pale and sped up again, zooming out of sight. Damon sighed as he glanced down at his chest. It was visible under his wrecked shirt, and he was cut in a few places. "Are you all right?!" The girl who he held gasped. "Oh, my God." He gave his cuts a last glance. "Nothing permanent." He muttered to himself, then he looked up at the girl. 'Are you okay? That moron." His first impression was that he had by pure coincidence managed to save Sailor Diamond. But no, this girl-though pretty with long yellow hair and light blue eyes-wasn't Diamond. She was panting a little, cheeks pink, clothes ruffled. She looked pert and happy, aside from the terror that was still in her eyes from nearly being run over. "Are you okay?" He repeated. The girl nodded slightly, lips quivering. 'I-I think so." Tears were welled in her eyes, but she seemed to not want to let them fall. Damon got to his feet, holding the girl still, wincing as he felt his back scream with pain. Yep. He had definitely scraped his back up pretty good. He sighed lightly, resting his head on top of that yellow hair. Angie quivered as he helped her to her feet, holding her closely. His forehead rested on the top of her head, so that they were almost nose to nose. She slowly exhaled, feeling very strange suddenly. She trembled like a leaf blown by the wind, knees suddenly feeling shaky. Her arms moved up to grasp his shoulders to steady herself. Damon stared into light blue eyes, feeling a jolt of electricity move through his limbs from where his hands still held her waist. He swallowed hard as the girl trembled violently, bringing her arms up to his shoulders to steady herself. Very carefully, so not to frighten her, he moved his hands to her shoulders, giving her a gentle hug. "Hey buddy, you okay?!" The two abruptly pulled apart. Damon gave the person-a well dressed, now extremely pale business man-a bit of a glare. The man pulled back a little, but continued. "I saw what that creep did, and I've got the license plate number at least. Are you two all right?! You, young sir, you've got to get to a hospital immediately!" "I'm all right." Damon muttered in defiance. Why was this man interrupting? "No, he's right." The girl said softly, small hands quickly exploring his back. He winced, but did not draw away. "Your shirt's soaked with blood." She commented, bringing her hand around to stare at it. A few drops of blood had pooled in her palm. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! If I only had been watching what I was doing-" "It's not your fault." Damon said sharply, grabbing her hands with both of his. "It's that creep's fault. He was trying to run the light, and it nearly killed you." The girl nodded, though she didn't look convinced. Damon sighed and said to the man, "I can take care of myself, thank you. I'll be okay." The man seemed about to protest- "I'll be okay." Damon said sharply. The man must have had an urgent appointment he had just remembered, for he turned and quickly walked away. A small crowd was gathered by this time, looking on curiously at the two scratched-up people. "Let's go." Damon whispered to the girl, beginning to pull her back away across the street again. The girl didn't argue. She just bit her lip and tried to keep up with his long strides. When they were a safe distance away from onlookers he roughly pulled her down on a park bench. "Are sure you're all right?!" He demanded sharply, inspecting her hands and arms. Angie felt her blush as the man looked her over, gentle despite his frown. "Yes, I'm fine. You took the worst fall, remember?" "Never mind, I heal quickly." The man said, turning her hands over and over in his. "You're absolutely sure? No breaks or scrapes or anything?" "Just a few bruises." She said with a smile. She hesitated, then went on in a rush. "Y-you saved my life. It would have been more than a few broken bones if that car had hit me. I-I'm really grateful. If there's anything I can do for you, ever-" Damon only gave the barest pause as she finished abruptly. "It really was nothing." He muttered, setting her hands down in her lap. "Really, I just happened to been there, and that creep nearly hit you-" "It was not nothing!" The girl said passionately, grabbing his hands and forcing him to look at her bright, anxious blue eyes. "You saved my life! I could have been wiped all over the asphalt now if it weren't for you! Are you sure you're all right? That back looks so painful-" Damon moved away uncomfortably. "Please-stop. It's okay. It must look worse than it feels." "Well, it looks like it hurts beyond hell, so it must only hurt to hell." The girl said dryly. Damon blinked and almost smiled. The girl stood up and grabbed her shirt in both hands and yanked hard. A small rip appeared in the bottom of it. She began pull on this rip, tearing a long, large piece of her shirt off. "What are you doing?!" Damon asked, trying hard not to stare at her bare, pink midriff. "Making a bandage." The girl said briskly. "Take your shirt off, I want to have a look at you." Damon looked at her sideways to give her a quirky grin. The girl blushed prettily. "At your wounds, I mean, smart aleck." She muttered, tugging lightly on his shirt. Damon sighed, and carefully lifted his shirt from his back, wincing where it peeled off his wounds. He carefully pulled it over his head and straightened. Angie gave a small gasp when she saw his chest. It was bleeding a little, but she had been right: he had excellent abs. Lines of rippling muscles, all tanned to perfection. Damon noticed her staring, and couldn't help but smile slightly. "My back?" He asked, not unkindly. The girl blushed even deeper and muttered some apology before going around to look at his back. He heard her visibly wince. "Ouchies. It's a wonder you're not screaming in pain. Know I would be." "I don't know." Damon commented. "You're pretty tough. Most girls would have cried after almost being run over." "Well, I'm not most girls." The girl teased lightly. "Oh, dear." "What?" She sighed. "There's all these pebbles and this dirt in your wounds from the pavement. I need to wash it out. Now, if only we had-bingo!" She pointed to a water fountain a few paces away. "Stay right here, I'll go get some!" She trotted over and