The days had passed and there were still no signs of either Eudial (or rather, Arimura Yuuko) or Mimete. Ami was trying to find them by locating any trace of Daimon energy in the area, without success. Now that Yuuko was human, she couldn't locate her this way anymore. And it seemed wherever Mimete went, she wasn't in Juuban-Azabu anymore.

Ami sighed and pushed herself from the desk, letting her chair roll away from the computer. Maybe no sign of them was good news. But at the same time, she couldn't help but worry about where those two could have gone, and if they were planning anything nefarious.

"Ami-chan, anything new?"

Usagi stepped into their hideout, followed by Minako and Rei. Ami shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't find them," she replied.

"I understand wanting to find Mimete, but is Arimura-san still a threat? She's a regular human now," Rei said.

"Humans can be as dangerous as any monsters," Minako replied. "Plus, she has a gun."

"I was hoping being purified would be enough, but it seems she still has darkness in her heart…" Usagi added.

"Mhm, wickedness is not exclusive to monsters," Rei said.

"Does it mean Arimura-san was already evil before becoming a daimon?" Minako pondered.

"No one is born evil… if we can find her, then perhaps we can understand her motivations," Ami suggested.

Luna suddenly jumped on Ami's shoulders.

"I'm more concerned about Mimete," Luna said. "Her memory and powers are back."

"It doesn't mean she's a threat," Minako argued. "Even before she lost her memory, even when she was still a heartless daimon, Mimete chose our side. She helped us against Eudial! She might be a daimon again, but she still has her human heart back!"

"Then why'd she run away as soon as she regained her memory?" Rei retorted. "If she isn't up to no good, she wouldn't have left like that. Running away is an admission of guilt!"

"She was hurt! And probably just scared!" Minako argued.

"More reason to not run away! Why would she even be scared of us if she had nothing to hide?"

"That's not how it works-"

"Please girls, let's not fight over that!" Usagi interrupted them. "Let's save this for when we find her, okay? As well as Arimura-san."

Both Minako and Rei looked like they wanted to add something, but reluctantly agreed to make peace. Usagi sighed, relieved until she had something else on her mind.

"Where's Mako-chan?" Usagi suddenly asked.

"She said she'd go see Teruno-san at the hospital," Ami replied. "She's getting discharged today and Mako-chan wanted to make sure she was alright."

"Hmm… Mako-chan is awfully close to Teruno-san lately," Minako commented.

"You're one to talk," Rei said. "Given how close you were with Mimete…"

Minako blushed at that comment.

"What's that supposed to mean…!?"

"Well, whatever Mako-chan is up to with Teruno-san, I'm sure it's nowhere near what you were doing with Mimete..." Rei sneered. "You know, the smooching-"

"Ahhhh! Don't! This was simply energy transfer through oral means, n-nothing suspicious…!"

"And I believe that's a good reminder of what Mimete used to be up to. Stealing people's life force," Rei added.

"T-that was because she was dying and needed energy to survive…! It's not the same anymore! With her pure heart crystal back, she doesn't need to steal life force anymore…!"

"Doesn't change the fact she could still do that-"

"Girls, I said let's not fight over that now!" Usagi intervened once again.

"Usagi-chan is right, we are wasting our time on hypotheticals," Ami agreed. "We need to find them first before drawing any conclusions."

"I usually don't agree with Usagi-chan, but if Ami-chan also agrees, I'm forced to admit it's the most reasonable conclusion," Luna concurred.

"H-hey…!" Usagi let out.

"Ami-chan!"

Artemis suddenly ran towards them, jumping onto the nearby desk.

"Out in the front, someone is asking Motoki-san about you," the white cat said. "You better hurry before she leaves."

"Huh? Who?" Ami asked.

"Some high school girl."

"Oh, right!" Ami exclaimed. "I told her to meet me here."

Ami grabbed her bag and headed for the exit.

"Sorry girls, I have something planned. See you later!"

Without waiting for an answer Ami had already left their hideout. The other senshi exchanged dumbfounded glances and Minako finally said something.

"A date maybe?"

