"...se… ouse… Mouse.. !?"

Mouse quickly opened her eyes when she heard her name, only to be blinded by the shining sun.

"Ugh…"

"Are you alright!?"

It was the same voice, a girl's voice, full of worries. Her eyes couldn't get used to the sunlight but she still managed to make out the silhouette of the girl.

"... Tsukino-san? What… what happened? Where am I…?"

"That should be us who ask you that," another feminine voice said. "Why are you sleeping in the park? And still in your fuku nonetheless! You do have a home… right?"

Mouse rubbed her eyes. She really couldn't see well in daylight. She looked down, confirming that she was indeed still in her senshi uniform, and promptly cancelled her transformation.

Once she was back in her regular outfit, Mouse pulled out her sunglasses from her pocket. She put them on, finally able to see without the blinding sunlight.

The other girl who spoke to her was Minako. Mouse looked around, recognizing the park near the arcade.

"What… are you two doing here?" Mouse asked.

"It's faster to go through the park on our way to the arcade," Minako exclaimed. "Now the real question is, what are you doing here? Didn't you go home last night? Or do you really live as a hobo and sleep in parks…?"

Mouse rubbed her head. She could feel a bump, like she got hit.

"Right, I was on my way home then… I think I got knocked out…"

"Were you attacked by Phantom Galactica? Was it these two again!?" Usagi asked.

"N-no, it was… Shit, Nyanko!"

"... It was Nyanko who attacked you…?" Minako asked, confused.

"What…? No!" Mouse let out. "Nyanko was with me when we got attacked-"

"Don't tell me… she got her starseed taken!?" Minako interrupted her.

"Will you let me finish! It wasn't Phantom Galactica! We were attacked by Crow!"

Minako looked baffled. "Huh? Crow!?"

"But… why?" Usagi asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Because she's insane! She has a grudge against Nyanko that she refuses to let go," Mouse replied.

Minako nodded at that. "Right. There's nothing more dangerous than a woman in love."

"Where's Nyanko now?" Usagi asked.

Mouse grunted, rubbing her sore head. "I… don't know. Crow knocked me out when we were fighting her… I guess Nyanko escaped and left me behind. Damn Mautian…"

"I… really don't think Nyanko would have done that," Usagi said.

Mouse sighed. Of course not. She might want to pretend she disliked Nyanko, hoping that she was as awful as she wished she was, but she knew deep down she wouldn't have abandoned her unconscious like that. But if Nyanko indeed didn't leave her behind, then the truth was far more worrisome.

"Nyanko must have kept fighting Crow alone then," Mouse added. "And if neither of them are here, then… Nyanko must be in danger!"

Minako and Usagi exchanged a glance.

"You don't think she might have…?" Minako began.

Usagi shook her head. "I don't think Crow would have gone that far… right?"

"This is Crow we are talking about! Do you have any idea what kind of person she is?" Mouse said.

"Uh… a very grumpy, stuck-up woman?" Minako replied.

Mouse stared at her. "Is this really how you see Crow? Gosh, I wish she was just a grumpy stuck up woman and not the terrifying monster she actually is!"

"What… monster!? Isn't that too harsh?" Usagi said. "I know she did bad stuff when she was in Shadow Galactica, but wasn't it because of the bracelets? Just like you…"

"No, Crow was already a terrible person before she joined Shadow Galactica. If anything, she just became worse," Mouse explained. "I don't know all the details, but she was a tyrant back on her home planet."

"A tyrant!?" Minako let out.

"Yes. She terrorized her own people and forced them into submission. And then she had no qualm about betraying them to pledge allegiance to Galaxia."

"Crow willingly joined Galaxia?" Usagi asked.

"Yes. Just like Seiren- though unlike her, at least she didn't destroy her own planet. Not that it really makes it any better whether she destroyed it herself or allowed Galaxia to do it."