began to wet the bandage. Damon watched her, amused. She was like a small bird, fluttering busily away, doing everything with graceful, careful precision. And he could tell: she had the ability to fly as gracefully as a bird, too. "Here we are!" She sang, coming back with a dripping cloth. "Now, this might sting a little." Damon tensed as the cloth came gently down on his back. The water made his wounds burn, but the girl's hands were gentle. He felt the cool cloth go all over his back, wiping wounds carefully. Then-a strange sensation on his shoulder. He looked back to see the girl blowing gently on a cut to dry it. His scalp prickled like an electric jolt had passed through him. The girl caught him staring at her and grinned. She began to wrap her bandage around his back. "By the way, my name's Angela Pirko. You can call me Angie." Damon hesitated. "My name's-Alan Richards." She nodded. "Alan Richards. I like it." She gave his back a final pat. "There! All done. I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" "Not at all." He replied. "Not compared to that crash." She winced. "I'm still so sorry about that. I wish I'd been paying attention, this whole thing could have been avoided-" The unshed tears were bright in her eyes again. "Listen." Damon said, taking her hand. "Just because one idiot decides to be stupid doesn't mean you should blame yourself! The guy was trying to go against the law and he nearly killed you for it! Don't blame yourself for others' stupidity." He was amazed at the anger and passion in his voice, but why would this little bird even dream that this was her fault?! Angie sniffed a little. "But-if I had been day-dreaming, I might have seen- " "Everyone has the right to dream." Alan said seriously. "Though I wouldn't do it when I was crossing the street, if I were you." Angie smiled. "I just know I'm going to like you. We're going to be friends, I can feel it." Alan smiled back at her. Her nerves tingled suddenly as the full force of his masculine beauty hit her. Those eyes, especially. Not just the color, but the piercing quality of them that managed to look deep into her, maybe all the way to her soul. He really was gorgeous. She tried a small, shy smile on, and felt certain she looked like a loony idiot. Damon felt himself grow warm at the sight of the shy smile Angie gave him in return for his grin. A blush stained her cheeks, making her look fresh and young. Yellow-gold hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were innocent and pure, with all the content of the sky above in them. And her lips looked soft, like silk. So soft. He forced himself to stand up and stretch, and to tear his eyes away from her face. "Well, I've got to get going." He said, as cheerfully as he could. "I've got some friends I have to meet." Disappointment stained his little bird's eyes as she stood up next to him and made a valiant attempt to hide it. "It was nice meeting you." She said, voice light and airy. "I've probably got to get moving, too. My friends are going to kill me." She turned away, golden hair swishing. Before he knew it, he had reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Surprised, she glanced back at him. "Um-" He stammered, glaring slightly at his treacherous hand. "Would you like to meet for lunch sometime? I'd like to get to know you better." For a moment, Angie almost levitated. "I'd like that." She told Alan. Alan grinned at her before giving her a cheery wave and striding away, head held high and whistling. She waited till he had turned a corner, then sighed and melted onto the bench. She had never met anyone who could make her feel like that before. No one at all, except. Unbidden, an image of Damon's dark, penetrating eyes crossed her mind, followed by his full face and mass of dark hair. She bit her lip. It was no use. She knew wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about either of them, Alan or Damon. She sighed heavily this time, and leaned back against the bench. "It's so tiring having to take care of a very hot, injured guy, I know." A voice said from beside her. Angela yelled and fell off the bench in alarm. Rachelle and all the others roared with laughter. Angie got to her feet, blushing. "How long have you been there?!" She demanded. Rachelle's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Long enough to hear that sigh. I caught a peek of you with the bandage, too." She giggled. "Go, Doctor Angie! Help all those poor, defenseless cute guys!" "You didn't throw yourself on the poor guy, did you?" Lacie asked in amusement. Oz and Andrew roared with laughter. Angie blushed bright red-and with the blush came red-hot anger. "He saved my LIFE!" She yelled. A silence fell over the group. Mary slid to the spot beside her. "Are you serious?" She whispered. Angie nodded. There was another long pause. "Oh my GOD!!!!!" Mary shrieked. "That is SO cool! How? Did a guy threaten you?!" "Or maybe you were climbing a tree and fell, and he caught you?!" Malorie suggested. "Or a wild tiger escaped from the zoo and he bravely fended it off while you escaped?!" Marisa threw in. "None of those!" Angie said, covering her red cheeks. "Then WHAT?!" All the girls yelled. "Come on, you've got everybody's interest." Andrew said, smiling. "Well." Angie hesitated. "I was walking.across the street." The images of what had happened were stirring back up in her mind. She saw the road again, heard the yell, the squealing brakes, saw the oncoming car.. ".there was a car.it couldn't stop." Staring at the oncoming car, frozen in shock, unable to move for fear. ".and then.he came." The warm impact. The arms quickly wrapping themselves around her. Falling down, hit muffled by Alan's body. ".he knocked me out of the way of the car." She finished dreamily. "Got a little hurt, too, but I bandaged that up." She blinked, and looked at her friends. Each had their head in their hands and were sighing with stars in their eyes. The guys looked interested, but not particularly romantically swayed. "That's so romantic." Elisha sighed, looking dreamily up at the sky. "I hope I'll have someone rescue ME like that someday!" Malorie whispered. "Fat chance." Oz said cheerfully. "They'd probably have just let the car splat you." "Well, if