Welcome to my first story… Well, actually, that's kind of obvious; seeing how there's only one story on my profile at the moment.
Unless this is like 2015 or something and I have 10 of them. In which case: What the hell took you so long to start reading it? But I digress…
This is a male Sailor Moon story. I can already hear your arguments: "There can't be a male Senshi! It goes against the rules! It's not cannon!" Blah blah blah. Well you know what? I Don't Care! In case you haven't noticed by now, pretty much everything on this site is non-cannon. You don't like it? Then get the hell away from my story! You're contaminating it with your closed minded idiocy!
Anyway, I'm pretty sure this is the first story of its kind. If it's not, please leave a review telling me, as I would like to know.
By the way, have you ever tried looking for a male version of Sailor Moon? Go look on Google Images right now. Mine's probably there, but it's not the one that looks like a fusion between a blonde sailor and Adolf Hitler's 'perfect man'. That one's just creepy.
That's about it.
Enjoy!
Oh yeah and I don't own Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi created it and Kodansha Publishing (Shounen Jump) owns it, I think.
XXXXXXX
An elegant woman sat on an ornate golden throne in a beautiful marble hall, platinum hair flowing as twin rivers down either side of her bosom. Clothed in white satin, she radiated a subtle power and grace that commanded respect and adoration from all who lay eye on her porcelain visage. A silver staff lay across her lap, crowned with a crescent moon; an impossibly intricate crystal lotus resting in its trough. The sounds of battle could be heard, echoing through the chamber as though from a great distance.
"You will travel far, my child," she spoke softly, a sorrowful smile on her ruby lips. "But I will never leave you, even in the face of my death. The richness of my life shall be yours. All that I have… all that I've learned… everything I feel… all this, and more… I bequeath you." She paused as the palace shook around her, as from a mighty hammer blow.
"Live as one of them, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage."
The battle was distant no longer. The quiet din had grown into the roar of a thousand monstrous beasts from the pits of Hell itself. The woman stood, crystal lotus blazing with pure white light.
"They can be a great people, my child, they wish to be."
The snarling, howling mass of nightmares made flesh was almost upon her, yet she showed no fear.
"They only lack the light to show the way."
She strode forward to meet the oncoming horde, staff raised high.
"For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you…"
"It's time for school!"
Tsukino Ishi jerked awake, and rolled over in bed.
"That's it," he muttered resolutely, staring at the ceiling. "No more Superman before bed."
Ishi sat up slowly and glanced at the clock, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
8:17… That means something..., he thought groggily. With a sudden jolt, he leapt out of bed. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he rushed past. A 14 year old boy stared back at him. He was 5'6" with an average build, had spiked blonde hair and blue eyes.
He was changed into his school uniform and down the stairs in one minute fifteen seconds, a new personal best.
"You should have woke me up sooner!" Ishi shouted at his mother, Ikuko, as he rushed into the kitchen.
"Well, I know for a fact that your alarm clock works," she replied sweetly.
"Whatever, got to go!" Ishi called as he ran to the door.
"Don't you want your lunch?" Ikuko called after him.
He froze an inch from the door, turned and slowly stalked back to the kitchen.
XXXXXXX
Ishi raced down the empty street, pounding pavement as he fought to make up lost time. He grabbed a street sign to round a corner without losing momentum and caught sight of the school.
I'm actually going to make it! He thought excitedly. Take that Time! Nothing can stop me now!
The universe waits patiently for those foolish enough to invoke the Words of Tempted Fate and was quite ready for him. Ishi's foot caught a snag and sent him skidding across the ground. Cursing Murphy, he got up and turned to see what he tripped over.
The 'snag' was a small black cat with bright red eyes and a bandage on its head. It was glaring at him.
"Uh, sorry kitty," he muttered ashamedly, looking down and scrapping his foot on the ground. When he looked back, the cat was ignoring him scratching at the bandages with little effect.
"Oh, let me get that," he offered, eager to make up for his blunder. Walking over, he knelt down and carefully pulled the bandage off. Beneath it, he was shocked to find a pale crescent on its forehead.
The cat suddenly freaked, jumped onto his head and used it as a springboard to flip onto a nearby wall. It gaped at him in shock, mouth hanging open slightly, shook its head and stared at him with intensity so fierce it made him slightly queasy.
