"Where should we sit?" Dani asked Michelle, Lilia, and Sara.  They were at a school football game.  Michelle didn’t like sports very much, but she had come anyway, to spend quality time with her friends.
     "Hey, let’s sit by the new girl, Daphne," Sara suggested, noticing a girl sitting in the bleachers by herself.  Daphne had black hair in two ponytails on either side of her head, and was wearing a bright orange jacket.  "She’s sitting all by herself.  She looks lonely."
    "Good idea.  You guys save our seats and I’ll get some refreshments," Lilia said.
The other three sat down next to Daphne.  Daphne looked surprised, but grateful that someone was sitting with her.
    "Hi!" Sara said, sliding over on the bleachers so that she was sitting right next to Daphne.  "I’m Sara Riker.  You must be the new girl, right?"
    "Um…yeah," Daphne replied.  "I’m Daphne Colinas."
    "I’m Michelle Weston," Michelle introduced herself.
    "Daniella Wood, but you can call me Dani," Daniella said.  At that moment, Lilia walked up.
    "I’m back!" she said.  "Oh, hello.  You’re Daphne, right?" she asked the new girl.
    "Yes," Daphne replied.  "And you are…"
    "I’m Lilia de Larke," Lilia said.
    "Oh…well," Daphne began.  "Why are you all sitting by me?  I thought no one in the tenth grade liked me.  They all think I’m a freak."
    "Really?" Michelle asked.  "That’s too bad."
    "We don’t think you’re a freak," Dani said defensively.
    "Is it true that you got held back one year?" Sara jumped in insensitively.  Dani elbowed her in the side.  Daphne just laughed.
    "Yes, it’s true," she replied, a little ashamed.  "That’s why everyone dislikes me."  She paused, and looked cautiously at them.  "You don’t…do you?"
    "Of course not," the other four girls agreed.  "We’d never be that shallow…at least not all of us," Lilia added, glaring at Sara.
    "So…Daphne…" Dani said.  "Would you like to come over to my house after the game?  Sara, Lilia, and Michelle are coming too."
    "Sure!" Daphne said, sounding excited.  "I mean, yes, I’d like that."
    "Cool!" Sara said.

     "So then my parents got divorced, and I moved to Catalina with my dad…" Daphne was telling the rest of the girls her life story while they were walking through the woods behind Dani’s house.  Especially Sara, who was hanging on to her every word.  The other girls were only half-listening.  Sara, in the short time she had known her, had gotten to practically worship Daphne.
     "Really?" Sara asked, fascinated.  "What happened to your mom?  Where did she go?"
     "She stayed in Arizona," Daphne explained.  "My dad’s getting remarried, though, and…" She suddenly became distracted by something in the trees ahead of them.
     "What?  What?"  Sara asked her, but Daphne wouldn’t respond.  She was staring ahead into the trees, at something in the trees.
     "What the heck is that?" Daphne asked.  She was looking at a daimon, one with blue skin, three legs, and long claws.  Behind it was standing Oscurio, smirking.
     "Oscurio!" Dani cried.
     "Who?" Daphne asked, staring at him.
     "Oscurio.  He’s going to try to suck our energy," Sara blurted out.
     "Whatever," Daphne replied, looking puzzled.  "Whoever he is, he’s cute."
     "Come on!" Lilia said, grabbing Daphne’s arm.  "We’ve got to get out of here!"  She and the other girls ran off, back to Dani’s house.  They went back inside as quickly as they could and locked the door.  Once they were inside, Cypress flew up, carrying a transformation wand.
     "Well, Daphne, now is the time to reveal to you your other identity," Cypress said.
     "Eek!" Daphne shrieked.  "That bird…it…it talks!  First energy sucking demons, now a talking bird!"
     "It’s okay, Daphne," Dani said.
     Cypress dropped the transformation wand into Daphne’s hands.  "In your former life, you were Sailor Inferno," Cypress explained to her.  He continued on to tell her the story of her former life on Astro, telling her about the other Sailors, about the Death Ladies, and about the daimons.
     "So that dude, that Oscurio…he was a daimon?" Daphne asked, looking confused.
