Gaijin Part 16: The Love of a Lesbian... By Sean D'Anna ===== Michiru Kaiou was having a good day. The sun was shining, the air was clear, and she had a recital that evening in front of a sold out crowd. It was only a small theater downtown, but it was still a thrill. She looked out her window at the rising sun and smiled in contentment. Life was good. +++++++++++++++++ Carrot was miserable. His head hurt, his joints ached, and two loudly snoring roommates had kept him up most of the night. His eyes were bleary and distant as he glared hatefully at the sunbeam that roused him from his slumber. Life sucked. Gia smiled at him, she was dressed in a button up shirt and a pair of panties. The shirt was long enough to cover her completely, but it was still quite a sight to behold for someone as young as Carrot. He paused and stared at her for a moment. "What?" she said as she blinked at him and sipped at the mug of coffee in her grip calmly. "Is that Spike's shirt?" "Yeah?" "I thought I recognized that blood stain," said Carrot as he pointed to the collar. "This is the one he was wearing that day we went out and the guy had a baseball bat on him." "God you're hopeless," grumbled Gia as she frowned at him for a moment. She had almost been hoping that he'd noticed her for a moment there. "Eh?" muttered the boy in confusion. He quickly dismissed it and turned towards the kitchen. With a shuffling walk he staggered into the room to grab a cup of coffee for himself. ++++++++++++++++++++ Far away... The storm had slowed its progress over the ocean. It growled angrily as it surveyed the city below it. "Where am I?" growled the thing as it narrowed it's eyes and descended towards the earth. The sky was still dark wherever it was, and it was obvious morning would soon arrive. It came down on a deserted street. The lights in the homes were out and there was a slight chill in the autumn air. It knew it was still too far north for it to be Japan yet. The only question was how far it had been blown off course. It growled in frustration as it walked up to one of the cars that were parked in a driveway. It's claws worked as it held back a scream of rage. "California? I'm in America?" It turned back towards the floating wings and snorted. It didn't really matter; his target would be there when he arrived in Japan. He at least knew where he was now. He paused before jumping and cocked his head at something that caught his eye. Jumping onto the wings he floated towards it. It was a glowing object that was sitting in the window of one of the homes. A great orange pumpkin with a sinister looking grin leering back at him. He chuckled as he stared into the dead eyes and simply watched the flame inside for a moment. "Interesting." He cocked his head as a sound came from inside the home. +++++++++++++++++ "Mom, Dad, there's a goblin outside my window." Five year old Justin frowned at his parents as they lay silently and ignored him. He thought they were sleeping, but in fact it was a vain hope that the boy would give up and go back to bed. "Go back to sleep Justin," muttered his mother. "But he's outside my window," insisted the little boy. "So tell him to go away," grumbled his father. "But he's a goblin!" whimpered the boy. "So tell him I said go away, or else," said his father as the boy pulled open his eyelid. "Go to bed. There's no such thing as goblins." Justin shrugged and walked out of his parent's room. He paused as he walked back into his room and stared at the window. The thing was still there, staring at his Jack-o-lantern. The boy cocked his head and thought about it for a half second before walking over to open his window. The thing blinked in surprise and stared at him. "My dad says you're not real," said the boy to the thing calmly. The monster peered at him, not quite sure what to say or do. "He says that you should go away too, or else," said the boy. "He says, I shouldn't be scared of monsters cause I'm a big boy now, and that monsters aren't real, and they don't live in your closet or under the bed." The thing grinned at the child. "Oh, he did, did he?" The little boy nodded. The monster patted him on the head and smiled almost gently. "Go back to bed." "Okay." Justin wandered back into his sheets and rolled onto his side. +++++++++++++++++++ "Is he sleeping now?" muttered the woman as she rolled over and put her arm across her husband's side. "God I hope so," muttered the man sleepily. "We're gonna have to have a talk with him in the morning about this again." "I told you not to let him have that stupid pumpkin in his window. He's not old enough." "Maybe you're right," muttered the man. A loud crack sounded outside that was quickly followed by a low rumble. Both adults jumped in surprise at the sudden sound. "A thunder storm?" muttered the man as he saw the light flash again outside. "It's