Or it could be the school bell ringing, Ishi thought. Those things always make me… a… little…
"Crap! I'm late!" he cried and fled towards the school, forgetting the incident completely. The teacher, Haruna Sakurada, was less than sympathetic, but let him into the class anyway.
"Alright class, because of Tsukino-san's tardiness," Haruna said with a sickly sweet cheer as Ishi slipped quietly into his chair, "We're going to have a pop quiz! Isn't that great?"
Ishi felt the hot glares of the entire class on his back, but didn't care. Haruna taught English first period, which was a piece of cake for someone who spent the first ten years of their life in America.
XXXXXXX
"Ah," Ishi sighed after they got their tests back at the end of the day, "Another easy A."
"Why don't you just test out of the class if you don't need it, Tsukino?" a nasally voice called out from behind him. Ishi turned and saw a short, wild haired boy with thick swirled glasses.
"Why don't you, Umino?" Ishi shot back. The two glared at each other viciously.
"You're both idiots," a turquoise-eyed red head, Osaka Naru, interrupted. "You know that right?"
"But we're your idiots!" the boys said with matching grins, slinging an arm over each other's shoulders with practiced synchronization.
Naru just shook her head with a small smile at her best friends' antics.
"So, how'd you do?" Ishi asked. Naru blushed slightly and handed over her test.
"Only an 85," she said a little dejectedly. "Not nearly as good as you two."
"Hey now, none of that," Ishi cut in gently. "You know I have an unfair advantage."
"And I," Umino dropped his head and pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, causing them to flash dramatically, "Am a super-genius."
As Naru giggled, Ishi reflected on how lucky he was to have found such good friends.
Of course, he mused, these two being the only other students in class who spoke English helped.
"Tsukino, Earth to Tsukino," Umino broke into his musings.
"What?" he blinked and shook his head. "What'd you say?"
"I said that there was another jewelry store robbery, but Sailor V caught the crooks," Naru said excitedly.
"Oh, that's nice," Ishi said. "… Who's Sailor V?"
"Sailor V!" Umino shouted, striking a pose. "She's the famous and super popular magical defender of justice who wears a sailor suit! Some say she's an investigator from a special unit in the police force, but others claim she's an independent force of truth, justice and… and…"
"The Japanese Way?" Ishi filled in sarcastically. "You honestly expect me to believe Tokyo has its own miniskirt clad superhero fighting crime, protecting the innocent and giving the creepy old men of the world a reason to stare at the sky all day?"
"Hey," Naru said, poking his arm, "If you don't believe us, then check this morning's paper."
"Hmm," he grunted noncommittally. "Wait, doesn't your mom own a jewelry store?"
"Yep, that's why I'm so glad Sailor V caught the thieves."
"And," she continued, "She's holding our first sale ever! Prices are so low even we can afford them!"
"You mean you can afford them."
"No, we can afford them, because you are taking me shopping."
"But…," he tried to say, but Naru had already grabbed his arm and started walking. Ishi looked around for Umino to back him up, but he was gone.
"Traitor," he muttered darkly
With a sigh, Ishi let Naru drag him along. As she pulled him down the street, he caught a glimpse of a familiar black cat staring at him from an alley. When he looked again, it was gone.
XXXXXXX
"Wow. I… just wow," Naru finally managed to stutter out, gaping at the sight in front of her. Ishi could only nod sliently in agreement.
Osa-P Jewelers was a medium sized store, meant to hold twenty to thirty people comfortably. However, the 50-90% off signs had attracted almost triple that many. It was literally overflowing with middle-aged women trying to score a deal. They were pack so tightly that the store seemed to produce its own gravitational field, pulling in any passerby who wandered to close.
Ishi and Naru stared slack jawed, but for different reasons.
It's like some kind of horrible Black Friday nightmare, Ishi thought with mild disgust.
… 90% off…, Naru thought dreamily and started for the store.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ishi lunged out and grabbed her before she was consumed by the mob.
"What?" Naru asked, shocked out of the reverie.
"I'm not about to let my best friend get crushed by an overwhelming horde of human greed and insecurity," he explained as he pulled her to the other side of the street.
