Thighs ached in agony with every footstep connecting with the soil beneath them, the rhythmic pattern matching the same of her racing heart's beat. Lung fulls of oxygen and carbon dioxide burned like fire with each rushed intake of air. One thought kept her going: 'Michiru!'

Her pace quickened even more as the thought revived her stamina, driving her to newer limits she never knew she had. A clearing was starting to emerge in the distant darkness ahead of her. Never even stopping to consider a moments rest, she rushed through the foliage obstructing her way into the open; exposed for anything to come her way.

"Saa..." Fwafwa carried the still captive Michiru over to the base of a tree's blackened stem. He set her upon her feet. "Now sit."

Instantly Michiru was forced to her knees in a kneeling position through a will not of her own. Her eyes stared at him in purest fear as she was forced to look up at him. She tried to plead for the sake of trying without success. Her voice would not come out.

He smiled. "Any time now..." He turned his back to her and walked a few paces forward. "I'll deal with you after I take care of your lover."

A face burning red with embarrassment is what Fwafwa would have seen if he had bothered to look at her. Instead, Michiru was left to her own internal thoughts. 'She's NOT my lover! Where did he think of that?' Annoying thoughts of the same nature continued to run through her head; not even realizing the fact that Haruka was coming to her rescue until it was too late.

"Just in time Haruka-san!"

Haruka emerged into the clearing, her head snapping to attention. "Fwafwa!" her voice screamed in rage. "Let Michiru go!" Her hands were balled into fists. "Put her down!"

'Eh?' Michiru wanted to scream, her throat contracting and flexing with all it might with no sounds emerging. 'What the hell is she talking about? I'm over here!' She watched in complete confusion as Haruka continued to insist that Fwafwa let her go.

"Now, now..." He licked his fingers. "There's no need to talk like that here." He slung his arm across, acting as if he threw something.

"Michiru!" Haruka was struck dumb seeing Michiru thrown to the ground like a rag doll.

It was starting to make sense to Michiru now, perceiving how Fwafwa was acting and Haruka was responding. 'She's hallucinating!' Her chest clenched. 'Haruka!' There was nothing she could do. Her body was not her own at the moment, succumbing to command. 'Why am able to tell the difference?' Even her eyes could not shut with the frustration she was feeling inside.

"Fwafwa!" Haruka charged forward in outrage. A battle cry of pure anger and determination came forth from the depth of her heart. The distance between the two of them came closing in fast, Haruka's speed was unexpected as she sprang forward. Fwafwa was quicker though and reacted fast; sidestepping Haruka's swinging fist. Her opposite arm swung in a hooked direction swaying to the left making for a counter attack. Fwafwa wasn't quite quick enough this time as Haruka's fist came in contact with the stone strung around his neck, leaving a deep crack in the translucent, blood-red surface.

"Haruka!" Michiru's voice sliced the air.

Fwafwa looked to her stunned. "...how?" The stone around his neck dropped to his feet as the chain gave away, taking his concern and confusion from Michiru's outburst. He picked it up off the geound. The crack had spread further up the side breaking the metal clasp that had kept it strung. 'To think she had enough power to even scratch it...let alone break it...'

"Michiru!" Haruka saw her kneeling by the tree as the hallucination began to clear.

"Be careful Haruka! You were seeing things, I'm fine!" Her voice was saved, but her body could still not move. "I'm paralized, Haruka!"

The princess of Uranus had no time to respond as a clenched hand impacted her breastbone, sending her flying backwards a few feet. Haruka was sent into a fit of coughing as her lungs tried to regain the oxygen that was unwillingly exhaled.

"Do you think I'll let you get away with this?" Fwafwa bellowed. "You won't ruin my Queen's command!"

Haruka managed to sit up, her hand holding onto her chest. "W-what are you talking about?"

