"World Shaking!" Her attack collided with the mass of liquid, at the same time the arcade doors were blasted open by a charge of lightning. Suddenly the battle seemed more in their favour – the other inner senshi had finally arrived.


Uranus' attack had hit the odd watery mass with Venus at its centre. It made an audible splash as it collapsed into nothing but harmless water; Sailor Venus gasped for breath as she was released. Uranus pulled her to her feet, yanking her backwards out of the trembling puddle under her feet as Sailor Moon's shout came to their ears.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Uranus and Venus made another leap back as the beams of light hit the puddle and erupted into a plume of feathers. Sighing to herself, Uranus rubbed her shoulder as she rotated her left arm experimentally. She'd be aching for a while, but it was basically nothing.

'Looks like we didn't need everyone after all.' She kept these thoughts to herself as she turned to watch the dark sky outside turn clear. Around them all the lights hummed back to life. Just to be sure, she lifted her wrist then popped open her communicator and Sailor Moon's buzzed in answer. She flipped the lid down after Sailor Moon picked up and smiled at her, confirming it was back to full function again.

"Nothing came out of that enemy, and there was no human left behind after being healed. It was too strange to have lost all power to the city during the storm, as well. Something more than just this isolated incident is happening, everyone." Mercury's ever-logical voice was the first to speak.

"We shouldn't separate until we figure out what they want." Sailor Mars broke in next, but her voice was distant as she stared at Uranus' neck. With a puzzled look at the red-clad senshi, Uranus put her hand to her neck. Had she been hurt and not noticed? Sailor Moon sidled over and grinned, a blush on her cheeks as their eyes met.

"You didn't." Uranus said quietly, both hands covering her neck now and a heavy blush on her cheeks. "Usagi, you remember you're a taken woman, right?" She asked, trying not to look at the others as they all stared at the rows of hickies. A few groans nearby took the attention off of them as they all realised that the crowd was coming to. With a shared nod, they all headed down into the secret base.


"You girls got here quickly." Artemis said as he leapt down off the console and then up on to Venus' shoulder. "Why are you transformed, did something happen?"

"We got into a fight with a- well, with something. The people in the arcade are just coming around now." Venus stared at the exposed hickies all over Uranus' neck and sighed to herself, letting her transformation dissipate. The others followed her lead. Haruka was glad to be able to pull her shirt collar up to cover her neck, then cover that with her leather jacket collar as well. Usually she wasn't shy about these things, but Usagi was indeed a taken woman, and the approval of the other senshi was important if they ever expected to be able to do anything. More to the point, Haruka couldn't risk Usagi damaging her relationship with her inner senshi – it was vital that they all loved and protected her with everything that they had. Usagi appeared to have none of her reservations, and was giggling at her attempts to cover the hickies up.

"What did we miss?" Mako whispered to Ami, who shrugged. Rei was staring at the hickies, then at Usagi's giggling face.

"Usagi? Explain this to me, what about Mamoru?" Haruka lowered her gaze to the floor. Trust Rei and her blunt, searing questions to get right to the point of the issue.

"Haruka and I are going out." Usagi said simply, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. Rei's sharp glare skittered between them.

"What about Chibi-usa? Crystal Tokyo?" She swivelled her raised eyebrows to Haruka "What about Michiru? What about Hotaru?" Haruka thought this was a little unfair of a comparison – it wasn't as though Hotaru would cease to exist if she and Michiru weren't together, and she had grown so much during their battle against Nehellenia that she was more or less a full teenager in her own right and would easily accept the simple explanation that they no longer loved each other. As for Michiru, she had been sort of the catalyst for this whole thing, so Haruka had no doubts there. But for Usagi, she lowered her gaze away from Rei. Those were much more potent problems.

"Rei-chan, we aren't thinking about any of that right now. We just need to be loved, and we love each other. That's enough. We'll worry about the rest later." There was a pregnant silence, and Haruka wondered if any of the others were going to interfere too.

"Wait, Usagi-chan! Did you just say you and Haruka-san were in love? Did you give her those vulgar things? How could you do this? You know that the future depends on you! How could you be doing this to Mamoru?" Luna's voice made everyone flinch, Rei included. Haruka moved just a step to the side, to place herself between Luna and Usagi. She couldn't defend Usagi against her words, but it made her feel better to at least stop that piercing glare.

"You guys don't get it. I don't care about any of that – well, I care about Chibi-usa… But I think she'd understand right now too. Besides, we don't even know if we want to be together forever or anything like that. We're just dating – it's not like we're getting married or anything!"

"What do you mean? Of course you can't think about getting married! Think of the future! I thought you understood that Crystal Tokyo is depending on you and Mamoru! Wasn't that the whole point of the dreams that Mamoru suffered with for so long?" Those memories still smarted in Usagi, so her reply was filled with more anger than she'd initially intended.

