Jakurin was beginning to tire as she kept making her way between the thugs with more towels, feeding the G.Q. Zachary, and then running back into the kitchen in her platforms to grab another whole pie and some more soda.
Astonished, Ureshii peeked out from the back door attached to her home. "Jaku-chan?"
Jakurin whirled, then grinned, holding up a V-sign. "Hai, hai, there only two guys, I know. But they eat a heck of a lot!"
A teardrop went down Ureshii's face. "Well, my father can sleep through anything, but I have a cram school class tomorrow. Please tell the 'dynamic duo' to keep it down? Sounds like you have a mob out there," she joked.
Jakurin laughed nervously as Ureshii shut the door, then quickly grabbed a pitcher of Pepsi and a jar of bay leaves.
"Where's our food?" came the call from the end of the room as Jakurin slammed down the leaves in front of Ace.
"Here. Enjoy. You might want to get out while you still can," she whispered, ducking back into the kitchen.

~No, I don't mind one bit, Neko-chan, as long as you refrain from braiding my hair again,~ Kunzite replied with a mental chuckle. He finished his drink and turned in his seat, his eyes narrowed and lips pulled down into a frown. Those not finished hung their heads and tried to hurry up while those that were finished hastily stood and went outside. ~I thought you knew that we recurit from the Yakuza for fodder in exchange of certain items. Personally, I think they get the better deal; youma from gang stock tend to be dumber than normal though they are better diciplined. And it seems to me that you have another girl fawning over you. Want me to prove that you're not interested in girls or do you have a different idea?~

"Uh... thanks," Melvin called back. He still felt very uneasy leaving Jaku to fend for herself, but Joey shook his head.
"If it doesn't bother her, it shouldn't bother us. We can wait it out in the car if need be."
Looking worriedly to the kitchen, Melvin left two 100-yen notes as a tip, gulped down his Pepsi, and stood up with his mentor. He glanced one last time at Zachary and the Kunzite trio for any reactions, and got ready to go.

~Girl? Huh?~ came the rather clueless reply. Blinking up again, his gaze fastened on Jakurin. A hesitant, almost shy, smile was given to her as he looked back down to his plate, picking a few of the toppings from his decimated piece of pizza. He never had known how to handle it when a female hit on him, his stumbling replies the few times Michiru had spoken to him confirmed that. ~Why me, and yes, I would appreciate a little help here. I promise not to braid your hair again, and I'll make it up to you later.~ he whispered across the metal link in a pleading voice.

Jakurin ran back out in a hurry, nervous as she brought Zachary his third slice before he was done with his second, and hustled the rest of the pepperoni pie over to the thugs' table.
"Ano... I'm technically supposed to be closed, so um... If you wouldn't mind paying now?" she addressed the silver-haired leader, a tight smile plastered to her face.

"Hmm?" Kunzite said looking from studying Zoisite's face in an absentminded way. He blinked out of it, gave the last goons and dark look, who grabbed their food and hurriedly left to join their fellows outside, then turned his gaze back to Jakurin. "Sorry, I didn't know. Here," he fished out a wad of hundred notes and peeled off the top ten.
"Here's for the food and a little extra for your troubles. I promise that next time we'll ask first before barging in."
~Get ready Neko-chan, I'm going to be the worried boyfriend who hasn't seen his lover for the past couple hours.~ came the thought tinged with laughter. Giving her a dazzling smile that made his handsome face even more beautiful, he turned to go, then he blinked stupidly at Zoisite. "Zachy-chan? Is that you under that mud? What have you done to yourself?! Where have you been?! I've been so worried!"

~Oh my...~ Zoisite had to restrain the smile that was trying to creep across his lips. At Kunzite's outburst, he tried to keep the innocent expression plastered across his features. Peeking up through the bangs, he had the look of a sorrowful and soaked kitten, forgotten in a rainstorm. "I got lost..." he wailed, throwing himself in Kunzite's arms for a good snuggle, street thugs be damned. "I was wondering around trying to find the store to get those things you told me to, and I couldn't find my way back to your place. Then it started to rain... and this nice girl gave me some food... and I couldn't find you..."
A few sniffles were added for effect, not wanting to overdo the entire production. He could already see the rumours flying about school tomorrow.

