Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Gaijin ❯ Chapter 18

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

Sorry, saw the preview for the Spiderman flick again and got
in the mood to write this. ^_^; I doubt if most of you mind much.
I wanted to do it before the movie came out anyway.


Gaijin

Part 19

The Amazing Spiderman!

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

Carrot hung his head low as he leaned against the glass of
the store. The television in the window was making his situation
more and more dire. The senshi were out of it, no way could
Makoto handle it alone. Rei might be able to join her, but he
wasn't sure if she'd do much better anyway. Usagi still had the
power to become Sailor Moon; it might be enough to shake her out
of that though. There was also the fact that the senshi might not
care much about what their parents say when something was going
on like this.

He knew though. It was his fault that Sailor Moon lost her
powers, and that the Senshi were currently unavailable. It was
his fault that something like this had appeared in this Universe.
He was fairly certain it wasn't something that wouldn't happen
had he not been around.

Clenching his teeth he balled his hands up into fists and
ignored the growing crowd behind him. More and more people were
being drawn to the images on the screen.

A woman gave out a loud moan of pain as she realized
something. "My baby!"

Carrot turned his head to look at her for a moment, not quite
understanding what she had meant.

"My daughter is there! With her father!"

"Oh. Just lay it on thick why don't ya? I was goin already!"
he muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes towards the
sky.

Turning into the crowd of people, he stalked straight
through, shoving people out of his path as he went. "If I'm gonna
do this, I'm gonna do this right."

He crossed the street briskly and made a beeline towards a
nearby alley. Slipping into the shadows he pulled his shirt off.
He had worn it under his clothes along with the rest of the
costume. Mostly in case he happened to run into one of the
probably very pissed off senshi. Not that body armor would have
done him much good, but if he could escape long enough to change
clothes he might turn the hostilities off and send them on a wild
goose chase.

Pulling the gloves and mask on he looked straight up and
flicked his wrist. "Come on ugly. Looks like it's just you and
me."

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

Mei Lin simply stared at the pandemonium around her.
Explosions shattered the booths around her and tossed members of
the crowd high into the air. Panic was all around her and there
was little she could do about the creature that sailed high over
her head in the sky.

"Oh god!" she muttered in horror as she zoomed in on the
thing with her camera to get a closer look. Its eyes focused
directly into the camera, the insane grin on its face widened as
it looked directly at her.

She slowly pulled the camera away from her face and glanced
around. She was alone in the crowd; people shoved their way
around her. "Where is?" She looked for Yamada for a moment in her
confusion.

"Mei Lin!" cried his voice from behind her. She slowly turned
to see the man shoving towards her.

"Hey! I..." she held up the camera and smiled at him.

"Get down!" he screamed as he jumped into the air and tackled
her.

She felt a rush of air just over her head and gasped as she
looked up at the thing as it sailed away again, lobbing several
more of the sadistic fireballs into the crowd.

"What the hell are you thinking?" snapped the man angrily.

Mei Lin ignored him. "He's...corralling them?" she muttered
out loud as she staggered to her feet. The thing was throwing
bombs around the edge of the crowd. "He's driving them towards
something!"

Yamada shook his head. "No, he's encircling us. Making sure
the crowd stays inside the area.

The girl frowned at him as she looked around. Sure enough, a
steady wall of flame now surrounded the crowd completely. The
thing was still lobbing bombs at the still standing structures
and into the crowd, but it was concentrating most of its effort
in keeping the wall of fire in place.

"Why?" she muttered out loud.

A strange girl she didn't recognize walked up to her. She had
on a pretty dress that was torn and frayed. Her hair was an aqua
blue, and she had the remains of a violin in her hands. "He's
making a trap."

"Who the hell are you?" snapped Yamada angrily. He had a
desperate and fearful look on his face as he glanced around at
the frightened crowd. Most of them had calmed down a bit, but
when the thing neared again it would all end.

"Michiru Kaiou," replied the girl with a small shrug. She
looked remarkably calm. "I was supposed to perform in about an
hour." She held up the broken violin and smirked at him sadly.
"Show's been canceled."

"A trap? For who?" muttered Mei Lin as she looked at the
girl.

"The Sailor Senshi," said the aqua haired girl as she looked
up at the sky. "You know, this is the second time something like
this has happened to me."

Mei Lin nodded rather dumbly. She didn't even seem to realize
that she was taking photos anymore.

"What the hell are you doing!? Don't waste the film!" snapped
Yamada angrily.

Mei Lin slugged him in the stomach as he made a grab for the
camera. He went down to the ground hard. She blinked and looked
at her fist. Michiru was giving her an odd look. She smiled at
the girl and shrugged. "I suppose I shouldn't have done that,
what with him just saving me and all...but he's been a real jerk
ever since I met him."

Michiru nodded once and looked up at the sky. "He's coming
back around."

Mei Lin nodded grimly and hefted the camera into place. "Any
ideas?"

