7Pet Peeves
Content Warning: This chapter contains minor homophobia, depiction of illegal drugs, and the usual amount of language, bullying, and violence.
A few days passed, and Eric, Sally, and Aether sat in the quad during lunch, looking at the various news reports surrounding the attacks on the town as the cow spirit sat on his owner's lap, using the redhead's compact computer to research the next soldier.
"Odd," uttered Aether. "The next planet is Earth, but there doesn't appear to be a corresponding God to help us in the search."
"I mean, your clues haven't exactly led us to them so far," Eric scoffed. "So why should they start now?"
"No, but they do help us narrow down the Dark Kingdom attacks," Sally said. "I wonder if they're looking for something besides energy."
"Sailor Earth is the warrior of the element…well, earth," Aether noted. "Maybe, it's someone who loves the planet—"
"You mean, like a dirty hippie?" Eric asked with a slight growl. "I hate hippies."
Aether twitched his ears. "You might be onto something—"
He was interrupted when a football was hurled in their direction. Eric quickly stood up and caught it in his hands, dropping Aether and the computer.
"What the hell?" Sally exclaimed, standing to pick up both.
"Wha-ho, Marsh, what's the matter, you forget how to aim?" Chris asked laughing as he and the football team approached them. "Hey, look at that, the pig caught the pigskin."
Eric glared at him, roughly tossing back the ball to him.
"Real original, Donnely," breathed Sally.
"Hey, that's some arm you got there, kid," Chris praised with a smirk, waving the ball back and forth in his hands. "Perhaps there's some muscle in there."
Brimmy raised an eyebrow. "Don't say it…"
"You ever play a sport?" Chris asked.
"Um, maybe a little," Eric answered nervously, "Nothing too serious."
"Hmm, you should try out for the team," Chris smiled. "We're all going to this weekend. Obviously, we're all shoo-ins because of our history in middle school, but you should totally try."
"Are you nuts?" The boy with the blue, red-rimmed beanie asked stunned.
"Of course, Stan," Chris patted his teammate's shoulder. "Did you see those reflexes? He'd make a great receiver."
"Yeah, no, sorry, your flunky is right," Eric crossed his arms. "I don't do cliques."
"Ah, no, right, you just default to the freaks," Chris snatched Aether from Sally's hand and tossed it to Trevor.
"Hey!" Eric yelled, tackling the brunet to the ground.
Chris burst into a fit of laughter, "See? Or a good tackle."
Eric stood up, brushing off Aether as Brimmy and Stan helped up their dazed teammate.
"I may be the captain, Cartman, but my teammates are no flunkies," Chris stated. "We're a team, right, boys?"
"Uh, yeah," affirmed Stan and Brimmy as Trevor just flashed a thumbs-up.
"Also," Chris glanced at Sally. "It doesn't matter how you look, athletes get chicks. Do you want that, or are you some kind of queer?"
Eric shared a glance with the redhead before turning back to Chris. "I'm not."
"Great!" Chris grinned. "Think about it. C'mon, guys." He snapped his fingers and they all followed him as they left.
"Yeah, sure looks like they're not his lapdogs," Sally shook her head. "You're not actually considering this, are you?"
Eric continued to watch them leave, unsure what he wanted to do.
Classes were about to begin, and Eric and Sally headed for their homerooms.
"It's just that we have things we need to do as it is and football would just get in the way of that," Sally said, holding Aether.
"Sally, it's just a tryout, I don't have to join," Eric said. "I mean, my mom did want me to make friends, and being on the football team helps." He looked down at Aether. "Besides, don't I need to act normal so I—"
"Oh, there is nothing normal about you," Kyle's high-pitched voice irritated him immediately.
"Don't. Start," grumbled Eric who side-eyed him.
"The team wasn't that great to start, but with you, they might as well not even play," Kyle cackled as Marjorine watched him sadly.
"Ky, come on, you're gonna be late," she urged.
A sinister smile suddenly crossed Eric's face. "Yeah, you don't wanna get another detention…you queer."
Marjorine flinched as Kyle grabbed Eric by the shirt collar and pulled him toward him.
"What did you say?" He hissed.
"You heard me," Eric smirked. "I know all about your little," he narrowed his eyes at Chris who was watching with the other jocks. "Secret," the brunet murmured, "Or maybe it's not so secret." Eric raised his voice slightly. "I don't know. It is a small town."
Kyle growled, raising a fist.
"Oh, go ahead, hit me," Eric sneered. "I'm sure your parent, guardian, whoever the hell it is that is unfortunate to be taking care of you will love when your detention is upgraded to a suspension or an expulsion."
