Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Gaijin ❯ Chapter 16

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Gaijin

Part 16

The love of a lesbian...

++++++++++++++++

Michiru Kaiou was having a good day. The sun was shining, the air
was clear, and she had a recital that evening in front of a sold out
crowd. It was only a small theater downtown, but it was still a
thrill. She looked out her window at the rising sun and smiled in
contentment. Life was good.

+++++++++++++++++

Carrot was miserable. His head hurt, his joints ached, and two
loudly snoring roommates had kept him up most of the night. His eyes
were bleary and distant as he glared hatefully at the sunbeam that
roused him from his slumber. Life sucked.

Gia smiled at him, she was dressed in a button up shirt and a pair
of panties. The shirt was long enough to cover her completely, but it
was still quite a sight to behold for someone as young as Carrot. He
paused and stared at her for a moment.

"What?" she said as she blinked at him and sipped at the mug of
coffee in her grip calmly.

"Is that Spike's shirt?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought I recognized that blood stain," said Carrot as he
pointed to the collar. "This is the one he was wearing that day we
went out and the guy had a baseball bat on him."

"God you're hopeless," grumbled Gia as she frowned at him for a
moment. She had almost been hoping that he'd noticed her for a moment
there.

"Eh?" muttered the boy in confusion. He quickly dismissed it and
turned towards the kitchen. With a shuffling walk he staggered into
the room to grab a cup of coffee for himself.

++++++++++++++++++++

Far away...

The storm had slowed its progress over the ocean. It growled
angrily as it surveyed the city below it. "Where am I?" growled the
thing as it narrowed it's eyes and descended towards the earth. The
sky was still dark wherever it was, and it was obvious morning would
soon arrive.

It came down on a deserted street. The lights in the homes were
out and there was a slight chill in the autumn air. It knew it was
still too far north for it to be Japan yet. The only question was how
far it had been blown off course. It growled in frustration as it
walked up to one of the cars that were parked in a driveway. It's
claws worked as it held back a scream of rage. "California? I'm in
America?"

It turned back towards the floating wings and snorted. It didn't
really matter; his target would be there when he arrived in Japan. He
at least knew where he was now. He paused before jumping and cocked
his head at something that caught his eye. Jumping onto the wings he
floated towards it.

It was a glowing object that was sitting in the window of one of
the homes. A great orange pumpkin with a sinister looking grin leering
back at him. He chuckled as he stared into the dead eyes and simply
watched the flame inside for a moment. "Interesting." He cocked his
head as a sound came from inside the home.

+++++++++++++++++

"Mom, Dad, there's a goblin outside my window." Five year old
Justin frowned at his parents as they lay silently and ignored him. He
thought they were sleeping, but in fact it was a vain hope that the
boy would give up and go back to bed.

"Go back to sleep Justin," muttered his mother.

"But he's outside my window," insisted the little boy.

"So tell him to go away," grumbled his father.

"But he's a goblin!" whimpered the boy.

"So tell him I said go away, or else," said his father as the boy
pulled open his eyelid. "Go to bed. There's no such thing as goblins."

Justin shrugged and walked out of his parent's room.

He paused as he walked back into his room and stared at the
window. The thing was still there, staring at his Jack-o-lantern. The
boy cocked his head and thought about it for a half second before
walking over to open his window.

The thing blinked in surprise and stared at him.

"My dad says you're not real," said the boy to the thing calmly.

The monster peered at him, not quite sure what to say or do.

"He says that you should go away too, or else," said the boy. "He
says, I shouldn't be scared of monsters cause I'm a big boy now, and
that monsters aren't real, and they don't live in your closet or under
the bed."

The thing grinned at the child. "Oh, he did, did he?"

The little boy nodded.

The monster patted him on the head and smiled almost gently. "Go
back to bed."

"Okay." Justin wandered back into his sheets and rolled onto his
side.

+++++++++++++++++++

"Is he sleeping now?" muttered the woman as she rolled over and
put her arm across her husband's side.

"God I hope so," muttered the man sleepily. "We're gonna have to
have a talk with him in the morning about this again."

"I told you not to let him have that stupid pumpkin in his window.
He's not old enough."

"Maybe you're right," muttered the man.

