Disclaimer: We don't own any Sailor Moon characters, but we DO own Kiyoshi Natsume. FACT! We also own Anastacia Poon, Mikayla Hunt, and Trixx.
A/N: Lawd, it has been a minute! Life happens, innit. Dedicated to the OG Smexx Quartet, who played a pivotal part for said life to happen. And coincidentally, isn't it someone's birthday?
Chapter 6
"Otsukaresama deshita," the members of the yearbook club said to each other as they filed out of the computer lab. Mitsune, the last one to leave, had her hand on the light switch, prepared to lock up for the night, when she noticed not everyone had left. Amidst the skeletal rows of computers, where the yearbook club had just spent several hours to meet a deadline, dark green hair stood out. Mitsune smiled broadly. She undid the bow of her blouse and unbuttoned the top two buttons, then teased her auburn hair a bit before approaching the student. Leaning over the table, fully aware that one had to be blind to not notice her cleavage, she waited.
Kiyoshi sighed. "They don't call you 'Kitsune' for nothing," she said as she lifted her eyes from the computer. She paused at the exposed valley of Mitsune's breasts, smirked, then looked back at the computer monitor.
"Kiyo, you should be ashamed."
"And you shouldn't?"
Mitsune giggled. "Anyway, what are you doing?"
"Just photoshopping some pictures."
"For what? We already submitted the yearbook files." Mitsune leaned forward further to look around the computer. "Sailor senshi?"
Kiyoshi quickly closed everything and shut the computer down. "It's personal work," she replied casually and began gathering her belongings. "I should get going. I'm going to need some rest for the soccer game tomorrow."
Mitsune sat on the table and crossed her legs as she watched Kiyoshi. Unlike most of the other girls in school, Mitsune saw right through Kiyoshi's masculine front. The boys' student uniform didn't fool her, and neither did the fact that Kiyoshi was on the boys varsity soccer team. It was a huge controversy when it was discovered that a girl was on the boys team, but technically, nothing in the rulebooks stated against it, and much to the coach's relief because Kiyoshi was the star player that kept the team undefeated.
Mitsune's hand brushed an object and she looked down to see Kiyoshi's pen. An idea occurred to her and she pushed the pen off the table. It fell near her feet.
"Oops, was that your pen?" Mitsune asked innocently.
Kiyoshi shook her head at Mitsune's obvious tactic. She knelt down in front of Mitsune to pick up her pen, then slowly rose up, grazing Mitsune's leg with her fingertips. Kiyoshi's hand continued sliding up Mitsune's thigh, stopping just short of the heat she could feel emitting from Mitsune, and she leaned forward till their faces almost touched.
"You look pleased," Kiyoshi whispered in a low voice.
"It's about time you made a move," Mitsune breathed lustfully. She pouted and said, "You tease, always giving me trouble and making it hard for me."
"Is it?" Kiyoshi slipped a finger inside Mitsune's damp panties and felt the hard nub of her clit. "And all this time I thought you, chairman of the yearbook club, were just keeping an eye on me to make sure I was working."
"It's been too long since we had a moment alone."
Mitsune wrapped her arms around Kiyoshi's neck and brought their mouths together. As they kissed, Mitsune untied Kiyoshi's necktie and unbuttoned her shirt all the way down, continuing further to unbuckling Kiyoshi's belt and undoing her pants. At the same time, Kiyoshi began removing Mitsune's panties, first slipping them down her hips, then her thighs, and when Kiyoshi had them at her knees, she let them fall to the floor.
Mitsune broke away from Kiyoshi's lips, her mouth in a pout, but her eyes devious. They charged at each other's mouths, only for Mitsune to withdraw as soon as their lips made contact. Slightly puzzled, Kiyoshi went for Mitsune's lips again, but received the same result. Getting annoyed at Mitsune's toying, Kiyoshi figured two could play this game. She moved as if to meet Mitsune's mouth, then stopped short. Mitsune's pout grew as it was apparent she didn't like getting a taste of her own medicine. She leaned forward with the intent of recapturing Kiyoshi's lips, but Kiyoshi had other plans. The feeling of soft lips caressing her neck gave Mitsune a tickling, but pleasurable sensation.
Slowly the rest of Mitsune's blouse was unbuttoned and there was not a bit of skin that Kiyoshi's lips did not touch. Kiyoshi moved lower down Mitsune's body when Mitsune said, "Wait, Kiyo." Mitsune held Kiyoshi's face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "It's your turn."
Suddenly Kiyoshi stood up, a somewhat alarmed look on her face. There was a reason why she had been avoiding Mitsune since they first hooked up. She knew what Mitsune wanted.
"Kiyo? What's wrong?"
"I, uh, you don't have to, I mean..."
"What? Are you on your period?"
"No."
"Then what?" Mitsune asked, her impatience growing. That was when it dawned on Mitsune and she stared wide-eyed at Kiyoshi. "You're still a virgin?"
