A Hero is Born

Based on the first part of the Sailor Moon Manga

Original story by Naoko Takeuchi

Adapted and novelised by BenRG

Legal Disclaimer

Sailor Moon, her friends and her enemies are all the creation of the wonderful and lively Naoko-sama. I am only a devoted follower and fan. How could I ever claim to own such a wonderful story? I know my limits…

Prologue – Time Passes

I am surrounded by the grey, featureless fog of time. An age may pass in a second, or a second may expand into an age from my post at the Gates of Time, a place from where infinite journeys to other times and places are possible.

In my aeons of existence, I have had many names and many identities. Some call me a goddess, others call me a demon. In truth, I am nothing but a humble soldier, doing her duty for a queen who I loved as a surrogate mother, and for a princess who was the daughter that I never expected to bear myself. I am most commonly called Sailor Pluto or The Champion of Time. I am the guardian of this place and a warrior of a lost golden age called the Silver Millennium. In more recent eras, I people have also called me aunt, lover and even, much to my surprise, 'Mama'.

However, the most valued name that I have ever received was that of 'Tris-chan'. I was given this affectionate nickname by an ordinary little girl with an extraordinarily pure heart and soul, who could love without condition or limit. A girl who was easily frightened or upset, but who had a soul of steel and who could face any terror with unblinking courage and defiance. A girl who loved her life, but died on more than one occasion so that the entire human race might survive.

This girl, who I proudly now call sister and Queen, is more than just a warrior, a monarch and a leader. She is more than the Messiah of Light and the founder of the Crystal Millennium. She is more than a goddess, although she would scold me if she ever knew I thought of her in those terms. She is my friend.

This is her story.

Book 1 – A Hero is Born

Chapter 1 – Late Again! A Bunny at School

It was the morning of 12 January 1992 in the Minato-ku section of the Juubian district of the city of Tokyo, in Japan. Another day had long begun for this bustling city, but one person had not yet begun the last day of her life, as she had known it to be thus far.

"Serena? Ser-ee-naaa!" The loud calls slowly roused the 14-year old girl with luxuriant golden blonde hair from her precious sleep.

Serena Caroline Moonlight moaned slightly and rolled over in her bed. "Just a little longer mom…" she murmured to herself. "I just want to sleep… a… little… longer…"

Suddenly, the door to the pink-bunny-themed bedroom swung open, revealing the girl's mother. Ilene Moonlight stood there, framed by her glorious hip-length raven black hair, looking at her first child with an expression that combined love and a certain resigned annoyance. The girl was such a slugabed. She went to bed promptly at 9pm every day, and yet she was still virtually impossible to get up earlier than noon. "Serena, it is 7:30," Ilene said firmly. "If you are not up and in school in thirty minutes, you will be late."

The key words 'school' and 'late' penetrated the somatic fog around Serena's mind and the girl suddenly snapped into a sitting position with a wailing scream that made every glass fitting in the Moonlight family's high-class home rattle. "SEVEN-THIRTY?" Serena wailed. "MOM! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?!?"

Ilene winced at the sonic barrage, but somehow managed to stay conscious. "I did, darling," she said. "In fact I did it twice, and your alarm clock has gone off five times!"

Serena threw off her pink comforter and leapt to her feet. "I've got to hurry!" she wailed. "Uniform… books… breakfast…! Mom! Help me!"

Ilene shook her head. She loved Serena unconditionally, of course. She was her daughter and her firstborn. Nothing else mattered. However, the girl was a great trial for her. She was perpetually late, and was extremely lazy. Ilene suspected that Serena was smarter and tougher than she made out, but was simply too lazy to make the effort to show this. Sometimes, she despaired when she thought about her likely future.

Serena, meanwhile, had metamorphosed into a blur of motion as she dragged on her school uniform and tried to get her book bag in order while simultaneously brushing her teeth and pinning up her knee-length hair. Ilene decided to leave her daughter to her morning preparations and went downstairs.

Her son, Samuel, was hardly awake, even though he was just as late as his sister at this moment, and he was just finishing his breakfast. However, Samuel went to the elementary school, which was much nearer to home than the junior high school that Serena attended. Well used to her daughter's habits, Ilene prepared some toast with jelly on top and put it on a plate on a spot on the dining table that was closest to the stairs and waited.

