Sailormoon Zodiac: #4 - Kizuna // Togetherness By: Janelle Jimenez (miaka@bishounen.org) Official Webpage: http://www.sailormoon-millennia.net/ [http://bishounen.org/smmillennia/] "Why do the Zodiac Senshi get such a cute hero?!" Usagi exclaimed, she seemed horrified--but is was actually just a very good acting job. Rei smirked as she shifted her school bag to her other hand, "Ne, since when do you look at other guys?" she asked. "Since Mamo-chan dumped me." Usagi replied with a small sniff. Mako-chan shook her head, "Usagi, he never said that. You always take things so seriously." "But he is handsome, isn't he?" Ami sighed. "Who? Mamo-chan? I guess, if you like that preppy look." Rei said lightly. "No...the Kageboshi Ninja..." Ami murmured. She was in a daze, she didn't even notice when she tripped over the sidewalk sending her reeling into Mako-chan's back. "Okay, let's talk about Mamo-chan again." Usagi said as she lifted her school bag above her head and yawned. This was a simple task considering there were no books within it. "Oh Ami-chan, I thought that you and I were the only ones who weren't obsessed with boys and dating." Rei sighed, she had a smile on her face, but it was hiding genuine disappointment. "I am *not* obsessed! I just want to go on a date!" Minako chimed. "Ami-chan and Rei-chan aren't the only ones. I don't think the Outer Senshi really care about much men...especially Michiru-san and Haruka-san." Mako-chan said, with a secretive smile. Minako snickered lightly, "Where are those four anyway?" Ami asked, concluding her daydreams about the Kageboshi Ninja. "Who knows? Who cares?" Usagi muttered. "Usagi!" the girls exclaimed in unison. They were honestly shocked at her words. This was not a comment that would have come out of Usagi's mouth under normal circumstances. "Usagi, how can you say something like that?" Rei asked incredulously, "And with such sincerity." Mako-chan added. "I...I don't know. I really hate them though." Usagi answered. "Usagi! You never hated them before...what's wrong with you?" Rei demanded. "Nothing is wrong! I just don't think we need their help. We defeated the Dead Moon Circus by ourselves, why would we need those four?" "I guess I could understand some pent up bitterness, but this is absolutely ridiculous." Rei declared. "No! It's not! Setsuna is cold, Haruka is arrogant, Michiru is selfish ...and Hotaru...she's...she's--I don't know. But they all act like they're better than us!" "I hate to break it to you, Usagi, but they are when it comes to being Sailor Senshi." Rei shouted, "You are so ungrateful sometimes! You didn't see my images of the Silent Messiah! Our world would be nothing without their help. Sailorsaturn when she was influenced by Mistress 9 would have destroyed us all without them." Rei said harshly, she wasn't trying to be mean...but she needed to snap sense into Usagi's head. Usagi frowned and stared at Rei, "You are wrong. We could have done it without them. Isn't it funny that they said we'd only get in the way when they really didn't do anything? Who was the one who kept the dome of daimon from expanding? It was us. Who was the one who healed Hotaru? It was me. We don't need them!" Usagi shouted back. "You are delusional." Rei muttered as she turned away. Usagi then began to cry, not loudly, but she looked mentally broken. Minako looked sympathetically at Usagi and glanced to Ami and Mako-chan who looked very nervous. There was obvious tension in the air. Rei sighed heavily and turned around. She'd take the long way home, it would be better for Usagi and herself to let things cool. Minako moved to Usagi and let her cry on her shoulder, Ami sunk her head into her hands. Mako-chan sighed as she stared up at the grey sky, "What a day..." * * * * * Joanna and Tien-Lei stared at Hayashino Mihana. There was an aura surrounding her, a peaceful, calm, pink aura. "Do you see it?" Tien-Lei whispered to Joanna, they were discreetly hiding behind a row of books in the library. Joanna was hiding her face from behind a randomnly chosen book, she peeked over it. "Just a little. It's a little bit fuzzy." she answered, "She's got to be one of us. What kind of coincidence is it that she moved to Juuban-ku the same time we did?" Tien-Lei asked, "But how do we approach Hayashino-san? We can't just...tell her." Joanna murmured back, "Tell me what?" asked a voice from behind them. The two girls jumped up in surprise, Joanna dropped her book to the floor. Mihana bent down and picked it up, "Sun Tzu's Art of War? Very interesting." Mihana replied with a kind smile and handed the book to Joanna. Joanna's