Title: Forest Fire Author: Viper Inferno E-mail: viperdvman@gmail.com Genre: Action Drama Rated: PG Author's Notes: I recommend reading Brother of Fire and Five-Alarm Fire before reading this fanfic, since they are part of a series and provide quite a bit of the background for this fanfic. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Forest Fire By Viper Inferno Part I "Umm...may I have this dance?" a beautiful young lady asked, holding one hand out to him with her other hand at her chest. "Certainly," Kyodai replied, taking the young lady's hand into his. He then casually led her to the vast dance floor, joining a multitude of other couples under the majestic scenery. Once out in the middle of the dance floor for all to see, Kyodai turned to face the young woman and gently slid his hand around her waist, holding her gently on the small of her back. The woman, in response, placed her free arm over Kyodai's shoulder. And there they stood, Kyodai gazing into her baby blue eyes and her gazing into his deep purple eyes, as they awaited the band. Moments later, the band began a small prelude, the serene melody of the concert grand piano filling the great hall of the majestic palace. After a few bars into the prelude, Kyodai led the beautiful young lady into a slow and gentle dance. And then the saxophone began to play a gentle ocean-inspired number as Kyodai slowed his pace and drew the young lady in closer to him. He felt not only the tension he was feeling during their dance, but also the nervousness emanating from his beautiful dance partner. But it was when the young lady herself relaxed her body and let herself be led into his dance that Kyodai himself relaxed his own body. "You dance well," she said, as if she wasn't paying attention to the tension from his body. "Why thank you, Princess," he replied as he relaxed his dancing even more, letting his body sway effortlessly to the beautiful jazz piece. Throughout the song, the couple swayed slowly and freely like a palm tree in the gentle breeze. And it was when the song rose into a brilliant crescendo that Kyodai let his beautiful partner go and twirled her to the rhythm of the crescendo. As the song calmed down, the young lady threw herself into her dance partner, her arm landing perfectly over his shoulder as they continued their slow dance, not even missing a beat. As the song ended, the couple once again gazed into each other's eyes and merely stood in the middle of the dance floor as mild applause and even a few whistles filled the great hall. Some couples left the vast dance floor and others joined the groups that were still standing. "I mean it, you really are a great dancer," the young woman commented, her gentle voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you, Princess," he replied, his eyes not averting from hers, "My sister and I have both been practicing for years." "I can tell," she replied with the same gentle voice, "So find me, my Prince of Mars." "But you're right here, in my arms and gazing into my eyes," he replied. However, upon closer inspection of the princess standing before him, her hand in his and her other arm around his neck, the only feature that stood out was her beautiful blue eyes. "I am out there, somewhere. Let your heart guide you, my Prince of Mars, for it knows when you've found me. Wherever you go, wherever you search in the world, no matter how difficult the journey, if you search... your heart will guide you to me... and where it guides you... I will be waiting for you... I promise," she said with her voice echoing as she, the other dancers, the dance floor, and then finally the vast great hall all slowly disappeared into darkness. Suddenly, Kyodai's eyes popped wide open. He gazed straight ahead for a moment, not even averting his eyes. He picked out only a few features, the nightstand and his dresser some short distance from him. A few red lights caught his attention, so he turned his head toward them to investigate. However, he discovered that it was only his alarm clock, reading 6:53am. It was then that he concluded that he was lying on his bed in his room, back at the Hikawa Jinja. It was morning, with the sun barely peaking over the horizon. With what little light that was creeping into his room through his curtains, Kyodai tossed the sheets off of his body and swung his feet off the bed and to the hard wooden floor. His alarm clock wasn't set to go off for another 7 minutes, so Kyodai decided that it was time to get up. He reached for his alarm clock to shut the alarm off. "Another dream," he said to himself, "I haven't had one of these in a few weeks. But who is that princess, and how do I know when I've found her?" Pondering that question, Kyodai stood from his bed, wearing only his boxers, and lumbered over to his dresser. There, he opened one of the drawers and removed a large towel and tossed it over his shoulder. 'Why only now do I start having this dream again?' he thought to himself as he walked to his door and slid it open. "Good morning, Kyodai," a man's voice greeted. Kyodai slowly gazed to his left to find Gabianni already in his light blue and white shrine worker's kimono, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Good morning," he muttered. "Are you just now waking up?" Gabianni wondered, somewhat dumbfounded at Kyodai's rather lack of energy compared to his. "It's almost 7, and it's Sunday, of course I'm just now getting up," Kyodai replied, "Why are you awake so early?" "Hey, someone has to cook breakfast," Gabianni replied, "Yuuichirou's awake too, going through some of Grandpa's pre-breakfast training." Kyodai hung his head with a sweat drop hanging at the sound of everyone seemingly being awake at this early hour. "Am I the last one awake?" Kyodai grumbled. "Not quite, Rei-san's still asleep and I just now woke Romano up for his morning chores," Gabianni replied. "Uh-huh," Kyodai grunted as he turned to walk toward the bathroom, "I'm gonna take a shower." "Okay, don't use up all the hot water," Gabianni poked, "You know how your sister is about that." Kyodai merely grunted in response as he continued his trek toward the bathroom. 'He's as bad as Rei sometimes,' he thought to himself. With Gabianni gone, thoughts about his dream reentered his mind. But as he entered the bathroom, thoughts of not only the dream, but also of a certain cute young blonde began cumulating in his mind. 