A loud crack sounded outside that was quickly followed by a low
rumble. Both adults jumped in surprise at the sudden sound.

"A thunder storm?" muttered the man as he saw the light flash
again outside.

"It's raining?" muttered his wife.

There was another flash outside of the window, and the man froze.
A dark silhouette could be seen for the briefest of seconds just
outside the window. It appeared to have something under its arm.

"What the?" muttered the man dumbly.

"Go back to sleep," muttered his wife.

"I think I saw something outside," muttered the man nervously as
he got to his feet.

"Don't you start now too, this isn't funny," muttered the woman as
she put a pillow over her head.

"Diana, there's someone outside," said the man's voice quietly.

"What?" said the woman as she sat up. "Call the..." Her voice
trailed off at what she saw.

A shadowy figure could be seen through the curtain. Lightning
flashed outside once again as the figure held a glowing orange object
under its arm. It was a ghoulish face that flickered with the candle
light from inside the gourd. The thing also looked like it was
standing on air, floating just outside the second story window.

The man stepped back and a ripping sound filled the room. The wall
groaned as it was ripped open by an unseen force. Finally, the wall
blasted inward and showered the room with glass and plaster.

The woman screamed in terror as her husband was thrown back onto
the floor by the force of the blast. His eyes were wide in terror and
he simply lay shaking on the floor at what floated over him inside his
room now.

It was a hideous monster, green skin with long claws and sharp
teeth. Its ears were pointed and its eyes seemed to glow with an eerie
yellow. In its hand was the Jack-o-lantern from his son's window. "So,
you've been telling your son I'm not real have you?" The thing leered
at him and he sputtered on the floor, not even capable of speaking at
the moment.

"Heh. I've been living in your closet for years now. Don't you
remember me little boy?" It gave him a toothy grin and reared back its
arm. The lantern was held high over its head now and it narrowed its
eyes. "See that you don't forget!"

The last thing the man remembered after hearing his wife scream in
the background as the gourd slammed into his face and knocked him out
cold, was the terrible laughter the thing made when it flew away into
the moonlight.

++++++++++++++++++

Carrot was standing in front of the tower that contained Hisami's
office and most of his legitimate businesses. He was wearing a plain
white shirt and black slacks with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes
as he watched the tower. He casually blew a bubble with the gum in his
mouth and listened to the music from the headphones that rested in his
ears. A small tape player hung off his belt as he casually walked
through the street and continued to watch people walk in and out of
the building. It was far too early for him to attempt entering, but he
was planning his next move inside his head carefully.

The interior of the building was only a little familiar too him.
He'd only been inside once, and was mostly trying to find his way to
the top at the time. Kajura had not yet delivered the plans for the
building, but they were expected that evening sometime.

He sighed and turned away, he didn't think he'd learn anything
more than he had that day.

+++++++++++++++++

Mei Lin smiled cheerfully as she followed behind Yamada. She was
lugging several large cases of camera and recording equipment with
her. "This is heavy."

"Well, you're on the bottom of the food chain kid, get used to
it," growled the man irritably. He had actually shaved since she'd
last seen him, and his tie and collar were both neat. He looked much
more professional early in the day. She decided that there wasn't
anything she could really do about her problem and suffered through
it. It was heavy, but not too much for her to not bear it.

After riding in the elevator for a minute or two the pair found
themselves in a parking garage on the lowest level of the building.
The girl blinked at this and glanced around. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yeah, you get to have some field experience," replied Yamada
crossly. He was just as irritated as ever to have her around. It
showed in his attitude. The man walked over to a large van with a lot
of electronic equipment jutting from the roof. It also had several
markings on the side announcing that the Tokyo Sun owned it. "Toss
that stuff in the back and get in. Don't take all damn day."

Mei Lin sighed and nodded her head as she immediately did so.

++++++++++++++++++

Gia frowned uncomfortably as she watched her television. The cat
was sitting on the table next to her, watching it with a sort of vapid
expression on her face. "No! Don't do it Akane! Yoshi is a back
stabbing bastard!" cried the animal as the characters on the screen
started to kiss.

"Yoshi's not that bad," grumbled the woman. "I mean, sure he's a
jerk, but he's a nice guy mostly."

