The next day was the weekend, and Usagi and Makoto both arrived at the Hikawa Shrine to see if Rei was feeling well enough to go out. They found the dark-haired girl lounging on the steps of the shrine, fully dressed and looking much better. The threat of Minako's tender care had been enough to convince her to get some much needed sleep. "Hi guys!" Rei waved as they started up the steps. "Well, you look a lot better!" Makoto said, smiling. Rei made a face. "A little while after you two left Ami and Minako showed up. Ami laid a major guilt trip on me and Minako wanted to take care of me..." She shuddered. "I thought I should get better quickly." Makoto smiled wanly. "That sounds like a good idea, Rei-chan." She made a small humming sound, looking thoughtful. "Minako and Ami, huh?" Rei looked up intently. "Yeah...why do you sound like that?" "Mako-chan tried calling Ami before we went over here, but her mother said that she and Minako had already gone out." Usagi chipped in. "They sure have been together a lot lately, haven't they?" Rei was smiling mysteriously. "Yeah, they sure have." Makoto looked suspiciously at Rei. "Do you know something, Rei-chan?" Rei just continued to smile and shook her head. "Nothing...nothing at all." She kicked her legs out and wriggled her feet for a moment. "So, what are you two up to anyway?" Usagi was oblivious to the change in subject, but Makoto looked like she still had questions. "We're going to the arcade and then we thought we'd have lunch and go shopping. Want to come?" Usagi asked. Rei stood up and smiled. "Sure! I need a little change in scenery." Usagi's communicator suddenly peeped up. "Usagi-chan!" Setsuna's voice came through urgently. Everyone stopped and frowned. "Usagi here!" she replied. "What's the matter?" Setsuna sounded as exasperated as anyone had ever heard her. "You *promised* that you would look after Hotaru and Chibi-Usa this afternoon, remember?" Usagi winced and almost fell over. Makoto rubbed the back of her head and Rei just shook her head, muttering "Usagi-baka." Usagi shot her a dirty look. "Oh..." Usagi said weakly. "Was that today?" "Yes...Haruka and Michiru are still out of town, and quite frankly I need a break. Come get them immediately." "Okay..." Usagi slumped. "I'll head to your place now." "No need, we're at the bottom of the stairs. Now hurry, there's a movie they both want to see." Usagi blinked. "But how did you..." She sighed. "Never mind..." She looked up at the others. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later." She said in a mopey tone of voice. "Oh, cheer up Usagi-chan." Makoto said, winking. "Hotaru has pretty good taste, it shouldn't be too bad." Usagi just made a small, sad sound and slumped her way down the stairs. Once she was out of sight and earshot, Makoto turned back to Rei. "Now Rei-chan...about Ami and Minako...?" ------------------ Ami and Minako sneezed in unison. They looked at each other and began laughing. "I guess we're popular today." Minako said, chucking. "I guess so." Ami agreed, smiling broadly. Since it was the weekend, and even Ami had grown tired of their intensive studying over the course of the last week, they had decided to leave the books firmly at home and just have a little fun today. At the moment, they were having a drink at a little coffee shop that Haruka and Michiru often frequented. Minako had stayed up late last night, trying to figure out what had happened yesterday. By the lake in the park, something had passed between Ami and her. They understood each other a little better anyway, that was certain. Minako has constantly surprised by how much of a kindred spirit Ami was turning out to be, in spite of their differences. "Minako-chan." Minako looked up and smiled. "Yes, Ami-chan?" Ami was smiling at her shyly, one hand resting on her coffee cup. She began to blush as she tried to speak. "I...I just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying spending all of this time with you." She blushed a little deeper. "You're a lot of fun to be with...I really appreciate you helping me study, but that's not just it. I think we're a lot more alike...I mean, we've always been friends...but..." Ami had turned absolutely crimson at this point. "It's okay." Minako smiled at her. By now she knew that Ami could be horribly awkward when it came to expressing her feelings. For some reason, Minako was thrilled that Ami was obviously thinking along the same lines she was. And even though she was just as confused as her friend, she wanted to reassure her. "I feel the same way." Ami smiled back gratefully and nodded, her blush fading somewhat. "I hope the others don't think we're avoiding them." Ami chuckled. "We sure haven't been spending much time with anyone else lately." Minako leaned back and rather dramatically waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they're fine...they must be awfully lonely