Renée slowly opened her heavy eyelids, a dizziness clouding her mind that worsened with the slightest movement of her head. Slowly, careful of the feeling that threatened nausea, Renée moved to sit up, absentmindedly putting her weight on her right arm.

Instantly the feeling of dizziness gave way to a searing pain that seemed to shoot through the middle of her arm. Giving a cry that was interrupted by a gasp, her left arm came up quickly to cradle the one that had backed off the bed in a fierce jolt. What the HELL, she thought in frustration with clenched teeth, trying to bear the pain. Starring down at the limb now clutched to her chest, she discovered her right forearm was in a thick cast, from thumb to elbow. Tempting fate, she wiggled her fingers as a test, only to have the same feeling in a lesser form throb through her arm. At last, defeated, she let it rest beside her, changing her attention to where she actually was.

Glancing around the completely sterile hospital room, she sighed in depressed confirmation. Gently massaging her temple, as if to help the dizziness fade, she remembered waking up earlier, and even in a haze of drowsiness and pain realizing she was in a hospital.  At the time, however, she had been in too much pain and far too mentally drained to care very much either way. Looking back now, René realized she had to have been under the influence of some sort of sedative.

With that set aside, new ideas and worries flooded her brain. She felt nervous, uptight and abandoned, the silent hospital playing on her negative thoughts and worsening her state. No one had stayed with her, or even woke her up to tell her what was going on, and now she was right back where she started. Left to fend for her self in a foreign country, but this time starting off in a barren white prison.

Turning her attention to the clock on the wall, Renée discovered with the sense of shock that it was actually early morning, the window of the room brightening as if on cue with soft hues of gold and blue. Renée slipped out of the white sheets and went over to the window gracefully, not making a sound. Leaning her good arm on the sill, she pressed her face against the screen that separated her from the world. Having her arm busted at this time was one of the worst things that could have happened to her; especially with this new war she seemed to have a part in.

Thinking back, the memory of being attacked by a powerful wave of water came back to her quickly. However, its origin had her stumped, even after the details had slowly wandered back to her. Where could it have come from? Had it been one of the Sailor Soldiers? Renée's heart sank at the suggestion that seemed to be gaining more probability every second. If they attacked me, Renée thought to her self, they must not trust me. Her eyes now focused on the screen instead of the world outside. I'm an idiot for thinking I would fit right in, I'm not like them… from the beginning I've been different. And now with being a Sailor Soldier… I'm a creature when I change for God's sake!

No matter what she did or tried, there was always that thin screen…

"Oh, you're awake!" said a cheery voice, interrupting Renée's self pity. Renée turned around, facing the nurse. How could she be so happy in a place like this, thought Renée.

"Hello…" Renée said back quietly. The nurse walked towards her.

"I'm surprised you're up!" she stated, as if it were the most unusual thing in the world.

"Yeah, so am I," Renée said with honest astonishment as her eyes became unfocused, as if she were trying to remember exactly why she had gotten up.

"Well," the nurse continued on with her sunny disposition, "I wouldn't blame you; you've been out since late last evening! The nurse from last night told me all about you."

The nurse finally took a pause from her rambling, out of things to say. At last, with this break, she noticed Renée's set jaw that seemed to tell her not everything was right. Given this opportunity, she started right back up again.

"Now, don't be upset," she stated simply, "your friends were very worried about you. Thought you had a concussion at first! They finally left when they figured you weren't waking up. But it turns out just your arm was broken."

As if a broken arm were nothing, Renée sneered to herself, but she kept her face neutral.

"Do you have any parents or guardians we can call to pick you up?"

Renée stiffly shook her head, averting her eyes to the floor. Something tugged at her heart when the nurse said this, and the last thing she wanted to do was show to weakness.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the nurse looked as if she wanted to take what she said back. Renée looked up, forcing a smile.

"Nah, it's ok! I can just wait until my friends come and get me! It can't be that long."

The nurse nodded, satisfied.

"Well, alright, you still could use a little more rest in my opinion anyway. Now go back to bed."

Renée followed the order, a little uncomfortable to be told what to do. Usually she'd mouth off for something like that, but Renée realized the nurse was only trying to do her job and keep her from further harm.

"Wait! Before you leave," Renée caught the nurse before she closed the door, "My arm is going to heal completely, right?"

The nurse turned towards her again, a sweet smile on her face with her hands clasped before her. "Of course, dear! It was what we call a clean break, just one straight line," she demonstrated on her own arm, "so there should be no complications at all. You'll be writing just as good as new in no time!"

Renée took a deep breath and released it in relief. She was worried about her arm, but hadn't wanted to show it. Looking down at it, she realized it was the only thing of herself she really needed to depend on. Just as the nurse started to leave again, Renée piped up with another question.

"So it'll be fine, right?"

"Right."

"Then, how long will it take for it to be fine again?"

"Oh, it's a big bone, so more or less, 6 months."

The usual silence that reigned in the 3rd hall of the right hospital wing was shattered by one high-pitched, outraged cry.

"6 MONTHS?!?!"

