CHAPTER 10

Raye was rather sleepy that morning. She had been up for almost three quarters of the night praying in front of the Sacred Fire. Chad had been very worried about her. He had been watching her through the doorway to the Shrine. He had been woken up himself by her monotonous chanting. "I am flame. Flame is light. I am fire. Fire is sight. I am flame. Flame is light. I am fire. Fire is sight."

Chad had attempted to talk to her to no avail. She just kept staring at the fire saying those words over and over. He sighed. "The old master was right it seems when he told me that nothing can bring her out of her shell when she gets in these trances. But I wish she would talk to me about what's worrying her. If she doesn't sleep it will be detrimental to her health."

In the end he had given up and gone to his own bedroom laying down in a troubled sleep. In the meantime Raye had kept on intently chanting and praying to the fire. She was very worried. She desperately wanted to find the meaning behind the disturbing vision she had seen during her sleep way back before these terrible incidents had begun to happen. The army of people overrunning the world and killing her and the other Sailor Scouts looked horrifyingly similar to the state of the people whose hearts had been removed and successfully taken away. The families of those poor victims were all very upset and public opinion was beginning to turn against the Sailor Scouts for failing to prevent this devastating heartbreak. Finally the fact that Lita, Amy and Raye herself had even been among those who were almost taken was extra stress to her. "I must find the meaning of these events. I am flame. Flame is light. I am fire. Fire is sight. Please show me the dark secrets."

But Raye stayed up so very late in vain. The Fire revealed nothing to her and she was yawning her head off while walking along the streets after breakfast. Chad was secretly eavesdropping from a distance. "The poor thing is exhausted. She wouldn't even tell me or Grandfather a thing when we asked why she'd slept so badly at the breakfast table."

Something else happened that deeply upset Chad however. As he observed Raye walking along and yawning from time to time a motorcycle pulled up alongside her. It was Amara. "Hello Raye."

"Oh. Hello Amara."

Amara parked his bike and hopped off to chat with Raye. But he quickly noticed how worn out she looked. "Your eyes look tired Raye. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Raye started to say choosing her words carefully, "Well actually no, I didn't sleep much," when suddenly their conversation was interrupted.

"Hey you. Amara."

"We want to have a word with you."

It was none other then the two hooligans from yesterday who had tried to run Amara and Serena off the road in their truck. They looked rather furious and Chad gasped in shock. They didn't seem to be interested in Raye, but if they did attack her, or if she tried to involve herself, he would have to be brave and rush forward to her rescue. They did look tough and intimidating and he was starting to feel anxious.

Raye silently stood with bulging, sleepy eyes as Amara sternly said, "What do you two clowns want?"

"Don't play dumb with us. You know perfectly well."

"Where is Mr. Yardman? And where are our two buddies who were with him?"

"I have no idea where they could be."

"We know you must have done something to them after we passed you by on the road."

"Passed me by? You tried to kill me practically."

"Tell us where you have hidden them or else we'll pound the truth out of you."

"Look out!" cried Raye as they closed in on Amara. Chad's jaw dropped so low his face might have fallen apart at what happened then. Amara swung his leg up in a fantastic arc dropping one of them before leaping upwards and thrusting his boot out at the other one. Both of them were hit squarely on their chest and they fell backwards in stunned pain.

"Have you had enough you little, worthless creeps?" They stared up timidly at Amara shaking and quaking.

"We have! We have! Let's get out of here."

"I didn't know he was so strong."

As they staggered to their feet and ran away gasping for breath Raye was filled with admiration and threw her arms around Amara. "Oh Amara! You are wonderful! I recognized kung-fu techniques in those kicks. I adore the martial arts."

Amara stroked Raye's hair gently. "You look sleepy as I said before. Here. Put this spare helmet on and I'll give you a ride. I'll take you round the city on condition you promise me to go have a rest as soon as I drop you home."

Raye blushed and said, "Sure. I'll do that for you and thank you very much."

