Sailorneptune was thrown off her feet, and lay sprawled on the
floor, looking wide-eyed at the horrible thing that used to be her bedroom
rug. The rug-monster wrapped itself tightly around Neptune, squeezing the
life out of her. Neptune tried to scream, but her voice ran out on her, and
she found it difficult to breathe. Tears welled up in her eyes, as her head
fell limply on 
the floor.

                               *    *    *

        With the swiftness of Sailormars' graceful hand, she came up with a
dozen or more spirit wards, and placed them on the foreheads of the
possessed victims. The victims crumpled to the ground.

        "Mars," Sailormercury said. "According to my mini computer, there
aren't anymore possessions in this area. The attacks have moved uptown. We'd
better scout uptown. Many live are in danger!"

        Yusuke stopped in his tracks as he saw the half-unconscious Keiko
lying on the ground. He ran to her unmoving body, and lifted her head,
putting his hand under her neck. Keiko slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the
familiar face of Yusuke, her eyes watered. "Yusuke! You're here!" She cried.
She put her arms around his neck, and gave him a loving embrace.

        "Aa~," Botan looked thrilled. "What a cute couple, ne?" She elbowed
Mars. Mars looked strangely at Botan. She was as bubble-brained as Usagi! 

************************************************************************

Chapter 8
                            "Bright-Eyes"

========================================================================

        "Ha-choo!"

        The weather wasn't chilly. It was a wonderfully warm evening at the
park, especially with Mamoru around. Usagi wondered if she was catching cold.

        "Usako, are you cold?" Mamoru asked her. Usagi shook her head, and
continued to snuggle against Mamoru. This exchange student program wasn't so
bad after all. Besides, she'll be going back to Japan in no time. All she
wanted was to be an ordinary girl, and this was definitely living it. She
hadn't come across anyone from the Dark Kingdom anyway. Everything was just
perfect. Usagi sighed.

        "Everything's just fine," Usagi said, her voice muffled by Mamoru's
shirt. Mamoru looked down at her, and smiled. She may be right. He chuckled.

        "What's so funny?" Usagi asked, lifting her head from his chest.

        "I was just thinking about the rumor that when you sneeze, people
are gossiping about you." He replied, amused at the quizzical expression
playing on Usagi's face.

        "Mo~!" Usagi moved away from him, and crossed her arms.

        "Oi~, Usako," Mamoru chided softly. "I was just teasing." 

        Mamoru stood behind Usagi. Usagi looked irritated, Mamoru observed.
Sheesh, he was just teasing. He wrapped his arms around her, putting his
cheek next to hers. Usagi felt her heart soar. They'd been together for so
long now, and yet he still had that effect on her. She wondered if he felt
the same way about her.

        Usagi turned around, and faced him. "Mamo-chan, how do you feel
about me?" She turned her face away when she felt it growing hot. Mamoru
looked down at her, still amused. She always asked him that.

        He sighed, almost exasperated, but the amused expression was still
there. "Usako, you know that you're the most important person to me in this
world."

        Usagi quickly turned her head to look up at him. "World?"

        Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Universe then." He had almost forgotten
that they had encountered and fought various beings from the vast universe.

        "But how do you feel about me? Do you love me?" Usagi was in the
verge of tears. Mamoru blinked back at her like she was sprouting leaves in
her ears!

        Mamoru exhaled loudly, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Usako,
if you weren't around, then my life wouldn't be worth living. I'd be a lost
soul without any care in the world, with no mission in life. You are the
most special person in my heart." Mamoru looked lovingly at her, staring
into her big blue eyes. Usagi lowered her head, her face flushed to the
fullest. "And Usako?" Usagi turned her face upwards again to meet his gaze.
"I love you." Those words made Usagi cry. She was so happy!

        A cool breeze filled the warm evening air. It played with Usagi's
hair, as she tiptoed to meet Mamoru's kiss. A gentle kiss. She closed her
eyes. His lips were warm on hers. It was full of tenderness and love. His
arms encircled her, as if never letting go. Her arms moved to his neck. `I
love you too, Mamo-chan,` Usagi thought. And slowly, they parted, still
gazing into each other's eyes.

        Suddenly, Mamoru's eyes widened. His face reflected an expression of
pain. Usagi started to panic. "Mamo-chan!?" His body froze, then shook
violently. After Usagi shrieked his name again, he fell limply in her arms.

        "MAMO-CHAN!!!" Usagi gave a heart-breaking scream, tears flowing
down her cheeks, and dripping down her chin. "MAMO-CHAN!!!"

        "STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO!!!" 

        Usagi screamed as a blast of pure energy whizzed right in between
her and Mamoru. Usagi let Mamoru go, and he fell to the ground. Usagi
rotated her head to the source of the blast. There Sailorstarhealer and
Sailorstarmaker stood.

