"I am sorry, my lord." Nishi, general of the west, bowed to the man seated
on a dais in front of him. "I did not expect them to show up."
"There is no excuse for your failure." The voice that rolled over him was deep and filled with a suppressed anger. The man, who sat in shadow, raised a gloved hand, palm up. "Give me the crystal."
"Yes, my lord." Nishi took a smoky grey crystal from a pocket and held it up. It floated out of his hands and into the waiting one of his master. A grayish mist spiraled from the gem, disappearing into the shadows.
"I will give you another chance, Nishi, only because you have always served me faithfully. But if you continue to fail, you will go back into the abyss. Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly, my lord."
"Good. I want that Silver Crystal, Nishi."
"And I will get it for you.
***
"You really don't have to do this for us, Usagi," Jirian said, helping the girl set out a platter of rice balls.
"Really, it's no trouble at all," she said, smiling brightly at the two Americans. "We've been planning this party since we heard you guys were coming. We can't cancel now!"
"It's so nice of you. Really, Usagi," Peiti spoke up, folding napkins into cranes. "I still think it's too much, though."
"Don't be silly!" Minako giggled, bouncing out of the kitchen with a bowl of veggies in her hands. "It's our pleasure! There's nothing better than a party!"
"You just like the food," Usagi said.
"Look who's talking! Mako-chan had to kick you out of the kitchen to keep you from eating the cake!" Usagi glared, her cheeks reddening.
"Oh, stop, you two," Rei said, flipping back her long purple hair. "Let's try not to fight. And Usagi, don't eat all the food before the guests arrive."
"Who's coming?" Jirian asked curiously. All the Japanese girls suddenly looked sly.
"Oh.no one in particular," Minako said.
"Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru." Rei trailed off, grinning.
"Who else?" Peiti said, suddenly very wary.
"Just the three Lights.and their European Cousin."
"WHAT?!!!!" Peiti and Jirian cried together, falling face down on the ground.
"YOU INVITED THEM?!" Jirian yelled.
"WHY?!" There were collective giggles.
"Because we thought this would be a good opportunity for you to get to know each other," Mako-chan said, peeking out of the kitchen. "You girls should be glad they're giving you some attention. Right, Usagi?" The blond turned very red and was suddenly interested in the place settings.
"Seiya has a big crush on Usagi," Minako giggled to the Americans.
"He does not!"
"Shut up, Usagi. You know he does. He wouldn't ask you out all the time if he didn't." Usagi stuck her tongue out at her friend before huffing into the kitchen.
"You see, Usagi did have a boyfriend named Mamoru," Rei explained softly, glancing towards the kitchen door. "But he left for America last year and fell in love with some other American girl at Harvard. Dumped her flat."
"That's horrible!" Jirian gasped, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers.
"Personally, I like Seiya better. He's good to Usagi and takes really good care of her," Minako said, fixing her red bow.
"But she still kind of has feelings for Mamoru so she never accepts any of his offers for a date," Rei went on with a little nod.
"Now I feel bad for her," Peiti said. "I can't believe she would even let us in her home! After all, we're American too."
"Nah. She knows it wasn't either of YOU that stole Mamoru," Mako-chan said with a little wave of her hand. "Now let's put our minds back on the party."
"Peiti and I are just going to finish getting ready," Jirian said, dragging her friend up the stairs.
"I can't believe someone would do that to Usagi. I mean, she can be kind of immature, but she's so sweet and kind." Peiti shook her dark head.
"I think we should help Seiya get together with her."
"What? Jirian-"
"Oh, come on! We'll have the others help us out! They want them together as much as we do!"
"I really don't think-"
"Oh quit it! It'll be fun!" She opened the door to their room and was instantly attacked by a flying monkey-mouse. "ARG!" She fell backwards onto her butt, her pet clinging to the back of her neck. "PUCK!!"
"She's trying to eat me again!!!" the small creature yelped, digging his little claws into her flesh, causing her to let out another yelp.
"ELARA!!" Jirian bellowed. "Stop trying to kill my pet!!"
"He started it!"
"Peiti, go kill your fox while I detach this thing from my skin!" Jirian began trying to pry Puck's claws from her neck.
"Only if you promise to tan her hide into a nice hat for me," Peiti said as she glared at her pet. Elara slunk away to hide under Peiti's bed. "Stay there. Jirian, maybe we should put Puck in his cage and Elara in her carrier."
"Sounds good to me."
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!"
"We promise we'll be good!" Peiti raised an eyebrow.