face was red with embarrassment, "Umm...we..wanted to ask you if you'd like...to get tea with us after school?" Joanna said, she then realized that if they went after school she wouldn't be able to watch the blonde haired man walk by her house. Please say no, please say no, Joanna's mind said. "Sure!" Mihana said cheerfully, Chikusho [Damnit]! Joanna thought. "Wonderful!" Tien-Lei exclaimed, she beamed at Joanna for the wonderful save. "I've got to go. I'll meet you at the angel statue after school, okay?" Mihana said, lowering her voice as she realized she was in a library. She waved and hurried out. "Good job, Joanna! Way to think on your feet." Tien-Lei smiled. Joanna frowned slightly, obviously not sharing her sentiments, "Yay. Rah. Go me." * * * * * "I've got to find a way to find the Seven Stars..." Cyanida said to herself. She detested Earth, she wanted more than anything to be in the Black Star Galaxy, to be with her love, Arseniru. "I can help you, Cyanida." said a male voice, she turned around and saw the devilishly handsome face of Arseniru, "What are you doing here?!" Cyanida exclaimed, she was genuinely happy. She leaned forward, longing for a kiss. Arseniru turned away, "I was sent here by the Princesses to help you..." he said as he looked out her apartment window, Tokyo was bustling. "I don't need help, my love...why don't we find...something else to do?" she whispered, tracing her finger along his shoulder blade. Arseniru turned around and smirked, he grabbed her wrist roughly, "You shouldn't play with someone like me, girl. You'll likely get burned." he whispered. Cyanida snapped her wrist back as he disappeared in a burst of flame. She didn't quite know how to take his mannerisms and comments, she decided to brush them off as insignificant. Cyanida sat down in a couch and collected her thoughts. Her time was running out and she knew it. The Princesses detested failure...she had to succeed to even think about living for another week. "The Sailor Senshi are the key to this. They are the ones who have the Seven Stars--so...all I need to do is create something to make them come running." she said aloud. Just then, inspiration set. "I have just the plan..." * * * * * Mihana sat back in her chair, letting the information told to her settle in. "I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time beliving this story. It's facinating to say the least...but there are no such things." Mihana said finally, "As Sailor Senshi and Zodiac Senshi? Of course there are. You've heard of Sailor V and Sailormoon....how could you not have? I have and I'm from America." Jessica replied. Mihana glanced at the girl, she was so intimidating. Especially since she was from T*A Academy. Shin Mugen Gakuen was prestigious, but there was other things that set this girl off from the rest. She had an air of confidence and charisma, even if her words weren't always the kindest. "True, but...how can I be one of these Zodiac Senshi? Sailortaurus, you say, I've never experienced anything out of the ordinary." Mihana commented, "For most people, we must be awakened to our powers." Tien-Lei said knowingly. Mihana looked down at the pink and blue wand in her hands. It felt warm and seemed to radiate power to her, maybe I am more than I thought I was, she thought. "And...by saying 'Taurus Cosmic Power, Make Up' I can awaken myself to my true nature?" Mihana asked, "Yes, that's right." Jessica nodded as she took a final drink from her iced tea. "JESSICA!" Ameko shrieked suddenly, she jumped up. "What?!" Jessica exclaimed, she almost spit out her drink. "Look over there, it's bands of smoke coming from Hikawa-jinja..." "That's got to be Cyanida again." Tien-Lei said standing up, "I guess you're going to fight alot sooner than you thought, Mihana-san." Ameko said with a gentle smile. Mihana stared at the trees, no one needed to tell her again about her destiny and fate. She could already feel Taurus within her. * * * * * "Die already!" Sailormars cried in exasperation as once again she shot a stream of fire from her fingers. It cut through the smoke monsters, but as soon as they had damaged them, the monsters would reform and attack. Cyanida laughed hysterically from her position above the Senshi, "Shut up!" Sailorjupiter exclaimed and threw up a ball of lightning upwards toward her. Cyanida quickly moved out of the way, "Venus Love and Beauty...SHOCK!" Sailorvenus cried, throwing a golden heart around the smoke monsters. Just then, a bright light shone in the sky. A bright orange bubble. Four Senshi appeared, four were familiar looking--and there was a new