CHAPTER FOUR

Serena was feeling really down in the dumps that day. She was with her friends and their cats in Mr. Baxter's park telling them all about it. Raye, Mina and Lita were sitting or standing at the edge of a water fountain facing Serena, while Amy was sitting on a park bench behind her back with Luna and Artemis. She was studying her latest text book as usual, but she was listening to Serena at the same time.

Serena was almost sobbing. "I went to Darien's apartment to ask for a date. I even brought along this bag of cookies as a peace offering. B-but when he answered the door he told me that he was sticking to what he said. Until I improve m-my g-g-grades, we can't go on another d-d-d-date."

Raye said, "Well Serena. If he's so important to you, then you should honour his desire and prove to him you can succeed at school."
Mina said, "Yeah. No more skipping our study sessions." She blushed. "Er, and from now on I vow to set you a better example."
"I'll hold both of you to that promise," added Raye.

Lita asked, "Did he take any of the cookies Serena?"

"Yes Lita. He did accept a handful and ate a couple for me. He said they were delicious but I must keep my promise no matter what."

"Can we see them please?" asked Raye and Serena opened the bag to show her friends.

They all gasped. "Serena! These look like charcoal!" Raye exclaimed.

Serena gulped. "So maybe I accidentally burned them a little. I baked them with love and he said he loved them really crunchy when he ate them."

Mina extracted one and said, "These feel hard as concrete. Darien is too kind. It's a wonder he didn't break his teeth."
Lita put in, "I hope his stomach won't get sick."

Serena became incensed. "Shut your mouths if you can't say anything nice about my cooking."
Amy raised her eyes from her text book and said, "Yes don't be so mean."
Serena turned to face her smiling broadly. "Why thank you Amy."

"After all," Amy raised a finger, "the cookies were in the oven so long that whatever toxicity they may have contained was surely burned out of them."

Raye covered her mouth while she giggled and Serena reacted in a split second, bowing her head and heaving her shoulders.

"Look out. She's going to have a tantrum," gasped Luna.

Everybody braced themselves for the eruption.

But to their surprise it didn't come. Instead she raised her head smiling. "I'm not mad. You're all right. If I want to win back my Darien's heart, it's up to me to make something of myself."

She turned to speak enthusiastically to Amy. "Please help me feed my brain. Teach me about classic oil."

"Huh?" gasped Amy.

"Oh sorry. I mean I want to learn all about classical composters."

Then she turned to Lita. "I admit I burned these cookies. I want to learn to do better. Master-chef Lita, please tutor me. I'll bake cookies, cakes and pie-a-la-modes."

"Are you serious?" asked Lita.

"You're going to try to learn things?" Raye was astonished.

"I'll do it for Darien Raye. You are well versed in history and world cultures aren't you?"

Her friends were all astonished but as they stared at her, then each other, then Artemis and Luna and finally back at her, they all silently nodded in agreement. They knew what Darien meant to Serena and they could read the earnestness in her eyes.

Raye couldn't help but say however, "Serena. If you're really serious you need to take this one small step at a time."

Amy said, "Yes if you're interested in classical music there's a violin concerto on tonight. Let's all pool our money and go together. You can begin your musical education."

"But in between things you must keep up faithful attendance at our study sessions for general school." Raye sternly waggled a finger and Serena solemnly promised with a nervous laugh as she thanked her friends.

The two cats were astounded at this sudden turn. Luna hoped it would be the beginning of improvements in Serena.

Meanwhile things were buzzing inside the Tomoes laboratory. Mikuji and Nekonelle were helping to make their dear mummy comfortable while their daddy extracted some blood. Mikuji taped some cotton wool over the place where the needle had been. "How's that Mummy?"

"Very good thank you Mikuji."

Nekonelle carried a cup and saucer. "Meeow. I made you a nice cup of coffee. There's one for Daddy too."

Souchi and Kaori both smiled and thanked her. Kaori took hers while the professor said, "I'll get mine after I prepare the test tube, thank you Neko."

Mikuji and Nekonelle were very excited as they watched Daddy mix Mummy's blood with the chemicals and heated it over the bunsen burner. Eudial entered with a witch who had short, fuzzy yellow hair and a big pair of glasses.

