Sailor Moon Remastered Episode 2 (10)

"It's me, let me in." Hotaru whispered, standing outside of Haruka/
Michiru's apartment door waiting for a reply. From inside she could hear
Michiru say "Don’t you still have your housekey? Come on in.“

Hotaru sighed, reaching into her purse to dig her key out. “Alright, alright, hold on a second."

"You didn’t forget your key, did you?“ (Michiru)

"Yes, mama, I have my key, just wait a… got it!“ she pulled the keychain out, and regretted it almost immediately. “Dammit.”
At the end of the keychain was an old memento, something old ChibiUsa gave her a lifetime ago.

"Maybe I’m having a hard time letting go.“ Hotaru concluded, sitting at the kitchen table as Michiru watched Haruka cooking. "Maybe if I let every last piece of her go I’ll finally be able to put her behind me once and for all… I should never have kept this, reopening this part of me that should never have been opened. ChibiUsa is gone, the one I first loved, and nothing can bring her back. Nothing.”

“Will you really be able to put it aside just like that?” (Haruka looks at the food) “Speaking of putting things aside is this done yet?”

"It's exactly the way Mako-chan taught you. Now flip it on the plate
and start the next one." Michiru chided, bringing Hotaru her
breakfast as Haruka started another omelet. "It is abit hard to put aside memories of someone you loved, but once you set your mind to it and put ChibiUsa of the past to rest you’ll be able to move on with your life without regrets.”

"PAPA!!" Hotaru cried, looking disturbed, "You actually made a good breakfast… are you ill?“

“Lay off of my cooking! You and “mama“ need to pay me more respect for my cooking!“ Haruka shot back, which received a deafening silence as Michiru set down to eat without replying. "I thought so."

"You don't have to be so mean, you know. I don‘t have too many complaints about the way you cook." Michiru whispered, to which
Haruka hissed back "I'm just telling her the truth. You seem to have a complaint a day when I’m cooking, and you know it. Anyway what‘s with you and that pink haired “girl“? You sure are into old people, what with her being over 1000 years old and all that.“

"927 this year." Hotaru said, head lowered. Michiru shot her love a dirty look and mouthed the words "Now you've done it" before going back with her breakfast to talk to Hotaru. Haruka simply started on another omelet and mouthed "What would you know." in a bit of a huff.

For a few minutes nobody spoke, until finally Hotaru muttered "I -- I've
been having -- visions of her. Dreams."

"Of ChibiUsa?" Michiru asked. "Yes. For the past few nights I dreamed
of the sleep chamber where they were going to imprison us -- I was
locked into one, surrounded by the hypersleep fluids -- but outside the
chamber I saw all of you out of your pods, raping ChibiUsa -- torturing her like they tortured us. Then, behind me, I saw ChibiUsa standing there, goddess the horrible things they did to her before she died -- her eyes gone -- her --" Hotaru stops eating and shoved the food away, crying into her hands. Slowly Michiru moves herself over, taking her into a soft embrace and holding Hotaru tightly. "I can't forget what they did to her! Over 20 years and I still can't forget!!"

Michiru nodded her head slowly, rocking Hotaru in her arms, "I know--- I know--- there, there now. It's going to be alright. There, there---"

"She---" Hotaru whispers suddenly, shivering as she spoke, "She asks me
why I don't love her anymore. Begs not to be left alone---" her tears
burst outward and rage fills her voice suddenly, "Why couldn't they have
brought her back? Made her whole again? This is supposed to be a world
of dreams so why did they fail her?!? WHY??"

Uncertain what to say, Michiru merely replies "I don't know. I -- I
don't know."

Eventually Hotaru goes back to eating, silently, as the two exchange
glances wondering what to do next.

* * * * * *

The next day.

Haruka and Michiru's apartment was located in what the officers that
maintained it called the "Tower". The huge complex which once held what
would have been Sailor Trooper HQ. You see, once upon a time there was
a series in the works about the children and friends of the Sailor
Soldiers, who marched to a different beat and did things their own way,
called "Sailor Troopers".

The title doesn't exist anymore, and most of the "cast" moved on.

Keiko Yamanaka, who would have played Trooper Moon, is presently
assisting the Mistress of the Clow Cards in recapturing her lost cards.

Nina Kotobuki, who would have played Trooper Venus, is also assisting.

Trooper Mars, aka Phillip Rhienhart, was back at work at the Alliance.

Trooper Jupiter, aka Eve? She was with Keiko, of course.

Trooper Mercury, the original one, was back at the Alliance happily
married.

Nothing was left of the old Sailor Troopers but their gigantic
"headquarters" which was brought back online to act as a base of
operations for Clow Card captures, and recently to house the Sailor Soldiers who didn’t have a “home” to go back to in Tokyo. Their apartment was on the private 80th floor reserved for command officers and VIPs, right near a giant Olympic sized pool (perfect for Michiru).

Every morning before classes Michiru would swim in the pool, getting her exercise. As she finished her laps she'd listen for the arrival of the new Kaioh-Tenohmaru II, straining to hear the soft whirl of it's repulsorlifts as it passed by the 80th floor for a landed in the upper level hangar bay. Once she and Haruka had separate rides, but these days they shared a ride as they also shared a last named as married lifemates. Haruka kept her last name, but Michiru changed her's to Michiru Kaioh-Tenoh, taking Haruka's last name and adding it to her own.

Today however, today was different. As she listened for the Kaioh-
Tenohmaru II she heard a soft sad music coming from the balcony outside
of the pool area. There, sitting quietly in one of the balcony chairs
quietly playing away at her harmonica was Makomi-chan.

Her name was Makomi Mizuno-Kino, the daughter of Ami and Makoto, her
name derived from Makoto slash Ami. Makomi.

As Michiru marveled at her skills with the small instrument she heard the soft hum of the Kaioh-Tenohmaru II's engines and knew it was time. With a flick o the wrist she brought the wall commsystem to life. "Good
morning. Is that the Kaioh-Tenohmaru?"

"Yes Miss Kaioh." the deck officer answered, the sound of the huge tech
shuttle landing in the backdrop illuminating the once quiet hangar bay
behind him (still calling Michiru "Miss" out of respect as did all of
the officers of the Tower). "She'll be ready to go in five minutes."

"Thank you. I'll have to go pick Haruka up for classes soon, does she
know it's time?"

"I called it in when we picked up the Kaioh-Tenohmaru's access link.
She's been informed."

"Thank you. I'll be up in a few minutes then. Out."

As she shut the link off and turned to offer Makomi a lift she noticed
the girl was gone.

"Ami would never approve." she whispered, realizing how deeply worried
Ami would be if she knew half the things Makomi was doing behind her
back, even with her special "condition" and all. Knowing Makomi she
probably is skimming down the side of the building like a spider,
flaunting her "condition" as she went.

She put those thoughts behind her though, and got dressed for classes.

Suddenly she stops, and for the first time says something even she
didn't think she'd say.

"The stars are rough today."

* * * * * *

"I honestly don't know why I bother---" Admiral Keller groans, watching
the lift raise the OmegaTech up into the hangar bay, the doors closing
behind it. With a stifled groan he quickly moves over to the fighter
where it's pilot awaited him. "Dammit this is the LAST time I let
someone talk me into letting someone's friend of a friend do the test
piloting of new tech! You stressed out the damn Normal Drives didn't
you?!"

Haruka removed the helmet, smirking a bit as she ran a hand across the
smooth black metal of the Gen V OmegaTech, feeling the cool heat
resistant metal with only the slightest hint of the heat she poured into
the engines as she gave it a workout. "This new model is the best
OmegaTech yet. I had to push her to her limits---" she whistled a bit
as she walked past the fighter and towards the prep area, "I had to push
her to the edge of her abilities. She has so much power---"

"You can't, dammit! That'll crack the drive casing -- AGAIN -- and lord
knows the last time that happens I was sure the project's financier,
Misho Namocatcat, was going to give birth to kittens right in front of
me! This is an experimental model and has to be put through it's paces,
not beaten to death by it's--" (stops as Haruka vanishes into the prep
area to change) "--and your not listening to a word I say, aren't you."

"CLEAR THE FLIGHT DECK, PLEASE." the comm. system announced, the lights
in the hangar bay turning red, "INCOMING TECH SHUTTLE. PLEASE CLEAR--"

"Oh." the Admiral sighs, turning towards the exit, "She's here."

As the deck is cleared another drop hatch is opened which admits one
shuttle into the bay, which is quickly locked down as the doors swing
shut behind it. As Haruka comes out of the prep room dressed for school
she scowls a bit, "You're late."

"Not soon enough for my taste." the Admiral grumbles, motioning for
Haruka to leave as he turns and heads back to the bridge. As Haruka
boarded the shuttle the first thing Michiru said was "The stars are
rough today."

Silent, Haruka sat next to her, and didn't question her. Yet what she
said didn't make sense either -- yet.

"Please stand by, Kaioh-Tenohmaru II. Lowering into position now --
prepare for drop."

