(Hi all! I'm going to make this short! This book is going to be a bit
different than from what you've seen before. But don't worry. It's not a
bad different. Trust me. ^_~ Happy reading!)
Things settled down quite a bit after Tatsuo had been defeated. Chi-Chi still wasn't completely sure she liked the idea that her daughter was a Princess. All she had ever wanted for her 'baby' was a normal life, something her sons had never really gotten. With being a Princess would come major responsibility, but she still wanted her daughter to live a life of a child. Usagi and Goku had to calm her fears that Usagi would never be a normal child, they had tried to tell her that being a Princess meant nothing. Usagi was still and always would be plain, old Usagi. But still, knowing that her daughter's future was pre-destined was not a settling thought.
But still, the Son family trucked on just like they would any other time. Usagi acted just as normal as ever, as if her family didn't know a thing, which was just how she liked it. She didn't want her other identity to get in the way of her own life, which her mother sure appreciated.
She had taken to being more careful around strangers so as to not let anything like Tatsuo happen again. She knew that part of the problem had been her fault. If only she hadn't told him about her Saiyan heritage. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to cause so much trouble. She and her father had decided not to tell everyone she brought home about their ability to use Ki. From now on they would act just as normal as everyone else around people they weren't familiar with like Gohan had when he went to public school.
After returning to earth, Goku had gotten his tail removed just as he had planned. Chi-Chi hadn't gone as ballistic as Usagi had expected. She gave Usagi her famous "look of guilt" and gave her a small spiel about disobeying her parents to put herself in danger, but nothing as big as what Usagi had been expecting. She had half-expected World War III. For once, Goku was able to calm her down almost right away. She seemed especially proud that Usagi had given up her own power to help her father. Usagi had been able to be a big help after all.
Everything went smooth from then on. No enemy attacks were detected from the Z fighter perspective or the Senshi perspective. Life was great. The Seventh grade was a great new experience for the girls. It was a time of relaxation for these Senshi.
~*~*~
It was huge, bigger than they had ever imagined it would be. People were roaming every inch of grounds, most of them older than twenty. But they weren't too far off from that age either. They stood face to face with their first adversary as adults. The tall, 5-story building would house their intellect for the next four to six years, peeling their minds every second it could.
The taller, more butch one stared at its foe, fearing what would become of it in there. This was nothing like she had ever experienced before. This would actually be hard. A groan was murmured for her lips. "How did I let you talk me into this?"
The shorter, more feminine one latched onto the taller one's arm with a giggle. "Come on. It'll be fun. I couldn't bare to do this without you by my side."
A smirk appeared on the taller one's lips. "Of course not. You've always needed me." She took a deep breath as she set out, joining the thousands of others milling toward a common entrance. She stepped up onto the stairway, which led up to the big, glass doorway. She could see a huge fountain inside where a group of preppy girls had decided to congregate. "College, huh?" She asked her partner as she looked down.
The shorter one nodded as she looked up into her lover's eyes. "Don't back out on me now, Haruka."
The two slowly made their way up the stairway. "At least we have the same classes. This would totally suck otherwise. You owe me big time, Michiru."
Michiru lowered her face to the ground. "Well, actually."
Haruka paused and turned her eyes back to Michiru with a playful glare. "Don't tell me we don't have the same classes. Did you go and switch yours?!"
Michiru giggled as she looked back up. She could see the group of girls eagerly staring at them. She got that look a lot from people. She had learned long ago to just ignore people who didn't appreciate her ways. She looked up into Haruka's eyes with a smile. "Don't worry. We only don't have one class together. I signed up for the Orchestra and auditioned. They took me without question."
Haruka erased her glare and resumed her half-smile. "Alright then. It'll be just like High School. What do I have when you're in the orchestra class?"
Michiru smiled even wider. She knew Haruka would appreciate what she had done for her. "Nothing. You have that period off to relax. I know you used to always talk about how nice it would be to have a period to yourself, so I worked your schedule to have just that."
Haruka grinned as she pushed Michiru to continue on into the Giant College Section of the Mugen School. "But it won't be the same without you to hang out with. I'll have to hang out with all these preps." She sneered as she walked past the girls in the main hall. They all had their compacts out, trying to act as if they were fixing their make-up. But Haruka knew better than that. She knew they were being watched, but much like Haruka, she didn't care. "Too bad Mamoru isn't here with us. Then it would REALLY be like High School."
"Yeah, I know. But he said he wanted to take some time off before he went back to school. We'll still hang out all the time though. We're best buds." Michiru detached herself from Haruka's arm and looked upward at the spiraling staircase that led all the way to the fifth floor. "People from all over the world come here. This school has the best educational system."
Haruka grinned. "They got a track team?"
Michiru looked down with a nod. "How did I know? Yes, I made sure there was a good track team. Tryouts are being held at the end of the week after school."
Haruka smiled. "Alright! Maybe this school won't be so bad after all. No one can beat me."
Michiru slightly frowned at that. "Now don't you be using your extra strength to beat everyone. It has to be a fair race, otherwise you didn't actually win, alright?"
Haruka smirked. "Anything for you." She moved her face in for Michiru, but something small and short caught her eye. Her playful smirk went away as she slowly lifted her head back up. "Hey, short stuff. What are you doing here?"
Hotaru smiled, but stayed careful not to get too excited over seeing a familiar face. Lately she had been becoming weak after doing almost anything. Most of the time she was in bed, resting. She rarely ever saw Usagi and the gang anymore. Kaori never let her have visitors. The only times she saw her friends were when she snuck away, but that usually ended up in becoming weak and feeble. "Daddy was right. You guys are going to this school."
