Chapter VII a)-Confrontation: Friend Against Enemy

No one had anticipated the new fight the day would bring. Nothing unusual had happened, not until the battle had come upon them out of the blue. Their day had started as a normal one, with normal classes and normal lunch-breaks, and normal chats and bickering. Usagi had just arrived home, and smelled the scent of freshly baked cookies. Rei was tying a new ribbon on the tree at the temple. Minako was scraping Artemis's ear. Makoto had just closed the door to her apartment.

"Everyone! Another enemy appeared at the park! I'm taking it on but I need your help!"

Driven by the same urgency, the four girls had rushed out of their homes to answer Ami's call.

And to think they had only investigated Juban park yesterday…

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The previous day…

Few days had passed since the battle with the yet unidentified enemy, and the Sailor Team still kept an eye out for danger. All hated the feeling of having to look over their shoulders at every step, but agreed it was the wiser course of action.

That particular afternoon, the five of them had come together at Ami's suggestion, to investigate the former battle scene again. The blue-haired girl couldn't shake the feeling that they missed an important detail. She had come up with a theory…but vital connections escaped her.

Reaching the park section that hosted the flower show, the girls were once more enthralled by the unique beauty of the colorful displays. The exhibition had again attracted many people, young and old, who walked around in a state of incredulous admiration. Still, the more secluded area of the Tsumbono display was, as before, deserted. Ami had wondered why the scientist had chosen to display his newest and most fascinating hybrids so far away from the main paths. That was probably intended as a test for those genuinely interested in his work—if they ventured far enough away from the enticing floral beauty, they deserved to discover the intriguing mechanisms of the newly bred hybrids.

"Well, they seemed to have tidied up the place…"

Indeed, there was no trace left of the devastation the creature had left behind. The broken casings had been replaced, the shards removed and the wispy plants again showed their long brownish leaves, safely encased in brand new glass containers.

"There's nothing left to study, Ami-chan. I think this was a wasted trip after all…"

"Might as well look around now that we're here", Makoto opined, coming closer to one of the hybrids. "These are so strange…not exactly the type of plant I would raise in my garden…!"

"It took Dr. Tsumbono months to develop these" Ami provided, "but what they can do is amazing. They can use the organisms around them to adapt to any new environment."

"Like a…sym-bi-otic plant?" Usagi asked, struggling with the difficult word.

"In a way, but not exactly. It doesn't need a host to adapt and survive. It simply…replicates the properties of the organisms in the same ecosystem. Then it can modify its responses according to the environment." Ami shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't fully understand their mechanism…"

"Well, I think we all agree there is little left to investigate here." Untouched by either Makoto's passion for gardening, or Ami's interest in biology and botany, Rei looked forward to returning to her after-school duties at the temple. "Shouldn't we be heading back? It's getting late…"

"This place is creeping me out—especially in the evening!" Minako admitted. "It's so gloomy…and so quiet! Like we're the only ones around…"

"That's because we are the only ones around!" Rei helpfully provided.

"Uhm, yes…well I'm for heading home! There's too much…silence…out here!"

For a moment, the five girls said nothing more.

"You know…" Usagi started, drawing closer to Minako, "this really is too quiet…"

"What's the matter, Usagi? Afraid the Juban ghost will come get you? They say it preys on klutzy schoolgirls…"

"You're so mean, Rei-chan! You're just as much of a klutz as I am!"

"At least I can spend more than two minutes without knocking anything over!"

"At least I didn't fall flat on my face in front of Mamo-chan!" ("Never? In all this time?" Minako had maliciously inquired with a quirked eyebrow)

As Ami turned her attention away from the girls' sparring match, something of great concern caught her eye. Stretching across the pavement, a long black shadow came into sight from the corner of the alley. Just as she was about to shout out a warning, the others spotted the moving silhouette.

"It's the ghost of Juban!" Minako cried out, hiding behind Makoto.

"Whaaat! No, don't come near me! Take Rei!"

Makoto and Ami exchanged looks; they feared the appearance of another enemy creature.

"Everyone, get ready to transform" the taller girl warned.

But as they all gripped the transformation pens, the shadow shrunk in the light of the setting sun, and a familiar figure came into view.

"Setsuna-san! You, here?"

The green-haired girl was less surprised to meet them—she had presumably heard the squabble from a distance. She greeted them with a smile.

"Are you investigating the park as well?" Usagi questioned. "Ami said we should, too…we didn't find anything, though."

"I see…"

"What was that creature…? Do you know anything about it?"

"I'm afraid not... but I am working on it." She cast a quick glance at the surroundings, and shook her head. "This looks like a dead end…"

Everyone agreed, and started heading home. Lingering behind the five younger girls, Setsuna came closer to one of the hybrids. She touched the glass lightly with her fingers. In the palm of her hand and up her wrist, the almost healed grazes streaked her skin like lines in red ink. After a couple of seconds, she turned her eyes away from the plant, and followed the others.

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Back at the present moment…

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Sailor Planet…Attack!"

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They all knew the dire truth, and were reluctant to speak it. Gathered around the low table in Rei's room at the temple, they contemplated the new facts. Their hands clasped around warm cups of tea, the five girls regarded each other in troubled silence.

"What are we going to do…? We can't use the combined attack that often…!"

Everyone reacted to Usagi's words.

"It's using up all our energy every time…" Rei said ruefully.

"Can't we get some kind of upgrade in our powers…?" Makoto wondered.

"Or come up with some kind of trap for those creatures?" Minako suggested.

"I think the best would be finding out what we're facing…" Ami opined. "We have to keep searching, the answer has to be close!"

"Whatever you do", came Luna's voice, as the black cat jumped on the table, "you have to do it quickly. You can't afford many more encounters like the last ones. Artemis and I are already searching our database…but we haven't come up with anything."

The situation looked severe for the Sailor Team. Each new confrontation with the unknown enemy was more dangerous and more challenging than the last. And unbeknownst to them, things were about to get critical—for what worse danger is there, than the eruption of a long-simmering conflict among friends?

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