A few blocks away, far below on the streets, Mary was carefully watching
the old man-who looked suspiciously like Mr. Rogers-pedaling down the
street in a wheelchair from a dark alley. She had been spying on him for
several days, monitoring his route. "Come on now." She breathed. "Come
on. Follow your schedule."
As always, at exactly one ten, the man stopped his wheelchair on the curb
to wait for the bus.
In a flash, Mary was on him, tugging on his shirt, yanking him out of the
chair. "Move it, grandfather!" She cried, insane and giddy. She threw him
into a heap of trash and leapt into the wheelchair, wheeling herself around
to face the giant hill there beside her. Smiling crazily, she began
propelling herself forward and down the hill, laughing madly.
The man stared after her in the trash, crying and wheezing in the way old
people do.
Mary screamed with laughter as she picked up speed, traveling down the hill
at nearly eighty miles an hour. "WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" She screamed,
dodging several cars and the bus. Finally she slammed on the brakes, and
the wheelchair slowed to a neat stop at the bottom of the hill.
"Ha-HA!!!!!" She cried. "Oh, yes! I have always wanted to do that!!"
"Steal a wheelchair from the old and the crippled?" A voice asked behind
her.
Mary swung around, feeling her good time going out the window. "Oh, goody.
It's you, Neo."
"Don't need to sound so pleased." Neo said dryly, fingering the
wheelchair.
"There's a reason for that, you idiot." Mary began to snap.
A callous wind suddenly hit her in the back of her unprotected legs, along
with a surge of unquestionable evil. She shook slightly, wavering back and
forth. "The wind." She muttered to herself. "There's an evil feeling on
the breeze." She turned to stare up at the black sky. "Holy."
"Jeez." Neo commented. "Looks like a storm's coming up."
Mary said nothing. She stared at the black lightning flashing over head,
not one doubt deep in her heart. This was no natural storm.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning suddenly came down to strike the
street. Concrete and pavement split apart as the bolt carved a six-foot
crater into the road. Mary gasped, shielding her head from the debris
carried by the wind. "God in heaven."
"You should get indoors." A voice said close beside her. Mary turned to
look up at Neo. His voice had changed from a teasing warmth to deep
coldness. The wind would have blown off that darned baseball cap he always
wore, but he had a firm hand on it.
"Not if you don't." Mary replied stubbornly.
Another crack of lightning suddenly hit the street not two feet in front of
them. Mary screamed, Neo grabbed her, shielding her from the blast that
followed and knocked them into a deserted alley.
Mary's head hit the ground hard. For a moment she lay there, stunned.
After a few seconds she stirred and looked around. "Neo?"
There were a few scarcely concealed oaths from behind her. Mary turned
around. Neo was kneeling on the ground, face away from her. "Where's my
baseball cap?!" She heard him mutter, twisting his head around.
Mary stood and walked over to him. "Hey, what's the matter? Did you lose
your-" She stopped in amazement.
Long, silky locks were flowing down Neo's back, drawing back in a ponytail.
And there were not auburn, but instead-
Silver?!?!
"Neo?" She whispered, face paling.
Neo swung to look at her, then grabbed a strand of his own hair to examine
it. "Oh, crap." He sighed, then looked at her sardonically. "What's the
matter, chimp? Out of insults?"
"Your hair's-silver." Mary said, voice hushed.
"Unnatural, I know." Neo sighed and fingered a lock. "I'm a freak, I
guess. Now have you seen my-" He stopped in surprise as Mary suddenly
grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. She stared intently at his
eyes. "Are those-contacts?!" She asked in a strangled voice.
Neo drew back in surprise. "What the-how did you know?!" He demanded,
grabbing her arm roughly and glaring at her.
Mary stared at him a moment more before completely cracking up. She fell
on her hands and knees, pounding on the ground, tears streaming down her
face as her stomach ached from the huge laughs exploding from her. "I
should have known!" She gasped. "God, I'm such an idiot-Neo and Neo-such a
fool-"
"What's so funny?!" Neo demanded suspiciously.
Mary looked at him, amusement suddenly gone, leaving only a peaceful smile
left. "But then-I guess I can believe you're him." She said calmly,
studying him. "You always were beautiful-and I did like you, even if you
teased me- "
"What are you talking about?!" Neo growled.
Mary calmly withdrew her bracelet from her hand and held it up. It
glimmered even in the shadows, masking pretend rays of light. "I sense the
darkness growing here in the city as much as you do." She said calmly.
Neo stared at her. "You do? But-but how?"
"And I know that you are Tuxedo Onyx." Mary said calmly.
Neo stared at her. "How?" He whispered.
"I'm right-right?!" Mary asked, worry suddenly clouding her features.
Neo sighed, then grimly held up a silver rose, produced from somewhere in
the confines of his suit. Silver light rose delicately from the rose,
flying around him, shaping itself into a silver tuxedo complete with cape,
top-hat, and mask.
Mary grinned brightly at him, then yelped as Tuxedo Onyx crossed the space
between them, a look of fury on his face, grabbing her arms. "All right,
spill." He growled. "How do you know?!"
Mary smiled at him. "You are so not going to believe this." Raising her
bracelet high, she shouted to the sky. "Obsidian Star Power-MAKE UP!!!!!!"
Black light the colors of the deepest night of a new moon swirled around
Mary's form and Onyx's hands. He stared hard at her, not believing what
his eyes were telling him.
In a flash, Sailor Obsidian stood in the alley, beaming brightly at him.
"Very surprised, yes?" She asked, trying to pry his hands off her.
Onyx stared at her. A smile was beginning to make its way onto his face.
"All this time." He breathed. "All this time you were right underneath my
nose." Something strange was flashing in his smoky eyes.
Obsidian struggled a little harder. "Neo-chan." She whispered, trying not
to look at him. "Please-you're hurting me-"
"You should feel some of the pain I've felt over the last few days, missing
you." He growled, hands like steel vices. "Worried to death-wondering if
you were getting captured or killed by some monster-"
"I'm a Sailor Senshi." Obsidian reminded him gently. "And right now
you're hurting me. You don't let me go, I shall summon my fish friends to
come and attack you."
"You're insane." Onyx told her, eyes flashing.
"Thank you." Obsidian said, voice almost a pleading whimper. "Neo-
please."
Swiftly Onyx bent and kissed her roughly on the mouth. Obsidian almost
collapsed. Thank god now that he was holding her.she didn't think she
could stand.she felt hot all over, and the way he was kissing her-like he
was taking draughts of honey from her soul. She gasped slightly as
something like lightning zinged through her.
As quickly as he had started, Onyx was gone. He looked down at her,
smiling a little. "Later." He promised, reaching to touch her face with
one gloved hand.
Obsidian nodded, wordless for a few moments. "Later." She finally managed
to make out. "Now come on! We have to find my friends, I have the feeling
that they're in grave danger!!"