raining?" muttered his wife. There was another flash outside of the window, and the man froze. A dark silhouette could be seen for the briefest of seconds just outside the window. It appeared to have something under its arm. "What the?" muttered the man dumbly. "Go back to sleep," muttered his wife. "I think I saw something outside," muttered the man nervously as he got to his feet. "Don't you start now too, this isn't funny," muttered the woman as she put a pillow over her head. "Diana, there's someone outside," said the man's voice quietly. "What?" said the woman as she sat up. "Call the..." Her voice trailed off at what she saw. A shadowy figure could be seen through the curtain. Lightning flashed outside once again as the figure held a glowing orange object under its arm. It was a ghoulish face that flickered with the candle light from inside the gourd. The thing also looked like it was standing on air, floating just outside the second story window. The man stepped back and a ripping sound filled the room. The wall groaned as it was ripped open by an unseen force. Finally, the wall blasted inward and showered the room with glass and plaster. The woman screamed in terror as her husband was thrown back onto the floor by the force of the blast. His eyes were wide in terror and he simply lay shaking on the floor at what floated over him inside his room now. It was a hideous monster, green skin with long claws and sharp teeth. Its ears were pointed and its eyes seemed to glow with an eerie yellow. In its hand was the Jack-o-lantern from his son's window. "So, you've been telling your son I'm not real have you?" The thing leered at him and he sputtered on the floor, not even capable of speaking at the moment. "Heh. I've been living in your closet for years now. Don't you remember me little boy?" It gave him a toothy grin and reared back its arm. The lantern was held high over its head now and it narrowed its eyes. "See that you don't forget!" The last thing the man remembered after hearing his wife scream in the background as the gourd slammed into his face and knocked him out cold, was the terrible laughter the thing made when it flew away into the moonlight. ++++++++++++++++++ Carrot was standing in front of the tower that contained Hisami's office and most of his legitimate businesses. He was wearing a plain white shirt and black slacks with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he watched the tower. He casually blew a bubble with the gum in his mouth and listened to the music from the headphones that rested in his ears. A small tape player hung off his belt as he casually walked through the street and continued to watch people walk in and out of the building. It was far too early for him to attempt entering, but he was planning his next move inside his head carefully. The interior of the building was only a little familiar too him. He'd only been inside once, and was mostly trying to find his way to the top at the time. Kajura had not yet delivered the plans for the building, but they were expected that evening sometime. He sighed and turned away, he didn't think he'd learn anything more than he had that day. +++++++++++++++++ Mei Lin smiled cheerfully as she followed behind Yamada. She was lugging several large cases of camera and recording equipment with her. "This is heavy." "Well, you're on the bottom of the food chain kid, get used to it," growled the man irritably. He had actually shaved since she'd last seen him, and his tie and collar were both neat. He looked much more professional early in the day. She decided that there wasn't anything she could really do about her problem and suffered through it. It was heavy, but not too much for her to not bear it. After riding in the elevator for a minute or two the pair found themselves in a parking garage on the lowest level of the building. The girl blinked at this and glanced around. "Are we going somewhere?" "Yeah, you get to have some field experience," replied Yamada crossly. He was just as irritated as ever to have her around. It showed in his attitude. The man walked over to a large van with a lot of electronic equipment jutting from the roof. It also had several markings on the side announcing that the Tokyo Sun owned it. "Toss that stuff in the back and get in. Don't take all damn day." Mei Lin sighed and nodded her head as she immediately did so. ++++++++++++++++++ Gia frowned uncomfortably as she watched her television. The cat was sitting on the table next to her, watching it with a sort of vapid expression on her face. "No! Don't do it Akane! Yoshi is a back stabbing bastard!" cried the animal as the characters on the screen started to kiss. "Yoshi's not that bad," grumbled the woman. "I mean, sure he's a jerk, but he's a nice guy mostly." "He kicked her cat last week! The bastard! He doesn't