The Admiral watches as the shuttle is dropped, moving away from the
carrier as it falls away. "Next time let's get a normal test pilot, like
other test fighter assigned carriers."

* * * * * *

Rei didn't know what was worst. Waking Usagi up, or keeping up with her
when she wanted to have fun.

She was lethargic at all the wrong times, and hyper at all the wrong
times. Definitely not a good combination. As she pranced happily into
the Grey Neko Arcade, its owner Felini Mia'shou greeted her, "Hey there,
Usagi. Come to play the new games that came in?"

She nodded her head vigorously. Apparently college life hasn't changed
her one bit -- sad to say.

From her sitting position in the eating area, Ami waved at Usagi while
holding her book up. "You're late again! I finished a whole book waiting
for you."

Usagi smiled, then nearly choked. The book in question was the very
thick, very wordy (very difficult word type of wordy) Eragon. She didn't have the heart to ask just how much of the book she read while waiting.

"She messed up again." Rei grumbled, dragging herself in behind Usagi,
"As always!"

"Rei! How can you say that?!?" Usagi yells, blushing like mad, to which
Rei counters "I sleep with you, which is a misadventure in itself."

Before everyone could lean forward to listen, Usagi walks quickly over
to Mako/Minako mostly to get away from Rei for a few minutes.

At this point Rei goes into a minute long disconcerting rant about
Usagi's poor bedside habits.

"She is such a klutz. She can't even lubricate a simple---"

The rest of the conversation is best left to the imagination.

* * * * * *

Mako-chan held the "bike"'s controls, which were set up like a real
bike, and concentrated on her "driving". Minako was having too much fun
and was goofing abit as she played. As they both saw Usagi they waved
her over. "You gotta try this! It's great!"

Mako-chan grunted and nodded her head, her focus locked on her "bike".

"What's this?" Usagi asked, before looking up at the machine itself. It
was called BLITZKRIEG RUN and was a hard edged motorcycle racing game
through the streets of major cities across the world. Right now the two
were tackling the streets of San Francisco. Quickly Minako motioned for
Usagi to grab one of the four bike stations and put her coins in, "It's
just like real bike racing! Try it out!"

It took awhile, but Usagi was soon working the bike rather well for a
newcomer to both the game and bikes in general. "It's like a real bike--
creepy though, I keep wobbling."

Minako nods her head, teeth clenched as she makes a sharp turn, "It's
real hard to master but I got it down pat in nothing flat. I---" A bike
blazes past her, leaving her behind. "What the---"

On the fourth machine was a young woman. She had short blue hair, wore
an ensemble of blue and green pants, top, and long trailing coat with
black boots and gloves. Her focus was dead on the screen, and her body
relaxed as she played as if she was one with the bike.

"Makomi." Usagi cried, already regretting glancing over as her bike
cartwheeled over an obstacle and into a building bursting into flames.
Makomi didn't seem to mind the speed, and her reflexes were dead perfect
as she made each turn with a base minimum of movement which meant no
loss time or crashes which cost her more valuable time.

"How was classes today?" she asked mildly, making another perfect turn.

Mako-chan was flustered that she was practically dead focused on the
game, yet Makomi could carry on a conversation while still making
perfect moves.

Usagi was just plain frustrated that she was so lousy at the game.

Minako groaned and hunkered down swerving a little bit from left to
right, "Who cares about the race, I'm just enjoying the feeling right
between my---"

If Mako-chan had a free hand, she would have took a swing at Minako. She
really didn't need to hear that from her right then and there since Ami-
chan was just a few feet away and she was beginning to feel that way
about the machine as she played. That cost them dearly. Mako-chan swung
her bike too far in one direction at the final few feet of the race,
clipped Minako who spun into Usagi, causing all three bikes to barrel
over the finish line cartwheeling end over end until they exploded in a
fiery mess.

Usagi collapses into her controls and sighed, "The crash felt real too."

"Ugh." Minako sighed, "Just a few more minutes and---"

"Don't say it." Mako-chan growled.

Everyone else was already marveling at Makomi's racing time, she came in
a full half a minute before the rest (and in one piece no less). She
smiled, got off the bike and helped the three over to the tables so they
could catch their breaths. "Your really good at that---" Usagi sighed,
to which she replied "It's nothing, really. It just comes from having a
"body" like mine."

* * * * * *

Outside Nina was walking past, checking her readings once again.

"Clow Card shows up on radar, then vanishes. Where is it --"

She bumps into someone, breath expelling as she gasps, "Sorry! Didn't
mean to--" she stops, and finds herself staring into the eyes of a girl
wearing a visor. She was a little shorter than Nina, her hair a soft
warm sunset glow of yellow and red. The visor Nina recognized instantly,
pointing at it. "Your light blind, aren't you." the girl blushes,
backing away slightly. 'Brilliant Nina, you just insulted her. Idiot!'
she scolded herself, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean---"

"You have beautiful eyes." she remarked, looking up at Nina as she
spoke, "They're pretty."

"Uh -- thanks. I--"

Another woman, blue hair wearing blue and green matched with black
boots/gloves, walked out catching the soft spoken girl's attention.
"There you are." she smiled, wrapping an arm around the taller woman's
body as she lets herself be led away by the other woman.

* * * * * *

“Hungry for a little of Mako’s cooking, are we?“ Michiru asked, to which she got the usual wave-off from Haruka. She walked next to Haruka, smirking slightly as she followed her partner for “study buddies“. “We’re just going there to lend our intelligent to those poor girls, they can’t all be as smart as Ami after all.”

“Of course.” Michiru said, not believing a word Haruka said.
It was true, after all, since Mako-chan was doing the food for the "study buddies" meet who wouldn't have dropped everything to sample her fine cooking skills? Admittedly, after five years, Haruka had become rather attached to Mako-chan's superb meals and never argued about going anyplace (as long as she was cooking).

She liked Michiru's cooking, but there was something about Mako-chan's
meals that -- well, sufficient to say Michiru occasionally becomes a
tad jealous when the topic of Mako-chan's cooking comes up.

It was as they were passing through the park that it happened.

Two girls in front of the group were suddenly set upon by several
strange reptilian beasts colored in a dark green shade. Usagi, first in
line, pointed at them and screamed "T-Rexes--" (and promptly got
whacked in the head by Rei who growled "Raptors!!")

"They're Galerians." Ami mumbled, her attention focused on the strange
reptiles. Sure enough, as they moved one could see the fine skullcap
and spine molding of cybernetic circuitry which betrayed their alien
origins. Through their rippling muscles they could also see hints of
cybernetic augmentations, which also gave away their non-dinosaur
lineage. From the trees another one of these creatures, whose hard
reptilian skin was blood red, jumped into the clearing ahead of the
girls and bared it's teeth. From it's wetware on it's head a loud yet
droning artificial voice rang out. "THIS UNIT HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH
YOUR TERMINATION. THERE WILL BE NO ROOM FOR APPEAL. TERMINATION TO
BEGIN IN 10 SECONDS."

All the drone units turned on Usagi and the other girls, jaws opening
as they powered up (their eyes burning bright and the inside of their
mouths glowing).

"I think they're getting ready to use their bio-weapons on us." Ami
announced, deeply fascinated by their movements and motions. Mako-chan,
glancing over at Ami, scowled, "This isn't the time to be impressed!"

Minako pulled her top open a bit, shoving her hand into her blouse,
"Everyone! Let's Mo--"

She stopped, and blushed.

"What? Minako-chan!!" Usagi prodded, until she gasped, "I forgot my
transformation pen at home! (I'm just groping myself, there's nothing
in my hidden pocket to retrieve!)"

"I didn't bring mine." Mako-chan admitted, which brought a nod in the
affirmative from Ami. Usagi scowled in Rei's direction, "Well SOMEBODY
made me leave my transformation gear at home with her stuff in a display case in our bedroom!"

"It's supposed to be an age of peace!” Rei cried out in her defense, “Who would have thought we needed them like this?!?"

Haruka blushed, noticing that all eyes had turned in their direction.
"I don't have mine." She admitted.

"We have to tear apart our bed when we get home because last night we used ours to--"

Usagi covers her ears, while Rei takes mental notes (listening with an
apt attention and wide eyes).

Suddenly a blue streak cut across the creature's path, cutting it's
face. The countdown stopped as everyone looked about, only for the
silence to be broken by a soft sad tune being played out on an all too familiar harmonica.

"What's that--?" Minako said, "It can't be--"

"It is." Rei sighed, head lowered. "It's her."

Usagi, looking about as confused as the Galerian Assassins, started to
panic. "Where is she? Where is--?" (pak) "Are you some stereotypical
bad guy? Stop acting up!" Rei yelled (after hitting Usagi), getting
Usagi riled up if only for a second.

All eyes turned towards King Penguin, where a young woman dressed in
blue/green clothes (from coat to dress clothes and pants) with black
boots and gloves to accentuate, was slowly blowing out the tune as
she watched. The lead creature looked at her, reptilian eyes narrowing
as it stared. "You."

