“Rubeus.”
Rubeus uncrossed his arms and turned around to see Wiseman floating a short distance over the floor at the other end of the crystal chamber.
“Prince Diamond is furious because of your repeated failures,” Wiseman continued.
“The Prince is?” he replied, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Wiseman waved his hands around his crystal ball. “You don’t have much time left. You need to hurry and carry out your mission. Otherwise, you will be punished for your incompetence.”
“I don’t need to be reminded of that by you,” Rubeus snarled irritably.
“Be careful,” Wiseman warned. “I know where the crescent moon energy will next appear.”
“Is that so? Where?”
“At the Hikawa Jinja, which used to be one of the Crystal Points.”
“The Hikawa Jinja?” Rubeus repeated, thinking it over. “That was Katsy’s mission.” He turned away and headed toward one of the mirrors surrounding the chambers. “All right. I’ll send her.”
“But, I see a bad omen,” Wiseman interrupted before he could leave. “It is not clear if Katsy will survive.”
“Hmph,” he snorted indifferently as he turned back toward the mirror. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just one of my subordinates. Just as long as she gets the Rabbit before she dies.”
“Rei-san!!!”
Yuuichirou scrambled after Rei as he desperately tried to balance the stack of large gift-wrapped packages he carried in his arms. The stack went well over his head and he was having a hard enough time trying not to bump into anyone else, let alone see where he was going. Fortunately, the sidewalk wasn’t crowded, so he had some room to maneuver.
“Please, wait!” he called out again, hoping that the girl ahead of him would at least let him catch up a little bit.
Rei halted and whirled toward him. “I can’t believe you!” she snapped irritably. “Can’t you move any faster, Yuuichirou?”
“But, these are heavier than they look,” he replied.
“So?” she shot back. “You’re a man, aren’t you? If you don’t look where you’re going, you’re going to run into something. Now, pull yourself together and come on!” With that, she continued on her way.
“How do you expect me to see?” he complained as he tried once again to keep up with her, not noticing the woman who had just exited the store in front of them. And since the woman was carrying a large bag in front of her, obstructing her view, the outcome was obvious.
“Aaaah!”
Rei turned around to see both Yuuichirou and a woman sprawled out on the sidewalk, boxes and cosmetic items scattered all over the place.
“Yuuichirou, you klutz!” she muttered under her breath.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” Yuuichirou apologized after sitting up. “Are you okay?”
The woman sat up as well and felt her face for injuries. Finding nothing serious – only a small bruise – she promptly rounded on the person who ran into her. “What are you doing?!?” she snapped angrily. “Watch where you’re going!”
“I’m so sorry!”
“Yuuichirou!” Rei shouted as she marched back over to him. “Hurry and pick everything back up!”
“Oh! Yes!” he exclaimed as he scrambled to pick up the woman’s scattered items and place them back into her bag. “Yes, yes, yes!”
This guy…, Katsy thought as she watched him gather up her things. He’s that same guy from Protect Este.…
“Um… here,” he said after gathering everything up and presenting the bag to its owner. Katsy furiously snatched the bag out of his hands and stood up, glaring at him.
“You’re such a pathetic man,” she said coldly before walking away. That loser, he’ll never amount to anything, she thought as she causally glanced back at him for a moment. That kind of man will never be happy.
Rei and Yuuichirou stared after the woman for a moment, until Rei realized that he was still staring after her with a wide-eyed look on his face. “How long are you going to keep looking at her?” she snapped at him.
Yuuichirou snapped his attention back to her. “Ah! Oh, well, I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere before,” he explained, pointing after the woman.
She blinked curiously as she glanced over at the woman in question. “Oh?”
Katsy appeared through one of the crystal mirrors surrounding the chamber, stomping so heavily that her footsteps echoed loudly throughout the room.
“What are you so mad about?” Rubeus called out to her as she passed by him without noticing his presence.
Katsy gasped and spun around, putting a hand to her face in shock. “Rubeus-sama!” she said, blushing.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Katsy,” he said, smiling.
“What? For me?”
Rubeus walked over to Katsy and placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her toward him. “Who else would I wait for, besides you?”
