Usagi stepped off the bus. As it pulled away, Mamoru's car pulled up behind it. "Hey, Pretty Girl. Need a ride?"
"Mamo-chan!" Usagi hopped in and kissed his cheek. "How has your day been?"
"Better now that you're here. Wanna go to the Crown?" asked Mamoru.
Usagi nodded. "Let's go!"
They walked into the Crown and noticed the construction in the back. "Hey, Motoki-kun, what's going on here?"
Motoki leaned on the counter. "We're putting in a karaoke room in the back," he told them. "We should have it up and running by summer."
"Karaoke?" Usagi excitedly jumped up and down. "Yeah!"
Mamoru just shook his head. "Let's go check out that new Sailor V game."
"Wow, look at this: V vs. Moon. Who do you think would win?" asked Usagi.
"In terms of the game, that would depend on the skill of the players," answered Mamoru.
Usagi raised an eyebrow. "And in terms of real life?"
"I'm not touching that."
"Good man." They laughed and Mamoru began searching his pockets for some change for the game.
At that moment, a tall, redhead walked through the door. She donned a tight, form-fitting dress with two slits that started at the waist. She pulled off her sunglasses to reveal her fiery red eyes. She was Ra, and she was coming for her first Senshi.
As soon as she spotted Usagi, she made a direct beeline to her. "Princess Serenity?"
Usagi and Mamoru looked at Ra. "I'm sorry; do I know you?" Usagi asked.
"Oh, I believe you do." Ra grabbed Usagi's arm, and before she or Mamoru could react, both women disappeared.
Bystanders went ballistic. As panicked patrons filed out of the arcade, Mamoru stared at the empty stool in shock. What just happened? he asked himself.

Ken burst into the room. "There's another one of those guys outside!"
Hana and Mamoru ran to the window in the other room. Outside, Tut-Tut was hysterically grabbing random people. "Where are Luna and Artemis?!" he would ask them.
"Like they even know who he's talking about," Luna commented. A sweatdrop formed on the back of each person's head. "If he wasn't scaring the people and endangering their welfare, it would be kinda funny," Hana added. She turned to Mamoru. "Could you please stay here with Ken and only come out if needed?"
He nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you.. . . Earth Planet Power! Make Up!" Sailor Earth started to run out the door, then turned back around. "Osiris! Come on!"
Osiris was taken aback. "Huh?"
"You wanna prove you've changed, right?" Earth asked.
"Yes. . ."
"Now's your chance!"
Osiris looked over at Artemis. "If there is going to be another female in this group, I would like to see what I am getting into," Artemis told her.
Osiris smirked. "You got it."

Back on the streets, people where running around in a panic as Tut-Tut randomly fired at them. "No one is leaving until I find them!"
"Hold it right there, buddy!" Earth and Osiris stood at the entrance of the apartment building. "As guardian of this planet, I, Sailor Earth, shall stop you from . . .whatever your mission is."
"Oh, yeah. That's gonna be effective," Osiris commented.
A sweatdrop slid down Earth's face. "You shut up."
"Alright!" cheered Tut-Tut. "I get to complete the first of my tasks! Sands of Time!"
Earth and Osiris dodged the attack. It smashed into the entrance of the apartment, destroying it. Earth countered with, "Bolder Dash!"
Tut-Tut caught one of the Boulders and threw it back at Earth. She gasped as she realized that she would not be able to dodge this attack in time. No!
Then, suddenly, the Golden Crystal started to react, shooting out four rays of light. One was aimed right next to Earth. From it come Kunzite, who pushed her out of the way. From the other three came the other Guardians, each with the blade of their swords glowing. They flung the light towards Tut-Tut.
Kunzite helped Earth to her feet. "Princess, are you alright?"
Earth was in shock. "Kunzite? But how. . .?"
"You wanted help, so the Golden Crystal magnified your power. We are here because of that," Kunzite explained.
"Sailor Earth!" yelled Jadeite. "Catch!" He tossed Earth a seethed sword. She caught it by the blade one-handed. She unseethed it, tossed the cover to the side, and instinctively prepared herself to use it. The Guardians gathered behind her; Kunzite and Jadeite on her right, Zoisite and Nephrite to her left. All five powered up their swords and aimed at Tut-Tut. "Gem Sparkle Attack!"
"Sands of Time!" countered Tut-Tut.
The Guardians' attack was more powerful than Tut-Tut and he had to duck to keep from being hit. "No! No! NO!" Tut-Tut began to throw a temper tantrum. "My mission is to kill Sailor Earth and Osiris! You other four aren't even supposed to be here!"
"What a baby," mumble Zoisite. Each Guardian formed their own sweatdrop.
"Tut-Tut!" called out Ra's voice. "Return! Now!"
Tut-Tut quickly calmed down. "Yes, ma'am," he answered and disappeared.

