Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 TENTICAL ROMANCE

   By

   Nikolai Mirovich



   Tentacle Romance

   Minako sat down at her desk, just as her first class was about to begin;
signaled by the ever-annoying chiming bell midi that was piped in through
the ancient intercom system.  All around her other students scurried
quickly to their desks as not to be late as Professor Togashi entered the
room.

   He stood patiently before his desk at the front, his glasses shimmering
almost menacingly.  When absolute silence at last took hold, and the
cacophony of chattering voices finally died, he began.  "Good morning,
class," he intoned rhetorically, "Today I am pleased to announce the
arrival of a new student to our class.  Her name is Agasha Yuriko, a
transfer student from Kyoto.  I trust that you shall all make her welcome."

   With that, a smallish female figure with deep emerald green eyes, and
long midnightblack, tied back into twin French braids, stepped carefully
and quietly into the room, almost making no noise at all.  She gave the
other students a weak smile and bowed to them before being ushered to the
only free seat left in the class.

   Minako stifled a chuckle as she realized it was next to hers.  'Must be
my Karma!' she thought, 'But I guess it IS appropriate for "Venus" to be
the one to give a new student the gift of friendship!'

   She glanced at the new girl and smiled brightly.  "Hi!  " she said
quietly, as their teacher began writing part of the day's lesson on the
black board, "I'm Aino Minako, and I'm very pleased to meet your
acquaintance!"

   The girl blushed visibly, looking down at her desk, for some reason
unwilling to meet Minako's gaze.  "I, I'm Agasha Yuriko," she stammered
quietly, "But I guess that you were already aware of that..."

   Minako shrugged, trying to look busy as the class was instructed to
commence note taking.  "Well, yeah, but 'Politeness is a virtual shoe'!"
she whispered in response, quietly misquoting and causing Yuriko to stifle
a giggle.

   "You mean 'Virtue'," corrected Yuriko, glancing sideways at Minako while
writing furiously as Togashi-sensei began the lecture.

   Minako shrugged and smiled.  "I do that some times," she confessed,
"It's kinda like...  Well, stuttering, I guess.  It just happens, and I
have no control over it usually."

   "That's okay," replied Yuriko after a moment, "We all have our little
quirks.  Habits that we have no control over.  Things that we just can't
stop doing...  No matter how desperately we want too..."

   Minako turned to face the girl with a look of genuine concern, noticing
the sadness in the girl's voice.  "If, if there's anything that you want to
talk about later..." she offered quietly.

   Yuriko shrugged.  "I don't know..." she responded sadly, "It's...  Kinda
personal."

   "Even too personal to discuss with a friend?" Minako inquired.

   "Um...  You want to be my friend..?" Yuriko inquired, giving Minako a
surprised look, without halting her note taking.

   "Yup," Minako responded, "Of course I do.  Why wouldn't I be?  I know
what it's like to be the kid in town...  Trust me.  I know!"

   Yuriko smiled and turned back to her work.  "Thank you, I am honored to
be your friend, Aino-sama..."

   "You needn't be so formal," commented Minako, "We're friends now!"

   "Thank you again, then.  Very much Minako-san," she replied.

   Minako sighed heavily and shook her head.  "No problem Yuri-chan," she
sighed, and went back to her school work...

   * * *

   The rest of the morning's classes went by fairly dully, and Minako found
herself distracted throughout most of them.  Her mind continually thinking
back to her meeting with Yuriko whenever the class got too boring. 
Fortunately, though, Minako somehow managed to find herself somewhere in
the vicinity of Yuriko for most of their classes, her to grow more
accustomed to Yuriko's presence.

   For the most part, Minako was intrigued by the girl's mannerisms.  The
way she always responded to every question from her instructors with a
polite exactness and formality that almost seemed unnerving.  But her
answers were always respectful, and accurate.  She also seemed to have no
problems with the more difficult subjects like "Introduction to Reverse
Calculus", and "Fourth Dimensional Geometry", which moved her past Ami on
Minako's list of study partners.

   But there was also a strange, indiscernible quality about Yuriko that
drew Minako to her.  She couldn't explain it, even to herself.  And Minako
was happy that she didn't need to explain them to anyone else.

   Unfortunately, though, come lunchtime, Yuriko was nowhere to be found,
causing Minako's mind to conjure up a thousand sinister fates that could
have befallen her friend, seeing as she was new in town.

   Towards the end of lunch, though, as she wandered the campus in search
of Yuriko, Minako happened upon Artemis, wandering about and seeming
somewhat lost.  When he caught sight of his ward, he ran towards her with a
worried expression upon his face.

   "Minako-chan!" he called, when he was sure no one else was in earshot,
"I've been looking all over for you, kid!  Where've ya been?"

   "Oh...  I'm sorry, Artemis-kun, apologized Minako, looking forlornly
down at her feet.

   "When you weren't at our usual meeting place, I thought you'd gotten a
call from the others about a Youma or something!" the guardian cat
explained, "Hey...  Is there somethin' wrong?"

   "I...  Kinda lost someone," commented Minako, looking up at the sky and
leaning against a tree.

   "What?!" exclaimed the cat, before realizing what Minako was saying,
"Oh! Hey, don't scare me like that!  I thought someone had died!"

   "Huh?  Oh, sorry, Artemis-kun," she murmured, and picked him up, "No,
it's just that I met a new friend today.  She's kinda new here and I was
just kinda worried that something bad may have happened to her."

   "Because she didn't stick around for lunch?" commented Artemis with a
sarcastic grin, "I'm sure that your just over reacting.  She probably went
home for lunch.  And unless I miss my guess, you're either taking your
'job' way too seriously, or your jealous that she might have other friends
besides you.  And judging by the look on your face, kid, I'd say that-!"

   "Oh no!" exclaimed Minako suddenly, interrupting the guardian cat, as
the sound of ambulance sirens filled the air, "Yuri-chan!"

   Minako quickly ran towards the approaching sirens, jostling Artemis
violently as she went.  "Ow!  Hey!  Slow down!" complained the cat whist
Minako squeezed him tightly as she approached a crowd of students who had
began crowding around the exterior doors of the gymnasium.

   Within moments an ambulance backed up and two paramedics raced out, as
the gym teacher and several rugby players moved to hold back the assembled
crowd.  "This can't be good," muttered Minako as reached the outer edge of
the group.

   "Minako-chan!" gasped Artemis, forgetting himself as the girl finally
came to a halt, wedging herself between several gossiping on lookers, "I-!
Ooops!  Meow!  Meow!  Meow!"

   A few people glanced over at the suddenly very innocuous feline, but
quickly lost interest as the paramedics came back through the gymnasium
doors.  The crowd instantly pushed forward for a better look as the
stretcher was wheeled out, and as one they, breaking into several different
speculative conversations.

   Minako leaned forward, standing on her toes to see over the other
students, giving a momentary sigh of relief as she saw that the body on the
stretcher wasn't Yuriko.  Instead, it was Mirimoto Tsukasa, the captain of
the school's rugby team.  The white sheet that had been draped over most of
his body did little to hide the extent of his injuries, as peculiar
bloodstains soaked through it.  His skin, which had become inhumanly pale,
made it seem as though he was barely alive.  He breathed only with the
assistance of a respirator, which Minako guessed had something to do with
the dark purple bruises all along his neck, making it obvious that he'd
been partially asphyxiated.

   Tsukasa moaned in pain; his glazed over eyes stared up into nothing. 
The near constant rumor mongering of the crowd drowning out the
observations of the two paramedics as they prepared to lift him into the
ambulance.  But as his head rolled to one side, the crowd gasping at the
sight of his emaciated face, Tsukasa's eyes went wide with fright.

   His whole body began convulsing madly, his dry throat letting out a long
terrified scream that sounded more animal than human as he thrashed about
violently.  "He's going into cardiac arrest!" one of the paramedics
shouted, as Tsukasa's screaming increased in pitch, and he began babbling
incoherently, as he struggled to break free.

   "We need a sedative!" shouted the other paramedic, doing his best to
hold down Tsukasa as he began coughing up a mixture of blood and sickly
green goo, "And get these kids out of here!  NOW!"

   Minako quickly extricated herself, not wanting to see anymore of
symptoms of the effect that she knew all too well.  "Still think I'm
overreacting?" she whispered to the cat.

   Artemis shook his head.  "Wow!  That was more than just some sporting
accident!" he commented, "I haven't seen an energy drain victim that bad
off in months.  That must have been one hungry Youma.  You'd think they'd
be more careful since the Sailor Senshi've been on their cases."

   "You sure?" inquired Minako, glancing back over her shoulder as she
walked to a more private area.

   "Definitely!" exclaimed Artemis; "There aren't exactly a whole lot of
things that'll do that to a person.  At least he wasn't reduced to ashes."

   "That doesn't sound very peasant," commented Minako, and practically
dropped the cat before suddenly tearing off without warning, "Yuri-chan!"

   "Hey!" grumbled Artemis under his breath, "Watch it next time!"

   "Minako-san..." Yuriko replied quietly as she approached, the wind at
her back blowing her hair dramatically, a slightly nervous smile crossing
her face as she stepped quietly across the courtyard.

   "Hey!" called out Minako, running over to give her friend a quick hug,
"You had me worried!  There was an...  accident.  I thought you might have
been hurt."

   "Oh, I'm sorry," Yuriko replied softly, glancing over at the dispersing
crowd of students, "I just went to have lunch with my mother.  I also
needed to do some thinking...  I didn't mean to cause you any worry."

   "I see," commented Minako evenly, taking a step back, "Well, I'm sorry
for overreacting, but I guess you just had an effect on me.  And you can't
be too careful these days.  Especially with what just happened to
Tsukasa-san."

   "Who?" inquired Yuriko, giving the departing ambulance a quick glance,
"Oh?  I see..."

   "Yeah, it looked like some kind of wild animal attacked him," lied
Minako, feeling relieved that it hadn't been Yuriko on the stretcher.

   "How odd," the girl commented, turning back to Minako and glancing down
at Artemis with widening eyes.

   "Oh!  Um, this is my cat.  'Artemis'," explained Minako, "Sometimes he
follows me to school."

   "It must be comforting to know that you have a guardian watching over
you," Yuriko replied with a smile as she leaned down to offer her out
stretched hand to the cat.

   "Well, sometimes," admitted Minako, smiling at Artemis, "But other times
he can be a real pain in the butt!"

   The cat gritted his teeth giving her a sidelong glance as Minako glanced
back at him with a sarcastic grin.  "He's very unusual," replied Yuriko, as
the feline leaned into her hand, purring loudly as he was petted, "He
almost seems like one of those Egyptian cats."

   "Well, let's just say that Artemis-kun's lineage goes way back!" laughed
Minako, ignoring her guardian cat's attempts to make her jealous.

   "We should probably be going soon, though," Yuriko replied sadly,
standing up straight and staring down into Artemis' big blue eyes, "Classes
begin anew soon enough.  It would be most unfortunate if we were late, let
alone if we got caught out here with wild animal's attacking students. 
Unless we could convince Artemis-san to protect us..."

   The cat meowed loudly at her words, causing both girls' to laugh. 
"You're right, though," replied Minako, "We'd best head back.  But tell me,
Yuri-chan, would you be willing to let someone walk you home after school
today?  Maybe we can help each other with homework?"

   Yuriko smiled sadly.  "I, I'm sorry, Minako-san," she said, turning away
as the wind blew her twin black braids to one side, "I can't today.  I, I'm
getting a ride home with my mother today.  I'm sorry..."

   "Oh.  Okay, well then, how about tomorrow?" inquired Minako.

   Yuriko shrugged.  "Maybe..." she replied quietly as she forlornly turned
and walked back towards the school.

   "Um...  Okay," responded Minako, "I guess we'll just have to wait and
agree then..."

   "'See'," corrected Artemis in a low voice, as his brain processed the
information that he'd just received.

   "Whatever..." replied Minako as she left him behind.

   'How odd...' thought Artemis, 'Yuri-san was lying...'

   * * *

   Much to Minako's dismay, Yuriko somehow managed to disappear without a
trace once again, shortly after the end of their last class.  But Minako
spent only a little time searching for her friend.  Mostly she just stood
by the parking lot, watching as parents and relatives came to collect their
children and loved ones.

   After ten minutes of waiting with the crowd of people who still
chattered and gossiped on and on about the incident with Tsukasa, Minako
found not a trace of Yuriko, and as she finally walked away, she noticed
Artemis sneaking towards her.

   Minako gave him a sad smile and picked the cat up.  "I'm sorry about
earlier," she told him, as she walked through the open gateway, "But I
guess I was just getting a little carried away..."

   "It's okay, kid," replied Artemis, leaning against her, "We all loose
control sometimes.  But I did find out a thing or two today, though."

   "Oh?" inquired Minako.

   "Yeah," continued Artemis, "I found out that that Tsukasa guy's been in
hospital all afternoon, under constant observation, but the doctors have
absolutely no clue what's wrong with him."

   "No duh," commented Minako, only half listening to the cat, "So I guess
you were right then."

   "You bet!" exclaimed Artemis, suddenly getting that look in his eyes
that said he was up to something, "So I popped by to see Ami-chan this
afternoon.  I told her about the situation and she agreed to stop by the
hospital after school."

   "Does Luna-chan know?" inquired Minako teasingly.

   "What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded Artemis, suddenly going on the
defensive, "It's just a little reconnaissance!  What could possibly go
wrong?"

   "Well," continued Minako, "I just think you should have told everyone
else as well.  Maybe we could get some more insight that way.  You know,
fresh ideas, that kind a thing?"

   "What?!  You have no faith in my planning skills?  Is that it?!" accused
Artemis, feeling strangely insulted.

   "No!" exclaimed Minako, "I just think that only three of us knowing that
the Dark Kingdom's on the move again isn't a good thing.  And if the others
knew about it, we'd have some kind of back up in case something goes wrong
with your little scouting mission.  Ami-chan's powers aren't the most
offensive, ya know."

   Artemis turned away, looking slightly insulted.  "I don't know what's
gotten into you today," he grumbled, "But if you're so concerned about one
little Youma, go ahead!  Alert the others!  Even though this IS the sort of
thing we used to be able to take care of on our own.  But, that was before
we came here..."

   "Are you saying that I've gone soft since I joined a whole team of
Senshi, as opposed to going it alone?" inquired Minako with a scowl, "Are
you implying that I can't take care of one lousy Youma all by myself?! 
Well, you needn't have called in Ami-chan on this one!  'Cause Sailor V is
on the case!"

   "That's the spirit, kid!" the cat laughed as she tore off in the
direction of the hospital...

   * * *

   Ami found it surprisingly easy to get in to see Tsukasa.  The only thing
resembling security was a sign on the door marked "Family Members ONLY". 
And the woman at the nurse's station easily bought her story about visiting
her mother.

   Once she'd slipped quietly into the dimly lit room, Ami shook her head
in dismay.  The large number and variety of medical devices that the
medical staff had hooked the student up to were insane.  Most of monitors
and observation devices would tell them nothing; irregardless of how long
they had him hooked up.  But then, current medical technology was seldom
enough to treat victims' energy drain.

   Quietly, Ami pulled out her computer and began scanning Tsukasa for
various things that not even several million yen in mundane monitoring
equipment could have told her.

   As she waited for the results, she could hear the sound of someone
approaching just outside the door.  Quickly, and with out looking back, Ami
slipped under the bed, closing the cover of her computer most of the way to
hide the light.

   Soon a nurse entered the room, and stood near the bed.  Ami held her
breath as the woman made a few peculiar noises, before chuckling to
herself. A second later, Ami's computer beeped, signaling that it completed
the scan.

   The Sailor Senshi carefully opened the lid and nervously glanced down at
the screen, barely noticing as the nursed took pause and listened intently.
"Task Complete" flashed across the screen, and with a shaky finger, Ami hit
"Enter".

   Glancing up, she saw that the nurse had gone back to her work, and Ami
gave an internal sigh of relief as she went back to the task at hand.  The
Senshi's eyes narrowed as she found what she expected to find.  Tsukasa's
life force had been drained to 10% of normal...  and was somehow falling
rapidly.

   Ami's eyes widened with fright as she realized what was going on.  She
glanced up as several monitoring machines began beeping, buzzing and
clicking madly, desperately trying to sound an alert status.

   'Oh no!' thought Ami, feeling a serge of panic as the sounds of
Tsukasa's struggling filled her ears, and the bed began shaking violently
above her head until the heart monitor gave off a prolonged high pitched
whine, 'She...  She...'

   But her thought was interrupted by the heart monitor giving a single
"beep", before going back to flat line status.  Ami gulped as the nurse
again chuckled to herself, and left the room.  'This can't be happening!'
Ami thought to herself, as her computer confirmed her worse fear.  Tsukasa
had been completely drained, and brought back as a Youma.  The heart
monitor still counting out a single heart beat every ten seconds. 
Indicating that the complex bio-systems that maintained a Youma were
operating "normally".

   Ami waited for the heavy door to close, recording everything that was
happening on her computer, and pulled out her Senshi Transformation Rod. 
'I hope this works...' she thought, fighting down her nervousness, and held
the rod straight out.

   "Mercury!  Star!  POWER!!!" she exclaimed, and was relieved as she was
dragged sideways into subspace for a few precious seconds...

   Once Sailor Mercury popped back into the real world, albeit under the
bed, in an awkward position, she scrambled out of hiding and faced the
newly created Youma.  But, as she struggled to her feet, she was relieved
to find Minako bursting into the room.

   "The nurse!" exclaimed Mercury, "She's the Youma!  Where'd she go?!"

   "Nurse?" inquired Minako, "Which one?  OH!  Mercury!  Look out!"
Instinctively, Sailor Mercury leaped to one side, knocking over the IV
stand, just as a jet of green acid hit the floor where she had been
standing.  "Keep it busy!" called Minako, pulling out her Transformation
Rod.

   "Um, no problem?!" Mercury responded nervously, as she stared at the
oozing black globular monstrosity that had once been Tsukasa.  He/it turned
what could best be described as its face towards the Senshi and opened its
mouth, which was little more than a jagged line cut through the center of
its torso.  It drooled for a second before letting out an innerving sound
similar to a slimy roar, sending its acrid smelling breath out to fill the
small room.

   "You sure did get ugly!" commented Minako, raising her Rod, "Oh, well!
Venus!  Star!  POWER!!!"

   Mercury saw Minako vanish out of the corner of her eye with a soft -pop-
and quickly leapt up across the room to evade the long, slimy black
tentacle the Youma had grown at her.

   She took a moment to regain her footing, and realized that a small bit
of its ooze had landed on her arm.  The formless goo seemly trying to
envelop the appendage, but failed miserably due to its sheer lack of mass.

   "I sure hope that you're not immune to ice!" commented Sailor Mercury,
crossing her arms across her chest as the Youma turned to face her,
"Shining!  Aqua!  Illusion!!!"

   Instantly, a jet of freezing water blasted forth, enveloping the Youma,
and freezing almost instantly.  He screamed loudly as he endured the
instantaneous frostbite of the near absolute zero temperature, and tried to
ooze out of the way shortly before his body was frozen solid.

   Mercury gave a smug grin at her handiwork, and turned as Sailor Venus
popped back into reality beside her.  "Hey!  Not bad, Mercury-chan!" she
commented with a wide grin.