"So what?! Maybe back then, but things are different now! It's true that without us there isn't a Crystal Tokyo, but that shouldn't mean we have no choice in the matter! Just leave me alone, Luna! You never understand anything!" The outburst was followed by a choked-off sniff, and Haruka dropped all thoughts of guilt and instead turned to fold Usagi into her arms. She was still a little damp from the rain, but she wasn't so wet she'd leave marks on Usagi's clothes. With Usagi held tightly against her chest, Haruka glared around the room at anyone who chose to meet her eyes. Luna's she held until the cat looked away guiltily.

"Don't make her feel bad for seeking a little happiness. Maybe you should consider lecturing Mamoru instead." Haruka said coldly, after the silence had stretched to breaking point. The tension racked up a notch at that, but as Luna turned back to her and took a breath to argue, Minako stepped between them with her arms outstretched.

"For now let's worry about our enemy. It will work to our benefit as senshi if Usagi has a home escort. The monster reacted to Uranus calling Usagi 'Princess', I think it's safe to assume that it was there for her. Any extra protection we can give right now is a good thing." That stopped the argument, and reminded everyone there were more important things to be dealing with.

"Do we have any other information about this new enemy?" Ami asked, pushing open her minicomputer and tapping a few keys.

"It can make storms." Mako put in immediately "That one earlier was definitely unnatural."

"The power and phone lines went out while that storm was overhead, but the communicators stopped working first. I think it's safe to assume they can tap into our communicators whenever they want, but probably need the storm for the bigger things like cell phones." Mina added.

"It was definitely trying to keep us separated, too. There's no doubt that it was trying to get to Usagi and stop us from getting to her." Rei was still staring at Haruka's neck even as Haruka pulled Usagi closer against her chest. Usagi didn't seem inclined to pull away, and Haruka wasn't about to make her.

"Do we know anything about where it came from, or how it was manipulating the water?" For this Ami turned to the cats.

"We don't know about the water, but we're fairly confident that the communicators are being jammed from an earth signal. It's someone from earth, but we don't know if it's human or not." Artemis supplied as Luna continued to glare at the embracing girls.

"It seemed to be able to see what we were doing." Haruka supplied, finally. "The storm only struck while we were away from home, and when I left the arcade it seemed fine but got much harder going back. Whoever is doing this I think they are somehow watching our movements."

"Hmm. To begin with, let's leave all our communicators here." Ami said decisively "I'll get in touch with the other outers and get them to drop theirs here too. If they can be blocked, it's possible that they are being monitored as well; no need to give an enemy an easy way to see or hear us if we don't have to." And she removed her communicator to put it on the counter next to Minako's. The other's followed, Usagi finally surfacing from Haruka's protective embrace. She and Luna didn't look at each other as she placed hers on the pile.

"From now on, if you need to get in touch use your cell phones. Everyone keep an eye out for unexpected storms or power outages on the news and travel to the location if you can't reach everyone on their phones. It's better to be safe than sorry if someone should get stuck fighting with no communication." Luna said, putting a paw on top of the pile of communicators. "We'll try and figure out what's happening with these in the meantime."

"So Haruka is going to stay with Usagi, but should we all stay at Rei's place for tonight? Just to be sure?" It was Mako who asked, looking apprehensively at Usagi. Honestly, Mako didn't care about any of the small details; she just hated seeing her friends sad. Usagi had been really down lately. If being with Haruka made her happy, Makoto was ok with that. But Usagi's safety came first, and she'd be safest at the temple surrounded by her senshi. As if picking up on Mako's good intentions, Haruka nodded in her direction.

"That sounds like a wise idea." Usagi gave Haruka a half-grin at that, and Haruka shook her head at the shorter woman. She knew that Usagi had plans of finishing what they had started earlier, but Haruka was having similar thoughts to Mako. It was better to be sure Usagi was safe. The rest could be dealt with later.

"We'll just head back to my place to grab some stuff and then come meet you all at Rei's then." Usagi said with a cheeky smile reserved for Haruka. When they noticed Luna open her mouth to argue, Rei was the one who cut her off.

"I'll go with them. It's not like I need to get anything – it's my place you're all coming to. Plus I could do with the lift." And she left just like that. Haruka and Usagi beat a hasty retreat in Rei's confident footsteps, leaving the others in a contemplative silence.


Passing through the arcade they took care to check in with Motoki and make sure everything seemed normal. He was a little confused, and so were the other customers who had somehow all just fallen asleep in the middle of the day, but otherwise he was fine. They left, walking down the rain-soaked street towards the parking garage. The sky was now completely clear and a pristine bright blue colour.