She stopped, lowering the instrument from her lips as she regarded them, "I think it's safe to say you want me, right?"

The lead Galerian hunkered down, claws at the ready and tail whipping the air in a frenzy. "Get her! Get her!! GET HER!! KILL HER!! TERMINATE HER!!" it's cold mechanical voice screamed.

The creature spun about, ignoring the girls they had originally corraled, and attacked. Two of the creatures however didn't make it as Haruka rushed forward to knock one back and rip the second one down with her sword. As the first one rose to meet her she quickly hacked it's head off. Michiru was at her side in an instant. "So you forgot your transformation pen but brought your sword in your pocket tesseract?"

"You lost your transformation pen too so don't get preachy with me."
Haruka countered. “I have to admit though I did take the time to lick mine’s clean before losing it.” (Michiru blushed, but nodded her head in agreement) “Me too.”

Makomi leaped down into the fray, kicking away one Assassin drone and
back kicking away a second one. As she fought the creatures their
"master" screeched at them to fight harder as it watched from afar. But
it was soon apparent that they were no match for her. As she wrapped
the drones up she quickly leaped back onto the top of King Penguin.

"Well," Usagi sighed, watching the fight from afar. "She didn't bring
her's either so we're even."

From her coat she pulled her transformation amulet out, holding it
forward as she knelt to jump. "Mercury Trooper Cosmic Power, MAKE UP!!"
As she leapt forward she barely dodged a bio-weapon attack from the
lead Galerian, it's power blast skimming beneath her as she transformed
in mid air, landing next to her target as Trooper Mercury. In this form
she wore Mercury's Sailor Solider uniform with touched up appearance
here and there giving it it's own unique look (which was readily
apparent if stared at by the casual Sailor Moon fanatic).

The creature, eyes locked on her, was furious. It leaped forward
swinging it's rear legs rapidly at her trying to claw her up. She
quickly leaped over it, landing behind it as it used it's tail to try
and knock her down. The first swing knocked her off her feet, but a
quick recovery put her back on those feet again. Infuriated, it jumped
at her with all claws extended. She quickly slipped to one side, and
pummeled it with kicks at it landed behind her. She then quickly
grabbed it's tail and yanked it upwards, "Hurricane Spin!" she cried
out, focusing her energy towards spinning to disorient the creature. As
she let go it slammed into the ground and bounced a few times before
landing face down in the grass. She was quickly on it before it could
recover, lashing out with more kicks before closing with a punishing
back-kick called "Scyther Kick" which shattered the wetware components
on it's head and spine stunning it into silence.

She quickly dropped back, holding her right hand back as she drew power
into her open palm. As the power built to full she fell to one knee and
thrust her right hand forward, screaming "AQUATIC RETRIBUTION!" which
unleashed a great deal of energy. The resulting "shot" disintegrated
the creature, blowing it apart before their eyes.

As Mako-chan saw to the two girls that were originally assaulted by the
creatures, Haruka pouted to one side with sword in hand. "She did quite
a good job." Michiru whispered, but if that was to set Haruka's mind at
ease it did nothing of the sort. She was angry, and Makomi was the one
she blamed.

That's when Minako noticed somebody was watching from behind.

However all Makomi could think of was -- "I hate this skirt." she
grumbled, tugging at it, "Every move constitutes a panty flash with
this thing on (whatever happened to good sturdy pants!)"

"Keiko.” Minako whispered, noticing their “watcher” before anyone else.

Makomi, not noticing Keiko Yamanaka (the 7th Judgement) walked over to one of the fallen Galerian and taps it with her foot, "This is a Scorpion Guild Assassin Guilder codenamed Carnage. This particular type is known as a Prime Drone unit, quite a feisty opponent not to be underestimated."

"Prime Drone?" Michiru asked, to which Makomi explained "That means
it's a prime surrogate for the real entity. You see that a lot. The
real assassins uses a half a dozen Prime Drones apiece to do jobs while
they do their own work half a galaxy away. That way he or she is
working several jobs and nobody knows the difference between the two
(the original and the Prime Drone) so they pay the fee as if it was the
original, which it might as well be since they're indistinguishable
from the original."

“So I see.” Rei said, “But--”

The cell phone in Makomi's pocket rings and she quickly waves off the others, "That'll be Grace. I better get going, see you!“
Before anyone could think of stopping her, Makomi was already changed back to her "other" self (her costume sliding away as she reverts back to her normal self).

To Be Continued

CardCaptor Sakura Remastered II Episode 5 (10)

It took all of Mirra’s strength to shut her eyes tight and resist the urges within her.

“No.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?” Mimic screamed.

Mirra shook her head, “I won’t do it. I love her… you can‘t… won‘t… make me hurt her. Never.”

“SHUT UP!!” (kicks Mirra again) “YOU DON’T KNOW LOVE!! DO IT!!”

“Hikaru-chan--- don‘t look.”

“STOP IT!! PLEASE STOP IT!!” Hikaru screams, “Please! Take me if you must but stop hurting Mirra-chan!” (Mimic looks at her) “I don’t care! I can’t stand watching her be hurt! Please!!” (with that Hikaru takes her legs, presses them beneath Mirra, and kicks her away gently but firmly), “Just get it done with already!”

“You don’t understand!” Mimic rants, walking back to Mirra, “It’s because of her I lost the sense of myself! I lost myself trying to chase a dream which she ruined by sleeping with the man I loved!”

Mirra - “I didn’t---”

“SHUT UP!!” Mimic kicks Mirra again, knocking her into a tree, “I hate you! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!!”

“N-no!” Hikaru rasps.

Suddenly Mimic spins around to face her, eyes burning. “You… if Mirra can’t live without you then I want to be your first then--- make her watch your deflowerment. Break you…”

SHAK! SHAK! SHAK! SHAK! SHAK!

Mimic shudders, looking down as blood dampens her clothes, her attention spinning back to Mirra, who (bloodied and bruised) is slowly pulling herself to her feet. “Don’t… touch… her you BITCH!!”

“You don’t have the guts to kill me.” Mimic scowled, pushing the glass shards out of her form with sheer willpower. “While I have total control over my form. I’ll just push the shards out of myself…” (smiles) “But the thought is tempting. Even you can’t watch her forever. One night she’ll wake up with me over her, her dainty legs spread as I take her virgin…”

A new sharper pain slams through Mimic as razor sharp glass slashes through her arms causing her to stumble backwards. “NEVER!! I’ll… kill you… first!!“ Mirra hissed.

Mirra - “Slut. You… don‘t have the…”

More shards rain at her but Mimic already is ready, mimicking Shield’s defensive ability to protect herself while she changes her form to water, extracting the shards in her. “You don’t have the guts to kill me.” she repeats.

“I won’t let you hurt her!” Mirra repeated, her rage building, “I’LL KILL YOU!!”

Mimic - “Your still a bitch, Mirror.”

“Mirra!”

Mimic - “Whatever--- I’m still going to make your little girl my whore even if I have to come straight through you, you little freak!” (snarls at her) “She’s going to be my…”

“MIRRA-CHAN!! HIKARU!!”

“No!” Mimic spins about, “I’m not ready for---” suddenly Mirra comes barreling out of nowhere, slamming into Mimic (her shield down from the distraction) and knocking her into the ground. Mirra, raging beyond anything she felt before, pummels her fists into Mimic
screaming again and again “I’LL KILL YOU!!” as she lashes out. Finallytwo strong arms wrap around Mirra and pull her off, Mirra’s arms and legs swinging like mad as she tries to get at Mimic.

“Mimic! You’ve gone too far this time!” Sakura threatens, wand at the ready.

Mimic laughs, “Not far enough by far. Not far enough.”

Suddenly the wind picks up to hurricane gust, stunning everyone but Mimic as they stumble beneath the onslaught. Seconds later Mimic is gone.

“NO!!!” Mirra screams, “She can’t get away! Mimic you bitch COME BACK HERE!! MIMIC!!”

* * * * * *

Mimic, a good distance away, listens to the wind as she hears Mirra’s screams.

“Now we’re even.” Mimic whispers, her clothes mending as she turns her powers from her now healed body towards mending her Clow created dress.

* * * * * *

Nina & Eliza hold Mirra down, her rage burning hotly. “Mirra-chan, calm down!”

Hikaru - “Let her go.”

The two turn, as Hikaru walks up to Mirra and holds her arms out. “I won’t hurt you.”

At first Mirra is still in a rage, and comes at Hikaru hard with fists swinging. Hikaru ignores the blows and grabs onto Mirra fiercely, wincing at each blow but holding her tight. “Please stop it, Mirra-chan! I won’t hurt you. Please stop it--- please---”

Long seconds pass until Mirra’s blows become weaker and weaker, until she at last collapses into Hikaru’s hold crying. For the longest time the two hold each other, nothing else mattering but the two of them, as the others watch. Sakura turns and storms off into the woods.

* * * * * *

Tomoyo finds Sakura pounding her fists into the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Sakura-chan?”