"But…," Naru started.
"No buts," Ishi said firmly. "You can come back later, after the crowd has thinned a little."
"OK," she sighed, giving the store one last longing look. They walk off down the street, pointedly ignoring the bone chilling howls of sale-thirsty shoppers. "So, what now?"
"Well, we could…," he trailed off, suddenly stopping to stare at the window of a drug store they were passing.
"What's wrong?" Naru asked in confusion.
"I think we're being followed," Ishi whispered.
Naru stiffened slightly and looked at the glass intently. For a moment she saw nothing; then caught a small black head peak around a garbage can across the street. She relaxed.
"A cat?" she looked at him questioningly, a small smile on her lips.
"It's the cat I tripped over on the way to school this morning," Ishi attempted to justify. "I think its stalking me. Keep an eye out and you'll see what I mean."
Naru nodded, but kept smiling. They walked along slowly, both looking back in each mirror or pane of glass they saw. Sure enough, the cat would wait until they started moving, and then dart to the next telephone pole or parked car, always keeping them in sight. Naru finally broke down after about two minutes, giggling at how ridiculous the whole thing was. She turned, walked over to the pole and crouched down.
"Come on out kitty," she said. "We won't hurt you."
Slowly, the cat crept out from behind the pole, glaring at Naru. It sat and stared at them, attempting to look dignified in defeat. That didn't last, however, when Naru scooped it up into her arms.
"Yep, that's the same cat," Ishi said, walking over to them. He pointed at its forehead. "See, it has the bald spot."
"You're such a cute kitty," she cooed at the cat, then kissed it on the nose. It panicked, thrashing about in her arms until she dropped it, and fled down a side street. Naru stared at where the cat had disappeared.
"Don't," she warned.
"I didn't say anything," Ishi said innocently.
"You were thinking it."
"I didn't say anything."
XXXXXXX
"I'm home," Ishi called, strolling through the front door, barely remembering to take off his shoes.
"Welcome home," his mother said, walking out of the kitchen wearing a light jacket.
"You going out?" he asked.
"Saeko managed to get tonight off," Ikuko explained happily. "So we're having a girl's night out."
"Just stay out of the bar this time," Ishi warned.
"I wasn't that drunk," she defended as she put on her shoes.
"You thought the chair was Regis Philbin!" he shouted.
"Now, I didn't know when you would be home, so dinner's in the fridge," Ikuko continued, blatantly ignoring his remark. "Just toss it in the microwave. And make sure you do your homework before you play videogames or else you'll forget again."
"Yes mother," Ishi sighed.
"See you later," she said, walking out the front door.
"Bye," he called back. After she left, Ishi hurried to the kitchen and pulled out the plastic container and prayed his mother hadn't been 'expanding her culinary pallet' again.
"… Deep-fried, teriyaki kangaroo with unpronounceable mushrooms in a spicy chowder sauce… Joy."
After microwaving the horrible concoction, he took his dinner to his room to escape the uncomfortable silence of the empty house. Miraculously managing to finish the meal, he lay down on his bed, intending to rest for a few minutes, and dosed off.
XXXXXXX
He was standing in a dense pale fog. Not cold and damp as most fog is, but warm and comforting. Like a thick woolen blanket on a dark winter's night, it wrapped around him, providing a sense of tranquil security he had never before known.
He gazed around and noticed it was not an open space, there were walls. They were appearing from out of the mist. Not as if the fog were receding, but as though it were condensing into solid objects.
As he watched, he realized he was not alone. There were seven other figures with him. All, including him, were spaced evenly around a vague circle, except two which were side by side; they were as hazy as the room. He looked at his hand and found it to be the same as the rest of this strange place. The other's seemed to be regarding their surroundings, save for the pair, who were facing each other and, if their large and violent hand gestures were anything to go by, appeared to be arguing.
The world he now found himself in was slowly coming into focus. The features of the other's also began to become apparent. He stared intently, trying to learn more about the strangers. They were coming into view now. The boy to his right was …
Scratch.
"Yeow!" Ishi cried, shooting up in bed as he was yanked back into reality.
"That was for saying I have a bald spot!" a high pitched female voice shouted from off to the right.