"You had better." She pulled off the navy blue T-shirt she was wearing and put on a forest green blouse, exchanging her faded blue jeans for a black skirt. Jirian changed as well, into a silver blouse and a pair of black slacks.
"You ready to go?" Peiti nodded.
"First let me redo my braid." Jirian nodded and wove a pale blue ribbon into her light blonde hair. Peiti smiled as she tied her hair off with a black ribbon.
"You know, your shirt matches Yaten's hair."
"Yours matches Sesshou's," Jirian replied. Peiti blushed.
"I guess it does." She cleared her throat. "Shall we go then?" Jirian nodded, grinning. The girls proceeded downstairs.
Everyone except the Lights and Sesshou had arrived by now and they greeted the two girls with big smiles and cheery hello's. By some strange coincidence, Haruka's outfit was almost exactly like Jirian's and likewise for Peiti and Mako-chan. There were a few comments on this and much laughter.
"What have we missed?" A man with long black hair tied in a ponytail walked in, accompanied by Yaten, Sesshou, and another man with light brown hair. Big smiles lit up on the Japanese girls' faces.
"Hey, guys! You're late!" Rei-chan said, waving them in.
"Not too late I hope," Yaten said, sneaking a glance at Jirian. Luckily, the woman was too busy buttoning her cuff to notice.
"Peiti, Jirian, this is Seiya and Taiki. I believe you already know the other two?" Usagi said with a sly look. Both Americans flushed and mumbled hellos.
"Nice to meet you," Seiya, the one with the black hair, said, smiling at them. "Sesshou and Yaten haven't been able to shut up about the two of you so I'm glad to finally speak to you in person." Now Yaten and Sesshou blushed, looking everywhere but at the two girls.
Let's hold off the embarrassments, shall we?" Haruka said lightly, giving Seiya a little glare. Even though she knew he was a good scout, she still didn't trust him much.
I say we eat," Minako voted, raising a hand. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving and this food will get cold if we don't eat it soon!"
Everyone agreed with this decision and the girls brought out the rest of the food. Peiti and Jirian both blushed when they realized their shirts did indeed match the boys' hair colors.
"So you girls are from Vermont?" Peiti nodded in answer to Taiki's question.
"Yeah, Burlington. Our parents moved into our homes there when they were married and we've lived there ever since."
"Really? So why did you come to Japan?"
"We thought it would be fun to do a foreign exchange program and, knowing our obsession with this country, our parents suggested Japan." Jirian smiled. "Our friends couldn't get us to shut up for love or money."
"Manga's and animes worked though!" Everyone laughed.
"So, what do you two like to do for fun?" Seiya asked. The two shrugged.
"Well, Peiti likes karate and ice skating and I like fencing and writing."
"Ah, more intellectual pursuits I see." Both girls flushed. "In any case, we're glad you two came." Usagi gave Seiya a little glare while the others agreed with her.
They continued eating for a while then decided to move on to games. Several suggestions came up, but spin the bottle won out.
"Tell me again why we're playing this game?" Peiti said as she sat between Usagi and Makoto. Jirian shrugged from her place between Usagi and Haruka.
"Who wants the first spin?" Rei asked, glancing slyly at Seiya. He rolled his blue eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it." There were some hoots from his relatives as he spun the glass bottle. It spun crazily for a few moments before stopping at Usagi. "Well, well, look at that!"
"No way!" Usagi cried, flushing.
"It's part of the rules, Usagi," Minako said with a wicked smile. "Sorry, but you have to kiss him."
Grumbling, Usagi stood and went over to Seiya. She leaned down and gave his cheek a quick peck. "That's all you're getting out of me," she huffed, going back to her place.
"I'll just hope for more next time," Seiya said, passing the bottle to Yaten. Usagi turned a shade of purple not before seen.
"There are so many pretty ladies here, I really can't hope for just one," Yaten said as he spun the glass bottle. All the girls, save Haruka and Jirian burst into giggles. Jirian blushed and Haruka narrowed her eyes a bit. The bottle began to slow until it finally stopped.pointing to Haruka. She yawned and gave the bottle a little knock so it faced Jirian.
"You can't do that!" the American cried, blushing more.
"Sorry, but my kisses are for one person alone and it's not him," Haruka said with an amused smirk. "Looks like you're the runner up."
"You know the rules," Mako-chan reminded her, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"This is so cheap," she said, standing. "Fine, I'll play by the rules." She went over to Yaten and yanked him up, giving him a quick kiss before pushing him back down in his seat. "There." Yaten was the reddest anyone had ever seen him. This time, EVERYONE laughed.
