Chapter 11: Aquarius

Jasmine charged into her room and leaped onto her bed with an excited squeal.

"I can't believe I actually did it! But I did it! I made my own fashion magazine album where everyone's wearing glasses!" she cheered, "And I just got it back from the printers!" She then yelped in surprise as she heard what sounded like someone moaning. And it was coming from under her bed! Jasmine peeked over the edge and shrieked. There WAS someone!

"Don't tell anyone I'm here," whimpered the hidden person.

"Heather! What are you doing under there? Is it true you're really a vampire and so you're hiding from the sun?" Jasmine giggled, sliding to the floor.

"I'm not a vampire, I'm hiding," Heather pouted, "Why did you think I was a vampire?" Jasmine shrugged.

"It was just a joke. So why are you really hiding under my bed? Are you playing a game with someone and they're supposed to search for you?" she asked.

"No, just leave me alone. You'll give me away if you talk to me," Heather snapped. Jasmine, still thinking that her room was being used in a game of hide-and-seek, hopped back on her bed. Heather whimpered again.

"Look, you're not doing a good job of hiding if you keep making noise. I'm just pretending like you're not there," Jasmine pointed out.

"No, you're squishing me. Can't you sit on the floor?" Heather moaned. Jasmine rolled her eyes but she got off the bed anyway, opening the book she had just made. Just then, a knock came on the door, and Haruka opened it.

"Hi, Jasmine. Akiko and I have an important question for you. Have you seen Heather Gabor? I'm looking for her," Haruka asked.

"Nope," Jasmine replied smugly, "You have to find her yourself if you want to play hide-and-seek. It's cheating if you ask others to help you." Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think we're playing a game with her? This isn't a game, this is serious Senshi business. Why else do you think I have Akiko with me?" Haruka challenged.

"Maybe because you wanted a doggy friend to help you sniff out things?" giggled Jasmine.

"Look, I need to give her this," Haruka sighed, showing Jasmine what was an orange star pendant. "But I can't find her in her own room, nor have I seen her anywhere else in the Crystal Palace."

"Sorry, you have to look somewhere else. I'M not telling," Jasmine smirked knowingly, and she jumped back on her bed. Heather, who was still underneath, whimpered again, and Haruka scowled.

"Is she under your bed? Stop goofing around, you, and tell me so I can pull her out," she ordered sternly.

"Please don't make me do this. You're such a cruel mother," moaned Heather's muffled voice.

"First get out of there. Then we'll talk." A sigh was heard and Heather stuck her head out, her purple curls a wild mess. She crawled out, looking up at Haruka with sad, pouty yellow eyes.

"Miss Tenou, I don't want to fight your daughter. I think it's cruel of you to want to me do that. Are all you Sailor Senshi so abusive to your children that you would send us to fight them?" she accused.

"Look, we're not asking you to kill them. We're asking you to fight back because they are trying to get rid of you. Someone has turned them evil, and now they are trying to fight us, especially you Zodiac Senshi. Until we figure out how to turn them back to normal, you will have to fight them," Haruka explained seriously, but then she smirked. "And would you think us to be worse if we fought them ourselves instead of sending others who aren't attached to them emotionally?"

"But...they're your kids! You're supposed to be able to stop them from doing bad things, that's a parent's job! You're not being good parents if you have other people do it for you!" Heather protested.

"As I said, this is not about kids merely misbehaving. They are fighting us in a way that we need Sailor Senshi to combat them. And we gave up our own powers to them, so we would be defenseless. So far, they have not listened to us, too," Haruka sighed. "We were going to train them to be good Sailor Senshi like us, but they were taken away, and their powers were corrupted before they could awaken as true Sailor Senshi."

"Then maybe the next time one of them attacks, we should capture them and use the Queen's Silver Crystal to purify them of their evil," suggested Jasmine, who had been listening to the conversation since it WAS taking place in her room.

"You know, that's a good idea. We'd have to make sure they don't escape, though, since they have the ability to teleport at will," Haruka said approvingly.

"Hey, don't try to confine me! You were always the bossy one anyway!" shouted a voice that could only be Yumemi Hino.

"Is...um...is one of the original Sailors your mother?" Heather asked her nervously. Yumemi grinned.

"Of course, silly Rei's my Mom, but I like Bertha better. She lets me have fun more. Like freezing you, silly chubby girl," she giggled, sending swirls of ice up Heather's legs.

"Then let her have her freedom! Cancer Zodiac Power, Make Up!" shouted Jasmine, transforming into Sailor Cancer. She turned to Haruka. "You should give Heather her powers now." Haruka raised an eyebrow at the idea of the youngest Zodiac ordering her around, but she tossed the orange pendant to Heather anyway.

"Okay, I guess I should, if I'm supposed to," whimpered Heather, who decided that perhaps transforming would prevent her body from freezing. "Aquarius Zodiac Power, Make Up!" Orange lights burst out of her body, not only forming her Senshi outfit but also breaking her free of the ice, and Sailor Aquarius stood before them. As would be expected, her Senshi outfit was mainly orange, with matching shoes, and her bows were pink.

"WAAAH!! How dare you break away from my ice! Then I'll just get the bossy one, see how she likes being confined," Yumemi snarled, directing the ice flow at Haruka, who began to freeze this time.

"She told me she wanted to be the wind, and she can't do that when she's held down. Cancer Pumpkin Crunch!" Sailor Cancer yelled, flinging several large pumpkins at Yumemi, knocking her down. However, Yumemi got back up and threw one of the pumpkins back at Sailor Cancer, hitting her in the head.

"Please don't..." Sailor Aquarius whimpered, "Please don't use our powers against us." Though she had transformed, she was still too scared to fight yet.

"Just try! You'll definitely lose if you don't even try to fight!" Haruka shouted, somewhat panicked because she was quickly freezing.

"Okay, if that's what you want. Aquarius Fruit Blaster!" Yumemi looked up and shrieked as a huge apple came out of nowhere and landed on her head. She fell over, quite dizzy.

"Now to finish her! Cancer Pumpkin Crunch!" The second barrage of pumpkins was too much for Yumemi, and she was knocked unconscious. She disappeared then, leaving the tell-tale flash of blue light behind. However, Haruka was still encased in the block of ice, but that was quickly melting.

"Maybe we need to carry you outside where it's warmer? Or, I know, I'll put all my covers over you!" Sailor Cancer exclaimed, and before Haruka could say anything she began flinging her blankets off her bed, wrapping them around Haruka's frozen body.

"Very good, that's what you're supposed to do, taking care of people and making sure they're safe and warm," said Akiko, who had been watching from out in the hallway. "But aren't you worried that your blankets will get all cold and wet?"

"Oops, I forgot about that. I just thought of the quickest way to warm her up," Jasmine admitted, detransforming. Heather did as well.

"That's still very good, I'm glad you're being self-sacrificing. That's how you should be, Cancer," Akiko said, with an odd doggy grin.

"Maybe I don't wanna be like I should. You bossy dogs are weird, and dogs can't be smart unless they wear glasses. Everyone should wear them," Jasmine declared, and Haruka, who was now quite wet but unfrozen, rolled her eyes.

"Even people who don't need them?" she asked.

"Yeah, they would still look good in glasses that have fake lenses," Jasmine shrugged.