Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Japanese translations are at the end.

To Torture A Senshi

Evil Afoot

"Great fire, show me the face of this evil."

The temple fire roared fiercely, shooting up red flames. Then it simmered down to its normal height. It revealed nothing to the shrine maiden sitting before it.

"I don't get it. I'm sure I felt an evil presence in town."

"That's great, Rei-chan, demo we kind of have school to get to. If we don't leave now, Ami-chan and I are going to be in detention with Minako-chan and Usagi-chan this afternoon."

"Hai, Mako-chan's right. We have to be going. And don't you have class, too?" Ami Mizuno asked, looking up from her book.

"Demo, Minna, I know something's out there. I sense it. I don't know what's wrong with this baka fire," Rei Hino answered with a glance toward the sacred flames that rested inside her family's temple.

"Maybe it just needs to cool down," Minako Aino cackled, leaning forward so that blonde locks fell over her shoulders. "Get it? Fire…cool; that would put it out." The blonde burst into laughter, receiving stares from her friends.

Loud snoring interrupted Ami from analyzing, Rei from hitting, and Makoto Kino from feeling sorry for poor Minako. All four turned to the middle of the room, where an odango-haired teen lay sleeping soundly. An evil grin appeared on Rei's face and her violet eyes twinkled, the same way they did every time a scheme that would torture her best friend hatched in her clever little mind. On tip-toe she approached the unsuspecting girl. Ami, Makoto, and Minako ran for cover, well aware of the squabble about take place.

"Usagi-baka! Time to get up!"

The expected scream rang throughout Rei's otherwise silent home. She sat back and smiled.

"Rei-chan! Why'd you yell in my ear?! That wasn't very nice," screeched Usagi Tsukino, her blonde pigtails flying, as she reached for Rei's neck.

"Yamete, Usagi!" the raven-haired teen shouted, trying to pry Usagi's hands off her.

"Usagi-chan, come on. We have to get to school. You don't want to miss that test do you?" Ami asked. She stood up, taking her book bag in her hands.

The Moon Princess came to an abrupt halt. She stared at the genius for a moment before bursting into tears.

"Damare!" Rei said. She was finished with her teasing and wanted to now save her hearing.

"Ami-chan, why'd you say T-E-S-T?" Makoto whined, covering her ears. Usagi wailed louder.

"We're never gonna get out of here," Minako added. "By the way, what test are you talking about?"

"There is no test today," Ami tried to stop Usagi's incessant crying. "It was just the first thing I could think of to make her speed it up."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? A test making Usagi hurry?" Rei knocked the aforementioned girl to the ground. "Didn't you hear Ami-chan? She said there isn't a test. So get out of my house and go to school."

"No… test?" sniffled Usagi.

Ami nodded.

"Then, ikimashou. No point in getting another detention," Usagi sped off to her Juuban High at turbo speed.

Her friends blinked several times. After regaining their composure, the senshi of water, thunder, and love took off after her. Rei started in the opposite direction, heading toward her own private school.

"Serenity…" Usagi stopped. Had she really heard that? Maybe it was her imagination. She could've sworn she heard someone say the name of her royal identity, someone familiar. That wasn't possible though. The only people who knew of her past life in the Moon Kingdom were those who also lived it- the other senshi who helped her protect the world, her prince, and the two talking feline guardians that lived with her and Minako. Her bratty child from the future, Chibi-usa, knew as well.

Usagi smiled, forgetting the voice. Chibi-usa had just returned to her past, Usagi's current time, for another visit. It was her first one since before the world had been saved by Usagi and her friends from the evil known as Chaos. Her smile grew as she pictured the pink haired ten year old, a miniature version of herself except for the eye and hair color. She really was a brat, constantly arguing with the sixteen year old that would one day become her mother. Although Usagi had to admit that she did fight back. It was just the way their relationship worked. They were very close, however, underneath the name-calling, hair pulling, and other petty forms of bickering. Just like Usagi and Rei- the best of friends despite their usual behavior around each other.