deserve her!" snapped Luna irritably. "What kind of man does something so awful!?" Gia rolled her eyes. "Look..." "She'd be better off with Izumi!" "Well, I can't argue with that, but Izumi is seeing that doctor, Kashihara." "She doesn't deserve him either!" "Why? Did she forget to fill up the milk bowl?" grumbled Gia. "No! She's going behind his back and sleeping with Koshi!" muttered Luna. "Really?" said Gia as she stared at the TV. "When did this happen?" "Last week, before we got the TV for the office. I watched it at the electronics store down the street. I'm a cat, I can hear through the glass even if they've got it on low volume." Luna looked quite pleased with herself. "You little! You should have taken me with you!" snapped Gia. "I didn't know I could talk yet," replied the animal with a shrug. "Oh," said the woman as she sighed. "What else did I miss?" +++++++++++++++++ Kajura frowned as he stood up from the computer at the station. The disk was popped out and placed in his coat pocket as he glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. With a rough snort he turned away from the station and paused. Saito was standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. "What do you think you're doing?" Kajura cursed under his breath and turned his head away. "Following a new lead. I'm not sure if it'll pan out or not." "You didn't tell me about this," muttered the man as he looked down at the computer. "This guy is nervous, too many of us might make him run," replied Kajura calmly. "He's got reason to be that way." "That doesn't sound good," replied Saito calmly as he shoved the man aside and sat down at the workstation. "It's not as bad as it sounds," grumbled Kajura sourly. "Knowing you, it's probably worse," said the younger man as he booted up the PC. "You know, you have to clear the records after you do something on these things. Otherwise..." He stopped talking as he typed and smirked as the plans came up on the screen. His smug expression vanished as he realized what he was looking at. "These are the floor plans for the Hisami building." Kajura only nodded. "What the hell are you planning?" Saito poked around the plans with his mouse and scowled even deeper. "Kajura..." "I'm not going in there. Do you think I'm stupid?" replied the older man as he put a cigarette between his lips. "You just might be," muttered Saito calmly. "If the higher ups find out about this..." "They won't," replied Kajura calmly. "Yeah, because I was lucky enough to run into you while you were doing this," grumbled Saito irritably. "I've got a reason for getting these, and I doubt if it'll be traced back to me once I get what I want with them. No one would have even thought of looking for a connection between me and these missing plans." The younger man nodded slowly. "I see. You've got someone else going inside?" "Someone with no connection with the department. It'll be an anonymous tip when I get the information I need from him." "You should have mentioned this," said Saito as he calmed a bit. "I'm still not sure if it'll pan out." Kajura smirked and adjusted the cigarette in his lips. "Even if it doesn't, it's worth the risk for what I could get with it." "I'm your partner. I need to be informed," said Saito calmly. "I can't cover for you if I don't know what's going on." He started to type on the keyboard and erase the information from the computer, and any other information that would link his partner to it. "I was planning on bringing you in on it if this worked out. This could become an excellent source. Kid's got something against Hisami himself. I'm not sure what though." "That sounds sketchy to me. Watch your back." "Not in this case, the kid has a hit out on him. He's survived for several months; this is no smoke screen. I've seen it myself, this kid is the real deal." Saito frowned and nodded slowly. "Don't get too involved. We don't want to be connected to this later, especially if what you say is true." Kajura merely nodded. "I'm gonna see him tonight. I'll get back with you and let you know what happens in a few days. I'll need your help if this works out." Saito sighed as he turned back towards the screen and continued his work, carefully deleting information from the workstation. ++++++++++++++++++ Michiru was nervous, she had butterflies in her stomach as she sat in her place at the orchestra. The crowd was sitting to her right, and the conductor had not yet arrived. She would have a solo tonight, a very long one. "You can do this," she told herself as she closed her eyes and breathed as she tuned her instrument. ++++++++++++++++++ Haruka growled as she sat in her place. Her girlfriend sat at her side cheerfully. She was a cute kid, but not something she was taking seriously. To everyone else in attendance she seemed to be the handsome boyfriend in the couple. Her