The real Sailor Moon looked out the window at Tsubasa. She felt bad for her. Knowing that Tsubasa would never be able to use her broach again, Sailor Moon tried to reassure herself, believing that at least Tsubasa would have the memory of tonight. Tsubasa had done a good job, and if it was up to the real Sailor Moon, she would have given the job to Tsubasa.
Luckily, Tsubasa had not yet looked into the building, otherwise she would've seen the genuine Tsuki no Senshi standing at the foot of the stairs. Sailor Moon sighed heavily. She didn't want to have to tell Tsubasa the truth.
"What's taking her?!" Luna, the Moon cat, hissed, pacing back and forth anxiously. Looking up at Sailor Moon, she ordered, "You'd better transform back. We don't want anyone else seeing who you are!"
Sailor Moon looked down at the cat for a second. Ignoring her urge to kick the pesky cat, Sailor Moon closed her eyes, calming herself. In a moment, Sailor Moon had transformed back to Eriko Rogers. Examining her body, Eriko made sure that she was back to normal, still wearing her black costume and make-up.
Eriko suddenly looked up as she heard the door in front of her open. "Tsubasa!" she gasped. She quickly tried to cover her surprise by asking, "How'd it go?"
"Terrific!" Tsubasa answered gaily. "I destroyed Jaedite! And most of the people he attacked are now regaining consciousness." The smile on her face started to slip as she took a deep breath. "The only thing that went wrong was that I couldn't get the daemon. Do you think it returned to the Negaverse?"
Before Eriko could respond, Luna jumped in between the two girls. "Tsubasa," she said in a commanding tone that made both girls freeze, "you are not the real Sailor Moon." Before Tsubasa could object, Luna continued. "You will no longer be able to transform into Sailor Moon."
"But then who-"
Tsubasa lost track of her speech as Luna removed her own Halloween mask off of her face, revealing the crescent moon on cat's forehead. Gazing into Luna's stare, Tsubasa started to transform back from her normal version and out of Sailor Moon's fuku into her Eternal Moon costume. The girl's eyes glazed over as she fell deeper into the cat's trance. After a minute, Luna looked away, leaving Tsubasa to fall to the floor in a small heap.
"Tsubasa!" Eriko cried. She ran to her friend's side. Lifting her head and cradling her in her arms, she lashed out at Luna, "Was that really necessary!"
"Yes," Luna answered grimly. "She knows your identity and is therefore a threat to us. She won't remember any of this."
"What?" Eriko was shocked. Luna had even robbed Tsubasa of the gift that Eriko wanted to give her: the memory of being Sailor Moon. Eriko's eyes narrowed angrily. "You know, Luna, I don't have to deal with this. I quit."
Luna ignored the comment as she pushed the front door open with her body. "You live in Hinton James, right? I'll wait for you there."
Eriko felt the cold air on the back of her neck as the door swung open for a minute and then shut with a bang. The Moon Cat was gone.
* * *
Tsubasa felt warm despite the cold tile floor trying to chill her. The first thing she could sense was that warmth. Next she felt the hand on her shoulder and the one caressing her forehead. She realized that whoever was holding her was shaking her gently. Then, as if far away, she heard a woman calling her name softly. It was a nice dream. Tsubasa didn't want to wake up. But the voice was growing louder. The blackness against her eyes was getting lighter. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. Looking up, she let her eyes gradually focus on the black blob holding her.
"AUGGGH!" Tsubasa screamed, jumping out of the blob's arms.
"Calm down!" Eriko cried. "It's only me."
Tsubasa rubbed her eyes. After a minute, she returned her gaze to her friend. "Eriko? You scared me. What happened? Why-?"
Eriko looked away, her gaze falling on the long scepter that Tsubasa had made for her costume. "When we got in here, I guess you tripped over your scepter or something. It knocked you out cold�" Eriko bit her lip, hating to lie.
