In the middle of a completely black screen a small dot of light rapidly grows with the first notes of a bass guitar, then revolves to reveal the words ``DO-GOODERS'', a la Yasha's drawing. As the music suddenly increases in intensity with the addition of drums and guitar, we see a flashing series of images. *Tejina and Hanaki walk cheerfully down the street, numerous shopping bags hanging off their arms, Daisy and Pepper trailing behind them.* *Matsuro and Kireiko walk out of a music store, staggering under heavy equipment. At least, Matsuro is staggering - Kireiko is cradling an amp possessively.* *Keiko and Aki are having some quality girl talk in a kissaten. Charles is eyeing Jormangandur suspiciously.* *Becky is practicing in her parents' shooting range. Suddenly she freezes and looks up at the sky.* As the keyboard starts with the melody, a lone female voice begins to sing- ``Listen! Do you hear it?'' *Becky runs out the door, grabbing her trenchcoat as she goes* ``The song of tomorrow?'' *Hanaki and Tejina exchange a sharp look, dump their bags and begin sprinting in the opposite direction* ``Watch! Can you see it?'' *Kireiko tears his shirt off* ``The dawn of the new day?'' *Keiko is chanting something, her eyes alight.* ``There is a rough road ahead, but smile bravely! Start running!'' *We have an overview of a crossroads, with the Do-Gooders rushing towards each other on different roads. They meet in the middle. There is a sudden explosion of light.* ``Fly angel-winged to battle! Our love will keep us strong!'' *A girl spirals down into a deep black chasm. We can't see her face, but she wears a long, flowing white dress and appears to be glowing.* The lone female voice is now joined by another voice, very alike to the first. They continue in harmony. ``There! Did you notice?'' *The dwarves and Elric are trying to tell Matsuro something. He nods patiently, obviously not listening to a word* ``The night is beginning!'' *A business-suited man and a business-suited woman shake hands, smiling evilly. The eyes of both are glowing with eldritch light* ``Wait! The clouds are gathering'' *The light becomes a fluorescent light in a coffee shop. The camera zooms over the shoulder of a figure peering into a coffee cup until the coffee cup fills the screen* ``For the storm that is foretold.'' *Four fuzzily indistinct humanoid shapes appear in the coffee. They disappear in a shower of sugar.* ``We can make it through, if we remember.'' *A young boy walks up to Becky, holding out a rose* ``Holding to our love, we can see the coming dawn.'' *Queen Vengeance and Villyn hug lovingly. A pair of glowing red eyes watch from above* A kick-ass instrumental begins, with a two minute guitar solo. We see the following images; *Brother Maynard crawls into his hole, muttering to himself. In the foreground is a woman bound to a chair.* *The doorbell rings in the Villyn residence. The minions rush to answer it, but end up in a heap on the floor. Aki sighs and opens the door, to reveal a tribe of pygmies, pointed sticks in hands.* *Kireiko punches a youma in the face, then rips the arm off another. Hanaki clutches her hands together in admiration.* *Malaise and Vuudu kiss passionately. The other three Generals look on with bemusement.* *Matsuro's mother flashes on screen, tied with barbed wire to a metal crucifix. She smiles at the camera, and we zoom into her eyes-* *-and pull out to find that the eyes are now those of an old man staring at the stars. He too turns to smile into the camera, then gestures to the sky. We follow his hand, to see the stars whirl around and fall towards the camera. The singing begins again.* ``When the stars fall down,'' *We see mangled unidentified bodies scattered across a battlefield, the Tokyo Tower in the background.* ``The sky does too.'' *Ayame looks up at the camera, her eyes defeated* ``For what is heaven without light?'' *A dragon flies over the carnage, directly towards the camera* ``But when darkness is our friend'' *The dragon suddenly begins to fall. As it turns over in its death throes, we can see why - Keiko has buried the Cleaver of Duality in its chest and is hanging on grimly.* ``What is left to fear?'' *Tejina and Hanaki, dressed in their fuku, spring away in different directions, a la Yasha's drawing* ``So remember! Smile!'' *Zathras explains something to Aki. Gradual comprehension flows across her face* ``Yesterday's tears were the summer rain.'' *Matsuro gingerly offers Keiko a slimy Cthulhu tentacle. She stares at it for a moment, then hugs him desperately. Matsuro's eyes bug out as he tries to breath.* ``Fight! Don't give up!'' *Becky pulls out the Little Big Gun and aims at something off-screen* ``Every end is a new beginning.'' *The Do-Gooders in a circle, each in combat positions and facing outwards.* ``We will be there together through it all.'' *The group is gathered in their usual lunchtime spot, laughing at something Tejina has just said.