Michiru turned around to greet the little visitor. She was just as tall, or rather short, as Usagi had been when she was eight years old. Ah, the good old days when life was simple. Usagi had been such a little pipsqueak, but now that she was thirteen she was beginning to look big like the other kids, though she was still somewhat shorter than everyone else was. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in your own part of the school? Your father might not approve of you just leaving like that."
Hotaru smiled wider. "My daddy's one of the head researchers here. He doesn't care." That wasn't her only reasoning for leaving either. She knew her father wouldn't care for another reason. He seemed to have taken more of an interest in his work rather than her in the past year. And when he did pay attention to her, he didn't really notice anything that she was doing, or had done. He was acting very peculiar, but she didn't mind. yet. She figured he was just stressed out about something. "I'll be back in time for my school to start."
Haruka looked down at her watch and noted the time. "You have about ten minutes."
Hotaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! I better get going! Cya guys later!" She yelled as she turned around and quickly walked away. Before she had a chance to get too far she could already feel herself losing breath. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder to make sure Haruka and Michiru hadn't seen her fall weak. Grabbing her chest, she began to walk slower toward the main doors.
A young, female student with bright, blue hair noticed Hotaru just after setting foot out of the elevator. "Oh no." She quickly dropped her books and ran for the child. "Hotaru!" She called out.
Hotaru dropped to her knees as a pain began to form in her head. "Viluy." She whispered. She looked up, expecting to see the woman, but she could only see a group of people surrounding her, worried about what was happening to her.
Viluy pushed through the girls whom had been staring at Haruka and Michiru. She knelt down on the floor next to Hotaru. "Hotaru, are you alright? What are you doing here?"
Hotaru looked up to see the girl's face staring worriedly back at her. Viluy had been hired by Professor Tomoe not too long ago. He needed the extra help in his lab and found the best computer genius in his school. "I wanted to see." She gave a moan of pain as she bent over.
Viluy acted fast and picked the child up and stood up. "Move!" She commanded to all of the students. Everyone quickly moved out of the way to allow Viluy a path out of the building. She ran down the front stairs and made a quick dash for her car.
Hotaru couldn't help but notice that they weren't heading back to her class. "Where're we going."
Viluy frowned as she shoved Hotaru into the back seat. "Stay quiet. You'll waste your energy. We have to get you back home." She slammed the door shut and proceeded to the drivers seat. "We'll get you feeling better in no time." She grinned as she turned on the car and stepped on the gas.
Haruka and Michiru exchanged looks of confusion with one another. Michiru being the most concerned for the child's safety. "I've never seen that woman before."
Haruka nodded. "She's always with that Kaori chick." Shrugging, she turned back toward the hall in which they had first begun traveling down. "Anyway, what's our schedule?"
Michiru flipped out a piece of paper and began reading it off. "We have three classes a day."
Haruka turned back to Michiru with a huge smile. "Really?! I think I may actually end up liking this college thing."
Michiru grinned. "But they're two hours long."
Haruka hunched over in disappointment. "Damn. Still a six hour day."
"Well, one day you only have two classes. You see, College is different than high school. You can pretty much pick which classes you have and when. I knew you wouldn't want to have classes all in one string. We have about an hour in-between all of our classes. We'll have different classes every other day. Today we have three, and tomorrow you have two while I have three."
Haruka smiled wide once again. "I think I could get used to this."
Michiru grinned even wider. "And we don't even have any classes on Fridays."
"Now I KNOW I'm going to like this!" Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's shoulders. She couldn't have loved her anymore at that moment. "So what's our first class?"
"Writing 101. It's just down this hall." She pointed down the hallway as she began leading the way.
~*~*~
Viluy drove to the Tomoe residence as fast as she could, completely ignoring the traffic signals. Getting the girl home was much more important than waiting in traffic. She looked in the rearview mirror. Hotaru had passed out. "Crap!" She pushed down on the gas pedal as hard as she could. She wasn't too far from the mansion. It wouldn't be long before help could be acquired. She decided to call Kaori for a heads up.
Viluy reached down to the passenger seat and grabbed her cell phone. She placed the phone in a position that she could dial and drive at the same time. She dialed the number to the lab and brought the phone up to her ear.
~*~*~
Kaori growled at the now ringing phone that had interrupted her research. She angrily grabbed the phone to answer it. "Hello?!" She growled even louder. She knew it wasn't Tomoe who was calling. He never called the lab specifically. It was usually one of his little assistants that he had hired just a few months back. She hated them all. She didn't know what he would ever use them for. All he would ever need was her. No matter, he would find that out himself.
"Kaori!?" Viluy yelled from the other side of the line.
Kaori narrowed her eyes into a quaint glare. It was Viluy, the youngest of the group, the one whom she despised most. "Viluy." She muttered angrily. "What is it?! Shouldn't you be doing your job? You know the professor wants you to do some scouting."
Viluy knew that Kaori didn't care for her. Kaori didn't particularly like anyone but the Professor himself. The younger a person was, the more Kaori hated them, which was why Hotaru had it so rough all the time. "Hotaru's gone into one of her spells again."
Kaori rolled her eyes with a growl of annoyance. She hated Hotaru. She was always the cause of her own weakness. "Wha'd the little twerp do this time?!"
Viluy pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. She turned off the ignition and proceeded to let herself out of the car. "I don't know. But you better do something before it's too late. She's already passed out. There should be a list of possible candidates in my computer's database. I've got to go." And with that, she disconnected with Kaori and reached into the back seat for the unconscious girl.