"And you stayed here, waiting for me? Thank you so much!" Tsubasa hugged Eriko tight.
Eriko made a weak attempt to return the girl's hug. "No problem�" she whispered.
Tsubasa pulled away. "What's wrong?"
At that point, the back door to New West was thrown open.
"I can't believe it!" Ken roared.
Jumping to her feet, Tsubasa gasped at Ken's shocking appearance. "Ken! What happened to you?!"
"Something was going on at the other end of Franklin Street, and there was this mass pandemonium. And then some stupid frat boy did this!" Ken picked up the end of his wet, beer-soaked hair. "If I ever find the guy who did this�" he hissed as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Stifling a laugh, Eriko asked, "So what caused the 'pandemonium'?"
As more people sifted back into the lobby of the building, Aaron and Glenda took turns explaining.
"Yosh! Well, there was this monster-"
"-and this man controlling it-"
"-Sailor Moon-"
"-xedo Mask-"
"-destroyed by Tiara and Scepter-"
"-everyone's better."
Eriko felt a little bit dizzy with the explanation, shaking her head back and forth between the two. After grabbing onto the banister for a moment, she responded, "Okai� I think I got that." She smiled. "So I take it that everyone's okai? Things are back to normal?"
"Yes," Alan responded, his arm around Lily, "although some still don't believe us�"
"I believe you!" Lily responded quickly. "I just don't want you to have a relapse or anything."
"Oniisama!" Tsubasa cried in surprise. "You have blood all over you! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Alan reassured everyone. "I'm not quite sure as to what happened, but I have no cuts that I can see� and I feel fine."
Eriko smiled. Everyone continued talking to each other, making sure they were all okay. After listening in for a few more minutes, Eriko slowly crept out the door and headed home.
* * *
Zoicite laughed, flipping a lock of hair over his shoulder. "I told you, Kuntzite," he declared in a triumphant tone. He gazed back into the crystal ball, observing the scene it displayed. "Jaedite was completely useless. You should have sent me instead."
"You'll get your turn next, Zoicite," Kuntzite promised, wrapping his arms around Zoicite, drawing him into a tight embrace. "Looks like it might be a bit more difficult to get energy we'll need to revive Metallia."
"Leave it to me," Zoicite said darkly, a smug grin on his face. "I look forward to challenging that human brat!"
They looked at the crystal ball again, watching the replay of the events that brought about Jaedite's downfall. Zoicite watched the daemon capture the human male, the Senshi, and the masked man. Who was that masked man. Zoicite couldn't wait to find out. He licked his lips in anticipation.
* * *
Eriko collapsed onto her bed, completely exhausted. The hot shower had not only washed away all the black paint but had also helped her relax her very tense muscles. A voice in the back of her mind scolded her for lying there like that, in her bathrobe with her hair wrapped up in a towel, but a stronger voice protested any type of movement. So she just lay there, relaxing, letting the events that occurred that night replay in her head.
"Are you planning to just lie there all night?!" an indignant voice called out.
Eriko slowly raised her head to address her accuser, a weak grin on her face. The grin slid off of her face as her eyes fell upon the cat sitting on her windowsill. "Hello, Luna," Eriko grunted. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Reaching for a brush from her dresser, Eriko asked, "What do you want?"
Luna watched Eriko unwrap her long black hair from her towel. It was still alarming that this black-haired, brown-eyed, bronzed girl was the same person as the blonde, blue-eyed, pale Sailor Moon. The real Sailor Moon. "We need to discuss your work."
"My work?" Eriko repeated airily. She started to brush her wet hair. "I quit, remember?" "But you can't quit! You don't know what you have to--" Luna tried frantically to explain. "Let me try to guess what it is," Eriko interjected. "We have evil Queen Metallia, who's sent her minions to destroy the earth. But she's weak right now, so her minions, led by the Four Generals, are trying to steal energy. That's what that daemon that I stopped tonight was doing: stealing energy from the people on Franklin."