With a wide-eyed stare, Jakurin began gathering non-existant dishes off the counter, having already taken Ace's and Joey's... *What the heck is Zachary doing with... a GUY?!*

"It's alright, Zachy," Kunzite murmurred, stroking the damp hair with one hand while the other pulled him possessively close. "It's alright. When you didn't return from the store, I got my friends together to help me look for you. I pictured you laying in the gutter, too hurt to move... you are okay, aren't you? No one tried to hurt you, did they?" He pulled back a little, eyeing Zoisite critically for any mark underneath the grime, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth showing how close he was to laughing. "Cuz if they did, they will get a visit from me and my buddies..." ~This is too rich, Neko. Maybe we should be actors instead of generals, hmm? By the way, I'm Kaijin Ran in this guise.~

~We missed our calling, Kunzite-sama.~ A brief kiss was brushed across the other man's throat when Zoisite was tugged closely. Enjoying the brief contact, he once more assumed his angelic pose when the other examined him. "There were a pair of yarou in the theater I stopped in that were being annoying, but no one touched me. They all know I'm just yours..." he purred out in a honey sweet tone. The image of a tough street type with a boyfriend that was as frail and delicate looking as he was became almost too much to bear. At least he could hide it under a pleased smile. "Rany? Do you think we could get another pizza to take home after you send the underlings to go rob old ladies or something? We could share it..." he murmured with a suggestive tone as his eyes moved to Melvin, Joey, and Jakurin.

~It's a pitty that the Dark Kingdom has no ametuer theater. We could probably put on a killer Romeo & Juilette.~ "Of course, Zachy. Anything for my little flower," he said hastily, pulling reluctantly away, and fummbling with the wad of money. He handed Jarkurin several bills, smiling appologetically. "Zachy wants another pizza to go. Is that okay, dear?"

~Othello if Neffy-okami had his way.~ A faint giggle escaped him as he leaned against Kunzite's side,one arm winding through one of the street thug's. They were a pair... one soaked and pretty, the other looking as if he belonged on skid row... green hair and all. Resting his cheek against the taller man's shoulder, he peeked up at Jakurin again, hoping that she didn't think he was a bisexual. The last thing he needed was a female that he couldn't shake. Then again, it would be interesting to see how Kunzy would react to a little competition.

Jakurin shook herself out of shock. The most gorgeous guy in school, with gold highlights and a willowly frame that matted so nice in the school uniform... And to think she had thought him a girl when they first met at Juuban. But this--
Taking the notes with one swipe, she almost back instantly with another hot pie in a cover-lid, a grin on her face.
"Well..." she said, clearly embarrassed. "All's fair in love and war..."
*And we all know this means war,* she thought, flashing the thug her best smile. *Zachary's just... confused. He probably wants a big brother mentor or something...I hope.*
Bowing to the two, she focused on Zachary and blinked her sapphire eyes. "Is there... anything else I can get you?" she asked. "An umbrella, perhaps?"

At her first words, he was somewhat relieved. She had given up, all was well. As her azure shaded eyes fixed him with their full intensity, he gulped and held back a whimper. He felt like a kitten that an Elmira like person had decided to scoop up and take home with them if they could. Something told him that she wasn't buying this in the least... either that or she'd never seen Kunzite angry. Tightening his arm slightly about Kunzite's waist, he managed a smile as his cheeks flamed with a blush. "I think we're.. ahh... okay."
Loosening his arm from about the other man's waist, he lifted the box from Jakurin. "Is there anything else we owe you?"

