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Two months ago, Ares had begun recruiting for the Blood Moon Court, the faction that she believed would answer all of Destiny City's problems. Her recruitment began quietly with the aid of the founding members -- the remaining parallels -- and then blossomed into a full-on operation. One of the names that first came across her list was that of the Senshi of Blood.

Their first meeting had been... brief. MuCephei was only the second person Ares had ever attempted to recruit. It went better than her first, but she still came on strong, opening with the sentence, "If you join us, we won't let you die. If you don't, you'll probably die. Survival comes through training alone -- and we can help train you to be better." The approach was abrasive, to say the least.

Lucky for Ares, the Senshi of Blood was also incredibly nice. She took the time to explain to the Senshi of Smoke what had been so off-putting about their first meeting. Over the course of the past two months, Ares had tried night after night to convince MuCephei that the Blood Moon Court was where she belonged. Along the way, they had forged a sort of friendship, but it was constantly underscored by pressure from Ares.

Strolling along a roof top near DCU, Sailor Ares passed a muffin to MuCe. "These are the same ones that I brought in December. Hazelnut and mocha, with some other ingredients." Baked goods weren't normally a part of their patrolling regiment, but when Fallon had extra, she sometimes brought them for her tentative friend. Plus, it never hurt to offer a bribe -- any kind of bribe.

They came to the edge of the roof, and Ares stopped. "Look, MuCe," she said, turning to face her, "I know I've been after you on this for awhile, but I really wish you would consider all the facts. You are a solid senshi. With training? With training you could be a warrior. Negas would fear you." Her sphere was already a little scary, truth be told. "And honestly, the Blood Moon Court could use you. You have been around for a very long time. Your experiences could help educate some of the newer senshi. With you in our ranks, our faction would grow stronger -- and that would be one step closer to defeating the Negaverse, for good."

Ares took a step back and put her hands on her hips. "Please consider what is best for you, what will make you the best you can be," she emphasized. "The Blood Moon is a family. We protect each other. Don't you want to be a part of that?"

In Ares' eyes, Super Sailor MuCephei was an ideal recruit. She was earnest and experienced, and what she lacked in killer instinct she made up for in malleability. Ares felt confident that MuCe would flourish under a strict training regiment and that she would be excellent at following battle plans and strategies. Plus, it was no secret that her power was a strong one. While Ares looked at the personality of the individual, she was just as much if not more concerned with whatever power they had to offer.

The blood sphere? It had to be hers.

"You are stronger than you realize," Ares said, closing the distance between them. Some of the more persuasive BMCers had given the Senshi of Smoke tips on charm. She tried to use them now, one hand reaching to offer a sibling-like pat on the shoulder. "None of us can survive alone. We have to band together. Right now, the senshi are spread to the wind. They get together every now and then in meetings led by royals who have not been proven on the battlefield, royals who cannot answer the hard questions, royals who are too important to patrol with the average senshi." Some of what she said was a distortion of the truth, a hyperbolic rendering of the facts, but there were still elements of honesty in her words. It carried through in the earnest candor in her voice.

She let her hand fall back to her side. "In the Blood Moon Court, you would never be alone. We are in this together. If one of us is threatened, we are all threatened. If one of us is in dire financial straits, then others will pitch in to help. If someone is failing their classes, then others will tutor them. If one of us is injured in battle, then we all go to the hospital to visit." Ares allowed for a pregnant pause so that her words could sink in.

The night was pitch black, made darker by the layer of gray clouds hanging overhead. The moon glowed dully beneath the blanket of darkness, a hazy circle of yellow light. "You would not hold us back. You would push us forward." Annoyance creased in her brow. "You are only holding yourself back by resisting indoctrination." Oh right. That was the word that the others told her not to say... "What I mean is," she recovered, "you are doing yourself a disservice by not joining. If you did, everyone would benefit -- you as much as us. MuCephei... we need you." Here, Ares smiled, though it was a small one, and waited for what she hoped would be a positive response.

You are right. I think you are right.

Super Sailor Ares stilled. A muscle in her arm tensed. Had it... had her efforts finally succeeded? If MuCephei joined, then that was one more name to cross off her list. A smile started in one corner of her mouth and then spread, slowly warming her entire face. "MuCephei," she began, excitement vibrating against her teeth, "you will not regre--"

A piercing scream split the quiet night. Before MuCe could say anything, Ares was off, jumping from one rooftop to the next after the sound. As she crossed onto the next block, she became suddenly aware of a thick pulse of dark energy. It was at least a captain, perhaps a general? She was too far to say.

Booted feet slapped across the uneven roofs. She stumbled once, a nasty side effect of her still-sore ribs from her hospitalization just a couple weeks ago. It was too soon to be out and about, and Ares had never been one for accepting her own limitations. She gritted her teeth against the pain and leaped again, landing hard on her knees.

On the other side of the roof, the Senshi of Smoke could see a young girl -- perhaps 13? 14? -- dangling over the edge. She being held by her throat, face red and eyes watering. A large steam vent blocked the Nega from view essentially, but judging from the curve of the wrist she could see clenched around the civilian's throat, it was a female. The Nega laughed and then muttered something to the struggling teenager.

And then she dropped her.

There was no time to spare. Sailor Ares summoned up all her strength and broke out into a run, hooking one hand on the ledge of the steam vent and swinging around it. She could see her target slipping away, moving farther and farther.

So she dove off the side of the roof -- and pursued the Nega down the alleyway.

