Title: Locker Love Chapter 1
Author: Azn Angel
Email: star_wingz13@yahoo.com
Rated: PG
OK, this is a rather different version of how Sailor Moon came to be. Seriously, the
way Serena found out she was the Moon Princess in the dubbed anime was so... corny.
I'm sure the Japanese one did it much more justice, but here we are. Let's see if
I can spin a worthy yarn of this tale, eh?
Also, at the end of the chapter, there will be something new now. I was thinking
it up when I was staring blankly at the computer screen. *twitch* Check it out.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, big surprise, nor do I own the song "I Will
Survive."
*~*~*~*~
"Well, I don't know, Ami-chan. I mean, who actually wants to go school
supplies shopping?" I said into the phone receiver.
"Come on, Usagi-chan." I heard Ami's voice say. "You're going to have
to do it eventually, so why not with some friends?"
I sighed. "You know I don't like school. Do we have to talk about it on
the last few weeks of summer break?"
"Usagi..." she said quietly, but firmly. "We need our things. Minna-chan
said they'd come. Minako said that maybe she could get some good
school supplies before the store runs out."
I sighed again. "Fine. Which store?"
"Sanrio Surprises."
I perked up. "I love that place!"
"Hai, I know. That's why Mina-chan suggested it."
"Um... where is it again?" I asked, whipping out a sheet of notebook paper
and a pen.
"5717 Birch Street." she reminded me patiently. I said bye, and hung up. I
had just moved here about two months ago, a bit after summer break started,
but I still wasn't used to my new surroundings very well. I didn't have
any friends there, but once when I was checking the mail...
*Flashback*
I walked to the mailbox, looking down at the ground, staring at my shadow. My
lone shadow. I sighed softly. I had moved here a week ago, but I still didn't
make any friends. The next door neighbors were snobs with money and went to a
private school ("Move to another neighborhood!" I wanted to tell them), and the
girl across from me was a brat who could play the flute. Needless to say, I didn't
pursue their friendship.
As I opened the mailbox, I felt something warm and fuzzy around my ankle. I looked
down to see a midnight black cat. Upon its forehead was the peculiar thing though.
It seemed like a birthmark, but were birthmarks golden? It was shaped like a
crescent moon, and from what I could see, it seemed embedded in the feline's fur.
Even so, I thought it to be absolutely adorable.
"Aww, how cute." I said, picking up the cat in my arms. As I hastily
grabbed the mail, I stroked the cat's fur, talking to it softly. "You're
a cute little kitty, aren't ya? Do you have an owner? Well, you don't
have a collar, so I'll let you stay with me for a while. Okaa-san loves
cats, and 'tou-san will listen to 'kaa-san, so I'll be able to keep you for
a few days." Hey, I had no human friends. Might as well direct myself to the
Animal Kingdom. (Pathetic, aren't I?)
It meowed. I smiled.
*End Flashback*
'I never should've taken that cat in,' I thought to myself. I left my
home, locking it behind me. 'If I would've known what was going to happen
later...' I caught sight of a friendly-looking lady. I ran after her. "Ahh,
excuse me ma'am, would you happen to know where Birch Street is...?"
*Flashback*
The next day, I took the cat out for some fresh air. I named the cat Luna
because of it's crescent moon mark on its forehead. I sat on my stoop,
daydreaming, when I felt Luna jump out of my lap. I looked up, startled out
of my thoughts. I saw a petite, blue-haired girl scoop up Luna and scratch it
behind the ears. 'Oh,' I thought dully. 'Must be the owner.' I can't even keep
my non-human friends. Sheesh. I sighed and got up, walking over to the girl.
"Konnichiwa," I said politely. The girl looked up from her cat. "I'm
Tsukino Usagi."
The girl smiled shyly. "Mizuno Ami," she said in a soft, delicate voice.
"Nice to meet you, Mizuno-san." I greeted, smiling.
"You too, Tsukino-san."
"Aw, don't call me that. It sounds too grown-up and stuffy. I'm only fourteen."
I smiled again. "Call me Usagi."
She looked a little surprised, then smiled again. "Alright, but then you
have to call me Ami, to be fair."
"Deal." I pet her cat, then asked, "What's its name?"
"Luna."
"Really?" I asked. "That's what I named her when I found her. What
a coincidence." Upon closer inspection, it seemed like Ami and Luna had
exchanged glances. I ignored it, thinking I was seeing things.
"Yeah, coincidence," she echoed, then changed the subject. "So, how long have
you lived here?"
"A week."
"Have you met anyone?"
"Nope. No one worth hanging out with. Well, except you, so far."
She smiled. "Come and meet my friends. Most of them live in this
neighborhood, too."
"Really? Great! The people who live close to me, uh, aren't very friendly," I said,
grinning enthusiastically at the thought of new friends. If they were as nice as
Ami was, I'd be overjoyed. I followed my new friend, hoping this was the beginning
of a lasting friendship. I got a lot more than that...
