Departing from the airport, Abenti, Toraboushi, Luna and Artemis followed Ami who led them with the aid of her mini-computer to an ancient pyramid. The fur on the back of Luna's neck stood ridged as the very same energy reading that Ami's computer detected made its presence known.

"Something's definitely here." Luna stated. "And I don't like it."

"Like it or not, I'm going in. I get the distinct feeling that a key turning point lies ahead." Abenti said.

"You could stay out here with Toraboushi if you like..." Ami suggested.

"But..." Toraboushi interjected.

"It's probably for the best that we stay out here." Artemis added, agreeing to Ami's idea.

"Hey..." Toraboushi tried again to say something but was again ignored.

"You're right..." Luna said. "But be careful."

"Now just wait a minute!" Toraboushi exclaimed. "I'm not staying out here watching over a pair of cats in the world's largest litter box while you two go risk your lives over some unknown strange energy reading. I told you that I'm coming with you and I meant it... Not half way, not three fourths of the way but all the way!"

A slight wind blew past as the sudden silence became deafening. Abenti slightly blushed in admiration of her boyfriend's determination before putting on her own air of resolve.

"Then it's decided. It's everyone and everything or nothing at all." Abenti said. "Let's go!"

**********

Well hidden within the pyramid, a pair of gooseberry green colored feline eyes opened in surprise. Something or someone with extraordinary power had entered her pyramid uninvited. It was entirely possible that who or whatever it was would be destroyed by one of the many infamous booby traps that was set up long ago, but something about the intrusion would not let her go back to her long lasting slumber.

"Mmm. It's been a while since I've had company, much less any loyal subjects to do my bidding. I may as well have some fun while it lasts...a game of cat and mouse so to speak." the feminine voice purred.

**********

"Is it me, or does it seem like the temperature dropped by at least ten degrees?" Abenti wondered out loud as she idly rubbed her left arm with her right hand.

"It only seems that way because the longer we walk, the farther we get from the outside heat generated by the sun." Ami said as she typed information into her mini-computer.

"Oh..." Abenti simply replied.

"Say what?" Toraboushi asked, not quite understanding anything that Ami just said.

"The chambers that take up space on the outermost rim absorb all the heat generated by the sun and as such, it seems colder in the inner chambers." Ami replied.

"In other words, the farther we go, the colder it gets." Abenti summarized.

"Why didn't you simply say so?" Toraboushi chided in frustration.

"She did. She just said it in the only way she knew how... With all the technical details." Abenti replied with a sight smile. "Don't worry. You'll get to understand her one of these days."

"If I don't go crazy first..." Toraboushi muttered under his breath.

"Hmm?" Abenti looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Toraboushi said in mild embarrassment.

A sudden rumbling caught them off guard.

"An earthquake?!" Luna exclaimed.

"No, cave in!" Artemis replied as the were cut off from their only known means of escape.

The rumbling intensified as the floor beneath them gave way at a forty-five degree angle and caused them to land in an undignified heap in the room below. A series of groans and dust induced coughing was all that was heard for several long moments.

"Is everyone all right?" Luna asked.

"Could be better, could be worse." Abenti replied.

"I'd be better once Ami gets off my tail." Artemis whimpered.

"Sorry, Artemis." Ami groaned as she carefully moved off Artemis' tail.

"Ow! I think my ankle took the brunt of the fall. It hurts like hell!" Toraboushi exclaimed after trying to stand up. He sat right back down and nursed his swollen left ankle.

"I wish we had better light to see it clearly." Ami said as she hobbled closer.

"I think it may be just a bad sprain." Abenti said as she squinted to get a better look. Tearing a strip of cloth from her recently torn pants, Abenti looked at Toraboushi and said, "This is going to hurt just for just a bit."

Before he knew what was happening, Abenti quickly bandaged Toraboushi's ankle. A brief shriek of pain came next followed by a minor whimper.

"There now...That wasn't so bad, was it?" Abenti said with a smile that caused a hard to see blush to spread across Toraboushi's face.

"Now let's get going!" Artemis exclaimed just as Ami and Abenti got on either side of Toraboushi and helped him stand.