Katsy’s blush became twice as intense. “Rubeus-sama….”
“I need your help right now,” he said with a smirk. “I want you to go to the Hikawa Jinja again.”
“The Hikawa Jinja?” she repeated. “There again? But that place is already…”
“The Rabbit is supposed to appear there.”
“The Rabbit?!?” Katsy exclaimed heatedly.
“That’s right,” he confirmed, drawing her closer. Katsy practically melted in his embrace. “This afternoon.”
Katsy grinned maliciously. “I know my way around the Hikawa Jinja. If we already know that she will appear at the Hikawa Jinja, then it’ll be easy!” She gave him an adoring look. “I will kill the Rabbit, even if it costs my life.”
“Good. Make sure that there is no mistake.”
She leaned against him and closed her eyes happily. “Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
Rubeus stepped back and turned to leave, much to Katsy’s disappointment. “Oh, Rubeus-sama! I almost forgot!” she called out, remembering something. Rubeus stopped and turned back, his face expressionless.
“This cologne has a wonderful fragrance,” she said as she took a small bottle out of the bag she was carrying. “Rubeus-sama, my love, please accept it. I hope it becomes your favorite.” She placed the small crystal bottle in his hand and smiled happily.
“I see,” he said as he glanced down at the small bottle in his hand. He looked up at Katsy and smiled. “Thank you for the gift,” he said as he clenched a fist, crushing the bottle in his hand. Katsy gasped as she saw the cologne dripping down from between his fingers and onto the floor. He then opened his hand, showing the shattered bottle.
“Oops,” he said nonchalantly. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.” He let the broken bottle fall to the floor. “I’ll have to be more careful.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her behind.
Katsy’s gaze went from the mirror that Rubeus vanished into, to the broken bottle he left lying on the floor. Without a word, she turned away and vanished as well.
She still had work to do.
Katsy slowly ascended the stone steps leading to the Hikawa Jinja, carrying a parasol in one hand to shade her from the afternoon sun. At the top of the steps, she stopped and looked around.
There was no one around. The shrine grounds were empty.
“Rubeus-sama said she’d appear this afternoon, but it appears she’s not here yet,” she said to herself as she checked her watch.
I wonder what was wrong with Rubeus-sama today? It was as if he didn’t care about me at all. She gave a small laugh. “It must be my imagination.”
“Welcome to the Hikawa Jinja!”
The loud greeting snapped her out of her brooding state. She looked up to see the person who had run into her earlier that day, wearing shrine robes.
“So, what brings you here today? Fortunes? Charms? Prayers? Purifications? Just to be honest, I’ve never done one of those before.”
Katsy sweatdropped. “Just a fortune, pitiful man.”
“Thank you very much!” Yuuichirou called out as Katsy left.
“Great luck!” she said to herself as she read the opened fortune. “It says, ‘Your long time wish will come true.’ In the love section, it says, ‘My feelings will finally be understood!’ Oh!” she cheered, smiling happily. “I have nothing to worry about! He was just acting a little cold and harsh toward me because he wanted to spur me on. I’m sure of it!” She quickly put the charm away and brought out a compact. “Oh, Rubeus-sama, I will become even more beautiful for you.” She opened the compact and gasped, seeing Rubeus’ face where the mirror was supposed to be.
“Katsy, has the Rabbit appeared yet?” he demanded sternly.
“N-not yet,” she reported. “I don’t see any signs of her.”
“This isn’t the time to be worrying about your makeup,” he admonished.
“I’m very sorry!” she bowed to the open compact.
“Anyway, if you’re just waiting for the Rabbit, you aren’t doing enough. If you see any girls who look like the Rabbit, just kill them all.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied dejectedly.
“Don’t disappoint me, Katsy, my love…,” he said as his image faded and her own blushing reflection returned.
“Yes!” she bowed to the compact again. “Leave everything to me!” She closed the compact and grinned. As I thought, Rubeus-sama loves me after all.
“Hey, Yuuichirou!” a girl’s voice yelled in the background. “How many times do I have to tell you to feed the chickens in the morning?” She turned around and saw the man she ran into that morning being chased around by the girl he was with at the time. She was wildly swinging a broom at while she yelled. “How many times?!?”