it had been you, the driver wouldn't have even tried to stop!" Malorie shot back, romantic mood promptly taken away. "He would have swerved to hit you!" "He would have come back around for a second try if he had missed!" "The both of you shut up." Elisha ordered in a tone that would have stopped a rampaging rhino. In the sudden silence, Rachelle's ears pricked up. Angela felt a shiver run down her spine. "Bad guys?" She whispered to Rachelle, who nodded. "Well!" Angela said, glancing at her watch. "Oh, gosh, you guys! We're late to our Tae-Kwan-Doe lesson!" She began to shove the girls down the path. "But-we don't take Tae Kwan Doe." Marisa said, confused. "Rachelle sensed a bad guy, you idiot!" Angie hissed, smiling at Oz, Lance, and Andrew. "Well, it's been great! Hope to run into you guys again! Bye!" And with a mighty push, she sent the girls quickly hurrying away. She followed, waving back to the guys. Lance watched them go. "Very, very strange girls." He muttered. "Nice, though." Andrew mused, thinking about how brightly Marisa had grinned at him before getting shoved away, "Pretty, for 8th graders." Oz said judgmentally. "Especially Malorie, right, Oz?" Andrew asked with a grin. "Just like Marisa, right, Andrew?" Oz shot back. "The both of you, shut up." Lance ordered, taking a small computer screen attached to a miniature keyboard out of his pocket and staring at it. "We've got a bogey southwest of here. Let's get alert." "Southwest." Andrew muttered, goofy attitude gone. "But that's the direction the girls went in." "There might be a reason for that." Lance said grimly, stuffing the computer away. "Come on. Let's grab our stuff and go. We've got people to save!" * * * "You had to drag us out of there so fast!' Lacie complained, running easily beside Angie. "No time to hang with guys when evil runs amuck!" Angie quipped, smiling at her friend. "Don't worry. I guarantee you will see your prince again." "We'd better get in the bushes!" Rachelle hissed. "The guy's right after this next intersection and to the right!" Fun time was gone. The girls were deadly serious again. Without realizing it, the person they each were inside was changing. They were still their old, happy, normal selves. But each had learned to be tense and wary, and to be on alert for evil. Each had gotten used to dashing off to do quick transformations. Each had gotten used to their spot in the group as a fighter. Or as a leader. "Diamond Star Power!" "Sapphire Star Power!" "Emerald Star Power!" "Garnet Star Power!" "Topaz Star Power!" "Amethyst Star Power!" "Obsidian Star Power!" "MAKE-UP!' * * * Damon had felt Jedin's power surge suddenly in his mind as he walked away from Angie. His happiness was brought back down to earth with a thud. The kind of energy he was collecting wasn't got from one single person. His disguise vanished in an instant. Earth clothes were transformed to a black suit and long cape. He soared into the air, looking around for any sort of panic or crisis. Jedin always loved causing a big scene. The espionage had probably been too slow and too annoying for him. Sure enough, before long, screams reached his ears, coming from the center of the park. He sighed, switched his direction in the air, and floated down to the ground. Jedin looked up at him with a savage grin. He had a young girl in his arms who was half-drained. "Hello, Damon." "We were SUPPOSED to go in disguise!" Damon pointed out crossly. Jedin jerked his head over at Spike, who had razor fangs sunk into another girl's neck. "Spike said that too, until he got a taste of this energy! It's intoxicating! Try one!" He shoved a knocked-out girl at Damon. Damon caught the girl-then his breath died in his throat. Her yellow- haired head wobbled about weakly on her neck. Carefully he raised her head, then nearly collapsed in relief. It wasn't Angie. "Go on!" Jedin said cheerfully, dropping his present victim to grab another girl that had just ran by, screaming. "There's plenty of choices!" "I'm afraid your selection is going down the drain!" A familiar voice said from the other side of the commons. Damon sighed. "You know, I've always wondered what it's like to eat in peace." He said loudly. "Guess I'll never learn with you guys around, will I?" "Probably not!" Diamond agreed cheerfully, hands on her slender hips. "Not while we're around, at any rate!" "Never going to get a decent meal at this rate." Jedin sighed, dropping the terrified girl he had grabbed. "Let's finish them, eh, Spike? ..Spike??...SPIKE!!!!" Spike tore his fangs from the girl's flesh and glared at Jedin, bloodlust hot in his eyes. "What?!" He growled, a drop of blood slip down his chin. All the Senshi recoiled seeing this. "Guh-ross!" was how Garnet put it, shuddering and hiding behind Diamond. "Creeps." Obsidian said coldly, not wincing or moving back. "Let's try and finish at least one, eh, Sapphire?" "Most definitely." Sapphire said, eyes like chips of ice. "Absitively posolutely." Topaz agreed, orange sparks flashing in her yellow eyes. "Bring it on." Jedin said, smiling. "Okay." Obsidian said calmly, bring her hands back for an attack. "BLACK-" "BRIGHT-" Topaz began. "ICY-" Sapphire yelled. Then, very suddenly, each stopped saying their own individual attack. Instead, what came out was, "DARK TYPHOON!!!!" A large wind picked up suddenly, whirling around the three generals. Black lightning, darker than the dark electricity, zigzagged around the ground by Obsidian's feet. Black clouds swirled around Sapphire, half-enveloping her. The three forces grew in power and size, till a miniature storm raged over the commons. Black and blue lightning reached out to strike blue shields that flared up around the generals while wind heavily colored with sparks lashed at the shields in huge waves. Diamond fell to the ground, shielding her face from the wind. "Can't you control it a little?!" She yelled at the three attacking scouts. "I wish I could!" Topaz wailed, clenching her fists. "I think we've done a seriously BIG attack, here!" Obsidian pointed out, shielding her head. Damon's shield sparked angrily. Winds were starting to break through. A lightning bolt almost hit his foot. "Powerful." He muttered. "A group attack." "How is this possible?!" Spike