Joey took all this in quietly. He glanced over Zach and his beau with an undetected recoil. *They're just about as bad as... wait, could they be...? No, too coincidental.*
Therefore, it might NOT be a coincidence, obviously. However, neither had approached him or given him the eye. Melvin wasn't quite as stealthy with his stare. Yes, he wasn't totally uninitiated about this sort of thing, and he suspected this about Zach a little. But he'd never seen it up close. And he felt like a total rube, but he wanted to keep it that way. "Hey, Joe, maybe we HAD better get out of here," he mumbled.
Following suit, the two ducked out the door and headed for the 280 Z. "Uh, Joey, could we go back to my place now?" Melvin inquired. "I'd like to check up on the bugs." "Sure thing," was the answer.

~Othello? I can see him doing that one, as well as Hamlet. Can you picture him in black moaning about ghosts?~ Kunzite thought, giving Jakurin a smile with a hint of steele in it. ~And I bet 100 yen that she thinks you're just a poor confused soul who's been seduced by the big evil gang boss and she's making plans to put you on the right path. Some women cannot seem to accept gay men. They always think there's a cure.~
"Thanks for everything, dear," he said, a hint of ice in his voice. "But we have to be going. Zachy's going to need to get out of his wet clothes as soon as possible before he catches a chill." He wrapped an arm around the shorter man's shoulders and gave them a squeeze while with the other hand he took the box from him and planeted a kiss on his forehead. "Let's go home, lover."

~At least it's not plans for our wedding.~ Zoisite murmured in reply as he cuddled against Kunzite again. A soft thrill ran through his as usual when they touched, Jakurin fading into the background for that moment. Smiling sheepishly as he turned towards the door with the other man, he couldn't resist adding on, "I think I left my other clothes on your bedroom floor."
Purring in delight at the kiss, Zoisite sighed happily, one arm wrapping about Kunzite's waist as he tugged him towards the exit.

~I could just imagine what THAT would look like.~ Kunzite replied, accompanied by a horrible image of yards of pink lace and pink doves and Zoisite dressed in a pink tuxedo. "Well, yeah," he said sheepishly, playfully bumping him with his hip. "But you were too busy to fold them up and put them away, as I was." He laughed softly at the bluh spreading across Zoisite's face, gave him another kiss, then pulled away long enough to open the door for him. "After you, lover."

Jakurin wasn't a total lemon blonde, but after the leaving of Zachary and his... Gack! Boyfriend, she turned to wish Ace and Joey goodnight.
Of course, they had already left. A sweatdrop went down her face as she sighed deeply; why couldn't she snag a male who was incredibly witty and have intelligence and beauty and...
"Each and every male only has one of those qualities," she grumbled, running a hand through her hair. Now beginning to really gather up dishes and cups, Jakurin kept talking out loud. "I hit on a beautiful guy with wits, and he's playing for the wrong team. Must be short on intelligence," she said, slamming the tray down on the counter. "I mean, I know I'm not that much of a looker, but kami--" she shuddered. "Then there's that artist guy. I haven't seen him for quite some time. Pheh. Men know how to make themselves unavailable, too."
She turned out all the lights save a red one that read, "CLOSED" and kept flickering. Jakurin gave it a good smack and huffed out another breath. "Then those two guys see trouble and high-tail it out without so much as a goodbye... ACK!" she cried, smacking her forehead. "WHY in the name of all that's dairy and Italian did I accept a ride from them?! My ATV's back at the theater!!" Growling, she began rushing around, throwing trays and plates into the sink, wiping down the counter, and throwing away napkins when she came across a doodle. She cocked her head at it as she picked it up and read it.

::We can't leave her all by herself with those four guys!::

Jakurin blinked, and felt guilty. Seems one of the two wasn't so spineless, after all. Slightly ashamed, Jakurin pocketed the money and jingled the keys around her fingers as she reached behind her back. "This time, I'm prepared," she said to the room, as she pulled out her Jester's Lance. Holding it front of her, she gave the handle a brief spin as the Lance suddenly sprouted out into an orange and red umbrella.
"*Always look on the bright side of your life!*" she sang, locking the door up behind her. With that, she began humming Monty Python as she made her way through the pouring rain.