So they drove off together leaving Chad extremely upset. "Oh no! I thought Raye and I had a special chemistry that was seriously going somewhere. I always believed one day we would be together as a couple. But it appears she's found somebody even better than me. He has everything I don't have. A cool bike, neatly combed hair and self-defence skills. I've lost Raye forever!"

In the meantime Hotaru was having a wonderful time playing games with all her sisters at home. Souchi and Kaori had named the tyre twins Taiyan and Saparetaiyan. All the girls thought they were adorable. So did Cyprine and Mimette. They were both helping to teach them to talk.

Eudial and Tellu had a special chore of their own. The Tomoes had prepared yet another pod. "We have so much room here our family can keep on growing for a long time Kaori. I'm so happy with the way Hotaru has bonded with all our test tube daughters."

"So am I Souchi. Ah. Here come our friends."

"Greetings Professors," smiled Eudial.

"How's your research going?" asked Tellu.

"We've come a long way since we began. My husband has been taking blood samples from me and dividing them into smaller amounts so we can make multiple children at once."

"You mean like Taiyan and Saparetaiyan?" Tellu was very interested.

The professor explained. "No not like that. We were honestly surprised when we realized that last pod held twins. That was unexpected. We don't know how it happened."

Kaori continued. "We think that was just a lucky fluke. What my husband means is that we have nearly finished building our special oven that we mentioned to you both back at the beginning."

Eudial replied next. "I see. So soon you'll be able to create your children immediately instead of needing us to do the final step for you."

"That's correct," said Souchi. "We will be able to place objects inside the oven and infuse the pods with them. With all the blood samples we won't need to make them one at a time. Our family will grow bigger faster."

Tellu was very impressed and Eudial smiled smugly. "In the meantime Tellu and I understand you have a new pod for us to take?"

"That's right. Here she is." Kaori carefully handed over the pod out of a basket padded with a cushion and Tellu gently placed it in her bag.

"Eudial and I are going to take care of this one together. It is our pleasure and privilege."

The Tomoes thanked them profusely as usual. They were very naive. They understood that the witches were using their children to try to collect people's hearts, but they never once wondered exactly what they meant by that. If they were aware of those who were hidden away underground nearby they would be horrified. But their excitement and joy clouded their rationality.

Little did they know their own danger. When they had served their purpose Germatoid and Mistress 9 would have them killed along with Hotaru as the first victims of the zombie army. Not to mention that they also intended to take control of their beloved daughters and use them to help destroy the world.

Raye did keep her promise to Amara when he dropped her home after their ride. Sort of. She went to sleep telling Grandfather she was not to be disturbed under any circumstances and set her alarm clock for one whole hour. As soon as it woke her up she struggled out of bed and called Serena and the others to come and see her along with Luna and Artemis.

When they arrived they were all very concerned to see what she looked like.

"Raye! What are those circles under your eyes?" exclaimed Mina.

"You look sleep deprived." remarked Artemis.

Everybody else wanted to know what was wrong.

Raye yawned and said, "I can explain. Last night I stayed up late attempting to consult the Sacred Fire for clarification about that vision I told you about. Things have been getting serious since people have been kidnapped and we have been unable to even offer any hope to the grieving families."

Amy gave a sudden groan and the others reacted to comfort her. Greg's parents were very upset and so was she. She blamed herself for failing to prevent his being taken away while he had saved her. Though she still kept studying devotedly in her spare time she often moped and cried quietly in private.

"So you tried pouring all your best efforts in finding something that will help us Raye?" said Lita.

"Yes that's right. I wish I could say I missed one good night's sleep with my goal fulfilled," Raye yawned. "But sadly no. I can't try again tonight. If I do I'm going to do it every second night. But I must have rest."

"I should say so," agreed Serena.

"I'm pleased to hear you're thinking of your health as well as the threat we face," said Luna.

Suddenly Grandfather urgently knocked on the door. "RAYE! RAYE!"

