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In which Gwendolyn and Micah become a victim of a purse cutter and kidnapping, only to be rescued by an unlikely savior...

**Met Jett

Status: Complete

In which Sailor Tsui and Sailor Ate face off with a very gooey and very dangerous monster in the alley...

**Met Sailor Ate

Status: Complete

There were a few things that succeeded in putting Gwendolyn Caspian in a rotten mood, and they could have ranged anywhere between being relatively trivial to catastrophic (well, as catastrophic as a fifteen year old’s life as a Sailor Senshi could get, though even she knew that she had yet to see the real horrors that came with her new responsibility). Gwen wasn’t sure what it was that kind of dragged her down. For starters, being sick was one of those reasons, and she only had herself to blame, as she could feel herself going into a possible relapse. Had she done what Maddy suggested and stay in bed, she’d likely have been well by now with maybe a lingering cough, but she had insisted that she was fine. She was Sailor Tsui, Senshi of Tigers, after all, and she couldn’t risk the streets being overrun with the Negaverse, their Youma, or the Dark Mirror Court while she stayed home and nursed a damned cold.

Except that it wasn’t a cold. There was a lingering fever that seemed to disappear then reappear, and to add to her misery, she was still recovering from her blotched fight against Super Sailor Remarque, and her little chase down with that cutpurse in the streets certainly didn’t help things in the least, though at least Jett had knocked the robber out and saved her precious Micah. Now she was restricted to her bed, her ankle elevated and wrapped with an icepack, and the Gwen from before would have gladly enjoyed the downtime. It would be a chance to play her games, sketch out a few pictures, or even do her homework… though she’d never kid herself with that last part.

But she was not the Gwendolyn Caspian of before. Ever since her awakening as a Senshi, she felt that she didn’t know what to do with her time. She wanted to play games, practice gymnastics, meet new people, but if she even tried to indulge in those desires, her conscious nagged at her and she could never truly enjoy it. She always felt that she could have been doing something else, something more important, but she couldn’t. Not while she was sick, wounded, and, admittedly, alone and confused.
She couldn’t ignore what Remarque had said, no matter how much she tried to. She was a member of the White Moon Court, and while nothing would ever change that, she could not help but ponder on his words about her leader, and she wondered why their leader would have disappeared. She knew she should have just asked Pippin, or someone else, perhaps another Senshi of the White Moon Court that would know that answer, but she was afraid to ask, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she was afraid of looking stupid or naïve in front of others, even though she had a perfect excuse. She was just awakened, and with everyone getting sick or having their own problems to deal with, she just didn’t have the proper training. So she had every excuse to make rookie mistakes, like run out on her own, pick fights with stronger and more experienced Senshi or enemies, ask questions, but still…

’What’s my purpose for being a Senshi anyway?’ Gwendolyn thought to herself, laying her head back and trying to enjoy the music on her ipod, even though her mind was racing too much to really listen to it. She stared up at the ceiling, a grey wall with nothing on it but a dulled light and a few cracks from the building’s natural wear and tear to comfort her. ’Yeah, I fight the bad guys but… it’s not that simple, is it? What’s the point of fighting if you have no reason to? I don’t know…’

She wished she could have snuck Pippin in… he’d definitely had given her answers, but he was busy taking care of other Senshi, and she couldn’t blame him for that. There were so many like her, probably just as confused and lost as she was, and sometimes, the best answer was to go out and find it for herself. So Gwen gave a sigh and closed her eyes, hoping that a nap would help clear her mind. She’d pick up on this train of thought later, find her purpose and drive again, after a nice, long, cat nap. ’I’m just fifteen… it’s all too heavy right now.’

((Word count: 739))

Studying. Gwendolyn Caspian was very the type to really get into studying, though she acknowledged that she needed to invest in it more often, but she was determined to find the answer. And she wasn’t going to leave the library until she did!

The flow of time seemed nonexistent once she gathered her books together and hoarded them away in the darkest, loneliest corner of the library that she could find, and her iPod had long since died out, though that was probably for the best since all it did was distract her from her studying. If one could even call it that… more like staring into books filled with words she didn’t understand and hoping that she’d be able to make some sense of it eventually. Maybe she found the answer and completely overlooked it and was just too tired, or dumb, to go back and look at it again. At this rate, if she didn’t feel dumb before, she certainly did now.

