Most of the following characters are not mine, nor do I attempt to claim
them. I'm just borrowing for a good story. Sailor Moon characters are
property of Naoko Takeuchi and associated parties. Mamano Hunter Yohko
characters are Property of Gaku Miyao and associated parties. I'm broke,
don't hurt me...


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All Work and No Play

A Devil Hunter Yohko/Sailor Moon crossover

By Kenji Murasaki

Chapter 2: Setting the Stage - A Recipe for Chaos
 

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Yohko walked down a street bathed in the glow of the setting sun and the
evening street lamps. It was a peaceful scenery, which did nothing more to
her sour mood than set her nerves on edge. Everywhere she looked, there
were signs of a peaceful day, with an even more serene evening to come.
With her knowledge that she had been fighting against some type of weird
demon not but so many moments ago, it made the now-skeptic Devil Hunter
think of one probable cause.

	She was knocked out and dreaming again.

	And it looked like a bad one too. She had been forewarned of new dangers
and adventures because of dreams such as these a few times before, but not
to this level. As far as she could tell, it was a nice Sunday evening in
the district of Juuban. No one else was around, and there were no chirping
crickets or cicadas. The peaceful quiet was deafening.

	Yohko walked along the way, turning the corner into a quiet street. There
was a building somewhat towering before her, shrouded half in shadow and
half in the light of dusk. She craned her neck to gaze up at it. It was an
odd design for any suburban building, but she had yet to see any other sign
or landmark that gave her reason to believe she was downtown, or in a city
area.

	Something moved, and Yohko turned to see what it was. A small flock of
ravens took flight from the roof of the building, and swooped down at her.
She gave a look of surprise, and covered her face, hoping they wouldn't
attack.

	The attack never came.

	Yohko looked back up as the flock fluttered around some ten meters in
front of her, from where she had just walked. They clustered together,
biting and clawing at one another, dropping to the ground one by one in a
hail of feathers and bodies. Finally one was left, and it perched on the
fallen birds, staring directly at Yohko. It cawed once, and took flight
at her.

	Yohko held her breath, determined not to run from some small bird. This
mockery of a nightmare had gone on far enough, and she was through with it.
The bird flew at her, and with honed skills, she batted it away, knocking it
into the side of the massive building.

	The bird fell into a shadow, and the shadow itself seemed to swallow the
aviary creature. There was a frightening cry, and then the shadow... stood
before her. Tearing from the building, it smiled at her with a dark
malevolence, and two crimson red eyes...

	"So you are she that killed our mighty ones." It called at her, not unlike
the sound of rusty nails against a chalkboard. "Reiko... even proud Tokima
has fallen to you."

	Yohko snarled. Of all the things to invade her dreams... "Demon! Who are
you?!"

	The shadow chuckled to itself. "You'll find out, soon enough. I would
speak with you again, but there are... other matters to attend to. We shall
have to save this for when we met, young Devil Hunter."

	The shadow wrapped itself to the building's image, and was still once
more. Yohko, being wary, walked away from the building, and nearly tripped
over herself as she saw the building vanish.

	Some... 'thing' was making it disappear, and taking the landscape with
it. Could it be that demon's doing?

	The ground and other areas continued to vanish, and a dark wind began to
pick up, accelerating the destruction. But no sound reached Yohko's ears,
nothing to indicate the carnage unfolding before her eyes. It was just...
silent.

	Yohko turned and ran down the street, a growing fear placed in her heart.
Her troubles had begun again.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"I'm telling you guys that Usagi's at the temple! It's as simple as that.
She's the one who wanted to meet this friend of Rei's so badly, so she's
gonna be there."

	Makoto looked at the persistent blond. "I'm not saying she isn't, Mina. I
just wanted to stick around a little more at the mall to be sure."

	Minako gave her friend a wry look. "Or was it that cute guy in the shorts
jogging through the mall that you wanted to stay and see?"

	Makoto eyed her friend in return. "And you weren't looking at him either?"

	Ami looked at the both of them, and sighed. "Well, in any case, we're
here."

	The girls looked up from their staring contest to find themselves at the
base steps to the Hikawa Shrine.

	"So let's go already," Minako spoke up. "I want to see her too."

	The girls nodded, and made their way up the steps, when all of their
watches went off at once.

	Ami paled, and hit the communicator. "Usagi? There's trouble?"

	"Guys? Did you get rid of that youma?"

	The girls looked between each other in confusion, and Makoto was the one
to speak up. "There was a youma attack?"

	"So it wasn't you guys? Then who were those Senshi that saved Rei?" There
was a long pause of silence, then Ami spoke up. "We're on our way up Usagi.
You can give us the details then." She disconnected, and the girls made
their way into the temple.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"You're with us now? That's good..."

	A startled, and heavily spooked Yohko Mano awoke to the vision of Morihito
Hino standing over her, such as the case may be with three foot men. She
tried to sit up, and was painfully reminded of just why she was down in
the first place.

	"The monster?" She asked weakly.

	By then Rei had walked into her line of sight, but it was the elder who
answered. "Taken care of by the Senshi. Nothing to worry about now. How
are you, little one?"

	"Dizzy." She said in short. It was not one of her better moments, she
summed. To be first embarrassed and then knocked out by that silly excuse
of a demon, and then be spooked by... whatever that darkness was that had
consumed so much in her dream. It didn't want to stop haunting her for some
reason.

	"I'm so glad you're okay Yohko. That thing just came out of nowhere, and
just..." Rei fumed silently. So many things had happened at once, and all
she could recall with perfect clarity was the heart-collapsing pain she was
put through at the time. It bode further exploring, but how to do that when
her friend was hurt?

	"Well, I'm still here, I've just got a headache." Yohko smiled at the
girl, which seemed to calm her a little. "Actually, I think some rest would
do me some good right now."