As she did so, she looked through today's paper. It was, of course, the Tokyo Daily News, the publication that her journalist husband, Kenneth, worked for. She was proud of her husband's senior and respected position in the journalistic world. In Japan, after all, such an advanced position reflected honour on all the family. However, she felt that it had adversely affected Serena and Samuel. Serena, as already noted, was lazy and hideously tardy. Sammy tended to be arrogant and cruel. Both were, Ilene was more than willing to admit, hideously spoilt, used to getting things from their well-off father on demand. Of late, Ken had been trying to instil some discipline in his children. This only succeeded in making Serena wail and whine publicly and turned Sammy to even more vicious persecution of his elder sister as he competed for reduced resources.

A particular story in the newspaper caught Ilene's attention. 'Sailor V Saves the Day' the story proclaimed. The story went on to describe the latest exploit of Sailor V, a teenage girl (who had first appeared in England, but had recently suddenly moved to Japan) who wielded what were described as 'magical' powers and had taken to fighting crime. In these mediocre times, such bravery had caught the attention of the world's press. There was even a fairly detailed artist's impression of the girl vigilante. She had pale blonde hair held back by a red bow. Her… costume, there was no other way to describe it… was a white form-fitting bodysuit with a blue sailor's neckerchief, a blue micro-miniskirt and two blood red bows, one on her chest and the other on the back of her belt. She also wore red spectacle-like goggles over her eyes, no doubt to prevent people recognising her.

Sailor V does it again, Ilene thought. She really is something! How does she do it? She looked at the clock and sighed. As for the young lady of this house… she continued, feeling more resigned. "Serena, honey! It is 7:40!" she called out.

There was suddenly a blur of motion down the stairs. Serena was wearing her school uniform, a white v-neck blouse and a blue knee-length skirt. In a bizarre touch, the collar of the blouse was trimmed to resemble the neckerchief of an old-style sailor's uniform. There was also a blood red bow tied at heart-level. Ilene only knew this from memory because her daughter was little more than a blur as she shot down the stairs. The girl snatched up a slice of toast, grabbed her lunch, neatly tied up in a spotted handkerchief and darted towards the door. "ThanksmomIloveyouseeyoutonightbye!" Serena babbled as she shot out the front door with such force that it banged hard against the wall at the end of its' swing.

Ilene winced. "See you tonight, darling," she murmured with a gentle smile.

***

Serena shot down the roads separating her from her destination as fast as she could. "Watch out, people!" she shouted. "Gangway! Blonde on a mission here!" Serena Moonlight, aka 'Bunny' to all and sundry, was well used to being late and consequently running everywhere. Ironically, it meant that a lazy girl was very fit.

Why 'Bunny'? It was quite simple. Serena put her long blonde hair in the most unique hairdo you could ever hope to see. There were two mini-buns at the top of her head, above her ears, with long (hip-length) pigtails running down from the back of the buns. She had suddenly started wearing this 'do shortly after her twelfth birthday. She had never figured out where she might have seen it or why it was so important to her that she wore her hair that way. Some of her school-friends decided that the buns reminded them of rabbits' ears, hence: Bunny. The name had simply stuck. Right now, those glorious long pigtails were flying behind her like an acrobat's streamers as she raced towards school.

Oh man, I'm going to be late again! Serena was thinking desperately to herself. Mornings are the worst! Why does school have to start so early? Better yet, why does there have to be school at all? I never get anything from it! I'd rather be having fun in the park or the arcade! Serena wasn't stupid, but she had never seen the point of studying. Studying was work, something that she simply couldn't bring herself to do. What were her ambitions? Serena had never thought that far ahead in her life. It was probably to marry a handsome prince and live in luxury… or maybe her caring heart would ultimately lead her into medicine or nursing. Who knows? Whatever she might have been, however, was about to change in the most astounding way possible.

Serena was also very, very clumsy and klutzy. She was now deep into her pubescent growth spurt, and she was having to deal with legs and arms that had suddenly become very gangly and uncooperative. Combining this with her headlong rush towards her school, it is no surprise that she didn't see the obstruction in front of her.