'I could've sworn I'd seen someone like Minako in my dreams somewhere before,' he thought to himself as he turned the shower on, 'Back then, it was hard telling if she was the Princess or one of the other dancers in my dream.' With the steam beginning to billow from the shower, Kyodai adjusted the temperature to one that was pleasingly warm to the touch and then stepped inside. He then stood under the shower head, letting the water cascade down his long raven-black hair and down his body to the shower floor, and closed his eyes. 'But somehow, my heart still hasn't told me if I've found the Princess,' Kyodai thought to himself as images of the beautiful blonde with the cute red bow in her hair flashed in his mind. At that thought, Kyodai only let out a discontented sigh, 'Then again, Minako's the first girl I've dated in over 8 months, since before I started at the Azabu Institute of Technology. So maybe my heart won't know quite yet.' Sounds of doors sliding open and shut in the hallway broke Kyodai from his trance, prompting him to open his eyes. He quickly grabbed the shampoo and lathered up his hair, then grabbed the bar of soap and began washing himself. He figured he had better finish before Rei started complaining about him taking too long in the shower. Besides, she and possibly even Romano probably wanted the shower as well, so Kyodai had to be considerate. "Damn, I can't let these thoughts run away like this," Kyodai said to himself as he continued with his shower. Moments later, as Kyodai shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, there was a knock at the door. "Kyodai-san, can you hurry up? I need a shower too before I start my morning chores," Romano's voice called through the closed door. "I'll be out in a moment," Kyodai replied as he began drying himself off. Moments later, after having finished his shower and gotten dressed, wearing his Azabu Tech Soccer t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, Kyodai emerged from his room. After having settled down from his hurry to get out of the bathroom so Romano could take his shower, the same thoughts of both his recent dream and Minako reentered his mind. With those thoughts on his mind, he slowly walked into the living room and sat on couch. He rested his arms on the seat backs, rested his head back, closed his eyes, and let the thoughts roam through his mind. However, it wasn't the dream that flowed through his mind, but thoughts of Minako. He reminisced on the many moments he had spent with her. First, memories of their first date appeared in his mind. He remembered seeing "Fantasy Gardens" with her, and his nervousness around her, yet their first date was cut short by his duty as Tuxedo Inferno. However, they ended it on good terms and went on to date again a week later. He then remembered their time together at the park and their journey though a jam-packed mall. Shopping with a girl was usually a drag, especially if that girl was his younger sister and especially the last girl he dated before Minako. But shopping with the right girl made it a wonderful experience, and that was how his shopping trip with Minako was. Even though that trip was also cut short by his duties as Tuxedo Inferno and whatever Minako had to take care of, they continued their date as if nothing had happened. In addition, remembered just how absolutely drop- dead gorgeous Minako looked in that ivory halter dress that she had shown off to him. He had never seen a girl as absolutely dazzling as Minako had looked at that moment. It was a moment that would forever remain in his memory. And to top that day off, they went to the crown jewel of their date, a romantic movie called "The Starlight Warrior". It was their first movie that they had actually enjoyed together in full. Afterward, they sealed that date with a passionate kiss, putting behind it even more energy than during their first date. The girl even came to a few of Kyodai's soccer practices after she herself had gotten out of class. He remembered Minako cheering him on during practice, and the loving embraces she had given him after he had concluded practice, albeit after he had showered and everything. As much as he thought about her, comparing those thoughts with his dream yielded no conclusions. Somehow, his heart hadn't told him that he had found his princess. And more than that, those thoughts about Minako only drew a gloomy look on his face. All those thoughts were just mere thoughts, only memories. "Kyodai?" The sound of his name broke him from his trance. He quickly concluded that the voice was that of a girl, and Rei was the only girl living at the Hikawa Jinja, and only girl who didn't use an honorific when addressing him. He opened his eyes tilted his head forward to find Rei, already wide-awake and dressed in her red and white miko kimono, wearing a troubled look on her face seemingly mirroring his. "What's wrong, Kyodai?" She asked as she walked over to him and sat on the couch next to him, "What's with the gloomy look on your face? I haven't seen that look on your face since long before you moved back here." Kyodai closed his eyes again, not wanting to really tell Rei anything about the thoughts roaming through his mind, especially of the dream that he had. But it was Rei leaning back into his arm rested on the back of the couch that drew a sigh from him. "Kyodai, you know you can't hide things from me very well," Rei said, "Something happened, I know it." 'No use hiding it from her,' Kyodai thought to himself, 'She'll just poke and prod until I give in. I might as well tell her.' If anyone could draw Kyodai out of his shell and make him spill his guts, it was Rei. "Minako and I broke up," he replied to her. "Oh no, I'm sorry," Rei replied as she reached over her shoulder and took his hand into hers upon hearing the news. In response, Kyodai rested his arm on his sister's shoulders and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, acknowledging her caring touch. "What happened?" she asked. "I don't really know. She kinda wanted us to be friends," Kyodai responded. Rei let out a discontented sigh at Kyodai's response. 