Harusuke was walking on his way to school with Usagi. The two were looking forward to another day of school without anything going wrong. So far, the two of them woke up early and left the house making good time. Soon enough, they arrived at their school.
"Man! It feels great to be on time for school for a change," said Usagi happily.
"You should always be doing this every day," Harusuke chuckled. "I've been trying to get you on a regular schedule for months now, but you always say, and I quote: "Nooo. Harusuke, just give me a few more minutes. I need my beauty sleep."
Usagi puffed her cheeks in a pout. "Well, it's true. How do you think I got so beautiful?" she said, flipping her hair snootily.
Harusuke rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Give me a break, Sis."
As they headed towards their classroom, a certain girl was waiting for the two, particularly Harusuke. It was Natsumi.
"Hello there, Harusuke dear," Natsumi greeted sweetly. "How are you today?"
"O-Oh. Hello, Natsumi," Harusuke greeted back. "I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."
"What do you want, Natsumi?" Usagi growled, her eyes narrowing.
But Natsumi took no notice of Usagi by pretending to ignore her as she hugged Harusuke by his arm. "Say, Harusuke? If you're don't have any plans after school, I was wondering if you'd be interested in going on a date with me," she said sweetly. "We could go to a cafe, to a movie, maybe even a walk in the park."
"Um... thanks for the offer, Natsumi, but I'm going to have to say no," Harusuke said politely. "I've got a lot of things to do at home, and I won't have enough time to go out on a date."
"Oh, come on, Harusuke. Don't be like that," Natsumi begged. "I'm sure that you could take some time off for just one day, but on the other hand, I love it when you play hard to get with me."
"Hey! Natsumi! Can't you take a hint?!" Usagi barked. "He doesn't want to date you, so why don't you leave him alone?!"
Natsumi then looked at Usagi. "Oh, hello, Tsukino. How long have you been standing there?" she asked innocently. "I didn't even notice you were here until now."
Usagi was now fuming in anger. "Hey! I've been here the whole time! Don't be ignoring me!"
At that moment, Seijuuro came walking up to the three, and seeing Natsumi clinging to Harusuke made him a bit angry and jealous. He had seen Natsumi flirting with Harusuke time and time again, and right now, he was getting fed up.
"What do you think you're doing, dear sister?" Seijuuro coldly asked as he came up scowling. "Need I remind you that your class is about to start?"
"I could say the same about you, Brother," Natsumi replied. "I was just asking Harusuke for a little get-together with just the two of us."
Seijuuro then took notice of Usagi and immediately forgot about being jealous as he went over to the ordango blonde.
"Ah! Usagi, my goddess. Once again, fate has smiled upon me and has brought us together again," said Seijuuro. "Since you are here, may I ask for the opportunity to date with you?"
"How about you take the opportunity to take a hike, Seijuuro?" Harusuke cut in. "She's not interested, nor will she ever date you."
Seijuuro then glared at Harusuke. "You listen here, Harusuke. First of all, I wasn't talking to you. Secondly, I don't like the idea of you getting so close to my sister, so it would be wise for you to know your place, understand?" he spoke coldly. "Because the last thing I want is for you to be hounding my sister like a dog."
"Hounding?! Who's hounding anyone, Seijuuro?!" Harusuke said. "If anything, your sister's the one hounding me! Not the other way around! And for that matter, you've been doing your fair share of hounding when it comes to Usagi, Mr. Pot calling the kettle black!"
"I don't even know why my sister's interested in an annoying pest like you," scoffed Seijuuro. "You're nothing special, and quite frankly, I don't understand why Usagi or rather any girl would be interested in dating someone as boring and clingy as you."
Now Harusuke was angry. "Oh, yeah?! At least I'm not some fake pretty boy who doesn't know anything about girls if one came up and slapped him in the face!"
"What was that?!"
"You heard me! Or are you deaf as you are shallow?!"
Seijuuro and Harusuke gazed grimly at each other as Usagi and Natsumi looked on worriedly. Then, a couple of the students saw the two and became interested, eventually forming a crowd.
"Hey! Check it out! Harusuke and Seijuuro look like they're about to fight!"
"Oh, man! It's a battle of the pretty boys!"
"You mean a battle of the overprotective pretty boys."
"Come on, you guys! That's enough!" Naru spoke worriedly.
"You know that if you two end up starting a fight, you're both going to get in big trouble!" Umino pointed out.
But Harusuke and Seijuuro both still refused to back down, their eyes never leaving each other. Natsumi and Usagi stepped in at that moment, pushing the two gently apart.
"Now, that's quite enough, Brother!" Natsumi spoke sternly. "You need to calm down!"
"That goes for you too, Harusuke!" Usagi said. "Can't we all just get along?"
Harusuke and Seijuuro looked at the girls and then at each other. They then turned away with a huff, the two not liking each other one bit. At that moment, the tardy bell began to ring, and the crowd immediately dispersed, hurrying to their classes. Seijuuro, realizing this, started to take off rushing to his classroom, but not before giving Harusuke one last look before running as fast as his feet could carry him. Harusuke watched him walk away for a few seconds; then, he walked with Natsumi and Usagi into the classroom.
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Soon enough, it was the lunch period, and Usagi, Harusuke, Makoto, and Ami were all eating lunch together. The news about the confrontation between Harusuke and Seijuuro had soon spread.