A tall, dark and menacing man paced up and down in front of his two soldiers, jaw locked and hands wringing behind his back. He was completely tensed up, as if he were just about to release a sudden blow with enough force to kill upon some helpless victim. He was the type of person you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, or even look at wrong for fear of your life. His pacing continued like a panther around two fiery toned soldiers, one who was fidgeting excessively while the other stood as still as prey trying to avoid the sight of a hunter. His head bowed in pensive thought, he truly felt like he and everything around him was falling apart. How could he allow himself to fail like this for his Queen? His precious Queen…

Denying all he felt on the inside, he snapped his head up to face the two, short woman-like monsters before him. A nasty scowl covered his face.

"I am disgusted by you two," his booming voice filled with venom seeped through his clenched teeth, "Windfish, Thunderbird, you both promised me you could take care of this. But what do you do? You both fail!"

Thunderbird stepped forward slightly. "I'm sorry, master, but-"

"Shut up! You didn't even find a person who could possibly carry the key. I didn't breathe life into you to fail!!"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead for a moment. He finally continued in a lower tone.

"How can I prove our worthiness to our Queen when you can't even carry out a simple task as killing one of those, soldiers," he said the word with certain disgust.

"The Sailor Soldiers, the ones who ruined my Queen's life."

"We are truly, deeply disgusted by our own actions, Master," said Windfish with excess drama.

"The clones you sent in our place are incompetent. Only having the ability to control them telepathically is no where near as efficient as being there ourselves… "

"Yeah," said Thunderbird smugly, "the original would be so much better."

Thunderbird's tone of confidence was too inappropriate for the time being, and it set the man into a stage of rage.

"How dare you even suggest such a thing to me with your current record!! If both of you don't disappear from my sight within seconds of the end of this sentence, something will wind up BURRIED ALIVE!!"

Without questioning their Master's rare display of mercy, Thunderbird and Windfish fled from his sight.

Certain that the incompetent minions had gone, the man called out for someone with his demanding voice.

"Shadowolf!"

A dark girl, much like the other two though slightly taller stepped from the shadows. Instead of having brightly toned eyes and skin, like the orange and yellow of Thunderbird and Windfish, her flesh was of a deep, cold purple.

"Yes, master," she said obediently.

"I want you to send a clone to kill the Sailor Soldiers. Don't even think about the key, just kill them," his voice was a lower volume than usual, but the desperate tone he spoke in showed the importance of the mission, especially the way he stressed the word kill. She nodded in understanding.

"Their death is assured."

Rei squinted as she stepped into the extremely bright sunlight, trying to guard her eyes with her free hand. When she could at last let her eyes open the tiniest bit, she was surprised to see Mamoru's red car waiting for her at the bottom of the steps of her school again, just like the day before. Once her eyes had adjusted a bit better to the light, she finally walked towards it, picking out the distinctive form of her princess as she neared the car.

"Hey, Rei-chan!" said Usagi, leaning over Mamoru to stick her head out the window, "come with us to get Renée-chan!"

"You didn't have to pick me up, I was on my way there anyway. I feel kind of guilty for leaving her all alone. Even after yesterday…" Rei trailed off, knowing Usagi knew very well about the events of the previous day. Although it had seemed like Renée's attack on Rei intended to kill her, Rei knew somehow that Renée never wanted to hurt her. It was a strong, gut feeling that Rei had to stand by, and couldn't ignore. However, Ami hadn't seen it that way, witnessing it herself, and she, like Luna, had concluded that Renée was trouble. They were to have a meeting today, in an attempt to figure this whole thing out, but with two of the most intelligent people of their team against Renée, Rei was worried that this trial would quickly become an execution.

Usagi smiled. "I believe you, Rei-chan, I don't think Renée-chan attacked you on purpose. She's new at this, right? I think Ami and Luna are wrong."

Rei nodded as she slid into the back seat of the car. "It was on purpose, but it just didn't hurt me, and I doubt it ever could. I wish Luna and Ami would see that!"

Buckling herself in, Rei couldn't resist slipping in a last comment.

"You guys are going to make me lazy by driving me all over the place, like someone we know…" Rei smiled.

"Hey! I told you I was on your side," Usagi turned around on the seat and glared at Rei. "Why pick on me?!"

Rei ignored that completely. "So you are going to help me defend Renée today at the meeting?"

Usagi nodded vigorously, turning around and putting her seatbelt on. Mamoru looked over to her.

"What is this all about anyway?"

"Only me, Rei-chan, Ami-chan and Luna know. We'll tell you if you come!" Usagi clamped onto his arm.

"Usa, I need to drive. Can you get off?"

White walls. White ceiling. White floor. White sheets. White – and grey, tables. The only thing in the entire room that broke the pattern was one painting, an abstract print in grey, white and faded pink. As if that's supposed to help, Renée thought with a snort.

Renée lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She felt like she was going to scream! It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and she had literally been in that room all day. She tried looking out the window, but she had seen all she could see. She lay there, wide eyed, wondering when her brain would explode.

