Title: Mind Over Fire - Chapter 3 Author: Viper Inferno E-mail: viperdvman@hotmail.com Rated: PG-13 Howdy Sailor Moon Fans. Welcome back to the world of Y2V. Last we saw, the Sailor Scouts finally met up with Deanna. That, Russell's date with Amy, and another battle with Deanna all combine into the longest chapter I've ever written. So now that the Sailor Scouts know about Deanna, it's no longer a pure Russell/Deanna rivalry. So let's see how all this goes, ne? Here's the Y2V... ...Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, most of the characters, and the Dodge Viper ain't mine. They belong to their respective companies. As always, Russell Hino, Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, and all his other identities, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono are MINE (in a deep, dark, growling voice). So, y'all please don't sue me, I'm just a lonely college student who's barely got anything, just payin' his way through college. Well, hope y'all enjoyed this fanfic and e-mail me with comments, a'ight? Visit my website at: http://viperdvman.tripod.com/ All my fanfics are found there, as well as a whole site with everythang you could find in a Sailor Moon website, from profiles, to image galleries, to sounds, to music, and especially a whole section on the Russell Hino Epic. Y'all go there, and enjoy this fic, a'ight? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Mind Over Fire By Viper Inferno Chapter 3 Deanna walks into her well decorated roomand begins looking at pictures of her favorite cartoon ponies on the walls. Some of her dolls sit on their shelf while others lie on the floor scattered about. Her favorite doll, one of a little flower girl, lies alone on in the corner next to her chest of drawers. She smiles at the fact that, though her doll may be alone, it's always smiling and always makes her smile. She sits down and pulls the small toy table from under her bed and sets it on top. She gently nudges a couple dolls and some blocks out of the way and sets her table in front of her. She then pulls some miniature plastic chairs out of another chest and sets them on 3 of the sides of her table. She then grabs some plastic plates and teacups from the same chest and neatly sets the table. She finishes it off with a number of her fake flowers. "The table's set," she says to herself, "Now for some company." She looks around her room, looking for something to occupy the 3 empty chairs. She immediately sees her stuffed pony. "Mr. Uma, will you join me in a tea party?" she asks her horse, using a fake British accent. "Why of course Madame," she says in a more masculine tone, portraying her stuffed horse. She takes her horse by its leg and sets it on one of the chairs. She then spots her clown doll. "And Bozo, would you like to join our tea party?" she asks, still acting out as a proper host. "He He He, YES!!!" she says in a more comical tone. She takes the clown doll and gently sits it down on one of the other empty chairs. She then thinks of whom to sit across the table from her. She has so many dolls and other stuffed animals that she can't decide whom to have the tea party with. She then walks over to the shelf of dolls. "Would any of you like to join in?" she asks, not even giving up her bad British. She takes one of the dolls heads and shakes it, "Sorry, miss. I can't. I have to wash plates," she says in character. She then takes another dolls head and moves its head along with the words she gives it, "Maybe tomorrow after school." She then gives up and says, "You guys are no good." She takes her seat back at the empty side of the table and thinks about whom to sit. She then thinks of the lonely flower girl doll sitting in the corner, her favorite doll. It surely isn't a tea party without her favorite flower girl doll. She smiles and looks toward the corner. At the same time, she reaches to it as she gets up, as if to immediately grab it, knowing that the flower girl is going to take the other side of the table. Suddenly, the flower girl jumps from the corner and flies into Deanna's outreached hand. Instinctively, her hand grabs a hold of the doll as it flies into the palm of her hand. Her eyes widen to three times their size at the sight of her doll just jumping out of the corner and into her hand. "Did you just move?" she asks her flower girl doll, wondering how a fantasy like that could really be coming true. "The doll, it came to me." Suddenly, she hears the front door open. She jumps up with joy, almost forgetting about the odd occurrence, "Daddy's home." She sets her favorite doll and runs out of the room. "Daddy!" she screams in joy as she flies into her father's outstretched arms. He picks her up and carries her as she sits in his arms. "Guess what, Daddy?" "What is it, Deanna?" he asks. "I looked at my flower girl, and she came to me," Deanna replies. "That's nice, sweetie," her father responds, figuring it's another one of her fantasies. "But really, she did," Deanna tries to plead, "I think I made her do it." "I'm sure you did," he says as he puts her back down on the ground, "Now you go along now and play." Deanna happily runs off into her room and resumes her little tea party. She thinks about her doll coming to her wonders if it can happen again. She takes her doll and puts it back in the corner. She then sits back at the head of her table and looks at it. Nothing happens. She then remembers that she was reaching for it. So she does that, and still nothing happens. "Maybe Daddy's right, and it was all my imagination," she says to herself. She then reaches for the doll, and again it flies into her hand. It amazes her that she did this not once, but twice. She then thinks about putting the doll back in the corner. She lets go and instantly, the doll levitates back to the corner. "That is so neat," she says to herself. Her parents have gotta see this. "Mommy, Daddy, come see this," she calls out to them. Deanna opens her eyes to find herself in the park. Numbers of people walk along the nearby trails while some college students play Frisbee on the grass, showing off their skills. She thinks of her recent memory, one of how she first learned that she even possessed psychic powers. She remembers what sparked her 15 years of training as a master psychic, bringing her favorite childhood doll to her with her very mind. 'One of few memories that carries meaning to me,' Deanna thinks to herself. She gets up from the bench and begins walking down the trail, noting the cool and semi-moist air being carried by the gentle breeze. Though she may have no emotional response to link with the weather, Deanna always takes it into account, having such great memory and believing she can use the information for later. Along the trail, some younger students come into view from over a hill. She immediately recognizes the uniforms as being of Crossroads Jr. High. One of the students is a red head, wearing a blue bow in her hair. Another has shoulder-length black hair. Deanna walks by them without so much as smile, or even a simple greeting. The girls walk by, with the redhead looking at her rather oddly, wondering what's with the straight face and no greeting. Deanna continues walking on, with her high-heeled boots making her footsteps heard on the paved trail. A guy sitting on the bench notices her black one-piece dress, the skirt a few inches up her thighs, and a long purple sleeveless button-up sweater over it. He whistles at her rather beautiful physique, enhanced by her apparel. She only continues on walking, not even paying attention to the fact that a guy admires her appearance. She never intends to draw guys in, but she does wear clothes fitting to her appearance. Now and then, she'll dress more casually, wearing jeans and T-shirts. She does, however, have a select few clothes in her wardrobe that she tends to wear the most. For a girl with no emotion, fashion seems to be on Deanna's mind every time before she goes out, whether it be for school or just a day out of the house. 'I must dress accordingly,' she thinks to herself. "I'm laaaaaaaate!" Suddenly, a girl runs into her from a blind corner, knocking both her and Deanna over. "I'm so sorry," the girl says, trying to get up. "It wasn't your fault," Deanna says as she gets up. The girl's voice sounds rather familiar. This prompts Deanna to look at the girl who ran into her. That familiarity turns out to be true as she recognizes long blonde hair with the all too familiar pair of meatballs. "Serena Tsukino," Deanna says to her, confirming the girl's identity. Serena looks up at the sound of a girl knowing her name, and sees the purple hair and straight face of her very archenemy. The very sight of this psychic warrior strikes fear into her heart. "D-Deanna," she gasps. "You have no reason to fear me," Deanna assures as she holds her hand out to Serena, offering to help her up. "No thanks, I'll manage," Serena refuses as she gets up on her own strength. Such a cold attitude towards someone being friendly is unusual for a spirited girl like Serena. But this is Deanna we're talking about here, the very girl who's defeated her in battle and hurt not only Russell, but her friends too. "Why were you offering help?" Serena asks, "And after you defeated us in battle and hurt my friends." "I do not wish to battle you now," Deanna replies, "Our academics are important to us. I won't challenge you during our times of learning." "It doesn't matter, I'll be late for class anyway," Serena says as she sits down on a nearby bench. "It's only 7:45, you have plenty of time," Deanna says, looking at her watch. Serena's eyes widen at the sound of that, "WHAT?! I'm early?!" Serena says, "How am I early? I'm almost always late." "You must've been lucky, or someone woke you up earlier than your usual time," Deanna replies. "Actually, Sammy did wake me up this morning," Serena replies, "I was about to kill him for interrupting my beauty sleep." "At least you got up and are early to your class for once," Deanna responds, "I always make it to my classes, and often early. Rarely am I ever the last student to enter the classroom, and rarely am I ever there after the professor, unless he was already in there." "You're a lot like Amy, always early," says Serena. "Academics are very important to me, and I strive to bring out my academic potential," says Deanna. "Just like Amy," Serena emphasizes, "You must study an awful lot." "I don't always study," Deanna replies, "I do a lot of other things as well." "I almost never study," says Serena, "I'm usually at the arcade, shopping, or catching up on my beauty sleep. That's probably why I score so low on tests." "So you do little with your academic potential," says Deanna. "Well, sometimes I wish I was more like Amy and studied a little harder," Serena says, before realizing again who she's talking to, "using her academic potential to it's fullest. For all I know, I