"I prefer to give than to receive," Kiyoshi said defensively.
Mitsune chuckled in disbelief. She couldn't believe she didn't realize it sooner, but then again, although Kiyoshi may be a virgin, she knew what she was doing. Kiyoshi had exhausted her so much the last time they were together that she fell asleep before getting a chance to return the favor.
"My little Kiyo, let your sempai show you what you're missing."
"I'm really not sure that's a good idea. Strange things have been happening to me. I don't know how to explain it."
The unconvinced look on Mitsune said it all. "It's called puberty, Kiyo. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."
Kiyoshi didn't think puberty involved vivid recurring dreams of the end of the world, dreams where she was someone else, a senshi, fighting to protect a universe alongside other senshi. Puberty, however, did involve raging hormones, and she found it increasingly difficult to resist Mitsune's advances. Before she could protest further, Kiyoshi was pushed back against the wall and, with a quick tug, Mitsune had Kiyoshi's pants and boxers piled around her ankles. Kiyoshi could already feel Mitsune's fingers moving gently around her most sensitive spot. Any moment now, Kiyoshi would be broken, but there was no turning back. Kiyoshi moaned.
"You okay, Kiyo?" Mitsune asked.
Kiyoshi nodded vigorously. "Mmhm, I'm okay. You feel so good."
Mitsune kissed Kiyoshi's lips and continued pleasuring Kiyoshi with her fingers.
Suddenly Kiyoshi cried out, "Oh God, it hurts!"
"It's okay, Kiyo, it's normal," Mitsune said comfortingly.
"Oh fuck!" Kiyoshi began thrashing about. Her hands went straight to her head, where a strange glowing symbol began to appear on her forehead. It went unnoticed amidst the lovemaking that was currently going on. "Ahhhhhhh!"
"Feels really nice doesn't it, Kiyo? That's what happens when you come."
"Uhn," Kiyoshi grunted, waking herself up. She sighed. If she wasn't dreaming about the end of the world, she was dreaming about her awakening or some other past memory in her chaotic life. She rolled over and closed her eyes again, hoping to fall back asleep, but the sound of excited chatter prevented that. Kiyoshi had stayed the night at the luxurious mansion of Setsuna and her friends, but she could barely remember how she got into the guestroom, which she thought had an unusual amount of lamps. Why anyone would have so many lamps, she could never guess. Regardless, she must have been really exhausted from the previous day's events. Judging by the light spilling into the room, it must have been late morning. Stepping out into the hall, she could hear Setsuna's voice more clearly coming from downstairs.
"Kiyoshi!" Setsuna exclaimed as soon as she saw her associate emerge from the staircase, her eyes wide with elation.
Kiyoshi yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, clearly not sharing the enthusiasm. "What's up, Setsuna?"
"We got the contract!" Setsuna announced, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Kiyoshi's eyes snapped wide open. "We what?"
"We got the contract! I just got the call! Our showcase was a hit!"
They stared at each other as the news slowly sank into Kiyoshi's mind.
" 'Underground' is going to be featured in FRUiTS!" Setsuna continued, grabbing Kiyoshi by her shoulders and shaking her vigorously. "We're going to be in FRUiTS!"
"We're going to be in FRUiTS! We're going to be in FRUiTS!" Kiyoshi chanted, the excitement in her voice growing.
Both women danced around the living room, bumping and grinding against each other, much to the wonder of three other individuals who were watching them from the kitchen table.
"That's right, Setsa! Get it!"
Setsuna and Kiyoshi froze mid-dance and turned their gaze towards the voice. In return, they received Haruka's look of approval. Setsuna pushed herself off Kiyoshi and glared at the blonde.
"Don't start, Haruka!"
"Oh come on, you gotta admit, that was a bit fruity. Rather appropriate, don't you think?"
Behind Haruka, Michiru giggled.
"You too, Michiru."
"I didn't say anything," Michiru said innocently. "But when you two are done, I suggest you have some food before it gets cold."
"Thank you, Kaioh-san," Kiyoshi said and sat down at the table with Setsuna.
"Really, I think we're all past formalities, Kiyoshi," Michiru replied with a wink while passing two bowls of rice around.
"Yes, of course," Kiyoshi passed the first rice bowl to Setsuna and kept the second, "and thank you again for letting me crash in the guestroom. I must ask though, why do you keep so many lamps in there?"
Michiru slipped and rice flew across the table. "That wasn't the guestroom!"
All eyes turned to the young girl who, up till now, had remained silent during the whole commotion.
"Would anyone like a lemon?" Hotaru offered innocently, changing the subject.
"Um, you know what, I actually should get going," Kiyoshi said, hastily shoving her breakfast into her mouth. "I'll see you in the darkroom, Sets."
Haruka choked on her coffee and gasped.
"Actually, you mind if I get a ride with you?" Setsuna asked, quickly finishing her breakfast as well.
"Is that you two's code for smexx?" Haruka blurted out uncontrollably.
