From: "Kenny Blackwell" Club Anipike "Another Day" Written by Kenny Blackwell Club Anipike is created by Nightbreak Author Avatar Asociation is created by Tim McLees & Alicia Ashby Blink is (tm) & (c) Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. Aerith Gainsborough is (tm) & (c) Square Co. Ltd. All other characters mentioned are (tm) & (c) their respective owners Clarice Ferguson Also known as Blink Fifteen years old, she is a mutant with the unique power of spatial displacement; essentially, she can teleport anything anywhere. Her mutations have also affected her physical body, giving her lavender skin, pink triangular facial birthmarks, pointed ears, and white pupiless irisless eyes. These mutations do not detract from her attractiveness, but rather makes her beauty more exotic. Born in a ruin of a reality that has been known as the Age of Apocalypse, Blink's life has been filled with tragedy. As a child,she lost her parents and her brother in the death camps set up by the evil mutant known as Abyss. Even her entire reality has ceased to be by a temporal shift; her friends, allies, and enemies... gone. Blink had managed to escape somehow, finding herself in a new reality... the Sailor Moon Universe. After being befriended by the Sailor Senshi, Usagi being her closest friend, and, on an adventure in the Seventh Realm, gaining the young Ancient Aerith as an adopted older sister, Blink's life had seemed to have gotten much better. Sadly, her peace didn't last, as the demonic Oni invaded her surrogate world, killing Usagi and rendering the Inner Senshi comatose... the Outer Senshi's whereabouts are still unknown. Blink attempted to get revenge on Oni, but ultimately failed; the violet demon viciously scarred her by slashing her chest... to this day the scars across her breasts remain, and no form of healing can make them go away. Her life once again in shambles, Blink and Aerith have moved to the AAA Universe to try to begin anew... Aerith Gainsborough At twenty-two years of age, Aerith is the last of an alien race known as the Cetra, also known as the Ancients. She possesses unbelievable spiritual power, able to harness the energy of the planet itself and perform what could only be decribed as miracles. From the Seventh Realm, she was one of nine heroes who fought against the insane Sephiroth for the future of the Planet. It was Aerith who found a badly injured Blink in the outskirts of Wutai, and she healed the young mutant of her wounds. Blink, out of gratitude, accompanied Aerith and her friends, and after learning of Blink's past, Aerith adopted the mutant girl as her little sister. Three days later, Aerith was killed by Sephiroth. No one was hit harder by Aerith's death than Blink. And when she discovered the Dragon Balls, she found a way to reverse the tragedy that Sephiroth caused. With the use of her powers, Blink easily found all seven Dragon Balls, summoned the Eternal Dragon, and wished Aerith back to life. At the time of Oni's invasion, Aerith was visiting her mother back at the Seventh Realm, being spared the demon's violent wrath. She accompanied Blink to the AAA Universe in the hopes of helping her surrogate sister put her life back together.. The nightmare... it's always the same... Blink found herself on the beach... where it began. Clad in a pink two piece bikini, she spotted the Inner Senshi nearby... Ami, Minako, Rei, Mako... and Usagi... God, Usagi... Blink knew of the danger... knew what was coming... but she still asked Rei when the raven-haired Senshi of Mars suddenly looked afraid. "Rei? What's wrong?" she asked. "Gods help us..." Rei whispered. "He's here." Then the world exploded... a sonic boom burst through Blink's ears, causing her to try to shut out the noise, shutting her eyes tightly. When she opened them, she was chained to a stone altar, stripped naked of her bikini. Blink attempted to blink her way out, but to no avail... her powers were all but useless. "No..." Blink vainly struggled to break free. "No no no no no no... NO!!" "Blink-chan..." Blink pivoted her head downward to see Usagi... in her Eternal Sailor Moon guise... in the vise-like grip of the huge purple monster known as Oni. "Usagi!!" Blink screamed. "Help me, Blink-chan..." mewed Sailor Moon. "Onegai... hel--" Oni cut off Sailor Moon's plea, seizing her head and snapping her neck. "NNOOO!!!" shrieked Blink... Oni casually dropped Sailor Moon's lifeless body as he