"Your turn, Sesshou," the silver-haired man muttered, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Sesshou just smiled at his cousin and spun. Everyone watched the bottle's slowing with interest.
It landed on Usagi.
"Nope, only one kiss per player and you know it!" He shrugged and spun again. It landed on Peiti this time. She flushed. "The bottle is rather one sided, don't you think?" Everyone laughed.
"Go on, Peiti," Makoto urged. The brunette flushed, then went over to Sesshou and gave him a light kiss. She sat down, beet red. Sesshou just smiled.
"Well, we're out of guys, so lets let Haruka go, then we can play a different game." They chuckled as Haruka spun the bottle. Sure enough, it landed on Michiru. They shared a quick, but loving, kiss then broke.
"How about charades? We can divide up on three teams," Ami suggested. Everyone agreed and divided up. Ami, Hotaru, Haruka, Jirian, and Makoto were on one team and Minako, Michiru, Peiti, Rei, and Seiya were on another. Which left, Setsuna, Usagi, Sesshou, Taiki, and Yaten on the third.
"This will certainly be interesting." Peiti smiled at Jirian.
Ami went first on their team. She held up one finger, then tapped three on her arm. Makoto translated.
"One word, three syllables." Ami nodded, then tapped one finger on her arm, then two. "First two syllables." She made a falling motion with her hands, wiggling her fingers.
"Snow?" Hotaru offered. Ami shook her head and waved her hands to erase the motion. Then she made a drinking motion.
"Sake?" Haruka asked. Ami glared and shook her head.
"OH! Water!" Ami nodded at Hotaru. Then she tapped her arm with three fingers. Third syllable. She made a kind of throwing down motion.
"Throw?" Head shake. Ami changed to a motion where her hand went over her other hand and dropped. "Fall?" She nodded. "Waterfall!" Jirian cried. Everyone applauded her.
"Good job," Yaten complimented. She blushed.
***
"Thanks for having the party, Usagi. It was fun." Usagi just smiled.
"I enjoyed doing if for you two. I like to see all my friends have a good time."
"It was a LOT of fun," Jirian said, grinning at the Japanese woman.
"Now, you know what I think we should do?"
"What?"
"Go eat all those yummy leftovers!" The girls laughed, racing for the kitchen.
***
Nishi caught the glowing crystal as it floated to him. He offered a low bow to the man sitting before him. "I will not fail this time, my lord."
"You had better not, Nishi. You already have one strike against you. It would be a pity to have to send you back to the abyss." The man paled a little.
"I won't let those two scouts interfere this time."
"Just remember not to destroy the one with the silver crystal, whenever she chooses to show up. You are to bring her to me."
"Yes, my lord. It will be done."
~~~
"I noticed you were oogling that American girl tonight, Sesshou," Taiki said in a sly voice as he unlocked the apartment door. The man flushed, quickly ducking his head.
"I was not oogling. I just find her interesting, that's all."
"I'll bet."
"Shut up, Yaten. You had YOUR tongue hanging out too," Seiya laughed, pushing him into the apartment.
"Yeah, well at least the girl I like knows I exist," the silver-haired man shot back, green eyes narrowed. Seiya's cheeks reddened a little.
"Usagi knows I exist!"
"From what I've seen." Sesshou trailed off, eyes dancing slightly. Seiya reddened more.
"It's not my fault she still has feelings for that jerk Mamoru! I'll have a date with her yet. You just wait!" The other three laughed.
"How about I make a bet with you," Yaten offered. "I bet you I can get a date with that American before you get a date with Usagi."
"Oooh, I want in on this!" Sesshou piped up. "What are the stakes?"
"If you get a date first, Sesshou and I will do all of your housework for a whole month so you can concentrate on song writing."
"And if I loose?"
"WE get to head the tour next month and WE get to pick the songs. Do we have a deal?" Yaten extended his hand. Seiya studied the two men for a long moment before taking the offered appendage.
"I hope you boys have your aprons ready."
The other two snorted in response.
~~~
"So what are you going to do today, Jiru?" The blonde shrugged.
"I don't know. Are you going to go skating again?" she asked slyly. Her friend blushed.
"Actually, I'm going to the dojo."
"Right." Peiti clobbered Jirian with her book bag. "HEY!"
"Knock it off!"
Both of them continued walking and as they turned a corner, they saw a youma burying people in sand hills. Its skin was a scaly yellow-brown.
