Here I am with part four. Okay, I'll admit
this has been a little slow so far, but I'm
trying to find a way to spice it up. (Like I
did with "Soulmate." Ya'll, I am so proud of
that fic!) I have some ideas, but it's more of
a matter to getting around to them than it is
having them, but of course I'd like more than
I've got (who wouldn't?). I haven't gotten any
mail on this at all, and I thought I'd at least
get something. You know what? I think I got more
mail in the summertime, probably because everyone
who's home is bored.
    Ha! You think a little southern gal like me
owns Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing? Think again dude
(or dudess) 'cause you're more than a little wrong.



Sister Earth
Part 4



____________________________________________________________

    The apartment was quiet. Only three boys
were inside, and out of all of them, two weren't
interested in human conversation. The third
was, but he was too afraid of the other two
to talk. Heero and Trowa sat at the scarred
kitchen table playing cards for lack of
anything better to do. Duo lounged on the old
green couch watching Saturday morning cartoons
and spilling soggy cereal and milk on the
dirt-stained carpet.
    Duo let out a loud laugh, disturbing his
two comrades enough to make Trowa drop his cards.
    "That Elmer Fudd! Now he is a good actor..."
After a death glare from Heero, Duo decided
not to finish his sentence. Pouting, he turned
back to his cartoons.
    "Baka," Heero muttered, shuffling the cards again.
    Trowa took a break from the game to open
a can of Coke. "It's too quiet here. I'm used
to Wufei yelling at Duo and Quatre begging him
to stop," he said carelessly.
    Heero grunted.
    Duo sat up from his slump. "Yeah, where
are they? They never come straight back from
school anymore. What's going on? Do you think
they're seeing girls? I don't like bein' left
out! They're holding out on us! I never thought
they could be so selfish..."
    "Normally, I'd kill you for bothering me,
but I'm wondering the same thing. Not about
the girls, that's stupid, but we still don't
know where they've been going." Heero turned
his glare from Duo to the cards. Perhaps this
conversation could have lasted longer, but
it was interrupted by the urgent beeping that
signaled the Gundam pilots to action.
______________________________________________________________

    Usagi watched Quatre and Wufei leave from
the door to the house. They'd been over everyday
since they first came and it was odd for them
to leave so soon.
    Or it would have been odd if she didn't
know where they were going, but she did.
    "They gone?" Minako asked, peering around behind Usagi.
    "Yes. You know, I'm really starting to
like them. They aren't as scary as they were
when we first met them."
    "You're lucky they don't recognize us,"
Haruka said, joining in the conversation.
"With our magic so weak in this world, we're
much less anonymous."
    "Are they going to a fight?" Makoto asked, walking up.
    Haruka nodded. "I'd put money on it."
    "Guys, this doorway is getting kinda
crowded!" Usagi gasped. The girls stepped
back a little. "Are you wearing deodorant,
Minako-chan?"
    Minako blushed. "Of course, I am!"
    Makoto frowned. "I want to go to the
fight. This place is no fun. No youma or
nothing. Fireball didn't know what she
was talking about. There's a war going
on. So what? All planets have wars. It's
natural."
    "I think I have a cure for your
insomnia," said a voice from behind.
    "Sestuna! Where have you been?"
    "The time gates. I sensed something
from Usagi and I had to make sure my
guess was right."
    "You sure what you sensed wasn't
Minako?" Usagi asked, plugging her nose.
    "Fine!" Minako shouted. "I'm not
wearing any! Ami borrowed it to use on
an experiment on tree bark! When I got
it back, it was all nasty looking! I am
not wearing deodorant that has little
dead ants and pieces of bark all stuck
in it."
    "What did you sense from Koneko-chan?" Haruka asked.
    "I'll tell you later, in its own
time. I've also been somewhere else.
How would you like to make a contribution
to the war?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "We get giant machines, don't we?"
Usagi asked, jumping up and down.
    "Princess, how many sodas have you had today?"
    "Just twelve. Wufei challenged
me! I had to do it. Where's my giant
robot?"
    "Gundam," Sestuna corrected.
    "Whoa, we get Gundams?" Haruka's
eyes were as big as saucers.
    "Sorry, but only Usagi gets a
Gundam. I do believe she's the only
one who could manage one. The rest
of you get plain old ordinary MS's."
    "Fine with me as long as I get to
drive something. Let's go!"
______________________________________________________________