demanded. "How can they combine attacks yet? That power usually takes MONTHS to master, and here these girls did it not a week in on their training!" "Looks like you were right, Damon." Jedin said grimly. "Their potential is being recognized and tapped into." "Perhaps we should." Spike said quietly, glancing sideways at Damon. Damon knew instantly what he wanted to do. "Absolutely not. No reverting to true forms. That's a last resort, you know that!" "But we could squish them now!" Spike urged. "Get the killing actually started! We're just waiting around now!" Damon hesitated. "Come on, Damon!" Spike said, feeling his friend's weakness. "You want to see Diamond with a sword through her gut as much as I do, if not more. And what of the others?! I for one would love to rip Amethyst's body up with my teeth." "No." Damon said firmly. "We stay in our humanoid forms." Spike and Jedin sagged in disappointment. "We just bring out the big guns." Damon said with a malicious grin. They brightened immediately. "Are you suggesting.?" Jedin asked eagerly. Damon nodded. Spike smiled. "I wonder what our friends will think of this." The storm suddenly slacked off. Diamond raised her head from the ground to focus on Damon, Spike, and Jedin. Something was wrong. She could feel her bones humming, warning her of something. She got to her feet, staring at them. Each one was glowing slightly, Damon dark blue, Spike and Jedin black. The power surges she was feeling were incredible. She felt very small and afraid suddenly, standing alone against these three terrors. Her heart vainly leapt at the thought that maybe Damon would help her, but her mind immediately squashed that. She was healed now, and 'good prey'. No chance of any redemption. Still, better to go down fighting. She bent her knees into a fighter's stance, hands clenched into fists. Damon half-marveled at the courage that Diamond had to have to stand and face them. She looking frightened, but determined. She remained very strictly tied to the promise she would never run away. It was going to get her into a lot of trouble, someday. "Shitai." Diamond muttered, feeling the power radiating from the three men get even stronger. "We'd better pull something fast, here." "Diamond?" Emerald asked softly from down on the ground. "Is it just me, or are they gathering energy like all?" "Most assuredly so." Diamond said, trying to smile down at her. "Are we in trouble?" Garnet asked in a small voice. "Very big trouble." Diamond said with a sigh. "I don't know if we're going to be able to dodge whatever's coming next." "Then let's face it!" Obsidian said bravely, crouching beside Diamond. "Easier said than done." Sapphire muttered, slowly rising. "Oh, you wimp." Amethyst said good-naturedly, patting Sapphire on her back. "Don't be afraid! Set your face towards danger, and your heart on victory!" "Heart on victory!" Topaz repeated, also standing. "Face your fears, no matter what." Emerald added, planting her feet firmly next to Diamond. "We fight together." Diamond finished, eyes clear and calm. "Together forever." The others echoed, forming a v-shape facing their enemies with Diamond as the point. They stood proudly and firm, looking for one moment like a legendary warrior team. Sapphire ruined the moment by muttering, "We are all going to die." "This'll be the day that I die." Topaz sang in the old "American Pie" tune, giggling a little. "You guys are odd." Emerald sighed. "Still, it was nice being friends." "It's not over yet." Diamond whispered to herself. "Not if I can help it." A flame was burning in her eyes, hidden by half-closed lids. "Get ready to dodge." She whispered to the girls. Silently, the girls obeyed, knees bending in unison. Damon saw this out of the corner of his eye, and frowned. The girls were banded together, clearly defiant. But the flame in Diamond's eyes worried him the most. She was gaining power, though it was invisible to the naked eye. But he could sense it clearly. In fact, it was frightening how much she was growing in strength, now. Diamond felt the energy going to her, from what she didn't know. But the heat flowing through her veins was strong and intense, but not so much that it overwhelmed her. She knew what she was doing.she had to be the leader. She had to protect her friends. "Ready for the massacre, Damon?" Spike said eagerly, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Ready when you are." Damon said, not sounding sure. "Then let's fire." Jedin growled, raising his hands. Damon and Spike mimicked him, drawing their powers to their full peak. Lightning bolts began swarming back and forth between their fingertips. "DARK TITANIC DESTRUCTION!!" Spike and Jedin yelled, bringing their hands down, aimed at the girls. Damon followed, a little cautiously. Black beams full of electricity shot out towards the girls, ripping up the pavement and killing everything in their way, which at that point was an unlucky squirrel. It screamed in terror and dissolved into nothing but bones. The girls grimly watched the beams get closer and closer and closer. "NOW!!!" Diamond screamed. The girls leapt away like deer, bounding away across the commons. Damon, Jedin, and Uther began using them as moving targets, aiming their fingers like guns and firing small pellets of black energy. "Keep moving!" Diamond ordered, seeing the girls hesitate. "Move, or you get hit! If you can, leap in and try to hit them, but don't take more than a second or so doing it! Let's go!!" The girls worked like a charm. While one would distract a general, another scout would drop in from behind to give their head or knee a kick before leaping away again, drawing the general's attention. Then the first girl would strike, and so on it would go, switching spots as quickly as dragonflies. "Damn it, they're quick!" Spike growled, as Topaz used his head for a kick- off board. He quickly turned and caught her ankle. "Not quick enough, though." He brought her crashing to the ground and stood over her. Topaz rubbed her head and gazed up at him in anger. "That hurt!" She snapped, no fear in her gaze. "You all right, Topaz?" Diamond asked, landing in front of her, glaring at Spike. "Blondie-boy here decided to end my attack very roughly." Topaz complained. "Excuse