Kyle's hard eyes grew fearful.
Eric leaned close to his ear and whispered, "See you in detention, Ginger Spice."
Kyle recoiled, letting him go and backing away as he noticed the nearby students staring at him with judgmental looks before bolting down the hall in embarrassment following the first bell.
Most of the students applauded, except for Stan and Marjorine with the former rolling his eyes and walking away.
Eric relished in the praise. "Jeez, I guess he's not very well-liked at this school, huh?" His smile faded when Marjorine confronted him.
"Why'd you do that?" She asked.
"'Cause he's a world-class jerk," Eric answered.
"Yeah, I know he can be, but you didn't have to play dirty," Marjorine shook her head. "I thought you were different than the bigoted hicks in this town, but I was wrong."
Eric grimaced when she said that as she walked away. Everyone then remembered that the first bell sounded and hurried for their homerooms.
That Saturday morning, Harmony walked to the park where she spotted a reddish brown Shiba Inu with green and blue heterochromatic eyes, a bright-colored Siamese cat, and a fancy brown rat. She whistled for them to come over as she put down some food and water bowls.
"I hope you all are having a fine weekend," Harmony said with a wide smile as the hungry animals dug into their meal.
When they finished, they led her to a nearby pet store.
"What is it?" Harmony asked, peeking through the window the dog and cat were scratching at, and saw several caged animals including a green feathered pigeon, twin strixes with red and purple feathers, a golden eagle, an indigo snake, and a reddish-orange lionfish.
They entered the store as a girl with shoulder-length red hair and blue eyes walked up to her.
"Hi, Harmony," she greeted.
"Red, what are you doing here?" The ravenette asked. "You work here?"
"Only on weekends," Red giggled. "My mom and dad opened the shop after finding so many stray animals in town." She noticed the furry trio. "You come here to drop them off?"
"Huh?" Harmony remembered her four-legged friends. "Oh, no, I was just curious about the animals here." She surveyed what was in stock, but got an eerie feeling from all of them except the green bird, purple and red twin owls, blond eagle, red fish, and dark snake.
"Well, what you see is what you get," Red told her.
"Hmm," Harmony looked closely at the six animals as the mammals by her side chattered.
In her room, Jessica was lying on her bed, staring at information about a memorial that was going to be held for the cop who was killed during her first fight against a Dark Kingdom monster. She closed the screen on her phone and leaned back against her pillow with her eyes closed, contemplating if she should continue being a soldier at the risk of seeing more death.
It might have been the weekend, but two students of Park County High were serving detention. Kyle and Eric sat at opposite ends of the classroom.
"OK, you little bastards," Mr. Garrison groaned. "I really didn't want to be here today, so just go ahead and do homework, read, or whatever, just as long as you shut the hell up, and we can all go home as soon as possible, are we clear?"
Both teens nodded in reply.
Eric sighed, turning around after Mr. Garrison became distracted by his phone to see Kyle quietly reading. He smirked, preparing to disturb him, but the sound of screeching animals from miles away stunned him.
Sally and Aether were strolling down Main Street when they came across the pet shop, noticing a teen girl with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes.
"Esther?" wondered Sally.
The girl in question was startled by the redhead and quickly ran off.
"Who was that?" Aether asked, bell wiggling in intrigue.
"That's Esther Stoley," said Sally. "She likes to keep to herself at school, kinda like me, except I don't think she hangs out with anyone after school either while I at least have you guys. She's pretty strange."
"You don't say," Aether cocked his head, interest increasing.
"Look, it's Jessica," Sally peered through the window to see her friend.
"Sally," Harmony's voice startled both of them. "Who are you talking to?" She asked, eyeing the plush in her arms.
"Um, nobody," Sally gulped nervously. "I was just observing this store."
"Me too," Harmony stood beside her. "I've been watching this place all morning, and my friends have been surveying the area all week."
"Friends?" asked Sally confused.
Harmony alerted her little friends from earlier. Aether's eyes widened slightly, trying not to let the black-haired teen see.
Back at the school, some time passed, but the sounds were becoming much harder to bear. Eric quickly got up from his seat, struggling to search his backpack for something as a bottle fell out of the bag just when he exited the room.
"Hey, where are you going, Eric?" Garrison asked annoyed.
Kyle got up to follow him, stopping when he saw the bottle of pills on the floor. He examined them and left to find him.
"Where the hell—Christ, kids these days," the teacher groaned.