     "No, he was one of the Death Ladies’ warriors,"  Cypress said.  "The thing with blue skin was a daimon.  It sucks human energy, I assume with its claws.  And you Sailors are supposed to fight it.  Oh, and Sailor Inferno?  You’ll also need this."  Cypress flew in a circle and an orb appeared.  The orb appearred to be made of fire itself.  It was reddish orange, and it glowed brightly.  "The wand I gave you is to transform into Sailor Inferno.  This gem is the Lava Gem.  You’ll need it to use in your attacks."
     Suddenly, there was a loud beating on the door behind them.  "The daimon…" Dani whispered.  "Let’s go out the other door, transform, and go around to attack it!"  The others followed her directions.  They went outside and each said their transformation phrases.
     "Zephyr Astral Star Power, transform!"
     "Io Astral Star Power, transform!"
     "Vega Astral Star Power, transform!"
     "Andromeda Astral Star Power, transform!"
     "What am I supposed to do?" Daphne asked them.
     "Hold up your transformation wand, you’ll know what to do from there," Sailor Zephyr said.
     Daphne raised her transformation wand slowly, then remembered what to do.  "Inferno Astral Star Power, transform!"  she said.  Instantly, streams of lava flew towards her.  They wrapped around her and formed into a sailor suit, gloves, and boots.  A tiara appeared on her forehead, and a gold choker with a red stone around her neck.  Her sailor suit was orange, with a red bow and an orange jewel in the center.  She also had long white gloves with orange trim, and orange boots with red trim.
     "Cool uniform, Daphne…uh, Sailor Inferno!" Sailor Io said.
     "Come on, let’s go kick this daimon’s butt!" Sailor Zephyr said, leading the others around her house into the backyard, where Oscurio and his daimon were still pounding on the door.
     "Come out of there, you little brats!" Oscurio yelled through the door.
     "Stop bothering these innocent people!" Sailor Zephyr commanded him.
     "Not you again!" Oscurio said.
     "Yes, us!" Zephyr said.  "I am Sailor Zephyr, defender of peace, Soldier of the Stars!  In the name of Planet Astro, I will triumph over evil!"
     "And I’m Sailor Vega!" Vega said.  "Soldier of the Flowers!  In the name of Planet Astro and the star of Vega, I will punish you!"
     "I’m Sailor Io, Soldier of the Storms!  In the name of Planet Astro and the moon Io, I will fight for justice!" Sailor Io said happily.
     "I am Sailor Andromeda!  Soldier of Music!" Andromeda said.  "In the name of Planet Astro and the Galaxy of Andromeda, I will triumph over evildoers!"
     "And I am Sailor Inferno!" Inferno said.  "Soldier of Volcanoes!  In the name of Planet Astro, I will fight for peace!"
     "Impressive speeches, Sailor Stupids," Oscurio said sarcastically.  "Now here’s mine: I am Darkness itself.  I am Oscurio, first warrior to the Death Ladies!"
     "Ours were better!" Sailor Io said impulsively.  Sailor Vega nudged her, trying to make her shut up.
     "Oh, were they?" Oscurio asked, patronizing her.  "But are your attacks better?  And can your attacks beat my daimon’s?"
     "Of course!" Zephyr said.  "We are the Sailor Astros, defenders of the planets Astro and Earth!"  To prove herself, Zephyr released an attack at Oscurio and the daimon.  "Star Wind!" she yelled.  Oscurio and the daimon dodged the attack.
     "Star Wind!" the daimon cried in a mocking falsetto voice.  He imitated Zephyr’s movements and blasted her attack right back at her, knocking her unconscious.
     "Zephyr!" Vega cried, rushing to Zephyr’s side.  "Stupid daimon!  Vega Rose Blossom!"
     "Vega Rose Blossom!" the daimon repeated in its irritating mock-Sailor voice.  Vega’s own attack blasted back at her, knocking her over too, but not unconscious.
     Inferno jumped into the fight, Lava Gem in hand.  "Inferno Lava River!" she yelled.  She held up the Lava Gem until it was almost levitating.  From the Gem streams of lava shot at the daimon.
     But, as always, the daimon dodged her attack.  "Inferno Lava River!" screeched the daimon.  The daimon sent another stream of lava shooting at Inferno.  She tried to jump out of the way, but the lava hit her anyway, burning her badly.  She too fell unconscious.