Serena was suddenly airborne and she collided with the ground with a resounding 'thud'. The girl saw stars and cried out in pain and surprise. After a few moments she staggered to her feet, tears of extrovert self-pity streaming down her face. "Oww…" she moaned, hoping devoutly to get someone's sympathy. Regrettably, the pavement was empty at this time. She began to rub her bruised forearms and lower legs as she staggered back to her feet. "What was that…?" she muttered. "Which joker left something on the pavement?"

Serena turned around and, much to her surprise, saw a black cat lying on the pavement a few feet away. The cat was making a piteous meowing noise. It was pretty obvious that this was what Serena had tripped over. "Kami-sama!" she whispered. "I tripped over a cat!" Serena was naturally compassionate. She hated to see people or things hurt. Perhaps she would end up becoming a vegetarian in the fullness of time, but truthfully she loved hamburgers too much for that.

She picked up the dazed cat and cradled it in her arms like it was a baby. "Oh, poor neko-chan!" she murmured. "Did I hurt you? I am very, very sorry!" Serena bent forwards and nuzzled the creature's face affectionately. Somehow, the contact revived the cat, who reacted immediately in the normal manner of its' kind, by attempting to separate Serena's face from her body. The first scratch made Serena scream in pain and she dropped the crazed cat immediately. "Hey! Don't scratch me you ungrateful fleabag!" she hissed at the cat.

For a long moment, the two combatants faced each other. Serena was kneeling on one knee, looking at the cat, who was sitting, looking at her in a strange way. The cat had made no other hostile move, and had not attempted to flee. "You are a strange kitty, Neko-chan," Serena said. She reached out with her hand and the cat sniffed her uncertainly. Serena saw something odd about this cat and she giggled as she looked at the Band-Aid on its' forehead. "Now who would do something like that?" she asked. "Who put the Band-Aid on your head, Neko-chan?" Naturally, the cat did not reply, except to meow once and stroke her head along Serena's hand, making the girl giggle again.

Serena looked at her new acquaintance again before coming to a decision. "Well, I can't leave it on there," she said at last. "Off it comes!" With a swift yank, Serena pulled the sticking plaster off of the cat's forehead. Whether the cat was surprised by the sudden movement or if it had been planning an exit beforehand, Serena never found out. The cat leapt into the air and bounced off of the surprised blonde girl's head before landing several yards further down the pavement. "Ow! Hey! Where are you going Neko-chan?" Serena called out. Then the girl froze. The cat had the strangest mark on its' forehead. It was like a bald patch or even… a brand mark of some kind. A crescent-shaped mark in the centre of its' head.

Serena was, somehow, entranced by this sight. At that moment, a loud bell started to ring. Serena shook her head and turned her face towards her school building, just a few yards away now. "Oh no! I'm late!" she wailed. It was the first late bell of the morning, indicating that you were over five minutes late for the start of school. "Busted again!" she cried out. "I gotta go! See ya around, Neko-chan!" Using all her reserves of speed, Serena shot towards the school.

As she fled, the cat sat there, watching her with eyes that contained far too much… awareness… for this to be an ordinary cat.

***

Serena dashed down the deserted hallway and into classroom 2-1, her homeroom. As always, she was the last in class, but for once, she didn't get a scolding from her homeroom teacher, Miss Patricia Haruna. This was because Haruna-sensei was not present. The blonde girl blew out a deep breath in relief before her classmates, who didn't want her to feel left out, repeated Miss H's usual greeting. "Bunny Moonlight! You're late again!"

Instinctively, Serena began to give the excuse that she planned to give Miss H, despite the fact the teacher wasn't there. "It wasn't my fault!" she protested. "I tripped over a cat on the way to school! I had to make sure that it was okay…" Serena suddenly stopped and growled. "And I don't know why I have to explain myself to you lot!" she growled before stomping towards her desk, surrounded by derisive laughter.

Serena sat down at her desk, in between her best friend in the world, Molly Baker, and class nerd and all-around freak show Melvin Morton.

Molly leant over and touched Serena on the shoulder. "Did you really trip over a cat, Bunny-chan?" the redheaded girl asked in her thickly accented Japanese. Molly was originally from New York in America, but her family had moved to Tokyo when she was a little girl. Despite having lived in Japan for a decade, the girl still had a thick New York accent.