clothes were quite male, and she found herself wondering why she was attending something like this. The girl at her side answered the question and she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Is something wrong?" asked the blonde girl cheerfully. She was wearing a long evening gown and had her hair put up. She was very pretty, but in a rather vacuous way. "I guess this just isn't my kind of thing," she replied somewhat nervously. She felt like everyone was staring at her, even though she knew it wasn't true. She relaxed a little after a moment though. Her car was fixed now; the damage done to it a few weeks before was now a distant memory. She had a girl at her side and a long evening ahead of her. It wasn't so bad really. It got better as well. Her eyes fell onto the violinist sitting in the front row of the orchestra. She let out a quiet gasp and her eyes went wide as she stared at the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen in her life. "Who?" "Huh?" asked her date in confusion. "Oh, her. That's Michiru Kaiou. She's supposed to be very good." Haruka just nodded. "Michiru?" Everything around her seemed to drown out suddenly. The lights went dim, in the theater, but the lights on the music stands kept her from losing sight of her. "Wow." The conductor stepped up from back stage, and the polite applause began. +++++++++++++++++ Usagi Tsukino sat upright at her desk. Her dazed glare vanishing in a moment of clarity. "Something bad is about to happen." She whispered this out loud and glanced around the room. Something surged inside of her and then fell flat. A memory faded into her consciousness. "There's nothing you can do about it." She hung her head as the bell rang signaling lunch. She gathered her books and looked over to her group of friends for a moment before rushing off. She didn't feel like being with them at the moment. ++++++++++++++++++++ Makoto blinked as the girl rushed out of the room suddenly. "Man, she must be hungry." "Where is she going?" wondered Ami out loud. "Not sure, maybe we should go after her?" offered Makoto with a small shrug. "Sorry girls, but something's come up," said a voice from Ami's watch. "Artemis?" muttered Ami dumbly. "You've got to go to downtown Tokyo, right now," said the cat's voice calmly. "There's a situation." The pair looked at each other and nodded firmly. ++++++++++++++++++++ Mao Lin walked through Tokyo with a smirk on her face. She was dressed more casually now, blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her mace was a wrapped bundle slung over her shoulder as she strolled through the streets, towering over those around her easily. Men and women alike stepped out of her path, dazed by her beauty, or frightened of her height. Either way she didn't really care. She was looking for her sister and didn't feel like speaking with the locals anyway. She paused suddenly and frowned as she turned her gaze towards the east. "I sense... a disturbance?" Without a moment's thought, she quickly changed her direction and moved towards the strange force. ++++++++++++++++++++ Carrot was sitting on top of a rooftop staring at the two towers in the distance with a frown on his face. Going back inside was not something he was looking forward too. He owed Kajura a favor though. He sighed as he shifted his position on the rooftop and sighed. "Man, this sucks." His thoughts were cut off as something appeared between his legs quite suddenly. The boy crossed his eyes and stared at the metal object that was now poking through the roof of the building inches from his crotch. "What the?" It was a piece of a trombone. He stood up with a violent jerk and staggered backwards. "Oh shit." A low rumbling started in the building below him and he frowned. The screams of those inside began to float up from behind the thick insulation of the roof. "Damn! What the hell is going on here?" A flute slammed through the roof and poked upwards at his feet, he jumped back and found himself backed against a door. It was a stairwell that led into the building. The rumbling started again and he jumped forward and slammed his shoulder into the door. It crashed inward and he tumbled down the stairwell. When he hit the bottom of the first rung of stairs he fell on his rear and turned to look up at the roof again. The door closed with a slamming sound. The boy narrowed his eyes at that. He growled as he stood up and dusted himself off. For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a boot, and the bottom of a key like staff on the other side of the door. He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not though. "So. That's how it is?" He turned towards the stairs and his frown deepened as he walked into what sounded like hell itself. +++++++++++++++++++++ Haruka gasped as she stood up in her seat. Her date was screaming