Eriko looked up from her brushing. She smiled smugly when she saw Luna's jaw only a few centimeters from the floor. "How did you -"
Eriko waved her hand, cutting Luna off. "That isn't important," she answered with an air of finality. "Now we bring the story back to me. Let me guess what comes next. That guy who helped out Tsubasa was Tuxedo Mask. He's really Prince Endymion of the Earth, reborn into this lifetime. See, thousands of years ago, the galaxy was in peace, yadda yadda yadda� they were led by Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. Serenity had a daughter, the Moon Princess, also named Serenity. Metallia attacked back then. Poof! Everyone except for the Queen, Artemis, and you gets killed. The Queen is able to weaken Metallia and then trap her away, but at the cost of her own life. But before she dies, Serenity sends her daughter and her court into the future so that they may be reborn into a time of peace, yadda yadda yadda�"
Luna looked up at Eriko through narrow slits. She even knew about Artemis. What was going on? "Go on," Luna said, through clenched teeth.
Eriko took a deep breath before she continued. "That brings us up to the present. Metallia is loose once more, and she's sent her minions to help her.
"I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice, etc., etc. It's my job to stop Metallia and then protect the earth." Eriko's harsh face broke into a soft smile. "My perks are that I'm supposed to win the heart of Tuxedo Mask once more and eventually recover my ginzinshou and become the Moon Princess once more."
Luna snickered. "You? The Moon Princess?!" she sneered. "I thought you knew what you were talking about, but apparently not. Who do you think sent me on this mission to find you?"
* * *
"Hey, where'd Eriko go?" Lily asked.
Everyone looked around, but she was no longer with the group. "Perhaps she went back home�?" Daley suggested as he adjusted his pink trenchcoat.
"Sounds like a good idea," Mara responded, yawning. "I'm ready to go back to bed and dream of bishounen�" She caught Carma's eye and they both started chanting, "Yaoi all the time, yaoi all the time�"
Dick shuddered as Alan finished the song off with a ca-chink!
Noland made it to the door first. "Well, I'm heading to Motown. Anyone want to join me?" Georgia and Steffan followed him. Soon the larger group had broken down into smaller ones as people headed home.
Lily and Alan walked off together, hand-in-hand. Shin & Kaoru, along with Galadriel & her Sam walked towards Franklin Street and the great beyond where their cars were parked. Daley and Andrew tried to console Ken about his hair. Most of the others proceeded to central campus, while Mara, Carma, Glenda, and Aaron headed toward north campus, talking rapidly about bishounen and yaoi and how best to set up Ken and Daley�
* * *
Eriko's faint smile slowly faded once more. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"The Moon Princess has already been revived. She now sits on her thrown, surrounded by her Moon Court," Luna replied. It was Eriko's turn to leave her jaw hanging low.
"But-but-but-!" Eriko protested. "How can I not be the Moon Princess?! I'm Sailor Moon! Therefore, I HAVE to be the Moon Princess!"
Luna smirked. She was really enjoying this. "Wrong," she responded. "The Moon Princess sent me to earth to find the Moon Kingdom's old servant, Sailor Moon."
"Servant!?" Eriko cried in outrage. "I am NOBODY'S servant!"
"Well, you are now. We all adore our Moon Princess. Without her, we lack the power to defeat Metallia."
"So why do you need me, if she's so powerful?"
Luna looked slightly uncomfortable. "I don't know. I dare not question the Princess's authority in requesting the aid of a" she shuddered, "human."
Eriko rolled her eyes. "You know, I never really wanted this job in the first place. And you certainly aren't giving me much reason to keep the job. I'm really glad I quit now."
"Look," Luna said firmly, "the broach chose you. You are the reincarnation of Tsuki no Senshi. You have an obligation to the old Queen Serenity to protect the Moon Kingdom and the people of Earth."