without us, but they know we're here if they need us." Ami nodded. "That's true...it's nice having friends like that, isn't it? Sometimes I still can't believe I have friends who count on me...and I know I can count on them, too." She sighed happily. "I still get lonely sometimes, but like you said, we're all here for each other." "We all get lonely sometimes, Ami-chan." Minako said, shrugging. "It's just part of life." She smiled. "Being lonely is what makes the time we spend with people we love valuable. We think our own thoughts, we have our own feelings, and that sometimes sets us apart from all of the others. But as long as there are people we care about, and who care about us, we can bear the loneliness. As long as there's someone who loves you, no matter how alone you are, you know they're waiting for you." There was a long pause after Minako spoke, and after a moment she looked up to see Ami staring at her. She tilted her head. "Are you okay?" She said, suddenly worried she had said something wrong. Ami blinked and shook her head emphatically. "I'm fine, really!" She smiled, the genuine smile that Minako had come to treasure every time it appeared...it seemed to light up the blue- haired girl's entire face somehow. "I was just...surprised, I guess. That was very poetic...I liked it very much." She leaned forward, resting her cheek in her hand. Minako blushed softly and smiled. "It was nothing." "No...it was something." Ami disagreed. "Thank you for sharing it with me." "You're welcome." Minako looked at Ami, her face splitting into such a wide grin that it was in danger of making her face hurt. -Why am I feeling like this?- She wondered, a fluttery feeling making her stomach do somersaults somewhere inside her. ------------------ "But the theater's down *this* street!" Chibi-Usa complained, tugging on Usagi's sleeve. Usagi stopped and turned, glaring at the little girl. "Naru-chan and I have been talking about seeing this movie all week and it would be really mean for me to see it without her. It will only take a few minutes to pick her up and then we can go, okay?" She said, not *quite* shouting. "But I don't *want* to wait." The pink-haired girl glared back. She blinked and looked a little surprised as Hotaru placed her hand on her shoulder. "Chibi-Usa..." She said in a soft reprimand. "Usagi-san is right, it wouldn't be nice to leave her friend behind." She smiled. "We can wait a little while, right?" Chibi-Usa looked down and grumbled for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah, we can." She smiled back at her friend. They began walking down the street again, Usagi in front and the two younger girls hand-in-hand behind her. Usagi hummed lightly as she walked. Makoto had been right, Hotaru *did* have good taste. The movie the girls wanted to see was a romance that had been getting incredible reviews ever since it premiered. She would have liked to see it with Mamoru, of course, but he could generally only be dragged to so many of those in a short time period, and she'd already burned out her quota. She looked back at Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, then smilied gleefully to herself. Her future daughter could be a pill sometimes, but the two of them were just so *cute* together. She absolutely could not stay irritated with Chibi-Usa when Hotaru was around. They arrived at Osa-P Jewelry and spotted Naru behind the counter, helping her mother place some new items in the display case. She looked up and waved. "Usagi-chan!" "Naru-chan! We're going to go see that movie! Can you come?" Naru smiled broadly. "Sure! Let me just finish here and..." Her eyes widened suddenly and Usagi heard Hotaru and Chibi-Usa gasp behind her. Acting on instinct, she spun around and shoved both of the children to the ground just as something large and black crashed through the display window, showering the interior of the store with glass and jewelry. Usagi looked up and behind her. A black pyramid, about five feet tall, was sitting in the center of the store. Naru and her mother were holding each other, crouched behind the counter but safe for the moment. The handful of customers were hiding in the corners or had already fled. "Too easy." A scratchy female voice said from above her. Usagi looked up. A heavily muscled daeva stood in the display window. She was neon green in color and her hair, a deeper green, streaked out behind her like grass. What looked like orange flower petals covered her body in strategic areas. "Far too easy Paraxis." Said another voice in a high pitched whistle. This daeva was much smaller than the other, probably only four feet tall. It seemed strangely boneless in it movements as it swung through the window and landed on the other's shoulder. It was slender and covered in scales, with a long sinewy tail sweeping the air behind it. It smiled, revealing a mouthful of fangs and a long