(It's out a little late. heh. I got sidetracked by an N64 Emulator. )
~*~*~*~
Michiru had been silent all the way to her home, which worried Haruka. She knew that Michiru loved the arts more than anything, yet the girl had wanted to leave only a half-hour after being at the Museum. She didn't know anything that would ever cause Michiru to want to leave her 'love', not even Haruka had been able to pull the girl away from art. She wondered if maybe Taro was the cause of all this. Michiru HAD looked pretty upset standing there in the doorway. Maybe he had tried something upstairs.
Looking over to her companion, Haruka frowned. Michiru was never this silent. The last thing she had said was the word 'sleeping', which was referring to Taro. That only made Haruka think that they boy DID try something with her girl, like maybe Michiru had to knock him out or something. And if that were the case, Haruka would have to have a little 'chat' with him. "You ok?"
Michiru didn't respond to the question. Her mind wasn't really in this world, more rather a world of her own. The more distance she put between herself and the Museum, the worse she felt. She couldn't help but feel responsible for Taro's death. She hadn't been able to save him. What kind of a Senshi would she make if she couldn't even save the people she was trying to protect? And more, What kind of Senshi would she make if she couldn't stop the enemy from getting what they needed to fulfill their evil plans? The world was doomed if she was the one who was supposed to stop everything.
She wondered why couldn't she just tell Usagi? Why was it so important that the Princess not know about this particular enemy? She and her Senshi would be great assets to the fight. Of course, if she could find what the Heart Snatchers were after before they did, then there probably wouldn't be a fight. But then again, Michiru didn't know exactly what they were after. She had heard Kaori say something about a Pure Heart Crystal, whatever that was. She wouldn't know what a Pure Heart Crystal was if her life had depended on it. Hell, she had no idea what a Heart Crystal looked like let alone a Pure Heart Crystal,. but her life wasn't the only thing on the line at this point.
Now she had the duty of protecting the Moon Princess, which had somehow just become HER Princess. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of that. Much like Haruka, she hated the thought of being under anyone's command. She had always been a bit of a loner, only hanging out with Haruka and Mamoru, and occasionally the Americans. Now she had to be a part of a bigger group, though silently. That was yet another thing that worried her. She had absolutely no help from anyone else with this. Everything depended on her, and her alone. What frightened her more was the fact that she had no one to consult with. She had to keep everything to herself, including the loss of Taro.
Haruka had been trying to get Michiru's attention for nearly five minutes. The girl just stared off into the night. Haruka knew then that there WAS something wrong. Michiru wasn't one to daydream like this. "Michiru!"
Michiru jumped in surprise, her heart beating faster at the wake-up call. She glanced all around the area, alert and ready for an attack. "What?!" She reached into her jacket pocket and grabbed for her transformation pen.
For once Haruka wasn't critical of the girl. She knew something was stressing her friend out, which concerned her more than anything. Michiru was really the only person she 'cared' about. "Hey, hey, calm down." She reached around Michiru's shoulder and pulled her close. "Something's bothering you."
Michiru released her grasp on her transformation pen, letting it fall to the bottom of her pocket. She shook her head, trying desperately to think of an explanation for her behavior. "No, no. Nothing's bothering me." She tried to yawn. "I'm just a little sleepy, that's all."
After knowing the girl for nearly her entire life, Haruka knew better than that. "Come on. I'll bet that asshole did something to you, didn't he?" She pressed her fingers into Michiru's arm as she pulled her even closer. "Did he try to make you do something you didn't want to?"
Michiru wasn't really phased by Haruka's questions, in fact, she had actually expected something like that. Haruka had a habit of jumping to conclusions like that. Michiru didn't really mind, it showed her that Haruka really did love her. "No, he didn't try anything. You don't have to worry about that."
Haruka wasn't satisfied. She knew she could trust Michiru, it was just the hormones of young men that couldn't be trusted. "Well was there a fight?"
Michiru took a deep breath. She wasn't sure she liked being asked all these questions at a time like this. She wanted to be alone to recollect her thoughts. Looking down the street, she could vaguely make out her house. "You could say that."
Haruka stopped her questioning right there. She didn't need the entire story now to understand why Michiru was upset. That idiot Taro must have said something to her, which in turn, upset her. But what could he have said, or even done? "That idiot! When I get my hands on him he's gonna wish he never wanted to see your paintings. Pausing with a thought, she looked down at Michiru's hands, which were cupped together. "Wait a minute, where's your artwork?" She stopped short in her footsteps, pulling Michiru back with her.
Michiru lowered her attention to the ground, not wanting Haruka to see the hurt in her eyes. "I guess, I left them there." She had completely forgotten about her work after what had happened, but she didn't really care anymore. Her paintings didn't seem all that important in light of becoming a Sailor Senshi.
Haruka frowned at the girl's reply. That wasn't like her at all. She had always taken pride in her work, which caused her to freak out whenever something happened to even one painting. Then it hit her. It was about the paintings. "He shot em' down, didn't he?" Michiru slightly rose her head, but said nothing. She wasn't sure if she understood. "He didn't like your paintings. That bastard caused an argument, and you lost your temper and knocked him out, didn't you?"
Michiru sighed. She wished it had been that simple. "Uh, yeah." She hated lying to Haruka, but it seemed like it would be the only way that she could stop the questions from coming in. Not wanting to continue this conversation any further, Michiru pulled away from Haruka's grasp and started walking toward her house once again. "I want to be alone for a while." And with that, she left Haruka standing on the curb, alone.
Haruka didn't try to pursue her friend, now that she knew what was bothering her. She knew Michiru would probably be ok by morning after she had a night to think.
Turning her view into the sky, Michiru stopped after checking to make sure Haruka was no longer in sight. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. How was she supposed to fight these enemies single handedly, unless there were others that were going to be awakened soon, but until then, she was on her own as Sailor Neptune.
~*~*~
~~The Next day: Friday~~
The next day was quite chaotic at the college. The news of Taro's death had spread throughout the school like a brushfire. That had been the third death in three days. All three 'victims' all seemed to have died in the same manner. To the untrained eye it looked to be a completely natural death. Doctors were stumped on the causes, but all signs were pointing to complete body failure with every organ stopping at once. No virus had been detected anywhere in the body, but doctors had only been researching for three days, going on their fourth. All three bodies were found with their skin clammy and green.
Michiru was the only person who knew that this was no epidemic. It was in fact the doing of the Heart Snatchers. As long as she was able to defeat the monsters BEFORE their female master took off with the Heart Crystal she would be fine. But if she got a chance to take off with it like the night before, the Crystal would never be recovered.