Lifting her arm, she looked at the cast that enveloped her right arm.

"As soon as I get a hold of markers, you're going down," she muttered the threat.

"Hello, Renée-chan!" shouted Usagi.

Giving a startled cry, Renée jerked up in the bed, her nerves so startled she didn't give a single thought to which arm she had quickly propped herself up with.

"GAHOWWWWW!" Renée shrieked, whipping her arm off the bed so fast she had to catch herself from falling over with her left arm. The only problem with her quick reaction was that there was no bed left under her, and she flopped head first onto the floor.

"Oh my GOD! Renée-chan, are you alright?!" Usagi ran to her side with honest concern. Rei followed Usagi's lead, saying nothing, but worried none the less.

Renée's hearty laughter relieved the two girls nerves moments after.

"You really had me going there for a second, Usagi. Try to be a little less loud when you make an entrance in a hospital," Renée glanced around the stark room as Usagi helped her up, "or whatever type of HELL this place is."

"I'm so sorry Renée-chan!" Usagi apologized, completely regretful for her actions. Seeing how serious Usagi was, Renée just laughed again.

 "It's about time I was rescued!" Renée changed the subject while shaking her fist jokingly.

"Sorry about leaving you like that, Renée, but we really had no choice. We were worried something more serious had happened to you, like a concussion. Once we found out it was just a broken arm, though, well we had to leave. It was a school night and some of us had homework!" Rei said, trying to compensate for her guilt-causing actions by subtly bringing up the fact that Renée wasn't currently even going to school.

Renée almost did a double take, turning to Rei when she picked up on the backlash.

"Geeze, Rei, I wasn't being serious. Calm down! No need to be all defensive!" Renée shrugged, a little unsettled seeing how she had struck a nerve. Rei just crossed her arms.

Once again, all seriousness aside, Renée leaned over to Usagi's ear, somewhat whispering a message she intended to be loud enough for Rei to hear.

"Remind me to never to do that fist-shaking-thing again," she hoarsly told Usagi, causing the little blonde to laugh.

"Oh, don't worry about Rei!" she giggled.

"Well, speaking about wonderful me again," Renée stated after Usagi had finished, "would one of you mind telling me how the hell I got myself landed in a hospital?"

Rei and Usagi looked at each other, then at Renée.

"Umm, we aren't sure," lied Rei, uncrossing her arms to show sympathy once again, "but Ami did look into it. We think the monster had a friend somewhere, which would explain it's weird ranting… "

"Right," said Usagi, "but you're ok, which is all that really matters."

Renée suppressed a chuckle, biting her lip to help.

"What?" Usagi said, "what's so funny?"

"I don't know, that just sounded so, so… soppy."

The fury that flashed through Rei's eyes caused Renée to shrink back onto the bed.

"What."

"We were honestly worried about you!" Rei growled, remembering the couple of hours spent in the waiting room. "Why is that funny!?"

Renée looked down. "Just seems… weird. I've hardly known you guys for a couple of weeks, why waste your time?"

Rei just shook her head, while Usagi smiled.

"Silly, because we're your friend!" Usagi sat on the edge of the hospital bed, next to Renée.

Feeling put on the spot with such a generous response, Renée remained unusually silent, just shrugging a response. She couldn't help but smile slightly, thought.

"I think it's time we blow this popsicle stand!" Renée exclaimed while jumping off the bed again. After all the waiting she had been doing that day, she couldn't sit still for very long.

"So," Rei asked in a tone that gave away that she was sincerely concerned, "what did the doctor say about your arm?"

Renée looked away, biting her lip, mumbling the answer.

"What did you say?" asked Usagi.

"Six crappy months!" Renée sobbed, her head drooping into her hands "and I'm supposed to come in for checkups! But they say it'll be as good as new. It's not fair! Why me!"

Usagi nodded as she patted Renée on the back. "C'mon, Mamoru is signing you out. Lets go wait for him at the front."

Renée went cold. "Mamoru's here?" she said in a much lower tone, her eyes slanting slightly. "Hun…"

"Yup!" Usagi chimed in brightly, not noticing Renée's ice as slipped off the bed, heading for the door. Rei just sighed, having more than enough of her fill of Usagi's affection for Mamoru that day.

"Let's leave this hell hole," Renée agreed, picking up again when she talked to Usagi.

On their way out, Renée clumsily gave a good whack to her injured arm as it connected with the doorway. After a few choice curses, Renée remembered the white demon that was the cast.

"Hey Rei, you got any markers?"

Makoto leaned up against one of the wooden support posts of the temple. Wearing a green tank top and matching brown jeans, she readjusted her shirt so the tag stopped scratching her back. Ami sat by her on the temple steps, Luna perched on her lap while she finished the last pages of a book.

"Ami-chan, how can you read so quickly?" Makoto asked in sheer amazement.

"Practice," Ami answered skilfully, without missing a word on the page she prepared to turn, "I find I read even more quickly if I find the book interesting."

"Oh," Makoto stated, starring back into space. "So, is that book interesting?"