    The nine girls stared in awe at
their new weapons. The robots were
all massive, powerful, and beautiful,
the best of which was Usagi's Gundam.
    Usagi's earlier hyperness vanished
as she looked on in nothing short of
awe. "This is mine?"
    "Yes, princess. You will be careful
not to let it get broken, ne?"
    "Oh yes," she breathed.
    "Usa-chan, you need to name it," Rei said.
    "I could never think of a name!"
    "Let's all put something down
and you can draw a name," Luna, who
had hitched a ride on Ami's shoulder,
suggested. Eight girls ('cause Usa
isn't doing one) and two cats put
down their ideas, then threw them
all into the old baseball cap Makoto
had been wearing.
    "Okay, here goes. This better be
good, you guys." Usagi held her breath
and reached into the hat. She pulled
out a piece of paper and read it, a
grin on her face.
    "Well?" Hotaru asked, pulling on
Usagi's skirt. "What does it say?"
    "It says 'Artemis'."
    The white cat tried very hard to
hide behind his master.
    "It kinda works," Michiru offered.
"I think you should use it. I mean,
Artemis was the Greek goddess of the
moon, right?"
    Minako looked down at her cat.
"You were named after a goddess?" she
asked dryly. (He's got a girl name! Haha!)
    Usagi smiled. "Okay, Artemis it
is then. Gundam Artemis."
    The group broke into a fit of giggles.
_____________________________________________________________

    The fight wasn't going very well.
OZ had anticipated the arrival of the
five gundams and had prepared.
    They had prepared very well.
    So well in fact, that each of the
boys had the suspicion they would not
survive the fight.
    Duo was cursing and vowing the
deaths of every one of his enemies,
then praying and promising he wouldn't
curse anymore if he could live another
two seconds, then he'd curse again.
    Heero was trying to convince
himself it would be okay by saying
"My life is worth nothing. All that
matters is the colonies.." over and
over again.
    Trowa was silent.
    Quatre apologized to every enemy
pilot he killed and promised to send a
card to their mothers.
    "You dare to challenge me, you
weaklings?" Wufei yelled, his
communications link open to all who
could hear. "You show such cowardice
in this ambush, you don't deserve to live."
    Suddenly, an unexpected familiar
voice broke in on the com-links. "You
guys need a hand?"
    "Who is that?" Trowa asked.
    "Whoa!" Duo began to look around,
trying to find where the voice was
coming from. "Sounds like a cute girl."
    "You can't see us yet, but we're
here to assist. Don't shoot me or my
people. We're on your side."
    Wufei finally recognized the voice.
"Sailor Moon?" he asked.
    "That's right. How you doin'? We'll
be in visual in...ten."
    As promised, eight MS's and one
Gundam suddenly appeared onscreen,
flying toward the battle.
    "We took off the cloaking just for
you all, so be appreciative" came from
the green MS.
    "What do you think of my ride?"
Sailor Moon asked. "I liked yours so
much, I just had to get one of my own."
    "Where did you get that?" Wufei
demanded. Gundams didn't grow on trees.
    "The mall. Where do you think? A
friend gave it to me." Swiftly, she
landed beside him and took out five
enemy mobile suits.
    The fight didn't last long after
their arrival and the whole OZ base was
soon destroyed with no survivors. Sailor
Moon stepped out onto the hatch of her
Gundam.
    "Hope you don't mind the help, but
my friends and I were bored!" she shouted
laughingly. "As you can see, my legs
are better. Thanks a lot, Quatre."
    "How do you know his name?" Heero demanded.
    "Oh, I know a lot more than you
think. Don't blow a gasket, Heero.
I won't harm your precious identity.
I have one of my own, remember?" She
saluted playfully and reentered the
cockpit. She and her friends took off
and were soon off radar.
___________________________________________________________

    "This is stupid."
    "No, don't leave!" Duo reached up
and grabbed Heero's shirt bringing him
back down to the ground where they were
hiding behind the bushes. "You want to
know where they've been going, don't you?"
    "Yes, but not by sitting in the dirt behind a tree."
    "I agree," Trowa said. "Let's just leave."
    "No no no! I want to see the girls!"
Duo protested, begging. The two sighed
and settled back down. After the fight,
Quatre and Wufei had immediately left to
wherever they'd been all week. Somehow,
Duo had persuaded Heero and Trowa to
follow them. They'd been sitting behind
a bush in front of a house for hours now.
    "Baka, there aren't any-" Heero was
interrupted by the front door of the
house opening. Wufei stepped out and
following him were several girls...
__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________
To be continued