	"The best thing for the situation, of course." The elder Hino stepped
away from the bed-ridden girl and turned to his granddaughter. "I'll
make her some tea. You should check on your other friend."

	Rei arched an eyebrow at the old man, but nodded. "I'll be back in a
moment Yohko."

	"Other?" The brunette wondered aloud. "Oh! Usagi-chan! What happened to
her?"

	Rei waved at her, dismissing worry. "She's fine. She might be a little
spooked, but she's fine otherwise." The two left the room then, leaving
Yohko to muse and rest her noggin.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Usagi sat in Rei's room, and began to try and make sense out of what
little detail she had gotten out of her friend. It would add up, she was
sure of it. However it decided to be stubborn and not do so for her.

	First there was an attack by a weird monster, which had put both her
friends (well, it was only a matter of time for Yohko, in her opinion)
through a lot of pain. And then the Senshi show up, without her, and
pulverize the thing. This would have been normal save for the fact that she WAS a Senshi,
and she knew that even with magic augmentation that the power provided, the
other girls couldn't have possibly made it over here that fast.

	That fact was confirmed with the call that had taken place only so many
moments ago, when she had finally gotten some time to herself, while Rei
and grandfather Hino took care of Yohko, and Yuuichiro took care of the
slight mess that... Daimon, had made.

	So who were these new Senshi? And where in the world was Luna, who was
usually so on top of these things? Some advisor she was, leaving poor Usagi
to try and figure things out that didn't want to make sense for her. Well,
she'd show her. She'd figure this out, AND put a stop to this new potential
menace before the cat could blink. She WAS Sailor Moon, afterall...

	"Usagi-chan? Are you here?"

	"Ami-chan!" The blond hopped off of Rei's bed, and met her at the bedroom
door, and wasn't disappointed. The other three girls were staring at her in
stark confusion, and a tense look in their eyes.

	"What happened?" Makoto asked.

	"Wait, did you guys see Rei-chan?" The blond looked around for traces of
the girl.

	"No, why?" Ami asked in concern. "Is she hurt?"

	"No, it's just that she might know better than I do, so..."

	"What do you mean? You were here for what happened, right?" Makoto started
to look as worried as her blue-haired friend.

	"Well, yeah, but I was stuck caring for Yohko-chan, so I couldn't really
help her, and..."

	"Rei's friend got hurt?" The girls asked.

	"Well, yeah, but not by much." The girl scratched her head in frustration.
Where was Rei? There were too many questions to take on... "At least I hope
not by much. She got hit really hard, but she looked like she only had a
bump, and..."

	"Usagi, just tell us what happened." Minako said.

	Usagi stepped back from the girls, took a breath, and tried again. "Well,
Rei and Yohko got taken down, but their fine, and this weird monster
appeared, but you guys stopped them and... wait. That's not right..."

	While Usagi tried to tick out details on her fingertips, the girls looked
on, dreading what she would come up with. Further confusion was saved with
the appearance of Rei.

	"Rei-chan! Good! You can tell them how you and Yohko-chan got hurt badly
and how they saved you!" The girl gave a happy, relieved smile. She knew
that was in no ways right, but her head was spinning too much with thought
to try and piece it through. Besides, with them all here, she didn't have
to try as hard, right?

	Rei's eyebrow twitched. "Fine. It started like this..."


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"Well Yohko-chan?"

	"It's good, thank you." It was wonderful. Whatever he put in it did the
trick quite well, the pain was receding, leaving only a light thrum as a
reminder of the slight skirmish that had earned it.

	There was also the unease of the dream she had, but even that was starting
to fade as her mind relaxed a little more...

	There. She felt it again. Before she thought she was crazy, but now she
was certain that it was something that was tickling the back of her mind.

	The girl looked around warily, and the old man smiled. "So you are as
sharp as Madoka says you are."

	"Grandma?" Little by little it began to piece together, but she was still
left generally confused, and now highly cautious. "What are you talking
about?"

	The elder priest looked at her in further appraisal. "You need not worry,
I already know of your heritage. Madoka-san and I have a long history, and
I was present for some of her more interesting adventures." The old priest
smiled, and Yohko's heart sank.

	"Wait... you know about me being a Devil Hunter?"

	"Certainly I should, if I'm to help you in your training." Morihito
nodded.

	"So... this was all Grandma's doing..." Yohko scowled, her headache
returning in greater force. She had thought the old bat was trying to be
sincere for once! It was perfect, school had just gotten out, but Yohko had
been stuck with nothing but training and defeating demons on a constant
increasing rate. It had quieted, but it had also left Yohko fatigued
beyond her years.

	She had thought her grandmother's call to the Hikawa shrine was a way for
her to get away and relax, her grandmother had said as much herself. But
for this to be dropped in her lap...

	The elder Hino must have been reading her thoughts, for he shook his
head. "Do not misunderstand, you are indeed here for rest. But honestly,
when do you think evil itself rests? You saw evidence of that today, with
that impurity that attacked the temple."

	Yohko could only nod. It didn't look like any demon she had seen before.
To be truthful, it was too silly to be called a demon, or even was it said
it was, a Daimon. It certainly did have the power to demand that kind of
title though. "But when do I get to the part with the rest and relaxation?"

	"Honestly? Probably never Yohko-chan." The old man rose with the tea tray
in hand. "But for now, feel free to do so. I trust we'll get more on the
subject later." The elder Hino then left for the kitchen, leaving Yohko to
her own thoughts and worries.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"... And that's what happened. Usagi had to look after Yohko, and I really
didn't get a good look at them, but I did see that they were Senshi."

	The girls nodded, and Ami spoke up. "Are you okay, Rei-chan?"

	"Yes," The girl answered. "Whatever it tried to do with me, the effects
didn't last, so I'm thankful for that. I'm more worried about what this
would mean though."

	"It means a new enemy." Minako groaned. "And it was just getting quiet
too."