As Joey's 280 Z coasted through the puddle-covered streets, they finally pulled up to Melvin's house. There they saw a police car with flashing lights right outside on the sidewalk, and his mom panickingly chattering to the officer. "What's going on?!" the two guys asked in unison. Then Melvin's mother saw them pull up. "Gurio-chan!" she cried. "We've had a break-in! Someone broke in and...!"
Mel didn't need to hear the rest. He saw ants, flies, and bees buzzing and crawling along the jamb. He and Joey rushed around the back and saw another officer checking the break-in with the window. As they dashed in, the cop said, "Hey! You're breaking up the evidence trail!"
Ignoring him, the bug-lover saw his worst horror: someone had totally demolished his lab and insect colonies. Bugs, broken glass, and papers were everywhere. And Melvin and Joey smelled a distinct aroma of floral-scented insect killer spray.
In total shock, all Melvin could do was let out a trembling squawk.

*Whoa* Tashande thought as he brought his motorcycle to a stop, unable to resist the urge to rubberneck. *There's something you don't see every day* The Japanese crime rate was so low it was a shock to see a the police at a crime scene. It'd probably even be on the news later.

Meanwhile, at Kunzite's human dwelling, Kunzite was drying Zoisite's hair with a blow drier. Zoisite's clothing had been thrown into a washer to get the mud out of them, so the little sauka was wearing little more than Kunzite's cape wrapped around him like an oversized towel. Kunzite turned off the hair drier, reguarded his work critically and pulled out a brush. "I could braid it up if you want," he said with a smile.

Jakurin sighed, then sneezed three times in sucession. With a small growl, she petted the ATV in the pouring rain.
"C'mon, baby. We've driven in worse than this. You're not flooded, you're _not_flooded," she willed out-loud, taking off a gasket. A shot of warm water blew into her face, mixed with some oil. Jakurin knelt there a moment, as the oil cascaded onto her jacket while the water washed off to make room for all the other torrents.
"ATV no BAKA!!" she screamed, pulling out a pan-dimensional hammer and raising it high to smash it.
Just then, a squad car drove by, showering poor Jakurin and her bike with mud.
"This... is just not my night," she groaned, hitting her head against the tire.
Another squad car raced pass the sidewalk, and Jakurin placed an umbrella hat on her head as she tried to see where they were going. Curious, she put away the hat as yet another car turned the corner.
Pulling out a skateboard, Jakurin grabbed the bumper and was soon holding on for dear life as mud andwater were continually thrown at her by the back wheels.
Finally, Jakurin let go and scooted up the sidewalk, her lemon blonde hair caked with brown and black sludge. Soaked all the way down to her bare skin, she shivered as she clipped the board on one end and caught it with the other hand. After a glance at it, she lobbed it over her shoulder. A male voice yelled "Ow!!" as Jakurin winced, and whistled nonchalantly, trying to see into the house the police had surrounded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a famillar car... and wondered if those gangs had been violent after all. Her heart pitched once for Ace and Joey -- they were good tippers.

Zoisite giggled as he peeked out of the folds of they gray material, the purple satin underside cool yet somehow warm against his skin. "I thought you looked smashing in those braids I made for you. If only Kitsune could have long hair..." he trailed off thoughtfully, most likely plotting something evil against the ice king's alter ego. Offering him an impish smile as a soft kiss to one cheek, Zoisite lifted his slender shoulders in a shrug. "I wouldn't mind a braid, if you'd like it. Who was that one man at the resturant anyways? He kept staring us like he knew us, or were you too caught up in your acting to notice?"

Melvin then saw how extensive the damage really was. Many of the insects lay dead from the spray. His desktop computer's monitor was shattered, and the console and keyboard lay in pieces on the floor. And the book with all his hard-copied data was gone.
"Who did this?!" he squeaked. Then he screamed it: "WHO DID THIS!?!" Joey merely looked around, face emotionless. Then he turned to Melvin's mother. "Ma'am, I'm Joey Whitehurst, a fairly recent friend of your son. Perhaps he can stay over at my place until this house is investigated, cleaned up, and tenable."
"No!" Melvin protested. "My bugs are all over! My research! They--" And he continued as the police tried ask questions and get answers.