“Wait!” he pleaded for mercy as the two ran out of sight.
“Hmph!” Katsy snorted. “What a world of difference there is between those people and the loving relationship that Rubeus-sama and I share.”
Makoto and Minako sat at a table in an outdoor café looking very bored. Luna and Artemis sat at the table with them, Luna on Makoto’s lap and Artemis on Minako’s. The two girls had just finished shopping a short time ago, as evidenced by a small store bag sitting next to Makoto.
Minako sighed deeply. “It’s sad,” she lamented. “Two lovely maidens, eating parfaits with a couple of cats.”
“It’s not very elegant,” Makoto agreed.
“Hey, Luna, what’s Usagi-chan doing today?” Minako inquired.
“She went to Rei-chan’s place to return some manga, but she never came back,” she said. “She’s probably still there, reading more manga.”
“And Ami-chan is at cram school, even though it’s Sunday,” she grumbled. “Hey, Mako-chan, what about your brother? What’s he doing?”
“He had an idea for a new song, so he locked himself in his room until he’s got it written down,” Makoto said. “And that was this morning.”
“So, in short, we’re the only ones without lives!” Artemis joked and started laughing.
Minako frowned and flicked the white cat in the nose. “Not funny!”
Artemis covered his nose with both paws as he writhed in pain, while Luna stared at him and sweatdropped, and the two girls let out another bored sigh.
“Really, I don’t know what to do with that lazy bum,” Rei complained as she entered her room to the tune of Usagi laughing hysterically.
“Rei-chan!” Usagi called out from her cushioned seat on the floor and pointed to the manga she was currently reading. “This manga is really funny!”
“Stop laughing!” Rei shouted as she put her hands on her hips. “Every day you come here and read my manga! How long are you going to stay here reading them?”
“Oh, come on,” she replied. “Just a little longer. It’s better over here. At home, between Chibiusa and Luna, I can’t find the time.”
“That doesn’t mean you can–”
“Excuse me! Is anyone home?” someone called out, interrupting her.
Rei walked out to the front entrance, followed by Usagi. “Yes, may I help you?”
“I’m a cosmetics saleswoman,” Katsy introduced herself with a smile. “Oh, what pretty young ladies! Are you models?”
Both Rei and Usagi grinned widely. “Really, ma’am?” they said in gleeful unison. “You think so, too?”
Katsy’s face twitched for a second. “Ma’am?” she repeated without dropping her smile.
Once Rei let Katsy inside, Katsy began removing several sample cosmetics from her travel case and setting them out, explaining what each one did as she set them down.
“Something like this is very gentle for your skin,” she said as she set down another jar. Rei picked it up and started examining it, while Usagi looked over the jars and boxes already out on display. “If you use these, you’ll find a boyfriend in no time.” She paused as if a thought suddenly came to her. “Or, do you already have boyfriends?”
Rei blushed. “Well, not proper boyfriends….”
“Hey!” Usagi interrupted. “I do too have a boyfriend! We’ve just had a hard time, that’s all!”
“Oh, is that why you’re here reading manga, instead of out with him?” she asked.
“He just thinks that we should spend a little time apart for now,” she said sadly. “It’s not like he’s pushing me away completely any more….”
“Well, that is a step forward, Usagi,” Rei said kindly. “There’s probably a reason why he still wants to keep a small distance. After all, loving someone means trusting that person. If you don’t trust Mamoru-san, then you no longer have a relationship. It’s important to keep believing in him, no matter how coldly he treats you. If you can do that, then you can one day get him back completely.”
Katsy stared as she watched Rei console Usagi, listening as some parts of what Usagi described seemed to echo her own relationship with Rubeus.
“You think so?” Usagi asked as she twiddled her fingers together.
“Don’t worry!” she said confidently.
“You’re right!” Usagi agreed, her previous blue funk completely gone.
“I think you’re a little wrong there,” Katsy interrupted. “Being loved is what means the most to a woman. I don’t think loving and trusting each other means much. You should never do something miserable like continuing to love someone who treats you coldly.”
