She loved the destruction she could cause with just a flick of her wrist, a step on the ground, a toss of her trident. She roamed the coastal areas ever since they arrived, causing massive earthquakes and tsunamis. Her Majesty told her to take it slow at first, but what did she know? She did whatever she wanted. She always did. She didn't even care too much about sucking out emotions, they just sort of came to her anyway in the form of fear. Fear was a sour one, it tasted acrid and bitter, like the fluid humans and other carbon-based lifeforms tended to excrete when they were afraid, but it was emotion and therefore it was better than nothing.

Still, today was boring. She walked on the waves carefully, looking around at the empty beach. She needed something fun to do. If only she could find someone to fight, like a guardian. The others got to fight theirs already, or so she was told, minus Her Majesty. When would it be her turn? That would be fun and not boring.

She kept walking.

/+/

Even for the sunny beaches of California, winter was an enemy. The temperature never even dropped super low, yet they were still closed. Michiru sighed to herself as she leaned against the window, staring wistfully at the ocean.

"Michiru…" Haruka sighed as she came into the room. "You wouldn't have been able to swim anyway, you know. All those beaches are closed for the high tide warning."

"You think I care? I'm a strong swimmer."

Haruka hugged her from behind and Michiru leaned into her touch, letting her hair tickle her shoulder.

"Tomorrow I'm going out. I'm doing a painting collaboration with a foreign artist."

"Really? Who?"

Michiru walked away. "Julianna Meyers. A British painter famous for her still lifes. I thought working with someone would be the best way to get into the groove again." She went into the hotel bathroom and sorted through her things, finally pulling her clothes off and putting on her white one-piece and sheer jacket. "The hotel has a pool, let's go."

Haruka shook her head at her bluntness, putting on a striped blue one-piece and white T-shirt and following her to the expensive pool down below. There was a water slide that stretched around the outside of the building and a hot tub in one corner, and Michiru walked past the other few groups already there and set her stuff down on a chair. She descended down the steps with grace and waded over to the deeper part of the pool, swimming around. Haruka dipped her feet in, sitting by her but not actively swimming herself.

Michiru kept swimming around, occasionally diving deep down below only to rise up and dive back down again. Her hair floated around her in the water, never once tangling.

"What a nice crowd!" A woman gasped as she walked in. She wore no shoes, a grey one-piece that covered up most of her body, a sheer white robe, and a starfish and net on her head like a veil and hat. Her skin was a pale light grey with stormy hair and eyes, hair cut into a pixie cut. On her back was a trident. "Okay, I'm bored. Take this!" She snapped her fingers and a giant wave surged out of the pool, pushing everyone out violently and shoving them onto the concrete.

"Owww!" Everyone screamed. Michiru winced in pain as her back got slammed onto the concrete, trying not to groan. She rolled over onto her side and Haruka was next to her in seconds.

"Foolish people of this planet, I'm bored by you all! Catch me if you can!" She laughed and ran towards the beach.

"I think I know who that is," Michiru pulled out her transformation pen, and Haruka nodded.

"Let's go!"

The two transformed and ran off to the beach as well, appearing from the shadows.

"I know who you are! You're here to fight me, aren't you?" Sailor Neptune crossed her arms with a stern expression. Her hair dripped. "Come fight me then!"

"Easier than I thought! I'm Poseidon, nice to meet you!" She stomped her foot and broke the ground underneath, causing an earthquake. Sailor Neptune easily jumped away, landing on a rock.

"World Shaking!" Sailor Uranus fired her attack, shaking up Poseidon and doubling her over with a groan.

"Submarine Reflection!" Neptune shined her mirror on Poseidon, knocking her over. She glared murderously and twirled her finger around, forming a giant waterspout over the ocean that sucked Neptune up.

"Neptune!" Uranus yelled. Poseidon slowly stood up and grinned.

"Not so tough are you?"

Neptune groaned inside the waterspout, feeling the heavy water pull at her from all angles. Further down was a murky blackness, so she held her breath and began to swim upwards, kicking the force of the water down with her. Several times it grabbed at her ankles and tried to pull, but she bit her lip and just swam harder, popping out of the top. She very slowly stood up and wobbled, holding out her arms and twirling around, changing the direction of the storm.

"What?!" Poseidon glared in anger. "You're not supposed to do that!"

"You thought you could defeat Sailor Neptune with the ocean?" She smirked and ran on top of the storm, grabbing Poseidon and throwing her out to sea with it. The storm dissipated and she jumped down from it, signing.

Much like the others, she was surrounded with a warm glow, changing her clothes into an Eternal outfit with shiny aqua lipstick that made her lips plumper. She stared down at herself in surprise, knowing exactly what that entailed.

"We have to return to Juuban. Whatever is going on there, whatever they're fighting, it's big. They need us. Especially because this could be another intergalactic threat." Uranus told her sternly.

"It's not fair." Neptune said instead.

"No."

"Normally we just watch from the sidelines."

"Yes."

She was silent.

Uranus waited.

"Let's leave tomorrow at least. After I do my painting with Julianna Meyers. I deserve at least that." She detransformed and walked off without hearing an answer.