~*~*~
Kaori slide her wheel chair to Viluy's workstation and accessed her computer's database. Sure enough there was a list of possible 'cures' for Hotaru's weakness. "You HAVE been a busy girl, Viluy. This list will do nicely." An evil smirk crossed her face as she stood up and proceeded out the underground entrance of the lab. Behind the door was a long tunnel, which led from the home lab to the lab at the Mugen School, where Professor Tomoe could be found. He had all the equipment in the school lab for the 'cure'.
~*~*~
Viluy carried Hotaru into the very back of the Mansion into a dimly lit room that had a chair in the center of it. She carefully placed the child down and backed away. Hotaru was too weak to even sit straight in the chair. Her body lay over the edge. "Don't worry. Your cure will come quick enough."
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: Research Lab~~
Professor Tomoe was working on one of his latest assignments, which had been given to him by the lead of Capsule Corp., Bulma, when he got a call on his private phone. "You'll have to excuse me, gentlemen." He walked away from his work and went to his phone, closing the door to his office behind him. "Yes?" He answered.
"Professor?"
Tomoe knew exactly who was calling and why. She only called his private line when something went wrong at the house, which had been happening a lot lately. "Is something the matter?"
"The girl is in need of another cure. Do you have something ready?"
Tomoe glanced out the window into the lab to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Satisfied that no one was, he turned his back to the door. "Just tell me who and it's done. It should be ready by the time you get here."
"Great. It won't be long now." She laughed evilly as she turned off her cell phone. It wouldn't be long now before Hotaru was returned to normal once again, although they would have to have another encounter with 'her'.
~*~*~
Michiru and Haruka were already a half-hour into their first class. As usual, Haruka had begun falling asleep. She hadn't meant to, but the droning sound of the Professor's voice was just too much to listen to and stay awake at the same time. Michiru, on the other hand, was wide awake. In her earlier years she had hated school just as much as Haruka, but once she hit High School she really started getting into the lectures. But something felt wrong to her. Something wasn't right. She figured it was just the new feeling of excelling to the next level of education. There were new people everywhere, people who were nothing like what she had dealt with in her public education. These people were aspiring to become some of society's top businessmen and women. These people were all here of their own choice, and not being forced by adults. These people WERE adults. The atmosphere was definitely a lot different. Maybe that was why she didn't really pay attention to the strange feeling she was getting in her gut.
~*~*~
Kaori reached the lab soon after she had called the Professor. He had quietly slipped away from the main research lab and gone to the lab that had been abandoned shortly after the school had opened. It was perfect to put his own, hidden lab; one that only he had the key to. He found Kaori standing next to an odd looking machine that looked as if it would open up like an oven.
"Is it ready?" Kaori inquired.
Tomoe nodded as he walked to a huge control panel and pressed a big, blue button. "I just put the finishing touches in. This one should be in and out in no time."
Kaori smirked as she grabbed a silver box from the floor and slowly walked to the main entrance of the lab, which led into the research wing. "Great. The brat should be cured in no time."
Kaori was just about to leave the room when she was stopped by Tomoe's voice again. "And please tell her not to be so rambunctious anymore. She's causing a lot of problems. We haven't even begun our search yet. It's only a matter of time before someone will find out about our operations."
Kaori nodded, but said nothing. She turned out the door and into the research wing. No one was around to see her suspicious character roaming the corridors. "Perfect." She quickly scampered up the hall, which turned into stairs at the end, which led all the way to the top floor, which was her destination. "I hope you're ready for this." She laughed to herself, slowly making he way to the top.
~*~*~
~~Hotaru's Home~~
Hotaru moaned in pain. She didn't know what was happening to her. Something felt wrong, her body felt as if it were being taken away from her control. What was going on? "Power. I need power."
~*~*~
Kaori reached the top floor, he smirk growing even wider. "I'm coming for you!" She hollered aloud in the empty hallway. She spotted the room in which the victim would be found in. She had no time to be discrete about her job. Hotaru was in danger of dying. Her body was too weak to stay even remotely stable.
She burst into the room. The inhabitants were startled, but they had nothing to be frightened about. yet. The professor just stared very calmly at the woman. "Can I help you?"
Kaori walked to podium at the front of the class and set her box down next to her feet. "Yes, I'm looking for a student of yours." She looked up into the mass of students. She immediately spotted her target. "There you are." She bent down and pressed the tiny black button on the top of the box, releasing the monster that resided inside. The Professor tapped Kaori on the back, curious as to what the woman was doing, only to be met with a fist. "Quiet down you old windbag." She turned back down the box. Smoke seemed to be the only thing flowing out. "Hey! Get out here!"
Slowly, a slithering creature crawled out of the box. The room was suddenly filled with screaming students, who jumped from their seats and made a flying dash for the door. Kaori commanded the creature to do its job. The student they were after was having a hard time getting to the door because of all the students herding in front of her, which made Kaori's job all the more easy. "HAHAHAHA! You won't escape him! No one ever does!"
The slimy, slug-looking creature tightened what muscle it had until it was long with a pointy edge. It hurled itself into the air and spiraled straight through its victim's chest. The girl looked down at her chest in excruciating pain. Her chest was still whole, but she still felt like her soul had been ripped from her chest. Her skin was turning a pale grayish blue color as she fell face forward. No one around noticed what had just happened. They were all too busy running from the carnage.