might actually become a smart girl if I tried. Ah what am I doing? Here I am talking to my enemy about school." "School is an important subject, whether you talk about it with your friends or your enemies," says Deanna. Deanna looks at her watch, "It's 7:54. I know you can run fast; you seem to do it a lot. But I don't think you can make it on time." Deanna stands up and extends her hand. Her eyes glow a bright blue, striking fear once again into Serena's heart. Serena fears Deanna is going to attack her right there and then since it's obvious that she won't make it to class on time. "Study hard," Deanna says as Serena disappears from the park. In a split second, she stands at the front gate of Crossroads Jr. High. "Why on earth did she just teleport me to my school?" Serena says to herself, wondering why her enemy helped her to get to class on time. Serena lets out a sigh of relief and turns to walk to her first class. Azabu Tech... Deanna makes it to her Political Science class, well before most of the class does. She takes her seat and immediately takes her notebook and textbook out and prepares for class. Moments later, students begin filing in, though only half of them. In the back of the pack walks in Russell, wearing more casual attire, a white long-sleeve button-up shirt with maroon tie and khaki trousers. Their eyes briefly meet, with Russell showing a bit of resentment in his eyes, yet somewhat indifferent about her, not knowing whether to hate her, fear her, or worry less about her. Russell quickly blows her off and takes his seat in the middle of the classroom, not too far from Deanna. For a guy with feelings against her, he sure likes to choose places to sit that are rather close to her. The professor walks in moments later to gather his notes and begin his lecture. Political Science is all too easy for both Deanna and Russell, since they are both a section ahead of the rest of the class. Each carries on about their note taking and listening as if the other wasn't even there. After class, Russell makes sure he's one of the first ones to leave. Deanna watches as Russell makes like he's in some sort of hurry to get out of class, but for what reason even she could only guess. Deanna casually picks her books up and walks out of the classroom, and towards the library. On her way there, a familiar brown-haired man walks up next to her. "Hi Deanna." "Hi Daniel," she greets with her usual emotionless tone. "How are your classes going?" he asks. "A couple are a easy, since I'm a section or 2 ahead of the rest of the class," she answers, "Your friend Russell seems to be doing the same in his classes." "How do you... oh yeah, you have him in a couple of your classes," he says, remembering their honors statuses putting them in similar classes. "I'm heading to the library, don't let classes overcome you," she says as she walks off, leaving Daniel to head toward his next class. Azabu Tech Library... Deanna walks into Azabu Tech's cavernous library. Being the first time she's been in the library here, she begins looking around. This definitely is one of the larger university libraries she's been to, larger than even Osaka University's library. 'I hope this library's books reflect its size,' Deanna thinks to herself. She finds a quiet place to study and takes her seat. She pulls out a couple textbooks and begins going through each of them. Political Science seems so easy to her, and wonders why she's even in the class. She decides to push on in that class and put herself further ahead of the class. After studying for a while, a familiar sense comes to her. Seems like someone she knows is approaching the study area. She doesn't even have to look up, she knows immediately that Russell's in the same place and seems to be taking his seat not far from her. She looks up and proves that her psychic powers are never to disappoint, as she sees Russell sitting at a table not far from her, reading one of his Particle Physics textbooks. She knows he has feelings against her, but she also wonders why he tends to choose places to sit that are a little closer to her. The Particle Physics book gets her attention, especially since she's in the same class as Russell. So she decides to put her Political Science book up and grab her Particle Physics book. 'I know he's a few chapters ahead of the class,' she thinks to herself. She then begins thinking of him as Tuxedo Inferno, fighting alongside the legendary Sailor Scouts. She thinks of how their powers match her own. Yet, just recently, when she defeated them in battle, she proved they are rather hesitant in showing their full potential. But here, at Azabu Tech, Russell is just another student, one whose intelligence matches hers. Even Serena Tsukino is just a regular schoolgirl when she's not Sailor Moon, though her academic abilities are nothing to worry about. Yet, Serena does make her wonder, why she has the potential, but never uses it. But, with Deanna in full student mode, and Russell studying the same thing she's studying, she gets up and walks over to Russell. "You mind if I take a seat?" she asks, in her usual indifferent tone. Russell looks up, seeing his classmate, his enemy, and the one who's defeated him and the Legendary Sailor Scouts. He seems hesitant, wondering why his enemy is asking him if she could sit by him. "Oh I won't harm you," Deanna reassures, "I just want to study with you." Those words strike Russell hard with astonishment. He wonders, 'Why would she wanna study with me when she competes against me?' The whole thought of his academic competitor, his enemy wanting to study with him confuses him, even makes him skeptical. "Why do you want to study with me?" Russell asks, "I thought we were competing academically. I don't think those competing against one another would want to help one another." "True in some cases," Deanna responds, "But academically, even competitors working together will further expand their horizons." 'She's got a point,' Russell thinks to himself, 'But since we're here, and I don't think she'll be attacking me here in this library, I see no harm in studying with a girl as bright as she is.' "Then sure, have a seat," he replies. 'Though, something tells me she may have other reasons for wanting to study with me,' he thinks to himself as Deanna cracks her Particle Science textbook open, 'She's probably looking for a flaw in my studies, looking for something to capitalize on.' Deanna looks up from her book, "Well, aren't we going to study?" Russell snaps out of it. Her intentions seem to be true. "Oh, sorry. Where are you at?" he asks. "You're still hesitant. You don't need to worry about anything. I'm on Chapter 13, Section 13.4," she says. "I'm on Section 13.2, not far behind you," says Russell, "You gotta remember, I am on the soccer team." "But soccer season is over, that gives you more time for studies," says Deanna. "I do a little conditioning in the Spring Semester," Russell says, "It's also why I take my heavier courses during the Spring Semester. It gives me more time and energy to concentrate on soccer before and during the season." "I did say before that I never take part in sports, or watch it. It was never something I was interested in. Academics and anything related are all that I had interest in participating in," says Deanna, "Now, let's work on Section 13.5 together." "Sounds good to me," Russell says, putting himself more at ease, ready to listen and learn from Deanna's point of view. Two similar, yet different minds can learn a lot from one another, even if they are enemies. After classes... Deanna walks the sidewalks outside Azabu Tech and on her way home. She had decided not to take her car to classes today since she needed the long walk. For a girl who doesn't participate in sports, or even concentrates a lot of energy on exercise, she still likes to keep her body in just above adequate shape. 'Even a great mind can use a good body to support it,' she thinks to herself, 'Yet the mind can function well even with a dysfunctional body. Even the great Stephen Hawking can support a powerful mind, despite his physical condition. He's indeed a person I admire. But I must keep my body functioning properly. I can't always rely on my psychic powers to do everyday tasks.' As Deanna makes her way through the park, she finds a number of students in their school uniforms, some hanging out, some getting home. Deanna strolls around the lake, taking into mind her environment around her. Further down, a familiar looking girl comes into view, walking the opposite direction. As she gets closer, Deanna immediately sees who it is, none other than Lita Kino, Sailor Jupiter. She knows Lita's a Crossroads Junior High student, but she wonders why her uniform is different than Serena's. Lita then catches glimpse of the girl approaching her, and immediately recognizes her as her own enemy, the one who so overwhelmingly defeated her in battle. Lita immediately balls her fists up as fire burns in her eyes and prepares herself for a battle with Deanna. Deanna only looks at her, sensing the anger burning from within her. She doesn't even need her psychic powers to see that Lita's quite angry with her. "Don't worry about me, I'm just walking home as are you," says Deanna. "Liar," Lita says, "Serena told me she ran into you this morning, literally." "We were both on our way to classes," says Deanna. "You could've easily attacked her as you have with Russell on a number of occasions. But instead you just talked about school." "And you find a problem with that?" Deanna asks. "Actually, I find it odd. You were so totally ruthless against us in battle, yet you were actually rather nice to Serena, even helping her get to her class on time," Lita explains. "You must know, that I won't attack you on your way or while you're in school. It's unfair for us to compete with our powers while we are in an academic environment." "I don't give a damn if you don't fight while we're in school. The fact that you fight against us is enough to make you my enemy," says Lita, "You can't have double standards like that, nice to us while we're learning, yet hateful towards us any other time." "Oh? Academics are most important to me. In class, Russell and I compete academically. It would be unfair for me to attack you then and deny you the time to expand your academics," Deanna explains. "On the contrary, you're totally unfair when you do fight us," says Lita. "I didn't say anything about fighting you any other time," says Deanna. "Well, now is one of those times," Lita says clinching her fists even harder, "I won't let you near Serena like that again, whether you are nice to her or not." "Don't make me embarrass you again like I did the last time we met," says Deanna. Lita only steps forward and raises her fists, ready to fight, then opens her palms and waves her on, "Oh, bring it on." Deanna only turns and continues on walking, "This