uncontrollably along with most of the rest of the crowd. The doors to the hall were all slammed shut by an invisible force and locked tight. "Damn!" One of the instruments, a cello, grew three times its normal size in one of the orchestra member's grip. It shrieked angrily as its strings came loose and began to flail about wildly. The musicians scattered about wildly, running into the crowd and away from the monster. Haruka growled as she realized that Michiru was among them. The woman had a sort of icy calm about her though, much like herself. "What the hell is that?" Her mind flashed in a horrifying memory. The boy, and the thing that had chased them through the streets of Tokyo a few weeks before. "Oh shit!" The creature began to grab the musical instruments with its strings, using them like tentacles as it seemed to sprout dozens more of the whip like appendages than it should have had. It began to toss them into the air, impaling them in walls and the ceiling at various places. It seemed to be showing off its strength more than anything else. It didn't really aim them and no one was injured. Haruka's mind worked as she tried to think of what she could do. Nothing came to mind. Michiru was standing in front of the crowd between the monster and the people, she seemed to be shielding them with her body. Terror was clear on her features as she backed away slowly. The thing screeched again and lumbered forward. Michiru wasn't fast enough and was pulled into the air by the thing's tentacles. She screamed in horror as she was lifted off the ground easily. The wires were cutting her clothes as they squeezed her body. Haruka tensed herself to jump forward. Her strength was wavering and she had already started to notice those around her falling to the ground. She growled and pooled her power, focusing her will as best she could. "No!" The monster was sent jolting forward quite suddenly and Haruka gasped at what she saw. It was him. He was dressed better now, and had a pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes as he stared at the monster with an iron pole in his grip exactly like the one he had thrown at the beast. "Hey ugly, quit playin with that little girl and pick on someone your own size." The creature growled and slowly turned to face the boy who was standing on stage. Carrot smirked and moved into a combat stance with the pole held behind his back. "Come get some." His mind was of a completely different tone. "Great move genius! Get the monster to notice you! Real smart!" The creature used a few of the strings like legs and burst forward at a surprising speed. Carrot's body tingled from various points as the rest shot forward towards him. The boy jumped into the air with a yell and spun around as he dodged the monster's strikes. He landed on the ground roughly and blinked as he looked around him. Over his head were several tight lines that were obviously stuck deep into the wall behind him. "Oh man." The creature jerked its tentacles back suddenly and parts of the wall fell onto the ground. The boy rolled around the debris and managed to escape, but the monster was ready too attack again. As soon as he was on his feet he felt a sharp pain across his chest and was thrown into the wall at the back of the stage. He hit hard and lost most of his breath from the impact. It was hard enough to crack the cement wall. He wasn't out though, he staggered to his feet and growled as he clutched his chest with his free arm. There was a long gash there now that bled freely. His shirt was torn, but it wasn't a deep wound. "Damn. Those things are like razor wire!" He stepped back cautiously as the thing kept its attention on him. He grabbed the discarded pole from the ground as he charged forward again. The monster didn't hold its ground, it moved back as Carrot readied his strike and shifted its prisoner forward in his path. The boy's eyes went wide as he saw this and he cursed. "No!" cried Haruka from the crowd. He couldn't hear her over the slowly dying screams of the rest of the audience. Carrot was committed to his strike, he shifted his weight as best he could and hit higher than he had intended, striking the chords that held the girl above the ground. Reaching out with his arm after the completed strike, he grabbed her and pulled her down with him as he landed from the jump. His face contorted as he realized that the maneuver might have killed her. It definitely made her cuts deeper, but she seemed alive, and was still conscious. She wasn't screaming anymore though, probably because she was too weak. As soon as he hit the ground, the Youma attacked again. He rolled away and pulled the girl with him off the side of the stage as the thing's tentacles cut chunks of the wooden floor away easily. He hit the ground with the girl on top of him and grunted in pain. He found himself inside