Yuuko was staring at the red stone in her hand with nostalgia. She could still feel a faint connection to her amulet, but no matter how much she tried to focus, she couldn't draw its magic. It felt like a piece of her was inside yet she couldn't have access to it. It felt… quite frustrating, to say the least.

"Why can't I use my amulet anymore…" Yuuko lamented. "It's supposed to be mine…!"

"Because you are no longer a witch."

Yuuko winced. Kaolinite came out from the shadows with those cruel yet truthful words.

"But, this amulet was made with my life force…!" Yuuko argued. "Its magic comes from my pure heart crystal-"

"Your pure heart crystal merely helped your daimon egg reignite the flame that was already within this shard of the Taioron Crystal," Kaolinite continued. "Without the egg, your connection to our sacred stone is non-existent, and this amulet won't answer you anymore. As long as you are a puny human, the Taioron Crystal is out of your reach-"

"Then make me a witch again! Give me another Daimon Egg…!"

Kaolinite made her keep quiet by pointing her staff right at Yuuko's face, a threatening aura surrounding the magus.

"Do not forget your place, empty host," Kaolinite hissed. "I was merciful enough to spare you despite your… condition. But I can change my mind very quickly if you start being ungrateful. Do not forget that you are useless to me, and that I'm only allowing you to serve me out of pity, and for your previous loyalty. But I will not hesitate to eliminate you if you become more trouble than you're worth, and right now… you aren't worth much."

This statement felt like a stab through the heart. Yuuko fell to her knees and looked to the ground, shameful.

"Y-yes, my apologies, Kaolinite-sama…"

"Hmph! And even if I wanted to give you a new egg and make you a witch, I couldn't. All the other Daimon Eggs Master Pharaoh 90 brought with him to Earth were destroyed. You just wasted yours, the essence of one of the Six Great Daimons… well, at least you did what you had to, reawakening your piece of the Taioron Crystal. So it's not so bad that you lost your egg."

"...!"

"But, I suppose there might be something I can do. I can't create Daimon Eggs, but I can offer you something else. After all, I can't just let you be a burden for me."

Kaolinite suddenly hit the ground with her staff and opened her other hand. Dark, daimonic energy began to form in the pit of her palm, until it formed into the shape of a purple pill-like capsule. It was small enough that she could hold it between two fingers.

"What… what is that…?" Yuuko asked.

Kaolinite grinned.

"That, my dear, is just a little fragment of my own Daimon Egg, a little bit of my energy."

She then handed it to Yuuko.

"I call it a 'Daimon Germ'," Kaolinite added. "I trust you will know what to do once the right moment comes..."

Ami rushed to the exit of the arcade, where a familiar figure was waiting for her.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting the genius girl Mizuno Ami-san to attend these kinds of places," Yui commented.

"I was just hanging out with my friends."

"Hm, I see."

Bidou Yui looked around, then gazed back at Ami, a soft smile on her lips.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me so soon. If you don't mind, I'd like to get started. I have a lot to catch on for my exams."

"O-oh, of course…!"

While Ami and Yui talked, Usagi, Rei, and Minako were hiding behind one of the arcade's machines, spying on them.

"Ehhh, she was just meeting up with Bidou-san after all," Minako said, disappointed. "And here I thought she was secretly going on a date…"

"Who knows, maybe this is a date," Rei said with a smirk.

"No way!?" Usagi reacted, blushing.

Ami and Yui finally stepped outside the arcade while the other three inners were discreetly following them to the nearby café. The two genius girls were sitting down at a table together.

"So it IS a date…!" Minako said.

But then, both Ami and Yui pulled out books from their bags.

"... nevermind, they are just here to study," Minako added.

"Eh, studying? What a bummer!" Usagi replied.

"Not everyone is a dunce like you, Usagi," Rei teased.

"What was that!?"

As they were about to leave, they noticed someone they knew in the café, who was also on her way out.

"Oh, Ami-chan, what a coincidence. We were just leaving."

Ami looked up. Makoto was standing next to her table, accompanied by Teruno Lulu.

"Ah, Mako-chan! What a coincidence!"

"Fancy meeting you here, Teruno-san. I'm glad to see you out of the hospital," Yui said, smiling.