conversation is over. I see you're much more difficult to talk to than Serena. No wonder people were so afraid to even talk to you, let alone be your friend." Those words hit Lita hard, remembering back in the days before she met Serena. She was a loner by nature. After losing her parents, she had always lived alone, with her uncle paying for her apartment and bills. That trauma, loneliness, and her unusually high physical strength only made her more dangerous whenever anyone at her old school made her angry. After getting in a couple fights, students began fearing her, later avoiding her. She may have been use to being alone, but it also bothered her that she was always lonely, with no one wanting to be her friend. She snaps out of it quickly, with Deanna walking away from her, already some distance between them. "Ahhh... she's not worth it right now," Lita says, knowing she's not going to get a fight out of her. Lita continues down the lakeside trail, on her way home. 10th Street district... Later on, Deanna makes it in a quieter area of the 10th street district. Some people walk around, while others talk amongst themselves. Soon, Deanna gets this feeling that a person is following her, with less than pleasant intentions. She knows her meeting with Lita was anything but pleasant. She felt Lita's anger, but somehow, she knows it's not Lita following her. She too was on her way home, thought it looked like she wanted a fight. She keeps close tabs on that feeling and continues walking. Later, as less people are walking around and not so much as a car roams the streets, the feeling suddenly becomes very strong. Someone is definitely watching her. Those feelings prove to be true. As she walks by a window, she walks right into a man walking out of an alleyway. The force of the impact is rather strong for walking speed. It's almost as if the man intended to push her. As she gets her bearings and gets a good look at the man, she finds herself staring at the black metal barrel of a pistol pointed directly at her. "Alright, give me everything you got and nothing will happen to you," the man says, "Scream and I'll kill you right here." Deanna only looks at him, feeling the fear running through him. She knows this fear is what's driving him to be so prompt in carrying out this sinful deed. His threatening her life with a weapon doesn't intimidate her any. Her eyes glow a bright blue, sending more fear running through the man's veins. Suddenly, a force grabs hold of the man, paralyzing every joint in his body. He can't even move his finger to pull the trigger and end this useless standoff. As fast as he is bound, his pistol flies out of his hand and into Deanna's. With her eyes still glowing and her psychic hold still paralyzing the man, she points the pistol directly at him, making him feel the fear he intended her to feel. "Was that supposed to intimidate me?" Deanna asks. The man is totally speechless as beads of sweat begin to run down his forehead. "Well, now feel the fear your past victims felt. It feels good having a gun pointed at you, doesn't it?" says Deanna. "I could just..." she quickly points into the alleyway and pulls the trigger, making the man yelp into almost tears, then points it back at him, "pull the trigger and kill you right here at any moment. You see, I feel no fear, so your attempt at using fear against me to get your way has failed. You didn't expect me to be a superior opponent, did you?" The man only whines as not only sweat, but also tears begin running down his face. He knows she can kill him at any moment. "N-N-N...N-N...No," he stutters. "No, you thought I was an easy target, like you thought your other victims were," she says as she fires another shot into the alleyway, bringing the man into complete tears. She then engages the safety and puts the gun away. "Now I suggest you get out of here and find a different living," she says as her eyes return to normal and releases her psychic grip on the man. He gets up and runs away, totally afraid of her shooting him in the back as he ran. Meanwhile, Darien is walking down the opposite sidewalk nearby when the first gunshot gets his attention. He walks toward that direction to see what is going on. When he arrives at the origin of the gunshot, he sees none other than Deanna Kokorono pointing a pistol at a man. He sees her fire the second shot into the alleyway, making him wonder what Deanna is doing with that man. When he runs away, Darien approaches her, but very cautiously, knowing Deanna has a gun. "Uh, Deanna," he says. Deanna looks at him with her usual straight face, "Yes Darien?" Darien puts himself more at ease since it seems that she's not going to shoot him. He musters up the courage and asks her, "What the hell were you doing?" "He tried to rob me," Deanna answers, "He thought I was an easy target and could use fear to get his way. He'll think differently now." "Oh," Darien says. Since he knows she possesses psychic powers, especially telekinesis from what Russell tells him, he believes her story. "So what are you going to do with the gun?" "I'll render it useless and properly dispose of it," Deanna answers. "That's good," Darien replies, "It'll get one more gun off the streets. You mind if I walk with you." Deanna could attack him at anytime, but something about Darien makes him different than Russell or the Sailor Scouts. She knows he's Tuxedo Mask, but he doesn't even remember being Tuxedo Mask. She also knows the Moonlight Knight is in him, but he doesn't even know that either. So Darien is no threat to her, except in battle. "If you wish," she answers. They walk down the sidewalk, talking about their day in classes. Deanna then mentions her studying with Russell. "Well, at least you and Russell seem to becoming good friends," says Darien. Deanna knows that's far from true. But Darien doesn't know about their rivalry, but she is honest. "I don't need any friends," she says, "Russell and I just happened to be studying together. Two minds working together are better than one you know." "Yeah, I guess you're right," says Darien, "I often study by myself. But I do study with Russell sometimes. I do find it a little easier to understand the curriculum when I study with someone else. You see things from not only your point of view, but theirs as well." "Your friend Serena seems to do that too," says Deanna, "study with others. Though I think she could do it a little more, and concentrate a little more when she does." "Uh, the meatball head?" says Darien, "She's not really my friend. Just a girl who annoys me sometimes." "Well, Russell seems to do well by himself too," says Deanna, "But he and I did cover a lot in the time we were studying together. We were 3 chapters ahead of the class. Now we're 4." "What subject?" he asks. "Particle Physics," she replies. "That's a lot of ground to cover for that class," says Darien, "Maybe I could use a little more study time with Russell." "Bring Daniel in on it too," Deanna suggests, "All three of your minds will even better, even if it's in different subjects." As they near a corner, Darien and Deanna begin to go their separate ways. "Study well, Darien," she says as she turns the corner. "I will," Darien says as he heads off toward work. With Darien gone, Deanna takes the gun back out and glances at it. Her eyes begin to glow as the barrel of the gun twists and bends, rendering it completely useless. As Deanna nears a dumpster, she bends the handle and barrel with her telekinetic powers before tossing it in, completely harmless and unable to fall into the wrong hands. With one good deed for the day, Deanna continues down the street and on her way home. That evening, Cherry Hill Temple... The wind carries the fresh scent of the fine warm evening at the Cherry Hill Temple. While the weather is perfect, Russell and the others take to the great outdoors and work on some out door chores. Russell and Romano take to touching up on the temple itself, including repainting it, while Yuuichiro sweeps the leaves into the woods, and Gabianni works along the outer bounds of the temple grounds, making it look better for visitors. It's a project that brings the guys closer together while Raye has a couple of her friends over. The perfect weather only makes it to where the guys can spend the quality time together, fixing up the temple outside to make it look better for guests. Throughout the evening, they shared their days with each other, their experiences, and even views on different cars, including Russell's. But now, their work is near completion. Russell and Romano are the first to finish their work, putting up new décor for the temple and repainting the entire temple. After their grueling work, sharing soccer stories with one another, they gather their stuff and prepare to call it an evening. "Hey guys, we're done here," says Romano as Russell's already heading inside, "We're going in to get washed and call it an evening." "Alright," says Gabianni in response, "Just don't bug Raye and the others." Russell makes it inside and heads immediately into his room. It's rather quiet in the living room. It seems the girls are in Raye's room hanging out. That makes it easier for Russell to move about the temple without bothering them. He makes it into his rather quiet room. Since his room lies a short distance down the hall from Raye's, it is a little easier for Russell to relax for a little while. He undoes the sash on his temple kimono and jumps out of it. While in his boxers, he takes a towel and wipes the sweat from his arms in face. He then throws on a white crew neck T-shirt and lies down on his bed. A knock sounds at his door seconds later. "Yes?" The door opens as Yuuichiro walks in. "Hey Russell, you have any spare batteries?" he asks, "The ones in my CD player died." "Sure, lemme find some for 'ya," Russell replies as he opens a drawer and quickly finds some. He tosses them to Yuuichiro, "Here 'ya go." "Thanks a lot," Yuuichiro says as he walks out of Russell's room. Since Russell and Yuuichiro are next door to each other, with Russell's sitting closer to Raye's room, they visit each other a lot and also share needed things with each other. Yuuichiro is often the one who Russell turns to if he needs anything. The same goes for Russell to Yuuichiro. Russell and Yuuichiro have gotten a lot closer since Russell returned to living at the temple. They shared a lot with each other, especially Yuuichiro's feelings for Raye on rare occasions. Yuuichiro is also one of few people who Russell shares any feelings with. He doesn't even tell Amy much about how he feels or if something's bothering him. Russell later lies down and clicks his remote. A TV show depicting women and men in red swimsuits diving into the ocean to save people flips on. "Ah, Baywatch," Russell says as he relaxes, "You're always there when I need you." Russell watches on, trying hard not to ogle at Yasmine Bleeth's