Eric crashed through the restroom, staggering toward the stall. He locked the door and slid onto the ground, rummaging through his bag, gritting his teeth through the attack on his senses.
"Where the hell are they?" He panicked, breathing uncontrollably, searching for his pills. "I knew I shouldn't have run out of the house without taking them. There's no way they're nearby…I-I-I wouldn't smell them, too."
The bottle rolled underneath the door, hitting his leg. Not caring where they came from, Eric quickly took one dry, then held his ears with his eyes shut tightly and knees up to his chest, begging for the silence.
Sally and Harmony entered the pet store as the other animals waited outside.
"Hey, Jess," greeted Sally. "What are you doing here?"
"I haven't been feeling the best, so I thought I'd use my allowance to buy a little friend," she answered.
"And how can I help you girls today?" asked a redheaded woman who looked similar to Red.
"Hi, Mrs. MacArthur," Harmony smiled. "We're just looking."
"OK, let me know if you're interested," Red's mother went behind the counter.
Harmony walked away from the other girls.
"The animals here are giving off bad vibes," Aether whispered.
"Not this little guy," Jessica observed the green pigeon, "Or, err, girl."
"Hmm, you're right, she does feel different," Aether watched the bird closely before looking at some of the other animals.
"Um, I'll take this one, Mrs. MacArthur," Jessica said, pointing to the caged avian.
"Oh, that's a lovely choice," the woman approached them, staring at the feathered animal. "We found her along with these other ones about a week ago." She pointed to the other oddly-colored birds, fish, and snake.
"She's perfect," Jessica smiled as the pigeon hummed happily, but Harmony watched everything suspiciously.
They left the store with their new friend, passing by a basketball court where the one girl with black buns in her hair was playing by herself. She stopped what she was doing to see the three girls walking.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" Jessica asked.
"Wanna come over to my house?" Sally offered. "Columba can meet Lyra."
"That's a great idea," Jessica beamed. "Wanna join us, Harmony?"
"Uh," the ravenette was confused as to why the coined oddballs of the school wanted to hang out with her. "I really must be getting home, maybe some other time." She waved as she hurried home with the little dog following her.
"Still can't convert her over to us weirdoes, huh?" Jessica wondered as Sally shrugged her shoulders.
Roses—the sky was raining red rose petals. The cascade of crimson beauty fell around another warrior draped in brown, this time, they weren't alone but accompanied by a copper-furred wolf. Their howling caused the falling flowers to wilt.
The sound of running water woke Eric, still sitting alone in the bathroom stall.
"How long was I in here?" He murmured in confusion. Exiting, he saw Kyle splashing water from the sink on his face and hair.
"Oh, you finally chilled out, huh?" He asked with an endearing smile that freaked out Eric.
"Uh, yeah, I think so," he sighed. This hindrance on his senses was becoming a problem, and being a guardian only worsened it. "How long was I in there?"
"About thirty minutes," Kyle responded, shutting off the water. "That was some panic attack."
"I don't know what that was," Eric sighed narrowing his eyes in embarrassment.
"Oh, it's just that those drugs are usually for—"
"Well, you know doctors," Eric crossed his arms. "They misdiagnose all the time. God knows what I have."
"Here," Kyle handed him a bottle of water he pulled from his backpack. "You should stay hydrated."
"You…You didn't poison this did you?" Eric asked, eyeing it.
"Where am I gonna pull poison out of?" Kyle scoffed. "I didn't plan on giving this to you." The other boy soon accepted it. "Alright, let's go see how pissed off Garrison is."
Eric watched him walk away, unsure whether or not this somewhat positive attitude was normal for him before deciding to join him.
"And just where the hell were you two?" Mr. Garrison asked when the boys returned to the classroom.
"I, um, wasn't feeling well," Eric said sadly.
"Oh, right, I heard that excuse before," Garrison scoffed.
"He had a little breakdown in the bathroom," Kyle said as Eric gave him a slight glare.
"You kids will make up anything just to—" Eric showed him the bottle of pills. "Are those things even legal?"
"You wanna call his psychologist?" Kyle crossed his arms while Eric stared at him in surprise. "It's kinda the reason why we were late that day. He freaked out on the bus, and I provoked him without understanding his condition."
Eric's expression grew more perplexed. "Dude, why are you—"
"OK, OK, whatever, you don't need to tell me your life story," Garrison waved them off, "While you were handling that, I got a date so we can cut this short, right? Good, see you Monday, boys." He got up from his desk and left.