*End Flashback*
Ami had introduced me to Hino Rei, a spirited priestess who lived in
the Hiwaka Shrine; Kino Makoto, a great cook who lived in an apartment
alone down the street; and Aino Minako, a bubbly cheerful girl who
reminded me of myself. She had a cat named Artemis who looked like Luna,
only white. But then one day, something happened that wasn't your average,
everyday thing...
*Flashback*
All of us, including Luna and Artemis, had gathered in Makoto's cozy
apartment to hang out. Rei had generously brought some of her precious
manga over also, which all of us had greedily grabbed and began reading.
I was lounging on Makoto's big fluffy bed, reading the latest No Need for
Tenchi, while everyone else had found a place to read also, with Rei's
hawk-eye gazes at us as she made sure we didn't bend the spine too much.
"Mina-chan, do you have to open it so far?" Rei asked testily as Minako
bent the spine of Ceres without a care.
"Oh, get a life, Rei-chan," Minako said playfully as she bent it even
further. "It's just a book."
"It's just my book, and if you're not more careful, you'll find yourself
manga-less!"
After that, Minako was much more obedient.
We read peacefully, and as I turned the page to see Washu's newest
invention, an unfamiliar voice spoke out, "Usagi, please put that
silly book down. We need to talk."
My first instinct was to protest that this wasn't a "silly book," it
was manga! But my words died away as I saw who had spoken.
"Luna?!" I gasped, my eyes widening.
Luna sighed impatiently. "Yes, it was me. Now please put that book away
so you can listen properly."
For a minute, I thought that I had to be hallucinating. But no, the same
cat rolled her eyes and said, "Did you hear me, Usagi? I said put that book
away!"
I looked to my friends. "Did that cat just... talk?"
Nod, nod, nod, nod.
I turned back to the so-called "cat." It stared at me. "Luna?" I asked nervously.
Another strange voice said, "Luna, give her some time. It's not everyday you
meet a cat that can talk." This time it came from Artemis.
"Artemis?!"
"At your service," he bowed at me.
"Be quiet Artemis," Luna said. "We don't have time. Now listen, Usagi. Believe
it or not, you are in the company with Tokyo's famous heroins. The champions and
protectors of justice, these four girls before you are the one and only sailor
senshi!" she finished proudly.
"Hi!" Minako waved cheerfully.
I stared at them for a second, before bursting out in laughter. "Ha ha ha ha!
Good one guys! You almost had me fooled! I mean, the talking cats, nice touch,
but being the sailor senshi? Good one!"
The black cat sighed. "This is no joke, Usagi. They really are the sailor
senshi."
I walked right over to it and picked it up by the scruff of its neck. "Gosh, it
seems so real! Where did you get it? You guys have to take me to wherever you got
it!"
The "faux feline" lashed its claws at me. "Put me down!" it screeched.
"Ow!" I abruptly dropped it, clutching my arm. "Why you--!" I advanced on it
angrily.
"Listen!" Artemis said loudly, making me stop in my tracks. "We are not some
battery-powered talking toys. We're real cats. And they really are the sailor
senshi."
"Really?" I crossed my arms. "Prove it."
Luna glared at me, then said, "Senshi, henshin!"
Before I knew it, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako had pulled out small sticks of
some sort with a strange symbol on each of them. I recognized them; I had seen
Ami writing with hers once. At the time, I thought it was a pen. But as they
thrusted them into the air, doubt filled me. 'I really, really don't think
they're pens now...'
"MERCURY POWER!" Ami yelled.
"MARS POWER!" Rei shouted.
"JUPITER POWER!" came from Makoto.
"VENUS POWER!" Minako screamed.
"MAKE-UP!" they yelled in unison.
Bright lights flashed, with colors of blue, red, green, and orange swirling
before my eyes. I watched, astounded, with my mouth open. Streaks of ice covered
Ami. Flames of fire engulfed Rei. Lightning crashed around Makoto. Golden stars
surrounded Minako. Each of these died away to reveal my friends in battle fukus,
armed, determined, and ready to fight.
"See?" Luna said smugly.
My jaw was to the ground. I stared in awe at my four friends, who had their chins
up, drawn proudly in the air. 'How...?' crossed my mind.
"Needless to say," Artemis said, "they are the sailor senshi."
'Duh.' I was at a loss for words.
"They met right before school ended, when Minako and Ami had found Artemis and me,"
Luna said, staring amusedly at my open mouth.
'Uh huh.'
"They fight for justice and protect the people of Tokyo and the world from doom,"
Artemis said.
'Do they now? Gee, I didn't know that.'
"They're destined to find and protect the Moon Princess."
'Moon Princess?' Something clicked in my mind, but I was too shocked to think about
it.
"Which brings me to the point of why we are standing here at the moment," Luna
said.
'And that is...?'
"You are a sailor senshi."
'...'