Ishi looked around his room, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. There was his desk, the door with a Black Sabbath poster on it, the bookshelf, a cat, a Rush poster, the TV…
Wait, he did a double take, a cat?
Sure enough, there was a small black cat sitting on his floor. It was the same one from before.
"I knew you were stalking me," He said, glaring at it.
"How else was I supposed to find where you lived?" the cat, obviously female, asked him with a small shrug.
Ishi's mind froze and his jaw dropped. The cat, unaware or uncaring of his impending heart attack, cleared its throat.
"Now," she began, "My name is Luna, and I have been looking for you, Ishi." When she got no reply, she continued.
"You helped me take off that awful bandage, remember?" Luna prompted. "While it was on I couldn't speak or use my location abilities. The kids in this neighborhood sure are… What are you doing?"
Ishi had gotten up off of his bed and walked over to his desk, picking up the dinner plate he hadn't cleared away from earlier and gave it a good sniff.
"I thought those mushrooms tasted funny," Ishi nodded. Something small and hard hit him in the back of the head.
"Baka!" Luna shouted. "I'm not a hallucination!"
"That's just what a hallucination would say!" he whipped around and pointed an accusing finger.
"And how would you know that?" Luna asked, shrewdly.
"Uh," he faltered.
"That's what I thought," Luna said haughtily. "Now, if you would sit down and listen, this is important."
Hanging his head in defeat, Ishi walked over to his bed and sat down, grumbling about bossy imaginary cats.
"Good, now as I was saying," she began again. "I have been looking for you for a while now. It was actually very fortunate that you found me when you did. I had almost given up hope."
"Wait, you were looking for me?" Ishi interrupted.
"Well, not you specifically," the cat conceded. "Honestly, had we not met this morning, I might never had found you."
"Why not?"
"I'll get to that in a moment," Luna said. "Right now, there are strange incidents happening all over Tokyo, things the police force isn't equipped to deal with. A war, millennia old, is erupting once again and you have been chosen to be a solider in that war."
"By who?" Ishi asked.
"Destiny," she answered in an almost reverent voice.
"Damn it," he swore suddenly.
"What do you mean by that?" Luna demanded a little offended.
"I've read enough comics and manga to know that when you are chosen by destiny," Ishi explained sagely, "you're going to spend the rest of your life as Fate's bitch."
"… Be that as it may," Luna resumed awkwardly, "This calling comes with great power, and..."
"Don't," he interrupted again. "Don't even go there."
"Go where?" she asked, puzzled. "I was going to say you have a mission."
"… Oh. Carry on then."
"You must gather your allies and defeat the forces of darkness threatening to consume the world," Luna stated with passion. "You must also find our princess and protect her, as she is the only one with the power to destroy the evil once and for all!" She paused to allow the gravity of the situation to sink in.
"… You just described the plot of every 'Legend of Zelda' game ever made." Luna face faulted.
"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Luna accused him suddenly.
"I'm still not convinced I'm not hallucinating," Ishi informed her.
"Look," the cat said testily. "Take the brooch…"
"What brooch?" he interrupted.
"That thing I threw at you."
He looked and saw that there was a small gold circle on the floor near where he had been standing.
"Oh," he said, walking over to pick it up. "How'd you throw it anyway? You don't have hands."
"With my magical cat powers," she said sarcastically. "Just pick it up."
He did so and saw that it was real gold, with a silver crescent moon and golden circle in the center. At each of the poles were inlaid tiny diamonds. It was very beautiful and obviously hand crafted by a master jeweler.
"Now," Luna said slowly, "say 'Moon Prism Power: Make Up'."
"No."
"What do you mean 'No'!"
"I feel slightly emasculated just holding this thing," Ishi said tartly. "I refuse to say something that girly."
Luna sat there, shocked and fuming at his statement.
"What's it meant to do anyway?"
"… 'Moon Prism Power: Make Up'," she explained, slowly, "Is the transformation phrase that will change you into a magical defender of justice." This triggered something in Ishi memory.
"Like that Sailor V chick?" he asked.
"Yes," Luna said. "It is likely that she is one of the other Sailor Senshi."
"The what?"