~*~*~
~~10th Street Middle School~~
While the students at Mugen School were stressing over the new 'virus', things at the Middle School were going a lot smoother. They were going smoother until fourth period, that is, for the girls' fourth period class happened to be their most dreaded. The four anticipated the worst as they finished up their ten-minute break from the last class.
Minako was the first of the five to notice their new math teacher walk through the door. "Don't look now guys, but a freak just walked through the door."
The other four popped their heads up to see Mr. Koch walked to the front desk with an armful of books. This was his second day as their teacher, and luckily he had been relatively calm the day before. But the three who had had him as a teacher in the past knew that wouldn't last for long. He had been the same way on their first day of the first grade, but as soon as that second day hit he turned into a nightmare.
Usagi placed her hands flat out on the desk and leaned on her arms. She knew this was going to be bad. This was probably the most important year in her education and HE was going to be coaching her through math, her most troubled subject. "The bug has infiltrated the room."
Ami looked at Usagi, and then at the teacher. She didn't really see anything wrong with him, yet. She knew how badly he treated his students in the past, but he had acted quite professional in class the day before. "He didn't seem that bad yesterday. Maybe he's changed his attitude in a classroom atmosphere."
Makoto rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Oh yeah, and my dad isn't a complete asshole."
Mr. Koch slammed his books on his desk and glared up at Makoto. "There will be no swearing in my classroom, Ms. Kino." He ignored the scowl that he received from the teen and went on to start his class. "Sit down, everyone!" The classroom quickly quieted down, leaving only the sound of the students' shoes beating against the floor as they scurried to their seats.
He walked around the front of his desk, holding a piece of paper. Mr. Koch looked around the room, which was completely silent now that his students had all taken their seats. "We have some business to take care of before we can go any further into this year. As you all know, you're going to have to take the entrance exam at the end of the year to determine what High School you will attend. It will probably be the hardest thing you will ever have to do as a student." He looked down at Usagi, who sat behind Ami. "You have to understand that these tests are extremely hard, and most of you won't get into your first choice school. In fact, most of you won't even get into your second choice."
Usagi squirmed in her chair, wanting desperately to completely go off on the man. She didn't appreciate the way he seemed to be singling her out with his eyes. The only thing that kept her from saying something to him was the little conversation she and her parents had had about the exams the other night. She knew her chances of getting into a good school with her friends would be drastically lowered if she had a bad reputation. And so yet another aspect of her training was added in preparation for the exams. She would have to learn to hold her tongue.
Mr. Koch sat down on an empty space on his desk. "As one of your Eighth grade teachers I am supposed to prepare you for the exam. Most teachers don't start prepping their students until after December some time. But I'm going to start you out today so you don't have as much homework to cram in at the end of the year."
Usagi smiled wide, and before she knew what she was about to do, she acted impulsively. "Now that's the first cool thing I've ever heard you say." Her eyes widening, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Feeling the eyes of her classmates, she slouched down into her chair in embarrassment.
Mr. Koch jumped off his desk and walked to the Saiyan's desk. He put his hand on the surface and glared down into the girl's eyes. "Excuse me, young lady, did you have something you wanted to share about the entrance exams?"
Usagi's cheeks turned red as she struggled to bring her eyes up to meet with her teacher's. She knew for sure she was going to get it from him this time, not that she didn't deserve it. "No?"
Mr. Koch growled softly as he narrowed his glare at the girl. He would have expected her to act a little more professional now that she was in eighth, especially with the entrance exams coming up so soon. "All right." He turned around and began walking to his desk. "Since you feel the need to have little outbursts in class, we'll take you out and put you into a different, and hopefully more comforting environment. I would hate to leave you in class if you're uncomfortable."
Usagi cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"
Mr. Koch walked behind his desk and pulled out to metal buckets. He slammed them on his desk with a grin. This was the first time he would actually be able to punish Usagi for her behavior, well, other than slapping her across the face that is. "We'll see if we can't change that attitude yet."
Usagi gulped as she looked up at Ami, who was looking back at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew what was coming up next. She had seen this same thing happen to other students in her seventh grade year. She would pass by students who acted out in class, who had been sent out in the hall to hold buckets full of water for the remainder of the period.
His grin still very apparent, Mr. Koch placed the two buckets on the student's desk. "Fill these up with water in the nearest bathroom and then stand on the other side of the hall in front of the door so I can see you."
Usagi groaned as she pushed herself out of her desk. She never thought of herself as one of those people out in the hallway with the buckets. She reluctantly looked up at Mr. Koch. She noticed nothing other than a twinkle of sick pleasure in his eyes. For once his actions were actually justified, and there was nothing she could do about it. He was finally getting back at her for all the grief she had caused him.
She reached out and grabbed both buckets by their wire handle. She could hear all the little snickers from her classmates, which brought her even further back into the mindset of the earlier days, back to a time when her classmates talked and whispered about her nonstop. With her tail violently waving behind her legs, Usagi complied with her punishment and practically ran out the door to escape the embarrassment.
Mr. Koch laughed beneath his breath at the girl. He may have waited a long time for his revenge, but it was still sweet. "Right, now that that's over, let's continue."
~*~*~
Usagi grumbled all the way down to the bathroom. She couldn't believe this. She knew she deserved what she got, but did the man really have to show that he was enjoying dishing out the punishment? He could have had some respect; after all, he knew how hard of a time she had earning the respect of her classmates. Was he purposely TRYING to make her look bad?
She threw her first bucket under a faucet once she arrived at the bathroom and turned it on. "Who does he think he is; making me look bad in front of everyone!? What kind of a teacher is he anyway?" Once the first bucket was full, she pulled it out, making sure no water spilled out. She then went on to putting the second bucket under the faucet. "He's not supposed to be happy when he punishes one of us! He's supposed to be disappointed in us!"
She pulled out the second bucket when it was finished and turned off the faucet. She picked up one bucket in each hand and laughed. "What was he thinking anyway? This isn't even gonna hurt me." Laughing even louder, she pushed the door open with her back and made her way back to her class. "What an idiot." It didn't take her too long to get back to class since she practically ran. Holding buckets full of water was nothing. Her father had trained her with buckets of water to build up her strength when she was first starting out, and once she got a hang of just walking around with them, she had to run with them, making sure no water spilled out.
She stood on the other side of the hall in front of the door, just like Mr. Koch had told her to. Her initial shock of getting this particular punishment was gone, and now all that was left to fell was spite. She noticed Mr. Koch looking at her from inside the room. She stuck out her tongue with a grin as she lifted up the buckets as if they were nothing. She wouldn't let him think he got the best of her. 'Idiot.'
