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“We are the color symphony, we do the things you wanna see.”

Genevieve looked nothing short of silly as she hopped along down Main street, taking care to jump from paving stone to paving stone without stepping on the cracks. It wasn't that she believed her mother's back was going to really break if she stepped on them. Her mother was fit as a fiddle and didn't approve of standing on chairs to reach the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets, so that was highly unlikely. It was just another way to keep the walk to and from Meadowview from getting dreadfully boring.

Unfortunately, dreadfully boring was unavoidable in the bleak, gray stretch of days that made up the middle of February. The memories of Christmas had begun to fade, leaving only gifts that had already lost their novelty and leftover chocolate that bore a chalky white coating. Spring break seemed so far away that it might as well be a myth, and even Valentine's day was lost in the jaws of that cold, depressing month. Besides, one couldn't enjoy Valentine's day without a Valentine, and Genevieve was still holding out for her Prince Charming on a White Horse.

She giggled at the thought, and absentmindedly touched the thick, square outline of the romance novel in her messenger bag.

Only the high-pitched, fingernails on a chalkboard sound of Aqua brightened her day, blasting through a set of commonplace white earbuds as she bounced in place and waited for the Walk sign to flash white. It did, and she pressed forward alongside businessmen and other high schoolers walking home late. A few she knew, but ignored in preference for the incredibly catchy tune. Genevieve couldn't sing, but that sure as hell didn't stop her from trying.

“We are the cartoon heroes, a-whoa-oa!”

Genevieve really couldn't sing. Fortunately, she couldn't hear her own voice over the blaring music. The off-key tune bounced off of the brick walls as she turned into the alley that would lead her closer to home, dodging busier but safer roads in preference of arriving in time to catch Lost.

With any luck, Kate and Jack would finally get together. Of course, Miranda thought that Kate would end up with Sawyer, but that was just silly. Miranda clearly did not know much about romance. Then again, nobody knew as much about romance as Genevieve did, but any idiot could see that Kate belonged with Jack.

Suddenly, the concrete was flying up towards her face at a remarkable speed. Reflex brought her hands out in front of her to break the fall, earning her two palms full or gravel and horribly scraped knees. Her face took a small scrape to one cheek, and the iPod went skittering across the concrete, pulling the earbuds right out of her ears with a sift pop. The nasal voice whined, almost inaudible, from behind a trash can.

Genevieve ignored it as she scrambled to look behind her, tears welling in her big blue eyes. She half-expected to see one of the Meadowview bullies standing behind her, but found only an open alleyway and a flickering streetlight. There was no shadow cast over where she lay, no laughing face for her to stare up at before bursting into tears. Nothing but the cold night air and, rather suddenly, a voice.

The schoolgirl all but jumped out of her skin as the voice pulled her attention to the man like an opposing magnet. Her head snapped upwards, eyes wide and body tensed. When finally her eyes met with those of Negaverse Lieutenant, her reaction was one which an unhenshined senshi should never make in such a situation. A wide smile broke her face, a single sniff replacing what would have otherwise been a steady stream of tears. Trusting as ever, Genevieve took his hand and let him help her to her feet, wincing as her skinned knees straightened.

After all, he looked trustworthy, right? Handsome men could always be trusted to save damsels in distress. Genevieve knew this to be an absolute fact.

“I-,” she said, glancing nervously over her shoulder, “I'm so clumsy.” Her laugh was nervous but genuine . She dusted off her skirt. It did little good, and only added a few red spots from her bleeding palms to the pale fabric.

Few people would have called Genevieve Prideux stupid.

Damn near all of them would have called her incredibly naïve.

Add to this the fact that she had never actually seen the fabled Negaverse agents, and her curious once-over over Obsidian was just that: curious. Her wide blue eyes did drag as she took in the pauldrons and bracers, the strange way his pants tucked into his boots. He had more sashes and straps and trimming than any boy had a right to have. Genevieve recalled the way Captain Jack Sparrow's pants tucked into his boots, too – Oh, Johnny Depp – and furrowed her brows.

“Well, Jack and Kate went back to the island and I want to see if Locke is really dead,” she said, giving one last glance over her shoulder. She assumed this was explanation enough, and didn't bother to elaborate. It never crossed her mind that he might mean her harm.

It never crossed her mind that he was even capable of such a thing.

"And you should remember not to be a douche!" From the roof above them, Castor had to say it. It was too good to pass up. "Large and small, justice rains down! I'm you know who, come to piss in your cereal!" Jumping down, he smiled, already looking forward to a rematch.