"Oh him," Kunzite said with a shrug. He twined some hair in his hand and combed it, just enjoying the feel of the silken tresses. "Yes, I know him, how could I not? He's one of our agents, Argocite, just returned from some place he was sent to take over. Likes to target children." He frowned in thought, gathering some more hair up and leaning close for a quick nibble on Zoisite's neck before returning to the task at hand, namely combing his hair. "You've probably bumbed into him a couple of times, but he's not really of our caliber. He's good though, and he hasn't gotten on Beryl's bad side... yet, at any rate."

The police officers got all the information, dusted for prints, and other investigated, they realized that this was a vandalism aimed at Melvin: no valuables were taken other than his data book. In fact, the rest of the house wasn't even touched except by the bugs. After the cops finished their interview, gave their phone number card and left, Melvin's mother made a phone call to a nearby hotel.
"We'll have to stay there a day or two until we can get the place fumigated," she grumbled. "Fumigated?!" Melvin demanded. His mom shot her son a look. "I'm not staying in this house with creepy crawlies all over."
"Those 'crawlies' represent almost a year's hard work and research!" he complained. "We've got to save what we can; maybe we can collect some data off this, figure the trauma recovery factor, make some sort of notati--"
"Melvin!" his mom tersely interrupted. Her son shut up, but he trembled as his frustration welled up into a low rage. "You can't do this," he growled. "Don't talk to your mother like that, young man!" she snapped back.
Melvin was ready to launch a flood of invective, but he stopped and let his shoulders drop. He was licked. "Ma'am, maybe I'd better take him and calm him down for a while," Joey suggested. He checked the phone number of the hotel she'd picked out. "We'll call once things are a little easier." As she nodded her approval, Melvin stormed out into the rain with or without it.

Zoisite squeaked as Kunzite tugged on a lock of hair, shooting the ice king a warning look. He was probably one of the few people that could get away with it, save Nephrite who always seemed to resent anyone over him.
The star king probably would have had a coniption at the thought of his student sleeping with his rival for power.
Cuddling as best he could against Kunzite within the other's flowing cape, a yawn escaped his petal soft lips. "Perhaps we should see to his elimination? I'm not going to lose my place as third since Jaddo is dead. Or set him up with that female from the pizza parlour. It might keep her from thinking that I'm just some poor confused guy that needs a real woman to show him that women are better. She had tht look about her," Zoisite reported with an ominious tone with visions of Jakurin chasing him about and trying to drag him home.

The police were trying to round up and disperse the crowd. "Nothing more to see, go home, etc. ..."
Jakurin squinted at the doorway as someone came out, obviously upset. "Ace?" she said in a normal tone, as the officers kept moving the crowd back. "Ace!" she said, this time louder, hopefully he could hear her. "Ace!!"
"Move it, kid!" said a nasty officer, prodding her with a stick . Jakurin glanced down at it, then shouted again, "Ace!!"

"I think he was being entertained by that young student he was with," Kunzite replied, letting the hair go, crimson and gold slipping through his fingers like a dragon's hoard. "I don't think we would be able to det him up that way. Maybe a little scare would work better, or a quiet 'talk' about the way we feel." He tossed the brush aside and wrapped his arms around Zoisite, inhaling deeply the cherry scent clinging to his hair. "I'm tired of combing your hair," he murmurred, lips brushing against his earlobe. "Is there something else we could do?"