* * * Diamond screamed as Damon's attack flung her against the ground. She lay there, bleeding and broken, eyes slipping out a few broken tears. "Damon.why?" She whispered, sadness and confusion in her heart. "I thought.I thought you were my friend." Damon did not reply. He merely glared down at her with those unfeeling, uncaring eyes. "I'm going to kill you, pal!!" Sapphire roared, raising her hands. "Icy Glacier Freeze!!!" Damon stared impassively at the oncoming attack, not even moving to block it, hands moving up too late- A low gasp echoed around the room. Diamond's body, now almost completely broken and mangled, fell to the floor, scarred in many places from Sapphire's attack. She had thrown herself up at the last minute, in front of her friend's assault. Now she lay on the floor, half-dead, not even able to move. Something was flickering in Damon's eyes. He was shaking his head back and forth, beginning to look around in confusion. "What the.where am I?" He asked to the air. He turned around, puzzled. "Spike? What-what happened?" Spike swore. "Why aren't you still feeling the affects of our Lady's power?!" He demanded. "Come on! Finish her!" "Finish-oh my god-"Damon whirled around to kneel beside the fallen Senshi, whose golden hair and clothes were barely visible under the drenching of red blood. "Diamond!" He cried, carefully raising her. Diamond's blue eyes opened, hope rising as quick as a thermal. "Damon?" She asked guardedly, staring at him. Blessedly dark blue eyes looked back into hers. Diamond swallowed hard and hugged him. "You're back!" She whispered. "You're back, you're back!" Garnet, Topaz, and Sapphire were staring at Damon in bewilderment. "What was that all about?!" Sapphire shrieked finally. "The enchantment on him is broken." Uther snapped, glaring at Damon. "Damn it Damon-two more seconds and this whole thing could have been resolved!" Damon turned two furious blue eyes on him, not masking his anger. "You let her use me! My body!" He growled in loathing. "I was nothing but some mindless vessel! Never again, do you hear me?!" He stood up and walked away from Diamond's embrace, glaring at them. "Never." He repeated again. Her thousands of wounds were screaming for attention from her now. She tore her eyes away from Damon to finger her cuts and bruises. "Everlasting Love Puri." Her voice faded as she began to fade away into unconsciousness. "P-purify." She breathed, letting herself slip away even as the painful healing process began. Sapphire and Garnet flew in front of their unconscious leader, hatred and ferocity on their features. "Stay away!!!" Garnet screamed. "Or-or I swear to god-I will kill you all! I swear it!" "Come on, Garnet!" Sapphire said forcefully. The two raised one of their hands. "ICY BLAZE OBLIVIATE!!!!!" They yelled. A torrent of red fire shot from Garnet's hand and wrapped around the icy blue blast coming from Sapphire. The two powers swirled around each other before shooting at the generals like a bullet. Ivy was hit in the stomach. The attack shot her back against the wall with a cry. Flames and ice took turns in devouring her skin as Ivy wriggled and screamed. Sapphire and Garnet swayed, holding onto each other for support. Garnet's eyes were clouded over and without pupils. Sapphire gasped as she saw this, and wanted to back away. On the floor, Diamond opened one eye when she heard Sapphire breathe in sharply. Garnet was glowing slightly, she noticed with interest. Suddenly flame-red eyes with no pupil looked down at her. Garnet's face sharpened. "Death." She murmured so only Diamond could hear. "It's here.it's floating around you.Scout of Life." Diamond's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Death.floats around me?" She whispered. "That's like-that's like what Ivy said yesterday!" Garnet's head shook abruptly, and she smiled at Diamond's frightened face. "Hello, did I doze off for a moment?" She inquired cheerfully, eyes returning to normal. Diamond did not reply. She struggled to her feet, mind full of strange, unpleasant thoughts and questions. "I guess so." Sapphire supplied, letting go now that Garnet could stand on her own. Furious shouts from Spike and cries from Ivy made the two stand on their guard again as Topaz ran to join them. Diamond ignored what was happening. Why does death float around me? Twice people have said that, people who can see visions. I'm the Scout of Love and Life! Why does death come near me? "Bright Whirlwind Gust!!!" "Darkness Arrow!!!" "BLACK FEAR SWARM!!!!!" "BEAUTY ROSES BLAST!!!!" At these last two yells, Diamond did look up in joy. "Obsidian! Emerald! Amethyst!" The three scouts nodded at Diamond. Or actually, Obsidian waved eagerly, Emerald and Amethyst sighed after she did this. "The last three of the Sailor Team arrive!!" Obsidian called, leaping down to land between generals and Senshi. "The Royal Seven of Opal stand between you and the captives." Diamond proclaimed, standing tall with a glare at Spike. "Royal Seven?" Obsidian questioned. "Ooooh, I like that. Very catchy." "Thank you." Bursts of fire began exploding by the generals as Katrina, Jedin, and Xavier took their places beside the others. The two sides glared at the other for a moment. "ATTACK!!!!!" Diamond screamed, pointing forward. "Get 'em!!!!" Spike ordered as the generals' power surged out. "DEATH CRESCENTS DESTROY!!!!!" "DARKNESS ARROW!!!!" "ICY GLACIER FREEZE!!!!!" "BLACK HAILSTORM!!!!" "BRIGHT WHIRLWIND GUST!!!!!" "EVIL OBLIVATION!!!!!" "BEAUTY ROSES BLAST!!!!!!" "FREEZE!!!!!!!!" The high-pitched commanding voice rang throughout the room. The generals turned around, and the Senshi stared. A tiny, yellow, wrinkled old man with a long black staff was standing there behind the generals. He was scowling a little. Diamond blinked at him. She remembered him from somewhere..now where was it.. "Master Ithengil!" Jedin gasped, blinking at him. "Sir-you came out?" "After feeling all these powers floating around, how could I resist?" Ithengil said dryly, stumping forward. "Ithengil." Diamond murmured. Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "From the future! It was your plan that sent me there!!!" She stared at him. "You're a lot uglier than I remembered." She said, frowning in confusion. The Senshi all smothered giggles. The generals scowled. Ithengil only smiled peacefully before pointing at her with his staff. Everyone gasped as Diamond went flying backwards to strike the wall fifteen feet behind her. She cried out but remained there, elevated several feet above the floor, crying in pain from some unseen torture. "Let me down!" She yelled, seeming to struggle desperately. "Let go of me!" Ithengil smiled. Diamond glared at him, then looked down at Garnet, conveying a silent message. Garnet nodded and closed her eyes. Abruptly Diamond fell to the floor, landing nimbly on her feet. She frowned at Ithengil. Ithengil made another motion with his staff. Diamond went flying up over everyone's heads to strike the ceiling with a shriek. Her vision blurred from the pain as she looked down. "Oh god." She laughed slightly. Very suddenly, her momentary levitation ended. Diamond's head hit the floor with a hideous crack. She let loose a cry before biting her lip, forcing tears back. Slowly she got to her feet, gingerly touching her head to find blood seeping from her forehead. "If I can't get into college because of brain damage you are SO dead, pal." She warned Ithengil. "You're not exactly in the position to make threats, Miss Diamond." Ithengil said, creaky voice smooth. "And I very highly doubt you will live until college." "Why not?" Diamond asked brightly. "I'm certainly old enough. And smart enough. For instance: you bad, me good, me killee you." The Senshi grinned, if somewhat anxiously. Diamond's head was bleeding profusely and showed no signs of stopping. She did not seem to notice this, and if she did, she didn't care. "She needs to heal herself!" Emerald whispered to Amethyst. "She can't go on like that!" "She will though, damn her." Amethyst swore. "She's as stubborn as an ox. No healing till we're all out of danger. Or until she gets run over by a bulldozer. Whichever comes first." "Not too long ago you took away all the energy we had gained, Miss Diamond." Ithengil said quietly. "At the same time, you called upon your past to send it back to the people it had been stolen from. All of you are getting quiet dangerous, what with calling on ancient powers and such. At that time, after I had seen what you could do, I ordered a very simple command to my followers, here, one that has not yet been obeyed." "And that is?" Diamond asked quietly. Ithengil smiled. "To kill you." A wave of enormous black energy flew up behind Ithengil, looking rather like a tsunami. Diamond stared at it, voice failing her, mind screaming in terror. With a huge crash, the wave moved over the generals and down towards her and her friends. My friends.. "No!" Diamond screamed at the quickly advancing wave. "You won't hurt them! I won't let you, damn it!!!" She clenched her hands and raised an arm into the air. "I WON'T LET YOU!!!!!" Something golden illuminated itself in the air above her. Diamond grabbed it without thinking, and brought it swiftly down as the wave crashed on them. The Senshi's screams were abruptly cut off as the black energy tore to either side of them, missing by mere inches. Garnet stared forward at Diamond. She was kneeling on the floor, and whatever she had in her hand was separating the power into two halves that ripped around the room. Garnet gasped as she realized what it was. A sword. A very real, very beautiful, double-bladed work of art, with a silvery blade and dark gold grip. Diamond's eyes were closed as she held it, concentrating all her power into it without even realizing what it was. She sliced at the power whirling around them, destroying it, casting it away into nothingness, sending it back to hell. Finally the evilness was gone. Diamond stood, pale and sweating, gasping as she saw what she clenched tightly in her hands. "A sword?!" She gasped even as her heavy eyelids closed. "Wow." Her voice trailed away as her eyes began to close. "So sleepy." Damon stared at her, shell-shocked as she began to slip away. "Diamond!" He gasped. Don't faint!! Not now!! They will-he will- Too late. Diamond fell to the floor, sword clattering on the ground beside her. "Kill her!" Xavier's harsh voice echoed throughout the room. "Diamond!" Obsidian gasped. "Wake up! Please!" A blast of darkness shot from Xavier's hand- And in a flash, Diamond was gone. Damon landed a few meters away, clutching her by the shoulders, glaring at Xavier. "Not fair." He hissed. "Not a fair fight." "Let her go!" Topaz growled, raising her hand. Ithengil's frown was apparent. He waved his staff in the air. All of the generals vanished. Diamond fell again to the ground, breathing lightly. Topaz knelt by her comrade to support her. "What in the world is going on?" She whispered to her sleeping friend. Diamond's only response was to snore a little.