"Yeah, it was a weird-looking one too," Serena said. "It had this… bald patch, I guess… on its' head that looked just like a crescent moon!"

"Ah! Kawaii!" Molly sighed. She was one of those girls who thought just about everything was 'cute'. Of course, generally Serena agreed with her. It was one of the reasons that they got on so well…

Suddenly, a deep growl interrupted Serena's thoughts. The blonde girl grimaced and touched her aching stomach. A single slice of toast was not enough breakfast for a growing girl. She was so hungry that her stomach felt like someone had tied it in a knot. As Miss H hadn't arrived yet, Serena decided to do something about it. She unwrapped her lunch and began to tuck into the rice balls that her mother had made for her lunch. "Ah, breakfast," Serena said in between bites. "You just can't start the day without it…" Serena paused and looked at Molly, who was staring over Serena's shoulder, her face pale and terrified. "Molly-chan, what's wrong?" she asked.

A familiar shadow fell over Serena's desk. "Am I interrupting something Miss Moonlight?" asked a nauseously familiar voice. "Perhaps I should postpone homeroom until you have finished your early lunch, hmm?"

Serena hunched her shoulders in dread and turned to look at her pretty-but-single teacher. "H… Haruna-sensei," she said, feeling a bit sick. "Gomen, but I didn't have a proper breakfast so I…"

Miss Haruna slammed the palm of her hand onto Serena's desk, making the girl jump back in shock and snap her mouth shut. Tears of fear started in Serena's eyes as the infuriated teacher leaned down to look into her worst student's face. "Bunny, it is always the same story with you," she snapped. "You get up late, miss your breakfast and you are late for school. Because of that, you are hungry and tired and you keep on falling asleep during lessons. Perhaps, if you took your studies and your life just a little more seriously, you would have time for a proper breakfast before you walk to school, ne?"

"H… hai," Serena said, looking downwards and refusing to meet the teacher's eyes. Why does she always pick on me? she lamented silently. It isn't my fault that school and homework are boring!

"Perhaps if you did, you wouldn't fail your tests so miserably," Miss H continued. She put Serena's recent English snap quiz paper on the table. Although some of the answers were right, Serena hadn't come close to finishing the quiz and many her answers were crossed out and mercilessly critiqued in red ink. The number thirty circled with several exclamation points following was at the top of that page, followed by the grade: F – Fail. There were also five demerit marks for failing to finish a 30-question quiz in the allotted time. That meant that Serena had earned enough demerits to get a one-hour detention at the end of the day. Miss Haruna took the opportunity to add another half-hour detention for being late for every school day this month. Serena sighed in a deep, defeated way, and let her forehead bang hard against the top of her desk.

She dimly heard Miss H congratulate Melvin on his top mark for the class: 95% and an A-grade. "I didn't really study for it," Melvin whispered to Serena as Miss H went to the front of the classroom to set up for the morning's lesson. "But it was a breeze, really."

"A 'breeze'?" Molly hissed back. "You are so obnoxious, Melvin!"

Serena sighed and settled her head on her folded arms on the desk in front of her. Miss H had started the morning lesson and the teacher's droning voice was slowly putting her to sleep. I hate my life, she thought. I'd give a lot for a different lifestyle

***

Four horrible hours later, Serena, Molly and two of Serena's acquaintances (it would be inaccurate to describe them as friends), named Lorraine Harris and Brandy Campbell, were sitting under the old Sakura tree in the playground, eating their lunches. "I can't believe that Melvin actually beat me on the English test," Molly was complaining. The redheaded girl began to gesture animatedly, making Serena and Lorraine duck to avoid her fork impaling them in the head. "I'm from America! English is my first language, yet I only get 85%!" Molly continued.

Serena sighed. Wow, an 85, she thought. I'd love to get even 67 on a test! Molly was so lucky. She was pretty, smart and was one of the rich family who owned the famous OSA-P chain of jewellers. One of the reasons she had moved to Japan was because her mother had taken charge of the company's new Tokyo store.