Usagi’s expression fell. “Then….”
“You should just forget him.”
“No, I can’t!”
“Yes, you can,” Katsy insisted as she stood up. “And if you don’t want his affections to grow cold, you have to make an effort to take care of your beauty. In order to be loved, you must wear makeup and look pretty at all times! That is what it all comes down to! In the end, it will all work out!”
Usagi and Rei both sweatdropped. “Um….”
Katsy blinked, then gasped in embarrassment. Oh no! What am I saying? With all this talking, I got carried away and almost forgot my important mission again!
“Um…,” Rei said uneasily, “I think I’m fine after all.”
“Oh, really?” she asked, still blushing from embarrassment. “By the way, are there any little girls here?”
“Little girls?” she repeated quizzically.
“Well, my company also makes toy cosmetics for children,” she explained. “So….”
“There aren’t any little girls here,” Rei said, shaking her head.
Katsy sighed, then nodded and smiled. “Then, thank you for your patience,” she said as she gathered up her cosmetic samples and left.
“Weird person,” Usagi commented.
“First you, and now that weird lady,” Rei muttered. “Today must be an unlucky day.” Usagi growled and glared at her, prompting her to return with a glare of her own.
So, the Rabbit hasn’t arrived yet, after all, Katsy figured as she walked away. I have no choice. I’ll just have to wait here for a while.
“Bye! See you later!” Usagi waved as she left the shrine with a stack of Rei’s manga in her arms.
“Oh? Going home already?” Yuuichirou asked as he swept the shrine grounds.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’ll be back again soon! Bye-bye!”
“Bye-bye!” he waved as she descended the stone stairs.
Halfway down the steps, she paused as she noticed Chibiusa coming up on the other side. “Chibiusa, don’t waste too much time reading manga at Rei-chan’s place.”
“Why not?” Chibiusa countered. “Unlike you, I only come when I’m invited!” With that, she stuck out her tongue and pulled down an eyelid before starting up the stairs again.
“She’s so uncute!” Usagi growled as the bus she was leaving to catch suddenly took off, honking as it left. “Aah! Wait! I need to get on!”
“There you are,” a voice said as Chibiusa hopped up to the top step.
“Huh? What?” the young girl exclaimed as she rapidly looked around to see who had spoken. Once she looked up, her eyes widened in fear as Katsy descended upon her. She landed in front of the young girl, kneeling so her face was level with Chibiusa’s. The little girl screamed, catching both Rei’s and Yuuichirou’s attention. She turned to flee, but Katsy grabbed her by her neck and pinned her face-down to the ground.
“I was getting tired of waiting, Rabbit–” she began, but was cut off as something swatted her across the back of her head. “Who did that?” she snarled as she glanced behind her.
“Hey!” Yuuichirou shouted, brandishing the broom he had been sweeping with. “What are you doing to Chibiusa-chan?”
“A broom?” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t tell me you just used that to hit me in the head!”
“Huh?” he said, not expecting that sort of question.
“How dare you do that to my beautiful hair!” she exclaimed as she stood up, Chibiusa momentarily forgotten. “You’re going to mess up my beautiful hair! Dark Fire!”
Yuuichirou dropped his broom and fled from the fireball that was hurtling toward him. Just as the blast was about to reach him, he dove to the ground, barely escaping the fireball as it roared over his head.
Rei came to a halt as the fireball flew past. “That’s…,” she trailed off and looked in the direction it came from, spotting Yuuichirou lying face-down on the ground. “Katsy!” she exclaimed as the woman leaped over to him, landing just a short distance behind him as he slowly tried to get to his feet.
Katsy stepped forward and stretched her hand toward him. “Die.”
Rei quickly snatched a rock from the ground and flung it at Katsy, distracting her before she could kill Yuuichirou.
“Yuuichirou, hurry!” Rei shouted urgently.
“Rei-san!” he yelled as he started running toward her.
“One after another,” Katsy growled as she readied another attack. “Stop getting in my way!” She released another Dark Fire attack, which Rei and Yuuichirou just barely managed to dodge. She released another attack, and another, which they still managed to dodge. The fourth attack caught Rei off-balance, causing her to fall to the ground.