* * * In her dream, she was walking along a flat plane. Eerie purple fog covered the ground, puffing up wherever she stepped. A dark cave with a single light was just ahead. As Diamond drew close she saw a woman, violet hair streaming in the wind, kneeling in front of the cave, back to her. "You have a question." The woman's voice said softly when Diamond opened her mouth. Her voice was strange, like the baying of a hound, but far more musical. "I do." Diamond whispered, not sounding like her usual self. The woman turned, lavender eyes searching Diamond's blue ones. Her face was unexpectedly beautiful; it was neither old nor young, but had an ageless quality to it. "Death does float around you, Opal-child. The Divinity has given you a hard path to follow." She beckoned Diamond to sit beside her. Diamond sank to her knees, leaning towards the woman. "Why?" She inquired. "Why does it draw close? I am the Senshi of Love and Light for my planet!" The woman smiled sadly at her. "My poor child. There are things even I cannot reveal to you." She leaned forward and gently placed her lips on Diamond's forehead, healing the wound there. "Now, go back to your home. Your friends are waiting." Diamond awoke with a gasp and sat up. "Hey, you're alive!" Garnet cheered, leaning over her friend. "We were worried there-you've been out almost five minutes-and so cold and pale!" "Minutes.?" Diamond whispered, feeling her head. The wound there was gone. She brought her hand down to stare at it. A silvery purple substance glittered on her fingers for a brief instant before it faded into the air. Chatter and anxious talk swirled around her. Diamond ignored it. Her eyes were trained up on the sky that she could see through the gap in the ceiling. My question is still unanswered. Now I only have more. Who was that? What Divinity? A hard path was chosen? I do not understand. Why does death circle around me? "Um, hey?!" Bullet called from where he still hung on the wall. "Can someone get us down?!" "Huh?" Topaz asked, looking up at him. "O-oh! Right!" She ran over and tugged hard on the binding ropes. The painful energy was gone, now, and the ties came away in her hands and evaporated into dust. All three men hit the floor with a thump. "Ow!" Thunder complained, rubbing his head. "We don't deserve this." "Shut up, you big baby." Amethyst said cheerfully. Diamond glared at them severely. "All right. You all have a very large story to tell, so I'd start talking."
* * * The next day, Malorie was walking down the street, mulling over yesterday's events. It was rather hard to comprehend: all the identities of their protectors revealed in one large swoop! She could believe that Neo was Tuxedo Onyx, somehow-especially after seeing that hair of his-but that nice Andrew and smooth Lance were Storm and Thunder?! It was rather hard to believe. And that Oz was Bullet.that was even harder. Their Guardians were so smooth, so fast, so brave.Oz was a Creep, capital "C". But he was so nice yesterday, wasn't he? A terrible part of her mind kept nagging. Was worried about you, didn't want to drag you into it, worried that you would get hurt-quite the gentleman. Gentleman?! Another part snorted. Hah! The way he looked after I fell of him was NOT gentlemanly!! You looked much the same way. The other part of her mind reminded her smugly. Besides, didn't he feel warm and strong? You could practically feel his muscles, couldn't you? How do you know that?! The second part demanded. I was THERE, you numbskull. Oh. Right. Malorie sighed and rubbed her head. She wanted to kick both voices out of her head. Maybe then she'd have time to think. Yes, she hated Oz.but he had felt so warm when she had landed on him. "Ow!" With a hollow thud, she was on the ground again. She glared up at who she knew would be there. "Hey, watch it, carrot-top!!" "So glad to see you still have your pleasant demeanor after yesterday." Oz said with a grin, reaching down to help her up. Malorie took the callused hand with a frown. "I've been in fights before, numbskull." She growled. "I know." Oz replied. "But how many in which your leader hugs a general, the entire evil team shows up, Diamond gets used as a ping-pong ball for an evil sorcerer, and you find out your worst enemy is one of the people that fights with you?" "Point taken." Malorie muttered. "What are you doing here, anyway?" "Walking." Oz answered. "Is this now a criminal offense or something?" Stung, Malorie snapped, "Well, maybe I should have you arrested for injuries against a Sailor Scout!" She spun around, nose in the air, completely ready to stomp off in a huff. A warm arm went around her shoulders. "Aw, you don't really mean that, do you, M&M?" Oz whispered in her ear, breath gently caressing her skin. Malorie froze. "Get away from me." She murmured. "Now why would I want to do that?" Oz laughed softly, not letting go. "It would take all the fun out of things." One finger began gently tracing a pattern on her neck and collarbone. "I'll transform and kick your butt." Malorie warned in almost a whimper. He was so warm. "Not here, you won't." Oz said softly. "Not on the street." "What do you want?" With a laugh, Oz suddenly released her. Malorie shivered at the sudden loss of warmth and turned to look at him, a strange feeling in her veins. Oz leaned down to look her straight in the eye. "Aishiteru, Malorie." He whispered teasingly, smiling at her. "Wh-what does that mean?" Malorie wanted to know, breathing quickly. Oz grinned. "Figure it out, then come find me." He told her, standing back up. With a jaunty wave, he strolled off, whistling. "You better not have insulted me!" Malorie yelled after him, temper and sense finally coming back to her aid. She stood glaring at the departing redhead an instant longer before turning and running down the street towards their gym.