* ``Standing tall, holding to our love'' *Cherry blossoms fly past the screen, fading to reveal-* ``Together, with our love.'' *- the group posed on a hilltop, wearing their superhero clothing, with a sunrise or sunset (we can't tell which) in the background. They are looking at something off screen. As one, they turn and look straight into the camera. The tableau freezes, then is replaced by the words that scroll up the screen; DO-GOODERS The Proactive Teen Superhero Team With No X Anywhere In Their Title A FanArt HQ / Spoof Chase ImproFanfic Episode Twenty-five: Awakening! The Clouds Gather!* In a large, dark and threatening chamber on a large, dark and threatening throne clutching a large, dark and threatening magical artifact sat a man who wasn't large or dark (if you don't count the navy business suit) but *was* extremely threatening, considering he was the one who had unleashed the Purple Dinosaur Horror upon the unsuspecting world. Currently, he was munching down some popcorn, engrossed in a crystal ball showing scenes of the Youma vs. The Do-Gooders and Others fight (go read the last ep, damnit!), and occasionally stopping for wild whoops of joy. ``We're winning!'' he crowed. ``Or at least, we're not being beaten into the ground within ten minutes!'' Despite the concerning flow of power he had felt a few seconds before, he was in a reasonably good mood. The fabric of reality tore behind him. ``Yo.'' Esjie nearly fell out of the throne, but quickly retained his icy imperial manner. ``Ayesse! You have discovered a new way to take the energy of the unsuspecting human fools?'' Ayesse nodded slowly, his expression disturbed. ``Yeah, but... this is really evil, man. Like, totally evil.'' ``Good, good!'' Esjie chuckled evilly. ``Show me!'' ``Uh, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea...'' ``DO IT!'' Esjie's eyes and the Chrono Stone flared with the same eldritch light... Ayesse took a deep breath and prayed that he'd come out of this one alive. = = = = = Aki was confused. First of all, after rebelling against wearing the Sailor Joy fuku for so long she'd been told that she didn't actually have to wear it anyway, just something from the Kingdom of Delight and then when she'd tried to find something like that by searching deep within her mind the only thing that seemed to be available had been this long, flowing, white gown which looked very nice, but was very conspicuous and a pain to run in - two things you didn't really want when fighting youma - and now it looked like the new clothes had new powers attached which had been very effective against the three youma that had been menacing Matsuro and Keiko but had taken a lot out of her, and more disturbingly, there now seemed to be a third person floating around inside her head, and then after the youma had been transformed Matsuro had taken one look at her, burbled something about dreams and fainted when she'd asked what he was talking about and now Keiko was crying, big silent tears that crawled down her cheeks, making tracks through all the blood and grime that had been plastered all over her face. (183 words! Not too shabby...) As Sailor Joy, (or perhaps as Princess Anniki, she wasn't quite sure on that point yet) Aki thought she should probably do something about that. The problem was, she wasn't quite sure what. Keiko was slumped against the wall in a way that quite clearly indicated she didn't want company. Aki blinked, noticing something new. Why was Keiko wearing a fuku suspiciously like her own Sailor Joy outfit? ``Ah, Aki-sama! I happily bask in your divine radiance once more. Oh Great One, command me, for your slightest whim is an order writ deep within my very bones!'' Aki blinked again. The Bluefaced Black Shadow sidled out of a nearby alley and prostrated himself in front of her, still babbling. ``Oh, Aki-sama, Queen of all you survey, your father, the divine Villyn-sama entreats your return to his humble abode, and I, unworthy that I am, am the bearer of his divine words to your divine ears!'' Aki blinked a third time. Then she worked out what the strange man had actually been saying and leaped to a conclusion. ``Dad! Where is he? Is he under attack again? I thought he'd be okay after he finished off those first youma and that oddball general guy. I better go check this out!'' She spun on her heel, hitched up her skirts and prepared to run, then remembered the still-sobbing Keiko. She spun again. ``Um, Keiko-san? Are you all right?'' ``...leave me alone...'' ``Uh, I'm not sure if that's safe right now... Hey! You!'' ``Me, divine Aki-sama?'' ``Yes! Stay with Keiko and Matsuro and make sure they're safe!'' She groped for a more appropriate way to put it, then suddenly grinned. ``Lo, for my friends' life must be even as my life unto you, and so you shall protect them and keep them safe, for the time is soon at hand.'' The Bluefaced Black Shadow stood smartly, his eyes glowing with fanatic fervour. ``It