"Another one?" Peiti and Jirian rolled their eyes.
"Callisto Lunar Power! MAKE UP!"
"Oberon Lunar Power! MAKE UP!" Suddenly, two scouts were standing there.
"I cannot allow you to ruin these people's day at the beach by creating a sand storm! Guardian the realm of the planet Jupiter, keeping watch beautifully from one of its moons, I am Sailor Callisto!"
"Guarding the realm of the planet Uranus, keeping watch beautifully from one of its moons, I am Sailor Oberon!"
"And in the names of our moons, we'll punish you!" The youma growled and threw sand clouds at them. Both dodged out of the way just in time.
"Callisto Rainbow Beam Spray!" The colorful shards of light arrowed in to cut up the youma, causing it to growl in pain and throw more sand at them. The two girls cried out, throwing their arms up in front of their faces.
Then, suddenly, the sand stopped and the youma let out a howl, flying back a few feet. Oberon and Callisto lowered their arms, looking around.
"Surrounded by the dark denseness of night, Sailor Star Fighter. STAGE ON!"
"The secret maternal movement away from death? Sailor Star Healer. STAGE ON!"
"The angel of freedom who runs freely, Sailor Star Maker. STAGE ON!"
"The movement and the death of stars are immanent. Sailor Star Destroyer. STAGE ON!"
Four women stood there, all rather scantily clad. All of them, with the exception of one, had very long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The fourth had much shorter hair.
"Watch your backs!" the one with the grey hair cried. Callisto and Oberon whirled in time to see the youma almost atop them.
"Star Serious Laser!" A beam of energy shot out, knocking the monster back again. "Finish it, Star Destroyer."
"Star Shaking Beam!" Yet another beam, this one of pure light, struck the monster, blowing a hole right through it. The monster let out a scream and crumpled to the ground. As the six people watched, the monster became a young woman. A silvery crystal lay on the ground beside her hand.
"What on earth.?" Oberon started towards it.
Suddenly a young man with blonde hair and amber eyes appeared out of no where, and called the crystal to his hand. "Meddling scouts. Why couldn't you have stayed away from the Silver Crystal!" Fighter's head shot up.
"So that's what you're after!" He cursed. "You know, if you let it slip like that, you're pretty dumb."
"Shut up! I'll take care of you!" A cyclone of wind and dust flew at the scouts.
"Callisto Thunder and Lightning Call!" The lightning split the cyclone, destroying it. "Sure you'll take care of us." Sailor Callisto smirked as the man growled.
"I'll get you soon enough!" He disappeared. Oberon turned to the other four scouts.
"Thanks for helping us out." They nodded.
"No trouble." The one with the silver hair winked, flashing them a peace sign before the four disappeared in a flash of light. Oberon and Callisto exchanged glances.
"So there are other scouts," Oberon said, a little surprised.
"Didn't Puck mention that fact once?"
"Like I ever listen to him." Oberon knelt by the woman, checking her pulse. "She's alright. She'll have a major stomach-ache when she wakes up though."
"Better than being a monster."
"True."
"Did that man look familiar to you, Oberon? He seemed.familiar somehow." The blonde scout shook her head.
"No, not really. We had better get back to the house though, and tell those two stupid animals about this." Callisto nodded and they started home, transforming back on the way.
***
Nishi knelt on one knee in front of the shadowed dais, holding out the crystal. "Forgive me, my lord, but I have failed once more." There was an anger-filled silence for about three beats.
"I see." The crystal floated into the shadows. "I am very disappointed in you, Nishi. I expected more from a high-ranking general such as yourself. Was it those two scouts again?"
"No, my lord, but four others. The ones called the Starlights."
"I see." The man tapped his fingers against the arm of his enormous chair.
"There is more, my lord?"
"More? More failure?"
"I.I let slip the mission." In a heartbeat, he was up and out of his chair. He backhanded Nishi across the face, sending him flying.
"You fool! I should send you back to the nine hells!" he roared, his voice echoing in the black room. Nishi staggered to his feet.
"Please, my lord, it was not intentional. Please, I-" Another backhand shut him up.
"Do not think you're going to escape punishment, Nishi." The general fell to his knees, clutching his hand in pain. He watched in horror as the flesh fell from the bone in front of his eyes, leaving a skeletal hand in its place. "You have been warned, Nishi. If you let any more slip or if you fail me again, you will go back to the darkness." The man cowering before him paled.
"I will not fail again, my lord, I promise. I will get that crystal for you."