'That Minako,' she thought to herself, 'She wouldn't know a good boyfriend if he was practically giving her everything she ever wanted. God, she can be so childish sometimes, worse so than even Odango Atama.' She then gave Kyodai's hand a gentle squeeze before she spoke. "It's no wonder she always complains about having no boyfriend, she always dumps them," Rei commented. "Yeah, she's also a bit of airhead too," Kyodai added. Right then, the last thoughts of both Minako and last night's dream entered his mind, drawing an instant conclusion, "Now that I look at her, she's not really all that my type." "I also see why you hardly ever share your feelings with people, and why you turn down most girls who flock around you," Rei explained. "Yeah," Kyodai sighed. At the sound of that gloomy sigh, Rei let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his chest, rested her head on his shoulder, and gave him a tight sisterly embrace. "Hey, at least you still have me," said Rei, trying to cheer her brother up. "Yeah, to annoy me sometimes," Kyodai replied. Rather than grimace at his comment, Rei only chuckled and tightened her embrace, "Well, at least your sense of humor's returned." Recognizing her sisterly love, Kyodai wrapped his arm around her and held her, "Thank you, Rei-chan." "You're welcome," Rei replied, "Other than annoy you, that's what else I'm here for. And you'll never lose me, either. I'll always be your little sister." It was Rei's affection that summoned more thoughts in Kyodai's mind, this time of the bond he shared with Rei. It was the reason he had decided to move back to the Hikawa Jinja in the first place. He missed having a little sister around to annoy him, to tease him, and to lend him a shoulder if he ever needed it. And Rei was right, he would never lose her. Family was something one had for life. Sure, girlfriends and even wives were the greatest gift a man could ever have, but they can come and go. However, mothers and sisters and even cousins were girls that a man would always have, and always love. But that thought was broken as Rei had given him one last sisterly squeeze before letting him go and sitting back up. "You know, Makoto likes you," she said, breaking the silence. "Humph, yeah, and I'm the Emperor of Japan," he sarcastically replied. "Oh come on Kyodai, I think you two would make a cute couple," said Rei. Although Kyodai was feeling better after a brief chat with his sister, he wasn't in the mood to be hearing of another girl that liked him. It wasn't that uncommon for a girl or even multiple girls to like him, nor was it uncommon for him to not pay much attention to their advances. So he stood up from the couch and walked across the living room to grab his car keys. "Where are you going?" Rei asked, confused over Kyodai's sudden action. "Driving to Mamoru's place," Kyodai replied as he walked toward the front door and slid his tennis shoes on. He then looked back and gave his sister a slight smile, "Thanks for cheering me up, Rei-chan. See 'ya," "You're welcome, Kyodai," Rei replied, "Don't worry about your chores. I'll have Gabianni cover for you." After Kyodai had left, Rei hung her head in defeat. 'Oh I feel so guilty,' she thought to herself, 'It's too early to be trying to get Kyodai and Makoto together.' She let out a sigh, then stood from the couch and began walking toward the worship room to begin her weekly fire reading. Mamoru's Apartment... After a short drive from the Hikawa Jinja and through the Azabu district, Kyodai arrived at Mamoru's rather nice apartment complex. Although he had been to Mamoru's apartment a number of times over the years, it was actually his first trip there since he had moved out of the dorms and in with his sister at the Hikawa Jinja. And since it had been a while since his last visit, Kyodai wondered how Mamoru was doing at home with school and everything. So Kyodai entered the elevator and pressed the button to go up to Mamoru's floor. Moments later, the elevator arrived at Mamoru's floor and the elevator door opened, revealing a neighbor of Mamoru's that Kyodai had recognized. "Good morning, Hino-san," the older gentleman greeted. "Ahh, good morning, Tatsuke-san," Kyodai replied as he walked out of the elevator and toward Mamoru's apartment. Once he arrived, he knocked on the door. "Hold on a second," Mamoru's voice sounded from inside. While waiting, Kyodai checked his watch, reading 8:45am. 'At least Mamoru's up,' Kyodai thought to himself. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing Mamoru wearing a white short-sleeve button-up and khaki slacks. "Ahhh... Good Morning, Kyodai-kun. It's a pleasure having you visit this morning," he greeted. "Good Morning, Mamoru-kun," Kyodai replied. "Please, come on in," said Mamoru, opening the door wider and waving Kyodai in. Kyodai accepted the offer and walked inside Mamoru's rather neatly organized apartment. The end pillows on his couch were neatly placed at the corners. His coffee table had only a single closed textbook on it, with the tablecloth set perfectly in the middle. Not a single piece of clothing, clean or dirty, was found anywhere in his living room. In addition, his kitchen was perfectly clean, with only a few pots and pans hanging over the bar between the kitchen and living room. This cleanliness astonished even Kyodai. "Wow, I don't think that even Makoto-san's apartment is as clean," he commented. "Yeah, but it wasn't always this way," Mamoru replied, "I just got tired of a messy home, so I got rid of a lot of old stuff and other junk and threw them out by the dumpster." "Hey, it's good to give to the needy," Kyodai joked, "Now some homeless guy will have plenty of stuff to use as wall furniture." "Really funny," Mamoru sarcastically replied, "So, what's up?" "I'm bored," said Kyodai in a deep and quiet voice. "It's Sunday. Why don't you go with that Minako girl that I've been seeing you with?" suggested Mamoru. "Ummm... we sort of broke up yesterday," said Kyodai as he sat on Mamoru's couch. "That's too bad," said Mamoru as he sat on his knees before his coffee table, opposite of Kyodai, "What happened?" "I don't know. We were supposed to get together after her half- day of classes yesterday. And when we met up, she said that she just wanted to be friends," Kyodai explained. Mamoru thought about Kyodai's words for a moment, piecing together everything he had just said. In addition, he remembered everything Kyodai had told him about their dating, what few times he did. "It sounds like she got tired of you. No wonder she complains as much as Odango Atama," said Mamoru, reminding himself of the crybaby Usagi. "How would she have gotten tired of me? Was it something I did wrong?" Kyodai wondered. "I don't think it was anything you did wrong at all," Mamoru replied, "It sounds to me like she's the type who is guy crazy, will go for any cute guy, and likes to play the field. Girls like her aren't really the kind for guys like us. We need a more sophisticated girl." "I agree with you there," said Kyodai, "In a way, she's a lot like Ariana. She's a bit of a klutz and extremely bubbly. She does have her tender and romantic moments, but I don't sense much in the way of sophistication from her, nor do I really sense much of a serious side in her. If she has that, then she's doing a good job of hiding it." "Don't worry about her. I'm sure you'll find you a nice girl someday," said Mamoru, cheering his friend up. "Yeah, perhaps," Kyodai replied, with thoughts of his recent dream about the princess once again entering his mind. 