Heartsnatchers Chapter Eleven

Serena and her friends were back at school. Amy was top of her class as usual and the other girls were not doing too badly themselves. Except for Serena however. Despite the best efforts of her friends to help her at their study sessions she was barely achieving 25% on her exam papers. “Hey! It's not my fault. Miss H. should have set questions that related to the parts of my study that I could clearly remember well.”

That was her sheepish excuse to Darien, but he smiled, shrugging his shoulders and said, “You're a hopeless Meatball-head. But you're my hopeless Meatball-head,” before taking her to the ice-cream parlour. Serena felt ashamed. Deep down she knew she had broken her promise to Darien, though he truly cared about her. Enough to forgive her.

She still couldn't understand why he had cast off his Tuxedo Mask persona however. The other girls had been flabbergasted and so had Luna and Artemis when she'd told them. But they all reluctantly accepted the situation when she pleaded. “Don't try to push him for an explanation. He seemed genuinely upset when he told me he could not tell me why.”

So they stayed in puzzled silence. Raye did privately enquire from the Sacred Fire, but just like when she tried to find out more information about their current enemies, it yielded nothing to her.

Mina had some rather different things recently on her mind though. That night in her bedroom she picked up one of her old neglected toys and cradled it in her hands sighing wistfully in a chair. Artemis asked her, “Is something the matter Mina?”

She made a mild start. “Huh? Oh Artemis. It's all right. One of my old friends who I used to play with in my school's volleyball team asked me why I quit the team.”

“Oh really? Who was it?”

“It was Jamie. He told me how much he admired my skills. He said it was amazing how I could intercept the ball just like a pro. He couldn't believe I'd stop.”

“What did you tell him?”

“More or less the truth Artemis. I didn't really want to quit but other things in my life took on a higher priority. He asked me what kind of things and I just said they were very personal and I preferred to keep them to myself. He smiled and said that was all right.”

“I understand Mina. Ever since becoming Sailor Venus you've really missed volleyball haven't you?”

“Not just volleyball Artemis.” Mina hugged the ball close to her chest and shut her eyes. “I had forgotten all about how I found Jamie attractive until today. I like him more than I even realized back then.”

Artemis said nothing, but gently nuzzled her ankles sympathetically.

Elsewhere the witch named Byruit was having fun playing hide and go seek with Scar and Nekonelle inside the front rooms of the Tomoe's luxurious home. Ever since she had taken a liking to Scar she had also slowly grown equally fond of Neko and the two of them both declared Byruit their favourite “Auntie”. It was Byruit's turn to close her eyes and count to twenty. “I'll find you two sweeties wherever you hide.”

“Meeoww. We won't make it easy for you Auntie Byruit.”

“Start counting while we find the trickiest possible places.”

“When I find you I'll give you a big hug. One. Two. Three.”

Meanwhile most of the other creations were swimming with Dovlin and Auntie Cyprine, but Hotaru was having fun of her own with her newest sister who was born from the train. Souchi and Kaori had given her the name Toden and the witches had added a set of train tracks to the enormous room in which they had magically constructed a race track for Steering to zoom around in. Hotaru was astride Toden's back having fun riding her as she chugged along the tracks crying “CHOO CHOO!” and blowing her whistle, just like she would ride Steering. Hotaru was very happy with her family although she was still nervous about a couple of the witches. She was beginning to wonder that Byruit and Cyprine may not be so bad perhaps, as they seemed to genuinely like her sisters.

As for Souchi and Kaori they were in the process of tinkering with the oven they were working on when Mimette entered their lab. She was carefully carrying a huge, round tray with two cups of tea and a bowl of cookies. “I brought you both some refreshment.”

“Why thank you Mimette,” said Kaori, walking over and taking the cups of tea and handing one to her husband.

He took his and sipped at it smiling. “Our oven invention is so very nearly perfected. We feel confident that in the next couple of days we'll be able to test it.”

“That sounds fantastic Professor,” Mimette smiled still holding the tray with the cookies.

Kaori then pointed to a nearby table. “In the meantime we have another pod ready for you to take. If you just please leave our cookies over there where the cushioned basket is sitting and take her with you. Hotaru has bonded with all our creations so well. We feel really blessed thanks to you and the other witches.”

Souchi laughed. “Yes we owe you so much more than we could ever repay.”

“Don't sweat it,” said Mimette as she set down the tray and gently placed the pod inside her bag. “Your help in gathering our heart collection is more than enough repayment.”

She waved at them cheerily as she left. “Well so long. I'll be back soon.”

The scientist couple waved goodbye and returned their attention to their invention.

Germatoid was leading Mimette this time and she heard his voice inside her head. “This time Mistress 9 and I have selected the heart of a young athlete. He devotes his heart's desires totally to his sport. I shall lead you to him.”

“I am at your service Germatoid.”

