"Nani?!"
"Yeah. She wasn't in any of our classes. Did she tell you why?"
Neko ignored the question. "All day?" she repeated quietly. It was one thing for Tenshi to skip Kempo - she wasn't really devoted to that. But to skip the last day of finals � and pole vault!
"Neko-chan?" Rika tried to get her attention.
"Gomen ne, Rika-san," Neko answered before she pushed past her and ran out of the gym. Her communicator watch was in her school fuku pocket, but that was in the locker room. She didn't care that she had decided to have as little contact with Tenshi as possible for both their sakes. She wanted to know that Tenshi was okay right now! And if that jeopardized her attempt to keep them apart, she was just going to have to deal with that later.
"Neko-chan." She stopped, not that far from the locker rooms, when she heard that tenor voice behind her. It wasn't Tenshi, but Haruka sounded so much like her.
She turned around. "Ano, Tenoh-sama�." Talking to Tenshi's okaa-san was hard enough before they broke up. It was torture afterwards.
"Do you know where Tenshi(-kun) is?" they asked at the same time.
"Sh- She's not at pole vault," Neko volunteered, staring at the ground.
"Fine." Haruka turned to leave.
"Iya, Tenoh-sama. I- I want to help look for her."
Haruka narrowed her eyes at Neko. "You don't think that you've done enough? That perhaps she might have been running away because of you? That maybe you looking for her wouldn't exactly encourage her to come out of hiding?"
"Please. I know it's my fault. But I need to help. I can't just leave her like this."
Haruka's eyes widened as she realized that Neko's feelings for Tenshi hadn't changed since the last time they spoke. "You still love her." Neko shook her head unconvincingly, but couldn't speak. "Yes, you do. But, then why did you-"
"Onegai, don't tell her," Neko whispered. "I know I can trust you because you understand that some things are more important than our own feelings. That sometimes we have to make sacrifices for a better end. So don't tell Tenshi-kun. I did it for her."
She had struck a chord. Haruka nodded curtly. "Fine. Go get dressed - quickly! - and you can help."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The members of the Fencing Club slowly began to trickle out as it became apparent that nobody was going to coach them today. Nobody seemed to know where Haruka was, but their assistant coach had been sick for the past week. Finally, only one member remained.
Mi-chan looked at the bag of fencing equipment she had gotten out of the closet. It was incredulous that her fellow teammates would give up that quickly. Well, even without Haruka there, she didn't see any use in forgetting about fencing altogether. She would practice on her own.
She went through the bag of equipment and grabbed an ep�e. Then she put the rest of the stuff away and left the room to go practice alone at her spot on the roof of the gym.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Haruka saw Mi-chan from across the field and called to her. "Michiru-chan!"
Mi-chan ran over, thrilled to see her coach. But about half way there, her expression turned from one of enthusiasm to one of alarm. She quickened her pace as Haruka turned around.
Too late. "Hurricane Blast!"
Still, Haruka easily dodged the attack. Standing behind her was a guy with blue hair, who she figured could only be Jasper, the guy who had helped kidnap Puroko.
"Uranus Planet Power: Make Up!" "Electra Planet Power: Make Up!"
"Violent Tremor!" Amethyst attacked Uranus and Electra from behind.
Electra spun around and followed it with a "Dazzling Bolts!" but Amethyst managed to teleport herself away from the attack. "Dammit."
However, if Amethyst thought she was going to be saved by moving to Jasper's side, she was sadly mistaken.
"WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus yelled as she hit them both with her attack.
Jasper looked at Amethyst in worry. She had taken the brunt of that attack, but she seemed pretty good still. "Amethyst," he said, "I wasn't counting on Sailor Uranus being here. She's too strong for us now."
"Don't worry about it," she answered, smiling even as she held her side and winced in pain.
"WORLD-" Uranus raised her arm to prepare another attack, but this time Amethyst was ready. With a snap of her fingers, she brought Tenshi from their apartment to the field. Uranus stopped mid-attack. "Tenshi!" she cried, startled by her daughter's appearance.
"Silent Storm!" Jasper attacked Uranus while he could.
"Tenshi, stay between us and their attacks," Amethyst ordered her.
Electra went to Uranus, ready to help her out, but just as uncertain what she could do to Tenshi. It was apparent to both of them from Tenshi's dead eyes, that she wasn't just Team Eclipse's hostage, but had been hypnotized by them somehow. But although she might try to hurt them, neither Senshi was prepared to harm her.
"Uranus," Electra said as she helped the Outer Senshi up, "what do we do?"
Uranus looked her in the eyes. "We beat Jasper and Amethyst and save Tenshi" she said matter-of-factly.
But Amethyst had other plans. A vine sprouted through the snow and began to creep up their legs. Electra used the ep�e to slash the vine attacking her and jumped back, but the vine grew too quickly around Uranus' legs for her to get away from it. She fought it as it ensnared her, but it was surprisingly strong. It also seemed to sap her energy as she remained captured.
Electra tried to help, but instead she was hit with an attack from Jasper that separated the two of them.
