Chapter five

Lunchtime had rolled around and found me talking to Kristen about some work we'd had to do. Stella, who was also with us, was staring off into space. Brian, who'd said he'd meet us, hadn't turned up yet.

"So what are you going to do then?" Kristen asked pulling a sandwich from her lunch bag.

"I think I'm just going to have to take the late grade. Hey at lest I turned in the paper." I laughed as I took a sip of soda.

"Guess so." Kristen nodded.

I turned to Stella, who was still looking like she had her head in the clouds, and asked her whether she had handed in her book report for class. She didn't respond.

"Stella!" she didn't answer.

"Stella!"I said, louder this time and she jumped, startled.

"Huh? Did you say something?" she asked.

"You okay? I asked if you turned in that book report for class yet?" I gave her one of my looks.

"Yeah I already turned it in. And I'm fine just a bit tired," she gave me a small smile, but for some reason I didn't believe her.

"Oh okay." I nodded then I spotted two people, one of whom we had been waiting for for a while. "Brian! Hey Chandra."

Stella turned around in her seat to see Brian and Chandra, whom I don't think Stella knew. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a soft smile on her lips as she said hello and sat down next to me. She smiled across the outside table at Stella, who nodded her head in return.

Chadra started to talk to me but I wasn't really listening; I was worried about Stella. All too soon the bell rang. We got up to leave but then I noticed that Stella hadn't moved at all.

"Stella?" I asked, waving my hand in front of her face. She didn't respond. "Stella!" She responded that time, shocked, as she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"What?" raising my voice she looked at me.

"Stella are you sure you're okay?" Brian asked as he looked around me at Stella.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Well the bell rang and you didn't even move." Kristen replied.

Stella looked around to see students walking toward the doors. She got to her feet as we watched. She picked up my bag and started walking toward the door, leaving us behind.

"Stella?" Brian asked as me and Kristen shared a look. We knew something was wrong, very wrong, with Stella.

---

Meanwhile floating above Tokyo, in his glass bubble Neon frowned down at the city. Water Buffalo was pissed off at him from all his failures. As Neon looked out the window lights started flashing around him. Neon stiffed his shoulders.

"Oh Neon." A woman's voice rang out all around him.

As Neon slowly turned away from the window the lights stopped flashing. A woman was standing in the middle of the room. She had blond hair with pale, pale green high lights that went to her thighs. Her eyes were emerald green. She wore a mini skirt that was the same color as her eyes; her tank top was white. In her arms she held a dark green cat. The cat's blood red eyes blinked up at Neon. On both of their foreheads was the same mark as Neon had on his forehead; a black star in a circle. Neon wasn't very happy to see them. Something was up.

"Fluorine, what do you want?" Neon snapped.

"Mistress sent us." The cat said.

"That question wasn't dictated at you Radon!" Neon growled at the cat.

"Clam down Neon. Radon is right though. Mistress Water Buffalo did send us." Fluorine clam said as she let Radon down from her arms. "She has given us this task. We are taking over."

"I still have one chance left. And this time I will get Tuxedo Jessi." Neon turned his back to the two.

Radon didn't believe him. He poked around the room looking into everything, which wasn't much. He didn't listen in to what his owner was saying to Neon. Radon knew that Fluorine liked to talk. He also knew that she was mocking Neon.

"This place could use some furniture." Fluorine smirked.

"Go away, bitch." Neon snapped over his shoulder at the woman.

"Very well than. Till later. Come Radon." Fluorine held her arms out for her cat.

As he jumped into her arms she started to fade away. Neon continued to watch the city below. He had a new plan and this time he would see it through to the end himself.

---

Kirsten, Brian, Chandra and I had gone to the store where Stella worked in an attempt to cheer her up. Brian had bet that I wouldn't be able to make Stella laugh when she was in this sort of mood, but I knew just the trick.

As we stood there I tapped on the glass and started pulling daft faces at Stella through the window. Stella, as predicted, started to laugh.

She was still laughing when we went inside the store. I was grinning at her, glad to see her happy again.

"Pay up Brian. I told you I could make her laugh," I turned my grin towards Brian who was digging his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a coin.

"Darn," He mumbled as he handed the money to me.

"We thought it would be cool if we visited you at work," Kristen said.

"That's fine. I'm about to go on a break." Stella said as one of her co-workers walked up to her.