"You had better, Nishi. You had better."
"There is no excuse for your failure." The voice that rolled over him was deep and filled with a suppressed anger. The man, who sat in shadow, raised a gloved hand, palm up. "Give me the crystal."
"Yes, my lord." Nishi took a smoky grey crystal from a pocket and held it up. It floated out of his hands and into the waiting one of his master. A grayish mist spiraled from the gem, disappearing into the shadows.
"I will give you another chance, Nishi, only because you have always served me faithfully. But if you continue to fail, you will go back into the abyss. Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly, my lord."
"Good. I want that Silver Crystal, Nishi."
"And I will get it for you.
***
"You really don't have to do this for us, Usagi," Jirian said, helping the girl set out a platter of rice balls.
"Really, it's no trouble at all," she said, smiling brightly at the two Americans. "We've been planning this party since we heard you guys were coming. We can't cancel now!"
"It's so nice of you. Really, Usagi," Peiti spoke up, folding napkins into cranes. "I still think it's too much, though."
"Don't be silly!" Minako giggled, bouncing out of the kitchen with a bowl of veggies in her hands. "It's our pleasure! There's nothing better than a party!"
"You just like the food," Usagi said.
"Look who's talking! Mako-chan had to kick you out of the kitchen to keep you from eating the cake!" Usagi glared, her cheeks reddening.
"Oh, stop, you two," Rei said, flipping back her long purple hair. "Let's try not to fight. And Usagi, don't eat all the food before the guests arrive."
"Who's coming?" Jirian asked curiously. All the Japanese girls suddenly looked sly.
"Oh.no one in particular," Minako said.
"Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru." Rei trailed off, grinning.
"Who else?" Peiti said, suddenly very wary.
"Just the three Lights.and their European Cousin."
"WHAT?!!!!" Peiti and Jirian cried together, falling face down on the ground.
"YOU INVITED THEM?!" Jirian yelled.
"WHY?!" There were collective giggles.
"Because we thought this would be a good opportunity for you to get to know each other," Mako-chan said, peeking out of the kitchen. "You girls should be glad they're giving you some attention. Right, Usagi?" The blond turned very red and was suddenly interested in the place settings.
"Seiya has a big crush on Usagi," Minako giggled to the Americans.
"He does not!"
"Shut up, Usagi. You know he does. He wouldn't ask you out all the time if he didn't." Usagi stuck her tongue out at her friend before huffing into the kitchen.
"You see, Usagi did have a boyfriend named Mamoru," Rei explained softly, glancing towards the kitchen door. "But he left for America last year and fell in love with some other American girl at Harvard. Dumped her flat."
"That's horrible!" Jirian gasped, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers.
"Personally, I like Seiya better. He's good to Usagi and takes really good care of her," Minako said, fixing her red bow.
"But she still kind of has feelings for Mamoru so she never accepts any of his offers for a date," Rei went on with a little nod.
"Now I feel bad for her," Peiti said. "I can't believe she would even let us in her home! After all, we're American too."
"Nah. She knows it wasn't either of YOU that stole Mamoru," Mako-chan said with a little wave of her hand. "Now let's put our minds back on the party."
"Peiti and I are just going to finish getting ready," Jirian said, dragging her friend up the stairs.
"I can't believe someone would do that to Usagi. I mean, she can be kind of immature, but she's so sweet and kind." Peiti shook her dark head.
"I think we should help Seiya get together with her."
"What? Jirian-"
"Oh, come on! We'll have the others help us out! They want them together as much as we do!"
"I really don't think-"
"Oh quit it! It'll be fun!" She opened the door to their room and was instantly attacked by a flying monkey-mouse. "ARG!" She fell backwards onto her butt, her pet clinging to the back of her neck. "PUCK!!"
"She's trying to eat me again!!!" the small creature yelped, digging his little claws into her flesh, causing her to let out another yelp.
"ELARA!!" Jirian bellowed. "Stop trying to kill my pet!!"
"He started it!"
"Peiti, go kill your fox while I detach this thing from my skin!" Jirian began trying to pry Puck's claws from her neck.
"Only if you promise to tan her hide into a nice hat for me," Peiti said as she glared at her pet. Elara slunk away to hide under Peiti's bed. "Stay there. Jirian, maybe we should put Puck in his cage and Elara in her carrier."
"Sounds good to me."
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!"
"We promise we'll be good!" Peiti raised an eyebrow.
