Tuxedo Kamen leapt from building to building, her black, form fitting tux clinging to her body as she raced to the emergency. 'I'm still not used to this,' Erica Tenoh thought, a bit of her black hair falling in front of the simple white mask she wore. The emergency call had mentioned some Isolationist terrorists, but other than that she didn't know much about the situation. Dropping down onto a nearby lamp post Tuxedo Kamen saw the police surrounding the battle, blinking in surprise as she saw the Senshi who battled the armored troopers. Dressed in a black sailor fuku with red decorations she used a sword with surgical precision, her long blue hair blowing around her face. 'Who..!' Erica thought then shook herself. It didn't matter, all that did was that she was fighting against the armor suited terrorists and protecting the hostages they had tried to take. Thankfully the criminals couldn't get real military Hardsuits, but the commercially produced K-suits they were using were bad enough. Strength enhancement, durability, speed and some onboard weapons made them a threat, even without the heavy rifles they were carrying. Tuxedo Kamen tossed her first rose, shattering a visor and then leaping into the fray, cane ready. It looked like a simple black wooden cane but it was nearly unbreakable and could hit with incredible force. She batted a rifle aside with it then Erika grabbed the armor's helm, ripping the battle hardened alloy free. "You," the mystery senshi murmured in recognition then shook herself, cutting the weapon of her next opponent in half with her sword. Another tried to fire and she gestured, ice swirling to form a barrier that blocked the shot. "Back away," the last terrorist cried, holding his rifle to the head of a young woman, her tears glistening, "or I'll fire, I swear it!" "Don't you dare," Erica growled, hesitating as she considered what do. The other woman narrowed her eyes, the faintest glow of red around her then the armored figure cried out in alarm as his rifle burst into flames. Dropping it in shock he turned to try and run but she was already on the move, smoothly cutting his legs out from under him with a single swipe of her sword. 'Oh my god,' Erica thought as she realized who the woman in black had to be. Even as the police raced forward to finish the job Tuxedo Kamen grabbed her, throwing them both into the air as they bounded away. "What do you think you're doing?" the senshi cried as she struggled in Erica's arms. They dropped onto a rooftop not too far away from the battle as Erica answered, "You don't want other people around when you change back to normal do you, Ran?" She stiffened then relaxed, smiling wryly. "I knew I shouldn't have used my other powers," Ran Mizuno said as her costume disappeared, revealing street clothes. Erica's black tux faded, her own tunic and simple pants revealed beneath. She grinned, "And how long has this been going on?" Ran walked over to the roof door, relieved to see it was unlocked. "A few years," she pulled the door open and they both headed down stairs, "I started changing shortly before I left home." "That fits," Erica noted, her own age matching Ran's at the time. The hallway on the top floor was deserted, thankfully, and the two headed for the elevator. "Don't tell my parents about this," Ran said as she hit the call button. "Why," Erica looked at her in surprise, "I'd think they'd be glad you inherited?" "Precisely," Ran replied as the doors opened on the older style lift. Erica rolled her eyes, following her friend into the lift. "Isn't that just a bit petty, hiding this information from them?" she asked. "Yup," Ran seemed unbothered by that, hitting the down button. They descended with a thump and she continued, "I'm just as happy occasionally fighting against the forces of evil on my own, and I certainly don't want to belong to a group with my mothers in it." Erica thought about arguing with Ran about it as they came to a stop and the doors open but decided to save it for later. "Then how about a group with me in it?" she asked, leading the way into the lobby. Ran looked at her questioningly and Erica continued, "I'm still new at this and I wouldn't mind having someone to watch my back." Ran looked at her thoughtfully a moment then nodded, flashing a smile. "I'd like that," she agreed, "for as long as I'm on Earth, anyway." "Good," Erica frowned suddenly, "now we just have to hope that Minako doesn't hear about the fight today or she'll grill me relentlessly." "She's heard about me?" Ran blinked, leading the way down the street. "She hears about everything," Erica sighed, "she's good at that." She looked over at Ran curiously as they walked, "What do you call yourself, anyway?" Keeping her voice down so that no passerby could hear Ran shrugged uncomfortably, "Sailor Ares, actually." Erica nodded to herself thoughtfully, "I guess that fits, you being the daughter of Mars and using that sword." "Hmm," Ran agreed. Erica noted where they were and brightened, "Do you want to grab some lunch at the Locket? I heard that Princess Sasami is back cooking for them." Ran firmly shook her head, "No thanks, too many women tend to hit on me in there." She smiled wryly at the amused look on Erica's face, "Yes I'm interested in guys, no matter how rare it might be in this city." Erica laughed before dropping her voice, trying to sound sinister, "We will convert you..." Then she switched to a normal tone as she asked, "Seeing anyone?" "Not lately," Ran shrugged, her gesture taking in the scars that still appeared on her neck and below. She smiled, "Though I understand you are." Erica actually blushed cutely. "Catrine is a friend of mine," she said with as much dignity as she could muster, "that's all." Ran snorted, "I'm sure." She looked over at Erica and said, "I know how someone looks when they're interested and I'm pretty sure Catrine is interested in you." The blush that colored Erica's cheeks looked positively adorable. "I thought you said you were straight," she murmured. "Straight or gay," Ran calmly replied, "desire looks much the same." Erica's blush deepened, if that was possible. "Look, there's a cafe," she tried to change the subject, "do you want to grab some lunch?" "You aren't dodging things that easy," Ran said with a chuckle as they went over to the sidewalk cafe together. The young woman rushed over to greet them, her green hair flowing over her shoulders. "Welcome," she smiled, "my name is Alpha, what can I get you?" "Two coffees to start with," Erica smiled as she and Ran took their seats, "we'll probably order something to eat later." "Right," Alpha took their preferences for their coffee and readied two cups, setting them down delicately. "Call when you're ready to order more," she bowed then headed up to the cafe's main counter. Ran took a slow drink of her coffee, savoring the taste. "So you and Catrine haven't..." Ran trailed off suggestively. "No, we haven't," Erica said firmly, "I'm not even sure if she's interested that way." "Oh?" Ran raised an eyebrow. "Catrine is a big fan of the Senshi," Erica pointed out, "it could just be hero worship." "She didn't react to me the same way she does to you," Ran pointed out, "she hung on your every word, literally." "Really?" Erica blinked. Ran shook her head, "You really need to learn to pay more attention, you know." Erica sat up, "Hey!" "Even the last time I was home," Ran said with a little frown, "I noticed the mob of girl's who were panting after you." Erica's face was blank with confusion, "What mob?" Ran sighed, "I rest my case." To be continued... Notes: Sailor Ares is actually an older idea I had that I've resurrected for this fic. The character Alpha is from the anime and manga series Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, who has also turned up in my Arisugawa's Locket fic.
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