Chapter Six

	“Michiru, please, can we go to the game center?  I want to play a racing game 
since the track is closed,” Haruka whined as if she were Hotaru.
	“Haruka, we need to practice for our concert.  We’re not going to be ready!” 
Michiru said sternly.
	“Oh yeah, I forgot.  Sorry.”
	Haruka and Michiru saw Setsuna walking down the street looking downcast.  She 
looked up, “Oh, hi.”
	“Setsuna-chan, what’s wrong?” Michiru asked.
	“I feel so bad.  It was because of me that we’re down one fighter, and she won’t 
be back for a while.”
	“You mean Sakura-san?  Yeah, she looked pretty bad off.” Haruka stated.
	Michiru elbowed Haruka hard in the side, “She’s looking a lot better, Setsuna-
chan.  She did what any respectable senshi would have done.”
	“But I just stood there, and I did nothing.  I’m so angry with myself!”
	“Setsuna-chan...” Haruka said.
	“If only I could talk to Endymi--” Setsuna stopped short.
	“What?” Haruka asked curiously.
	“Nothing, I have to go, I need to run some experiments,” Setsuna said abruptly, 
then walked away.
	“I wonder what that was all about.  Setsuna-chan was acting very strange, even 
for Setsuna-chan,” Haruka said.
	“Yeah, you’re right.” Michiru agreed.

	“Seiya-kun, I have to go,” Sakura said, sitting up.  “I have some more work to do.  
Are you coming Hime-chan?”
	Hime looked confused, “Sure,” she said puzzled.  The two girls walked out of the 
game center.
	“Guess this afternoon wasn’t meant to be,” Motoki said.
	“Everyone was in a foul mood today,” Seiya said, getting up from the bench.  “I’d 
better get home.  gotta practice.  Later.”  Seiya walked back to his apartment and opened 
the door.  He saw Yaten and felt himself growing angry again.  “What are you doing?”
	“Writing lyrics for our next song,” Yaten said, being surprisingly nice.
	“Taiki writes the lyrics for our songs,” Seiya said.
	“I wanted to do it this once.”  Yaten finished scribbling, and handed a piece of 
paper to Seiya.  “Could you put music to that?”
	Seiya read the lyrics and felt bad for being angry with Yaten.  “Of course.  There 
really is a nice Yaten after all.”
	“I know, I’m about as surprised as you are.  So are you going to put music to it?”
	“Yup, I’ll go work on it now,” Seiya walked into his room and closed the door.  
Yaten could hear the faint sound of a keyboard being played.  He sighed.  Miaka-chan, 
I’ll win you back.  Believe me, I will.  Yaten thought of the idea of flowers, so he walked 
down to the florist and bought a dozen yellow roses.  He paid and then walked to Miaka’s 
apartment, cursing himself because he couldn’t drive yet.  He walked up the steps and 
rang the doorbell.  Miaka answered.  “I know you don’t want to talk to me, Miaka-san, 
but please, take these,” he shoved the roses into Miaka’s hands.
	Miaka’s eyes softened for a second, but then became angry again.  “You can’t buy 
me back with presents.  I’m sorry, but I’m not shallow like that.”  Leaving the door open, 
she dropped the flowers into the trashcan.  “Try again,” Miaka said sarcastically, then 
closed the door in Yaten’s face.

	A few nights later, Hime got up in the middle of the night for a drink.  She passed 
Sakura’s room and saw her light on.  She knocked.  “Sakura-chan?” she called.
	Sakura opened the door, “What are you doing up?”
	“I was just about to ask you the same thing.  What the hell are you doing?” Hime 
asked.
	“Studying,” Sakura replied.
	“Studying?!  In the middle of the night?  Why?”
	“I just felt like it!  I don’t wanna get behind in school!” Sakura said perkily.
	“Sakura-chan, how many chapters ahead are you now?” Hime asked sarcastically.
	“Twelve.  I plan on studying some more.”
	“What?  Twelve?  You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”
	Sakura looked down.
	“Why?” Hime asked.
	“It’s not important.  I just haven’t been able to sleep, so I figured that I’d get a 
little ahead for school.”
	“Sakura-chan, if you haven’t been sleeping you need to talk to somebody,” Hime 
said, concerned.
	“Don’t worry about it!  I’m fine!  Just go get whatever you were going to get and 
go back to bed!”
	Hime shook her head and walked away from Sakura’s room.  She’s becoming 
more and more like a stranger since she was attacked.  She’s even pushing away Seiya-
kun.

	Seiya was walking down the street the next day, when he heard a girl’s scream 
coming form an alley.  He ran over and saw a youma draining the energy away from a 
girl.  He wasted no time.

	Fighter Star Power, Make UP!

	Nothing happened, and he tried again.

	Fighter Star Power, Make UP!

	Seiya’s transformation wings fell to the ground and broke.  Seiya recoiled in 
horror, then started running towards Sakura’s apartment to get the senshi.