"He kicked her cat last week! The bastard! He doesn't deserve
her!" snapped Luna irritably. "What kind of man does something so
awful!?"

Gia rolled her eyes. "Look..."

"She'd be better off with Izumi!"

"Well, I can't argue with that, but Izumi is seeing that doctor,
Kashihara."

"She doesn't deserve him either!"

"Why? Did she forget to fill up the milk bowl?" grumbled Gia.

"No! She's going behind his back and sleeping with Koshi!"
muttered Luna.

"Really?" said Gia as she stared at the TV. "When did this
happen?"

"Last week, before we got the TV for the office. I watched it at
the electronics store down the street. I'm a cat, I can hear through
the glass even if they've got it on low volume." Luna looked quite
pleased with herself.

"You little! You should have taken me with you!" snapped Gia.

"I didn't know I could talk yet," replied the animal with a shrug.

"Oh," said the woman as she sighed. "What else did I miss?"

+++++++++++++++++

Kajura frowned as he stood up from the computer at the station.
The disk was popped out and placed in his coat pocket as he glanced
around to see if anyone was watching him. With a rough snort he turned
away from the station and paused.

Saito was standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest
and a scowl on his face. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kajura cursed under his breath and turned his head away.
"Following a new lead. I'm not sure if it'll pan out or not."

"You didn't tell me about this," muttered the man as he looked
down at the computer.

"This guy is nervous, too many of us might make him run," replied
Kajura calmly. "He's got reason to be that way."

"That doesn't sound good," replied Saito calmly as he shoved the
man aside and sat down at the workstation.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," grumbled Kajura sourly.

"Knowing you, it's probably worse," said the younger man as he
booted up the PC. "You know, you have to clear the records after you
do something on these things. Otherwise..." He stopped talking as he
typed and smirked as the plans came up on the screen. His smug
expression vanished as he realized what he was looking at. "These are
the floor plans for the Hisami building."

Kajura only nodded.

"What the hell are you planning?" Saito poked around the plans
with his mouse and scowled even deeper. "Kajura..."

"I'm not going in there. Do you think I'm stupid?" replied the
older man as he put a cigarette between his lips.

"You just might be," muttered Saito calmly. "If the higher ups
find out about this..."

"They won't," replied Kajura calmly.

"Yeah, because I was lucky enough to run into you while you were
doing this," grumbled Saito irritably.

"I've got a reason for getting these, and I doubt if it'll be
traced back to me once I get what I want with them. No one would have
even thought of looking for a connection between me and these missing
plans."

The younger man nodded slowly. "I see. You've got someone else
going inside?"

"Someone with no connection with the department. It'll be an
anonymous tip when I get the information I need from him."

"You should have mentioned this," said Saito as he calmed a bit.

"I'm still not sure if it'll pan out." Kajura smirked and adjusted
the cigarette in his lips. "Even if it doesn't, it's worth the risk
for what I could get with it."

"I'm your partner. I need to be informed," said Saito calmly. "I
can't cover for you if I don't know what's going on." He started to
type on the keyboard and erase the information from the computer, and
any other information that would link his partner to it.

"I was planning on bringing you in on it if this worked out. This
could become an excellent source. Kid's got something against Hisami
himself. I'm not sure what though."

"That sounds sketchy to me. Watch your back."

"Not in this case, the kid has a hit out on him. He's survived for
several months; this is no smoke screen. I've seen it myself, this kid
is the real deal."

Saito frowned and nodded slowly. "Don't get too involved. We don't
want to be connected to this later, especially if what you say is
true."

Kajura merely nodded. "I'm gonna see him tonight. I'll get back
with you and let you know what happens in a few days. I'll need your
help if this works out."

Saito sighed as he turned back towards the screen and continued
his work, carefully deleting information from the workstation.

++++++++++++++++++

Michiru was nervous, she had butterflies in her stomach as she sat
in her place at the orchestra. The crowd was sitting to her right, and
the conductor had not yet arrived. She would have a solo tonight, a
very long one. "You can do this," she told herself as she closed her
eyes and breathed as she tuned her instrument.