Mr. Koch frowned at the teen. She always had to find a way to best him. 'You keep acting like that, Usagi. It'll come back to you one of these days.'
~*~*~
~~One Hour Later~~
Usagi stood out in the hall for the remainder of the period. She knew Mr. Koch was testing her strength, as well as her mind. She could read him. He was trying to make her crack under the pressure of the punishment and completely go off, and if she were back in his first grade class she probably would have, but now that she was older she knew better.
When the Lunch Bell rang, Usagi walked to the side of the hall in which her class was on and waited for the room to fill out. All the students stared at her on their way out, causing Usagi to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Listening to their snickers, she couldn't help but sneer back at them. The bulk of them passed her by, with Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako at the end of the line. "I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria."
Getting nods of agreement from the four of girls, Usagi made her way inside the classroom and set the buckets down in the doorway. Mr. Koch looked up from his desk at the clanking noise that was created. "Empty them in the sink." He directed her to the sink on the other side of the room.
Usagi frowned at his reaction as she picked up the buckets once again. As she was passing by his desk, she stopped and glared down at him. Breathing heavily and angrily, Mr. Koch calmly stood up, making sure that he glared back down at the girl. "Didn't I tell you to empty those buckets out?"
Usagi dropped the buckets onto the floor, causing some of the water to splash out onto her feet. Without saying a word, she took her attention away from the idiotic teacher and looked down at her now wet feet. "Would you look at that." She said carelessly.
Mr. Koch walked out from behind his desk and grabbed the girl by her shoulder. "Now you look here! I KNOW we've had plenty of discussions about respect!"
Usagi innocently looked back up into her teacher's eyes. She wanted so desperately to deck him, but since she couldn't, she would do the next best thing. "You're right." Mr. Koch had himself all prepared for sass from his student, and had therefore prepared himself to react in kind. Her reply had completely thrown him off track, which put him into a state of silence. "I shouldn't have disobeyed you."
Mr. Koch looked suspiciously down at the child. She was up to something. He couldn't have tamed her wild attitude THAT easily. Just moments ago she was glaring at him like he was the devil, and now she was falling under his authority. No, this wasn't the Son Usagi he knew. "Excuse me?"
"You were right all along. I shouldn't be so disrespectful. And furthermore, I shouldn't have added my little outburst today. I'm sorry and I won't do it again." She bent down to pick up the water-filled buckets, but was stopped by Mr. Koch pulling her back up by her shoulder. "Yes?" She asked innocently.
"Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I don't like it. Either you start behaving or you go to the office." Mr. Koch watched her carefully, making sure she didn't try to pull anything stupid.
Usagi frowned. "Wha'do you take me for, a fool? I'm not going to pull anything and get myself in trouble just before the exams! I'm truly sorry for what I did. It was wrong of me. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to empty out these buckets like you told me to." She reached down for the buckets once again, this time with no interference. Slowly lifting the buckets up, she quickly spun around to face the opposite direction of her teacher. Grinning wide, she carelessly flipped the buckets backward, causing the water to fly out. "Uh-oh!" Hearing two separate splashes beat against the ground, she spun back to face Mr. Koch, who was now drenched. "Oh my Gosh! I'm sorry!" Trying to conceal her grin, she dropped the buckets back on the ground and started patting the man's jacket to make it appear as if she were trying to dry him off. "You know, sometimes I just don't know my own strength anymore. How could I possibly be so clumsy?"
Mr. Koch growled as he pushed away the Saiyan. "GET OUT!"
Usagi stopped herself from laughing. "Hey, I said I was sorry. That was truly an accident, man."
Mr. Koch grabbed the child by her arm and pulled her to the door. "I said, 'GET OUT'!" He pushed her out of the room and slammed the door shut.
Usagi allowed her laughter to fill the hall. "Sometimes I just crack myself up!" She staggered down the hall, barely able to hold her composure up. "Man, that was priceless!" She grabbed her side, which was beginning to ache from laughter pains. That was better than yelling at the man, heck, that was worth getting the punishment. She absolutely couldn't wait to tell the girls about this. They would freak when they heard.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: Two Hours Later~~
Mamoru was waiting for Haruka and Michiru when their second class got out at two in the afternoon. He had pretty much decided on hanging out with Haruka while Michiru was in her Orchestra class. The truth was that he was bored stiff without them. He had no one to hang out with while they were in College. Although he wanted to live a little before going to College, he wasn't too fond of doing it on his own. He missed hanging out with them during the day.
Haruka came out of the classroom with a scowl planted on her face, while Michiru came out laughing. Mamoru saw this and lit right up. "Hey guys."
Haruka ignored Mamoru and went straight for the main hall, leaving Michiru behind as well. "Come on, Haruka, it wasn't that bad." Michiru giggled. "I thought it was kinda cute."
Haruka scowled even harder as she put her hands in her pockets. "I don't do cute."
Mamoru smirked. Cute wasn't a usual word someone would use in reference to the blonde. "Someone wanna tell me what's going on?"
Pouting, Haruka turned around. "That damn class Michiru signed us up for, it's run by the devil Himself, or more the point, Herself!"
Michiru latched onto her companion's arm with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with learning how to act."
"What the hell kind of class is that anyway?" Haruka sneered.
Mamoru crossed his arms with interest. Now they were getting somewhere. Haruka was CUTE in an acting class. This HAD to be good. "So anyone care to explain."
Michiru nodded as she turned up to her male friend. "Haruka had to act out the part of a woman in her monologue, which means she had to get all dolled up to fit the roll."
Haruka gagged. "God it was horrible."
Mamoru pouted as he crossed his arms. "Aw man! And I missed it? Damn!"
Haruka rolled her eyes. She should have expected something like that outta him. "Trust me, it wasn't pretty."
Mamoru smirked. "I bet not."
Haruka growled. "Hey!" She pulled her arm away from Michiru. She wanted to change the subject, and fast. "I have to be at Track Tryouts in a few minutes."
Mamoru decided to let the subject slip just this once. He wasn't really in any mood to argue with Haruka anyway. "Alright! You're goin out for the team?"
Michiru frowned. "No cheating, remember?"
Haruka grinned. "I don't need to cheat to make the team. I'm good without using any extra power." She motioned for the two to follow her. "Come on, you can cheer me on before you have to go to class, Michiru."
Michiru nodded as she reached for Haruka's hand, who didn't refuse the contact. "Sounds like fun."
~*~*~
~~10th Street Middle School~~
School was dismissed for the day at precisely two in the afternoon, which caused the crowd of wild students to fill the halls as they would every other day of the week. However, Friday's were particularly chaotic since it marked the last day of a school week to be followed by two days of freedom.