She was halfway through one of the many, many books she pulled before realizing that she was just staring at a book and comprehending none of it, and Gwen gave a frustrated sigh, thankful that no one else seemed to be hovering around her to tell her to shush (though at this rate, she’d be likely to just march on over to their table and give them a good punch in the eye and deal with the consequences of being banned from the library forever as she had grown very tired of this place by now and it only being her first day here.)

’At least when Arian was here, there was someone to talk to, bounce ideas off of, even though I couldn’t tell him what my research was about,’ Gwen thought with a pathetic sigh, rubbing her eyes and giving her cheek a harmless slap to wake herself up. Most libraries had a coffee shop in the establishment or at least somewhere close by these days, and she pondered if she should risk leaving her mountain of books here while she went to replenished her depleting energy supplies. Not that she had the money to get anything fancy besides a candy bar, but even that seemed like a godsend at this point, and she wrote a quick note, hoping to ward off anyone, whether it be librarians returning the books to their proper place or another student or person needing one of her many books to not move around anything until she got back. ’Red warrior needs food badly… if I find a single book from this pile missing I will end them!’

Not that she could, really, and Gwen knew this as she slapped the note on the top of the pile and began to stealth her way towards a coffee shop. She, or rather, her alter ego Sailor Tsui, proud senshi of Tigers, hadn’t dusted a youma yet, only helped other senshi, more stronger and experienced ones, and if she couldn’t even dust a youma on her own, then what could she REALLY do to someone who took her books before she was done with them?

’I couldn’t even stop that guy who took my purse when Micah was inside of it…’ Gwen thought to herself morosely, remembering the experience with vivid detail and thankful that her ankle –finally- seemed to be healing well enough on its own now that it didn’t throb anymore. Not that she did any physical activities between then and now, but the experience was frightening enough on its own. Someone had the nerve to cut her purse and run off with it, and if it weren’t for Jett’s interference, she would have lost Micah forever. There was no doubt about that… in her condition, sick and injured from her fight with Sailor Remarque, that she wouldn’t have caught up with him without a Good Samaritan stepping in to help, and this bothered Gwen greatly. It reflected something about her that she didn’t like, never liked, even before being awakened as a Senshi.

She wasn’t ready to face this world yet. She wasn’t strong enough, experienced or wise enough to compete in this world, and not just as Gwendolyn Caspian, but as Sailor Tsui as well. She could barely sense youma on her own, though at first she thought it was just because of this damned cold that seemed to hound her even when she took the time to rest. She had won several confrontations with youma, though she had never dusted one on her own, and even when she did win, she had only managed to do so by the skin of her teeth and with the aid of another stronger Senshi. Had they not been there, she knew that she could have, and probably should have, died several times over, and this only reflected her failure to adapt to a different situation, and this made her angry.

She picked fights with various youma, a Negaverse lieutenant and even a Dark Mirror Senshi, and while she had lived, it was either through the help of others, pity, or sheer dumb luck, and all of that was inexcusable! What did those challengers have that she lacked?

’Experience, for starters!’ Gwen answered that easily, finding the coffee stand and thankful that it was still open. She grabbed a Snickers, normally hating the peanuts but knowing that she needed something filling, and if Snickers didn’t work, then nothing would. Her mind wasn’t on the task at hand, running on autopilot as she was trying to figure out what it was that she was lacking in regards to her competition. ’It’s not just that, though. They seem more organized, more prepared.’