shall be as you say, divine Aki-sama, now and until the end of time!'' Shaking her head and trying desperately not to giggle, Aki hitched up her skirts again and began running towards home, kicking off her shoes as she went. Whoever had designed this outfit hadn't thought much about the practicality of trying to run in delicate high heels. = = = = = ``Where Princess go? Is she the One? Ugh, Zathras hate being lost...'' = = = = = ``I'm just fine, Mom!'' Becky protested half-heartedly. ``Of course you are dear. That's why you had an epileptic fit.'' ``It wasn't a fit, Mom! I told you! Agent BA-3 and Sailor Rapture had an argument, that's all! Now can I please go out? I have to check on my friends and see if they're okay.'' ``Maybe. Drink your cocoa and I'll see.'' Seething quietly, Becky downed her cocoa in one gulp, then gasped, and began waving drafts of cold air into her mouth. Mrs Anderson sighed, then turned to the boy who was sitting opposite Becky, staring at the girl with naked concern printed all over his face. ``And you, young man. Thank you for your help, but I'm sure your parents must be getting worried. Shouldn't you be off home now?'' Thrakkorzog? Thurstone Dunne? Tharz - she hadn't actually caught his name properly when he'd introduced himself - blinked once or twice. ``Um... well, my parents don't live around here. I'm staying with Aki-sama and Villyn-sama. Actually, I'm supposed to be looking for Aki-sama now. Um, Becky-san?'' Becky turned teary eyes in his direction. ``Aumfh?'' ``I could go check on your friends at the same time, if you like?'' Becky nodded vigorously, and fished out her wallet. The boy flicked through the photo section, noting the faces. ``Okay, well, goodbye.'' He stood there for a moment, as if he was hoping for some response from Becky, then turned to leave. ``T-kun?'' Becky gasped. He turned, eyes hopeful. ``Yes, Becky-san?'' ``Thanks a lot. I'll see you round some time?'' The boy nodded, grinning foolishly. As he left, Mrs Anderson could have *sworn* his feet were a foot off the ground... = = = = = ``Divine Aki-sama!'' Aki sweatdropped. Not another one. Slowing down to a fast walk, she peered around. ``Yes?'' ``It is I, the Blank Psychic, the Undefeated One! I have been instructed to-'' ``Find me and take me back home. Heard it.'' ``Hiiiiii Aki!!!'' Hanaki squealed, popping up from behind the Blank Psychic. ``Are you all right? Wow, that dress is pretty! Where did you buy it?'' ``Um, long story... Hey, why don't you come back to Dad's with me? I'm not sure it's very safe to be wandering around like this...'' ``Sure! Hey, can I stay for a little while? My sister kicked me out of the house, and I'm alone and defenseless!'' ``Not alone! For I, the Blank Psychic, will protect you both!'' ``Okay, let's go. I'm getting kinda worried...'' = = = = = Ayesse had shut his eyes for the last part of the presentation, fearing to look upon the evil he had found in a random dimensional search. When the last happy giggle had faded into the air and the sounds of the creatures tripping back into their own dimension had ceased, he tentatively opened them again. ``What do you think, King Esjie?'' he asked cautiously. Esjie was sitting on the throne, open-mouthed. ``Ah, King Esjie?'' Ayesse began again, hoping that the psychotic legitimate-businessman-turned-Lord-of-Darkness wasn't going to obliterate him. ``Silence, Ayesse!'' Esjie's mouth slowly reformed itself into a smile. ``Well done! Excellently done, in fact! Yes, these fit the criteria perfectly. There are only four, you say? Can we make more of them?'' Ayesse let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding. ``Yeah, man, no probs. It's a simple matter of cloning - I'm not sure if our copies will have the concentrated evil of the originals, but they'd do fine for gathering energy.'' ``Good! We will begin the programme tomorrow. Since you have done so well so far, Ayesse, you will head the initiative. And Ayesse?'' ``Yo.'' ``You have done well so far. Do not fail me now.'' Ayesse bowed, murmured one final `Yo,' and vanished. Esjie smiled evilly, then recalled the fight raging on earth. Checking the crystal ball again he began swearing in several languages. The tide of the battle had quite obviously turned. Still, it didn't really matter now. He had a new way to deal with his predecessor and those meddling Do-Gooders. ``Sohkoh!'' he called. Sohkoh appeared, yo-yo at the ready. ``Yes?'' he inquired coolly. ``Recall the youma! I have a new plan to reveal to you!'' As Sohkoh vanished to carry out his orders, Esjie threw his head back and began to laugh, no longer caring that his laughter had long ago not only walked over the thin line dividing sanity from madness, but had sliced it up with a machete and thrown it into the air, dancing through the resulting confetti with abandon. = = = = = Ayame arched a cool eyebrow at the writer. ``Just how much Coke have you had?'' There was a shame-filled