"You had better." She pulled off the navy blue T-shirt she was wearing and put on a forest green blouse, exchanging her faded blue jeans for a black skirt. Jirian changed as well, into a silver blouse and a pair of black slacks.
"You ready to go?" Peiti nodded.
"First let me redo my braid." Jirian nodded and wove a pale blue ribbon into her light blonde hair. Peiti smiled as she tied her hair off with a black ribbon.
"You know, your shirt matches Yaten's hair."
"Yours matches Sesshou's," Jirian replied. Peiti blushed.
"I guess it does." She cleared her throat. "Shall we go then?" Jirian nodded, grinning. The girls proceeded downstairs.
Everyone except the Lights and Sesshou had arrived by now and they greeted the two girls with big smiles and cheery hello's. By some strange coincidence, Haruka's outfit was almost exactly like Jirian's and likewise for Peiti and Mako-chan. There were a few comments on this and much laughter.
"What have we missed?" A man with long black hair tied in a ponytail walked in, accompanied by Yaten, Sesshou, and another man with light brown hair. Big smiles lit up on the Japanese girls' faces.
"Hey, guys! You're late!" Rei-chan said, waving them in.
"Not too late I hope," Yaten said, sneaking a glance at Jirian. Luckily, the woman was too busy buttoning her cuff to notice.
"Peiti, Jirian, this is Seiya and Taiki. I believe you already know the other two?" Usagi said with a sly look. Both Americans flushed and mumbled hellos.
"Nice to meet you," Seiya, the one with the black hair, said, smiling at them. "Sesshou and Yaten haven't been able to shut up about the two of you so I'm glad to finally speak to you in person." Now Yaten and Sesshou blushed, looking everywhere but at the two girls.
Let's hold off the embarrassments, shall we?" Haruka said lightly, giving Seiya a little glare. Even though she knew he was a good scout, she still didn't trust him much.
I say we eat," Minako voted, raising a hand. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving and this food will get cold if we don't eat it soon!"
Everyone agreed with this decision and the girls brought out the rest of the food. Peiti and Jirian both blushed when they realized their shirts did indeed match the boys' hair colors.
"So you girls are from Vermont?" Peiti nodded in answer to Taiki's question.
"Yeah, Burlington. Our parents moved into our homes there when they were married and we've lived there ever since."
"Really? So why did you come to Japan?"
"We thought it would be fun to do a foreign exchange program and, knowing our obsession with this country, our parents suggested Japan." Jirian smiled. "Our friends couldn't get us to shut up for love or money."
"Manga's and animes worked though!" Everyone laughed.
"So, what do you two like to do for fun?" Seiya asked. The two shrugged.
"Well, Peiti likes karate and ice skating and I like fencing and writing."
"Ah, more intellectual pursuits I see." Both girls flushed. "In any case, we're glad you two came." Usagi gave Seiya a little glare while the others agreed with her.
They continued eating for a while then decided to move on to games. Several suggestions came up, but spin the bottle won out.
"Tell me again why we're playing this game?" Peiti said as she sat between Usagi and Makoto. Jirian shrugged from her place between Usagi and Haruka.
"Who wants the first spin?" Rei asked, glancing slyly at Seiya. He rolled his blue eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it." There were some hoots from his relatives as he spun the glass bottle. It spun crazily for a few moments before stopping at Usagi. "Well, well, look at that!"
"No way!" Usagi cried, flushing.
"It's part of the rules, Usagi," Minako said with a wicked smile. "Sorry, but you have to kiss him."
Grumbling, Usagi stood and went over to Seiya. She leaned down and gave his cheek a quick peck. "That's all you're getting out of me," she huffed, going back to her place.
"I'll just hope for more next time," Seiya said, passing the bottle to Yaten. Usagi turned a shade of purple not before seen.
"There are so many pretty ladies here, I really can't hope for just one," Yaten said as he spun the glass bottle. All the girls, save Haruka and Jirian burst into giggles. Jirian blushed and Haruka narrowed her eyes a bit. The bottle began to slow until it finally stopped.pointing to Haruka. She yawned and gave the bottle a little knock so it faced Jirian.
"You can't do that!" the American cried, blushing more.
"Sorry, but my kisses are for one person alone and it's not him," Haruka said with an amused smirk. "Looks like you're the runner up."
"You know the rules," Mako-chan reminded her, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"This is so cheap," she said, standing. "Fine, I'll play by the rules." She went over to Yaten and yanked him up, giving him a quick kiss before pushing him back down in his seat. "There." Yaten was the reddest anyone had ever seen him. This time, EVERYONE laughed.