++++++++++++++++++

Haruka growled as she sat in her place. Her girlfriend sat at her
side cheerfully. She was a cute kid, but not something she was taking
seriously. To everyone else in attendance she seemed to be the
handsome boyfriend in the couple. Her clothes were quite male, and she
found herself wondering why she was attending something like this. The
girl at her side answered the question and she rolled her eyes and
sighed.

"Is something wrong?" asked the blonde girl cheerfully. She was
wearing a long evening gown and had her hair put up. She was very
pretty, but in a rather vacuous way.

"I guess this just isn't my kind of thing," she replied somewhat
nervously. She felt like everyone was staring at her, even though she
knew it wasn't true.

She relaxed a little after a moment though. Her car was fixed now;
the damage done to it a few weeks before was now a distant memory. She
had a girl at her side and a long evening ahead of her. It wasn't so
bad really.

It got better as well. Her eyes fell onto the violinist sitting in
the front row of the orchestra. She let out a quiet gasp and her eyes
went wide as she stared at the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen
in her life. "Who?"

"Huh?" asked her date in confusion. "Oh, her. That's Michiru
Kaiou. She's supposed to be very good."

Haruka just nodded. "Michiru?" Everything around her seemed to
drown out suddenly. The lights went dim, in the theater, but the
lights on the music stands kept her from losing sight of her. "Wow."

The conductor stepped up from back stage, and the polite applause
began.

+++++++++++++++++

Usagi Tsukino sat upright at her desk. Her dazed glare vanishing
in a moment of clarity. "Something bad is about to happen." She
whispered this out loud and glanced around the room. Something surged
inside of her and then fell flat. A memory faded into her
consciousness.

"There's nothing you can do about it."

She hung her head as the bell rang signaling lunch. She gathered
her books and looked over to her group of friends for a moment before
rushing off. She didn't feel like being with them at the moment.

++++++++++++++++++++

Makoto blinked as the girl rushed out of the room suddenly. "Man,
she must be hungry."

"Where is she going?" wondered Ami out loud.

"Not sure, maybe we should go after her?" offered Makoto with a
small shrug.

"Sorry girls, but something's come up," said a voice from Ami's
watch.

"Artemis?" muttered Ami dumbly.

"You've got to go to downtown Tokyo, right now," said the cat's
voice calmly. "There's a situation."

The pair looked at each other and nodded firmly.

++++++++++++++++++++

Mao Lin walked through Tokyo with a smirk on her face. She was
dressed more casually now, blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her mace was a
wrapped bundle slung over her shoulder as she strolled through the
streets, towering over those around her easily.

Men and women alike stepped out of her path, dazed by her beauty,
or frightened of her height. Either way she didn't really care. She
was looking for her sister and didn't feel like speaking with the
locals anyway.

She paused suddenly and frowned as she turned her gaze towards the
east. "I sense... a disturbance?" Without a moment's thought, she
quickly changed her direction and moved towards the strange force.

++++++++++++++++++++

Carrot was sitting on top of a rooftop staring at the two towers
in the distance with a frown on his face. Going back inside was not
something he was looking forward too. He owed Kajura a favor though.
He sighed as he shifted his position on the rooftop and sighed. "Man,
this sucks."

His thoughts were cut off as something appeared between his legs
quite suddenly. The boy crossed his eyes and stared at the metal
object that was now poking through the roof of the building inches
from his crotch. "What the?"

It was a piece of a trombone. He stood up with a violent jerk and
staggered backwards. "Oh shit."

A low rumbling started in the building below him and he frowned.
The screams of those inside began to float up from behind the thick
insulation of the roof. "Damn! What the hell is going on here?"

A flute slammed through the roof and poked upwards at his feet, he
jumped back and found himself backed against a door. It was a
stairwell that led into the building. The rumbling started again and
he jumped forward and slammed his shoulder into the door. It crashed
inward and he tumbled down the stairwell. When he hit the bottom of
the first rung of stairs he fell on his rear and turned to look up at
the roof again. The door closed with a slamming sound.

The boy narrowed his eyes at that. He growled as he stood up and
dusted himself off. For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a
boot, and the bottom of a key like staff on the other side of the
door. He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not though.

"So. That's how it is?" He turned towards the stairs and his frown
deepened as he walked into what sounded like hell itself.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Haruka gasped as she stood up in her seat. Her date was screaming
uncontrollably along with most of the rest of the crowd. The doors to
the hall were all slammed shut by an invisible force and locked tight.
"Damn!"