"So Harusuke, you've become the talk of the school lately," said Ami. "Is it true that you and Seijuuro were about to fight?"
"Yeah, but only because he said I was, and I quote: "hounding" Natsumi. Not to mention that he called me clingy and boring!" Harusuke said huffily. "The indignity of it all. Me? Hounding, Natsumi, and boring and clingy?! Give me a break!"
"Come on, Harusuke. Don't let it get to you," said Makoto. "You know what Seijuuro said wasn't true, so why bother thinking about it?"
"Because that Seijuuro's so annoying!" Harusuke cried irritably. "I mean, the fact of how oblivious and rude that guy is just ticks me off! Especially because he has no idea that my sister has Mamoru! Sometimes he makes me wanna-"
"Whoa, take it easy there, Bro," Usagi soothed, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I know that you're looking out for me, but you could dial back the overprotective part a bit. There's no way I'll go out with Seijuuro. Besides, there's only one guy good enough for me, and that's Mamoru."
"You sure about that?" Harusuke asked skeptically. "The last time you said that you had a crush on two guys at once."
Usagi flinched, but then she smiled with confidence. "Yeah, but I'm over Motoki now, and Tuxedo Mask is Mamoru, so everything's fine. So don't worry; I won't go out with Seijuuro. Promise."
Harusuke stared at Usagi. Then he sighed, letting the tension leave his body. "I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a bit mad, is all."
"As we said before, don't let it get to you," said Makoto. "Just hang loose and enjoy your lunch." She then presented Harusuke with her lunch. "Here. You can take some of mine."
"Yeah. You're right," Harusuke spoke as she took a bite of a pork cutlet. "Thanks, Mako."
As Harusuke munched a little on Mako's lunch, Usagi sneakily eyed on the food and slowly reached out to take some for herself, but Ami quickly gave Usagi a quick slap on her hand, causing her to yelp as she retracted her hand.
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Later on, after school, Natsumi and Seijuuro were walking home to their apartment to check on the Makai Tree. Natsumi
"Ail, I can't believe how you acted today!" scolded Natsumi. "Not to mention that you were very rude to Harusuke."
"Well, how could I not be calm?!" Seijuuro spoke crossly. "The way you hang all over that boy like that."
"That doesn't matter. If that tardy bell hadn't hung, you would have caused a big scene with Harusuke, and that would have been bad news for us," Natsumi went on. "The last thing that you want is to end up in detention like me. Besides, you also had no right to talk to Harusuke like that."
"Well, maybe if you weren't hung all over him, I wouldn't have done what I did," Seijuuro said huffily. "You need to stop hanging around him all the time. I honestly don't see what's so special about that guy you like so much."
"The same could be said about you when it comes to Tsukino," Natsumi countered. "Anyway, we really should be focusing on getting energy for the Makai Tree. We won't be able to if all we're going to do is argue. And I expect you to apologize to Harusuke tomorrow."
Natsumi then walked on ahead, leaving Seijuuro behind feeling more angry and jealous than ever.
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That night, Natsumi was fast asleep in her bed while Ail was in the dimension of the Makai Tree. He was still feeling angry and jealous.
"I can't believe that girl! Why is she so obsessed with that, that dog!" Ail growled to himself. "A dog who keeps getting in my way and causing more headaches than I can count! And not only that, but he had the gall to call me a fake pretty boy?! Such disrespect makes him unworthy of neither my An nor Usagi, and yet those two are all over him! If they saw him like the person he truly was, they wouldn't be so-"
Then Ail got an idea. An intriguing idea. Something that was so sly that he couldn't help but smirk to himself.
"That's it. Why don't I show those girls how Harusuke truly is?" Ail asked himself. "And I've got just the Cardian for the job."
He then took out a Cardian card from his hand and threw it upwards into the air, making it stop, hovering. He then took out his flute, putting it to his lips beginning to play. The floating card began to glow, coming to life until finally, it burst in an explosion of light, the Cardian emerging from it.
"Now, listen up, Cardian. I want you to gather energy, but first, you have to carry out an important mission for me," said Ail. "And I want you to make you complete it without any cost. Understand?"
The Cardian's red eyes flickered in the shadows as she growled, acknowledging her orders as she disappeared from the room to fulfill her mission.
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The next day, Harusuke walked to school as he always did all by himself. He would be walking with Usagi, but as usual, she refused to get up, forcing him to leave her behind.
"Man, I told that girl to get up, so she wouldn't be late, and what does she do? She stays asleep," Harusuke grumbled to himself. "Honestly. I told her time and time again to set her clock, but did she listen to me? Of course, she didn't."
Then, as he continued to grumble to himself, Harusuke heard the sound of sniffling and crying. He stopped and looked around, wondering where it was coming from, eventually seeing a little girl on the corner of the street. Feeling a bit worried, he walked up to the little girl.
"Hey there, little one," Harusuke said gently. "Is something the matter?"
"It's my mommy," the little girl sniffed. "She went off somewhere, and now I can't find her." She then pointed towards a corner. "She disappeared over that way, and I'm too scared to go after her."
Harusuke looked towards the alley and took a few seconds to think about what he should do. On the one hand, he wanted to be on time for school, but being the kind person he was, he couldn't just leave the little girl crying like this. He then smiled at the child, gently patting her head. "Don't worry. I'll help you find your mom."
The child's face then brightened as she smiled back. "Thank you, Mister!"