For long seconds silence, but finally (as she stops hitting the ground with her fists)---

“She hurt our daughter, Tomoyo!! I hate her! I HATE WHAT SHE DID TO HER!!”

“Sakura-chan…” Tomoyo whispers, drawing Sakura to her knees and hugging her tightly.
“She… she hurt our… our precious… goddess, Tomo-chan she hurt Mirra-chan…”

Tomoyo - “I know. I know.”
Tomoyo gently rocks Sakura in her arms, feeling her shoulder grow moist from Sakura’s tears. “She means a great deal to you, doesn’t she. Our daughter.”

“We can never have children of our own… she was like a gift from heaven to us. Our precious daughter… the one we could never have…”

“Sakura---” Tomoyo raises Sakura’s head so they could stare into each other’s eyes. “I need to tell you something. The reason I can’t give birth---”

“Shh---” Sakura puts her fingers to Tomoyo’s lips, “It’s alright. I don’t need---”

Tomoyo - “But Sakura---”

“Shhh---” (Sakura smiles) “---I can’t give birth either, remember? I can only conceive with another powerful mage ever since we came here--- but I don’t want another man or woman’s child--- I want your child. I want to feel the labors of OUR love growing inside of me! I want to--- I want to give you a child born of our love.”

“Sakura-chan.”

The two talk for awhile, until all the words are spent and all they have left is their love holding them together.

* * * * * *

Back at the Daidouji Estates

“Breakfast!” Hikaru cheerfully called out, entering the room pushing the cart as she did.

Mirra frowned, “I could have came downstairs.”

“No you don’t! Nina’s doctor friend said you have to rest for the next few days. Teachers gave me your work anyway so I’ll help you with your studies so you don’t fall behind.”

“---I’m sorry, Hikaru-chan---”

“For what, Mirra-chan?”

Mirra lowers her head, “I lost control. I hurt you--- I swore I’d never---”

Hikaru - “You were angry. It happens.”

Mirra - “But---”

“No buts, Mirra! Here--- but first---”

Mirra - “First?”

Hikaru smiles. ‘Would you--- be yourself again--- for me? The real you?”

For long seconds Mirra says nothing, but finally she reluctantly changes her form back to the original Mirror form. As she laid there, looking so sad, Hikaru couldn’t help but reach out to touch Mirra’ face and whisper “Your beautiful, Mirra-chan.”

Mirra - “---I am?”

“You are.” (Hikaru sticks a bit of pancake into Mirra’s mouth) “Now eat your fill and let’s get started with your studies! Oh, I asked and Umi-papa said I could stay over until you were back on your feet.”

Mirra - “Like a sleepover?”

“More like a loving nurse taking care of her favorite patient!” Hikaru chided, feeding Mirra another piece of pancake. “And if you behave we’ll share a bath!”

“HIKARU!!”

“I’ll wear a bathing suit! Don’t worry!” (smiles) “Your serious about saving our virginity until we’re ready, aren’t you little Mirra!”

Mirra-chan nods her head meekly. “Like Tomoyo-mama & Sakura-papa. When we make love for the first time I want it to be every bit as special as their first time.”

Hikaru nods her head, “That’s OK with me. Though we’re dreams right? We’re not completely flesh and blood--- maybe we can speed the process up and be 16 tomorrow.”

“What?”

The two talk about it over breakfast, letting the subject sit for the time being as they start on Mirra’s studies. Still, it’ll be a topic that’ll return one day---

* * * * * *

“Chocolate cheesecake? Now there’s a new recipe I never saw Sakura help make before!”

“Is ie edible?” Nina asks suspiciously as Eliza belts her one in the arm softly, “I’m complimenting the two on their creation. Don’t be a killjoy.”

“Sorry, sorry.” (Nina mutters, looking at cake again) “Can we have some?”

“Yes, there’s plenty.” Tomoyo assures the green haired girl, slicing pieces as she does.

“I WANT SOME TOO!!”

“You too, Kero. You too.”

Nina suddenly becomes serious, “I did some checking. There’s some notes in the multi dimensional archives about Mirror training under Mimic when Clow Reed created the Mirror card. May go a long way to explaining her hatred for Mirror now.”

“So they’re teacher & pupil?”

Nina - “Not so much that, Sakura, as they’re different versions of each other. Mimic being the first and teaching Mirror to be her replacement. Mirra also told me what Mimic accused her of, reluctantly at that mind you.”

“You mean about her stealing Clow Reed from Mimic?” Tomoyo asked.

“Yeah (nice to see she tells you just about everything), that. I can’t believe innocent little Mirra could even be accused of such a thing.”

“Maybe it’s from the dementia?” Kero remarks offhandedly, “Mimic isn’t exactly playing with a full deck of cards, you know.”

“Sure, Kero, but there must be some reason she accused Mirra of stealing Clow Reed from her. Hell, there must be a reason Mimic’s dead set on thinking she and Clow Reed were an item to begin with!”

“It doesn’t matter why Mimic did it.” Sakura began, her resolve set and locked, “I’m going to stop her once and for all, and do my best to capture all the cards and change them once again back into Star cards. Stop the madness before it gets worst. So that there’s no more
suffering like Mirra-chan.” (frowns) “Rebecca is right, we can’t let anyone suffer because of the cards. Not anyone.”

“Your going to do it!” Kero chips in, “You did it before, and you’ll do it again. Don‘t let pouty faced grumblers like Rebecca get you down!”

“Sounds like a war jingle.” Nina notes.

Kero - “Hey! This is a war! And Sakura’s going to roll over that witch Mimic like a Sherman tank, believe you me! Mimic‘s going to wish she never crossed Sakura Kinomoto, Mistress of the Cards!!” (drools) “Is the dessert ready? I‘m starved!”

“It’s ready.” (Tomoyo finishes the settings and motions to the door) “Let’s take these to Mirra’s room, then we’ll eat ours in Sakura’s room.”

Nina sighs as she moves to open the door, her thoughts echoing in her head as she does.

‘Looks like Keiko was right on the money. She can do it! Save us all and capture the cards again.’

“Nina! We’re going to my room!”

Nina suddenly realizes she’s been left holding the door.

“I know! I know! Sheesh! Don’t start with---” (door closes behind her)

“Now we’re even.” (Mimic)

* * * * * *

Mirra shivered as she rolled over in bed, feeling abit awkward for some reason.
Something felt wrong and she didn’t know why.
Suddenly the door to the huge walk in closet opens and out steps Mimic.

“There. That makes us even now.”

With a slight gasp Mirra jumps out of bed, running to the closet. As she reaches the door she nearly trips over Hikaru’s pajama top, her foot feeling a slight puddle of wetness as she beholds---

Mirra wakes up screaming.

“It’s alright! It’s OK! Mirra-chan! Mirra-chan!!”

It takes a few seconds for Mirra to register Hikaru’s presence, her strong arms wrapped around her holding her tight. “I’m here--- I’m here--- please Mirra-chan--- I’m here---”

Mirra collapses into Hikaru, her head against the other girl’s strong shoulders as she cries.
Three nights. For three nights Mirra has been plagued by dark tormenting visions.
Unshakable images of Hikaru being brutally raped by Mimic.
As Hikaru rocked Mirra in her arms, she comes to a conclusion.

* * * * * *

Three days has passed since the incident with Mimic.
Tomoyo left one day ago on a business trip concerning her anime company, but she kept in touch with Sakura using a long distance holo-system Nina helped her install in her hotel room to link to the holochamber beneath the house so she could spend time with Sakura even
over a long distance.

Sakura, for her part, moved into the holochamber downstairs and slept there so she could be with Tomoyo during the time they were in contact, which was nearly a day apart by waking terminology.

As for Mirra & Hikaru?

“Your moving in?” Mirra asked puzzled, “But I’ll be better in a day or two.”

“I want to.” (Hikaru reaches out and touches Mirra’s face) “I can’t stand it, knowing your suffering because of me. I want to be here to chase your nightmares away--- my love.”

“---I don’t deserve you sometimes---” Mirra sighs painfully, looking as if she felt ashamed.

“Don’t do that. I don’t like it when you pout. Now smile---” (Hikaru pokes at Mirra’s cheeks bringing out a smile) “That’s one of your best traits----” (pauses) “----and thank you.”

“For what?” Mirra asked.

“For spending time with me in your true form. For letting me get to know you better as yourself.” (passes a hand through Mirra’s long hair) “You’re a very beautiful young woman, Mirra-chan, like a pretty china doll.”

“Hikaru-chan.”

“Well---” (Hikaru kisses Mirra softly on the lips) “---I have to go to school. I’ll be home later with your studywork so get your rest.”

Mirra - “I will. And thank you.”

Hikaru - “For what?”

Mirra - “For putting up with my childish-ness. You shouldn’t have to---”

“Shh---” (Hikaru places two fingers on Mirra’s lips) “---that’s what lovers are for.” (steals one more kiss) “See you later.”

“Bye.”