One of the instruments, a cello, grew three times its normal size
in one of the orchestra member's grip. It shrieked angrily as its
strings came loose and began to flail about wildly.

The musicians scattered about wildly, running into the crowd and
away from the monster. Haruka growled as she realized that Michiru was
among them. The woman had a sort of icy calm about her though, much
like herself. "What the hell is that?"

Her mind flashed in a horrifying memory. The boy, and the thing
that had chased them through the streets of Tokyo a few weeks before.
"Oh shit!"

The creature began to grab the musical instruments with its
strings, using them like tentacles as it seemed to sprout dozens more
of the whip like appendages than it should have had. It began to toss
them into the air, impaling them in walls and the ceiling at various
places. It seemed to be showing off its strength more than anything
else. It didn't really aim them and no one was injured. Haruka's mind
worked as she tried to think of what she could do. Nothing came to
mind.

Michiru was standing in front of the crowd between the monster and
the people, she seemed to be shielding them with her body. Terror was
clear on her features as she backed away slowly.

The thing screeched again and lumbered forward. Michiru wasn't
fast enough and was pulled into the air by the thing's tentacles. She
screamed in horror as she was lifted off the ground easily. The wires
were cutting her clothes as they squeezed her body.

Haruka tensed herself to jump forward. Her strength was wavering
and she had already started to notice those around her falling to the
ground. She growled and pooled her power, focusing her will as best
she could. "No!"

The monster was sent jolting forward quite suddenly and Haruka
gasped at what she saw.

It was him. He was dressed better now, and had a pair of
sunglasses hiding his eyes as he stared at the monster with an iron
pole in his grip exactly like the one he had thrown at the beast.

"Hey ugly, quit playin with that little girl and pick on someone
your own size."

The creature growled and slowly turned to face the boy who was
standing on stage.

Carrot smirked and moved into a combat stance with the pole held
behind his back. "Come get some." His mind was of a completely
different tone. "Great move genius! Get the monster to notice you!
Real smart!"

The creature used a few of the strings like legs and burst forward
at a surprising speed. Carrot's body tingled from various points as
the rest shot forward towards him.

The boy jumped into the air with a yell and spun around as he
dodged the monster's strikes. He landed on the ground roughly and
blinked as he looked around him. Over his head were several tight
lines that were obviously stuck deep into the wall behind him. "Oh
man."

The creature jerked its tentacles back suddenly and parts of the
wall fell onto the ground. The boy rolled around the debris and
managed to escape, but the monster was ready too attack again. As soon
as he was on his feet he felt a sharp pain across his chest and was
thrown into the wall at the back of the stage. He hit hard and lost
most of his breath from the impact. It was hard enough to crack the
cement wall.

He wasn't out though, he staggered to his feet and growled as he
clutched his chest with his free arm. There was a long gash there now
that bled freely. His shirt was torn, but it wasn't a deep wound.
"Damn. Those things are like razor wire!" He stepped back cautiously
as the thing kept its attention on him. He grabbed the discarded pole
from the ground as he charged forward again.

The monster didn't hold its ground, it moved back as Carrot
readied his strike and shifted its prisoner forward in his path. The
boy's eyes went wide as he saw this and he cursed.

"No!" cried Haruka from the crowd. He couldn't hear her over the
slowly dying screams of the rest of the audience.

Carrot was committed to his strike, he shifted his weight as best
he could and hit higher than he had intended, striking the chords that
held the girl above the ground. Reaching out with his arm after the
completed strike, he grabbed her and pulled her down with him as he
landed from the jump. His face contorted as he realized that the
maneuver might have killed her. It definitely made her cuts deeper,
but she seemed alive, and was still conscious. She wasn't screaming
anymore though, probably because she was too weak.

As soon as he hit the ground, the Youma attacked again. He rolled
away and pulled the girl with him off the side of the stage as the
thing's tentacles cut chunks of the wooden floor away easily. He hit
the ground with the girl on top of him and grunted in pain. He found
himself inside the orchestra pit and shoved the girl off of him
roughly as he staggered to his feet. She was shaking badly, but it
didn't seem like she was any more than frightened at the moment.

