Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its components is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. Apollo is my own creation, and if you wish to use her, please ask me first.

DAYBREAK

Episode 16

"NO!" Usagi ran at Kurai but a familiar body blocked her.

"This is the end of you, pipsqueak!" the knife-wielding man yelled.

"I don't think so…" The man turned around to see a fist coming straight towards his face. He was knocked out and fell to the ground. Kurai watched him fall and then looked up. There stood Haruka…

"Thank you, Cold-Nose!" Kurai ran into Haruka's arms and squeezed her so hard that Haruka thought she would run out of breath. Usagi watched the scene and turned to the person next to her.

"Michiru?" Usagi had realized that Michiru was the one that had blocked her way.

"Yes, Usagi." Michiru took a step forward and Haruka let go of Kurai. "Kurai! Your eye!"

"Huh?! Oh, yeah. I sort of…got…cut…" Kurai fell over. Haruka knelt down and opened Kurai's eyes.

"Kurai! Can you hear me?!" Haruka took her hand away from Kurai's eye and saw it was covered in blood. "She got cut pretty bad."

"Yeah…with a knife," Usagi said quietly. She was feeling bad that she had nothing to help her sister. By this time, Michiru had gotten over to Kurai's side and was checking her pulse, pupils, etc. She took out a handkerchief and put it on Kurai's cut.

"We should probably take her back to the hospital," she advised. Haruka went over and picked up Kurai.

"Well, doesn't this look familiar?" Haruka commented. Michiru sighed and shook her head yes. They started walking out of the alley and Usagi followed them.

"How come she came?" Usagi was worried Kurai had endangered her health even further because of Usagi's stupidity.

"She must have felt that you were in danger…that's how I found her," Haruka replied. They had reached the car and Haruka put Kurai in the backseat. She then got into the driver's seat and started the car. Usagi got into the backseat with Kurai and stared at her unconscious face. Michiru noticed and felt that she should say something. She put her hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Usagi, I'm sure she'll be okay. If she survived the attack that she saved Haruka from, I think she can live through this." Michiru got into the passenger seat and closed the door. Haruka looked back, front, and finally drove off in the direction of the hospital.

"Usagi!" No answer. "Usagi!" Ami was running towards her friend. Ami quickly noticed Usagi's sad face and got worried. "What's wrong?"

"Remember when I left you guys yesterday, saying I had to baby-sit?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I lied. I really wanted to go to the hospital to see Kurai."

"You should have at least told me, Usagi. What if something had happened to you?"

"But something did happen." Ami's face took on a look of concern and she put her arm around Usagi's shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Well, I decided to take the shortcut through the alleys." Usagi looked down at the ground, not wanting to see Ami's reaction. But Ami just stopped walking and stopped Usagi in the process. "What are you doing?"

"We should stop and talk instead of walking and talking. That way, we'd reach the school and other kids might overhear your story."

"But, we could be late…"

"That's a risk we'll have to take." Usagi couldn't believe her ears; Ami had never been late to school or shown any sign of wanting to be. "Now, continue your story."

"Uh, where was I? Oh, yeah. I was walking through the alleys when this gang of huge guys surrounded me. I was terrified out of my mind."

"What did you do, then?"

"I screamed. I thought I was done for, but suddenly, Kurai ran in out of nowhere to my side."

"Kurai?! How?!" Ami thought Usagi must have mistaken someone else for Kurai.

"I don't know. But she challenged the group and they attacked her. She told me to run and started fighting them. Even with her condition, she was doing a really good job…until one of them cut her right above the eye." Usagi's eyes started to get misty as she remembered the night before.

"Then what?" Ami was starting to get anxious at how the story would end.

"Even with the cut and her eye almost covered with blood, she kept fighting. Then, this really big guy snuck up behind her and was about to stab her, but…"

"But what?!" Ami couldn't take it anymore. Usagi stared at her then continued her story telling.

"Out of nowhere, Haruka came and knocked the guy out before he could kill Kurai."

"Haruka?!"

"Yes. Then Michiru went over and checked on Kurai, who had fallen unconscious. Haruka picked her up and we all drove to the hospital. That's where she is now."

"Amazing…how did she have so much strength?"

"I don't know. She was fighting as if she had never been hurt at all." Usagi still couldn't understand how Kurai had managed to hold off all those larger and stronger guys.

"Wait…how did she know you were in danger?"

"Haruka said something about her feeling that I was in danger…" Suddenly, the bell rang and the girls started running towards the school.

"Ami! You're going to be late!" Usagi was still amazed that Ami had risked being late to school to talk to Usagi.

"Well, there's a first time for everything…