   Mercury nodded, and was about to speak when she saw Venus raise her arm.
"Oh!  Venus!  NO!" she cried, but it was already too late.

   "Crescent!  Beam!!!" the Senshi shouted, sending out a beam of solar
intensity photons that sliced into the frozen Youma.  The golden laser beam
melted a small hole in Mercury's ice, and cut its way deep inside the
Youma's body, causing it to emit strange hissing a popping sounds.  A vile
noxious steam that rose swiftly upwards from the hole followed this, and
Mercury's eyes went wide.

   "Get down!" she exclaimed, dragging Sailor Venus to the floor as the
Youma's shaking body began to crack and splinter before exploding out
wards. Dozens of sharp edged frozen Youma chunks filled the air for several
seconds, causing smaller pieces to land messily around the two Senshi.

   "Wow..." commented Sailor Venus, with amazement, "That was just too
easy! But awfully messy, though."

   "And unfortunately you didn't give me a chance to scan him for further
information on the Youma who created him," Mercury commented, trying to
hide her frustration as she picked frozen goo from her hair, "Its Negative
Planar energy signature would still be all over any Childer it brought
across.  But now all that's left is a handful of Youma goo.  I guess I'll
just have to work with the information I acquired at the time of his
Embrace."

   "Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Venus, feeling foolish, "I suppose I've had
allot on my mind lately.  I guess I just got carried away...  And lost
control..."

   "It's okay," assured Sailor Mercury as she picked up her computer and
studied the readings, "It happens.  But I think that we should get out of
here before we have to answer any tricky questions..."

   "Agreed," replied Sailor Venus, and followed her friend out of the
room...

   * * *

   Once outside the hospital, and out of uniform, Ami and Minako found
Artemis waiting for them.  He looked up from the newspaper that was lying
on the ground before him and gave them a quizzical look.

   "So how'd it go?" he inquired.

   "Oh, just fine," replied Minako confidently, causing Ami to give her a
nervous sideways glance, "It was nothing we couldn't handle!"

   "Um...  Actually," inserted Ami, "The Youma who did this made an
appearance before Minako-chan arrived.  It finished what it started."

   "Oh?" inquired Artemis, fixing the two with a look of concern.

   "Yeah, it turned Mirimoto-san," Ami finished.

   "Did you get a reading on it?" the cat inquired hopefully.

   "Um, only a partial one," replied Ami tensely, "I didn't have a whole
lot of time...  It all happened so quickly.  But I did find that the Youma
was once female."

   "Technically it still is," commented Artemis with a look of disdain.

   Ami shrugged.  "I also got a reading on its...  um, her, feeding
process. It's kinda odd..." she replied somewhat carefully, "I may need to
run further tests to analyze what my readings, but it seems that we're
dealing with something of a succubus..."

   "What's that mean?" inquired Minako.

   "Um, I think it's better if Rei-san explains that one," replied Ami
nervously, as Artemis chuckled to himself.

   "What's your problem?!" Minako demanded, suspiciously eyeing the feline.

   "Oh, nothing," he said innocently quickly trying to change the subject,
"But hey!  You know, this isn't exactly an isolated incident.  I was
browsing through this old newspaper I found.  Apparently, several dozen
people in Kyoto fell victim to similar symptoms.  But, before the matter
could be investigated, the victims all either died or disappeared.  Hey! 
You know what this means don't you?!"

   "That this goes allot deeper than we thought?" volunteered Ami.

   "Nope!" laughed Artemis, "It means that you guys have to expand your
operation to cover Kyoto!"

   "Oh, get serious!" scolded Minako, glancing at the paper, "So, does it
say anything else note worthy?"

   The cat shrugged and glanced downward at the paper before replying,
"Only that the symptoms were being attributed to some kind of chemical
spill.  The police kept it all fairly under wraps, though, so the press
really wasn't able to get their claws into it."

   "Sometimes I feel like we're the Reality Police," muttered Minako, "We
always seem to wind up trying to keep things like that quiet."

   "Wait a second, here," interjected Ami, "You said 'were' and 'wasn't',
as in past tense.  Just how old IS this newspaper, Artemis-kun?"

   "About 50 years old," the cat replied as the two Senshi slapped
themselves on the forehead.

   "Artemis!" the both exclaimed in exasperation.

   "And wherever did you find a paper THAT old, anyway?" inquired Minako
suspiciously.

   "Eh, I'm a cat," he replied nonchalantly, "We're always getting hold of
things that we shouldn't.  But it doesn't mean that the incidences aren't
connected.  Most of the previous victims were males in their late teens to
early twenties, and all of them had suspicious contusions, and abrasions
similar to Tsukasa-san's.  And, I'd like to point out, Youma ARE immortal!"

   "It's possible," commented Ami, taking out her communicator, "But I
think what we need is some current information.  If there is a correlation,
old newspapers probably won't help us too much unfortunately.  But it's a
start.  Anyway, I'm calling a meeting."

   "Good idea," commented Artemis, as he read some more.

   "Hypocrite..." muttered Minako.

   "What?!" the cat replied sarcastically, "I just agree that this
situation requires some fresh input, that's all."

   Minako shrugged and glanced over at Ami as she finished making
arrangements to meet the others at Rei's place.  "All set," she announced,
"And I asked Rei-chan to do a little digging based off my findings.  She
promised to have something by the time we get there.  Also, Mako-san said
she'd try Artemis' trick and dig up some old newspapers on her way over."

   "Good!" proclaimed Minako, slamming her fist into her palm, "Now we're
getting somewhere!  With any luck we can wrap this up tomorrow, and I can
concentrate on making Yuri-chan come out of her shell!"

   Artemis sighed as Ami turned to him curiously.  "New friend?" she
inquired.

   "Yup!" replied Minako nodding, "And this girl really needs a friend too.
She's new in town and knows nobody.  Also she's very...  Mysterious.  I get
the feeling that all Yurichan needs is someone to help her lighten up a
little and have fun.  Then maybe she'll come out of her out of her shell."

   "Yeah!" laughed Artemis, "Just like a seagull and a clam!"

   "What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded Minako, rolling up her sleeve
menacingly.

   "I think what Artemis-kun is trying to say, is that sometimes...  You
just try to hard at your roll," Ami explained carefully, "And that the best
way to coax a clam out of its shell isn't to drop it from a great height,
hoping that it's shell cracks open."

   "Are you implying that I'm too pushy?!" Minako demanded of the cat,
earning a strange look from a passer by.

   "Um!  Err, no!" stammered Artemis, backing away slowly with a bit of a
smirk, "Just that you can be a little too...  over enthusiastic about being
Sailor Venus sometimes."

   Minako cringed, knowing how true the cat's statement was.  "Oh,
alright," she muttered, "I'll back off a little."

   "Good," replied Artemis, "Trust me, good friendship happen on their own.
There's no sense in scaring her away by being too pushy.  Now let's get
going."

   "Sounds more like dating advice," commented Ami.

   "Oh just-!" stammered Minako exasperatedly as Artemis chuckled and lead
the way to the Cherry Hill Temple...

   * * *

   As the trio entered Rei's room, they found the other three Senshi and
Luna in the midst of a heated debate that paused only for the briefest of
seconds as the door slid open and closed.

   "Problem?" inquired Artemis as he sat down beside Luna.

   The other Guardian cat rolled her eyes and shook her head.  "Same old,
same old..." she muttered in reply.

   "So, why didn't you tell ME that there was something weird going on?!"
demanded Usagi, looking hurt and angry in an ineffectual sort of way, "I AM
the leader of the Inner Senshi after all!"

   "Fine then," commented Rei, glancing up from the enormous tome that she
was reading, "So lead us!  Tell us exactly what we're up against and how to
put an end to it, oh great and glorious leader!"

   Usagi glared at Rei and stuck her tongue out at her, in her usual
childish way, as Makoto smacked her self on the forehead defeatedly. 
"They've been like this since we got the call," she commented, shaking her
head, "But you have to admit, it was kinda risky trying to hunt down a
Youma more or less on your own.  Brave, but just a touch on the foolish
side."

   "Well, sorry, guys," responded Minako as she sat down, "I just thought
that it was going to be a simple matter.  I thought that I could take care
of it.  But I have been kinda distracted lately, I guess.  It's probably
affecting my judgment."

   "Oh?" inquired Usagi suspiciously, as Artemis tried to look innocent in
response to Minako's displeased look, "Did you meet some new guy that your
keeping all to yourself?"

   "What?!" exclaimed Minako, "That's not it at all!"

   "Oh, sure it isn't!" laughed Usagi, tugging at Minako's sleeve, "Come on
now.  I want details!  I DO have a right to know.  I AM your best friend,
after all!"

   Minako's expression betrayed her sudden feeling of dread at Usagi's not
so true statement.  "Leave her alone, Usagi-chan," cautioned Artemis,
"There's no new guy in her life, just a new friend at school.  Kind of a
strange girl though...  And besides, I'M Minako-chan's best friend!"

   Luna sighed heavily at Usagi's hurt expression and turned to Artemis. 
"How do you mean 'strange' precisely?" she inquired.

   "Well, actually," replied Artemis, "I'm not as good at sensing the
oddities of things like you or Rei-chan, but she did give off some odd
'Vibes'.  Yuri-chan's probably just a lowlevel Esper or something. 
Probably nothing to worry about.  But, it's her personality that I was
taking about."

   The moon-cat shrugged and turned to Rei.  "So, find anything useful?" he
inquired hopefully.

   Rei slammed the book closed and put it down on front of her.  "Well, I
found several references to creatures in mythology that fit the M.O., but I
think that Ami-chan's computer might be able to compile a more precise view
of just what it is we're dealing with, assuming we can find anymore
survivors.  Anyways, she mentioned that the Youma who took out Mirimoto-san
was something like a 'succubus'.  And while that's a possibility-"

   "Hey!  Wait!" interrupted Usagi, "What do you mean by 'succubus'?"

   Rei smiled and looked directly into Usagi's wide eyes mischievously. 
"It means," she explained with a sinister grin, knowing what such knowledge
would do to the girl, "that this Youma only feeds off of people whose
energy has been augmented sexually..."

   Usagi let out a yelp, covering her mouth with both hands, as she turned
bright red.  "You mean that in order to feed.-?  It has to-?!  Ami-chan! 
That can't be true!"

   Ami blushed and glanced down at her computer.  "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan,"
she said, trying not to snicker, "But machines don't lie..."

   "AND!" continued Rei triumphantly as Usagi squirmed uncomfortably,
"There are precedents to prove it!  For instance, we've fought Youma with
rather selective digestions before.  Some just need their victims to be
experiencing certain emotions in order to gain sustenance.  Such as pain,
fear, adrenaline rushes, exhaustion...  Orgasm!"

   Minako and Artemis both burst out laughing as Usagi let out a long
whine, hiding her face in her hands, and bending her knees to conceal
herself.  "That'll be quite enough!" scolded Luna, glaring at Artemis.

   "Sorry..." he replied sheepishly, bowing his head.

   "So," interrupted Makoto, "Is there anything else that we should be
aware of?  I already checked through those old newspapers from Kyoto, but
it seems that the trail's pretty cold on my end."

   "True," replied Luna, looking meaningfully at Artemis, "But at least NOW
we're acting as a team again."

   "I'm sorry," whispered Artemis as he inched his way into Minako's lap.

   "So what's the plan, then?" inquired Rei.

   Luna looked thoughtful for a moment, and glanced at the stack of
newspapers beside Makoto.  "Well, I guess all that we can do for now is to
keep our eyes open.  And we all know what THAT means..."

   "Aw!  Not more patrols!" whined Usagi, "They'll take away from my
reading Manga-!  Er-!  Um...I mean, doing my homework!"

   Luna rolled her eyes.  Would you rather be reading about this Youma's
next victim in the newspaper, Usagi-chan?" she inquired.

   Usagi shook her head.  "No, I guess not," she conceded.

   "Actually," commented Rei, "Minako-chan, if your friend IS an Esper,
maybe she can help a little.  Without knowing the whole story, of course."

   "Of course," agreed Minako, enjoying the feeling of being in on a
mini-conspiracy, "But I guess I could always ask Yuri-chan if she'd like to
stop by here after school to meet my friends.  But..."

   "But what?" inquired Luna.

   "But Yuri-chan's a bit reclusive," she answered quietly, "It'll take
some doing..."

   "That's fine," commented Rei, "We're mostly grasping at straws on this
anyway.  Artemiskun's instincts could be wrong about her."

   Artemis shrugged.  "I definitely think that you or Luna-chan'd have a
better time asencing her that I did.  I'm not as in tune with that sort of
thing as you are," he admitted, looking downcast.

   "Don't worry about it," Minako whispered to him, giving the cat a gentle
hug.

   "Anyway," continued Luna, "That about wraps it up for now, I should
think.  Um, Makosan, you're up first.  Meanwhile, I think Usagi-chan needs
help with her homework.  Any volunteers?"

   "Slave driver..." muttered Usagi as Makoto stood up.

   "No problem!" she announced confidently, "I ain't gonna allow some Youma
to murder all the cute guys in Tokyo!  Not on MY watch!"

   "Um, actually..." commented Rei, as the others laughed, "The Youma
probably won't stick exclusively to males, "In western mythology, succubae
don't feed exclusively from one gender.  They also tend not to stick to one
or the other either."

   "Oh great!" exclaimed Usagi as Ami pulled out her geography textbook,
"So no one's safe, then!"

   "Don't worry," chuckled Rei, "You actually have to have a libido to
attract it!"

   "What's THAT supposed to mean?!" demanded Usagi.

   "Oh, nothing..." Rei said with a smirk.

   "Here we go again," muttered Ami...

   * * *

   The rest of the day came and went uneventfully, and Minako felt a
strange sense of relief as she found Yuriko sitting in her assigned seat as
she entered the classroom the next morning.

   "Hi, Yuri-chan!" she called from across the room and hurried to take her
seat beside the girl, "So!  How, ya doin'?  Anything new and interesting in
your life?"

   "Um...  Hi," stammered Yuriko, feeling a little taken back by Minako's
entrance, "I'm fine.  And my life is...  Uneventful."

   "Really?  That's too bad," commented Minako slyly, "Then how would you
feel about trying something new?"

   Yuriko's eyes widened for a moment as she took a deep breath.  "What-?
What did you have in mind, Minako-san?"

   "Oh, nothing much," replied Minako, "It's just that I wanted you to meet
some of my friends today, that's all."

   "Oh," Yuriko replied, turning away, and looking a little pale.  "I, I
guess so.  But I, I'll have to ask my mother."

   "Well, there's no rush or anything, but..." began Minako, feeling her
pulse quicken as she saw moisture beginning to form in Yuriko's eyes,
"Yuri-chan, what's wrong?  Are you okay?"

   "It's...  It's nothing..." the girl lied, "It's just that...  I have a
lot on my mind, that's all..."

   "Hey," Minako said consolingly, putting a hand Yuriko's arm, "It's okay.
But I do worry about my friends when they're not happy.  And with the
incident yesterday, I'm a little concerned that something might happen to
you.  I mean, a lot of criminals target new people in town, who won't be
missed and-"

   "I-!  I'm always careful!" interrupted Yuriko, "Nothing bad EVER happens
to me...  I can promise you that, Minako-san."

   "I hope you're right," Minako replied, "And with me around, it's a
guarantee.  I always look out for my friends.  No matter what!"

   Yuriko turned away and smiled.  "I know," she said softly, her deep
green eyes betraying her mixed emotions, "Thank-you, Minako-chan, but our
instructor has just entered the class, and discussing this later would be
far more appropriate.  Perhaps at lunch?"

   Minako smiled broadly.  "You bet," she whispered, reluctantly pulling
her hand back.

   'How odd.' Minako thought as the class began, 'I feel so emotionally
charged.  Maybe Artemis-kun was right.  I am taking this far too seriously.
Oh well..!'

   * * *

   When the lunch bell finally rang and the crowds of students dispersed
into the halls, Minako had to scramble to get her stuff together and
quickly follow Yuriko.  The girl almost seeming to disappear into the crowd
as Minako raced up behind her.

   "Hey, Yuri-chan!  Wait up!" she called, and tapped her on the shoulder.

   Yuriko paused, and reached back to touch Minako's hand without turning.
"I'm so sorry, Minako-chan," she said sadly, "But I have to go see my
Mother at work again today.  I'll be back in time for class.  I promise..."

   "Oh, I see," Minako responded forlornly, feeling her heart sink as
Yuriko seemed reluctant to meet her gaze, before she began to walk away.

   "Will I get to see you after school?" she called out over the noise of
the other students, her hand slipping out from underneath Yuriko's soft
fingers.

   "I, I'll have to ask..." the girl responded as she disappeared into the
crowd, leaving Minako alone, staring sadly off into space for several
minutes.

   Once the hall had cleared of all other students and faculty, Minako
sighed heavily and turned to go.  "Hey, kid.  What's wrong?" came Artemis'
voice, the cat coming out of some hiding place or other and noticing the
tears forming in his ward's eyes.

   "I don't know," she replied quietly, almost to herself, and leaned
against the wall, "I think that I'm just letting myself get wrapped up in
things too much lately."

   "It's Yuri-chan, isn't it?" Artemis inquired sympathetically, and
sitting down in front of her.

   Minako said nothing, quickly looking away.

   "I thought so," the cat replied quietly, "I think you worry about her
way too much."

   "I know," Minako answered, not meeting his gaze, "But I just wish that
she's stop pushing me away every time we start getting close."

   "I see," commented Artemis contemplatively, "I know what you mean.  But
I think that there might be more to this than you think.

   "How so?" Minako asked, barely listening.

   Artemis shrugged.  "I just think that maybe you're setting yourself to
take a fall," he cautiously explained, "That maybe this girl's just a
loner, and that maybe it's best to just give her space.  Maybe she likes
being alone more often than not."

   "But I-!" exclaimed Minako, turning to face her Guardian Cat with tears
in her eyes, "I...  Just can't..."

   Artemis sighed and shook his head.  "I was afraid of this," he said
under his breath, bowing his head, "I thought that I sensed something
between you two yesterday.  At first I thought that it was just you rubbing
off on me, but I can see it all clearly now.  And I think I know why my
asencing of Yuri-chan was made so difficult.  Strong emotion in the
immediate area.  You're in love with her..."

   Minako closed her eyes tightly and took a haggard breath.  Don't be
ridiculous!" she hissed, "That's not possible.!"

   "It is said that we have no choice to whom we fall in love with,
Minako-chan," the cat replied solemnly, "And you know better than anyone
that love follows no logic beyond it's own."

   "Yeah," she replied in a whisper, "I AM 'Venus' after all..."

   The cat was silent as Minako slid slowly down the wall to sit on the
floor.  He then climbed into her lap and leaned against her.  "I know it
hurts," he responded, "I've loved Luna since we first met a thousand years
ago.  And I feel like I'll die every time she ignores me.  Every time I say
something stupid that makes her angry, I feel like I should go jump off a
high building or something..."

   "But cats always land on their fleet," Minako said with a weak smile, as
she petted him idly.

   Artemis smiled as she put her arms around him.  "I know," he replied,
ignoring her patented misquoting habit, sensing his ward's deep sadness.