"Stay here," he commanded her as he pulled his pole up and glared
at the thing above him.

She gave him a silent nod and stared with wide eyes. The boy
jumped up and back onto the stage once again. His face was a deep
frown as he readied the pole and prepared to strike again. "You're
goin down ugly."

+++++++++++++++++++

Haruka gasped as she watched the fight. She barely had enough
strength to stand at the moment and couldn't do anything to help. She
was caught between her personal anger, the odd feeling to protect
Michiru, and respect for the boy's actions so far.

That was when they arrived. Mini skirts and boots flashing their
identity to the world. The Senshi had arrived.

"Mars!" cried one of them as she pointed at the stage.

"I'm not blind Mercury," said the dark haired girl as she gave a
firm nod.

The blonde who had walked in last gasped at who she saw on the
stage. "It's him!"

"The monster first, then we'll deal with him," said Jupiter
coldly.

Rei flashed her an angry glare, but didn't argue.

+++++++++++++++++

Carrot hit the ground hard again, another gash cut deep into his
shirt to match the four others he'd gotten so far. The fight wasn't
going well and he was doing little more than keeping its attention on
himself. He narrowed his eyes at the thing and noticed something odd.
There was a very small crystal that was now glowing with power on top
of the monster's head. There was a face at the end of the handle he
hadn't noticed before. "So, there you are..." He growled and jumped
back away from it to get a bit more distance.

The creature lumbered forward, slashing wildly with its strings.
Carrot jumped up to avoid one of them and caught a rope. The thing
roared angrily at this and cut off the portion just below him. The boy
found himself hanging from a complicated tangle of ropes and sandbags
above the stage. He glanced down at the thing and smirked. "Can't get
up here can ya?"

The monster roared angrily and the wires touching the floor around
its base tensed suddenly.

"Aw man," muttered the boy lamely as the creature bounded up into
the air and latched onto several of the ropes with him.

The thing actually started to laugh as it took control of more and
more of the ropes. Carrot was jumping desperately through them, and he
was running out of room. Finally, he spun around so that he was
hanging upside down on one of them and smirked as he reached out and
grabbed one of the knots. "Gotya."

The monster blinked in confusion at this act, and then screeched
in anger and pain as it plummeted back onto the stage from the force
of the sandbag that hit it from high above. The boy chuckled and slid
down the rope he was hanging from and swung over a few times until he
reached one that led all the way back down to the stage.

The creature now had a large hole in its side and looked slightly
smashed, but it wasn't dead. "Not so mean now are ya?"

"Mars! Now!"

"Aku Ryo Tai San!"

Carrot turned and blinked in confusion at the sound of the voices
from behind him. "Oh shit." He was standing directly between a
smirking Mars, a charged up Jupiter, and the Youma. The dark haired
girl released the flaming ward towards him.

He jumped up into the air and felt the heat of it passing him.
Rolling as he hit the ground to put out the fire that started on his
sleeve he grunted in pain and kicked himself back onto his feet.

"Jupiter Thunder Shower!" cried the brunette as he managed to get
his feet back.

Carrot was floored by the attack, it was wide enough to hit him
and the monster and he tumbled down into the pit where he had hidden
Michiru. The girl squeaked in fear as he landed beside him and curled
her feet up a bit more.

"This sucks," he muttered as he pushed himself up onto his arms.
His head was hung down and he grunted painfully. His entire body was
smoking and his eyes were slightly glazed from the magical attack. He
growled angrily and stared forward towards the trio of girls. He
couldn't see them because of a small divider that kept the orchestra
separated from the crowd. "That does it."

+++++++++++++++++++

"It's still alive," growled Mars as she watched the flailing
monster burn. She readied another ward and nodded towards Jupiter.

Mercury frowned as she noticed the readout on her screen. They
would not have beaten the monster so easily if it hadn't been weakened
by its previous battle. However indirectly, the boy had helped them
out.

A metal pole shot from below the stage in the pit area. The girl's
couldn't see who threw it, but it shattered the crystal on top of the
monster's head. The thing gave a final screech before it withered down
and simply burned.

"The fire!" gasped Venus as she stepped forward.

"I'll take care of it," said Mercury as she moved to the front of
the group.