perfectly sculpted body. Later on, Russell's door opens slightly. He wonders if someone's trying to sneak in on him. That thought is completely shot down as a meow is heard, followed by a familiar black 4-legged figure jumping onto his bed. "Hi Luna," he says, letting the crescent headed cat walk over to his arm, "Care to watch Baywatch with me?" "I've never been much of a fan of that show," Luna answers, "But I only came to see if you're doing alright?" "Well of course I am," Russell says. "I'm glad," Luna replies, "Because the last I saw you, you and the Sailor Scouts had left after a harsh battle with Deanna. I was wondering if you're doing any better since that defeat." "Actually, Raye and I fought against her again a couple days later," Russell explains, "We put up a good fight, but she teleported out of the way of my most powerful attack. We landed a blow or two on her, though, so she's not invincible. The Moonlight Knight came and tried to help us, but it was useless." "Even the Moonlight Knight couldn't help you?" Luna wonders. "Well, the odd thing I found is that Deanna seems to have a tougher time fighting him than she does with the rest of us," Russell continues, "We're very sure that he is Darien. But if he is Darien, how is Deanna having such a tough time fighting him?" "I'm not sure how the Moonlight Knight seems resistant to Deanna's psychic powers," Luna replies, "He's always been a mystery to us since he first appeared. There may be other things about him that we don't know yet." "I do think we're getting closer to getting the upper hand on Deanna," says Russell. He then thinks about the better times he's spend with Deanna just recently. "You look confused," Luna says, reading his face. "Yeah, she may be ruthless against us in battle, but she's quite different in classes," Russell explains. "Oh, how so?" Luna asks. "Well, she concentrates purely on her academics. You already know she rarely diverts from her tasks, studying included, and that she competes with me academically. Just today, between classes, she decided to study Particle Physics with me." "That sounds strange," says Luna, "She might've had an ulterior motive." "No, she was rather sincere about wanting to study with me," Russell explains, "She said that two minds working together, even if they are enemies or competitors, can help further broaden their horizons. I decided I could use another person's point of view on Particle Physics." "I find it odd that she's more compassionate in an academic environment," says Luna. "Yeah, me too," says Russell, "But it's any other time when I worry about her attacking." "You've fought hard against her 4 times now," says Luna, "You know your enemy better than the other Sailor Scouts do. Serena told me she had a run in with Deanna this morning. And like your situation, she was rather civil with Serena, and even helped her get to class on time. Even so, you know Deanna better than the Scouts do, which makes you a valuable ally to the Scouts." "She must be a totally different person in an academic environment," says Russell, "But I guess you're right. She only met the Sailor Scouts through me. She fought me twice before she met them. I may know her better then they do, but she knows me better than she does them. Seems like a rivalry has developed." "You can do it, Russell," says Luna, "You'll find a way to defeat her. The Scouts could use you too. So fight hard. Now, about Baywatch?" "So you do want to watch Baywatch with me," Russell says, smiling as he catches Luna's attempt at diverting Russell's attention away from Deanna, seeing it as her being interested in Baywatch. "Just lie here and watch," he says, "It's a pretty damn good show, one of the better ones to come out of America." Later on, after Baywatch, and with Luna gone, Russell lies on his bed, reading a book required for his Political Science class. A knock sounds at his door. "Come in," Russell replies. The door opens, and in walks a familiar blonde, with the all too familiar meatballs. "Hi Serena. You sure do like those meatballs up tight, don't 'ya?" says Russell. Serena only rolls her eyes and sighs, "Like sister, like brother. You, Raye, and even my Darien's nagging me about my meatballs. I'd like to see you put your hair up like that." "No thanks, I like for the blood to get to my brain," Russell teases. Serena only begins to whine. "Ohhhh, you're just as bad as Raye is," she says. "Relax, Serena, I'm not gonna tease 'ya," says Russell, "So, what did you want?" "Well, to talk, I guess," Serena says as she sits down at the foot of Russell's bed. She looks around at all of Russell's decorations, with the Sailor V poster catching her eye. "Wow, you do have a Sailor V poster," she says, rather excited that Raye's brother seems to like Sailor V as well. "And I actually got to date her," Russell replies, referring to Mina. "And you sure love soccer," Serena says, looking at all his soccer posters. "So, what'd you want to talk about, besides my nicely decorated, yet slightly messy room?" Russell asks. "Well," Serena says, thinking of one particular subject, "How's Darien been doing?" That thought would come to mind for Serena quite often. Lucky for her, Russell is the person to turn to check up on Darien, especially since Darien doesn't remember his love for her and would be a pain to talk to. "He's been doing fine lately," Russell replies. "Really? But how does he react to Deanna being in the same school as you guys?" Serena asks. "Actually, she knows Darien doesn't remember his identity. So she doesn't bother him much at all, and he sees her as just another friend of mine," Russell explains. "But she's not your friend," Serena points out. "I know, but strangely, she seems to be a nicer person while we're in school," says Russell, "Luna has told me about your meeting with her this morning." "I know, I find that strange too," says Serena. She tries to think about something to get her and Russell's minds off Deanna. "What's it like... dating Amy?" she asks. This catches Russell totally off guard, "Huh?" "You know, Darien only knew of his feelings for me before Queen Beryl had totally taken him over, and before he died," Serena explains, "I never got to have with Darien what you now have with Amy. So what is it like being with someone you truly love so much?" "Well," Russell says as he thinks about Amy, "just... dating I guess." "Just dating?" Serena asks, knowing there's more to it than that. "I don't visit her a whole lot, but we did share a romantic dinner a few nights ago," says Russell. "But how does it feel, knowing you're with the same girl you were to totally in love with back in the Silver Millennium?" Serena asks. "Well, she and I don't spend as much time as we should," Russell explains, "She studies a lot, and I study a lot. Plus I deal with Deanna now and then." Russell pauses for a moment. "You sound like you want to do more with her," says Serena. "Yeah, maybe a nice walk in the park together would do just fine," says Russell, "No books, no notes, just a nice walk by the lake in the park. And no Deanna to spoil the moment." "I can always drag Amy away from that Physics book I could never understand and get her to go out with you a little more," says Serena. "You're one sweet girl, you know that," Russell says as he gets up and gives Serena a nice, warm embrace, "I don't see why Darien doesn't see that in you, past all your klutziness." "Thanks Russell," Serena says a little harshly, commenting on the klutziness, "You sure know how to make one feel better." Russell lets go and lies back on the bed, "Well, Raye's been a more assertive, open, and confident person since she met you. Actually, she showed it more. She was like this in the temple, but because of her practices, she hardly made friends outside the temple. She also didn't gain her popularity at school either until after she met you." "I really changed Raye that much?" Serena asks. "You two may argue a lot and act like you hate each other, but I think you two are actually very close friends. It is said that those who bicker a lot are closer than they realize," Russell explains. Serena pauses for a minute, wanting to resent that remark, but she realizes that his words are true, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just we don't tend to show that around others. Sometimes, even if it's just her and me, she can be a real pain in the ass, always nagging, bossing me around, bickering with me, and calling me a meatball head. But she's always there when you need her, and can share many things with you. She's usually been the one to lift my spirits whenever I'm down in the dumps. She's told me a lot of stuff about you a number of times. I didn't even know she had a brother until she told me you were coming home." "Raye's a good sister to have. And I'm proud to have a sister like her," says Russell. Serena gets up from Russell's bed, "Well, I better get back before Raye and Mina start worrying about me. Thanks Russell." Serena walks out the door and back towards Raye's room. "Anytime, Serena," Russell replies he picks his book back up and continues reading it. Next Day... On another partly cloudy, yet beautiful day in the park, Serena and Molly walk along the lakeside trail on their weekend off from school. The park is rather quiet for the weekend, although they are in the quieter area of the park, with little or no picnic areas. It's a place where people come for a more, romantic environment, especially toward sunset. Romantic couples can look to the west, with the sun just sliding into the horizon, the lake glistening in its light, making for a perfect romantic sight. Serena and Molly walk the trail near noon, with the sun almost directly over them. Yet, the lake still glistens in its light. "You WHAT?!?!" Molly asks, in total shock of whatever Serena had said, "You ACTUALLY made a 62?!?!" "Yes, and I'm proud of it too," Serena says, putting her hands to her hips and laughing maniacally, "I have finally defeated Ms. Haruna, MUA HA HA HA HAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" "Must've been one of her easier tests," Molly comments. 