"WHAT?!"
Luna nodded, then added, "The senshi of the moon."
"I'm a sailor senshi?" I repeated.
"Hai," Luna said. "And also..." she paused hesitantly.
As if we needed suspense. "And?!" I prompted her not so gently.
"...And you're the leader," she finished.
My eyebrows raised dangerously high. "Excuse me?"
"You're the--"
"I heard!" I snapped. "But... I mean..." I fell back on the bed, staring up at
Makoto's ceiling. "I can't believe it..."
"Believe it," Luna said as she, Artemis, and the rest of the senshi loomed over me.
I sat up. "But... how?"
"Well, we just picked names from a hat, Usagi-baka," Mars said sarcastically. "Yours
just happened to be one of them."
"This has nothing to do with a hat," Luna said, apparently ruffled by Rei's
comment. "And you weren't chosed for such a title either. This is your destiny.
You are meant to be one of the sailor senshi, the leader of them all."
"Why me? I'm not a good choice for a senshi, much less the leader..."
"You weren't chosen, you were destined," Artemis said.
I eyed my friends. "Do I have to dress like that?"
"See for yourself," Luna said. She jumped in the air faster than my eye could
trace. A locket fell in front of me. A moon decorated it, with red, orange, green,
and blue gems surrounding it. "Ooh..." I breathed, quite entranced by it. I gently
touched it, then looked up at Luna, suddenly filled with unsurity.
She smiled at me, then told me, "Hold it up, and shout 'Moon Prism Power.'"
I looked at her quizzically, shrugged, and, feeling a little foolish, thrusted
the locket into the air. "MOON PRISM POWER!" A shudder of excitement ran through
me, and I felt myself being covered with ribbons, lace, and materials forming a
fuku. I felt everyone's eyes on me, even with my eyes closed. I felt myself shiver
with expectation. Most of all, I felt a surge of power.
I felt... strong.
"Wow..." I heard one of my friends say. I immediately looked to the mirror.
"Oh my..." I gasped, looking at myself. I was dressed in a snowy white sailor
suit, with a navy blue collar, held together with a red bow, which displayed my
locket. To add more of a feminine touch to it, I wore a short blue skirt and some
red knee boots to finish it off. In my hair were red hair pieces in my hairbuns,
and some pearl clips.
"Dang..." Venus commented. "Usagi-chan, that's something your otou-san would
never let you wear..." She grinned. "Maybe that's why you look so great in it."
She struck a silly pose. "The heroic, brave Sailor Moon, accompanied with her
pretty sailor senshi, Sailor Venus!"
"Hey!" Jupiter cried. "What about us?"
"Yeah, you guys are in the background somewhere," Venus said with a careless wave
of her hand.
"Nani?!" Mars said. "I don't think so!"
"We deserve to be part of any introduction!"
"But I'm the pretty sailor senshi of Venus, protector of love and defender of
beauty!"
"Yeah, and of blondeness. It's not like I don't have a title either, you know,
I--"
"Uh, guys?" I interrupted them. "How am I supposed to run in these?" I asked,
motioning downward at my boots.
*End Flashback*
And I still think a guy made the senshi fuku.
I spotted everyone right outside of Sanrio Surprises. I waved. "Konnichiwa!"
They turned to look at me.
"Oh, hey, Usagi-chan!" yelled Makoto. I ran up to them.
"So why are you late this time?" Rei said as I approached them.
"I was only 10 minutes late!" I retorted. "Give me a break!"
"Guys, come on you two," Makoto said, separating us before we broke into a fight.
"The store will be closing soon. It's a Sunday, and they're closing in about twenty
minutes."
"Ah, fine," I grumbled, crossing my arms and shot a playful glare at Rei, who stuck
her tongue out at me.
As we entered the store, all of us began to squeal and exclaim over the cute
merchandise.
"Look, they have new Chococat stuff!"
"Keroppi is just so cute!"
"Oh, I love Badtz-Maru's look!"
"Ah, a back-to-school Hello Kitty theme!"
"Aww, is this one new? Nyago? Never heard of him before... He matches Usagi-chan
well; he seems to always be sleeping."
"Hey!"
We were drawing looks from the rest of the customers, most of them being girls in
middle school with their boyfriends they had dragged along (who looked quite bored)
and smaller girls looking for plastic lunch boxes and pink pencils (which sort of
implied that we were getting a little old for this, but hey, we're kids at heart).
We smiled sheepishly, and continued to pick out our purchases. Eventually the store
staff had to kick us out; we stayed there ten minutes past their closing time.
"Well, that was quite useful," Ami said as the frazzled-looking manager shut the
door on us.
"Yeah," Minako said in agreement. "We have the cutest school supplies."
"Shopping for school stuff isn't that bad when you come here," Makoto said, gazing
at the huge plastic Hello Kitty.
"That sounds like a bad commercial line, Mako-chan," Rei said.