* * * "No way!" Rachelle gasped. "Oh, Mary, that is just too romantic!" Mary looked extremely smug. "I know." She said superiorly, pretending to inspect her nails. "So after he kissed you, you ran to help us?" Marisa asked, hanging upside- down from the monkey-bars. "Uh-huh." Mary said happily. And then, with a blush, "And-he said-he said 'Later'." All the girls gasped. "Oh, wow!" Lacie sighed. "Hey, you want him? Because I will gladly take him! He sounds so wonderful!" There was a bang as the gym doors flew open. Malorie flew into the room, yelling. "Angie! ANGIE!! Mary! Somebody!!" "Whoa!!" Angie said, standing up from her place in the circle. "What's wrong, Mal?" Malorie grabbed Angie, burning anger in her eyes. "You speak Japanese, right?!" She demanded, half-insanely. Angie very carefully pried Malorie off. "A little." She said guardedly. "Why?" "I do, too!" Mary called, standing also. "Can you translate something for me?" Malorie demanded. "We can try." Angie said with a shrug. Malorie took a deep breath. "What does 'aishiteru' mean?" Angie's eyes opened wide. She glanced over at Mary and raised her eyebrows in a silent question. Mary nodded, an excited look on her face. Angie turned around. "Who told you that, Mal?" She asked, way too smoothly. Malorie eyed her suspiciously. There was something about Angie's voice that made her lie. "Oh, someone." She said vaguely. "Just-tell me what it means!" Angie took a deep breath, then said with a smile, "It means 'I love you', Mal. 'I love you'." Malorie stared at her, mouth open, gaping like a fish. "Hello?" Elisha asked, waving her hand energetically in front of Mal's face. "Yo! Earth to Malorie! You in there?!" "Uh-yeah, I think so." Malorie stuttered after a second. She blinked a few times. "So, who did tell you this, Malorie?" Rachelle wanted to know, crossing her arms in front of her knees. "N-no one!" Malorie laughed. "Did I say someone told me this?! It was-uh- just-something on a Sailor Moon video clip I-uh-downloaded from the- computer! Yeah, that's it!" All of the girls watched her with knowing smirks on their faces. "Well?" Angie asked after a moment. "Well what?" Malorie growled. "Are you going to tell your-computer-you love it back?" She asked. Mary giggled. Malorie blushed. "But-I don't know if I love-my computer-back!" She complained. "Oh, come on, Mal!" Rachelle shouted. "We've seen that look you get in your eyes when your computer is teasing you!! You look all happy and rapturous, and of course there's that little sigh you always do when your computer leaves-" "What?!" Malorie yelled. "Don't be silly! I do not sigh around my computer!!" "Don't you think it has a nice hard drive, though?" Elisha wanted to know, grinning slightly. "And a really handsome modem?" Marisa asked. Malorie blinked at them all in confusion. "Well, yeah-I guess so." She admitted. Lacie gently pushed her towards the exit. "Then go get it, Malorie!! I think you and your-computer-would make a very cute couple." She smiled at her friend. Malorie stared at them a moment more before smiling brightly and taking off into the late afternoon sunshine. The girls watched her go, grinning happily. "And another Jewel Senshi goes off to not be alone anymore." Marisa said with a sigh, eyes going misty. Lacie sighed as she picked at her hair. "It's so lonely, now. In spring everyone's getting married.couples walk in the park." She, Marisa, Elisha, and Angie all sighed together. Mary blinked at them. "What's with you guys?!" She demanded. "You couldn't know how we feel, Mary." Elisha sighed. "You've got a man to snuggle with under the stars." The girls sighed again. Rachelle blinked at them before grinning brightly. "Well, I have Kyle! Aren't I lucky?!" All the girls turned their backs on Rachelle. "Let's ignore her for a while." Angie muttered, with various agreements.
* * * Malorie ran down the streets, frantically looking left and right. The two parts of her mind were meanwhile roaring back and forth insanely. PART ONE (hereby dubbed 'Voice'): I told you!!! I told you he loved us!!!!! PART TWO (hereby dubbed 'Reason'): (struggling for composure) Well, we couldn't be too sure. Besides, couldn't this be an elaborate joke? VOICE: (hitting Reason over the head with a large hammer) IDIOT!!!! Come off it!!! Why did he have his arms around us this after noon?! He likes us!!! He does!!!! He loves us!!!! Our carrot-top loves us!!! REASON: (rubbing head in pain and glaring at Voice): That wasn't necessary!!!! .Could he really love us? Malorie shook her head. "I am really getting crazy." She decided, glancing fervently down an alley. "Oh, where is he, darn it!!!" She burst out. "Where am I supposed to meet him?! I don't know where he lives, school's closed, he could be anywhere-" She stopped dead smack in the middle of crossing an intersection. "Come on, Mal, think!!!" She growled, banging on her head. "Now, if I was Oz, where would I be?" She thought..and thought..and thought a little more.. A horn blared at her. She jumped up and blinked apologetically at the car waiting to go. "Sorry! Sorry!" She ran to the side of the road, still thinking hard, not concentrating on where she was going and effectively knocking several people on the sidewalk over. "Think!" She growled. "Think, think, THINK!!!!!" She snapped her fingers in sudden insight. "The arcade! Kyle said he went with them there and that they had fun!! Maybe he hangs there everyday!!" With hope in her heart, she flew down the street, feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Five minutes later. "Sorry, miss." The arcade attendant apologized. "I know the guy you're talking about-red-head, nice guy-but he hasn't been here since two days ago." Malorie's shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Thank you." She whispered, trying not to let tears crowd into her eyes. Wait a moment-tears?! Yes. They were tears. She was crying. She wanted to see him, now. She wanted to know if this was a cruel joke, or- Don't think about "or". She instructed herself. That's what's gotten you so riled up. Think of it as a dumb joke, and you're trying to find him to flatten him for it. The clerk was watching her in concern. "Miss? Are you all right?" Malorie nodded, eyes dimmed under the water pooling there. "I can tell him you dropped by, miss, if you leave a name." The attendant offered, saddened by the thought of this happy girl crying. Malorie nodded, and cleared her throat. "Tell him-tell him that Malorie came by, and she wants-she wants to talk to him. Badly." She whispered. The employee nodded. "Right, miss, I'll tell him." He frowned slightly as Malorie trudged her way out, eyes still clouded and wet. Poor thing. Outside the arcade, Malorie stood for a while, tears blotting her view of the ground. She was so sure he would be there! "Darn you, Oz." She murmured, laughing a little. "Where are you hiding?" Maybe he.maybe he regrets telling me that. Her tears completely spilled over, and the next few moments were spent in sobbing. She curled up on a bench and began crying her heart out, realization deep in her, coming out through her mouth. "I love him, I love him, oh, god, I love him.."
* * * It was a broken Malorie that Marisa spotted crying outside the arcade, and it was because of this that she abruptly turned about and ran all the way back to the gym where Angie had requested their Guardians meet them later. She strode up to Oz, yanked him out of his chair, grabbed the front of his shirt, and glared at him straight in the eye. "Okay, buster, what'd you do to Mal?!" Turquoise eyes are very disconcerting when they glare at you. Oz leaned back, unsure of what to make of her. "Um-what'd I do?" He asked, bemused. Marisa glowered at him. "Not ten minutes ago I saw Malorie sitting alone and crying outside the arcade. Now, what the heck did you do to her?! Break her heart?! Laugh at her?! What?!" "She was.crying?" Oz asked, bewildered. The very thought of Malorie crying was.disconcerting. Unreal, almost. "No, she was bloody playing cards with the Queen of England!!!" Marisa snarled. "YES, she was crying, you nitwit!!! And with good reason, too, unless you're not the one who claimed you loved her!!!!" Neo, Lance, and Andrew stopped quietly chatting to glance over at Oz, surprise on their faces. Oz blushed and muttered something. "WELL?!?!" Marisa shouted. "Did you or did you not say you loved her!!!!!" "I-I did." Oz mumbled, willing that she wouldn't set upon him and tear him limb from limb. "THEN, BLOODY HELL, WHY AREN'T YOU OUT THERE KISSING HER?!?!?!?!?!" Marisa screamed, shaking him back and forth like a maraca. "She's looking for me, isn't she?" Oz gasped slightly, blinking in recognition. "Oh, damn.and she can't find me." "NO, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Marisa roared. "NOW- " She threw him towards the door. "Get out there and repair her heart before it breaks anymore!!!!!" She glared at him fiercely, backed by Angie's and Lacie's glowers. "Okay, okay!" Oz yelped. "I'm going, I'm going!" He stopped and looked back at Marisa. "Where am I going?" "THE ARCADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Oz was blown out the door by the force of her rage. He nodded vigorously and took off, praying she hadn't left.
