After a restless night, Usagi had a quiet day in this last Thursday of October. The only noticeable event of the day was the face Ami made when she heard what Usagi had done during the night. She strongly agreed to go tell everything to Rei and Minako.
They went to the shrine first. Rei wasn't back for the moment, so they wandered into the wood, any slightly good looking young girl had every reason to avoid meeting Rei's grandfather. So they slowly paced along the yard, silently. Twice, Usagi opened her mouth to speak, but finally did it only when she saw a pack of clothes on the ground, clothes containing an unconscious young man. "It's Yuuchirou!"
They ran to him and Ami took his pulse while Ami called him. Whatever had put him in this state hadn't killed him, as he confirmed by moaning and partly opening one eye. "What is it? Usagi asked.
– I'm not sure, Ami answered. He's frozen, it must be the cold, whatever it is we should carry him inside!"
They carried him, Usagi holding the feet and Ami made great effort to support the shoulders. Once on the front yard, a visitor helped them bring him inside but didn't stay afterward. Yuuchirou, unaware they only wanted to help him, complained feebly he wanted to sleep. While Usagi undressed him, blushing as she rarely did before, Ami poured him a warm bath.
It wasn't easy to carry his nearly adult body in the tub but they managed to do it, and after ten minutes of making sure he didn't drown he proved it really was hypothermia who knocked him out. He woke up, first to complain he was cold, then to realise he was naked in front of the girls and comically attempt to hide himself while they already had all the time they wanted to see anything there was to see. To spare him, they went out. Just in time to find themselves right in front of Rei, who had just came back.
The newcomer was alarmed to learn of the state in which they had found Yuuchirou, but she didn't panic and gave him the time to get dressed before assaulting him and shower him with questions. Ami ordered her to calm: they would interrogate him together.

It wasn't cold enough for an healthy young man to suffer from it, so the three girls insisted to know what had happened. The teenager facing them, on his side, wasn't so eager to speak. Additionally, the wooden floor where they sat was most uncomfortable.
"Are you sure, Rei advanced carefully, nothing abnormal happened? You know, really abnormal… Unbelievable, maybe?
- Maybe… Yuuchirou mumbled, giving in to this tactic. Well… maybe yes.
- We won't laugh at you, I know bizarre things have been happening these last days, you know too…
- Well, I was outside, and there was this thing… a fireball, it burned a hole in the foliage, and then… An animal, a great white dragon, unbelievable! It bit me, its mouth was large enough to hold my whole chest, then I fainted. I didn't think I would wake up, especially not without any injury!
- That's what I feared. Listen, Yuuchirou, I can't recommend you anything, except not to hang out alone, you almost froze to death. I'll do something about this, but it's my business. And about that, would you leave us alone? I need my concentration."
The young man, confused, left the room without protest, closing behind him.
"So that was that, Ami stated, the little red dots on his body, tooth marks.
- Do you think it was the enemy, Rei? Usagi asked.
- Yes, she answered, probably another attack… but none of us was there, why attacking?
- Makoto might have been there?
- You already know it can't see the dead! And why should she have been there?
- Well, that's why we came today… she came at my place, tried to kill me and hurt my mother. And she broke a window!
- I don't care about your window! She tried to kill you?
- With her knife first, then with lightnings. Mom paralysed her arm and I hurt her with my tiara, then she ran.
- How did your mother do that?
- I'm not sure. By cutting her. I don't think she'll attack again, her leg it almost torn off, she can't walk. And she can't use her right hand.
- No. She'll come back. If she wants you to let her die she won't give up. But… how could she use her powers? She doesn't have life energy…
- No idea! … We should warn Minako now.
- Hmm, one last question. You saw Yuuchirou naked before I came… does he have a nice butt?
- Heu… I'm not sure, after all I only saw him from the front…"
As she finished her sentence, Usagi blushed and covered her mouth, while Ami shook her head with discouragement. They decided of a time for a real reunion later, then the two visitors left to inform Minako of the situation.