Kaori had acted as if nothing but the ordinary was taking place. She grabbed her box and calmly walked toward the fallen girl, by now there were only a few people left in the room. She knelt down next to her creature and grabbed the Heart Crystal. She set the box in front of the creature and encouraged it to go back in so she could take it back to the lab.
Once the slimy creature was in, she closed the box back up and stood up. She softly whistled as she left the now empty room. All that was left was the teacher and a lifeless body. "Hmf! No one knows how to put up a good fight anymore." She left the room, only to be faced with the fearful faces of the students that she had terrorized. "Mention this to anyone and I'll come back for you too." The hall filled with laughter as she made her way back to the stairway.
~*~*~
Kaori moved rather quickly back to the lab. There was no telling how much the little pipsqueak had before she would really start to freak out. It had never gotten to that point before, and she didn't plan on letting it get that far ever. She may have hated the host, but it was the person inside that she was worried about.
Once in the lab, she threw the box to Tomoe, keeping the Heart Crystal in her hand. "Job's finished."
Tomoe smirked. "That was fast."
"You expected it to take longer?"
Tomoe set the creature's box back into the oven-looking machine that allowed him to program who the next victim into the creature that was inside. "Not with you on the job. But now you have to get that where it belongs."
Kaori nodded. "Yes, Professor." She walked to yet another underground passage, which let into the original passage.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School~~
Haruka opened her eyes and looked out the window. She had expected to see groups of people strolling about, but she saw an ambulance parked outside instead. She tapped Michiru on the arm and pointed outside. "Something happened."
Michiru took one look at the ambulance and gasped. She turned to Haruka with her eyes full of worry. "There wasn't an attack. I didn't feel anything."
Haruka relaxed a bit. "Yeah. Someone probably got hurt on their own. Besides, if and when something happens we'll let everyone else deal with it. We don't have to get ourselves tied into protecting the Earth like Mamoru did."
~*~*~
~~Hotaru's Home~~
Kaori burst into the room where Hotaru had been taken. She took one look at Viluy and sneered. "You don't have to stay here, you know. I've got everything under control. Besides, you should go and make sure none of those idiots back at the school say anything to the reporters."
Viluy frowned at Kaori with a growl. She hated the woman and everything she stood for. But what could she say? She was only in charge of intelligence. "Fine."
Kaori paused just before giving Hotaru the Heart Crystal. "Oh yeah. And from now on I'LL be scouting out good candidates."
Viluy jumped with surprise. "What?! The Professor put me in charge of that department!"
Kaori grinned. "Too bad. He also put me in charge of everything in general, especially the girl. These Crystal determine the future of the girl, and I want to make sure you don't try anything stupid."
Viluy glared at Kaori with hatred. "I would never."
Kaori; "Just leave. I'll make sure she gets what she needs from now on. I'll call you if I need you. You just go do your job at the school now. Make sure no one talks whenever I do MY job." Viluy turned around, cursing Kaori under her breath. Kaori turned back to Hotaru and held out the Crystal. "Here you are."
Hotaru could feel the power being generated from the Crystal without even holding it. This one was strong; stronger than the ones she had already received. "The power." Her voice was much different now; more like an adult's now. "Give it to me." She feebly reached out and grabbed the Crystal and greedily pushed it into her chest. "Yes!" She looked up to Kaori with here eyes glowing purple. "You have revived my strength. for now."
Seeing that she was no longer Hotaru, Kaori knelt down before the girl. "Yes."
Hotaru stood up. "This will only hold me over for a short while. I must have more power if I wish to open the portal. You must find the three Pure Heart Crystals."
Kaori looked up at the girl in shock. This was the first time she had even mentioned the Crystals. "We hadn't planned on searching for the Crystals until your host was older so she would enable you to be stronger."
"With the Pure Heart Crystals, strength will not be a concern to me. This body is getting weaker and weaker the longer I stay in it. We can not share it any longer. Find me the Crystals. Speak to the Professor about what I have told you. He will know what to do."
Kaori nodded as she bowed her head. "Yes. The Professor has asked me to tell you to try and control the girl a little more."
"I can as long as I have a steady amount of power. As time goes on I will lose the power you have given me, and the girl will have more control over this body then I do. Don't let that happen."
"I will put Viluy on it right away. I'll search for the three Pure Heart Crystals in the mean time."
"Go now!"
Kaori did as she was told and left the room, only to be greeted by Viluy once again. "You can have your job back. I have something more important to do. Keep your search within the school for now. There are plenty of victims."
Viluy crossed her arms with a frown. "And what are you doing?"
Kaori smirked. "Searching for the Pure Heart Crystals."
~*~*~
~~Mugen School~~
Their first class of their college career had finally ended. Michiru was enjoying herself quite well, but Haruka seemed more concerned with sleeping and watching Michiru than paying attention to the lecture. "So how long until our next class, Michiru?"
"About an hour. You wanna go to the campus coffee shop?"
Haruka grinned. "You know I'll follow you wherever you go."
Michiru blushed. "Stop. You're making me blush."
"I can make you do a lot more than blush." Haruka replied.
Michiru giggled as she led the way to the coffee shop. It had always been her dream to attend one AS an actual College student. "This'll be fun." As they were passing through the main hall she noticed that a news crew had arrived on campus. "Must have been something really bad." She noticed a group of students huddling not to far from the main doors. "Come on." She grabbed onto Haruka's arm and led her to the group of students. "Excuse me." She began.
One of the older, male students turned around to the freshman. "What is it?"