Mimette and her four friends had always been fascinated by the occult and they had shared a lust for power. That is why they had summoned Germatoid and Mistress 9 with a ouija board when they were young women out of high school. Cyprine had a cousin by the name of Petirol who had used to hang out with them, but she was frightened by the group's activities and as they delved further into witchcraft and magic, she eventually moved away in terrified concern. None of the coven knew where she had fled to. Cyprine had been sad at first, but she quickly forgot Petirol in the excitement of learning magic and now the two demons had the witches five under their obedient service for their sinister plans. Mimette had been having some reluctance but she was still hooked on her powers plus fearful of what her demonic masters might do to her if they doubted her devotion. She firmly set herself to the task Germatoid had for her.

The following morning was a Saturday and Mina had told her friends that she needed to have some time alone. Even Artemis was staying with Luna and the other girls at the Cherry Hill Temple while Mina went to the Video Game Arcade. Serena wished that she could have gone too instead of trying to discuss how school was progressing, but the others had all insisted that Mina meant what she said about needing time alone. She silently groaned dreaming of Darien while her friends talked about their study subjects and Luna and Artemis occasionally told her to snap out of it asking what the answer to a question was. Most of the time Serena didn't even know what the question had been because she wasn't listening and her friends all groaned at her incompetence.

As for Mina herself, she was thinking about whether she should dare broach the subject of actually retiring from the Sailor Scouts so she could devote more time to playing volleyball with her friends. Especially Jamie. “Surely between the four of them they can handle the threat over our city without me for awhile. Can't they?”

She was thinking this as she walked to the Arcade, which she didn't actually get to. On the way she happened to meet Amara.

He smiled at her and said, “Hi there Mina.”

“Oh! Hi Amara.” She was excited to see him. Like the other girls, except Amy, she still had kind of a crush on this rather handsome fellow who loved driving racing cars.

Then she thought about his passion for his sport and for his friendship with Michelle and she asked him, “Do you mind if I ask you about some personal things in your life, such as your devotion to racing cars?”

Amara raised his eyebrows curiously and asked, “What is on your mind?”

Mina said, “I know how much being a racing car driver means to you, but does it ever affect your relationship with your friends, such as Michelle?”

Amara was unsure what to say. “Why are you asking me this?”

Mina felt embarrassed. “I'm sorry if you think I'm too curious, but lately I've been thinking of going back to a sport I once had a passion for and I'm worried about how it might impact upon my friends if I have less time to devote to them. Do you ever find this happens to you?”

Amara looked her in the eye then smiling. “I understand what you mean now, and you're right. My sport means so much to me that I do sometimes have less time for my friends. Or to be more precise I forget to set aside time for them. I devote far more time to racing then I really need to. But my best friend Michelle and all my other friends understand and tolerate my faults. And when I realize I've been neglecting them I make it up to them and they accept me. Then we have good fun social time.”

Mina was thinking hard as she absorbed all that Amara said. “Thank you Amara. I know what I must do now. I am going to rejoin my volleyball team because it is as important to me as racing cars are to you.”

“You're welcome Mina.”

“I'll see you later. I'm going to call a friend of mine who's on my old team and let him know.”

“That's good. Maybe Michelle and I can watch you play sometime?”

“Sure. Goodbye Amara.” With that Mina shook his hand and ran off excited to find a phone booth to call Jamie.

Just a few feet away from the nearest phone booth who should she run into but Serena. “Hi Mina. You seem to be very thrilled about something.”

“Oh. Hi Serena.” Mina's face was flushed and she panted a little while she spoke catching her breath. “I'm just about to call Jamie and tell him I've decided to rejoin the school volleyball team.”

Serena was very thrilled for her friend. “Volleyball! That sounds like loads of fun.”

“Yes it is fun. Please excuse me Serena.”

Mina entered the booth, inserted her money and dialled the number. After four rings Jamie answered.

“Hello Jamie. It's me Mina. I have wonderful news for you.”

After a short breathless chat Mina hung up, then said to Serena, “Jamie is very happy. He's going to meet me in half an hour at the Sports Center and we'll play one on one to give me a good brushing-up on my techniques. See you later.”

“Goodbye and good luck Mina.” Serena decided she would like to quietly observe her friend. If Luna was present she would tell her it was none of her business, but she wasn't and Serena thought about her old toy, the Luna Disguise Pen.

She ran to the Sports Center so she'd be there long before Mina and Jamie arrived. Ducking behind the building where it was private she took out the pen.

“DISGUISE POWER! CHANGE ME INTO A PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALL COACH!”

Having transformed she went inside to wait for Jamie and Mina. They were due in another twenty minutes.

When they arrived Serena said hello to them and explained that she was a coach. Jamie smiled at her and replied, “Mina hasn't played for awhile, so you can observe us and tell her how she's going and give her some tips. You don't mind, do you Mina?”