After a long hunt, Jupiter let her dragon rest. It had escaped several times to her control and refused to finish off the preys that gave it the energy it needed, and it bothered her. She had nothing to do with a nice monster, she wanted a killer. While it slept, the body laid from the living room to the far end of the kitchen, she noticed this meal had done it good. It looked less scary but stronger.
She'd let it sleep until the night, then it would be its turn to attack Usagi. Would she let her die or not didn't matter anymore, she wanted revenge!
She let some more time pass laying on her bed, and only moved once the night fell. Well, a bit before, she couldn't wait to see her succumb slowly and finally having the right to rest.
She shook the dragon awake, in its surprise it attempted to escape her but her control held good and she seated herself on its back to pursue her lethal quest.

This time, Usagi was asleep when a great noise pulled her from her sheets. She jumped out of the bed, only to trip on a piece of clothing she had abandoned on the floor the previous day, sleepy enough to wonder afterward how she got on the floor.
A wall-shaking blow had been felt, she didn't know what it was. Maybe thunder? This wasn't reinsuring, knowing who of her acquaintances mastered thunder… When another shock was heard, it wasn't with relief she realised it wasn't thunder, for she saw what caused it.
The beast Yuuchirou had described was flying at high speed in front of the house, diving from time to time to hit the front wall with all the strength of its long tail. At the third passage, a monstrous clawed leg leant against the window, causing the wood to crack and threatening to shatter the glass. On its back, like a new kind of parasite, sat an horribly mutilated female body.
It was too dark to see her face, but Usagi knew. Makoto. This monster wasn't an attack from the enemy. Not surprising, Yuuchirou seemed to have been victim of a classical energy theft, the enemy had never gone that low. Without hesitation. She transformed, ran downstairs and shot out the door like a cannonball, almost falling flat onto the tiles.
"Mako chan! she screamed to the wind that covered her words, I just want to help you, you know it! Stop this, everything will be fine, we just need…"
She shut up the time to avoid a blow from a tail that was actually wider than her whole body, finding herself lying on the rain soaked alley. Where did Jupiter find a dragon anyway? It's not like they kept some of those in every convenience store! That large muscular tail who had just attempted to crush her was streaked with blood, the impacts too brutal for the skin despite the thick scales. It obeyed her to the point of actually hurting itself for her? Such a powerful animal couldn't possibly be trained so quickly! Something was wrong.
Maybe it wasn't just a beast, it might not even obey her… maybe it was even the other way around! The enemy was the only one at that time to have a reason to hate her, was it him? Its monsters didn't feed, but it probably did, that would explain its last attack. So suffering had done its harm, it had become evil!
The dragon turned to attack again, gained speed and… turned away. With a jerk it forced Jupiter to get a better grab, then seemed to remember why it was here and charged at Moon, blowing her a burning gush of flames. Even without being hit she felt the burn. Then before she could strike back it climbed into the dark sky and its rider imprudently rose her valid hand with a savage scream, closed it on a handful of lightning who formed in a fraction of second a whole net of chaotic light zigzags who filled the sky from one horizon to another.
Moon rose her sceptre and activated it as best as she could in the little time she had. Jupiter threw the concentrated ball of lightning she held tight in her hand, and the improvised shield Moon had formed was of no help: she didn't have the time to get up and had simply lifted the sceptre, and even then not on the full length of her arm. Not that it diminished its protective power, but the giant lightning didn't even reach it. Gold was the best possible conductor and the sceptre was entirely made of that metal, what better lightning rod could she have had? Few enough electricity went through her body to only benumb her arm. Her magical weapon however was so hot it was surprising it didn't melt and she had to fight the reflex to throw it to keep it in her hans.
Whatever was this monster, she had to destroy it! Whether it controlled her or not, Jupiter would be more eager to listen with the creature out of the way for good!
"Moon Princess Halation!" she summoned. With an unbelievable speed, the dragon dodged the attack and it seemed nothing would be able to even approach it, it was too skilled. She had to find something else!
Jupiter manoeuvred her mounting and it flew away, only to dive on her once more, this time aiming to fit her into its mouth, location that seemed desirable to no one. Moon thought quicker than she probably ever did and activated her tiara, holding it before her without throwing it.
If she wasn't powerful enough to disintegrate the dragon she would be crushed! She had to keep hold of herself, there was no other way to escape. The beast kept charging without deviating, would it be stupid enough to come annihilate itself on her weapon?
No. It didn't even wait the last moment to turn, and in a revolted jerk succeeded in throwing down its rider. Jupiter jumped on her only leg and shouted something, and the dragon immediately came back, obedient. She held to its neck and it flew out of reach, disappearing in the distance with her.

Chapter 13