"Professor," she said. "Is your next baby ready?"

The test tube smashed just as she said this and the professor gently handed the pod towards the witches. "Yes she's here."

"Look Neko. Our baby sister!" exclaimed Mikuji.

Nekonelle purred and mewed with joy and Kaori smiled.

Eudial said, "Mimette here is taking her turn now. She will bring your darling back later tonight."

The professor gave the pod to Mimette. "Thank you. We'll all be eager to see what she will look like. Say thank you to your dear Aunties Mikuji and Neko."

"Thank you Auntie Eudial and Auntie Mimette."

"You're so sweet meeeoow. Thank you."

Hotaru and her newest sister Steering were having fun playing together in an indoor racetrack that the witches had conjured up towards the back of the house while this was happening. Hotaru loved to sit on Steering and ride her as she zoomed round and round the circuit and Steering was very fond of Hotaru. Getting to know her test-tube sisters made Hotaru forget how nervous the witches made her. Until she saw one of them and she felt uneasy. For now though they were the last thing on her mind. She squealed in utter thrills while Steering shouted enthusiastically. "VROOM! VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!"

And so as the moment came for the concert that evening Serena and her friends all dressed up in beautiful dresses of various colours and gathered outside the music theater. "We're all very excited for you Serena," said Lita.

Serena sighed. "I sure wish Darien was here though."

Mina said, "I'm sure he will start wanting to go to places and events such as this with you when he realizes you're broadening your education."

Raye sternly spoke. "Be warned. If you start to snooze in your seat, I will pinch you hard."

Amy took something out of her carry bag. "And I've brought along a guidebook to tonight's concert."

Serena gulped however and said, "Please keep it away from me Amy. That'll make me snooze for sure. I don't want to be pinched."

The girls all smiled, including Amy who reluctantly put the book away. Luna and Artemis had come along too. "We'll keep a careful eye out during the show, in case there is an attack."

"I hope there won't be Luna," said Serena.

"We hope so too, but we must be wary and watchful," replied Artemis.

Amara and Michelle were also present. As the five girls entered they noticed them from high above where they were seated inside a box for two. Amara held his binoculars to his eyes and said, "Look Michelle. There are those two girls we met at the video arcade the other day."

Michelle glanced through her own binoculars. "The pair who tailed us to the garage? They were undoubtedly the two Sailor Scouts we saw later when Anthony was kidnapped."

Amara answered, "Yes and those other girls must be the rest of the team. Quite a peanut gallery, aren't they?"

Michelle laughed and agreed.

Even as Artemis and Luna were splitting up to patrol the theater, the witch named Mimette had sneaked backstage undetected with the help of Mistress 9. She guided Mimette silently up to the open dressing room door of the concert violinist. "Perfect Mimette. He has his violin case open and his instrument sitting on the table while he's getting his tie on in front of the mirror. Send the pod flying to meld with his violin and when I prompt it will germinate on stage and we'll capture him."

Mimette suddenly felt rather hesitant. "Aw why him Mistress 9? He's kind of cute."

Then she flinched as she felt the blood pound in her brain. "We've warned you about insubordination Mimette. You obey orders if you value your life."

Mimette groaned and said, "V-very well mighty spirit being."

All the same she felt very sad as the pod levitated and cracked next to the violin. The essence inside entered the instrument and the musician turned around in surprise. The demon masked his perception though and he never even noticed Mimette staring forlornly at his handsome face. He decided he was only imagining things and went back to adjusting his outfit.

Mimette departed with a heavy heart and took her seat in the front row of the audience. Neither of the two cats crossed her path and the violinist prepared to go on stage.

As the curtain rose he bowed to the cheering crowd and then he started to play accompanied by a woman on the piano. Barely had the music begun though when the violin suddenly jerked itself out of his hand and transformed before everybody's startled eyes. It grew arms and legs and increased in size. It became the main body of a strange female humanoid. Her face appeared in the middle of the area where the knobs for tightening and tuning the strings were and the long part connecting to the main instrument shrunk down to the size of her neck. The rest of the violin was her torso and the strings were stretched from her chin to her crotch.

Turning to the startled musician she parted the strings to reveal her belly button and a black star appeared and quickly took out his heart. The female pianist screamed and fainted, the audience screamed and some fainted too. A few even vomited at the dreadful sight.