"Fifteen minutes Stella," she said to Stella, who nodded.

Stella walked over to the magazines, picked up a paper and walked over to the table we were sitting at.

"What's with the newspaper?" Brian asked as Stella sat down across from him, next to Chandra.

"Just a paper. Here," she handed the paper to him.

He looked at it, his eyes widening. He handed the paper to Kristen. I looked over her shoulder and let out a squeal as I tore the paper from Kristen's grip. Oh my God! I, Tuxedo Jessi, was on the front page of a newspaper! Wow!

I was so engrossed in my wonder that I hardly noticed that Stella and Kristen had disappeared. Then a scream startled me and Brian and I jumped to our feet. There was a monster on the loose.

"ROSE POWER MAKE UP!"

Then I, Tuxedo Jessi, appeared to save the day. Chandra gasped.

The sight that met our eyes was bad. A huge slimy blue monster was standing there.

" Okay evil monster, you asked for it!" I began my speech. "I am Tuxedo Jessi and, for the mighty rose gardens of Elysion and of Earth, I shall send you on your way!

"ROSE POWER STRIKE!"

I was certain that my attack would do at least some damage to the monster but I was badly surprised when the moster just stood there, absorbed it… and grew more powerful. Oh dear. That was not good.

"ROSE POWER STRIKE!" once again it didn't work.

"Damn," I cursed. Well, there was only one thing for it…

I charged at the monster, tried a Sailor V-style kick, and found myself sucked inside it. Yuck, there has got to be a better word for gross. It was all jello-like in there. Eew.

I turned to Brian and tried to yell "Don't just stand there! Do something!" but no words can out and I ended up with a mouthful of slime.

Brian just stood there, trying to protect Chandra, when Stella and Kristen appeared on the scene. They didn't do anything to help either, just stood staring transfixed at Chandra.

Then the four of them disapeared behind a nearby bookcase: I wondered what on earth they were doing, but I didn't have to wait for long because Stella, along with the three sailor scouts, soon came out from behind the bookcase. Hang on a minute? Three sailor scouts?

"I hold the scales that weigh the rights and wrongs of the world. I'm Sailor Libra." Sailor Libra launched into her speech.

"I am the mighty hunter that stands in the night sky, I'm Sailor Orion!" Sailor Orion held up his fist.

"I'm the scout of two constellations that sit low in the sky, I'm Sailor Ursa!" Sailor Ursa did the 'sailor v' sign.

"You'll regret this. But than again you did bring me the two people I've been looking for," A voice said.

As we watched a man stepped out from behind the blue monster. Stella gasped; it was the same man from earlier. The only thing that had changed was his clothes and there was now a mark on his forehead. Stella looked like she knew that mark. She pushed my way past the others.

"Stella?" I heard Orion whisper.

"You!" she nearly shouted.

"Well, well what have we here?" the man stepped forward. He kept taking little steps toward Stella. She tried to back up but the others weren't going to let her. They stood behind her like a solid wall.

He turned his back on us and walked back toward the monster. He glared at me, as I was still floating inside of it. It seemed like he was thinking something over.

"Get her!" he spun around suddenly, pointing at Stella.

"Yes Master Neon." The monster said in a slippery voice.

The monster moved toward us. Sailor Libra jumped in front of Stella as the monster got closer. She was starting to power up her attack when the monster spit a ball of slime at her. The ball covered her causing her to roll away. As she rolled away I backed away from the monster. Sailor Ursa moved toward Stella.

"Ursa…" her whole body started to glow. "Change…" as she said this word her body stated to change form. "Power!" with this last word shouted her body burst into light, which vanished to reveal a bear.

The bear, Sailor Ursa, ran toward the monster. She closed her huge jaws around the arm that was reaching toward me. The monster yelled with rage as it swung its arm. Sailor Ursa hung from the arm as she flew through the air. With a mighty swing of its arm the monster flung Ursa across the way from it, causing her to slam into a bookcase. As she laid there stunned, with books raining down on top of her, Ursa lost control of her change.

The monster paid no mind to Orion as he ran toward it. It reached out an arm toward Stella. She turned to run away but didn't get very far. Neon was standing behind her keeping her from going anywhere. She looked over her shoulder to see the monster leaning over her. She screamed as it wrapped its long slimly fingers around her. As it lifted her off the floor, Orion jumped at the hand. She reached out toward him and he grabbed my hand, being lifted with heer. She glanced over my shoulder to see that the monster had opened its mouth. It moved its hand toward its mouth. As they moved closer to its mouth Orion's hand slipped from Stella's.