Ra ran her manicured fingers through her hair as she thought of what to say next. "Tut-Tut. Whenever something unexpected happens, by all means, RETREAT!"
Tut-Tut was on one knee, his head lowered. "Yes, ma'am."
"And no matter how obvious it may be to them, NEVER TELL THE ENEMY YOUR MISSION!" Ra added.
"Yes, ma'am." Tut-Tut repeated.
"And that thing you did with running up to people and trying to kill them, what. . .? Just don't do that again, okay?" Ra shook her head in disbelief.
"Yes, ma'am."
Ra sat down. "Just. . .just go to your room until I figure something out."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ra sighed as he left the room. "I can't tell who's going to die first: Sailor Earth from his attacks or myself from his stupidity."

Mamoru was uneasy about letting Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoistie, and Kunzite into his apartment. They in turn were a bit hesitant to go in and sit down. Completely unaware of the past, Hana didn't sense the tension and handed out the drinks the Guardians had asked for. "Wow. I finally get to see the four of you in person."
"Well, it is good to see you as well, Princess," said Kunzite.
"Please. Just call me 'Hana'."
"Very well. Prince, how would you like to be addressed?" Kunzite asked Mamoru.
"Mamoru is fine."
Silence returned to the room. Hana finally picked up on the tension between them. "Uh, so! Anybody hungry?" she asked, trying to defuse it.
"Hana. Osiris. Ken. I need to explain something to you in the other room," said Luna.
"But. . ." started Hana.
"No 'buts'," ordered Artemis. "Now!"
Defeated, Hana did as she was told.
Now alone, the men shifted nervously in their seats as each searched for the right thing to say. Finally, Kunzite spoke up. "Mamoru-sama, we ask for your forgiveness. We remember now and want to return to serving you and your sister. We are willing to do whatever it takes to prove we have changed."
Mamoru leaned forward as he took this in. "To prove you have changed. . .I want you to help Hana with her mission. I want you to follow her and protect her. That's all I ask."
The Four Guardians nodded. "We shall," Kunzite reassured him.
Mamoru stood. "Hana. You can come back in." As she opened the door, he added, "Get ready to go."
Zoisite quickly stood up. "Where are we going?" he demanded.
"Relax," Mamoru reassured him. "We need to get you some new clothes. You can't spend the rest of your lives in those things."

Ra glanced out the window at the Earth below. "Tut-Tut. In just a few weeks, I will have Luna and Artemis and the Earth will be under my control."
Tut-Tut, again kneeling before Ra, looked up in confusion. "I don't remember that last part being in the plan."
"It is now!" yelled Ra.
"Of course. Yes, ma'am." Tut-Tut lowered his again.
Ra smirked. "Gullible," she mumbled. Louder, she continued, "Sailor Earth is my only obstacle. I want her dead! And the sooner, the better."
The Silver Crystal appeared in front of Tut-Tut as Ra continued. "I want you to use the Silver Crystal to get rid of her. DO NOT LOSE IT!"
"I shall not let you down," reassured Tut-Tut. He stood and left the room.
Ra shook her head. "I sure hope not."

Hana was taking money out of the vending machine when Motoki, from behind the counter, yelled, "Hana-san! Could you clean this spill for me?"
"Yeah, sure." Hana carried the moneybag to the counter. Motoki traded her the bag for the mop. "Have fun."
Hana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure," she repeated sarcasticly as she started to mop the Coke spill.
"I'm really sorry about that," apologized the customer.
Hana looked up. "It's no big. . .Jiro-san?"
"Hana-san?" asked Jiro. "Why do you have a job? I thought you were just visiting a friend."
"Uh. . .I changed my plans," Hana lied. "I love Tokyo so much that I decided to move here. Had to get a job, though."
"Yeah, I bet.. . .So, are you and . . . that guy . . .?"
Hana knew what he was talking about. "Yeah. We're living together."
"Does he make you happy?"
"Yes. He makes me very happy."
Jiro held back the tears. "Well . . .I wish you two the best." Motoki handed Jiro his replacement drink. "Arigato. Well, sayonara Hana-san."
Hana's heart sank. Sayonara? As he started to walk out the door, she called out, "Actually, if you wanted to hang out sometime, we can."
"Are you sure your. . .friend won't get jealous?"
"He's not the jealous type. We'll be fine."
"Okay.. . . When do you get off tomorrow?"
"Well, I close tomorrow, but if you wanted to do something afterwards. . ."
Jiro smiled. "I-I would like that. Ja ne then."
"Ja ne, Jiro-san." Hana breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this could work out after all.

