Sailor Moon grunted as she struggled within the grip of the tentacled monster.
"Hurricane Blast!"
A giant wind whipped up and hit the creature. The concussion blew the creature through one wall and into the vet's waiting room, which had cleared out a while ago, due to the sounds of battle emanating from the examining room.
The monster slumped against the second wall it hit and its limbs went slack. Sailor Moon struggled to fight her way out of the massed tentacles. She gasped.
There stood a new Sailor Scout! The brown suited Sailor ran up and helped Sailor Moon out.
"Who are you?" she asked breathlessly.
The girl smiled, "We don't have time for lengthy introductions. First, do whatever you were going to do to that creature with that scepter, then we'll have time to talk."
Sailor Moon nodded and made a dash for her scepter. She snatched it off the floor and whirled to face the monster just as it began to struggle to its feet.
"What are you doing?!" it shrieked as it looked from the new Sailor to Sailor Moon, "I thought-"
"Moon..."
"-I had-"
"Princess..."
"-already-"
"Halation!"
"AHHHHHH!" With a final scream as the energy blast hit it, the monster contracted into a glowing ball, and with a flash of light it disappeared.
"Whew!" Sailor Moon sagged for a second in relief. The she jerked her head around the room. With a cry she ran for a still, dark form sprawled on the floor. "Tuxedo Mask! Tuxedo Mask! Are you okay?"
He stirred slightly and his eyes cracked open. "I'll be fine, the breath just got knocked out of me. Go check on the girls. They took some nasty hits."
Sailor Moon gave Tuxedo Mask a quick squeeze of affection and helped him sit up. Then she ran towards Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. Jupiter's strong constitution served her well. She was already trying to get untangled from the others.
"Good job, Sailor Moon! Hey-who's that over by Mercury?"
Sailor Moon glanced back over her shoulder. "I don't know. She saved us all, though. There hasn't been time to find out. Mars? Mars? Wake up, please." She knelt down by Mars and held her head in her lap. "C'mon, wake up-tell me you're all right."
"Mmmmm," Mars shifted around a little, "I'm supposed to nag you, not you me," she protested foggily as she began to wake up.
"Mars!" Sailor Moon cried out with joy, and helped her up too.
"Wait-who's that walking toward us?"
"Is it over?" Venus asked weakly and then she too noticed the brown clad sailor.
A grin split her freckled face and she flipped her long red braid back over her shoulder. Her green eyes sparkled. "I'm glad to meet you all finally. I'm Sailor Earth."
"Really?"
"How come we didn't meet you before?"
"How'd you find us here?"
"What're your special powers?"
She held up a hand with a laugh. "Hold it! I've never been in Japan until now. My family just moved here. As for finding you, once I'd heard about a strange creature loose in this office building, well, I couldn't ignore that. It was good that I got here in time." She shrugged.
"I'll say!" Mercury rubbed a sore spot on her head.
Sailor Moon took Earth's hand. "Thank you for coming. Oh! Do you know Tuxedo Mask?"
"Him?" Earth pointed at Darien, who by now had stood up and was walking across the room to retrieve his cane. "I didn't know who he was, but he seemed to be your friend." She looked up at him and made a gesture of apology as he walked in their direction. "I regret I didn't get here in time to help you," she said.
Tuxedo Mask looked back at her. "I'm just glad the monster was defeated."
She nodded.
Sailor Venus spoke up, "I think we should have a Scout meeting to talk about this attack."
"At the temple?"
Venus looked at Earth. "Do you know where it is?"
"The one in the middle of town?"
"Yes."
She nodded, "When?"
Sailor Moon spoke up, "I'm already late for supper. How about in two hours?"
The others nodded. Then Mercury looked around. "Where are the cats?"
Venus gasped and looked about frantically. Mars brushed a few dark strands out of her face and pointed. "There they are!"
Sailor Moon sprinted over to the still forms of the two cats and shook them. Then she looked at the others. "There's no change-but they don't seem any worse." Venus knelt on one knee to scoop up the snow white cat while Sailor Moon picked up Luna.
"Are they the reason you were here?" Earth asked.
"Yes, they're under attack by the Negaverse. We don't know what to do. That creature was involved somehow." Mercury gestured in the direction of the damaged wall that the monster had hit.
Venus nodded, "If you hadn't helped us kill that monster, we'd be in great danger. In order to save Artemis and-"
"Luna."
"How'd you know her name?"
"She told me who I was three years ago. I think I was the first. She said she had to leave to find some others. Anyway, what were you saying, Venus? It sounded important."
"I was just thanking you. We had to reveal out secret identities to that creature. If it hadn't been defeated, the Negaverse would have known where I lived, as well as Sailor Moon and Mercury."