Raye momentarily became wide awake and cried out, "What is it Grandfather?"

Grandfather opened the door and to everybody's surprise, there was Chad being limply supported by Amara and Michelle.

"CHAD!? What is going on?" gasped Raye.

Michelle said somberly. "He picked a fight with my friend Amara."

Even Serena was speechless with disbelief and Amara sighed. "I tried just dodging him at first. But he wouldn't desist. He kept saying he knew I could fight, but he didn't care. He would teach me to stay away from Raye whatever the cost. In the end I hit him with my fist as hard as I could in his stomach. That took all the fight out of him. Michelle and I brought him here between us since he said he knew you."

Raye practically flew up from where she'd been kneeling at the table. "WHAT? I don't believe this!"

"Neither do I." Grandfather was not impressed. "Chad you'd better explain yourself. I will not have my temple apprentice publicly brawling and mentioning my granddaughter's name."

Chad would have collapsed if Amara and Michelle were not holding him. They placed him in a chair and he wished he would sink out of sight in it. He had no choice but to face up to his actions in the presence of Raye's friends.

Burying his face in his hands he began to sob. "I- I'm sorry. I saw this fellow Amara giving Raye a ride on his motorbike earlier and I became intensely jealous. I thought she and he were, um together."

Raye was completely blown away. "You mean you thought Amara was my BOYFRIEND!?"

Chad grimaced and raised his face with teary eyes. "I realize now I over-reacted. I was concerned about the way you had stayed up last night praying Raye. So I was keeping an eye on you. It's no excuse for losing my head when I saw you ride off with him."

Raye was speechless and Grandfather said, "I've known your deep feelings for my granddaughter Chad. But you must be more self-disciplined. You could start rumours and gossip circulating around town through things like this. That could be very embarrassing and detrimental to us."

As these words sank in with all eyes upon him, Chad made a sudden split decision. "I've let you down very badly sir. I know what I need to do now."

"What's that?" Grandfather asked then Chad rose resolutely to his feet.

"I'm moving on from this episode of my life. I'm packing my bags and saying good-bye."

"What? You're leaving?" gasped Raye.

Grandfather was shocked. "Hold on Chad. Are you sure we can't work this out? I can help teach you how to control your temper and passions."

"No thank you sir." Chad looked at the little man and smiled. "You've done enough for me. I'm grateful for all you've taught me and for your forgiving spirit. But I don't want to risk hurting you or Raye."

He glanced at Raye who was trembling. "I must go pack now."

Grandfather was deeply saddened and said, "Allow me to help you Chad."

"Thank you sir."

When they were gone Serena and all the others, even Amara and Michelle, asked Raye why she wouldn't try to talk him out of leaving. Raye's lips trembled as she answered them, "Why should I try? He acted like a real jerk and like Grandfather said, he could have given us a bad name. Besides I-I always knew one day he'd leave."

As she said this her eyes were starting to form teardrops and she turned and quickly walked out into the temple grounds.

"I think it's best we go now Michelle," said Amara and he and Michelle wished the others good luck in comforting Raye as they hastily departed.

When Grandfather and Chad returned he had his pack across his shoulder. The girls tried to talk him into reconsidering, but he said to them, "If there's one thing I've learned from my time here, it's to see the light. I'm sorry. I must say farewell."

Grandfather shook hands with him at the door and Chad promised to send him postcards.

As Chad left he broke into a run passing Raye standing forlornly by herself. They didn't even say good-bye or look at each other. Though as he ran past Chad looked back over his shoulder briefly and resolutely went on his way. He never saw when Raye looked back too with an expression of despair.

Her friends were suddenly by her side. "Are you really not going after him?" asked Mina.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because you care about him," said Lita.

"I do care but the time has come to just let him go and forget about him. Okay?"

Serena took charge looking Raye in the eye with her hands placed on her shoulders. "If you let him go you'll forever regret it. You need to tell Chad your true feelings."