'I'll find you someday, my Princess,' he thought to himself. But that thought quickly died as another thought suddenly came to his mind, one that could break him of both his loss of Minako and his boredom. "Hey Mamoru-kun, you wanna go to Crown's?" he asked. "Sure, maybe I can actually beat you at Sailor V this time. I just hope Motoki-kun is working today so he can watch," Mamoru said with enthusiasm, "Whose car are we taking? Yours or mine?" "Mine," Kyodai replied, "I like driving." With a newfound purpose, Kyodai rose from the couch and walked toward the front door with Mamoru. Once out of the apartment building, they walked through the parking lot toward Kyodai's car. "You'll have to tell me when you decide on a sports car to get," said Mamoru as they arrived at Kyodai's old coupe. "Oh I will. I can't have you being the only one with a sports car," Kyodai replied. And with that, both men hopped into Kyodai's car and drove off toward the Game Center Crown. Juuban Park, 3 hours later... In the vast Juuban Park, Usagi and Makoto were walking the trail alongside lake, sharing their Sunday together after Usagi had spent the night at Makoto's after their half-day at school. Makoto had cooked a fine breakfast to share with Usagi, only to have her gobble it all up like she had been fasting for a week. Afterward, they had decided to spend the day out and about the Juuban District. They had only recently arrived at the park after having done some browsing at the Juuban Shopping Center. It was there that they enjoyed the more natural surroundings of the park. Many ducks were swimming in the vast lake, quacking to each other in a rather pleasant conversation. Many people were also spending their Sunday at the park. Some were junior high and high school students enjoying their Sunday off from school, while others were college students enjoying their days off from classes and mothers and their children enjoying the beautiful weather. "Hey Mako-chan," said Usagi, getting her attention, "Minako-chan and Kyodai-san broke up yesterday." "Really?" Makoto replied, her eyebrows rising in response to the news. "Yeah, I bumped into her while you were at the cooking store. She told me about it," Usagi replied. With that news, confirmed by Usagi hearing straight from the horse's mouth, Makoto lowered her eyebrows and smiled at the news. 'Yes, he's free game now,' she thought to herself. But she quickly erased her devious look from her face before Usagi could see it. "That's too bad," she replied, "What happened?" "Well, I don't know all the details, but all she told me was that she just wanted her and Kyodai to be friends," Usagi explained. Makoto turned her face away from Usagi, trying hard to not smile at Usagi was saying. 'That Minako,' she thought to herself, 'I bet she probably found herself another guy to ogle at. She was always the guy- crazy type, going after any guy who gave her attention or mentioned that they were a Sailor V fan. As for me, at least I'm fixated on who I want. And right now, he's free game. Minako-chan, you're my friend and I like you a lot, but you have no idea who you just dumped.' She then turned back to Usagi, "I see. So what would possess her to leave a guy who's been good to her from what she's been boasting about?" "Oh come on Mako-chan, I know you like him," said Usagi, not being fooled by Makoto's masking of her feelings. "Well, I won't lie, of course I like him. Besides, didn't I tell you that she'd get tired of him?" Makoto said evasively. "Yes. I didn't believe you at first, knowing that you and Minako both liked him, but I guess you were right after all," Usagi said, laughing out loud. After a brief laughter at being proved wrong, she then let out a discontented sigh, "And here I am, stuck trying to get my own boyfriend." "Like Mamoru-san?" said Makoto, teasing her friend with a wink. Usagi's face quickly flared up and turned red at Makoto's mentioning of the very man who has done nothing but bully her, insult her hair style, ridicule her for her low test scores, and scold her for all her klutzy moments at which he was the receiving end. She clinched her fists at Makoto's comment, but reality quickly set in. 'What am I doing? I can't hit a girl who's bigger and stronger than I am, and one who is my friend too. Besides, she's right. Oh, why did I have to fall in love with such a bully who says nothing but mean things to me.' Her face quickly regained her normal color as she let out another sigh, "Yeah, like Mamoru. And I know you say Kyodai looks like your old boyfriend. But doesn't every cute guy you come across remind you of your old boyfriend?" Makoto merely starred off toward the horizon, pretending to listen to Usagi's response to her previous question. 'Hino Kyodai, he's such a neat guy. He's handsome, he's smart, he likes cooking, he's good to the ladies, and he's a star soccer player too. Oh how I wanna be in his arms, to cuddle with him, to look into his dark purple eyes and kiss his lips..." "Hello," said Usagi, trying to get Makoto's attention. However, Usagi's beckoning fell on deaf ears as Makoto didn't even twitch, still starring off into space. "HELLO!" she summoned even louder, trying to make her words register in Makoto's spacey mind. But her attempt failed as Makoto continued starring. "Earth to Mako-chan, Hello?" Usagi beckoned, waving her hand in front of Makoto's face, hoping a visual stimulus would get her attention. But that attempt too failed to break her from her trance. So Usagi changed her tactics and cupped her hand over her mouth, "Houston, we have a problem." "What?" said Makoto, breaking her train of thought. "Oh, I just wanted to see if you were listening," said Usagi, "Now I know you were thinking about him just now. You must really like him." Makoto couldn't take holding it back anymore and immediately burst out with it like she had just popped a cork off a champagne bottle, "Oh, he's so