"Oh yes!" Ami added with excitement in her voice, proving her interest in the words that lay before her.

"Really? Looks pretty heavy… what's it on?"

"The genetic basis of development, it's more or less centralized on the evolution of the homeobox gene," Ami stated casually.

Makoto could only arch her eyebrows as a response, just as she spotted Minako running up the steps with Artemis.

"Helloooo Makoto-chan! Hey Ami-chan!" she said with glee, "so, wasn't there a meeting today? Where's the rest of the gang?"

Luna bounded off Ami's lap to Minako and Artemis. "I told Usagi to come right after school, and Rei should have been here waiting. I don't know what's keeping them."

Just then the sound of a car came up from the bottom of the hill. Shortly there after, Rei, Mamoru and Usagi walked up the steps.

"Hello hello hello," said Usagi.

"Where were you three?" Luna demanded.

"The hospital, why?" Usagi bent down to the cat.

"We had a meeting today!" Luna scolded.

"Calm down, Luna, we were just meeting Renée," Rei explained.

Luna's eyes became softer, as she sighed with disappointment at the mention of Renée. She knew that the point about Renée she wanted to argue was not going to go smoothly. "I guess I may as well explain to everyone who hasn't heard yet," explained Luna, "this is why I called this meeting." Her head lowered as she prepared to state her view. She felt like the bearer of bad news, which was not quite true, since her theory was not fact at that time. Luna decided that there was nothing she could do to soften her blow, their reactions wouldn't be pretty no matter what, and she'd may as well drop it all on them right there.

"Renée could very well be the enemy."

Everyone watched Luna with great intensity now, a stunned silence coming over them as everything became still. The ones that knew about the accusation before Luna had announced it weren't stunned with the statement, but were paralysed none the less. Luna continued carefully.

"I had a theory before, and I contemplated over it for some time. Unfortunately, now, however, we have proof that this theory might be true. Just yesterday, Renée attacked Rei while in a battle against another monster. You all heard about the battle itself, I'm sure, and how Renée wound up at the hospital. What you don't know is that the reason Renée is in a hospital is because she was injured when Ami attacked her in retaliation, trying to prevent her from doing further damage. It is extremely lucky that Rei wasn't hurt."

"Oh, come off it!" Rei said while throwing her arms out, "I wasn't hurt because that wasn't an attack! It was almost like, a power-up, she helped me!"

"That's not what it looked like," said Ami. "If you weren't the Soldier of Fire, she would have seriously hurt you."

"Ami is right," said Luna. "You were fortunate that she used a fire attack."

"No, I don't think that attack could hurt anyone! Fire would have hurt anything it hit, even a Soldier of Fire."

"How could you know? You've been struck with a fire attack lately?!" Luna barked back.

"Calm DOWN, Luna! I know that she knew I was the Soldier of Fire, I had used my attacks right before her! Wouldn't she use something that conflicted my powers?!"

"Maybe she doesn't have any other attacks!"

"Maybe she was trying to help me! She said Mars in her attack!"

"Because she stole YOUR POWERS!"

Everyone else had been silent during the argument. Rei just crossed her arms, bending back defensively.

"I would be nearly dead if that was intended to kill. Why does no one else believe me?"

"I believe you…" Usagi said meekly.

A moment of silence settled in, giving everyone time to think.

"Why are you defending her, Rei?" Minako finally brought up.

"Because I've lived with her-"

"For two weeks," Luna broke in.

"Damn it, Luna, my grandfather or I would have sensed her evil and powers by now."

"You haven't sensed every enemy," Luna sourly spit out.

"Wait a minute Luna, before you literally send a girl to her death, how can you be so sure she's the enemy?" Artemis said calmly.

Luna cautiously turned to Artemis, already regretful of her behaviour during the argument.

"I do have my reasons. Primarily, there's the thought that she might not be a Sailor Soldier, to me she seems like a fraud. She was not a princess of any planet I can recall of this solar system, and if she were of a different system or even galaxy, I would expect either Artemis or I to noticed her coming to earth. Then there's her different uniform, especially those cat features she gains after transforming. If she were from Mau, it'd make perfect sense, but she isn't."

"What's Mau?" asked Minako.

"I'll tell you that story another day…" Artemis trailed off. Luna continued.

"Second, there's the proof she's willing to attack us."

"You don't know that," Rei said.

"Please, let me finish," Luna said desperately, "I'm only being so persistent because I don't want to see any of you hurt! She has me very worried about all of you!

"Next to the idea that she could be a fraud, and that she might have attacked Rei with an intent to kill, there's the fact that the enemy did appear about the same time she did."

"Pure coincidence," Rei snorted.

"She might have appeared just before the monsters did so she could become the insider for a higher power; she could find out everything, from all the weaknesses of our team, to what we eat for breakfast. Choosing to live with you is just another coincidence, right?"

Luna looked back at Rei accusingly, wanting her to at least have an open mind about the discussion, but Rei held her position like the strong, stubborn soldier she was. Luna decided to add her last point just at that moment.

