Senshi Kurai By Jackie Chiang Visit her page!

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"Terra-chan," Miten called, running up to the girl whose head was stuck in a book. "There are some people I'd like you to meet."

"Of course," Terra replied automatically, her eyes dull and void, but suddenly cleared up. Miten smiled, leading the way to Minako and her friends who were eating lunch under a tree.

"Miten-chan!" Minako said, waving at the red haired girl, while the others watched warily. "Nice to see you again!"

"Minako-chan, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Terra," Miten said, smiling brightly. She nudged Terra forward and left to talk to someone else.

"Hi," Terra said, smiling shyly. "Nice to meet you, Minako-sama."

"Hi," Minako replied, shaking her hand. "Same to you. These are my friends, Terra-chan."

The black haired girl looked at the other girls grouped behind her. "Hi," she said nervously. "Aren't you in my class?"

Usagi nodded, swallowing the last bit of her sandwich. "I'm Usagi. That's Ami, this is Makoto, that's Michiru, Haruka, and Hotaru."

"My, you have a lot of friends," Terra said, smiling. "That's more than I've ever had." Her eyes suddenly clouded over with saddened memories.

"Would you like to go to the video arcade with us after school?" Usagi asked suddenly, feeling sorry for Terra. She liked the dark haired girl.

"That would be nice," Terra said.

"It's time to get back to class," Ami announced happily, glancing at her watch. The others groaned, amazed about her one track mind.

"May I walk with you to class?" Terra asked them timidly. Her large blue eyes thirsted for friendship, and every single one of the others (including Minako:) knew it.

"Of course," Makoto said warmly. She, Ami, and Minako all knew what it was like to be friendless, and they empathized with her.

The five girls walked to class, the other four going to their own classes. Terra was quiet, but she smiled and laughed quietly along with them.

After school, the Senshi and Terra went to the arcade. They met up with Rei and Setsuna inside. Usagi introduced Terra to her new acquaintances. Terra greeted them politely and softly, intimidated by them in a way. Then Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna went to play the racing game leaving the others together.

"Wow!" Terra said, looking at a video game she spotted. She sat down in front of it, Minako on her left and Hotaru on her right. The others were standing behind them. "Sailor V! I love this game!"

Minako leaned forward, almost tripping. "Really?" she said, attempting to act casual.

"Yeah," Terra said, not noticing Minako's eagerness. "I really like it even if it is rather easy."

"EASY?" Minako gasped, amazed at her rating of the game. "I can't get past the third stage and I'm Sail-"

Rei nudged Minako in the ribs before she could finish. The others stared at her, wondering if she had given away their cover.

"You're what?" Terra asked curiously, but a little forcefully as well, her eyes flashing with a strange light.

"-Sailor V's biggest fan," Minako finished. Her friends inwardly sighed with relief. That had been close. Terra's eyes were disappointed but lost the light.

"Cool," Terra said, her manner completely changed. "She's my second favorite heroine."

"Who's your first?" Ami asked. "Another Sailor Senshi?"

Terra nodded eagerly, fooling around with the buttons. "Sailor Moon is my favorite. She's so pretty and smart."

Usagi grinned, pleased with the girl's answer. "She's my favorite too," she agreed while her friends sweat dropped and Rei gagged. Usagi stuck out her tongue as she heard Rei mutter, "Smart??"

Terra started to play the video game, doing extremely well. She did even better than Ami was known for doing. The others were silently watching her.

"So, Terra-chan," Hotaru said, making conversation while the girl played the Sailor V game, "do you have any brothers and sisters?"

Terra paused, silently, her eyes clouding over again. "...No. I don't have a family. My parents died when I was little, and if I had any siblings, we would have been separated anyway... I was adopted into the Yukiru family, but unfortunately, my adopted parents were killed five years later as well. I was well off, so I was left alone. I don't have any known living relatives..."

"But isn't Miten your cousin?" Ami asked curiously, wondering about a flaw in Terra's story.

"Yes..." Terra answered, her voice taking on an odd, strange tone, not pausing in the game, "of course she is. Miten found me only a couple of days ago. She told me that she was my only cousin, and she had been trying to track me down ever since learning about me."

"I'm sorry, Terra-chan," Makoto said, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know what it feels like... My parents died when I was young too."

Terra forced a smile, trying to make her voice sound bland. "It's all right. My adoptive parents left me a sizable inheritance, so I don't have to worry about money until I get a job. And I don't remember my real parents, so losing them isn't that big of a deal."

The group was silent except for the extremely hard taps of the video game buttons. Terra continued for a while in the game. Usagi finally got a glimpse of the necklace. The red charm was a beautiful, delicate rose.

"That's a gorgeous rose, Terra-chan," Usagi said, staring at it.

Terra immediately put her hand on the charm, instinctively rubbing it gently. "It's a family heirloom," she said as she killed two Medusa like creatures on the screen. "My real parents gave it to me when I was little... It's genuine ruby."

"Really?" Rei asked curiously. It had to be a coincidence, she thought as pieces of information swirled around in her head. Could Terra be...? No, it couldn't...