The thought hit her as she paid for the candy bar and made her way back towards her desolate corner that she had claimed for herself, and it seemed like her mind became clearer with this sudden revelation. ’They’re focused. They have a definitive goal… and a leader that they can see, hear, trust. That’s what the White Moon Court is lacking…’

If that wasn’t the answer, then Gwen knew she would have been truly stumped. But it was as clear as day to her. When she was awakened as a Senshi, Pippin had told her that she was a warrior of justice and her goal was to defend the weak, the helpless, and, in her own case, animals of any kind. And while that seemed like a good goal, it seemed different, unique from what Sailor Draconis’ goal was, or even Sailor Chibi Lenka’s goal. Her mind wondered to all of the White Moon senshi she’s encountered in the short time that she was a Senshi herself, and each one seemed different, unique, defined from one another, and while this made each one of them memorable, they lacked the unity that their enemy had. And Gwen knew that she was just as guilty as they were; after all, she had run out on her own so many times (which is what often led her into some of her more trialing situations, now that she sat down and thought about it), prided herself into being the Senshi of Tigers, and not the loyal servant of the White Moon Court itself.

’But then again, what –is- the White Moon Court anyway?’ Gwen hadn’t even bothered to notice if any of her books was missing, as the first thing she did when she sat down was dive right into the Snickers bar. Her stomach rejoiced at the fact that it would have something to digest soon, but she paid little attention to the matter, continuing to run on autopilot as she got lost in her thoughts. ’I know it’s the opposite of the Dark Mirror Court, and it’s suppose to stand for Order, but I… don’t think I see any of that. How can you have order when you’re not united?’

This notion baffled Gwen, and in truth, even on her best of days, she wasn’t the type to want to get involved in this kind of mental dilemmas. She was more action, less talk kind of girl, and all of this studying and contemplation was completely out of her element, despite knowing that she was doing this to better herself in the future. If Gwen wanted to improve herself as a Senshi, she had to step outside of her comfort zone, embrace the challenge that came with it, and Gwen knew that she was definitely capable of doing that. She prided herself in trying something new, and now would be no different! She was doing to figure this whole ordeal out, but one thing at a time!

’I can’t think of the entire group on my own… that’s just impossible right now! I don’t even KNOW all of the Senshi in the same court, so it wouldn’t be fair to make a judgment on that,’ Gwen thought to herself, devouring the Snickers bar and licking the remaining chocolate off of her fingers before diving back into the books. With renewed energy and interest, Gwen was ready to take on the challenge ahead of her, and she grabbed the next book in the pile, hoping that when she opened it, it wouldn’t be in Chinese, like the few before. ’I cannot think to make the group better without improving myself first, and I can do that by figuring out more about Tsui itself!’

Thanks to Arian’s advise, she was able to pinpoint a specific topic at least, and she dove into the huge world of Chinese astronomy and astrology. That was certainly no easy task, as she had known absolutely jack and s**t about Western astronomy and astrology, much like Chinese, but she knew that it was the best place to look. Tigers resided in the east, and the name of the star constellation that she was part of was, without a doubt, Chinese. She recalled what she could gather about the constellation itself, glancing over her notes to try to get a good idea of all of the important details.

’Tsui, or sometimes spelled or called Zi Xiu. The Turtle Beak of the White Tiger constellation, which is called Baihu. One of the four directional guardians of China, along with Vermillion Phoenix, Black Tortoise, and Azure Dragon.’ Her concentration was cut off at that point, recalling Sailor Draconis and musing about the Senshi that she briefly met. She was the Senshi of Dragons (obviously), but she wondered if she was the one fulfilling that role of the Azure Dragon. ’I didn’t see any blue on her attire, or at least, I don’t remember. Maybe she’s not part of the same sphere… hmmm…’

The matter itself wasn’t as pressing as solving her own identity as a Senshi, but she put an star by the brief mention of the Azure Dragon for later, and then underlined the other two as well. Perhaps once she’s figured herself out, she could figure out if the other directional guardians would play into things, and she went back to her notes specifically about Tsui and the rest of White Tiger. ’If I’m the Senshi of Tigers, then why is my fuku mostly white, black, and –silver- instead of orange? Am I really suppose to represent Baihu, the White Tiger? Then… why am I Sailor Tsui and not Sailor Baihu?’

It was quite puzzling for Gwen. There were seven mansions of the White Tiger constellation, yet why was she the sphere of the Turtle Beak, Tsui, when there were six other constellations not accounted for? Did that mean that there are other Senshi of Tigers, and they merely haven’t been awakened yet? Were they waiting to be awakened? This was troubling to Gwen, and not to mention a little disheartening. ’Could it be… that I’m not meant to be the only senshi of Tigers? I’m not sure how that’s even suppose to work… but if there are other Tiger senshi out there, then maybe I should look for them?’