"Get out," Eriko whispered, clenching her teeth in anger. "I don't want this job. All I want is to go to bed. Good-bye Luna." She pushed the cat out the window and locked it.
* * *
Eriko let out a big yawn as she settled into her chair. She was startled to see bubbles popping out of her mouth. And then it hit her. She was underwater. She looked around the room. There was no one else there. She rubbed her eyes in confusion. When she opened them again, there was a beautiful woman sitting next to her in the throne. Eriko gasped in surprise, but the sudden intake of air made the water rush into her lungs.
The sudden burning pain made Eriko wake up. Startled, she sat upright in bed, slowly letting her eyes readjust to the dim light. She pressed her hand to the pain over her heart.
"Oops," Lily whispered. Eriko realized that Lily had returned. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up."
Eriko rubbed her eyes to get rid of the blurriness. "It's k," she responded. "It wasn't you." Lily reached for the light to turn it off. "No, don't bother," Eriko reassured her. "I'm completely awake."
Eriko got up out of bed. She was still wearing her bathrobe. "I need to get dressed anywayz�" she muttered to Lily as she walked to her dresser. As Eriko pulled out her garb, Lily left the room, headed for the bathroom. By the time she returned, Eriko had quickly changed into a dress.
Alarmed, Lily asked, "Where are you going?!"
"Out," Eriko murmured. "I just need to walk for a bit�"
Before Lily could protest, ask questions, or stop her, Eriko grabbed her keys and strode out the door.
* * *
Eriko let out a big yawn as she settled into her chair.
"Didn't get enough sleep?" Quinn asked.
"Something like that�" Eriko answered. She'd been out walking for a really long time, thinking over what Luna had told her. She was still no closer to finding whatever inspiration it was that she was looking for. Waking from her thoughts, Eriko realized that everyone seemed to be whispering in hurried frenzies. "What's going on?" she asked Sam.
Sam gave her a funny look. "Didn't you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Apparently the girl playing Sailor Moon last night on Franklin Street�. She did some stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Yeah," Sam responded. "Just listen to everyone."
Eriko, following his advice, started to pick up tidbits of other people's conversations.
"Yeah, she was the real thing�"
"�allegedly she killed the guy attacking us�"
"�was prob some person faking the entire thing�"
"�perhaps publicity�?"
"�for what? STV?�"
"Well," Mara said in a loud voice, distracting Eriko from her eavesdropping. "I'm more interested in other stuff� Did you guys see the new bishounen on campus?"
"New bishounen?" Sam asked as he got out his book for Japanese.
"Yeah," Mara continued in a hurried whisper. "He's gorgeous! He's tall, got long flowing blonde hair! Just transferred from France... So VERY bishounen!"
Eriko laughed. "So what's this pretty boy's name?"
"Zoe," Mara responded with a twinkle in her eye.
"Zoe," Sam repeated. "Isn't that a girl's name?"
"Well, yeah�" Mara smiled with a faraway look on her face. "He's so pretty. And with a name like Zoe, it's hard to tell if he's a guy or girl�"
"And if you can't tell, it must be good�" Eriko and Quinn finished in unison.
"Can't tell what?" Sensei asked as he entered into the room. The two girls, slightly flustered, declined to comment as they settled in as the class started.
* * *
"Hey, where's Mara?" Tsubasa asked, surveying the group as they headed down Franklin Street toward the Rat for dinner.
"Oh," Carma responded. "She's hanging out with the new bishounen, Zoe."
Aimie laughed. "Oh really? Is he that pretty?"
Carma smiled, "Yeah, he is. Perhaps he'll let Mara brush his hair."
Dick snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what she really wants from him."
Carma squealed. "Stop it!"
Eriko teased, "Perhaps we should get you Zoe for Christmas if he's that pretty."
"Ew!" Carma protested. "But he's real�"
* * *
Mara had shown Zoe the entire campus. "He really is too pretty to be real," she thought. Suddenly, they found themselves in the arboretum.