"Besides, Rei herself doubted she could be trusted."

Luna pulled the last straw, and Rei wasn't going to remain quiet any longer.

"Luna I said it was a faint feeling. It wasn't powerful at all. That could be caused by thousands of things, depending on the person. A bad day could have been the cause of those bad vibes, which are days Renée seems to have many of!"

"The vibrations wouldn't need to be powerful," explained Luna, "if she were possessed. One creature that could easily do so is a demon. One slip up in her life with evil, and she'd be a prone target for any one of those creatures."

"I hate to admit it," said Artemis, "but Luna's right. There is enough evidence against Renée for us to be at least a bit worried. And the demon thing is very possible now, I was almost certain I sensed one the other day."

"What do you mean, Artemis?" asked Makoto.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain…" Artemis trailed off as hercocked his head to the side.

"May as well start from the beginning," Luna prompted him, and Artemis nodded in agreement.

"The universe is basically bare, free of feelings; sometimes just downright evil," Artemis explained. "On the rare occasion, a living thing is created from the particles of the universe. We know these things as demons. There are small, powerless ones on earth that could have been caught within the planet during it's making. Some have been destroyed, some seek refuge in the middle of the earth, and some are probably wreaking havoc in the form of people as we speak. You know, born killers, thieves, rapists, and maybe even business tyrants."

"Like Bill Gates!" piped up Usagi.

"Umm, no, not exactly what I meant…" Artemis trailed off, trying not to laugh.

"What he means is shady business, like prostitution or drugs, like the mob," Luna continued for him. "These things feed off of all types of evil, seducing people to create them for their own use."

Artemis nodded, forcing down the laugh. "But sometimes, huge, powerful demons were created. You've encountered them before; Queen Metalia was a demon, although she was an extremely rare case due to the amount of power she had.

These monstrous demons would consume entire worlds to survive, feeding off the horror they first created. They can manipulate the threads of grief, greed, loathing and blood thirst that are woven throughout our world and its people, making the world's children their minions and creating a tapestry of evil and horror.

"Renée could easily be such a minion. If there is such a demon at hand here, the powers it had conveyed to Renée could effortlessly be hidden in plain sight, which is why Rei might not be able to sense their power.

"When I said I thought I sensed a demon recently, I meant I caught a sensation of one while walking with Minako. It was unusually strong, but I assumed it was just someone I had walked by automatically. It didn't seem like something to worry about at the time, but now that I think about it… it's a possibility, is all I'll say."

Luna nodded in satisfaction; glad someone had finally seen her point.

"The moon was completely safe from such evil beings, like the demons, since the Silver Crystal was in full power with wise and powerful Queen Serenity at the helm. But with a half awakened queen and an unpredictable crystal… the earth is very vulnerable against a powerful demon."

"This is bad news, guys," Makoto agreed. "But if Renée's in a demon's grasp, we've got to free her."

"You believe this?" Rei shouted. "You really think she is behind all this?"

"Hey, it's possible Rei!" Makoto said, "It would all fit."

"Unless she's a minion created by a powerful demon, like the type you were describing, Luna," Ami said softly, clearly uncomfortable with bringing the idea up. Luna sighed once more.

"That's where I thought her cat features were derived. Demons can not create pure humans without expending vast amounts of energy; humans are complicated creatures. But I doubt Renée is a minion. It pains me to think she could be that evil..." Luna trailed off, obviously distressed.

"I can't believe none of you are willing to trust her!" Rei exclaimed with passion. "After all we've been through as Sailor Soldiers, you're not able to have any faith in her?"
"She's a stranger to us! And to you too!" Minako shouted. "Rei, I think you might be kidding yourself. You can't pick up on every enemy."

"Deep down," Rei shot back, "I think you all know that I'm right. I trust my instincts-"

Rei suddenly stopped, her eyes going wide. She felt like something was caught in her chest, a burning signal that demanded her attention. She knew what it meant, and soon after her sixth sense searched for the cause as the pain dissolved. At last an image flashed through her mind.

"Another monster!" she finally choked out desperately, "South of here!"

On the way back from the hospital, Rei had concluded that she didn't own any decent markers, although it was another lie. It was the perfect excuse to leave Renée behind somewhere, since the whole meeting they were about to have was all about her. Forcing Mamoru to donate to the cause, Usagi pointed out her favourite hobby store (that held only the finest stuffed animals) and handed over the money before kicking her out of the car. Now browsing up and down the aisles for the biggest pack of markers with the most variety of colours, Renée had finally come down to two selections. Glancing between to the two, Renée was utterly puzzled. She was completely torn between the two. It wasn't the colours, or the number of markers. It was the price. Renée couldn't read Japanese, so she couldn't figure which was the cheaper of the two. She finally took the one with the brightest packaging, turned around, and went back to the front of the store, where, to Renée's left the clerk sat behind a counter reading a magazine.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me how much this costs?"

Renée placed the package carefully onto the counter with her left hand, respectively.

The clerk looked up, a bit confused to why she couldn't figure it out herself.

