Nephrite nodded and smiled. "Do you still have that Senshi costume I gave you a while back. The green and pink one?" he asked, fingering ever so slightly the nephrite collar around Zoisite's neck. "I think we would make a wonderful Storm Senshi duo!" "Hai...the Storm Pair. And yes, unfortunately, I still do have that hideous thing. Although I've forgotten why I kept it. One more reminder perhaps of why I hate them," he said as he pulled away from Nephrite and trudged up to his room. A few minutes later, he came down the stairs, slowly, and yet embarrased. His crimson blonde hair he had pulled into a braid, while the sailor suit hung on him a bit, especially the chest part. He chose white flats with white lipstick, eyeshadow, and earrings. His gloves were short and white, with a small ring on either ring finger. One of nephrite, the other of kunzite. "I look absolutely stupid," the sakura pouted, folding his arms. "And if I'm supposed to pose as the girl, I don't think I could pass for even an ugly one!" Nephrite entered the room. His hair tied back in a pony tail wearing a grey jumpsuit with a cape and mask. "Now, now..you look stunning." he said. "You just need to wear this." he suggested and held out a padded bra. "Don't worry, it will look natural. Now all we need is the youma distraction and the senshi to take us under their wings." he said smiling. Zoisite picked up the strap of the bra between his index and thumb, giving it a look of disdain. He then smiled and planted a quick, white-printed kiss on Nephrite's cheek. "You always were a thinker, Neffy-okami," he giggled, hurrying back upstairs. "And this time, he said at the top, I'll take a bit longer." A few minutes later, he was downstairs again, looking absolutely feriocious. He opted for painting himself with white make-up again, with hints of silver, and he re-did his braid with strings of glittering green emeralds and zoisite stones throughout. He pulled on a glove and straightened his skirt; altering the suit to show off his curves. "Are you ready, Knight of the Storm?" asked Sailor Zoisite, extending a perfectly white and slender hand to the older man. Blake slid down from the pole, shaking his head, then noticing two shiny crystals on the ground. Blinking a bit, he picked one up, and shook it. "Hello, what have we here?" he said. Nephrite smiled evilly. "Oh yeah, my beautiful Senshi of Storms. Now then, to send out a youma so we can look even better than we already do." he said and summoned a youma with a hair dryer on her arms. "Go and make havoc on the people." he said. Sailor PeaceKeeper sat on a roof top with the crystals in her hands... minus two. "Now were did those two go. I didn't hand them out." she thought and pulled out her crystal. ~Who ever has this crystal better start thinking about giving it back!~ she thought, wondering if the crystals really worked. Blake jiggled them in his hand, then shrugged and placed them back in his pocket. How the hell could he return them to PeaceKeeper anyway?? He didn't even know who she was. "This pisses me off," he said, lighting a joint. "We should know each other as well as the Dark Kingdom knows themselves. They ain't never caught unawares." Sailor Storm giggled, and pressed his body against his Knight in a tight embrace. "This plan will succeed, Nephrite. You'll see," he said, planting a white kiss on the other man's cheek. In front of Tokyo Towers a woman with a blow dryer started to melt one of the posts holding up the tower. "Hi hoe, Hi hoe, its off to work we go.. lala lalalalalala Hi hoe, Hi hoe!" she sang as the people around her screamed. Children on the top floor started to cry as the tower swayed back and forth. Peace Keeper was getting ticked. ~HEy you! Give that back!~ she said concentrating really hard. A single blue rose flew through the air towards the blow dryer arm as Guardian fell to the ground. He got lucky stumbling across the attack so soon. He kept his focus on the youma and breathed deeply, the ever calm warrior. The rose was suddenly followed by a blast of wind and snow at the youma as a girl inched in a bit towards Guardian. "These things are getting harder and harder to pin down!" the girl groaned in a whiny voice. "Why can't they attack when I'm NOT taking a shower?!" Blake blinked as he glanced around. He could have sworn he heard a voice-- nah. "I'm tripping," he laughed, making his way over to Tudo's. (OOC: Heh, heh, Sailor Storm.) Having lost the crowd, Sailor Amazonia ducked out the back of a cheerleader's uniform shop and spotted the commotion at Tokyo Tower. "Yikes! The tourists!" She reached for the Titan Soil and tossed some to a nearby bush planter. "Flourish, fern, and share and show your true strength to the faltering metal!" Just as she wished she should've studied poetry a bit better, the fern sprouted and grew rapidly over to weakened tower girder, twined all around it, and pushed it firmly into place. "That should hold till Public Works can do a union-certified job." She turned to the newcomer. "Yeesh, another skirt? This must be a convention!" A long cane appeared out of nowhere and hit the youma in the face. "You try to spread evil with an item that is used to keep our hair so lovely. I, the Knight of Storms, cannot allow you to spread your terror through this city anymore!" he said, with his hair blowing in the wind behind him. Sailor PeaceKeeper groaned and started off towards home. She stopped when she heard a very unusal speech ringing loud and clear around her. *Since when do the Senshi give corny speeches?