Haruka glared at the man, who looked to be in his Junior year. "What's going on?"
"Didn't you hear? Some chick died on class today."
Things settled down quite a bit after Tatsuo had been defeated. Chi-Chi still wasn't completely sure she liked the idea that her daughter was a Princess. All she had ever wanted for her 'baby' was a normal life, something her sons had never really gotten. With being a Princess would come major responsibility, but she still wanted her daughter to live a life of a child. Usagi and Goku had to calm her fears that Usagi would never be a normal child, they had tried to tell her that being a Princess meant nothing. Usagi was still and always would be plain, old Usagi. But still, knowing that her daughter's future was pre-destined was not a settling thought.
But still, the Son family trucked on just like they would any other time. Usagi acted just as normal as ever, as if her family didn't know a thing, which was just how she liked it. She didn't want her other identity to get in the way of her own life, which her mother sure appreciated.
She had taken to being more careful around strangers so as to not let anything like Tatsuo happen again. She knew that part of the problem had been her fault. If only she hadn't told him about her Saiyan heritage. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to cause so much trouble. She and her father had decided not to tell everyone she brought home about their ability to use Ki. From now on they would act just as normal as everyone else around people they weren't familiar with like Gohan had when he went to public school.
After returning to earth, Goku had gotten his tail removed just as he had planned. Chi-Chi hadn't gone as ballistic as Usagi had expected. She gave Usagi her famous "look of guilt" and gave her a small spiel about disobeying her parents to put herself in danger, but nothing as big as what Usagi had been expecting. She had half-expected World War III. For once, Goku was able to calm her down almost right away. She seemed especially proud that Usagi had given up her own power to help her father. Usagi had been able to be a big help after all.
Everything went smooth from then on. No enemy attacks were detected from the Z fighter perspective or the Senshi perspective. Life was great. The Seventh grade was a great new experience for the girls. It was a time of relaxation for these Senshi.
~*~*~
It was huge, bigger than they had ever imagined it would be. People were roaming every inch of grounds, most of them older than twenty. But they weren't too far off from that age either. They stood face to face with their first adversary as adults. The tall, 5-story building would house their intellect for the next four to six years, peeling their minds every second it could.
The taller, more butch one stared at its foe, fearing what would become of it in there. This was nothing like she had ever experienced before. This would actually be hard. A groan was murmured for her lips. "How did I let you talk me into this?"
The shorter, more feminine one latched onto the taller one's arm with a giggle. "Come on. It'll be fun. I couldn't bare to do this without you by my side."
A smirk appeared on the taller one's lips. "Of course not. You've always needed me." She took a deep breath as she set out, joining the thousands of others milling toward a common entrance. She stepped up onto the stairway, which led up to the big, glass doorway. She could see a huge fountain inside where a group of preppy girls had decided to congregate. "College, huh?" She asked her partner as she looked down.
The shorter one nodded as she looked up into her lover's eyes. "Don't back out on me now, Haruka."
The two slowly made their way up the stairway. "At least we have the same classes. This would totally suck otherwise. You owe me big time, Michiru."
Michiru lowered her face to the ground. "Well, actually."
Haruka paused and turned her eyes back to Michiru with a playful glare. "Don't tell me we don't have the same classes. Did you go and switch yours?!"
Michiru giggled as she looked back up. She could see the group of girls eagerly staring at them. She got that look a lot from people. She had learned long ago to just ignore people who didn't appreciate her ways. She looked up into Haruka's eyes with a smile. "Don't worry. We only don't have one class together. I signed up for the Orchestra and auditioned. They took me without question."
Haruka erased her glare and resumed her half-smile. "Alright then. It'll be just like High School. What do I have when you're in the orchestra class?"
Michiru smiled even wider. She knew Haruka would appreciate what she had done for her. "Nothing. You have that period off to relax. I know you used to always talk about how nice it would be to have a period to yourself, so I worked your schedule to have just that."
Haruka grinned as she pushed Michiru to continue on into the Giant College Section of the Mugen School. "But it won't be the same without you to hang out with. I'll have to hang out with all these preps." She sneered as she walked past the girls in the main hall. They all had their compacts out, trying to act as if they were fixing their make-up. But Haruka knew better than that. She knew they were being watched, but much like Haruka, she didn't care. "Too bad Mamoru isn't here with us. Then it would REALLY be like High School."
"Yeah, I know. But he said he wanted to take some time off before he went back to school. We'll still hang out all the time though. We're best buds." Michiru detached herself from Haruka's arm and looked upward at the spiraling staircase that led all the way to the fifth floor. "People from all over the world come here. This school has the best educational system."
Haruka grinned. "They got a track team?"
Michiru looked down with a nod. "How did I know? Yes, I made sure there was a good track team. Tryouts are being held at the end of the week after school."
Haruka smiled. "Alright! Maybe this school won't be so bad after all. No one can beat me."
Michiru slightly frowned at that. "Now don't you be using your extra strength to beat everyone. It has to be a fair race, otherwise you didn't actually win, alright?"
Haruka smirked. "Anything for you." She moved her face in for Michiru, but something small and short caught her eye. Her playful smirk went away as she slowly lifted her head back up. "Hey, short stuff. What are you doing here?"
Hotaru smiled, but stayed careful not to get too excited over seeing a familiar face. Lately she had been becoming weak after doing almost anything. Most of the time she was in bed, resting. She rarely ever saw Usagi and the gang anymore. Kaori never let her have visitors. The only times she saw her friends were when she snuck away, but that usually ended up in becoming weak and feeble. "Daddy was right. You guys are going to this school."