"I'm sure you are, Bidou-san," Lulu replied with a somewhat cold voice.

There was an unspoken tension between the two ex-witches that Makoto picked up on. Ami seemed to be completely unaware of it.

"We just came here to study," Ami said. "The others should still be at the arcade, if you're wondering."

Upon hearing that, Usagi, Minako and Rei, still hiding, collectively felt cold sweats down their back.

"Actually, we were on our way to the botanical garden," Makoto said. "The new one that just opened."

"I really wanted to go for a while, but couldn't, because… well you know, being stuck in a hospital room and all," Lulu explained. "So I'm pretty excited to go."

"I'm sure you are, Teruno-san," Yui replied with a smirk.

Lulu glared at Yui. This time, Ami seemed to have noticed the friction between these two.

"Hey, what's going on between you two…?" Ami tried to ask.

"Well, well, but isn't it my old companions," a voice suddenly said. "It almost feels like a Mugen reunion."

They all froze when they heard that voice. They knew it very well. Even without turning back, they recognized to whom it belonged.

A familiar woman was standing near them. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit, or even a lab coat for that matter. Instead, she was dressed more casually and even a little sloppy, with a red hooded jacket over a white tank top, with puffy black pants, and red-and-white slip-on sneakers. Her red hair was tied in a different way, in a single ponytail resting above her shoulder.

"A-Arimura-senpai…?" Lulu stammered.

Yuuko winced at that.

"It's Eudial now," she corrected.

"What… what are you talking about…?"

That wasn't good. Ami and Makoto exchanged a glance. Whatever reason Yuuko- or Eudial, whatever she wanted to be called- was here, she was probably up to no good. Yui looked concerned too, but more curious than worried.

Nearby, Usagi, Minako and Rei were ready to react, but debated how to deal with this.

"Should we transform?" Minako wondered.

"I don't know, she's not a daimon anymore. We shouldn't need our power to subdue her," Rei replied.

"I think we should maybe just… try to talk to her? She doesn't seem dangerous," Usagi proposed.

"Have you forgotten that she had a gun the last time we saw her? She could still be very much a threat, not just for us, but the customers!" Rei scolded her.

"Urgh…!"

Yuuko pulled out something from her pocket and instinctively, Makoto stood in front of Ami.

"What… what are you doing…!?" Makoto exclaimed. "You won't just, pull out a weapon here, in a public place!?"

Yuuko chuckled at that.

"Well, not a weapon in the traditional sense," she simply replied.

In her hand, she was holding a shiny, red stone. Both Lulu and Yui were staring at the crystal. Ami immediately stood up.

"Is that… the Taioron Crystal…?" Ami asked.

"Close; this is merely a fragment of it," Yuuko replied with a smug smile before looking at her previous associates. "And I'm here to claim the other fragments these two possess!"

Yui and Lulu remained quiet for a moment, until they realized Ami and Makoto were looking at them, waiting for an answer.

"I… have no idea what she's talking about. tayoro what?" Lulu replied nervously. "senpai, you know damn well I'm not one for fancy jewels."

Yui glanced at Lulu before she looked at Yuuko, smirking.

"A big crystal like that would be a waste of space, what use could I have for a vain piece of rock?" Yui shrugged.

"Don't play dumb with me! I know you have your own fragments, and I need them! So give them to me, now!" Yuuko said, raising her voice impatiently.

"If it's a crystal you want, I can lead you to the nearest jeweller," Yui sneered.

"H-Hey, Bidou-san, there's no need to provoke her," Lulu scolded. "She's obviously not in her normal state…"

"Do not patronize me, you two!" Yuuko yelled.

The escalating loudness of the conversation had started to attract attention towards them.

"Come on Arimura-san, you won't start a fight in the middle of a restaurant, right?" Makoto said. "You're powerless, and outnumbered. And I wouldn't even need to transform to take you down!"

At that comment, Yuuko sneered.

"Oh, that's what you think huh… well, I have a surprise for you!"

"Don't tell me… she can still use that crystal!?" Ami reacted.

"Even better!"

With a smug smile, Yuuko pulled out another object from her pocket. This time, it was the purple capsule-like pill. The red-haired girl was holding it between her fingers. Even from afar, Rei could feel the evil aura emanating from it.