As Serena mulled on the iniquities of life, Lorraine was moving on to current events. "Hey, did you hear that there was another jewellery store robbery last night?" Crime and violence was, of course, of great interest to these teenagers. "Just like all the others! The thieves didn't take anything; they just trashed the place! It is as if they were looking for something."

Molly shivered as she listened to the girl with long black hair gleefully describing the crime. "How frightening," she murmured. She was worried about the thieves targeting her mother's store, no doubt.

"There is no need to fear, ladies!" cried out another voice. The four girls looked to see Melvin walk over. "I heard that the thieves were caught last night!"

"Really?" Brandy asked. None of the girls was surprised that he knew this. Melvin was always in the gossip loop. No information, no matter how obscure, evaded the Net-nerd's search software.

"Yeah, apparently that Sailor V girl caught them!" Melvin said.

"'Sailor V'?" Serena asked. No that isn't her name. Her name is 'Sailor Venus', Serena thought, then shook her head. Where did that come from? Woah! Need more sleep Bunny-chan; your brains are starting to evaporate!

"Haven't you heard about her?" Melvin asked Serena. Seeing a chance to impress the pretty blonde girl, he sat beside her and went over to 'lecture' mode, ignoring the way she leant away from him and shot a despairing look at her companions. "She is this blonde girl, about our age, who uses magic to fight crime! 'Defending the innocent in a schoolgirl uniform!' according to her official web page." The small boy took off his thick spectacles to clean the lenses while continuing his lecture. "Of course, cynics suggest that she is just a very short and pretty undercover cop!" He shrugged with a laugh as he resettled his spectacles on his face. "What will they come up with next?"

"Woah!" Molly said. "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!"

Predictably, Serena missed the 'Wizard of Oz' reference. She only watched animé, not Gajin movies. Melvin, however, understood perfectly well. "Indeed," he said sternly. "This is the big city, Molly-chan. With all these bizarre and hideous crimes nowadays, the local news is more action-packed than a Schwarzenegger movie!"

"Jewel thieves," Lorraine was saying thoughtfully. "You know, I'd love to see their loot!" The black-haired girl had her hands clasped together in front of her heart and she was looking up into the sky in a dreamy fashion.

"Huh?" Serena, Molly and Melvin all stared that the girl, embarrassed sweatdrops appearing on the sides of their faces.

Brandy seemed to share her friend's odd whims. "Yeah! I bet it is full of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and pearls," she sighed. "Gee… I love diamonds…"

"Well then," Molly said, "you should come to my mom's jewellery store! We're having a big sale this week! Wanna check it out after school?" All four girls shouted out their agreement just as the bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period.

"Getting a commission for this, Molly-chan?" Serena laughed as the four girls ran off to their classes, leaving behind a startled Melvin.

Chapter 2 – Ondango Atama

As it turned out, Miss H had a hot date that night, so she told Serena that her detention would be tomorrow. Consequently, Serena was able to join Molly, Lorraine and Brandy in front of OSA-P Tokyo at 4:30 sharp. The main display in the centre window of the store transfixed the four girls. "Wow!" Brandy said. "What is that ruby in the middle?" she asked, pointing to a jewel-studded necklace.

"That one is the Midnight Ruby," Molly said. "It cost grandpa about ten million bucks to buy it. That is about a billion yen. There were gasps of appreciation from the other three girls. "The one on the gold choker next to it is the Yellow Diamond, another famous gem. Too bad these aren't for sale, ne minna?" There were gasps of appreciation and agreement from the three girls pressed against the glass.

After a moment, the girls could draw themselves away from the display and looked into the store. Everywhere signs proclaimed that there was a sale today. The signs promised anything from 50% to 70% off selected ranges. Understandably, people packed the store to the rafters. "Wow, your mom must really be busy today, Molly!" Serena said. Then she noticed something. Hey! How come most of them are old ladies? she thought, feeling a bit affronted. Like most teens, she felt that the thought of someone over 30 having any kind of style or excitement in their lives was ridiculous.

Suddenly, a tall blonde woman in a neat one-piece dress and wearing a ruby necklace strode out of a 'staff only' door, carrying a megaphone. When she saw Molly, she smiled and waved. "Molly, honey!" she called out. "You're home from school! How nice! And you brought your friends too?"