Mina stared at her and said, N-no. Of course I don't mind. Not at all.”

The way she emphasized those last three words made Serena gulp nervously. Did Mina recognize her? Perhaps. After all she knew all about the Luna Pen and Raye had not been fooled when she had pulled that silly stunt disguising as a fortune teller to play matchmaker back when Chad had first come to the Cherry Hill Temple. Still Serena took comfort in the implication that Mina did not mind at all, like she said.

So she settled down to observe while Jamie selected a volleyball and sent it over the net at Mina. She began hitting it back at him like a professional. She still had her touch and Serena was very impressed as they played together back and forth for about half a minute.

All of a sudden the ball froze in mid-air then soared across the left to everybody's surprise. Mimette had just entered the building and Germatoid had instructed her to use magic to bring the volleyball over towards them. “Now Mimette. Get the pod ready too.”

“As you command mighty demon.” The ball was hovering a few feet above Mimette's head and she took the pod from her bag and levitated it upwards. As it broke the living essence transferred over to the ball and it changed shape. The form of a blue-skinned elvin woman with brown hair, black and white sports shorts, sneakers and shirt and a red spot in the middle of her face around her eyes and nose appeared. She gently alighted down standing next to Mimette and the people began to panic and flee.

“Let them all go Mimette. That boy is the one Mistress 9 and I want.” Germatoid indicated Jamie, who was standing there with wide open eyes and mouth as the strange creature and the witch approached him.

Everybody else had exited screaming except for Mina and Serena. Jamie was terrified dreading what was going to happen to him and called out to Mina, “Get out of here! Save yourself Mina!”

Mina would have maybe transformed then and there in desperation, but Serena, who was already disguised, acted first. “MOON CRYSTAL POWER!”

Just as Germatoid was forming a black star on the creature's wrist to draw out Jamie's heart, Mimette gasped as Serena changed into Sailor Moon.

Mina took advantage of the distraction to run outside as Sailor Moon announced grandly, “I'll give you a game of volleyball you won't forget and we'll play by my rules. I'm the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon and I will destroy you and all your evil.”

Germatoid said to Mimette, “If she wants to play volleyball you play with her while I get the heart.”

So Mimette conjured up her own “ball”. It was a transparent mystical orb the same size as a volleyball and she lobbed it at Sailor Moon. She fumbled the catch stumbling over her own feet and the ball exploded upon hitting the floorboards making her scream and twist desperately aside in a lunge. She was terrified to behold the small charred hole in the floor just inches next to where she had been standing. Mimette had produced a second one and Germatoid had the creature drawing out Jamie's heart as he screamed, when Mina ran back inside as Sailor Venus.

“Hold it right there! I stand for justice and I stand for love. I'm Sailor Venus and I shall punish you in the name of my planet.”

Mimette began to become frenziedly panicked. “Th-there's two of them master! What'll I do?”

Germatoid placed a bubble around the creature and a separate bubble around Jamie and his extracted heart. He was changing into a drooling, moaning zombie and the creature reacted in surprised confusion as she reached out to touch the beating heart. Finding herself hemmed in by the invisible barrier she started to panic herself and started crying.

As for Mimette Germatoid was feeling exasperated. “So play with her too Mimette. Don't be a spineless coward.”

Mimette regained control of herself and lobbed the ball at Sailor Venus. As it flew at her she made her counter-move. “VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!”

The whip of golden chain hearts struck the ball dispelling it. Sailor Venus said, “Your dirty tricks won't work on Sailor Moon and myself.”

“Hooray Venus!” shouted Sailor Moon but Mimette made a new move. Sensing Germatoid's growing displeasure she was starting to feel more afraid of him and so she cast another spell in Sailor Venus' direction.

Venus couldn't see it coming, but Sailor Moon did. “Look out Sailor Venus! Behind you!”

Before Sailor Venus could whirl around a miniature volleyball net materialized and entwined around her securing her firmly. She fell forward with her head and legs sticking out struggling futilely as Mimette turned back to Sailor Moon preparing to launch a new ball at her.

As she sent it flying Sailor Moon began to have another one of her wimpy attacks and became terrified, unable to do anything except shriek and tremble.

Fortunately though before Mina had transformed she had called the others on her communicator and they arrived just in time. Sailor Jupiter intercepted the ball sending it flying off to the far left where Sailor Mercury stood. She in turn gently deflected it back across the right towards Sailor Mars, who leaped into the air catching it. As soon as her feet landed on the floor she lobbed it straight at Mimette.