"Not one," said Michiru with a small shrug. "Run maybe?"

"Good enough for now," agreed Mei Lin.

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

Haruka struggled up from the ground. She shoved a board off
her back and groaned in pain. "Damn. This sucks." One of the
booths that had exploded landed across her back. It was quite
painful, but didn't cause any serious injuries. "What the hell is
that thing?" She looked up at the sky and frowned. "Some kind of
monster?"

The creature circled above the crowd into the air,
occasionally tossing off one of the fireballs as it searched the
ground for something.

Haruka snorted in disgust. "Damn, another one. This is really
starting to piss me off." She dusted off her shoulder and frowned
as she glanced around. Most of the people were now simply
watching the sky. Occasionally someone would run by in a panic,
or walk briskly looking for an escape. Most of the crowd was
trying to hide under something, or otherwise conceal themselves.
She frowned as she watched a grown man drag a little girl from
under a table and move into her spot.

"What can I do? Damn, I feel so powerless!" She growled and
clenched her fist as she looked up at the sky.

She scanned the crowd and paused. A beautiful woman with long
green hair was sitting at one of the tables watching the sky with
a sort of sad gaze. She didn't look afraid. The woman was playing
with something in her hands and simply looked upwards. She was a
fair distance away, and occasionally someone would move in front
of her, blocking Haruka's view. "Who?"

Slowly the woman turned her head and looked at her for a
moment. She said nothing and didn't change her expression as she
stood up and looked skyward again. She turned away from the table
and left the small object sitting where it was.

Haruka wasn't sure why she did it, but she walked towards the
woman. By the time she reached the spot she'd been sitting in,
the woman had vanished into the crowd.

Haruka glanced around in confusion and frowned as she gazed
into the crowd looking for her. "Hey! Where..." She looked down
at her hand, and the pen that she had found sitting on the table.
"What the?" She looked at it for a moment and held it up in front
of her face, ignoring the chaos around her. It was important, and
she had no idea why. Finally someone screamed and broke her
concentration. She glanced over at the woman nearby who was
pointing towards the sky.

"Oh my god! It's coming back!"

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

The Goblin grinned as its circle of fire was completed.
Flames now surrounded the park where the festival was being held.
He circled in the air, lobbing more and more of the small
explosive balls into the ground around him, keeping it burning.
He could make them burn like napalm if he felt like it, or just
have them explode.

"It seems they are taking their time," he growled as he
noticed that the Senshi had not shown yet. "Perhaps they need
more persuasion?"

The sound of sirens started off in the near distance. His
grin widened once again.

"Perfect."

He veered off in the air and moved towards the sound, tossing
a few more of the flaming balls into the wall to make sure it
would last.

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

Police sirens wailed loudly as the squad cars shot down the
streets at full speed. Fire engines followed close behind them as
they headed towards the giant cloud of smoke that was rising into
the air.

Inside one of the vehicles near the front, a young officer
looked out his window at something odd. "Hey, there's some sort
of weird offshoot coming towards us. Looks like...what the hell
is that?"

A long trail of smoke was slowly growing out of the larger
plume.

"There's something in the air!" said another officer over the
radio.

The young officer's eyes went wide as he stared at the
laughing thing that swooped down on them directly over the middle
of the street. Its arm was reared back as it zoomed down suddenly
and passed over the car.

"Oh shit!"

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

Pedestrian's attention was quickly pulled away from the cloud
of smoke in the distance as the explosions rocked the street. The
squad cars in front of them exploded and flew in every direction
as the thing passed over them. It cackled madly as it circled the
emergency vehicles. Tossing balls of orange flame into the
vehicles as it passed.

The fire engine rolled onto its side as a narrowly missed
strike slammed into the pavement just below it. It skidded across
the ground throwing sparks and crushing the rears of the squad
cars it rammed into as it slid across the pavement for almost
fifteen yards.

The thing flew away, moving back towards the smoke.

Pedestrians slowly rose from their cover and looked on at the
wreckage. Signs of life were starting from inside some of the
shattered fleet of vehicles. Police slowly staggered out of their
cars and helped their comrades out.

One of the officers gasped as he looked up at the sky after
climbing from his vehicle. "Shit! Another one!"

The people on the street turned towards where he was
pointing. Screams of alarm and horror filled the street below as
the dark figure sailed over their heads. Unlike the other one, he
was using a wire to swing himself across the air.

The cop pulled out his gun as he stepped out into the middle
of the street. Slowly he aimed and ground his teeth. "Take this
you..."

The thing turned its head towards him in an instant. With a
skill that could only be described as inhuman it changed
direction in midair. The black figure swooped down out of the air
directly at him, he dropped his gun in horror as he realized it
and staggered back.

"Move it!" screamed the thing as it slammed into his body.