"Good night, Hana-san," Motoki said as he prepared to leave.
Hana looked up from her sweeping. "Good night! Take care!"
As the door closed behind him, Hana went back to her sweeping. She soon found herself thinking about the first time she met Jiro. . . .
It was the first day of fifth grade. As she walked into her classroom, she noticed that the class appeared to be keeping their distance from the black-haired, green-eyed newcomer. Hana wasn't sure what to do; already the class outsider, she didn't want to damage his image by being associated with her. As she made her way to her desk, though, it became apparent to her that he wasn't really reading that book; he was just using it as a cover-up so he could listen to the conversations his new classmates were having about him.
Jiro didn't look up as Hana approached him. She cleared her throat. Nothing. Finally, she moved to the front of his desk and lowered herself so that only her head could be seen over the desk. The noise level seemed to go down as she said, "Hello. My name is Kin Hana. I am 11-years-old and my bloodtype is type O.. . .What's your name?"
He slowly lifted his head as if he couldn't believe her question was being directed towards him "Hello. I am Kiyshoi Jiro." He went back to "reading" his book.
"Okay," Hana said slowly. ". . .So, where are you from?"
He lifted his head again. "Uh. . .well, I was born in Osaka, but my father's company just moved us here from Beijing."
"Oh! China! Wow! That must have been fun!. . .Oh! There's our teacher, Thomas Walter." Hana pointed to the short, balding man that was entering the room. "He's from England. Rumor has it that he thinks he knows more about our culture than we do."
"Oh, what would he know?" Jiro quickly covered his mouth. "Oops. . ."
Hana started giggling. "That was just what I was thinking." . . .
Someone started knocking on the door. Hana looked up from the register and found Jiro waving back at her through the glass.
She unlocked the door and gestered for him come in. "Come on in. I should be done in a few minutes. I just need to count the drawer."
"That's cool." Jiro sat down on one of the stools by the counter. "So, what did you want to do?"
Hana started to count the money in the register. "I don't know. The park's pretty close. We could go there."
Jiro leaned forward. "Why the park?"
"Well, it's free."
Jiro chuckled. "True.. . .Are you sure your boyfriend is okay with this? Or have you told him? Maybe. . ."
"Jiro-san, look. That 'friend' that I'm staying with just so happens to be male. It's a very close friendship. It is nothing like. . .like what you and I . . .had." A short and awkward silence followed; Hana broke it by asking, "You, uh, want something to drink?"
"Uh, a Coke would be alright."
"Alright. Let me put this in the safe." Hana put the money away, then handed him a large Coke. "Here ya go."
"So, what am I going to do about a bathroom when we get there?" Jiro joked.
"It's a park; you'll find a tree," Hana told him nonchalantly.
The two laughed, then fell into silence once more. "So, if you don't have a boyfriend, who is the 'other man' in your life?"
"Ken."
"Ken." Jiro nodded in remembrance. "How is he?"
Hana put on her jacket. "Great considering what's happening."
Jiro's smile dropped. "What's the matter?"
"I'll explain on the way."