* * * She had. Oz cursed every possible Deity he could think of, including all the ones from Greek and Egyptian cultures, for his bad luck. The world was against him today. He had the little sense to tell Mal he liked her-then failed to be in a convenient location-then she went and left from where she was supposed to be! Life just wasn't fair. He expected that-waking up one morning in Japan without the slightest clue to his identity had prepared him for that simple rule-but this went beyond all boundaries of unfairness. This was blasphemy. Bad luck and unfairness were interfering with his way to love!! That was not legal!! "God, please let me find her, and I will try to go to a church every Sunday that I can." Oz breathed, looking hopelessly around. "Or-at least, more than never." He frowned and sighed as he picked a random direction and raced off, praying it wasn't the wrong one. A few blocks away, Malorie looked down into the lake. She was standing on the deck the reached out over the water so boats could pull away without getting grounded on the sandy bottom. Tears were making tiny ripples on the water as she continued to sob, face red and pink from all her crying. She was wondering whether it would be more painful to tie an anchor to her leg and sink to the bottom to drown, or if stabbing herself with a convenient knife located on one of the boats used for picking up trash in the lake and possibly cutting animals free from debris. Drowning would take longer.but stabbing would definitely hurt.She buried her head in her arms and sobbed. She didn't want to die-but deep in her chest was an incredible ache that felt like it was tearing her apart. She couldn't bear that, nor the thoughts streaming through her head that were being whispered in a nasty voice much like Katrina's. You're not good enough!! The voices hissed. You're an ugly little wannabe fighter, and he was just playing a trick on you. See how nicely you fell? He knew you would, he's so good at teasing you, and you always respond, you idiot. You're such a dope. To think he could ever love you! Hah! "Stop it." Malorie whispered, clenching her eyes shut. "Stop, please.I can't bear this." Tears were soaking her shirt in a hot, silent flood. "Oz." Somewhere very far off, she thought she heard a very faint voice calling something. She concentrated on it, listening. Was it coming towards her? She didn't want company, she wanted to be alone! But yes-the voice was getting louder. She covered her ears, thinking maybe if she didn't hear it, whoever it was would go away. Dimly she could hear the voice. It was muted and strange through her hands-and definitely getting louder fast. She sighed in resignation and turned to run off the pier and find some quieter place to think and possibly commit suicide. Too late. Through her swamp of tears she saw a figure standing at the end of the dock. She attempted to wipe her eyes. "Hello." She sniffed, looking down. "Hello." A terribly, wonderfully familiar voice replied. Her head snapped up, hope and fear launching themselves pell-mell into her heart. She cleared her eyes to stare. Oz waved slightly at her, smiling. She cleared her throat, and laughed very nervously. "So.um.yeah, hi." "Did you figure out what I told you?" Oz asked, voice a nice, warm rumble deep in his throat.. Malorie nodded. "I-I guess-it's a funny joke-I guess." She mumbled. She had to come face-to-face with it sooner or later.a prank, just a stupid gag. "Who says it was a joke?" Oz inquired. So many emotions ran smack-dab into her mind that she nearly reeled from the sensation. "Wh-what?" Malorie gasped. "Who. Says. It. Was. A. Joke." Oz repeated like he was talking to an ignorant child. "Stop talking to me like I'm an idiot." Malorie snapped. Oz shrugged. "Suit yourself." On the horizon the sunset turned the sky into a golden painting of reds and purples. Oz turned green eyes to look at it. "Nice sunset." He commented. Malorie nodded, not turning around. "Look, are we just going to stand here and talk or what?" She asked finally. Oz shrugged. "It depends. If I kissed you now, would you hate me?" Malorie pretended to considerate this. "No. But if you don't, I might." Oz laughed a little as he came forward. Malorie smiled and looked up at the sky. "It really is a beautiful sight." She breathed as the day's last light faded from the sky. Oz chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her. "You're a very strange person, M&M." He whispered in her ear. Malorie turned around indignantly. "I am not-" Oz didn't wait for her to finish. The two stood close, lips locked together, as the last light faded and twilight settled in on the land.
Yay! A couple FINALLY got together! Wow! ^_^ Ummmm.okay, bye!
* * * Diamond screamed as Damon's attack flung her against the ground. She lay there, bleeding and broken, eyes slipping out a few broken tears. "Damon.why?" She whispered, sadness and confusion in her heart. "I thought.I thought you were my friend." Damon did not reply. He merely glared down at her with those unfeeling, uncaring eyes. "I'm going to kill you, pal!!" Sapphire roared, raising her hands. "Icy Glacier Freeze!!!" Damon stared impassively at the oncoming attack, not even moving to block it, hands moving up too late- A low gasp echoed around the room. Diamond's body, now almost completely broken and mangled, fell to the floor, scarred in many places from Sapphire's attack. She had thrown herself up at the last minute, in front of her friend's assault. Now she lay on the floor, half-dead, not even able to move. Something was flickering in Damon's eyes. He was shaking his head back and forth, beginning to look around in confusion. "What the.where am I?" He asked to the air. He turned around, puzzled. "Spike? What-what happened?" Spike swore. "Why aren't you still feeling the affects of our Lady's power?!" He demanded. "Come on! Finish her!" "Finish-oh my god-"Damon whirled around to kneel beside the fallen Senshi, whose golden hair and clothes were barely visible under the drenching of red blood. "Diamond!" He cried, carefully raising her. Diamond's blue eyes opened, hope rising as quick as a thermal. "Damon?" She asked guardedly, staring at him. Blessedly dark blue eyes looked back into hers. Diamond swallowed hard and hugged him. "You're back!" She whispered. "You're back, you're back!" Garnet, Topaz, and Sapphire were staring at Damon in bewilderment. "What was that all about?!" Sapphire shrieked finally. "The enchantment on him is broken." Uther snapped, glaring at Damon. "Damn it Damon-two more seconds and this whole thing could have been resolved!" Damon turned two furious blue eyes on him, not masking his anger. "You let her use me! My body!" He growled in loathing. "I was nothing but some mindless vessel! Never again, do you hear me?!" He stood up and walked away from Diamond's embrace, glaring at them. "Never." He repeated again. Her thousands of wounds were screaming for attention from her now. She tore her eyes away from Damon to finger her cuts and bruises. "Everlasting Love Puri." Her voice faded as she began to fade away into unconsciousness. "P-purify." She breathed, letting herself slip away even as the painful healing process began. Sapphire and Garnet flew in front of their unconscious leader, hatred and ferocity on their features. "Stay away!!!" Garnet screamed. "Or-or I swear to god-I will kill you all! I swear it!" "Come on, Garnet!" Sapphire said forcefully. The two raised one of their hands. "ICY BLAZE OBLIVIATE!!!!!" They yelled. A torrent of red fire shot from Garnet's hand and wrapped around the icy blue blast coming from Sapphire. The two powers swirled around each other before shooting at the generals like a bullet. Ivy was hit in the stomach. The attack shot her back against the wall with a cry. Flames and ice took turns in devouring her skin as Ivy wriggled and screamed. Sapphire and Garnet swayed, holding onto each other for support. Garnet's eyes were clouded over and without pupils. Sapphire gasped as she saw this, and wanted to back away. On the floor, Diamond opened one eye when she heard Sapphire breathe in sharply. Garnet was glowing slightly, she noticed with interest. Suddenly flame-red eyes with no pupil looked down at her. Garnet's face sharpened. "Death." She murmured so only Diamond could hear. "It's here.it's floating around you.Scout of Life." Diamond's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Death.floats around me?" She whispered. "That's like-that's like what Ivy said yesterday!" Garnet's head shook abruptly, and she smiled at Diamond's frightened face. "Hello, did I doze off for a moment?" She inquired cheerfully, eyes returning to normal. Diamond did not reply. She struggled to her feet, mind full of strange, unpleasant thoughts and questions. "I guess so." Sapphire supplied, letting go now that Garnet could stand on her own. Furious shouts from Spike and cries from Ivy made the two stand on their guard again as Topaz ran to join them. Diamond ignored what was happening. Why does death float around me? Twice people have said that, people who can see visions. I'm the