The man found himself high in the sky. He gave a quick gasp
as he realized this and closed his eyes. An explosion filled his
senses completely and he dared to look down again. His wrecked
squad car was nothing more than a ball of twisted flaming metal.

He found himself standing on the ground again and blinked as
he staggered back dumbly. "What the?"

"Pay attention! There was leaking gas! Get the others away
from that mess until you can get a working team of firefighters
here!" snapped the black clad figure as he swung away.

Carrot ground his teeth as he swooped away. "Playing hero was
more irritating than I thought it would be."

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

Haruka stood in the middle of the festival grounds and glared
at the sky angrily. The thing was circling overhead again. She
clenched her hand, grasping the pen with an angry frown.

The thing was apparently doing some sort of patrol, it leered
down at the ground as it circled and continued to toss the
explosive devices into the ground. It wasn't really aiming for
anything anymore.

"Damn it! Come down and fight damn you!" growled Haruka.

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

The Goblin scanned the ground with growing impatience. "This
grows boring. I'm tired of waiting for those little girls to show
up. I think it's time to play."

He swooped down into the circle of flames and started to
laugh again.

The crowd scattered, huddling under whatever they could while
looking for cover as the stopped just above the ground and simply
hovered. It slowly turned its head looking around at them. "Who
will help me call those little girls out to play?"

His head snapped around and his dark grin grew absolutely
sinister. "How about you little girl?"

A young mother was clutching desperately onto a young five-
year-old. "No! Nooo!" she screamed as she tried to back farther
into the wall that blocked her from running.

The Goblin shot forward like a bullet, with a casual shove he
ripped the child from her mother's arms and held her above the
ground.

Haruka was standing on the table about ten feet away. She
simply watched in silent horror. There was nothing she could do,
nothing.

"The hell there isn't..." she growled angrily. She never did
notice the symbol appear on her forehead.

The Goblin slowly turned its head towards the light and its
smile faltered. "Eh?" He casually shoved the mother away again as
she tried to grab her screaming child from the thing.

Sailor Uranus stood with a firm looking frown on her face on
top of a table ten feet away. Power crackled up and down her
gloved arms as she ground her teeth and simply stared at the
thing. "Hey."

"Well, it's about time you got here," said the thing as it
leered at her and formed a ball of flame in its palm. It started
to rise into the air with the child still in its grasp. "It's a
pity you can't do anything about this."

"The others don't seem to mind killing, why would I?" replied
the blonde girl calmly as she raised her palm.

"Even a little girl?" asked the thing.

"If it's to destroy something like you?" replied Uranus
calmly. "I am Sailor Uranus, and I'm gonna shove that little
fireball up your ass."

The Goblin shot up into the air. "Try me!" He lobbed the ball
of fire in his hands at the girl and she jumped away skillfully.
It was painfully obvious that she wouldn't be able to keep up
with the flying monster though.

"Eat this! Stone Shatter Bomb!" she cried as she lifted up
her palm. A small gray ball of electricity formed there and
blasted upwards at the thing.

The Goblin laughed as it easily evaded the attack and tossed
three more of the small fireballs at the senshi. "Pathetic!"

Haruka jumped back and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Aren't there others? Where the hell are they?" she spat angrily
as she found herself surrounded by smoking craters.

The Goblin looked down to mock her as he held the little girl
aloft with one arm. The child was screaming in terror and kicking
her legs wildly. "Well, looks like you've been aban..."

"They're grounded, so you only get me!" said an unfamiliar
voice.

The monster turned his head slightly because the voice
sounded like it was coming from behind him. That shouldn't have
been possible. His efforts to see where in vain, as a pair of
feet slammed into his face.

The girl fell from his grip as he swayed violently in an
attempt to keep himself on his wings. The child screamed as she
plummeted towards the ground.

Haruka tensed herself up as she looked on in surprise. "The
girl!" She dove forward suddenly while the creature was
distracted, but it was painfully obvious she wouldn't make it in
time.

That was when she noticed the black blur that swung out of
the sky just off to her right. It headed straight towards the
child and met her three feet above the ground.

"What the hell is..." Uranus trailed off as she watched the
thing swing back into the air with the child in its arms. "No
way."

The black clad figure landed on top of one of the structures
in the park. It was on fire, but only slightly. He jumped down to
the ground and set the little girl there. He had to pry her
fingers off of his neck and push her away gently as he jumped
back into the air.

The Goblin was recovering fast and growled angrily as he spun
around in midair to face his attacker. Unfortunately, the first
thing it saw was a black fist that slammed into its face. The
monster was thrown back in the air and clutched at its nose in a
hateful pain.

Carrot swung away after landing the blow and landed on
another of the booths. People wisely scattered away from being
directly under him. "Just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman of
course. Although, I doubt if you're a very nice guy."

"You'd be right," commented Haruka.

Carrot looked down at her and blinked. "Huh? Sailor Uranus!?
What the hell are you doing here? You're not supposed to show up
until..."

