Chapter Four

Minako charged headlong down the street, her arms pumping by her side. She cursed her luck. On the one day that she had somewhere to be following school, she'd been given detention for forgetting to do her homework. She'd managed to escape after only a few minutes on the condition she stayed behind tomorrow instead, but it would still make her late to the park. After her big speech about responsibility, this was the last thing she needed.

She dodged past a couple of kids and rounded a corner at full tilt. Her cheeks were flushed red. She'd look quite pathetic arriving in a state like this, but slowing down would only make her later still. The park was in sight now, just a couple of blocks away. She shifted up another gear and raced towards it.

She screeched to a halt at the entrance and doubled over, wheezing heavily. She was by no means an unfit girl – volleyball practice kept her in good condition – but racing across town would take the wind out of anybody's sails. After a minute her breath began to return. She adjusted the bow in her hair, smoothed down her uniform, took a deep breath and stepped through the gates.

The stone staircase between two trees that Artemis had told her about was right near the entrance, as he'd said. She approached them, her mind working at full speed to prepare a suitable excuse. She couldn't say she'd been given detention, that would just make it worse. Perhaps she'd spotted a cat up a tree and had saved it? Nah, he wouldn't buy that.

It was too much to hope that he didn't realise she was late. She didn't really understand how he even knew what the time was. He was a cat, it's not like he carried a watch around. But then, most cats couldn't talk either. He was an oddity.

She reached the top of the staircase and glanced into the clearing. Her eyes widened. Someone was standing with their back turned to her. She couldn't really see who it was. Despite standing in direct sunlight, a shadow seemed to be cast over them. She glanced around for Artemis. She couldn't see him.

The figure turned slightly, and Minako gasped. The shadowy figure, whoever it was, was holding the white tomcat by the throat. She couldn't see any movement from him. Surely he wasn't…

The severity of the situation hit her and she snapped out of her surprise. She reached into her skirt pocket, retrieving an object and holding it high above her head. It was a golden pen with a circular top, upon which was a yellow symbol – the Kanji character for "Metal Star", signifying the planet of Venus.

"Venus Power!" cried Minako. "Make-Up!"

A beam of light erupted from the pen and spiralled down around her, enveloping her body completely. Her school uniform melted away, and for a moment she stood naked on the warm grass, her body glowing with energy. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared she was dressed in a new outfit. It was a sailor suit, like her school uniform, but smaller. Her knee-length blue skirt was now a miniskirt with red trim, her blouse sleeveless and revealing an inch of her midriff.

Her shoulders were adorned with pads, and the bow on her chest was a deep pink in colour. Her hands wore white gloves that stretched up to the elbows, and her feet wore stylish shoes, heeled and with an ankle strap, a dark blue in colour.

Her face turned towards the centre of the garden. Her eyes, now hidden behind a red mask, narrowed as she focused on the shadowy figure that still accosted her companion.

"DON'T MOVE!" she boomed, in a voice as loud and commanding as she could muster.

The shadow turned to face her. Like the rest of its body, the face was somehow hidden. Not a single facial feature was visible. It seemed to examine her for a moment, and then hurled the cat across the clearing. Artemis hit the ground in a heap and lay still. The shadow took a step forward. "Who… are you…" it asked. Its voice was no higher than a whisper, but somehow it was audible from every direction.

The intruder smirked and flicked a hand through her golden hair, sending it billowing out behind her. The red bow atop it stood out like an exclamation point. The hand moved to her hip and she placed her right foot forward.

"Sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and beauty!" she announced. "Codename: Sailor V!"

The shadow made no reaction. Sailor V pointed a finger at it.

"I will bring the divine punishment of love down upon you!" she boomed.

The shadow didn't move, and it didn't appear to be overly threatened by her proclamation. Sailor V waited a few moments for a response. She didn't receive one.

"Don't you know it's rude not to introduce yourself?" she asked irritably.

A chilling laugh filled the air all around her. V shuddered at the sound of it. It sounded like a child's dying breath.

"You… amuse me…" said the shadow, an uncomfortable pause linking each word. "Since you ask… I am Zetsubun… I take joy in the despair… and hopelessness… of the weak creatures that populate this narrow space…"

Sailor V frowned. "Then we are enemies," she said.

The shadow chuckled again. "Love… beauty… such wasteful, brief things…" it spoke coldly. "Concepts created to mask the harsh reality… in time, love dies… and then, there is only despair…"

V's frown deepened and she shook her head angrily. "You're wrong! If you stand in the way of a young girl dreaming of love, then I can't forgive you!"

She charged at the shadow and leaped into the air, aiming a flying kick at its head. "Sailor V Kick!" she cried as she sailed towards it. A moment before she made contact, the indistinct shape of a hand darted up, catching her foot and swinging her around before letting go again. V soared onwards, her momentum carrying her further and further, until she slammed to the ground hard.

She got up as quickly as she could, her breath knocked out of her. As she rose to her feet, she spotted Artemis only a short distance away. She ran towards him and crouched, placing a hand to his chest. It rose and fell softly. He was still alive, but he appeared to be unconscious. Her anger rose again and she turned towards the shadow. It watched her from across the clearing.