   "So, where do I go from here, Artemis-kun?" she asked, hugging him
tightly.

   "That's entirely up to you, Minako-chan," he answered, "Just talk to
her, though.  Find out how she feels.  But be careful.  Don't ruin a
perfectly good friendship over it, okay?  I know you.  And I know that you
care about her enough to accept her as just a friend."

   "Thank you, Artemis-kun," Minako whispered, her tears soaking into his
white fur.

   "For what?" he asked quietly.

   "For not making fun of me..." she answered, "And for being a better
parent to me than my actual parents..."

   "Um, thanks.  I think..." the moon-cat gulped, "But you know that I'm
always here for you."

   Minako smiled.  "I know, " she said, "Now come on.  I brought you some
tuna for lunch..."

   * * *

   As promised, Yuriko was back in time for school, and Minako felt her
pulse race as the girl sat down before turning to her with a meaningful
expression.  "We need to talk," said Yuriko nervously in a grim tone.

   "Then I guess you won't be coming with me to visit my friends today,
then?" Minako inquired sadly.

   "No, I can't.  I'm sorry," she replied sadly, "I can walk part way home
with you though."

   "Really?!" exclaimed Minako happily.

   "Yes," Yuriko said with a weak smile, "I really need to discuss a
personal matter with you along the way."

   She glanced around nervously for a moment, catching sight of Artemis
sitting in a tree outside the window.  "He must really care for you,"
Yuriko commented wistfully, "It's kind a unusual for a cat, though. 
Usually they're fairly aloof and independent."

   "Well, Artemis-kun is different," explained Minako, sensing a certain
irony in Yuriko's words, "He's been there for me for the longest time.  I
guess he just sees me as his daughter or something.  And sometimes I feel
like I should return the favor."

   "Oh?" inquired Yuriko, giving the cat a little grin and a wave.

   "I guess it's like Karma," explained Minako nervously, "If someone's
always there to listen to your problems, you should do the same for someone
else.  Even if since he can't tell me his problems..." Minako suppressed a
smirk and a laugh at her last comment by biting her lower lip.

   "I see," replied Yuriko, her voice taking on its normal calm, controlled
tone, and loosing the edge it had earlier.

   "That's why I- Want to help you in any way that I can," continued Minako
nervously, "So, like, if there's ever anything you need to discuss, I'm
here for you.  Also, I really want to be your friend and that's why- Why I
want to...  To..."

   "Spend more time with me?" finished Yuriko in a hushed tone, looking
directly into Minako's light blue eyes, causing her to shuffle
uncomfortably in her seat.

   "Y-Yes..." admitted Minako, her whole body shaking a little, her pulse
racing.

   "Good," Yuriko replied with a slight smile, "Then I guess you won't mind
talking after school then?"

   "Absotively!" agreed Minako breathlessly.

   "Posilutely..." Yuriko responded, with a hint of sadness as the class
began...

   * * *

   When the bell rang to announce the end of the day, Minako literally
snapped her pen in half.  "OH!" she exclaimed, dropping the broken writing
implement, and searching for something to wipe the black ink off her
fingers with.

   "Here," came Yuriko's soft voice, and Minako blushed as she accepted a
handkerchief from her

   "Thanks," Minako replied, feeling horribly embarrassed as she did her
best to wipe her fingers clean, "So, did you still want to talk?"

   Yuriko nodded as they both stood, but Minako could sense that something
more was up.  "What's wrong?" she inquired, grabbing her school bag.

   "I, um, not here," Yuriko answered, taking Minako's free hand,
"Outside!"

   Minako wasn't given time to respond, she was pulled quickly into the
hallway and out through the sluggishly moving crowds.  Somehow, they seemed
to dodge and weave between other students, as Yuriko lead her with amazing
efficiency through the school.  It almost seemed as though people were
subconsciously avoiding them as they practically flew down the stairs, and
Minako couldn't help laughing out loud as they went.  Soon, though, they
managed to find a clear path through to the front, and were standing by the
front gates before anyone even noticed that they'd left.

   Only once they were out on the sidewalk, though, Yuriko slowed to a
walk. "Wait-!  A second!" panted Minako.

   Yuriko stopped, turning to face Minako as she held her stomach to catch
her breath.  Yuriko's breathing, though, was even, and not a single drop of
sweat showed on her forehead.  "Oh, I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

   "It's...  Okay!" laughed Minako, "I should be used to this sort of thing
by now!  I guess I just wasn't watching my breathing..."

   Yuriko shrugged.  "No, it's my fault," she said, "I do a lot of running
around, and I sometimes forget that others don't like traveling quite as
swiftly as I do."

   Minako gave her a curious look.  "Were you on the track team at your old
school?" she inquired as Yuriko released her hand and the two began walking
again.

   The girl nodded and replied, "Yes, but that was a long time ago. 
Although I did hear something about you being an avid volleyball player."

   "Guilty as chagrined," Minako said with a grin, purposely misquoting,
"But I've been neglecting it a little lately.  I guess I just haven't had
the time anymore."

   "I know the feeling..." Yuriko said sadly, turning to Minako with tears
in her eyes.

   "Yuri-chan, what's wrong?" Minako asked, stopping and taking her hand.

   "Minako..." she whispered, bowing her head and staring at the ground as
her tears fell from her eyes.

   Minako stepped forward, took Yuriko in her arms, holding her tightly. 
"Shh, it's okay," she whispered, "You can tell me.  It's alright..."

   Yuriko put her head on Minako's shoulder, carefully returning the
embrace.  "No.  I can't," she responded, shaking her head slightly, and
sobbing softly as the first few raindrops of the coming rainstorm fell from
the dark clouds above them.

   "Then just let it all out," Minako said softly, taking a deep breath,
and taking in the light scent shampoo off Yuriko's dark hair, "I'm not
going anywhere, Yuri-chan..."

   "I know," she whispered back, holding onto Minako more tightly as the
rain picked up.

   Minako sighed almost contentedly, even as their fellow pedestrians ran
for cover.  "You know," she commented wistfully, staring up at the dark
clouds with a smile, "I always loved the rain.  The way it feels upon my
skin, the way it seems to wash away so many of my troubles and worries. 
The cleansing feeling it always provides..."

   "I hate it..." Yuriko confided, cuddling as close to Minako as she
could, as though Minako could shield her from the rain.

   "Why?" she inquired, turning her head slightly to glance at Yuriko,
"It's kinda like a water fall almost.  Or a naturally occurring shower!"

   "In the shower, I'm in control, responded Yuriko.

   "But we all have to relinquish control for just a little while
sometimes," replied Minako, only half noticing that they were alone on the
street.

   "Not me," Yuriko said tensely, "I'm afraid that if I loose control... 
That I'll hurt someone.  Probably someone I care about."

   Minako reluctantly pulled away just enough to look into Yuriko's eyes.
"Yuri-chan..." she began, shaking nervously as the rain fell cold upon the
places where the warmth of her friend's body had been.

   "Shh," Yuriko replied, placing her index finger upon Minako's lips, "I
want you to know something.  I want you to know that I would never hurt
you, Minako-chan.  But I...-I-!"

   Minako shivered nervously as she gave into impulse and placed the
slightest cautious kisses upon Yuriko's finger, causing the girl to pause.
Her eyes widened for a moment, and Minako felt her face go pale as her
tension level increased dramatically.

   They both stood staring at each other for several silent moments, barely
noticing the rain, but soon Yuriko leaned forward towards Minako.  She
stopped just short of Minako's lips, removing her finger from Minako's lips
and moving her arms to hold her once again, neither of them noticing nor
caring about the way their clothes now clung damply to them.  Minako gulped
down her nervousness as she felt the warmth of Yuriko's breath upon her
lips and saw the true depth of colour in Yuriko's searching eyes, as they
both pressed against each other, both too afraid to make the next move.

   "Yuri-chan, I-" began Minako, but Yuriko silenced her by tilting her
head slightly, and pressing her soft lips against Minako's.

   Minako sighed contentedly; feeling her tension and nervousness drain
away, released by the simple act of a loving kiss and pulled Yuriko a
little closer.  They both closed their eyes as they settled in, but all too
soon regained their senses.

   Minako couldn't help blush as she noticed the way her nipples had
hardened underneath her thoroughly soaked tunic, as they rubbed against
Yuriko's.  But the feeling of embarrassment was quickly washed away as she
felt Yuriko sliding her hand up her back and through her long damp hair. 
Running her fingers through the silken dampness before coaxing Minako to
tilt her head to one side.

   Minako found herself unable to resist as Yuriko's lips touched her own,
and an odd tingling feeling seemed to fill her whole body, yet Minako
hadn't the will to care.  She was far too caught up in the moment, and
passed off the sensation as part of the newness of the situation.

   But soon, as her knees began to weaken, Yuriko pulled away ever so
slightly, and ran the back of her hand down over Minako's cheek.  Minako
tried to speak, as she noticed the sadness in her friend's eyes, but no
words came forth.  "Minako-chan," whispered Yuriko ever so sadly, "I, I'm
so very sorry..."



   Minako barely managed to find the strength to reach towards Yuriko as
she backed away, and found herself lacking in the necessary alacrity to
catch her friend before she turned, ran off down the street, and
disappeared around a corner, thus leaving Minako alone, standing half
paralyzed in the pouring rain...

   * * *

   As Minako walked home alone through the rain, her thoughts were only of
Yuriko.  She ran the memory of kissing her through mind a thousand times,
each time wishing that Yuriko hadn't run off so suddenly.

   'If only she had stayed,' thought Minako sadly, 'I could have told her
just how much I care for her.'

   But her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sounds of screaming and
breaking glass.  Minako looked up, jumping backwards in time to avoid being
nailed by a high velocity lamp, as it came crashing through a third story
window of an apartment complex.  The lamp impacted against the sidewalk
before her and Minako could hear the sounds of screaming from beyond the
shattered bay window.

   So, after quickly glancing around to check for witnesses, Minako dashed
into an alley, and pulled out her Senshi Transformation Rod.  She took a
deep breath and held the rod aloft as more crashing and banging filled the
air, followed by a microwave being tossed out after the lamp.  "Oh, hold on
a second already!" called Minako mildly annoyed, "I'm on my way already! 
Venus!  Star!  Power..!!!"

   Seconds later, Sailor Venus ran back around the corner, crouched down
low, and sprang upwards, her augmented strength bringing her level with the
window.  Once the Senshi was in full view of the apartment, Venus covered
her face with her arms, and leaned forward, causing herself to tuck and
roll into the room.

   Once she'd gotten to her feet, Sailor Venus glanced around and noticed
what was causing the problem.  It was a rather odd looking Youma, about
five feet tall, but hovering a foot or so off the floor.  Its uniformly jet
black body seemed be little more than a ragged, twodimensional bed sheet.
Its head, though, resembled a featherless vulture, and its hands, which
were located at the top corners of its body, ended in long curved talons.

   Off to one side, two small children were cowering and crying as the
Youma turned its attention from them to the Senshi.  It opened its beak and
roared in a ragged, screeching voice that resembled a high-pitched whine
with a hint of laryngitis.

   "Can it, Youma!" taunted Sailor Venus, "And I might go easy on you!"

   "Fresh meat!" it shrieked back hungrily.

   "Ha!" laughed Minako, striking a dramatic pose, "I'm so much more than
just that!  The defender of friendship!  The Senshi of Love!  I AM Sailor
Venus!!!"

   "Hungry!" was the Youma's only response, it's tattered looking lower
body beginning to extending portions of itself towards the floor.  Once
there, they began to writhe about hungrily, before slithering towards their
prey like several long black snakes.

   "Is that the best you can do?!" laughed Venus, as the shadowy serpents
reared up and filled out, becoming three dimensional, before opening toothy
maws to hiss and snap at her threateningly.

   "Hungry?" inquired Sailor Venus sarcastically, "Then eat this! 
Crescent! Beam!!!"

   Energy crackled around the Senshi, and coalesced around the end of her
pointed finger, but to her surprise immediately fizzled out.  "What the-?!"
exclaimed Venus, feeling suddenly dizzy, bringing a hand to her forehead
before collapsing on the floor.

   The serpentine tendrils took advantage of her weakness quickly binding
her ankles, as others raced towards her wrists.  "I, don't get it-!"
muttered Sailor Venus, as she felt her energy reserves plummeting, "This
isn't supposed to happen!  Hey!  Back off, buddy!"

   Sailor Venus gave her head a shake and grabbed at the two tentacles as
they went for her wrists.  She caught them just under the jaw and cringed
as they snapped at her ineffectually.  Then, as the two on her ankles began
trying to gnaw unsuccessfully through her mystic armor, Venus angled the
two sets of snapping toothy mouths towards them.

   The Youma shrieked loudly as it bit down upon itself, and sent another
pair wrapping around Sailor Venus' wrists before she could react, forcing
her arms apart.  The Senshi gritted her teeth, continuing to force-feed the
Youma, but her efforts only seemed to spurn it on, and as she began feeling
a cold tingling creep through the armor that held the Youma's tentacles
half an inch away from actual skin contact.

   "I can't keep this up forever!" Venus grumbled through gritted teeth as
she was pulled in four different directions at once, "I guess this just
calls for desperate measures!"

   With that, Sailor Venus sat up, and bit down hard on the nearest
tentacle.  Once again the Youma shrieked in pain, immediately sending
reinforcements.  One quickly wrapped around its victim's throat, pulling
Sailor Venus back down, as several others backed up the ones binding her
arms and legs.

   The Youma then began pulling the desperately struggling Senshi across
the floor towards itself, with only her armor protecting her from really
bad rug burn.  Once she was within arm's reach, the tentacles that bound
her legs squeezed tighter, almost penetrating the force field that
protected her legs.

   "I won't make this easy for you!" Sailor Venus shouted defiantly as her
lower body was pulled off the floor until she was resting only on her
shoulders.

   The Senshi gritted her teeth as multiple new tentacles slithered about
body, desperately trying to find a weak point, but having no luck.  Several
even tried tearing away at her skirt, but it might as well have been made
of wrought iron for all the luck they had, as one boldly ventured
underneath of it trying desperately to get a grip on her under garments
with even less success.  Venus could just imagine the frustration it was
going through, as she was only vaguely causing her to be aware of the way
it gnawed at the frictionless surface that her armor provided.

   "Having problems?" laughed Sailor Venus, unable to suppress her
amusement at the Youma's utter failure to take advantage of her.  Infact,
it soon found her squirming arms and legs almost too slippery to maintain a
proper grip on, and had to continually shift and shuffle around its
tentacles to maintain its hold.

   "Well, that's just too bad!" she taunted as it tried to unsuccessfully
wrap tentacles around her breasts, failing miserably at it, as the tendrils
simply slid off the armor's frictionless surface, "Because all you're going
is tickling me!  And I HATE being tickled!!!"

   With that, Sailor Venus somehow found the strength to stagger to a
standing position.  She forced her arms forward, grabbing as many squirming
black tentacles as she could into a large bundle by the time her hands met.
The Youma's eyes went wide with disbelief at the feat the Senshi had just
performed, and howled in frustration.

   "Nothing personal!" Sailor Venus commented, shifting her weight, and
beginning to turn in a slow arc, "But I already have someone that I'm
interested in...  And she's the only one that I want touching ME!!!"

   She then began picking up speed, spinning both herself and the
frustrated Youma in faster and faster circles.  The creature made a few
dizzied sounds of protest as the room blurred around it as it spun, it's
free tentacles flailing, and knocking over various household items in an
attempt to anchor itself.

   Finally, it began to almost cry, as the only sound that it heard was the
sound of Sailor Venus laughing maniacally at its expense until she shouted
as loudly as he could, "Crescent!  Beam!!!"

   They Youma let out one last shrieking cry of terror as bright golden
light flowed along its tentacles, following them up to its body, where the
solar radiation began filling it with unimaginable pain.  Its eyes
literally burned out of their sockets as all the hydrogen in its body was
converted into helium in a small, well-contained nuclear fusion reaction.
The Youma wasn't conscious by the time thousands of small black bits flew
in all directions, heralded by a glowing brilliant radiance...

   Sailor Venus sighed heavily as the tentacles that had once held her
disintegrated into dust.  She then looked over at the two small children
who were still cowering in the corner.  "I guess I'll have to call 911 or
something," she muttered quietly, "But I have NO idea as what to report
having actually happened here..."

   Sailor Venus picked up the phone and dialed the number before simply
putting the receiver down on the end table.  "Don't worry," she reassured
the two motionless, frightened children, "they'll send somebody along just
to make sure.  Just stay put, the police will be here soon enough..."

   "Are, are you Sailor Moon?" inquired the boy nervously.

   Venus ground her teeth, composing herself before turning back towards
the two.  "No," she said with a forced smile, "I'm Sailor Venus!  And don't
either of you forget it!"

   "Oh!  I see!" exclaimed the little girl, "I knew you couldn't be HER! 
Because you're much too cool!  You don't need some guy to come in and save
you at the last moment!  You're a real heroine, Sailor Venus!"

   The Senshi sighed contentedly, smiling happily.  "Well, in that case,"
she replied, picking a note pad and pen up off the floor, "Here's a little
souvenir!"

   She quickly wrote "Sailor Venus" on two sheets of paper and handed them
to the two children, before happily bounding out the window, back into the
cold pouring rain...

   * * *

   After changing back, Minako immediately called a meeting.  About fifteen
minutes later, the group was assembled at Rei's.  It was then that Minako
explained to the others most of what happened on her way home.

   "So you say that your powers just fizzled out for a short time?"
inquired Luna as Ami scanned Minako for anomalies.

   Minako nodded and sipped her tea.  "I'm reading a 7.41% drop in your
life force energy," commented Ami in a serious tone, "Are you certain that
you weren't energy drained just before you tried using your Crescent Beam,
Minako-chan?  Or even before hand, perhaps?  You weren't...  'With' anyone
were you?" "What?!" demanded Minako, missing Ami's joking tone completely,
and turning slightly red, "Are you crazy?!  But yeah.  Maybe it did drain
me a little.  But it may have been able to generate some kind of dampening
field as well."

   "That's quite conceivable," responded Ami, "But I don't think that Youma
DID get to you."

   "Oh?" inquired Minako suspiciously.

   "Yes..." explained Ami carefully, "You see, from what I've discerned
from its residual aura signature, and the dust that didn't wash away in the
rain.  This Youma could only feed from frightened victims.  But really,
that's only a hypothesis.  You don't show any signs of showing fear,
though. Not in the last forty eight hour, anyway."

   "It could be that it required an adrenaline rush as well," volunteered
Luna, "But, unfortunately, we're no more closer to solving this-"

   "Hm, that's strange," commented Ami, just before she put the computer
away.

   "What?" inquired Minako, feeling suddenly paranoid.

   "You've experienced heightened endorphin levels in the last four hours,"
explained Ami, blushing a little, "Gee, I was only kidding about you doing
'things'..." "Hey!" came Minako's exasperated reply, "I'd remember
something like THAT!"

   "You wouldn't necessarily have to go too far," explained Ami, "Unless I
miss my guess, the victims of the Youma we're after might not need to be
quite so...  'Brutalized' as Mirimoto-san was.  Maybe it's like Jack the
Ripper.  He only went way out of his way with his killings when he had a
lot of time on his hands.  Maybe you were the victim of a light snack at
an...  'Inopportune moment'?"