me? Blondie-boy?!" Spike growled in outrage. The other scouts landed in front of Topaz, protecting her as she got to her feet. "Yes, Blondie-Boy." Obsidian said snootily. "And Captain Peroxide, and Toothless Old Grump, also." Jedin choked back a laugh. Spike glared at him. "I suppose you think that's very funny, nancy-boy." "Actually, yes." Jedin roared, all hope of concealing his laughter gone. "C-Captain Peroxide! Blondie-Boy!" He fell into hysterical laughter while the scouts looked at him nervously. "Psychotic Fuzzy Panda alert." Amethyst muttered. Jedin stopped laughing and glared at them, but Spike roared. "HAH!!! Fuzzy panda! I'd rather be Blondie-Boy!" Damon snickered quietly and gave the Senshi a half-admiring glance. They were idiots, but they sure were brave. The Senshi, meanwhile, had taken the opportunity on behalf of the bad guys seemingly going nuts to scuttle back a few feet, where they now watched the generals apprehensively. "I think they've cracked." Sapphire voiced her opinion, much to everyone's agreement. "Obviously." Emerald muttered. "Maybe we should attack?" The others blinked at her. "That's probably the most sensible thing that's been said all day." Diamond replied, grinning. "Aside from when you said, 'Let's take a break'." Topaz agreed. "Enough talk, more action!" Amethyst yelled. "DEATH CRESCENTS DESTROY!!!!" Spike and Jedin were arguing ferociously, so only Damon saw the oncoming attack. "Duck!" He yelled to the two idiots who seemed to have forgotten they were fighting before throwing himself on the ground. Spike and Jedin completely ignored the two spinning crescents and Damon's shout until it was very nearly too late. "Yomba!" Spike cursed as a crescent caught his shoulder and stuck there, glowing purple. He yanked it out and squeezed it hard. The crescent melted where he touched it, and he dropped it with large hand imprints in it. "Spike!" Damon scowled. "What?!" Spike demanded. 'That bloody hurt! Those little-" "No more cursing!" Damon growled. "It will take away our lady's energy." "Hey!" Amethyst yelled. "You're not supposed to do that!!" "Tough." Spike snapped. "Little-witch." (He gave Damon a look.) "Am I allowed to call a Screamer, or would that affect our lady's energy also?" He asked sarcastically. "That's acceptable." Jedin said seriously. Then, with a hidden snigger, "Blondie-bear." Spike chose to ignore this comment: he was already summoning the demons. "Damn it." Obsidian cursed as four Screamers would their way up from the sidewalk. "Screamers. I really don't dig these guys." "You think I do?" Diamond muttered. "One very much like these nearly ate me the other day, remember?" "I guess we'd better get ready." Topaz said with a sigh. "Remember how fast they move-" There was a sudden loud "BOOM!!" and something that looked like a lime- green cannonball sped towards the demons. All of the Screamers shrieked horribly and vanished in puffs of smoke, reduced to smoking piles of mud on the ground. "What the.!" Spike yelled. "What the.!" The scouts screeched, looking vainly around. There was another blast, and another green cannonball came flying, aimed this time at the three generals. They dodged without much difficulty. "Damn, we missed!" A voice swore from behind the Senshi. "Can it, and fire again!" Another voice ordered. Diamond slowly turned to look behind her. Three guys were standing there, dressed in rather strange baggy pants and short sleeved shirts that were all black. One had a black cloak wrapped around his shoulders and torso. The others had white bandannas tied around their necks. All wore black face masks that made it impossible to see any face features or hair color. "Who the heck.?" Sapphire muttered, peering at them. "Got me." Diamond said with a shrug. "I think they're on our side, though." "What are they doing, though?" Emerald asked, staring at them. "Let alone, what are they?!" "Why don't you ask them?" Topaz suggested. She raised her voice and yelled. "Hey! Yo! Hello over there!" Three black-masked faces swung to look at her. "Hi!" Topaz said brightly. "Who're you? Are you on our side?" One with a white bandit stared to speak, but the black cloaked one silenced him with a look. "We're demon hunters." He said coldly. "Otherwise it's really none of your business." Emerald felt her hackles rise. "It certainly is our business! We're the Sailor Senshi! We fight these guys, and we have the right to know who else fights, also!!" "Noisy brats, aren't you?" The black-cloaked one kindly replied. "Excuse me?!" Amethyst yelled, outraged. "Who exactly do you think you are?! You think you can just saunter into our battle and we won't notice you or care who you are?!" "Look, we're kind of busy here." One of the white-bandit ones said, holding up his hands. "We really need to fight these guys, so if you'll excuse us." "Uh-uh." Diamond said firmly, stepping on Amethyst's squeal of anger. "I'm sorry, but if you're fighting the same guys we are, we definitely need to chat." "And are you trying to tell us what to do?" The black cloaked one said snippily. "We don't need your help." "I never said you did." Diamond said calmly, but her resolve was slipping. "Good." The black-cloaked one said. "Because you're the ones that need our help. You're pathetic, the way you handle them. We know these guys better than you do, so I'd advise getting out of the way." "No way." Diamond told him, jaw clenched. "We never leave our battles-" "Your battles?!" The man snorted. "Who do you think you are, anyway?" Sailor Diamond drew herself up to her full height to glare at him. A white flame seemed to flash in her eyes. "I am Sailor Diamond, sworn defender of justice, right of wrongs, Senshi of Love and Lady of Light-and if you think we just going to fawn and get out of your way, you've got another thing coming." "If you don't move, we'll make you." The man retorted. The last man, who also wore a white-bandanna, hit the black-cloaked one lightly. "Knock it off, Storm." He smiled at the girls. "I'm Bullet, this is Storm and Thunder." The other white-bandit bowed. Storm only scowled at his colleague. Diamond smiled back, reserve against this one, at least, diminishing. "Hello, Bullet. I'm Sailor-" Fiery pain lanced up her side. She