"This is bad news," Rei said. "I can feel it… daimonic energy, coming from that."

"What? What does it do…?" Minako asked.

"I don't know… but definitely nothing good!"

"Girls, let's transform!" Usagi said.

The other two nodded, pulling their respective transformation tools. Meanwhile, Yuuko brought the suspicious pill closer to her mouth.

"What… what are you doing… stop!" Ami exclaimed. "What does that thing do!?"

"Hehe… just watch, you'll see," Yuuko taunted.

Yuuko slipped the pill inside her mouth and crunched it between her teeth. Suddenly, a maleficent aura was released, fully engulfing Yuuko's body into a dark purple smoke.

"Arimura-san…!?" Ami let out.

"What… what is going on!?" Lulu exclaimed.

"..." Yui simply stared at the scene.

When the smoke dissipated, it was no longer Arimura Yuuko who was standing in front of them. Ami and Makoto gasped in shock.

"E… Eudial!?" they both exclaimed in unison.

The red witch grinned from ear to ear, a black star appearing on her forehead.

"Finally, you are calling me by my true name!"

Panic began to arise in the café. Some customers started to run out of the restaurant in fear.

"You're really going to do that here, with people around!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"You really think I care?" Eudial scoffed. "You on the other hand, it's not like you can transform while there are witnesses, am I right?"

Makoto clenched her fist in frustration, knowing full well that she was right. They couldn't risk exposing her secret identity. Eudial sneered at them.

"Thought so. Then, be good girls while I deal with my old friends, would you? I'm on important business and I don't have all day. If you are good, nobody has to get hurt…"

"Like hell!" Mako exclaimed, raising her fist.

She rushed towards Eudial, ready to punch her. The witch smirked at her attempt, dodging her fist with ease before kicking her down.

"Urgh…!"

Before Makoto could stand up for round 2, Eudial conjured a fireball in her hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Eudial smirked. "I'm not here to play. I'm here for the fragments of the Taioron Crystal these two have."

"I have no idea what that means! What's wrong with you, Arimura-senpai…!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Stop calling me that! My name is Eudial! And yours was Tellu!"

"... Tellu…?"

Eudial then turned to Yui.

"And you were Viluy," she added.

"Viluy…?"

"That's right. We were all part of the Witches 5, all of us reignited a fragment of the Taioron Crystal. And I've come to collect your pieces since clearly, you don't need them anymore. But I do!"

"But… why?" Yui asked.

"That's… none of your business! Just give them to me!" Eudial insisted.

"Or else?" Yui taunted.

"Hey, don't provoke her…!" Lulu scolded.

Eudial grinned.

"Or else I'll burn this place to the ground, with you inside!" she threatened.

"Ari- Eudial, please, stop!" Ami began to say. "You don't have to do that. Deep down, you don't want to hurt anyone, don't you? That's why you asked us to not intervene, instead of immediately attacking us…!"

"S-shut up! I am the fire witch Eudial, I don't care who I have to hurt in order to get what I want! Now, perish!"

But before Eudial could throw her fireball at them, something wrapped around her arm.

"Venus love me chain!"

"What the-"

It was a chain made of pure light.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and for Beauty! I am Sailor Venus!"

Venus was holding the far end of the chain made of light.

"You…!"

"How dare you use fire, the most passionate of the elements, to cause harm? In the Name of Venus, I'll punish you with the power of love!"

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and for Passion. I am Sailor Mars! And likewise, I can't fathom your misuse of the sacred element of fire! In the Name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

"Venus, Mars!" Ami exclaimed.

"Great timing!" Makoto added.

"Argh…! You insufferable pests!" Eudial yelled.

"You there!"

Sailor Moon suddenly stood behind her.

"How dare you cause a ruckus in a café where people just want to relax, and disturb these two girls trying to study in peace! In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!"

Eudial was now surrounded by the senshi. She let out a frustrated grunt before both of her hands caught on fire.

"Seems like I will have to burn this place to the ground!" Eudial cried out.

"Hey, you there, run, now!" Venus ordered.