Katsy laughed maniacally as she honed in on Rei. “Die!” she yelled and fired a shot at her.
“Damn!” Rei gasped, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to dodge the blast.
“Rei-san!” Yuuichirou yelled as he dove at her and took the brunt of the attack with his own body.
Once the fireball dissipated, Rei tried to get up, but found herself unable to since Yuuichirou was lying on top of her, burned and unconscious. “Yuuichirou?” she exclaimed, as she tried to slide herself out from under him.
“What?” Katsy said as she paused, bewildered at seeing Rei try to help the battered young man up.
“Yuuichirou?” Rei said as she shook him. “Yuuichirou, are you okay? Yuuichirou?”
“Why do you protect her, even after she treated you so cruelly?” Katsy demanded.
“I can… only show my love in my own way,” he said weakly.
“How idiotic!” she scoffed. “That girl doesn’t love you! Don’t protect her!”
He moved his head just enough to look at her out of the corner of his eye. “This has nothing to do with that!” he said, then lost consciousness again.
“Yuuichirou!” Rei shouted, shaking him again. “Hang in there, Yuuichirou!”
Katsy stared at the young man, astonished at his words. She stared as Rei laid him down on the ground and stood up, her hands clenched into fists at her side.
“Unforgivable,” she muttered and whirled around to face Katsy. “I can’t forgive you!” she cried as she brought out her transformation wand. “Mars star power, make up!”
Katsy jerked back in shock. “You…. You’re a Sailor Warrior?” she exclaimed.
“Burning mandala!” Mars shouted as she flung her attack at her enemy.
Katsy quickly teleported to the roof of the shrine, avoiding the attack. “This is a surprise,” she remarked. “Well, it’s perfect. If I get rid of both you and the Rabbit, Rubeus-sama will be very happy with me.”
She leaped into the air, gathering energy for her next attack. Mars quickly started running, so as to make it harder for Katsy to hit her. Katsy released a hailstorm of fireballs, but Mars managed to leap out of the way and counter with her Burning Mandala attack.
“Impudent brat!” Katsy bellowed as she flung her Dark Fire attack into Mars’ Burning Mandala, canceling the attack in a giant explosion of fire. Katsy leapt through the fire and descended toward Mars. The Sailor Scout of fire threw her arms in front of her to protect herself, but Katsy suddenly disappeared before reaching her. She then reappeared behind her, rebounding off a tree, to strike her in the face with an elbow. Mars went flying through the air and landed head-first into the ground next to Yuuichirou.
Katsy leapt into the air again in preparation for another attack. She flung another fireball at her, causing Mars to not only leap away, but to grab Yuuichirou before the fireball could hit him, too. The additional weight slowed her down enough so that she couldn’t dodge fast enough to escape unscathed. As she hit the ground, a sharp pain burned in her lower left leg where Katsy’s fireball managed to burn her.
“Idiot,” Katsy spat as she landed. “You could have escaped if you had left him.”
Mars pushed herself to her hands and knees and glared at her. “There’s no way I could do something like that! Yuuichirou’s in this state because he tried to protect me!”
Katsy snorted. “Oh, right. You’re the one who thinks even unrequited love is important.”
She gasped. “So, that saleswoman was you?”
“Why do you go to such lengths to protect that kind of man?” she demanded. “He’s not your boyfriend. You don’t even love him!”
“I just want to repay Yuuichirou’s sincerity,” she stated as she struggled to stand. “Yuuichirou and I love each other as friends.” Her right leg gave out on her, dropping her to her knees again.
“That kind of love is nothing compared to what Rubeus-sama and I have!” she retorted.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Mars shot back. “You love no one but yourself! You only care about what you can get from your partner! That’s…. That’s not real love!”
Katsy jerked back. “That’s not true!” she countered. “We care about each other! We love each other!”
She gave her a flat look, despite the pain she was in. “Is that really true?”
Katsy’s mind flashed images from earlier that day. Rubeus’ coldness toward her and his smashing her gift to him and dropping it on the floor….