	Ami pulled out her computer, still concerned over her friend's health.
"Well, it can't really be helped. Unless we figure out a way to predict
when they would come, or something like that, we'll always be on the
defensive, waiting for a new one to arrise."

	She looked at Rei. "Could you lie down? I want to try and get an energy
scan."

	As the raven-haired girl complied, Makoto shook her head. "Well, I'm all
for beating some more Youma brain in, but what has me confused are those
two Senshi. Where'd they come from?"

	Ami looked up from her scanning. "Well, when you think about it, it makes
some sense. There ARE four other planets, not counting Earth, that would
possibly have other Senshi. There is still Sailor Pluto, if you remember."

	"Well, it's always good to have more allies. Maybe we won't have to strive
so much to defeat them this time." Minako said with a nod. "I am kinda
confused as to why they would leave. Didn't you try to stop that Daimon,
Rei-chan?"

	"I was just trying to lead it away from Yohko and Usagi." She squirmed a
bit under the examination. "I wasn't transformed, and I doubt I could have
been. Grandpa was with me."

	Makoto smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure he'd have loved to catch you in the middle
of transformation."

	Rei made a face. "Grandpa's not that much of a pervert."

	Makoto stuck her tongue back at the girl, while Usagi mused. "Speaking of
whom, how did Yohko-chan look?" The girl felt a little guilty, since she
had to step out and wait for the others to arrive.

	"Well, she's not in any serious pain, just dizzy and a headache." Rei said
just as Ami finished up her scan. "Surprised me. She acted really calm
about the whole thing."

	Ami looked at her computer, and raised an eyebrow. "Rei, what did it feel
like was happening to you when that monster attacked you with that beam?"

	"Well..." Rei recalled the event in her mind, and her body winced. "It was
like someone was trying to pull a glass bottle out of me. It hurt, but
not like anything normal, just like something was being... pulled, that
shouldn't be pulled."

	Ami nodded. "The computer says something within you was jarred loose."

	Rei paled, and the other girls focused their attention on Ami. "Um, how
bad is it?"

	"Not too bad. Whatever they came after, they didn't get, and it looks like
everything's going back to normal, so I wouldn't worry too much. The big
question is what are they after?"

	Makoto looked at the blue-haired girl. "I thought they were just after
energy?"

	"I don't think this was just energy." Ami tapped some buttons, looking
at the reading she was getting. "At least not in the traditional sense that
we're used to. Whatever that Daimon was after, it was solidifying."

	"Meaning?" Usagi asked.

	"I'm not sure Usagi-chan. I need some more information, and the only
ones I know right now who might have an idea aren't here."

	"Hmm? You mean Luna and Artemis?"

	Ami nodded.

	"Just where are those two anyway?" Usagi wondered.

	"Well, it can't be helped. We'll just have to inform them later." Ami
sat up. "I want to get home and try and analyze this a bit further in the
meantime."

	"She has a point," Makoto said. "It'd be better to take off for the
moment."

	The girls nodded, and gathered their things.

	"Well," Usagi said, I wanna check up on Yohko-chan first."

	The girls nodded to her, and made their way out, leaving Usagi to follow
Rei out to Yohko.
 

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Souichi Tomoe nodded at Kaolinite. "So, that's how it went?"

	"Yes sir. The two Senshi that destroyed the Daimon are not located on
file, but that will be taken care of immediately."

	"Indeed," The scientist said. "It wouldn't do to have unknowns at the
testing phase. Make sure to draw them out, and then confront them."

	Kaolinite looked at the man in surprise. "Sensei?" 

	"We will simply adjust for them. Stay near the Daimon, and if they appear,
intervene. Do nothing but stall them, but make sure that the Daimon has
the time needed to extract the Pure Heart Crystal."

	Kaolinite nodded, and he continued. "We have a little room to allow
error, but we shouldn't allow this to impede our chances at progress.
Attack, but only to distract. The Talisman MUST be found."

	"Yes, Tomoe-sensei. Shall I take another out now?"

	The professor shook his head. "Let them have this day. I need someone
to play chess with right now."

	Kaolinite nodded, an ever so faint smile coming to her pale lips. "Hai,
Tomoe-sensei."


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	It was barely dawn when Yohko awoke. She yawned and stretched in her
sleeping shirt, and slid out of the futon by Rei's bed, almost stepping
on the girl. It was indeed a good idea to ask Rei if she could room with
her, the girl was all for it. She even decided to pull two spare futons
instead of sleeping on her bed.

	She did want to talk to Rei, but that fatigue from the trip there, as
well as the brief skirmish with the Daimon had left her pooped, and she had
fallen asleep again as soon as the last of her things were moved and the
futon was laid out. Well, they'd have to do their catching up today,
wouldn't they? There was still the matter of meeting up with the rest of
Rei's friends later that afternoon.

	Yohko stepped out of the room, looking at the morning sky, and then at
the old man walking away from the main room of the shrine. She waved, but
groaned inwardly. Did this mean she had to start training now?

	"Good morning Yohko-san. Nice to see you up and about." Morihito favored
her with a smile, to which she suddenly became very nervous and self-
conscious. "So are you ready to get started?"

	"This early?" Yohko yawned the last of the sleep away, and blinked at the
way the eldest Hino was eyeing her. He couldn't be... could he?

	"Well, since we are both up, and there's nothing better to do, I don't
see why not."

	Yohko frowned at the old man. Yes indeed, he was ogling her. She had
almost forgotten just what a pervert the little man could be when given
something to focus on.

	"Okay. Let me get dressed first." She turned and headed to the bath,
scowling. Couldn't she get ogled at by someone that was at least cute?

	Back out later, and still annoyed at the old man, she headed to his office
in the middle of the shrine, where he was sitting on a mat, meditating.

	Yohko, in loose slacks she used to exercise with, and a t-shirt,
with sports bra underneath to prevent the old man from getting too happy,
sat in front of him, a curious expression upon her face. "So... are we
gonna start?"