	Ritsuko heard someone pounding on the door and went to answer it.  “Seiya-kun!  
Why are you in such a rush?” Ritsuko asked.  “Sakura-chan!  You’re boyfriend is here!”
	Seiya grabbed Ritsuko’s wrists.  Ritsuko looked up in shock.  “There’s a youma 
in an alley, and it’s probably moved on to more victims.  You have to transform,” Seiya 
explained.
	Sakura walked out of her room.  “Seiya-kun, what are you doing here?” she said, 
sounding almost annoyed.
	“Sakura-chan, call the others.  We have a youma on our hands,” Ritsuko said 
urgently, “Hime-chan, Miaka-chan!  Let’s go, it’s youma-bustin’ time!” Ritsuko said, 
rubbing her hands together.  The three girls ran out of the apartment.
	“So, Sailor Star Fighter, why aren’t you there helping?” Sakura asked.
	“How did you know...?” Seiya asked.
	“I told you, I sense things.”
	“I can’t transform.  I’m of no use anymore.”
	“Oh,” Sakura said, “I have to go call everyone else.  Sit down if you want.”  
Sakura walked out of the room.
	Seiya picked up a picture off of the coffee table.  The picture showed Hime, 
Miaka, Sakura and Ritsuko together in a group in front of the Tokyo Tower.  All of the 
girls were smiling except for Sakura.  Sakura-chan almost never smiles.  It’s strange, 
Seiya thought.  Suddenly, the four girls started fading away, until they were all gone.  
Seiya dropped the picture on the floor.  
	Sakura walked back into the room, “Seiya-kun, what’s wrong?” she looked at his 
trembling hands.  She then saw the picture on the floor, and walked over to pick it up.  “I 
know it’s a bad picture of me and all, but you really didn’t have to throw it down,” she 
teased.  She walked over to the opposite side of the room and perched on the arm of the 
easy chair.
	“Why don’t you sit over here?  I’m not going to bite you.” Seiya said.
	“I’m comfortable over here,” Sakura replied.
	Seiya got up and flopped into the easy chair Sakura was perched on.
	Sakura got up, “Are you thirsty or something?  I could get you a drink.  maybe 
you should call Yaten-san and Taiki-san, and tell them what happened to you or 
something.  They might be going through the same thing, and they should know about 
what happened to you.”
	“Sakura-chan, you’re babbling.” Seiya said.
	“Oh, sorry,” Sakura apologized.
	“You’re still mad at me.  I can feel it,” Seiya got up, “I’ll leave you alone.” Seiya 
started to walk out of her apartment.
	“Seiya-kun, wait,” Sakura called.
	Seiya turned around, “what?” he asked reluctantly.
	Sakura looked down and wrong her hands together, “I’m sorry, I just haven’t been 
feeling all that great and I’m irritable.  I just don’t understand how you can be so hateful 
to someone so close to you.”
	“You mean Yaten and I?  I don’t know what it is between us, but it’s always 
tense.  It’s just the way we are.”
	“Couldn’t you just try for once?” Sakura sighed.
	“It’s not that easy,” Seiya started walking out of the door.
	“I’m sorry, Seiya-kun,” Sakura cried.  She covered her mouth with her hand.
	Seiya stopped short, and shook his head.  “Sakura-chan, don’t cry.”  Sakura 
continued crying.  Seiya walked over and embraced her, “I’m sorry too, Sakura-chan.” 
	Sakura melted into Seiya’s arms, inhaling his scent.  The door opened, and Sailor 
Sun, Comet, and Celestial paraded in.
	“Oh, sorry to interrupt you two, “Sailor Comet said.
	Sailor Celestial giggled, “Look at the guilty look on Seiya-kun’s face!”
	“Ah!  Maybe we should leave and fight more youma!” Sailor Sun exclaimed.
	Sakura let go of Seiya, “Shut up, Hime-chan!” She said, “Don’t make me say 
anything about you and Motoki-san!”
	“Look at Sakura-chan’s face!  It’s bright red!” Sailor Comet teased.
	Sakura lunged at Sailor Comet, and held her in a choke-hold, “If you don’t shut 
up, I’ll snap your neck!” She joked playfully.
	Sailor Comet elbowed Sakura hard in her bandaged stomach.  Sakura cried out.  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sakura-chan!” Sailor Comet apologized.
	“It’s alright,” Sakura grunted, her playful mood evaporated.  “I’m gonna go study 
some more.”
	“Sakura-chan, can I study with you?” Seiya asked bashfully.
	“Sure,” Sakura replied.  They walked into Sakura’s room.
	The three senshi un-transformed.  “Ritsuko-chan, what the hell were you 
thinking?!” Hime fumed.
	“I forgot!  I got carried away, ok?” Ritsuko defended.
	“Are you a glory hog out to harm all of your friends?” Miaka teased.
	“Don’t be a baka, Miaka-chan!  I forgot, alright?” Ritsuko walked into her room, 
and slammed the door.
	“You think we pissed her off, Miaka-chan?” Hime asked sarcastically.
	“Possibly!  I think that we should go in with Sakura-chan, and Seiya-kun.  Who 
knows what those two are up to?”
	“Nah, leave them be.  Sakura-chan wouldn’t do anything stupid, especially with 
us here!  Besides, Sakura-chan’s been upset with Seiya-kun, so I guess they reconciled or 
something.”
	“Or something,” Miaka repeated.

	“You’re going back to the gates?!” Michiru asked Setsuna as she met her on the 
street.
	“Yes,” Setsuna replied.
	“Why?” Haruka asked.
	“Because that’s where I should be.  Should anything or anyone unwanted break 
through, it would distort and ruin the order of everything.”
	“Setsuna-chan, what if you’re needed here?” Michiru asked.
	“Then you two will call for me.  You will protect the princess, right?”
	“Yes,” They both answered.
	“I’d die to protect our princess,” Haruka continued.
	“Until we meet again,” Setsuna said, then disappeared in a flash of light.
	“Do you think Setsuna-chan ill be alright?” Michiru asked Haruka.
	Haruka shrugged.