As the door closes Mirra leans back on her pillow, touching her lips. “My precious---”

Kero - “Is she gone?”

“She’s gone, Kerberos.”

“YA-HOO!” (flies out from hiding spot) “I asked Light to help me put you on the couch so we can play video games! Yeah! Another day of movie theater screen sized video game fun! Al---”
Door opens, Kero quickly freezing up to do his stuffed animal act as Hikaru pokes her head back into the room. “Oh, and Mirra-chan?”

“Yes?”

Hikaru - “Tell Kero he can’t monopolize your time all day because you have studies to do when I get back home, alright? And my parents are dropping off some luggage for me so please let me unpack them. OK?”

Mirra - “OK.”

Hikaru leaves the room again.

Mirra - “Hikaru said not to monopolize my---”

Kero - “I heard! I heard! Sheesh---” (slumps) “---you told her about me, right?”

Mirra - “Lovers don’t keep secrets from each other.”

Kero - “---oh, right---” (sighs) “---I’ll get the game warmed up while we wait for Light---”

* * * * * *

Meanwhile, in Holochamber 00 (beneath the house)

“I’M LATE!!” Sakura tumbles through and over Eliza, dressing and prepping so frantically that it knocks the older woman onto her back as Sakura blows past her. Around them was a sim of Sakura & Tomoyo’s bedroom where Sakura slept only a few hours ago in the arms of
“Tomoyo” (or her holographic counterpart as the real Tomoyo held “Sakura” in realtime across the ocean in her own holo-suite, both “holding” the other though a long distance separated the two lovers.)

“Now that’ll leave a mark---” Eliza sighs as she stares up at the ceiling, “---I did try to wake you up, Sakura, several times as a matter of fact.”

“STOP REMINDING ME!!! (Even the holographic bed felt too good to want to wake up from!!)”

Eliza - “Maybe we should put a pea under it or something. Anyway, you better hurry or you’ll miss going to school with Mirra’s girlfriend Haruka, and---”

Sakura - “THAT’S HIKARU!!!”

“----” Eliza, frozen in place, stared on shellshocked as Sakura runs straight into the holochamber doors (not remembering that the doors take a few seconds to hiss open) before she scurries out and up the stairs to ground floor. “She scares me---” she finally manages to whisper.

In the kitchen, Nina finishes plating Sakura’s breakfast as she comes barreling into the room.

“WAHHH!! I’M LATE!! I’M LATE!! WHERE’S---” (sees Hikaru aleady eating breakfast) “--oh.”

“Your ALWAYS late, Snoozer.” Nina remarks glumly as she sets Sakura’s food down, “Tell me of a time when your NOT oversleeping.”

“Morning, Sakura-chan.” (Sonomi smiles as she regards Sakura)

“Morning!” (her grumpy “I hate Nina” face dissolving back into her usually cheery demeanor).

Sonomi - “Better hurry or you’ll be late. Tomoyo might not be here but she wanted me to make sure you got to school ontime each day she was away.”

Sakura nods her head quickly as she shoves her food down.

“I’m off. Come on, Eliza! We’re going!” (looks at Hikaru) “Ready?”

“Ready. Let’s go.”

Sakura - “Shanks for sha fud!”

Sonomi - “But Nina made it, not---”

Sakura - “Sya u liter!”

“---me---” (Sonomi shakes her head) “---goodbye?”

Sonomi looks around the silent kitchen and sighs. “How did she ever manage to get to school on time while she lived with HIM--- sigh.” (Sonomi eats another bite of her food) “Tomoyo’s a certified miracle worker to get Sakura out of bed every morning.”

To Be Continued Next Week
Friday : Sailor Moon Remastered

Azkaban 8

(NOTE - This week was a busy week, so I didn't get any fanfic writing done. Sorry. I'll try again next week.)

Azkaban Episode 8

It was at that moment, after the first class of Defense Against the Dark Arts, that Alicia formed a differing opinion from the others she usually agreed with.
As expected, Defense Against the Dark Arts zoomed into the stratosphere and became most people’s favorite class… with the exception of certain Slytherins, and one very unimpressed Alicia Spinnet.
“Look at the state of his robes,” Malfoy grumbled in a loud “whisper” as Professor Lupin passed. “He dresses like our old hou--” (FWACK!!) “--!!!”
Alicia, passing by Malfoy in turn, sneered at him. “Blah blah blah.”

Her dislike of the class seemed to grow once she went to the second class and got a taste of Redcaps.
These creatures, goblinlike entities that haunted places of bloodshed, briefly broke free during the class only to get a good hard look at Alicia, and promptly look as if they were about to cry (before being “caught”).
“I’m not that violent.” Alicia muttered, her eyes wandering over towards the rather ravenous Hermione who seemed to be more intent on eating lunch than talking. “Is it time for your flea medicine yet, Hermione dear? Otherwise your coat seems to be nice and shiny… matches your wolf-like appetite.”

Nothing. She continued to eat without either stopping or looking up. “Is your nose moist? You’re in good health if you have a wet nose…“ Silence. Nothing she said seemed to rouse the slightest reaction from Hermoine as of late, the story of Alicia’s life lately it seems.
When she wasn’t eating she was studying like crazy, and when she wasn’t studying like crazy she was sleeping or doing disappearing acts or something. Weird. She’s been weird ever since she came to school this year and her oddness hasn’t stopped for a single second. Disappointing.

If anything the discouraging turn of events with Hermione seemed to make her hate Defense Against The Dark Arts all the more, if only to the fact that it was something that made other people happy (which she presently didn’t feel like being right now). Third class didn’t help her change her opinion about the class as she continued to lose interest in the class the moment she entered the third class and Kappas was the topic.

Most of the class got the very normal cranky gripey pissed off reaction as the Kappa looked at them, watching each and everyone pass by with a look of total hate. But as Alicia went up to it it stopped looking cranky, and… started singing in it’s mind. For a thing that enjoyed long walks on large lakesides and strangling wandering people it sure had a bad habit of latching onto the wrong people… like Alicia.

“I blame Animal Crossing for it’s ill attempt at courting.” Alicia grumbled, knowing that she was effectively talking to herself now. Ron and Harry were reading the latest Quidditch Quarterly while they were eating, and nobdoy else was nearby to listen to her complain. How wonderous for Alicia (she said to herself).

Potions was easier for her, and everyone, since Alicia had a conversation with Snape right after the whole Boggart incident. At first Snape fumed and flared at the mention of the class, but she knew he would so she went right to the throat and said “Guess having an old class bully as an associate sucks, eh?”
That silenced his complaints dead on, and no more was heard from him on the topic.

It was no coincidence that Lupin picked out Neville for the first go with the Boggart, or for the finale. He knew that Neville had problems with Snape (who didn’t know that) and he used it just for the results that happened. “Despite the fact he is supposed to be so “mature” he still seems to get his jollies off mocking you.” Alicia muttered, leaning back in the chair next to Snape’s desk staring at the ceiling, “Childish, eh?”
Snape did not respond, but he wasn’t grumbling either now so she knew he agreed with her.
“By the way got turned down for that transfer, eh? Always the birdesmaid and never the bride.”

“You have no idea.” he finally muttered, still working on the paperwork before him.
But the point was reached. Snape didn’t give anyone the time of day who tried to draw him into the whole Boggart thing, and if they did they soon found themselves with sufficent “reason” to “drop it” (though nobody would say what “reasoning” Snape used to convince them of the error of their ways).
‘Just as well,’ Alicia thought to herself, ‘Not interested in the inner workings of the socially insecure considering my own social life seems to be in the toilet lately.’

If only Divinations was as easy…. Too bad it wasn’t.
Between trading an endless stream of “I know the future better than you” retorts with Trelawney, she was puzzling over the confusing and very Rube Goldberg styles of divination that Trelawney seemed to love to make them learn. Some of the girls like Parvati Patil and Lavendar Brown became so obsessed with the class that they spent their lunchtimes in there, but Alicia just couldn‘t see the appeal in that kind of obsessive compulsive behavior. One time Angelina & Katie said they wanted to go to these lunchtime divinations, until Alicia shook her head and said “They’re not making out in class during lunch, you know. Just so you know.” and that silenced that from the two. Too bad that was the only “silence” from them.

Otherwise they were all about the school like newlyweds, holding hands and giggling together and sharing food and what-not. They traipsed around the school like girls in love, and yes they were girls in love… but still, that was abit much for Alicia who wished it was her on cloud 9 like they were.
Now if she could only convince her “keeper” May that class wasn’t for making out despite the fact she seemed to do nothing but fawn over Neville in class a lot then she‘d be happier, especially since she had no more respect for Divination than the often uptight and irritated Hermione (who had a hate of Trelawney that was even worst than Alicia’s own dislike of the teacher) that would be a sense of progress for her.
Anyway at least, thankfully, she wasn’t Harry Potter. Trelawney keeps staring at him expecting him to drop dead at any moment… or self destruct… or drop dead and self destruct. Whatever floated her crystal ball.