"And this is Coker Arboretum. A great secluded place for lovers, muggers, and rapists. It's probably a good idea to not come out here by yourself alone at night," Mara adviced.
"I can take care of myself," Zoe said with a big smile on his face. "Thanks for the tour."
"Oh, not a problem," Mara said. "But you're too pretty� I wouldn't want you coming out here by yourself at night. You might be mistaken for a-" Mara remembered to stop herself in time. It's not a good idea to scare of the newbie bishounen, she reminded herself.
"For a what?" Zoe asked.
Mara bit her lip. Her curiosity was overwhelming. She just had to know.
Mara walked over to Zoe. Reaching up for his face, she kissed him. Embraced for only a second, Zoe quickly pulled away. "Why'd you do that?!" he asked angrily.
Mara smiled, looking at him closely. "What? You didn't want to kiss me? Why? Do you prefer guys?"
Zoe glared at her, but refused to answer. Mara's eyes grew wide, as she gushed, "You DO prefer guys! This is perfect!"
"Huh?" Zoe looked confused.
"So!" Mara started, with a huge grin on her face. "You look a lot like�" she paused. "Well, you're blonde like Koji, but you're hair is too wavy. Hmm... what other blonde bishounen are there with wavy hair�"
Zoe was starting to get a little worried. This girl was freaking him out. "What are you talking about?" he demanded to know.
"ZOICITE!" she cried in triumph, making Zoe jump. "You're just like Zoicite! Such pretty hair�" Mara walked up to Zoe and started to stroke his hair.
"Well," Zoe said with a smug grin on his face. "I do have lovely hair. Kuntzite-sama prefers that I grow it out� but wait!" He interrupted himself. "How did you know who I am?"
Mara, startled, looked up at him. "Know who you are�" she repeated slowly. She took a step back from Zoe as his eyes narrowed. In a second his disguise disappeared, revealing Zoicite in his general's uniform.
Mara gushed and was about to reach for his hair again, when Zoicite called out, "ZOI!" Mara was soon engulfed in cherry blossoms.
* * *
The hairs on Eriko's arm were standing on end. She felt Luna's presence before she saw the black cat sneaking around the next booth. Deciding to ignore the annoying black cat, Eriko concentrated on her bowl of cheese.
"Ne, Eriko?" Lily asked.
"What?" Eriko jumped. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't�"
Lily laughed. "It's okay. We were just talking about Sailor Moon."
Eriko swallowed a big ball of cheese. "Sailor Moon?" she repeated.
"Yeah," Tsubasa responded. She looked down at her own bowl of cheese, asking, "I wish I had been there to see it! Can't believe I tripped and missed out on xthe whole thing�" she muttered to herself.
Eriko smiled wanly at her. "I'm sure we didn't miss that much-"
"Oh! She was spectacular!" Lily gushed.
"She was?" Eriko asked weakly.
"Yeah," Georgia responded. "I wish I could've seen it!"
Daley piped in, "And Lily got to see her. She must've been really awesome. Was she Asian?"
Lily laughed, shaking her head. "No, she looked exactly like what Sailor Moon looks like in the anime�eek!!!" Lily jumped up from her chair and looked down at her feet.
Dreading what she'd see, Eriko followed suit and looked down to see Luna gazing up at her, looking rather cross.
"Aw!" Lily gushed. "A cat!" She reached down to pick it up, but Eriko beat her to it.
"Um," she said, looking up guiltily, holding Luna in her arms so that the others couldn't see her forehead. "It's probably lost. I'll take it back outside� Can you cover me, Lily? I'll pay you back when we get back to our room."
Before anyone could question her further, Eriko quickly left the Rat.
"What's with her? Something wrong?" Dick asked.
"I dunno," Lily responded, a worried look masking her face.
"She's probably fine," Glenda responded, brushing over the entire scene. Soon everyone returned to their dinner.