Harusuke then walked towards the corner with the little girl following him. As they rounded the corner, they came to a kind of alley that had a door at the end. At first, Harusuke had no idea where to look for the little girl's mother, so he planned to ask where she was. But as he turned around, Harusuke was surprised to see that the girl had mysteriously disappeared.
"That's weird," Harusuke said to himself. "Where did she go?"
He looked around, trying to see where she had gone, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Then as he was just about to call out to the girl, he suddenly felt a chill go down his spine, for something was right behind him. He then turned around, and before he had a chance to react, a strange shadow hit him square on the head with a mighty swipe of its claw, sending him falling to the floor unconscious.
The shadow looked at him, its glowing yellow eyes shining in the dark, until it stepped out, revealing its true face. It was a tall woman with gray skin with pointed ears, and her outfit was a short dress that was entirely black going up to just above her hips and had a mask of a demon that covered her face. She leaned down and touched Harusuke's head and began to change, going from her previous form to an exact duplicate of Harusuke. The fake then picked up Harusuke, opening the door, throwing him inside, and shutting it.
At that moment, Ail then appeared, sealing the door shut with a wave of his hand. "Well done, Cardian Mirrupio," he said with a grin. "Now that you've assumed this boy's identity, I want you to go around town and cause trouble! Do whatever it takes to make every one of Harusuke's closest friends hate him! I want to see his reputation in shambles! And once Harusuke falls into despair, I want you to suck away all of his energy until he's dead."
The fake Harusuke gave Ail a sinister smile and a chuckle, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
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Usagi was hurriedly making her way to school once again late for class.
"Oh, man! I'm running so late!" Usagi cried. "Why didn't Harusuke wake me up?! If I don't hurry up, Ms. Haruna's going to kill me!"
Soon enough, she could see the school just ahead and was racing through the front gates. She ran into the building and burst into the classroom, sitting down at her seat.
"Yes! I made it! And just in time!" Usagi gasped. "Didn't think I'd be able to make it!"
At the same time, Harusuke then entered the room, walking towards Usagi's desk, causing Usagi to look up.
"Harusuke! What's the big idea?!" Usagi complained. "Why didn't you wake me up for school?! The least you could have done was make sure I was awake or something!"
Harusuke then stopped in front of Usagi's desk, not saying a word to her as he stared blankly at her.
Usagi felt puzzled. "Hey, what's the matter with you, Harusuke? Aren't you going to say anything?"
But Harusuke just continued to stare at Usagi, not saying a word. At that moment, Natsumi came walking up to him in her usual manner.
"Oh, Harusuke~ How are you this morning?" Natsumi greeted. "I was hoping to speak to you about the other day since you still didn't give me an answer."
"Hey, bug off, Natsumi!" Usagi spoke angrily. "Don't you have someone else to be or something?"
"That's my line, Tsukino," Natsumi shot back. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that butting into someone's business is rude?"
At that moment, Harusuke got up from his seat, staring intently at Natsumi, causing her to jump in surprise, as did Usagi.
"H-Harusuke? Is something wrong?" asked Natsumi.
The blonde Tsukino didn't speak as a smile crept to his lips as a gleam of malice flashed in his eyes.
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Meanwhile, Rei was on her way to school too. She was looking forward to another day at T·A Academy. However, as she approached the school, she found a surprise waiting by the gate of her school. Leaning against the wall, standing with one leg up, was a certain boy with short blonde hair.
"Harusuke, it's you," Rei spoke with a hint of surprise. "What brings you over here? You should be at school by now."
Harusuke looked up at Rei, staring at her while remaining silent. At first, Rei waited for Harusuke to respond, but she eventually grew impatient.
"Look, I don't have time for this right now," Rei spoke. "I'm going to be late, and you'll be too if you don't get a move on."
She had just walked past Harusuke when suddenly, his hand reached out and grabbed hold of hers, which caused Rei to stop.
"Harusuke, come on. I said I don't have time for games," Rei spoke. "Let me go."
But Harusuke didn't let go, as he flashed a smile while letting out a throaty chuckle.
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Meanwhile, Minako was running late for school and sprinting as fast as her legs would move.
"I can't believe this! How did I end up being late again?!" Minako shrieked. "It's all that stupid Artemis' fault for not waking me up! Hopefully, I can make it before the gate closes!"
She soon could see her school, the gate being wide open. Minako quickly dashed through them and finally stopped to take a break, doubling over panting heavily.
"I can't believe it! I made it!" Minako gasped. "And just by the whiteness of my teeth! Maybe now, I can rest a little easier."
When she caught her breath, she started walking once again, hoping to get to her class, but then she bumped into something that barred her way. She looked up and was surprised to see Harusuke standing before her.
"H-Harusuke? Is that you?" Minako gasped. "What are you doing here in my school?"
But Harusuke just stood there, not uttering a single word as he stared at Minako. Then before the red-bowed blonde could react, Harusuke wrapped his arms around Minako in a hug, much to her surprise.
"H-Harusuke! What are you doing?!" Minako yelped in surprise as she blushed. "Th-this is hardly the time to be hugging! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm flattered, but there's a time and a place for these things!"
Harusuke could only cling to Minako tighter as his eyes gleamed deviously.
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Dull aching pain in his head was all that Harusuke could feel as he regained consciousness. He was lying on the cold hard ground as he slowly sat back up, holding his head.
"What happened to me?" Harusuke wondered to himself. "And where am I?"