walked towards the naked mutant girl. "Don't cry, Clarice..." the demon mocked the weeping Blink. "After all... you'll join your friends soon enough." Oni then placed a clawed hand on Blink's right breast... callously, he raked his claw across her chest, drawing deep gashes into her soft flesh... Blink cried out as the dream-pain echoed into her awakening. Sitting up in her bed, Blink clutched the front of her extra large "Austin 3:16" T-Shirt, shivering in her cold sweat. Finally, she broke down... covering her face with her hands, she wept. "... Clarice..." Hearing the soft, gentle voice of Aerith made Blink moan with dread. "I... I woke you up..." she said to the young Anicent. "I'm sorry... I... I..." "It's all right..." Aerith assured as she slipped out of her own bed. "It was th nightmare again, wasn't it?" Blink nodded simply. "Oh, Clarice..." Aerith reached over to give her adopted baby sister a hug. "You poor, poor thing..." "Every time I even try to dream... I get the same thing..." Blink said, returning Aerith's love-filled embrace. "I try to wake up, but I can't... it plays out all the time... sometimes it goes further..." Blink shuddered. "Clarice... why don't you sleep with me for the rest of the night?" offered Aerith. "I'll keep the nightmare from ever reaching you." Blink paused to take a moment to clear the tears from her eyes, then nodded. "... Okay..." Aerith slipped into Blink's bed, holding her close to her body. "Go to sleep, now..." Aerith whispered. "I'll protect you..." Blink sighed peacefully... Aerith's soft skin... her warm body... the soft, steady beat of her heart... it was more than enough to lull her to sleep. It was a dreamless sleep... but at least the nightmare didn't come back. Blink smelled something delicious as she slept... it made her stomach rumble, bringing her back into the waking world. Opening her eyes, she sat up in bed; Aerith was already up, watching television on her own bed... the aroma she smelled came from a stack of French toast, smothered with syrup topped with butter, along with a tall orange juice sitting by the plate. "Morning, sleepyhead!" Aerith greeted cheerfully. "I called room service and had them make breakfast for you." "Thanks, Aerith..." Blink threw back the covers and crawled over to the breakfast, grabbing a fork and digging in. "So what's you plans for today, Clarice?" Aerith asked. "Well..." Blink hesitated, stuffing a wad of French toast in her mouth. "... I'm gonna go back... today's the day I go visit the girls..." "Oh..." Aerith knew who Blink was talking about... Ami, Makoto, Rei, and Minako... an attack from Oni left the four Senshi catatonic, and they had yet to awaken. "After that, I'm gonna maybe try to track down Oni... he could've gotten far..." Blink said as she continued eating. "... but that won't matter... I'll STILL find him, and when I do--" Blink paused when she noticed Aerith just staring at her. "What?!" "Nothing... it's just, well... look down," suggested Aerith. Blink blinked, then did as Aerith said. The French toast was all but obliterated in mere moments... all that was left was the orange juice, all but untouched. "It looks like you picked up some of Usagi's eating habits!" Aerith said with a giggle. "I had so much on my mind... I guess I didn't... huh...!" Blink smiled a bit. I guess I was in a hurry..." "... Clarice, I was thinking..." Aerith said. "For lunch, how about we go to the Club Anipike? I heard Shaed talk about it and he said it was a nice place. So what do you say?" "Sure, I don't mind..." Blink accepted just before she guzzled down her orange juice. "As long as they serve a good triple cheeseburger, I'm there." "Oh, I'm pretty sure they do..." Aerith assured. "But there's just one more question I must ask." Blink sighed. "What?" "You ARE planning on getting dressed, right?" Blink smirked. "Of COURSE I'm getting dressed!" *BLINK!* Just like that, the mutant teleporter was clothed in a white tank top, mini-skirt and shoes, as well as a blue, white sleeved varsity-style jacket with the Japanese word for "blink" stitched in both the left side and the back. "There... happy?" Blink asked playfully. "Ecstatic," grinned Aerith. "I'll probably... no, most likely be meeting you at the Anipike, okay?" "All right..." Blink got off her bed. "I'll be seeing ya later then... bye, Aerith!" "Bye! Be careful, Clarice!" *BLINK!