She was gesturing at Yui and Lulu. Ami and Makoto knew it should technically also apply to them, as they were at the moment the same as civilians. So they nodded, leaving the café with their respective friends. They will just need to find an excuse to split up and transform.

"You won't get away!" Eudial yelled, trying to go after them.

"That's my line!" Venus said, holding tight onto the chain.

Eudial grabbed the chain and abruptly pulled it, forcing Venus to come towards her, raising her fiery fist.

"I'll burn you up!"

"Burning Mandala!"

Mars suddenly got between them, blocking Eudial's flames with her owns.

"Oh, hey there, my fellow fire master! We still haven't finished our fight, have we?" Eudial taunted.

"Evil flames are nothing compared to the sacred fire I hold!" Mars replied.

"Eh, is that so… let's see about that. Fire Buster!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

A powerful stream of water blocked Eudial's attack and extinguished it.

"What!?"

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and Intelligence. I am Sailor Mercury! You, evil fire witch, douse yourself in water and repent!"

"And I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and for Courage. I am Sailor Jupiter! I'll fill you with so much regret, it'll leave you numb!"

Now, all the inners were there, fully surrounding Eudial.

"Give up Eudial, not only are we all transformed, but you are critically outnumbered," Jupiter warned.

Eudial growled before letting out a bitter laugh.

"You really are a huge pain in the ass, huh… you don't understand. If I don't get these fragments, things won't end well for me… I have my life on the line…!"

"What… what do you mean-" Sailor Moon tried to ask.

But she was interrupted by Eudial violently coughing.

"Eudial…!?"

It wasn't just a normal cough, something was coming out from her mouth, small red droplets…

"Blood…!?" Mercury exclaimed.

"Shit… is this really my limit…? Eudial mumbled, wiping her mouth.

She coughed once more, much to the senshi's concern. Sailor Moon began to carefully step toward her.

"Arimura-san, are you alright?" she asked.

But as soon as she was close enough, Eudial looked up, blood dripping from her mouth and a fiery look in her eyes.

"My name is Eudial!"

She violently kicked down Sailor Moon before running away from the café.

"Sailor Moon!" the others exclaimed.

Sailor Moon weakly got back on her feet.

"I… I'm alright… but, we can't let her escape!"

The others nodded, going after Eudial.

"Stop right there, Eudial!" Jupiter exclaimed.

"You won't get away with this!" Venus declared.

"And you're hurt, aren't you?" Mercury said.

"So better give up now!" Mars added.

Eudial barely managed to reach the street before she fell to her knees. She was back in her ordinary clothes, her witch transformation coming undone. She was stuck in a frantic coughing state.

"Arimura-san!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, joining the senshi.

But before they could do anything, a vehicle suddenly blocked their path. A white station wagon with a black star on the front.

"What the… it's Eudial's car!?" Mars exclaimed.

"Who's driving it?" Jupiter asked.

"I can't see from here," Venus replied.

Eudial seemed just as confused as them by the sudden arrival of her car. She weakly got back on her feet and stepped towards the station wagon, reaching the driver seat and looking through the window.

"You…? What… what does that mean? How? Why…?"

From where they were, the senshi still couldn't make out who was in the driver seat, but it seemed like it was someone Eudial knew- and wasn't expecting to be there. The driver seemed to have told her something since Eudial replied.

"... okay, I'm coming in… but you have some explaining to do!"

Eudial opened the door to the back seats and sat inside and without further ado, the car drove away, in front of the baffled Sailor Senshi.

"Who… who was inside?" Sailor Moon finally said.

"I don't know, but Eudial sure was familiar with them, albeit surprised to see them," Venus replied.

"Hey, more importantly… where did you guys leave Bidou-san and Teruno-san?" Mars suddenly asked.

Both Jupiter and Mercury exchanged a glance.

"Well… when we exited the café, we told them that we'd look for help and that they could go home to safety," Mercury replied.

"So that they'd leave and we could transform," Jupiter added.

They all became silent. Was Lulu and Yui's absence just a simple coincidence? Regardless, one thing was certain.

Someone came to Eudial's aid, and it was someone she knew.

Who is the one who came to Eudial's aid? Please let me know your guess in a review bellow!