one dressed in a black seeraafuku with a pink skirt and blue bow. "Not you again." Sailormoon sighed, she had just finished her Moon Gorgeous Meditation attack and was ready to do it again. "Instead of sitting there and staring, why don't you help us?" Sailormercury suggested as she dodged out of the way from a charging monster. She punched a few keys into her computer and then aimed her Shining Aqua Illusion at a clump of smoke monsters. They screamed as they disappeared--for good. "Good job, Mercury!" Sailormars cried, "Not so fast, children." Cyanida said from above, she sounded annoyed. She threw down a ball of smoke and from it exploded twice as many smoke monsters as there were before, "Rain, Flood!" Sailoraquarius shouted, a cloud formed over the monsters and began to rain upon them. Some of them disappeared, but most of them did not. They continued to charge towards the Senshi & Zodiac Senshi, "Dead....Scream...." Sailormercury stopped in her tracks, a chill ran down her spine as she watched the ringed ball of mauve energy hit every smoke monster, killing them for good. "Sailorpluto?" she whispered, "It can't be..." Sailorjupiter murmured as she stopped, why would Sailorpluto be here? She usually only appeared when something bad was going to happen... Sure enough, from the shadows stepped a tall, tan-skinned Sailor Senshi. She looked solemnly at the Inner Senshi and the Zodiac Senshi, she was an intimidating prescence, even to Sailorleo. "It's good to see you, Pluto..." Sailormercury said, she glanced at Sailormoon who refused to make eyecontact. "And the rest of us." added a familiar masculine voice. Stepping from behind Sailorpluto was a beautiful aqua-haired Senshi and the golden-haired Senshi who had just spoken, "Sailoruranus! Sailorneptune!" Venus exclaimed, she was truly shocked. "Don't forget me." said one last voice, a gentle small voice. From behind Sailorneptune came a short Sailor Senshi with tall purple boots and a frightening weapon, "Sailor....saturn?" Mars whispered, the last time she had seen Hotaru was as child...and now...Hotaru looked to be the same age as the Outer Senshi. "How...?" Sailorjupiter murmured, "Tuxedo Kamen told us that you needed help, so we came." Neptune said with a small smile. Sailormoon looked down, I told you I didn't want their help, Mamo-chan, she thought. "Is the little reunion done?" Cyanida asked dryly. She was touched momentarily by the show of emotion, not to mention stunned that one attack destroyed her smoke monsters. "Fourteen Senshi that I get to kill all by myself." Cyanida commented, but she wasn't too sure of herself. "SHINDE! [DIE!]" Cyanida screamed, she raised her arms and sent blasts or burning yellow debris upon them, "Silence...Wall!" Sailorsaturn cried as she raised her glaive above her head and protected the Sailor & Zodiac Senshi. "White Bull, Charge!" Sailortaurus cried, a white apparition of a bull appeared and charged towards Cyanida, it struck her and she fell towards the ground. But right before she hit, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Thank you..." Sailormoon said sincerely to Sailortaurus. Sailortaurus blushed and ducked her head, she didn't know they were enemies. Sailorleo glared at Sailormoon and then turned to her left to see who was standing by her. Her eyes widened as she feasted her sights upon the Garnet Orb, "It's..." she whispered as she reached forward, "A STAR!" she cried and tore the Garnet Orb from the Time Staff. Instinctively, Sailorpluto turned and tried to hit Leo with the staff, Leo ducked and the Orb flew from her hand and landed in the bushes. The Zodiac Senshi & Sailor Senshi all made a mad dash for the Orb. "Venus...Love-Me CHAIN!" Venus shouted, she threw the golden chain of hearts at the Orb and began pulling it through the air to her, "Rain, Flood!" Sailoraquarius cried, a cloud formed above Sailorvenus and dissolved her chain. "No! You can't let them have it!" Neptune screamed as she threw a blue ball of energy at Aquarius. Aquarius cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, Sailormoon was nearing the fallen Orb, but so was Sailorleo. "Shabon...SPRAY!" Mercury shouted, it was a very inopportune time for that. "I can't see!" Sailormoon cried, "Nature Entangle!" said Sailortaurus, "Sun, Rise!" Leo shouted, the intense heat burnt away the mist and swept the Zodiac Senshi away. When everything had cleared, Sailorpluto gasped at what she saw. All the Sailor Senshi, excluding herself, were wrapped up in pink vines which quickly disappeared. However, the Zodiac Senshi...and the Garnet Orb...were nowhere to be found.