"Look, I'll explain everything later," Luna sighed. "Right now, I need you to transform into… whoever it is you'll transform into."
"Alright," Ishi agreed. "I'm not saying the 'Make Up' part though."
"Fine."
Ishi stood there for a moment, staring at the jeweled circle in his hand. He took a deep breath and began.
"Moon…"
He felt it almost immediately, the absolute rightness of what he was doing. A small trickle of power was seeping out the brooch into him, whispering the next word into his mind.
"… Prism…"
The power increased, filling him up. A pressure beginning to build up in his chest as the next word came to him.
"… Power…"
He fought as the words 'Make Up' began to fill his head. The pressure was growing so rapidly he felt as if his chest would explode without some form of release. His mind raced, attempting to find a new word to replace the others. Finally, when the pressure was almost too great to comprehend, he knew.
"… Augment!"
Power erupted forth in a brilliant burst of light. Ishi could only stand is awe as it enveloped him in a cocoon of radiance. The magic swirled around and through him, altering him at a fundamental level. Tendrils coerced his limbs, his chest, his face, coating them with their power, leaving them transformed. Then, as suddenly it had begun, it was over.
"Wow," Luna said in amazement. Ishi glance in the mirror and had to agree. Gone was the blue school uniform. In its place was something that could only be described as unbelievable.
A sleeveless, dark blue bodysuit covered him from his neckline to his ankles. His feet were clad in red knee-high boots with white lips, the front of which angled to a point just above the knee and were adorned with small golden crescents just below the red point. A thick white chest piece protected from just below his sternum to his collar bone, shoulders pointed and front emblazoned with the gold and silver moons from the brooch. Long white gloves covered his arms, ending in large red bands just before his elbow, leaving his upper arms bare. Finally, a dark blue helmet adorned his head, gold circles over his ears and a gold moon on the forehead. It came equipped with a retractable gray visor, leaving only his nose, mouth and chin in sight.
"Wow," Ishi said. "I look awesome."
"You look much nicer than I was expecting," Luna said.
"You sound like you didn't know what would happen," Ishi half joked.
"Hehe, right," the cat chuckled nervously. The newly minted superhero paused and turned to her.
"You did know what would happen, right?" he asked, pointedly.
"Well, not per se," Luna admitted. "You see, there has never been a male Senshi."
"Never," Ishi echoed.
"Until today, I didn't even think it was possible."
"So I could have ended up in a sailor suit."
"Uh huh."
"… I hate you," Ishi deadpanned. "And you will never leave me in the dark like that again; or else."
"'Or else' what?" Luna challenged sharply.
"Have you ever heard of Bob Barker?"
"No, why?" her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, no reason," he finished innocently. Luna regarded him suspiciously for a moment.
"If you're going to make…" the cat said before she was suddenly interrupted.
Help, someone help! a girl's voice rang out.
"What was that?" Ishi asked, looking around the room.
"It's your helmet," Luna explained. "It's amplifying the sounds of distress."
Help! It's my mom! the girl called again. Ishi's eye's widened in recognition.
"That was Naru!" Ishi shouted.
"Now do you believe me?" Luna asked.
"Not really," he commented offhandedly, Luna face faulted again. His expression hardened. "But now's not the time to argue about it. Naru's in danger! We have to help her!"
"Where would she be?" the cat asked, a little relieved.
"Probably at home," Ishi said. "It's above her mom's store. But how do we get there?"
"The suit enhances your physical abilities," Luna explained.
"Meaning?" he prompted.
"You can roof hop," she simplified.
"Awesome, follow me!" Ishi ordered and leapt out the window, Luna hot on his heels. Ishi marveled at how easy it was to leap from roof to pavement and back. Almost as impressive was that Luna could keep up with him.
XXXXXXX
In no time at all, they had arrived. Ishi charged in the open door and paused for a moment to take in what he saw. He had no problem seeing, even with the lights out. Lying all over the floor were dozens of girls and women of various ages. They would have appeared asleep, were it not for the ashen pallor of their skin. They were forgotten, however, when he saw a tall woman in a black dress, holding Naru by the throat.
"Get your filthy hands off her!" Ishi shouted, "You disgusting old hag!"