"Worry about that later. Right now we've got a monster to
kill," she said firmly.

"No, I've got a monster to kill. You worry about that fire
and get this crowd out of here. I'm gonna try to lead it away. I
think I've pissed it off enough."

The booth exploded under him and he was thrown into the air.
Twisting as he sailed upwards he sent out one of his lines and
managed to nab a nearby tree. "Yup. He's gonna follow me."

The Goblin roared in anger as he swooped down out of the sky
with two of the small fireballs in his hands. "I'll destroy you!"

Carrot looked back over his shoulder as he swung through the
burning forest. "Hey, wanna race?" He picked up his speed,
pulling his arms back sharply to shoot himself forward with each
swing. "Come on!"

The monster leaned forward and increased his speed as well.
"Sounds interesting boy."

They shot through the wall of fire and into the streets of
Tokyo.

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

Mei Lin gasped as she pulled the camera away from her face
and stared at the scene in awe. "Oh wow!"

Michiru was standing beside her with an equally shocked
expression. "That technique! I've seen it before!"

Mei Lin turned to look at her and then started to run towards
the wall of fire. "Man. Now I know why he didn't want me going
with him. He's a much better warrior of justice than I am!"

Michiru blinked and started after the girl.

Mei Lin smirked as she looked back at the girl as she rushed
up to the wall of fire. "Do you have a car?"

Michiru blinked. "Yeah..."

The Chinese girl smiled and dropped the camera. It hung off
her neck from the strap and she waved her hands in a complicated
gesture. "Huo Qusan Quixe!"

Michiru gasped as the wall of fire in front of them wavered
and shrank. She jumped after the girl as she moved through the
hole before it closed. "Wait! Where are we going?"

"After that thing!" cried Mei Lin as she started running.
"Show me where your car is!"

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

Makoto ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She gasped
for breath as her fuku fluttered in the wind behind her. "Damn
it! Where the hell is everyone?!"

"Jupiter!" cried a familiar voice.

She turned and stopped running. She was standing on the edge
of a sloped rooftop on the clay tiles. "Mars?"

"I'm here! Where are the others?" asked the dark haired girl
as she landed beside her companion.

"I don't know. I wasn't able to get ahold of them," grumbled
Jupiter.

"Damn," muttered Mars.

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

Mrs. Mizuno turned off the television and glanced at the
kitchen table. Ami was doing her homework at the table. She
frowned as she held the small compact that her daughter had been
carrying around with her lately. It had beeped at her several
times. She narrowed her eyes clenched it in her hand. With a
serious looking frown, she opened a small box and placed it
inside wrapped in a handkerchief. "Ami, how is your homework
coming?"

"Fine mom," replied the girl with a fake looking smile.

"After your finished, do the dishes. No television, you're
still grounded."

"Yes Ma'am," muttered the girl as she sighed and continued to
read at the table.

"It's for the best," said her mother to herself as she picked
up the box and walked towards the stairs.

Ami frowned and glanced at the television. "Why would she say
that? She knows that I know better."

A voice inside her told her that she had lost her mother's trust.

Ami frowned again. "Was that what it was?" She stood up from the
table and walked out into the living room. For a moment she
stared at the remote control and contemplated. Footsteps started
in the stairwell and she took a final glance at it before
returning to her work.

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

Minako stared at the ceiling in her room. The only place she
was allowed to be at the moment. "Damn."

She rolled onto her side and grumbled angrily at her fate.
Locked away because she'd saved the world without her parent's
permission. It just wasn't fair.

She stood up and looked at her window. "This really sucks."

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

Usagi Tsukino stared at the television. Her eyes were wide
with horror as she watched the news report about the attack on
the park. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sheer power the
monster was displaying. "No. Please let them be safe!" she
thought to herself as she clutched her chest.

Artemis was beside her, watching sullenly. "Damn. This
couldn't have happened at a worse time."

Usagi looked at him for a moment.

The cat looked uncomfortable at this and blushed. "Sorry."

Usagi merely nodded, he was right.

That didn't change the fact that there was nothing she could
do. Was there? She closed her eyes and sighed. There was still
nothing there.

She opened her eyes and stared at the screen once again. This
time, a little bit of hope formed.

"New hero?" muttered Artemis dumbly as he watched the report.

A fuzzy picture appeared on the screen of a blurry photo of a
black mass in the park. Beside it was a blurry looking fuku.

Artemis gasped as his eyes went wide. "Outer Senshi?"

Usagi stared at him in confusion.

The cat quickly rushed up the stairs before she could ask.
With a small sigh she simply continued to watch the television.

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

Carrot felt the G-forces pull at him as he took a turn
horizontally and pulled back the line before he slammed into the
wall. Jerking himself forward again at the same time as he raced
forward high above the streets. The wall behind him exploded in a
shower of bricks and mortar as he pushed himself harder than he
ever had before.