tongue that swept out to test the air. "This won't be any fun at all." Paraxis hopped into the store and looked around. "If Master Gluon wanted us both to come, I'm not going to argue." She hissed. Usagi whispered down to the girls who were still laying beneath her. "We need to go, now." "We would have been gone already if your fat wasn't crushing us." Chibi- Usa said impudently. Usagi knocked on her skull lightly with one knuckle. "That's how you thank me for saving you?" Usagi slid off and the three of them made a dash for the door. "Not so fast!" The lizard-like one squeaked, leaping off Paraxis' shoulder and sticking to the glass of the door just as Usagi reached out for it. All three girls screamed and jumped back. It grinned at them, a long tongue darting out to lick it's scaled mouth. "Want to play?" "No!" Usagi shouted, grabbing it by the tail and spinning around a few times before letting go, sending it sprawling into a display case. The three girls dashed out of the store as Paraxis began laughing at her companion. "Was she too much for you Tuaton?" She grinned. Tuaton sprang to it's feet, enraged. "I'll skin her for that!" "Not so fast!" Both daeva turned to the window and the three figures framed there. "The good people who run this store get picked on way too much! I won't let the two of you do it anymore! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" Naru and her mother took advantage of the distraction and ran upstairs. Sailor Moon smiled as she saw them head to safety. "Get them!" Paraxis grated. "I'll get the device into position." She began pushing the pyramid across the floor. The more she moved it, the heavier it seemed to get. Tuaton dashed forward towards Sailor Moon, who ducked out of the way at the last moment. The small daeva was caught right in the chest by the pole of Sailor Saturn's Silence Glaive, sending it sailing across the room. Tuaton effortlessly bounded off the opposite wall with it's hind legs and sailed back towards Sailor Moon, who screamed and made a surprisingly accurate leap out of the way. She began running in a circle around the room, the scaled daeva scuttling close behind. Paraxis had set her back against the pyramid and was striving with all her might to move it the last few inches into its proper place. "Hold it!" A small voice piped up from just in front of her. She looked down to find Sailor Chibi-Moon standing there, hands on her hips. "I don't know what you're doing, but I won't let you!" "PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" The tiny pink hearts streaked out of Chibi-Moon's wand, hitting Paraxis in the face and making her wince at the sting. It took her a few moments to collect herself, but when she did, she glared at the tiny Senshi, holding out her hand as her fingers twisted and grew into long vines that held the child fast, sending her wand skittering across the floor. "Enough!" She shouted. The vines began to tighten. "You little nuisance, I'll..." The razor edge of the Silence Glaive cut through the vines, letting Sailor Chibi-Moon drop heavily to the floor, gasping for breath. Sailor Saturn glared up at the tall daeva, her Glaive held ready. "You'll leave her alone." She said flatly. Paraxis snarled, her fingers twining together to form a three-foot spike. The Glaive swung down, almost too quickly to see and cut deeply into the daeva's weapon. The wound, however, closed in an instant, and Paraxis smiled grimly at the Senshi of Silence. They began trading blows at lightning speed, great gashes appearing in the floor where their weapons missed the mark. Tuaton had cornered Sailor Moon and was holding onto a light fixture with all four limbs, its tail was stabbing out again and again, leaving a hole in the wall each time it struck at where the Senshi had been an instant before. The last time was too close and Sailor Moon felt blood trickling down her cheek. -This isn't looking good.- She thought worriedly. ------------------ Sailor Venus was once again running just a step ahead of Sailor Mercury, responding to Sailor Moon's distress call from Osa-P Jewelry. This time, the two of them were just a few streets away and they were moving fast. However, a small obstacle appeared as they turned down a small side street that would lead right to the jewelry store. A police officer stood at the entrance of the street, his arms held out straight to stop them. "Hold it! Nobody's allowed down here...there's an emergency." Venus saw red and summarily fired a crescent beam right between the officer's legs. "Who the hell do you think *you're* talking to?!" The hapless police officer turned and ran. Venus headed after him, shaking a fist in the air. "Hey, cop! Get back here, I'm not finished with you yet! You stupid cop, I'm gonna..." "Venus!" Sailor Mercury's voice made Venus skid to a halt. She turned back around, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry about that." Mercury tried to look angry for a moment, then gave it up and chuckled. "Well, you *did* get him out of the way." The two started running again. They arrived at the store seconds later, leaping through the demolished window without hesitation. Sailor Chibi- Moon looked up in relief as she saw them. "Mercury! Venus!" "Eeep! Help!" Sailor Moon cried out, still dodging Tuaton's tail. "I'll take it." Mercury said, stepping forward. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" The freezing water lashed out across the store and struck the small lamp the daeva was hanging from. The lamp collapsed, encased in ice along with Tuaton's legs. It immediately skittered away on its arms behind some display cases. Sailor Moon waved at Mercury gratefully and nervously began searching through the cases. Saturn and her opponent were still trading blow after blow, neither able to gain an advantage over the other. Venus watched the fight avidly, waiting for an opportunity. Abruptly, the fight changed. Sailor Saturn overextended, just a fraction of an inch. But Paraxis was ready to take advantage. She ducked, her spike-arm flying up and hitting the Glaive's shaft, knocking Saturn's arms above her head. She lashed out with her other fist, punching her opponent solidly in the chest and sending her slim form skidding across the floor. Paraxis stepped over to where she lay gasping, murder in her eyes. Venus leveled her fingers at Paraxis, then jerked her hand back as Sailor Chibi-Moon ran out and blocked her shot, standing protectively in front of Saturn with arms outstretched. "You can't hurt her!" She yelled angrily. "Not yet, anyway." Paraxis hissed, raising her spike high in the air. As she slashed out, Sailor Moon dashed across the floor, tackling Chibi- Moon and pushing her to safety. A wide gash was torn in the back of her fuku as the spike whistled through the air where Sailor Moon's daughter had been an instant before, and Sailor Moon slumped into unconsciousness as she hit the floor, Chibi-Moon still cradled protectively in her arms. "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" The golden heart slammed right into the green daeva's chest, blasting her backwards right into the black pyramid. The force of the impact was enough to push it back a mere fraction of an inch, and immediately a high pitched whine filled the store. "What is that?" Venus blinked, noticing the strange object for the first time. "Scanning." Mercury said, her computer's visor appearing over her eyes. The air around the pyramid began to bend inwards and flashes of light began to climb up and down its sides. Mercury's eyes widened in fear. "Oh no..." "Good enough." Venus said. "CRESCENT BEAM!" The golden beam of energy hit the pyramid but dissipated without effect. Her eyes widened. "That's not good." Mercury was looking more and more frightened by the moment. "We need more power!" Venus looked around desperately. Sailor Moon was still out, Sailor Chibi-Moon frantically shaking her shoulder. Sailor Saturn had pulled herself into a sitting position, holding her forehead and shaking her head. "Saturn!" Venus yelled at the leader of the Outer Senshi. "That pyramid needs to go *now*!" Saturn looked up. Paraxis had gained her feet as well, and was standing in front of the pyramid in a threatening posture. Behind her, the black object's image bent and distorted frighteningly. Lightning radiated from the tip of the pyramid, seeming to pull the space around it inwards. Sailor Saturn nodded grimly and stood, leveling the blade of her glaive right at the pyramid. "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!" All the sound in the room seemed to drain away, replaced by an absolute silence that was almost painful in its completeness. A violet light exploded in the air directly above the pyramid, blinding everyone in the room. A violent concussion struck Sailor Venus and she was hurled against the side of the window in a soundless impact. She could feel a small shard of glass cut into her back and she cried out, but nothing penetrated the absolute quiet. Abruptly, there was a sound. A sharp, metallic cleaving sound. The ambient noise returned after that, and as the violet light faded, Venus could see Sailor Saturn on one knee, her Glaive held diagonally before her. With a crash, the top half of the pyramid landed just behind her. An instant later, both halves began to dissolve into black sand. Venus looked around. Mercury had been thrown just next to her and was sitting against the wall, eyes closed and head back. Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon had been tossed against the wall to her left, and were now blearily climbing to their feet. A sudden sound from the main counter made Venus' head snap around. Paraxis had been thrown directly into it, utterly demolishing the counter. The tall daeva was struggling to stand, numerous tears and gashes in her body healing in moments. Sailor Venus turned back to Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon!" "Right!" Sailor Moon twirled her scepter in her fingers expertly. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" Paraxis barely had time to look surprised as the attack struck her, making her shriek in pain. As Spinne had before, the daeva fell into herself in a ball of black lightning, and then she was gone. The Sailor Senshi helped each other out of the store and down an alley. After transforming back, they looked themselves over. All things considered, they got away fairly lightly, just numerous cuts and bruises. Usagi was the worst off, but the long slice over her back wasn't deep and soon stopped bleeding. "What was that black pyramid?" Minako asked Ami. The blue-haired Senshi shook her head. "I'll need to look at the data again. But it was bad...it was tearing the space around it to pieces, and getting stronger by the moment. In another couple of seconds, I doubt that even Hotaru could have destroyed it without taking out the building as well." She smiled over at the young Senshi. "You did very well, Hotaru." The dark-haired girl smiled lightly and nodded. "Thank you." Chibi-Usa smiled as well and hugged her tightly. Hotaru slid an arm around the pink-haired girl's waist and leaned her head against hers. Minako managed to choke back the 'awwww' she felt building within her. Looking around, she noticed both Ami and Usagi smiling fondly at the two girls. Hotaru blinked and looked around. "What happened to that lizard creature?" She asked. Minako had completely forgotten about the other daeva in the attack, and from the looks of things, so had everyone else. "Maybe we should go back and try to find it?" She suggested. Ami was shaking her head. "I don't think that will be necessary...it seemed pretty weak on its own, and since we ruined their plan, it will probably run back to wherever it came from. Assuming it managed to survive Sailor Saturn's attack, that is." Everyone looked reassured by Ami's judgement. Usagi reached around to touch her back and winced. "Usagi-chan, leave it alone or it will start bleeding again." Ami chided. "You should really put a bandage on it, too." "I know..." Usagi turned to look back down the alley. There were police everywhere, along with a couple of ambulances. "I guess I could go get help back there. And I want to see how Naru-chan and her mother are." She smiled. "Could I ask you a favor?" "Sure, Usagi-chan." Minako smiled back. "We were going to go see a movie before all this happened...could you two take Hotaru-chan and Chibi-Usa? They're too young to get in on their own, and you're alright to go now, and it will probably be forever before I can leave if I head over there now." She made a face. "No reason to spoil everyone else's fun." "Alright..." Ami said softly. "But are you sure you don't want a little company?" Usagi shook her head. "No, I'll be okay." She stuck her tongue out at Chibi-Usa. "Enjoy the movie, brat." Chibi-Usa smiled. "Thanks, baka." She snuggled in a little closer to Hotaru. Minako walked over and gave Usagi a very tender hug, trying to watch out for the wound on her back. "You're a good friend, Usagi-chan." She said softly. Usagi just blushed shyly and nodded before walking off down the street, still reaching back under her shirt and wincing as she did so. Ami shook her head. "I hope she gets bandaged before she needs stitches." Minako giggled softly. ------------------ Minako was a little surprised at the movie they were getting Hotaru and Chibi-Usa into. It was a love story that Minako herself had been longing to see, but she knew that it had some scenes that were *very* racy indeed. Still, Hotaru was very mature, as was Chibi-Usa (when she wanted to be) and Minako reasoned that they could handle it, particularly since this was probably more or less a date for the two of them. Ami took the girls into the theater while Minako went on snack duty. When she entered the darkened theater, the previews had just started. Ami had given the younger senshi a little privacy by sitting in the row behind them. The two of them were holding hands and whispering to each other as Minako passed them. "Hotaru-chan, Chibi-Usa..." She whispered loud enough for Ami to hear as she handed them a drink and some popcorn. "You two can do what you want, and Minako-chan and I won't tell, but you have to promise to watch a *little* of the movie, okay?" She grinned and winked as the two girls turned beet red and developed a sudden interest in their laps. Ami was laughing soundlessly as Minako sat next to her. "Oh, you embarrassed them!" She whispered. Minako giggled as well. "I know...I couldn't help myself. It's so easy, and they're so cute!" The movie was starting, and Chibi-Usa was leaning against Hotaru, the other girl's arm draped lightly over her shoulders. Ami