"You won't get away with that!" she yelled, and charged again. The shadow was standing in front of a tree. V skidded to a halt in front of it and aimed a kick as hard as she could muster. Her foot wheeled around and struck the figure, only to pass straight through it and slam into the thick trunk of the tree behind it. V yelped with pain and lost her balance, landing on her backside. It was still sore from her collision with Asai the day before, and she moaned miserably.

"Foolish… child…" came the voice, cold and sharp as blades of ice. A hand reached down towards her. Sailor V squirmed as she felt it grip her shoulder. She put up as much resistance as she could as she was slowly lifted into the air, but it wasn't enough to make a difference. Her body felt numb. She screamed as she was hurled across the garden, crashing to the ground again. She lay in a heap. Her limbs felt heavy and useless.

The grass around her was devoured by shadow. The figure was standing over her. V shivered. Her bare legs were cold. The shadow above her seemed to overpower the warm sunlight. Her eyes widened as it raised its hand. The faint shape of a fist distorted and elongated, fixing into the vague shape of a blade.

"Foolish… child…" breathed the shadow again. The blade came tearing down towards her, and Sailor V willed her body out of entropy. She rolled to the side an instant before the shadow's appendage crashed down to the grass. A deep impression was left in the ground she had occupied only a couple of seconds earlier. The grass around the cut instantly began to dry and blacken.

Sailor V rolled backwards and stood up shakily. She barely had time to react as the blade slashed at her again. She ducked, and then hopped backwards to avoid a third strike. The ill-defined edge of the blade appeared to pass right through the bow on her chest.

It attacked again, aiming for her stomach, and V jumped to avoid it. She dived right over the dark figure and landed behind it. Seeing her chance, she quickly span around and aimed a kick at what she guessed was its lower back. It connected this time, and the shadow stumbled forwards, taken off-guard.

V charged after it and tackled the figure to the ground. It fell face-first to the grass, and V quickly planted a knee in its back and placed her hands on its shoulders, pushing down as hard as she could and pinning it to the ground.

She gasped in surprise as the shape under her suddenly lost substance. She began to sink through it like quicksand, until finally she was crouched on the grass beneath. The shadow floated away from her. The grass where it had lay, where V now crouched, was shrivelled and dead.

Sailor V rose to her feet as the shadow did the same. It's head was turned towards her, and while it had no eyes, or any other features that revealed emotion, V somehow knew that it was angry. The air around her had grown even colder. Her shoulders shivered.

"Insolent… child…" came the voice again, the malice in its tone sharpened to a fine point.

"Your time in the sun is over!" announced Sailor V. She closed her eyes and summoned all of her power. She opened her eyes as she felt the energy flowing through her body. She concentrated on the tip of the index finger on her right hand. As she did, it began to glow brightly. She pointed it at the shadow, who watched motionlessly.

"Crescent…" called Sailor V as the golden energy reached a crescendo. "BEAM!"

She screamed as something slammed into her right leg. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. The energy at the end of her finger narrowed into a beam of light and rocketed away, missing the shadow by some distance and hitting a tree, where it dispersed. V scrambled around to face her new attacker, panic rising in her throat. She'd never fought more than a single enemy before, especially not enemies as tough as these.

She stared into the face of her attacker. The blue eyes of a white tomcat stared back at her.

"Artemis!" gasped V, her mouth dropping open. "What do you think you're doing! I had it beaten!"

"Mina, you don't understand!" replied Artemis. His voice was a little hoarse, owing to the earlier attack. "That shadow…"

"That shadow is an enemy! A monster!" fumed Sailor V.

"Mina, listen to me! The girl I told you about, the one who attacked me. That shadow is her!"

"What are you talking about?" asked V, now confused as well as angry.

"That shadow… it must have invaded her body somehow! It's controlling her! You can't destroy it, or you'll destroy her too!"

For a moment his words were meaningless, a combination of random syllables that meant absolutely nothing. It took a full two seconds before realisation hit her like a tidal wave, along with a surge of guilt. If Artemis hadn't knocked her off balance, she would have…

She suppressed the thought. She could think about it later. Right now, she had to save the girl in any way she could. The question was, how? She turned to Artemis.

"Then how am I supposed to defeat it!" she asked.

Artemis paused, apparently trying to formulate a solution. His eyes widened as a shadow fell over them. "Look out!" he cried urgently. Sailor V turned her head just in time to see the shadow lunging towards her. She flattened herself to the ground and it flew over her, missing her by mere inches.

Before she could get to her feet, she felt sharp, icy fingers wrap around her left ankle. She jerked her leg away, letting out an involuntary scream, but she couldn't free herself. Her foot went numb, and paralysis slowly began to creep up her leg. "Artemis! Help me!" she cried.

The cat charged the shadow and dived at its head, swiping and scratching at its blurred face with all of his might. The deathly grip on V's ankle loosened and she managed to pull herself free.