“No!” she exclaimed, shutting her eyes and shaking her head wildly. “Shut up! You’re wrong! We’re not like that!” She shrugged off her nagging doubts as she glared at Sailor Mars again. “I’m tired of listening to you. I’ll get rid of the Rabbit first!” With that, she teleported away.
Katsy reappeared back where she had left Chibiusa, who was still out cold from her previous rough treatment. As she drew closer, she let the fingernails on her right hand extend into razor-sharp claws. Before she could take care of Chibiusa, a rose suddenly slashed through the air and stuck into the ground in front of her.
“This is…,” she said, stopping long enough to look in the direction the rose came from. Standing on top of the large gate displaying the name of the shrine stood Tuxedo Kamen, his cape fluttering in the breeze.
“Love floats like gossamer,” he stated, his left hand still poised after throwing his rose. “So, when someone speaks of it as an anvil, I know I’m hearing nothing from her heart.”
Katsy sweatdropped, not understanding a word he said.
Tuxedo Kamen dropped down from the gate and landed in front of her. Without a word, he scooped Chibiusa into his arms and looked up at her. “Farewell,” he said, then stood up and started walking away.
“Hey, you!” she said as she snapped out of her confused state and stood up. “Wait!”
The sound of something coming her way was the only warning she had. She turned around in time to see Mars’ Burning Mandala attack come for her. The burning rings were too close for her to dodge.
“I was caught off guard,” she said weakly as she dropped to her hands and knees, her body covered in burn marks similar to those on Sailor Mars.
“Your opponent is right here,” Mars said, lying on the ground as well.
“Katsy.”
Katsy looked up to see Rubeus appear in midair above her. “Rubeus-sama!”
“Katsy, have you killed the Rabbit, yet?” he inquired.
“I’m very sorry,” she apologized as she stood up. “I almost had her, but she got away.”
Rubeus turned away. “I see. I understand.” He turned back and raised his head, looking down his nose at her. “Thank you for working under me for such a long time. I truly appreciate it. However, I don’t think I will see you again.”
“No!” Katsy pleaded. “Please wait! I’m fighting a Sailor Warrior right now! I will kill this Sailor Warrior, so please forgive me!”
He folded his arms. “You don’t possess that kind of power right now.”
“Then, please fight alongside me,” she entreated hopefully.
“Hmph!” he snorted. “How unfortunate I am, to have such a worthless woman as a subordinate.”
Katsy’s expression fell. “You can’t mean that…. I’ve loved you all these years…. And you….”
“Love?” he scoffed. “How ridiculous! An absurd thing such as love doesn’t belong in a glorious clan such as ours!”
Katsy stood completely stunned at his declaration. Sailor Mars watched her with a sympathetic look in her eyes as Katsy’s heart crumbled.
“This will be your first and final present from me,” Rubeus said as he raised a hand and formed a glowing black sphere over it. “Take it.”
She watched with lifeless eyes as the sphere slowly dropped into her hands. “This is….”
“Use that and remove yourself and that Sailor Warrior from this world,” he told her. “That is much better than that useless cosmetic present you gave me.” He then faded from sight, leaving Katsy and the glowing dark orb behind.
Katsy stared at the orb in her hands. “A space-time bomb,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. “So, you want me to die….”
“What?!?” Mars exclaimed. “Katsy, throw that away!”
“It’s already too late,” she said calmly as tears streamed down her face. Mars gasped as the orb started to grow brighter with each passing moment. A small, miserable smile spread across her face as she shook her head. “You win. It seems that the love I believed in was wrong.” She closed her eyes and waited for death to take her.
“Venus love-me chain!”
The golden chain of energy struck the orb out of Katsy’s hands, knocking it high into the air.
“Sparkling wide pressure!”
“Avalanche barrage!”
The two attacks converged onto the black orb, causing it to explode. After the shock of the explosion subsided, Mars glanced to her side to see that Luna, Artemis, and the rest of the Sailor Scouts had all arrived.
“It’s time to give up, Katsy!” Sailor Moon ordered.
“You have nowhere to go now!” Mercury added.