When the violinist started to change into a creepy zombie people turned and ran as fast as they could fleeing the building. Mimette ran onto the stage to pick up the heart and Mistress 9 gathered the zombie and the naive creature to the witch and they were all sealed inside a bubble.

Luna and Artemis came running as soon as they heard the uproar. The Sailor Scouts didn't waste any time though. As soon as those who were not slumped unconscious in their seats were gone they all transformed.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

"MARS STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

Only Serena was hesitating goggle eyed and gasping. Sailor Mars and Luna both yelled at her to snap out of it.

"Oh right. MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

Before any of them could make any move though two figures jumped down from the box they were sitting in high above onto the stage. Mimette gawked at them to her right and left, even though she knew Mistress 9 had them all protected by the bubble.

"Back off you five. We're taking over this show. I'm Sailor Uranus."

"And I'm Sailor Neptune."

The Scouts couldn't believe their ears. Artemis shouted in consternation.

"Why can't you work with the others?"

Sailor Mars cried out, "Yeah. We could be really strong combined."

But Uranus said, "Sorry. We were never part of your team in the Moon Kingdom union centuries ago and we're accustomed to fighting alone. Neptune let's hit them with all we've got simultaneously."

"Right Uranus."

Even though they were so close to the bubble the two of them let off both their attacks from both sides.

"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"

"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"

The violin woman just innocently stood and stared like an inquisitive toddler and the violinist's zombie body growled and moaned. Mimette on the other hand shrieked in alarm nearly dropping the heart. Mistress 9 shouted in her mind.

"Keep calm you idiot. They can't touch any of us."

Uranus and Neptune were caught unaware as their own power bounced off the bubble picking them up in the air.

As they flew across the edge of the stage Sailor Moon cried urgently. "Save them girls!"

She jumped up and caught Sailor Neptune in her arms. The other four between them reacted instinctively to catch Uranus in their arms before she hit the floor on her back.

Sailor Moon just managed to keep her balance as her feet hit the floor, her rms wrapped around Neptune.

In the meantime the bubble had vanished leaving the stage empty.

Uranus and Neptune didn't stick around.

"Well thank you for saving us. But we must leave and prepare our strategy better. Come on Neptune."

"Wait. Can't we talk a moment?" Even as Sailor Moon was pleading the two of them were literally running out of the theater where they disappeared into the night.

In the meantime Mistress 9 and Mimette had materialized at their hideout. The violinist was hidden away in the secret chamber with Anthony the mechanic. They did nothing but stare into space and salivate at the corners of their mouths all the time while the two hearts beat side by side in the crystal cabinet. But even as she had placed the second heart in place Mimette turned to look upon the zombies with a mournful expression. She was committed to serving her demonic masters along with the rest of her coven, and yet she felt conflictions at times like this. Even the mechanic that Eudial had brought back filled her with pity. "I just can't understand why such handsome men need to be turned into members of our zombie army," she sighed to herself. "I – I suppose it must be so. It still makes me feel sad."

Then she gulped and turned to leave knowing that Germatoid and Mistress 9 may well kill her if they sensed any reason to seriously distrust her. "I must overcome these emotions for my own good."

As for the professor and his wife they decided to call their new daughter Octave because she was made from a musical instrument. They not only taught Octave to talk. They also provided a bow for her and showed her how to play music on herself. She even sang as she ran the bow over the strings upon her stomach and applied pressure on them just under her neck with the other hand. Her sisters all enjoyed listening to her.

"You are wonderful Octave," exclaimed Steering.

"Meow. We love your voice and your melody." Nekonelle applauded and Mikuji cheered.

Hotaru went up to her and carefully hugged her. "I love you Octave."

Octave patted her head smiling. "I love you too Hotaru. I love all my sisters."

Souchi and Kaori were so enraptured with their slowly growing family.

The Sailor Scouts were in a most awkward position however. They had had to deliver the bad news to the authorities and the media that they currently had no idea where the violinist had disappeared too and people were very distressed and worried. They promised they would do their very best to find him and also the mechanic. They didn't dare admit that they didn't know where to begin.