"How's it going Obby? Heard you got dumped for the general king. Ouch. How about you leave the lady alone and just go back to chasing whores?" Low blows. Castor was happy to take them.

"Babe, this is where you run. Like, now." He was tense. The memories of Tanz and Christine still recent.

"Oh, it's Castrator, the dickless wonder." Obsidian drawled, taking his time in tilting his head up to look at the kid. He looked different, somehow--not unlike his own upgraded outfit. "Finally got some pants, I see." That was definitely a jibe of his own, amused as hell, and suddenly he'd whipped the broad sword out and smashed it into the concrete.

No more dicking around, so to speak.

"Speak for yourself, bucko. I know what it actually feels like to have sex. Your hormones will stop raging one day, keep whacking off until then." The girl was fleeing, and that was fine. If Castor was hoping for a response about Nealite's marriage, he wouldn't get one, and laughed.

"Is that what you tell all the girls when you start taking off your pants? Oh Castor. I'm gonna enjoy this." He began to advance now, hauling the impossible blade up and balancing it carefully on one shoulder.

Genevieve barely heard the banter as she fled the scene, her beating heart and the echoing click of her heels filling her ears like thunder. It was the soundtrack of her cowardice, chasing her away as she ran to save her own life and left Castor to defend it. He was only a teenager, just like herself, another unfortunate soul plucked from their high school of choice and drafted into defense of a Moon Kingdom they had never seen, a Princess they had never-

Princess.

The thought brought Genevieve's feet to a slow, stumbling halt, her back pushed up against an alley wall well out of sight. Their voices were faint echoes carried to her by the city walls and crisp night air, but she could see neither of them. Her breath was ragged – Genevieve was not an athlete by any means, and even the short sprint was enough to wind her – and she could feel her hands shaking as they clenched and unclenched at her sides. Why she had stopped, she couldn't have put into words. There were no words capable of describing it, really. A feeling of duty, perhaps: responsibility, loyalty, and a sudden rush of anger. Whatever it was, it tugged her fingers open as though they were subject to puppetry, and dipped them into the pocket that held her henshin pen.

I can't just let him die... Genevieve thought, though she failed to swallow down what felt like a fist-sized lump of fear stuck in the back of her throat.

“I am a senshi,” she whispered in a voice so shaky and unsure that nobody would have ever believed her, “I am a senshi. I am a senshi.”

This isn't the type of thing one usually repeated out loud, but Genevieve chanted the words like a calming mantra. She clutched the pen between her fists and repeated them, as though trying to build courage for what came next.

“Calypso power, Make-up!”

There were sparkles and twirls and a a sudden light that would have had Sheldon Cooper's head spinning with all of the ways it defied physics. When it was all said and done, Genevieve was gone, replaced by the senshi she swore she was but never actually felt like. One deep breath calmed her nerves (no it didn't, she was still shaking like a leaf in the wind) and she took off back towards the scene.

She sang quietly between breaths as she went: “Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you!”

It helped.

ALWAYS.
ALWAYS THIS RED HEAD ONE UP HIM.
ALWAYS- "I wanna be with you, and make believe with you!" Looking to his new companion, Castor thanked the gods of senshi outfits once more for not only his pants, but the lack of frills and lace. The new girl had enough for the both of them.
He also thanked the world that she might be able to do something.
"Hello there, Castor, pleasure to meet you. While I'd love to join you on singing retarded love songs, I think we have more pressing matters." Castor inched back. His eyes still fixated on the huge a** sword that Obsidian had on his person.

"If you have a plan, use it now, because mine basically consisted of save girl, attack, then run the ******** away." A low whisper. Hopefully his hated nemesis did not hear him.
"I mean personally, I like my head."
Glares at the negaverse agent.
"Both of them."

Obsidian was listening to the whispers with amusement, too far away to comprehend what the words actually were. Castor's glare was met with a grin, and he rolled his shoulders for a moment. He'd let them come up with whatever witty plan they wanted to--but it didn't mean he was going to be quiet about it.

"You can stick it in her later, Castor. Right now, it's play time." Like he was speaking to a slow, particularly retarded child. It was too dark to see, but he could sense their tension, and it only relaxed him further.

This is what he was good at, and soon, the Jeopardy theme was being hummed loud enough for the senshi pair to hear. It would seem that they had until the song's end to figure something out. Or, knowing Obsidian, he might just cut it off halfway and they'd be none the wiser until he was swinging that sword down to interrupt their conversation.