She paused when she noticed the boy standing on the divider
between the orchestra pit and the audience. He had one leg on top of
it and the other was still on the ground. His face was a hardened
scowl and he had an iron pole in his hand.

"What the?" stammered Mercury as she stepped back again.

"I've tried to be nice about this, really. You girls just keep
pushing me," he said coldly. The stage began to burn more viciously
behind him, giving him an almost demonic appearance that was accented
by the scars on his chest, and the old one over his eye.

"You've sought your own path to evil!" cried a male voice from
behind him. Carrot lurched forward as he found himself stabbed in the
shoulder by a rose. His senses were too slow of a warning for him to
react in the condition he was in. He grunted in pain as he clutched at
the wound and glanced back over his shoulder at Tuxedo Mask. The fool
was standing on the rafters above the stage watching the events unfold
and ignoring the burning flames.

Carrot pulled it out with a painful growl and tossed it aside.
"So, this is it then?"

The girls stepped back and readied themselves, preparing for
combat. Carrot jumped up onto the stage and ignored the raging flames
around him. He glanced down at the girl that was still cowering
beneath the stage. "Hey kid. Let me go down with style at least. Then
get out of here, help blondie there get these people out before the
place burns down."

Michiru blinked and looked around. The monster was gone, and one
of the audience members was helping the still weakened crowd get
through the door. She nodded at him and staggered forward. As she
moved to her feet, her fingers brushed up against something. She
picked them up and glanced at them. It was a pair of dark sunglasses,
they were sleek in design and slim. She glanced up at him once more
and tossed them too him.

He caught them one handed and flipped them open in the same
motion. Slowly placing them over his face he grinned. "Get lost kid."

The girl blushed as she rushed towards the crowd. The Senshi were
ignoring the crowd now, it was obvious they would all be out within a
few moments. Most of them could walk by this point. She spared them a
glance and moved through the doors. "I hope he makes it out all right.
That was cool."

Carrot merely stared down the girls as they slowly approached him.
Tuxedo Mask was watching from above and had yet to move. His grin
hadn't faded from his face and he spun the pole around in his hand
skillfully. Without a word, he charged into the four girls.

Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter couldn't react fast enough. The
boy tore into them with the pole, scoring a hit in the face on
everyone but Jupiter. She managed to block it, and received a blow to
her stomach for her trouble.

The girls staggered back and Carrot kept between them, forcing
them to stay close together with quick strikes and jabs. They lashed
out at him at amazing speeds, but his body always gave warning before
the strike. He was completely focused as he beat on them relentlessly.
His pole hit two or three of them at a time as he spun it around
skillfully. His feet moved quickly and he kicked Jupiter seven times
before spinning around to nail Mars in her chest.

"We never talk anymore," he said to the girl as he stood over her
fallen body for a moment.

She groaned painfully and stared at him with hate filled eyes.
"I'll see you dead yet."

"Maybe," he said with a short nod. He jabbed her in the face with
the pole where she lay and smirked coldly as she finally passed out.

The other three were still standing, but weren't far enough away
to use their powers. He slowly turned his head to look at them and
they all backed away from the crazed grin. "Next?"

Without warning he snapped back with his pole. With a frown on his
face he turned his head to look at the rose that had been aimed at his
back. It was stuck in his pole near the small of his back. "Here, you
can have this back." He spun around and tossed the pole like a spear.

Tuxedo Mask was trapped on the rafters and had no room to dodge.
He took the blow dead in his stomach and tumbled onto the stage on his
back. He screamed in pain as he landed, and slowly turned his torso in
an attempt to stand upright. After a moment, he was on his hands and
knees on stage. He glanced up and growled at the boy as he held his
belly. "Damn you."

"Heh," Carrot turned to face the three remaining Senshi. "Shit."

"Jupiter Thunder Shower!"

Thinking quickly, the boy jammed another pole into the ground
where he had been standing as he jumped back. The lightning attack was
attracted to the pole and dissipated into the ground harmlessly.
Carrot frowned as his legs tingled a little despite the fact that he'd
landed so far away. "Not good."

Venus was holding a golden ball of energy in her hands with a huge
looking scowl on her face.

"Definitely not good," he said to himself as he crouched and
prepared to dodge.