"Stop putting sexual connotations in everything!" Hotaru reprimanded her parent.
Anastacia stared at the four empty chairs in front of her desk, her fingers tapping grudgingly. Things weren't going quite as planned, but the hybrids were better than nothing. If anything, perhaps the hybrids would prove better than the original senshi. Anastacia's face lit up.
"That's it!" she cried out to herself. "Why didn't I think of it before?"
She looked around the room, but the empty room replied in silence.
Anastacia began laughing to herself. "I'm so awesome, it hurts."
"Dr. Poon?" the intercom crackled. "They're here."
"At last! Send them in!"
A sniffling Mike and a haggard looking anti-Venus came into the room and closed the door behind them. Anastacia held her hands out.
"Where's anti-Neptune and Uranus?" she demanded.
Mike stared at the floor and blew her nose while anti-Venus muttered something that Anastacia didn't quite catch.
" 'Fuck em?' That's no way to talk about your teammates."
"No, I said 'fucking!' " anti-Venus snapped back.
"Careful Ana, she set my desk on fire," Mike cautioned. "I just got done refinishing it, too," she added quietly, almost on the verge of tears.
Anastacia looked at the two women in front of her and clicked her tongue sympathetically. "Why so cranky, my dear?" she asked anti-Venus.
"You try getting sleep when two nymphos are next door going at it all night!" anti-Venus shouted as she brought a glowing red fist down hard on Anastacia's desk, singeing it and leaving slight burn marks.
Anastacia shrugged. "Well, if you can't beat them, join them. That's what I would've done."
Mike rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Don't roll your eyes at me, Mike!" Anastacia went from calm and collected to furious in seconds. "So far you've screwed up every anti-senshi! We can't afford anymore mistakes!"
"There won't be. We know who the other senshi are," Mike said cringing.
Anastacia took a deep breath and smiled. "Of course we do. And fortunately for you, your mistakes may actually play out well," she said sweetly. "Now you and anti-Venus go find this Rei Hino while I, uh, sort things out with Anti-Neptune and Uranus."
Kiyoshi held up the clear plastic page of negative strips up against the dim light, scrutinizing each frame for the image she wanted to enlarge. She checked her contact sheet to make sure she was selecting the right one, then pulled the strip out. She used the can of compressed air to blow off any dust and carefully, she placed the negative inside the carrier. After placing the carrier into the enlarger, Kiyoshi flipped the switch, projecting the image onto the empty easel, where she adjusted the focus and and contrast. Kiyoshi flipped the switch again, dismissing the image, and pulled out a sheet of paper from a stack wrapped in black plastic. Photography paper was too delicate, and she didn't take any chances in accidentally exposing the paper prematurely. She affixed the paper to the easel, set the timer, and flipped the switch again. There was a faint tick as the light flashed on and the image was projected onto the paper for a second, then there was nothing. The room went completely dark. Kiyoshi flipped the switch again, but the room remained in complete darkness.
"Damn!" Kiyoshi cursed. She felt for the light switch on the wall and soon the darkroom was illuminated. Kiyoshi snatched up the blank photographic paper and tossed it in the trash. There was no point trying to develop that photo. She began to disassemble the enlarger and removed the lightbulb. To her dismay, it was burnt out, just as she suspected.
The black revolving doors slid around and Kiyoshi emerged into the photo lab. With dead lightbulb in hand, she began searching the premises for a spare, but to no avail. Kiyoshi opened up her laptop and searched for repairs services, jotting down the address for a place called Furniture Finishing - Refinishing and Light Repair. Before leaving, Kiyoshi lifted the phone off the hook and dialed Setsuna's extension.
"Moshi moshi," Setsuna said after a few rings.
"Sets, I gotta go get this light for the enlarger repaired, or replaced if it can't be fixed. I should be back in a short while. The place isn't far," Kiyoshi informed her.
"Okay, Kiyo. I'll probably come by later to go over the proposals with you before we submit them to FRUiTS."
"Sounds good, I'll see you then."
Kiyoshi hung the phone up and left the 'Underworld' office. As she drove off in her car, she thought about catching Setsuna in the act of trying to transform. Kiyoshi actually felt relieved and happy to finally have found another senshi. It was as if a void had finally been filled inside her, an emptiness she never really knew how to handle. But she wasn't quite sure how to share the news. She wondered if Setsuna knew of other senshi, or if she was also searching for other senshi like herself. One thing Kiyoshi didn't understand though was why Setsuna couldn't transform.
That definitely can't be good, Kiyoshi thought.
When the Furniture Finishing store came into view, Kiyoshi turned into the parking lot. There were only a few other cars in the parking lot, so Kiyoshi figured this would just be an in-and-out ordeal. She stepped inside the store and was overwhelmed by the smell of wood, dust, and chemical fumes. All around the store were various wooden furniture, from desks and chairs to dining tables and wardrobes. Some were wrapped in protective sheets, some were in pieces, awaiting repair. Besides Kiyoshi, there was nobody else in the store, not even a sales associate. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't just because the place was empty. Kiyoshi walked in further and approached the sales desk where a small sign instructed a visitor to ring the small bell atop the desk for assistance. She could hear faint voices coming from the back of the store. The bell made a sharp ding when Kiyoshi tapped it and the voices stopped abruptly.