        "Why?" Usagi whispered, then louder, "WHY??"

        She ran to them. She put her hands on Sailorstarhealer's shoulders,
and shook her. "Why??" Usagi asked again.

        "Calm yourself, Usagi-chan," Sailorstarmaker said. "If we didn't get
to Mamoru-san, then Mamoru-san would have gotten to you."

        "W-what??" She faced Mamoru. Mamoru, who fell to the ground,
suddenly got up, and was headed towards them! Usagi smiled. He was alright,
thank goodness. She ran to him. "Mamo-chan!"

        "Baka! Look at his eyes!" Sailorstarhealer yelled to Usagi.

        Usagi stopped. "His eyes?" Usagi turned a second too late. Mamoru
closed his hands around her neck, and squeezed. "Mamo-chan... don't...
please..." Usagi choked back a sob. 

        "Usagi-chan!!!" Sailorstarmaker and Sailorstarhealer cried in unison.

========================================================================

        There was no sign of the boy she found in the alley. He even forgot
to tell her his name. Yukina shrugged, and headed off, carrying the bags of
ingredients, supplies, and recipes for cooking. Why did he leave all of a
sudden? It was like he was afraid of her. Yukina sighed, and entered
Kuwabara's house.

        "Tadaima." Yukina said, while taking off her slippers.

        Kuwabara came rushing to her side. "Yukina-san! Are you alright??"

        Yukina blinked up at him in wonder. "Kazuma-san, of course I am."
She smiled. "See?" They both laughed. 

========================================================================

        Hiei watched from atop a light post. He watched her walk all the way
home. Hiei cursed. For a guy like him, he sure was gutless!

        The excruciating pain in his head returned. This time, Hiei spoke to
it, "Who are you? Why are you trying to possess my body?"

        It spoke back. "Hiei..." That voice... 

        "Makuro?!" Hiei exclaimed in surprise. "You're possessing my body??"

        "Hiei," Makuro said. "Makai is dying. Meikai is taking over it."

        "Meikai?!"

        "Yes, they are very powerful. However if we join souls, our powers
will combine, and we shall be able to defeat them."

        "Hn!" Hiei replied, his face turning sour. "I don't need anyone's
help to defeat the Meikai scum!"

        "But Hiei--..."

        Hiei ignored her, and leaped away from the light post, unaware of a
dark, evil being in the shadows. It eyed Hiei with bitter scorn. "Hiei, I
shall have my revenge, and this time your Jagan can't help you!" Then it
disappeared, like a flame that died down, followed by its hideous laughter.

========================================================================

        The visions were hazy. Dreams perhaps? It seemed so real. Ouch! It
WAS real. Makoto's eyes fluttered open. She winced at the pain shooting up
her leg. She felt something else. Hands. Hands!? The hands were on her leg!
Why that lecher...! Makoto tried to sit up, but a surge of hot pain quaked
through her leg. She lay back down on the... ground? She felt the cold
marble through the fabric of her shirt. She was lying on the floor of the
shopping center.

        "Hey, let me finish fixing your leg before you decide to get up, and
run away." Makoto's gaze turned to a red-haired boy. Kurama. He had just
finished swabbing the wound with a... Makoto looked quizzically at the
strange plant he was holding. 

        "What's that?" Makoto asked, as she pointed to the plant that looked
like a rabbit's tail. "I've never seen that kind of plant before."

        "A, this?" Kurama prevaricated. "This is... ah... a relative of the
dandelion." Kurama hoped he didn't sound like he was making it up. "It
serves as a substitute for cotton."

        "Honto? Are you into Botany?" Makoto sat up straight, interested all
of a sudden at the young man tending to her wound.

        "Actually, I'm into Biology," Kurama replied, and replaced the
cotton with gauze. He wrapped the injured part of her leg with plaster.
Makoto blushed at the thought that a handsome young stranger was actually
nursing her injured leg. 

        He fixed her slacks, putting them back down. "There. All better now."

        Makoto looked down at her clothes. Normal everyday colthes. She
gasped. What happened? Wasn't she in a senshi fuku just a moment ago? Great,
that means... Kurama knows her real identity! Oh no...

        "The marble fragment that cut through your skin was dipped in
poison, that's why the pain was unbearable, and you passed out." Kurama
explained. "It's... uh... an unusual kind of poison that's why the bleeding
stopped. I managed to suck out the poison, and clean the wound." He couldn't
tell her that the poison had come from the Other World. The plants he used
for cleaning, and dressing her wound, were from there too.

        "By the way," Makoto said without looking up. "Since I know your
name, I'm Makoto. Kino Makoto." She blushed slightly, and added, "Thank you
for... uh... saving me."