"Your turn, Sesshou," the silver-haired man muttered, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Sesshou just smiled at his cousin and spun. Everyone watched the bottle's slowing with interest.
It landed on Usagi.
"Nope, only one kiss per player and you know it!" He shrugged and spun again. It landed on Peiti this time. She flushed. "The bottle is rather one sided, don't you think?" Everyone laughed.
"Go on, Peiti," Makoto urged. The brunette flushed, then went over to Sesshou and gave him a light kiss. She sat down, beet red. Sesshou just smiled.
"Well, we're out of guys, so lets let Haruka go, then we can play a different game." They chuckled as Haruka spun the bottle. Sure enough, it landed on Michiru. They shared a quick, but loving, kiss then broke.
"How about charades? We can divide up on three teams," Ami suggested. Everyone agreed and divided up. Ami, Hotaru, Haruka, Jirian, and Makoto were on one team and Minako, Michiru, Peiti, Rei, and Seiya were on another. Which left, Setsuna, Usagi, Sesshou, Taiki, and Yaten on the third.
"This will certainly be interesting." Peiti smiled at Jirian.
Ami went first on their team. She held up one finger, then tapped three on her arm. Makoto translated.
"One word, three syllables." Ami nodded, then tapped one finger on her arm, then two. "First two syllables." She made a falling motion with her hands, wiggling her fingers.
"Snow?" Hotaru offered. Ami shook her head and waved her hands to erase the motion. Then she made a drinking motion.
"Sake?" Haruka asked. Ami glared and shook her head.
"OH! Water!" Ami nodded at Hotaru. Then she tapped her arm with three fingers. Third syllable. She made a kind of throwing down motion.
"Throw?" Head shake. Ami changed to a motion where her hand went over her other hand and dropped. "Fall?" She nodded. "Waterfall!" Jirian cried. Everyone applauded her.
"Good job," Yaten complimented. She blushed.
***
"Thanks for having the party, Usagi. It was fun." Usagi just smiled.
"I enjoyed doing if for you two. I like to see all my friends have a good time."
"It was a LOT of fun," Jirian said, grinning at the Japanese woman.
"Now, you know what I think we should do?"
"What?"
"Go eat all those yummy leftovers!" The girls laughed, racing for the kitchen.
***
Nishi caught the glowing crystal as it floated to him. He offered a low bow to the man sitting before him. "I will not fail this time, my lord."
"You had better not, Nishi. You already have one strike against you. It would be a pity to have to send you back to the abyss." The man paled a little.
"I won't let those two scouts interfere this time."
"Just remember not to destroy the one with the silver crystal, whenever she chooses to show up. You are to bring her to me."
"Yes, my lord. It will be done."
~~~
"I noticed you were oogling that American girl tonight, Sesshou," Taiki said in a sly voice as he unlocked the apartment door. The man flushed, quickly ducking his head.
"I was not oogling. I just find her interesting, that's all."
"I'll bet."
"Shut up, Yaten. You had YOUR tongue hanging out too," Seiya laughed, pushing him into the apartment.
"Yeah, well at least the girl I like knows I exist," the silver-haired man shot back, green eyes narrowed. Seiya's cheeks reddened a little.
"Usagi knows I exist!"
"From what I've seen." Sesshou trailed off, eyes dancing slightly. Seiya reddened more.
"It's not my fault she still has feelings for that jerk Mamoru! I'll have a date with her yet. You just wait!" The other three laughed.
"How about I make a bet with you," Yaten offered. "I bet you I can get a date with that American before you get a date with Usagi."
"Oooh, I want in on this!" Sesshou piped up. "What are the stakes?"
"If you get a date first, Sesshou and I will do all of your housework for a whole month so you can concentrate on song writing."
"And if I loose?"
"WE get to head the tour next month and WE get to pick the songs. Do we have a deal?" Yaten extended his hand. Seiya studied the two men for a long moment before taking the offered appendage.
"I hope you boys have your aprons ready."
The other two snorted in response.
~~~
"So what are you going to do today, Jiru?" The blonde shrugged.
"I don't know. Are you going to go skating again?" she asked slyly. Her friend blushed.
"Actually, I'm going to the dojo."
"Right." Peiti clobbered Jirian with her book bag. "HEY!"
"Knock it off!"
Both of them continued walking and as they turned a corner, they saw a youma burying people in sand hills. Its skin was a scaly yellow-brown.