Abenti put Toraboushi's arm around her shoulders so that she could help him walk. Before they got to actually walk anywhere though, several torches light up and a female figure materialized at the other end of the corridor. For several long lasting seconds, time seemed to stand still as both sides quite simply stared at each other.

"Are you going to gawk and stare at me all day or are you going to say something?" the woman said.

Abenti had to look twice at her. The woman had a slim, wiry body, clothing that practically screamed 'Ancient Egypt' and her head... it was human sized but cat shaped from the tips of her feline ears to the fury jaws. The whiskers and facial markings added to the effect.

"Who are you?" Abenti asked, not sure if she was actually seeing what she saw.

"As if you didn't know..." the woman said with a snort. "I am the goddess, Bast, though some call me Bastet."

In the background, Ami typed furiously at her mini-computer in order to get more information. She then stopped with a gasp.

"She's the reason we came. She's the one emanating the weird energy flux." Ami told Abenti.

"Her? No way. Okay so she looks a bit odd, but everyone does at some point or another." Toraboushi commented.

"Weird energy flux, hmm? I look odd, you say?" Bastet inquired as she materialized her whip and cracked it once. With, her ire roused, she growled softly. "I'm the goddess here and you've yet to show proper respect."

Just before she lunged, Abenti and Ami pulled out their transformation items.

"Mercury Crystal Power, MAKE UP!"

"Tigris Felidae Eternal, MAKE UP!"

Between the two of them, orange, black, and multiple shades of blue lights and ribbons transformed them into Super Sailor Mercury and Eternal Sailor Tiger.

"We don't want to fight you." Super Sailor Mercury exclaimed.

"Then die!" Bastet snarled as she lunged towards the group.

"Shabon Spray!" Super Sailor Mercury called out her attack, sending a dense fog within the confines of the corridor.

"What in the..." Bastet muttered as she halted her forward momentum. A crack of her whip caused a yelp to come from Toraboushi as he collapsed to be sitting on his legs and nursing his sprained ankle.

A smirk broadened upon Bastet's face. The blasted bubble-like fog prevented her from seeing more than a few inches away, but she already found someone to lash out upon.

"Primal Roar!" Eternal Sailor Tiger yelled, letting loose an earth shaking roar.

Bastet stumbled backwards several feet as she reached for her sensitive ears.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Super Sailor Mercury called out as she performed the movements of the attack.

The bubble-like fog faded from view at that moment. Bastet saw rather than heard the attack coming and dodged out of the way at the very last moment. What Bastet didn't see was Eternal Sailor Tiger's fist heading straight for her chin. The punch sent Bastet reeling as she lost her grip on her weapon. Bastet's whip skittered across the floor and stopped within arms reach of Toraboushi.

Momentarily confused, Bastet didn't notice when Toraboushi grabbed the weapon and stashed it behind his back. With his hand constantly on the handle, Toraboushi mentally smirked. He inwardly thanked Bastet for having impeccable tastes in weapons.

"Something's familiar about her..." Luna mentioned to Artemis, who in turn nodded once in agreement.

Bastet growled fiercely as she gingerly touched her lower jaw.

"That was an underhanded low blow." she snarled.

"So were the booby traps." Eternal Sailor Tiger retorted.

"They were installed for protection." Bastet retorted before baring her fangs and lunging at the feline senshi.

"Yeah? Protection for whom? You or the outside world?" Eternal Sailor Tiger shot back before sidestepping out of the way and using Bastet's momentum against her.

Before she knew what was happening, Bastet found herself falling forward due to her own weapon being wrapped around her legs. Landing face down, Bastet groaned and shook her head to clear her vision.

"Nice whip. I had one just like it once." Toraboushi said while still holding onto the handle of the weapon as Bastet looked at him with utter contempt.

"Wait!" Artemis exclaimed as he padded towards the downed Bastet.

"What is it?" Luna asked a few paces behind Artemis.

"This." Artemis replied as he pointed a paw at the armband on Bastet's upper left arm. "It's the armband that symbolizes Ambassadorial status from Mau."

"That's why you seemed familiar. You're from Mau too." Luna said as she turned her gaze from the armband to Bastet.

"What?" Bastet was startled. Blinking a few times, Bastet stared at Luna and Artemis blankly before morphing herself into her feline form - that of an Egyptian Mau.

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