Kiyoshi shifted restlessly where she stood and surveyed her surroundings, minding her senses. She glanced out one of the side windows and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a white van parked on the side of the building, the very same white van that had been eluding her the past few days.
"Welcome to Furniture Finishing, all orders are custom, but don't get crazy," an annoyed voice spoke suddenly in front of Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi faced forward again and in front of her stood a girl with a striking resemblance to Minako and, considering the telltale dark circles under the girl's eyes, a disposition that was far from sunny. There was something else though that told Kiyoshi there was more to this girl than meets this eye, but the white van was more important. She needed to get to it quickly so she could investigate.
"Hi, I just need to have this repaired," Kiyoshi said, handing the lightbulb to the girl.
The girl took one look at the bulb, then picked up the phone and pressed a button. "I need a fluorescent light repair."
"Excuse me, it's incandescent," Kiyoshi corrected her.
"No, excuse me! Don't interrupt! Rude!" the girl snapped back. She rolled her eyes and listened to the phone for a few more seconds, then hung up and handed Kiyoshi a form. "Fill this out, write whatever about your light thing, and it should be ready for you tomorrow."
Kiyoshi gave the girl a hesitant look, but quickly filled out the form. Whether or not this was the best place to get the lightbulb repaired was no longer an issue. Kiyoshi figured she could always just purchase a new one elsewhere. The white van was more pressing than this girl's ignorance and she didn't want to waste another moment. Once she signed at the bottom, she handed the form back to the girl and thanked her.
"Whatever," the girl merely replied and retreated back towards the rear of the store.
Once the girl was out of sight, Kiyoshi left the store and got in her car. She drove a little further down the street and parked her car in another lot, then ran back to the Furniture Finishing store, sneaking around to where she spotted the van. The driver's door didn't budge when Kiyoshi tried to open it, but through the window she could see all kinds of papers and documents littering the floor. On the passenger seat was a folder with the NASA logo prominently displayed on the cover. Kiyoshi placed her hands around her face to block the glare from the daylight and peered intently at the papers sticking out of the folder. She made out the words "Target: Hikawa Shrine."
Kiyoshi didn't think she was going back to work anytime soon now. She whipped out her cell phone and began dialing Setsuna's number as she ran back to her car, but stopped mid-dial. She could probably just tell Setsuna that her expedition to get the light bulb repaired was going to take longer than expected, or she could let Setsuna know that there was going to be another attack. The latter option involved a lot of explaining though, too much that Kiyoshi cared to indulge in. She would have to explain how she knew Setsuna was Pluto, her own senshi status, and so many other things that there just wasn't time for at the moment. And more importantly, even if she and Setsuna could somehow work together to deal with this attack, what good would Setsuna be if she couldn't transform anyway? And now that she thought about it, what if other senshi had suffered the same fate, and that's why she couldn't find them?
There was no more time to waste. Kiyoshi resumed dialing and waited for Setsuna to pick up, but after several rings her call was sent to Setsuna's voicemail. The automated voice instructed Kiyoshi to leave a message at the tone. "Sets, I just wanted to let you know this light bulb thing is going to take a little longer than expected, so don't wait up for me on the proposal. I'll be back as soon as possible. See you then."
It took Kiyoshi about half an hour to reach Hikawa Shrine, which sat atop Sendai Hill. A large Shinto gate stood at the bottom of a long flight of stone steps that lead up to the shrine. Kiyoshi sighed reluctantly, setting her foot on the first step, and began the bothersome ascent. The leaves from the tall trees towering above rustled tempestuously. Kiyoshi pulled her blazer tighter around her body and glanced up at the sky where dark, heavy clouds loomed threateningly as a storm quickly approached. Just as Kiyoshi reached the summit, large dark spots appeared on the ground as rain began showering down. She ran across the courtyard and into the large structure that stood in the center, but the sudden downpour had already drenched her from head to toe.
"Fuckin' A," Kiyoshi cursed under her breath as she assessed her soaked clothes.
"Hey! Watch your language! This is a sacred place," a voice spoke from within.
Kiyoshi removed her shoes and ventured further inside. She came into a dim room that had an altar in the middle of the floor where a fire blazed. A miko was knelt in front of the fire, kindling the flames and feeding it with more wood. Kiyoshi should've guessed that ISC's next target was going to be a shrine maiden. It made perfect sense.
The miko stood up at the sound of Kiyoshi's footsteps and they stared at each other in disblief.
"You!" Rei cried out.
Kiyoshi chuckled. "It's Rei, right? You're a miko? Wow. I'm curious, how is your virginity?"
"It's no concern of yours."