The woman turned her head around almost 180 degrees. The rest of her body didn't move, which produced a horrifyingly unnatural stretching effect on her exposed neck. Her face resembled a skull, crushed and pieced back together in a repulsive facsimile of humanity; with beady yellow eyes, sunk deep into pitch black eye sockets and inhuman, grey-brown skin pulled taught across hideous visage. Long scraggily brown hair sat clumped on her head with unnerving stillness.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, lowering the suffocating Naru in shock. Ishi faltered for a moment, realizing that he had forgotten to choose a superhero alias.
"Um…" he glanced around for inspiration. Luna meowed at the moon, giving him an idea to run with.
"I am the noble warrior of peace and justice," Ishi proclaimed, planting his feet and thumbing at himself with a cocky smirk. "I am Moon Knight! And in the name of the moon, I shall punish you."
... And that was the corniest thing I've ever said.
"Moon Knight?" the horrible parody of humanity echoed. "I've never heard you. Or anything like you." She dropped Naru, who started coughing and gasping for air.
"Slaves, who have offered their energy to my master, obey Morga and awaken!" The monster shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "Destroy him!" All at once, the women on the ground rose up and began to swarm the self-dubbed Moon Knight.
"… And this is why you always read the fine print on sales posters," Moon Knight quipped as he jumped away from the mob. He was forced to dodge and weave through their attacks, not wanting to strike back for fear of hurting the zombielike shopper's.
"What is that thing?" he asked Luna as he dodged behind a display of necklaces.
"A youma," she answered, spitting out the word like a curse. "It's a demonic minion of the evil…" She was forced to leave off as an extremely large woman came barreling around the case, forcing Moon to resume his dodging spree.
The zombie's effectiveness seemed to be growing as time went on, as was Morga's irritation. They were beginning to arm themselves. Moon Knight stumbled awkwardly while dodging a broken bottle, inexperience caught up with him, and he scrapped his elbow.
"Well that hurt," he grumbled to himself, climbing back to his feet. His eyes widened with realization. "Wait a minute; that hurt!" The reality of the situation suddenly bore down on his mind.
"This isn't a dream," Ishi said slowly, almost trancelike, dropping out of his Moon Knight persona. He collapsed back against a concrete pillar in shock, shaking slightly.
"What are you going on about, Ishi?" Luna demanded from behind said pillar. "Get back up! You've got to fight them! You have to destroy that monster!"
"It's time to end this!" Morga shouted, rising up into the air, and thrusting her arm out at Ishi. It stretched and flew towards him, nails gleaming like knives. He looked up in a daze and saw the hand, showing no response at his imminent demise. Just before impact, something shot past his face, halting the hand. Ishi had to stare at the projectile for a moment before he recognized it.
"A rose," he murmured absently.
"Who's there?" Morga shouted, rotating her head around disturbingly to find the thrower.
Looking down over the battle from the ledge of a large window was a man. He was clothed in a fine black tuxedo, complete with silken top hat and cape, and wore a small white mask to conceal his identity. His features were aristocratic and his hair short and black.
He looks ridiculous, Ishi thought idly.
"I am Tuxedo Mask," he proclaimed.
… And he has the creative ability of a five year old, Ishi continued, as the tremors ceased.
"Great," Morga groaned. "Another one."
"Cowering in the corner isn't going to solve anything, Moon Knight," Tuxedo Mask called out. "Have courage and you will triumph over you foes."
For moment there was absolute silence in the store, as even Morga did not know what to make of this. Then, almost inaudibly, Ishi spoke.
"… Cowering?" his mind slowly rebooting as the word hit something deep inside him. Ishi slowly climbed to his feet, puzzlement hidden by the visor. Then a rage unlike any he had ever known roared through him as though a great dam had burst in the dark recesses of his soul, for he suddenly recognized what the word had stuck.
His pride.
"What do you mean 'cowering'?" he roared back in defiance. "You're the one giving pithy speeches from windowsills instead of actually fighting, you arrogant, rose flinging, son of a bitch!" Tuxedo Mask did not reply, though from superiority or surprise was unknown.
"Luna," Moon Knight called sharply, slipping back into the proper mindset. "I have a room full of hypnotized shoppers and an evil flying bitch. What do I do?"