The shadow threw its arm out, striking Artemis and knocking him away. It advanced on Sailor V again. She crawled backwards with her hands, dragging her leg behind her. The shadow caught up with her easily, and placed a foot on her chest, pinning her to the ground.

V's entire body began to numb. The weight on her chest felt like it was going to crush her. She tried to raise her arms to put up some kind of defence, but they wouldn't move. They felt like lead weights. Her hands opened and closed weakly.

"Do you… understand… now?" came the voice from every direction. "Love will die… but despair will always remain…"

"Nyaaaaaa!" came a furious screech, and Artemis dived again, claws at the ready. The shadow caught him in mid-leap and slammed him back down to the ground. He landed with such force that he bounced once, and then came to rest in a rough pile. He mewed weakly and attempted to stand, before the last of his strength dissolved and he passed out.

The shadow looked back at the lifeless body of Sailor V. She stared back with half-closed eyes. Her body felt so heavy, her mind so cloudy. She tried to move her arms again, but she couldn't even feel them. She couldn't feel anything. The air around her was cold and dark.

"A broken heart… is my home…" groaned the shadow, "nothing… can be built… upon the ruins of such a place…"

"You… you're… wrong…" replied Sailor V, her voice barely more than a sigh. "There is always… always the chance for love to begin again…"

She felt the last of her strength fading, and focused all the energy she had into forming words.

"With each broken heart… a girl becomes stronger… and understands herself a little more… so that the next love… will be even… even more… wonderful…"

The darkness that surrounded her was thick now, a wall that isolated her from the bright sunshine that still shone in the world outside. Behind the red mask, her eyelids felt heavy. Just keeping her eyes open was too much effort. They began to close.

The shadow atop her suddenly removed its foot from her chest and stumbled backwards.

Sailor V slowly opened her eyes to watch it. The shadow raised its hands to its head and doubled over, as if in intense pain.

"Liar! LIAR!" it screamed. "Wounds do not heal! Love leads to despair! To…"

It sunk to its knees.

"Despair…"

It collapsed face-first onto the grass. Sailor V lay motionless for a moment. The bright sunlight above streamed down, cutting through the darkness that clouded her vision. She felt her strength begin to return. On the grass nearby, Artemis opened his eyes. The two of them watched as the shadow that lay on the grass began to melt away.

A figure was revealed beneath, a young girl with a dirty, swollen face and untidy hair. Her clothes were filthy and torn. Sailor V sat up, the numbness that had consumed her body beginning to fade away. She exchanged a worried glance with Artemis.

"That's her," he said.

Sailor V climbed to her feet slowly, still a little unsteady. She closed her eyes, and her outfit faded away. The mask concealing her eyes disappeared. With a flash, her school uniform reappeared on her body.

She quickly made her way to the girl lying face-down on the grass. Artemis followed. Minako crouched down beside her and gently rolled her onto her back. She placed a hand to her throat. She sighed heavily with relief as she felt a pulse. "She's alive," she told Artemis, who nodded gratefully.

The girl's eyes began to open, slowly. A low moan came from her throat. Her eyes focused on Minako, sitting beside her, and she reacted with alarm. "It's okay," said Minako softly, a kind smile on her face. "You're safe now."

"W-what happened?" asked the girl, clearly very frightened. Minako's heart sank a little, but the smile on her face didn't waver. Before she could say anything, the girl cried out. "The kitty! The bald spot kitty! I… I…"

"Nyaan?" mewed Artemis. The girl turned her head to face him, and her swollen lips managed to form a weak smile. "Thank goodness…" she sighed, "I thought I… I might've…" Her lower lip began to tremble as the memories returned. Her eyes began to glisten. Minako reacted quickly.

"I'm Aino Minako," she said brightly. "And this is my cat, Artemis! What's your name?"

"H-Hashishita Shizuka," answered the girl shyly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hashishita-san," said Minako politely.

"Please, c-call me Shizuka," replied Shizuka quietly.

"Sure," said Minako, "Shizuka-chan it is!"

"May I call you Mina-chan?" asked Shizuka nervously.

"Of course!" replied Minako. "In fact, I insist on it!"

Minako stood and offered her hand to Shizuka, who took it. She helped the girl to her feet and held her steady for a moment until she found her balance. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Minako asked kindly.

"No!" replied Shizuka in a voice that was practically a shout. She covered her mouth with her hands, embarrassed. "I mean, no, thank-you. I… I don't feel like going home just yet."

"Well, you could come to my house for a while," said Minako with a grin. "I've got the new Love Heart Boys single!"

"Are you sure it's okay?" Shizuka asked. "I don't want you to get in trouble with your parents."

Minako waved a hand dismissively. "Nah! My papa never says a word and my mama's always mad at me no matter what I do! It'll be perfectly fine! Come on, let's go!"

She linked arms with Shizuka, who looked taken aback, and set off towards the stone steps that led down to the entrance of the park. "Come on, Artemis!" she called without looking back. Artemis went after them, a smile on his face. Minako's power to make friends was a force to be reckoned with.

After what poor Shizuka had been through, a friend like Minako was exactly what she needed.