   "And just what are you implying?!" demanded Minako, her face becoming
horribly flushed.

   "OR!" laughed Usagi, "Minako-chan really DOES have some new secret
boyfriend she's hiding from us!  And she was so involved that she didn't
even notice-!"

   "Would you just shut up, already!" yelled Artemis, glaring coldly at
Usagi, "Can't you see that Minako-chan's been through a rather traumatic
experience?!  She could have killed!  Or worse!"

   The group stared at the cat, shocked by his out burst.  A second later
Usagi began to cry.  "I think we should go..." Minako said quietly, as she
got to her feet.

   "I, I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," apologized Artemis as he watched Minako step
outside.

   "Well I guess this meeting's just fallen to pieces!" grumbled Makoto,
collecting her things.

   "Look," continued Artemis, "There's some things that I have to discuss
with Minakochan.  There's more going on in her life right now than hunting
some Youma with a hyperactive libido.  Also...  I may have a lead."

   "Oh?" the group, minus the teary eyed Usagi, inquired as one.

   The cat shook his head sullenly.  "No.  Not now, I...  I'm sorry," he
replied.

   "Look, if you have something more for us to go on-" implored Rei.

   "No," Artemis continued, closing his eyes tightly, "Not now...  I have
reason to think that it might be someone close to Minako-chan.  But I need
to break the news to her first, okay?"

   "How does lunchtime tomorrow sound?" inquired Rei.

   The cat nodded.  "For now, fine," he responded, "But right just now, I
have a friend to talk to..."

   The cat then ran out and dashed after Minako, who had had a unfair head
start.  "Oh, man!" Artemis muttered, "I REALLY hate the rain..!"

   * * *

   Minako was leaning against a lamppost several blocks away when Artemis
finally caught up to her.  Her arms were folded across her chest, hugging
herself against the cold as she forlornly stared at the ground.

   "Hey," said the cat, shivering as the rain made him look more like a
drowned rat.

   Minako looked up and Artemis could tell that she'd been crying.  "Oh
dear," he replied mostly to himself, "Minako-chan, what's wrong?"

   She just shook her head, continuing to stare at her feet.  "Forget it!"
Minako yelled over the sound of the pouring rain, shutting he eyes tightly
to hold back the tears.

   "But, you can talk to me," implored Artemis, sitting down at her feet,
"That's part of my job, right?"

   Minako sighed, covering her eyes with her hand.  "I'm not stupid, ya
know," she muttered, "I know what Ami found.  I know when I was energy
drained.  I felt it but I told myself it was something else..."

   "Maybe it was," offered Artemis, looking away, uncertain of how to
continue.

   "But that's not all," Minako continued grimly, "It happened when I
kissed Yuri-chan.  Artemis-kun, so you know what it's like to always fall
in love with the wrong people?!  Every fragging time?!"

   "Minako-chan!" Artemis interrupted, trying to sound sympathetic, "It
might NOT be her!  Maybe the Youma was just passing by and discreetly stole
some of your energy to tie it over 'till dinner!  We don't really know
yet...  But as a precaution, Rei-chan and Lunachan are stopping by your
school to scan Yuri-chan.  And who knows, maybe Ami-chan's computer was way
off the mark."

   "Machines don't die..." sneered Minako, trying unsuccessfully to hold
back her feelings.

   "'Lie'," corrected Artemis quietly.

   "Whatever!" Minako exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

   "Look," continued the cat, "Maybe Yuri IS something else.  But so what?
She didn't exactly strike me as 'evil'.  And I AM a fairly good judge of
character!  And besides, there ARE a lot of other 'things' out there
besides just Youma.  I mean, hey, you know two talkin' cats for cryin' out
loud!"

   Minako gave a small smiled.  "Maybe," she half sobbed, half laughed,
"Maybe she's another Sailor Senshi.  I do seem to recall there being some
possibility of a tenth planet out past Pluto."

   Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Um...  No," he said nervously,
looking around in an exaggerated paranoid manner, "As I recall, that's
something else..."

   "Oh?" inquired Minako, finally meeting the cat's gaze.

   "Um...  It's nothing!  Really!" he replied in his least believable tone
of voice, "And besides, it's one of those things that'll come back to you
once more of your past life memories come back."

   Minako stared down at the cat, trying to hold back a smile, all too soon
giving in, and laughing out loud.  "You're lying through your pointy little
teeth!" she accused, bending over to pick up the wet cat, "You have
absolutely NO idea what's actually out there, do you?  You're just trying
to make me laugh!"

   "Ask me no questions, I sell you no flies!" replied Artemis with the
utmost of sarcasm, "And, um, thanks..."

   "For what?" she asked, hugging the cat closer.

   "For making it easier to tell you that the person you're in love with is
a suspect..." Artemis answered sheepishly.

   "I suppose so," Minako replied with a shrug.  "Yeah well, we can do a
little investigating of our own before the other's show up tomorrow," the
cat suggested, "But I guess that our best bet is to catch her before your
first class.  But it would be easier if we could just visit her at home."

   "She headed west today," replied Minako, "But I can't give you much more
to go on than that."

   "Well, I guess that's something," Artemis said thoughtfully, "Maybe
Ami-chan can do some cross-referencing and find out who's moved into any
vacant apartments in the districts west of your school.  She'd probably
need more to go on, though."

   "Are you kidding!?" laughed Minako, "This is Ami we're talking about
here!"

   "Yeah!" agreed Artemis with a wide grin, "You're probably right, but
we'd best be at school early tomorrow, that way we improve our chances of
catching Yuri-chan before class.  How's an hour sound to you?"

   Minako nodded.  "No problem," she answered, "So long as you don't mind
me being the walking dead first thing."

   "Well," replied Artemis with a wry grin, "I guess you'll just be 'Sailor
Walking Dead' if any Youma show up!"

   "Don't push it, kitty!" Minako said with a scowl.

   "Just kidding!" laughed Artemis, "Now, if you don't mind, what do ya say
we head home, okay?  Pneumonia isn't on my shopping list today!"

   "Sure," responded Minako, "I guess my energy levels are low enough
without catching the flu..."

   * * *

   The next day, Minako and Artemis arrived at school an hour and a half
early, and as promised, Minako was only half awake as the two sat upon a
bench near the front gates waiting for Yuriko to arrive.

   "So, what's the plan, Artemis-kun?" Minako inquired with a yawn.

   The cat glanced around as various other early risers milled about.  "I
think we have a fairly good vantage point right here," the cat replied, "We
can probably just stay put for now."

   "Sounds like a clam," muttered Minako, her eyes half closing warily
before suddenly leaping to her feet, half scaring Artemis to death. 
"Yuriko-chan," she whispered under her breath.

   "What-?!  Where-?!" the cat exclaimed trying to look in all directions
at once.

   "Over there," Minako answered as Yuriko walked slowly towards them, her
eyes downcast.

   "Yuri-chan!" Minako called, as the girl got closer.

   "Oh!  Minako-san, greetings and salutations," she replied sadly,
stopping a few feet away, barely meeting Minako's gaze, "I, I'm so sorry
about yesterday..."

   "It's okay," assured Minako, stepping over to Yuriko, and putting her
hands on her friend's shoulders, "I'm glad it happened.  It just makes it
easier to tell you, Yuri-chan...  That I'm falling in love with you."

   As their eyes met, Minako could see tears starting to form in Yuriko's
eyes, before spilling down her cheeks.  "Minako-san, I-" she whispered,
choosing her words carefully, "I've loved you since I first saw you in the
newspaper in Kyoto.  And as much as I had dreamed that you'd feel the same
for me.  I, I just don't want to wind up hurting you..."

   "Oh!" replied Minako, feeling a little unnerved, "You fell in love with
me due to the pictures I did when I was modeling for those Sailor V
publicity shots?  Wow, I guess I shouldn't have been quite so
self-conscious about my appearance!"

   "Um, no," continued Yuriko, shaking her head slowly, "That's not what I
meant..." She reached into her carrying case and pulled out a scrapbook. 
Yuriko flipped through several pages as Minako reluctantly let go of her
shoulders.

   "This is what I meant," Yuriko replied, "Not publicity shots,
Minako-san. I meant, the real thing."

   Minako's eyes widened for a moment as she saw a newspaper article; cut
out, and pasted to one page in the book.  The picture was of the 'real'
Sailor Venus, firing off a Crescent Beam, with an old headline mentioning
something about her stopping a bank robbery.  Minako thought quickly,
knowing that her Sailor Senshi armor also altered her appearance in such a
way as to give her a level of anonymity.  But still feeling worried that
perhaps her vanity had finally gotten her in trouble, and that Minako's
'impersonating' Sailor V had finally blown her cover.

   "Minako-san, it's all right," came Yuriko's nervous tone, "I know... 
about you.  It's a talent I have.  But I've never told anyone!  I promise,
I'm the only one who knows.  And when I found out that you went to school
here, I couldn't help but ask my 'Mother' to transfer me here, seeing as we
were going to move to Tokyo anyway.  But now I'm afraid that I'm
endangering you.  I'm afraid of hurting you Minako-chan."

   "Yuri-chan," Minako replied, taking the girl's face in her hands and
tilting her head up, "How do you think you could hurt me?  What don't I
know?"

   Yuriko took hold of both of Minako's hands, lowering them.  "Seeing
through your disguise is something that I've always been able to do.  Along
with my other talent..." Yuriko explained sadly.

   "Other talent?" inquired Minako, her pulse racing as they spoke.

   Yuriko nodded and continued.  "Yes, I call it 'Hiding in Plain Sight',"
she explained, "That's why I can disappear so easily.  People just
subconsciously ignore or forget me for a little while.  Just like we did
the other day."

   "Oh!" laughed Minako, feeling relieved, "So that's all!  You're and
Esper!"

   Yuriko glanced back up at Minako and put her arms around her friend. 
"Please," she implored, "just hold me for a little while, my dearest
Minako-chan.  We're shielded from view by my talent, but after you here
what I have to tell you.  You'll hate me forever."

   Minako hugged Yuriko, and the girl squeezed her tightly in return. 
"What is it, my love?" Minako inquired softly, savoring the sensation of
Yuriko's warmth against her own basking in the feeling of freedom of
expression afforded by the girl's psi-power.

   "I, I..." stammered Yuriko, beginning to cry on Minako's shoulder.

   "It's okay," she soothed, "You don't have to tell me all of your secrets
right away...  Even though you seem to know most of mine..."

   "Only some," admitted Yuriko guiltily, "but especially the one that I
have no right to know."

   "Shh, it's okay, Yuri-chan," Minako whispered, "It was bound to happen
sooner or later someone was eventually going to see through my disguise
when I'm out stomping Youma-"

   "That's not it," interrupted Yuriko, shaking her head sadly,
"Minako-chan, have you ever tasted honey?"

   "Yes," she answered questioningly.

   "Well, when I kissed you-" began Yuriko.

   "How very poetic..." replied Minako, hugging her friend appreciatively,
and blushing profusely.

   "No, you misunderstand," Yuriko continued, "it was more than just your
kiss..."

   Minako waited for the girl to finish, but Yuriko only shook her head. 
"Maybe later," offered Minako reassuringly, "We have our whole lives ahead
of us.  But I should tell you.  I have some friends stopping by here for
lunch today, and-"

   "F-friends?" stammered Yuriko, looking imploringly into Minako's eyes,
"Um, can we meet them right here, by any chance?"

   Minako nodded giving her a questioning look.  "Sure, but why?" she
inquired.

   Yuriko turned away and shrugged.  "I, I'd just feel better about meeting
new people in an as public place as possible.  That's all," she answered
nervously.

   "I understand," replied Minako with a smile, ands leaned forward to kiss
Yuriko.

   She turned back and tilted her head slightly before meeting Minako's
lips with unbridled enthusiasm.  The two stood silently for several
moments; simply holding one another, enjoying the comfort provided the
touch of each other's kiss.  But suddenly Minako felt a warm drop of
moisture touch her lips.

   She opened her eyes, and saw that Yuriko was crying.  "I, I'm sorry,
Minako-chan," Yuriko said sadly as she pulled away, causing Minako' heart
to sink, "But I don't want to hurt you..." Yuriko then broke away
completely, and tore off into the crowd of passing students, once again,
disappearing.

   "OH!" there you are!" exclaimed Artemis, running over to Minako as she
stood staring off into space, the feeling of euphoria leaving her a little
dazed, "Where did you two go?  It's like you just vanished!"

   "Paradise..." muttered Minako softly, unconsciously licking her lips,
and stilling feeling Yuriko's touch upon them, as she tasted her tears, "I
never thought that it would be such a sad place."

   "Yuriko-chan," chuckled Artemis rhetorically before noticing the look in
Minako's eyes.  "Hey, what's wrong, kid?"

   "Um...  They're not salty," Minako said wonderingly.

   "What aren't?" the cat inquired.

   "Yuri-chan's tears..." Minako answered, and a chill ran down Artemis'
spine...

   * * *

   Minako spent the morning feeling terribly alone, as for some reason,
Yuriko failed to attend any of their mutual classes.  So, when lunchtime
finally came around, Minako immediately rushed outside to where Artemis was
waiting for her.

   The cat looked up at her with a grim smile and motioned towards the
street.  "They'll be here soon," he said quietly, "But are you gonna be
okay?  You look pale."

   Minako shrugged.  "Maybe," she responded, sitting down on the bench, "I
have NO idea where Yuriko is, though.  She wasn't in school this morning."

   Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Well, there goes that plan I
guess..." he muttered.

   Minako looked over at him with tears in her eyes.  "Then I guess that's
it then," she commented sadly, "She's guilty by reason of omission.  The
others will assume that Yutichan ran when she found out that they were on
to her.  Now they'll hunt her down...  and end it..."

   "Minako-chan," Artemis said guiltily, "That's not what's going to
happen. I'm sure she'll turn up.  And then we can go from there.  We'll
just wait for her-"

   "And what if Yuri-chan IS the Youma?!" demanded Minako, "What then..?"

   "We'll deal with that possibility, when, and if it comes to that,"
Artemis answered, hating the way this was hurting Minako, "Don't worry, I'm
sure it's all just a coincidence.  I mean, any evidence that there is
against her is purely circumstantial.  I'm sure that neither of you has
anything to worry about."

   Minako just shook her head, thinking over Yuriko's words earlier that
day, wondering what Yuriko had so desperately wanted to tell her but just
couldn't.  "I just wish that Yuriko was here to defend herself," Minako
muttered, "so that we could prove her innocence."

   Artemis turned away, and noticed the approaching figures of Rei, Ami. 
In Ami's arms was nestled Luna, and all three wore grim expressions upon
their faces.  They noticed Minako and Artemis almost immediately, and
rushed over.

   "I think that we should tell you this right off, Minako-chan," replied
Luna.

   "Oh?" inquired Minako, without looking up from her contemplation of the
ground at her feet.

   "Well, it's just that we found a very old news paper article from
Kyoto," explained Ami, pulling out a photocopied newspaper article, and
handing it to Minako, "We thought that it was only fair that we told you."

   Minako looked up, and took the paper without a word.  She stared blankly
at it for several long seconds, before her eyes went wide, and began
tearing up.  The headline read, "Family of Honor's Student Slain.  Daughter
Presumed Kidnapped".  The picture associated with the article was of
Yuriko. Minako shuddered slightly, but continued reading.  It went on to
say that Yuriko's parents were slain in their beds, and that all that was
found of Yuriko were some torn bedclothes and signs of a struggle.

   Minako dropped the paper and stared blankly forward in silence.  "I'm
sorry, Minakochan," Ami said quietly, putting her hand on Minako's shoulder
for emotional support, "If you need to talk..."

   "It's not your fault," whispered Minako, feeling cold all over.

   "So what now?" Artemis asked Luna quietly.

   The cat shrugged.  "I guess we should find out where she lives," replied
Luna, "It's still possible that there's more to this than we're seeing. 
Some Youma do keep humans as slaves for extended periods.  Sometimes using
them like livestock, feeding from them when hunting is too dangerous to be
worth the bother.  Yuriko-san may still just be an innocent victim in all
of this."

   Minako shuddered at Luna's words.  The thought of some vile Youma using
Yuriko as a food supply filling her with contempt.  But still, there was
the possibly that Yuriko had been brought across by the Youma instead.  She
could have been lying about being an Esper, her abilities could very well
have been Youma powers.  But Minako tried not to think about that.

   "I, I think I need to be alone, guys..." she commented, feeling a little
sick, "If you think that it's for the best go and check out the school's
records for her address.  But, promise me this.  If she IS a Youma, I don't
want to be there when you guys...  End it..."

   "We understand," replied Luna solemnly.

   "I'm sorry, Minako-chan," Ami said again, as her friend turned and
walked away.

   "I know," Minako said forlornly leaving them standing by the gates...

   * * *

   Minako found the tree she would often meet Artemis, and leaned against
it.  She let out a long sigh, and looked up into the ginkgo's foliage. 
"You can come out now," she said evenly to the empty air.

   "How-?  How did you know?" came Yuriko's startled voice from behind her.

   "Lucky guess," responded Minako, turning to see Yuriko leaning against
the opposite side of the tree, her arms folded across her chest.

   "Minako-chan, I-I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you-" began Yuriko.

   "But I guess I'm just getting used to you hiding things from me,"
interrupted Minako, "So, what's the whole story?  Just tell me.  At this
point I can take anything."

   Yuriko took a deep breath before pushing herself away form the ginkgo
tree and moved to face Minako.  "A long while ago she came looking for a
daughter.  Someone to carry on Her legacy.  It was because of my being an
Esper that She chose me," Yuriko explained, her deep green eyes seeming
distant as she spoke, "But I wasn't quite what she'd bargained for.  I'm
not like her.  I refuse to be...  Anyway, a while ago, I heard about Sailor
V.  I became quite a fan of hers...  So I tried to find out everything I
could about her.  Until eventually, I found myself quite in love with you,
Minako-chan.  Then, when I found out that you lived in Tokyo, I begged and
pleaded with Her to relocate us.  I made up all kinds of excuses.  And made
a few scarifies...  But we moved here.  And now I've finally met you in
person, I think I know what I really want.  But first I just want you to
know, that I never told her anything about you, my love.  You're safe from
her, but I'm not.  And that's why- That's why I want you to end this. 
Soon..."

   Minako met her gaze and took Yuriko's hand.  "I promise," she said,
"That I'll take care of this creature that's been using you.  And then no
one will hurt you.  Not ever again, my dearest Yuriko."

   Yuriko shook her head.  "No, Minako-chan," she replied sadly, "There's
more to this than you think..."

   Minako's heart sank as the painful realization sunk in completely. 
"Then you're a- A-" she stammered, unable to get the words out.

   "Minako," sobbed Yuriko, taking Minako in her arms and crying onto her
shoulder, "Please, if you truly love me, don't say it.  Please just don't
say those awful words."

   Minako closed her eyes tightly, fighting back the tears, clenching her
fists as she felt her anger build.  She felt angry with herself for not
accepting the truth sooner, and felt mad at the universe for never allowing
her a "normal" relationship, she was consumed with hatred for the inhuman,
twisted creature that had ruined Yuriko's life forever.