As they joked playfully, coming up with corny commercial lines, I sighed, looking
into my bag. My new things reminded me of upcoming school, which meant summer would
soon wave good-bye.
~*~*~*~*~
We spent the last week swimming, talking, pigging out, reading manga,
and listening to CDs. Then came... the first day of school (dun dun dun!).
I attend Juuban with Ami and Makoto, but Minako and Rei went to other
schools. 'At least Rei the Pyro isn't gonna be able to tease me in
school.' I thought as I dressed for the first day of school. I had
woken up at the ungodly hour of 6:30 AM, with "help" from Luna's annoying
nagging. (Big help. I think that cat enjoys torturing me.)
Yes, Ami gave me Luna. She said that since I was leader, I should
keep her, and plus once school started, she and her mother would
never have enough time to take care of a cat. I happily accepted,
thinking it would be cool to own a talking cat. Now, I'm starting
to regret it.
~*~*~*~*
I walked to school, yawning repetitively. 'Need... sleep...' was the main thought
that went through my mind. As I reached Juuban, I observed my surroundings. A brick
building stood before me, and around it were clusters of people, chatting, talking,
greeting eachother after a long summer's parting. I found a list of where people
were supposed to report to. My year was directed to go to the cafeteria.
I followed a couple of people to the cafeteria. Scanning the crowd, I felt a bit
apprehensive by so many new faces, but heard my name. "Usagi-chan!"
I turned towards the direction of the voice, and found Ami waving furiously. I
relaxed a bit and made my way to her, then sat beside her. From the look on her
face, you would've thought it was the Superbowl or something.
"Ohayo, Usagi-chan! Isn't this great?" she asked excitedly.
"..." I stared at her. "Ami? You OK?"
"I just love the first day of school!" she continued as if she hadn't heard me.
"It's just so... rejuvenating... Think of all the new things we'll learn this year,
the new teachers, the new classrooms..."
"I'm thinking more along the lines of new people," Makoto said as she plopped
across from me.
"Namely, new guys, am I right?" I said to her. She nodded with a grin.
Ami was about to say something, probably defending her love for school, but someone
stood up looked over all of the students at a podium. The throng quieted
eventually. "That's Principal Sakumei," Makoto whispered to me. I nodded, studying
the tall woman in dark blue and white, commanding our attention.
"Welcome, students! A new year beginning, which I hope will be successful for all
of us. Let's take a moment to think about what our goals for this year will be.
I hope you strive harder and harder, pushing yourself to the limits of which you
can possibly do, for your education. I now ask you to name the seventy-six
different kinds of cheeses located in Wisconson, USA..."
Or at least, that's what it sounded like to me. I tuned her out, and put my head
in my arms, I think Ami poked me in the side a couple of times, but I ignored it.
I couldn't help it, I was so tired. Luna was snoring last night. Not to mention I
had some trouble falling asleep last night. I usually loved meeting new people. So
why did I feel so strange about my first day in my new school?
Before I knew it, Makoto was gently leading me out the cafeteria doors. Somehow,
I had received my schedule and locker number, clutched in my hand. I mumbled a
drowsy thanks, then set off down the hall to find my locker. Ami and Makoto
waved good-bye, since their lockers were down the hall from mine. I found my
locker, #339. I entered the combination. 30, 2, 24. I tried to open it. It
wouldn't budge. I tried again. Twirl right, two times left, and once more right.
30, 2, 24. No, it was still stuck. I double checked the number. Yup, this was
locker 339. I tried again. And again. And again. "Grr..."
"Need some help?" asked an unfamiliar, smooth male tone. I whirled around to
find myself staring into deep, dark blue eyes, framed by ebony locks of hair,
barely two inches away from me.
~*~*~*~*
Hmm, I think that's a good place to stop, don't you? *dodges various
items* Hee hee. ^_^ Of course, everyone knows who this mystery man is, ne?
It's... SEIYA! *giggles* Just kidding.
Here's a little funny that I'll start to do at the end of every chapter,
taking something from that chapter and adding little quirky things to make it
more humorous.
Azn's Funnies!
~*~
I sat up. "But... how?"
"Well, we just picked names from a hat, Usagi-baka," Mars said sarcastically. "Yours
just happened to be one of them."
"Yeah!" Mina chirped. "I picked it!"
~*~
"Dang..." Venus commented. "Usagi-chan, that's something your otou-san would
never let you wear..." She grinned. "Maybe that's why you look so great in it."
She struck a silly pose. "The heroic, brave Sailor Moon, accompanied with her
pretty sailor senshi, Sailor Venus!" Somewhere, the music of "I Will Survive"
began to play. Venus took on a sad, somber look. "First I was afraid, I was
petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I
spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong, and I
learned how to get along!" she sang, whipping her love chain back and forth.
"...I will survive!"
~*~
Well, please tell me what you think! Ideas, comments, please? Tell me what
you think, and keep reviewing!