"I bet it's Mina's concern though. Or Usagi's. Usagi is the buns-head one, right? It seems like you're fu—, I mean, playing them both."
Rei's face turned red. "You're one to talk about playing."
Kiyoshi shrugged. "No shame in my game. What's your excuse? Going beyond the call of duty?"
Rei glowered at Kiyoshi. "What do you want, Kiyoshi-san?"
"What anyone else who comes to Shinto shrines wants, prayers and wishes," Kiyoshi said, then stepping forward and leaning close to Rei's ear, she lowered her voice and added, "and some." There was no way Kiyoshi could tell Rei that she was in possible danger without having to explain how she knew, so she figured the only way to keep an eye on Rei was to stay close to her.
Intimately close.
Rei recalled what she had overheard the previous night outside Haruka's garage and she couldn't deny how turned on she got. When she arrived home after last night's meeting, she had spent the entire night touching herself and fantasizing about Minako and what she could've possibly done with Kiyoshi, and now she could find out for herself. "Well, there is a more private room for more personal prayers, but I can't have you dripping all over the place."
"I don't think it's me you should be worrying about."
Not long after the storm began, ISC and anti-Venus pulled up to the Hikawa Shrine in the white van. They both stared out the window at the rain, neither of them willing to get out.
"Well, anti-Venus? Go on, go get some hairs from the target. I'll wait here," said ISC.
"Bullshit! Why do you get to wait here while I have to go out in that?" said anti-Venus, pointing at the torrents of water cascading down the windshield.
"Because our research shows that Rei Hino and Minako Aino have a very close relationship with each other, and that's only putting it lightly. So if you go in alone, she won't get suspicious about anything. She probably won't even realize you're not the real Minako."
Anti-Venus narrowed her eyes at ISC, but she had a point. "Fine, you win," she said bitterly and opened the door to step out. Her foot splashed into a puddle just outside the van and she cursed loudly, but she was drowned out by the clatter of the rain. She turned back to ISC one more time and said, "Don't you have an umbrella or something?"
"No, sorry," she replied, "but if our hypothesis is correct, Rei might like you better in a wet t-shirt."
The day couldn't be any worse for anti-Venus. She slammed the door shut so hard that it rocked the whole van, then climbed up the steps to the shrine. The rain continued relentlessly and seemed to fall harder once she reached the center structure. She was just grateful to be some place dry now.
As anti-Venus crept through the halls in search of Rei, she could hear soft moaning from somewhere within. The moans were punctuated by short, abbreviated gasps that reminded anti-Venus of the noise that had kept her up all night and put her in this foul mood. It seemed like everyone was getting laid except her. After checking several rooms that yielded nothing, she noticed small movement coming from a large tapestry that hung at the end of the hall. Anti-Venus pushed the tapestry aside to reveal a hidden passageway.
"Score!" she said to herself and disappeared behind the tapestry.
Kiyoshi lifted her head up from between Rei's legs, her senses alert. Someone was coming, and it wasn't Rei, although she was really close.
"Kiyo-san, don't stop," Rei whined, her hands reaching for Kiyoshi's hair and her hips thrusting to meet Kiyoshi's mouth.
"Shh, listen," Kiyoshi whispered.
They both strained their ears for the slightest sound, and then they heard it, a small creak from the wooden floorboards.
"Quick, hide!" Rei whispered as she sat up and haphazardly tried to cover herself with her kimono that lay disassembled around her on the futon.
Kiyoshi quickly stood up, pulling her own clothes back on, and hid behind the shoji screen in the corner of the room. The shoji screen had a tiny slit that offered a thin view of the room. This was working out perfectly for her. She would use Rei as bait, for which she felt somewhat guilty, but she would make it up to her, and then she would have a preemptive strike on the enemy.
The door opened not a moment too soon and Rei's voice cried out in surprise. Kiyoshi waited patiently, her muscles tense and ready to spring into action.
"Mina! What are you doing here?"
Kiyoshi squinted through the slit. She could feel the enemy at an alarmingly close proximity, but in the doorway stood a blonde.
A wicked smile spread across anti-Venus's lips. ISC was right, Rei couldn't tell the difference. "What are you doing here, Rei?" she asked, eyeing Rei's disheveled appearance.
"I was just... thinking about you," Rei said, "and you know, relieving some frustration."
"Frustration from what?" anti-Venus asked curiously.
"From that picture you sent me earlier." Rei's eyes traveled down to the blonde's shirt where two nipples stood erect from the cold, damp material covering it. "Forgot your umbrella again?"
Anti-Venus couldn't believe how easy this was turning out to be. She saw an opportunity and decided to further test ISC's hypothesis. "I thought you might like it." She closed the door behind her and said, "Now why don't you continue?"
Rei shot a quick glance at the shoji screen, then let her kimono fall from her shoulders to around her waist. "I've always wanted to put on a show."