	The man looked at her, stretched, and moved from his position. "Well,
that all depends on you."

	"Huh?" she answered intelligently.

	"Well, if you don't want to do the training, then I won't force you." He
walked over to the window to his right, looking out at the rising sun. "I
actually can't. It's a delicate technique, and one that can't be forced.
You'll have to decide for yourself if you want it or not."

	Yohko could only look at the miniature man in confusion. She had a
choice? Just how helpful, or even better, how dangerous was this technique?
How bad could it be that even her grandmother couldn't teach it to her?

	"Well," Yohko started to say, trying to gather her thoughts. "It can't
be that bad, can it?"

	"Oh, of course not. It's really not dangerous in the slightest, but as
I said, it isn't something I can really force upon you."

	"Alright then, I'll do it." Well, how hard could it be? It couldn't be
any worse than any of Madoka's training.

	"Splendid! Your first task will be to locate several ofuda throughout
the shrine. When you have, come back and we'll continue the lesson."

	Yohko sweatdropped. There had to be hundreds of the little strips
around the shrine. Just how was she supposed to find...

	There. That tingle again. In the back of her head. A little forced, unlike
the other times, but it was there. What WAS that? It was starting to
linger and fade, but she wouldn't let it. She scrambled to remember what
the ping felt like, concentrated on the feeling of something tapping you,
but not really tapping you...

	Morihito watched the girl get up and smiled to himself. He figured she
would be annoyed with that extra sense by now, but if she was to learn to
expand her senses, he had to do it. He was confident that she'd get to the
second step soon.

	Yohko tried to follow the quickly-waning feeling in her head, walking
around the room. She finally stopped when she felt it ping her again, more
pronounced than last time. She looked at her hand, where her ring, her
Devil Hunter ring, lay. The ornate red eyes within the skull of it were
glowing, ever so slightly. She looked up, and saw nothing but a wall.

	"This is it, isn't it? This is how I have to find them?"

	The priest shrugged, and Yohko groaned. Well, the feeling was still there,
and the ring was glowing, which meant something was there. She searched
the wall, and ripped off a small white strip of paper that wasn't there
before. It flickered with a red glow, and then nothing. Yohko looked at
the old man in curiosity.

	"Well, now you have something to do while Rei finishes her morning
chores. Then the two of you can go and have fun." Morihito turned and left,
and Yohko set about trying to find the other ofuda.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Mamoru Chiba wasn't sure how he got into these situations.

	He had only seen his girlfriend yesterday, and that semi-pleasant
conversation was spent basically telling her that her grades were going to
be a very important thing in the future, and that she should focus more
on them. She whined about it when he stated that he would cut down his
outings with her so she could improve. It was hard, but the right thing
to do.

	He himself was doing wonderful grade-wise. For a rare moment in a college
student's life, there was little studying to do, because he was so on top
of everything. His scores were splendid, indeed reflecting more than he
thought he had in himself. In other words, he had some big amounts of
free time due in the future, besides his usual studying.

	It wasn't a completely bright scene, however. Not relying too heavily on
his family's money or too many loans left him a little strapped for cash.
He took on odd jobs, but they weren't filling the bill like they should
have been. He had recently landed a nice little job at the newspaper
building, but it didn't take care what he thought it should. Motoki, being
the observant friend he was, suggested that he try to loan out his
services as a tutor.

	Mamoru had spent the week going through the necessaries, and had posted
his number in the Want section of the paper. He'd thought he hit paydirt
when he had come in that morning to confirm that he had a customer that
agreed to his pricing, and wanted to talk about scheduled sessions.

	The address was the first real tick, but he thought nothing about it save
for how it looked familiar to him. The real kick in the face was when he
drove up to the house and saw it.

	It was Usako's house.

	It turned out that her mother was hiring his services. She didn't really
recognize him until he came to the front door, but she was more than
impressed by his college achievements, and figured him to be the best thing
for her daughter.

	He wasn't opposed to it, nor was he against teaching high-school level.
It was just the weird karma that seemed to put him in situations like these
to make him wonder...

	"How DO I get into these kind of situations?"

	"Hmm? Did you say something Chiba-san?"

	Mamoru looked at Tsukino-san and shook his head. "No, nothing. These
cookies are very good, by the way."

	The woman smiled at him, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thank you. I'm
glad you like them." She took a sip of her tea, and set it back down on the
table. "So, you will take the job then?"

	"Four days of the week, plus a check on her progress? It's a deal."
He REALLY wished he knew how he got into these situations.

	"Wonderful!" Ikuko-san sat up and started collecting dishes. Mamoru
helped her. "So when can you begin?"

	"Well, at your earliest convenience, I suppose."

	"Indeed. That's wonderful Chiba-san. I'll expect good results from you."
Tsukino-san winked at the young man. He was going to do a great job, she
could already feel it.

	The subject of the deal came ambling through the front door like a bullet,
having immediately recognized the car sitting outside, and into Mamoru's
side, squeezing him for all he was worth. "Mamo-chan!"

	"Usagi-chan!" Her mother admonished. Really, she understood her daughter's
feelings quite well concerning the boy. It wouldn't do, however, to
suffocate him before he could help her.

	Usagi looked at her mother's stern gaze, and reluctantly discharged from
her boyfriend. "What are you doing here Mamo-chan?"

	"Chiba-san and I were just finishing some business." Usagi had sense
enough to look worried. "He'll be your official tutor now."

	A mix of bittersweet emotions came to her face. On the plus, that was
more time with her beloved, but on the other...

	"Mom, I already have a study group. Ami-chan and the others have been
really helping me!"

	"That is nice honey, but this guarantees that you will see some
improvement, won't it?" Usagi couldn't argue with that look. It was a look
that had her cleaning the entire house for a month because she had
decided to disobey something. She took quiet consolation that at least she
could see more of her boyfriend this way.