~*~Azn Angel~*~
Author: Azn Angel
Email: star_wingz13@yahoo.com
Rated: PG
OK, this is a rather different version of how Sailor Moon came to be. Seriously, the
way Serena found out she was the Moon Princess in the dubbed anime was so... corny.
I'm sure the Japanese one did it much more justice, but here we are. Let's see if
I can spin a worthy yarn of this tale, eh?
Also, at the end of the chapter, there will be something new now. I was thinking
it up when I was staring blankly at the computer screen. *twitch* Check it out.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, big surprise, nor do I own the song "I Will
Survive."
*~*~*~*~
"Well, I don't know, Ami-chan. I mean, who actually wants to go school
supplies shopping?" I said into the phone receiver.
"Come on, Usagi-chan." I heard Ami's voice say. "You're going to have
to do it eventually, so why not with some friends?"
I sighed. "You know I don't like school. Do we have to talk about it on
the last few weeks of summer break?"
"Usagi..." she said quietly, but firmly. "We need our things. Minna-chan
said they'd come. Minako said that maybe she could get some good
school supplies before the store runs out."
I sighed again. "Fine. Which store?"
"Sanrio Surprises."
I perked up. "I love that place!"
"Hai, I know. That's why Mina-chan suggested it."
"Um... where is it again?" I asked, whipping out a sheet of notebook paper
and a pen.
"5717 Birch Street." she reminded me patiently. I said bye, and hung up. I
had just moved here about two months ago, a bit after summer break started,
but I still wasn't used to my new surroundings very well. I didn't have
any friends there, but once when I was checking the mail...
*Flashback*
I walked to the mailbox, looking down at the ground, staring at my shadow. My
lone shadow. I sighed softly. I had moved here a week ago, but I still didn't
make any friends. The next door neighbors were snobs with money and went to a
private school ("Move to another neighborhood!" I wanted to tell them), and the
girl across from me was a brat who could play the flute. Needless to say, I didn't
pursue their friendship.
As I opened the mailbox, I felt something warm and fuzzy around my ankle. I looked
down to see a midnight black cat. Upon its forehead was the peculiar thing though.
It seemed like a birthmark, but were birthmarks golden? It was shaped like a
crescent moon, and from what I could see, it seemed embedded in the feline's fur.
Even so, I thought it to be absolutely adorable.
"Aww, how cute." I said, picking up the cat in my arms. As I hastily
grabbed the mail, I stroked the cat's fur, talking to it softly. "You're
a cute little kitty, aren't ya? Do you have an owner? Well, you don't
have a collar, so I'll let you stay with me for a while. Okaa-san loves
cats, and 'tou-san will listen to 'kaa-san, so I'll be able to keep you for
a few days." Hey, I had no human friends. Might as well direct myself to the
Animal Kingdom. (Pathetic, aren't I?)
It meowed. I smiled.
*End Flashback*
'I never should've taken that cat in,' I thought to myself. I left my
home, locking it behind me. 'If I would've known what was going to happen
later...' I caught sight of a friendly-looking lady. I ran after her. "Ahh,
excuse me ma'am, would you happen to know where Birch Street is...?"
*Flashback*
The next day, I took the cat out for some fresh air. I named the cat Luna
because of it's crescent moon mark on its forehead. I sat on my stoop,
daydreaming, when I felt Luna jump out of my lap. I looked up, startled out
of my thoughts. I saw a petite, blue-haired girl scoop up Luna and scratch it
behind the ears. 'Oh,' I thought dully. 'Must be the owner.' I can't even keep
my non-human friends. Sheesh. I sighed and got up, walking over to the girl.
"Konnichiwa," I said politely. The girl looked up from her cat. "I'm
Tsukino Usagi."
The girl smiled shyly. "Mizuno Ami," she said in a soft, delicate voice.
"Nice to meet you, Mizuno-san." I greeted, smiling.
"You too, Tsukino-san."
"Aw, don't call me that. It sounds too grown-up and stuffy. I'm only fourteen."
I smiled again. "Call me Usagi."
She looked a little surprised, then smiled again. "Alright, but then you
have to call me Ami, to be fair."
"Deal." I pet her cat, then asked, "What's its name?"
"Luna."
"Really?" I asked. "That's what I named her when I found her. What
a coincidence." Upon closer inspection, it seemed like Ami and Luna had
exchanged glances. I ignored it, thinking I was seeing things.
"Yeah, coincidence," she echoed, then changed the subject. "So, how long have
you lived here?"
"A week."
"Have you met anyone?"
"Nope. No one worth hanging out with. Well, except you, so far."
She smiled. "Come and meet my friends. Most of them live in this
neighborhood, too."
"Really? Great! The people who live close to me, uh, aren't very friendly," I said,
grinning enthusiastically at the thought of new friends. If they were as nice as
Ami was, I'd be overjoyed. I followed my new friend, hoping this was the beginning
of a lasting friendship. I got a lot more than that...