Michiru turned around to greet the little visitor. She was just as tall, or rather short, as Usagi had been when she was eight years old. Ah, the good old days when life was simple. Usagi had been such a little pipsqueak, but now that she was thirteen she was beginning to look big like the other kids, though she was still somewhat shorter than everyone else was. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in your own part of the school? Your father might not approve of you just leaving like that."
Hotaru smiled wider. "My daddy's one of the head researchers here. He doesn't care." That wasn't her only reasoning for leaving either. She knew her father wouldn't care for another reason. He seemed to have taken more of an interest in his work rather than her in the past year. And when he did pay attention to her, he didn't really notice anything that she was doing, or had done. He was acting very peculiar, but she didn't mind. yet. She figured he was just stressed out about something. "I'll be back in time for my school to start."
Haruka looked down at her watch and noted the time. "You have about ten minutes."
Hotaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! I better get going! Cya guys later!" She yelled as she turned around and quickly walked away. Before she had a chance to get too far she could already feel herself losing breath. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder to make sure Haruka and Michiru hadn't seen her fall weak. Grabbing her chest, she began to walk slower toward the main doors.
A young, female student with bright, blue hair noticed Hotaru just after setting foot out of the elevator. "Oh no." She quickly dropped her books and ran for the child. "Hotaru!" She called out.
Hotaru dropped to her knees as a pain began to form in her head. "Viluy." She whispered. She looked up, expecting to see the woman, but she could only see a group of people surrounding her, worried about what was happening to her.
Viluy pushed through the girls whom had been staring at Haruka and Michiru. She knelt down on the floor next to Hotaru. "Hotaru, are you alright? What are you doing here?"
Hotaru looked up to see the girl's face staring worriedly back at her. Viluy had been hired by Professor Tomoe not too long ago. He needed the extra help in his lab and found the best computer genius in his school. "I wanted to see." She gave a moan of pain as she bent over.
Viluy acted fast and picked the child up and stood up. "Move!" She commanded to all of the students. Everyone quickly moved out of the way to allow Viluy a path out of the building. She ran down the front stairs and made a quick dash for her car.
Hotaru couldn't help but notice that they weren't heading back to her class. "Where're we going."
Viluy frowned as she shoved Hotaru into the back seat. "Stay quiet. You'll waste your energy. We have to get you back home." She slammed the door shut and proceeded to the drivers seat. "We'll get you feeling better in no time." She grinned as she turned on the car and stepped on the gas.
Haruka and Michiru exchanged looks of confusion with one another. Michiru being the most concerned for the child's safety. "I've never seen that woman before."
Haruka nodded. "She's always with that Kaori chick." Shrugging, she turned back toward the hall in which they had first begun traveling down. "Anyway, what's our schedule?"
Michiru flipped out a piece of paper and began reading it off. "We have three classes a day."
Haruka turned back to Michiru with a huge smile. "Really?! I think I may actually end up liking this college thing."
Michiru grinned. "But they're two hours long."
Haruka hunched over in disappointment. "Damn. Still a six hour day."
"Well, one day you only have two classes. You see, College is different than high school. You can pretty much pick which classes you have and when. I knew you wouldn't want to have classes all in one string. We have about an hour in-between all of our classes. We'll have different classes every other day. Today we have three, and tomorrow you have two while I have three."
Haruka smiled wide once again. "I think I could get used to this."
Michiru grinned even wider. "And we don't even have any classes on Fridays."
"Now I KNOW I'm going to like this!" Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's shoulders. She couldn't have loved her anymore at that moment. "So what's our first class?"
"Writing 101. It's just down this hall." She pointed down the hallway as she began leading the way.
~*~*~
Viluy drove to the Tomoe residence as fast as she could, completely ignoring the traffic signals. Getting the girl home was much more important than waiting in traffic. She looked in the rearview mirror. Hotaru had passed out. "Crap!" She pushed down on the gas pedal as hard as she could. She wasn't too far from the mansion. It wouldn't be long before help could be acquired. She decided to call Kaori for a heads up.
Viluy reached down to the passenger seat and grabbed her cell phone. She placed the phone in a position that she could dial and drive at the same time. She dialed the number to the lab and brought the phone up to her ear.
~*~*~
Kaori growled at the now ringing phone that had interrupted her research. She angrily grabbed the phone to answer it. "Hello?!" She growled even louder. She knew it wasn't Tomoe who was calling. He never called the lab specifically. It was usually one of his little assistants that he had hired just a few months back. She hated them all. She didn't know what he would ever use them for. All he would ever need was her. No matter, he would find that out himself.
"Kaori!?" Viluy yelled from the other side of the line.
Kaori narrowed her eyes into a quaint glare. It was Viluy, the youngest of the group, the one whom she despised most. "Viluy." She muttered angrily. "What is it?! Shouldn't you be doing your job? You know the professor wants you to do some scouting."
Viluy knew that Kaori didn't care for her. Kaori didn't particularly like anyone but the Professor himself. The younger a person was, the more Kaori hated them, which was why Hotaru had it so rough all the time. "Hotaru's gone into one of her spells again."
Kaori rolled her eyes with a growl of annoyance. She hated Hotaru. She was always the cause of her own weakness. "Wha'd the little twerp do this time?!"
Viluy pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. She turned off the ignition and proceeded to let herself out of the car. "I don't know. But you better do something before it's too late. She's already passed out. There should be a list of possible candidates in my computer's database. I've got to go." And with that, she disconnected with Kaori and reached into the back seat for the unconscious girl.
