Chapter 21: Dogs and Shinto Spells

Nozomi sniffed the air eagerly, various smells wafting through her powerful nose. She charged ahead, only to find that there was a weight holding her back by her neck.

"I like your dog, Madoka. She's so assertive and feminine, just the right kind of pet for someone like you," commented Sakura as Madoka was holding the other end of her dog's leash.

"Since she's such a fluffy Norwegian Elkhound, isn't it too hot for her?" Bridget asked; she was also accompanying Sakura and Madoka on their journey to the local park.

"It's okay. I brought water for her and I'm not going to make her be really active if she doesn't want too. But she likes this park, Sakura and I often take her here. I'm surprised you didn't know," shrugged Madoka. Nozomi suddenly started barking, struggling to leap into some nearby bushes. Scarlett crawled out of the other side and stood up.

"It's one of those Love Angels! Let's transform! Milkshake Prism Power, Make Up!" Sakura called.

"Cupcake Prism Power, Make Up!" added Bridget.

"Bubble Gum Prism Power, Make Up!" finished Madoka. However, Scarlett did not make any move to use her own Love Angel powers. Instead, she silently pointed at Nozomi, and Jama-P flew over the bushes and into Nozomi's body, possessing her as he had done to Setsuna before. Sailor Bubble Gum saw this and turned on her Senshi communicator.

"What is it, Madoka? It's kind of busy with customers right now," Rei sighed on the other end.

"We need you to unpossess the dog. Nozomi got Jama-P inside of her," Bubble Gum said matter-of-factly. She sounded calm but inside her mind was racing, since Nozomi was glowing purple and snarling at Sailor Cupcake and Sailor Milkshake fiercely. Sailor Cupcake held up her hand.

"Sorry, Nozomi, but this is the kindest way to do it. Vines Entanglement!" Her vines shot out of her hands and tied up Nozomi so she couldn't escape. Sailor Milkshake grinned at her and took off after Scarlett.

"Deep Submerge!" she shouted, but she missed and splashed the grass instead. Scarlett spun around, glaring at the lime green Senshi.

"Wedding Excellent Flower!" she called, and in a flash of lavender lights she was wearing her wedding gown.

"World Shaking!" With that, Angel Salvia was struck by a glowing blue energy ball that knocked her down.

"Hey, Madoka! Is Rei going to come help?" Sailor Milkshake called as Sailor Bubble Gum ran up. Bubble Gum nodded quietly and then jumped on top of Angel Salvia, who seemed like she was going to undergo her second transformation.

"Get off of me! Angel Passionate Salvia!" she called, and Sailor Bubble Gum fell off, shielding her eyes from the bright lights that shot out of the redhaired angel's body. Meanwhile, Sailor Cupcake was getting dragged along the grass by Nozomi, who was slowly but surely heading for where Angel Salvia was fighting with the other two Senshi. She then screamed as Nozomi ripped the vines with her teeth and charged at the Senshi.

"Evil spirits, begone!" Sailor Bubble Gum jumped aside as she heard her mother's voice calling the ancient Shinto spell. Several anti-ghost stickers flew at Nozomi, sticking to her fur. Nozomi yowled as Jama-P was exorcised from her body, and she flopped over, panting. Angel Salvia growled and grabbed Jama-P, taking him with her as she teleported away.

"Madoka, when you come home after playing in the park, I need to teach you how to banish spirits too so you don't always have to call me to do it," Rei said. Madoka nodded, detransforming.

"Can I come too? I'd like to see it for myself since Mom can't explain it in science terms for me," Sakura asked. Bridget nodded, showing her assent that she wanted to join the fun, although she was more looking forward to spending time with Nozomi rather than learning any psychic ghost banishment techniques.

"Okay, okay! Then, all of you can come over! Who wants to learn how to use the anti-ghost stickers!" Rei called enthusastically. Sakura and Madoka raised their hands, but Bridget did not. Rei looked at her, worried.

"I just want to visit, that's all," Bridget said quietly.

"That's okay, it won't work anyway if your heart isn't in it," Rei replied, smiling. The three girls and the Elkhound followed her to the car, where she drove them back home. They all went to the sacred fire room, but Bridget and Nozomi just sat together in a corner, watching curiously.

"Don't you have to be wearing your priestess clothing to do it?" Sakura asked, noticing that none of them were wearing the traditional outfit.

"No, it's not like your Senshi powers. This is a power that comes from the mind; it doesn't matter what clothes you're wearing. That's the point, anyway, it's something you can do without having to 'transform' into anything or anyone," Rei explained.

"Don't you have to have psychic powers to do it, though? I don't have any, and I don't know about Madoka, but I don't think she does either," Sakura pointed out. Rei sighed, looking defeated, then she just looked fierce.

"You know, I've never really tested Madoka for psychic powers yet, and this is a good time as any," she declared. Rei beckoned for Madoka to come forward, and she did so. Rei knelt down in front of her and put her hands on Madoka's head. A red aura glowed between them, and Bridget stared in awe of its beauty. Sakura, on the other hand, had gotten bored with the psychic mumbo-jumbo stuff and decided to play outside some more. Soon, the glow faded around Rei and Madoka, and the former sighed.

"I did not sense ANY psychic abilities in you. Sorry. I wish I could teach you how to banish ghosts too, but I can't do it if you don't have the psychic power to do so," she said resignedly.

"That's okay, Mom. Maybe you can get Parallax to learn, since she's also psychic," Madoka shrugged, sounding much less disappointed than her mother. She then went outside to find Sakura, and Bridget followed them. Rei turned back to the shrine and sat in front of the fire, concentrating. A vision came to her. It was of a cupcake, a stick of bubble gum, and a milkshake. Suddenly, a gigantic redhaired angel swooped down and ate them all! Rei screamed, realizing what it meant. She hurried outside to find that, yes, Angel Salvia had come back and meant to attack the Senshi again, on her own this time.

"Vines Entanglement!"

"Passionate Cake Cut!" Sailor Cupcake jumped aside as her vines were sliced to bits by the angel's sword.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!" Angel Saliva dodged these attacks and they nearly hit Rei, crashing into the wall of the shrine room. Rei snarled at Angel Salvia.

"How dare you trick the pure Sailor Senshi into ruining the holy shrine! You should be ashamed to call yourself a Love Angel!" she shouted. While Salvia was distracted, Sailor Cupcake took the chance to grab her with her vine attack again.

"Passionate Cake Cut!" Once again, Salvia cut the vines, but this time, Sailor Milkshake and Sailor Bubble Gum's wave of water and energy ball struck true, and knocked out Angel Salvia a second time that day.

"Mrs. Hino, you shouldn't get in the way of our battles. You could've been really hurt," scolded Sakura.

"I couldn't help it," sighed Rei, "I just hated seeing her do that, tricking you two into hitting the shrine."

"We just missed. And the shrine can be fixed better than you," Madoka replied airily. Rei rolled her eyes; sometimes she wished her daughter would care more about such things.

"At least this time Nozomi wasn't hurt," said Bridget softly, petting the curious Elkhound, who was sniffing the hole in the shrine wall.

"You LIKE the dog, don't you. Why don't you ask Mrs. Aino for a dog of your own?" asked Sakura. Bridget shook her head.

"I don't want to impose on her. I'm her guest. And it would be hard to take a dog back to Ireland; I wouldn't want it to be lonely on the airplane anyway," she said sadly.

"Good point. But still, a smaller pet, then? Or are you just a dog person?" asked Sakura.

"Dogs, cats, lizards, any kind of pet would be nice," sighed Bridget.