"Um, look you two. I didn't mean to be so…" Rei floundered for a moment, and while no one stopped walking they did all slow down to show they were listening. "…Aggressive, earlier. I just really love Chibi-usa, and I'm worried about the future, and Mamoru doesn't deserve to be cheated on, nor does Michiru." Before Usagi could get angry or defensive, Haruka grabbed her hand to stop her and calmly smiled at Rei.

"We're worried about Chibi-usa and the future too. You can believe me when I say we aren't taking this lightly." Haruka made sure to hold Rei's deep purple eyes with her own dark blue ones. Rei half-smiled at her, and nodded once.

"I believe you. For now, I won't bother you about it. But once we defeat this enemy, I'll ask you both about it again." Usagi looked between the two women and shrugged happily; clearly they had reached some kind of silent understanding. That was good enough for now.

"So Rei-chan, will you go home without us?" Usagi asked as they descended the ramp into the parking lot.

"No! I'm coming and there's nothing you can do to stop me." And she stuck her tongue out, which Usagi promptly did back.

There was little Haruka could do but sigh as they all got in the car but the tongue-war continued long after she started the engine. Usagi and Rei had both sat in the back seats so they could more closely stick their tongues at each other and more easily hear their huffing teasing noises.

"We're here." She called to get their attention and they both put their tongues away and folded their arms, harrumphing exaggeratedly as they got out. When Rei followed them up to the apartment there was nothing to be done except pack and share some regretful glances.

"Don't you have any clothes here, Haruka-san?" Rei asked suddenly as she watched Usagi pack.

"…No, I should go back to the apartment and get some, I suppose." She turned away from the sympathetic look Usagi gave her, and missed the puzzled look that Rei sent her way. Usagi shook her head emphatically at her friend in an attempt to make sure she didn't ask any questions that Haruka would find hard to answer. "I'll drop you two off at the temple and then go on from there."

"Wait a minute Haruka; I'm not letting you go to that wom- I'm not letting you go to Michiru's place on your own! I'm coming with you." And as if to accentuate her words she grabbed Haruka's right arm and would not let go.

"And if Usagi-chan is going, so am I." Rei said decisively. Haruka stared at them both for a long moment, and then shook her head. There was no way she was taking Usagi to their flat. She didn't trust for even a minute that Usagi wouldn't say something foolish about her repeated affairs.

"I'll buy some. Mind if we make a stop or two on the way to the temple?" Both women murmured their agreement and they all returned to Haruka's car. Having been reminded so vividly of Michiru, she leant over to the glove compartment to grab her phone. It was odd that none of the other outer senshi had turned up to that confrontation. Especially because a storm was Michiru's forte if anything out of the ocean was. She flicked her phone open to see a horrendously long list of missed calls, mainly all from Setsuna. There were a few from Michiru as well. Only Setsuna had left her voicemails, though. She glanced at Usagi and Rei, who were once again occupying the back seats, and Usagi nodded when Haruka inclined her head to her phone. Leaving them to their conversation, Haruka clicked into her messages and held the phone to her ear. The robotic voice told her that she had twelve voicemails. Twelve?! She beeped into the first message with a growing sense of foreboding.

"Haruka, where are you?! Pick up your phone! It's important!" A few beeps as she hung up, then the next message.

"Come on, what are you doing?! Can't you feel that? There's something bad brewing. Call me back!"

"Haruka, something bad is happening. The communicators are all out and I can't get in touch with anyone! I tried leaving the house but we're flooded in – it's impossible to get out the drive! I hope that you are with the Princess…"

"Michiru's gone, did she make it to you?! I don't know how she even left – surely she doesn't plan to run all the way into Tokyo!"

"Pick up your phone!" This one was only just spoken, short of being a shrill screech by only a small margin. There were several that followed in a very similar manner, chastising her for not picking up, worrying about Michiru and the Princess, wondering what was going on. By the time she reached the twelfth and final message, Haruka felt sure she was going to break her phone with the ferocity of her grip.

"The storms died down – are you alright? Is the Princess alright? You were definitely with her right? Did Michiru ever manage to find…" There was a lull as the soft voice of Hotaru came through the message "Haruka-papa, I think Setsuna-mama would appreciate it if you came to visit when you get these messages, she's worried about you. Oh, Michiru-mama, you're soaked!" And then the phone went dead. Left with only the metallic voice asking her if she wanted to replay any of the messages she shut her phone. Well, she had clothes at the shared house too. It would be a bit more out of the way than going to the shopping district, but she was sure that Rei and Usagi would understand.

"Usagi, Rei-chan, do you mind if we make a different detour instead? Setsuna would like to see me, and I can pick up some clothes while we're there too."

"It'll be quicker than shopping for a whole new wardrobe." Rei said easily, and Usagi nodded with an effortless smile.