   "So, what happens now?" she asked, through gritted teeth, putting her
arms carefully around her friend, no longer caring about the consequences
of close contact with Yuriko.

   I want you to end this," Yuriko whispered almost inaudibly in Minako's
ear, "I can't keep going on this way.  Being something less than human,
sustaining myself by drinking Her corrupted energy..."

   "So, she did 'bring you across' then..?" commented Minako, suddenly
experiencing a terrible calm.

   "Yes," admitted Yuriko, sobbing and releasing new tears, "and that's
why- why I was so afraid to spend too much time with you.  Just in case I-
hurt you.  But please, Minakochan, believe me when I say that I've never
hurt anyone.  I could never.  Infact, the strange thing is, is that I
require a victim who's willing.  That's one reason why I've had to stay
with Her.  So that I could have someone to feed from and not have to worry.
But now, now I just want it all to end.  And I...  Really do want you to
know, that I DO love you, Minako.  Honestly, I do.  And that's why I want
it to be you.  I want you...  To kill me."

   Minako's entire body tensed up, and she held Yuriko tighter, as she felt
the knot in her stomach twist.  "No," she said softly, and with
determination, "Yuri-chan, I can't do that...  But I do believe you.  Even
though I know that my friends probably wouldn't.  Even though I know that
they'd probably just as soon kill you after they take out your 'Mother'. 
But I-!  Just love you too much to hurt you!"

   "But after they kill her, which, I've made almost certain will happen
eventually, I'll starve to death," replied Yuriko, nuzzling Minako's neck
beneath her thick hair.

   "No," Minako replied resolutely, "I won't let that happen.  You, you can
feed from me."

   "Minako-chan I couldn't!  I can't!" Yuriko responded, trying to push
away.

   "You can just take a little.  Whenever you need it," responded Minako,
refusing to let Yuriko go.

   "But I kinda inherited one of Her quirks," Yuriko said carefully, "The
way I have to feed, I..."

   "I know," Minako replied, blushing slightly, "You require intimate
contact..."

   "Yes, yes I do," admitted Yuriko looking embarrassed, "At times, only a
kiss is required, but for a more precise and accurate feeding, more intense
contact is required.  Something about endorphins, I believe.  But if I were
to just continue taking energy through a kiss, I might accidentally take
too much.  Also, the person I feed from must consent wholeheartedly to the
physical contact or all I get is a bad head ache."

   "So, that's what happened the first time we kissed," pondered Minako.

   "Yes," interrupted Yuriko guiltily, "I-I'm so sorry, but I was so
hungry...  She barely gives me enough to sustain myself."

   "Shh, it's okay," Minako reassured her, rubbing Yuriko's back
comfortingly, "I love you, Yuriko-chan, and I'll take care of you from now
on.  I don't care what it takes.  You can feed form me.  So long as you're
careful, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

   "Minako-chan, I- I can't ask you to do that..." responded Yuriko,
shaking her head, "What if, if you saw me in my other form?"

   "It's okay," assured Minako, suddenly feeling a little nervous at the
prospect of what she was suggesting, "I can handle anything if it means
that we can be together, and that thing that did this to you pays for what
she did to you."

   Yuriko shuddered.  "You have no idea...  But I guess in some ways, I was
using Her..." she replied with a touch of dread, "Anyway, I thank you for
your sediments.  Most times I can't bear to recall the thing's she makes me
do in order to let me feed.  She's so sick...  And cruel..."

   "Don't worry," Minako said as comfortingly as she could, letting Yuriko
let out it all out, "The other Senshi will take care of it.  And then
you'll be free.  I promise, I won't let them hurt you.  Even if we have to
run away together."

   "Thank you, Minako-chan.  But there's just one thing," Yuriko finally
managed, looking into her friend's eyes searchingly, as Minako wiped away
her tears, "I haven't fed since we kissed each other in the rain..."

   In response Minako smiled and kissed her softly upon the lips.  "Then I
guess there's no time like the present," she replied nervously, "I think
that we can get away with only a half day at school.  And besides, I've
been meaning to take you home for lunch."

   Yuriko smiled weakly.  "You are a beautiful person, Aino-sama.  And far
too generous..." she replied wistfully, "You're just far too good to me,
and you're far more than I deserve."

   Minako smiled and kissed Yuriko again, this time on her ear before
hugging her again.  "Hey," she said with a bit of a laugh, "I'm the Senshi
of Love.  And I love you.  I guess I just want to make things better for
you, dearest.  I just want you to be happy, that's all."

   Yuriko shook her head.  "No," she replied, "I don't want you to do this
only for me.  It has to be for you as well.  It wouldn't be right
otherwise..."

   Minako smiled.  "There's a saying that says that at its most basic
level, love is a selfish act," she explained, "We do things to make the one
we love happy.  Because when they're happy, they love us more.  Thus, we
get our needed emotional support, and they do things to make us happy, to
make us love them more.  It's a terribly vicious cycle, but I wouldn't have
it any other way."

   "Thank you," Yuriko sighed contentedly, burying her face in Minako's
hair, cutting herself off from the outside world completely, "For the first
time in so long, I feel safe.  Thank you, Minako-chan..."

   "You're welcome, my love," Minako replied ...

   * * *

   Before too long, they both stood outside the front door of Minako's
parent's apartment.  Minako spent several nervous seconds fumbling for her
keys, but eventually she managed to open the door.  She then quickly
stepped in to disarm the alarm, before ushering Yuriko inside.

   "Come in!  Come in!" she stammered nervously, shaking with excitement,
unable to stop grinning like an idiot, "My parents won't be back 'till
late. So we shouldn't have to worry too much."

   "You sound like you're attempting to reassure yourself more than me,"
observed Yuriko in a subdued tone as she glanced around, and removed her
shoes, but you're right we have all the time in the world."

   Minako turned and took her hand.  "I know," she said, with a smile, "But
I've never done anything like this before."

   Yuriko looked sad for a moment and replied, "In a way, neither have I.
For I've never been with anyone that I've genuinely cared for, or cared
about me."

   "Oh," whispered Minako, putting her arms around Yuriko, "I'm so
sorry..."

   "It's okay," Yuriko responded, "There's nothing you could have done to
change that fact.  But if you're willing to stay with me, Minako-chan, I
know that I can put it all behind me..."

   Minako nodded, reaching out to lock the door.  "So, are you thirsty?"
she inquired, trying to lighten the mood, "Assuming that is, that you... 
can..."

   Yuriko chuckled softly and kissed her on the cheek.  "Yes," she
responded, "I certainly can, and I am."

   "Very well then," replied Minako conversationally, "I guess then that
there's a whole lot more about you that I still have to learn."

   "Don't you mean, 'about my kind'?" inquired Yuriko somewhat cynically.

   "I-!  That's not what I said..." Minako responded tensely.

   "But it's what you were thinking.  Wasn't it?" continued Yuriko, "And,
I'll understand if you want to end this charade right now..."

   "NO!" exclaimed Minako, desperately holding onto Yuriko, as tears formed
in her eyes, "Yuri-chan, I love you.  And I don't care what you are!  It
changes nothing..."

   "Thank you," she replied in a quiet whisper with a slight smile, "I just
needed to hear it from you.  And yes, there is a lot you don't know yet. 
Perhaps this shall be a learning experience for the both of us.  You can
learn about...  my kind.  And I can learn what it's like to make love to
someone I care for..."

   "No," corrected Minako, putting a finger to Yuriko's lips, "Not make
love 'to'.  Make love 'with'."

   Yuriko smiled and rested her head against Minako's shoulder for a
moment, before pulling away, and holding both her hands.  "Thank you," she
said with a contented smile, leading Minako farther in to the apartment,
"But right now, I am rather dehydrated."

   "No problem," Minako replied and turned them both around to lead Yuriko
to the kitchen.

   Once there, she took out two glasses, and poured each of them a glass of
orange juice.  "I used to practically live on this," Yuriko commented as
she gratefully accepted the drink, "Lately I've only been given water.  But
I still do need it, so that I don't dehydrate..."

   "But you still enjoy the taste right?" inquired Minako hopefully.

   Yuriko nodded in reply, looking thoughtfully down at the cool liquid.

   "Then it's a sign of your humanity shining through," replied Minako,
taking a sip of her juice.

   "I suppose so," Yuriko replied thoughtfully smiling, "It's good to know
that some one believes in me."

   "And that someone loves you," added Minako, walking over to Yuriko and
taking a deep sip of her orange juice before pressing her lips against the
girl's.

   Yuriko's eyes widened in surprise, but she slowly parted her lips as
Minako kissed her.  Minako found herself giggling a little, finding Yuriko
caught off guard by what she had done.  The girl almost gasped, tasting the
cold, sweet orange juice upon her tongue, allowing some of it to dribble
from between their joined lips as Minako tried not to laugh.  Yuriko then
sighed, and tilted her head to one side, as to allow Minako to kiss her
properly, and almost gasped a second time, as a trickle of liquid made it's
way down her neck and underneath her tunic.

   The two carefully tried not to spill anymore as they parted their lips a
little wider, swallowing slowly as their tongue cautiously met, and
tentatively entwined.  They both sighed contentedly, holding each other for
several long moments as they drank up the last of their shared orange
juice. Minako then pulled back slightly and carefully licked the sweet
stickiness from Yuriko's lips.

   Yuriko smiled mischievously as Minako tilted her head to kiss her again.
"You missed a spot," she giggled, and glanced downward.

   Minako paused, taking a second to put take both their glasses and place
them the counter, noticing the almost invisible line of liquid that had
made it's way from Yuriko's lips, down over her chin and neck, to disappear
down the inside of her tunic.

   Minako gulped, shaking a little nervously, as she became intensely aware
of the small curves in the fabric of Yuriko's top.  "I see," she replied,
trying to focus her thoughts as Yuriko's breathing quickened, causing her
chest to move in an appealing manner.

   "It's still quite cold!" Yuriko gasped suddenly, grasping Minako's arms
for support, bringing Minako back to reality.

   She glanced up and met Yuriko's intense gaze.  "Well then," she said in
most sultry voice, "I guess I'll just have to warm you up, now won't I?"

   Yuriko smiled, and bit her lower lip as she watched Minako slid her
hands up under her tunic, before slowly pushing it upwards, her hands
running over Yuriko's stomach.  As Minako's hands moved slowly higher, she
could feel goose bumps rising along Yuriko's soft skin.

   "Nervous?" she asked, her own voice a being a little shaky.  Yuriko
nodded.  "Somewhat," she replied, nodding slightly.

   "Good!" teased Minako, and leaned forward to kiss her.

   In response Yuriko moved to meet her half way, but Minako only aloud for
the slightest touch before pulling away with mischievous smile.  Yuriko
gave her a hungry look, and leaned forward again, but Minako only giggled
moving to one side, before kissing Yuriko playfully on the neck.

   "It's not nice to tease..." Yuriko said in a serious tone, grasping both
of Minako's shoulders firmly, as her eyes glowed slightly for the briefest
of moments.

   "I-!" began Minako; feeling startled by the reaction, but was suddenly
interrupted by Yuriko's lips pressed firmly against her own.

   Minako resisted for only a moment, before catching her breath.  She
sighed contentedly, Yuriko's tongue passing between their joined lips to
find hers.  Yuriko then turned Minako around and pushed her up against the
wall, surprising her a little, but sending chills down her spine
nonetheless.

   Not to be out done, Minako continued her work on Yuriko's tunic, pushing
it upwards as her hands carefully explored her lover's body until she could
feel the fabric of Yuriko's simple bra beneath her fingertips.  There was
then a tense pause as they parted their lips long enough for Yuriko's top
to be completely removed.  She had to struggle a little to extricate
herself from her sleeves, much to Minako's bemusement, but soon the garment
was tossed onto the kitchen floor.

   "Wow," whispered Minako under her breath, her hands on Yuriko's hips as
she assessed the girl's proportions with an impressed look.

   "I take it you approve," Yuriko inquired, tilting her head to one side
and smiling invitingly, before reaching up and taking Minako's face in her
hands and slowly pulling her friend towards her.

   "Very much so..." admitted Minako, blushing profusely as her lips met
Yuriko's.

   As they kissed, she could feel Yuriko's hands slide back, over her ears
and through her long silky hair.  Minako smiled, moving down a little,
feeling just a little less nervous with each kiss she placed upon Yuriko's
pale neck on her path downwards.

   All the while, Yuriko's hands were taking twin handfuls of Minako's
abundant hair as she arched her back in response to her lover's kisses. 
She sighed softly as Minako reached her collarbone, pulling gently at
Minako's hair, urging her ever downwards.

   Minako chuckled to herself as she was pulled down and soon tasted the
rouge dribble of orange juice that had left a sticky sweet trail down
Yuriko's chest.  She paused just long enough to bend her knees slightly,
feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise in reaction to her
nervousness, as she found herself within striking distance of Yuriko's
breasts.  She glanced down at the simple white bra the girl wore and kissed
her just above it before glancing up at Yuriko.

   "It's, it's okay," whispered Yuriko, her eyes closed tightly, with a
look of desperate expectation upon her face, her fingers still urging
Minako forward.

   Minako took a deep breath, causing Yuriko's body to shiver slightly as
Minako's warm breath ran across her exposed skin, before finding the
courage to continue.  Experimentally, Minako gave Yuriko's left breast a
soft kiss through her bra, and glanced up to gage her reaction.

   Yuriko's body seemed to tense up a little, pushing Minako's head back
towards her.  "Don't be scared," urged Yuriko, reaching around to undo the
front facing clasp that held the garment closed.

   Minako nodded slightly, and ran her lips over the hard little bump she
found, before giving it a gentle nibble with her teeth.  As she pulled
back, though, Minako gasped once again, taking pause as Yuriko's bra fell
away, completely revealing her torso.

   "You're beautiful," Minako replied adoringly, leaned up to kiss Yuriko
playfully on the chin, before dropping back down and wetting her lips in
anticipation.

   "Thank you," Yuriko responded, feeling somehow unworthy of the
compliment, even if it was far from an exaggeration.

   Minako returned to her task, carefully running her tongue down the trail
of orange juice that had stopped pretty much between Yuriko's breasts,
before giving her a kiss between them, causing Yuriko to giggle quietly.

   "That tickles," she commented, as Minako's tongue then moved slowly and
tentatively up and over the gentle curve of Yuriko's small breast.

   Minako had to fight back a sudden shyness, though, as her tongue touched
Yuriko's nipple, causing the girl to gasp suddenly.  Minako gulped down her
nervousness and continued, finding no reason to stop.  As her tongue ran in
slow tight circles around the girl's hardened nipple, Minako ran her hands
up higher, over Yuriko's flat stomach before running her fingers over the
soft firmness of Yuriko's firm breasts.

   Minako was so involved, almost fascinated by the way Yuriko's body
responded to her slightest touch, that she barely noticed the way Yuriko
was now tugging at the bottom of her tunic, bringing the garment up to just
under Minako's arms.

   Minako gave a slight sigh of contentment as Yuriko's hands copied her
movements, cupping the firm round orbs of Minako's bosom as she squeezed
Yuriko's small, pink nipples between her fingers, and gave one of them a
careful nibble.

   "I thought- I thought you said you'd never done this before
Minako-chan..." teased Yuriko breathlessly, her knees suddenly feeling
weak.



   Minako blushed a little and smiled.  "I'm just doing what I like having
done," she admitted, straightening up to face Yuriko before allowing her
tunic to be removed.

   "That makes sense," commented Yuriko thoughtfully, admiring her friend's
half naked form, "But, I was wondering...  Can we move this to your room?"

   "Of course," assured Minako, brushing her fingers across Yuriko's cheek,
thus letting the girl kiss her fingers affectionately.

   Minako sighed contentedly, and put her arms around Yuriko.  "Okay, she
replied with a smirk, "Let's go before I forget where it is!"

   Yuriko giggled a little and shook her head in amusement.  "It must be
nice to have your own room," she commented as Minako lead her by the hand
down the hall.

   "I take it take that you currently live in less than pleasant
accommodations..." Minako inquired solemnly.

   "Indeed," her friend replied simply, sadness showing in her voice and a
distant look in her eyes.

   "I'm sorry, Yuri-chan," Minako replied, taking Yuriko in her arms, "I
didn't mean to dredge that up again."

   "It's okay," whispered Yuriko, resting her head on Minako's shoulder as
they stopped just inside Minako's bedroom, thankful for the small comfort
she found in the simple act, "It's my fault.  But, I was hoping in some
way...  That just being with you would make me forget it all."

   "Some times we just need to forget our lot in life," replied Minako,
running her fingers up and down Yuriko's spine, applying a little pressure
with her fingertips to relieve some of her friend's tension.

   "But I can't forget it all," Yuriko said with determination, "I can't
just deny what I am.  And maybe I shouldn't."

   "So long as you don't deny what you were," replied Minako, "And what you
still are."

   "Well, my other form isn't exactly esthetically pleasing, my dear,"
commented Yuriko sadly, "And it's a concern of mine that if you were ever
to see it, that you would be afraid of me...  And you won't love me any
more."

   Minako shook her head.  "No, Yuri-chan," she whispered in reply, her
lips close to Yuriko's ear, "You're beautiful in any form.  A few cosmetic
changes aren't going to change my feelings towards you.  So long as when...
When I'm old and gray...  You'll still be willing to love me."

   "Absotively," Yuriko answered, and moved her head to face Minako with
moisture in her eyes, "I shall always love you.  For what right do I have
to judge you when I'm the only monster here."

   "No..." assured Minako, wiping away Yuriko's tears away with the backs
of her fingers, "Just because your tears are saltless, and you need to make
love with me in order just to survive, doesn't mean that you're not a
caring, kind, compassionate, beautiful human being.  And as I said, I love
you.  No matter what."

   Yuriko smiled and kissed Minako lightly upon the lips.  "Thank you
again," she said, "Especially for putting up with me."

   Minako shook her head slowly.  "Hey," she said with a grin, "It's all
part of the job."

   "Being the Senshi Of Love?" inquired Yuriko, cheering up somewhat.

   "You bet!" laughed Minako, spinning both of them around 180 degrees
before letting go of Yuriko and sitting down on the bed, "I guess one of
the privileges, though, is the ability to fall in love fairly easily. 
Especially with someone like you.  Even though it's so new...  So
different...  So wonderful!"

   Minako let herself fall backwards onto the bed, and smiled as Yuriko
moved to lean over her, supporting herself on her hands.  "And there are
certain advantages to my condition as well," admitted Yuriko, blushing a
little.

   "Oh?" inquired Minako, arranging Yuriko's long braids so that they hung
down on either side of her pretty face, as opposed to trailing off behind
her as they normally did.

   Yuriko watched her movements for a moment, before smiling mischievously
as she slowly leaned forward.  Minako gasped as she took the front facing
clasp of Minako's bra in her teeth and pulled up slightly.  Yuriko then
closed her mouth around the clasp for a moment, as Minako could see a look
of concentration on her face before the bra popped open.

   "Wow!" exclaimed Minako in amazement, as Yuriko seemed to take another
moment to make some kind of adjustment to the inside of her mouth with her
tongue, "That's some trick!  How'd you do it?"