silence. = = = = = Lessente bent over the Baron's shoulder, trying to see something in the cup of coffee the Baron was peering into. ``Have you pinpointed the source of that sudden flash of power?'' he asked anxiously. ``No... But I have discovered something else. It appears that Esjie has come up with a new plan, involving... these.'' He moved his head so that Lessente could see. ``He can't be serious! Such evil would surely turn against its master!'' The Baron shrugged. ``Possibly. But just in case it doesn't, this is what I propose we do...'' = = = = = Kireiko executed a somewhat sloppy Diamond Cutter on the nearest starspawn, then jumped up onto a nearby garden fence and finished it off with a well-nigh perfect Hurricane Rana. Picking himself up, he surveyed the carnage. Bits and pieces of starspawn were scattered all over the formerly-neat-and-pretty suburb area. There was only one relatively whole starspawn, and Tejina was wearily drawing herself up for her big attack. ``CHEKU BOUNCE!!'' she yelled, flinging one hand out. The starspawn bounced off a gate and into the ground. It groaned for a bit, then subsided into writhing painfully. Only Brother Maynard was left, smoke rising dangerously from his warped form. ``yOU ImpUdEnt fOOls!!!! fEEl thE wrAth Of cthUlU!!!!'' He pulled out a Hello Cthulu doll and pointed it at the advancing Do-Gooders. ``yOU, OnI, I wIll tAkE fOr grEAt cthUlU!!!! And yOU, shOrt-skIrtEd OnE, yOUr dEAth wIll bE lOng And pAInfUll!!!!'' ``Yeah, right!'' Kireiko snorted, grinning menacingly. ``What's the dolly gonna do?'' Brother Maynard pulled the string. The doll's eyes slowly opened, glowing purple. It opened its mouth, and began to sing; ``'Hello' says Hello Cthulu!/ `Hello' to everyone!/ Let's play with Hello Cthulu!/ Let's destroy the sun...'' Tejina's jaw dropped open, the sheer awfulness of the song sapping her already-depleted strength. She dropped to the ground, desperately trying to resist the urge to dance happily. Kireiko wasn't doing much better. Teeth gritted, he tried to push against the repulsive wall of sound emanating from the demonic creature. ``Come on everybody!/ It's time to begin/ Let's bathe in yummy light...'' Groaning, Kireiko staggered backwards a few steps. The music suddenly stopped. Kireiko glanced quickly at the Hello Cthulu doll. No, it was still singing, eyes alight with evil glee. And Tejina was still writhing on the ground, mouth open in a silent scream. Wait a minute... Silent? Suddenly aware of the extra weight on his head, Kireiko reached towards his ears. His unbelieving fingers found... earmuffs? Large fuzzy earmuffs? Likewise earmuff-festooned, the Quake Camper staggered towards Tejina and pulled yet another pair of earmuffs onto her head. Kireiko walked forward and pulled her up. Pointing first to the earmuffs and then to the (still-singing) doll, he grinned evilly. Tejina blinked a few times, then began to join in the grin. As one, they turned to advance on the hapless Brother Maynard, who was backing away. He screamed one final imprecation, then, apparently powerless against the combined might of the super-heroine and the half-oni, ripped a hole in reality and disappeared. Tejina and Kireiko exchanged satisfied smirks, then remembered they were mad at each other. ``How dare you and Matsuro use me as some kind of trophy?!'' Tejina yelled furiously. Kireiko ripped off his earmuffs. ``WHAT?'' he yelled. Tejina ripped off hers too. ``I SAID-'' ``OW!! YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!!'' ``NEITHER DO YOU!!!!!'' The Quake Camper prudently decided to keep his earmuffs on, watching the quarreling pair with fascination. Fortunately for the hearing of both, Aki, Hanaki and the Blank Psychic turned the corner at that moment. ``Hey, Tejina, Kireiko!'' Aki began. Neither noticed. ``Can we have some quiet here?'' She tried again. No change. Aki lost her temper. ``Shut [up]!'' she ordered. They froze, turning with glacial stillness to face Aki, still in her Princess Anniki dress. ``Ahem. Thank you. Are you two all right?'' She felt a little ashamed of herself actually, for using the Brackets of Power against her friends. ``Yeah, we're fine,'' Tejina began, and then noticed her sister hiding behind the Blank Psychic. ``Hanaki! Are you okay?'' ``Yeah, except my sister HATES ME!!! How could you tell me to drop dead?'' Tejina was taken aback by the violence of her reaction. ``Ah, it was kind of a mistake..'' she began. ``You bet it was a mistake! Who needs you anyway, Tejina?'' ``No, I mean it was just a misunderstanding...'' ``Oh really? You said `Drop dead, sis!' '' Kireiko decided it was time to step in, enjoyable as all this was. ``Actually, Hanaki,'' he said smoothly. `` `Drop Dead, Sis' is the name of one of our songs.'' ``...what?'' ``That's RIGHT!'' Tejina said triumphantly. ``I MEANT that we should sing that one!'' Hanaki turned to Tejina. ``... really? You don't hate me after all?'' Her eyes were