Not that she was sure how that was possible, and in truth, she felt that there was more to this ordeal than she originally thought. No, it was no doubt about it. Pippin had told her that she was the Senshi of Tigers, plural, meaning all tigers. And the coloration of her fuku suggested that she was meant to be the White Tiger…

“Attention, the library will be closing in fifteen minutes. I repeat, the library will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please…”

The rest of the message was a blur to Gwen, and reluctantly, she grabbed a handful of books that she hadn’t read yet and began to make her way towards check out. She’d simply have to take her research material home with her and hope that she was able to piece together the puzzles. She had to see if there was a reason why she was the Senshi of all tigers, but her sphere only covering a mere fraction of the larger constellation herself. ’If it was possible to travel to Tsui and see if there’s any method behind this… but how the hell do you travel to a star and live?’

“I repeat, the library will be closing in fifteen minutes.”

Gwen, so exhausted and confused from her rigorous studying session, growled right back at the intercom, making a few of the regulars chuckle and shake their heads at her retort. “Alright, alright! I get it! I’m going, shut up!”

(Word count: 2245)

In which Gwendolyn's quest for the perfect satin fabric is put on halt by a pretty dog...

**Met Candice

Status: Completed

This charade had gone on long enough, and Gwendolyn Caspian was going to let the youma know it. At first, she admired its tenacity to keep following her, despite how she would leap fences and run down the sidewalk and even came close to scaling a building. But this youma, apparently a stalker in its former life, had kept its eyes on its prey, and with each attempt to escape its sights, Gwen knew that it would only be attracted to her energy and would continue the chase until she was too exhausted to run much further before it would make its move. Like a good predator, it relied on allowing the prey to wear itself down first.

Unfortunately for the youma, Gwen had a fair idea what a real predator would do, and despite being the ‘prey’, she was pacing herself as well. She was luring the youma away, far away from civilians eyes and to a place where she could show the youma who the REAL predator was, because once she transformed, Sailor Tsui would not put up with this game of cat and mouse for long.

As far as she was concerned, there could only be one cat, and that cat would be her, the Tiger!

Finally, after many twists and turns and another pace around the block, Gwen felt that enough was enough. She could tell that the youma was starting to lose its patience, and in truth, so was she, so when she passed by the alley, she took a quick turn into it and immediately jumped onto the trash can, and from there, grabbed onto the outside staircase on the wall as though it were nothing but the uneven cars and pulled herself up. She was hoping that she’d be quick enough to make it up there before the youma could turn the corner, and boy was she thankful that by the time she pulled herself up, the youma looked around the alleyway, momentarily confused. She had a brief window before its rely on its sense of smell to find her, and she wasted no time, grabbing her Henshin pen and shouting aloud.

“Tsui Star Power, Make Up!”

The change was immediate and Sailor Tsui always enjoyed the rush of power she felt in her body with every transformation. The youma, a fugly creature that looked like it came out of a Tim Burton’s flick, had looked up, just in time to receive a pair of boots to the face when she came crashing down on him. It was not strong enough to seriously wound it, but it was just enough to knock him off balance, giving Tsui the chance to leap away to a safer distance. She held her arms in the familiar cross fashion over her chest, anyone aware of her powers knowing that she was preparing for her strike, and she would have taken it at the first chance as the youma was stumbling back, had her ears not heard a familiar sound.

’Is that… kittens?’ Tsui looked behind her, seeing the old cardboard box in the corner and the mother cat that stood its ground as its kittens squeaked and mewled pathetically. Her heart melted at the sight of them, naturally, and she realized it was a mistake bringing the youma into this alley. She had put innocent, and extremely adorable lives in danger! ’That means I have to kill the youma quickly… THE YOUMA!’

Realizing her mistake, she looked back at the monster, just as it charged her. She moved into a more defensive position, refusing to give way as the mother cat and her kittens were behind her, catching the youma and being pushed back a few feet before steadying herself, holding the youma in a deadlock.

