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Things had been more than confusing after the Halloween Masque. Sailor Taranis didn't know what to think about Castor's actions, and he had found himself woefully unprepared to face Linarite when they did come face to face. That kiss. It echoed in his memory with deadly reverberations, reminding him over and over of how one of his closest friends had proven to be entirely unreliable and untrustworthy.

She's mine!

Castor had said it, said it when Taranis tried to kill her himself. Why did her death belong to Castor? She had taken nothing from him, as far as the senshi of sand was concerned, but he had been left with months of believing his girlfriend was dead.

The words that Serenity had shared at the ball pushed Taranis out of his room that night, scooting past a sleeping Aristotle and Derp in the cat bed. He passed off his normal stomping grounds -- perhaps for fear of running into Castor -- and instead made his way to the edge of the forest grove.

Up ahead, there were noises. A voice. And then, much stronger, a blip of dark energy. Negaverse. Sailor Taranis could see the bodies from where he stood. If she still held their starseeds, then Taranis would return them to their rightful bodies.

Without warning, Taranis wheeled, muttered the call to his super-level attack, and launched a ball of hard-parked mud sailing right for the back of Valleriite's head.

There were some senshi and Negaverse agents that had a certain repertoire. Some felt the need to lob catchphrases and cook up some witty banter. Others just fell silent to focus on the task at hand. Clearly, this Nega felt into the former category. Taranis, however, fell squarely in the latter.

As Valleriite spoke, Sailor Taranis simply readied his next attack. There was more magic left in him, but he would save it. She didn't seem so tough. A gloved hand snapped a thick branch from a nearby tree, and then he was off again, lofting the branch high and aiming for the girl's neck. At the very least, maybe he could topple that ridiculous hat off of her head.

The hat remained in place, alas. No matter. Taranis had more magic waiting in his arsenal. And there were plenty more branches where that one had come from. A rumble sat heavy in his gut, a need to destroy this girl who stood before him as if she were Linarite herself. So often Taranis did this, implanted the face of the girl whose blood he so wanted onto youma and Nega alike.

Annoyance split his impassive face. "I don't plan on wasting any breath on a piece of scum like you." His branch hit her cross and shattered. The girl was a lieutenant, but her weapon was still stronger than a piece of foliage.

Taranis stumbled backward, bending left in case she tried to parry the blow. "Where are the starseeds?" he said, spitting. The senshi of sand had no idea how long these two had been dead, but if there was hope for them, then it was up to him to seek it out.

The girl seemed less concerned with fighting and more concerned with lip service. If Taranis wasn't so distracted that night, he would have already had her down, maybe even dead. Still, as far as he could see, there were no starseeds on her. Had she already turned them into wherever the Negas took them? Or was she just cleaning up someone else's mess? Taranis had stumbled on Negas before as they discussed "body duty" but he still wasn't sure what that entailed. Perhaps this was it. Perhaps the starseeds of these two citizens were long gone.

The thought made his jaw tighten. "So you're not even high-ranking enough to hold on to a starseed, is that it? Went and gave it off to your superior? Maybe you should give me their name. Point me in their direction. Let me have a real fight." Usually Taranis wouldn't even indulge in this banter, but the girl was being a pest.

His hands swirled again, calling to his attack. "Taranis Sand Blast!" The ball of sand was not as powerful as his super attack, but it still packed a punch. He sent it flying and shouted, "Or you can just die now!"

The little lieutenant did fight, apparently.

It was remarkable that the girl moved quickly enough to dodge the flying ball, but her own dance up the tree allowed Taranis equally enough time to get out of the way of her attack. The somersault did throw him a bit. He stepped to the side, avoiding the blow, but caught a kick to his shoulder for his efforts.

Two hands flashed up, gripping her ankle and twisting in the hopes of forcing her back to the ground. He had more magic in him, and advanced strength or not, Taranis had experience on her. He could keep this up if he had to do it. Could she? It looked like they would find out soon enough.

The Nega was still on the ground, that much was good, but Taranis had learned long ago that a snake could still bite with its head cut off. And he hadn't even gotten that far. He scrambled to her side and kicked her weapon out of reach of her stretching hand. She seemed stunned, but maybe it was an act. He couldn't be sure.

So he'd have to make sure.

Time was of the essence. His hands swirled in their tight circle, lips murmuring the incantation for his super-level attack, and in no time, a ball of wet sand spun at his fingertips. The velocity created a wave of air that brushed his hair from his eyes.

Running backward a few steps to give it some added speed, Sailor Taranis leaped into the arm, angled his arms at the prone Negaverse agent, and let his projectile fly. Perhaps tonight the city would have one less Nega clogging its streets. The thought brought a wry smile to his lips.

His attack had not had its intended effect, but before he could pursue the Nega, a police squadron car pulled up along the street. "Stop, hands in the air!" an officer called. A second officer came out from the other side of the car and drew his weapon. Taranis could hear one of them speaking into a walkie-talkie about a highly dangerous situation with two dead bodies visible.

Just... perfect.

With a searing curse, Taranis dove backwards into the trees as one bullet rang out. He cartwheeled backward until he was totally obscured and then scaled one for added safety. Within a few minutes, an entire cloud of police officers had arrived to canvas the scene. There were so many of them that Taranis didn't feel like he had to worry about one lieutenant trying to attack. After all, cops had guns, and Negas weren't bulletproof.

Carrying defeat heavily in his chest, the senshi of sand gave up for the night, disappearing away from the police scene and cursing his failure to kill the Nega when he had her in a vulnerable spot.