*End Flashback*
Ami had introduced me to Hino Rei, a spirited priestess who lived in
the Hiwaka Shrine; Kino Makoto, a great cook who lived in an apartment
alone down the street; and Aino Minako, a bubbly cheerful girl who
reminded me of myself. She had a cat named Artemis who looked like Luna,
only white. But then one day, something happened that wasn't your average,
everyday thing...
*Flashback*
All of us, including Luna and Artemis, had gathered in Makoto's cozy
apartment to hang out. Rei had generously brought some of her precious
manga over also, which all of us had greedily grabbed and began reading.
I was lounging on Makoto's big fluffy bed, reading the latest No Need for
Tenchi, while everyone else had found a place to read also, with Rei's
hawk-eye gazes at us as she made sure we didn't bend the spine too much.
"Mina-chan, do you have to open it so far?" Rei asked testily as Minako
bent the spine of Ceres without a care.
"Oh, get a life, Rei-chan," Minako said playfully as she bent it even
further. "It's just a book."
"It's just my book, and if you're not more careful, you'll find yourself
manga-less!"
After that, Minako was much more obedient.
We read peacefully, and as I turned the page to see Washu's newest
invention, an unfamiliar voice spoke out, "Usagi, please put that
silly book down. We need to talk."
My first instinct was to protest that this wasn't a "silly book," it
was manga! But my words died away as I saw who had spoken.
"Luna?!" I gasped, my eyes widening.
Luna sighed impatiently. "Yes, it was me. Now please put that book away
so you can listen properly."
For a minute, I thought that I had to be hallucinating. But no, the same
cat rolled her eyes and said, "Did you hear me, Usagi? I said put that book
away!"
I looked to my friends. "Did that cat just... talk?"
Nod, nod, nod, nod.
I turned back to the so-called "cat." It stared at me. "Luna?" I asked nervously.
Another strange voice said, "Luna, give her some time. It's not everyday you
meet a cat that can talk." This time it came from Artemis.
"Artemis?!"
"At your service," he bowed at me.
"Be quiet Artemis," Luna said. "We don't have time. Now listen, Usagi. Believe
it or not, you are in the company with Tokyo's famous heroins. The champions and
protectors of justice, these four girls before you are the one and only sailor
senshi!" she finished proudly.
"Hi!" Minako waved cheerfully.
I stared at them for a second, before bursting out in laughter. "Ha ha ha ha!
Good one guys! You almost had me fooled! I mean, the talking cats, nice touch,
but being the sailor senshi? Good one!"
The black cat sighed. "This is no joke, Usagi. They really are the sailor
senshi."
I walked right over to it and picked it up by the scruff of its neck. "Gosh, it
seems so real! Where did you get it? You guys have to take me to wherever you got
it!"
The "faux feline" lashed its claws at me. "Put me down!" it screeched.
"Ow!" I abruptly dropped it, clutching my arm. "Why you--!" I advanced on it
angrily.
"Listen!" Artemis said loudly, making me stop in my tracks. "We are not some
battery-powered talking toys. We're real cats. And they really are the sailor
senshi."
"Really?" I crossed my arms. "Prove it."
Luna glared at me, then said, "Senshi, henshin!"
Before I knew it, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako had pulled out small sticks of
some sort with a strange symbol on each of them. I recognized them; I had seen
Ami writing with hers once. At the time, I thought it was a pen. But as they
thrusted them into the air, doubt filled me. 'I really, really don't think
they're pens now...'
"MERCURY POWER!" Ami yelled.
"MARS POWER!" Rei shouted.
"JUPITER POWER!" came from Makoto.
"VENUS POWER!" Minako screamed.
"MAKE-UP!" they yelled in unison.
Bright lights flashed, with colors of blue, red, green, and orange swirling
before my eyes. I watched, astounded, with my mouth open. Streaks of ice covered
Ami. Flames of fire engulfed Rei. Lightning crashed around Makoto. Golden stars
surrounded Minako. Each of these died away to reveal my friends in battle fukus,
armed, determined, and ready to fight.
"See?" Luna said smugly.
My jaw was to the ground. I stared in awe at my four friends, who had their chins
up, drawn proudly in the air. 'How...?' crossed my mind.
"Needless to say," Artemis said, "they are the sailor senshi."
'Duh.' I was at a loss for words.
"They met right before school ended, when Minako and Ami had found Artemis and me,"
Luna said, staring amusedly at my open mouth.
'Uh huh.'
"They fight for justice and protect the people of Tokyo and the world from doom,"
Artemis said.
'Do they now? Gee, I didn't know that.'
"They're destined to find and protect the Moon Princess."
'Moon Princess?' Something clicked in my mind, but I was too shocked to think about
it.
"Which brings me to the point of why we are standing here at the moment," Luna
said.
'And that is...?'
"You are a sailor senshi."
'...'
"WHAT?!"