so full of naked pain and hope that Tejina instantly dropped the smart-aleck reply she'd been preparing and spontaneously hugged her. ``Of course not, Hanaki,'' she said sincerely. ``You're my sister, even if I've only known about it for a few days. It might take me a little while to get used to it, but I'm sure we'll get along just fine. After all, we both like shopping!'' Hanaki rewarded her with a watery smile. ``And I can still sing in the band?'' she asked hopefully. ``Uh, why not? Ugh! Can't... breath...!'' ``Very touching,'' Matsuro observed dryly. As one, the group swung round to stare at him. As Tejina was still firmly clutched within Hanaki's arms, she was swung around too. Hanaki dumped her sister unceremoniously on the ground and bounced over to Matsuro, her normal perkiness returned. ``Hi, Matsuro-kun! Hi, Keiko-chan!'' she gushed. ``Wow, you look beat. What have you been doing? Hey, that's a pretty dress, Keiko-chan, it looks like the one Sailor Darkness wore in the pictures at home! Is anyone going to introduce me to this guy?'' Keiko had cleaned herself up a bit and had surrounded herself in her usual wickedly cool and mysterious aura, but her eyes were red, and she avoided looking at both Aki and Matsuro. ``We've been fighting legions of youma, that's because I am Sailor Darkness, and no, because, I don't know his name,'' she counted off wearily. ``-*you're* Sailor Darkness? That means-'' ``-Bluefaced Black Shadow. Aki-sama-'' ``-Sailor Darkness? Who's-'' ``-Han-chan, what are you doing later?-'' ``-that explains the fuku. I wish Mom-'' ``-Hanaki, that *hurt*! I-'' ``-divine father requests that-'' ``-snake your advisor?-'' ``-movie? Cool idea, Kireiko-kun! Maybe-'' ``-Everybody [Shut] [UP]!!!'' There was a stunned pause. ``Thank you,'' Aki said calmly. ``Now there's obviously a lot of questions that need answering here, so let's go answer them someplace warmer and less public. Say, my house?'' Everyone nodded and made agreeing noises, except Keiko, who stared blankly into the space over Aki's shoulder, and the Quake Camper, who was still wearing his earmuffs. ``Good. Then I suggest that those of us um... `in costume' change back, knowing my Dad's prejudices in that direction.'' She lifted her hands towards the heavens, and a bolt of white light flew down, engulfing her in its glory. When it faded away, she was wearing her school uniform. Keiko shrugged in an I-don't-really-care-anymore kind of way, drew a pentagram on the ground and stepped into the centre. Strands of black light spiraled around her, thickening into a column of darkness which disappeared dramatically, to leave her in a black leather dress with substantial pieces missing. Kireiko grinned and opened his mouth, then noticed both Hanaki and Tejina staring at him. Strangely, the twin glares seemed to inhibit him, and he scratched the back of his head, avoiding their eyes and laughing nervously. Tejina took advantage of the distraction to detransform. Her detransformation was highly embarrassing, and she didn't want anyone to see it. Matsuro pushed the Sword of Duality back into his stomach, ignoring the usual nausea (and the odd looks from those who hadn't seen him do this before). {Keiko-chan...} he thought. {I'm sorry... Who do I choose? Is it my choice to make?} The Blank Psychic started and looked at him suspiciously. Matsuro ignored him coolly. Rather anti-climatically, Kireiko pulled on a clean shirt. Then he jumped around swearing as the ofuda made its presence known. ``Everybody ready?'' Aki asked. ``Good. Let's go.'' She lead the way, everybody following unquestioning. Hanaki looked at her speculatively, lips pursed. Just before the group turned into her street, Aki had a sudden thought; ``Hey! Does anyone know where Becky is?'' = = = = = ``MOM! Can I go out NOW?'' = = = = = ``brother maynard!'' ``yEs, yOUr EmInEncE?'' ``despite your failure to capture the half-oni, i have decided not to punish you horribly. there are... extenuating circumstances.'' ``hUh?'' ``-I'm going to sue, you hear me!? You want me in a demon-summoning movie, you go through my agent like everybody else! And even then I might turn the project down! I don't-'' ``prepare for the ritual, maynard! the great one is impatient to meet his new bride.'' = = = = = ``Villyn-sama!'' ``Ah, Thrakkorzog? Thurstone Dunne? Tharz - whatever. Have you found my daughter?'' ``No, divine Villyn-sama.'' Villyn frowned anxiously. Queen Vengeance placed one delicate hand on his armoured chest. ``Nemesis-chan? Aki is a sensible girl. I'm sure that if there was any danger she would try to get home. Perhaps we should do the same? If she's not there, we can organise search parties using the house as a base.'' She decided not to tell Villyn that she was almost sure the vast surge of power she had felt had emanated from Aki. After all, if Aki was one dedicated to saving the world and Villyn was one dedicated to taking it over, there might be some