	When Usagi nodded, her mother's smile returned. "Good girl. Now wash
up, you're going to go and pick up some items for me."

	"Sure mom." A twinkle set in Usagi's eye that made Mamoru shiver. She
turned to him. "Mamo-chan, would you like to go with me and pick up some
groceries?"

	"... Sure." He really did wonder just how he got into these situations.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Rei walked along side Yohko, still staring at the grumpy girl. "Breakfast
couldn't have been that bad, could it?"

	Yohko turned to her friend and tried to smile, despite her thumping head.
"No, it's not that. It's just that Grandpa had me doing some things this
morning, and it's making my head hurt." Indeed it did. That sensing thing
might have been easy the first time, but after two hours, her head hurt
like never before. It had receded mostly, but it still had her in a bad
mood, somewhat. Some start to a vacation. At least she found all those
dumb ofuda.

	"Okay..." Rei turned back forward, letting it drop. "Anyway, we only
have to pick up a couple of things for groceries, and then the rest of
the day is ours. What do you want to do?"

	Yohko brightened at that aspect. "Maybe just your hangout spots for the
moment. At least until my head stops ringing." Her friend nodded, and they
made their way into the supermarket.

	Not so far after them, a car parked across the street, letting out its two
occupants. Mamoru locked the car, while Usagi stretched. "So will you come
and eat with us tonight?"

	"I'm afraid not Usako. I've still got some things to take care of tonight.
Besides, you need to take this evening to gather some of the homework you
were given over break. That way, I can look at it, and see where we can
start?"

	Usagi froze. She knew her mother was serious, and so was he, but...
"Mamo-chan?"

	"Yes, I'm serious about this Usako. I know you can do better than the
scores I see, and I'm going to help you get to that. It means a lot to me."

	She studied the elder boy for a moment, emotions warring within. She had
A vague idea of what college people went through, and Mamoru was nothing
else if not a hard worker. Maybe she could charm her way out of it?

	She nodded slowly, pouting, and he smiled. "Alright then. Lets go get
those groceries, eh?"

	The two headed into the store, and soon after, another appeared.

	Kaolinite never did finish her shopping the day previous. More important
on her list, the subject from yesterday had walked into that supermarket.
She chuckled, and palmed the vile containing the Daimon egg. This was going
to be almost too easy. All that had to happen now was to plant the seed,
and watch the results until the Senshi came.

	She placed the egg in a convenient car across the street, and set into
the store to do her shopping, knowing that the rest would take care of
itself when the time came.

	Further down, two girls set out for a shopping trip. They had to pick up
some things for their evening meal, as well as provisions for the rest of
the week. They had just made it to the parking lot, and hopped out of the
car when one of them paused.

	"What's wrong?" The other asked.

	"The sea feels... uneasy?" She responded, eyes full of sudden worry.

	"The Enemy?"

	"It must be. It's near."

	"Then we'll take care of it when it shows." The other girl nodded to her
friend and continued along her way.

	The other girl followed, wary of the chaotic dance that was about to be
set in motion.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"Rei-chan! Yohko-chan!"

	The two girls, who were just sifting through the fruits section, turned
their heads. "Usagi?" Rei said.

	The bubbly blond girl ran up to them, followed reluctantly by Mamoru,
who was chuckling at the display. "What are you guys doing here?"

	"Just shopping for the evening. Grandpa's gonna make something special for
dinner tonight, and he sent us out for what he needs. What about you?"

	"Just about the same. mom wanted me to pick up some things for dinner,
and then come back." She felt Mamoru at her side, and beamed. "Oh, before
I forget. Yohko-chan, this is... Mamoru...?"

	The girl stopped and looked at the beet-red blush that had taken most of
Yohko's face. She had a glazed look in her eye, and her mouth was open,
breathing shallowly. "Mamoru..." she whispered.

	Usagi puffed up, not quite angry, but definitely not happy with Yohko's
display. "Mamoru, my BOYFRIEND." She said coldly.

	Heads in the isle turned, and Mamoru could only look more and more
nervous as time passed. Yohko, on the other hand, had snapped out of her
trance, and now looked at the elder boy with a glowing shyness. "Um, hi."
she squeaked. "Pleasure to meet you."

	Mamoru nodded to the girl. "Pleased to meet you too. So what where you
girls shopping for?"

	"Just stuff for some curry and a salad. Then we're out of here to do
some catching up."

	"Really?" Usagi spoke up, hastily switching moods. "Can I come along?"

	"He can!" Yohko almost said. Just why did they always have to be labeled
'Do Not Touch'?

	"Usagi-chan, we kinda just want to cruise around for ourselves, okay?"

	The blond girl turned to look at Yohko with an almost hurt look, to which
the brunette only smiled faintly. "Don't worry Usagi-chan. We can go out
together tomorrow. Maybe catch a movie."

	Usagi smiled at the prospect. "That'd be great!" She turned to Mamoru,
who had shopping cart in hand. "Well, back to the goods, right?"

	"Sure." The boy shrugged and smiled. Sometimes, he thought, she was
real easy to please.

	The group made their way through the market, picking at the provisions
they needed. Occasionally Yohko would sneak a glance at the beefcake that
Usagi had claimed as her own and sigh, but say nothing about it. She was
sure that she would get her chance one day. She just wished it would happen
soon.

	At the checkout isle, Rei shook her head, and handed Yohko a book of
yen while Mamoru and Usagi checked out their items ahead of them. "I forgot
the soy sauce. Could you hold my place?"

	The girl nodded, and Rei turned to walk off, when she bumped into
another person. "Oh! Excuse me, I'm so sorry..."

	She trailed off, and both she and Yohko took a glance at him. He was tall,
and definitely cute, with short sandy blond hair, and athletic build hidden
away by a loose dress shirt and tan slacks.