The fall to the ground was a longer one than she had expected. Ares took it with a roll, but still landed hard on her shoulder, too hard. She grimaced in pain, then got back up -- another jagged burn of stabbing in her chest. This was definitely against doctor's orders. Her mind was too focused on the swatch of purple hair that whipped down the alley ahead of her to focus on it.

There were probably dozens of female Negas with purple hair, but Ares didn't care. She saw red. Tanzanite. Her heart thudded. Tanzanite. It was not fear that struck her, though her knees did flinch momentarily. Tanzanite. Purpose flooded her mind. Tanzanite. Here was her objective. Tanzanite. She had to pursue.

Rounding the corner with a flourish, Super Sailor Ares was rewarded with a trash can lid to the face. Her nose stung and made her eyes water. There was little time to dwell on it. A sizzling pop of energy sucked away the overriding aura of the Nega, leaving only the much duller beat from the youma behind. The creature looked dog-like, but had a pair of massive bat wings pumping at its back.

Ares let out a quiet mumble of disappointment and then immediately fell into a battle stance, the torch held across her chest. The youma dove, and she parried, slamming it in the side of the head. The youma squealed. Cartwheeling toward the other end of the alley, Ares shouted, "Ares Smothering Blast!" and encased the creature in smoke. While it struggled to breathe, she began to move toward the next leg of her plan.

Not once did she think about MuCephei or the fate of the civilian just on the other side of the building.

Ares bounded up to the column of smoke, twirling her staff above her head. Just as the smoke began to lift, she swiped it through the column, narrowly missing. The dog youma pounced off the torch and knocked it from her hands. She stumbled back and braced herself against the brick wall of the alleyway.

It lunged again, but she didn’t run. The Senshi of Smoke allowed the youma to latch down on her arm, bending at the last moment so that his teeth gripped the plate armor of her bracers instead of soft flesh. She wrapped her other arm around its neck in a vise-grip. The youma struggled, bucking against her arms – once, twice – and on the third, it broke free. Ares watched it stagger toward the other wall.

She stalked it in a circle, and it stalked back, youma and senshi circling each other like a Jet and a Shark ready for a dance fight. Ares faked left and the somersaulted right, disorienting the youma. Her fist came down hard in its temple. When she pulled her hand away, black ooze coated her knuckles.

Not once did she turn around to regard MuCephei or the civilian. Rage consumed her, and once a battle had begun, Ares could never quite stop herself. While the youma recovered, she cartwheeled down the alley and gave chase after her knocked-away torch.

Ares was vaguely aware of the sound of boots landing behind her in the alley. Judging from the glow of light energy, it was MuCephei. “MuCe!” Ares shouted, excitement trembling in her voice. “There was a Nega – but she made a run for it. We have to track her dow—“ The youma landed a powerful kick with its hind legs into her stomach, and she stumbled backwards.

With a roar, the Senshi of Smoke threw herself at the beast, tackling it headlong. They scrapped on the ground of the dingy alley. At one point, Ares attempted to kill the thing by force-feeding it the various garbage all around them. It only swallowed each banana peel and half-empty can of beans and then continued its assault. Ares got a hand on a piece of wire and flipped on top of the youma, wrapping its neck and squeezing tight.

The youma squirmed and bucked, but seemed unable to get free. It would not survive much longer. Ares could feel the wire sliding deeper into the animal’s throat until it gave way entirely. The head of the youma managed to land with a squish on the ground before dissolving into dust entirely.

Ares staggered to her feet, looking down the alley. “I lost the energy signature of the Nega. Maybe if we split up and take the surrounding alleys, we can pick it up again? I don’t have a senshiphone, but if you shout, I should hear it.” Apparently she didn’t remember the civilian at all.

Ares stopped walking. "Oh yes, the civilian," she said. "You got to her, yes?" The Senshi of Smoke crossed back to the building, scaling its side. The young teen was crouched on the flat of the roof, crying and shaking. Ares had never been good at this part. She looked to MuCephei.

"I should really help look for the Nega, I think," she said, speaking as though the civilian wasn't there. The girl whimpered loudly, slapping a hand down on the pavement. Ares took a few steps toward her and crouched down, cocking her head to one side to try and catch her eye.

"Civilian," she began, "you are safe now. The Senshi of Destiny City have saved your life from the evil hands of the Negaverse." She paused. "Tell your friends."

The senshi had just begun to get to her feet when the younger girl found her voice. When she spoke, her voice was hollow and tinny, filled with fear, relief, and a touch of anger. "You... were gonna... let me... fall," she whispered, eyes wide and confused. "You ran past m-m-m-me..." The teenager dissolved into sobs, and Ares stood briskly as if suddenly shocked by electricity.

Her eyes narrowed. "You were safe the entire time, civilian. We saved your life." Ares turned to MuCephei. "MuCephei, tell her. Tell her we weren't going to let her fall." But the girl hadn't said 'you both' to Ares. She had only said you.

Something had changed in the air between Ares and MuCephei. They weren't sharing a muffin and casually patrolling. They weren't on the verge of partnership. The switch cast a shade over the Senshi of Smoke's eyes, but she said nothing, allowing the Senshi of Blood to handle the civilian. The soft touch that she had with the civilian was just another reason that MuCe should join the Blood Moon. Ares needed variety in their ranks. She could be off-putting, too aggressive, too curt. She needed people with warm eyes and silver tongues to grease the wheels of the public.

The two senshi waited until the ambulance arrived before they darted off into the distance. Ares could feel the absence of the Nega, and the youma was long dead. The trail had run cold. "We lost her," she said, spitting anger with her words. "I saw her, MuCephei. She was on the roof with us... and I lost her." The senshi didn't say who she was talking about; she was too lost in her own thoughts.