gasped and fell, stricken, to the ground, back and side throbbing. She had forgotten about the others involved in the fight. Stupid! She cursed. "What'd you do that for!?" Damon demanded, glaring at Spike. Spike looked at him in surprise. "It was a perfect moment, mate. Her guard was down." "Yes-but-" Damon wrestled angrily with the horrible guilt that was growing in his gut. "She was defenseless-surely she deserves a good fight!" Spike snorted. "You needn't sound so concerned. That little brat nearly knocked my shoulder out of its socket with a kick. Besides, she's already getting up." It was true. Already the golden Senshi was on her feet and giving them a glare that could probably have cut through steel. "Heartless cheaters." She muttered. "Striking when I'm down. They're going to pay." "Spare the talk." Storm snorted. "Action speaks better than words." "That's the first intelligent thing you've said." Emerald said promptly, turning to face the generals. "As opposed to you, who has not said one slightly brainy thing." Storm retorted. Emerald innocently stepped back to dig her heel into his toe. He swore and shoved her off, making her fall. Before she had hit the ground, Diamond's hand was at Storm's throat. "You ever do that again." She said, face deadpan. "Ever, with any girl, and I will rip your heart out and force you to apologize on your dying breath. And that's a scout promise, pal." Storm was about to shove her off, but the look in Diamond's eyes was deadly. She looked like if he dared to touch her, he would be dead in less than five seconds. "Fine." He muttered, not meeting her eyes. "Sorry." "It's Emerald you should apologize to." He took a deep breath and looked at the green haired Senshi. "Sorry, aqua- head." Emerald stuck out her tongue and turned her back as Diamond dumped Storm unceremoniously in the dust. "Come on, people!" Amethyst cried, crouching low to the ground. "We are supposed to be fighting. Remember? Fighting? Evil men in hot, tight suits?" "Mmm." Topaz commented. "Very nice, tight suits, too." "I wish Kyle would wear something like that." Garnet sighed, staring at Damon's tight-fitting armor. Diamond felt a pang of jealousy. "Stop that." She ordered roughly. "We're here to KILL these guys, remember?" "Easy for you to say!" Garnet retorted. "You've fought him twice!" "SO?" Diamond asked. "Fighting is very sexual." Garnet said primly. "All that close contact and sweating and yelling and hitting." "SICK!!" Sapphire and Obsidian yelled, to everyone's but Garnet and Diamond's agreement. Garnet grinned smugly. Diamond said nothing, but felt both uncomfortable and-something else. Something fiery, and in the pit of her stomach, warming itself way up to her heart. It scared her, mostly because she liked it. "Can we please attack?" Diamond snapped, mostly to take her mind away from this new contemplation. "Great idea!" Obsidian said happily, obviously pleased at the change of subject. "BLACK FEAR SWARM!!!" "It's about time!!" Jedin quipped, dodging the attack with ease. "I thought you lot would talk forever!" "Picky-picky, Mr. Let's-Vow-Evil-Revenge-In-Long-Complicated-Speeches." Sapphire grumbled. "ICY GLACIER FREEZE!!!" Damon half-smiled as he dodged the attack. This was almost too easy. "PLASMA CANNON!!!" Storm boomed, yanking on a cord attached to a particularly large black cannon. A yellow cannon ball flew out to strike Damon while he was still dodging Sapphire's attack. Damon stifled a yell of pain as the cannonball hit where hit backside had kissed the pavement. Pain lanced up his backbone. He swore in anger and hate-filled eyes centered on the small group. Black lightning swarmed out of his fingers in an enormous wave, charging down towards the scouts and the group of boys. It completely swamped them. Black electricity filled Diamond's senses, on her before she could even think of blocking. The boy's attack had obviously injured Damon greatly in some way. His eyes had been completely black. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain, which was, to her surprise, manageable. It hurt-lord, did it hurt-but it wasn't as bad as what she had felt pressed up against the shield. This was a stinging pain, like bees. Terrible, but acceptable. She began to get up from where she had fallen, hands clenched, but gaze firm. Obsidian gasped as Diamond stood. "What-Diamond-how can you take this?!" She whispered, gasping from the pain. Diamond knelt by Obsidian, lightning still striking her repeatedly. "Obsidian, listen." She said gently but fiercely at the same time. "You have to fight the pain. I've felt worse than this and lived. You can handle this, girlfriend. Come on. Stand up." Obsidian struggled, then fell back. "I-can't." "You must!" Diamond firmly insisted. She raised her voice. "All of you must! Come on! Fight it!!! I've felt worse and lived! Come on, Garnet, up on your feet, now! You too, Topaz! Come on! Everyone! Up!" Gasping, shuddering, one by one, the Senshi began to rise. Diamond was at their sides, urging them, giving pats of encouragement but never quite helping physically. She wanted them to do it on their own, the Senshi knew clearly. She wanted them to prove their strength. And, one by one, they overcame the pain. As they saw Diamond walk around, lightning bolts scorching her as much as they did them, all got the strength they needed. In weary but firm formation, they stood, swaying a little, letting the bolts rain down. "How-are-they-doing that?!" Bullet demanded, watching the Senshi stand. "My God!" "This bloody hurts!" Storm ground out. "They must be immune or something after a while-" "No, it's hurting them." Thunder observed quietly. "But they're bearing it. They can stand it. Surely we can, also?" "Damon!" Diamond roared, all her scouts standing firm behind her. "Would you mind laying off the bolts for one minute?!?! We'd like a bit of a break! I swear you can go back to peppering us afterwards!" To her complete surprise, the lightning stopped. "What are you doing?!" Spike hissed in Damon's ear. "She asked for a break." Damon replied calmly. "I'm giving it to her." "Are you nuts?!" Jedin demanded. "Finish her!!! Finish them!!!! We could end this all right here-" "I said," Damon said in his most dangerous tone, "that we