Laying back on the futon and spreading her legs wide, Rei's hands found their way underneath the kimono to the glistening swollen flesh between her legs. She wasted no time in sliding her fingers inside herself. Her arousal was desperate for release and she hated for it to go unsatisfied.
"By the way, you're welcome to join at any time," Rei said between breaths.
The blonde imposter slowly walked up to Rei and knelt down in front of her. She grabbed a corner of Rei's kimono and flung it off, revealing the rest of the lower half of Rei's body. Disappointment covered her face.
"You shave."
"Excuse me, I wax," said Rei and her hands stopped their movement. She propped herself up on her elbows to look at the blonde. "And why are you acting like you didn't know?"
Anti-Venus sighed. "You just had to make it difficult," she muttered.
"What?"
But before Rei could fully realize that she had been terribly deceived, anti-Venus pulled out a knife and lunged at Rei, slicing off a lock of dark hair.
In an instant, Kiyoshi leaped out from the corner of the room and tackled anti-Venus to the floor. "Rei, run!" she yelled.
"Kiyoshi—"
"RUN!"
Rei picked up her kimono and was up on her feet and running while Kiyoshi and anti-Venus rolled around on the floor, wrestling for dominance. Once in another room, Rei pulled out her stud earrings and activated the tiny communicator within.
"The enemy is here at the shrine! Everyone, come quick!"
"REI!"
Mamoru sat up, wiping fluids off his chin with one hand while the other hand swept his bangs from his eyes, eyes that were filled with betrayal. " 'Rei?' Are you serious?"
Usagi sat up as well. "No,"' she said, trying to catch her breath. "That's not-"
"I knew there was something going on between you and Rei!" Mamoru shoved Usagi's legs off his shoulders.
Usagi pointed to her earrings. "No, she's in trouble!"
"Oh," said Mamoru, immediately making space for Usagi's senshi transformation. The last thing he wanted was to catch another whiplash from the ribbons that materialized as Usagi twirled around. "Should I-?"
"We got this," Sailor Moon assured him as the ribbons blended into a flash of light, revealing her spotless white fuku. "Besides, you always know when to show up just in time with your roses."
"You like my roses," Mamoru replied sheepishly. "Uh, and what I said about you and Rei," he began to stammer. "I mean, it's fine. I just wish you wouldn't leave me out." He paused, then said, "I'm down for a threesome."
"And some," Sailor Moon said with a wink as she struck her pose, officially completing her transformation. She gave Mamoru a quick kiss on the lips. "Gotta go now!" she said and vanished off to punish the enemy in the name of the moon.
Sailor Mercury's voice came in through the earrings next. "Jupiter and I are en route."
"Venus, en route," Sailor Venus chimed in.
After a bit of fumbling, Sailor Moon finally activated her communicator. "On my way!" she huffed.
"Geez, way to ruin the consistency," said Sailor Mars.
"Now is not the time for criticism!" said Sailor Jupiter. "What's the situation?"
"I was… -tacked… Minako imposter! Kiyoshi…" Static peppered Mars' update.
"You're breaking up, Mars," Venus said. "What about Kiyoshi?"
"... the shrine and she saved me… the impost-... cut some of my hair off… I can't find…"
After a long silence, Moon grasped her earrings. "Mars! Mars!"
"Her signal is lost," Mercury reported. "There's some kind of interference."
"Hurry, everyone! We need to get there fast!" Moon commanded, traversing the city towards Hikawa shrine with incredible speed that only her senshi powers could grant. Had she had this agility in civilian form, it wouldn't have made a difference in her report card, but at least she would've had better marks for physical education.
The inner senshi converged at the bottom of the stone steps leading up to the shrine and all at once, every one of them snatched their earrings from their ears. The feedback whine was deafening, but the white noise coming from the top of the hill was even more disquieting.
"Whatever that is, that's what's causing the interference," Mercury stated.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jupiter charged up the steps and the others followed.
The higher they climbed, the more they felt the static in the air. The white noise all but drowned out the faintest cries coming from the courtyard. When they finally arrived at the courtyard entrance, they were greeted by the sight of two unfamiliar senshi locked in combat.
"Give it up, Eris!" shouted anti-Venus. She had her bow aimed at Sailor Eris.
"I'd save my breath if I were you," Eris shouted back, her blades charged and crackling with energy. "ISC isn't here to save your ass this time!"
"Eris!" a weak voice called out from behind a pile of rubble that was once a stone wall.
Anti-Venus laughed. "It's not my ass that needs saving." The anti-senshi instantly redirected her aim from Eris to Sailor Mars, who had regained consciousness after being struck by one of anti-Venus' earlier attacks, and let the heart-tipped flaming arrow loose.
"Fuck!" Eris bolted towards Mars with a velocity that rivaled the winds of Uranus. She vaulted over the debris and shielded the downed senshi with her body, bracing herself for the piercing burn.
"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"
The arrow was struck from its trajectory by Sailor Venus' golden whip.
"How dare you?!" said Sailor Venus to her doppleganger. "You are no Soldier of Love!"