'Ouch, that was below the belt,' Serena thinks to herself, 'Only Raye would come up with such a comment.' "Actually, Amy and I studied the night before," Serena replies, "She was actually making me study. She was more assertive that day for some reason. She told me she and Russell went on a date the night before. Something that happened that night must've gotten her to come out of that shell of hers a little." "And that's odd?" Molly asks, "Maybe she just wanted you to study a little harder for the test or something." "Something was different about her. She was smiling a little more today," Serena explains, "Yet at the same time, she was a little more like Raye. She was actually making me study, almost nagging me when I wasn't. I think something happened between her and Russell the night before." "You don't mean she and Russell..." Molly assumes. Serena gasps at both her thought and Molly's being in total sync, "No way. They didn't." They think of the possibility that Amy and Russell had a little more than just a romantic dinner for two. But this is Amy, the girl genius who blushes at the thought of even being with Russell. "Wait a minute," Serena interrupts, "This is Amy were talking about here. She would never do anything like that. And I don't think Russell is either. He seems a little too... held back on things. Like he too is a little timid at times." "He is?" Molly asks, surprised at Serena's observation, "A soccer star like him is actually like Amy?" "Well, not like Amy," Serena explains, "Lita told me this once. He rarely dates girls, even though they literally throw themselves at him. So I hardly think he's the type who gets in bed with a girl." "Yeah, from what you tell me of him, you're probably right," Molly says. Then, an odd sense hits Molly's mind for a second, "Hey Serena, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" "Uh, okay, I'll be further down the trail," Serena replies as Molly runs off, probably for a bathroom break. Maybe she lost something. But Serena doesn't care, she knows her friend will come back. Serena continues down the trail, watching a few ducks fly low over the lake. As they dip their feet in the water before landing, Serena sighs as she thinks about Darien. 'I wish Darien would remember me,' she thinks to herself, 'I wish he would... so we can take these long lakeside walks, just him and me, and the beautiful lake glistening in the sunlight. Oh why won't he remember me?' '"Because he doesn't even remember he's Tuxedo Mask, let alone your feelings for him,"' a voice echoes in her mind. Serena jumps at that voice and begins looking around. She then looks behind her to see a familiar face, a woman in a red coat with black cuffs, pockets, and collar, a black skirt, and black knee-high high-heeled boots. "Deanna!" Serena says, confirming the girl's identity. "You studied well, and you succeeded," says Deanna in her usual unemotional tone, "You see what using that academic potential can do for you?" "You know about my 62?" Serena asks. "I can feel your excitement for it," Deanna replies, "You must be proud of your grade." "Why are you here," Serena asks, "This is hardly an academic environment." "Exactly," Deanna says in a little deeper tone, "Sailor Moon, I challenge you to a battle." "Serena backs off a bit waving her hands in front of her, "Oh no, Deanna. I don't want to fight now. It's the weekend and I'm here with my friend." "Oh, I sent her away, thinking she dropped something back at the last bench. When she comes back, she'll see Sailor Moon and wonder where you are," says Deanna. "I don't want a fight," Serena pleads. Deanna's eyes only glow a bright blue in response. Serena then feels herself lifting off the ground. Deanna waves her arm, sending Serena flying back into the lake, plunging into the water. While underwater, Serena feels herself floating much faster than usual, coming out of the water and levitating above it. '"As you know, I won't fight while we're in classes, but any other time, we can fight anytime," Deanna's voice echoes in Serena's mind as she floats weightlessly, "I still have yet to do real battle with Sailor Moon. Now, are you going to fight me, or are you going to be whine and cry your way out of it?" Serena's body floats back over land and falls back to the trail. She coughs after spending a few seconds underwater, getting the water out of her lungs. She pulls her communicator out and clicks it on. "Scouts, Deanna's at the park and...," her call is interrupted by Deanna knocking it out of her hand telekinetically. Serena looks back into Deanna's eyes, lowering her eyebrows at her. "Deanna, you want to fight me, you got it," she says, "But you're gonna be fighting the rest of us here soon enough." She removes her compact and raises it in the air. "Moon Crystal Power!!!" Deanna watches as Sailor Moon's doll-like naked body transforms right in front of her eyes. As with the any of the scout's transformations, Sailor Moon's takes a little bit to finish. "You're transformation takes too long," she comments, "Feel lucky I want a fair fight, or I would've defeated you as you were transforming." Sailor Moon posses as she finishes her transformation. "Insult me, do you," she says, striking her usual battle pose, "In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you." "Then it's on, Sailor Moon," Deanna says in a little deeper tone as her eyes glow bright blue, "Psychic Beam." She throws her arms in front of her and fires a beam of blue light at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon quickly jumps out of the way, with the beam missing her by inches. She quickly removes her tiara and twirls it around her. 'Fool,' she thinks to herself, 'You know I'll counter that tiara of yours.' "Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon yells as she throws her tiara at Deanna. As it comes close to Deanna, she throws her left arm in front of her and waves it back, sending the tiara over her and quite a ways behind her. "That attack was useless once, and it is useless now," says Deanna. Her eyes glow again, "Psychic... AAGGGHHH!!!" she screams as the tiara comes back around and strikes her in the back, knocking her on her face, almost right in front of Sailor Moon. "Sailor Kick!" Sailor Moon yells as she catches her tiara and gives Deanna a good kick, sending her back to where she started. She pulls her scepter out and begins twirling it around, then aims it back at Deanna. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" Deanna recovers just as Sailor Moon fires at her. In response, her eyes glow bright blue as an aura of blue light surrounds. Sailor Moon's attack has no effect, which brings not surprise but frustration to her. 'Too early to use that,' Sailor Moon says to herself. Deanna then holds her arm out, grabbing Sailor Moon with her telekinetic powers. She then waves her arm across her body, sending Sailor Moon flying into a nearby tree. She slams it hard and slides to the ground, rather dazed from the impact. Deanna walks up to her, taking her time as Sailor Moon struggles to even push her chest up off the ground. Deanna comes to within a couple feet of Sailor Moon, who is still struggling. "I see you're not as strong as I thought you were," she says, "But your friends won't expect to see you like this." Her eyes glow blue again as she forms a pendulum in her hand. Sailor Moon quickly gets to her hands and knees and quickly strikes Deanna in the chest with her tiara at point-blank range, giving Deanna her frequent-flyer miles. Sailor Moon credits herself for playing 'possum with her struggling and walks right up to Deanna. As she makes it to her, a force grabs a hold of her, holding her back from Deanna. '"I'm not going to let you that close to me a second time,"' Deanna's voice echoes in Sailor Moon's mind. Sailor Moon struggles against the force, pushing her way closer to Deanna. 'She's quite resistant,' Deanna thinks to herself as she recovers from Sailor Moon's tiara. As Sailor Moon struggles closer and closer to her, Deanna snaps her wrist, sending Sailor Moon flying back into the tree. "I don't think you're foolish enough to try that point-blank tiara shot again, Sailor Moon," Deanna says as she approaches Sailor Moon, but this time keeps her distance. She throws her arms in front of her, with her eyes glowing a bright blue. Just as Deanna's eyes begin to glow, Sailor Moon thinks fast and begins to scream herself into near tears. Suddenly, the jewels on her meatballs amplify the sound, sending out powerful sonic waves at Deanna. Deanna grunts and covers her ears, trying to block out that loud noise. "Your screaming... so loud," Deanna strains, pressing her hands hard against her ears. Sailor Moon stops screaming. With the sound still resonating, she pulls her tiara out and twirls it again, "Moon Tiara Magic!!!" This time, with Deanna still covering her ears, protecting them from that loud banshee scream, the tiara strikes her hard, sending her almost into the lake. Sailor Moon's tiara then returns to her. "Looks like my whining and crying came to good use after all," she says, giggling. "And your insults just came back and bit you in the ass, didn't it, Deanna," she says after getting the upper hand. Deanna gets up and shakes her head a little, making sure the sound is gone. "That is the best fighting I have seen from you yet, Sailor Moon," she says, slowly walking up to her, "You may be the legendary protector of love and justice, but deep down inside, you're just a normal girl with emotions just like everyone else." She pauses for a moment, keeping her straight face, "I know your greatest fears." "My fears? But I overcame them and took it to you," Sailor Moon argues. "Oh did you," Deanna says. Suddenly, as her eyes glow a bright blue, the sky around Sailor Moon darkens. She looks around, wondering what Deanna is doing. Flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder startle her, making her wonder even more what Deanna is trying to do. Then another flash of lighting reveals a haunted house, rather run down and dusty from old age. Then, many ghosts begin flying out of what seems like nowhere, moaning and groaning as they approach her. She gasps as her eyes widen, then begins backing away from them. The ghosts' moaning gets louder and louder as they get closer and closer to her. She begins trembling as she lets out a few high-pitched whines as the ghosts get even closer to her. Suddenly, the faces of the ghosts change from a sorrowful frown to a maniacal grin, and their moans turn to utter laughter. Sailor Moon begins to wail as the ghosts fly all around her, laughing profusely at her. "Now let's see how well you fight me," Deanna says as she fires a beam of blue light at Sailor Moon, knocking her back a short distance. Still shaking from her fear of ghosts, she gets up and looks back a Deanna. She pulls her scepter out again and prepares to attack Deanna. But the ghosts follow her, making the heart in her chest beat to where she can feel it in her neck. She tremble so much, that she ends up dropping the scepter. She curls herself up, hiding her face and whining again as the ghosts fly around her again, laughing at her with pure lunacy. A force then grabs a hold of her and lifts her in the air. Deanna holds her there as the ghosts continue flying around her, constantly laughing and sticking their tongues out at her. She begins wailing out of pure fear, completely unable to fight against Deanna. "Just as I thought," Deanna says, "Your fear makes you weak and unable to fight." She then throws Sailor Moon hard into another tree. The impact, combined with Serena's panicking, knock Sailor Moon completely unconscious. With that, the sky returns