will wait." Jedin subsided, muttering. Spike scrutinized Damon's profile. "You're not going soft on us, are ya, mate?" He asked cheerfully, but with a grim note. Damon smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. "Wait for them, Spike. I want to see her fight back. I want to see them all fight back." Spike scowled. "You may be able to keep this form, Damon, but we're on our last legs. We have to report back to base, but soon." "Fine." Damon sighed. "Take away all my fun, why don't you?" "If your fun involves not killing anyone, then yes!!" Jedin shouted. "Or torturing." Spike added. Jedin gave him a look that probably would have killed a human. "So sorry for leaving that out. Yes, of course, torturing as well." "GOLDEN HALO ATTACK!!!" "BRIGHT WHIRLWIND GUST!!!" "SCALDING FLAMEBALLS FIRE!!!" The three attacks sped upwards, missing the generals by bare inches. Damon had to jerk his head back to avoid Diamond's halo as he glared down at her. She raised her hand and cheerily waved at him. "Shouldn't have listened!" She called while the Senshi cracked up. "And here I thought we were playing by rules." Damon muttered. "Not when our lives are involved!" Diamond replied cheerfully. "So, we're cheating now, are we?" Spike asked in a low tone, grinning sideways at Damon. Damon returned the look with a sheepish grin. "All right, all right, I underestimated them, so sue me." "I might hurt you." Jedin growled. "But that's after we wreck havoc on these girls. Go redeem yourself." Damon waved. "With pleasure." Diamond gasped when the three generals flat out disappeared from the air. "Where'd they go?!" She demanded. "Behind you! Diamond, duck!" Topaz cried in warning. Diamond flung herself to the ground as Jedin's fist swiped at the air where her head had been. She thrust up with her knee, getting him directly in the stomach, then kicking with her foot, connecting in a place men didn't like to be kicked. Jedin yelled and reached down, but Diamond was gone, a blaze of gold darting upwards to grab his arm, lift up, and flip him onto the ground, wind knocked out of him. Spike's hold on Emerald was knocked away by Amethyst, who smacked his face. He responded by hitting her with his full reserve of strength. She flew back to hit a tree several yards away, next to Garnet and Topaz, who Damon had taken care of. Damon was using his full fighting skills. His injury reopening and close miss had dissolved all resolve. Now Obsidian came at him, right hand punching forward. He let the punch pass him, grabbed her wrist, and brought his knee up. There was a crack as Obsidian's arm broke. She stared at it dangling by her side in horror as Damon took the opportunity to side kick her back with her friends. Spike had flung Emerald back as well, and Jedin had taken the liberty of scorching Sapphire several times before deeming to knock her to her friends. The Senshi lay in a sorry heap, gasping and trying to rise, or cradling various wounds. Storm began to get up. Jedin was there in two seconds. Needless to say, the guys were flat out with no hope of returning to the fight in less than ten seconds. "Well, that's everything." Jedin said, briskly wiping his hands. "Not bad with Obsidian or Topaz, Damon. Very impressive. So, do we fry them up, or chop off their heads?" "Neither." Said a cold voice from the tree where the Senshi had been thrown. Damon sighed. "I think we forgot one." Diamond stood in front of her friends, face a mask of cold fury. She was unscathed, but her skin moved in tiny ripples. A faint aura of power glimmered in the air around her. She was panting slightly, hands and teeth clenched tight. "Well, well." Spike remarked, beginning to stride over. "Looks like Jedin was the one who missed a shot, after all!" "Don't you come near me." Diamond said in a low, chilling tone. "Don't you dare come near any of us." "I think she means it, Spike." Damon warned. Spike snorted. "Little Miss Goldilocks? What's she going to do? Sneeze on me?" "I will kill you." Diamond told him quietly, not the faintest trace of fear or doubt in her voice. Just calm, cold certainty. "I will kill you." The hairs on the back of Damon's neck rose straight up. The cutesy-girl voice that usually belonged to Diamond was gone. In its place was a voice that was smooth like silk, and as old as the rocks. Something deep had been woken inside her, and it was what was doing the talking. He had no doubt that should anyone move, they would regret it. Spike, apparently, didn't notice this. "Cocky little witch, aren't you?" He asked, reaching for her. In a golden flash, Spike was on the ground. He gasped and touched his throat where there was now a gaping hole where part of his throat had been. He tried to speak, and black blood oozed its way out from the hole. He half-growled-causing more blood to come up-and waved his hand over his throat, magic-ing it back to its original state. "You little BITCH!!" He roared at the cold-eyed Diamond. "You smug-sassy-little-" "Do you want more, or were you leaving?" Diamond demanded. "Because I could yank your heart out this time, if you want. That was a warning." Spike glared. Diamond glared. Garnet began hysterically laughing. Spike swung around to glare at her. "You think this is funny, you cherry- headed bitch?!" He growled. "Actually, yes." Garnet said, wiping her eyes. "Oh, dear." She began rolling on the ground, completely cracked up. "What's so funny, Amethyst?" Diamond asked curiously, eyes never leaving the generals. "They're actually afraid of you!!" Garnet giggled. "What?" The generals demanded. "What?" Diamond echoed. "I'm serious!" Garnet chortled. "Look into their eyes! HAH! This is rich!!! Three scumbags from the Negaverse, afraid of a young, klutzy girl!!" She trailed away into pure, incontrollable laughter. "I think someone's throat getting pulled out is a little too much for Garnet, here." Amethyst said soothingly, grabbing her friend's shoulders. A small smile slipped across Diamond's face. In an instant, the spell of the strange ancient voice was broken. Diamond shuddered slightly, looking at the blood that had pooled on the ground and on Spike's throat. "Oh, jeez." She muttered, bile rising in her throat. She fought to keep it down, but this resolve almost