"No I don't," snapped Raye. Then her tone changed and she started crying. "He made Grandfather happy though and the temple was so much fun while he was here."

Serena said, "The truth is you love him. And we all know he loves you."

The others agreed enthusiastically.

"Go catch up with him."

"Tell him how much he means to you."

Raye became resolute. "Yes I will. Thank you friends. I hope I'm not too late."

When she ran off Amy said, "Let's keep an eye on her and Chad with my data computer. If we see them get together we'll at least know things have turned out fine."

Serena, Lita and Mina all sat down while Luna and Artemis quietly joined them and Amy tuned in to Chad and Raye's whereabouts. "Chad is almost at the train depot. Raye's running as fast as she can. We'd better hope she can catch up before he boards the train out of town."

They were all on the edge of their seat upon hearing this.

When Raye finally reached the train depot Chad had descended the stairs to the platform. As she paused at the top step she saw to her despair that Chad had just entered and the door had shut.

However Eudial and Tellu were riding in the carriage that Chad had just entered. Mistress 9 was speaking to them as Chad was showing the conductor his ticket. "He is the one Germatoid and I foresaw. Now you two know what to do."

"Yes great demon." Tellu held up the small potted creeper vine she was holding and as she silently concentrated her spell, its vines extended out to wrap around Chad, the Conductor and everybody else. Not just in their carriage but the entire train. It took barely five seconds and Eudial took the pod from her handbasket and cracked it open on the window ledge. The thing inside oozed out and absorbed into the wood and before Raye's horrified sight and the shock of all the other people standing on the platform, the train vanished revealing the two witches and all the people struggling in the clutches of the magic vines. A very unusual creature also appeared in view. She was dressed in a uniform resembling that of a train conductor, had things that resembled boom gates on her shoulders, other things that resembled train wheels on her shoes and a whistle in her mouth. She quickly realized when she blew into it, a pretty sound was produced. She began to laugh like an infant having fun with her toy. Every time it whistled she giggled and clapped her hands.

Raye quickly ducked aside while everybody was fleeing the station in panic. When the stairway was clear she transformed and prepared to confront the adversaries just as Mistress 9 was directing the train lady to raise her right arm in front of Chad. A black star appeared in her armpit and the magical beam was drawing out his heart.

Ami was watching her data computer and she gasped. "I can see that Raye has transformed and something has attacked Chad and the rest of the train passengers!"

"Transform yourselves Scouts!" Artemis ordered.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

Luna then commanded them to form a circle around her and Artemis. "Quickly now. We must transport ourselves there to help Raye fight. Concentrate hard with us."

"SAILOR PLANET POWER!"

Holding hands the four of them faded away with the cats and appeared on the station platform just as Sailor Mars was making a tremendous leap from the staircase to land down there herself.

Sailor Venus acted immediately.

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"

She swung her golden heart chain at Eudial, who had her hands outstretched and was just taking Chad's heart as it was being pulled along halfway towards the train creature. She yelled in surprise as the whip sharply struck leaving a red mark on the back of her right hand and the heart was thrown up in the air towards Sailor Mars. She caught it as she jumped and hugged it tenderly to her breast as her feet hit the platform. "Oh Chad. Dear Chad." She was almost crying and barely registered the presence of her friends.

Tellu shouted, "It's those meddlers again Mistress 9."

"Use your magic plant vines to trap them Tellu," commanded Mistress 9.

As the vines snaked out at them Sailor Jupiter yelled, "Look out Sailor Mars! Protect Chad's heart!"

Sailor Mars snapped to attention and gave another leap backwards. The vine only just missed lassoing her. The others however were caught and struggling. Sailor Jupiter did have one hand free and she desperately tried to shoot at Tellu.

"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"

She swung her arm sending the electric charge flying in Tellu's direction, but she raised her palm chanting. "Thunderbolt absorb. Thunderbolt absorb."