Scout of Love and Life! Why does death come near me? "Bright Whirlwind Gust!!!" "Darkness Arrow!!!" "BLACK FEAR SWARM!!!!!" "BEAUTY ROSES BLAST!!!!" At these last two yells, Diamond did look up in joy. "Obsidian! Emerald! Amethyst!" The three scouts nodded at Diamond. Or actually, Obsidian waved eagerly, Emerald and Amethyst sighed after she did this. "The last three of the Sailor Team arrive!!" Obsidian called, leaping down to land between generals and Senshi. "The Royal Seven of Opal stand between you and the captives." Diamond proclaimed, standing tall with a glare at Spike. "Royal Seven?" Obsidian questioned. "Ooooh, I like that. Very catchy." "Thank you." Bursts of fire began exploding by the generals as Katrina, Jedin, and Xavier took their places beside the others. The two sides glared at the other for a moment. "ATTACK!!!!!" Diamond screamed, pointing forward. "Get 'em!!!!" Spike ordered as the generals' power surged out. "DEATH CRESCENTS DESTROY!!!!!" "DARKNESS ARROW!!!!" "ICY GLACIER FREEZE!!!!!" "BLACK HAILSTORM!!!!" "BRIGHT WHIRLWIND GUST!!!!!" "EVIL OBLIVATION!!!!!" "BEAUTY ROSES BLAST!!!!!!" "FREEZE!!!!!!!!" The high-pitched commanding voice rang throughout the room. The generals turned around, and the Senshi stared. A tiny, yellow, wrinkled old man with a long black staff was standing there behind the generals. He was scowling a little. Diamond blinked at him. She remembered him from somewhere..now where was it.. "Master Ithengil!" Jedin gasped, blinking at him. "Sir-you came out?" "After feeling all these powers floating around, how could I resist?" Ithengil said dryly, stumping forward. "Ithengil." Diamond murmured. Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "From the future! It was your plan that sent me there!!!" She stared at him. "You're a lot uglier than I remembered." She said, frowning in confusion. The Senshi all smothered giggles. The generals scowled. Ithengil only smiled peacefully before pointing at her with his staff. Everyone gasped as Diamond went flying backwards to strike the wall fifteen feet behind her. She cried out but remained there, elevated several feet above the floor, crying in pain from some unseen torture. "Let me down!" She yelled, seeming to struggle desperately. "Let go of me!" Ithengil smiled. Diamond glared at him, then looked down at Garnet, conveying a silent message. Garnet nodded and closed her eyes. Abruptly Diamond fell to the floor, landing nimbly on her feet. She frowned at Ithengil. Ithengil made another motion with his staff. Diamond went flying up over everyone's heads to strike the ceiling with a shriek. Her vision blurred from the pain as she looked down. "Oh god." She laughed slightly. Very suddenly, her momentary levitation ended. Diamond's head hit the floor with a hideous crack. She let loose a cry before biting her lip, forcing tears back. Slowly she got to her feet, gingerly touching her head to find blood seeping from her forehead. "If I can't get into college because of brain damage you are SO dead, pal." She warned Ithengil. "You're not exactly in the position to make threats, Miss Diamond." Ithengil said, creaky voice smooth. "And I very highly doubt you will live until college." "Why not?" Diamond asked brightly. "I'm certainly old enough. And smart enough. For instance: you bad, me good, me killee you." The Senshi grinned, if somewhat anxiously. Diamond's head was bleeding profusely and showed no signs of stopping. She did not seem to notice this, and if she did, she didn't care. "She needs to heal herself!" Emerald whispered to Amethyst. "She can't go on like that!" "She will though, damn her." Amethyst swore. "She's as stubborn as an ox. No healing till we're all out of danger. Or until she gets run over by a bulldozer. Whichever comes first." "Not too long ago you took away all the energy we had gained, Miss Diamond." Ithengil said quietly. "At the same time, you called upon your past to send it back to the people it had been stolen from. All of you are getting quiet dangerous, what with calling on ancient powers and such. At that time, after I had seen what you could do, I ordered a very simple command to my followers, here, one that has not yet been obeyed." "And that is?" Diamond asked quietly. Ithengil smiled. "To kill you." A wave of enormous black energy flew up behind Ithengil, looking rather like a tsunami. Diamond stared at it, voice failing her, mind screaming in terror. With a huge crash, the wave moved over the generals and down towards her and her friends. My friends.. "No!" Diamond screamed at the quickly advancing wave. "You won't hurt them! I won't let you, damn it!!!" She clenched her hands and raised an arm into the air. "I WON'T LET YOU!!!!!" Something golden illuminated itself in the air above her. Diamond grabbed it without thinking, and brought it swiftly down as the wave crashed on them. The Senshi's screams were abruptly cut off as the black energy tore to either side of them, missing by mere inches. Garnet stared forward at Diamond. She was kneeling on the floor, and whatever she had in her hand was separating the power into two halves that ripped around the room. Garnet gasped as she realized what it was. A sword. A very real, very beautiful, double-bladed work of art, with a silvery blade and dark gold grip. Diamond's eyes were closed as she held it, concentrating all her power into it without even realizing what it was. She sliced at the power whirling around them, destroying it, casting it away into nothingness, sending it back to hell. Finally the evilness was gone. Diamond stood, pale and sweating, gasping as she saw what she clenched tightly in her hands. "A sword?!" She gasped even as her heavy eyelids closed. "Wow." Her voice trailed away as her eyes began to close. "So sleepy." Damon stared at her, shell-shocked as she began to slip away. "Diamond!" He gasped. Don't faint!! Not now!! They will-he will- Too late. Diamond fell to the floor, sword clattering on the ground beside her. "Kill her!" Xavier's harsh voice echoed throughout the room. "Diamond!" Obsidian gasped. "Wake up! Please!" A blast of darkness shot from Xavier's hand- And in a flash, Diamond was gone. Damon landed a few meters away, clutching her by the shoulders, glaring at Xavier. "Not fair." He hissed. "Not a fair fight." "Let her go!" Topaz growled, raising her hand. Ithengil's frown was apparent. He waved his staff in the air. All of the generals vanished. Diamond fell again to the ground, breathing lightly. Topaz knelt by her comrade to support her. "What in the world is going on?" She whispered to her sleeping friend. Diamond's only response was to snore a little.
* * * In her dream, she was walking along a flat plane. Eerie purple fog covered the ground, puffing up wherever she stepped. A dark cave with a single light was just ahead. As Diamond drew close she saw a woman, violet hair streaming in the wind, kneeling in front of the cave, back to her. "You have a question." The woman's voice said softly when Diamond opened her mouth. Her voice was strange, like the baying of a hound, but far more musical. "I do." Diamond whispered, not sounding like her usual self. The woman turned, lavender eyes searching Diamond's blue ones. Her face was unexpectedly beautiful; it was neither old nor young, but had an ageless quality to it. "Death does float around you, Opal-child. The Divinity has given you a hard path to follow." She beckoned Diamond to sit beside her. Diamond sank to her knees, leaning towards the woman. "Why?" She inquired. "Why does it draw close? I am the Senshi of Love and Light for my planet!" The woman smiled sadly at her. "My poor child. There are things even I cannot reveal to you." She leaned forward and gently placed her lips on Diamond's forehead, healing the wound there. "Now, go back to your home. Your friends are waiting." Diamond awoke with a gasp and sat up. "Hey, you're alive!" Garnet cheered, leaning over her friend. "We were worried there-you've been out almost five minutes-and so cold and pale!" "Minutes.?" Diamond whispered, feeling her head. The wound there was gone. She brought her hand down to stare at it. A silvery purple substance glittered on her fingers for a brief instant before it faded into the air. Chatter and anxious talk swirled around her. Diamond ignored it. Her eyes were trained up on the sky that she could see through the gap in the ceiling. My question is still unanswered. Now I only have more. Who was that? What Divinity? A hard path was chosen? I do not understand. Why does death circle around me? "Um, hey?!" Bullet called from where he still hung on the wall. "Can someone get us down?!" "Huh?" Topaz asked, looking up at him. "O-oh! Right!" She ran over and tugged hard on the binding ropes. The painful energy was gone, now, and the ties came away in her hands and evaporated into dust. All three men hit the floor with a thump. "Ow!" Thunder complained, rubbing his head. "We don't deserve this." "Shut up, you big baby." Amethyst said cheerfully. Diamond glared at them severely. "All right. You all have a very large story to tell, so I'd start talking."