At first, Harusuke couldn't tell where he was, given that he was in complete darkness. But after his eyes adjusted to the dark, he soon realized that he was inside a room. He got up to his feet and looked around, trying to see if there was a way out until he finally noticed a long crack of light, which was the doors. Harusuke then twisted the knob, trying to open the door, bd.
"Come on; this cannot be happening to me right now!" Harusuke complained. "Someone must have locked me in!" He then started pounding on the door, hoping someone would hear him. "Hello?! Is anyone out there?! Hey! Can anyone hear me?! I'm stuck in here, and I can't get out! Hello?!"
As he pounded on the door, he used his shoulder to try and ram the door open, but the door wouldn't budge. He even tried to get a running start as he rammed his shoulder into it, but it didn't work.
"Damn it! This lousy door won't budge at all!" Harusuke growled crossly. "If this is someone's idea for a prank, it's not very funny! I'm going to be late for school if I stay here any longer! I've got to try and get this door open! One more time! This time with a running start!"
Harusuke took a couple of steps back and made sure his feet gripped firmly on the ground. Then while letting out a loud yell, he charged straight for the door running at full speed.
At that moment, the door opened as a skinny, greybeard peered inside. Seeing Harusuke charging towards him, he immediately reacted by jumping out of the way as Harusuke shot past him. Then, realizing that he was going too fast and was out of the room, Harusuke tried to stop, but he was too late as he ended up crashing straight into a trash can, getting trash all over himself.
The man was surprised to see Harusuke. "Hey, kid! What in the world were you doing in there?! Don't you know that room's a restricted area?!"
Harusuke quickly came up with an excuse. "Oh! Um, sorry about that! It seemed that someone locked me inside that room as a prank!" he said. "Don't worry! It won't happen again! I got to go!"
And before the man could say anything else, Harusuke took off, running as fast as his feet could carry him.
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Harusuke soon arrived at the school, but he was very late indeed. He felt a bit exhausted and confused about how this happened, but he decided to carry on as usual and get to class. He soon came to the door to the classroom and walked in.
"Sorry I'm late, you guys," Harusuke panted. "Something pretty weird happened to me today. For some reason-"
However, when Harusuke entered the classroom, something was different. Instead of the happy atmosphere like usual, everyone looked at him at once, giving him cold stares to make a person freeze. Harusuke couldn't help but feel even more puzzled as well as a bit uncomfortable.
Then he saw Usagi lying on her desk, her head buried in her arms. At first, Harusuke thought she was sleeping, but then he saw her shoulders trembling and heard a couple of sobs coming from her form. It was then that Harusuke realized that Usagi had been crying, and it wasn't just her either. Natsumi was lying on her desk looking miserable too but was more stunned rather than sad. Harusuke immediately went over to see what was wrong, but Naru and a few other students cut him off.
"Hey! What's the idea?! Let me through!" demanded Harusuke.
"You've got some nerve showing your face after what you did!" Naru snapped crossly. "Have you no shame at all?!"
"Yeah! How could you of all people do something so messed up?!" said another student.
Even Umino was angry. "I knew you were a stand-up guy, but seeing you do what you did has made me think otherwise!" the bespectacled boy spoke angrily. "You should be ashamed!"
Harusuke was startled as well as dumbfounded. "W-wait. What?! Hold on a minute! What are you guys talking about?!"
"Don't play dumb! The entire classroom saw what you did!" Naru spoke crossly. "You not only made Usagi cry by calling her a stupid ordango pig as well a lousy excuse for a sister, but you also pulled up her shirt exposing her and I quote: "Love handles"!"
"Not only that, but you called Natsumi an ugly girl that could never win the affections of a guy if she wanted to," said Umino. "And you also flipped her skirt, calling her a spoiled childish brat!"
Harusuke was horrified. "Now wait just a minute! You can't think that I did any of those things! I just got to school just now because someone locked me in the room, and-!"
"You should know when to fess up!" Naru snapped. "Especially since Usagi is your sister, and Natsumi's your classmate!"
"If you confess to your crimes, you'll get off a lot easier, Harusuke!" Umino added. "Just own up to what you did like a man and apologize to Usagi and Natsumi!"
"But I'm telling you, I didn't do any of this!" Harusuke insisted. "I'm innocent, I tell you!" He then towards her sister. "Come on, Usagi! You know I would never say any of those things to you!"
Usagi glanced over at Harusuke, her eyes still filled with tears, and then buried them in her arms once again. Harusuke then looked over at Natsumi.
"Natsumi, surely you of all people don't believe that I would do such things to you!" Harusuke begged.
But Natsumi stayed at her desk, not saying a single word, still in shock. At that moment, the door opened, and Makoto and Ami came in. Makoto was wearing an angry scowl while Ami was more hurt than angry.
"Harusuke! There you are!" Makoto growled. "You got guts sticking around school after what you did!"
Harusuke gulped as Makoto walked towards him, cracking her knuckles. "Wh-whoa! Makoto! What's the matter with you?!" he cried. "Don't tell me that I did something mean to you guys too!"
"Of course you did!" Makoto snapped. "Just before class started, you barged into my classroom and stole some of my lunch, calling it bland and tasteless! You also called me a hopeless romantic that can't decide on a guy if her life depended on it, and it was no wonder I'm single and lonely!
"You also said, and I quote: "A snobby egghead who spends her time buried in books instead of being a normal human being" to me," Ami added. "I can't believe you would say something so insensitive!"