"Umm, of course, it's 1000 yen in total."

Renée pulled Mamoru's money out of her pocket, then stared down at the 6 100 yen coins in her hand. She stood there for a bit, her face twisted in thought while she figured it out.

"10 dollars!" she finally burst out, "10 freaking dollars for a pack of crappy markers?"

The clerk raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and leaned onto the counter, face to face with Renée.

"Ok, ok," Renée matched her pose, "which pack of markers can I buy for 600 yen?"

The window at the front of the store shattered, sending shards of glittering glass raining all over the store front, the store clerk, and Renée. They screamed as they fell to the floor.

A dark creature gracefully stepped through the broken window, the crunching noise her shoes created stopping momentarily as she surveyed the area. All Renée could see were the monster's sneakers as she struggled to silently sit up against the sheet of metal that made up the end of one of the shelves.

The creature took one step, bending down to take hold of Renée's neck.

"Here, need a little help?"

The monster hauled Renée on to her feet, forcing her back hard against the shelf. Renée could feel the steel screws digging into her flesh as she choked, trying to breath.

"Tell me, girl, do you know the Sailor Soldiers?"

Renée didn't answer. The monster obviously knew this, and squeezed a little harder.

"You think if I killed someone, they'd finally show up? I mean, I've been destroying things all day, yet nothing!" She chuckled a bit, smiling. "At least I got my kick for the day," the monster let Renée go, her limp form making a loud gasping noise as it hit the ground. With a casual wave of one hand, her enchanted ball came to her hands from outside the store. With her back still turned to the clerk, she turned her head slowly to eye the woman behind the counter. She smiled as she saw how terrified the woman was; she was pinned against the wall like someone was holding her neck, cowering as far as she could into the corner.

In one swift moment the monster turned and whipped the ball into the woman, nailing her hard enough in the abdomen to make her eyes even wider than they were before. The woman was already pinned to the corner, so the ball made both a sickening thud and a muffled snapping noise as it bounced back off her body, the wall giving it enough force to cause her ribs to break. The monster caught it just above her head without any effort, grinning with her work as she watched the woman slump slowly to the floor, unconscious.

"Damn, I don't think I killed her either," she contemplated as she tapped her foot against the clinking glass shards. "Where are those damned Soldiers when you need them?"

Leaving the store, the monster stood on the sidewalk, looking from side to side. Where are those little girls, she though angrily. They had killed two of her sister's clones in mere minutes, but they couldn't even find her own clone after hours?

Renée reached under her shirt, grabbing the black crest that gave her the power to transform. Although, into what exactly did she transform? What in hell's name are you? Renée thought bitterly. The silver chain that she had slipped the crest onto jingled as the chain's original ornament slid down and hit the ebony stone circle in her hand. The silver dragon pendant that begged for her attention finally got some. Taking off the necklace, she gingerly held the shiny dragon sculpture in her hand, massaging the wing between her thumb and index finger.

The simple pewter necklace had been a gift from a friend from a couple years back. Back then it was a meaningless thing, and money wise it was still worthless. However, now the simple symbol was the last familiar thing she had, and she smiled slightly at the memories it brought back. Closing her fist around it tightly, she recalled herself of her nearly forgotten friend, and realized how she'd disappoint him if she remained where she was any longer.

"Right. C'mon Lien, don't fail me now. Phoenix Power, make UP!"

Throwing her hand in the air, the crest now held tight in her hand with its chain and sister pendant dangling down her arm, she transformed in a flash of silvery light. The crest turned into her plain but ever-faithful staff. The necklace slipped off.

"Oh, don't want to lose that now," she said as she grabbed it off the ground and flipped it over her neck again, the necklace slipping under her uniform. The monster hadn't noticed her transform; now it was across the street, hassling a street sign in her frustration.

Now with the mask of Sailor Kitty, Renée allowed herself to lose it.

"HEY ASSHOLE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs in her native language, not giving a second thought to it as she let her rage go, "you wanted a Sailor Soldier? You've fucking got it!!!"

The monster turned with an unsettling smile. Her smile disappeared though, when she spotted Renée's cast over her glove.

"Oh great," she said sarcastically while whipping her hand to her hip, "they send me the broken one. Am I that disrespected as an opponent?"

Renée growled, lowering as if she was preparing to lunge. "Bring it on!" she challenged, while tossing the staff absentmindedly from her left hand to her right.

Automatically trying to prevent her staff from hitting the ground, she tried to curl her fingers around the staff, instead causing the opposite reaction as pain shot through her forearm. The staff flung from her hand as she instinctively brought her arm to her chest, the left hand clutching the right as the staff clattered to the ground with several clinks. She was right handed, and her right hand was completely useless.

"Wow, impressive," said the monster, clearly loving this.

Renée picked her staff up with her left hand, trying to recuperate by never letting her eyes unlock from those of her opponent. Renée tried to give her most deadly look to the creature.

"You think you're all that. Well, how 'bout the 'messenger of forest through shadow' put you in your place?"

Floating high into the air, she held her ball over her head, her palm flat. Moving her hand away, the ball remained, floating.