family strife... Villyn's eyes lit up immediately. ``What a brilliant idea, Charity-chan!'' he bellowed enthusiastically, interrupting the Queen's train of thought. ``To the house!'' = = = = = ``Dad? Charity-san? Anyone home?'' Only silence greeted her. Worried, Aki pushed the door open and let her friends and assorted minions inside. ``Um, everyone, the kitchen's right there if you want something to eat...'' She prudently stepped out of the kitchen doorway to avoid the resulting stampede and snatched up the ringing phone. ``Dad? - Oh, it's you, Becky. Where are you? - Well, can you come over here as soon as possible? - Oh, everyone's fine, how are you? - Yeah, that's what the meeting's about... oh apparently Keiko is Sailor Darkness - Yeah, that's what I thought. So can you come? - Good, see you soon. Bye.'' She hung up. ``That was Becky. She's coming over as soon as possible.'' ``Meeting?'' Tejina asked, through a mouthful of rice. ``Oh well, I just thought it might be a good idea, you know, to sort things out and stuff...'' she trailed off, blushing. Kireiko noticed how cute she was when she blushed. Maybe he shouldn't fixate on Hanaki so soon... That reminded him of his peace offering to Matsuro, and he beckoned the Quake Camper over. Pulling the starspawn tentacles out of the minion's huge backpack, he sidled over to Matsuro and nudged him furtively. The Quake Camper, suddenly reminded of the desecration of his precious pack, rushed off to find cleaning fluids. ``Hey, Matsuro, thought your girlfriend might want these... Wasn't there a spell that needed Cthulhu monster's tentacles?'' Matsuro tore his eyes away from Keiko, who was still studiously ignoring him, and looked at Kireiko for a minute. An idea hit him, and he gingerly grasped the tentacles. ``Yeah, thanks, Kireiko. Thanks a lot.'' ``No problem!'' Kireiko said boisterously, happy that his peace offering had been so ecstatically received by the normally ice-cool bishounen. ``Hey, wanna go to a movie or something later- Hey! Where are you going?'' Matsuro was marching up to Keiko. Startled at the sudden movement, she turned to look at him, then flushed, dropped her eyes and turned away again. That was more than Matsuro could take. He spun her round, forcing her to look at him. ``Talk to me, Keiko! I know this is a big mess, but I have to know what's going on!'' he demanded. ``Help me out here!'' Keiko stared at him, her eyes huge and shocked at this show of emotion. For a moment it seemed as if she might turn away again, but then she spoke, her voice quiet and filled with aching sorrow. ``It's her,'' she said, pointing to Aki. ``She's your destiny.'' Matsuro stared. ``As in my actual destiny? The one my mother told you?'' ``Yes. As long as she didn't turn up, I thought... But she's here now, and you two are destined to be.'' ``Ah, did anyone think of consulting me about this?'' Neither had noticed Aki drawing up behind them. ``It's your destiny!'' Keiko insisted. ``Princess Anniki and the Saviour must be united or the world will be destroyed!'' Right on cue, the walls dissolved. = = = = = ``THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD HAS AWAKENED. SHE MUST BE DESTROYED, WATARU, OR ALL WE HAVE DONE WILL BE IN VAIN AT THE ENDING.'' ``Yes, Great Shubby-chan. Ah... what does she look like?'' The eldritch flames that surrounded the business-suited woman flared up into a great sheet of light. Floating within the light was the image of a girl with flowing brown hair dressed in a long white gown. Wataru drew a sharp breath. The girl's eyes were so sad... ``FIND HER, WATARU, AND DESTROY HER. SHE CAN NOT BE PERMITTED TO INTERFERE.'' Wataru bowed and left, plans already forming. The flames and the image disappeared, and the woman shuddered as the power left her. ``So soon now...'' she whispered. ``So soon...'' = = = = = Matsuro found himself on a grey featureless plain. A small bat-winged elephant flew past, as the words of `Mr Jones' crystallized in the air. ``Matsuuuurooo!'' ``Mom?'' ``Embrace your destiny!'' His mother (or her replacement from the Department of Mystical Destinies, he wasn't sure which) appeared, bound upside down by duct tape to a cross made up of floppy discs and dead sheep heads. Small goblins chattered quietly to themselves as they began chopping up her body, moving from the feet down. ``You must...'' ``Join the band, move to Tokyo, keep away from the Tokyo Tower and save the world. Heard it.'' She glared at him. ``Show some respect, young man! What I was going to say, was that you have to marry Princess Anniki!'' ``Mom! This isn't fair! Did anyone ask what I thought?'' Keiko appeared, clutching her cleaver. ``Or me?'' she growled threateningly. Aki appeared, dressed in her school uniform. ``Or me?'' she queried. ``Seems like none of us are getting a fair deal here...'' Matsuro stared at Aki. ``Aki-san? How did *you* get in here?'' Matsuro's mother stared at Aki too. ``You mean you aren't