Luna nodded, then added, "The senshi of the moon."
"I'm a sailor senshi?" I repeated.
"Hai," Luna said. "And also..." she paused hesitantly.
As if we needed suspense. "And?!" I prompted her not so gently.
"...And you're the leader," she finished.
My eyebrows raised dangerously high. "Excuse me?"
"You're the--"
"I heard!" I snapped. "But... I mean..." I fell back on the bed, staring up at
Makoto's ceiling. "I can't believe it..."
"Believe it," Luna said as she, Artemis, and the rest of the senshi loomed over me.
I sat up. "But... how?"
"Well, we just picked names from a hat, Usagi-baka," Mars said sarcastically. "Yours
just happened to be one of them."
"This has nothing to do with a hat," Luna said, apparently ruffled by Rei's
comment. "And you weren't chosed for such a title either. This is your destiny.
You are meant to be one of the sailor senshi, the leader of them all."
"Why me? I'm not a good choice for a senshi, much less the leader..."
"You weren't chosen, you were destined," Artemis said.
I eyed my friends. "Do I have to dress like that?"
"See for yourself," Luna said. She jumped in the air faster than my eye could
trace. A locket fell in front of me. A moon decorated it, with red, orange, green,
and blue gems surrounding it. "Ooh..." I breathed, quite entranced by it. I gently
touched it, then looked up at Luna, suddenly filled with unsurity.
She smiled at me, then told me, "Hold it up, and shout 'Moon Prism Power.'"
I looked at her quizzically, shrugged, and, feeling a little foolish, thrusted
the locket into the air. "MOON PRISM POWER!" A shudder of excitement ran through
me, and I felt myself being covered with ribbons, lace, and materials forming a
fuku. I felt everyone's eyes on me, even with my eyes closed. I felt myself shiver
with expectation. Most of all, I felt a surge of power.
I felt... strong.
"Wow..." I heard one of my friends say. I immediately looked to the mirror.
"Oh my..." I gasped, looking at myself. I was dressed in a snowy white sailor
suit, with a navy blue collar, held together with a red bow, which displayed my
locket. To add more of a feminine touch to it, I wore a short blue skirt and some
red knee boots to finish it off. In my hair were red hair pieces in my hairbuns,
and some pearl clips.
"Dang..." Venus commented. "Usagi-chan, that's something your otou-san would
never let you wear..." She grinned. "Maybe that's why you look so great in it."
She struck a silly pose. "The heroic, brave Sailor Moon, accompanied with her
pretty sailor senshi, Sailor Venus!"
"Hey!" Jupiter cried. "What about us?"
"Yeah, you guys are in the background somewhere," Venus said with a careless wave
of her hand.
"Nani?!" Mars said. "I don't think so!"
"We deserve to be part of any introduction!"
"But I'm the pretty sailor senshi of Venus, protector of love and defender of
beauty!"
"Yeah, and of blondeness. It's not like I don't have a title either, you know,
I--"
"Uh, guys?" I interrupted them. "How am I supposed to run in these?" I asked,
motioning downward at my boots.
*End Flashback*
And I still think a guy made the senshi fuku.
I spotted everyone right outside of Sanrio Surprises. I waved. "Konnichiwa!"
They turned to look at me.
"Oh, hey, Usagi-chan!" yelled Makoto. I ran up to them.
"So why are you late this time?" Rei said as I approached them.
"I was only 10 minutes late!" I retorted. "Give me a break!"
"Guys, come on you two," Makoto said, separating us before we broke into a fight.
"The store will be closing soon. It's a Sunday, and they're closing in about twenty
minutes."
"Ah, fine," I grumbled, crossing my arms and shot a playful glare at Rei, who stuck
her tongue out at me.
As we entered the store, all of us began to squeal and exclaim over the cute
merchandise.
"Look, they have new Chococat stuff!"
"Keroppi is just so cute!"
"Oh, I love Badtz-Maru's look!"
"Ah, a back-to-school Hello Kitty theme!"
"Aww, is this one new? Nyago? Never heard of him before... He matches Usagi-chan
well; he seems to always be sleeping."
"Hey!"
We were drawing looks from the rest of the customers, most of them being girls in
middle school with their boyfriends they had dragged along (who looked quite bored)
and smaller girls looking for plastic lunch boxes and pink pencils (which sort of
implied that we were getting a little old for this, but hey, we're kids at heart).
We smiled sheepishly, and continued to pick out our purchases. Eventually the store
staff had to kick us out; we stayed there ten minutes past their closing time.
"Well, that was quite useful," Ami said as the frazzled-looking manager shut the
door on us.
"Yeah," Minako said in agreement. "We have the cutest school supplies."
"Shopping for school stuff isn't that bad when you come here," Makoto said, gazing
at the huge plastic Hello Kitty.
"That sounds like a bad commercial line, Mako-chan," Rei said.