"OK, so, aside from the fact you told the teacher my embarrassing secret, why did you help me?" Eric asked as they both also vacated the school.
"Don't read too much into it," Kyle rolled his eyes before turning to him, bending over so he was at eye level. "I don't know why Marjie likes you, but she does. After that little stunt you pulled a few days ago, we're never going to be friends." He smirked. "See you around, Muffin-chan."
Eric cringed as he watched Kyle stroll away with a cheeky grin.
"That dude is psycho," the brunet gulped.
Sally took Jessica to her house. Her mother greeted them while her father ran the restaurant.
"Hi, Jessica, will you be joining us for lunch today?" Nancy asked with a sweet smile.
"I don't see why not, sure," the brunette smiled in return.
The two saw little Billy Turner on the sofa with a brown bunny.
"Mom, where did Billy get that bunny?" Sally asked.
"Oh, he and the others went to that pet store on Main Street and got themselves each a little friend," Nancy said.
"Um, isn't that a bit much?" Sally wondered, staring at her little brother/cousin who couldn't take his eyes off the rabbit.
"Well, they each had their own money, and said they would take care of them," Nancy shrugged. "I didn't think it was a big deal. It'll teach them responsibility, especially the younger ones. I mean, you have Lyra."
"I guess," Sally sighed.
"Speaking of, let's go see her," Jessica said, holding up her new cage with Columba.
Eric waited patiently for his mother to pick him up in front of the school. To pass the time and because he was bored, he wanted to try to pick up any interesting sounds from far away, but for some reason, his sensory powers weren't working. Instead, he thought about Kyle, wondering if he was walking home or getting a ride. His curiosity got the better of him as he rushed to the back of the school, the direction the redhead went.
When he got there, he was shocked to see Kyle still waiting, noticing he was scratching at his arm.
"Who are you waiting for?" Eric muttered to himself.
His question was answered when a fancy car rolled up with Chris getting out of the backseat.
"Oh, of course, your secret—maybe not so secret—rendezvous with Goldilocks," Eric said.
"Hey, Gingerbread," Chris greeted, going in for a hug, but he was rejected.
"Dude, what took you so long?" Kyle asked, covering his arm with his sleeve after picking at it while waiting. "You know how I feel about Cartman knowing about us. I didn't want him to see you come get me."
"Shit," Eric uttered to himself. "Why can't I hear them?" He grew more confused about the inconsistency of his abilities.
"Forget that loser, come on," Chris attempted to drape an arm over his shoulder, but Kyle once again declined.
"Loser? He was yapping about something to do with the team," Kyle growled at the blond. "Did you say something to him?"
"Yeah, I offered, but he turned me down," Chris rolled his shoulders. "Now, come on, you want to get home or not?"
Kyle sighed in defeat. "OK, whatever."
He gave in as Chris held him by the shoulders, leading him into the back of the car.
"Hmm, from the look on his face, I don't think he likes him very much," Eric felt a little worried for Kyle, somewhat fearing for his safety, but it soon dissolved. "Pfft! What do I care?"
His phone vibrated.
"Oh, shit, Mom!" He hurried back to the front of the building.
With Chris and Kyle, the blond squeezed the redhead's arm.
"So, you wanna fool around?" Chris asked to which Kyle responded by pulling away and scooting over a little to stare outside the window. "Huh, I guess you have enough of a supply."
"I just wanna go home," Kyle sighed, still eyeing the outside.
"Home? You mean that bargain-brand frat house full of homeless hooligans?" Chris laughed.
Kyle sighed; he hated that place but didn't want to be around Chris any more than he needed.
"Hey, when was the last time you saw that brother of yours?" Chris wondered.
Kyle smiled genuinely at the thought of seeing his once-adopted baby brother.
"You know where he lives, let's go see him," Chris offered.
"OK," Kyle turned to him. "But let's make a stop first, I wanna get him something."
"Works for me," Chris smirked before telling his driver where to go. "Come here." He held out his hand, and Kyle slid over to lie in his arms.
"Yo, whaddup?" greeted Eric when Sally opened the front door.
"Hey, come on in," she smiled, letting him enter.
"You said Jessica was here, too. Where is she?" Eric wondered, still on the outs with her after their last monster fight.
"She's in my room with Aether, Lyra, and Columba," Sally said.
"And Columba is the bird she bought from that weird pet store you guys went to," Eric said as they headed for the bedroom. "What's strange about it?"
"Well, for one thing, Heidi and her brother Tommy would usually be out with their friends on a weekend, but instead, they're with their new pets," Sally pointed out the shut doors, leading to her siblings' rooms.