	Usagi, who was busy paying the clerk, turned to look back at the spectacle
and locked up as well.

	The boy smirked a little, and shook his head. "No, it was my fault for not
looking where I was going. I should learn to be more careful around
people."

	Rei blushed, not really sure what to say. This guy was CUTE. And those
eyes... if only her damned voice would work, she could say something,
invite him somewhere. Her friend would forgive her, right? You just didn't
get chances like this often...

	Rei's theory proved true when another girl walked up to her. She had
alluring eyes, and aquamarine hair that seem to flow to some point past
her shoulder. She was wearing a nice blue summer dress with a choker,
making her look somewhat out of a storybook.

	"Haruka-chan? Are you ready to go?" she asked. Rei's heart fell. There
was truly no justice in the world. Behind her, Yohko looked as hurt, if
not more, still stinging from the earlier meeting with Mamoru.

	"Oh. Of course." The boy nodded at them, and turned and walked further
into the store.

	"Beefcake." Rei finally said.

	"Cruel." Yohko said after her.

	Usagi, who was only slightly disheartened, clung more to her boyfriend.
It payed to be involved, she thought.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"What was that about Haruka?"

	"Eh?" The sandy blonde turned to 'her' partner. "Nothing. I just thought
I felt something. Something familiar."

	"Hmm? Those girls?"

	"Maybe, Michiru-chan. Their special, that much I could see."

	"Yes, the ones from the shrine." The smaller girl nodded.

	"Indeed. Do you think they'll be attacked again?"

	"Too much of a coincidence not to." Michiru answered.

	"Well, we'll be ready then." The girl's eyes hardened.

	"If she has the Talisman?" Michiru asked, pensively.

	"Then we do what we must." She responded coldly.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	They were on their way outside the store. Purchases had been made, and
the day was still fresh. A shame about that guy, Yohko mused sadly. He was
a piece of work. Her luck seemed to want to slap her in the face and make
sport of her more often these days.

	"Would you girls like a ride back to the shrine?" Mamoru asked, looking
over his shoulder.

	Rei nodded and gave her thanks, and Yohko nodded absently. Something
was nipping at the back of her mind again. It wasn't nearly as evident as
the previous ones, but she had an idea of what the tingle felt like, and
that was what she felt. The question was, what was it for?

	The group walked up to the car, and were shocked beyond belief to see the
vehicle transform right in front of their eyes. Mamoru pulled Usagi back,
and Rei let out a silent curse, while realization dawned on Yohko. The
show finished, and in the car's place, a humanoid female stood. Two wheels
were on her shoulders, and two more on her ankles. Racing goggles, spandex
shorts, matching shirt, and an evil glow in her eyes let them know that
they were in serious trouble.

	She charged without warning or shout, dropping on all fours and using
her wheels to gun herself at the group. They all dived out of the way, and
The Daimon circled around for another pass, this time after Yohko and Rei.

	"It's after you again! Rei, run!" Yohko remembered the story that Morihito
had relayed to her, a story Rei didn't tell her, possibly to not worry her.
The previous incarnation of Daimon had tried to extract something from her,
that much the old man could sense. It was the Senshi's timely intervention
that had saved the girl. But at the moment, there were no such people
around. The only thing she could do was try and draw it away, or deal
with it.

	Yohko and Rei stood, and it charged again. Yohko jumped back,
and Rei dodged to her right. The Daimon got up, and Yohko rushed in,
catching an opening, and snap-kicked it straight in its side.

	The Daimon gasped, and crumbled a bit, then looked at the girl in
annoyance. "You'll die for that!" It snarled.

	"Get out of here, quickly! I'll hold it!" Yohko only took her gaze off
of the thing long enough to see Usagi and Mamoru creep away, and turned
back in time to dodge another charge.

	It would have been a complete one if the Daimon hadn't reached out
while rolling on its wheels and grabbed her ankle. Yohko yelped, and was
drug along painfully, and slammed into a wall.

	"Yohko!" Rei dashed at the Daimon, intent to put a stop to it, when it
shot oil from a pipe that was her foot a mere blink of an eye ago. She
slid, and fell straight into the Daimon's clutches.

	There was a brief moment, and then the pain began again. The searing pain
of something vital, precious being ripped from her being. All she could do
was scream.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	Usagi and Mamoru were around the corner, and out of the public eye. Safe
with the knowledge that they were undetected, Usagi let the words of power
come to her.

	"MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"

	A brilliant display of light and ribbons, and Sailor Moon was in Usagi's
place, ready to deliver justice upon the deserving.

	Mamoru took out a rose, and Tuxedo Kamen appeared at her side. They both
nodded, and set back out to do battle.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	She could barely see straight. That HURT. Humans were NOT meant to come
into contact with walls at that kind of velocity. It was almost as bad as
that skirmish with Tokima. Yohko shook the cobwebs from her head, and rose
to her feet. That... thing was standing over Rei, who was screaming in
pain. That couldn't be forgiven, in any way. Secrets be damned, her friend
needed her, as the Devil Hunter she was.

	She gathered her power in her hands, and shot them forward, unleashing
a spiral of red energy at the Daimon. So focused was it, that the blast
took it head on, clipping a wheel from it, and blasting it several meters
away from Rei, who had a small crystal floating over her chest. Yohko
hobbled over to the girl, looking at it in mock disbelief. Whatever it was,
it was potent, vital, full of... life. She looked from it back down to Rei,
who was staring through glazed eyes and shallow breath.

	She heard a growl, and looked up to see the Daimon back on its feet,
and pissed. "That Heart Crystal is mine! Get away from it!"

	"Come and take it." Yohko growled back. She readied another blast, and
drove it--

	"Stop right there!"

	Both Daimon and Devil Hunter turned to look at the figure standing away
from them. Decked out in red boots that came to her knees, fuku style
body suit with short blue skirt, jewel decorations in the balls of her
hair, and a tiara on her brow, Sailor Moon stood tall and proud.

