“Come on, get back in to bed, Minako,” Artemis pleaded, his old partner still sitting on the floor of her apartment hallway after the argument with Makoto.

“He’s right, Minako, you can’t sleep here. You’ll catch a cold,” Luna added.

“Alright, alright,” Minako agreed, “I’m getting up. Just stop pestering me, would you?”

Luna smiled slightly, reminded for a moment of what it used to be like trying to wake Usagi for school in the mornings.

Minako took a breath and raised herself off the floor with one arm supporting her bruised ribs. She was thankful, though, that Makoto—in her anger—hadn’t noticed her injuries. Judgment and condemnation she could handle but pity she could do without, thank you very much.

Parched, she filled herself a large glass of water from the kitchen tap before heading back to her bedroom. After resting a second glass on her end table, she carefully lied back down in bed.

“So, Makoto’s school was attacked, huh?” she asked the Moon Cats, staring up at the ceiling.

“We don’t need to discuss that now, Minako, gust get some rest,” said the white cat.

“Really, Artemis, you’ve got to stop treating me like a kid!” Minako snapped. “If you’re not going to be of use to me, you can leave!”

Artemis wore an expression of hurt. Luna answered in his stead, “It was a daylight incident; it’s even been in the news. It seems to have been an anomaly as far as open attacks, though. However, if what Makoto says is true, there may be a larger operation in progress.”

Wanting clarification on Makoto’s story, Minako questioned, “They targeted kids?”

Luna knew that this would be a sore spot for Minako, so she approached it carefully. “It seems so, but as I said, that was likely an anomaly,” she confirmed. “Whoever is gathering energy will probably want to do so under the radar, especially now that the police will be on alert. I’ll confirm with Ami when I see her next. She will be able to tell us more about the situation at the hospital, too.”

“I should have been there!” the girl insisted, gritting her teeth in anger and clenching her fist around her bed sheets.

“If you could have, I have no doubt that you would have,” Luna said plainly. “By all accounts, it sounds like the police response was adequate to fend off the monster. Artemis is right, Minako. Now is the time for rest.”

Just then, a scream of pain echoed through the open bedroom window.

“What was that?” Minako said, lifting herself off the bed.

Luna jumped to the windowsill. “I don’t see anything,” she said.

“I’m sure it was just teenagers in the park again Min—” Artemis suggested.

“No, it sounded like Makoto!” Minako insisted.

The cats exchanged nervous glances. Minako might just be right, but she was in no fit state to be leaving the apartment, let alone possibly of heading into battle.

“Even if it was Makoto, she can handle herself just fine,” Artemis assured her.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you know she can’t fight!”

Luna’s stomach fell, knowing this to be true. “Me and Artemis will check on things to be sure,” she proposed.

“Right!” Artemis agreed. “For good measure, give Ami a call while we’re gone. I’m sure it was nothing, but in the unlikely event that it requires a Sailor Soldier, she can take care of it. Okay?”

Feeling a twinge of pain from sitting up too quickly, Minako found it hard to argue. “Fine, but be quick,” she told the cats before they leaped out of the window.

While Luna and Artemis descended the building to the ground floor, jumping from balcony to balcony with feline precision, Minako reached for her cellphone. It was out of battery, so she thought for a moment before reaching into her nightstand for her Wrist Communicator. Despite not using it in years, the Moon Kingdom technology was still functional.

Unfortunately, Minako couldn’t get a hold of Ami using it, which she thought was ironic considering the girl had made the device’s design public in the name of improving communication. Growing apprehensive, she made her way over to the window, staring into the tree lined park across the road, trying to discern a sign of anything out of the ordinary.

That was when Minako spotted it; Makoto’s red hatchback, or one that closely resembled it, parked close to the building’s entrance. If it was her car, that would mean that she was still in the area. It had been at least fifteen minutes since their argument and there was no reason for Makoto to stick around. Then there was that scream to consider.

Minako’s fingers gripped the windowsill hard as she scoured the street below for Luna and Artemis. They weren’t anywhere in sight. It hadn’t been that long really, but she couldn’t risk it. She had to go.