As always, Usagi and the gang were part of the first group out to welcome the weekend. Unfortunately, Eighth Grade teachers were ruthless about homework, and decided that students should have a Seven-day week.
Stepping outside, Usagi ran out ahead of the group. "I gotta go home and get all this homework done."
Ami smiled at her friend. "I'm so proud of you, Usagi. I've never seen you so quick to do your homework."
Usagi grinned. "Well, my mom drives a hard bargain. This was the only way I could get her to extend my curfew."
Minako giggled. "I'm surprised you even got her to agree to those terms."
Usagi laughed back. "Yeah, I know. But what'cha gonna do?" She waved back to them. "Later!" Giving herself a running start, she jumped into the air and started on her way home.
Minako sighed as she too started out ahead of the group. "Too bad I had to open my big mouth again. I told my mom about Usagi's deal with her mom, you know, just to tell her how cool Chi-Chi's been acting lately and thought it was a good idea! So now I have to get my homework done before I do anything."
Makoto; "Bummer."
Minako. "Totally. So, I gotta go too. I'll try to get this stuff done before too late so we can go the arcade or something."
Makoto grabbed a hold of the straps on her bag that lay upon her shoulders. "I don't know. I was thinking about getting some training done. I'm kind of in the mood for a spar."
Ami looked sideways to Makoto. "This thing with your dad is taking more of an effect on you than you thought, isn't it?"
Makoto sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
Ami nodded. "Yes."
Rei tugged on Makoto's shoulders. "Speaking of your dad, we have to go to your house so you can pack in time to see them off tonight."
Makoto groaned. "That's right. I almost forgot." She looked down at Ami. "Wanna come?"
Ami shrugged. "Sure, why not? I can finish this homework pretty quick."
Minako hated the fact that she couldn't go with her friends to Makoto's. Maybe this would teach her not to open her big mouth all the time. "I'll catch you guys later then."
Rei; "To Makoto's!"
Ami nodded. "Right!"
Makoto rolled her eyes. "Yippee." She sarcastically added.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: RaceTrack~~
Mamoru and Michiru eagerly awaited Haruka's arrival on the track in the stands. There were many other students gathered there as well, but most of them were students in the range of High School and younger. Most of the students who attended the school for the College were either preparing to tryout, or were in class.
"Yo." Mamoru looked down to Michiru as he poked her in the arm. "Wanna go get us some sodas or somethin? It's so damn hot out here." He looked up into the sky while shading his eyes with his hand. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky to prevent the sun from beating down into the metal stands.
Michiru rolled her eyes with a chuckled. "Alright, alright."
Mamoru smiled. "Great." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two one's and handed it to the girl. "Here's two bucks. That should be enough for each of us."
Michiru grabbed the money from her friend and began making her way for the edge of the stands. The closest soda machine was in the locker room, so that's where she started heading. She hadn't gotten too far from the stands when she heard a scream from inside the locker rooms. "Uh-oh!" Forgetting about the sodas, she hightailed it into the building.
~*~*~
Kaori had struck again, this time with a new creature. Her victim was the School's Track Star for the female division on the College level team. The student had been pinned up against the wall by the Heart Snatcher, who had been made to look like a mutant human.
"You have something I want!" Kaori yelled. "Now take her Pure Heart Crystal!"
Her creature responded by shoving its hand into the girl's chest. It quickly retracted its arm, pulling out a Heart Crystal with it. Kaori's eyes lit up as she went to retrieve her prize, hoping that it would be what she was looking for. "Give it here!" She didn't even pay attention to the girl, who had just fallen lifelessly to the ground. The only thing she had her eye on was the Heart Crystal her Creature had stolen.
Kaori reached out for it, but her path was suddenly blocked by a blue ball of energy that had come out of no where. "What?!" She looked up in the direction where the Ki ball had come from, expecting to see the same bratty girl she had dealt with the night before, but instead she saw another girl. This one was dressed in one STRANGE outfit. "Who the hell are you?" She asked the girl, who was looking down at her from the steps that led upstairs into the racetrack area.
"The one who's going to defeat you! Sailor Neptune!" Neptune didn't waste anytime wiping the smirk off of Kaori's face. She wanted to show the woman that she was dead serious about this.
"GET HER!" Kaori pushed her creature forward to attack, but there was one problem. She had forgotten to retrieve the Heart Crystal. "Crap! Get back here!" Her creature didn't respond. It continued its pursuit of the Sailor Senshi.
Sailor Neptune had the advantage this time. She was on the high ground and it didn't look like this new creature was very agile. 'These idiots don't plan for anything.' Raising her hands up in the air, she prepared for her attack. "Deep Submerge!" A large, blue ball of her planetary energy was formed, only to be thrown down at her foe shortly after.
Kaori jumped back with a gasp. She hadn't expected this girl to be able to attack like that. "The Heart Crystal! It's going to be destroyed!"
Neptune's eyes went wide at hearing that. "What!?" She squinted down at the Heart Snatcher, which appeared to be holding a glimmering item. "Crap!" Having no time to think, she acted on impulse. She flew straight for the creature in a flash. She swiped the Heart Crystal out of its hands and used its shoulders to push herself away from danger.
Kaori grabbed her cheeks in fear. "Oh no!" Not wanting to face the fighter, she turned around and fled the scene.
Michiru was too busy with the Heart Crystal to chase after Kaori. She wasn't sure how long she had to save the victim before she would be gone for good. But first she had to determine one thing, was it or was it not a Pure Heart Crystal? She brought it up to be level with her eyes so she could examine it closely, but it was tough to know if this was one or not considering she had no idea what exactly she was looking for. "Well is it or isn't it?" She asked herself.
"You will Know a Pure Heart Crystal when you see one. You will be able to feel it, as well as see its brightness."
Michiru gasped as she looked up and around. "It's you! Who are you!? Where are you!?"
"You will know when the time comes. For now, just return the Heart Crystal to its owner."
Michiru complied with the wishes of the mystery woman as she knelt down next to the body of the fallen victim. "I hope this works." She whispered. She held out the Crystal with care. The closer the Crystal came to the body, the more it started pulling away from her grip. "Whoa." She gently let go of the Crystal, ready to catch it if it were to fall. Luckily, it hadn't fallen away from her grip. It slowly started to fall back into its body as if a certain force were guiding it in. "Weird." As soon as the Crystal had re-entered the body, the girl's skin color started turning back to normal. "I did it." She whispered. "I really did it."
~*~*~
Kaori practically ran all the way back to the old run down lab where the Professor was waiting for her. She couldn't believe she was going to be returning without any type of Crystal. "Well she's done it, she's really done it! Now we're going to make a defense system for the Heart Snatchers!"