"Get your claws ready, kitty girl," she muttered before winding up. "Shadows of the heart come FORTH!"

Spiking the ball into the ground, a shadow in a wolf-like form instantly jumped back up from the ball's contact point, high into the air. It landed right in front of Renée, lunging for her throat. She, however, had been prepared, body tense and posed at the ready, for something strange to happen like the times before. Just as the shadow approached, she barely leapt to the right in time.

The shadow wolf was extremely fast, making her jump unstable and her crash landing unavoidable. She landed hard on her feet, causing her to fall to her knees. She winced slightly, feeling the tiny pebbles of the road dig into the skin of her knees.

However, the shadow wasn't done. Simply bounding off the wall that was previously behind Renée, it leaped right past her, so close that the whoosh of the air and dark tailwind it dragged behind itself disoriented Renée for a terrifying moment.

Hitting the pavement right behind Renée, it pounced off of it at an angel and stuck Renée directly in the middle of her back; the creature exploding as the last bit of strength it had was used up while sending Renée sprawling face first with a pained cry.

She lifted her face off of cement smeared with blood from her skinned cheek, her head high enough to glare directly into the eyes of the creature.

"Aww, too bad. And that was a tiny one! Want to see what I can really do?" The monster spiked her ball into the ground even harder, forcing Renée to roll out of the way of another shadow. It deflected off a street sign, heading straight for Renée's stomach.

But miraculously, she was able to whip her staff out just in time, hitting the shadow and sending it bouncing along it's merry way down the street. Renée was finally able to get up.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," sighed the monster. She spiked her ball into the ground twice, sending out two more shadows. Waving her hand, she caused the first one to change direction and turn back around. Pointing a finger at Renée, all three shadows were now taking the shape of complete wolves, homing in on Renée alone.

"This entire mission should be entrusted to me, Master. My clones have not failed where my sisters' have. I will not fail!"

An unheard voice spoke back to her.

"Of course, Master, you shall have the others, on my honour you will!"

With a swirl of black liquid, the monster was gone. Renée was left there, alone, dodging the shadow wolves helplessly without end. As soon as she landed from a jump, she had to take to the air again. At times she swung her staff in an attempt to keep the shadow wolves at bay. She had no attacks; even if she had, she'd have no time to use them. Her staff swing was sloppy with her left arm, and she could feel her strength giving out on her. All she could do was dodge skilfully - and pray.

Having been detected by Rei, the Sailor Soldiers were now pounded the pavement down deserted streets, dodging abandoned cars and unconscious people as they tried to track down the lasted monster that was threatening their city. Rei was leading the group, sensing her way blindly to the region the evil radiated from.

"It's just up ahead," she called back in reassurance, the running audibly affecting her breathing.

Finally they all came to a quaint little road that was being bombarded with shadow wolves.

Whatever the wolves hit or landed on was left cracked, cut through or smashed to bits. Poor Renée was in the middle of it all. The Soldiers arrived just in time to see Renée collapse.

"Moon Princess Halation!" Sailor Moon cried desperately, her sceptre appearing in her hand moments before she directed pure and radiant moonlight towards the monsters. The beam shot through two of the wolves simultaneously, their beings exploding from existence.

The last one started after Sailor Moon herself, picking a new target in honour of its friends. However, a well placed rose by Mamoru stopped the thing in its tracks, allowing Sailor Moon time to dispel of it as well.

Sailor Kitty finally got up, gripping her throbbing right arm while clutching her staff with the inside of her elbow.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you guys; I need one of those watch TV's, now."

"What happened?" asked Rei.

"Well, I was buying markers when one of those ball carrying freaks burst through the window. I think it was looking for you guys…"

Makoto glanced over to Minako. "You mean you were here when it appeared?" she asked.

"Umm, I think so… it might have been around earlier…." Renée wandered to the side of the street, eventually sitting down. Minako nodded to Makoto.

"Hey, Sailor Kitty, what did you mean it was looking for us?" asked Usagi.

"It means I'm looking for you," the monster said. Everyone turned back to see the purple woman-like creature floating in mid air, her arms and legs crossed.

"You're all dead! Shadow from the heart!!!"

She violently spiked her ball into the center of the group, causing them to scatter in all directions. Shadow wolves followed them, each Soldier now preoccupied with a wolf of their own. The only Soldier not being bothered was Sailor Kitty.

Sailor Mercury easily dodged her monster by jumping and ducking near where Renée now stood, but it rebounded off the glass of a window, similar to when Renée had been attacked. Before it could wallop Ami in the back, Renée smashed it in the head with her staff.

"Thanks Sailor Kitty," Ami said quietly. She was a little afraid to be near her in a fight, what if she was the enemy? She could attack and not even be noticed.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Attack Mercury!" said Renée. Ami shook all doubt from her mind and nodded.

"Mercury Shabon Spray!" Ami sent a drenched, thick fog all over the area with a swing of her arms. The shadow wolves became a lot less furious and slowed down, some even stopping. The wolves could no longer find their targets!