   "Nimble tongue..." commented Yuriko, glancing around nervously before
meeting Minako's gaze long enough for her pretty emerald green eyes to glow
slightly with an eerie luminescence for a brief second, and tried
desperately not to laugh.

   "Should I be afraid?" asked Minako teasingly as Yuriko stood up and
began undoing the buttons on the side of her skirt.

   Yuriko glanced up and smiled.  "Depends," she purred, "Are you afraid of
trying something knew?" She took no small amount of pleasure in the look
she got from Minako as the remainder of her uniform fell about her ankles.

   Minako dropped her head back upon her bed, and covered her face with her
hands to hide her embarrassment at her suddenly strong feeling of arousal.
All the while, she could hear Yuriko sitting down on her knees upon the
floor followed by her friend's hands upon her ankles, sliding her socks off
before moving slowly up her athletic calves to her knees.

   "Oh!" gasped Minako in surprise at the unfamiliar touch of Yuriko's soft
nimble fingers pressing against her skin lightly as her skirt was slowly
pushed up, causing her pulse to race as she realized what Yuriko had in
mind, "I-!  Um!"

   Yuriko stopped immediately, removing her hands, and letting the girl's
skirt fall mostly back into place.  "I'm sorry, Minako-chan," came Yuriko's
concerned apology, "If...  If I've done something to offend you..."

   "No!  No, not at all," assured Minako, sitting up, "That's not it, it's
just all so new to me, and I've never had anyone do THAT to me before. 
That's all.  I got a little nervous for a second is all."

   "Oh, I see," pondered Yuriko thoughtfully with an odd look crossing her
face, "Then I am honored to be the first person that you allow to help you
to experience this one simple joy that you've denied yourself all this
time, Minako-san..."

   Minako chuckled softly, kissing Yuriko on the forehead teasingly before
falling back down again.  "You're NOT in school right now, Agasha-sama!"
she laughed, taking Yuriko's hand, and giving it a squeeze, "You needn't be
so formal."

   Yuriko looked away for a moment, staring out the window.  "I know," she
said, trying to explain, "But it's like I said the other day in the rain. I
don't like loosing control.  And my manner of speaking is part of way that
I maintain that control.  Even my hairstyle is an element of my
self-control, and my victory over my...  Dark side.  And my less than human
urges..."

   "Oh, I see," commented Minako, struggling back up to a sitting position
yet again, "I'm sorry.  I didn't know...  But surely there are times when
you just have let go.  Like maybe when you...  You know..."

   Yuriko shook her head slightly.  "No," she answered quite simply, "I've
never allowed myself to experience THAT sensation.  I'm concerned as to
what will happen if I ever do..."

   "Fireworks, my love," replied Minako, raising Yuriko's hand to her mouth
and each of the girl's delicate finger tips in turn, "And I am honored to
be the first person that you allow to help you to experience this one
simple joy that you've denied yourself all this time, Yuriko-chan."

   "Hey," replied Yuriko with a smile, "You didn't mess up saying that."

   Minako grinned as Yuriko turned to meet her gaze.  "It thumbs and
grows!" she laughed.

   "You did that on purpose!" Yuriko chuckled.

   "Ask me no questions, I sell you no flies!" Minako exclaimed, bursting
out laughing and burying her face in her hands, trying to hide her
embarrassment at being so silly.

   Yuriko shook her head, finding it strange that her smile refused to
fade. "I...  I guess you're keeping your promise, Minako-chan," she
replied, with an odd feeling of contentment.

   "Of course," Minako replied, placing Yuriko's hand upon her knee once
more, "Now then, I seem to recall that you were in the middle of showing me
something new, my love?"

   Yuriko smiled shyly.  "Of course," Yuriko responded, moving back down,
and repeating her previous motions, placing her pale hands against Minako's
ankles and slowly moving them upwards, all the while maintaining eye
contact, and savoring the soft feel of Minako's skin beneath her fingers.

   Minako swallowed nervously, a chill running down her spine as Yuriko
reached her previous stopping point at her knees.  This time, though,
Minako moved them apart as her skirt was brought up, and Yuriko gave each
of her knees an affectionate kiss, running her hands ran along Minako's
well-toned thighs.

   Minako leaned back as far as she could, biting her lower lip and arching
her back, barely noticing her own soft sighs as Yuriko kissed her way up,
over her inner thighs in an alternating pattern of soft kisses.  In
response, Minako ran her hands along the twin braids that Yuriko's hair was
tied in and took hold of the ends, tugging at them and urging Yuriko
towards more intimate areas, as her legs hung off the end of the bed.

   Yuriko giggled a little, tasting the needful urgency of Minako's desire
with other senses that she only she herself dimly understood, as the girl
unfastened her skirt and shuffled it down past her knees.  Yuriko took
advantage of this, and after a few seconds of patiently waiting for Minako
to extricate herself from the garment, she shuffled forward on her knees.
Their naked skin then touched for the first time, sending chills through
both of them, as Yuriko descended upon Minako, placing gentle kisses
against her labia through her panties.

   Minako gasped in response, partially unraveling Yuriko's braids as she
pulled at their ties, allowing the girl's dark hair to fall partially free,
as she moved her legs a little farther apart.  Yuriko paused for a moment
as she tugged playfully at Minako's panties, pulling them slowly down as
she slid the tip of her tongue carefully over the soft, sensitive skin that
she was gradually exposing.

   "I think you're going to drive me completely over the edge just with
pure expectation!" murmured Minako, her breathing becoming more labored, as
she tried to keep herself from squirming.

   "It's much more fun that way," commented Yuriko slyly, watching the
expression on Minako's face change with near fascination as she pulled the
girl's undergarments over her knees and off her athletic legs.

   Minako smiled, panting slightly to catch her breath before Yuriko could
start up where she left off, and used a pillow to prop her head up so that
she could watch.  "Of course, that just means that I'll have to do the same
to you later..." she commented lustily.

   "I would certainly hope so," Yuriko replied innocently, looking down at
Minako before weaving her tongue over Minako's naked skin once again.

   Minako drew in a deep breath, digging her nails into Yuriko's shoulders
as the girl's tongue finally found its way to her hardened clit.  Yuriko
couldn't help giggle as Minako held her breath as a tongue touched her clit
for the first time.

   Minako let out a long sigh as the tension she felt was finally released
with the gentle touch of Yuriko's soft tongue.  Watching with great
interest, her mind swimming in ecstasy, Minako took twin fistfuls of her
bed sheet when she felt the way Yuriko wove her tongue teasingly around and
around her clit, avoiding it by mere millimeters, after licking it but
once.

   "Oh!  I think you're teasing me way to much!" Minako replied, moaning
softly under her breath as Yuriko's tongue sent little sparks of pleasure
through her synapses.

   "I know," responded Yuriko with a wide grin before covering the entire
area with her mouth and sucking hard against it, all the while licking
maddeningly at Minako's clit.  She ran the tip of her tongue around it as
close to the bottom as possible, before making swift tight circles upon the
top of it while pushing down hard with her tongue.

   Minako pushed her head hard against the pillow, her eyes shut tightly,
as the semifamiliar sensation spread through her.  Minako cried out
joyously as she felt her insides convulse and the building finally let go
as her emotionally charged release took hold her.

   She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as her whole body spasmed.  Her
breathing becoming gasping shrieks through gritted teeth, as Yuriko watched
her performance appreciatively, her teeth carefully giving Minako's
hyper-sensitive clit a gentle nibble before giving it a soft kiss, and
moving up to hold Minako in her arms as the girl came down.

   "Thank you," Minako whispered as her almost musical sighs and gasps
faded away to slow deep breaths, and opened her eyes to brush Yuriko's now
loose hair away from her pretty face.

   "I'm not quite finished yet," Yuriko said softly, before reaching back
with her right hand, and running two fingers through the moistness that she
found between Minako's legs.

   "Oh-!  I-!" exclaimed Minako, her eyes going wide.

   "Shh..." soothed Yuriko; kissing her gently up the lips to silence her
for a moment, "Just relax...  Don't be afraid, and just let go..."

   "But I just di-!" exclaimed Minako, feeling one of Yuriko's slender
fingers begin to slowly slide its way up inside her to the second knuckle.
Minako somehow found the strength to put her arms around her lover and bit
lightly into her shoulder as she caught her breath.

   Yuriko continued, though, kissing Minako's neck as her finger wove its
way nimbly around inside of her, slowly pushing farther in every few
moments.  Minako gasped and leaned forward to kiss Yuriko full upon the
lips, savoring the sensation of the slow, careful penetration of Yuriko's
finger.

   It explored around inside of her for several eternal moments, as
Minako's inner walls clamped tightly about it as it made seemingly
impossible movements, bringing Minako closer yet again.  But, as the
pressure built inside of her, Yuriko began pulling back, causing Minako to
break off their kiss and give her a mildly hurt look before she saw the
girl smile and bring her wetted finger up to eye level.

   Minako gave her a somewhat suspicious look as Yuriko smiled a little
shyly before leaning on her left arm for support, and touching her finger
to Minako's lips, spreading the wetness across them.  Minako's eyes widened
in surprise, blushing profusely.

   "Don't be afraid," whispered Yuriko encouragingly, before drawing her
finger back, putting into her own mouth before suckling it, and sighing
contentedly.

   Minako gave a sideways glance and smiled shyly as she carefully licked
her lips.  "Oh!" she whispered under her breath in surprise, "I, I never
knew..."

   "That you had such pleasant body chemistry?" inquired Yuriko with a
smile, "Well, you do.  And from my point of view it's amplified We do have
rather improved senses after all..."

   Minako nodded and met Yuriko's gaze, before going back to almost
absentmindedly untangling the girl's hair.  Combing her fingers through it
affectionately, as Yuriko lay beside her, their legs still in a bit of a
tangle.

   "I could tell that you did by just sitting next to you in class," she
admitted, sliding to one side of Minako and tracing a line down Minako's
neck with her index finger, chuckling slightly as Minako caught her breath
when the girl's finger continued lightly downwards, passing between her
breasts.

   Yuriko glanced at Minako's face and found her friend watching intently
as she placed a hand upon Minako's sternum.  Yuriko sent her fingers over
the soft skin of Minako's endowment, slowly revealing the girl's breasts,
one at a time, by moving the cups of her bra, until after a few long tense
moments, leaving Minako naked before her.

   "I sincerely hope that you never grow wary of my affection, my love,"
whispered Yuriko, running just her fingertips lazily across Minako's
breasts, and watching the way her small pink nipples hardened to Yuriko's
touch.

   "Never..." promised Minako with a bit of concern in her voice, but no
lack of sincerity or passion, "You've captured my heart, and shown me a joy
that I'd never contemplated...  I can't imagine how anyone could ever let
you go..."

   "Thank you, Minako-chan," Yuriko said quietly, leaning down so that she
could kiss Minako, while sliding the straps of the girl's bra off her
shoulders, one at a time.

   "No problem," Minako said with a smile, holding the back of Yuriko's
head, and urging her forward once again.

   Yuriko complied quite willingly, moving down to kiss Minako, but
instead, moved her head slightly, and kissed her neck.  "Are you teasing
me?" Minako asked slyly, as Yuriko shuffled down just a little.

   "You'll see," promised Yuriko with a smile, "Just relax..."

   Minako took a deep breath, and nodded, tensing slightly in anticipation
as Yuriko's hand was suddenly placed upon her knee.  Yuriko barely noticed
the way that Minako held her breath, though, as she carefully placed her
lips around Minako's right nipple and began suckling gently.

   Minako moaned softly, and Yuriko increased the suction, using a small
portion of her Youma abilities to maintain the effect, as her tongue traced
a slow circular pattern around the captive nipple.  All the while, Yuriko's
hand slid up from Minako's knee, giving the girl's firm thigh muscles a
gentle squeeze as it moved upward.

   Minako exhaled loudly, as the sensations sent tingling chills down her
spine and gripped Yuriko's shoulder for support as the girl moved on top of
her.  "Move up a little," urged Yuriko, ending her affectionate assault
upon Minako's small breast for a moment, as she tried to rearrange their
positioning by kneeling at the end of the bed as Minako moved closer to the
headboard.

   "Sorry for the delay," Yuriko commented, this time putting both hands
upon Minako's knees, and moving them both forward over her friend's firm,
athletic thighs, "I'm just not thinking that far ahead, I guess."

   "You're just nervous, 'tis all," assured Minako, stretching out on the
bed invitingly "But then again, so am I..."

   "Then I'll just have to relax you a little," replied Yuriko, almost
thoughtfully, her fingertips suddenly touching lightly against Minako's
labia, causing the girl to cry out suddenly.

   "Oh, dear-!" her partner gasped, causing Yuriko to chuckle a little as
Minako's body quivered beneath her, "Please, keep going-!"

   Yuriko nodded, and carefully ran just her index finger up and down
either side of the opening before moving slightly to press it gently
forward.  Minako gritted her teeth and nodded slightly, reaching down to
hold onto Yuriko's forearms as her friend's finger made slow careful
circles, pushing slowly ever forward.

   Yuriko felt a little guilty, as she could taste Minako's life energy
through every pour of her body that touched Minako's even slightly.  But it
was a peculiar Youma sense in her fingertip that screamed out in hunger as
Minako's body squeezed tightly around the digit while it attempted to
penetrate deeper.

   "Don't stop-!" gasped Minako through gritted teeth as her body shuddered
before letting out a single prolonged exasperated shriek as she flooded her
lover's probing finger.

   Yuriko gasped loudly, unable to keep from stealing a single drop of
Minako's Life Force at the point of ecstasy.  She savored the taste of her
lover's emotions with senses that no mortal possessed, as she continued her
sensual onslaught, weaving her finger deeper inside Minako, and quietly
noting the effect that her friend's active life style had had on her
anatomy.

   "Oh!  How ever did you manage that?!" Minako moaned, opening her eyes,
as Yuriko leaned forward and smile down at her.

   "Too be honest, I kinda used an ability or two," admitted Yuriko, her
long black hair spilling down over Minako's body, inadvertently caressing
her gently, "I also couldn't help taking just a little...  I'm sorry."

   "No, no, my love," soothed Minako, reaching up to hold the side of
Yuriko's face, for a moment forgetting the finger that was still wriggling
slowly inside of her, "It's alright."

   "I just don't want to take advantage of you.  That's all," replied
Yuriko, a little guiltily, tilting her head slightly, and kissing the palm
of Minako's hand.

   "Then maybe I'll just have to take a little more control of the
situation, them," chuckled Minako, reaching back down, and holding Yuriko's
wrist with both hands, "Now, why don't you show me just what else you can
do?"

   Yuriko smiled lovingly and nodded.

   "Oh," Minako added shyly, "And I should tell you.  Sometimes I use
'two'..."

   "Two?" inquired Yuriko, a little confused.

   Minako hid her face with her hand as she blushed.  "Think about it..."
she chuckled, feeling horribly embarrassed.

   "Oh!" exclaimed Yuriko, suddenly catching on, feeling Minako's
embarrassment through their skin contact, and sympathizing, "I see..."

   Minako sighed, trying to relax, paying new attention to the sensation of
inside of her.  She then noticed that her friend's finger seemed to be
moving in an almost impossible manner as Yuriko went about her task.

   "I said you could use two, you know!" chuckled Minako, pulling Yuriko's
hand by the wrist towards her.

   "I have a better idea," Yuriko commented, somewhat mysteriously, her
eyes shimmering slightly for a moment, before making a slight adjustment to
her finger.

   Minako's eyes widened as she felt Yuriko's finger slowly expand inside
of her as it continued to move expertly in and out.  "How-?" she gasped as
her inner walls clung almost hungrily to the digit, and an odd feeling of
pleasant "fullness" gripping Minako's attention.

   "Do you have any other surprises for me?" Minako inquired as her mind
began to drown in a coalescing haze of ecstasy for the third time.

   "Um...  Yes, yes indeed," Yuriko replied, somewhat nervously.

   "Then show me!" pleaded Minako, almost yelling as her passion
heightened, and she arched her back, in expectation of one final release.

   Yuriko fought down her inhibitions, giving into some of her own body's
desires, as well as Minako's.  With the greatest of care, Yuriko made some
minor adjustments to her tongue, and moved once again.  She soon was lying
on her stomach, propped up on one arm, half on the bed with her face mere
inches from where her finger was doing its work.  Yuriko then leaned in the
short distance, and encircled Minako's clit with her mouth once more.  This
accomplished, Yuriko pressed the now modified end of her tongue against the
hardened protuberance.

   By this time Minako's vocabulary had be reduced to a long string of
mostly incoherent gasps, intersplaced by long moans, and the occasional
sigh.  But the strange, although most overpoweringly pleasant sensation of
Yuriko's tongue somehow suckling at her clit caught her off guard, causing
Minako emit a sound that was nearly impossible for human vocal cords to
perform.  At the same time, Minako's eyes went wide as she grabbed twin
fistfuls of Yuriko's hair, pulling her lover as close as possible, whist
her body quivered and shook.

   Yuriko closed her eyes, sighing contentedly and finally, lapping up the
smallest portion of Minako's Life Energy, before basking in the delicious
emotions that were practically emanating from her lover.  The sounds
escaping from Minako's mouth were the harmony to the music of her emotional
output, as her energy levels increased dramatically at the point of sensual
spasm.

   Yuriko gave a frightened yelp, as she had to quickly fight the urge to
shift completely when through special pores in her finger she lapped up the
clear sticky juices that Minako's body was suddenly expelling.  Yuriko
closed her eyes tightly, as the excess Energy filled her, and she "tasted"
the pure sweetness of Minako's Life Force in a larger volume than ever
before.  The sudden, almost sensual rush of Energy swamped Yuriko's senses,
and she barely noticed the pain as she bit her tongue against her own
sudden release.  All the while a faint bioluminescence glowed from
underneath her tightly closed eyelids, as the walls of Yuriko's iron clad
self control were battered by desire.  She desperately wanted to stop, as
she moaned quietly, trying desperately not to cry out, but Yuriko's body
refused to let her, not even for a moment to regain her composure, causing
the poor Youma girl to come dangerously close to changing completely, and
draining her dearest love completely dry.

   Finally, though, Minako's series of exasperated gasps, shouts and cries
of ecstasy died down, her body giving out as it finally attained the level
of release it sought.  With great relief, Yuriko drew back; still fighting
against her partially satiated hunger, and began to remove her elongated,
and expanded finger.

   Minako cried out inadvertently, almost like a wounded animal as the
wonderful sensation of Yuriko inside of her faded and her inner walls came
together once more.  Yuriko, who's breathing was more of a quiet panting,
carefully replaced her finger with her still altered tongue, unable to
resist just a little more of Minako's Life Energy.

   Minako gasped half happily, half exhaustedly, before grabbing Yuriko's
still altered finger, and drawing it up into her mouth.  She moaned
contentedly as she held Yuriko by the wrist, greedily suckling her own
wetness from Yuriko's finger.

   All the while, Yuriko watched Minako with great interest, finding it
nearly impossible to stop the eerie emerald glow of her eyes, or revert her
overly phallic looking finger back to normal.  Instead, she gave in to her
desires just a little, altering her tongue a bit more as it probed deeper
into Minako, subtly undulating the muscle as it expanded in width and
length to fill Minako once more.