Usagi couldn't believe it- no, she didn't want to believe it. She knew Crow used to be their enemy, that she was far from being a friendly person, but to think she was this awful just didn't sit right with her. Crow wasn't a bad person when she lived as Karasuma Akane, so Usagi was convinced she wasn't fundamentally evil. That, and she couldn't believe someone who was so deeply in love could be evil, either.

Mouse rubbed her temples. "Nyanko is probably still with her. It might not be too late. But I have no idea where they could be…"

"If she captured her, then perhaps Crow brought her to her place," Minako proposed.

"Wait- you know where Crow lives!?" Mouse exclaimed.

"Well… yeah. We went there once," Minako revealed.

Mouse nearly jumped on Minako.

"Show me the way, now!" Mouse ordered. "Before it's too late!"


Earlier that day…

When Nyanko opened her eyes, she was welcomed by darkness. The sun hadn't risen yet, and it was still the same night. Not that the lack of light was an issue for her; as a Mautian, she had a natural night vision.

She looked around, trying to get familiar with her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the amount of trash. If it wasn't for the normal furniture in the room, she could have easily thought she was in a dumping ground. Turned out it was just a very messy and dirty living room.

The second thing Nyanko noticed was that her hands were tied up, which was rarely a good sign.

Nyanko groaned. Her head hurt like she'd been knocked out- which she had. She remembered now. She was walking Mouse home when Crow suddenly attacked them. Nyanko's heart immediately started to race like crazy when she realized her predicament.

" Oh no… not again. First Seiren, and now Crow… "

Suddenly, artificial light invaded the room. Nyanko grunted with discomfort, closing her eyes for a moment. When she re-opened them, she discovered with fright that she wasn't alone anymore.

"C-Crow…!?"

Crow glared at her with murderous intent.

"You're finally awake, Nyanko."

"What.. what are you going to do to me…?"

A cruel grin appeared on Crow's lips. "It wouldn't have been nearly as fun to beat you up while you were still unconscious. But now that you're awake, I can take my time to slaughter you!"

"Eek…!"

Nyanko quickly rose up and instinctively tried to escape. But there was nowhere to run to. Crow easily caught her, grabbing her by the hair.

"Argh…!"

Crow pulled on her hair and threw her on the floor. One of Nyanko's braids came undone as she hit the ground. She let out a whimper, unable to break her fall with her tied hands.

"Where do you think you're going, kitty? There's no escape for you. But feel free to struggle all you want. It wouldn't be as fun otherwise!"

Nyanko tried to pull herself up but Crow grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the floor.

"You're weak. You can't even protect yourself. You disgust me."

Crow put both hands around Nyanko's throat, slowly squeezing it.

"And you call yourself a senshi!? You're not worthy to be a Sailor Senshi! You disgusting, useless backstabber…!"

Crow squeezed more. Nyanko couldn't breathe anymore.

"W-wait, Crow… please…!"

"Hm? What's that? Are you going to start begging for your life?" Crow sneered.

"W-where… where's… Mouse…?"

Crow paused for a moment, clearly not expecting that question. "I left her where I knocked her out. I haven't done anything more to her."

Nyanko sighed in relief. "So she should be fine."

Crow looked annoyed. "You should be more worried about yourself."

"I am…! But clearly, no matter what I do or say, I won't change your mind. So at least… I'm the only one who will suffer your wrath."

Enraged, Crow grabbed the nearest object- an empty bottle of beer, and smashed it to the ground. She then threatened Nyanko with the broken glass.

"Stop acting like that! I'm going to kill you, you know!? So be more afraid! Stop pretending you care about someone else and fight back! Or at least beg for mercy! Don't just accept death! You pathetic, miserable wrench of a cat…!"

Crow's voice sounded desperate. Nyanko was more than just afraid- she was terrified. But she knew when something was a losing battle. She couldn't fight back against Crow, so she may as well just give up and pray it would be quick.

"... I hate you. I hate you so much! I want to kill you! I want to make you pay, I want you to suffer…! So why…" Crow's hand was shaking. "So why can't I do it…!?"