* * *
"Daemon Yaoi!" Zoicite commanded. "Go serve Metallia well!"
"YAOI!" The purple daemon dressed as a ringmaster followed the ear-piercing by an equally deafening Naga-laugh. Windows in the Student Union shattered at the shrill pitch as frantic boys and girls ran in every direction out of the Pit and away from the monster.
With a crack of her whip, Daemon Yaoi captured a group of five students, three guys and two girls. She quickly drained them of their energy through her whip. Pausing to examine her victims further, the daemon singled out a male with facial hair. "Not bishounen!" she wailed and threw the man into the cubes. Zoicite delighted in the loud crash his body made when hitting the paint-covered wooden surface.
Next she singled out the two females. "Not for shounen ai!" she exclaimed, throwing them over her shoulder. Waiting for the crash, Zoicite was surprised by the silence. Spinning around to see what became of the girls, he was delighted to be confronted by the masked man, holding one girl in each arm.
* * *
Eriko didn't stop walking until she got to the alley behind Cosmic Cantina. She threw the cat down in disgust. "What were you thinking?!" she said, exasperated. "If any of them saw you, they'd immediately recognize you!"
Luna fur stood on end. She glared back at Eriko. "Well, if you'd just left the restaurant quietly when you saw me..."
"So why did you come after me?" Eriko asked. "I told you that I didn't want to be Sailor Moon anymore."
"Fine!" Luna snarled at her. "But in the meanwhile, everyone will become victims of Metallia."
"What are you talking about?" Eriko muttered. "Tsubasa wasted Jaedite."
"That's only one-"
"-of the four Generals," Eriko groaned as realization dawned on her. "Great. Who now? Nephlite?"
"No," Luna responded. "Zoicite."
"My favorite," Eriko muttered. "Stupid he/she/it combo." She sighed heavily. "Looks like I've got no choice:
"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!"
* * *
"Zoicite," Tuxedo Kamen hissed as his gently lowered the two girls to the ground. He drew himself to his full height and pulled a rose from his breast pocket. "We meet at last."
Zoicite's jaw nearly hit the ground. The masked man appeared to be even more handsome than he had remembered the crystal ball showing him. Certainly, the image had done him no justice when compared to the real thing. Taking a deep shuddering breath, the general called out, "Daemon Yaoi! Get me that man!"
The daemon sighed as she released her bishounen. She said softly to them, "Good-bye, my pretties."
Tuxedo Kamen faced the monster. He threw his rose at it, but the daemon mistress was too quick for him. She jumped out of the way as she cracked her whip. Tuxedo Kamen was able to avoid the blow of the whip, only to be captured in the whip's grasp a second later. Daemon Yaoi pulled Tuxedo Mask over to Zoicite. "Play nicely now," she adviced them as she started to sing her song:
A little bit of Duo in my life. A little bit of Touga by my side. A little bit of Aya's all I see. A little Tamahome's all I need. A little bit of Kouji in the sun. A little bit of Sano all night long. A little bit of Gilbert -- my mind's gettin' hazy, 'Cause a little bit of yaoi just makes me crazy.
* * *
Tuxedo Kamen could not move. He wondered why he kept finding himself in these situations. Cursing his luck, he looked up to see the longhaired, blonde general looking intently at him. What was that that he detected in his enemy's eyes?
"Untie me!" Tuxedo Kamen growled. "Fight me like a man."
"Oh," Zoicite said in a hushed voice, "I'll get to that soon enough." He held Tuxedo Kamen's face in his hand. Such soft skin. "Let's see what a pretty face this mask is hiding first�"
Although he struggled to break free, Tuxedo Kamen couldn't escape Zoicite's hold. He felt his mask slip off of his face. He shuddered as a look of delight spread over Zoicite's face and cringed as the general squealed, "Oooh! You are delish!"