handsome, so athletic, and so good with women." "You did say that he looked like your old boyfriend," said Usagi, repeating her comment from earlier in case Makoto had missed it when she was spaced out, "But doesn't every guy look like your old boyfriend?" "Yeah, you have a point there, I did say that," Makoto replied, "But it's different with Kyodai. Where as different things with different guys reminded me of the guy who broke my heart, I actually got to witness much of what Kyodai was like... even if it was coming from Minako. I mean, he treated her like she was a lady, he was a gentleman, he showed her some good times, he drove her around in his car..." She then paused for a second as she took in a breath of air in sheer delight, and then recomposed herself. "But I meant it when I wondered what possessed her to leave him in the first place. I certainly wouldn't leave a great guy like that, and I'm sure you wouldn't either." "Yeah, you're right, Mako-chan," Usagi replied as she hung her head, once again thinking about not having a guy to dream about herself, other than that bully Mamoru. She then turned back to Makoto, "Well, you like him enough; you ought to go get him. You know, ask him out." "I will," said Makoto, smiling and cocking an eyebrow, "He will be mine, oh yes he will." And with that thought, the two continued their walk along the lakeside trail, enjoying their day off from school together. The Dark Kingdom... Queen Beryl sat calmly at her throne with her many minions watching her as she waved her hands around her crystal ball as if it were involuntary muscle actions. But her many minions lining the walls of her throne room weren't the only ones watching. Two of her highest-ranked minions, Kunzite and her newly-acquired bounty hunter, Titanius, also stood before her as she projected a large image of the Juuban District in the Minato Ward of Tokyo in the air between them. But this wasn't just some sightseeing tour from the comfort of the Dark Kingdom, but rather a mission conjured up by Kunzite under Queen Beryl's approval. And it was there where the highest-ranked king and the bounty hunter studied their next potential battle ground. "Just look at them," said Kunzite, referring to all the people mingling around at one of Juuban's schools, something rather unusual for a day off from school, "Now this is a rather nice gathering of people we have here." Titanius had the image zoomed in a little closer and watched on as some of the girls were flirting with a few rather handsome young guys. "Yes, this school makes for perfect feeding grounds for my youma," Titanius replied. "And when you send your youma in, the senshi will definitely show up, as always," said Kunzite. "Of course they'll show up. They always show up whenever you or your other colleagues attack any part of this town," Titanius commented, "I'm actually counting on them to show up." "I like your enthusiasm, Titanius," said Queen Beryl, "But do keep in mind that this is also an energy gathering mission. And those sailor senshi and especially that Sailor Moon have thwarted many of our attempts to gather energy for our great leader." "I understand, Queen Beryl-sama," Titanius replied, giving her a polite bow, "That is why I'm using a youma for energy gathering and my own powers to take care of the Sailor Senshi and that Mars Prince when they do show up." "Titanius, always the strategist," Queen Beryl commented. "Well then, if all goes according to plan, the Sailor Senshi will definitely show up," said Kunzite. "And then, I'll blast them," Titanius added as they both laughed profusely, their laughter echoing about the throne room and into the halls of the Dark Kingdom. Back at Juuban Park... Usagi and Makoto continued their walk along the lakeside trail. Very little was said between them since much of everything that was on their minds had already been said. So they merely enjoyed each other's company in the park as they walked the trail. However, their earlier conversation regarding guys still dominated their mind. Makoto has rather excited over her feelings for Kyodai. Usagi, on the other hand, had a gloomier aura about her as thoughts about not having a boyfriend dominated her mind. Usagi picked up a rock and tossed it into the lake, its splash scaring away a couple of nearby ducks. Makoto, on the other hand, picked up a rock and tossed it with a powerful yet graceful sidearm, skipping it quite a distance across the lake. Usagi merely signed at not only Makoto's display of showing off, but also at her own thoughts about that mean guy named Mamoru. But then, an idea flashed in her head like a light bulb, "Hey Mako-chan, wanna go to Crown's?" "Sure, it'll certainly get our minds off of guys for a while," said Makoto, knowing exactly what Usagi was thinking about. So the girls turned off the lakeside trail and made their way through the park toward the direction of Crown's arcade. But just as they stepped foot out of the park, both their communicators began beeping. "I wonder that's going on," Usagi said as she was the first to reach her communicator. She pressed the button, and an image of a crescent-headed black cat appeared on the screen, "Yes Luna?" "Usagi-chan, we have trouble up at Juuban Junior High," Luna began explaining, "There's a weird-looking youma resembling a sort of bird/tiger hybrid running amok about the school. And it's draining the peoples' energy." "Awww... why can't they just let us have a day off," Usagi complained. "Come on now, Usagi-chan. You know better than anyone else that the Dark Kingdom can attack at anytime," Luna reminded, "Just transform and get out there. I've already called the others." "Well, Mako-chan's here with me, so she got your message. Anyway, we'll be there," said Usagi before she turned to Makoto, with a bit of a perplexed look on her face. "Juuban Junior High?! Our school?!" Usagi commented, "Why are there people at school? Isn't it Sunday?" "Well, yes. But I did hear of some kind of youth baseball event they were having over at the junior high. So I bet there are tons of people there watching," Makoto replied. "Well, we'd better do as Luna says and go over there," said Usagi as she grabbed her brooch from her pocket. But before she could she could utter her words of transformation, Makoto suddenly grabbed her wrist, preventing her from raising her brooch. "Usagi-chan, wait!" said Makoto, "We can't transform here. There are too many people around. They'll see us." "Yeah, you're right," said Usagi, hanging