~*~*~
Kaori slide her wheel chair to Viluy's workstation and accessed her computer's database. Sure enough there was a list of possible 'cures' for Hotaru's weakness. "You HAVE been a busy girl, Viluy. This list will do nicely." An evil smirk crossed her face as she stood up and proceeded out the underground entrance of the lab. Behind the door was a long tunnel, which led from the home lab to the lab at the Mugen School, where Professor Tomoe could be found. He had all the equipment in the school lab for the 'cure'.
~*~*~
Viluy carried Hotaru into the very back of the Mansion into a dimly lit room that had a chair in the center of it. She carefully placed the child down and backed away. Hotaru was too weak to even sit straight in the chair. Her body lay over the edge. "Don't worry. Your cure will come quick enough."
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: Research Lab~~
Professor Tomoe was working on one of his latest assignments, which had been given to him by the lead of Capsule Corp., Bulma, when he got a call on his private phone. "You'll have to excuse me, gentlemen." He walked away from his work and went to his phone, closing the door to his office behind him. "Yes?" He answered.
"Professor?"
Tomoe knew exactly who was calling and why. She only called his private line when something went wrong at the house, which had been happening a lot lately. "Is something the matter?"
"The girl is in need of another cure. Do you have something ready?"
Tomoe glanced out the window into the lab to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Satisfied that no one was, he turned his back to the door. "Just tell me who and it's done. It should be ready by the time you get here."
"Great. It won't be long now." She laughed evilly as she turned off her cell phone. It wouldn't be long now before Hotaru was returned to normal once again, although they would have to have another encounter with 'her'.
~*~*~
Michiru and Haruka were already a half-hour into their first class. As usual, Haruka had begun falling asleep. She hadn't meant to, but the droning sound of the Professor's voice was just too much to listen to and stay awake at the same time. Michiru, on the other hand, was wide awake. In her earlier years she had hated school just as much as Haruka, but once she hit High School she really started getting into the lectures. But something felt wrong to her. Something wasn't right. She figured it was just the new feeling of excelling to the next level of education. There were new people everywhere, people who were nothing like what she had dealt with in her public education. These people were aspiring to become some of society's top businessmen and women. These people were all here of their own choice, and not being forced by adults. These people WERE adults. The atmosphere was definitely a lot different. Maybe that was why she didn't really pay attention to the strange feeling she was getting in her gut.
~*~*~
Kaori reached the lab soon after she had called the Professor. He had quietly slipped away from the main research lab and gone to the lab that had been abandoned shortly after the school had opened. It was perfect to put his own, hidden lab; one that only he had the key to. He found Kaori standing next to an odd looking machine that looked as if it would open up like an oven.
"Is it ready?" Kaori inquired.
Tomoe nodded as he walked to a huge control panel and pressed a big, blue button. "I just put the finishing touches in. This one should be in and out in no time."
Kaori smirked as she grabbed a silver box from the floor and slowly walked to the main entrance of the lab, which led into the research wing. "Great. The brat should be cured in no time."
Kaori was just about to leave the room when she was stopped by Tomoe's voice again. "And please tell her not to be so rambunctious anymore. She's causing a lot of problems. We haven't even begun our search yet. It's only a matter of time before someone will find out about our operations."
Kaori nodded, but said nothing. She turned out the door and into the research wing. No one was around to see her suspicious character roaming the corridors. "Perfect." She quickly scampered up the hall, which turned into stairs at the end, which led all the way to the top floor, which was her destination. "I hope you're ready for this." She laughed to herself, slowly making he way to the top.
~*~*~
~~Hotaru's Home~~
Hotaru moaned in pain. She didn't know what was happening to her. Something felt wrong, her body felt as if it were being taken away from her control. What was going on? "Power. I need power."
~*~*~
Kaori reached the top floor, he smirk growing even wider. "I'm coming for you!" She hollered aloud in the empty hallway. She spotted the room in which the victim would be found in. She had no time to be discrete about her job. Hotaru was in danger of dying. Her body was too weak to stay even remotely stable.
She burst into the room. The inhabitants were startled, but they had nothing to be frightened about. yet. The professor just stared very calmly at the woman. "Can I help you?"
Kaori walked to podium at the front of the class and set her box down next to her feet. "Yes, I'm looking for a student of yours." She looked up into the mass of students. She immediately spotted her target. "There you are." She bent down and pressed the tiny black button on the top of the box, releasing the monster that resided inside. The Professor tapped Kaori on the back, curious as to what the woman was doing, only to be met with a fist. "Quiet down you old windbag." She turned back down the box. Smoke seemed to be the only thing flowing out. "Hey! Get out here!"
Slowly, a slithering creature crawled out of the box. The room was suddenly filled with screaming students, who jumped from their seats and made a flying dash for the door. Kaori commanded the creature to do its job. The student they were after was having a hard time getting to the door because of all the students herding in front of her, which made Kaori's job all the more easy. "HAHAHAHA! You won't escape him! No one ever does!"
The slimy, slug-looking creature tightened what muscle it had until it was long with a pointy edge. It hurled itself into the air and spiraled straight through its victim's chest. The girl looked down at her chest in excruciating pain. Her chest was still whole, but she still felt like her soul had been ripped from her chest. Her skin was turning a pale grayish blue color as she fell face forward. No one around noticed what had just happened. They were all too busy running from the carnage.