“Nowhere to go…,” she murmured emotionlessly as she remained sitting on the ground, her back facing everyone.
“Eh?” the other Scouts said as they heard her crying.
“That’s right,” she repeated. “I have nowhere to go now. It’s all because of you.” She slowly rose to her feet. “It’s your fault! Everything is your fault!” she screamed as she darted forward screaming in anguish. She swiped at the collected Scouts, causing them to scatter.
“I’m finished!” she cried, swinging wildly in a berserk fury. “I’ve lost everything! I’ve lost my future, my love, even my place to go back to! It’s all your fault!”
“Please, stop it!” Mars shouted pleadingly.
“Enough!” Knight shouted as he reached back and swung his fist at Katsy’s unprotected mid-section. However, before he could connect, Mars flung herself in his way, forcing him to pull his punch at the last moment. However, he still couldn’t stop himself from hitting Mars in her stomach.
All of the other Scouts – and even Katsy – gasped in shock as Mars took the hit that was meant for Katsy. “Mars!” the four female Scouts exclaimed as Mars dropped to the ground on top of Katsy. Knight merely stared down at Mars and frowned.
“Why?” was all he asked as he stood over the two.
“It’s not over, Katsy,” Mars said as she tried to get up. “You haven’t lost everything. You still have yourself. If you believe you were wrong, you can fix it little by little. Your future starts now. All right?” Tears came to Katsy’s eyes as she nodded her head in acquiescence.
“Sailor Moon,” Mars said as Knight knelt down and picked her up, “would you please turn her into a normal woman?”
“I really wish I could, but…,” she said uncertainly.
“Sailor Moon, use the Silver Crystal,” Luna suggested.
“It isn’t as powerful as it once as,” Artemis added, “but you should still be able to turn Katsy into a normal woman.”
“Try it,” Luna said.
Sailor Moon nodded. “All right, I will,” she said as she removed the brooch from its place on her chest and opened it. “Please, Silver Crystal!” she pleaded as she waved her hand over the crystal inside. “Moon crystal power!” The light from the crystal enveloped Katsy, washing away all the dark energy inside her.
“It worked,” Sailor Moon sighed happily.
“I’m happy for you, Katsy,” Mars said with a smile. Her smile dropped as she looked over to Knight, who was still carrying her in his arms. “You can put me down now.”
“You’re in no condition to walk,” he stated. “I’m certainly not letting you put any pressure on your foot. I’m taking you to your bed.”
“What?” she exclaimed as he started heading for the shrine. “Hey, Knight, cut it out! I mean it, put me down!”
“Mercury, would you come with me?” he requested without looking over his shoulder. “We need to see to the burn wound on her leg.”
“Um… y-yes,” Mercury said as she hurried after the two Scouts.
“Hey! What about Yuuichirou?” Mars continued to protest. “We can’t just leave him–”
“I’ll get him next,” Knight said, cutting her off. “Now, quit complaining. I won’t have you walking on that foot until someone with some working medical knowledge looks at it.”
As the three Scouts disappeared into the shrine, the remaining Scouts, and Katsy, all stared after them and sweatdropped.
“Hey, Yuuichirou! Can’t you move any faster?” Rei shouted impatiently, urging him to polish the wooden floor of the shrine faster. It didn’t matter that he was mostly covered in bandages from multiple burns all over his body. What mattered was that he was giving it his best effort. “Put your back into it!”
“Yes! Yes!” he acknowledged as he passed by Rei, making sure not to accidentally run into Rei’s crutch and knock her off balance. She still couldn’t put any weight on that foot and wouldn’t be able to for at least a week or two.
“Move it!”
“Scrub! Scrub!”
Rei sighed as he passed out of sight. “Honestly….”
“Excuse me! Is anyone home? I’m a cosmetics saleswoman.”
She turned to see a familiar face standing at the entrance to the shrine. Beside her, Yuuichirou stopped and pointed at the woman. “Ah! You!” he said, recognizing her.
“Yes, I bought a fortune from you,” she said with a smile. “And it came true.”
Rei smiled. I’m happy for you, Katsy.