* * * The next day, Malorie was walking down the street, mulling over yesterday's events. It was rather hard to comprehend: all the identities of their protectors revealed in one large swoop! She could believe that Neo was Tuxedo Onyx, somehow-especially after seeing that hair of his-but that nice Andrew and smooth Lance were Storm and Thunder?! It was rather hard to believe. And that Oz was Bullet.that was even harder. Their Guardians were so smooth, so fast, so brave.Oz was a Creep, capital "C". But he was so nice yesterday, wasn't he? A terrible part of her mind kept nagging. Was worried about you, didn't want to drag you into it, worried that you would get hurt-quite the gentleman. Gentleman?! Another part snorted. Hah! The way he looked after I fell of him was NOT gentlemanly!! You looked much the same way. The other part of her mind reminded her smugly. Besides, didn't he feel warm and strong? You could practically feel his muscles, couldn't you? How do you know that?! The second part demanded. I was THERE, you numbskull. Oh. Right. Malorie sighed and rubbed her head. She wanted to kick both voices out of her head. Maybe then she'd have time to think. Yes, she hated Oz.but he had felt so warm when she had landed on him. "Ow!" With a hollow thud, she was on the ground again. She glared up at who she knew would be there. "Hey, watch it, carrot-top!!" "So glad to see you still have your pleasant demeanor after yesterday." Oz said with a grin, reaching down to help her up. Malorie took the callused hand with a frown. "I've been in fights before, numbskull." She growled. "I know." Oz replied. "But how many in which your leader hugs a general, the entire evil team shows up, Diamond gets used as a ping-pong ball for an evil sorcerer, and you find out your worst enemy is one of the people that fights with you?" "Point taken." Malorie muttered. "What are you doing here, anyway?" "Walking." Oz answered. "Is this now a criminal offense or something?" Stung, Malorie snapped, "Well, maybe I should have you arrested for injuries against a Sailor Scout!" She spun around, nose in the air, completely ready to stomp off in a huff. A warm arm went around her shoulders. "Aw, you don't really mean that, do you, M&M?" Oz whispered in her ear, breath gently caressing her skin. Malorie froze. "Get away from me." She murmured. "Now why would I want to do that?" Oz laughed softly, not letting go. "It would take all the fun out of things." One finger began gently tracing a pattern on her neck and collarbone. "I'll transform and kick your butt." Malorie warned in almost a whimper. He was so warm. "Not here, you won't." Oz said softly. "Not on the street." "What do you want?" With a laugh, Oz suddenly released her. Malorie shivered at the sudden loss of warmth and turned to look at him, a strange feeling in her veins. Oz leaned down to look her straight in the eye. "Aishiteru, Malorie." He whispered teasingly, smiling at her. "Wh-what does that mean?" Malorie wanted to know, breathing quickly. Oz grinned. "Figure it out, then come find me." He told her, standing back up. With a jaunty wave, he strolled off, whistling. "You better not have insulted me!" Malorie yelled after him, temper and sense finally coming back to her aid. She stood glaring at the departing redhead an instant longer before turning and running down the street towards their gym.
* * * "No way!" Rachelle gasped. "Oh, Mary, that is just too romantic!" Mary looked extremely smug. "I know." She said superiorly, pretending to inspect her nails. "So after he kissed you, you ran to help us?" Marisa asked, hanging upside- down from the monkey-bars. "Uh-huh." Mary said happily. And then, with a blush, "And-he said-he said 'Later'." All the girls gasped. "Oh, wow!" Lacie sighed. "Hey, you want him? Because I will gladly take him! He sounds so wonderful!" There was a bang as the gym doors flew open. Malorie flew into the room, yelling. "Angie! ANGIE!! Mary! Somebody!!" "Whoa!!" Angie said, standing up from her place in the circle. "What's wrong, Mal?" Malorie grabbed Angie, burning anger in her eyes. "You speak Japanese, right?!" She demanded, half-insanely. Angie very carefully pried Malorie off. "A little." She said guardedly. "Why?" "I do, too!" Mary called, standing also. "Can you translate something for me?" Malorie demanded. "We can try." Angie said with a shrug. Malorie took a deep breath. "What does 'aishiteru' mean?" Angie's eyes opened wide. She glanced over at Mary and raised her eyebrows in a silent question. Mary nodded, an excited look on her face. Angie turned around. "Who told you that, Mal?" She asked, way too smoothly. Malorie eyed her suspiciously. There was something about Angie's voice that made her lie. "Oh, someone." She said vaguely. "Just-tell me what it means!" Angie took a deep breath, then said with a smile, "It means 'I love you', Mal. 'I love you'." Malorie stared at her, mouth open, gaping like a fish. "Hello?" Elisha asked, waving her hand energetically in front of Mal's face. "Yo! Earth to Malorie! You in there?!" "Uh-yeah, I think so." Malorie stuttered after a second. She blinked a few times. "So, who did tell you this, Malorie?" Rachelle wanted to know, crossing her arms in front of her knees. "N-no one!" Malorie laughed. "Did I say someone told me this?! It was-uh- just-something on a Sailor Moon video clip I-uh-downloaded from the- computer! Yeah, that's it!" All of the girls watched her with knowing smirks on their faces. "Well?" Angie asked after a moment. "Well what?" Malorie growled. "Are you going to tell your-computer-you love it back?" She asked. Mary giggled. Malorie blushed. "But-I don't know if I love-my computer-back!" She complained. "Oh, come on, Mal!" Rachelle shouted. "We've seen that look you get in your eyes when your computer is teasing you!! You look all happy and rapturous, and of course there's that little sigh you always do when your computer leaves-" "What?!" Malorie yelled. "Don't be silly! I do not sigh around my computer!!" "Don't you think it has a nice hard drive, though?" Elisha wanted to know, grinning slightly. "And a really handsome modem?" Marisa asked. Malorie blinked at them all in confusion. "Well, yeah-I guess so." She admitted. Lacie gently pushed her towards the exit. "Then go get it, Malorie!! I think you and your-computer-would make a very cute couple." She smiled at her friend. Malorie stared at them a moment more before smiling brightly and taking off into the late afternoon sunshine. The girls watched her go, grinning happily. "And another Jewel Senshi goes off to not be alone anymore." Marisa said with a sigh, eyes going misty. Lacie sighed as she picked at her hair. "It's so lonely, now. In spring everyone's getting married.couples walk in the park." She, Marisa, Elisha, and Angie all sighed together. Mary blinked at them. "What's with you guys?!" She demanded. "You couldn't know how we feel, Mary." Elisha sighed. "You've got a man to snuggle with under the stars." The girls sighed again. Rachelle blinked at them before grinning brightly. "Well, I have Kyle! Aren't I lucky?!" All the girls turned their backs on Rachelle. "Let's ignore her for a while." Angie muttered, with various agreements.