Mimette had been reverting back to her own distressed state of mind turning her head in all directions and seeing her own weapon coming at her she covered her face with her arms screaming. If the ball had hit her it would have blasted her to atoms and Germatoid felt sorely tempted to allow that to happen. But he and Mistress 9 needed all the Witches 5 for their purpose as well as the Tomoes and their creations, so he placed a bubble around her pathetic cowering form and the explosion did no damage whatsoever. Then Mimette, the creature made from the volleyball and poor zombified Jamie disappeared.

Poor Mina was so devastated that Jamie had been taken away and she was already crying as Sailor Mars used her charm to release her from the magic bonds. As her friends tried to comfort her in a huge group hug circle, two familiar figures were spying on them through a window. They had been watching the entire time and just as Sailor Mars sensed something and looked up, they had ducked to the side one on each end of the outside wall before jumping up in awesome bounds to land gracefully and silentlyon the roof. Sailor Neptune was looking a little sad. “Don't you think maybe we should have helped them?”

Sailor Uranus was cold though she closed her eyes, bowed her head and clenched one fist. “I'm sorry Neptune. But it wasn't our fight. Sailor Venus had to do her best to help her friend. She and the others must work out their own problem. It didn't concern us. We must not get involved unless we hear strong assurance from Sailor Pluto that a lead to our missing leader Saturn has become evident.”

Sailor Neptune said, “I, um, suppose you're right.” She still felt the pain Venus was suffering however and so did Uranus, though she would not display any emotion about it.

Meanwhile there was a buzzing hive of excitement back at the Tomoe residence. The volleyball creature had settled down from her panic after Mimette had deposited Jamie with the other heartsnatch victims and when she presented her, she found all the Tomoe's family including Hotaru gathered in the laboratory with the other witches. Souchi and Kaori proudly announced that their “oven” was ready and Kaori handed her husband a single crystal shoe while he was talking.

“We are all very grateful to Auntie Byruit for going out and finding this item somewhere somehow. I don't know how she found such an exquisite object as this, but it's beautiful. As you see I just place it inside and shut the door first. Then my darling wife hands me the chemical compounds, which I pour into this hollow tube at the top. It leads to a small square chamber at the top of the oven. Next she hands me one of her refrigerated blood supplies and I carefully add it to what's in the tube.”

So saying all eyes were riveted to the professor as he removed the stopper from the test tube Kaori gave him and poured the contents inside. He went on to explain. “Now when I press this button it will mix and heat the liquids producing an infant pod which will be dropped through an automatic trap door when ready to infuse the object inside. Here we go.”

With that the oven glowed and hummed and buzzed for about thirty seconds before going quiet. The professor opened the enormous door and reached out his hand speaking tenderly to the figure inside it. He coaxed her to take his hand and he drew out a female creature resembling a crystal coloured humanoid dressed in a golden skirt, helmet, bikini top and shoulder pads.

“Everybody meet your newest sister and also Auntie Mimette has brought your other new sister home. Let's all cuddle them but take turns. Don't crowd them.”

Even Hotaru was happy to hug the two new-borns. The Tomoes named the one born out of the oven Cenicienta and the volleyball girl Haikyun. The girls all promised to help look after them while they were coached in speech.

Later in private the Witches 5 were briefed by the two demons. Mistress 9 said, “Things are set for us to strike extra hard in our goals. While Germatoid was with Mimette today, I went out with Byruit. I led her to a shoestore where a young man was buying a fancy pair of crystal shoes for his girlfriend's birthday next week. She did a good job as she will now tell you.”

Byruit smirked with venom. “Thank you Mistress 9. It was so easy. The man had the shop assistant wrap them up for the girl's birthday right then and there. As he left I performed a simple witchcraft spell. He doesn't know it, but only one shoe remains in the present. The other one found its way into my bag. Nobody at the store suspected a thing when I left.”

Eudial was very pleased. “Very good Byruit. So next week we will take Cenicienta for an outing and use her to find the girl who has one crystal shoe for a birthday present. Right Master Germatoid?”

“That is correct Eudial. Mistress 9 and I shall both accompany whoever we decide to send and control the crystal creature to snatch that girl's heart.”

Tellu spoke up. “I have one question demonic lord. The scientist couple has been talking about the idea of their daughters taking turns in this way to experience the world after Cenicienta and Haikyun learn to talk but they want Kaori to go along with us.”

There was a pause and Mistress 9 said, “Of course. Mummy wants to be a part of her daughters further education in the world. And she wants to actively watch over them a little herself because she loves them. That is only natural.”

Cyprine said, “But Tellu is right Mistress 9. Her presence could complicate our progress. What'll we do?”

Germatoid said, “Don't any of you worry about it. Leave it to Mistress 9 and myself to handle.”

Mistress 9 added, “In fact Germatoid and I already have an idea. We can use this to further our advantage.”

“How so?” asked Mimette.

“Never mind for now Mimette. Never mind any of you.”

“Just trust us and obey us.”

The witches all knew they dared say nothing further though they were brimming with curiosity.