desperately in love with my son?'' ``No!'' ``Ooops...'' ``Mom! What do you mean, ooops?'' She looked, sheepish - well as sheepish as a dissolving pile of purple goo with a face *could* look. ``Um, it appears there may have been some technical difficulties in the Department of Mystical Destinies... I'll get back to you later!'' She disappeared. Matsuro would have screamed with frustration, except he didn't because he was far too cool and reserved. ``So where does that leave us?'' he asked the two girls as the featureless grey plain faded away, to be replaced with the mock-wood interior of Aki's kitchen. Aki shrugged helplessly. Keiko sighed miserably. ``We'll just keep going as we have been,'' he decided arbitrarily. ``At least until they can tell us for sure that we can't... So, Keiko-chan, have some Cthulhu tentacles!'' Aki strode to the head of the kitchen table. {How did I get in there?} she wondered. {I just wanted to stop Keiko's pain...} Shrugging again, she decided to leave the question for another time. Kami-sama knew, there had been so many inexplicably crazy things happening lately that one more wasn't going to make much difference. ``Everybody!'' she shouted, clapping her hands sharply. ``The meeting starts now!'' ``My little Aki-chan? Is that you?'' Aki sweatdropped. ``Yes, Dad.'' Then she spotted Queen Vengeance behind him. ``Charity-san! Could you please clarify something for me?'' Charity smiled. ``Of course, Aki-chan.'' ``Um, you've kind of been usurped, haven't you?'' ``Yes, and I intend to wreak terrible vengeance upon the perpetrators. Why do you ask?'' ``Well, would you like a hand with your vengeance-wreaking? I think the Do-gooders can help you out.'' General chaos ensued. ``Hey! Quiet!'' Tejina shouted. ``Why would we do that, Aki? I mean, the Darkverse is our enemy!'' ``Because all Charity-san did was sap minute amounts of energy through a fluffy purple dinosaur. But whoever's in charge now sent rampaging youma through the streets! I mean, they could really hurt people! I say we get rid of whoever's doing all this evil stuff and put Charity-san back on the throne. Okay?'' The speech seemed to have had the intended effect. The Do-Gooders were making various agreeing noises and Kireiko looked positively ecstatic at the various youma-ass-kicking possibilities that were opening up in front of him. Villyn hugged Aki tightly, tears of pride glistening at the corners of eyes. ``And I too, shall assist my beloved Charity-chan!'' he declared. ``Minions, prepare! We attack at dawn!'' Becky raised a hand. ``Aki-chan?'' she asked. ``Yes?'' ``Wouldn't it be better if we attacked at noon? Strategically speaking, no-one ever expects an attack at noon, and I think we all need to recharge our batteries.'' Aki blinked. ``That's a good idea, Becky... Why don't we all stay here? Call your parents and tell them it's a sleepover or something - then we can start out together tomorrow.'' ``That will not be necessary.'' Ayame strode into the kitchen. ``I have taken care of your parents.'' Hanaki came to her feet. ``Mom!'' she gasped. ``Where have you been?'' ``Making arrangements. It seems you have been busy in my absence.'' The gaze that swept over everyone in the kitchen made it clear that the `you' was plural. ``It is a good plan, however. Take these.'' She threw two objects to Becky and Tejina. ``I have upgraded them. We attack tomorrow at noon.'' She paused and locked gazes with Queen Vengeance. Hostility seemed to solidify between them. ``And we will put the Queen back on the throne,'' she added reluctantly. Charity bowed frostily, not taking her eyes off Ayame for a second. Ayame looked away first, and covered it up by making another general announcement. ``But after that, we will return to *real* work. If Sailor Darkness has awakened, the end is nearer than I suspected.'' She ignored the astonished stares and clapped her hands twice. ``Everybody! Bed!'' she ordered. Surprisingly, no-one dreamed. Well, Tejina had a weird dream about yellow penguins, but it probably wasn't very significant. = = = = = ``Zathras REALLY hungry now... Where Sailor Joy's house anyway?'' ``Hello, old friend.'' ``Master Chiang! What you do in Tokyo?'' ``Zathras, this is Yokohama.'' ``Oh. Zathras really lost, huh?'' = = = = = Koji woke, sweat dripping down his face. ``The danger!'' he gasped. ``The danger ahead! I must help her!'' He swung out of bed and over to his desk, where a small laptop had kept its shining electronic vigilance. Within moments, he was deep within the world of chips and bits, searching, searching... = = = = = ``This is ridiculously easy,'' Ayame hissed, sliding cautiously through the dark and drab halls of the Darkverse Royal Palace, a stereotypically dark and evil-looking Gothic castle. Charity had opened the dimensional gateway into an abandoned wing of the huge structure, reasoning that it would be easier to re-take over from within, rather than mounting an outer assault. ``Are