to normal and the ghosts disappear, as if they never even existed at all. "We'll meet again another time," Deanna says as she turns to leave. "You're not going anywhere, Deanna," a voice calls out to her. She turns around to see that Sailor Moon's friends have arrived, staring down at her. "We won't forgive you for what you did to our friend," Sailor Mars says. "We are the Sailor Scouts," they all say in unison, "And we will right wrongs and triumph over evil." "As I've have said before, I know no evil," Deanna refutes. "What you did to Sailor Moon IS evil," Sailor Venus argues, "And I won't have that." "We may be of the same mind, but your mind is utterly evil," says Sailor Mercury, "The fact that you use it for evil makes you evil." "Since you're here, I'll give you a fair fight," Deanna says as she throws her arms in front of her, pushing both Sailor Scouts back a short distance. They recover quickly and charge up. "With the power of love and beauty, I'll punish your hateful mind," says Sailor Venus, "Venus Meteor Shower!" With that, she fires multiple beams of light at Deanna. Deanna's eyes glow a bright blue as she starts deflecting them, one by one. "It's useless, Sailor Venus," says Sailor Mercury. She then turns to Deanna, "It may not have worked the last time we met, but this time, we will defeat you with our minds," says Sailor Mercury, "Mercury Bubbles, Blast!" With that, a thick fog forms in the park. Sailor Mercury taps her earring and dons her visor. She sees that Deanna has teleported right in front of them. "Sailor Venus, there," Sailor Mercury barks. Sailor Venus quickly replies, "Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" Confident in Sailor Mercury's abilities, Sailor Venus fires a beam of light at Deanna. With that little bit of ingenuity on Sailor Mercury's behalf, the beam hit's its mark, sending Deanna out of the fog and right into a tree. The Sailor Scouts run out of the fog and toward Deanna, ready to strike again. Deanna struggles as the Sailor Scouts approach. But as they near her and prepare to strike, she teleports away and reappears right behind them. Her eyes glow bright blue again as she throws both arms in Sailor Venus' and Sailor Mercury's direction, sending them both flying into that same tree. She then lifts them telekinetically and slams them into the ground behind her. She then teleports right next to them and stares straight at them. "You're powers are weak, and your fog is useless," Deanna says in her usual impassive tone, "Psychic Wave." Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury watch as Deanna's eyes glow again and ripple-like waves seem to emanate from her. Sailor Venus falls rather quickly, while Sailor Mercury fights it. Deanna watches as her mind attack seems to be failing, 'She's even more resistant now than she was then.' Deanna concentrates harder on Sailor Mercury, but notices that Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars are coming to her aid. With a quick flick of her wrist, she knocks both scouts down turns back to Sailor Mercury. "Your mind is stronger this time, but your body isn't," Deanna says as she swiftly lifts her arm, causing Sailor Mercury's body to fly into the air. She then throws it down, sending Sailor Mercury plunging down at a high rate of speed. She strikes the ground hard, with that and Deanna's mind attack knocking all consciousness from her. Sailor Jupiter recovers just as Sailor Mercury's body slamming into the ground. Sparks fly from Sailor Jupiter as she gets furious at Deanna. "Deanna," she yells, getting her attention. She then runs up to her, yelling as she dashes toward her. As she gets close, Sailor Jupiter throws a furious punch at her. Yet, Deanna only teleports right before Sailor Jupiter's fist lands its mark. Deanna reappears behind her. Sailor Jupiter turns around, taking a wild swing at Deanna. She misses again as Deanna teleports again out of the way, reappearing behind and just to her left. She turns again and throws an aggressive right hook at her, missing again as Deanna teleports behind her again. Sailor Jupiter this time tries a spinning punch with her left, missing again as Deanna teleports out of the way and behind her and to her left. Sailor Jupiter then throws a roundhouse kick with her left, missing again as Deanna teleports yet again behind her and slightly to the right. But just as Deanna reappears, Sailor Jupiter throws her high-heeled right boot back, drilling it into Deanna's stomach and knocking the air out of her. Deanna grunts as she bends into her bruised stomach. Sailor Jupiter roundhouses with the other, connecting with her face and causing her to stumble back quite a ways. Sailor Jupiter charges her and gives her a right uppercut to the face, causing Deanna to stand back up while Sailor Jupiter pummels her with a number of hard punches and knee bashes to the face and torso. She then finishes Deanna off with a powerful uppercut, giving Deanna her frequent flyer miles and landing her right near the lake. Deanna recovers a moment later and puts her fingers to her lip. She then removes it and looks at the blood, then turns back to Sailor Jupiter, "I see you've adapted with such great speed." "Well I'm not finished with you yet, you self-righteous bitch," Sailor Jupiter says as she runs toward her, ready to give her another beating. As she nears her, she ducks down, ready to tackle her into the lake. But Deanna dodges to the side as Sailor Jupiter runs by, stopping rather quickly and turning to her. Deanna's eyes glow again and with her right hand, she throws her palm within inches from Sailor Jupiter's stomach, sending her on a ride down the park with her telekinetic powers. Sailor Mars runs in her direction to see if she's all right, but Deanna quickly teleports there, beating Sailor Mars to her. "You are indeed fast, Sailor Jupiter," Deanna says, "Your physical prowess alone makes you as legendary as the others, but at other times you hide that physical prowess with the common household tasks to make yourself become more accepted by others." She pauses for a moment, "I know your greatest fear." "What do you mean by that? You know me, I'm the baddest Sailor Scout of the bunch, totally fearless," says Sailor Jupiter. "Oh? Then what was it that made you feel such loneliness?" Deanna asks. Just then, Sailor Jupiter sees a flash of blue light, feeling completely weightless. She and Deanna then reappear inside a rather small space, in the middle of a long aisle with rows of seats on both sides. Beside the seats lie small rectangular windows overlooking the tops of a few clouds. Few people occupy the seats, wondering how 2 people appeared out of nowhere, while in the background, the low hum of a jet engine sounds all too familiar to Sailor Jupiter. Knowing exactly where she is, she begins shaking as her heart begins racing with fear. "Oh my god, we're in an airplane," she yells as she begins to run down the aisle away from Deanna, "We're in an airplane!" She then turns and runs toward Deanna, with her heart beating so hard and so fast that she can't even think straight, "We're in a fucking airplane!" She yells to the point that she jerks tears out of both eyes. She then turns to Deanna, breathing quite heavily and shaking severely. "Put me on the ground," she says in a deep, aggressive voice. "Now let's see how well you fight me," Deanna says. "I said put me on the fucking ground," Sailor Jupiter screams as she drops to her knees, sobbing and shaking out of pure horror. Deanna throws her arms in front of her and fires a bright blue beam at Sailor Jupiter, sending her flying into the bulkhead. She gets up seconds later, still trembling an earthquake and still with tears streaming down both cheeks. She crosses her arms, with an antenna popping out of her tiara. In response, Deanna throws both arms out to her sides as her eyes glow a bright blue. Suddenly, the plane takes a nosedive and bucks back up violently, causing most of the passengers to fly out of and back into their seats. The plane again takes another sharp dive. "Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are experiencing some unusual turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts..." The captain says over the intercom. Sailor Jupiter cowers badly and grabs hold of a chair, pulling herself into it with a rather powerful death grip, weeping out of pure panic. The plane then takes a couple more bucks and dives, totally paralyzing Sailor Jupiter with harsh crying and terrible fear. The plane then returns to normal as Deanna looks down into Sailor Jupiter's tear-filled eyes. "As you see, Sailor Jupiter, your fears have made you weak to the point where you turn into a completely different person and are unable to fight me," she says. "You are so damned terrible," Sailor Jupiter gasps. Deanna's eyes glow again, bringing more fear of the plane tossing and turning to Sailor Jupiter as she buries her head into the seat, screaming, "NO!!!" Deanna throws her arms in front of her, "Psychic Beam." She fires a beam at Sailor Jupiter, striking her so hard that it releases her death grip on the chair and plasters her into the bulkhead, taking the rest of the energy out of her. Deanna teleports herself and Sailor Jupiter back to the ground, at the park, holding her in the air with her telekinetic powers. Sailor Mars looks as Deanna, with her eyes glowing a bright blue, stands in the middle of the park with Sailor Jupiter's limp body floating in the air, her limbs hanging lifelessly. "Deanna, what the hell did you do to her?" she asks frantically, worried about her friend. "She only saw what her parents saw before they died," Deanna replies as her eyes return to normal and Sailor Jupiter falls to the ground, completely unconscious. Sailor Mars gasps at the sound of Deanna's response. "You didn't crash a plane with her in it, did you?" she asks. "No, I would never do a such thing," Deanna replies, "Her fear made her weak, just as it did Sailor Moon." "Well, I'm not as easy of a person to scare as you think," Sailor Mars says as she clasps her hands together, "Mars Fire Ignite!" She points her fingers at Deanna, sending a ball of fire hurling in her direction. Deanna teleports out of the way and right behind Sailor Mars. Deanna's eyes glow bright blue, and just as she throws her arms forward, a sharp, stabbing pain strikes her in the upper arm, causing her to wince, groan, and fall to her knees in pain. She knows all to well what it is before she even looks at the white rose sticking into her arm. She pulls it out and pulls her sleeve up. With blood trickling down her arm, she pulls out a handkerchief and wraps it around her arm over the wound, then pulls her sleeve back down. "Why do I get the feeling that you're here, Moonlight Knight?" she says into thin air, hoping a particular person in a white robe would hear. "Because I am," a familiar male voice says. She looks on a grassy knoll in the distance to find the man, dressed in a white robs and turban, with his cape flowing in the wind. "You always manage to strike the first blow," Deanna says. "Fear reminds us of our limits as human beings, don't you think," he says, "Everyday, we face those fears, even when they have us bound in their chains. Our fears make us human and shouldn't be used as a weapon." "Fear is what made them weak," Deanna says, "They fought well until they had to face those fears." "You turned their fears against them," the Moonlight Knight says, "Using your mind to project those fears is what defeated them. Any human turning the fears of others against them is but a mushroom feeding on the fallen tree. Wouldn't you want your fears turned against you?" "I have no fear," Deanna replies, "You do know I possess no emotion, do you, Moonlight Knight?" Her eyes glow a bright blue as she throws her arms toward him, firing a bright blue beam at him. The Moonlight Knight jumps out of the way and on level ground in front of Deanna. He draws his sword and prepares for battle. He quickly turns his head towards Sailor Mars, "Sailor Mars, RUN!!!" "But what about the others?" Sailor Mars asks. "Just run, or she'll get you too," the Moonlight Knight replies. Still disputing, Sailor Mars decides to run away from the battlefield. 