Her thoughts continued to drift. They went from her best friends- her guardians, her handsome boyfriend and masked savior in battle, Mamoru Chiba, and the child that everyone aside from her protectors thought was her cousin- thanks to some handy brainwashing by Chibi-usa's Luna-P to the peace her city and the world had been experiencing over the last few weeks. Since Chaos, the world had been free of supernatural enemies. And while Usagi loved being the senshi of the Moon, she also loved being a normal teenager without constant battles between god and evil.

"Usagi-chan? Are you in there?" Minako waved her hand in front of her friends' face. Usagi had obviously not noticed Ami, Makoto, and Minako catch up with her. She had a goofy grin on her face. Glancing at Ami checking her watch nervously, Minako realized they were never gonna be on time to school. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Usagi and her. But Ami hated being late.

For the first thirteen years of her life, Ami had had perfect attendance. Over the past three years, though, since she had awakened as a senshi, there had been several tardies and absences, due to saving the world. Ami never did get used to the lateness and it appeared she was going to receive another mark on her attendance record.

"Minna, when did you catch up?"

Minako turned back to Usagi who seemed to have snapped out of her trance.

"Several minutes ago," Makoto answered. "Daijoubu desu? You look kind of out of it."

"Daijoubu. I was just thinking."

Ami spoke up, "Can we go now? Onegai?"

"Hai," Usagi chirped as she began happily skipping to school.

Ami paled as she took one last glance at her watch ands rushed after Usagi. Makoto and Minako followed.

"We made it," Usagi squealed as she slid into her desk.

"I told you my way was faster," Minako bragged. At her suggestion, or rather insistence, the group had transformed and used their senshi speed to reach their destination faster.

"Then why don't you always use it? You wouldn't ever have to be late," Makoto pointed out.

"I like being late sometimes," shrugged Minako. "Usagi-chan and I can talk better, more privately, when we're not leaping across buildings and being all super-hero-y."

"You shouldn't be socializing in the mornings if it doesn't allow you to be on time. School is important," said Ami.

"Demo, we made it today, Ami-chan."

"Iie, Usagi-chan, you're ten minutes late."

Usagi turned to face the red head who had approached the group. "Nani, Naru-chan? Demo, Sensei's not here."

"She's right," Ami clarified as she checked the time. "We are still late." She frowned.

"Sensei never showed up," explained Naru Osaka. "Umino said he found out that we have a substitute," she referred to her boyfriend, the resident class geek and know-it-all since elementary school.

Groaning, Usagi buried her face in her hands, "I hope we don't have Hikari-sensei again."

"Hai, I didn't care for that sub," Minako agreed. She stared up at the ceiling dreamily, "I want a really handsome sensei today."

"Maybe one like my old sempai?" said Makoto hopefully.

"Of all the guys you say are like your old sempai, Mako-chan, how many actually are?" asked Ami practically. "Every guy you see can't possibly remind you of him."

Makoto proceeded to sulk, realizing Ami was correct.

"It's some new guy," Gurio Umino announced. He stepped up beside Naru and adjusted his large, round glasses. "He's in his late twenties and this is his first teaching job."

"Is he cute?" demanded Minako.

Umino shrugged. "I think he has white hair."

"Anything else?"

"Iie."

"You're no help, Umino-kun," Minako declared.

The talking of other students that had been going on around them slowly slacked off. Noticing a tall man with light hair and wearing an expensive looking white suit talking to their principal in the doorway, his back to the class, Naru and Umino hurried to their seats. Minako faced forward, while Usagi stopped eating the food she'd pulled out some minutes before. Ami neatly folded her hands across her desk and Makoto ceased pouting.

Minako leaned across the aisle and whispered to Usagi, who was sitting beside her, "He looks cute from this angle. I kind of like the white hair."

"He's not as cute as my Mamo-chan," Usagi whispered back.

Minako rolled her blue eyes.

The man stepped inside the classroom. He locked the door behind him. His voice was venomous as he introduced himself, "Kon'nichi wa. I am Demando."