Melvin didn't spot Jakurin because of the crowd and his foul mood. Joey ushered him fairly quickly to his car, and cranked up. "Ace, any ideas who might've done this?"
"Yeah, too many!" he wailed. "Some jocks who threatened me because I screwed up the grading curve, some wise-axe hecklers I put down during those speeches I made last week at school, maybe even some girls who wouldn't gossip with me, and I refused to help tutor... oh, there's so many I can't organize the list!"
Joey nodded as he inconspicuously looked about. "C'mon, I think we better talk somewhere else. Alone." And they sped off to a less populated area.

Jakurin was rooted to the spot. *Poor Ace! Someone ransacked his home!* she thought.
"Look, lady, I said move it!" said the police officer, prodding her again with the stick.
Jakurin pulled out her own stick and pogo-vaulted over the guard's head. "What the--?!" In the air, she changed into the in-famous Sailor Jurei-Jurei, and landed on the roof of a cruiser. The police officer, with a stupid look on his face, sputtered out, "W-what the heck are you supposed to be?! A sailor wanna-be?!"
Sailor Jurei-Jurei in response gave him a Bronx cheer before the car carried it away into the rainy night, lights flashing. Jurei-Jurei made herself as comfortable as she could on the shiny wet roof, her eyes darting about to find a certain car.

*Holy crap!* Tashande thought to himself, pulling his motorcycle around and taking off after the police crusier. He only knew the other sailors by brief acquaintance, and barely recalled this one. But he had figured that wherever the senshi showed up there was usually trouble. He'd just follow her until she got wherever she was going and... then what? Jump into a phone booth and change into Superman. His motorcycle slowed as he considered the fact that his power's horrifying lethality rendered him useless in all but the high-stakes battles. After a second of thought he revved accelerated again, having decided that he was going to figure out a plan when the time came.

As he drove, Joey knew he didn't want anyone tailing his car like last time with Guardian. So he pulled it into an ignored warehouse, and covered it with a tarp once he and Melvin got out. That done, he quickly stepped over to an underground metro station, with Melvin following.
But once the coast was clear, they walked down the tunnel. A train came whooshing past, and Joey shot his hand out, keeping Mel against the wall, away from the tracks. Once the train had passed, Melvin saw in the dark that Joey's blue-jean jacket sleeve was now a dark gray. And Joey's denim wear was now a gray military-style uniform.
"Remember when I told you I was a special breed?" he said quietly. "Well, I believe you might be one, too." Melvin blanched at that. "It's not that bad," Joey reassured. "But I didn't want any distractions. Don't worry, you won't be hurt."
And he led him down a darker side tunnel.

The police cruiser was getting nowhere... well, actually, Jurei-Jurei was getting nowhere, as the car came closer and to the police station.
Not really wanting to, she gritted her teeth and waited until the car slowed to turn a corner before leaping off into the soaked street. Jurei-Jurei hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of her as she rolled a few times and came to a complete stop in the middle of the street.
Struggling to her feet, she put a hand to her head, shaking it and trying to clear out all the ringing bells and colored spots...
Of course, that meant she wasn't aware of the metro bus barreling down on her.

A wave of prickly heat washed over Tashande's body, a symptom of the adrenaline surge that shot through him. He cocked his motorcycle just to the side and reached down, grabbing the girl by the waist and pulling her off the street with him.
Another adrenaline rush hit him when he released the utter stupidity of what he had just done. They had barely got out of the bus's path when the off-center weight spun him out. He let go, holding her tight against him and falling backwards off the end of the bike while it's front end smashed into a trash can on the sidewalk. The back wheel left a dark stripe of melted rubber on the pavement as it whipped around before coming to an abrupt stop against the side of a building.
The pair tumbled over and over before a lamp pole cracked into Tashande's back. His grip on her slowly loosened, and then he let go completely. Every thing was hazy, his head was spinning. A couple bursts of color faded from his vision as a sharp throbbing in the back of his head grew. His back hurt like hell, too. And his leg. And his arms.
He tried to get to his feet, but a mixture of vertigo and pain overwhelmed him. The senshi dropped to one knee. The wrong one. A lightning bolt of pain shot through him and he fell to the side, finally coming to a rest on the sidewalk.

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