~*~*~*~
Michiru had been silent all the way to her home, which worried Haruka. She knew that Michiru loved the arts more than anything, yet the girl had wanted to leave only a half-hour after being at the Museum. She didn't know anything that would ever cause Michiru to want to leave her 'love', not even Haruka had been able to pull the girl away from art. She wondered if maybe Taro was the cause of all this. Michiru HAD looked pretty upset standing there in the doorway. Maybe he had tried something upstairs.
Looking over to her companion, Haruka frowned. Michiru was never this silent. The last thing she had said was the word 'sleeping', which was referring to Taro. That only made Haruka think that they boy DID try something with her girl, like maybe Michiru had to knock him out or something. And if that were the case, Haruka would have to have a little 'chat' with him. "You ok?"
Michiru didn't respond to the question. Her mind wasn't really in this world, more rather a world of her own. The more distance she put between herself and the Museum, the worse she felt. She couldn't help but feel responsible for Taro's death. She hadn't been able to save him. What kind of a Senshi would she make if she couldn't even save the people she was trying to protect? And more, What kind of Senshi would she make if she couldn't stop the enemy from getting what they needed to fulfill their evil plans? The world was doomed if she was the one who was supposed to stop everything.
She wondered why couldn't she just tell Usagi? Why was it so important that the Princess not know about this particular enemy? She and her Senshi would be great assets to the fight. Of course, if she could find what the Heart Snatchers were after before they did, then there probably wouldn't be a fight. But then again, Michiru didn't know exactly what they were after. She had heard Kaori say something about a Pure Heart Crystal, whatever that was. She wouldn't know what a Pure Heart Crystal was if her life had depended on it. Hell, she had no idea what a Heart Crystal looked like let alone a Pure Heart Crystal,. but her life wasn't the only thing on the line at this point.
Now she had the duty of protecting the Moon Princess, which had somehow just become HER Princess. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of that. Much like Haruka, she hated the thought of being under anyone's command. She had always been a bit of a loner, only hanging out with Haruka and Mamoru, and occasionally the Americans. Now she had to be a part of a bigger group, though silently. That was yet another thing that worried her. She had absolutely no help from anyone else with this. Everything depended on her, and her alone. What frightened her more was the fact that she had no one to consult with. She had to keep everything to herself, including the loss of Taro.
Haruka had been trying to get Michiru's attention for nearly five minutes. The girl just stared off into the night. Haruka knew then that there WAS something wrong. Michiru wasn't one to daydream like this. "Michiru!"
Michiru jumped in surprise, her heart beating faster at the wake-up call. She glanced all around the area, alert and ready for an attack. "What?!" She reached into her jacket pocket and grabbed for her transformation pen.
For once Haruka wasn't critical of the girl. She knew something was stressing her friend out, which concerned her more than anything. Michiru was really the only person she 'cared' about. "Hey, hey, calm down." She reached around Michiru's shoulder and pulled her close. "Something's bothering you."
Michiru released her grasp on her transformation pen, letting it fall to the bottom of her pocket. She shook her head, trying desperately to think of an explanation for her behavior. "No, no. Nothing's bothering me." She tried to yawn. "I'm just a little sleepy, that's all."
After knowing the girl for nearly her entire life, Haruka knew better than that. "Come on. I'll bet that asshole did something to you, didn't he?" She pressed her fingers into Michiru's arm as she pulled her even closer. "Did he try to make you do something you didn't want to?"
Michiru wasn't really phased by Haruka's questions, in fact, she had actually expected something like that. Haruka had a habit of jumping to conclusions like that. Michiru didn't really mind, it showed her that Haruka really did love her. "No, he didn't try anything. You don't have to worry about that."
Haruka wasn't satisfied. She knew she could trust Michiru, it was just the hormones of young men that couldn't be trusted. "Well was there a fight?"
Michiru took a deep breath. She wasn't sure she liked being asked all these questions at a time like this. She wanted to be alone to recollect her thoughts. Looking down the street, she could vaguely make out her house. "You could say that."
Haruka stopped her questioning right there. She didn't need the entire story now to understand why Michiru was upset. That idiot Taro must have said something to her, which in turn, upset her. But what could he have said, or even done? "That idiot! When I get my hands on him he's gonna wish he never wanted to see your paintings. Pausing with a thought, she looked down at Michiru's hands, which were cupped together. "Wait a minute, where's your artwork?" She stopped short in her footsteps, pulling Michiru back with her.
Michiru lowered her attention to the ground, not wanting Haruka to see the hurt in her eyes. "I guess, I left them there." She had completely forgotten about her work after what had happened, but she didn't really care anymore. Her paintings didn't seem all that important in light of becoming a Sailor Senshi.
Haruka frowned at the girl's reply. That wasn't like her at all. She had always taken pride in her work, which caused her to freak out whenever something happened to even one painting. Then it hit her. It was about the paintings. "He shot em' down, didn't he?" Michiru slightly rose her head, but said nothing. She wasn't sure if she understood. "He didn't like your paintings. That bastard caused an argument, and you lost your temper and knocked him out, didn't you?"
Michiru sighed. She wished it had been that simple. "Uh, yeah." She hated lying to Haruka, but it seemed like it would be the only way that she could stop the questions from coming in. Not wanting to continue this conversation any further, Michiru pulled away from Haruka's grasp and started walking toward her house once again. "I want to be alone for a while." And with that, she left Haruka standing on the curb, alone.
Haruka didn't try to pursue her friend, now that she knew what was bothering her. She knew Michiru would probably be ok by morning after she had a night to think.
Turning her view into the sky, Michiru stopped after checking to make sure Haruka was no longer in sight. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. How was she supposed to fight these enemies single handedly, unless there were others that were going to be awakened soon, but until then, she was on her own as Sailor Neptune.
~*~*~
~~The Next day: Friday~~
The next day was quite chaotic at the college. The news of Taro's death had spread throughout the school like a brushfire. That had been the third death in three days. All three 'victims' all seemed to have died in the same manner. To the untrained eye it looked to be a completely natural death. Doctors were stumped on the causes, but all signs were pointing to complete body failure with every organ stopping at once. No virus had been detected anywhere in the body, but doctors had only been researching for three days, going on their fourth. All three bodies were found with their skin clammy and green.
Michiru was the only person who knew that this was no epidemic. It was in fact the doing of the Heart Snatchers. As long as she was able to defeat the monsters BEFORE their female master took off with the Heart Crystal she would be fine. But if she got a chance to take off with it like the night before, the Crystal would never be recovered.