* she wondered. Guardian shook his head and simply kept his focus, if he didn't know better he would swear Senshi were getting dumber and dumber. "I agree! By the powers of the heavens, I, Sailor Storm will defeat you!" And then 'she' posed, trying hard not to laugh. "Sailor Storm Kick!" 'she' cried, launching the body leg first at the youma's neck. At Tudo's, Blake tossed a crystal on brown string across to Jakurin. "Look at these fancy gadgets I won in the arcade." Jakurin caught it one-handed without even looking as she served the okonomiyaki to some hungry customers. "I'll be right back," she said and bowed before scurrying over to the counter. "Blake, buddy, I'm loaded down right now. What do you want?" Blake took a drag on his joint and blew out a smoke ring. "Nothing. Came by to say hi to you and Ureshii. And to tell you you missed a great battle for your scrapbook." Jakurin blinked. "The senshi were fighting? How did you know?" Blake coughed, then said, "Umm, most of it happened right outside my work place. How could you _not_ see it?" "Oh," replied Jakurin, placing the bracelt on her arm. "Well, thank you for the gift!" "You're welcome. Now if you don't mind, I'd like a sausage and hamburger slice for my trouble." Jakurin's eyebrow twitched. "*Bite me*," she replied. "*I'd rather have the pizza*," shot back Blake. "Gah! Sometimes, Blake Ketsumi...!" Jakurin threw up her hands and fished around in the kitchen. Blake just smiled, putting his head down on the counter as he grounded out his joint in the ashtray... and began to doze. Stormy Knight took another swing at the youma who easily got out fo the way. "Sailor Storm. He is too fast for us. We must combine our powers of love to defeat it!" he cried. Michiru jumped off the roof to the ground below where the battle was taking place. "How the hell are you and what are you talking about? Combine the powers of our love!!! You've got to be the sickest senshi I've ever met!" Guardian stood back and to the side and simply watched the battle. If a stray blast or anything came at him he'd move, but something told him that those two Senshi had nothing to fear from the youma. Something wasn't right about them. Sailor Amazonia sidestepped around to corral the youma into striking distance. "Don't knock it," she said. "We need every ally we can get!" She then smiled enthusiastically on Sailor Storm and Stormy Knight. "C'mon, guys, do your thing!" "Thanks. We'll show you what a stormy love can do!" said Sailor Storm, grabbing Storm Knight's right hand with 'her' left. ~send this extra energy through your sword at the youma. I'lll handle... special effects.>~ "Romantic!" called Sailor Storm, holding up 'her' knight's hand as a surge of gray energy swirled around their hands. "Hail-Storm Swing!!" she cried, sending a burst through Nephrite's veins. Nephrite smiled as he called the attack with 'Sailor Storm' "Romantic Hail Storm Swing!" he said sending all the energy he could and then some throught he sword towards the youma. Michiru rolled her eyes. "Amazonia, where did these guys come from. You'd think they were Venus's friends or something... Love and justice...BLAH!" she said. Sailor Storm just crossed her arms across her... um, chest, and replied curtly, "Isn't that what we're fighting for? Justice from the evil or something? Maybe we chose a bad time to join up with the others, honey," said Sailor Storm, edging closer to the Storm Knight. "It seems we're not wanted after all...we should go back to China..." she sniffed, placing her face in the other man's cape and sniffling a bit. ~~ 'she' mentally asked, adding a slight giggle into the thought. "Blake no baka! Get your head off the counter!!" shouted Jakurin, pushing him backwards. Ureshii sighed as he crashed to the hardwood floor, still snoring. "Jakurin, do you have to be so rough with him?" she asked, clearing away some plates. "I'll show him rough! His drooling ate away the polish on the counter!" griped Jakurin, walking to the other side and bending over to shake him awake. "Ketsumi, this is your friend, Kitsune. Get your hind end off the floor and into a bed!!" she said, her tone rising in annoyance. Blake snorted, roll her off and mumbled, "No, Bob-o, no coke for me, thanks... zzzzz..." Sweatdrops filled the room, as Jakurin and Ureshii both sighed and began pulling him by his feet into the back. Nephrite smiled at the senshi beside him. ~Let them. Let's just wound it and then claim we don't have enough power. That's what they do all the time anyway~ he replied. Michiru crossed her hands over her chest as she waited for the blast to hit the youma. *Why can't I get a knight that is that caring for me?* her mind grummbled. Zoisite nodded back, throwing a gloved hand to 'her' face. "Is that THING still here?! Our HailStorm should have destroyed the youma like last time!! Why can't we kill it?" she said in a desperate tone, clinging to her Knight. Meanwhile, the youma was done knocked silly. It could sense the power of her generals very near but... all it saw were senshi! Sailor Amazonia leapt towards the hair-dryer youma. "Hate to steal your thunder, guys... ewww, bad pun," she said. "But allow me: Amazonia Stoneback!" And turning to solid marble, the senshi slammed down her two coupled fists onto the bugger like a sledgehammer. Nephrite pulled his senshi closer to him and wrapped his cape around her protectively. "They are getting stronger. But as their powers increase then so will out powers of love!" he said. ~If we keep this up any longer I'm going to be sick!