/+/

Michiru woke up early and dressed her best for the collaboration, wanting to make her best impression on Julianna. She wore lipstick and a lot of foundation, brushing her hair until it shone. She wore a fancy blue dress she wore a long time ago when she worked as an art teacher, clasping the golden choker around her neck. Since she was older now, she paired it with a matching jewel in her hair and silk white gloves and higher heels. She was in the middle of looking at herself in the mirror when Haruka finally woke up and paused in her tracks.

"Damn, you're beautiful."

Michiru just smiled at her. "How many times a week do you say that to me?"

"Just making sure you understand me."

After a simple breakfast of tea and a parfait, Michiru and Haruka drove to the art studio Julianna gave Michiru the address for, everyone turning to stare at her as she ascended the steps to the studio.

"Hello? Is there a Miss Meyers here? I'm Mrs. Tenoh-Kaioh." She stepped into the room after a light knock, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with the scent of paint and wood. There was a giant mirror on one side of the room, and a counter and cabinet set filled with various art supplies. Several easels were set out, but otherwise the spacious room was empty.

Sitting at one of the easels was a young woman with vivid blue eyes and golden curls, looking just like a porcelain doll. She wore a frilly pink blouse and floor-long skirt with a ribboned sunhat on her head. She turned and gasped in surprise.

"Yes, it's me!" She scrambled to her feet and curtsied. "Sorry, I'm just so enamored by you!"

Michiru giggled. "Don't be, we're both artists at the end of the day." She took the empty easel next to Julianna.

"And you're beautiful! Are all Japanese girls as pretty as you?! And your hair! It looks like the sea on a windy day! Sorry, rambling again!"

"That was the intent when I dyed it!" She winked.

"I should've known you dyed your hair.." She relaxed visibly. "Your English is very good, by the way."

"Thank you!" Michiru noticed her thick accent but wasn't skilled enough in English accents to place it properly. "What should we work on?"

"I'll leave you two ladies to it," Haruka winked, giving both of them a kiss on the cheek. Julianna blushed heavily while Michiru frowned.

"Hm!"

Once Haruka had left, Michiru got out a set of paints from the cabinet that hadn't been opened yet, several paintbrushes, and a cup of water.

"I haven't painted in years, so I might be a bit rusty." She warned.

"Ah, don't feel bad about that." Julianna reassured her. "I'm sure you're still talented."

"I was more into it when I was younger, but lately my one hobby is violin. Have you ever been to one of my concerts?"

"I don't like classical music, sorry." She said bluntly. Michiru winced at her attitude. "I like rap better!"

She laughed awkwardly.

"So for our idea, I was thinking of a simple sunset on the beach, trailing into the ocean. What do you think?" Julianna suggested. "I can work on the sunset because warmer tones are my specialty, and you can do the cooler tones of the sea?"

"Sounds good to me." Without another word, Michiru took a small paintbrush and started to draw and paint, using small strokes as she did so. She started with her favorite color, sea-green, and gradually added in other colors of varying shades of green, blue, and aqua, helping the sea come alive. She only briefly glanced over at Julianna, who was also in her zone. She had a paintbrush in her mouth and one in each hand, painting fast and crazy strokes in bright red and orange.

After several hours, the two sighed and stepped back from their easel, looking the art over.

"It's gorgeous!" Julianna swooned, stars in her eyes. "You're so talented! You paint the sea so vividly!"

"The sea is my second home." Michiru didn't elaborate, focusing on the sunset. The colors bled into each other, reflecting the shades where they came together on the horizon. The leaves of a palm tree hung in one corner of the painting, framing the entire scene. "We did good."

"I know! I'm going to get copies made! I'm sure everyone would love to have them! And I'll keep one for myself back in my Liverpool studio!" She grinned.

"I hope this brings you success." Michiru said sincerely, bowing to her. "It was a pleasure working with you." She started to wash her brushes, acting distant. She had to be at the airport in a few hours.

"Uh, if you don't mind.. would you like to keep the original copy? Consider it to be a parting gift from me to you." Julianna said. "Hang it up somewhere, anywhere!"

"Me? Wouldn't you rather keep it?"

"I'd rather you keep it. You…forgive me for saying so, you just have a lot of sadness in your eyes. I thought having a painting like this, the memory of our collaboration, would cheer you up!" She blushed. "Sorry for overstepping my boundaries!"

Michiru smiled at her and picked up the painting, holding it away from her body. "I appreciate your generosity. I hope sometime soon, we can meet and collaborate again."

"Bye, Mrs. Tenoh-Kaioh! Nice meeting you!" She waved and then curtsied, and Michiru bowed back at her before she left the studio.

Haruka was waiting for her back at the hotel, and the two packed in silence and got into the car. Michiru placed the painting in the backseat.

"I'm guessing it went well?" Haruka lightly teased as Michiru stared out at the ocean as they drove past.

"I hope I can meet her again, she's really nice." She said simply.

"I hope you can too. That's why we do what we do, you know."

"Oh, don't depress me with morbid topics. Let's just enjoy the company of each other."

"Also, Tenoh-Kaioh? So you did want to take my last name!"

"The next person I introduce myself to, I'll be Kaioh-Tenoh."

"You're sly!"

Michiru giggled.

/+/

So, chapters should be semi-regular now again. Why? Let's just say, that job didn't work out.