~*~*~
~~10th Street Middle School~~
While the students at Mugen School were stressing over the new 'virus', things at the Middle School were going a lot smoother. They were going smoother until fourth period, that is, for the girls' fourth period class happened to be their most dreaded. The four anticipated the worst as they finished up their ten-minute break from the last class.
Minako was the first of the five to notice their new math teacher walk through the door. "Don't look now guys, but a freak just walked through the door."
The other four popped their heads up to see Mr. Koch walked to the front desk with an armful of books. This was his second day as their teacher, and luckily he had been relatively calm the day before. But the three who had had him as a teacher in the past knew that wouldn't last for long. He had been the same way on their first day of the first grade, but as soon as that second day hit he turned into a nightmare.
Usagi placed her hands flat out on the desk and leaned on her arms. She knew this was going to be bad. This was probably the most important year in her education and HE was going to be coaching her through math, her most troubled subject. "The bug has infiltrated the room."
Ami looked at Usagi, and then at the teacher. She didn't really see anything wrong with him, yet. She knew how badly he treated his students in the past, but he had acted quite professional in class the day before. "He didn't seem that bad yesterday. Maybe he's changed his attitude in a classroom atmosphere."
Makoto rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Oh yeah, and my dad isn't a complete asshole."
Mr. Koch slammed his books on his desk and glared up at Makoto. "There will be no swearing in my classroom, Ms. Kino." He ignored the scowl that he received from the teen and went on to start his class. "Sit down, everyone!" The classroom quickly quieted down, leaving only the sound of the students' shoes beating against the floor as they scurried to their seats.
He walked around the front of his desk, holding a piece of paper. Mr. Koch looked around the room, which was completely silent now that his students had all taken their seats. "We have some business to take care of before we can go any further into this year. As you all know, you're going to have to take the entrance exam at the end of the year to determine what High School you will attend. It will probably be the hardest thing you will ever have to do as a student." He looked down at Usagi, who sat behind Ami. "You have to understand that these tests are extremely hard, and most of you won't get into your first choice school. In fact, most of you won't even get into your second choice."
Usagi squirmed in her chair, wanting desperately to completely go off on the man. She didn't appreciate the way he seemed to be singling her out with his eyes. The only thing that kept her from saying something to him was the little conversation she and her parents had had about the exams the other night. She knew her chances of getting into a good school with her friends would be drastically lowered if she had a bad reputation. And so yet another aspect of her training was added in preparation for the exams. She would have to learn to hold her tongue.
Mr. Koch sat down on an empty space on his desk. "As one of your Eighth grade teachers I am supposed to prepare you for the exam. Most teachers don't start prepping their students until after December some time. But I'm going to start you out today so you don't have as much homework to cram in at the end of the year."
Usagi smiled wide, and before she knew what she was about to do, she acted impulsively. "Now that's the first cool thing I've ever heard you say." Her eyes widening, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Feeling the eyes of her classmates, she slouched down into her chair in embarrassment.
Mr. Koch jumped off his desk and walked to the Saiyan's desk. He put his hand on the surface and glared down into the girl's eyes. "Excuse me, young lady, did you have something you wanted to share about the entrance exams?"
Usagi's cheeks turned red as she struggled to bring her eyes up to meet with her teacher's. She knew for sure she was going to get it from him this time, not that she didn't deserve it. "No?"
Mr. Koch growled softly as he narrowed his glare at the girl. He would have expected her to act a little more professional now that she was in eighth, especially with the entrance exams coming up so soon. "All right." He turned around and began walking to his desk. "Since you feel the need to have little outbursts in class, we'll take you out and put you into a different, and hopefully more comforting environment. I would hate to leave you in class if you're uncomfortable."
Usagi cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"
Mr. Koch walked behind his desk and pulled out to metal buckets. He slammed them on his desk with a grin. This was the first time he would actually be able to punish Usagi for her behavior, well, other than slapping her across the face that is. "We'll see if we can't change that attitude yet."
Usagi gulped as she looked up at Ami, who was looking back at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew what was coming up next. She had seen this same thing happen to other students in her seventh grade year. She would pass by students who acted out in class, who had been sent out in the hall to hold buckets full of water for the remainder of the period.
His grin still very apparent, Mr. Koch placed the two buckets on the student's desk. "Fill these up with water in the nearest bathroom and then stand on the other side of the hall in front of the door so I can see you."
Usagi groaned as she pushed herself out of her desk. She never thought of herself as one of those people out in the hallway with the buckets. She reluctantly looked up at Mr. Koch. She noticed nothing other than a twinkle of sick pleasure in his eyes. For once his actions were actually justified, and there was nothing she could do about it. He was finally getting back at her for all the grief she had caused him.
She reached out and grabbed both buckets by their wire handle. She could hear all the little snickers from her classmates, which brought her even further back into the mindset of the earlier days, back to a time when her classmates talked and whispered about her nonstop. With her tail violently waving behind her legs, Usagi complied with her punishment and practically ran out the door to escape the embarrassment.
Mr. Koch laughed beneath his breath at the girl. He may have waited a long time for his revenge, but it was still sweet. "Right, now that that's over, let's continue."
~*~*~
Usagi grumbled all the way down to the bathroom. She couldn't believe this. She knew she deserved what she got, but did the man really have to show that he was enjoying dishing out the punishment? He could have had some respect; after all, he knew how hard of a time she had earning the respect of her classmates. Was he purposely TRYING to make her look bad?
She threw her first bucket under a faucet once she arrived at the bathroom and turned it on. "Who does he think he is; making me look bad in front of everyone!? What kind of a teacher is he anyway?" Once the first bucket was full, she pulled it out, making sure no water spilled out. She then went on to putting the second bucket under the faucet. "He's not supposed to be happy when he punishes one of us! He's supposed to be disappointed in us!"
She pulled out the second bucket when it was finished and turned off the faucet. She picked up one bucket in each hand and laughed. "What was he thinking anyway? This isn't even gonna hurt me." Laughing even louder, she pushed the door open with her back and made her way back to her class. "What an idiot." It didn't take her too long to get back to class since she practically ran. Holding buckets full of water was nothing. Her father had trained her with buckets of water to build up her strength when she was first starting out, and once she got a hang of just walking around with them, she had to run with them, making sure no water spilled out.
She stood on the other side of the hall in front of the door, just like Mr. Koch had told her to. Her initial shock of getting this particular punishment was gone, and now all that was left to fell was spite. She noticed Mr. Koch looking at her from inside the room. She stuck out her tongue with a grin as she lifted up the buckets as if they were nothing. She wouldn't let him think he got the best of her. 'Idiot.'
Mr. Koch frowned at the teen. She always had to find a way to best him. 'You keep acting like that, Usagi. It'll come back to you one of these days.'