~ The youma shrieked in pain as it crummbled to dust and blew away in the wind. Sailor PeaceKeeper approached the other senshi her arms crossed. "I have something from the Benefactor." she said to them. "The Benefactor?" repeated Sailor Storm, giving her a confused look. ~<...who's the Benefactor, Nephrite?>~ Venus Knight looked at Sailor Peacekeeper as he finally found the others. "What do you have for us?" he asked her. Nephrite replied. ~Another man in a skirt? I don't know. Lets just play along and see how far we can get. Maybe we'll get one of their new toys!~ He replied. Sailor Peacekeeper narrowed her eyes at Sailor Storm. "Yes, the Benefactor, you do know who he is right?" she asked. She tossed the box to the Venus Knight. "Here, take the one that is fitted for you... or whatever it was he said." The Venus Knight opened the box and looked at the crystals inside. One caught his eye and he took it out and placed it around his neck. He kept the box and then sent a message to Sailor Peacekeeper. ~I don't like this. Why don't we test this new Sailor?~ he sent to her. "Of course, I know who he is!" snapped Sailor Storm, turning red and coughing a bit. "It's just that... I'm surprised he wouldn't tell us about any other senshi that existed. Me and my Knight, Storm-chan... well, we thought we were the only ones!" she said, nudging the wet dirt around with the toe of her boot. "We've been fighting... against the Dark Kingdom for so long, and then were told to come here..." ~<...um, there. That works for me, Nephrite. Care to add anything?>~ sent the sakura, running out of words and finding his padding beginning to itch. Peacekeeper silently nodded to Venus Knight. ~That was exactly what I was just thinking myself.~ she replied. "So you are saying that you've been fighting the dark kingdom all by yourself and knew nothing about us at all?" she asked. Storm Knight nodded. "There have been so many attacks that we didn't have time to look. Besides, the Benefactor never told us about you." he replied. Peacekeeper nodded. "I see. So the old man off the streets failed to mention us. Funny, cause he never mentioned you either." ~~ With that, Sailor Storm pressed in hands together, then held them out, bowing for a peace offering. "Truce!" she called out. "It seems we've gotten off on the wrong foot. Maybe The Benefactor had his reasons. Tonikaku, I'm Sailor Storm, and this is my Storm Knight," she added, cuddling up into his side. "We were called to Japan to help destroy the Dark Kingdom threats, but have been serving the public in China since the death of Sailormoon." "China, huh?" Sailor Amazonia dusted off her hands, glad to be rid of the youma. "Glad you could make it here. How'd you make it across the sea?" The Venus Knight was still uneasy aobut these two. The Benefactor would have mentioned them to the rest of the group. "Tell me? Did you see the scar on the right side of his face?" he asked the two. ~Play along PeaceKeeper.~ He walked over to Amazonia and opened the box of crystals. "Take one that best fits you," he said to her softly. "Y-you've seen his face??" stammered Sailor Storm, sending a huge wave of discomfort towards Nephrite. Zoisite felt that the human was lying, but now they were treading on very thin ice. And unless it was Kunzite he was treading on, Zoisite didn't like it one bit. Giving the group yet another confused look, 'she' replied, "Why do you get to see his face? He hides himself from us. Always shrouded in shadows... mystery... The Benefactor is an enigma. And as for the 'sea bit', we flew a plane from Siping to Iwaki, then made our way here..." she replied to the giant sailor girl, a little intimidated by her height. "Ano... how tall are you??" (OOC: Mwa ha ha, thank Kami for The Benefactor's Profile! Mwa ha ha!) The Benefactor sat at his desk and watched the scene. A slow smile appearing on his face. "Yes. Test the two of them. The only way the Knight and Senshi will discover if they are lieing is if this Sailor Storm and Storm Knight touch the crystals in that box...." The Benefactor did not mention that the Knights and Senshi that had visited him in his domain were the only people able to touch the crystals in the box. Anyone who was not in his domain or did recieve the device from him that was needed to become a Knight or Senshi was give a...'nasty' shock. (OOC: ::grins::)) Guardian's katana flew from its shealth and pressed against 'Sailor Storm's' neck. Gingerly he pressed the cold steel until it was near the point of breaking skin, "You should have your stories straight before coming here. Making this up and lieing on the fly are not something youre good at." The aging warrior kept his resolve and made certain he had a rose ready in case the 'Senshi's' 'Knight' decided to try anything. It hadn't take long before he had noticed the nervousness on the two's faces and heard the fear slightly in their voices at first. *Years of experience always pay off in the end.* Storm Knight started to reach for his partner but stopped. "Let her go!" he demanded. Peacekeeper stepped back and out of the way. ~I think the Guardian can handle these two?~ she sent to the crystals. Sailor Amazonia didn't say a thing. For one thing, the Guardian had moved too fast, and she feared if she reacted, he's slice them in half before she got too far. She simply put the amber necklace she'd gotten from Venus Knight around her neck. Speaking of necks, she looked at Sailor Storm. ~Hey!~ she thought, inadvertantly triggering the necklace. ~Sailor Storm has an Adam's apple!~
Part III