"HoW dArE yOu," imitated anti-Venus mockingly with her hands on her hips. "YoU aRe No SoLd-"
"DISCORD BOMBARD!"
Silver beams of light blinded anti-Venus before multiple shockwaves rattled her body and blew her off the hilltop.
The inner senshi stared in awe at the silver and blue-clad senshi. Sailor Eris couldn't help but stare back. She couldn't believe it - not just Mars, but four other senshi! All this time she had spent searching and finally here they were, and all together at that! But as much as Eris wanted to stay, duty called – there were more urgent matters to attend to. Surely they'd meet again now that this threat had brought them all out of the woodwork.
"Sailor Mars needs your aid," Eris called to them, taking off after anti-Venus. She leaped down from the hill and scanned the area below for the enemy. By then the storm had passed and puddles were all that remained, gleaming in the merging sunlight. Her eyes locked on to a small crater-sized puddle that must've been where anti-Venus landed, but there was no sign of the anti-senshi.
"Dammit," she muttered to herself, just before a white van charged towards her. Eris sprung instantly into the air but she was a fraction of a second too late. She cleared the hood of the vehicle, but the windshield caught her and she tumbled over the roof. Eris' blades appeared in her hands and she drove them into the back of the van to stop herself from falling off. The van swerved, swinging Eris from side to side, but her grip was steadfast. Straining against the van's erratic maneuvers, she dislodged one of her blades and thrust it into one of the rear tires. The air gushed out and the van tilted on its back corner, sparks flying from the metal grinding against the pavement. The metallic odor combined with burning rubber infiltrated Eris' nose and she heaved. She couldn't stand the smell.
"Kiyoshi, are you listening?"
Kiyoshi looked at her mother, who had just yanked her earbuds out from her ears.
Her mother sighed from the front seat of the car. "Of course you didn't hear a word I said."
"Stop worrying, she'll be fine," her father said from the driver's seat. "You don't get invited to attend Mugen Academy unless you're the best, and you especially don't turn down that invitation, even if it means being a little far from home. Kiyoshi can take care of herself." The rearview mirror showed only his eyes, but Kiyoshi didn't have to see the rest of his face to know the worry written all over it despite his best efforts to hide it. She was going to miss him too.
"But what about those so-called Death Busters? I've been hearing a lot about them on the news," said Kyoshi's mother.
"Bunch of wannabe gangsters, if you ask me," was all Kiyoshi's father had to say on the matter.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be careful," Kiyoshi assured her mother and plugged her earbuds back into her ears. Gangsters were the last thing on her mind anyway. What better way to pursue her dream of being a photographer than to learn from the elite professors of Mugen Academy! The day she received the Mugen letter had to have been the best day of her life, and exactly what she needed to get herself away from everything and start anew. Her relationship with Mitsune had become complicated, to say the least, and she blamed the increasing restless nights and apocalyptic nightmares on the stress of it all, although there was something about those dreams that she couldn't quite shake and deep down she knew it had nothing to do with Mitsune. It was something beyond her comprehension, astral even. It was like she felt a call in those dreams, but she wasn't sure what to do, and anyhow she had more important things to concentrate on. Maybe it was a cop out, maybe she was digging her head in the sand, maybe it was just part of growing pains, but either way, life goes on. She'll figure it out along the way. Besides, she was never one to plan too far ahead. She liked to keep things simple and take things in stride. Kiyoshi took one last look at the small scenic valley below, then closed her eyes knowing it'd be at least another hour till they arrived at the prestigious school and hoped to catch a good power nap.
But it was one of the apocalyptic nightmares again, the one where Kiyoshi watched the world being covered in darkness and people being turned into stone. It was always the same. Even when she tried to do something differently in the dream, the blast still took place in the end and totally obliterated everything, so she had resigned herself to just letting the dream play out. This time, there was something different though. Aside from the lifeless statues, she was not alone. She felt a living presence.
"Ah, so it's true, you have awakened."
It was a woman's voice. Kiyoshi spun around, but there was no one in sight.
There was a long, deep sigh. "A lot sooner than expected, but you are never one for predictability. I'm going to have to recalibrate the sands of time."
"What do you mean? Who are you?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Nevermind me, but you? You're a senshi," proclaimed the mysterious voice.
"I'm a what?" gasped Kiyoshi.
"A senshi! Sailor Eris. Soldier of Chaos."
Kiyoshi went into thought, recalling the other dreams where she did in fact appear to be a senshi, then shook her head. "My dreams are getting mixed up."
"It's always the stubborn ones," the voice muttered in exasperation. "It's not just a dream, it is your destiny, and I'm forbidden to say anything more," the voice went on. "But as I said, you've awakened a lot sooner than expected, and time doesn't want to be changed."
The ground began to rumble beneath Kiyoshi's feet. The blast was coming. "So what does that mean?"
"That means this is really going to hurt," the voice said regretfully.