***

Panting deeply, Mercury raised her head. The doll monster loomed over her with its arm drawn back and ready to strike, spinning like an enormous drill. She didn’t need her computer to tell her that with the speed at which it was rotating, the mass of plastic and rubber could do her serious harm.

Still recovering from the Youma’s previous attack, Ami couldn’t muster the strength to dodge its deadly thrust. However, at the last moment, the drill drifted off course and collided with the wooden playhouse behind her. Ami turned away from the resulting rain of splintered debris. When she turned back, she saw the reason for the monster’s bad aim. Luna and Artemis were attacking the Youma’s head with everything they had.

“Get off me, lower beings!” Maladoll cried, stumbling around the park. With its arm pieces making up the oversized drill, Maladoll was unable to swat the Moon Cats away.

Mercury used the timely distraction to slowly crawl behind the remains of the playhouse. She was concerned for the cats, who could be heard angrily meowing and hissing as they continued their assault, but she needed to catch her breath in order to help them.

Luna and Artemis knew they didn’t stand a chance against the monster, but they needed to buy Mercury enough time to recover. So, they used their claws and teeth to pull the creature’s individual head pieces apart as fast as it could reform them. Unfortunately, the monster abandoned its drill and reformed its arms. Seeing this, the cats leaped away but before they knew it, the arms were flying at them.

With impressive agility, Luna and Artemis bobbed, weaved, ducked, and dived as the monster’s arms repeatedly shot at them. They were not regular cats, after all, so their enhanced reflexes served them well. Even so, they couldn’t dodge the attacks forever, and they knew that if captured, it could very well be their end.

Growing frustrated, Maladoll changed tactics, directing both of its levitating limbs at Luna. She reacted well, but while one arm forced her upward, the other would come in from behind to catch her mid-jump. She was able to escape some close calls but was quickly growing tired.

“Fight me, you coward!” Artemis challenged to no avail, his feelings of inadequacy rising once more as he watched his mate struggle. When Luna let out a yelp of pain from a swipe that grazed her, Artemis abandoned sense and reason, and charged at the monster. If it wasn’t going to attack him, he would attack it.

With a growl of fury, he leaped through the air, aiming once more for Maladoll’s head. In his haste, Artemis hadn’t noticed that the Youma’s right arm had already returned to its main body and was going to intercept him.

“Artemis, no!” Luna exclaimed.

“Aqua Mist!” cried Ami, hoping to obscure the scene once more. The thick mist advanced quickly across the park. Unfortunately, with her visor activated, she alone could see clearly that it hadn’t been in time. Maladoll had caught Artemis in mid-air. In addition, the monster had come up with a defense against her mist. As the arm holding the struggling Moon Cat hovered, its leg and torso pieces had formed the shape of a giant, spinning propeller, which promptly blew away the haze.

“Unhand him!” Luna cried.

With a long-distance attack ruled out due to the risk of hitting the captive feline, Mercury moved towards their enemy as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the monster’s body reassembled, and its many, glowing eyes blinked opened.

“No!” Luna pleaded as Artemis was quickly drained of his energy and hurled forcefully at Sailor Mercury. She managed to catch him and cushion his impact, but Maladoll had used the opportunity to follow up with another of his flying punches. Mercury turned in time to shield Artemis but was struck hard in the back of the head and knocked off her feet, the unconscious cat rolling free from the safety of her arms.

“Let’s try this again, human!” Maladoll taunted, rebuilding its drill, and advancing on Mercury.

“Stop!” a voice called out authoritatively.

Luna turned to see Makoto approaching.

“I’ll come with you! Just stop, and I’ll come quietly,” she said to the Youma.

“No, Makoto, you can’t!” Luna protested.

“Why should I?” said Maladoll. “I can defeat this one right now and take you afterwards, and there’s not a thing you could do to stop me!”

“No,” Makoto replied defiantly, revealing an object in her hand.

“A rock?” Maladoll identified. “You think you can harm me with that?” Maladoll mocked.

“No, but I can harm myself,” Makoto asserted, holding the sharp stone to her neck with both hands. “Leave them alone, or I will take my own life!”