Eric shrugged. "Maybe they just wanna bond with them."
"Yeah, but all three of them buy a separate pet, and they decide to stay in their rooms all morning?" Sally countered.
"Your little brother is downstairs," Eric mentioned.
"Yeah, because he shares a room with Tommy," Sally said.
"Hey," Thomas Turner approached the two, his muscular frame intimidating Eric. "You weren't planning on bringing this boy into your room, were you, Sal?"
"Um," Sally pondered what to say.
"Nah, of course not," Eric chuckled nervously. "She was just showing me to the bathroom."
"Oh, good, but you are welcome to eat lunch with us," Thomas said, face softening.
"I could eat," Eric smiled, trying to hide his nervousness.
"I can see that," Thomas laughed. "Powder, tell the others lunch is ready."
"Yes, Daddy," Sally smiled as he left.
"Your dad, uncle, or whatever, is terrifying," Eric swallowed. "I think I really do need that bathroom now."
Sally sighed, shaking her head.
Kyle and Chris entered the pet store which was now booming with more customers compared to earlier.
"Well, if it's the not-so-secret couple," Red said as Kyle quickly let go of Chris' hand. "What brings you two here?"
"We were looking for a pet for Kyle's brother," Chris said.
"Brother?" Red chuckled. "I didn't think you were allowed to see him."
Chris rolled his eyes, noticing Kyle was becoming uncomfortable. "You gonna show us something to buy, or are you going to be smug, MacArthur?"
"Alright, alright, come here," Red led the two over to where the reptiles were, "How about a nice little bearded dragon?"
"Doesn't your brother love lizards?" Chris asked.
"Yeah," Kyle lightly tapped on the tank. "How much is he?"
"Gingerbread, you know price is no issue," Chris smiled.
"I want this to be a gift from me," Kyle leered at him.
"Well, my mom said they're ninety percent off," Red said. "She really wants them all to find good homes."
"Oh, that's awesome!" Kyle smiled. "Yeah, I'll take him."
"Cool," Red smirked sinisterly.
Afterward, Kyle knocked on the door of a house as Chris held the small tank containing the reptile.
"You want me to leave now, don't you?" Chris asked, handing him the lizard.
"Yup, thanks," Kyle said bluntly.
"Well, guess I'll see you when you need something," Chris laughed a little, quickly pecking his cheek before walking to his car.
Kyle grimaced, hunching his shoulder wanting to wipe the kiss off his face, but a teen brunette with small green eyes wearing a pink hairpin answered the door.
"What are you doing here, Kyle?" The girl asked.
"Hi, Charlotte, um," Kyle gulped nervously. "Is Ike home?"
"You know you're not allowed to—what's that?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, um, there was a sale at the pet shop, and I wanted to get Ike something," Kyle frowned, reaching out for her to take it.
"You're lucky Mom and Dad are working," Charlotte became mesmerized by the lizard. "Come on."
"Kyle!" a young boy with short black hair and beady brown eyes ran up to him.
"Hey, kiddo!" Kyle beamed.
"Is, is that for me?" Ike asked, staring at the tank with big eyes.
Kyle turned to Charlotte. "I know Mr. and Mrs. Tremblay don't like me coming around, but—"
"I can tell them we went to that pet shop together," Charlotte said, keeping her eyes fixed on the lizard, "If I can play with him, too."
"Sure," Kyle said.
Ike and Charlotte led him to the bedroom they shared. Kyle placed the tank and bag of other pet supplies on a desk.
Ike whispered something to Charlotte and she nodded.
"Kyle, you wanna take Raph for a walk?" Ike asked with a smile, already naming his new pet.
"Um," Kyle looked at Charlotte again and smiled, "Y-Yeah! Why let this nice weekend go to waste?"
"Awesome!" Ike opened the tank and gently retrieved the bearded dragon, holding him against his chest.
Back at the Turner residence, Jessica joined everyone in the kitchen for lunch with the Turners' three biological children, all holding the small pets they bought.
"Kids, put those away, we're having lunch," Nancy ordered calmly.
"We don't want to," Heidi said, staring at her hamster.
"Yeah, they are so cool," Tommy added, smiling at his mouse.
"Dammit, kids!" Thomas slammed his fist on the table. "You either listen to your mother or we're getting rid of those vermin!"
"No, you can't have them!" Billy hissed, standing up and clutching his rabbit close to his chest.
"Uh-Oh," uttered Eric as he ate while everyone was focused on the argument.
"What did you say?" Thomas asked, fuming.