The roads were indeed still rather flooded, but with a combination of skilful driving and some lucky guesswork about which would drain the fastest they made it without too much trouble. Haruka pulled into the drive and turned off the engine, looking dubiously at the house and then in her rear-view mirror. Her doubts about Usagi seeing Michiru had not lessened, but it would be rude and strange to leave them sitting in the car while she went in alone. A persistent breeze ruffled her hair the wrong way and she distractedly smoothed it back down. Oh well, hopefully Michiru would stay in her own room. She locked the door as the other two slammed their doors, glancing back at her beloved car as they walked towards the front door. It was completely mud-spattered, mainly on the lower half of the bodywork but somehow all over a little. She'd have to wash it while the inner senshi were watching Usagi at the temple; she hated seeing it such a mess.

"Setsuna-san, it's been a while." Usagi's pleasant voice rang across the courtyard and Haruka quickly turned her back on her car to enter the house behind the others. As she slipped the door shut behind her she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Turning slowly, she looked up past Usagi and Rei, then beyond Setsuna as well. Hotaru was halfway down the stairs, smiling a greeting to her Princess and fellow warrior. At the top of the stairs was Michiru, half hidden in the dark hallway but her eyes glinting as if with electricity. As her foot settled on the first step down, Haruka found that her breath had suddenly left her. Michiru had clearly just got out the shower – now she thought about it, Hotaru's hair had been wet too – and hadn't bothered to dry her hair even though she'd put her clothes on. As a result her white shirt was very transparent at the shoulder and around her bra. It was that lovely sea-green colour that Neptune loved so much. Haruka swallowed hard, knowing this was one of the many reasons that she had never been able to walk away from Michiru no matter how many affairs there were between them. Even as she was anchored to the floor by the stunning sight of that gorgeous body, she also felt her heart burning within her. It wasn't exactly painful, but it made her grimace. She loved Michiru even now; she could feel it in the constriction of her lungs and the palpitations of her heart. But even as she felt overwhelmed by that burning love, so she also felt charred by it. Trying to tear her eyes away from the seductive, dangerous figure that Michiru made was impossible, but it hurt her to look. The hallway was blurring around her, and it was cruel that the only clear thing to her was Michiru at the top of the stairs. No. No! She didn't want to be this way. Even if she still loved Michiru, they couldn't be together without Michiru loving her enough to give up her other men. Haruka swiped forcefully at her eyes, rubbing her cheeks raw but also wiping away her tears. She refused to cry over Michiru anymore. Whether she and Usagi managed to work it out or not didn't change that she could never go back to Michiru again. They were finished, and the sooner Haruka made her peace with that the sooner they could all go back to being at the very least fellow warriors of the same princess.

As if she sensed this sudden resolve in her partner, Michiru retreated back to the landing. With a rueful grimace in Haruka's direction, she disappeared around the corner.

"Haruka?" Usagi was calling her. She forced her head down to the blonde-haired princess, suddenly able to breathe again and hoping it didn't sound as loud to them as it did to her.

"What was that? I was- elsewhere." Haruka said evasively, and there was a sad smile on Usagi's beautiful lips. It struck Haruka like a physical blow that Usagi was every bit as stunning as Michiru. They were both angels to her. Usagi was the pure and glowing angel surrounded by beauty and majesty and a radiance that rivalled the gods. Michiru was the angel that came down to earth and was tainted by them but also enhanced by them, she was the angel who was beautiful and tempting but also horrifyingly dangerous; she was the scythe in the hands of the god of death.

"Setsuna asked if we were staying long enough for tea – how long do you need to pack?" Usagi's voice was full of rich sympathy. Haruka moved before she had thought about it; she folded Usagi into her arms and rested her lips in that beautiful flowing hair. Usagi could feel her trembling, and glanced under the taller woman's arms to the stairs. She had seen Michiru there – how could anyone not notice that stunning woman? But she had said nothing. It was up to Haruka to decide how to handle any situation Michiru was present in, and she didn't plan to interfere unless she had to. If she felt any jealousy at Michiru's perfect figure and seductively showing bra, she had pushed it aside. Lifting her arms to Haruka's back, Usagi rubbed it gently, breathing her scent and sighing contentedly.

"I can pick you out some clothes if you want, Haruka-papa." Hotaru's soft voice broke into their moment, and Haruka lowered surprised eyes to her daughter. Those large, beautiful violet orbs held love and kindness within them, and a hint of sadness. Of course her wonderfully perceptive Hotaru-chan would realise something was wrong. Indeed, Hotaru had seen more of their arguments about affairs than Haruka would have liked. Releasing Usagi, Haruka ruffled Hotaru's hair with loving familiarity.

"That would be wonderful, thank you Hotaru-chan." Hotaru smiled up past the hand in her hair and moved to ascend the steps. Usagi chose to address Setsuna while Haruka looked at Hotaru's retreating back.

"I think some tea sounds good, Setsuna-san. Thank you."