The most interesting class, for all the wrong reasons, was Hagrid’s. It didn’t rate quite as high as Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it had it’s rabid followers since a certain somebody quickly moved in to keep Hagrid from becoming discouraged after the events of his first class.
Somehow May convinced him to carry on, and while the class lineups sure looked interesting enough, the entire class was all smoke and mirrors with much flash and bang and no substance.
The creatures now appearing in the class looked fierce enough, and for all intents and purposes they seemed hot blooded and hard core to the unknowing students… but that was all a lie.

It all started with the second class and the appearance of the Greywall SaberBlades, Elfin wolves that supposidly ran into battle with battalions of elfin warriors, that the “gig“ was effectively “up“ for Alicia. They looked the part and were quite impressive, but were as much real wolves as Alicia was straight. The Greywall SaberBlades were, in fact, shapeshifters who performed nightly in a Edenina version of Las Vegas (based in the same location as Vegas on Terra, the Earthian dream moon). They looked cool, did their thing fine, and seemed genuine… but were faker than Malfoy‘s “personality“ (which was truly fake) if only to Alicia who had actually seen their act when she was -- well, when she was her other self in the past.

The rest, as expected, came from the Las Vegas Primetime Show Revue after that, totally cool to look at but with very little actual threat. Obviously this was a win-win for Hagrid : He won because the creatures were impressive and class favorites, and he won because the creatures were also quite safe to work with and guaranteed no more incidents like the first day. Nice but really… at this point Alicia almost expected May to import a batch of white tigers from the Siegfred & Roy catalog soon and pass them off as rare elfin housecats… it had to happen, especially since the last batch looked like they came from the Barnum & Bailey Dream Circus performing over at the NekoDrome nightly (thrice on weekends).

At the start of October, however, Alicia began to find a new thing to trouble her already worry plagued year (if her year couldn‘t be anymore troubled than it already was). It wasn’t bad enough that she was having a hard time bonding with Hermione, while runaway romance couple roommates Angelina & Katie were going all out in their romance, now something else had to bite into her time and take up more of it than she was willing to give up : Quidditch practice.

The time had come for the Quidditch season to begin, and this year would be a hardship since they had a basketcase of a “fearless leader” who, after spending months stalking each and every one of them, was ready for his nervous breakdown. That day came one Thursday as he called everyone into the locker rooms on the Quidditch pitch near the school.

The room was ghastly cold. It was as if the spectre of doom hovered in the room, mocking Wood, chilling him to his very soul… along with everyone else unlucky enough to be in the same room with him at that exact moment and that exact time.
“Damn his Demon Lord of Terror.” Alicia hissed beneath her breath, wishing she had worn her cold protected battle uniform beneath her usual robes. “I’m going to die of frostbite and haunt Wood forever.”

Oliver Wood, pacing about, looked like he was about to start crying. The burly 17 year old had this rather obvious (though still creepily silent) desperation about him as he paced about like a caged animal, his voice strained a little as he finally addressed everyone in the chilled room (the light from outside fading fast as night began to fall over the land).

“This is our last chance -- my last chance -- to win the Quidditch Cup,” he told them, pacing up and down in front of them nervously, “I’ll be leaving at the end of this year. I’ll never get another shot at it.”
An errie silence fillled the room briefly as he gathered his thoughts, before forging forward with his pre-prepared and pre-rehearsed speech (that Alicia has already been victimzed by four hours prior as he had caught her in an empty class and made her listen to it).

“Gryffindor hasn’t won for seven years running. Seven years… sure, we’ve had the worst damnable luck in the world it seems, what with injuries and the tournament being called off due to the whole thing over the Basilisk…” Wood spoke, swallowing hard as he remembered that incident with particular bitterness. “But despite all that we also know that we’ve got the best -- damn -- ruddy -- team -- in -- the -- whole school!” he hissed, forcing each words from his lips one at a time, swinging his fist hard punching it into his open hand, as if to punctuate that statement.

“We’ve got three superb Chasers.”
Alicia nodded absently, her eyes glancing over towards the attentive Angelina & Katie, almost muttering “Two lovesick Chasers” but thinking better of it.
“We’ve got two unbeatable Beaters.”

“Stop it, Oliver, you’re embarrassing us!” Fred and George chorous together, to which Alicia almost wanted to hiss “Not likely.”

“And we’ve got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!”
Finally Alicia’s eyes spun to Harry, who sat attentive without any remarks like the Weasley brothers.
“And me,” Wood finally completed, almost as an afterthought.
“We think you’re very good too, Oliver.” George said, finally focusing on someone other than himself.
“Spanking good Keeper,” Fred chimed in.

“The point is,” Oliver continued, not wanting for a second to be thrown from his speech (as if he was afraid he would not be able to continue if he stopped even for a second), “the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I’ve thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven’t got it, and this year’s the last chance we’ll get to finally see our name on the thing…”

‘Sure it’s not going to be just your and Harry’s name on it?’ Alicia thought to herself, almost sighing as she leaned back, hands automatically rubbing to keep herself warm.

* * * * * *

At that the team started training three evenings a week.
The weather only got worst. It got colder and colder, and wetter and wetter, with the evenings growing darker and darker… and yet that didn’t stop them from training three days a week, even if it killed Alicia (which it didn’t). While the mud, wind, or rain didn’t diminish some of their dreams of the cup, Alicia didn’t seem particularly hot on it despite the fact she was giving her 100% every practice.
And so Alicia returned to the Common Room one night wasted, eyes abit bleary as she stumbled in only to find everyone up and excited over something. Barely falling into the couch near the two fireside chairs now occupied by Ron and Hermione (nearly missing Harry as she did), Alicia flopped over the side of the couch and muttered “What’s up…”

“”First Hogsmeade weekend coming up,” Ron said excitedly, trying to copy Hermione’s Astronomy chart whenever she turned her back to talk to Harry (only to get his hand smacked everytime he tried). “End of October. Halloween.”

“Excellent,” Fred said as he filed in seconds after Alicia, “I need to visit Zonko’s. I’m nearly out of Stink Pellets.”

“You stink enough on your own.” Alicia muttered, feeling the depression only growing at the announcement. So it had finally come, the trip to Hogsmeade, wonderous. She couldn’t get her paper signed and had dreaded this moment that was to come… and now it has come. That means Hemione would be able to go, which means she would FINALLY get out of study mode… which Alicia couldn’t exploit since she couldn’t go with her… talk about a disappointing turn of events!

Hermione, misreading Alicia’s glum features, said “Alicia, I’m sure you’ll be able to go next time.”
Talk about being the queen of wishful thinking… waitaminute!
“I think I got an idea.” Alicia muttered, eyes glittering abit as a thought occurred to her. A nasty wonderful brilliant little thought.

Suddenly, before Hermione could inquire, Crookshank appeared and leaped on her lap, a dead spider dangling from it’s weird little mouth. That was gross.
“Does he have to eat that in front of us?” Ron muttered, scowling.
“Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?” said Hermione, almost cooing over the gigantic furball sitting on her lap. “I’m going to throw up all over it’s fur.” Alicia muttered, closing her eyes tight.

As if to end the night Ron did the taboo thing of offering to allow Harry and Alicia to copy his already partially copied star chart, and then the fuss he kicked up when Crookshanks tried to add Scabbers to the menu as an after dinner snack… spider and rat, not yummy.
Obviously Alicia didn’t have much of an appetite for chocolate after watching that.

* * * * * *

It was bad enough that Ron and Hermione seperated on a bad mood last night.
Ron, true to form, clung onto his bad mood as he would a prized Quidditch collectible when the sun rose on a brand new day, chosing to wallow in his own bitterness rather than even try to get over last night.
The bitter little pill was a pain during Herbology, which was a pain since he, Hermione and Harry were working together to take care of the same Puffapod. Alicia fared no better since she got stuck with Quidditch teammates Angelina and Katie as partners.

Angelina sighed a near breathless giggle, her finger deftly tickling the top of Katie’s hand as they slowly worked on pulling the stripped fat pink pods from the puffapods. Katie smirked and returned the motion, alternating between playing finger tag and pulling pods. Alicia, the very visage of annoyance, pulled her pods mindlessly as she worked. “Can you at least wait until lunch before you two make out?”

“We’re not making out.” Angelina muttered, her goofy grin never leaving her face once.
“Careful, Weasley, careful!” Professor Sprout cried from behind, nearly causing Alicia to spill her beans onto the floor (adding to the mess already caused by Ron). “…I need my very own sexfriend.”
The rest of the class was spent in moody silence, stuck with watching her teammates make goggily eyes.
“P.S.” Alicia muttered, “My practice Quaffle isn’t your sexaide, please stop tribading with it…” (silence) “…at least pay me rent for it everytime you mount it dammit… or make me a home vid sphere for private use… something.”

Transfiguration was boring, especially since Alicia’s plan had nothing to do with Professor McGonagall.
She waited for Potions, because her plan was to go straight to Snape and get him to do the deed for her.
A good idea, especially since she had sufficent “pull” to get him to bend… didn’t she?