* Blink teleported away, leaving Aerith alone in their hotel room. Aerith smiled to herself. "... Perfect." *BLINK-INK-ink* Exiting an interdimensional transportal, Blink faced the Kyoto hospital that was the current home of the comatose Sailor Senshi. Blink hated coming here every week... hoping and praying that at least one of them would be awake. But her hopes and prayers always go unanswered... Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako were still in their comas... their souls frozen by Oni, with no hope of ever thawing. With a heavy sigh, Blink entered the hospital. Blink went visiting her comatose friends... the four Senshi were in separate rooms, and she took her time visiting them all. But she took special attention to Makoto; the Senshi of Jupiter had no true family to visit her, unlike the others. As Makoto's former roomie, Blink felt she was obligated to pay special attention to her. Blink visited Makoto last... Blink sadly stared a her friend, her long brown hair without its trademark ponytail... like the others, she looked as if she was only sleeping. If only it were that simple... Blink took a nearby chair and placed it at Makoto's bedside, sitting down upon it backwards. "Ohayo, Mako-chan..." Blink spoke. "It... it's been a week... and as always, I'm back... and you an' the others... you're all still here. Y'know... if you guys don't wake up soon, I'll have to ask the doctors to pump some Jolt in your IVs. Should do the trick...!" Blink tried feigning a giggle... but failed miserably. Almost out of desperation, Blink reahed over and grabbed Makoto's hand. No response. Blink hung her head low... all the power she had as a mutant, and it made no difference here. All the encouragement, the support she poured out to Makoto and the others... it had no effect. All Blink could do was cry out of despair and anger, cursing Oni for taking nearly everything away from her. "... Damn you, Oni..." Blink sobbed. "Duh-damn you..." "Clarice-chan?" Blink raised her head, turning her tear-soaked gaze to a woman... clad in a black dress, she had purple hair and orange eyes... and a gold crescent moon symbol on her forehead. Blink almost didn't recognize her at first... but something deep down told her... "... Luna...!" Blink said. Getting up from her chair, the mutant gave Luna a tight hug. The cat-girl, in turn, returned the hug. "Oh, God... it's so good to see you...!" Blink gasped. "But... how...?" Blink pulled away from Luna. "I mean... you're HUMAN! And Artemis and Diana, are they okay? And--" "Easy, Clarice...! One question at a time...!" Luna chided playfully. "Firstly, Artemis and Diana are fine... we cats are survivors... we found a good hiding place before Tokyo blew up. As for the human form..." Luna looked down at herself with a small smile. "... I've always been able to assume this appearance... it's just that I'm always more content as a cat...!" "Oh, of course..." Blink hmphed. "Uhm... Luna, have you heard from any of the Outer Senshi? Haruka, Michiru... any one?!" Luna hesitated momentarily... an action that told Blink exactly what happened to the Outer Senshi. "Oh God, no..." she dreaded. "... Oni... he got them, didn't he...?" "... Yes, Clarice-chan... he did..." Setsuna had arrived; clad in a dark purple dress and a black topcoat, she seemed more stoic than normal. Setsuna walked over and welcomed Blink and Luna each with hugs. Somberly, she looked over at the catatonic Makoto. "Such a waste..." she replied. "Death would be more preferable compared to this..." "Setsuna!!" Blink said out of shock. "Gomen nasai..." Setsuna said. "They are my friends too, you know... I just hate seeing them like this..." "You an' me both, Setsuna-san..." Blink agreed to that notion. "Un..." Luna added. "Setsuna... you said he killed the others..." Blink said. Setsuna only nodded. "I want you to show me..." Both Setsuna and Luna looked at one another with unsue gazes. "Clarice-chan, are you sure you want to do this?" Luna asked. "From what Setsuna told me, it was extremely brutal." "I know... but show me anyway... onegai, Setsuna-san... I need to see for myself. Onegai...?" Setsuna sighed, shaking her head sadly. "You do realize that what I'll show you... we won't be able to influence because we'll be shifted out of time.." the Senshi of Pluto stated. And what I will show you will be VERY difficult to watch." Blink nodded. "I understand. Just give me a moment to say goodbye, 'kay?" Blink went over to