"Say what?! I didn't do any of that!" Harusuke shrieked. "I know it sounds nuts, but I was locked in a room before I came here, and I just-"
"Enough with the lying, Harusuke!" Makoto snapped, punching her hand into her first. "I saw you in my classroom plain as day, and yet you deny everything!"
"Please, Harusuke. Just own up to what you did," Ami begged. "If you do, then I'll let it slide this one time. However, if you don't, then I have no choice but to report you to Ms. Haruna."
"But that's not fair!" Harusuke protested. "I'm telling you that I'm innocent! I swear I didn't do anything!"
At that moment, the door suddenly swung open, and in stepped Ms. Haruna, who was red in the face. "Harusuke Tsukino! You're in a lot of trouble, young man!" she barked crossly.
"Oh, no! Ms. Haruna, too?!" Harusuke gulped. "What did I do you?!"
Ms. Haruna then blushed. "You were trying to make a pass at me! That's what!" Ms. Haruna squealed while holding her cheeks. "You went up to me and asked me out on a date, even going as far as to say that you're into older and prettier women like me! I mean, I'm flattered, but there is absolutely no way I could ever date someone as young as you! Besides, I have a boyfriend already, and he would disapprove!"
"WHAT?!"
Harusuke and everyone else in the classroom stared and screamed at Ms. Haruna in disbelief. Even Usagi couldn't help but lift her head, as did Natsumi. Then everyone in the class looked at Haruske, giving him appalled and shocked glares.
"So you're into older women now, Harusuke?!" Makoto cried, her pinks flushed pink. "And you tried to make a pass at Ms. Haruna?!"
"I had no idea!" gasped Ami, whose cheeks were just as flushed.
"Harusuke, how could you?!" Natsumi wailed as she comically began to cry. "How could you trade someone like me for someone older instead?!"
"Have you no shame at all?!" scolded Naru. "Why on Earth would you date someone like Ms. Haruna when you could have someone your age?!"
"I should have known you had a hidden side to yourself, Harusuke," said Umino. "It always happens to the pretty boys."
Harusuke was at a loss for words, unable to say anything more. Finally, realizing that this was a bad situation and there was no getting through to them, he had only one option.
Seizing an opportunity, he bolted straight for the door and ran out of the classroom heading down the hall. Not wanting Harusuke to get away, Ms. Haruna, Makoto, Ami, Umino, Naru, Natsumi, and a couple of other students chased after him in hot pursuit.
As they ran by, Seijuuro, who hid behind a corner unbeknownst to anyone, had heard everything and was feeling very pleased.
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Meanwhile, Mirrupio was having the time of her life, causing trouble as Harusuke while she walked around the school. She thought that the whole thing was hilarious and wanted to cause more chaos, so she split herself into several copies and harassed his other friends as well. At that moment, a projection of Ail appeared in front of her.
"Mirrupio, that was excellent work," said Ail. "The entire class now despises Harusuke Tsukino, including An."
"Glad you enjoy my work," Mirrupio said, smirking. "It was pretty fun and easy to get those people to hate him. I want to have some more fun pretending to be this boy."
"Don't forget about your mission, Mirrupio," Ail spoke sternly. "You only completed the first part of the mission. Now you have to find Harusuke and drain every last bit of his energy until he's dead."
"Oh, calm down. There's plenty of time for that," Mirrupio scoffed. "Right now, just let me have some fun in town, and I'll drain the boy's energy when I see him."
Ail's eyes narrowed, about to say something, but before he could, Mirrupio melted into the shadows and disappeared. Now, Ail couldn't help but feel worried.
"Damn it all. Mirrupio isn't listening to me," Ail murmured. "Don't tell me this is going to be just like Amanju?"
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Harusuke had run outside school and made his way to Juuban Park, now sitting on a bench having to run out of breath. He felt exhausted as well as frustrated. Before he made it to Juuban Park, he tried to contact Rei and Minako to see if they could help prove their innocence. Unfortunately for him, he soon found that they were also victims of his apparent antics.
Rei told Harusuke that he said that she's a hot-head so much that it's no wonder she's single and only has crows for friends as he flipped her skirt. Minako's story was that Harusuke showed up at her school and took off her ribbon, throwing it up in a tree, calling her a wannabe Usagi.
Regardless, Harusuke wasn't getting any help from them either and had no choice but to flee, which was why he ended up in Juuban Park. He was sweaty, tired, confused, and a little bit hungry.
"Geez... what the heck is going on here?!" Harusuke groaned. "Why is everyone out to get me for crimes I didn't commit? And if things weren't bad enough, Rei and Minako are mad at me too, and I'm hungry too. It's just not my day today."
Then Harusuke heard a pair of voices.
"So this is where you were, Harusuke!"
"We've been looking for you!"
Harusuke immediately jumped and saw that the pair turned out to be Luna and Artemis. Thinking that they were here to accuse him, too, Harusuke quickly got defensive.
"Luna! Artemis! Before you say anything, I don't know how to explain it, but I didn't do a single thing to anyone!" Harusuke babbled. "I didn't do anything they said I did, so please believe me!"
"Whoa! Harusuke! Calm down!" interrupted Luna. "We didn't come here to accuse you or anything like that."
Harusuke then relaxed. "You're not?"
"Of course not. We came here to find you and see what was going on," explained Artemis. "The girls told us everything that happened, and let me just say that they're mad. Like really mad. You must have done something to make them quite angry."