The moment she had a free chance to grab him she did just that. She quickly went straight to Snape, jumping into his free chair as she looked at him intently. “I need you to forge me a permission form.”
Snape, barely looking up from his work, narrowed his eyes abit at the thought. “I didn’t think you were so hot and bothered to go to a place like Hogsmeade.”

“What can I say, my love life is dead (you know THAT situation all too well don‘t you).” she answered honestly, “Gimme a break.”
His pen began scratching on the parchment he had before him, slowly writing on it as he barely glanced up at Alicia, “I’m afraid not, Spinnet. Maybe you should have spent more time “buttering” up the head of your own house if you were planning on using your “charms” to gain favors, because I can’t help you since you are not of my own house.”

“Never stopped you before from meddling in the affairs of other houses.” Alicia shot halfheartedly, trying to widdle away at his iron clad defense, realizing immediately that she really wasn’t as interested in Hogsmeade as in just finding time to get close to Hermione.
“The form clearly states that only a parent or a guardian may give permission, and I am most certainly neither of those.” Snape remarked coldly, continuing to write as he spoke. “But leaving the castle should be no real problem for you. All you have to do, after all, is have your Dementor friends cover your retreat.”

“Which leaves me screwed when I get back though.” Alicia countered.

“Ah…” Snape hissed in a rather unpleasant way, “…my point exactly.”
She hated it when he was so damn smug. Though, for once, she conceited that he had a reason to be so.
She sucked sinking this low even if it was for her waning love life.

* * * * * *

And that, as they say, was that.
Deciding to call it a failure, Alicia conceited that she wouldn’t be going to Hogsmeade this year and thought it was (after all) for the best. “Not like I can’t go to London if I really really need something.” she noted, which she (in fact) could (secretly of course). “So I’m not exactly missing out.”
Ron, however, didn’t take the news of Harry’s failing so well. In fact he kind of lost it.
He began to call Professor McGonagall everything under the sun and stars that he could think of, and when pressed to “duty” it seemed that he was capable of thinking of quite a few unpleasant things to say (half of which met with great displeasure from Hermione).

Hermione, in her even toned way, assumed that this was all “for the best” which, well, really didn’t do anything to cheer up either Harry or Alicia in the slightest bit.
Ron, as expected, got only angrier at Hermione’s easy going attitude… all the while Harry & Alicia had to endure the endless rattling on from classmates about their well-laid plans for Hogsmeade weekend.

“The best laid plans of overplanning people.” Alicia sighed, not caring anymore to count the amount of people who were going to go into a sugar induced coma while in Hogsmeade as compared to the people who were going to try and “score” while away from school.
“There’s always the feast,” Ron said cheerily, trying to muster his own level of even going attitude in light of the dim chance of McGonagall changing her mind about Harry (or Alicia though he labored in misconception about Alicia asking her in the first place). “You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening.”

“Thank you ever so you great glowing sun of conformity.” Alicia muttered, staring blankly at Ron. “I think I liked you better when you were ranting like a lunatic.”
‘Face it.’ Alicia thought as she leaned back in her seat, ‘I have about as much interest in Hogsmeade as I do in working at the local SpellMart as a greeter.’ (bleah) ‘I just want to be near Hermione the moment she snaps out of her study fixation and becomes normal again… if such a thing was inhumanly possible.’

Dean Thomas, who was good with quill and hand, offered to forge Uncle Vernon’s name and the name of Alicia’s parents, but it was way too late for that by now… pity he didn’t offer that a month ago.
Ron tried to suggest the invisibility cloak only to be reminded about the Dem-- suddenly Ron jumped at Alicia and tried to make her “escort” Harry through the Dementors only for her to shoot it down right off. “They’re hot on Potter for some ungodly reason.” she noted with a slight bit of irritation in her voice, “They’ll be drawn to him like flies to liquid sugar! We wouldn’t get five feet outside of the school before they rush him, which would end in a failing firefight running battle right back to the school in defeat!”

Percy, bless his evil soul, had the worst thing to say to them when he said “They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, but I assure you two that it’s not all it’s cracked up be…” (then he stopped) “…alright, there is the sweetshop which is rather spot on good, then there’s Zonko’s Joke Shop (which I introduced Fred & George too no matter what they say), and yes, the Shrieking Shack’s always worth a visit, but--”
Alicia clamps her hand onto Percy’s mouth to silence him.
“Please stop. We can’t take anymore good cheer and positive commentary from you.”

* * * * * *

Finally the day came. Halloween day.
On Halloween morning Alicia slowly dragged herself out of bed, abit worst for wear all things considered.
‘Well,’ she silently mused, ‘It’s not like I have any reason to wake up early today.’
So, with that she decided to stay in bed (after going down for food and packing enough in one of her tesseract jewels to keep to the room all day).
Hermione made a promise to deliver sweets to her and Harry, which kind of cheered her up… though not really since she was only beginning to thaw from her relentless bookworminess, with the full meltdown happening out of her range. Bummer.

She didn’t accompany them to the entrance, but eventually she did leave the girl’s quarters to wander the school if only to stretch her legs from her longer than normal bedstay. It was during this wandering that she ran into Flitch abruptly, who regarded her with a strange expression. He didn’t say a word, but he seemed to have something on the tip of his tongue that he wouldn’t… or couldn’t… spit out.
“Whatever.” she sighed in resentment, waving him off as she walked off. “Life sucks for us misfit humans.”

So intent on getting away from Flitch, she wandered aimlessly until he walked right into the opening door of the last person she wanted to see at that moment… Lupin. Shocked, he nearly stumbled out of the doorway towards the now stunned Alicia, who took the door full on in her face and was now on her butt looking about in a confused manner. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there. What are you doing here?” he asked, genuine concern in his voice, “Where are Ron & Hermione?”

“Don’t you want to know where Harry is?” she asked, to which he said “Harry told me they went to Hogsmeade.”

“If you knew that already…” Alicia hissed in response, “…don’t ask me what you already know.”
And, with that, she pulled herself to her feet as Lupin looked on, “I was only trying to…uh…” (slight sigh) “How about a drink? I just got a grindylow for our next lesson, maybe you’d like to see it.”

‘Maybe it’d like to see me more like it.’ Alicia pondered silently, but relented to being taken in.
As she followed Lupin into the office she noticed the gigantic water tank, and the sickly green creature staring at her from inside the tank. The creature, with sharp little horns, had it’s face pressed tightly against the glass of the tank, making faces and flexing it’s long long fingers… until Alicia bolted forward and nearly slammed her face into the tank, giving the creature a dreadful fright and sending it flying into the weeds in the corner of the tank.

“Uh… that might be a water demon, but you don’t need to give it a heart attack.” Lupin remarked, motioning towards the tank as he passed Alicia. “You really shouldn’t have much difficulty with him, not after tha kap--” (Alicia’s face turns ashen) “--oh, right, the amorous Kappa. Uh… anyway --” (cough cough) “-- the trick is to break it’s grip, it’s fingers is very long but also very brittle… see?” (motions to his hands now filled) “Cup of tea?”

“No thanks.” Alicia declined, “I’m set.” she said as she pulled a bottle of soda from a tessaract.
“By the way, just out of curiousity…” Lupin asked, fishing… “About your Boggart confrontation…”

“Fear of being alone.” Alicia responded, getting a bit of a nod from Lupin, who said no more on it.
An awkward silence filled the room between them as Lupin struggled to find a common ground with the morbidly silent Spinnet. “I better get going.” Alicia announced suddenly, standing up. As she did she noticed the strange smoking potion on Lupin’s desk, “You’re taking up liquid pot smoking these days?”

“It’s from Severus… Professor Snape.” Lupin answered, pulling another long (distasteful) drink from the goblet as he spoke, “I have never been much of a potion brewer, and this one is particularly complex.”

Alicia - “Yeah, it must suck that the only person capable of making it is the guy you treated like shit when you were both schoolmates, eh?”

Lupin’s eyes narrowed, his face froze, and not a word came from his lips.
“Your silence speaks volumes.” Alicia finished, walking out without another word, leaving Lupin alone.
“Apparently so.”

* * * * * *

“There you go!” Ron cried out, shoving a giant goody bag into Alicia’s arms as she returned to the common room, nearly knocking her over as she returned. Apparently they all returned while she was spending “quality” time with Lupin in his office. “We got as much as we could carry.”

Alicia reached into her robes and pulled out a fistful of gold, giving it over to Ron in turn, “Thanks.” (Hermione tried to make Ron return the gold, but Alicia sternly refused to the point that Ron accepted happily… if only not to get on Alicia’s bad side as opposed to getting on Hermione‘s bad side).

After that it was off to the verbal races as everyone told their tales as quickly (and as loud) as they could. With everyone going on it was no problem for Alicia to find a quiet spot in the room, sit down, and quietly pursue her bag of goodies while casually listening to the others talk. So much for warming Hermione up, as she was already going back to her uber talkative focused self already.