Nyanko was surprised by those words. She didn't know how to react.

"Why can't you be the same Nyanko I hate so much!? Why do you have to be so… different. what am I supposed to do with all this hatred!? Someone has to pay! Someone has to suffer! And it should be you…!"

Crow pressed the broken bottle against Nyanko's cheek. She could feel the sharp glass brushing against her cheek, though the pressure wasn't enough to break her skin.

"I want to see you bleed so badly…" Crow mumbled.

Nyanko gulped. Crow's voice was shaky and raspy. Nyanko could easily tell Crow meant what she said. She was clearly enjoying the thought of hurting her. She was a genuine sadist.

And yet, she was hesitating. Deep down, she did have some form of moral compass preventing her from going through with this.

Nyanko had to pick her next words very carefully. Her life might very well depend on it. She looked around in the room, at all the trash littering the place.

"Damn girl, you really live like that? This place is a mess!"

Crow glared at her. Nyanko immediately regretted what she said. Those just couldn't be her last words.

"I-I was just kidd-"

"Seiren was the one who used to tidy up this place," Crow suddenly said.

"... Eh?"

Crow's voice sounded so soft now. "I… miss Seiren. I really miss her. I don't know what to do without her…"

Much to Nyanko's surprise, Crow teared up. Now that she thought about it, she did notice a particular smell in the room, but she had assumed it was coming from the trash.

It wasn't. It was coming from Crow. Each time she opened her mouth to speak the smell got stronger. Crow reeked of alcohol.

She was drunk.

" Oh… shit… " Nyanko thought.

Tears began to roll on Crow's cheeks. "I don't know what to do without her… why did she leave me? Where is she? Is she even alright…!?"

Crow dropped the bottle and sat up, covering her face with her hands. "Is it my fault? Does she hate me? Did I do something… wrong? Is this why… she abandoned me…?"

Despite her hands hiding her face and Crow's best attempt to not show it, Nyanko could tell she was sobbing. Crow seemed to have completely forgotten about Nyanko's presence.

Now was her chance to escape. Crow was distracted, stuck into her own lament. Carefully, Nyanko rose up. Her hands might still be tied up but she could still run away. And it didn't seem like Crow was going to do anything about it.

Nyanko cautiously walked away from the living room. The room next to it was the kitchen. Just like the previous room, this place was a mess. Piles of unwashed dishes were taken all over the sink. Nyanko sighed at that.

" Seriously…? How much did she rely on Seiren for basic maintenance? This is just so… pitiful. Sad. Miserable… "

Nyanko managed to find one clean knife and used it to cut the rope restraining her hands. She let out a sigh of relief.

" Finally free… I have to get away as soon as possible…! "

She could still hear Crow sob quietly in the living room. Still holding the knife, Nyanko's mind was tormented by multiple conflicting desires.

"No, I shouldn't just… kill her when she's down. That'd be wrong, horrendous…! That isn't me anymore… "

Before she could get any more tempted, Nyanko put away the knife. " She might have beat me, kidnapped me, hurt me and threatened to kill me, but… it's not like I'm blameless either. "

As she walked towards the front door, Nyanko was still distracted by the sobbing.

"... I have to leave. I can't stay here, for my own safety…! This woman is unhinged and dangerous. She hurt me and wanted to kill me…! I can't stay here!"

But Nyanko was overwhelmed with guilt and shame. She always was, ever since she'd failed to save her planet. And it got worse ever since she was brought back to life.

She hated herself. She constantly put the safety and well-being of others above hers. This was the only way she knew how to atone for her sins. Her life was expandable in her eyes and everyone else deserved better. She wanted to make it up to everyone she had wronged. And Crow shouldn't be an exception…

Nyanko sighed as she walked away from the front door, already regretting her decision. She entered the living room where Crow was now curled up, still sobbing.

"Crow, it's going to be… okay. I'm sure Seiren doesn't hate you. After everything she has done for your sake… it's obvious she does care about you. She should be back… probably."