Fwafwa tightened his grip on the stone, not bothering to answer the question. "It seems that I underestimated you, Haruka." A sickening noise like bones breaking came from the hand that held the cracked rock. His hand was bubbling, it seemed, a red glow emerging from between his fingers. It was mutating his body.

Michiru watched in horror as her view of Fwafwa from behind held unthought of sights. His spine was...growing? His whole body was growing taller, almost doubling in size compared to Haruka who was still on the ground before him frozen in shock. "Haruka!" Michiru screamed at lungs full capacity.

Haruka's head snapped to the left when Michiru's plight reached her ears, shaking her from her paralyze. She got to her feet in a rush and made a dash away from the evolved former teacher. But she wasn't quite fast enough. A taloned, deformed hand connected with her right arm near her biceps; a loud pop echoing as she was thrown violently to the ground. She couldn't feel her body from the impact of the crash, but she couldn't just lay there to be a target again. Attempting to roll over on her back, she fell back down in pain. Her right arm was useless she discovered, broken between the shoulder and elbow. She could hear him coming closer.

"How are you going to kill me now, Haruka?" Fwafwa came closer. "I'm much too powerful for you to handle, aren't I?" He kicked her in the stomach causing her to roll onto her back. It was a sight to behold, to Haruka. His skin had become a pale, almost transparent green. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing there; a pure black with no soul or life. The gem had become infused in his chest just below the collar bone. She had never seen a man so ripped in her life, but then again, could he still be considered a man?

His foot lunged out onto her bad arm, adding pressure. Haruka saw nothing but white behind her eyes from the pain. Not even a scream could come from her raw throat. "Not so brave are you now..." Fwafwa's deeper voice bellowed. He threw in a final kick sending her rolling away from him.

Michiru couldn't say anything as she watched, tears streaming down her face. Haruka was going to be killed, and then what of her own self? 'Haruka...?' She saw her struggling to get up.

After managing to get to her feet, Haruka could barely speak through gritted teeth. "I won't let you lay a finger on her!"

Fwafwa was enraged. "How are you still managing to stand?" He came after her again, running at full speed.

Royal blue eyes squeezed shut waiting for the impact. But it never came. She opened one eye staring into a huge golden column of light. A warm and inviting light. Just beyond it, the monster lay on his back seemingly knocked out. For the moment.

She hesitantly reached out towards it. Prodding it at first, testing it. Her finger soon was engulfed by the light and it slowly enraptured her hand. Haruka didn't dare enter it any further, but the light had a mind of its own. Before she knew it, the warrior had been swallowed whole by the golden entity.

A woman appeared kneeling before the throne in a light shower of purple light. One foot firm on the ground while the rest of her weight was held by her knee pressed to the floor, right arm across her chest head held low. "Serenity-sama?"

Serenity looked towards the Guardian of Time and then out the windowed wall beyond her. "You sensed it too..." She watched in the distance at a glowing column of light.

"What should you have me do?" the Guardian of Time inquired.

"Go help them." She focused her attention back to the woman before her. "And please, don't kneel to me."

The other woman smiled to her Queen standing. "As you wish."

Serenity was lost in her own world at the moment, too preoccupied to hold a real conversation with the woman. 'It seems that it has begun...a lot sooner than I had anticipated.'

"Oh my God, is it true? Another chapter added in less than a year?"

"Why yes, Martha, it is true!"

Okay, so what do you think of the latest chapter:) Short? Boring? ...LAME? Let me know! by clicking that little cute botton on the bottom left-hand side of the screen that says "Review". And perhaps, if you are so inclined, you may also want to add it to your favorite story list. No pressure! Just a suggestion! Heh heh! But I am looking for some constructive criticism about my writing, so please let me know what could be done better..or worse, when you review. I don't want to make excuses about my writing pace, but I have been really busy! I'M GOING TO JAPAN! So I've been working my butt off between school to PAY for it! So yes, sorry for the delay. I'll have plenty of time Easter weekend to write due to a very long trip to TN for a family reunion. >.o