The following day Serena had another thing that was worrying her. She mentioned it to her friends as they were walking in Mr. Baxter's park with Luna and Artemis. "It's just dawned on me that twice Darien hasn't even come to assist us as Tuxedo Mask. Doesn't he care about even fighting with us anymore?"
Mina said, "Hey that's right." The others raised their eyes.

Amy said, "You never told us that he didn't come when you two were on your own at the service station."

"We thought he hadn't shown up at the theater for some unknown reason," said Lita.

Serena and Mina looked at each other, then Mina said, "I guess we were so sidetracked by the appearance of Uranus and Neptune that we failed to comprehend it ourselves at the time."

Raye began to say, "I find it hard to understand why he would,"

She was cut off by the sound of violin music playing nearby. "What's that?" she gasped.

"Look! Over there!" Serena shouted pointing to a clearing and the others were all astonished to behold Michelle playing a violin herself while a crowd of people including Amara stood around enjoying the music.

Mina cried, "That's the companion of that cute boy Serena and I told you about. In fact he is there himself among the audience. You see, he's tossing a lemon up and catching it in his hand."

Raye, Lita and Serena all gazed lovingly on Amara's handsome face. Amy kind of liked him, but she wasn't boy crazy by nature like her friends. She was faithfully devoted to Greg.

As they all walked over even Luna and Artemis were impressed not only with Michelle's music, but with the skillful way Amara casually sent the lemon spinning upwards and catching it perfectly every time. Michelle noticed Serena and her friends approach and she stopped playing to say to him, "Here come the peanut gallery Amara."

While everybody was applauding, Amara caught the lemon once more and turned holding it in his hand to smile at the girls. "Why hello there."

Raye and Lita both goggled as they said hello in return.

"Our friends have told us all about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet a groovy hunk like you."

Amara smiled and he and Michelle winked at each other. "Isn't my friend Michelle very talented? But you've seen nothing yet. Everybody watch this."

With these words he threw the lemon up and towards Michelle who raised her violin back to her chin and caught the lemon on her musical instrument. Then while continuing to play she proceeded to throw and catch it with her instrument. Everybody oohed and aahed as she even proceeded to turn around in circles, never dropping the lemon or missing a beat. Finally she finished and threw the lemon one last time placing her bow together with her violin in one hand and catching it with the other. The cheers and applause were so enthusiastic and even Serena had forgotten her attraction to Amara. The girls were all turned to Michelle, but especially Serena.

"You're so amazing! I want to be able to do such things too. Could you please teach me?"

"Are you sure you're ready for this Serena?" asked Lita.

"Maybe just start with playing the violin for now?" suggested Amy.

Serena composed herself and said, "Yeah. Maybe you're right. Do you mind if I have a go at your violin please?"

Raye couldn't help but say, "If she does let you try it you'd better be careful with it. If you break it,"
"Are you saying that I'm clumsy Raye?"

Before any of them could attempt to make a reply a voice that was all too familiar to Serena suddenly said sternly, "You don't really want an answer to that do you Serena?"
Serena gulped and turned to behold her teacher, Miss Haruna who had stepped forward from the back of the audience. Miss Haruna's stare was not cringingly angry. She had learned to control her emotions more since she and Serena had realized their friendship at heart the time when she had been silly enough to not bring her lunch to school a long time ago. Still Serena knew better than to argue with Miss H in any case and she blushed with embarassment in front of all the people. "W-w-well, I suppose I am a little butter-fingered sometimes. It's okay. Just forget it."

However Michelle smiled and said, "It's all right. Here. You can have a try on it."

"A-are you sure?" Serena was trembling as Michelle held out her violin and bow.

As she took hold of them she almost had a fit when Amara remarked casually. "Certainly. It's no concern. Michelle has full insurance coverage."

Raye put her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter but Serena sniffed haughtily. "Just listen to me."

As she started to draw the bow it was barely two seconds before one of the strings went TWANG!. Serena screamed in shock then holding her hands down by her sides she began to cry. The people all walked away shaking their heads, while Haruna tried to comfort her. The other girls and the cats were wide-eyed and speechless, but Amara said, "No need to cry. It's only one string."

Michelle smiled. "That will be petty cash out of my insurance."

Serena wasn't listening though. She wailed. "I'll never win back my Darien. I'm a hopeless failure."