failed when she saw-in her hand- "Oh, GROSS!!!" She threw the raw, bloody piece of his throat as far away from her as she could before vigorously wiping her hand on her skirt. "Yuck! Ew, ew, ew, ew!!" "I am SO glad that you were the one to get to hold the piece of flesh, Diamond." Topaz muttered, gingerly testing her weight as she got to her feet. "You guys okay?" Diamond asked calmly, still frantically wiping her hands. "Within reason." Amethyst winced as she patted her rump. "That's a major ouchie." "I'm fine." Topaz said, looking daggers at Damon. "But I have this strange desire to mimic you and rip that guy's hair out." She turned to Sapphire. "Please stop me, here! I'm at the point of doing something drastic!" "You are such a thespian." Sapphire muttered, grabbing Topaz's arms as she fake-struggled. "Like you even could." Damon said cockily. Topaz growled and began struggling for real. "Nuh-uh!" Obsidian protested, moving forward. "He's mine. He beat me up!" "He's mine." Diamond said firmly, stepping forward to scowl at Damon. "He's the only one I haven't beat up today. I want to make it a round count." "Bring it on, Leader." Damon said, teeth bared like a wolf. "All right." Jedin said, a tiger-grin etching his features. "Damon versus Diamond. This should be interesting." "I'm betting on Damon." Spike said loudly. "At least he can win fights." "I'm betting on Diamond." Emerald said, just as loudly. "At least she can throw a good punch without relying on magic." In the background, someone snorted. It sounded like Storm. "No magic, huh?" Damon asked, not looking back at Emerald. "Fine. Just for you and your friends, I promise-no magic. More fun that way, anyhow." "I don't need you giving me handicaps." Diamond told him angrily. "Hey, blame your friend." Damon said with an off-handed shrug. "Not my idea." "You could use magic to blast me away where I stand. All of you could." Diamond said, eyes narrowing. "So tell me: why don't you." "Loss of energy, loss of a good opponent-" Damon chuckled. "And there are rules of engagement, pet. More than you would think." "I'm not your pet." Diamond replied in a snarl. "Right. Sorry, pet." Diamond growled and fake-lunged. Damon drew back slightly. He was obviously on edge, she observed. Tense. Nervous. Does no magic upset him this much? She drew back slightly, hesitating. Damon took this opportunity to leap forward, tackling her. She fell back onto the ground, already pushing up with her legs, catching him in the gut as he came down. He somersaulted, landed on his feet, and was back on the attack before she could properly regain her balance. She was knocked sideways, hands around her middle, squeezing so hard it hurt. She blindly began hitting his head, and then his back. Damon roared as her hands touched his back. Oops. Diamond found herself on the ground with his knee pressing into her neck before she could even figure out what the heck had happened. Shouldn't have hit his weak spot. She thought. He's probably going to kill me now. She went on, strangely calm. I've gotta find a way out. "Afraid, pet?" Damon whispered close to her ear. "Petrified, terrified, horrified, stupefied.so on and so forth." Diamond replied sarcastically. "Good enough?" "Acceptable." He dug his knee in a little more. "Look, if you're going to kill, just get it over with already, would you?!" She demanded, wincing at the pressure. "Otherwise I might be tempted to rise up and we'd go back to the bloody fight again." "No slow kills." Damon pronounced. "Only long ones. Extremely long, exceedingly painful ones." "You've great conversation skills, you know." Diamond said tartly, straining upwards slightly. "I'm not exactly taught the art of cooperating with humans." He replied. "It's something you have to pick up, I suppose." "Oh, trust me." Diamond promised. "You will never figure us out. You can live among us for fifteen years, and still never quite know what we'll do next." "And how are you so sure?" Damon asked. "Because no one else has, either." Diamond smartly replied. She dug her feet deep into the ground and shoved off, knocking him back and off her. "Ready?" She asked, going into a familiar fighting stance-the tae kwan doe fighting stance. ("Uh-oh." Garnet muttered to Sapphire. "She's going for the martial arts moves. Poor Damon.") "Kee-yah!" Diamond yelled in confirmation, spinning around and side kicking. Damon barely dodged, and already Diamond's second move was coming, a low uppercut aimed at the ribcage. It hit Damon squarely, but he did not make a sound, just grabbed her wrist. This was a mistake. Diamond grabbed the heel of his hand, pried it off hers, and then applied pressure to his elbow with her wrist, forcing him to the ground. "Not bad!" Damon gasped as she pushed a little harder. With a burst of movement he pushed up and nimbly sprung away, sending her sprawling. "But not good enough." "So sorry that I do not meet His Lordship's standards." Diamond snapped, standing back up. To her complete amazement, Damon threw back his head and began to laugh. It was an eerie, wailing sound, like the kind the African hyenas made. She shivered, and pressed her hands lightly over her ears. Damon stopped as abruptly as he had begun. "We're going." He informed Spike and Jedin, turning away. Diamond didn't even try to argue. She had figured out by this time it was pretty much pointless. Spike evidently knew it too. He sighed and began to hover in the air. "Hurry up" was all he said. Jedin, of course, balked. "Why should we?" He demanded. "Why aren't we harming her?" "Because she just gave me the first true laugh I've had in nearly ten thousand years of living." Damon said, deadpan. Jedin rubbed his scalp and sighed in defeat. "We'd better recharge anyway." He glared down at the Senshi. "There'll be another time." "Absolutely!" Amethyst agreed. "Until we kick your butts. Then you will go away." "Looks like we're never leaving." Jedin muttered. Amethyst growled, but Jedin was already gone, blown away by the slightest of breezes. Damon and Spike followed suit. "I can't tell if they a real purpose for leaving, or if they are the biggest chickens this side of the sun." Obsidian muttered, sighing. "Let's go with wimps." Topaz said. "It's more fun that way."