Sailor Jupiter's power was harmlessly collected into Tellu's hand. Next she pulled her own arm back and thrust it forward sending it back in the Scouts direction.

The four of them screamed as the shocking current hit them with full force. But Sailor Mars, who had not been tangled, was out of range and the cats yelled at her to help her friends. She knew what to do and dug out some of her charms with one hand while carefully clutching Chad's heart with the other. She threw them at the vines holding her friends captive. As four charms made contact the vines all begin to shrivel and die releasing the Sailor Scouts.

"What's going on?" exclaimed Tellu.

In the meantime under Mistress 9's instructions, Eudial had gathered three of the helplessly terrified passengers together in a group. The innocently naive train creature had been watching what Tellu had been doing and thinking those vines looked like fun to touch and wrap around herself had eagerly run up to her laughing and blowing the whistle in her mouth.

Sailor Mars urgently cried out to Sailor Moon. "Strike them down before they can make a new attack!"

Sailor Moon sprang to her feet producing her scepter and aimed. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!"

Mistress 9 quickly placed a bubble shield over Tellu and the creature though so the attack was blocked. She called to Eudial. "Hurry and return with us along with those prisoners Eudial. We'll have their hearts even though we lost the one we were after."

"Yes Mistress 9."

Before any of the Scouts realized it Eudial dematerialized taking three helpless victims with her at the same moment as the bubble vanished.

There was nothing more they could do except free everybody left from the entangling vines while Sailor Moon restored Chad's heart to him. "MOON CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!"

As his beating organ slipped back inside his chest Chad stopped drooling and his skin and facial expression resumed their normal appearance.

"Huh? Sailor Moon!" He gasped in amazement.

He quickly realized that he had been saved as the people all around began to praise the Sailor Scouts and cheer. There were a few though who were not grateful. They became angry and demanded to know why they allowed three of them to be taken. Also why hadn't they tracked down and rescued the other known victims who were missing.

Before any of the Scouts could say anything in defence, Chad gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet yelling at the top of his voice. "AH SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Everybody fell silent and all eyes were upon him as he continued his rant. "The Sailor Scouts are trying their best to protect us. They're trying to defeat this enemy threat. Just think if we didn't have them, then we would probably all have been spirited away by now. They won't give up. They'll figure out what to do to save us all. Remember what they've done to help us in the past."

There was silence for a few moments. Then one little boy emerged from the crowd and addressed Sailor Moon. "My Daddy was among the people who were taken. I believe that you can save him Sailor Moon. I have faith in you."

A couple of other children also voiced agreement and then the adults did too, silencing and putting to shame those others.

The Sailor Scouts all vowed they would never give up the fight and they left to thunderous cheers.

Since there was no longer a train to take him out of town Chad exited the station with all the others and they dispersed in different directions. As he walked along he was wondering where he would spend the night when he heard a familiar voice call out to him from behind.

"CHAD! CHAD!"

Turning his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Raye running to him. "Raye? What are you doing here?"

Raye puffed and panted to catch her breath. "I was running to catch up with you when the monster struck the train. Thank goodness the Sailor Scouts were able to save you. I would have died if you'd been taken."

Chad processed this as he replied, "You mean you deeply care about me Raye?"

"Yes Chad. You're very special to me. I wanted to plead with you to stay. I'd miss you greatly."

Chad began to get emotional. "I- I think you're special too Raye. I'm so sorry I made a fool of myself over that friend of yours Amara."

Raye reached out and took his hand. "I forgive you Chad. Let's go home to Grandfather."

Chad smiled. "Home together." And he and Raye had a brief hug before they set off arm in arm, while Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Luna and Artemis silently watched from a nearby rooftop. None of them knew it, but Uranus and Neptune were also secretly observing things from an even higher building. "I'm glad they've made up," said Sailor Neptune.

Sailor Uranus nodded. "They all fought very well too. I admire them, though we must not help their battles unless necessary."

"That is right. We have our own mission priority." Neptune agreed and the two of them jumped up and away into the sky.