smiled. "They really *are* cute together, aren't they?" She whispered. Minako nodded, smiling as well. Then there was quiet as the movie started. It was fantastic, but the better it got, the more Minako felt her gaze being drawn to Ami. At every emotional scene, she glanced over at her friend, needing to see the expression on her face. The shy girl tended not to wear her emotions for everyone to see, but Minako could read the small changes, and they delighted her. During one particularly tender scene, Minako looked over and saw Ami smiling at the screen with an almost unbearably sweet look in her eyes. Minako suddenly felt as if she were about to melt, and without even thinking she reached out and placed her hand over Ami's. The other girl looked over at her in surprise, then smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. Minako's breath caught in her throat and her toes curled with glee. At that point she suddenly felt as if someone had doused her with cold water. She took her hand back with such force than Ami glanced over at her again. Minako forced a smile and mouthed the word "Bathroom." Ami nodded and turned back to the screen as Minako stood and ran off to the restroom. Minako was glad the restroom was empty when she entered. She went to the sink and doused her face with cold water before looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed...in fact, she was blushing as deeply as Chibi-Usa and Hotaru after she had teased them. "What's going on?" She whispered, rubbing her forehead. "I mean...that couldn't have been...it wasn't!" She shook her head, forbidding herself from letting that become a coherent thought. "No." She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. "Of course not! I'm just all keyed up after the fight and the movie is playing with my emotions....that's all." She straightened her hair and checked herself in the mirror again. She was glad to see the flush fading from her cheeks. "There, see? Silly girl, Minako." She stuck her tongue out at her own reflection and left the restroom, trying to ignore the stormy emotions she had just forced down, as well as the deep warmth her hand still seemed to possess where Ami had touched it. She returned to the theater and took her seat, this time gluing her eyes to the screen and resolutely denying every impulse to look over at her blue-haired friend. Try as she might though, she couldn't concentrate on the movie at all...her mind kept returning to the girl next to her. She felt exhilarated and terrified, but she couldn't allow herself to consider the cause. She just couldn't. ------------------ Tuaton scrabbled up the side of a building a few doors down from Osa-P Jewelry. It was difficult going, as the short daeva's legs were still mostly numb and useless from Sailor Mercury's attack. It didn't really know where it was going...it just had to get away. It had managed to escape just before Sailor Saturn had destroyed the device, sneaking up the stairs while everyone was distracted with Paraxis and leaping out a window. It managed to grab onto the building's roof ledge with it's scaled hands and was starting to pull itself up when a silver tendril darted from above and caught the reptilian creature around the neck, yanking it upwards and throwing it down onto the roof. It gasped and reflexively tried to scurry away, but several other tentacles joined the first, binding its arms and legs and squeezing most painfully. Looking up, Tuaton saw Gylax, her hand pointed at it and her fingers stretched into the tendrils that held it fast. Standing next to her in a casual pose, his arms crossed over his chest, was Gluon. "Tuaton..." Gluon smiled. "How nice to see you safe. How did it go?" "I...we..." Tuaton tried to answer, but the silver finger around its neck tightened and cut off its air. It twisted and struggled, gasping. "The device was destroyed, Tuaton." Gluon said, stepping forward and kneeling next to the hapless daeva. "That disappoints me, it disappoints me to no end." He looked around, tucking a stray lock of his green hair behind his ear. "So tell me...where is Paraxis?" Tuaton tried to speak, but no sound emerged from its strangled throat. Gluon nodded at Gylax, and the tension lessened somewhat, allowing Tuaton to breathe again. "I...I think...she was....destroyed...Master..." It managed to whisper harshly. The look on Gluon's sharp face was enough to make it stop breathing again. "Let me explain something to you, Tuaton." Gluon said in a very quiet tone. "I fully expected only one of you to return. But I expected that the device would be in place, and that the one to return would be Paraxis. She was one of my most powerful daevas...you were there to cover her until the device could be activated. You were expendable." Gluon stood again. "But...you turned tail and ran before the battle was over, didn't you? You failed at the simple task I