"But I didn't. I swear that I didn't," insisted Harusuke. "I don't know how, but someone has to be going around pretending to be me and pinning those crimes on me."
"We didn't say we didn't believe you," said Luna. "But still, if someone is pretending to be you, they sure have everyone else convinced."
"It has to be a Cardian, but at the same time, it makes me wonder," said Artemis. "If it is, then why would it go as far as to ruin Harusuke's reputation by pretending to be him when he could have drained the energy of his victims? It just doesn't make any sense."
"That doesn't matter right now, Artemis," Harusuke said, punching his fist into his palm. "All that matters is that some copy is going around picking on my friends, and we should be trying to catch the fake before someone else ends up being next and prove my innocence!"
"And how do you expect to find this copy?" Luna asked. "If this fake is going around pretending to you, it could be anywhere by now."
"Not to mention that everyone you know is out to get you," said Artemis. "If we're going to get this faker and prove your innocence, we need a plan to catch this monster in the act."
Then as the three tried to think of a plan, Harusuke happened to notice something a few feet away, and what he saw made his eyes go wide with shock. There ahead of him, walking towards his direction, was another him, which was Cardian Mirrupio, who was looking around for any more unsuspecting victims. Then, the fake Harusuke saw the original one and stopped. The two gazed at each other, time seeming to stand still. Luna and Artemis saw this too and were surprised.
"I don't believe it!" gasped Luna.
"There is a copy of Harusuke!" Artemis cried.
Mirrupio then smirked, turned on her heel, and took off running.
"Hey! Get back here!" Harusuke yelled as he took off after her. "Luna! Artemis! Get the girls and tell them what's going on! I'll try and stop the Cardian!"
And not wanting to let the Cardian out of his sights, Harusuke took off running while Luna and Artemis went in another direction.
Harusuke chased his doppelganger relentlessly until they reached Juuban Middle. They entered the building and ran through the halls, ignoring the students as they ran by. They soon reached the school's rooftop, and the clone stood there waiting for him.
"Well, well. It looks like you cornered me," smiled Mirrupio.
"Who the hell are you?!" demanded Harusuke. "And why are you going around impersonating me and harassing my friends?!"
"Oh, come on. Who do you think?" Mirrupio snickered. "The one who was having all sorts of fun as you."
"Stop playing games with me!" Harusuke snapped. "Who the hell are you?! And what are you after?!"
Mirrupio then burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh, come now. You're a smart boy, Harusuke. After all, you already know who I am. I'm the big, bad Cardian, remember? As for the reason why, well - I was here to kill you and take your energy, but I think I want something a bit more now. I think this town isn't big enough for two Harusukes, so I thought that I'd take your place."
"Say what?!" Harusuke gulped, his eyes widening.
"Well, it's only natural. There can't be two Harusuke's roaming around, so one has to go, and it certainly can't be me," said Mirrupio. "But don't worry, no one will suspect a thing. I'll take good care of your friends. I'm looking forward to all the fun we'll have together."
Harusuke's teeth ground in his mouth as his hands clenched in his hands in anger. "You rotten little-! I won't let you!"
The boy then charged straight for the Cardian, his hands balled up into fists as he dashed at the Cardian swinging. But the Cardian being faster, dodged the incoming blow, and before Harusuke could react, Mirrupio had grabbed him tightly by the throat. As she did, she began to drain his energy while she squeezed. Harusuke tried to get the Cardian to break her hold, but he felt himself growing weaker.
At that moment, the door swung open with a slam, causing the two Harusukes to look up in time for Usagi, Luna, Artemis, Ami, and Makoto to rush in. When they all saw the two Harusukes, they gasped.
"What... what is this?!" gasped Usagi.
"There are two Harusukes?!" Ami exclaimed.
Mirrupio immediately let go of Harusuke, who was feeling a bit dizzy after having his energy drained, and immediately took off running, jumping off the roof. Usagi and the others then rushed over to Harusuke.
"Harusuke, are you okay?!" Makoto asked. "Who was that just now?!"
"A Cardian," replied Harusuke as he struggled to his feet. "For some reason, that thing was impersonating me to try and take my energy and kill me. But that stops right now!"
"Harusuke, you're not thinking of fighting right now, are you?!" Luna spoke worriedly.
"You've just had your energy drained, so you're too weak to fight!" Artemis added. "Taking on that Cardian right now in your current condition is suicide!"
"They're right, Harusuke! Just sit back and let us handle this," Usagi insisted. "Besides, you've already been through enough today."
"I can't do that!" Harusuke spoke firmly. "That Cardian not only pretended to be me, but she also threatened my family as well as my friends with my face! I was angry enough with these Cardians messing with our lives before, but now - THIS! IS! PERSONAL!"
He then raised his hand high into the air.
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
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Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
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Some students below were enjoying lunch but were suddenly interrupted by Mirrupio, who had landed on the ground dashing away.
"Hey! It's Harusuke!" gasped one. "He's the guy who tried to make a pass at Ms. Haruna, and he also did all sorts of other stuff to Usagi and the others!"
Mirrupio, not wanting to deal with them at the moment, tried her best to try and get away, but then someone else landed in front of her cutting her off. That, someone, was Solaris, much to the students' surprise.
"Holy cow! It's Solaris!" gasped Umino. "Is he here to punish Harusuke?! I know that he did some pretty messed up things, but this is a bit excessive!"