Suddenly, it occurred to Zoicite that perhaps he shouldn't try to enjoy this new beauty, as gorgeous as he was. He didn't want to upset Kuntzite-sama.
Tuxedo Mask saw the hesitation in Zoicite's countenance. He prayed that that meant that he would be released soon. This general was scaring him.
"Well," Zoicite murmured out loud. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. A kiss never hurt anything�"
To Tuxedo Kamen's horror, he saw the General leaning in toward him. His eyes wide open in horror, Tuxedo Kamen tried to push him away, but the daemon's whip was too tight.
Zoicite's lips gently embraces Tuxedo Kamen's. "He feels so soft," Zoicite thought, his mind in a daze. He leaned closer to his pretty enemy.
* (* *
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!" Sailor Moon cried out, her scepter pointed at the daemon. Daemon Yaoi shrieked in outrage for a few moments before she transformed back into a human. Mara collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground.
As the daemon disappeared, her whip also dissolved into nothing. Finally free, Tuxedo Kamen pushed the General away.
Zoicite fell to the ground in a small heap, tears welling in his eyes. "But, why�?"
Wiping his lips, Tuxedo Kamen muttered, "You're not my type." He called out to Sailor Moon, "Finish him off."
Looking up to see where the Senshi was, Tuxedo Kamen was surprised to see the Senshi staring at him.
"My gods," Sailor Moon thought. "He's gorgeous. No wonder Zoicite�"
"DUST HIM!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled at her.
"NO!" Sailor Moon yelled back, surprising all three of them. What was she doing? She wasn't stopping the enemy. Sailor Moon looked down at the sad, pathetic lump that was Zoicite. She couldn't bring herself to attack him when the General looked that sad, that rejected.
"Fine!" Tuxedo Kamen muttered. "I'll handle it myself." He grabbed his walking stick and rushed Zoicite with it.
Zoicite couldn't move. It was all happening to fast. He looked up blankly at the once handsome man trying to kill him. Tuxedo Mask's face was now contorted in anger, transforming him into a beast, Zoicite thought. The general closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see that angry face any more.
Sailor Moon jumped in front of Zoicite and deftly kicked Tuxedo Kamen's cane out of his grasp. "Cut it out!" she ordered. Zoicite blinked his eyes open and looked at Sailor Moon. She turned to face him and ordered, "Get out of here! NOW!"
Hesitating for only a moment, Zoicite rose to his feet and said, "Until we meet again. ZOI!" The General disappeared in a wave of cherry blossoms.
* * *
Tuxedo Kamen faced this Senshi of the Moon. His beloved's warrior. Still tense with his battle aura blazing, he had to use all of his control to step down from the impulse to attack this woman.
"Next time," he growled at her, "stay out of my way."
"That won't be a problem!" Sailor Moon responded back. She took a step backwards and accidentally stepped on something. As she picked up Tuxedo Kamen's mask, she heard someone moving behind her.
"Quick, here!" Sailor Moon said, handing the mask over to Tuxedo Kamen. He put it on only a moment before Mara regained consciousness.
"What happened?" she asked in a dazed voice.
"Zoicite," Sailor Moon answered. "He's gone for now though."
"Oh," Mara said softly. She slowly got to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Tuxedo Kamen asked as he observed the confused expression on her face.
"Ooh!" Mara suddenly squealed as she suddenly recognized her surroundings. She looked down at the two pretty boys that Daemon Yaoi had placed together. "How pretty! Yaoi all the time! Yaoi all the time�"
"Are you sure you healed her?" Tuxedo Kamen whispered incredulously to Sailor Moon.
"Yeah, she's fine," Sailor Moon responded with a small laugh.
"What's your name?"
She laughed, "Sailor Moon."
"That's a stupid name," he responded, reaching to pick up his cane. "Give me something else to call you."
Sailor Moon smiled. "Usagi."
"Usagi?" he questioned. "Why Usa-?" he started. When he looked up, she had already left.