	"Attacking innocents for their Pure Hearts while they pursue the perfect
meal is horrid, and unforgivable!" She struck several poses. "I am the
lovely suited soldier, Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll
punish you!"

	The Daimon roared, and charged at the Senshi, and she jumped out
of the way. Coming around for a second pass, it found itself on the
receiving end of her attack.

	"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

	A swirl of pink power blasted from her scepter, and toward the Daimon,
who just smirked as it halted. It held its arms up in defense, and the
attack hit dead-on, doing no damage to the Daimon.

	Sailor Moon almost fell to the ground. That was her strongest attack!
how could the Daimon just shrug it off like that? She tried to gather her
strength for another attack, and suddenly found herself on the defensive
as the Daimon charged at her again.

	It hobbled on three wheels, but still managed to stay upright and
frighten away the sailor girl. Yohko watched the deadly dance with a
strange fascination. Just what kind of girl was this? The speech, she could
let go, hers weren't too better. But the attack? Was that all the infamous
Sailor Moon had to throw at the thing?

	A rose interrupted the skirmish, causing the Daimon to skid into a wall.
With a leap, Tuxedo Kamen was on the scene, cane at ready to deal with
the monster. "Sailor Moon, I'll hold it! Put everything you have into
your attack!"

	"H-hai!" She responded. It should have worked the first time. How was it
that the thing had reflected her attack? She focused her energy, keeping
wary while Tuxedo Kamen brawled, rolled and ducked the Daimon, seemingly
barely keeping ahead of it.

	She finally was ready, and tried again. "MOON PRINCESS... HALATION!"

	This time the Daimon was caught unawares, and was hit full on as Tuxedo
Kamen leapt out of danger's way. The blast itself took of another wheel,
but did little else to the monster from what she could see.

	Yohko was beyond shocked at this point. The Senshi she had heard about,
but who was the capped crusader? He was kind of cute actually, but it
was a shame he wasn't looking too effective against that thing. If they
didn't have something else up their sleeves, it didn't look like they
were going to win...

	She looked back at her semi-conscious friend, and then up at the shadow
that had just appeared in front of her. The woman had pale skin, and firey
hair that spilled past the small of her back. Her lips were curled into an
amused smile.

	"I believe that crystal is mine."

	Yohko snarled at the woman. "Not on your life lady. Just back off and get
out of here if you're not going to help."

	Her smile only decreased somewhat. "I don't think you understood me little
girl. That Heart Crystal is MINE." She gestured with a hand, and Yohko was
thrown back, far away, and into the wall she had met so many moments ago.

	She tried to shake the cobwebs loose again, and rose, an aura flickering
around her. "You don't want to do that." Her eyes rose to met the woman's,
holding nothing but rage in them. "If you so much as touch her, you'll
regret the rest of your days, demon."

	"Demon?" The woman seemed amused by that idea. "My dear little girl,
you seem to misunderstand. No demon could possibly understand the mission
we undertake. This is for the good of the world."

	So focused was she on the girl in front of her that she almost didn't
sense the attack coming from the side. A yellow sphere of energy passed
through the area where she had been standing, with a blue one following
the same arch. Both continued, until they struck the Daimon dead on, making
it scream in pain.

	Then two Senshi, the same ones from the day before, appeared. The smaller
one grabbed for the Heart Crystal.

	The actions had frozen the battle taking place on the side, as the two
other combatants looked on at the scene. Sailor Moon almost dropped her
scepter when she took a look at the glowing Yohko. Even more shocked when
she saw the other two Senshi, two she had never seen before, grab for the
crystal floating over Rei's near-still chest.

	Yohko shook herself away from her angered daze. "Hey! What are you
doing?"

	The smaller of the Senshi examined the crystal briefly, and then said with
relief, "This is not one of the Talisman."

	The woman in red, floating in the air, shook her head. "No matter. I've
been told to deal with you two. Your interference ends today!"

	The Senshi set the Heart Crystal back into the shrine maiden's chest, and
turned to her partner. "Well?"

	The taller one merely smirked. "We've nothing further here. They can take
care of things."

	"I think not!" The woman attacked them with an energy blast, and they
dodged it. "You will meet your ends here!"

	The short duel continued, while Yohko made a dash for Rei's fallen body.
She checked the girl, and was relieved that color had returned to her pale
face. She then turned up to the witch. "I don't know what pit or realm you
came from, but just go back there!" Her aura flared, and she shot another
spiral blast, this one toward the witch hovering in the air.

	Kaolinite barely dodged in time, and was held further up by a follow up
stirke.

	"WORLD SHAKING!"

	The yellow sphere of energy shot from the taller Senshi's hands, and
rocketed toward Kaolinite, hitting only air as she teleported away.

	The two Senshi looked at each other, and then Yohko, and then to Sailor
Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and the still-cringing Daimon, and leapt for the roof
of the supermarket, disappearing from view.

	Yohko was about to dwell on it, when she realized they were
still in danger. "The Daimon!" She shouted.

	Blinking out of her trance, Sailor Moon nodded, and powered once more.

	"MOON... PRINCESS... HALATION!"

	The blast proved fatal, and the monster vanished, leaving a mint condition
car and a cracked Daimon egg right by it.

	Yohko fell to her knees, somewhat worn, and very sore. She wasn't used to
expending that much energy without transforming, and it was a drain. She
looked over Rei's body once more, and once more found shadows standing
over her.

	Sailor Moon was in morbid shock. She had just seen Yohko glow, and
throw what looked like a powerful attack at whoever was that was fighting
with those two unknown Senshi. She was highly confused, and wanted answers.
"Who are you? And how did you do that?"

	"Well, um..." This was getting to be embarrassing, but it had to be
explained. She figured she might be seeing more of these sailor-suited
fighters in the future anyway. "My name is Yohko Mano, and..."