The Goblin was after him, it sailed over his head, keeping up
with his speed without too much effort. His agility was the only
thing keeping him from being blown to pieces or splattered across
the ground. "Too slow little man!"

"Damn it!" he cried as his senses tingled and he twisted to
avoid the explosion in front of him. He sailed through the ball
of flame and came out the other side unscathed. "Shit! That was
close! What the hell am I gonna do?!"

The Goblin laughed as he chased after him from above. "Can't
keep up? Come on! I'll help you along!" He tossed one of the
fireballs behind Carrot, blasting him forward.

The boy was shot off his line and flailed his arms as he
rushed towards a wall. He closed his eyes and twisted his body so
that it was facing up. He shot his arm up and jerked himself
higher into the sky. He felt his feet scrape the wall as the
maneuver barely saved him. He released the line again and twisted
around a hundred and eighty degrees. Tossing out another line he
pulled himself to the opposite side of the street and landed
against the wall. For a moment he hung there as the Goblin passed
him.

The creature quickly spun around and readied two of the bombs
as it did so. "Ha! You're more skilled than I'd thought boy! It's
a wonder Kei survived as long as she did!"

Carrot's head snapped around in an instant. "What the?" He
didn't have time to think about it as two more of the balls
blasted towards him. "Shit!" He ran along the side of the wall as
windows were blown out behind him. At the last moment he jumped
away and released his line again.

The Goblin dove after him performing a barrel roll as he did
so.

Carrot tensed his legs as he landed on the next wall and hung
off his line again. "Think Carrot! This really sucks!"

The Goblin charged at him head on. Carrot stood his ground
until the last moment, he jumped over the thing's head as it
rammed into the wall and went through a window and part of the
concrete.

Carrot flipped in midair as he shot out another line and
forced himself away. "Damn it!" He pulled himself straight up and
landed on a rooftop nearby. "Did that get him?"

A small oval of green energy shot out of the hole and slammed
into the building, exploding just under his feet after passing
through the wall below. He jumped away in the nick of time and
landed on the opposite side of the roof. "Guess not."

The creature hadn't reappeared yet and he had time to think
for a moment. "Okay, he's faster, more maneuverable, and can
throw an infinite amount of fireballs at you. What do you do?"

The Goblin slowly rose into view from below the edge of the
roof. He had a grin on his face and his arms were crossed over
his chest. There was a glowing green light forming in front of
the small set of wings that kept him aloft.

"You run like hell," said Carrot to himself.

"Wise choice," said the Goblin as it leered at him.

Carrot looked below him and down to the street below. "Ah,
what the hell?"

"Die!" snarled the Goblin as the green energy shot forward
like a missile.

Carrot shot into the air as he jumped over the projectile.
"Ha!" Instead of jumping back, he dove headfirst into the
creature. He connected with a strong right hook that took the
thing in the face. Both of them tumbled off the edge of the
building together. The Goblin lost his wings and they plummeted
down towards the street.

Carrot punched and kicked at the thing viciously as they fell
and growled hatefully. "How do you like..."

They neared the street and the sound of the wings rocketing
down past them filled his ears. Carrot grabbed the stunned
monster by the back of his shirt and flicked his wrist into the
air. The pair swung with Spiderman carrying the creature under
him.

The monster roared in horror and anger as its sled missed
catching it and it slammed face first into a street light as
Carrot passed over it. "...them apples!"

The Goblin was laid flat on its back and groaned in pain on
the pavement. Its nose was broken and the wings moved up beside
it and hovered on the ground. He slowly staggered to his feet and
growled angrily. "So...the prey still has a bite does it?" He
jumped back and the wings moved under his feet as he took off in
pursuit again.

Carrot was already two blocks away when his back started to
tingle again. "Damn it! He's still alive?!" He glanced back over
his shoulder and frowned as the smoking cloud sputtered to life
behind the thing's wings again. He moved his eyes forward and
frowned. "This isn't getting any better."

The goblin charged after him, he screamed in anger as he
neared his prey. The twin balls of flame in its hand pulsed with
angry power. "I'll blast you to ashes!"

Carrot realized that the thing was closing fast. He built up
speed and grunted as he failed to release the line and sailed
almost straight up into the air. The act was intentional though
and he released it and went into free fall.

The Goblin watched in surprise as Spiderman sailed high into
the air and spread his arms. "What the? No!" He snarled hatefully
as he realized what was happening. It was too late to stop it,
but not too late to retaliate.

Spiderman landed on the thing's back and clung onto him. He
reared back his fist and slammed it into the back of the thing's
head. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?!"

"You forget, that you came to me this time!" snarled the
creature as he dove towards the ground.

Carrot clutched onto the thing's back for his life as he
repeatedly beat on it. The thing was obviously feeling the blows
as it grunted and wavered more with each strike. "How much does
it take!" he snarled as he landed a double-handed blow on the
base of the monster's neck.