'I can't just leave them behind,' she thinks to herself as she runs. Meanwhile, Deanna sees that her next target is trying to escape her. Her eyes glow a bright blue as she extends her arm in Sailor Mars' direction. As she tries to escape while the Moonlight Knight takes care of Deanna, an outside force grabs a hold of her, binding her. '"You're not going anywhere, Sailor Mars,"' Deanna's voice echoes in her mind. This gives the Moonlight Knight the perfect opportunity as he jumps behind her and swings his sword, nailing Deanna in the face with the pommel. Deanna falls back, releasing her telekinetic grip on Sailor Mars. Sailor Mars, free from Deanna's grip, decides to jump into a nearby tree and watch the battle from there. Deanna gets up from the Moonlight Knight's attack rather quickly. She forgets all about Sailor Mars and turns to the Moonlight Knight. She sees him rushing her again and quickly responds by extending her arm out, with her eyes glowing a bright blue. This attempt is futile as it barely slows him down. He jumps over her and lands a short distance behind him. He quickly unleashes a volley of roses at Deanna. Deanna turns, seeing the deadly plants flying her her. She teleports out of the way and behind the Moonlight Knight. 'And again, I have difficulty using telekinesis against him,' she thinks to herself, 'But I know what I can do." She throws her arms in front of her, firing a beam of bright blue light at him, striking him and sending him flying a short distance. 'All I can do is hold him off and see what I can find out about him,' she says to herself, as she stands ready to defend herself. The Moonlight Knight recovers and jumps again, landing right in front of Deanna. He raises his blade, ready to take a shot at Deanna. Deanna, knowing that sword can be controlled, throws a psychic shield around her, causing the sword to bounce off as it strikes. She teleports again and reappears behind him. As he's still a good distance away from her, she begins concentrating on him, searching for the person she knows is the Moonlight Knight. 'What is she doing,' the Moonlight Knight thinks to himself, 'She's barely even fighting. Maybe she thinks I'm not worth it, but then again, she attacked me. I rarely want a fight, but I must protect the princess and her friends.' Deanna watches him across the field, who seems to be making this a standoff. This gives Deanna more than enough time for her ESP to work in her favor. 'So, I was right,' Deanna thinks to herself. She suddenly teleports out of the way as another volley of roses flies at her. 'Darien is the Moonlight Knight, but all I sense in him is his spirit,' she thinks to herself. He turns and jumps at her again. But this time, Deanna concentrates on Darien's spirit within him, pretending that the Moonlight Knight IS the Darien she knows. Suddenly, the Moonlight Knight stops in mid-air, far enough that Deanna is out of reach from his sword. "All I have to do is concentrate on the mind and soul within the illusion, and not on the illusion itself," she says as she sends the Moonlight Knight flying back, "That must've been what I was doing every time I did grab a hold of you." The Moonlight Knight recovers rather quickly, "You use your mind for such sinful purposes. Your mind has other great uses, like achieving your greatest dreams, rather than using it against those who defend against good." "My goal is to become a master of my psychic powers," Deanna replies as her eyes glow a bright blue. At the same time, the Moonlight Knight feels a force binding him. "She's gotten a hold of me," he says as he struggles against it, "I must fight it... and protect the princess and her friends." Deanna watches as the Moonlight Knight struggles against her psychic powers, "You may be different from the others, Moonlight Knight, but the soul of a certain young man dwells within you. He may not know he's the Moonlight Knight, but his mind dwells in you." She pauses for a moment, knowing how exactly to fight against him now, "I know your greatest fear." "What do you mean by that?" he asks. Sailor Mars watches on from the tree, seeing that the Moonlight Knight is losing to Deanna, "Damn, she's got him. What should I do?" "Because his mind dwells in you, so do his fears," she says as the area around the Moonlight Knight goes dark. In the background, a heart monitor beeps. "What was it that happened so long ago, when you were just young?" Deanna asks him. "I don't know what you're talking about," the Moonlight Knight replies. "Oh? But Darien knows," Deanna replies. She begins to slowly walk towards him. She holds her hand up, revealing the dreaded syringe. The sight of that brings panic to the Moonlight Knight as his eyes widen. At the same time, the heart monitor beeps faster, reflecting the Moonlight Knight's pulse. As Deanna gets closer and closer, he begins to shake a little and begins sweating under that turban. The heart monitor too beats faster and faster as the Deanna draws nearer with that needle. Before he knows it, Deanna's standing right in front of him, slowly bringing the needle down towards him. With that, the beating of the heart monitor races faster and faster. She stops within an inch of his shoulder, looking straight into his face with her jade green eyes. "You see, Moonlight Knight, even your mind and body are weak when overcome by fear," she says. Her eyes glow bright blue and begin emanating a rippling wave. The heart monitor goes flatline as the Moonlight Knight easily falls unconscious to both his fear and Deanna's mind attack. "Damn, he fell to her," Sailor Mars thinks to herself, "But what scared him to the point that he couldn't move? I didn't see anything." With reason coming to her, Sailor Mars decides to stay in the tree, "But I can't help my friends if she knocks me down like she did the others." With the Moonlight Knight down, Deanna looks around for Sailor Mars. 'Where did she go,' she thinks to herself. After finding only a couple ducks flying towards the lake, she realizes that Sailor Mars has escaped as the Moonlight Knight had told her to, 'She must've gotten away. But knowing her, she'll return soon to check on her friends. I'll let her, for now. Next time, I may not be so merciful.' Deanna teleports away and out of site. With Deanna gone, Sailor Mars hops out of the tree and runs up to the Moonlight Knight. He lies there, unconscious. "She must've scared him good," says Sailor Mars. He begins to struggle a little, trying to get up. He comes to and slowly gets up, then looks over at Sailor Mars, "Are you okay?" "Just glad that I stayed away from her so I can help them," Sailor Mars replies. "Forgive me for failing again, fighting her," he says. "She's a powerful foe, but I might have an idea as to how to get her," says Sailor Mars, "I watched her fight against you." "So you didn't run?" he asks. "I ran, just far enough to where she can't see me, then I jumped into a tree and watched," Sailor Mars explains. "I must get going," the Moonlight Knight says, "Since she's gone, I am no longer needed. Your friendship with them is strong, cherish it well, Sailor Mars." He turns and walks out of the park, with his cape flying in the wind. Sailor Mars turns to a tree where Sailor Moon begins squirming. She runs over to her and takes her in her arms. Sailor Moon opens her eyes moments later to see the face of her pyromaniacal friend. "Hey meatball head," Sailor Mars says softly. "Damn, she sure packed a wallop," Sailor Moon says as she struggles to get up. "What happened?" Sailor Mars asks. "We'll talk about it later," Sailor Mars replies, "I'll go check the others. You just stay right here." "Whatever you say, Pyro," Sailor Moon replies as she sits down and leans against the tree, holding her hand to her aching head. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus recover a little more easily than Sailor Moon did. They get up and slowly walk over to Sailor Mars, who is still running over to them. "You guys okay?" she asks. "Yeah," Sailor Mercury replies. "I've been better," Sailor Venus replies. "Scout meeting at my place," Sailor Mars says as she runs over to where Sailor Jupiter lies. Sailor Jupiter comes to moments later, still shaking from her experience in the plane. She looks up at Sailor Mars and immediately flings herself into her arms. "Oh Raye, am I glad to see you, and be back on the ground," she says. Sailor Mars returns the embrace, "I know, Lita. I know. We're having a scout meeting with Russell at the temple." Sailor Jupiter lets go and walks with Sailor Mars to rejoin the other scouts. With all 5 scouts conscious and somewhat recovered from Deanna's attacks, they all head toward the temple, ready to share their rather fearful experiences. Cherry Hill Temple... The scouts, in their civilian forms, walk along the road beside the temple. Lita and Mina immediately notice Russell's sleek, purple Viper. "Whoa, Russell got himself a Dodge Viper?!" Mina says. "That's one nice car," Lita agrees. "Our aunt and uncle let him choose a very nice sports car for his 19th birthday. That was the car he chose," Raye explains. They walk up the temple steps and into the temple. They take their seats around the large coffee table. "So, where are Gabianni and Romano?" Mina asks. "They're in the dojo training with Grandpa," Raye replies, "Yuuichiro's in outside doing some work before he goes through Grandpa's... special training." "What kinda special training?" Serena asks. "He's taking Yuuichiro out to the brook for the tougher training," Raye explains, "Russell's gone through some of that