her head in defeat. But then she began looking around the park grounds for a good place to hide while they transform. Luckily, she spotted a covered picnic area with no people around to witness them. "We can transform over there," she said as she began running. "Good idea," Makoto agreed as she followed Usagi. Once they reached their destination, they both quickly scanned around them to make sure no one was watching. With the coast clear, they raised their transformation items in the air. "Jupiter Power, Make-Up!" "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" After they were bestowed with their alter egos and the powers that come with them, the duo sprinted out from the picnic area and toward the junior high like a couple of track runners after the firing of a starting pistol. Juuban Junior High... After a rather short run from the park, enhanced by their powers, the two senshi arrive at the Juuban Junior High. Upon arrival, they strike their battle stance, not even panting or breaking a sweat. The two senshi discovered the youma in the middle of the school's baseball diamond terrorizing the people. It was just as Luna had described it. It had a tiger's body, tail, hind legs, and head, but an eagle's wings, beak, and front legs, talons and all. "That thing looks like a griffin," said Sailor Jupiter, "only it's a tiger instead of a lion." "Hey tiger bird," Sailor Moon yelled, getting the monsters attention. The youma, busy electrocuting a helpless girl, paused for a moment and turned toward the summons, only to see Sailor Moon staring it down from across the field. "The people came here to enjoy a nice youth baseball game on their day off from school, and you just had to come over here and turn it into a game of terror. The great Nolan Ryan would be pissed off at you," said Sailor Moon as she began to strike her battle pose, "For love and justice, a sailor suited pretty soldier, I am Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, you'll be punished." The youma simply glanced at the angry sailor soldier for a few moments, then turned back to his victim and continued electrocuting her. Once completely helpless, the youma began draining her energy. It was then that Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter noticed the shoulder-length red hair complimented by a baby blue bow in her hair. "Naru-chan!" Sailor Moon screamed in horror at the sight of her best friend in the clutches of the electric youma. Immediately, she removed her tiara and charged it up so she could try and rescue her friend. "Moon Tiara, Action!" she chanted as she hurled the tiara with all her might at the electric beast, striking it in the face. The force caused it to lose its grip on Naru as it flew over home plate and into the backstop. With the youma dazed, Sailor Moon ran up to her unconscious friend, picked up her limp body, and carried her on her shoulder out of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter saw her opportunity to capitalize on the youma's vulnerability and advanced on it, with her antenna popping out from her tiara. "And I can't stand beasts like you, pretending to be from a fantasy novel, who terrorize the sporting events that I so love," she scolded as she crossed her arms in front of her. As she charged her attack, lightning struck her tiara and gathered at her crossed arms. "Supreme Thunder!" She threw her arms out to her sides, releasing a massive blast of lightning at her tiger/eagle opponent. However, as the blast of lightning struck the beast, it simply stood as the lightning absorbed into its body, not even phasing it. Sailor Jupiter stood with her eyes wide open and her jaw hanging in astonishment as her powerful thunder attack only made the beast laugh at her. The beast's laughing only caused her blood to boil as she balled up her fists. With her powers having failed, pulled herself together and decided to use raw muscle in her struggle against the youma. She charged at the youma, with her rage fueling her strength, and grasped its talons, pitting her sailor senshi-enhanced strength against that of the tiger- like muscle of the youma. She quickly overcame the youma, pushing it to its knees by its talons. But as she was about to finish it with her signature jiu-jitsu shoulder throw, a strange burning sensation overcame her body as the youma began electrocuting her. In moments, her body fell limp and the youma grasped her in its talons. Once the youma had her under its control, it tightened its grasp on her, its talons ripping at her sailor suit and digging into her flesh, as it began to drain her energy. But as it had drained over half her energy, a blast of bubbles suddenly struck the youma in the face, stunning it and causing it to release the injured Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Mercury hopped down onto the battlefield from the top of a building and began to run toward Sailor Jupiter to render aid to her. But as she reached nearly an arm's distance from her fallen comrade, the youma batted her aside with its talons, sending her sliding past first base and down the foul line. And just as it had batted the senshi of water aside, a tiara struck the youma off guard, sending it on a ride through the air and into the school itself. After shaking the cobwebs out in a fashion like any tiger would, it looked in the direction of the tiara's origin to find Sailor Moon, staring it down with an angry look on her face. "You hurt my friend, you griffin wannabe. In the name of the Moon, I will more than punish you," she snarled. Sailor Mercury had quickly recovered from her slide past first base and was scanning it with her visor and minicomputer. Her tools had quickly scanned the youma and displayed some very useful information on it. "Be careful Sailor Moon," she said, getting her comrade's attention, "That youma uses electric attacks before it drains your energy. Electric and water attacks are ineffective against it." "Is that what happened to Sailor Jupiter?" Sailor Moon asked. "The youma was already draining her energy when I arrived." Sailor Mercury replied as she continued scanning it, finding a weakness in it. Seconds later, her visor formed crosshairs right on the youma's chest. "Sailor Moon, aim for its heart," she ordered. "Right," Sailor Moon replied. With the youma somewhat weakened from two tiara blasts, Sailor Moon turned back to the youma. She removed her tiara and called upon on the powers of the Moon. Her tiara charged itself and glowed a bright