Makoto, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I gotta go, Mako-chan..." she whispered to the comatose Senshi. "But I'll be back next week to visit you, okay...?" Blink then turned towards Luna. "It's good to know that you and the other cats're all right. I'll see ya later, okay?" Luna bowed her head, then reached to give Blink a goodbye hug. "Itte irashaii, Blink-chan..." she said to the mutant girl. Blink hugged back, then turned towards Setsuna, taking a deep breath. "Okay..." she said. "I'm ready." Aerith had arrived at the Club Anipike after shopping for some flowers... she found some nice geraniums and poppies for her to plant in her new garden... when she would get around to START her new garden, that is... I'm certain I'll find a nice place to start my garden somewhere... Aerith assured herself. But now it's time for me to try to brighten things up... And thus, Aerith entered the Club Anipike. Shaed was right... it was a nice place, well-kept and popular. The morning crowd included many manga and anime characters... a small group of certain charas caughter Aerith's attention... as well as several Author Avatars. I think I'll partake a drink first, surmised Aerith. Aerith went towards the bar, sitting upon a stool and got herself comfortable. "One club soda, please..." she asked. "Coming right up..." Misato began to prepare the drink, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of Aerith... there was something about her... as if she had seen her face before somewhere. "What's your name?" Misato queried. "Aerith," the flower girl answered. ... Aerith... so THAT'S where I saw that face... in that game! Misato realized. But... how... "Uhm... don't take this the wrong way... but aren't you supposed to be dead?" Aerith smiled slightly. "Aren't you?" The young Ancient's sudden retort caused Misato to accidentally spray soda all over her skirt. "Oh! I'm sorry!" apologized Aerith. "I guess it's a bit of a tender subject, hm?" "... I hate Gainax," muttered Misato. "I'm not too fond of Squaresoft either... looks like we have something in common, don't we?" >Misato smirked. "Sure looks like it." She then handed Aerith her club soda, then reached from under the bar to grab a towel, cleaning herself and the bar itself of the spilt soda. "So what brings you here, Aerith?" Misato asked. "Oh, this and that... mainly waiting for my sister." Misato blinked. "You have a sister?!" "Well, adopted... but still... I consider her family. Her name's Blink... well, Clarice actually. I seem to be the only one who can call her by her real name lately." "Clarice... Blink..." Misato was drawing a blank on both names. "Don't sound like any charas I know..." "She's not an anime or manga chara..." Lynxara had joined the conversation; she had easily overheard it with her enhanced hearing. "She's from Marvel Comics... I hear Kenny Blackwell brought her back from fictional oblivion... plopped her into an alternate Sailor Moon universe." "Ahhh..." Misato was beginning to understand. A fanboy who couldn't stand to see his favorite character dead." "He saw the need to write me back to life, too..." Aerith said. "He had Clarice discover the Dragon Balls, and with the powers she had, she easily found them and used them to bring me back... on my birthday, no less." She smiled fondly. "That's sweet of her..." Lynxara remarked. "Yeah..." Aerith paused momentarily, bowing her head. "What's wrong?" questioned Misato. "Well... recently we had to move on..." explained Aerith. "Oni invaded our reality... he destroyed Tokyo... and killed Sailor Moon... put the other Inner Senshi in comas..." "NANI?!!" Usagi had convieniently passed by, and overheard the "killed Sailor Moon" part; she was clearly shocked by that proclamation. "Ano... ano, ano... I'M NOT DEAD!!" Usagi screamed just before collapsing to her knees and crying her eyes out. "Oh, God she's crying again..." Misato dreaded. "I'll get the mop..." As Misato went to the broom closet, Aerith and Lynxara stared at the weeping Usagi, sweatdrops rolling down their heads. "Maybe now would be a good time to tell the other Senshi..." Aerith muttered. "Yeah, I'd say so..." agreed Lynxara. "They'll probably take it better than Usagi, here..." "I certainly hope so..." Aerith reached into her top coat and pulled out a handkerchief for Usagi to use. Still... Aerith could imagine the look on Blink's face when she sees her friends alive again... *BLINK!