Kaori had acted as if nothing but the ordinary was taking place. She grabbed her box and calmly walked toward the fallen girl, by now there were only a few people left in the room. She knelt down next to her creature and grabbed the Heart Crystal. She set the box in front of the creature and encouraged it to go back in so she could take it back to the lab.
Once the slimy creature was in, she closed the box back up and stood up. She softly whistled as she left the now empty room. All that was left was the teacher and a lifeless body. "Hmf! No one knows how to put up a good fight anymore." She left the room, only to be faced with the fearful faces of the students that she had terrorized. "Mention this to anyone and I'll come back for you too." The hall filled with laughter as she made her way back to the stairway.
~*~*~
Kaori moved rather quickly back to the lab. There was no telling how much the little pipsqueak had before she would really start to freak out. It had never gotten to that point before, and she didn't plan on letting it get that far ever. She may have hated the host, but it was the person inside that she was worried about.
Once in the lab, she threw the box to Tomoe, keeping the Heart Crystal in her hand. "Job's finished."
Tomoe smirked. "That was fast."
"You expected it to take longer?"
Tomoe set the creature's box back into the oven-looking machine that allowed him to program who the next victim into the creature that was inside. "Not with you on the job. But now you have to get that where it belongs."
Kaori nodded. "Yes, Professor." She walked to yet another underground passage, which let into the original passage.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School~~
Haruka opened her eyes and looked out the window. She had expected to see groups of people strolling about, but she saw an ambulance parked outside instead. She tapped Michiru on the arm and pointed outside. "Something happened."
Michiru took one look at the ambulance and gasped. She turned to Haruka with her eyes full of worry. "There wasn't an attack. I didn't feel anything."
Haruka relaxed a bit. "Yeah. Someone probably got hurt on their own. Besides, if and when something happens we'll let everyone else deal with it. We don't have to get ourselves tied into protecting the Earth like Mamoru did."
~*~*~
~~Hotaru's Home~~
Kaori burst into the room where Hotaru had been taken. She took one look at Viluy and sneered. "You don't have to stay here, you know. I've got everything under control. Besides, you should go and make sure none of those idiots back at the school say anything to the reporters."
Viluy frowned at Kaori with a growl. She hated the woman and everything she stood for. But what could she say? She was only in charge of intelligence. "Fine."
Kaori paused just before giving Hotaru the Heart Crystal. "Oh yeah. And from now on I'LL be scouting out good candidates."
Viluy jumped with surprise. "What?! The Professor put me in charge of that department!"
Kaori grinned. "Too bad. He also put me in charge of everything in general, especially the girl. These Crystal determine the future of the girl, and I want to make sure you don't try anything stupid."
Viluy glared at Kaori with hatred. "I would never."
Kaori; "Just leave. I'll make sure she gets what she needs from now on. I'll call you if I need you. You just go do your job at the school now. Make sure no one talks whenever I do MY job." Viluy turned around, cursing Kaori under her breath. Kaori turned back to Hotaru and held out the Crystal. "Here you are."
Hotaru could feel the power being generated from the Crystal without even holding it. This one was strong; stronger than the ones she had already received. "The power." Her voice was much different now; more like an adult's now. "Give it to me." She feebly reached out and grabbed the Crystal and greedily pushed it into her chest. "Yes!" She looked up to Kaori with here eyes glowing purple. "You have revived my strength. for now."
Seeing that she was no longer Hotaru, Kaori knelt down before the girl. "Yes."
Hotaru stood up. "This will only hold me over for a short while. I must have more power if I wish to open the portal. You must find the three Pure Heart Crystals."
Kaori looked up at the girl in shock. This was the first time she had even mentioned the Crystals. "We hadn't planned on searching for the Crystals until your host was older so she would enable you to be stronger."
"With the Pure Heart Crystals, strength will not be a concern to me. This body is getting weaker and weaker the longer I stay in it. We can not share it any longer. Find me the Crystals. Speak to the Professor about what I have told you. He will know what to do."
Kaori nodded as she bowed her head. "Yes. The Professor has asked me to tell you to try and control the girl a little more."
"I can as long as I have a steady amount of power. As time goes on I will lose the power you have given me, and the girl will have more control over this body then I do. Don't let that happen."
"I will put Viluy on it right away. I'll search for the three Pure Heart Crystals in the mean time."
"Go now!"
Kaori did as she was told and left the room, only to be greeted by Viluy once again. "You can have your job back. I have something more important to do. Keep your search within the school for now. There are plenty of victims."
Viluy crossed her arms with a frown. "And what are you doing?"
Kaori smirked. "Searching for the Pure Heart Crystals."
~*~*~
~~Mugen School~~
Their first class of their college career had finally ended. Michiru was enjoying herself quite well, but Haruka seemed more concerned with sleeping and watching Michiru than paying attention to the lecture. "So how long until our next class, Michiru?"
"About an hour. You wanna go to the campus coffee shop?"
Haruka grinned. "You know I'll follow you wherever you go."
Michiru blushed. "Stop. You're making me blush."
"I can make you do a lot more than blush." Haruka replied.
Michiru giggled as she led the way to the coffee shop. It had always been her dream to attend one AS an actual College student. "This'll be fun." As they were passing through the main hall she noticed that a news crew had arrived on campus. "Must have been something really bad." She noticed a group of students huddling not to far from the main doors. "Come on." She grabbed onto Haruka's arm and led her to the group of students. "Excuse me." She began.
One of the older, male students turned around to the freshman. "What is it?"
Haruka glared at the man, who looked to be in his Junior year. "What's going on?"
"Didn't you hear? Some chick died on class today."