The Goblin snarled in pain and anger at this and quickly
twisted in mid flight. Carrot's legs weren't enough to hold on
and he fell off and started to fall towards the pavement. Without
hesitation he twisted and shot out his arm again. His arms were
burning with pain and exhaustion as he struggled to hold on to
the line as he passed over the cars on the street.

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

Mei Lin hung out the window and frowned. "We've lost them
again!"

"My car!" lamented Michiru as she stared at the massive dents
on the hood from the debris that had fallen from above.

"Where the hell did they go?" asked the younger girl as she
searched the skyline from outside the window.

Michiru slammed onto the brakes suddenly and Mei Lin screamed
as she barely managed to hang on. "What the hell are you doing!?"
she cried angrily.

"Lookout!" screamed Michiru as she pointed forward.

Mei Lin turned her head around and stared as Carrot swung
over the car close enough that she could have reached out and
touched him. "Whoa!" she stammered dumbly after he had passed.
After a moment of shock she started to beat on the hood of the
car as she raised her camera again. "That way! After him! After
him! Quick!"

"All right! Hold your horses!" cried Michiru as she found
herself trapped in traffic for a moment. There were several angry
honks as she turned, but the other vehicles moved out of the way.

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

Carrot found himself going back the way he came as he curved
through the skyscrapers. He was getting tired and weak and he
knew it. "I've gotta think of something fast!"

The Goblin was hot on his tail. The walls behind him were
being shattered with explosions.

"Damn it!" screamed the boy as he flipped into another
acrobatic spin and landed on a rooftop. It was a business with a
massive billboard facing the opposite street. He staggered as his
legs almost gave out under his own weight.

"Getting tired little boy?" asked the Goblin as he floated in
front of him with his insane grin never wavering. The pair stood
off and Carrot snarled angrily at the thing under his mask.

"Well, I'll just let you rest...forever."

"Nah, I'm not that tired, just five minutes should do it,"
replied the boy as he tensed his body again. His muscles were
screaming for relief.

The Goblin formed two of the giant fireballs in his palms and
raised them over his head. Carrot frowned and prepared to dodge.
"Wait a minute..." He took a quick glance behind him as the thing
laughed in triumph.

"I've got you cornered now! Nowhere to run!"

"Who's running?" snorted Carrot. "Shoot ugly. I don't have
all day you know."

The Goblin frowned at this and snorted. "Just die then." He
lobbed the fireballs forward.

Carrot to the right and landed in a crouch as the flaming
explosives shattered the rooftop. He tensed himself again.

"Hold still little fish, you're in a barrel and there's no
point in dodging! Sooner or later I'll get you!"

Carrot smirked. "Just a few more..."

The Goblin raised one of the fireballs into the air and
winked at him. "Gotya!"

"Huh?" muttered Carrot as he realized that something was
wrong. "Oh shit!" One of the missile-like green energy balls shot
from the wings and he ducked. There was a loud groaning sound
behind him as he rolled under the blast and pushed himself
forward with all his strength. The Goblin yelped in surprise as
Spiderman kicked off the back of his neck after the maneuver and
pushed him back onto the rooftop as he dove off the edge.

"You won't escape!" snarled the thing hatefully as he turned
to face his opponent. That was when he realized that it had
gotten very dark. "What?! No!" His eyes went wide with horror as
the massive billboard slammed into him from above, crushing him
on the rooftop.

Carrot swung through the shower of debris from above. Bits of
glass and metal rained down on the street as he sailed through
the air and away from the scene! "Yeah! Take that you son of a
bitch! Ha!" He spun around to watch as he swung and let go of the
line. He landed on the edge of a roof and crouched low to the
ground as he smirked at the shattered sign. With the grin still
on his face, he fell flat on his back and relaxed.

"Oh man, is this gonna hurt later."

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

"You..." stammered Yamada as he looked at Mei Lin hatefully.

She was cheerfully putting her things into her new desk.
"Yes?"

"How dare you!?" snarled the man angrily.

"What? You wanted to run away!" she snapped at him. "It's not
my fault you're a spineless coward. I mean, what with a huge
story like that..."

"You could have been killed!" he snapped.

"I wasn't worried about that," said the girl as she grinned
at him.

"I had a perfectly good story with what happened at the
park," he said firmly.

"And I had a better one because I followed him," she replied
with a shrug.

Yamada simply glared at her. "You didn't find out who he was
though..."

"So what? I've got the front page for my first story! Isn't
that keen?" she said as she held up the paper. "The Amazing
Spiderman!" was written across the top. A huge photo of him was
plastered across the front page from where he had swung over her
in the car. It was a close up shot. Not even the video media had
managed that. By the time the news choppers were on the scene, it
had ended.

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

Carrot felt like crying. "Man, this really sucks!" He was
looking at a huge photo of himself on the front page.

Luna smiled cheerfully at him. "It's not so bad."