assigned you. And you had the bad manners to survive your failure." He shook his head down at the lizard-like daeva. "I'm afraid you will have to be punished." He nodded at Gylax once again, and she retracted her fingers. Tuaton immediately tried to run, but found its limbs attached to the roof. Looking down with horror, it realized it couldn't see where the roof began and its hands ended. It felt itself being pushed down towards the roof, bonding with it wherever its scaled body touched it. When it was lying completely prone, it felt the pressure on its body increase dramatically, agonizingly. "Please!" It frantically hissed. "Please forgive me Master Gluon! I will never disobey you again! I swear!" Gluon smiled down at it, his open palm turned to Tuaton as if in blessing. The pressure continued to build. "Oh Tuaton...why didn't you say so? I'll be happy to forgive you." The pressure became unbearable, and the reptilian daeva screamed in a high- pitched whine. Gluon closed his hand into a fist, and with a sickeningly wet crack, the screams ended. "You are forgiven." Gluon turned his back on his servant's shattered remains to look at Gylax. The fluid daeva looked back with trepidation. "My Master?" "This was a massive failure." Gluon said, both fists clenched. "I don't know how they managed to arrive at the attack in time, let alone how they managed to kill Paraxis and destroy the pyramid." "Perhaps they have a means of scrying that Tachyon cannot prevent?" Gylax offered diffidently. Gluon glared at her, and she quailed. "I have to go." He finally said. "Lady Meson will summon me about this failure soon, and I need to be ready." He rose into the air. "And one more thing, Gylax." He said quietly. "You chose the daeva for this mission, and you chose poorly. Do not do so again." "Y-yes my lord..." Gylax said, a quaver in her strange voice. Gluon vanished, leaving her alone on the rooftop. ------------------ Back in Gluon's headquarters, Muon was once again looking into his orb. The walls throughout the area he had claimed for his own had been removed, and the wide space was littered with arcane looking equipment and tall shelved filled with books and scrolls. Strange sounds of electricity and machinery hummed at the edge of hearing and sickly multicolored light filled the air. Muon was watching the latest battle. Arrayed around the orb were ten small pillars. Seven of them were illuminated, and in each of these, an image of a Sailor Senshi flickered. Sailor Moon, Chibi-Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn could be seen, constantly repeating their actions in the battles they had been in. Currently on the orb was Sailor Saturn's attack. With a wave of his hand, he filtered out the violet glare, able to see the small Senshi flying at the pyramid, her Glaive barely slowing down as it cut the device in two, destroying it in a massive but silent flare of negative energy. "Such power." He murmured, a faint light appearing in his eyes. "Interesting." ------------------ Minako sat in her room and sighed, looking up out of her window. Her mother was gone when she arrived, out to some social function or another. Minako no longer kept track. Artemis jumped lightly up onto the sill and looked at her. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Yes..." She smiled faintly. "I'm fine Artemis." She looked down at her companion. "Did you and Luna figure anything out?" Artemis sighed and hung his head. "Nothing...and Setsuna and Rei both reported that they have nothing about today's attack either. We still have no clues." "Hmmm." Minako said distractedly, staring up at the night sky. She had walked Ami to her apartment building after the younger girls had headed home. Minako was surprised at how comfortable she was with her friend, even after the shock in the theater. -Well, you *did* decide it wasn't...that...right?- She reminded herself. Yes...she did. It couldn't be that...it just couldn't. She jumped a little as she realized Artemis was still trying to talk to her. "I'm sorry, what?" Artemis sighed. "I just said that we're going to meet with all the other Senshi at Rei's place tomorrow. Maybe we can figure something out by then." Minako nodded. "Sure, sounds good." She stood and turned to her bed. "Artemis...I'm still pretty tired from the fight. I think I'm going to sleep." "...Okay Minako." Artemis replied. "You're sure you're alright?" -NO!- Her mind shouted angrily, but Minako just nodded and made a small sound of assent. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes, but sleep was a long, long time coming. These last few nights, the thought of Ami was a comfort to her as she drifted off, and made her smile. But now...now it frightened her. Badly. -Why?- Her mind demanded. -What am I so afraid of?- But as much as her mind asked, her heart refused to answer.
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