himself." "Where is Russell?" Amy asks. "Right here," Russell's voice replies as he walks into the living room, rather sweaty and wearing a gi, "I was helping Grandpa with some of the training, plus I have Romano and Gabianni a few pointers." "What happened to your face?" Raye asks, noticing the bruise and slight cut on his cheekbone. "Oh, Romano got a cheap shot in on me with a bo staff," he replies. "Have a seat, scout meeting," Raye says. Russell immediately takes his seat near Amy, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. "Let me guess, another run in with Deanna," Russell assumes. They all only nod in response. "That's why I brought us here," Raye replies. "So, what went on?" Russell asks. "It was actually our best fight against her, but then she scared the shit out of us," Lita replies. "I know she's powerful, but how could a girl like Deanna do that?" Mina asks. "She's smart, and very tricky," Russell replies, "But I'm unsure how a girl can scare you unless she showed some power that neither of us have seen." "Well, let's start from the top," Raye says. "I'm leader, I fought first, so I'll start," Serena says as she begins explaining, "I'll agree with Lita, that was the best I've ever done against Deanna, even though it's only my second fight with her. She sure didn't expect my tiara to act like a boomerang and hit her in the back. That's when I had the upper hand. But then, she said she knew my greatest fear." "Mine too," Sailor Jupiter adds. "Then, the sky got dark," Serena continues, "And there was lightning, a haunted house, and ghosts laughing at me." "How can that be?" Raye asks, "We came just after she got you. We didn't see anything while we were on our way." "No dark sky, no haunted house," Lita adds. "And there certainly was no storm activity," Amy adds. "Wait," Russell says, getting the girls' attention, "Deanna's psychic. You have to remember that. She has displayed the ability to attack your mind on more than one occasion." "Yeah, she must've transmitted those sights and sounds to Serena's mind," says Amy. "A hallucination," Raye adds. "So it was all in her mind," Mina adds. "But mine wasn't in the mind," says Lita, "I was actually on an airplane overlooking Tokyo." "I won't argue with you there," says Raye, "She teleporting you is proof enough for me." "She didn't do anything against us," says Mina, "Amy and I worked together and got Deanna before she got us." "I remembered from the last time I used fog and scanned right in front of us," says Amy, "She seemed to use the same trick again." "And the same with me," Lita agrees, "She would teleport behind me every time I took a swing, but she was never actually behind me, but off to one side. That proved to be her mistake." "But then she overcame her mistakes and turned against us," Raye adds, "One thing bothers me, though." "What is it?" they all ask. "The Moonlight Knight," Raye replies as she begins explaining, "While we've been doing better against Deanna, the Moonlight Knight seems to have been doing worse in this battle." "How so?" Mina asks. "Deanna always seemed to have trouble fighting him," Raye replies. "I agree," says Russell, "He stood up against Deanna better than Raye and I did in our last battle. She seems to have a tough time fighting against him for some reason. I've seen her try mind attacks with him, but he seemed to be highly resistant to them." "Well, Deanna must've figured something out about him if she really took to him in the end," says Raye, "I could swear I saw fear in him before he fell, but as with Serena, I saw nothing." "She must've projected a hallucination to him like she did with Serena," says Amy. "It's a new pattern I'm starting to see in her," says Raye, "She seems to be using our emotions against us." "That would seem like a very reasonable tactic for her to use," says Russell, "Since she has no emotion, she can easily use ours against us." "A low-down trick if you ask me," Lita comments. "So you were the last to fall?" Serena asks. "Actually, I didn't fight her," Raye replies. "You didn't?!" they all say in shock. "When the Moonlight Knight came, he told me to run, to get out of there," Raye explains, "I disputed at first, but then I got out of there. Deanna tried to stop me, but the Moonlight Knight fought her, diverting her attention. It was then that I decided to watch the battle from a distance, up in a tree." "I think it was a good idea," Amy comments. "Yeah, she can watch Deanna's moves," says Russell, agreeing with her. "I guess that sums up the battle," Serena says, "Anything else?" "Just that she'd better not cross my path again," Lita says, "Or I will fight her." "I don't think you should," says Russell, getting her to reason a little, "One: that's a stupid idea. She can easily overcome you with telekinesis and you'd have no choice to transform. Two: that's assault and battery and she can get you for that too." "Just ignore Deanna, that's the best thing for you to do," says Amy. "You don't understand. She seems to know me better than the rest of you," Lita argues. "Lita, she actually knows me better than the rest of you," Russell rebuts, "She and I see each other a lot." "She knows about me being a loner and people avoiding me before I met Serena, she knows about what caused my loneliness in the first place, she knows my greatest fear, and she knows my parents died in a plane crash," Lita explains. "You're not the only one, Lita," Serena debates, "She knows I'm Sailor Moon, she knows about my klutziness, and my rather poor academic abilities, she knows I can do better, she knows my greatest fear, and she knows about my whining." "She knows I'm a smart person like her and Russell," says Amy. "And she knows about the Moonlight Knight too," says Russell. "Has she used any of that against you?" Lita asks, "She has with me. I just think she's a big bully who needs to be punished." "I just think she has better things to do with her mind than to compete with Russell and us," says Amy. "Well, if all we're gonna do is argue, then I say meeting adjourned," Raye asserts. "And who made you the leader of the Sailor Scouts, I think no one," Serena says sarcastically. "I'm gonna go ahead and go home," Mina says. "I'll go with you," Amy replies. "I agree," says Serena as she and the others get up to leave. "All I gotta say from the sounds of it, you girls did a great job against her," says Russell, "Maybe we can find a way to defeat her." "Good idea Russell," Raye agrees, "What do you think?" "I'll have my revenge, that's for sure," says Lita. "Put some strategy to good use against her," says Amy. "Great idea," says Serena, "I'll hold a scout meeting next week and we figure out some good strategy." "Then it's settled," says Raye, "You all have a nice day, alright?" Amy, Mina, and Serena walk out the temple door and begin walking towards Russell's Viper. "You girls don't drool too much over it," he says out the door. "I'm gonna start dinner," Raye says as she walks over to the kitchen. "Please, no," Russell says as he starts running toward her, "Remember what happened last time you tried to cook meat? I ended up having chicken really well done." "Hey, it's not my fault the timer didn't work," Raye says. "You also do other stuff too besides cooking," Russell says. "I agree," Lita says from the living room, "Cooking takes time, and you need to make time for it. I do a lot of stuff around the house including homework almost constantly, yet I still make time to make a gourmet meal." "I'll help you later, okay Raye," says Russell. "Sure, whatever you say," Raye says, rolling her eyes as she walks into the kitchen. Russell then turns to Lita, "You're still here?" "Yeah, can we talk?" Lita asks, with a little bit of a long face. "Sure, what's on your mind?" Russell says as he and Lita walk outside and around the temple. "You look like Deanna's really getting to you," he says, reading the look on her face. "Yeah, it's odd how she can use her mind to overcome my abilities," says Lita, "Plus it's the fact she knows me so well and uses that against me." "I think you're just letting her get to you," Russell says. They find a bench near the woods and take their seats. Lita takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh, "When I was on that plane, I was so scared. I've always hated airplanes, but when I was on this one, I was so damn scared." She turns to Russell, with tears starting to come to her eyes, "Russell, I've never felt so afraid. Some may think I am a tough girl, but when it came to that, I became a completely different person." Russell takes her into his arms as she sniffles a little. "Lita, you're on the ground now," Russell says, "You'll be fine now." "She was so damned low to attack me at my weakest stage," says Lita. "And now she's on your mind," says Russell. He feels her nodding as he still has her in his embrace. He lets her go and looks into her emerald green eyes, "After my first couple battles with her, she was on my mind to the point where I didn't even study very well. My excitement over getting my Viper was only temporary relief. I'd go to the dojo and let out all those worries. But I got over it. My date with Amy was a great time to keep my mind off her, even though she showed up right after. But I know I have little to worry about now, except when she attacks." "So you were worrying yourself a lot too," says Lita, barely cracking a smile. "Just don't let her get to you, okay? And don't lose your head whenever you see her. That won't be good, okay?" he says, before giving her another friendly hug. "I still have some energy left. Wanna go to the dojo with me, let out some of that energy you have?" he offers. "I would, but I don't have my gi with me," Lita replies. "It's okay, I got one that'll fit you," says Russell, "But I don't think I have the right belt for you." "Then lets go," Lita says as they both head back to the temple. "What about Raye?" Lita asks, "She might literally fry that meal of yours." "Well, I'll tell her to come with us to the dojo to train with us. Kinda wait off so you and she can both cook. How's that?" says Russell. "Fine by me," Lita says as they make it into the temple and prepare to let out some steam. ------------------------------end of chapter--------------------------- Now that's what I call a dark battle. This is a side of the Sailor Scouts people rarely see, both in fanfics and in the Anime. It sure shows you just how powerful Deanna can be in battle. Yet, at other times, she's just a normal girl. I sure had some fun writing this chapter. I had the battle planned out for a while, and I think it turned out pretty well. How 'bout y'all? Well, the Scouts seem to be getting better against Deanna, so let's see how they do in the last chapter, shall we? E-mail me with praises, flames, comments, etc., a'ight? OOOOOOO O O O U O U BOOMER O U O U SOONER! O U O U OOOUOOO U U U UUUUUUU Have fun Sailor Moon fans, Viper Inferno