"I'm glad I could help. I'll be at the meeting. See you girls in a few hours. I can't wait to get to know you all. Hey, where's Tuxedo Mask?"
"Oh!" Sailor Moon said, "He must have left already." She looked at her feet. "I hope he's all right."
Jupiter placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he is. You should get home with Luna before you get in trouble."
"Mmmhmm. I will. See you guys later. Thanks again, Sailor Earth." Sailor Moon walked out of the building as Serena and off toward home.
*****
Rei looked up from her seat on the temple steps as the sharp clap of hard shoe soles hitting stone disturbed her meditation. A girl walked toward the temple. She was wearing jeans and a brown sweater. Rei stood up. "Can I help you?"
She smiled at Rei. "I think so. Are you-are you Sailor Mars?"
Rei forced a laugh. "Of course not, I-oh! You're Sailor Earth!"
She smiled back with a sparkle of emerald eyes and nodded. "Yes."
"Are you Mars?"
"Rei."
The other girl stuck out her hand. "Erin. Pleased to meet you, Rei."
Rei looked at the proffered hand for a second, then understood. "Oh!" she said as she took Erin's hand.
"Sorry. Guess I have to get used to things here. I've been in the States too long."
Rei nodded at her clothes. "I can tell."
She held her arms out and looked down at herself. "Do you think it looks bad?" she asked, worried.
"No, don't worry about that, Earth," Amy laughed as she walked up. "That red hair is distinctive. I'm Amy, and this is Lita."
"I'm Erin." She half thrust out her hand again, the stopped. "Oops, sorry."
Lita reached out and took it. "No problem. Hey, we're all here together." Amy nodded. "No need to feel embarrassed."
"Well, Serena and Mina are last again."
"But we're not late!" Serena called out as she trotted up the steps.
"Hey guys, this is Erin."
"Oh! Hi!"
"Pleased to meet you!"
As they chatted they all went inside Rei's house.
"You mentioned you knew Luna. How long ago was that again?" Serena asked, interested.
"About three years ago. I heard about Sailor V a lot. I kept a low profile." She looked at the floor, then up again. "I heard about a Princess. Who is she?"
Serena blushed. "That would be me."
Amy was listening closely. "Where'd you hear that?"
"Oh, uh-from Luna, of course. How does Tuxedo Mask fit in? Who is he?"
"His name is Darien. He's-well-he watches out for us." Serena turned even redder.
Lita laughed, "You mean he watches out for you. The rest of us barely matter!"
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Erin laughed along with the others.
"I hate to ruin the mood, but we're all here for a specific reason," Amy said softly.
Lita flicked her ponytail behind her head. "Let's get down to business."
"Amy, did you find out anything about the creature?" The girls all turned to Amy.
"I was knocked out too early. It was emanating nega-energy, but I think we already knew that."
"Ummmmm... I have something to offer," Erin said hesitantly, obviously uncomfortable with talking about such things openly.
"What is it, Erin? We're at a loss," Serena automatically tried to make her feel more comfortable.
"Well, I've fought these creatures before. These monsters are just foot soldiers. They work for someone bigger. I've heard them refer to their leader as a woman, but that's all I know."
"A foot soldier? That monster was tough!"
Erin nodded. "That's the strongest octopus I've seen yet. Usually my attack will kill one off without a problem. That one barely felt it. I've never met one that strong before."
"I think it drains energy," Mina ventured. "It had a hold on me for a while and I felt weak even after it let me go."
"Did you know they can disguise themselves?"
Erin nodded. "If you watch, you'll notice a necklace with a large black stone. That's what allows them to change."
Mina nodded. "At least we have something to watch for, but why would this creature attack us?"
"They search for energy. I think they bring it back to their leader, but I don't know the plan. They're not very active. I don't encounter them often."
"Well, that's good. Maybe whatever they were doing here is over." Serena ventured hopefully.
"Serena! Have you forgotten Luna and Artemis? We're under attack this very second."
Serena looked away. "I know, Rei."
"Hey, I've been wondering, how do you guys all coordinate your arrival when you're far apart?" Erin watched the other girls for an answer. Serena was still to subdued to answer. Lita pulled out her communicator. "We use these to talk to each other. See, they have speakers and a little screen."
Erin looked at it with interest. "I think I've seen that before," she mused. Mina turned to Amy. "Hey, I just thought of something. If those creatures or their leader is taking energy from Luna and Artemis, couldn't you trace it to its destination?"
"I don't know, but I've been trying. No luck so far, but I'm not giving up yet."
Mina looked around. "Anybody else have any ideas?" Everyone shook their head. "No? Then I suggest we all go home and get our rest."
Lita nodded. "We've all had a tough day." As she got to her feet she patted Erin on her shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Erin."
"It was great to meet all you guys," she responded with a wide smile.