the orchestra pit and shoved the girl off of him roughly as he staggered to his feet. She was shaking badly, but it didn't seem like she was any more than frightened at the moment. "Stay here," he commanded her as he pulled his pole up and glared at the thing above him. She gave him a silent nod and stared with wide eyes. The boy jumped up and back onto the stage once again. His face was a deep frown as he readied the pole and prepared to strike again. "You're goin down ugly." +++++++++++++++++++ Haruka gasped as she watched the fight. She barely had enough strength to stand at the moment and couldn't do anything to help. She was caught between her personal anger, the odd feeling to protect Michiru, and respect for the boy's actions so far. That was when they arrived. Mini skirts and boots flashing their identity to the world. The Senshi had arrived. "Mars!" cried one of them as she pointed at the stage. "I'm not blind Mercury," said the dark haired girl as she gave a firm nod. The blonde who had walked in last gasped at who she saw on the stage. "It's him!" "The monster first, then we'll deal with him," said Jupiter coldly. Rei flashed her an angry glare, but didn't argue. +++++++++++++++++ Carrot hit the ground hard again, another gash cut deep into his shirt to match the four others he'd gotten so far. The fight wasn't going well and he was doing little more than keeping its attention on himself. He narrowed his eyes at the thing and noticed something odd. There was a very small crystal that was now glowing with power on top of the monster's head. There was a face at the end of the handle he hadn't noticed before. "So, there you are..." He growled and jumped back away from it to get a bit more distance. The creature lumbered forward, slashing wildly with its strings. Carrot jumped up to avoid one of them and caught a rope. The thing roared angrily at this and cut off the portion just below him. The boy found himself hanging from a complicated tangle of ropes and sandbags above the stage. He glanced down at the thing and smirked. "Can't get up here can ya?" The monster roared angrily and the wires touching the floor around its base tensed suddenly. "Aw man," muttered the boy lamely as the creature bounded up into the air and latched onto several of the ropes with him. The thing actually started to laugh as it took control of more and more of the ropes. Carrot was jumping desperately through them, and he was running out of room. Finally, he spun around so that he was hanging upside down on one of them and smirked as he reached out and grabbed one of the knots. "Gotya." The monster blinked in confusion at this act, and then screeched in anger and pain as it plummeted back onto the stage from the force of the sandbag that hit it from high above. The boy chuckled and slid down the rope he was hanging from and swung over a few times until he reached one that led all the way back down to the stage. The creature now had a large hole in its side and looked slightly smashed, but it wasn't dead. "Not so mean now are ya?" "Mars! Now!" "Aku Ryo Tai San!" Carrot turned and blinked in confusion at the sound of the voices from behind him. "Oh shit." He was standing directly between a smirking Mars, a charged up Jupiter, and the Youma. The dark haired girl released the flaming ward towards him. He jumped up into the air and felt the heat of it passing him. Rolling as he hit the ground to put out the fire that started on his sleeve he grunted in pain and kicked himself back onto his feet. "Jupiter Thunder Shower!" cried the brunette as he managed to get his feet back. Carrot was floored by the attack, it was wide enough to hit him and the monster and he tumbled down into the pit where he had hidden Michiru. The girl squeaked in fear as he landed beside him and curled her feet up a bit more. "This sucks," he muttered as he pushed himself up onto his arms. His head was hung down and he grunted painfully. His entire body was smoking and his eyes were slightly glazed from the magical attack. He growled angrily and stared forward towards the trio of girls. He couldn't see them because of a small divider that kept the orchestra separated from the crowd. "That does it." +++++++++++++++++++ "It's still alive," growled Mars as she watched the flailing monster burn. She readied another ward and nodded towards Jupiter. Mercury frowned as she noticed the readout on her screen. They would not have beaten the monster so easily if it hadn't been weakened by its previous battle. However indirectly, the boy had helped them out. A metal pole shot from below the stage in the pit area. The girl's couldn't see who threw it, but it shattered the crystal on top of the monster's head. The thing gave a final screech before it withered down and simply burned. "The fire!" gasped Venus as she stepped forward. "I'll