Hana and Jiro passed the lake. The wind blew through their hair as Hana told Jiro about the event that caused her to come to Tokyo. ". . . And as I held him, I realized that his childhood was going to be a hell-of-a-lot worse than mine. I had to get him out of there."
"Wow.. . .I mean, I knew your mother was nuts, but I never thought she would go that far."
"I had always hoped that she would change. . .I was afraid that if I tried anything but this. . ."
". . .she would retaliate," Jiro finished.
Hana smiled. "You were always able to do that."
Jiro smiled back. "I can't help it. I just know you too well. Like I was in love you in a past life or something."
Hana looked at Jiro in shock. Does he know?
Suddenly, the couple was hit with a blast from the left. As the dust settled, Hana and Jiro quickly searched for the attack's source. They found it in Tut-Tut.
Hana gasped as she realized what was hanging from his neck. The Silver Crystal! I have to get away from him! She stood and pulled her henshion stick out of her pocket. She didn't want Jiro to know that she was Sailor Earth, but she knew that it was more important to get the Silver Cyrstal. "Earth Planet Power! Make Up!"
Sailor Earth pointed at Tut-Tut. "Hand me the Silver Crystal!" she demanded.
"Never!" Tut-Tut used the Crystal to attack her.
"Boulder Dash!" Earth's attack was no match for the Silver Crystal. She screamed as she realized what was going to happen, that she was going to die at any moment.
"Hana-chan!" Jiro suddenly pushed her out of the way. As he did, his clothes began to change. Instead of blue jeans and a T-shirt, he was now wearing an outfit that was similar to the Guardians' outfits expect the sleeve were shorter and he was not wearing gloves, signs of his lower rank.
Earth's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "Jiro-san?"
He stood, drew his sword and pointed it at Tut-Tut. His voice a bit deeper, he said, "If you want her, you must deal with me first."
"Jiro-san. No. . ."
Tut-Tut smirked. "Fine." The Silver Crystal became a sword and he and Jiro began to duke it out.
Earth slowly stood up. I can't believe it; I still got him involved! Even though I tried not to, I still did!
Jiro screamed in pain as Tut-Tut's sword was shoved through his stomach. Slowly, he fell to the ground. A tear ran down his cheek as he looked at Earth. "Terra. . ."
"Elden.. . .ELDEN!" Earth's tiara shattered and was replaced with the symbol of Earth. Her entire body was surrounded by a golden glow. Tut-Tut took a step back as he realized what he had done. "Uh-oh."
Six columns of mud shot out of the ground. Earth pointed at Tut-Tut. "Gaea's Furry," she whispered.
Tut-Tut started to panic. "What do I do? I don't know what to do! Ra! Help me! Raaaa. . . !" Tut-Tut's screams, as well as his body, disappeared.
As the Silver Crystal fell to the ground, a bird caught it in its talons, and flew it to Earth. "Thank you, my friend," she said to the bird. Then, holding the Crystal in her hands, she prayed, "Please, Elden. Be healed."
Hana-sama? Hana-sama! Snap out of it!
Earth gasped, then clutched her head in pain. The symbol of Earth faded from her forehead and the tiara took its place. Earth felt very weak, then blacked out. . .

Hana groaned. Her side, arms, and back ached. She slowly opened her eyes and through her blurry vision saw a man. "J-Jiro-chan?"
"Nope. But close."
Hana blinked, clearing her vision. "M-Mr. Kiyoshi?!" she gasped in shock. She tried to sit up, but pain exploded in her stomach.
"I'm glad you still remember me, Hana, but try not to move. That attack did a number on you."
"Attack?" Hana asked with a worried tone.
"Jiro told Mrs. Kiyoshi and me all about it when he brought you in last night," Mr. Kiyoshi informed her.
He did what? Hana thought. "Well, w-w-what did he, uh, tell y-you?" She braced herself for the answer.
"He told us that one of those monsters attacked you two on your date last night. He said that you were protecting him until you were hit in the back and knocked out." Hana let out a sigh of relief as Mr. Kiyoshi continued. "You know, Hana, you aren't Superman; you should leave that type of thing to the Sailor Senshi."
"Yeah.. . .Sure." Hana decided to change the subject. "Last night wasn't really a date, though. It was . . .more of a 'catch-up'. . .thing."
Mr. Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "It sure seemed like date by the way he got ready."
"Huh?"
"He must have spent all afternoon preparing for it, if not all morning. Hana, he glowed as he told us about what you two had planned. We had to force him to go to school today and you know how much he loves his studies. I don't know what is going on between you two, but if you two want to start dating again, you have our blessing."
Hana sat up, slowly this time. "But what about Mrs. Kiyoshi?"
"I know I had my reservations about you," Mrs. Kiyoshi answered from the doorway, "but everyone deserves a chance. Hana, you are better than your family. . .and you are welcome to join ours."
Mr. Kiyoshi let that sink in before telling Hana, "There is a Chiba Mamoru here who is ready to take you home." Hana nodded and let Mr. Kiyoshi help her out of the bed and into the living room. Mamoru thanked the Kiyoshis for taking care of Hana and they left the apartment.
"Mamoru?" Hana asked after the door closed. "Do you wanna go somewhere?"
Mamoru pulled out his car keys. "Way ahead of you."

'Sayonara' is said when someone is going away for a long time or forever. Hana is dismayed since she still loves Jiro and wants to see him again.

Chapter 9