"Get away from that creature!" Solaris spoke, pointing at Mirrupio, "This thing is nothing more but a monster that has been pretending to be Harusuke to ruin his reputation!"
"Pretending to be Harusuke?!" repeated Naru. "Are you sure?"
The rest of the students were just as surprised. Mirrupio then cackled as she began to change her form in response. Her body became a blot of shadows and then reformed as a copy of Solaris.
"No way! It is a monster!" cried Naru.
"And it turned into a copy of Solaris too!" Umino gawked.
"All of you! Take cover in the school!" ordered Solaris the students. "I don't want you all getting caught in the fight! I'll take care of this fake!"
Naru and the others did as ordered, running into the school. Solaris then squared off against his copy, ready to get some payback despite feeling weak.
Mirrupio then chuckled as she took a fighting stance. "You think you can beat me? Bring it on! I'll defeat you and drain every last drop of your energy!"
Solaris then shot towards Mirrupio, and the two clashed. They swung at each other with quick flurries of their fists while trying to dodge, but due to Solaris having his energy drained before, he wasn't fighting to his full strength, which left him open for a couple of attacks. Mirrupio saw this and managed to land a few strong blows on Solaris, causing him to stumble a bit but not back down.
"This is getting ridiculous! At this rate, this will never end!" Solaris thought. "And to make things worse, I'm already starting to get tired. I don't know how effective this attack will be, but I have to try!"
So, as Mirrupio swung, Solaris jumped back, dodging the blow, gaining some distance, clapped his hands together, creating a ball of energy, and aimed with his fist.
"SUNSHINE METEOR!"
Solaris launched his attack at Mirrupio, hoping to end this quickly, but to his surprise, Mirrupio conjured a ball of light of her own and launched it towards Solaris.
"SUNSHINE METEOR!"
The two attacks collided, causing sparks of energy to shoot out as Solaris desperately tried to overpower Mirrupio's attack.
"No way! She copied my attack?! And it's equal as mine is?!" Solaris gasped.
"Not equal!" Mirrupio cackled. "Unlike yours, mine is way more powerful than yours!"
And with great force, Mirrupio's Sunshine Meteor completely overpowered Solaris' making it dissipate and collide into Solaris with a mighty kaboom. Solaris seeing the incoming attack, leaped out of the way dodging the attack, but Mirrupio, knowing he would avoid it, made a beam of light shoot out from her hand and wrap around Solaris, binding him tightly. Then with a great heave of strength, Mirrupio swung, sending Solaris slamming to the ground hard, causing him to let out a cry of pain. The Guardian of the Sun struggled as he tried to get up and break free from the binding, but then Mirrupio appeared and stomped on the center of Solaris' chest, preventing him.
"Now, do you see? You can't be me because I'm Solaris," Mirrupio said with a hint of triumph.
At that moment, a familiar voice called out to the two.
"Solaris! Are you okay?! We're here to help!"
While lying on the ground, Solaris turned to his left and saw Sailor Moon and the other Guardians arrive. They were surprised to see the two Solarises before them when they did.
"Sailor Moon! You and the guardians just in time to see me finish off this copycat!" Mirrupio said. "Don't worry! I've got everything under control!"
"Way to go, Solaris!" said Sailor Moon taking out the Cutie Moon Rod. "I'll finish the Cardian off right now!"
"Sailor Moon, listen to me!" Solaris gasped. "This guy's the Cardian that's copying me! Help me get him off!"
"You shut up, Cardian!" snapped Mirrupio. "You're just trying to trick them into hitting me!"
"That's my line!" Solaris shot back. "I'm the real Solaris!"
"No! I am!"
"I am!"
Sailor Moon looked back and forth, trying to decide which Solaris to hit, but she ended up getting confused.
"I can't tell which one's which!" Sailor Moon wailed.
"Oh, man! Luna wasn't kidding when she said there was a copycat Cardian!" said Sailor Venus. "They look exactly alike!"
"But which one's the real one?" wondered Sailor Jupiter. "If we attack, we'll end up hitting the wrong one!"
Sailor Mars then put her hands together using her shrine senses. "I can't even tell them apart, either! They both have similar auras, so I can't sense any evil!"
Solaris struggled as he tried to push Mirrupio off of him, but the Cardian kept him pinned as she conjured another Sunshine Meteor from his hands, lifting it over her head.
"Then how about I make things easy for you?" She spoke as she prepared to throw. "I'll put an end to this copycat once and for all!"
Solaris seeing that there was no way out of this situation, braced himself for the incoming attack. But then something shot down from above, piercing through her Sunshine Meteor, causing her to jump back defensively.
It was a white rose.
Everyone then looked up, and standing up on the roof was none other than the white Arabian-clad warrior himself, The Moonlight Knight.
"It's the Moonlight Knight!" the Sailor Guardians cheered.
"They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in this case, a cheap imitation like this is an insult to the original, especially one who is bright and shining like the sun," the Moonlight Knight proclaimed. He then looked down at Solaris. "Solaris, while nobody can tell which one of you is which, remember that a copy is a copy, but nothing can match the courage and the heart of the original."
Solaris looked at the Moonlight Knight and thought about what he said. "The courage and heart of the original?" he repeated.
He then remembered what he had heard the clone did to Usagi and his friends and how the clone threatened to kill him, take over his life, and mess with Usagi and the others even more. That alone made something start to burn inside of him — a fire filled with determination and the will to protect.