yellow. However, as she was charging her attack, the youma lowered its eyebrows and began to charge at her. As it neared her, it gave one powerful flap of its massive eagle-like wings, propelling it into the air and straight at Sailor Moon with its talons outstretched. "Moon Tiara, Action!" with all her strength behind it, she hurled her tiara at the flying youma. Luckily, the tiara struck the youma dead in the heart as it had reached less than a body-length from the vulnerable Sailor Moon. The force of the moon-powered tiara sent the youma on another ride into the school, plastering into the wall and causing it to drop on its side, completely lifeless. Moments later, lightning surged around its body as the youma disintegrated into ashes. With the youma effectively defeated, Sailor Moon ran over to Sailor Jupiter's side to check on her. "She's alive, but she feels faint," said Sailor Moon, "Mercury, help me get her out of here so we can help her." And with Sailor Mercury's help, she lifted Sailor Jupiter off the ground and carried her off the school grounds. Once safely off the battlefield, they laid Sailor Jupiter's body down as Sailor Moon tended to her. She drew her Moon Stick and charged up the Silver Crystal, then placed her hand on her friend's chest. "Moon Healing, Escalation!" In an instant, the Silver Crystal glowed a bright white, with Sailor Moon's hand glowing bright white in unison. In moments, Sailor Jupiter's body became bathed in the pure energy of the Silver Crystal. And in moments, the light subsided, having healed Sailor Jupiter's wounds and restored her energy. She opened her eyes and gazed into Sailor Moon's worried eyes, "Usagi-chan?" "Mako-chan, are you okay?" Sailor Moon asked. "Yeah, I'll be fine," Sailor Jupiter replied as she began pushing herself back to her feet, albeit with help from Sailor Mercury. But as she made it to her feet, a deep, dark laugh filled the schoolyards. "I've heard that laugh before," said Sailor Moon. The girls walked out and looked back toward the baseball diamond. There, they found Titanius in the stands with his long dark brown hair and red cape waving in the wind. He had his long wave-bladed sword in his right hand, down at his side and at the ready. However, instead of his rather grim look of amusement, he wore a rather perplexed look. "Titanius!" they said in unison. "What, only three of you?" he said in surprise. His attack was not only supposed to gather energy, but also lure the 5 Sailor Senshi and that Mars Prince. But somehow, for some odd reason, his attack only lured 3. At that thought, Titanius only hung his head and thought to himself, 'I guess I'll have to lure the others myself.' He then looked back up and toward the 3 determined Sailor Senshi, "Oh well, at least it'll make things a little bit easier." "Yeah, for us that is," said Sailor Jupiter. The senshi immediately scattered, making sure that all of them aren't caught at once by whatever attack Titanius had planned for the. After running a short distance, Sailor Jupiter stopped at second base and stared down her opponent. She then waved her arms out to her sides and prepared to call upon the power of thunder. "Ha! Your muscle doesn't scare me," Titanius commented as he leaped from the stands, landing on home plate. He then began to charge at Sailor Jupiter.. "Insult me, do you? That's the last mistake you'll ever make," said Sailor Jupiter, with her face burning in anger, as she crossed her arms in front of her, "Supreme THUNDER!" Upon her chant, lightning struck her tiara. She then waved her arms out to her sides, sending powerful bolts of lightning at Titanius, singeing his armor and upping his tab on his frequent-flier miles. As he continued soaring into the air, propelled by Sailor Jupiter's powerful attack, he collided with a news helicopter flying overhead and then fell back to the ground. "...Folks, it looks like that the villain has hit our news chopper... Oh my God! ...We're okay Midori-san, it's just... holy shit! Sailor Jupiter's certainly is a powerful chick if she could send an armored man that size flying right into our news chopper," said reporter Tanaka Kenta in the news chopper, covering the battle. Titanius after his flight into the new helicopter and resulting fall, he landed on top of the school's fountain, denting his armor. "Oww! Damn that news chopper. How dare the media embarrass me like this," he commented in pain. He slowly pushed himself back to his feet and shook the cobwebs out. He then turned his attention to 3 senshi running towards him. "Damn it, you Sailor Bitches, you're going to pay for that embarrassing flight you send me on," he yelled as he threw his arm across his body and waved it at the sprinting senshi, sending a powerful wave of dark energy at them. The wave struck the trio before they could even stop to react, scattering them about the school grounds. He quickly ran back toward the baseball field, where Sailor Mercury struggled to recover from his attack. He recovered his sword from near the pitchers mound, having dropped it when Sailor Jupiter had blasted him earlier, and advanced on his blue-haired opponent. Just as Sailor Mercury had finally made it to her feet, Titanius smacked her across the face with the pommel of his sword, knocking her hard to the ground. "I'll finish you first," he yelled as he thrust his free hand into her chest. He began to electrocute her, much in the same fashion as his tiger/eagle youma had done with Sailor Jupiter. As Sailor Mercury fell unconscious from the electrocution, Titanius began to drain her energy. But from out of nowhere, a tiara struck him in the back, stopping his energy drain and sending him on another flight, this time flying over the left field wall. "Yes! Homerun!" said Sailor Moon, jumping up and down excitedly and running the bases, giggling like a little schoolgirl, "That's Sailor Moon 1, Titanius zip." Upon arriving back at home plate, she turned around and dashed back toward the left field wall where she had sent Titanius. But as she was running, Titanius was emerging from over the wall, struggling to heft his weakened body over. But he proved to be of little threat as he fell from the top of the wall, dropping to the ground like a pile of scrap metal. She quickly drew her Moon Stick and aimed it at Titanius' face as he struggled to his feet. "You hurt my friend, you scrap heap. Now I'm gonna punish you," she snarled. She then powered up the Silver Crystal, causing it to glow bright white. She then fired a