   Meanwhile, Minako slurped a bit as she almost absently sucked on
Yuriko's finger while the Youma began to let her own secretions ooze slowly
from her pores.  Minako's eyes opened in surprise, as she tasted a fluid
similar to her own, suddenly filling her mouth.

   Minako gazed down at Yuriko; the girl's mouth pressed firmly against
her. "How-?!" gasped Minako for the hundredth time, pulling the digit from
her mouth for a moment.

   Yuriko only shrugged, her glowing eyes showing a hint of
mischievousness, as she tried to look as innocent as possible.  "Oh, never
mind!" sighed Minako, feeling Yuriko's tongue probe her in impossibly
wonderful ways, as her finger glistened with a new batch of tasty
secretions, "I think I could get used to this!"

   Yuriko sighed contentedly, as Minako began suckling her finger again,
the wonderfully warm sensation of Minako's body against her altered finger
and tongue soothing her hunger for Life Energy slightly, as a feeling of
contentment filled her.

   After several minutes, though, as Minako seemed to be on the verge of
unconsciousness, and her body began refusing to generate any more excess
energy, Yuriko reluctantly retracted her tongue.  Hiding it from view until
it was fully in her mouth as not to scare her friend.

   "Wow..." sighed Minako, practically paralyzed, as Yuriko withdrew her
hand completely, and Minako took many long deep breaths, trying her best to
stretch out, her body glistening with sweat, her long golden hair fanning
out beneath her.

   Yuriko sighed contently as she took in Minako's beauty for a moment, and
almost didn't hear her whispered plea.  "Please," she asked, "Hold me..."

   Yuriko nodded, smiling lovingly as her eyes went back to normal, before
sliding up on to the bed completely, and taking Minako into her arms. 
"Better?" she inquired, as Minako moved to kiss her.

   "Yes, muchly," she responded, once their lips had parted, "That was...
Indescribable..."

   Yuriko blushed, as the two rolled onto their sides.  "You're welcome,
Minako-chan," she replied, with a guilty sadness in her voice.

   "What's wrong?" inquired Minako, savoring the cool touch of Yuriko's
skin against her overheated body.  Yuriko shrugged, holding Minako a little
closer.  "I just feel guilty whenever I use my powers," she admitted, "That
and I almost lost control that time...  I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help
it."

   "Shh, it's okay," soothed Minako, "It's okay, I wanted you to use your
powers.  I wanted to know what you could do.  It was really great, and
besides I 'd rather have you feed from someone who loves, you.  As opposed
to someone whose just using you..."

   "Thank you," Yuriko replied, looking into Minako's pale blue eyes.

   "Besides," continued Minako, trying to change the subject, "A human's
Energy levels go ways up during certain activities...  So really, you could
probably siphon off quite a bit without too many ill effects."

   Yuriko smiled.  "I suppose so," she conceded, "And yes, I am happy to
have someone.  Besides her.  She 'tastes' akin to...  Um, sour milk, I
believe.  So really, loosing you would be the end of me."

   "Not a chance of that happening!" assured Minako, brushing Yuriko's hair
from her eyes, "And soon, we'll take care of that cold hearted monster that
stole your life from you."

   Yuriko nodded.  "Thank you, again, Minako-chan," Yuriko whispered,
holding her closer.

   "Oh, and before I forget," continued Minako, pulling away from Yuriko a
few inches, "I should return the favor..."

   "Oh?" inquired Yuriko with a trace of suspicion.

   "Yes," whispered Minako, leaning back in to kiss her passionately upon
the lips while running her fingers down Yuriko's spine.

   The girl sighed contentedly in response, going somewhat limp in Minako's
arms, allowing herself to be pushed gently onto her back.  But all too soon
Minako broke off their kiss in order to catch her breath, and Yuriko could
sense her nervousness.

   "Just do what you feel," replied Yuriko encouragingly, "Just follow your
instincts."

   Minako nodded with a shy smile, and gave Yuriko the slightest of kisses
upon the lips before slowly kissing down her neck.  All the while, Minako's
hands moved experimentally across Yuriko's body, enjoying the softness of
her skin, and envying the way the girl didn't seem to sweat.  Infact, there
was a slight coolness to her skin that made Minako's temperature to a more
comfortable level.

   But Minako's thoughts became less esoteric as her lips kissed between
Yuriko's breasts causing her friend to quietly take a handful of her hair
and coax her towards one of her hardened nipples.

   Minako complied willingly, and began making the same slow circles with
her tongue that Yuriko had used on her.  The tip of her tongue barely
touching Yuriko's skin, as she spiraled her way towards the center, until
finally taking Yuriko's nipple carefully her teeth and nibbling it gently.

   Yuriko sighed, arching her back, pulling Minako closer and causing her
to inadvertently bite harder than she intended to.  "Ohh!" gasped Yuriko,
her voice attaining a higher pitch for a moment, as Minako desperately
tried to pull her head back.

   "I-I'm sorry!" she stammered, looking guiltily into Yuriko's partly
closed eyes.

   "No, it's okay," Yuriko said with a slight smile, "My pain threshold is
substantially higher then you'd think.  That and I regenerate..."

   "Oh, I see," commented Minako slyly, "I guess I'll just have to keep
that in mind!"

   "Promises, promises..." chuckled Yuriko almost under her breath, as
Minako moved her head back down, and put her lips back upon Yuriko's
breast, and suckling as hard as she could, while bringing up her hand, to
cup the opposite breast.

   Minako then glanced up as she took the opposite nipple between two of
her fingers, as applying pressure to Yuriko's breast with the others.  She
caught another glimpse of the slight glow in Yuriko's eyes, and Minako was
certain that the girl's incisors grew slightly as she cried out as her
nipple was squeezed between two of Minako's fingers, while nibbling,
suckling upon, and running her tongue over the other.

   "Don't you ever come up for air?" giggled Yuriko as the sensations that
Minako's touch was invoking caused her human side to react in ways she had
never truly experienced.

   "Be thankful I'm not Ami-chan," replied Minako, stopping long enough to
shuffle down a bit to give Yuriko's stomach a kiss, before taking a breast
in each hand, and running her tongue slowly downwards, "She swims a lot. 
Probably can hold her breath for hour!"

   Yuriko half laughed, half gasped as both her breasts her gently, but
firm squeezed by Minako's hands, her fingers applying pressure in
alternating patterns.  "I-!  I think I'm satisfied with you, my love,"
replied Yuriko, biting her lower lip, as Minako's tongue touched her clit.

   "I'm glad," Minako replied sincerely, and gave the general area of
Yuriko's hardened clit a deep kiss, before continuing to assault it with
her tongue.

   Yuriko, though, barely heard Minako's words; it was all that she could
do to drown out most of the sensations that were filling her.  There was no
way that she was going to allow herself a complete loss of control, even
though her body was screaming out for release.  But Yuriko knew that if she
were to attain orgasm, she probably wouldn't have the strength to resist
the urge to change form completely.

   Thankfully, though, just as Yuriko's quick breathing and quiet sighs and
moans began to increase in pitch, Minako moved down again, her tongue
tracing lines up and down Yuriko's labia.

   "That was...  so close..." Yuriko gasped as Minako's tongue slid inside
of her at the same time she gave Yuriko's nipples a little squeeze.

   Minako did her best to give a muffled response, but was far too involved
in her sudden

   surprise at the peculiar flavor that filled taste buds.  It was
superficially similar to her own, which she had thought was fairly
pleasant, but Yuriko's body chemistry had conspired to make the girl simple
indescribably delicious, even better than the peculiar secretions she had
produced when Minako had suckled the girl's finger.  Minako guessed that
this was yet another of Yuriko's Youma powers but was far from concerned.

   Instead, Minako let out a long sigh of contentment, settling in before
sucking and licking up as much of Yuriko's secretions as possible.  All the
while, Yuriko was holding her hands, pushing Minako's finger closer
together, and causing her nipples to be squeezed all the harder.

   Soon, though, Yuriko's sense of self-control began to waver all the
more. She desperately wanted Minako to stop, but she couldn't stop the
Youma aspect of herself from continually enhancing the semi-sweet juices
that Minako's was greedily lapping up.  Every time Yuriko opened her mouth
to tell Minako to stop, all that came forth was another cry of ecstasy, or
another prolonged moan, or shriek of delight.

   Without fully realizing everything that she was doing, Minako pulled
back her right hand, and slid her index and middle fingers into Yuriko's
wetness.  At the same time placing her thumb against Yuriko's clit as she
came up for air.

   Minako then stared down, almost hypnotized by the sight of her fingers
sliding in and out of Yuriko as her thumb rubbed against the girl's clit at
the same time.  Once she had caught her breath, Minako leaned back down and
shared Yuriko's clit with her thumb, as Yuriko's whole body began to spasm.

   Minako smiled somewhat in satisfaction as she felt Yuriko tighten around
her probing fingers, as Yuriko tried to hold back the inevitable.  "Mi-! 
Nako-!" she cried, her voice pleading as she grabbed Minako's hand and
yanked it awkwardly away from between her legs, "S-Stop!"

   It took a moment for Minako to comprehend what had just happened, as she
stared a little numbly at her wetted fingers.  She was then hit by a sudden
sense of guilt, and Minako met Yuriko's gaze.

   "I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered, noticing the look of almost pained
concentration on Yuriko's face, "Did I hurt you?!"

   Yuriko shook her head, panting for a moment, trying to catch her breath,
and reestablish control of herself.  "No," she finally replied after a few
tense moments, "It's just that...  Just that I don't want to scare you."

   "How-?" began Minako.

   "If I allow myself to loose control completely I'll change," continued
Yuriko, still feeling Minako's fingers inside of her as her frustrated body
pleaded for more, "And I don't want you to be repulsed."

   "But I won't be," assured Minako, taking Yuriko's hand and giving her
knuckles a reassuring kiss, "I think you're beautiful inside and out.  And
a little metamorphosis isn't gonna change that, Yuri-chan."

   Yuriko turned her head to one side, trying to hide the hunger in her
eyes.  "I can't ask you to continue," she replied sadly, "It wouldn't be
right."

   "Then don't," commented Minako, leaning down to give Yuriko's labia a
long slow lick, sending her tongue partially inside to acquire more of her
lover's flavor.

   Yuriko's eyes went wide with not only with fear, but with awe at the
sense of devotion that Minako was showing her, as well as Minako's courage
to face the unknown.  So Yuriko did her best to relax as Minako placed her
hands on her thighs, gently pushing Yuriko's legs apart a bit more.

   "Please forgive me, my love..." Yuriko whispered softly as the
sensations began to overwhelm her once more, and this time, she simply gave
in.

   Minako barely noticed the change at first, closing her eyes tightly as
her own body began to spasm at the wonderful feeling of pleasuring someone
she deeply loved.  So, she didn't notice the change in Yuriko's skin
colour, as it began to take on a bluish tinge.  Growing deeper and more
pronounced as Yuriko finally found release.  Minako barely noticed the way
Yuriko's fingers extended as the wove their through her long silky hair. 
And the extra light from the green bioluminescence of Yuriko's eyes went
quite unnoticed for some time.

   "Minako-!" Yuriko cried out, pulling the girl as close against herself
as she could, in order to have Minako's probing tongue as deep inside of
her as possible at the point of final ecstasy.

   In response, Minako sucked as hard as she could, trying desperately to
drain Yuriko completely as her tongue began to feel as though it were going
to wear out.  Then, much to Minako's satisfaction, Yuriko arched her back,
and cried out in a long, almost painful sounding exclamation of ecstasy.

   Minako pulled back her mouth, and furiously, and mercilessly then began
licking the girl's clit as Yuriko convulsed beneath her, frantically
flailing about and practically screaming loud enough to wake the dead for
what seemed like forever...

   Finally, though, Yuriko sank back down against the bed, panting as
Minako stared a little nervously at what she's been licking.  The icy blue
of Yuriko's skin seeming to almost glow as the girl came down, and Minako
slowly cast her gaze slowly upward.  What she saw was nowhere near as
horrific as most of the Youma Minako had faced in her career as a Sailor
Senshi.  Infact, Minako could see the beauty in Yuriko's form, as the girl
looked back up at her with tension in her green glowing eyes.

   "It's okay," assured Minako, unsure of what to make of the extra set of
arms that Yuriko had sprouted.

   "I feel very self-conscious right now, though," admitted Yuriko, folding
both sets of arms, her fingers twitching nervously in such a way as to
imply that they had no bones.

   "Don't be," Minako said soothing, sliding up Yuriko's body, and
encouraging the girl to hold her with all her arms.

   "I can't help it," responded Yuriko, complying with Minako's wishes, and
thankful to have her in such close proximity, "I feel such a monster at
times..."

   "You're not," Minako said firmly, and gave Yuriko a nervous kiss upon
her darker blue lips, "You're the woman I love."

   Yuriko smiled, and gave Minako a double hug.  "I hope that one day I
deserve you Senshi of Love," she mused, savoring every moment of Minako's
touch, and feeling slightly less self-conscious.

   "So," replied Minako, a little nervously, "Are there any other surprises
in store for me?"

   Yuriko shrugged.  Only once though.  "I can make a couple of other minor
alterations," she answered, carefully trying to talk around her fangs.



   "Hmm, really..." mused Minako, rearranging herself so that she was
straddling Yuriko, and took hold of one of the girl's extra hands, "I seem
to recall you being able to elongate your fingers?"

   Yuriko nodded.  "Yes, amongst other things," answered Yuriko, suddenly
feeling a little suspicious.

   "And you had that trick of exuding fluid from your pours..." continued
Minako.

   "Indeed," Yuriko responded, "My fingers are tentacles in this form.  I
can even make the secretions quite sticky.  I once used them to climb a
wall..."

   "Wow!" laughed Minako, "You have Swiss Army tentacles!"

   Yuriko smirked, and shook her head, a wide smile crossing her face. 
"They also are extremely sensitive to sensory input.  I could take your
temperature within 2 degrees.  And if need be, I absorb liquids through
them.  Same as with my tongue...  But that makes it hard to talk."

   Minako smiled as she carefully examined Yuriko's fingers/tentacles. 
"I'll be careful not to get you too tongue tied in the future then!" she
laughed.

   "That's just terrible!" laughed Yuriko in response, running two of her
hands up Minako's thighs almost unconsciously.

   "Careful!" Minako warned with a grin, "If you send those much higher, I
might want to try something different!"

   Yuriko stopped, her skin suddenly feeling slightly cooler.  "I, I'm not
certain that I'm completely comfortable with that idea," she replied.

   "Not even just a little?" inquired Minako teasingly, as the
possibilities for what they could do began to intrigue her.

   "Well...  Maybe just a little," answered Yuriko, thankful for Minako's
complete lack of revulsion, and unusual curiosity.

   "Good," giggled Minako taking Yuriko's middle finger in her mouth and
suckling on it the same way as before.

   Yuriko shivered a little at the sudden sensation.  "Those ARE more
sensitive than they look, you know!" she replied, as chills ran up her
spine.

   "Mm-hmm!" responded Minako with a grin, as Yuriko secreted moisture into
Minako's mouth through her pours once again, "Mmf!"

   Yuriko couldn't help giggling as Minako's eyes rolled back and she took
hold of Yuriko's wrist for support at the sudden burst of flavor. 
"Careful, my love," replied Yuriko, feeling a little more comfortable about
giving into her body's desires, "You may give me some peculiar ideas!"

   Minako giggled, and gave her the "thumbs up", before closing her eyes
and arching her back, causing her breasts to stand out invitingly.  Yuriko
sighed, and took advantage of the invitation, extending the fingers on
either side of the middle one that Minako was sucking on.

   They arched downwards, growing to an impossible length, until they
touched the tips of Minako's nipples.  Yuriko paused for a moment, watching
Minako's expression with interest, before willing her fingertips to "open"
and encompass Minako's hardened pink nipples.

   Minako made an approving noise, and Yuriko moved on to the next step. 
The ends of her fingers actually applying a sucking sensation, pulling and
squeezing at Minako's sensitive nipples like two small vacuum cleaners. 
Minako shivered and urged her on.

   Yuriko then moved her other free hand underneath Minako, sliding her
middle finger carefully inside of Minako.  Yuriko smiled as Minako groaned
softly, and took the response as permission to proceed.  Yuriko's middle
finger elongated, and widened, causing even more approving sounds from
Minako as the tentacle/finger filled her, and began rubbing gently against
her inner walls, lubricated by her own moisture.

   "Is this okay for you?" inquired Yuriko, panting softly as sensation
bombarded both their minds.

   "Y-Yes..!" moaned Minako, falling back on top of her, hugging herself
against the girl, "Just-!  Don't stop!"

   Yuriko nodded as best she could, accepting Minako's passionate kiss
before holding her beloved with her two occupied arms, before making use of
some unused fingers.

   She sent an index finger up towards her lover's clit.  Minako responded
with a sudden gasp as the finger did to her clit what two of Yuriko's other
finders were doing to her nipples.

   Yuriko sighed contentedly, experiencing Minako in ways that no human
could conceive of, pausing only to readjust her arm that Minako was lying
on.  Minako, however, barely noticed as Yuriko drew her arm out from
between them, her busy fingers growing all the more to accommodate their
distance from their hand.  Yuriko then moved her two free hands, which were
holding Minako, downwards, sending her fingers in a serpentine pattern
across her skin and down her back.

   Minako giggled slightly as Yuriko's touch sent chills through her,
before her beloved's fingers took a firm hold of her well formed bottom,
and began gently moving her body in time with the probing thrusts of the
finger that Yuriko had buried inside of her.

   The whole time, the aforementioned finger was altering itself slightly,
expanding slightly as Minako's body became more accommodating, as well as
opening small pours through which to draw in her fluids.

   Yuriko sighed into Minako's mouth as the flavor reached the appropriate
sensors and had to concentrate for a moment in order to redirect a small
portion of it.  Then, much to Minako's infinite surprise, her own flavor
filled her mouth, somehow secreted through Yuriko's tongue as they kissed.

   "Mmf!  Ah-!" gasped Minako, pulling back and gasping for breath, "I
don't think I can keep up with you!"

   Yuriko smiled, her long dark hair fanning out around her, her sharply
pointed ears barely concealed by it.  "So long as you approve," she purred,
leaning in to kiss Minako once more.

   "Absotively!" replied Minako, tilting her head slightly to avoid
Yuriko's kiss for the moment, and gave the light frosty blue skin of the
girl's neck a long series of kisses and gentle nibbles.

   "Posoutely..." murmured Yuriko in response, tilting her head back as for
the first time, she felt her hunger sated.

   "Oh!" Minako suddenly exclaimed into her ear, as Yuriko could feel her
beloved's inner wall contracting almost painfully against her
tentacle/finger, "Right there!"

   Yuriko picked up the pace of all her well-coordinated actions, finding
the exact rate of Minako heartbeat, and moving in synch with it.  She also
increased the amount of suction she was providing Minako's clit and nipples
with until Minako was shaking and convulsing almost violently on top of
her. The girl's screams of passion issuing forth quite freely as any and
all of Minako's inhibitions melted away.

   For several eternal moments Yuriko held Minako firmly against her,
kissing her neck comfortingly as Minako's cries filled her ears and mind
with a peculiar joy and comfort that Yuriko had never before felt.