"What do you mean? Not only is there yet another senshi, but
now I'm a celebrity! I wanted to avoid this kind of thing!"

"Well you've done a pretty shitty job of it," commented Gia.
"Is that really you?"

"Yes," he muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

"Nice outfit," she muttered as she glanced at the paper.

"Shut up," he muttered hatefully.

There was a knock at the door and everyone turned to look at
it.

Mei Lin walked in with a huge grin on her face. "Hiya!"

"Welcome back," said Gia cheerfully.

"Come on in, he's in here!" said the girl as she turned
towards the door.

Carrot blinked. "What the?"

Michiru walked in and glanced around. "Um, hello."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" cried the boy as he backed against the wall.

Gia looked at her for a moment and arched her eyebrow.
"Carrot...who is this?"

"I am Michiru Kaiou," said the girl as he bowed politely.

"Hey, nice to meet you," said Gia as she smiled.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" cried Carrot as he
grabbed Mei Lin by her shoulders and shook her.

"Relax, she already knew who you were," replied the girl
irritably.

Carrot blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. I remembered how you saved me from the rooftop the
other day," said the girl with a small blush. "Please don't be
angry."

The boy sighed and hung his head. "What the hell. Everyone
else seems to know about it."

She smiled as the boy plopped himself down at the table.

Gia smirked and sat across from him. "So, he saved you?"

"Yes," said the girl as she nodded. She didn't look very
certain about being where she was.

"You know, the mayor is pissed. There's talk about a task
force to arrest you so you can pay for all the damages you
caused."

"Hey! I wasn't the one throwing explosives around!" snapped
the boy angrily. "It wasn't my fault!"

"Yeah, whatever. That sign you broke was worth about two
million yen," continued Gia. "To say nothing of the damage to
buildings, the streets, cars, plus an entire fleet of emergency
vehicles..."

Carrot beat his head on the table repeatedly.

Michiru spoke up. "Um, excuse me..."

"Yeah?" muttered the boy with a small sigh as he stopped.

"I just wanted to thank you again..."

"Don't worry about it, I get myself into this sort of mess
all the time," replied the boy with a small frown.

Michiru blinked. "R...really?"

"Yeah, this is pretty normal. You should have seen the time
he managed to blow up our apartment," commented Gia.

"That wasn't my fault!" snapped Carrot angrily.

"Oh my," muttered Michiru.

Luna stared at her for a moment. "You're not very forward are
you?"

The girl stared at the animal for a moment and simply sat
there. "Um...did you just talk?"

"Yeah? So? So did you," replied the animal as it returned her
stare.

"Oh my. I don't feel very well," said Michiru as she paled a
little.

Carrot sighed and stood up. "I'm getting the hell out of
here. It's too crowded." He stood up and walked to the door.

Michiru stood up and looked at him. "Wait! I'll go with
you..."

He paused and glanced back at her. "Whatever."

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

The pair was walking down the sidewalk in the night. The
stars hung overhead with a small cloud cover keeping the moon
mostly hidden. Carrot looked up at it and pretended to shoot it
with his finger. "Bang. Maybe that'd end all my troubles."

"The moon?" asked Michiru as she glanced at him in confusion.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's where all this started," he
said with a small smirk forming on his face.

"How...odd," she said with a little frown.

"No big thing," he said as he shrugged. "You don't live far
from here do you?"

"Well, its a few miles away," she said with a blush forming
on her cheeks.

"I suppose it is a good distance. I don't really walk much
lately," he said with a small chuckle.

"I suppose not," she replied as she giggled.

Carrot found himself wondering why she came along. He wasn't
sure if he should ask or not. Finally he pushed it away. "I was
right. We did meet again, just wasn't expecting it to be so
soon."

Michiru nodded.

"Wonder how Sailor Uranus fared?"

"Who?" muttered the girl as she glanced at him.

"There's another Senshi now. She showed up today." Carrot
thought about that for a minute. Sailor Uranus looked a bit
different than he remembered. Her costume was less flashy than he
remembered. In fact, her outfit resembled the inner senshi's
costume a little more than the one he remembered. "That's odd..."

"What?" asked Michiru in confusion.

"It's nothing," he said with a small shrug. "Just something I
noticed today and just had time to think about."

"Oh," said the girl as she nodded. "The news said only three
people died in the park. There were a few injuries, but that the
Senshi you mentioned managed to get most everyone out of danger."

"That's good. Jupiter and Mars never showed up either
though," he said as he glanced up at the stars.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," she said with a small
shrug.

"Sorry. I'm sort of collecting my thoughts. I've got a lot to
chew on tonight," he said as he gave her a small grin.

"I'd noticed," she said as she laughed a little.

An angry voice cut the pair's joy off.

"You."

Carrot froze. "Aw man. Haven't I had enough today?"

Tuxedo Mask was glaring at him. The older boy was standing in
front of them on the sidewalk with a scowl on his face.