* Both Setsuna and Blink appeared in a forest clearing in Hokkaido... it looked so calm and peaceful to Blink... until Setsuna spoke. "This is were they died..." Blink froze, staring at Setsuna. "... What?" "Look around you..." Setsuna gestured at some of the trees virtually shattered by a battle of some sort... and dried blood staining some of the broken pieces of bark and the grass. "... It's not too late to turn back, now..." Setsuna advised. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Blink sighed deeply. "... Yeah," she said. "Let's do it." "Very well, then..." Setsuna extracted her henshin wand from her top coat. "PLUTO PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!!" Setsuna, now transformed into Sailor Pluto, produced the Time Staff into her hands and tuned away from Blink. "TIME WARP!" A transportal of temporal energy opened before the Outer Senshi and mutant girl, crackling and swirling with power. "We shall enter the recent past..." Sailor Pluto called out at Blink. "We'll be time-shifted, so we won't have physical form in the past. I apologize, Clarice... but we cannot change what already happened." "I know..." Blink agreed. "Well then, let's go!" Sailor Pluto nodded, then stepped into the time portal, with Blink closely behind. The past was now visible to both Sailor Pluto and Blink...both could see the Outer Senshi... Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna... as well as Chibi-Usa... clad in their Senshi guises as Tuxedo Kamen stood before them. "... That's not Tuxedo Kamen..." Sailor Pluto said to Blink... she then motioned her head behind her, pointing at a nearby tree. "There he is." Blink turned, and let out a gasp... Tuxedo Kamen was dead, hanging from a tree branch, hung by his neck with his large intestine. "Oh, God..." Blink stared at the dead Tuxedo Kamen, then at the one addressing the Outer Senshi. "You mean he... that's..." "Hai..." Sailor Pluto answered quietly. "We were all taken by suprise. Now watch." "I'm glad you all made it out here," "Tuxedo Kamen" said to the Outer Senshi. "I heard reports of a daemon around here, rampaging and causing massive destruction. I was hoping you could help out in finding him." "We'll do what we can, Kamen-san," Sailor Saturn said. "You know what this daemon looks like?" asked Sailor Neptune. "Yes, I do..." "Tuxedo Kamen" simply answered before moving on, walking away from the girls. "Nani...? H-hey, wait!" Sailor Chibi-Moon rushed up towards the fake Tuxedo Kamen. "Chibi-Usa, no!" Blink shouted. "Stay away from him!!" "She can't hear you, Clarice..." reminded Sailor Pluto. "Remember, we're out of the influence of time." Blink could only watch in horror at what was to come... "Wait!" Chibi-Moon had caught up to "Tuxedo Kamen, with the other Senshi close at hand. "You didn't tell us what this daemon looked like!" "I didn't?" questioned "Kamen." "No! You didn't!" "Gomen nasai, Usa-chan... allow me to rectify that." His eyes glowing a fierce red, "Tuxedo Kamen" turned towards Sailor Chibi-Moon. Before any of the Senshi could react, beams of ruby red light shot from his eyes and engulfed the top half of Chibi-Moon's body. The girl's scream was visibly heard as her flesh was all but obliterated from her head, arms, and torso. All that remained of young Sailor Chibi-Moon's body was a smoking skeleton, the gore-streaked lower half of her body still intact as it limply collapsed to the ground. "CHIBI-USA!!" Sailor Saturn screamed as she saw her best friend die. "Small Lady..!!" gasped the past Sailor Pluto. "Tuxedo Kamen" only smiled, as his body morphed into a hulking purple-skinned winged form. "You... you're the daemon...!!" Sailor Uranus said in a hushed voice. "I am Oni..." the demon said. "It would be simple enough to just say that." "You bastard!!" shouted Sailor Neptune. "She was only a child!!" Oni looked down at the remains of Chibi-Moon's body. "... So what..." he said without remorse. "I'll show you 'so what...'" Sailor Uranus muttered angrily. "Senshi!! ATTACK!!!" With that, the Outer Senshi and Oni engaged in battle, while a time-shifted Sailor Pluto and Blink watched on. Oni, with blinding speed, seized a hold of Uranus' head and shoved it through a tree, thankfully knocking her out. Side-stepping a swing from Saturn's Silence Glaive, he quickly grabbed Sailor Neptune by her feet before she could react. With inhuman strength, then flung Neptune onto the spintered stump of the