Kiyoshi was confused. The blast never hurt. It was a dream. If anything, it felt like any other dream where you fall but only to be jolted awake. But then she did jolt awake and her head thudded against the side of the car. Outside the car, the world was spinning. Her mother was screaming and her father's limp body was ricocheting between the steering wheel and the seat. Kiyoshi grabbed the handle above her and desperately held on as the car continued tumbling until it came to a halt at the bottom of the valley.
"Mom! Dad!" Kiyoshi called, but there was no answer from the front. The car had landed upside-down, making her parents' arms hang down, but there was no other sign of movement. Kiyoshi unbuckled her seatbelt and fell to the roof of the car. She could smell the gasoline leaking from the car and knew she had to move quickly. "Mom! Dad!" she tried calling again and tried to shake them out of unconsciousness, then something grasped her ankle and yanked her from the wreckage.
"Please help! My parents are in there!" Kiyoshi cried urgently, scrambling to get up. "Please! My parents–"
Suddenly Kiyoshi felt an excruciating pain in her chest and she fell to her knees. Had she been impaled during the crash? She touched her chest and felt the damp fabric of her shirt. Damp from sweat, not blood. She looked up and found herself staring down the barrel of a gun being held by a woman with red hair.
"Well, how about that, it worked!" the red-haired woman exclaimed. "And what a heart crystal! Not a bad snatch for a first try!" The woman leaned down and plucked a glowing object off the ground not far from Kiyoshi.
"Take whatever you want," Kiyoshi said weakly, "but please, my parents."
The heart crystal in the woman's hand began glowing brighter. "Oh, this one's gotta be pure! It's so brilliant!" she squealed excitedly and began walking away, ignoring Kiyoshi's pleas.
"Please–"
A loud boom erupted as the car burst into flames.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"What the–?" the strange woman gasped as the heart crystal fractured in two. "Hmmm, that was unexpected. My research never indicated that could happen."
Kiyoshi was still on the ground, too stunned to move, too stunned to speak. Her eyes were set on the blaze consuming her family's car and her parents within.
"Ugh, guess this is useless now. On to the next target," the red-haired woman said and tossed the two fragments of Kiyoshi's heart crystal aside. "Daimon, please clean up this mess. I'm going back to the lab."
An unnatural creature appeared from the dark smoke of the wreckage, saying "Minoruta!" While human-ish in form, its skin was a silvery gray, it stood on three legs, much like a tripod, and it had a mirror as one eye and a flash lens as the other. Kiyoshi barely had time to shake herself out of her stupor when the creature blinded her with a blink of its flash eye, then sent her skittering on the ground with a kick from its tripod feet. As Kiyoshi struggled to get herself up, a thin rectangular shape popped out of the daimon's mouth. It spat it out and flung it towards Kiyoshi, slicing through floating smoldering ashes. Muscle memory took over Kiyoshi as her mind was still reeling in anguish and she rolled out of its way.
Her fingers landed on something that made a small crunch. When she looked down, it was the broken crystal that had apparently come from her heart. As if in a trance, she held the two pieces together and pressed it against her chest, where it passed through seamlessly, and suddenly Kiyoshi felt alive with vigor. Something still remained in her hand, however. She opened her hand and there in her palm was a henshin with a symbol etched into a gray sphere on one end. Without thinking, she raised the henshin high into the air and the words rolled right off her tongue: "ERIS PLANET POWER MAKE-UP!"
Sailor Eris dove away from the white van just as it lost control and rammed into an abandoned building. She ran up to it and tore the doors open, only to find the van empty.
"The fuck?"
There was no way anyone could have escaped so quickly. She slammed her fist on the dashboard, which caused the wiring to fall out, having been jarred loose from the crash. A tag was taped around a haphazard bundle of wires with handwritten letters "RC."
"Remote control? Fuck you!" Eris cursed.
"Glad the plan worked accordingly," said Anastacia as she examined the samples her colleague retrieved that day. "Yes, this will make a fine hybrid anti-Mars."
Mike and Trixx prepared the cylinder. Mike had been given the option to take the rest of the evening off, having had such an eventful afternoon, but there was no way she was leaving Trixx alone with Anastacia, even if Anastacia had spent all day "getting anti-Uranus and anti-Neptune up to speed" on their diabolical plans. On the other hand, anti-Venus was in dire need of treatment and was secured in her cylinder, awaiting the regenerative injection that anti-Mars would provide since, being hybrids, they shared the same elements.
Once everything was in place, the machines hummed to life, lights lit up the panel boards, and meter needles hovered. The cylinder from which anti-Mars would be born filled with a cloudy liquid, obscuring any view of the contents within until the process was done, which by then the liquid would have cleared up.
"I suppose there's nothing left to do but come back in the morning," said Anastacia and turned to Mike. "Tomorrow you'll take anti-Uranus and anti-Neptune with you," she ordered. "Have you decided who your next target will be?"
Mike yawned and pulled two folders out of her briefcase. "Mercury and Jupiter."