	Rei began to stir, at that point. She blinked, groaned, and looked at
the faces surrounding her. "Wha? Yohko-chan? What happened to the Daimon?"

	"Um..." Now the bind got thicker. The truth had to come out, that she was
sure of. But in the meantime... "Sailor Moon got rid of it."

	"Hmm?" Rei looked at the Senshi, seemingly noticing her for the first
time. "Sailor Moon?"

	The Senshi in question blushed. "Well, you're safe for now. We'll be going
then." Then she and her escort took off, not noticing Rei's annoyed look.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"Oh geez, how am I going to explain that to her? I'M not even sure I
understand it."

	"Usako, you're going to have to. You are her friend, and so is Yohko."

	Sailor Moon powered away, and Usagi Tsukino took her place. "But, it
was all so confusing. Why were they after that crystal, and who were those
Senshi? And how did Yohko DO all that?"

	"I wish I knew Usako. We'll just have to keep our eyes open." Mamoru
responded, shrugging helplessly.

	Usagi would've collapsed on the ground and cried right there if she knew
it might have helped. Just what she needed, another enemy to face.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	The cops had come shortly after Sailor Moon's and Tuxedo Kamen's
departure. Yohko and Rei made their way away from the ruckus, and bumped
into Usagi and Mamoru.

	Hmm? That pinging again... but... Yohko shook her head in confusion, and
immediately regretted it as vertigo tried to set into her poor, abused
head. It was time to get some rest.

	They all pilled into the car, and drove off, bouts of confusion and
fatigue on everyone's minds.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"So, there's another factor?"

	"Yes, sensei. It turns out the second girl from the shrine has some magic
ability." Kaolinite bowed. "I am sorry for losing the experiment, sensei."

	The good doctor waved it off. "No matter, it provided the information
I needed. I can use it to better prepare against those Senshi." He turned
back to the thrum of his computer. "You can consider the temple no longer
a target. Wait until your next assignment. Until then, relax."

	Kaolinite bowed, hiding the scowl on her face. "Yes sir."


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	"I'm telling you Ami-chan, she was glowing!"

	"Calm down Usagi, I didn't say that I doubted you." The resident genius
of the Sailor Senshi, Ami Mizuno, was busy with her books when Usagi had
called in. Apparently there had been another attack toward Rei. "However,
I can't do much about it right now. We're going to have to call a Sailor
meeting."

	"Sure! Then I can explain what I saw." The girl sounded even more
excited. "Thanks Ami-chan!"

	"Sure." A pause. "Did you tell Rei about her friend?"

	Silence. Then, "No. I'm not really sure how."

	"Well, don't worry about it then. She'll just have to be informed at
the meeting. I'll contact the others."

	"Thanks Ami-chan!" The girl disconnected and sighed. What a mess
things were. New enemies, and three new unknowns, one of which seems to be
Rei's childhood friend, and the other two teammates who weren't playing by
the rules that they were. This was going to take some investigating to
decipher through.

	That thought in mind, Ami made the calls to her fellow Senshi, informing
them of the new threat on the horizon.


*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****


	The dinner went well, but both girls were butt tired. Yohko fell asleep
with no problems, but Rei was awake, and wondering at the images in her
mind. Images of pain, hollowness, and one that didn't make any sense at
all.

	Yohko. Glowing. And then shooting a blast of energy at someone.

	Just what was that about? Was it even a delusion? The answers seemed
easy enough, wake her up and find out. However, she had had enough
excitement for one day.

	Putting those thoughts aside, Rei curled into her futon and went to sleep.


*****     *****     *****     OMAKE     *****     *****     *****








AZUSA: Hi! Welcome back! It's another episode wrapped away, but I bet some
of you were confused about Yohko's reactions! Well, Yohko-san has a lot
of weird dreams and premonitions in her sleep, that often predict another--



MAKO: Hey! Murasaki! What's the deal with using us as nothing as background
characters!?

MINA: We're not just canon extras, you know!



KENJI: Oh come on! Again? I already TOLD you that you'd be issued your own
individual plot lines and angles! If you would let the production get off
the ground, then we could get to your parts!



LUNA: Well, that still doesn't explain why we haven't shown up yet.

KENJI: *irritated* It's part of the script. We're only two acts in people.
What do you want, blood?

AZUSA: *confused* But Kenji-sama, I thought you said they hadn't shown up
yet because you couldn't think of what to do with them...



AZUSA: *scared* Or maybe that's just me...

ARTEMIS: Really? You realize our charges can't be there without us, as our
contract says? You could be sued for this.

KENJI: You HAVE parts. You're also both getting paid for off screen time
anyway! What are you complaining about?

ARTEMIS: You're robbing my fans of their favorite star! I want my
screen time.

LUNA, MINA, MAKO: Yeah!



KENJI: Well, I do have a couple of productions that need casting...



OTHERS: Really?

KENJI: Yes... I think you'll like it. Call the office later and we'll
establish contracts.



KENJI: Well? Do your thing Azusa.

AZUSA: Um, okay... Anyway. Yohko's dream are often foreshadowing of a
battle or conflict to come, and...



USAGI: Murasaki! I want my segment!

KENJI: *Highly irritated* You're getting more screen time than I feel
comfortable with as is.

USAGI: *waves paper* I already called for a renegotiating of my contract.
You're lawyers agree, this should be MY segment.

KENJI: ... You're joking.

USAGI: *Eyes narrow* Take me for one, and you'll be penniless.

KENJI: *looks at the clock* ... Fine. I'll write you into it.

AZUSA: Now wait a minute...

KENJI: Let her do it for the moment. You just have a co-host for now.



USAGI: Wai! Now it's time for the-

AZUSA: Well, that's all the time for today! Goodbye folks, see you next
time!

USAGI: What? Wait! I didn't get to do my Sailor Says! Keep the cameras
rolling!

    Source: geocities.com/nexuslink