"Yes," Terra said affirmatively. Suddenly, something started beeping from her bag. Everyone looked to see what it was.

"Where's that beeping coming from?" Hotaru asked.

Terra's eyes grew blank again, but no one noticed. "That's my phone. Excuse me for a minute." She picked up her bag and went into the woman's restroom. She stood up and left the game, and everyone watched Sailor V die. The screen flashed 'Game Over' and Terra's score was the highest on the video game.

"So what do you make of Terra-chan?" Usagi asked everyone.

"She's really nice," Minako said, looking at Terra's score, amazed. "I like her a lot."

"I do too," Hotaru agreed, "except there's something about her that I can't put my finger on. When she was talking about Miten, she was sort of weird."

"You noticed that too?" Rei said, tapping her fingers against another video game that she was leaning against. "She was also reacting to Minako-chan's screw-up oddly as well. As if she wanted Minako-chan to finish what she originally said. She was acting too forceful..."

"I don't know," Makoto said doubtfully staring at the restroom. "She still doesn't seem to be over not having a family... I think it's just the fact that she hasn't had any friends that's making her act peculiarly."

Usagi shrugged. "She does seem sincerely nice and cool, but I do think she sometimes acts strangely."

Terra came out of the restroom, her eyes vacant. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice unnaturally severe, "but Miten-chan just reminded me that I have a doctor's appointment today. Thanks for inviting me here; I appreciate it. See you tomorrow."

***

Terra entered the restroom and locked the door. Reaching into her bag, she took out the cellular phone. "Hello?" she said, her voice listless.

"Gaia," a familiar feminine voice answered, "Princess Hecate has ordered us to go ahead with our plan."

"Of course, Eris," Terra said, her voice suddenly hard and malicious. "Anything to get those Sailor Senshi."

Putting the phone away, Terra left the restroom. She told the silly girls that she had an appointment and immediately left the arcade. It was fairly late and no one was about. Lifting up her hand, she was immediately garbed in a yellow uniform and black boots.

"Very good, Gaia," Eris said approvingly, appearing beside her. "Did you gain the girls' trust?

Gaia nodded and smirked. "The fools fell for it; foolish girls will be easy to destroy. They didn't have Sailor Earth with them though."

Eris frowned, but nodded her red head. "Princess Hermes will gift us with her presence in a minute, along with Dawn," she explained quickly. "You are to stay and watch the Sailor Senshi fight, then report back to Princess Hecate. This is merely a trial run of course, and Princess Hermes will not destroy the Senshi... Unless she feels like it."

Gaia snickered knowingly. "Of course. Unless she feels like it."

***

The girls stared in shock as Terra left immediately out of the sliding doors onto the street.

"That was rude," Ami murmured. "How unusual."

A sudden scream pierced the air. The girls immediately rushed outside, followed by the three older girls.

"What was that?" Minako cried looking around.

"It was coming from the park!" Haruka said.

"Henshin yo, minna-chan!" Usagi said. The others quickly agreed, taking out their henshin sticks.

"Moon Crisis Make-Up!"

"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Pluto Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!"

In a matter of seconds, the girls had transformed into the Sailor Senshi. They ran as fast as they could to the park where they could see a girl in a fiery orange dress with golden hair holding a blue haired girl by the neck.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" Mars screamed, shooting an arrow at the girl's hands. The blue haired girl dropped to the ground.

"How could you hurt an innocent girl? I'm the pretty sailor suited soldier, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon-"

"In the name of Mercury!"

"In the name of Mars!"

"In the name of Jupiter!"

"In the name of Venus!"

"In the name of Uranus!" (Here the girl raised an eyebrow but said nothing.)

"In the name of Neptune!"

"In the name of Pluto!"

"And in the name of Saturn!"

"We will punish you!"

"Really," the girl yawned. "How extraordinarily interesting. Well, I'm the fourth oldest member of the Sun Quintet, Dawn! In the name of the sun, I'm gonna burn you! Sun Prominence!"

An unusual burst of black energy came from Dawn's hands that hit all of the Senshi except for Moon, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted, attempting to give them cover.

"Oh no!" Dawn cried in mock horror. "Don't hurt me with your bubbles!" She let loose a hot flare that evaporated the mist and knocked Mercury unconscious.

"Then how about this!" Neptune shouted. "Deep Submerge!"

The energy ball knocked Dawn to her feet for a second, but she was up in no time. Unfortunately, that one second cost Dawn her life.

"World Shaking!"

"Saturn Silence Shot!"

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

The three combined shots attacked her, causing her to scream in pain, then disintegrate and disappear. Immediately, the four standing Senshi ran over to help their comrades.

"Silence Healing," Saturn whispered, passing her Silence Glaive over the fallen Senshi. They awoke, bruised but refreshed.

"What about that girl?" Venus asked suddenly.

"She's over there," Mars said, pointing to where the girl still remained on the grass.