"He said, you can't have them!" repeated Heidi as she and her other brother stood with glowing red eyes, matching their pets'.
"Mom, Dad, move!" Sally encouraged as an eerie aura surrounded the three Turners.
The animals they held grew larger and viscous jumping on the table to attack Thomas and Nancy.
"C'mon!" Sally grabbed their arms and got them away from the evil critters.
Columba flew into the kitchen to distract the animals.
"Great, the Dark Kingdom is probably behind this," Eric sighed.
"Eric, Jessie, do something!" Sally called as she helped her parents into a nearby room.
Tommy, Heidi, and Billy began to pass out from their energy being absorbed. Jessica caught the boys while Eric swooped up Heidi.
"What are you two waiting for?" Aether ran into the room, "Transform!"
The two estranged teammates exchanged glances before gently lowering the unconscious Turners.
"Gold Power, Make-Up! Venus Power, Make-Up!" They transformed into Sailor Gold Tanuki and Venus.
The possessed animals snarled and ran away.
"OK, that was weird," Gold scratched his ear.
"No, they're heading for Main Street where the pet store is," Venus hypothesized.
"Why would they do that?" Gold asked confused.
"Because if that clam monster pooled energy from people, then so will they to make one big super monster," Venus deduced.
"Oh, shit then let's go!" Gold said as the two soldiers left with Columba following them.
"Sally, what is going on?" Thomas asked from the other side of the door.
"Just stay there," Sally told them. "I'll, um, I'll get help."
"Sally," Aether approached her. "The others transformed and left to follow the animals. They're gonna need Mercury."
"O-OK," Sally stammered before running out of the house with Aether. "Mercury Power, Make-Up!"
Harmony decided to relax at home for the rest of the day. Darien soon returned home, carrying an iguana.
"Darien," Harmony turned to her brother who appeared to be in a trance. "Where'd you get that?"
"That pet store on Main Street," Darien said monotone. "We couldn't have a pet because of my allergies, but now I found the perfect pet for me."
"You?" Harmony examined the reptile.
"Yeah, for me, you don't mind, do you?" Darien suddenly became agitated. "I've done a lot for you, I think I deserve a treat."
"Um, Darien, I didn't say you—"
The animal emitted a loud cry with its eyes glowing red before it too absorbed the energy of its carrier.
"Darien!" Harmony caught her brother before he hit the floor.
The iguana grew more monstrous as it prepared to attack them, but Harmony's Shiba Inu friend entered through the open front door and knocked back the animal before it ran away.
"Artemis?" Harmony looked down at the little stray dog that saved her. It barked something and ran out the door. "Sorry, Darien," she laid her brother on the couch to recuperate and kissed his forehead. "But I gotta go."
Harmony followed Artemis who led her to Main Street.
Kyle and Ike were on their way to that part of town, unaware of the chaos they would soon see.
"So, how have you been?" Kyle asked, rubbing his arm.
"Well, I can say I've been worse," Ike said. He giggled as Raph crawled on his hand. "He likes me."
Kyle smiled. "I think he likes your warmth." He narrowed his eyes solemnly. "Hey, look, I know we're not brothers anymore, but—"
"Of course we are," Ike smiled. "We've been together since I was two." He grabbed Kyle's hand. "We may live separately now and we may not share blood, but we'll always be family."
"I miss being together and Mom and Dad," Kyle sighed.
"Me, too," Ike squeezed his hand. "But I'll always be around. I love you, Kyle."
"I love you, too, Ike," Kyle bit his lip after saying that, feeling like he was on the verge of tears when the sound of screaming grabbed their attention.
"W-What's going on here?" Ike asked as he trembled beside his brother, holding both his hand and Raph tightly.
"I-I don't know," Kyle said, backing away. "Let's get out here."
One of the volatile pets stood behind them and prepared to jump on them. Kyle shielded Ike, putting his own body in between him and the animal. It leaped at him with its claws sharp, but Gold swiped it away with his nails.
"K-Kyle?" Ike looked past him, not knowing what was happening and his eyes widened when he saw Gold towering over them, "He…He looks just like the Coon."
Gold's ears wiggled at that remark, knowing all too well about the fictional superhero the boy compared him to, "Hey, you guys better run."
"O-OK," Kyle said. "Come on, Ike."
"Mercury Icy Mist!" Mercury used her attack to blind the attacking animals, stopping them in their tracks.
"Time to round them up," Venus waved her whip. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" She tied up the animals, bringing them towards her.
Artemis with Harmony ran up to Gold.