The main monster, which now held her ball against her chest like a teddy bear, looked around nervously. She couldn't see many of the Sailor Soldiers, and that had her worried.

Tuxedo Mask quickly snapped his cane onto the head of the wolf that was bothering him, dispelling it in a loud whoosh. The monster had a right to be worried: Tuxedo Mask jumped up from where he was and whipped her in the neck with his cane as soon as the wolf was gone.

Soon the fog began to clear, as each Soldier dealt with the death of their wolf. Sailor Venus managed a well-placed smack of her chain right between the wolf's eyes to kill the one threatening her, while Sailor Jupiter aimed a thunderbolt at her target as she jumped over her attacking wolf. Sailor Mars finally killed hers with barrage of rings of fire. Only Sailor Moon's remained. The fog had completely cleared, yet she was still being chased back and forth by the last remaining wolf!

"Sailor Moon, jump!" yelled Minako as she sent a chain right through the wolf's rib cage. It disappeared with a yelp and the whoosh of the shadows resettling into the earth.

During all this time, the purple monster had been fighting Mamoru in hand-to-hand combat. Everyone turned and starred when they heard the commotion. Mamoru made a final stab when she dissolved in thin air.

"Where did she go?!" He cried angrily.

No one noticed her reappear from a puddle of black gunk on the rooftop, on the side of the street Ami and Renée stood on. Silently, like an owl, she jumped and glided off the ledge, her arms spread wide and her legs out to deliver the finishing blow.

"Tuxedo Mask, look out!" shouted a few of the girls. He turned around and managed to jump backwards, out of the way, but she was ready for that, too. As soon as one of her feet hit the ground, she threw her ball right at him at lightning speed, hitting him in the face. His head snapped back as he fell backwards onto the street.

Renée, regrettably for the monster, was ready as well. As soon as she had saw with her own eyes that the monster was coming down, she had ran after it. She didn't make it to the creature in time to stop it, unfortunately; it still hit Mamoru. She could, however, prevent it from doing any damage to the other girls. The monster didn't even get a chance to laugh, or turn. Right after it had thrown its ball, Renée ran at it and pounced like a panther. Her left hand outstretched, she connected her fingertips to the back of the monsters neck. Both of them fell down forwards, Renée putting all her weigh into the direction of her hand. With the force of the landing, Renée opened her eyes to find herself on top of her with her fingers actually in the monsters neck. Getting her balance at last, she got up and off of the monster and ripped her claws from its flesh, shaking her left hand in disgust.

"Eww," she whined, her fingers covered in deep green goop. The monster got up on her hand and knees, making choking noises and spitting out the same thick, green liquid. Makoto finished it off; making it disappear for good when her circle of electricity landed to the monster's middle. She had reacted and powered up the same time Renée had jumped.

"Mamoru!" shouted Usagi desperately as she ran to his side. Ami came over at a slower pace.

"Usagi, I think he'll be fine. The only thing that hit his head was that ball, and it was his forehead, not his nose or jaw. He's just knocked out," she diagnosed after checking his pulse and examining his head and neck. Renée looked down at him, but only could cringe.

"Ugh, gross," she said while sticking her tongue out. Trying to wipe her hand clean on her uniform, she knew that wasn't the only reason she had cringed. Usagi had had her arms around Mamoru's neck, crying against his chest.

Back at the temple, Renée coloured her cast with the makers she had bought after the fight, and couldn't possibly be any happier than she was at that moment. With a shy smile, she sloppily tried to control the markers in her left hand while she coloured on the cast she had propped up on the table. The only noise came from the markers, and in the peaceful room late at night, the squeaking sound seemed to be amplified. The marker in her left hand was a bit uncomfortable, but as long as she could draw, she was happy to deal with it.

Hearing the racket while walking by in the hall, Rei peaked her head into Renée's room.

"Hey, what are you up to?" asked Rei. Renée looked up with a jump, as if coming back from a trance.

"Oh, I didn't hear you there," Renée breathed out slowly. "Just doodlin'. I haven't been able to for a while."

Going back down to her drawing, Renée kept her head low, hoping Rei wouldn't see what she was doing. But she heard Rei walk over, and felt her face go red when Rei stopped above her shoulder.

"Renée, that's beautiful!" Rei exclaimed, kneeling down next to her.

"Ah, thanks, but it's not that great,"

"No, really! I love it! Especially the way you coloured right over the lines, like abstract, is that's what it's called?"

"Actually, that's because I'm drawing with my left hand…"

"Oh."

Rei sat there for a few more horrifying seconds, before getting up and leaving the room, much to Renee's relief. Rei turned around just as she walked through the door. "If that's what you can do with your left, imaging your right! I can't wait until you get out of that cast."

Renée popped the cap back onto the last marker she used, finished with the top of the cast. Putting them away briskly and crawling over to her bed, she laid down with her right arm in the air above her head. The two angels on her cast, one with silver hair, and the other with black, weren't that bad.

At least I haven't screwed that up, she thought before drifting away to sleep.