"Sailor Orion!" Stella screamed as he fell away from her.

"Orion!" Libra rushed toward her friend.

"Stella!" Ursa yelled as she rose to her feet.

Stella screamed again as the monster stuffed her in its mouthI groaned; great, now there were two of us inside that thing. Well, why not get out the way we came in? Okay, so that wasn't going to work. I was just about to power up my attack when something went 'bang' and we felw out of the monster.

I managed flip myself over before I went crashing into a wall before falling to the floor. I got to my feet, shaking as she did so. As Stella pushed herself off the table Sailor Ursa and Sailor Libra rushed past her. She followed them to see Neon trying to run away. As she crawled off the table a blast of purple power shot past her, striking Neon in the left shoulder. I saw him grab his now bloody shoulder with his other hand before he vanished into thin air.

"Stella, Tuxedo Jessi are you guys okay?" Sailor Orion held me steady on my feet.

"Yeah. I think so. Thanks for ripping that monster apart with your powers," Stella said giving him a smile.

"Let's get out of here you guys." Sailor Libra said looking around. Stella looked around to see people coming our way. Stella nodded.

Sailor Ursa helped me as Stella lead them toward the back door to the store. Just as Stella opened the door someone yelled her name. She gritted her teeth knowing who it was yelling for her, it was her boss. She ignored him as the door closed behind us. And as the door closed I mumbled, "gross!" Stella couldn't help but smile.

---

Neon stood with his head bowed. He could hear people around him whispering to each other. He was standing in Water Buffalo's throne room. He was standing in front of her throne chair. His mistress was glairing at him. She drummed her fingernails on the arm of her chair.

"Neon you have failed me for the last time. No more chances after this." Water Buffalo snarled.

"Mistress I found…" Neon raised his head a bit to look at her.

"Silence!" Water Buffalo snapped. Neon fell silent. "Fluorine will not fail me like you have. Will you Fluorine?"

Fluorine stepped forward from the coward of people behind Neon. Radon was following her. They both bowed their heads.

"Yes my Mistress. I will not fail you." And with that she vanished along with Radon.

Neon glared at the spot where they had been standing. He wished he could have left with them.

"Neon this is your reward for failing me." Water Buffalo called his attention back to herself. Neon looked up to see a black crystal appear beside her throne. As he watched it started to glow with a weird light. He started to grow worried.

Water Buffalo watched as the crystal started to pulse. With the each new pulse a wind started to blow but instead of blowing away from the crystal it was blowing toward the crystal. The wind got stronger and stronger. As it picked up it started to pull Neon toward the crystal. He tried to dig his heels in but to no such luck.

"I know who Serenity sent to find Princess Jes…" Neon tried to say but he never finished what he was saying. With a burst of light he was gone. Inside the crystal he would stay for all time.

"Let this be a lesson to you all. Do not fail me." Water Buffalo said looking at the crystal, which started to sink into the ground.

"Yes Mistress Water Buffalo." The coward in her throne room said all together.

---

Stella was standing outside the Tsukino house, looking up at it. Jessi waited for me at the open door. I held a hand to her head. I had just got done telling her another memory I had just experienced. The memory she had just told me included something about bad news. I had just had the memory of the day we had found out that her mother had disappeared. As I told her this I had, for somereason, been crying. What was even more I had seen the faces of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. I had known the faces even though they were older: they were Usagi and Mamoru. Stella didn't know what to think about this turn of events.

As she thought everything over I went inside to talk to Anut Ikuko. I quickly told her that I was staying the night at a friend's house and, after being granted permission, I to get my things ready.

I came out with my duffle bag slung over one shoulder to find Stella talking to Usagi.

"Hey U…" I stopped short with what she was going to say. I didn't really want to say anything now that I knew that Usagi-chan would be queen of the Earth one day.

"Jessi come on. We'll be late for the movies if we don't get going," Stella grabbed my arm dragging me behind me.

"Talk to you later Jessi. It was nice to meet you," Usagi called after us.

"You too," Stella yelled back.

"See you later!" I called after us.

With that we were off down the street, heading for Stella's apartment and dinner.