"What the hell?" Gold stared at the ravenette as the pooch started barking.
Aether saw this and joined them. "Are you sure, Artemis?"
"What the hell are you?" Harmony asked the spirit-possessed cow plush.
"I'm Aether, and you understand exactly what your friend Artemis is saying, right?" Aether said.
"Um, yeah, he said the blue cow has something for me," Harmony looked him over, "I guess that's you."
Aether nodded. "It is."
"Hey, wait a minute," Harmony looked at Gold and the other two soldiers with the animals. "You're those warriors I heard about on the news."
Gold's ears drooped. He tried to say something, but maniacal laughter interrupted him.
"You really think you pathetic runts can stop them that easily?" cackled a young woman with dark eyes and dark red, curled hair.
"Who the hell are you?" Gold snarled, flexing his claws.
"Fluorite," the redhead smirked. "And your color-coded has-beens did exactly what I wanted."
"What?" gasped Mercury as the animals restrained by Venus' chain melded together, "V, watch out!"
Venus let go of her chain as a giant, black cat monster broke through the restraints where the other animals once stood.
"They're gonna need help," Aether wiggled his bell, bringing forth a brown pen with a circle separated into four quadrants. "Harmony, use this pen and shout, 'Earth Power, Make-Up!'"
Harmony took a breath, and without protesting, did as instructed.
"Earth Power, Make-Up!" Harmony's pen turned into a red rose that she blew to release a rain of petals that covered her, transforming her into a warrior with long, brown, sea-green highlighted hair half up with a red rose hair clip and half down, and dull sea-green eyes. She donned a gold tiara on her forehead with a brown gem on the front; a chocolate skirt and shorts, a mask, brooch, gloves, choker, and heels with ankle straps; a dark green chest and back bow.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Gold gasped. "That asshole's sister is one of the soldiers?"
"Eric?" Earth turned to him when the golden guardian's voice was suddenly thrown. "Figures, you move to town and all hell breaks loose."
"Guys," Mercury and Venus joined them as Fluorite jumped down from the roof. "We need help."
"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Venus threw her weapon at Fluorite who caught it with her arm and tossed the orange-clad soldier to the ground.
"Bakene, kill them!" She ordered the monster.
"Scarlet Tempest!" Earth grabbed the rose barrette from her hair and clutched it in her hands, throwing rose-shaped rock bombs of varying sizes that exploded on contact with Bakene. "Well, that didn't work." She noticed it was unfazed by the assault.
Mercury used her computer to analyze Bakene's information. "His weak spot is his chest."
"Hey, how big can you make those things?" Gold asked, flicking his tail anxiously.
"Probably pretty big, why?" wondered Earth.
Gold held out his claws at his side. "I wanna try something."
Bakene roared, readying its claws, but Silver Wing's feathery tail wrapped around its body.
"Whatever you guys are doing, do it now," they strained, hovering beside Gold and Earth.
"OK, I'll try," Earth took a few steps back as the rose pin returned to her hair. "Scarlet…" She gripped the hairpiece tightly as a red wave surrounded her. When her deep-sea eyes shot back open, she manifested a large rose-colored boulder when she moved away her hands, "Tempest!"
It rolled quickly towards Bakene as Gold jumped on it, digging his claws into the stone to light a spark.
"Sparking Gold Boulder Dash!" Gold hopped off the rock planting his feet firm on the ground managing to somehow lift it with his claws still stuck inside, and threw the flaming projectile at Bakene's chest, destroying it after Silver flew out of the way.
Fluorite was in the middle of fighting Venus when Columba flew down and began to peck the redhead. She slapped the bird away and realized her monster was gone.
"Shit, Queen Beryl is not gonna like this," Fluorite cussed before disappearing into a void.
"Hey, come back here, bitch!" Venus yelled, holding Columba.
"V, it's OK," Mercury put a hand on her shoulder. "We won. She's gone."
Everybody on the street who was attacked or had their energy zapped saw the heroes and wanted to thank them, but Aether advised them all to leave.
"So, did we just kill those animals?" Harmony asked, standing in a nearby alley, petting Artemis.
"Unfortunately, some sacrifices need to be made in order to stop the Dark Kingdom," said Aether.
"We need to try to lower the number of casualties," Jessica said, scratching at her hips in anger, "First that cop, and now those poor, defenseless animals."
"Not to mention, who knows how many people those animals hurt," Sally added.
"No one said this was gonna be easy," Aether said. "We need to find out more about Fluorite. It seems the Dark Kingdom has some soldiers of their own."