take care of it," said Mercury as she moved to the front of the group. She paused when she noticed the boy standing on the divider between the orchestra pit and the audience. He had one leg on top of it and the other was still on the ground. His face was a hardened scowl and he had an iron pole in his hand. "What the?" stammered Mercury as she stepped back again. "I've tried to be nice about this, really. You girls just keep pushing me," he said coldly. The stage began to burn more viciously behind him, giving him an almost demonic appearance that was accented by the scars on his chest, and the old one over his eye. "You've sought your own path to evil!" cried a male voice from behind him. Carrot lurched forward as he found himself stabbed in the shoulder by a rose. His senses were too slow of a warning for him to react in the condition he was in. He grunted in pain as he clutched at the wound and glanced back over his shoulder at Tuxedo Mask. The fool was standing on the rafters above the stage watching the events unfold and ignoring the burning flames. Carrot pulled it out with a painful growl and tossed it aside. "So, this is it then?" The girls stepped back and readied themselves, preparing for combat. Carrot jumped up onto the stage and ignored the raging flames around him. He glanced down at the girl that was still cowering beneath the stage. "Hey kid. Let me go down with style at least. Then get out of here, help blondie there get these people out before the place burns down." Michiru blinked and looked around. The monster was gone, and one of the audience members was helping the still weakened crowd get through the door. She nodded at him and staggered forward. As she moved to her feet, her fingers brushed up against something. She picked them up and glanced at them. It was a pair of dark sunglasses, they were sleek in design and slim. She glanced up at him once more and tossed them too him. He caught them one handed and flipped them open in the same motion. Slowly placing them over his face he grinned. "Get lost kid." The girl blushed as she rushed towards the crowd. The Senshi were ignoring the crowd now, it was obvious they would all be out within a few moments. Most of them could walk by this point. She spared them a glance and moved through the doors. "I hope he makes it out all right. That was cool." Carrot merely stared down the girls as they slowly approached him. Tuxedo Mask was watching from above and had yet to move. His grin hadn't faded from his face and he spun the pole around in his hand skillfully. Without a word, he charged into the four girls. Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter couldn't react fast enough. The boy tore into them with the pole, scoring a hit in the face on everyone but Jupiter. She managed to block it, and received a blow to her stomach for her trouble. The girls staggered back and Carrot kept between them, forcing them to stay close together with quick strikes and jabs. They lashed out at him at amazing speeds, but his body always gave warning before the strike. He was completely focused as he beat on them relentlessly. His pole hit two or three of them at a time as he spun it around skillfully. His feet moved quickly and he kicked Jupiter seven times before spinning around to nail Mars in her chest. "We never talk anymore," he said to the girl as he stood over her fallen body for a moment. She groaned painfully and stared at him with hate filled eyes. "I'll see you dead yet." "Maybe," he said with a short nod. He jabbed her in the face with the pole where she lay and smirked coldly as she finally passed out. The other three were still standing, but weren't far enough away to use their powers. He slowly turned his head to look at them and they all backed away from the crazed grin. "Next?" Without warning he snapped back with his pole. With a frown on his face he turned his head to look at the rose that had been aimed at his back. It was stuck in his pole near the small of his back. "Here, you can have this back." He spun around and tossed the pole like a spear. Tuxedo Mask was trapped on the rafters and had no room to dodge. He took the blow dead in his stomach and tumbled onto the stage on his back. He screamed in pain as he landed, and slowly turned his torso in an attempt to stand upright. After a moment, he was on his hands and knees on stage. He glanced up and growled at the boy as he held his belly. "Damn you." "Heh," Carrot turned to face the three remaining Senshi. "Shit." "Jupiter Thunder Shower!" Thinking quickly, the boy jammed another pole into the ground where he had been standing as he jumped back. The lightning attack was attracted to the pole and dissipated into the ground harmlessly. Carrot frowned as his legs tingled a little despite the fact that he'd landed so far away. "Not good." Venus was holding