"Another one?" Peiti and Jirian rolled their eyes.
"Callisto Lunar Power! MAKE UP!"
"Oberon Lunar Power! MAKE UP!" Suddenly, two scouts were standing there.
"I cannot allow you to ruin these people's day at the beach by creating a sand storm! Guardian the realm of the planet Jupiter, keeping watch beautifully from one of its moons, I am Sailor Callisto!"
"Guarding the realm of the planet Uranus, keeping watch beautifully from one of its moons, I am Sailor Oberon!"
"And in the names of our moons, we'll punish you!" The youma growled and threw sand clouds at them. Both dodged out of the way just in time.
"Callisto Rainbow Beam Spray!" The colorful shards of light arrowed in to cut up the youma, causing it to growl in pain and throw more sand at them. The two girls cried out, throwing their arms up in front of their faces.
Then, suddenly, the sand stopped and the youma let out a howl, flying back a few feet. Oberon and Callisto lowered their arms, looking around.
"Surrounded by the dark denseness of night, Sailor Star Fighter. STAGE ON!"
"The secret maternal movement away from death? Sailor Star Healer. STAGE ON!"
"The angel of freedom who runs freely, Sailor Star Maker. STAGE ON!"
"The movement and the death of stars are immanent. Sailor Star Destroyer. STAGE ON!"
Four women stood there, all rather scantily clad. All of them, with the exception of one, had very long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The fourth had much shorter hair.
"Watch your backs!" the one with the grey hair cried. Callisto and Oberon whirled in time to see the youma almost atop them.
"Star Serious Laser!" A beam of energy shot out, knocking the monster back again. "Finish it, Star Destroyer."
"Star Shaking Beam!" Yet another beam, this one of pure light, struck the monster, blowing a hole right through it. The monster let out a scream and crumpled to the ground. As the six people watched, the monster became a young woman. A silvery crystal lay on the ground beside her hand.
"What on earth.?" Oberon started towards it.
Suddenly a young man with blonde hair and amber eyes appeared out of no where, and called the crystal to his hand. "Meddling scouts. Why couldn't you have stayed away from the Silver Crystal!" Fighter's head shot up.
"So that's what you're after!" He cursed. "You know, if you let it slip like that, you're pretty dumb."
"Shut up! I'll take care of you!" A cyclone of wind and dust flew at the scouts.
"Callisto Thunder and Lightning Call!" The lightning split the cyclone, destroying it. "Sure you'll take care of us." Sailor Callisto smirked as the man growled.
"I'll get you soon enough!" He disappeared. Oberon turned to the other four scouts.
"Thanks for helping us out." They nodded.
"No trouble." The one with the silver hair winked, flashing them a peace sign before the four disappeared in a flash of light. Oberon and Callisto exchanged glances.
"So there are other scouts," Oberon said, a little surprised.
"Didn't Puck mention that fact once?"
"Like I ever listen to him." Oberon knelt by the woman, checking her pulse. "She's alright. She'll have a major stomach-ache when she wakes up though."
"Better than being a monster."
"True."
"Did that man look familiar to you, Oberon? He seemed.familiar somehow." The blonde scout shook her head.
"No, not really. We had better get back to the house though, and tell those two stupid animals about this." Callisto nodded and they started home, transforming back on the way.
***
Nishi knelt on one knee in front of the shadowed dais, holding out the crystal. "Forgive me, my lord, but I have failed once more." There was an anger-filled silence for about three beats.
"I see." The crystal floated into the shadows. "I am very disappointed in you, Nishi. I expected more from a high-ranking general such as yourself. Was it those two scouts again?"
"No, my lord, but four others. The ones called the Starlights."
"I see." The man tapped his fingers against the arm of his enormous chair.
"There is more, my lord?"
"More? More failure?"
"I.I let slip the mission." In a heartbeat, he was up and out of his chair. He backhanded Nishi across the face, sending him flying.
"You fool! I should send you back to the nine hells!" he roared, his voice echoing in the black room. Nishi staggered to his feet.
"Please, my lord, it was not intentional. Please, I-" Another backhand shut him up.
"Do not think you're going to escape punishment, Nishi." The general fell to his knees, clutching his hand in pain. He watched in horror as the flesh fell from the bone in front of his eyes, leaving a skeletal hand in its place. "You have been warned, Nishi. If you let any more slip or if you fail me again, you will go back to the darkness." The man cowering before him paled.
"I will not fail again, my lord, I promise. I will get that crystal for you."
"You had better, Nishi. You had better."