Eventually it was time to head down to the meal, Alicia tagging along at the rear of the line as they all headed down towards the Great Hall (their small group growing larger as they picked up other groups of students on their march to the Great Hall).
Once there Alicia’s mood improved, especially once they began to eat.
Maybe it was the décor, what with the hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins filled with burning candles (which somehow prompted Alicia to mumble the lyrics to Disco Inferno for some odd reason).
Maybe it was the strange cloud of live bats (thoughts of Batman occasionally poked into her mind).
Maybe it was the flaming orange streamers (thoughts of fire code violations also poked into her mind should the flaming pumpkins and the many streamers meet) which set the “sky” ablaze in color even as it was cloaked in darkness as a storm raged about the castle even as they sat down to eat.
But still, something about that night made the food just taste that much better for some reason.

The food was delicious, the company was pleasant, and even those who gorged on sweets from town managed to find room to eat… still, Alicia pondered, she wondered if there would be enough bathrooms on campus to handle several hundred chocolate overdosed hyperactive kids with bladder problems… she thought it best not to ponder it any further than that one inquiry, and to leave it to “nature” to sort out.

Professor Lupin looked his usual cheery self, a departure from his sudden moody swing as they talked earlier in the day. He was having a lively conversation with Professor Flitwick from Charms, who hopefully wasn’t one of his confidantes in teasing Snape when they were younger. ‘Does the headmaster ALWAYS like to put volitale teachers together in the same school…’ Alicia thought briefly, pondering why these two former enemies were put into this situation in the first place.

Snape, as par the course, was always glancing at Lupin. That didn’t surprise Alicia in the slightest, after all they had history so it’s no question that Snape still fostered lots of pent up aggrivation towards him (and for good reason no doubt since she didn’t know the details of his past with Snape).

The feast came to an end with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts, but that was all the entertainment Alicia was in the mood for as she silently sneaked out without a word to anyone.
On the walk up to Gryffindor Tower she had time to ponder what was going on.

She was being slowly stalked by an Assassin Guilder for reasons only he/it knew, which probably had to do with her ascension in power last year after claiming herself a new amulet and Heart core to channel her powers through.

She had these ghastly Dementor things who occasionally reported in to her as if she was their den mother or leader or whatever, which didn’t look good for her seeing how the school’s headmaster had a mad-on against the whole Dementor thing.

And she had to complete the year while trying to salvage any attempt at a romantic relationship with the intellectually burdened Hermione who seemed to only loosen up in Hogsmeade (which did Alicia no good because she couldn’t access Hogsmeade because she couldn’t get her paper signed)!
This was nothing but bad news for her.

It got worst when she approached the portrait of the Fat Lady and heard a scream.
She went into a quick run right away, ignoring all common sense as she ran right towards the sound of the scream without a second thought. There, she was quickly confronted by a looming figure of a man, cutting impliment in hand as he angrily slashed as the portrait trying to gain entry. The painting was torn open, and the barrier beyond was superficially damaged with the decorative wood broken apart and sticking out like a sharp wooden barrier against intrusion (the solid spell enhanced door itself standing fully intact from the assault).

As she stared at him something perculiar happened… she hesistated, allowing him enough time to move first. He quickly turned, and charged at her bringing her senses back into action. She dodged to one side, aiming up to fire at him, but he was too quick. Grabbing her outstreched hands he quickly swung her about, sending her flying into the damaged painting.

Her body was wracked with terrible sharp violating pain as she slammed headlong into the barrier blocking the entryway into the tower, a loud reverberating through her body as she hit with force into the obstruction.
Her mind struggled to pull herself together as she felt him quickly rush her. Blood must have been coming from her head as she felt a hot wetness, but she was certain it also came from her body as well.
Did she get impaled with wood shards? It felt as if her body was wracked with a terrible pain which was robing her of her senses, and perhaps even her life. A new scream filled her pained ears, but this time it wasn’t a woman’s… it was a man’s, and it sounded as if he was panicked about something.

But this was a minor thing to the all consuming pain that enveloped Alicia’s being. She struggled to stay awake, but the pain was too much for her to bear, the warmth of her own blood seemingly coaxing her body shutting down as every sense failed her. A few seconds passed, and then her mind and body betrayed her, shutting down from the excruciating pain that beat into her skull relentlessly. The last thing she remembers is the figure on top of her, and being held in his arms as he wretched her robes open.

* * * * * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to the Tower, being the tail end of a long chain of students, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady they found it jammed with students.

“Why isn’t anyone going in?” Ron asked, curiousity tinging his voice as he strained to look over the traffic jam of people that piled up ahead of them. Harry, also curious, peered over the heads in front of him, as of to confirm with his own eyes that the portrait was indeed closed (which it was).

Percy, pushing his way past, began to forge his way forward into the group in abit of a huff, “Let me through here, please,” he called out, pushing and shoving his way past, an air of self imposed “importance” beaming from him as he made his way through, “What’s the holdup here? You can’t all have forgotten the password -- excuse me, I’m Head Boy, excuse me…”

As he reached the front, however, silence reigned once again. Even his demanding voice ceased once he came to the sight that everyone beheld at the head of the line. Suddenly Percy screamed “Somebody get Professor Dumbledore, QUICKLY!!”

Everyone’s heads turned, as if waiting for the person behind them to do the deed, but not one moved from their spot. “What’s going on?” somebody (Ginny) asked as she joined Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Several long moments passed until somebody finally managed to get Professor Dumbledore, his robes sweeping dramatically as a “hole” was cleared into the crowd to allow him access. As everyone quickly moved to either side of the corridor to allow him access, the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione moved forward to get a better look.

“Oh, no!” Hermione choked, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked towards the painting.
The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed viciously to the point that “debris“ of the painting lied scattered about. The decorative door covering was broken and shattered, with several shards of it lying about the floor. But it was the floor that drew the most attention. There, lying on top of her own robes, was Alicia Spinnet. Her body was face down, legs spread and arms sprawled up as if she was on all fours and fell over in a heap. Her back was scarred with several large wounds (magically healing as they watched), with several wooden fragment to one side stained in her blood.

Her breathing was slow, labored but slow. She was in no pain now it seemed, and her wounds seemed to have been cared for as she was in no immediate danger of dying. Still, the condition she was left in left little to the imagination. Dumbledore quickly took her into his arms, pulling her robes over her body as he held her tightly in his strong grasp. His eyes somberly turned towards the approaching Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape as they hurried towards him. Snape, at first stone face, went pale as he saw her in his arms.

“We need to find the Fat Lady,” Dumbledore said gravely. “Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Flich at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady.”

“A wasted effort.” a dark grim voice called out. All heads quickly looked towards the end of the corridor to notice that they were being watched by a reptilian thing with shiny metal technology grafted to it’s head and spine. It stared at them with it’s emotionless face, silence reigning as they watched him… until a burst of robes whirled past Harry, Ron and Hermione with a yell of “KILL IT!!”

Spell shots rang out, hitting the reptilian dead on, only to cause it no damage. It flickered, showing a glowing sphere within the translucent “form” of the creature. “If you are quite done…”
Dumbledore grabbed ahold of Snape, pulling him back as the Galerian watched them. Several students, who pulled their wands at the cry of “KILL IT” slowly put their wands back, looking awkward.

“With all of you spell throwers I had to adjust my tactics in an environment like this. This holo-drone usit is now protected against energy attacks -- it’s only weakness being a pure all out physical assault on the “heart” which, I am assure you, none of you are capable of delivering. Now, if we are done flinging power shots about… you are looking for the amply built fascimile woman known rather non P.C. as The Fat Lady, I take it.”

Silence. He knew they were all paying attention to him, and he was carefully and skillfully working the crowd to his advantage. “She is abit… distressed. She doesn’t want to be seen, oh no, she’s in quite a bit of a mess she is. Last I saw of her she was running through the landscapes on the fourth floor of this complex, dodging between the fascimile trees as she did. She was…” (it spreads it’s claws outwards drawing his already rapt audience’s attention tighter onto him) “…crying something fierce. Very emotional for a faux humanoid most certainly.”

(No attempts by Ron to get Hermione to tell him what “fascimile” and “faux” was seemed to work.)

“Did she say who did it?” Dumbledore asked quietly, his eyes boring down solidly on the Galerian.
“Oh yes, I did see that seeing how it was my drone unit who saw her just minutes ago, while I myself witnessed the whole affair down here…” (motioning towards Alicia) “…he did get quite angry when the Fat Lady refused him entry, but I guess prison life made him hungry for the finer things in life since he did take time after saving her to… “save” her.”
The Galerian holo-image began to back away, towards the exit, never looking away for an instance from it’s audience. “But I guess prison life does that to people like Sirius Black… now, if you’ll…”

It said no more. A large hand grabbed it, and crushed the protective shell shield about the holosphere shattering it in his hand. Hagrid, brushing the metallic remains from his hand, looked at the crowd with a bit of a frown marring his usually jovial features. “Guess being all muscles have it’s advantages now and again, eh?”

To Be Continued