"The youma," Luna replied, matching his tone. "Take her out and everything goes back to normal."
"How?"
"The gold moon on your chest," she told him, "Pull it off and throw it."
Showing an unusual amount of faith in the cat, Moon Knight did as requested. He was only slightly surprised when the gold circle transformed into a glowing energy disk.
"Sweet," he commented with a smirk, gripping it like a Frisbee. More magic words filled his head, but Moon Knight already had replacements in mind.
"Moon Razor Strike!" he shouted, then let it fly. Morga shrieked in terror as the disk flew at her, powerless to stop its flight. It ripped through her chest with the sound of a wet paper bag shredding, then ricocheted off several walls before returning to Moon Knight.
The youma hung motionless in the air for a few seconds before crumbling away, leaving only a pile of dust as evidence that she was ever there. The possessed women collapsed, color returning to their faces. Moon Knight inspected the brilliant circle in his hand for a moment.
"I think I'm going to like this job," he said with a grin, the disk fading away and the gold moon reappearing on his armor.
"I will remember our meeting, Moon Knight," Tuxedo Mask vowed, making the aforementioned superhero jump. "Farewell." He turned with a flare of his cape and was gone.
"… Lousy rose flinging freak," Moon Knight muttered. "Good riddance."
"You did well, Moon Knight," Luna complemented, coming up behind him. "It looks like the enemy is starting to…"
"Can we save this for later?" he yawned. "I'm really tired, and I think the ex-zombies are waking up." Luna looked around and saw that the victims were moaning their way into consciousness.
"Fine, let's go," she said and led him out of the store. As they left, neither of them noticed that, while most of the women were waking, one had never been unconscious in the first place.
"Was that…?" Naru asked the air, eyes locked on the empty doorway.
XXXXXXX
"…And then Moon Knight flung his glowing moon disk at Morga, who screamed in terror and was shredded on impact, leaving only a pile of dust where the monster once stood!" Naru narrated to her captivated audience. It was after school the next day, and Naru was telling her story for the fifth time. She was getting very good at it.
"No way!" gasped the crowd around her.
"It's true. Then he ran off before I could thank him," Naru continued.
"He sounds heroic," swooned a brunette in the crowd. It was a sentiment echoed by most of the girls.
"He sounds fake," a snarky older boy from the crowd shouted. "I think you just made it up." A group of disbelievers around him began calling out in agreement.
"I did not 'just make it up'," Naru growled angrily, pulling a piece of paper out of her bag and waving it around. "See, here; my mom's security cameras caught the whole thing."
The paper quickly made its way through the crowd. It was a slightly grainy, greyscale side shot of Moon Knight and Morga. A short white line, presumably the moon disk, had been captured about two thirds of the way to the horrified monster. While the gathered student body oohed and awed over the picture, one particular student had very little interest in it.
"And I was so hoping it had all been a dream too," Ishi sighed to himself for what felt like the thousandth time, carefully avoiding the crowd and making his way home.
"Nope!" Luna called cheerily, hopping up onto his shoulders with a broad Cheshire grin. Ishi groaned for varieties sake.
"So, what happens now?" he asked, glancing at the talking moon cat on his shoulder.
"Now?" she echoed. "Now, we train."
XXXXXXX
Well there you have it, my first chapter ever. Yay!
For those of you wanting to see a picture of Moon Knight, there is a link to a deviantART picture of him in my bio.
Now, onto business…
In celebration of my recent emergence onto the Fanfiction scene, I will be holding a contest. It's not very complicated; you merely have to tell me where the name Ishi came from. And I don't want random guesses; it took me almost a week to figure it out, so I want you to describe how I took Usagi and got Ishi, step-by-step along my convoluted train of thought.
The rules are simple:
1. All submissions must be entered in the form of a review, no PMs.
2. Only registered and logged in readers will be considered, no anonymous entries. (How else would I be able to say who the winner is?)
3. Only one guess per review. (I'll try to update often)
4. The first one to guess correctly wins! (And I will be majorly impressed)
The winner will receive a recurring minor character of their own creation, which I will write into my story! How awesome is that!
So please, tell me what you think of my story and make a guess! You have nothing to lose!
-geagle