~*~*~
~~One Hour Later~~
Usagi stood out in the hall for the remainder of the period. She knew Mr. Koch was testing her strength, as well as her mind. She could read him. He was trying to make her crack under the pressure of the punishment and completely go off, and if she were back in his first grade class she probably would have, but now that she was older she knew better.
When the Lunch Bell rang, Usagi walked to the side of the hall in which her class was on and waited for the room to fill out. All the students stared at her on their way out, causing Usagi to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Listening to their snickers, she couldn't help but sneer back at them. The bulk of them passed her by, with Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako at the end of the line. "I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria."
Getting nods of agreement from the four of girls, Usagi made her way inside the classroom and set the buckets down in the doorway. Mr. Koch looked up from his desk at the clanking noise that was created. "Empty them in the sink." He directed her to the sink on the other side of the room.
Usagi frowned at his reaction as she picked up the buckets once again. As she was passing by his desk, she stopped and glared down at him. Breathing heavily and angrily, Mr. Koch calmly stood up, making sure that he glared back down at the girl. "Didn't I tell you to empty those buckets out?"
Usagi dropped the buckets onto the floor, causing some of the water to splash out onto her feet. Without saying a word, she took her attention away from the idiotic teacher and looked down at her now wet feet. "Would you look at that." She said carelessly.
Mr. Koch walked out from behind his desk and grabbed the girl by her shoulder. "Now you look here! I KNOW we've had plenty of discussions about respect!"
Usagi innocently looked back up into her teacher's eyes. She wanted so desperately to deck him, but since she couldn't, she would do the next best thing. "You're right." Mr. Koch had himself all prepared for sass from his student, and had therefore prepared himself to react in kind. Her reply had completely thrown him off track, which put him into a state of silence. "I shouldn't have disobeyed you."
Mr. Koch looked suspiciously down at the child. She was up to something. He couldn't have tamed her wild attitude THAT easily. Just moments ago she was glaring at him like he was the devil, and now she was falling under his authority. No, this wasn't the Son Usagi he knew. "Excuse me?"
"You were right all along. I shouldn't be so disrespectful. And furthermore, I shouldn't have added my little outburst today. I'm sorry and I won't do it again." She bent down to pick up the water-filled buckets, but was stopped by Mr. Koch pulling her back up by her shoulder. "Yes?" She asked innocently.
"Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I don't like it. Either you start behaving or you go to the office." Mr. Koch watched her carefully, making sure she didn't try to pull anything stupid.
Usagi frowned. "Wha'do you take me for, a fool? I'm not going to pull anything and get myself in trouble just before the exams! I'm truly sorry for what I did. It was wrong of me. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to empty out these buckets like you told me to." She reached down for the buckets once again, this time with no interference. Slowly lifting the buckets up, she quickly spun around to face the opposite direction of her teacher. Grinning wide, she carelessly flipped the buckets backward, causing the water to fly out. "Uh-oh!" Hearing two separate splashes beat against the ground, she spun back to face Mr. Koch, who was now drenched. "Oh my Gosh! I'm sorry!" Trying to conceal her grin, she dropped the buckets back on the ground and started patting the man's jacket to make it appear as if she were trying to dry him off. "You know, sometimes I just don't know my own strength anymore. How could I possibly be so clumsy?"
Mr. Koch growled as he pushed away the Saiyan. "GET OUT!"
Usagi stopped herself from laughing. "Hey, I said I was sorry. That was truly an accident, man."
Mr. Koch grabbed the child by her arm and pulled her to the door. "I said, 'GET OUT'!" He pushed her out of the room and slammed the door shut.
Usagi allowed her laughter to fill the hall. "Sometimes I just crack myself up!" She staggered down the hall, barely able to hold her composure up. "Man, that was priceless!" She grabbed her side, which was beginning to ache from laughter pains. That was better than yelling at the man, heck, that was worth getting the punishment. She absolutely couldn't wait to tell the girls about this. They would freak when they heard.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: Two Hours Later~~
Mamoru was waiting for Haruka and Michiru when their second class got out at two in the afternoon. He had pretty much decided on hanging out with Haruka while Michiru was in her Orchestra class. The truth was that he was bored stiff without them. He had no one to hang out with while they were in College. Although he wanted to live a little before going to College, he wasn't too fond of doing it on his own. He missed hanging out with them during the day.
Haruka came out of the classroom with a scowl planted on her face, while Michiru came out laughing. Mamoru saw this and lit right up. "Hey guys."
Haruka ignored Mamoru and went straight for the main hall, leaving Michiru behind as well. "Come on, Haruka, it wasn't that bad." Michiru giggled. "I thought it was kinda cute."
Haruka scowled even harder as she put her hands in her pockets. "I don't do cute."
Mamoru smirked. Cute wasn't a usual word someone would use in reference to the blonde. "Someone wanna tell me what's going on?"
Pouting, Haruka turned around. "That damn class Michiru signed us up for, it's run by the devil Himself, or more the point, Herself!"
Michiru latched onto her companion's arm with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with learning how to act."
"What the hell kind of class is that anyway?" Haruka sneered.
Mamoru crossed his arms with interest. Now they were getting somewhere. Haruka was CUTE in an acting class. This HAD to be good. "So anyone care to explain."
Michiru nodded as she turned up to her male friend. "Haruka had to act out the part of a woman in her monologue, which means she had to get all dolled up to fit the roll."
Haruka gagged. "God it was horrible."
Mamoru pouted as he crossed his arms. "Aw man! And I missed it? Damn!"
Haruka rolled her eyes. She should have expected something like that outta him. "Trust me, it wasn't pretty."
Mamoru smirked. "I bet not."
Haruka growled. "Hey!" She pulled her arm away from Michiru. She wanted to change the subject, and fast. "I have to be at Track Tryouts in a few minutes."
Mamoru decided to let the subject slip just this once. He wasn't really in any mood to argue with Haruka anyway. "Alright! You're goin out for the team?"
Michiru frowned. "No cheating, remember?"
Haruka grinned. "I don't need to cheat to make the team. I'm good without using any extra power." She motioned for the two to follow her. "Come on, you can cheer me on before you have to go to class, Michiru."
Michiru nodded as she reached for Haruka's hand, who didn't refuse the contact. "Sounds like fun."
~*~*~
~~10th Street Middle School~~
School was dismissed for the day at precisely two in the afternoon, which caused the crowd of wild students to fill the halls as they would every other day of the week. However, Friday's were particularly chaotic since it marked the last day of a school week to be followed by two days of freedom.