all your people asleep?'' Charity sniffed ungraciously. ``Of course they are. It's noon.'' ``Oh,'' said Aki. ``I guess that makes sense. I'll go get the others then.'' She turned and slipped back down the winding corridors, leaving the other two members of the advance party to guard the way. Since the other two members of the advance party were hereditary enemies, this might not have been the wisest of ideas. The air around the two was practically giving off sparks. There was silence for a few moments, then; ``So, I notice you and Aki-san's father are close.'' Charity smirked. ``*Very* close, actually.'' ``I hope you won't take advantage of the connection to try and subvert one of my Sailor Team then,'' Ayame said coolly. ``I might need to take... steps.'' Charity bristled. ``Oh, really? And what might that mean?'' ``Oh, only that as a despicable ruler of the night you're not in the least bit trustworthy.'' ``Why, thank you, Your Majesty.'' Ayame smiled, showing way too many teeth. ``You're welcome... Your Majesty.'' Silence again. ``I wouldn't try to `subvert' Aki-chan, as you so nicely put it. I either leave people to make their own choices or order them to carry out *my* choices. I don't sneakily force them to do what I want through the use of `destiny'.'' Ayame bristled. ``Oh, really? And what might that mean?'' There could have been blood spilled, had it not been for the fortuitous arrival of the Do-Gooders, Villyn and his minions. Villyn offered his arm to Charity. ``Shall we, my dear?'' he asked gallantly. ``We shall!'' she replied. ``To the throne room!'' = = = = = Baron Stagner von Carrlson of the Kingdom of Obscurity spooned a piece of mock beef out of his ramen and stared intently into the bowl. ``They should succeed,'' he muttered, ``Even against such monstrous evil as Esjie has unleashed. But just in case, you know what to do.'' Lessente bowed. ``Yes, Baron,'' he replied, and disappeared. = = = = = Kireiko nonchalantly kicked the throne-room door open. ``Hey, evil guys!'' he yelled, ``Time to open up the big can of whoop-ass!'' He was greeted by maniacal laughter. Still laughing, the figure on the throne spun slowly to face the various people crowding into the throne room, his eyes flaring with malignant glee. Charity stepped forward. ``Maeda!'' she snarled. ``I should have known not to trust you! No matter, I shall soon take care of this trifling matter.'' The laughter continued. ``Why do you laugh, fool?'' Villyn demanded, stepping to stand beside Charity. ``Do you not see that you are alone and deserted?'' Esjie stopped laughing. ``You call me fool?'' he questioned, his voice alive with mirth. ``Did you truly think you would have gained entrance so easily had I not arranged it? No! I am by no means deserted, and not quite alone!'' ``Uh, guys, I got a bad feeling about this...'' Tejina said nervously. Becky nodded in agreement, and pulled the Little Big Gun out of its holster, easing into a combat stance. The Blank Psychic stared intently at Esjie, trying to pick up a clue from his twisted mind. Esjie gestured expansively towards a dark alcove. ``Come forth, my friends, come forth,'' he called. ``Make yourself known to those you will soon destroy!'' A high-pitched giggle drifted out of the darkness. The hair on the back of Aki's neck stood up in horror. Four fuzzy shapes were now apparent in the shadows. The first stepped forward. ``Tinky-Winky!'' he growled. ``Dipsy!'' sneered the second. ``Laa-Laa!'' sang the third. ``Po!'' the fourth trilled happily. ``Teletubby!'' they chanted in unison. ``Teletubby, say hello!'' Ayame took a deep breath. ``This does not look good,'' she muttered. = = = = = WILL OUR HEROES SURVIVE THIS ENCOUNTER??? IS LAA-LAA MORE INTRINSICALLY EVIL THAN PO??? WHAT IS THE BARON UP TO??? IS ZATHRAS BY ANY CHANCE RELATED TO RYOUGA HIBIKI??? HOW CAN KOJI HELP??? JUST WHO IS MATSURO DESTINED FOR??? WHY HAS AKI AQUIRED SUCH A COMMANDING PRESENCE??? WILL CTHULU LOCAL #39924-91 BE ON THE RECEIVING END OF A MASSIVE LAWSUIT, OR WILL JODI FOSTER COME ROUND TO THEIR POINT OF VIEW??? AND HOW MUCH COKE DID THE AUTHOR ACTUALLY HAVE??? The answers to the first eight questions may be provided byyyyy J.M. Steadman!!! (Wild applause) The answer to the last question is - far too much. Whew! Well, that was fun. Thanks to Twoflower, for starting this whole shebang off, and for giving me a much-needed extension, (grovel, grovel) and to my younger brother, for giving me the names of some wrestling moves (and for demonstrating, but let's not relive the pain) and for explaining the joke in the Quake Camper's name. I guess he's useful for something after all. Big BIG thanks to Jonatan, for pre-reading, nit-picking, and being a Very Nice Guy. All this and he's modest too! The opening song is called ``Facing The Dawn'', Or, ``Crappy Mock-Japanese Lyrics By An Over-Caffienated Mind.'' C&C welcomed at ami_of_mercury@hotmail.com . Phoebe. ``Zathras really lost, huh?''