     "It’s just us now…" Andromeda realized.  "Io…it’s just us against this daimon."
     "You certainly are quick to catch on!" Oscurio said sarcastically.  "Just get their energy, daimon."  The daimon obeyed, stretching out its claws toward the remaining two sailors.
     "Not so fast!" another voice said…a female voice.  Looking up, Oscurio, the daimon, and the sailors saw another sailor soldier, sitting in a tree nearby.  She had long light green hair that hung partly in her face and wore a light blue sailor suit.  She also carried a sword.  This new sailor jumped down from the tree and sliced off the daimon’s claws.  The daimon shrieked in pain.
     "I am Sailor Spica, Soldier of Dreams!" the new sailor said.  "In the name of Planet Astro and the star Spica, I will protect the innocent and triumph over evil!  Like you," she said, pointing her sword at Oscurio, the sword’s tip dangerously close to his neck.
     "Another Sailor?" Andromeda asked.  "From Astro?"
     Oscurio, however, remained calm.  "I am darkness itself," he repeated his speech.  "I am Oscurio, first warrior to the Death Ladies!"
     "So what?" Sailor Spica asked.  She reluctantly lowered her sword.  "Do you think I care if you’re darkness itself?  I can still destroy you."  She put away her sword and raised one arm.  "Daydream Rush!" she shouted.  Her raised arm collected bluish purple energy, which she shot at Oscurio.  However, he jumped away and the energy slammed into the daimon, who exploded into a pile of blue dust.
     Spica walked calmly toward Oscurio, who was a bit scared.  "And now to finish you off."  She raised her arm again, and her sword appeared in her outstretched hand.  She lowered her sword toward Oscurio.
     "Finish me off? Ha!" Oscurio said, trying to keep his composure.  "Don’t make me laugh, sailor girl," he said, pulling out his own sword.  He swung his sword towards Spica, who pushed it away with her own sword.
     "Idiot," Spica said.  "You think you can beat me?  Foolish man."  She swung her own sword toward him, but he blocked it, jabbing his sword at her.  She jumped backwards so as to not get hit, then raised her sword.  She swung it down to take Oscurio’s head off, but he blocked her sword.  Her sword missed his neck and sliced through his forearm, completely severing his hand, but he did not bleed at all.  He cried out in pain, staring down at his left hand on the ground in horror.  Andromeda and Io turned away so they wouldn’t have to see the gruesome sight.
     Oscurio fell to his knees.  "Spica…please…" he begged the girl standing above him.  "Please…spare me.  I’ll…I’ll never trouble you again," he lied.  "Just don’t…don’t kill me yet."
     Spica considered this a moment.  "All right…" she agreed, warily.  "Just keep your part of the promise and I’ll spare you."
     "I promise!  I promise!" Oscurio said.  "Just don’t kill me!"
     "Okay," Spica agreed.  "Now go.  And take your hand with you."
     Oscurio nodded, picking his hand up off the ground where it lay.  He quickly disappeared in a puff of smoke.
     Spica turned to the other sailors.  "Are you okay?" she asked Andromeda and Io.  They nodded.  "Are they okay?" Spica asked, indicating the unconscious sailors.
     "I hope so," Andromeda said.
     "Can you help them?" Io asked Spica.
     "Sure," Spica replied.  She waved her sword over the unconscious sailors: once, twice, three times.  They awoke to see Spica standing over them.
     "What happened?" Inferno asked.
     "And who are you?" Vega inquired of her.
     "I am Sailor Spica, Soldier of Dreams," Spica said.
     "Sailor…Spica?" Zephyr repeated.  "What happened and where’s Oscurio?"
     "She cut off his hand!" Io said.  "She killed the daimon and she and Oscurio fought.  Then she just cut it off!"
     "Actually, I was trying to cut off his head," Spica explained casually.  "I just missed."
     "Eew," Vega muttered, shuddering.
     "Well, I’d better go…" Spica said.  She spun around in a circle and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
     "Where did she come from?" Zephyr demanded.
     "Who knows?" Io answered.  "After you guys fell unconscious, she just appeared and killed the daimon.  We don’t know where she came from, but she said she was from Astro."
     "A mystery soldier…" Vega murmured.  "Well, we’ll find out about her soon enough, won’t we?"