"And what about this Silver Wing guy?" Jessica wondered. "I mean, he saved me before and he helped us again, but he didn't come with us. Is he our friend or foe?"
"He?" Sally looked confused. "I thought it was a she?"
"Who knows," Aether shook his head. "There's so many things we need to learn."
"You're supposed to know everything," Jessica said, feeling lost.
"Eric?" Harmony noticed the overweight teen peeking out of the alley at Kyle and Ike who were still there, making sure others were OK.
"Who's that kid with him?" He asked.
Harmony walked up to him. "Oh, that's Ike. He was once Kyle's adopted brother before they were separated."
"What happened?" Eric asked with a frown. "Heidi told me you know everything that happened with him."
"I guess I'll have plenty of time to fill you in on everything one day since we'll be hanging out now," Harmony half-smiled.
"You know we don't have to, right," Eric looked at her. "You didn't want to when your brother wanted you to."
"Oh, shit, Darien," Harmony remembered. "I gotta check on him." She ran away.
"This team is sure odd," Sally muttered as Aether sighed, nodding in agreement.
"I'm sorry I failed, Queen Beryl," Fluorite said, kneeling before her leader as Jadeite, Zoisite, Danburite, and Vivianite stood behind her.
"Oh, don't worry, little one," Beryl smirked deviously. "The third soldier is here, which makes us of course another step closer to finding the crystal." She turned to a young man with wavy maroon hair and dark blue eyes. "Nephrite, you're next."
"Yes, my Queen," the brunet bowed.
That night, Kyle was outside of the group home, staring up at the moon.
"Kyle," Marjorine exited the front door, her hair was down, out of her usual bows. "Are you OK?"
"Just thinking," he said still looking up, "You know I like to gather my thoughts under the light of the moon."
"You never told me how detention was?" Marjorine asked, standing beside him with her hand in her pocket.
"Well, it got cut short because Garrison had another date," Kyle chuckled.
"Did you have him pick you up?" Marjorine asked in a condescending tone.
"Maybe," Kyle narrowed his eyes.
"When are you gonna stop seeing him?" Marjorine asked worriedly. "You know he's no good, and you don't even like him. You just like what he gives you."
"I'm not doing anything," Kyle growled.
Marjorine pulled out a small bag of white powder. "Then what's this?"
"Dude, are you going through my stuff?" Kyle snatched it.
"I thought you were clean," Marjorine frowned.
"I…was…" Kyle gripped the bag tightly in his hand.
"Look, I don't want to be a nark, but you need to stop," Marjorine sighed, hugging him. "You better get in before Ms. Weatherly gets mad, and get rid of that."
"OK," Kyle looked down as Marjorine walked back and glanced at him before closing the door behind her.
"You really should listen to her," a deep voice said from the nearby darkness.
"W-Who's there?" Kyle looked around, hiding the drugs behind his back. Gold exited the shadows concealing him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was patrolling," Gold crept up to Kyle as the latter backed up against a wall. "I heard what your friend said. You really shouldn't be doing drugs."
"What are you, a walking anti-drug PSA?" Kyle asked, his voice catching in his throat as he peered into the blazing red eyes of the taller guardian.
"No," Gold voiced softly as he leaned close to Kyle's ear, his golden, pink-tinted fur brushing against his cheek. "But what would your brother think?"
Kyle's eyes widened as his heart sank. He knew that if Ike ever found out about what he'd done, he might never want to see him again.
Gold carefully pulled away, making sure to keep his eyes locked with Kyle's as he snuck the drugs out of his hand.
"Kyle?" Marjorine came outside again.
The eye contact was severed as Kyle spun away from the wall and Gold ran off.
"W-What?" he asked, trying to catch his breath as a light blush found its way to his cheeks.
"Lights out, Ms. Weatherly is coming," Marjorine said, noticing her friend's shy demeanor, "Everything OK?"
"Um," Kyle looked to his side and saw no one there. "Yeah, I must be seeing things."
"I told you those drugs are no good," Marjorine smirked, holding out her hand. "Come on."
Kyle took it and returned inside with Marjorine.
In the bathroom of his home, Eric disposed of the drugs by flushing them down the toilet, discarding the bag and piece of mirror that accompanied it.
He sat on the floor and exhaled a sharp sigh, running his fingers through his hair as his heart raced following his encounter with Kyle.
Eric was starting to reevaluate his perception of Chris and Kyle's relationship.
To be continued…
Next time: The birth of Sailor Mars, the fourth Sailor Warrior.