tree, impaling her through the stomach. Oni grinned evilly at his handiwork, but was quickly knocked back to the battle as Sailor Pluto (past version) rammed her Time Staff into the space between his wings. He growled in anger and turned to face the Senshi of Pluto, but was attacked from behind by a slash from Saturn's Silence Glaive. "Keep at it!!" shouted Pluto. "We have to defeat him someh--" Oni suddenly connected wih a blow to Pluto's stomach, sending her flying through the air, crashing through a couple of trees before falling to the ground, moaning in agony. "... I still have a few bruises after that..." Sailor Pluto said to Blink. >Blink said nothing, only looking on in sheer soul-sick horror as Oni overwhelmed the much smaller Saturn. "... Ooohhh..." Sailor Uranus was coming to, holding her bloodied head as she rose up. She then paused, staring at the almost lifeless body of Sailor Neptune before her, a bloody piece of bark sticking out of her back. "MICHIRU!" Uranus gasped. "No... God, no!!" Neptune's head raised up slightly... she stared at her lover with tear-stained eyes, a streak of blood from her mouth. "... Haruka-san..." Neptune whispered. "... G... gomen nasai... I... I love you..." With that, Sailor Neptune's head slumped downward, her ragged breathing ceased. Uranus bowed her head sadly, crying over the loss of her beloved. "I love you too, Michiru-san..." she said in a hushed tone. Looking up, she saw Sailor Saturn being beat down by Oni. Her anguish quickly turning into rage, Sailor Uranus called forth the Space Sword. "ONI!!!" Uranus charged at the demon and actually speared him off his feet, saving Saturn from him. Leaping away from Oni, she drew forth the energies from her weapon-- "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!!" --knocking Oni back through a tree. Not letting up, Uranus landed on the ground-- "WORLD SHAKING!!" --rocking the demon with another attack. Sailor Uranus smiled to herself as the smoke and dust was just beginning to settle. "For you, Michiru-san..." she said. With a roar, Oni burst through the smoke, taking Sailor Uranus by surprise and tackling her to the ground. Quickly getting up, he placed a foot onto the Senshi's chest. "You miss your lover so much... JOIN HER!" Oni pushed down with his foot, crushing Sailor Uranus' ribcage underneath. The Senshi of Uranus let out a gurgled gasp as the organs in her chest were liquified. Oni sneered, then turned towards a petrified Sailor Saturn. "And then there was one..." he quiped. "Well, child... what now?" Sailor Saturn blinked, then looked around her... her fellow Senshi were all dead... no one left to help her. Her eyes focused on Sailor Chibi-Moon's body... the only things marking her as Chibi-Moon were the white mini-skirt with yellow and pink fringes... spattered with her own blood... and the pink boots. With tears running down her face, she stared down Oni. "I'll finish you..." vowed Sailor Saturn. "For Chibi-Usa and Haruka-san and Michiru-san, I'll finish you!!" Oni only smiled deviously. "Then try." Saturn clutched her Silence Glaive, drawing forth its dark energies. "DEATH... REBORN... REEEEEAAAAAIIGH!!" Sailor Saturn was cut off before she could use the forbidden attack, seizing the arm that held the Silence Glaive and ripping it from the socket. Then, he swung the Glaive forward, taking off the girl's head with her own weapon. Oni looked around himself, smiling at the massacre he had caused. Blink turned away, closing her eyes as tears fell. "Enough..." she whispered. "I've seen enough.." Blink and Sailor Pluto re-appeared in the present. Blink collapsed to her knees, crying heavily at what she had seen. "Gomen nasai, Clarice-chan..." Sailor Pluto said. "I told you it would be difficult to watch." "Yeah... my fault, I know..." Blink gasped."But damn... how can Oni... how can he be so cruel..." "He's a demon... he's cruel by nature..." answered Sailor Pluto. "How..." her grief suddenly turned to anger as she stood up and confronted Sailor Pluto face to face. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO ****ING CALM ABOUT ALL THIS?!" "I'm the Guardian of Time, Clarice..." Sailor Pluto explained simply. "I knew that all of this would happen." "Well, fat lotta good that did us! Or me!!" yelled Blink. "Because you didn't say a damn thing about Oni before hand, I lost nine... NINE of my best friends!! As far as I'm concerned, you're just as much to blame as Oni is!" Sailor Pluto's eyes widened, visibly shocked at Blink's harsh words. "How... could you..." she hised. "They were MY friends, too! ESPECIALLY Chibi-Usa!! I treasured her as if she was my own child! When Oni claimed her life, my heart was broken! Haruka and Michiru... and Hotaru!! As WELL as Usagi!! I mourn ALL their deaths! And Rei-chan... and Ami and Makoto and Minako... what Oni did to them is WORSE than death!! I--" Sailor Pluto faltered, turning away from Blink. "I... I couldn't tell them... I knew what was approaching and I couldn't tell them..." "Why not...?" asked Blink. "Answer me that... why couldn't you? ".. You wouldn't understand... but it was destiny." Blink just stared at Sailor Pluto, her arms crossed. "... That's the biggest load of crap I ever heard..." she remarked. "Destiny? That's it?! I lost everything due to DESTINY?!!" "... I knew you wouldn't understand..." Sailor Pluto said despondantly. "Clarice-chan... in the 30th Century, Usagi and the others... they'll be alive and all right by then..." "I can't wait that long, Setsuna..." Blink said. "And after today, I'm just about done waiting." "Don't give up on us. Onegai, Clarice-chan..." Sailor Pluto pleaded. "There may still be hope... but that hope will be lost if you don't return." "I'll return, don't worry about that..." Blink said. "But I can't help but feel betrayed, right now. And simply enough... I don't think I can consider you a friend, anymore." *BLINK!* The high piano key-like noise told Sailor Pluto that Blink had departed... teleported away to wherever. The Senshi of Pluto turned to where Blink stood... tears running down her face. "... Gomen nasai..." she whispered. *BLINK-INK-ink* Blink exited out of an interdimensional transportal, still feeling upset over her argument with Setsuna, but standing by her words; it'll be a long time before she can trust her again... if ever. Walking down the street, she came across the Club Anipike. So this is the Anipike... Blink hmphed. Not too shabby. Aerith's already inside, I don't wanna waste any more time out here. Entering the Anipike, she was quickly greeted by Aerith. "Clarice! Over here!" she called out. "We were just talking about you!" "Found new friends, huh?" Blink smiled slightly as she turned to face Aerith. "Can't wait to meet... them..." Blink was absolutely dumbstruck by what she saw... at a table, sitting beside Aerith, were Usagi, Rei, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, Haruka, and Setsuna... the Sailor Senshi. There were others she didn't quite recognize... but her eyes was focused on the Senshi... friends she thought was gone forever. "I think you already know them," Aerith said, smiling. Blink was speechless. She was in an utter state of shock mixed with joy. She didn't know what to do first. Haruka stood up from her seat... walking over to Blink, she then took the mutant girl's hand into hers. "You look like you're about to faint...!" Haruka said jokingly. "Sit down with us. We have a lot to talk about." Blink looked at Haruka, then at her hand holding hers. It was only at least a dozen minutes ago that she saw Sailor Uranus' ribcage crushed like an eggshell... and now here she was... alive again along with the others... Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako no longer in comas. Unable to contain her joy any longer, Blink suddenly embraced the nearest Senshi... Haruka... and cried happily on her shoulder. Haruka only smiled, taking the girl into her arms and hugging her in turn. All the while, Aerith kept smiling. And so, Blink told her story to anyone who wanted to hear it, instilling sympathy towards the mutant girl. Blink finished her story, and responses followed momentarily. "... Wow..." was all Haruka could say. "Ohhh, Nuku-Nuku is so sorry for Blink-chan," Nuku-Nuku said. "It's a very sad story." "No kidding..." Ryoko said. "Talk about your hard knocks..." "Well, you're among friends, here..." Misato told Blink. "We'll help both you and Aerith out, okay?" "Uhm... thanks," Blink muttered. "And Aerith and I talked it over..." Haruka said. "Both her and you are more than welcome to stay at my place for as long as you like." "You sure?" questioned Blink. "I don't want either of us to be a burden to you or Michiru." The Anipike suddenly became unsettlingly quiet. "... Clarice..." Aerith spoke up. "Michiru... she died a while back." "... What...?" Blink was suprised. "M-Michiru... she's