a golden ball of energy in her hands with a huge looking scowl on her face. "Definitely not good," he said to himself as he crouched and prepared to dodge. His tingling sensation suddenly appeared on his side and he turned to face the source. A large spiked ball of metal slammed into his chest and sent him flying towards the stage. He didn't even get to scream in pain as he tumbled down into the orchestra pit once again. He never did see who had hit him as he closed his eyes and lost consciousness. The senshi were staring at the huge woman who had appeared in the building with a gigantic spiked mace. "Demons. Feh," said the Chinese girl as she flicked the side of her nose with her thumb. "A weak one at that." The girls simply stared at the woman for a moment. "Who are you?" "This isn't what I'm looking for," said the woman as she glanced around. "I am Mao Lin, I am searching for my sister, Mei Lin. She is not here, and the evil has been defeated, so I will leave now." "Defeated?" muttered Mars uncomfortably as she hung between Mercury and Jupiter's arms. She had only regained consciousness in time to see the girl's arrival. The woman merely nodded towards the stage. The ceiling was beginning to fall now from the fire, and it was growing extremely dangerous to stay where they were. "We should go. That boy will not survive." She turned away and walked out the front door. The senshi followed after her wordlessly. ++++++++++++++++ Once outside, the woman continued on her way and said nothing to them as she continued her search. The senshi were beaten and tired, but victorious. They could all move around under their own power without much trouble. "We should all go home," said Ami weakly. Rei nodded with a tired smile on her face. "It's finally over." Makoto pat her on the shoulder and sighed. "Come on, before the cops show up." The girl nodded and they moved into a nearby alleyway to detransform. ++++++++++++++++++ Michiru was standing in the doorway to the theater. She had her hand over her mouth and her back to the door. She was just inside the burning building and tears filled her eyes. "He will not survive." The woman had been so cold when she had said that. The senshi didn't seem to have much of a problem with that either. They had left only a moment before and she was alone. She turned to look into the theater and the flames. With a firm scowl on her face she stepped into the inferno. +++++++++++++++++ Carrot groaned painfully as he awakened from his forced nap. His side was burning in pain, and his wounds didn't feel much better. He looked around himself at the flames and managed to get to his knees. He pushed his torso upright and glanced around. "Damn." He was basically surrounded by flames. The smoke wasn't too bad, he could see most of it going up the stairwell he'd arrived in. Still, he was not in a good situation. "This really sucks, think dumbass!" "Are you here?" called a voice from behind him. He blinked. "Please don't be dead!" Carrot turned to see Michiru Kaiou shoving her way through debris and shying away from flames as she made her way towards him. "Shit! What the hell are you doing here still?!" "You're alive!" cried the girl as she rushed up to him. He rushed forward and grabbed her as the curtain above them finally burned away and crumpled to the ground in flames, blocking the path she had taken to get as far as she had. "Damn it!" he muttered under his breath. "What the hell where you thinking?" "I'm sorry, you saved me, and I couldn't just..." Carrot rolled his eyes and pulled her along. "How long can you hold your breath?" The girl blinked at this as he moved towards the stairwell. "Um..." +++++++++++++++++++++ Thirty seconds later, Carrot burst onto the rooftop at a full sprint. As soon as he was clear of the billowing cloud of toxic smoke he gasped for breath. The roof wasn't in much better condition than the theater below. Both of them were covered in sweat and dirt. He found himself barely able to stand and growled in frustration as he put the older girl back onto her own feet to think for a moment. "What are we going to do?" asked Michiru nervously. Small spouts of flames could be seen bursting from cracks in the roof. Carrot narrowed his eyes. "We jump." "Whaaaaaaaatttttt!?" screamed the girl as he scooped her into his arms again and ran towards the nearest edge. He ignored any of the flames in his way and pushed himself off the edge. As he did so he shifted her into one arm and shot out his arm, sending a thin wire shooting out into the air. Michiru didn't stop screaming until several moments after they landed on the sidewalk below. He pulled her into an alleyway and stepped back as she composed herself. The girl blinked. "You...saved us?" Carrot merely lurched forward and passed out cold. ++++++++++++++++++++ TBC... Next Time: Rise of the Goblin!