Rei Hino the Echidna stood in front of the door to Club Rouge, the 'Closed' sign dangling in front of her.

She raised her finger to press the doorbell, but she hesitated.

"Dangit, I really hate it when Minako makes me do such things..." she grumbled. "Now I have to take care of one of the persons I like the least, in addition to old Egg-head and Mamoru... and it's the woman who is responsible that Minako turned out the way she is."

She sighed. "But when even Knuckles tells me that it's serious, I should better go in... Minako would never forgive me if anything happened to her. And Knuckles out again to collect the broken Master Emerald, great..."

She finally pressed the button, until she heard a familiar, male voice. "Yes?"

Rei smirked. "Artemis, you never told me you could answer the door."

"Don't remind me..." the white Mau grumbled. "I'm standing on a stack of books, just so I can reach the button... wait I'll open the door."

A buzzing sound later, and Rei was able to push open the door. The club was abandoned, and neither customers nor employees were present. But Artemis was just jumping down from the stack of books he had used to open the door for the female echidna.

"Hey, isn't Minako there?" Rei wondered.

Artemis shook his head with a frown. "She already left for a 'special mission' she's supposed to do for Rouge... I had to promise her not to ask any further, but it sounded like it was important."

Rei sighed. "Great, whose jewels does the bat want her to steal now?"

"Mina also asked me to tell you and the others not to wait or search for her... she will be away for some time, maybe even for longer than a week."

"Has she gone crazy? We need every available Senshi, now that these new enemies have appeared. And don't forget that Hotaru's dear old Dad and Mamoru are still out there..."

"Yes, I know, and I told her the same, but she asked me to trust her in this." He shook his head. "I've never seen her this serious, Rei..."

Now Rei was getting worried. Mina and serious? "Well, she must have her reasons... where's out little gem bat?"

"Still in bed... she's seriously ill, Rei," Artemis said. "It's good of Knuckles to have called you. Minako would have looked out for her herself, but Rouge insisted that she'd go on that mission."

This surprised Rei even more. Rouge was more worried about some 'mission' than about her own health?

"So, this means I'm gonna have to play nurse for a week?" Rei grimaced. "I have school, you know..."

"Hey, how long will you two stay out there and babble while I'm dying in here?" Rouge's raspy voice came from the next room.

"Don't you think you're acting a bit too dramatic?" Rei asked as she entered Rouge's personal rooms. "It can't be that bad..."

She stopped when she opened the bedroom door and saw the bat girl lying in bed, with multiple layers of blankets, a thermometer in her mouth and an ice bag on her head. Her breath was coming in short gasps.

"Oh..." Rei murmured, blushing underneath her red fur. "So it IS pretty serious, huh?"

"Yeah..." Rouge mumbled around the thermometer. "And even though we don't like each other, I'm grateful that you came. Serves me right for going treasure hunting in such a condition..." And she coughed so heavily that the thermometer came flying out of her mouth.

"Is that where you sent Minako to?" Rei asked her. "Treasure hunting?"

"I can't tell you..." Rouge muttered. "It's a secret mission..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Oh well, at least Minako knows how to treat a fever... do you need any more blankets?"

"No, I'm sweating myself to death here, thanks for asking..."

"Okay, let me feel that head... Wow, you're steaming hot! But don't you worry, my grandpa taught me what to do in such a case," the shrine maiden/emerald guardian grinned. "I'm going to make the best herbal tea in Juuban. It'll do wonders, just you wait and see."

She turned around to go to the kitchen.

"Hey, echidna girl!"

Rei sighed. "My name's Rei!"

"Fine, Rei... lemme ask you something. You and that Knuckles... you know each other pretty well, don't you?"

Rei frowned. "What's it to you?"

"Well, I was wondering," the sick bat smirked. "Could you tell me if he's already taken? He's kind of cute..."

"You stay away from him, you got that!" Rei snapped. She stormed into the kitchen and slammed the door behind her.

Rouge winced. "Geez... looks like I hit a nerve..." she muttered.

GUN Commander Bullet glared down at the blonde bat. "What is this?" he shouted, so loud that all the troops positioned in the abandoned warehouse could hear him. "What is this child doing here? I ordered a meeting with our special spy, not with a girl who's just old enough to be my daughter!"

Sailor Venus fumed. "Sir, if you know me, you must know that I am one of the Sailor Senshi. Rouge the Bat has become unavailable due to an... accident. She sent me instead. I assure you that I am capable of accomplishing her mission."

"Unacceptable!" the commander barked. "Are you trained in special operations? Are you a skilled spy? Do you know how to use high technology communication devices?"

"Didn't you listen? I'm the only one available. Didn't you just tell me the mission is too important to be abandoned? What would the president say?"

Bullet snarled. "Sneaky as Rouge, I see..." he muttered. "Still, I can't allow a mere civilian to be introduced into this secret. Who knows what your civilian identity is... and who tells us you won't inform your other teammates? I always told the president, we shouldn't allow vigilantes like you to run around freely."

"Well, he does allow, it, bozo! Tough luck! Are you gonna accept my help or what? I don't have all day."

The general gritted his teeth. How dare this little girl tell him off in front of his men? But he couldn't send her back if she really was the replacement for Rouge... the president's orders were unmistakable, the spy had to infiltrate Eggman's base and find out whatever he knew about 'Project Shadow'.

"Let's get this over with..." he snapped. "If you come over here, we will instruct you in all the important details of your mission... and you better not screw it up, since we can't afford any men to get you out of there!"

"Oh, don't you worry!" Venus grinned. "I can handle it. All in a night's work."

The commander sweatdropped, and one of his men mumbled: "I think she means 'All in a day's work'..."

"First of all, you will need to disguise yourself... since we can assume that Dr. Eggman watches TV, he has most definitely already heard of the Sailor Senshi."

"That won't be a problem!" Minako grinned and produced a little wand that resembled Usagi's Disguise Pen very closely. "Gentlemen, you are looking at the Venus Disguise Wand. And now, may I introduce you to the newest spy on the block?"

She waved the wand around, and in a spectacular lightshow, she transformed, similarly to how when she turned into her Senshi form. The assembled GUN soldiers nearly developed nosebleeds when they saw their nearly-nude form spinning around in the air.

"This definitely makes up for working together with a Sailor Senshi..." one soldier muttered.

"Are you dense, man? She's a bat!"

"Yeah, but she's a hot bat..."

Minako finally came to a stop in front of the commander. She was now wearing a bodysuit that looked very much like the usual outfit of her mentor (but with a much less revealing cleavage), and her face was covered with a red mask.

She smirked and flipped back her hair. "Special Agent V the Bat, master spy, at your service!"

Author's Note:

It was about time to write a new chapter for this. It was supposed to be longer, but I didn't have the time. So, who's happy to see this continued?