As always, Usagi and the gang were part of the first group out to welcome the weekend. Unfortunately, Eighth Grade teachers were ruthless about homework, and decided that students should have a Seven-day week.
Stepping outside, Usagi ran out ahead of the group. "I gotta go home and get all this homework done."
Ami smiled at her friend. "I'm so proud of you, Usagi. I've never seen you so quick to do your homework."
Usagi grinned. "Well, my mom drives a hard bargain. This was the only way I could get her to extend my curfew."
Minako giggled. "I'm surprised you even got her to agree to those terms."
Usagi laughed back. "Yeah, I know. But what'cha gonna do?" She waved back to them. "Later!" Giving herself a running start, she jumped into the air and started on her way home.
Minako sighed as she too started out ahead of the group. "Too bad I had to open my big mouth again. I told my mom about Usagi's deal with her mom, you know, just to tell her how cool Chi-Chi's been acting lately and thought it was a good idea! So now I have to get my homework done before I do anything."
Makoto; "Bummer."
Minako. "Totally. So, I gotta go too. I'll try to get this stuff done before too late so we can go the arcade or something."
Makoto grabbed a hold of the straps on her bag that lay upon her shoulders. "I don't know. I was thinking about getting some training done. I'm kind of in the mood for a spar."
Ami looked sideways to Makoto. "This thing with your dad is taking more of an effect on you than you thought, isn't it?"
Makoto sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
Ami nodded. "Yes."
Rei tugged on Makoto's shoulders. "Speaking of your dad, we have to go to your house so you can pack in time to see them off tonight."
Makoto groaned. "That's right. I almost forgot." She looked down at Ami. "Wanna come?"
Ami shrugged. "Sure, why not? I can finish this homework pretty quick."
Minako hated the fact that she couldn't go with her friends to Makoto's. Maybe this would teach her not to open her big mouth all the time. "I'll catch you guys later then."
Rei; "To Makoto's!"
Ami nodded. "Right!"
Makoto rolled her eyes. "Yippee." She sarcastically added.
~*~*~
~~Mugen School: RaceTrack~~
Mamoru and Michiru eagerly awaited Haruka's arrival on the track in the stands. There were many other students gathered there as well, but most of them were students in the range of High School and younger. Most of the students who attended the school for the College were either preparing to tryout, or were in class.
"Yo." Mamoru looked down to Michiru as he poked her in the arm. "Wanna go get us some sodas or somethin? It's so damn hot out here." He looked up into the sky while shading his eyes with his hand. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky to prevent the sun from beating down into the metal stands.
Michiru rolled her eyes with a chuckled. "Alright, alright."
Mamoru smiled. "Great." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two one's and handed it to the girl. "Here's two bucks. That should be enough for each of us."
Michiru grabbed the money from her friend and began making her way for the edge of the stands. The closest soda machine was in the locker room, so that's where she started heading. She hadn't gotten too far from the stands when she heard a scream from inside the locker rooms. "Uh-oh!" Forgetting about the sodas, she hightailed it into the building.
~*~*~
Kaori had struck again, this time with a new creature. Her victim was the School's Track Star for the female division on the College level team. The student had been pinned up against the wall by the Heart Snatcher, who had been made to look like a mutant human.
"You have something I want!" Kaori yelled. "Now take her Pure Heart Crystal!"
Her creature responded by shoving its hand into the girl's chest. It quickly retracted its arm, pulling out a Heart Crystal with it. Kaori's eyes lit up as she went to retrieve her prize, hoping that it would be what she was looking for. "Give it here!" She didn't even pay attention to the girl, who had just fallen lifelessly to the ground. The only thing she had her eye on was the Heart Crystal her Creature had stolen.
Kaori reached out for it, but her path was suddenly blocked by a blue ball of energy that had come out of no where. "What?!" She looked up in the direction where the Ki ball had come from, expecting to see the same bratty girl she had dealt with the night before, but instead she saw another girl. This one was dressed in one STRANGE outfit. "Who the hell are you?" She asked the girl, who was looking down at her from the steps that led upstairs into the racetrack area.
"The one who's going to defeat you! Sailor Neptune!" Neptune didn't waste anytime wiping the smirk off of Kaori's face. She wanted to show the woman that she was dead serious about this.
"GET HER!" Kaori pushed her creature forward to attack, but there was one problem. She had forgotten to retrieve the Heart Crystal. "Crap! Get back here!" Her creature didn't respond. It continued its pursuit of the Sailor Senshi.
Sailor Neptune had the advantage this time. She was on the high ground and it didn't look like this new creature was very agile. 'These idiots don't plan for anything.' Raising her hands up in the air, she prepared for her attack. "Deep Submerge!" A large, blue ball of her planetary energy was formed, only to be thrown down at her foe shortly after.
Kaori jumped back with a gasp. She hadn't expected this girl to be able to attack like that. "The Heart Crystal! It's going to be destroyed!"
Neptune's eyes went wide at hearing that. "What!?" She squinted down at the Heart Snatcher, which appeared to be holding a glimmering item. "Crap!" Having no time to think, she acted on impulse. She flew straight for the creature in a flash. She swiped the Heart Crystal out of its hands and used its shoulders to push herself away from danger.
Kaori grabbed her cheeks in fear. "Oh no!" Not wanting to face the fighter, she turned around and fled the scene.
Michiru was too busy with the Heart Crystal to chase after Kaori. She wasn't sure how long she had to save the victim before she would be gone for good. But first she had to determine one thing, was it or was it not a Pure Heart Crystal? She brought it up to be level with her eyes so she could examine it closely, but it was tough to know if this was one or not considering she had no idea what exactly she was looking for. "Well is it or isn't it?" She asked herself.
"You will Know a Pure Heart Crystal when you see one. You will be able to feel it, as well as see its brightness."
Michiru gasped as she looked up and around. "It's you! Who are you!? Where are you!?"
"You will know when the time comes. For now, just return the Heart Crystal to its owner."
Michiru complied with the wishes of the mystery woman as she knelt down next to the body of the fallen victim. "I hope this works." She whispered. She held out the Crystal with care. The closer the Crystal came to the body, the more it started pulling away from her grip. "Whoa." She gently let go of the Crystal, ready to catch it if it were to fall. Luckily, it hadn't fallen away from her grip. It slowly started to fall back into its body as if a certain force were guiding it in. "Weird." As soon as the Crystal had re-entered the body, the girl's skin color started turning back to normal. "I did it." She whispered. "I really did it."
~*~*~
Kaori practically ran all the way back to the old run down lab where the Professor was waiting for her. She couldn't believe she was going to be returning without any type of Crystal. "Well she's done it, she's really done it! Now we're going to make a defense system for the Heart Snatchers!"