beam of pure light, drilling Titanius in the chest and sending him back into the air as if he was shot from cannon. This time, he'd flown out of the school and through the Juuban District. He landed near the Game Center Crown, causing the people walking by to scatter in fear. After enduring his third trip through the air and his third hard landing, he slowly pushed himself back to his feet and shook the dizziness from his head. "Now I know what a postal package feels like," he commented. He then regained his bearings and decided to take a stroll down the sidewalk, with thoughts of the battle fresh on his mind. Some of the people looked at him in near terror, while others wore confused looks, wondering how a man could survive such a fall. "Damn, that Sailor Moon is one tough opponent," he said to himself, "No wonder Jadeite couldn't defeat her. And no wonder Zoisite had his problems with her. I can see why Queen Beryl is so pissed off at her and wants her dead. But dammit, I want that Mars Prince." Back at Juuban Junior High... Naru awoke from what seemed like a nightmare. She slowly shook the bad dream from her head and slowly began to regain her bearings. 'What happened,' she thought to herself, wondering why she was feeling so weak after that youma had grabbed her in its talons. She tried to stand up, but dizziness overcame her and she fell back to the ground, her left arm being the only thing holding her up. "Naru-chan!" a familiar voice called out to her. Naru turned toward the summons to find Usagi, back in her civilian form, running up ran to her and throwing her arms around her. "Usagi-chan?" she gasped, her eyes beginning to water up at the sight of her best friend. "Oh, Naru-chan," Usagi said, grasping Naru tightly in her arms, "Tell me, are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" Naru couldn't hold it in anymore as the tears began streaming from her eyes and down her cheeks. "Oh Usagi-chan, it was horrible," she began to whimper, "We were enjoying the game... and then that monster showed up... it was electrocuting everyone, left and right." Usagi too was giving in to her tears, feeling assured that her best friend was okay, albeit scared. "Sailor Moon... she saved my life," Naru gasped. "She saved everyone," Usagi added, gasping and sobbing along with her friend, "I'm so glad you're safe." Ami, also back in her civilian form, walks up to them after having recovered from Titanius' attack. Naru glanced up at her. "Oh, Ami- chan," she sobbed as she leaped up with what strength she had left up and threw her arms around Ami. Ami's eyes came to tears as she returned Naru's embrace, remembering the danger that she too was in, even as Sailor Mercury. With that mutual feeling fresh on her mind, Ami tightened her hold on Naru, letting her know of the feelings she was sharing. "Naru- chan... Sailor Moon saved my life too," she gasped. "Ami-chan, Naru-chan," Usagi addressed, getting their attention, and held her hand out to them, "Come, let's go home." Ami released her hold on Naru and stood up under her own power. However, Naru looked up at Usagi's worried face, whose tears had already dried up but her eyes were still red from her crying, then at her outstretched hand. She then took Usagi's warm hand into hers and stood up on her feet with the help of her friend. She then wrapped both her arms around Usagi and rested her head on her shoulder, "Thank you, Usagi-chan." "That's what friends are for, right?" said Usagi as she and Naru joined Ami on their walk out of Juuban Junior High and toward the OSA*P jewelry store, Naru's house. "Wait," Makoto called out to the group, getting their attention, as she ran towards them. "Where are you all going?" "We're taking Naru home," Ami answered. "Hey Mako-chan, when are you gonna ask Kyodai out?" Usagi asked, winking an eye. "Oh, depending on what Kyodai is doing..." said Makoto, cracking a smile, "Soon, I hope." "I'm sure he likes you, Mako-chan. Just follow your heart," said Usagi. "I will," Makoto replied, "I hope Naru feels better." "Thank you, Mako-chan," Naru replied as the group turned and continued their walk toward the OSA-P. After their battle, and feeling assured that Usagi, Ami, and even Naru were going to be fine, Makoto turned around and began her walk back home. Juuban Park... Titanius sat on a bench near the lakeside trail, watching the people walking about the park and thinking about the events of his recent battle. "That damn pyromaniac didn't even show up," he said to himself, "And since she didn't show up, that kept the Mars Prince from coming to his doom. How the hell did I lure only 3 of the senshi? That youma attack was flawless. I sent it after a large group of people, and near a school no less. Certainly, that would've drawn in all 5 of them, but hell no!" However, Titanius' presence at the park had drawn the attention of numerous people at the park. Some simply walked by him with puzzled looks on their faces, and others with knowing looks. Other people, however, screamed and ran at the sight of him. "It's that villain from the news, Run!" a woman with a baby stroller screamed as her baby wailed, running away from Titanius as fast as she could push the stroller. Titanius quickly rose from the bench and dropped to his knees, then threw his arms up in the air. "Damn the media," he screamed in the air. After holding that pose for a moment, trembling under the strain, he dropped his arms and lowered his head, letting out a discontented sigh. "This is why I went freelance," he said as he stood back up and began to walk out of the park. But then, new determination struck his brain like lightning, "But the Mars Prince will be mine. I'll just have to formulate a new plan to lure him to his doom." He laughed ecstatically at his refreshed determination, then threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared into nothingness. ------------------------------end of part I--------------------------- ...Disclaimer: As usual, Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine, but belong to Naoko Takeuchi. And God bless that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment and Cloverway, and I only thank them for bringing' it to America, nothin' more. But Kyodai Hino/Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono/Kokorono Meijin are MINE (in a growling voice). So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anything but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me. Have fun Sailor Moon fans, Viper Inferno (Y2V)