        "You're welcome, Bright-eyes," Kurama smiled. Makoto blinked at the
surprising nickname. Bright-eyes? Cute. Noone ever called her anything like
that. People would always call her "Mako-chan" , or "Kino sempai" , or
"giant" because of her height, or maybe even "bully".

        "I just want to know why Meikai is back. I thought we defeated every
last one of them." Kurama clenched his fist, and took a deep breath.

        "Meikai? What's that?" Makoto asked. Ugh, she hated playing the role
of the ignoramous!

        "Meikai is the underworld. Makai is the demon world. And Reikai is
the spirit world. We are on Ningenkai, the human world." Kurama said
as-a-matter-of-factly. "The monster made out of marble that attacked you had
a cross sign on its forehead. It was from Meikai."

        "Why would Meikai want to attack me?" Makoto asked.

        "I have yet to find that out," Kurama answered. "Haven't you noticed
the strange things happening in the world? This must be the work of Meikai."

        Makoto eyed Kurama closely. Kurama blinked back at her. "What..."

        "How do I know I can trust you? You know too much about the Other
Worlds." Then she gasped. "Are you from Meikai?? Or maybe Makai?" She giggled.

        Before Kurama could reply, people emerged from the stores. First a
few, then they increased in number. They must have been hiding from the
terrible marble monster that appeared awhile back. 

        Makoto sounded overjoyed. "At last, the people are here! I thought
this mall went bankrupt or something." 

        The people didn't look very friendly, Kurama observed. Why were they
carrying either an umbrella or a golf club? If not those two, it was either
a baseball bat or a poker. Other than that, they were all headed in his and
Makoto's direction! Possessions! Kurama froze. This wasn't Meikai's doing
anymore. He glanced at Makoto. She looked happier than a bee with a
cargo-full of honey. It was time to go.

        Kurama stooped down, and picked her up again. Makoto yelped in
surprise, but didn't struggle. "What are you---?"

        "Those people aren't people, Bright-Eyes," Kurama said, and took
off, carrying a very surprised Makoto in his arms.

        "Wait! Let me fight them," Makoto said. This time she struggled,
trying to free herself from Kurama's strong arms.

        "You have got to be kidding!" Kurama kept running. Makoto couldn't
seem to break through Kurama's hold on her. Makoto stopped struggling, but
pouted at him instead. Kurama couldn't help but smile.

        They were about to reach the exit when more people showed up, and
blocked their path. Their eyes glowed an eerie shade of red. Kurama turned,
but whichever direction he chose, the possessed victims were there, holding
their so-called weapons. He didn't have to run away like this, but he didn't
want the pretty, bright-eyed girl in his arms to be involved in something as
messy as this. She could get hurt again.

        "Who are you??" Kurama demanded to the spirits inside the victims'
bodies. Makoto stared up at Kurama, eyes wide with bewilderment. Had he gone
crazy? Great, she'd been treated by a lunatic. She looked up at his handsome
face. He was a cool lunatic anyway.

        "Kurama... Traitor!" One of them said. "We are from Makai. You let
your human emotions blind you! Traitor!"

        "Humans are for feasting on, and making fun of," Another said. "But
we have no where else to go since Makai is being destroyed."

        Makoto's mouth gaped open. "Kurama-san, what are those `people`
talking about?" Kurama didn't answer her. He looked serious now. His eyes
had turned to slits. He was glaring at the `people` with poisonous dagger looks.

        "Kurama," Went another one. "Help us. Leave the humans alone, and
help us. You are youkai too. You are one of us..."

        "If you find me a traitor, then why do you seek my help?" Kurama
asked them in a cold voice. Makoto looked puzzled at the young man carrying
her. He seemed like a different person in minutes!

        "Kisama!! Are you going to help us or not???"

        Kurama smirked at them. "No." His menacing voice chilled Makoto.
Kurama gave Makoto's shoulder a squeeze. Makoto predicted it as a sign to
trust him. She relaxed a bit, but not completely. 

        "I will save Makai not for you, but for my friends and for myself,"
Kurama added. Makoto sank back into his arms, hoping this would end soon. 

        "In that case," They said. "DIE, TRAITOR!!!" They charged at Kurama
and Makoto with their weapons. Makoto's mouth formed a silent scream. If
only her leg was alright... and if only Kurama would put her down... she
could change into Sailorjupiter, and show these punks a thing or two.
However, things weren't exactly going her way... The people were moving
closer and closer, their weapons ready. Makoto looked up at Kurama again. He
didn't move from his spot. She couldn't make out his expression. `Damn it,
what are you thinking?` Makoto thought. `Kurama-san!`

========================================================================
************************************************************************

        
        

____________________________________________________________ 
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ICQ #: 703221                                                |
____________________________________________________________/ 
"A smile is worth a thousand words." 

-- That's Cheval-chan for yah! ^_^