His body began to glow in a golden light as he strained against Mirrupio's bindings, until finally, with a mighty yell, he broke free, sending Mirrupio backward as she stared at him in surprise.
"Impossible! How did he break free?!" Mirrupio gasped.
Solaris was now back on his feet and gazed grimly at Mirrupio, his eyes glowing brightly along with his body.
"I don't care how much you claim to be me!" Solaris shouted. "I am the one and true Solaris, and in the name of the Sun with my blinding rays, I'm gonna scorch you!"
"Just you try it!" Mirrupio shot back as she conjured another and larger Sunshine Meteor from her hands. "Now take this! SUNSHINE METEOR!"
Mirrupio launched her attack with a mighty punch, making it zoom straight towards Solaris. Sailor Moon and the Guardians were worried and were about to take action, but they did not need to do that. Solaris took a stance at that moment, clenching his fist while making it glow in bright light, unleashing a brand new attack.
"SOLARIS NOVA FLARE!"
He thrust his fist forward and unleashed a powerful blast of light that not only canceled out the Sunshine Meteor but also blasted Mirrupio so hard that her disguise evaporated as she hit the ground. Sailor Moon and the Guardians gasped upon seeing her.
"No way! That Solaris was the Cardian this whole time?!" gasped Sailor Moon.
Solaris seizing his moment jumped into the air, conjured a giant ball of light, launching it into the air, and then jumped upward, going just above the ball, clenching his fist tightly.
"Now, this is the real Sunshine Meteor, you Cardian!" Solaris yelled. "CHOKE ON IT!"
He then punched it using all of his strength and power as it fell towards the Cardian. Mirrupio had just got back up on her feet and looked up, and her eyes went wide with horror as Solaris' attack came shooting straight towards her. As she let out a terrified shriek, the Sunshine Meteor slammed into her and exploded with a mighty boom, her card falling to the card, blackened and smoking.
Everyone then cheered, students and Guardians alike, as Solaris stumbled, feeling weak at the knees after using a lot of power. However, as he fell backward, Sailor Moon quickly rushed over and managed to catch him.
"Don't worry, I got you, Solaris," the Guardian of the Moon reassured as she set him down.
"Th-thanks, Sailor Moon," gasped Solaris gratefully. "That... took more out of me than I thought."
"Well, when you whip out attacks like that, of course, you'll be tired," smiled Sailor Venus.
"Way to go, Solaris," said Sailor Mars. "You blasted that Cardian into next week!"
"They're right, Solaris," Moonlight Knight spoke proudly. "Because of your incredible strength of will, you were able to use a technique that not even the Cardian could duplicate. You should be proud. Until then, Adieu."
And with a wave of his cape, he was gone, while Solaris smiled with pride, reveling in his victory.
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Seijuuro was beside himself with anger inside the school as he watched the Guardians celebrate their win from the window.
"Damn it all! Those lousy Guardians foiled me again!" Seijuuro cursed. "I told that Cardian not to waste time, and she failed!"
"A Cardian? What do you mean a Cardian?" said a familiar voice from somewhere behind him.
Seijuuro then turned around and, to his horror, found Natsumi standing right in front of him, her foot tapping and her eyebrow furrowed and raised crossly.
"O-Oh! An! I-I uh, who said anything about a Cardian?!" Seijuuro spluttered nervously. "I was just uh, making up a story for my uh-"
"Save your lies, Ail!" Natsumi snapped, interrupting. "I should have known Harusuke would never say such things to me! It turns out it was because you wasted a Cardian to ruin his good name, and you didn't even get a single ounce of energy! You should be ashamed!"
Seijuuro tried to explain himself, but Natsumi wasn't having it as she stormed crossly away.
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It was soon after school, and the group was walking home. However, the girls all felt a little guilty after what had happened.
"We're sorry for what happened today, Harusuke," apologized Usagi.
"We honestly had no idea that a Cardian was pretending to be you," added Minako.
"It's all right, guys. You had no idea that Cardian was copying me," Harusuke soothed. "It did look exactly like me. I'm just glad that it's over now."
"It does puzzle me, though, said Ami thoughtfully. "Why would a Cardian go as far as to target Harusuke? I thought the Cardians were after energy."
"Who knows," said Luna. "But this certainly is strange. I wonder if the enemy's going through a change of plan?"
"Well, I suppose it's nothing to worry about for now," said Minako. "It's as they say: Worrying takes away tomorrow's peace but creates more fun."
"Minako, it's "Worrying doesn't take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away tomorrow's peace" " corrected Artemis.
"Oh, you know what I meant!" Minako groaned.
Harusuke then laughed. "Thanks, you guys. I'm not all that worried," he said, smiling. "As long as I'm with you guys, we'll stop whatever comes our way. And if you guys are ever in trouble, I'll always have your backs."
Everyone else smiled back at Harusuke and nodded in agreement. Then, Harusuke's stomach let out a growl causing the boy to hold his stomach, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Sounds like someone's a little hungry," laughed Makoto. "What do you say that we all head for a cafe and have something to eat?"
"Yay! Sounds good to me!" Usagi cheered. "I've been craving some cake!"
"Truth be told, that sounds good," Harusuke smiled. "Let's all go out and make it a group outing!"
Everyone agreed, and they all set out to enjoy themselves at the cafe while the sun set on another day.