Mercury hurried to the girl. "Are you all right, miss?" she asked, kneeling down and shaking the girl gently. She gasped as she saw the girl's features that were the exact same as her own.

The girl's eyes opened suddenly, flashing blue fire. "Perfect, thank you," she hissed, quickly sitting up and kicking Mercury in the stomach. The blue haired genius doubled over, her body in pain.

"Mercury!" the others screamed.

The girl laughed evilly, standing up. A blue beam surrounded her, and she was in a familiar outfit.

Jupiter gasped. "Her outfit is like Ares's!"

Indeed it was. It was a blue version of Ares's, with light blue ribbons, a blue cape, and the sign of Mercury instead of Mars. She had boots on, and her ears had three blue studs each.

"She looks exactly like Mercury!" Pluto said.

The girl stood over Mercury's body, clapping her hands. "Well done," she said. "Very impressive, Sailor Senshi. I suppose you were proud of your efforts that were all for naught, for _I_ am here." She grinned. "Allow me to introduce myself for sake of propriety. I am Princess Hermes of the Senshi Kurai; you may remember my, ah, associate, Princess Ares."

"What do you want?" Uranus demanded angrily. "Why are you here?"

Hermes laughed. "That's for me to know and you to find out. Let me give you a taste of my powers!" A strange stick object appeared in her hand. "Hermes Caduceus Energy Drain!"

A blue power net appeared over the Sailor Senshi, draining them of all their energy. Venus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Mars fell on the ground, the others on their knees.

"Silence Block!" Saturn yelled weakly, holding out her Silence Glaive, preventing the net from touching her and everyone behind her.

Hermes raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hmm. Sailor Saturn, very imposing," she said in interest. "You appear to be the strongest of the Sailor Senshi... Too bad you can't hold that stance forever, ne?"

Saturn knew that Hermes was right. She couldn't stay like that forever... But she had to protect her friends!

Suddenly the energy drain stopped. The remaining senshi looked at Hermes, surprised to see that she had dropped her Caduceus and was rubbing her wrist. A red rose was in front of her.

"What the heck?" Hermes asked. "Who threw that?"

"It is I, Tuxedo Kamen. I won't have you hurting the Sailor Senshi!" Tuxedo Kamen said from underneath a tree. In his hand was a red rose. Just then, an angry squirrel, who didn't like being disturbed, started throwing acorns at Tuxedo Kamen.

"Ouch!" the heroic man said as the acorns grew bigger and faster.

He fell to the ground and soon was battling a ornery rodent instead of his true enemy.

Hermes laughed outright. "Foolish capped man! I can still operate without my Caduceus! Hermes Death Plague!" A blue mist drifted towards Tuxedo Kamen on the ground. Hermes laughed again as it drew closer and closer.

Then a flash of light stopped the mist's progress. By then all the Senshi had recovered consciousness (albeit still weak) , except for Mercury, to see the yellow rose on the ground.

"Now what?!" Hermes shrieked, totally out of character. She was usually calm, cool, and collected. However, her carefully laid plans were spinning out of control, and her temper and pride were hurting; she was really peeved.

Everyone turned to see a girl in yellow leaning against a tree nonchalantly, holding a yellow rose. Her pose and attitude was remarkably similar to Tuxedo Kamen's. Her yellow cape floated in the breeze, and her white mask his her eyes. "I am the Senshi of the Earth, and I refuse to let evil like you take over our world. I am the newest Sailor Senshi, the powerful Sailor Earth!"

Hermes looked at her, and her intelligent senses were restored to her. "You think I'm dumb enough to mess with you?" she said, her voice now controlled and reasonable. "I'm not as empty headed as Ares. I'm out of here!" With that, she scooped up Mercury's body and vanished.

"Mercury!" Sailor Moon screamed. She was so weak that she couldn't move, as was with the others.

"Fear not, Sailor Moon," Earth said, her voice reassuring. "Hermes will not kill her."

"How do you know that?" Saturn demanded. "Who are you?"

"I am your friend," Earth said softly, her eyes looking directly at them. "The Senshi Kurai will not kill Mercury until they have all ten of you in their grasp." With that, she turned and disappeared into the woods.

"Mercury..."

***

"I suppose _you're_ happy," Ares said bitterly to Hermes, screeching almost like a harpy the blue haired girl noticed. "You got who you wanted!"

Hermes shook her head. "No, I'm not. Like you, I underestimated them and their resources. Unlike you, I had the intelligence to leave before I was toasted."

Zeus snickered behind her hand while Ares stood outraged. Aphrodite paused in her reading of her magic lessons to watch the rare times when Hermes was actually rude to Ares.

"The only consolation I have," Hermes continued, pushing her blue bangs out of her eyes, "is that I have who I came for. Sailor Mercury, or Mizuno Ami."

She watched through the crystal viewer Mercury's unconscious body lying on the floor of the dungeon, chained up. Hermes tightened her grip on the Mercury's henshin stick. "Yes, we will have our revenge... And I will have my revenge on you, Mercury," she hissed, her calm, reasonable self fleeing once again. "You will pay..."

To be continued...

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