dead...?! H... how..." "I'll tell you all about it a little later on..." Haruka said. "Anyhow, don't think you're imposing on me in any way. Things are just a bit lonely around my home, and I can use the company." "I..." Blink hesitated, unsure of what to do. "Please, Clarice...?" asked Aerith. "... I... oh... okay, why not..." Haruka nodded in approval, placing a hand on Blink's shoulder. "You won't regret it, Blink..." she said. "I promise you." Blink smiled. "... Thank you, Haruka-san..." Later that night, Aerith and Blink checked out of their hotel room and moved in to Haruka's home. Blink was sitting on the love seat, staring fondly at a photo... it was of her and Usagi... the Usagi of her reality. Taken by a tourist, Usagi was herself, smiling cheerfully and giving a victory sign as Blink stood next to her, arms crossed and smiling pleasantly. Blink remembered those times... how she cherished them. She wished she had taken more pictures when she had the chance. "We're back!" Blink looked up to see Aerith and Haruka entering, bearing doggie bags of food from the Anipike. "Well, I asked Akane and C-Ko about that triple cheeseburger..." Haruka told Blink, handing her one of the bags. "Hope it's edible enough for you." "It'll be fine, thanks..." Blink took the burger out and took a big bite out of it. "I can't believe how long we talked..." Aerith lamented. "We completely skipped lunch... almost missed dinner..." Haruka nodded. "Long day... very long day..." It was then that Haruka noticed the picture sitting on the arm rest of Blink's chair. "Blink... that photo... that's the Usagi of your reality, isn't it?" Blink nodded, swallowing her bit of food before talking. "We shared a lot of good times together... she was my best friend." "She can still be your friend, Clarice..." Aerith advised. "Along with everyone else. It's the reason why I referred to the Anipke to begin with." Aerith placed her bag of food on a coffee table and walked to Blink, kneeling down and placing her hands on her shoulders. It's a new beginning for both you and me... as well as everyone else. It'll take some time, but we'll make it." "I hope so..." Blink bowed her head. "I keep thinking that it's all gonna come crashing down... just like before..." "Don't think that way..." Haruka said. "Things are going to be different from now on, Blink. You've got more friends, now... people who are willing to help you every step of the way. All you have to do is let them." "... I will, Haruka-san..." Blink vowed. "I gotta move on... not wallow in my self-pity. Usagi and the others... they wouldn't want that." "That's right, Clarice..." Aerith agreed. "That's exactly right." Blink put her cheeseburger aside for the moment, hugging Aerith lovingly. Haruka also embraced both Blink and Aerith. "You're home, Blink-chan..." Haruka whispered. "I know..." said Blink, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh God, I know..." Time Of Your Life Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test, and don't ask why. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life. So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind. Hang it on a shelf of good health and good time. Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial. For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life. --- Green Day, from the album "nimrod." , 1998 FINIS. Kenny's Afterword. Done... my first fic written on Web TV... what do you think? Thanks goes out to Nightbreak for letting Blink and Aerith into his reality. These girls could use some friends, and the Anipike regulars just might do the trick. Thanks to Oni, for supplying the gruesome ends of the Outer Senshi to me, though I did modify Haruka's death slightly... originally, Oni was going to crush her skull...! O_o Moreover, it was the chara of Oni who invaded Blink's surrogate reality and turned her life topsy-turvy, so I guess I can thank him for sending Blink and Aerith to the Anipike, where thir lives will be much better. And of course, I thank you for reading this story, and hope you were moved by its words. Thank you all! (-:^_^:-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this mailing list, or to change your subscription to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at http://www.onelist.com and select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3A: The Author Avatar Association. The premiere Avatar league in the Multiverse