* * * Malorie ran down the streets, frantically looking left and right. The two parts of her mind were meanwhile roaring back and forth insanely. PART ONE (hereby dubbed 'Voice'): I told you!!! I told you he loved us!!!!! PART TWO (hereby dubbed 'Reason'): (struggling for composure) Well, we couldn't be too sure. Besides, couldn't this be an elaborate joke? VOICE: (hitting Reason over the head with a large hammer) IDIOT!!!! Come off it!!! Why did he have his arms around us this after noon?! He likes us!!! He does!!!! He loves us!!!! Our carrot-top loves us!!! REASON: (rubbing head in pain and glaring at Voice): That wasn't necessary!!!! .Could he really love us? Malorie shook her head. "I am really getting crazy." She decided, glancing fervently down an alley. "Oh, where is he, darn it!!!" She burst out. "Where am I supposed to meet him?! I don't know where he lives, school's closed, he could be anywhere-" She stopped dead smack in the middle of crossing an intersection. "Come on, Mal, think!!!" She growled, banging on her head. "Now, if I was Oz, where would I be?" She thought..and thought..and thought a little more.. A horn blared at her. She jumped up and blinked apologetically at the car waiting to go. "Sorry! Sorry!" She ran to the side of the road, still thinking hard, not concentrating on where she was going and effectively knocking several people on the sidewalk over. "Think!" She growled. "Think, think, THINK!!!!!" She snapped her fingers in sudden insight. "The arcade! Kyle said he went with them there and that they had fun!! Maybe he hangs there everyday!!" With hope in her heart, she flew down the street, feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Five minutes later. "Sorry, miss." The arcade attendant apologized. "I know the guy you're talking about-red-head, nice guy-but he hasn't been here since two days ago." Malorie's shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Thank you." She whispered, trying not to let tears crowd into her eyes. Wait a moment-tears?! Yes. They were tears. She was crying. She wanted to see him, now. She wanted to know if this was a cruel joke, or- Don't think about "or". She instructed herself. That's what's gotten you so riled up. Think of it as a dumb joke, and you're trying to find him to flatten him for it. The clerk was watching her in concern. "Miss? Are you all right?" Malorie nodded, eyes dimmed under the water pooling there. "I can tell him you dropped by, miss, if you leave a name." The attendant offered, saddened by the thought of this happy girl crying. Malorie nodded, and cleared her throat. "Tell him-tell him that Malorie came by, and she wants-she wants to talk to him. Badly." She whispered. The employee nodded. "Right, miss, I'll tell him." He frowned slightly as Malorie trudged her way out, eyes still clouded and wet. Poor thing. Outside the arcade, Malorie stood for a while, tears blotting her view of the ground. She was so sure he would be there! "Darn you, Oz." She murmured, laughing a little. "Where are you hiding?" Maybe he.maybe he regrets telling me that. Her tears completely spilled over, and the next few moments were spent in sobbing. She curled up on a bench and began crying her heart out, realization deep in her, coming out through her mouth. "I love him, I love him, oh, god, I love him.."
* * * It was a broken Malorie that Marisa spotted crying outside the arcade, and it was because of this that she abruptly turned about and ran all the way back to the gym where Angie had requested their Guardians meet them later. She strode up to Oz, yanked him out of his chair, grabbed the front of his shirt, and glared at him straight in the eye. "Okay, buster, what'd you do to Mal?!" Turquoise eyes are very disconcerting when they glare at you. Oz leaned back, unsure of what to make of her. "Um-what'd I do?" He asked, bemused. Marisa glowered at him. "Not ten minutes ago I saw Malorie sitting alone and crying outside the arcade. Now, what the heck did you do to her?! Break her heart?! Laugh at her?! What?!" "She was.crying?" Oz asked, bewildered. The very thought of Malorie crying was.disconcerting. Unreal, almost. "No, she was bloody playing cards with the Queen of England!!!" Marisa snarled. "YES, she was crying, you nitwit!!! And with good reason, too, unless you're not the one who claimed you loved her!!!!" Neo, Lance, and Andrew stopped quietly chatting to glance over at Oz, surprise on their faces. Oz blushed and muttered something. "WELL?!?!" Marisa shouted. "Did you or did you not say you loved her!!!!!" "I-I did." Oz mumbled, willing that she wouldn't set upon him and tear him limb from limb. "THEN, BLOODY HELL, WHY AREN'T YOU OUT THERE KISSING HER?!?!?!?!?!" Marisa screamed, shaking him back and forth like a maraca. "She's looking for me, isn't she?" Oz gasped slightly, blinking in recognition. "Oh, damn.and she can't find me." "NO, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Marisa roared. "NOW- " She threw him towards the door. "Get out there and repair her heart before it breaks anymore!!!!!" She glared at him fiercely, backed by Angie's and Lacie's glowers. "Okay, okay!" Oz yelped. "I'm going, I'm going!" He stopped and looked back at Marisa. "Where am I going?" "THE ARCADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Oz was blown out the door by the force of her rage. He nodded vigorously and took off, praying she hadn't left.
* * * She had. Oz cursed every possible Deity he could think of, including all the ones from Greek and Egyptian cultures, for his bad luck. The world was against him today. He had the little sense to tell Mal he liked her-then failed to be in a convenient location-then she went and left from where she was supposed to be! Life just wasn't fair. He expected that-waking up one morning in Japan without the slightest clue to his identity had prepared him for that simple rule-but this went beyond all boundaries of unfairness. This was blasphemy. Bad luck and unfairness were interfering with his way to love!! That was not legal!! "God, please let me find her, and I will try to go to a church every Sunday that I can." Oz breathed, looking hopelessly around. "Or-at least, more than never." He frowned and sighed as he picked a random direction and raced off, praying it wasn't the wrong one. A few blocks away, Malorie looked down into the lake. She was standing on the deck the reached out over the water so boats could pull away without getting grounded on the sandy bottom. Tears were making tiny ripples on the water as she continued to sob, face red and pink from all her crying. She was wondering whether it would be more painful to tie an anchor to her leg and sink to the bottom to drown, or if stabbing herself with a convenient knife located on one of the boats used for picking up trash in the lake and possibly cutting animals free from debris. Drowning would take longer.but stabbing would definitely hurt.She buried her head in her arms and sobbed. She didn't want to die-but deep in her chest was an incredible ache that felt like it was tearing her apart. She couldn't bear that, nor the thoughts streaming through her head that were being whispered in a nasty voice much like Katrina's. You're not good enough!! The voices hissed. You're an ugly little wannabe fighter, and he was just playing a trick on you. See how nicely you fell? He knew you would, he's so good at teasing you, and you always respond, you idiot. You're such a dope. To think he could ever love you! Hah! "Stop it." Malorie whispered, clenching her eyes shut. "Stop, please.I can't bear this." Tears were soaking her shirt in a hot, silent flood. "Oz." Somewhere very far off, she thought she heard a very faint voice calling something. She concentrated on it, listening. Was it coming towards her? She didn't want company, she wanted to be alone! But yes-the voice was getting louder. She covered her ears, thinking maybe if she didn't hear it, whoever it was would go away. Dimly she could hear the voice. It was muted and strange through her hands-and definitely getting louder fast. She sighed in resignation and turned to run off the pier and find some quieter place to think and possibly commit suicide. Too late. Through her swamp of tears she saw a figure standing at the end of the dock. She attempted to wipe her eyes. "Hello." She sniffed, looking down. "Hello." A terribly, wonderfully familiar voice replied. Her head snapped up, hope and fear launching themselves pell-mell into her heart. She cleared her eyes to stare. Oz waved slightly at her, smiling. She cleared her throat, and laughed very nervously. "So.um.yeah, hi." "Did you figure out what I told you?" Oz asked, voice a nice, warm rumble deep in his throat.. Malorie nodded. "I-I guess-it's a funny joke-I guess." She mumbled. She had to come face-to-face with it sooner or later.a prank, just a stupid gag. "Who says it was a joke?" Oz inquired. So many emotions ran smack-dab into her mind that she nearly reeled from the sensation. "Wh-what?" Malorie gasped. "Who. Says. It. Was. A. Joke." Oz repeated like he was talking to an ignorant child. "Stop talking to me like I'm an idiot." Malorie snapped. Oz shrugged. "Suit yourself." On the horizon the sunset turned the sky into a golden painting of reds and purples. Oz turned green eyes to look at it. "Nice sunset." He commented. Malorie nodded, not turning around. "Look, are we just going to stand here and talk or what?" She asked finally. Oz shrugged. "It depends. If I kissed you now, would you hate me?" Malorie pretended to considerate this. "No. But if you don't, I might." Oz laughed a little as he came forward. Malorie smiled and looked up at the sky. "It really is a beautiful sight." She breathed as the day's last light faded from the sky. Oz chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her. "You're a very strange person, M&M." He whispered in her ear. Malorie turned around indignantly. "I am not-" Oz didn't wait for her to finish. The two stood close, lips locked together, as the last light faded and twilight settled in on the land.
Yay! A couple FINALLY got together! Wow! ^_^ Ummmm.okay, bye!