"No, she won't come back here. This place is a mess… and Seiren hates it when it's messy…!"

Crow had replied instinctively but realized soon after that Nyanko was still there. She glared at her furiously.

"What are you still doing here!? Have you come to look down on me? You must think I'm pathetic…!"

"N-no, I don't…! I feel bad for you…"

"This is pity. You do look down on me…"

"No! I just care about you and I don't like to see you sad!"

Crow scoffed. "Me, sad? What do you think I am, some weakling? Don't screw with me! And you, caring about me? I won't believe it!"

Crow quickly stood up, emanating murderous intents. Nyanko's survival instinct instantly kicked in, ready to run for her life. But as Crow took a step towards her, she stepped on a bottle, which rolled underneath her foot.

"Woah…!"

Crow slipped and fell to the floor. Nyanko froze for a moment, unsure what she would do. Running away seemed like the more logical course of action.

And yet, she didn't.

"C-Crow… are you alright…?"

Crow grumbled something intelligible, still lying on the floor.

" ... she's completely wasted… "

Carefully, Nyanko approached the collapsed Crow and slowly crouched down, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Crow… hey, Crow…"

Crow grunted but didn't react otherwise. Nyanko could easily just escape now, but something was preventing her from doing so.

" I can't leave her this way… "

Nyanko sighed, resolving herself to her own misguided kindness. She put one of Crow's arms around her shoulders and tried to lift her up.

It was easier said than done. Crow was much taller than her, therefore, much heavier. And with her battered body, Nyanko wasn't in the best shape.

Thankfully, Crow didn't seem to be fully unconscious yet so she instinctively allowed herself to be pulled, even standing a little by herself, though still heavily leaning on Nyanko.

Nyanko managed to lead Crow to her bedroom- well, the door she hoped led to the bedroom. She opened the door and was relieved to see she was right.

The room was, just like the rest of the apartment, a mess. The bed was undone and there were clothes everywhere. But at least it wasn't littered with trash. Nyanko brought Crow closer to her bed (a queen-sized bed she noticed, interesting). Delicately, she laid Crow down.

"What… what are you doing…?"

Crow seemed to have momentarily come back to her senses, but she was too drunk to properly react.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright. You just need to get some rest," Nyanko said, trying to sound comforting despite the very obvious terror in her voice.

Crow grumbled once again but didn't protest. She curled up in her bed, grabbing a nearby pillow and hugged it. Carefully, Nyanko picked a blanket and put it above Crow.

"Hmmm… Seiren…"

Nyanko stopped for a moment. She then realized that Crow had fallen asleep and sighed.

She exited the bedroom and looked for the bathroom. She thankfully found it quite fast. She took a look at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her hair was half undone, her face was bruised, and she had dry blood on her clothes. Nyanko undid the remaining braid, leaving her hair flowing free. It was surprisingly quite long, reaching down her hips. She then looked for some bandages to take care of her wounds.

Once she was done patching herself up, she was ready to leave. But as she walked to the front door, she couldn't ignore the awful mess.

Crow's words rang inside her mind: "No, she won't come back here. This place is a mess… and Seiren hates it when it's messy…!"

Nyanko sighed as she pulled her sleeves up.

"I really am stupid, aren't I…"


Mouse ran through the corridor, only stopping when she reached her destination. She didn't waste any time and urgently knocked at the door.

"Crow! Open the damn door! Or else I'll break through it-"

Mouse didn't have to go through with her threat. The door opened, revealing a girl with long black hair reaching down her waist, with a patch of white hair in her bangs. She had some bandages on her face. Mouse stood there for a moment, cocking her head.

"Shhh! Some people are trying to sleep, ya know…"

"... Sorry I think I got the wrong address…" Mouse said.

"Huh!? What are you talking about? It's me, Nyanko!"

"Eh? Nyanko!? You're alright?! And you have long hair?"

"... Yes? Did you think my braids were made out of thin air or…?"