As they joked playfully, coming up with corny commercial lines, I sighed, looking
into my bag. My new things reminded me of upcoming school, which meant summer would
soon wave good-bye.
~*~*~*~*~
We spent the last week swimming, talking, pigging out, reading manga,
and listening to CDs. Then came... the first day of school (dun dun dun!).
I attend Juuban with Ami and Makoto, but Minako and Rei went to other
schools. 'At least Rei the Pyro isn't gonna be able to tease me in
school.' I thought as I dressed for the first day of school. I had
woken up at the ungodly hour of 6:30 AM, with "help" from Luna's annoying
nagging. (Big help. I think that cat enjoys torturing me.)
Yes, Ami gave me Luna. She said that since I was leader, I should
keep her, and plus once school started, she and her mother would
never have enough time to take care of a cat. I happily accepted,
thinking it would be cool to own a talking cat. Now, I'm starting
to regret it.
~*~*~*~*
I walked to school, yawning repetitively. 'Need... sleep...' was the main thought
that went through my mind. As I reached Juuban, I observed my surroundings. A brick
building stood before me, and around it were clusters of people, chatting, talking,
greeting eachother after a long summer's parting. I found a list of where people
were supposed to report to. My year was directed to go to the cafeteria.
I followed a couple of people to the cafeteria. Scanning the crowd, I felt a bit
apprehensive by so many new faces, but heard my name. "Usagi-chan!"
I turned towards the direction of the voice, and found Ami waving furiously. I
relaxed a bit and made my way to her, then sat beside her. From the look on her
face, you would've thought it was the Superbowl or something.
"Ohayo, Usagi-chan! Isn't this great?" she asked excitedly.
"..." I stared at her. "Ami? You OK?"
"I just love the first day of school!" she continued as if she hadn't heard me.
"It's just so... rejuvenating... Think of all the new things we'll learn this year,
the new teachers, the new classrooms..."
"I'm thinking more along the lines of new people," Makoto said as she plopped
across from me.
"Namely, new guys, am I right?" I said to her. She nodded with a grin.
Ami was about to say something, probably defending her love for school, but someone
stood up looked over all of the students at a podium. The throng quieted
eventually. "That's Principal Sakumei," Makoto whispered to me. I nodded, studying
the tall woman in dark blue and white, commanding our attention.
"Welcome, students! A new year beginning, which I hope will be successful for all
of us. Let's take a moment to think about what our goals for this year will be.
I hope you strive harder and harder, pushing yourself to the limits of which you
can possibly do, for your education. I now ask you to name the seventy-six
different kinds of cheeses located in Wisconson, USA..."
Or at least, that's what it sounded like to me. I tuned her out, and put my head
in my arms, I think Ami poked me in the side a couple of times, but I ignored it.
I couldn't help it, I was so tired. Luna was snoring last night. Not to mention I
had some trouble falling asleep last night. I usually loved meeting new people. So
why did I feel so strange about my first day in my new school?
Before I knew it, Makoto was gently leading me out the cafeteria doors. Somehow,
I had received my schedule and locker number, clutched in my hand. I mumbled a
drowsy thanks, then set off down the hall to find my locker. Ami and Makoto
waved good-bye, since their lockers were down the hall from mine. I found my
locker, #339. I entered the combination. 30, 2, 24. I tried to open it. It
wouldn't budge. I tried again. Twirl right, two times left, and once more right.
30, 2, 24. No, it was still stuck. I double checked the number. Yup, this was
locker 339. I tried again. And again. And again. "Grr..."
"Need some help?" asked an unfamiliar, smooth male tone. I whirled around to
find myself staring into deep, dark blue eyes, framed by ebony locks of hair,
barely two inches away from me.
~*~*~*~*
Hmm, I think that's a good place to stop, don't you? *dodges various
items* Hee hee. ^_^ Of course, everyone knows who this mystery man is, ne?
It's... SEIYA! *giggles* Just kidding.
Here's a little funny that I'll start to do at the end of every chapter,
taking something from that chapter and adding little quirky things to make it
more humorous.
Azn's Funnies!
~*~
I sat up. "But... how?"
"Well, we just picked names from a hat, Usagi-baka," Mars said sarcastically. "Yours
just happened to be one of them."
"Yeah!" Mina chirped. "I picked it!"
~*~
"Dang..." Venus commented. "Usagi-chan, that's something your otou-san would
never let you wear..." She grinned. "Maybe that's why you look so great in it."
She struck a silly pose. "The heroic, brave Sailor Moon, accompanied with her
pretty sailor senshi, Sailor Venus!" Somewhere, the music of "I Will Survive"
began to play. Venus took on a sad, somber look. "First I was afraid, I was
petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I
spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong, and I
learned how to get along!" she sang, whipping her love chain back and forth.
"...I will survive!"
~*~
Well, please tell me what you think! Ideas, comments, please? Tell me what
you think, and keep reviewing!
~*~Azn Angel~*~