"I'm kinda busy right now, we can play later," said Carrot as
he jerked his head towards Michiru.

"You wouldn't hang around him if you knew what he was really
like. I'll do you a favor and let you leave."

Carrot frowned at this. "What a dick. Just get lost Mamoron,
I don't have time to play Tux-kabob again."

The angry tuxedo clad man cracked his knuckles and twirled
his cane around his hand. "You'll pay for that."

"Great. Now I've pissed him off more," grumbled Carrot as he
moved in front of Michiru.

"Stop it right now!" snapped the girl angrily.

Carrot glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey! I haven't done
anything!"

Mamoru took the opportunity to strike while he was
distracted. "Take this villain!" He lashed out at the boy with
his cane and connected on the side of his head. Carrot was thrown
into the glass window of the bar they were standing in front of
and groaned in pain as he lay in the shattered glass.

"Carrot!" cried Michiru as she started forward.

Mamoru blocked her path with his cane and frowned at her.
"This is personal. Stay out of the way."

Carrot was staggering to his feet with a scowl on his face.
He wiped the back of his mouth with the back of his wrist and
simply glared at the older boy. There was a large purple mark on
the side of his face. "You're damn right it is."

Mamoru snorted. "You'll pay for your crimes now."

Carrot glanced around. Most of the patrons were watching the
fight in surprise. They didn't seem too offended by the intrusion
and were actually looking forward to the fight.

The bartender was suitably pissed and dropped the glass in
his hand onto the floor.

Carrot glanced at Michiru and snorted. "I'm sick of running
pansy. Come on."

Mamoru looked surprised as the boy stepped back into a combat
stance.

Carrot didn't waste time. He charged forward and slammed his
fist into the older boy's face hard. Mamoru was thrown to the
side by the blow and barely managed to keep his feet. Carrot
kneed him in the chest as he staggered and sent him in the other
direction. The third strike was a spinning kick that caught
Mamoru right in the jaw. The boy fell onto a chair and toppled
backwards. He rubbed at the wound and staggered to his feet.

"I'll kill you for that!" He charged forward and readied his
cane.

Carrot jumped over the slashing strike and over the older
boy's head. He landed behind him and performed a spinning back
kick that hit Mamoru square in the back. The boy staggered
forward and hit the jukebox in the corner head first. He slumped
to the ground and passed out cold.

Carrot walked over to the bartender and smirked. "Send the
bill for the repairs to Mamoru Chiba."

A familiar guitar riff started from the jukebox where the boy
had landed and Carrot arched his eyebrow as he glanced back at
it. He took a pair of sunglasses from one of the drunken patron's
pocket and walked through the window singing along with the song
as he placed them on.

"On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered around, and
they gazed in wide wonder at the joy they had found. The head
nurse spoke up, said leave this one alone. She could tell right
away, that I was bad to the bone..."

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

Makoto sat with Rei at the shrine. Both of them had serious
frowns on their faces.

Sitting between them was a newspaper. "We got lucky this
time," said Rei.

"I can't get in touch with the others. None of their parents
will let me speak with them," said Makoto as she hung her head.

"I know. This isn't going well. This new senshi though..."

"We need to contact her somehow. Without Usagi, we need more
help," said Rei as she stared at the flames.

Makoto nodded. "I know you hate to admit that."

"We aren't winning," she replied calmly. "This creature, and
our current state is proof enough of that."

"What can we do?" asked Makoto.

"I'm not sure, but we have to do something..." Rei closed her
eyes and sighed. "Maybe the flame will tell me something? I don't
have the strength right now though. There is nothing we can do
until tomorrow."

Makoto nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes," said Rei.

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

Haruka was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. "What is this
power?"

The pen in her hands shone in the moonlight, glowed with an
eerie power. "I know how to use it. I knew what to say, I knew
who I was...Sailor Uranus..."

The senshi, she thought about what she knew about them. What
she had said to the monster that day. "Do I really want that?"
She closed her eyes and relaxed.

Deep in her mind, the face of that little girl was all she
could see. "What do I do now?"

No answer came to her and she frowned. "Spiderman."

She knew who he was, but what good did it do her?

"Damn. How can I know so much, and still be so damn
confused?"

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

On a rooftop in Tokyo...

The moonlight shone down on the shattered remains of the
giant sign. Yellow tape surrounded the site and various markers
were drawn onto the ground. The scene was silent, serene.

A ripping sound filled the air suddenly. The sound of metal
twisting and writhing as it snapped and broke. The surface of the
sign broke, a green arm reached for the moonlight with tattered
rags hanging from it as it reached and clawed at the light. A
bright light formed in its palm and it began to grow rapidly.

A resounding boom filled the night sky, and then a horrible
laughter.

"Free! I'm freee! HA ha ha ha ha ha haaaa!"

The Goblin's laughter echoed in the night as it sailed off
into the moonlight.

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

TBC...

Next Time: The Dark Tower!