"Well, you do have thin hair…"

"..."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't funny."

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Nyanko suddenly asked.

"... Are you for real? I've come to rescue you…!"

"Aww, really? That's so sweet of you. I knew you liked me-"

"... But obviously, you don't need any saving. What's going on? Why are you answering Crow's door? Where is she?"

"Sleeping. Hopefully you didn't wake her up with your knocking… Well, given how passed out drunk she was, I doubt it'd be enough."

"... What? What do you mean she's sleeping? And drunk …!?"

Mouse was lost in her thoughts, confused about what she heard. Footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

"Mouse! Wait for us at least!"

Usagi caught up to Mouse, exhausted. Minako arrived shortly after her, immediately staring at Nyanko.

"... who are you?" Minako asked.

"Seriously!? I'm Nyanko! Come on!"

"Eh!?" Minako let out. "I didn't recognize you with your hair down…"

"You guys are exaggerating, I don't look that different!"

"... Nyanko…"

Mouse came back to her senses, now glaring at Nyanko. "I thought you were in danger, I thought you might be… ugh. While I was worried about you, you were actually enjoying yourself, huh!? You damn womanizer, beast, cat in heat… you should get neutered!"

"W-woah, what are you talking about!? I wasn't doing anything-"

"Don't take me for an idiot! You stayed the night at Crow's place! I thought she kidnapped you-"

"She did kidnap me…! Look at my face! Does it look like I was having a good time…!?"

"Then why are you still here? Is this what you're into? Getting kidnapped and beat up?"

"Wow. Kinky," Minako chimed in.

"Y-you both have this all wrong! I feel like my character is being grossly mischaracterized once again! Yes I was kidnapped, and I escaped. I just chose to stay here a little longer because I felt bad for Crow!"

"... so you took advantage of Crow's heartbreak with Seiren to make your move huh," Minako added.

"N-no…! You think I'm interested in Crow that way!? Never!" Nyanko protested, until her expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm… now that I think about it, Crow ain't that bad, on a good day. Maybe I would… Not that I did anything this time, I swear…!"

"L-let's calm down," Usagi intervened. "Nyanko-san is fine, so that's all that should matter, right?"

"No, this isn't fine! What about Crow? She attacked us!" Mouse exclaimed. "And Nyanko apparently is okay with that?"

"It's not that I'm okay with that, but it's pointless to do anything now. Crow isn't a threat. She's just… sad. I can handle her."

Mouse pouted, crossing her arms. "Being 'sad' isn't an excuse to attack people."

"I know that! That's why I'm telling you, let me handle this. She's mad at me, not you. It's up to me to deal with her," Nyanko insisted.

Mouse looked hesitant. Usagi nodded.

"Alright, I'll trust you. As long as you're being careful," Usagi said.

"Just don't do something you will regret. Like get in between two lovers," Minako suggested.

"I won't! Geez…"

Mouse didn't seem convinced. "You don't have to keep blaming yourself for everything, you know? You don't owe Crow anything. You need to put yourself first sometimes."

Nyanko shrugged. "I know. I'm doing this because I want to. Not because I feel guilty."

"If you say so… just, be careful, okay?"

"Aww Mousey, you do really care about me huh."

"N-no, I don't…! Shut up! You dumb cat!"

Mouse didn't add anything more and walked away, angry. Nyanko sighed.

"You really need to find better ways to flirt," Minako suggested.

"I wasn't flirting…! And I'm actually quite good at flirting, thank you very much!"

"If you say so… I guess we will leave you to… whatever you're doing," Minako said.

Usagi nodded. "Just, keep us updated, okay?"

"I will. Thanks for the concern."

With some hesitation, both Usagi and Minako eventually left. Nyanko sighed, scratching her head.

"Yep. I really am stupid."


Shoutout to my proofreader Mitsukara who as been beta-reading my fics for over a year now!

You can find her on her Tumblr blog "arikitari-josei-osaka-naru"