His tingling sensation suddenly appeared on his side and he turned
to face the source. A large spiked ball of metal slammed into his
chest and sent him flying towards the stage. He didn't even get to
scream in pain as he tumbled down into the orchestra pit once again.
He never did see who had hit him as he closed his eyes and lost
consciousness.

The senshi were staring at the huge woman who had appeared in the
building with a gigantic spiked mace. "Demons. Feh," said the Chinese
girl as she flicked the side of her nose with her thumb. "A weak one
at that."

The girls simply stared at the woman for a moment. "Who are you?"

"This isn't what I'm looking for," said the woman as she glanced
around. "I am Mao Lin, I am searching for my sister, Mei Lin. She is
not here, and the evil has been defeated, so I will leave now."

"Defeated?" muttered Mars uncomfortably as she hung between
Mercury and Jupiter's arms. She had only regained consciousness in
time to see the girl's arrival.

The woman merely nodded towards the stage. The ceiling was
beginning to fall now from the fire, and it was growing extremely
dangerous to stay where they were. "We should go. That boy will not
survive." She turned away and walked out the front door. The senshi
followed after her wordlessly.

++++++++++++++++

Once outside, the woman continued on her way and said nothing to
them as she continued her search. The senshi were beaten and tired,
but victorious. They could all move around under their own power
without much trouble.

"We should all go home," said Ami weakly.

Rei nodded with a tired smile on her face. "It's finally over."

Makoto pat her on the shoulder and sighed. "Come on, before the
cops show up."

The girl nodded and they moved into a nearby alleyway to
detransform.

++++++++++++++++++

Michiru was standing in the doorway to the theater. She had her
hand over her mouth and her back to the door. She was just inside the
burning building and tears filled her eyes. "He will not survive." The
woman had been so cold when she had said that. The senshi didn't seem
to have much of a problem with that either. They had left only a
moment before and she was alone.

She turned to look into the theater and the flames. With a firm
scowl on her face she stepped into the inferno.

+++++++++++++++++

Carrot groaned painfully as he awakened from his forced nap. His
side was burning in pain, and his wounds didn't feel much better. He
looked around himself at the flames and managed to get to his knees.
He pushed his torso upright and glanced around. "Damn." He was
basically surrounded by flames. The smoke wasn't too bad, he could see
most of it going up the stairwell he'd arrived in. Still, he was not
in a good situation. "This really sucks, think dumbass!"

"Are you here?" called a voice from behind him. He blinked.
"Please don't be dead!"

Carrot turned to see Michiru Kaiou shoving her way through debris
and shying away from flames as she made her way towards him. "Shit!
What the hell are you doing here still?!"

"You're alive!" cried the girl as she rushed up to him. He rushed
forward and grabbed her as the curtain above them finally burned away
and crumpled to the ground in flames, blocking the path she had taken
to get as far as she had.

"Damn it!" he muttered under his breath. "What the hell where you
thinking?"

"I'm sorry, you saved me, and I couldn't just..."

Carrot rolled his eyes and pulled her along. "How long can you
hold your breath?"

The girl blinked at this as he moved towards the stairwell.
"Um..."

+++++++++++++++++++++

Thirty seconds later, Carrot burst onto the rooftop at a full
sprint. As soon as he was clear of the billowing cloud of toxic smoke
he gasped for breath. The roof wasn't in much better condition than
the theater below. Both of them were covered in sweat and dirt. He
found himself barely able to stand and growled in frustration as he
put the older girl back onto her own feet to think for a moment.

"What are we going to do?" asked Michiru nervously. Small spouts
of flames could be seen bursting from cracks in the roof.

Carrot narrowed his eyes. "We jump."

"Whaaaaaaaatttttt!?" screamed the girl as he scooped her into his
arms again and ran towards the nearest edge. He ignored any of the
flames in his way and pushed himself off the edge. As he did so he
shifted her into one arm and shot out his arm, sending a thin wire
shooting out into the air. Michiru didn't stop screaming until several
moments after they landed on the sidewalk below. He pulled her into an
alleyway and stepped back as she composed herself.

The girl blinked. "You...saved us?"

Carrot merely lurched forward and passed out cold.

++++++++++++++++++++

TBC...

Next Time: Rise of the Goblin!