’What a fine mess you got yourself into, Tsui,’ Tsui berated herself, gritting her teeth and trying to push back the lanky creature and surprised by its strength. It managed to force her back a few steps, but she refused to give it any leeway. She was a Senshi, and a Senshi of Tigers at that, and her duty, for now, was to defend the lives of her smaller, less feral brethren. It pushed her back another step, and the kittens’ mewls got even louder, more frantic, and Tsui growled, managing to move her arms into the cross motion over her chest and gathering the energy that he so desired into her arms. She HAD to push him back… and there was only one way that she knew of. “Tiger… Fist… STRIKE!!!!”

The youma had anticipated a strike but it did not expect the Senshi to be able to overpower him and push him back entirely, and due to their closeness, Tsui went along with him, punching at the recently attacked chest and looking to weaken it for a second charge. In truth, she had never killed a youma before, at least not on her own, and this had bothered her, much more than she thought it truly would. She knew she was strong and capable, and she knew that she could get the experience she needed with time… so why could she not stand on par with the likes of Chibi Lenka, or Draconis, or Ate? Those three’s faces flashed in her mind, as well as a forth’s, the Dark Mirror Senshi, Remarque. All of them were strong, but they had to start somewhere too, didn’t they?! They all had their first youma or obstacle that they had to defeat, destroy? Why couldn’t she? Just because they had a focus and she didn’t?

The creature grabbed onto her shoulders and immediately, needle like appendages shot from its hands and arms, striking her arms and shoulder and bringing her attention back to the battle. She knew it was trying to suck her energy, but she wasn’t going to allow that. He was about to get all the energy he’d ever need, directly to the chest! Once again, she moved her arms into a cross pattern, and while the youma recognized the motion, it had already committed to latching itself onto her. And Tsui grinned at the sight of possible fear in those blood shot eyes of the youma. ’Damn right you better fear me…

“TIGER FIST STRIKE!”

She charged through, snapping off of the youma’s grip and completely plowing through the already weakened chest. It felt like she was charging through a wall, breaking through bricks and plaster, and when she hit the ground, she tumbled and rolled, hoping that she didn’t slam herself into the wall or into the open streets and trying to stand herself upright. She got halfway there before falling onto her knees, the needles remaining on her shoulders and arms for a while more before it disintegrated with the rest of the youma. Tsui at least got to see the fruits of her efforts, looking at the hole she created in the youma as it faded away, and all strength in her arms and legs were gone at this point. “I did it… I… defeated a youma all by myself…”

She wasn’t sure how to feel. It certainly wasn’t the first one she helped to defeat, but it was the first one to die by her hands. A sense of pride and accomplishment swelled within her, as though all of her time spent fighting along side other Senshi, or against, even, had boiled down to this. She could not fight on her own, stand on her own two legs and find her purpose as a Senshi, in her own right. Perhaps she could finally make a difference? ’With this… maybe… I can find my focus. I can finally have a reason to fight!’

That reason was still a mystery to her, but for now, she knew that she had the power within her to handle it. Besides, her focus at this given moment was to protect the mother cat and her kittens, and for now, that was enough. She flashed the cat a smile, aware that it would not understand the gesture, and she took no offense when it moved closer to her kittens, back still arched and moaning a warning for her to stay away. Tsui waved the cat off, before picking herself off of the ground and powering down, and despite the new aches and pains she felt, she sounded surprisingly chipper. “No need to thank me, miss! All within a day’s work for the Senshi of Tigers!”

So, with that, she began the long trek back home, but not even the aches, pains, and new bruises could deter her mood now. No, not even the dark clouds in the sky that threatened to unleash its rainy fury could wipe that smile off of her face…

((World Count: 1462))

In which Gwendolyn's endeavor to discover more about her Senshi origins leads her to seeking help from a seasoned gentlemen with an adorable corgi...

**Met Tony

Status: Complete

In which Sailor Tsui realizes that not all Dark Mirror Senshi are out to corrupt, and not all of them like her allies...

**Met Super Sailor Navi

Status: Complete