   "I love you, Minako," she whispered into her ear, and sighed contentedly
as Minako desperately tried to respond.

   "I-!  I-!  Ah!  Love-!  You-!  OH!  Too-!" Minako gasped out as her
brain was filled with white light as she peaked, not coming down for
several long seconds.  Yuriko smiled and psychically "lapped up" the
residual emotions and Life Energy that were spinning freely off into
sub-space as Minako panted and sweated profusely.  She could taste Minako's
utter exhaustion, and knew that to ask her for more would only be cruel,
so, irregardless of her own almost inexhaustible constitution, Yuriko
pulled back all her finger/tentacles, and changed back to her human form.

   "Tha- Thank-you..." panted Minako sleepily, as she clung against Yuriko,
thankful for the cool touch of her skin beneath her.

   "For you, anything," promised Yuriko, kissing her forehead, and relaxing
completely.

   "Do I have time for a short nap?" Minako inquired, almost falling asleep
as it was.

   "Yes, I believe so," replied Yuriko, glancing at the bedside clock, and
idly wondering how they'd explain this to Minako's parents if they decided
to come home early.  After all, there were still some odd articles of
clothing left in the kitchen...

   * * *

   At about 3:30pm, Minako was awakened to the sound of an annoying
beeping. She warily opened her eyes, and smiled at Yuriko, who had been
watching over her the entire time, before fumbling around until she found
her Sailor Senshi Communicator.  It took Minako a moment to find the right
button, but when she did, a cold chill passed through her.

   "Minako-chan!" came Ami's panicked voice, "We tracked down the Youma-!
Bu-!  Oh no-!  Minako-chan, help-!"

   Ami's voice was cut off suddenly, and the connection was broken.  "Oh,
dear..." replied Minako, half rolling off the bed, and staggering to her
feet, "This bad!  Very bad..!"

   "Minako-chan," Yuriko said, with a guilty tone, "This is partially my
fault.  Please calm down, I can show you where your friends are.  And don't
worry, she won't have done have done anything to them yet..."

   "Oh?" inquired Minako, collecting her clothes in a panic.

   "She's fed quite a bit lately, and won't be hungry for a while just
yet..." replied Yuriko.

   "What did she do with the bodies?" inquired Minako in a serious tone.

   "Oh dear..." Yuriko whispered almost to herself, and jumped off the bed,
"We should hurry..!"

   * * *

   It didn't take the two very long to get across town.  Minako had
transformed into Sailor Venus, and Yuriko had partially shifted her lower
torso to allow for greater running speed and jumping distance, while her
power concealed them both.

   After about fifteen minutes of near exhaustive travel, Minako and Yuriko
stopped in front of a tall imposing apartment building.  It had no
balconies; so coming in from the out side would be problematic.  Also, the
apartment that they needed was on the 45th floor, which was far too high
for even a Sailor Senshi to jump.

   So, the two simply ran in through the front door, and took the elevator,
seeing as after the day's activities, both their reserves of stamina needed
at least some small reprieve.  The trip up was short, and uneventful, the
elevator didn't even have annoying music piped in.

   Finally, they stood at the entrance of Yuriko's apartment.  Sailor Venus
glanced at Yuriko, and she nodded.  "Well, I guess that there's no sense
knocking!" she replied, "So...  Crescent!  Beam!!!"

   The beam of blinding light fired forth, hitting the wall just beside the
door.  In a split second, it was through and a loud inhuman scream pierced
the air before Venus turned the beam to the let, cutting through the wall,
then the door, back into the wall again, and presumably through another
Youma, judging by the piercing shriek.

   "Now!" the Senshi exclaimed, and Yuriko kicked down the remainder of the
door.

   As they rushed in, past the two bodies of slain Youma, the sounds of
shouts and running feet issued from the other room.  "This is where it gets
rough," observed Yuriko, shifting completely, her extra arms ripping holes
in the sides of her school uniform, as long curved claws grew from her
fingertips.

   "Just how I-!  Err-!  Um, never mind!" stammered Sailor Venus, reading
another attack.

   As she did, three figures dressed in white kimonos burst through the
door of the master bedroom.  They all seemed to men in twenties, with the
plain white masks hiding their faces, hiding their features.

   "Ah!" middle one exclaimed with evil glee, "We face another Senshi!  And
our traitorous sister as well!"

   "You shall have no other siblings, brother," promised Yuriko in a harsh
tone, her voice loosing a small part of its human quality, "Now, either
surrender, or face oblivion."

   "Um, yeah!  Like she said!" laughed Sailor Venus, feeling a little
upstaged.

   "We shall gladly accommodate your foolishness, onee-chan!" laughed the
Youma, as the three changed, their kimonos ripping and tearing in several
places as their new bodies took shape, "But it is you who shall face
Oblivion!  After we have our fun..."

   The middle Youma became nothing more than a spherical mass of black
oozing slime, with a single huge reptilian eye in the center of the mass
and many long black tendrils that ended in sharp barbed hooks.  It some how
managed to levitate a few feet off the floor, and made hideous gurgling
noises as its slimy body constantly oozed while it flailed it's tentacles
menacingly.

   The Youma to its right fell upon all fours and howled as it shifted,
sending chills down the spines of all who heard it.  The Youma's body grew
a long snout, pushing the mask off its elongating face, and gaining more
mass until resembled a huge albino, hairless dire wolf, with a row of sharp
spines down its back and glowing red eyes.

   The final Youma's change was hardly noticeable at first.  There was the
distinct pattern of peculiar movement underneath its pristine white kimono
as its arms retracted and were soon replaced by four, green, pseudopods,
the visible skin around the mask became deathly pale.

   "Ha!" taunted Minako.  "I've had more horrific nightmares after eating
bad burritos!  "

   "We'll see how scared you are in just a few seconds, sailor girl!"
growled the center Youma, "Get her first, guys!  And make sure it hurts!"

   The two Youma on either side of it laughed evilly as they attacked.  The
humanoid one, sending out its four almost glowing pseudopods out towards
Yuriko, as the bargest-like Youma leaped at Sailor Venus, growling and
snarling as green ichor dripped from his jaws.

   "I don't think so, puppy!" exclaimed Minako, kicking the Youma under the
jaw as hard as she could, and sending it flying head over tail before
following it with her energy blast, "Crescent!  Beam!!!"

   The beam of solar light hit the Youma in the chest and sent him flying
across the room, whining mournfully the whole way before hitting a wall,
and coming crashing down on top of the TV set.

   Meanwhile, Yuriko growled slightly, as she crouched down and leaped
forward, somersaulting out of the way of the sticky pseudopods, before
raking two sets of claws across the Youma's chest.  It screamed in pain as
the wound glowed the same green as its pseudopods, before smaller tendrils
began reaching out from the wounds and entangling Yuriko.

   "Yuri-chan!" exclaimed Venus, starting to run towards her, when the
Youma she thought that she had downed bounded across the room, and tackled
her the ground.

   "Excellent!" chuckled the more talkative Youma once again even though no
mouth was clearly visible, "That was even easier than capturing those other
Senshi!  And I'm sure our Mistress will have no problems with us having a
little fun before we turn these one in!"

   "In your dreams!" replied Minako sarcastically, and swiftly drove her
free hand up, and under the Youma who held her awkwardly down, grabbing it
by the crotch, "Crescent!  Beam!!!"

   The bargest-like Youma let out a single long yelping howl as the beam
cut though it from end to end, dissolving its body around the laser, until
merciful death took hold.

   At the same time, Yuriko used all her strength to force one of her right
hands up, and grab her Youma by the porcelain mask it wore.  She forced its
head back, and bit deeply into its neck Her teeth all becoming sharp fangs,
her tongue growing a sharp spike its end that she drove through the Youma's
jugular, and out the back of its neck.

   Instead of screaming or crying it, the Youma merely gurgled as it
dissolved into a pile of green slimy ooze, leaving Yuriko to spend several
seconds spitting out the same goo.

   "Ha!  Is that the best you can zoo!" laughed Sailor Venus, jumping to
her feet, "I've had colds that put up more of a fight!"

   "We'll see!" the Youma grumbled, and faded out, presumably reappearing
behind the now closed bedroom door.

   "You okay?" asked Sailor Venus.

   "Yes," replied Yuriko, after putting her tongue back to normal, "nothing
has happened that I cannot heal."

   "Okay.  So, is there anything I need to know about what we're up
against?" Venus inquired.

   "Just don't believe anything she says," responded Yuriko, her eyes
glowing brightly with determination, "She is a cunning liar."

   "No problems, with that," Venus replied, preparing to kick the door
open, "Just watch my back, Yuri-chan!"

   Yuriko nodded, and braced herself against what was to come as Sailor
Venus kicked down the bedroom door...

   * * *

   Inside, they found that the original walls of the room had been
concealed behind ricepaper ones, a small shrine was set up at the far end
of the room, and a hint of incense filled the air.

   In the center of the room knelt a tall woman, wearing a very expensive
and very old looking red and black kimono.  Her long black hair was mostly
tied up, but a single long strand hung down over her shoulder.  The woman's
strikingly beautiful face was partially concealed by an ornately decorated
half mask that hid the left side, and she seemed somewhat unconcerned by
the way her kimono hung part way open, partially revealing her endowment.
But the most striking thing about the woman was her eerie turquoise eyes,
which glowed slightly as she sipped tea from a small cup, decorated with
little black scorpions.

   "Ah!  Yuriko-chan, at last you've returned!" the woman said mockingly,
"Oh, and I see that you've brought your dear mother another little snack!
You're such a good girl, Yuriko!"

   "Enough!" shouted Sailor Venus, stepping forward, "You're days of
hurting Yuri-chan are over, Youma!"

   The woman merely chuckled in a fake demure fashion.  "Ah!  You must be
Sailor Venus," she replied, "Please, forgive my lack of hospitality.  I am
Bayushi Kachiko."

   Kachiko bowed mockingly and went back to sipping her tea.  "No doubt my
favorite daughter has spread many lies about me, Venus-sama," she
continued, "But I am certain that we can come to some kind of an
agreement."

   "Not a chance, succubus!" growled Sailor Venus, clenching her fists.

   "Oh!  You dishonor your hostess with such insults!" the Youma chucked,
"However, I'm not the only Youma here who must feed upon sexual energy! 
But..." she sniffed the air for a moment, "Ah!  I see that you've already
found that out!"



   "Curse you!" growled Yuriko, hating Kachiko more than she thought
possible.

   "Now, now, little one," the woman taunted, "Be careful, or I might start
thinking that you don't love your mommy!"

   "YOU-!  Were never my mother..." Yuriko's voice trailed off at the end
as she tried to reestablish control over her anger.

   Kachiko laughed.  "I gave you what your parents never could," she
replied, "Eternal life!  You want for nothing, my dear girl.  I give you a
place to live.  I indulge your silly little desire to continue your
schooling.  I provide you with sustenance..."

   "I no longer require the stale bread sour milk of your life force,"
Yuriko stated with an even tone, her skin taking on a slight glow, "I have
found true love, and I no longer have use for your lies."

   "Then, so be it!" laughed Kachiko, as she got to her feet, "If you love
a human more than your mother...  Then you can die like a pitiful human!"

   With that, Kachiko's body made some unpleasant snapping and crunching
noises as she transformed.  Her skin became covered in a hard black and red
chitin as her delicate hands became huge black pincers, and a long scorpion
tail grew out from behind her.  The Youma then sprouted six long tentacles
from her sides, which tore through her silk kimono.  And finally, a pair of
small mandibles ripped out from either side of her face, as her eyes became
two bulging black orbs.

   "Ick..." commented Sailor Venus, not yet noticing the way that the rice
paper walls seemed to melt away, revealing the other Sailor Senshi, as well
as Artemis and Luna, bound to the walls by some kind of dark purplish
resin. They were unconscious, but seemed unharmed, "You got REAL ugly!"

   "We'll see, who's beauty is in question, Senshi!" growled Kachiko,
thrusting her pincers forward, opening them to reveal a mass of sticky, wet
white tendrils, which she sent them swiftly forward in hopes binding both
Sailor Venus and Yuriko.

   "No thanks!" taunted Venus, as she leapt to the side, "I've already had
my dose of tentacle for one day!"

   "Indeed!" laughed Yuriko, as the mass of tentacles merely passed right
through her, before her image faded.

   "What the-?!" exclaimed Kachiko, glancing around the room in an annoyed
fashion.

   "When you brought me across, Bayushi-sama, my Esper abilities increased
dramatically," came the sound of Yuriko's disembodied voice, "You are not
the only one with the power of illusion."

   "True!" growled Bayushi, turning her back to Sailor Venus, "But your
powers are more concerned with hiding yourself like coward!  Where as under
My benevolent tutelage, they could be put to much better use!"

   Sailor Venus quietly raised he arms, and was about to invoke another
Crescent Beam, when before she knew it, several dozen long, black tentacles
wrapped around her from behind.  "Hey!  No fair!" exclaimed the Senshi,
herself unable to move.

   "Ah!  Thank you so very much, dear Aramoro-kun," exclaimed Kachiko with
delight, as she turned to see the Youma that had escaped previously with
its tentacles firmly binding Sailor Venus, "Now the real fun can begin!"

   Kachiko raised her scorpion tail over her head, holding the barbed end
close to Sailor Venus' face.  The Senshi's eyes widened with fright as a
single drop of poison exuded from the stinger, and splashed down against
the floor.

   The Youma laughed and glanced over her shoulder, addressing Yuriko. 
"Dearest, Yuri-chan," she called out, "I do so hope that you don't mind
watching what we do to your little Senshi friend.  My venom will only
invoke paralysis, and once that's done, little Venus will be ours to play
with!  Isn't that right Aramoro-ku-!  Agh!"

   Kachiko was cut off as foamy green bile filled her mouth and a shocked
look crossed her face.  She looked down in time to see Yuriko's four sets
of claws rip through her torso from behind, before literally tearing her to
pieces.

   Sailor Venus gasped, as she saw Yuriko standing over Kachiko's fallen
body, the dying Youma flailing on the ground, making awful gurgling noises
as her body desperately tried to regenerate the damage.  "You will live
long enough for me to tell you this," Yuriko replied, holding up the
porcelain mask Kachiko once made her wear in her bloodied hand, before
dropping it on what remained of the Youma's chest, "I am no longer your
daughter.  I am no longer your servant.  And I am no longer your slave!"

   With that, Yuriko stomped down hard upon the mask with her foot, driving
sharp shards of porcelain deep into Bayushi Kachiko's cold black heart. 
The Youma reached up towards her Childer, her eyes pleading and full of
tears, but no words escaped her lips as her entire body turned to ancient
dust.

   "You killed her!" gasped a shocked Aramoro.

   "Yes indeed," Yuriko replied simply, watching the Youma's blood turn to
dust as well, leaving her hands, and uniform quite clean.

   "You-!  You've betrayed us!" he accused.

   "The strong rule the weak amongst our kind, Aramoro-san," Yuriko
commented walking confidently towards the floating Youma, "And I have
proven myself stronger than Bayushi-sama.  Therefore, what was once
Kachiko-san's is now mine.  Including you, and these pretty little
things..."

   As she spoke, Yuriko motioned to the bound Senshi who here firmly stuck
to the walls, and giving Minako a reassuring glance when the Youma was
distracted.

   "Why should I trust you?" demanded Aramoro, "How do I know you won't
kill me as well!  You killed two of your own brothers already!"

   "Only to prove my point," Yuriko replied, "I gave them the option of
surrender, and they passed it up.  It is the way of such things."

   "I see," commented Aramoro thoughtfully, "But I think I need proof of
your intent!"

   "Oh?" inquired Yuriko, her face betraying no expression, even though she
was more nervous than she had been before in her life.

   "Yeah!" replied Aramoro, thrusting Sailor Venus roughly forward, "Prove
you're still one of us with this one!"

   "Very well," responded Yuriko simply, and reached underneath of Venus'
skirt.

   The Senshi couldn't help but smirk as Yuriko winked at her.  "Oh!  No!
Please don't!" Sailor Venus shrieked, putting every ounce of her acting
talent into performance, desperately trying not to laugh at the look on
Yuriko's face as her finger found the hard, almost impenetrable shield that
blocked Sailor Venus' undergarments, and legs.

   "Oooh!  I don't think she likes that!" laughed Aramoro, truly enjoying
himself as Venus pretended to squirm and try to escape Yuriko's touch.

   "Good," replied Yuriko in a level tone, beginning to find the situation
amusing as well, as Sailor Venus subtlety moved her hands to take hold of
two of Aramoro's barbed tentacles, "It's much more fun when they squirm..."

   "Don't I know it!" laughed Aramoro as Yuriko stepped back, extending her
finger/tentacle as she went, trying to make sure that it still seemed as
though she were violating Sailor Venus.  The whole time, the Senshi begged
her to stop, pleaded with her to remove it, and claimed that it was hurting
her.  All the while, of course, desperately trying not to burst out
laughing as the Youma that held her practically came, and she herself felt
somewhat frustrated at the fact that she was cut off form Yuriko's touch.

   "Now!" exclaimed Yuriko, quickly retracting her finger/tentacle as
Aramoro was at his most distracted.

   Minako nodded and gripped the tentacles tightly.  "CRESCENT!  BEAM!!!"

   From Yuriko's perspective, there was a blinding flash of amber light,
followed by the sound of a small explosion.  "Minako!" she cried, as the
Senshi flew through the air towards her.  Yuriko braced herself, and caught
Sailor Venus in all four arms before being thrown to the ground by the
force of the impact.

   "Oh man," muttered Venus; "They just don't make Youma like they used
to..."

   Yuriko smiled and gave her a quick kiss.  "So long as you're alright,"
she replied with concern.

   "Nothing I can't heal," the Senshi replied with a smirk, "Now, as soon
as I can stand again, we should really free my friends before the police
show up or something."

   Yuriko nodded.  "Yes, you are probably correct," she answered almost
sadly as she changed back to human form, "But I do believe that they're
fine for a few moments more at least.  I'm fairly certain that that armor
of yours kept the others away from them..."

   "I'm sure it was quite frustrating," said Sailor Venus with a smirk,
changing back to Minako, after a moment's concentration and a burst of
orange light, "Maybe I'll have to ask Ami-chan if there's any way to shut
off the force field."

   "Sounds like fun," replied Yuriko a little shyly.

   "Almost as much fun as when 'they squirm'?" inquired Minako with a sly
grin.

   Yuriko's eyes went wide, as she blushed profusely.

   "Just kidding!" laughed Minako, "But you know, I've been thinking..."

   "Oh?"

   "Yeah, when the others wake up, they don't 'need' to know that you're
a...  What you are..." Minako said carefully.

   Yuriko chuckled.  "I think I can shield myself form any kind of mystic
scans if I have to," she replied happily, and gave Minako a hug, "Don't
worry, this can be our secret, now that all the witnesses are dead."

   "Quite," replied Minako, "But I'm afraid my conscience with kill me if
we don't hurry up and save the others."

   Yuriko nodded, and helped Minako to her feet before helping her to free
the other Senshi from the wall...
   THE END Copywrite March 1998 Nikolai Mirovich (Wraith@Flashmail.Com)