Molly smiled, looking a bit embarrassed at her mother's reaction. "Hi, mom," she said quietly.

Molly's mother walked forward and greeted each girl one at a time, squeezing her shoulders in a way that made Serena feel nervous. Something was wrong, although she wasn't sure what. "It's a bit crowded," Mrs. Baker continued, "but I'm sure that we can find you three girls something suitably pretty. Why don't you come in?"

Brandy and Lorraine didn't need any encouragement to join the scrum around the special offer counters. Mrs. Baker went out onto the street and turned on her megaphone. "Roll up! Roll up! The great OSA-P sale must end today! Hurry while our stocks last!"

"Wow, she sure is… er… an aggressive seller," Serena said, trying to put a positive slant on things.

Molly nodded, looking worried. "Yeah, she's never like this usually," she said in a fearful tone of voice. "She's acting more like a used car salesman!"

Mrs. Baker turned back to Serena and Molly. "Serena, don't you want any of my jewellery? It is going cheap… well, relatively cheap."

"Gomen, Baker-san, but I can't afford anything," Serena said.

The blonde woman squeezed Serena's shoulders again, making the girl want to scream and hit the woman to make her let go. "I will give you a special discount, dear," the woman said in a disturbing tone of voice. "Please come in." After hesitating for a moment, Serena and Molly entered the store. They didn't see Mrs. Baker's mouth curl up in a cruel smile, nor did they hear the mocking, inhuman laughter that bubbled up from deep within her. "That's right," the woman hissed. "Give me your life-force, you pitiful creatures. Give me your energy. I want more of it…! MORE…!"

Inside, Brandy had found a ring with a rainbow-coloured gem and was looking at the obscenely cheap price on the tag in glee. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she cried out ecstatically. "I'm sure daddy will buy if for me after I aced the English test!"

Serena looked at the gem for a moment and then her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I want one too," she said in a small, inaudible tone of voice. She looked at her test paper again, staring at the bright red '30'. "There's no way that daddy will buy me anything with a grade like this," she said. "I'll be lucky if I'm not grounded for life! And I've spent all my allowance this month so I can't afford it myself…"

With a deep, defeated sigh, Serena stalked out of the store, crinkling the treacherous test paper up into a ball as she did so. I hate quizzes, she thought and carelessly threw the ball of paper over her shoulder. I'm going home before I start crying.

"Ow!" she heard from behind her. She swung around to find a man standing behind her wearing a beautifully turned-out tuxedo and wrap-around biker's sunglasses. "Thanks a lot, cow-tails," he said in a dangerous, smoky tone of voice. "Right in my face. Why don't you find a wastebasket rather than drop litter in the future?"

For a long moment, Serena could only stare at the… stunningly handsome young man standing before her. She could hear her heart pounding. Her hands were getting sweaty and she was having trouble breathing, especially when the guy pulled his shades down his nose so he could look at her over the top of the lenses with his stormy midnight-blue eyes. Va-voom! Serena thought, as she felt herself begin to dissolve in those eyes. Then she suddenly realised that she had been insulted. "W… Why you…!" she managed to splutter as her outrage tried to kick-start her brains. "Listen, Mr. Know-it-all! They are pigtails, not 'cow-tails', whatever they're supposed to be!"

"Whatever," the man said with an arrogant but heart-melting smile. He unfolded the test paper and began to read it thoughtfully, as if it was his business what grade Serena was getting in English.

"Give me that back, you stupid, stuck-up baka!" Serena shouted.

"I'm a baka?" the man asked, brushing a few rebellious locks of his raven-black hair out of his eyes. "That's rich coming from someone who just scored 30% on such a simple test, ne Ondango Atama?" With that, the man threw the test back in Serena's face.

The girl went bright red and stalked up to the man, who looked at her with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "What did you call me?" she snapped.

"Ondango Atama," the man repeated. "It fits when you've got those dumplings on your head," the man chuckled and tugged on one of Serena's buns. Serena was so outraged that she didn't notice the tug turn into an appreciative caress down the length of one of her pigtails.

"Why you…. arrogant… AARGH!" Serena threw her hands up into the air. "I've had enough! Goodbye, Baka!"

"Sayonara, Ondango Atama," the man called, waving as the petite blonde girl stormed away in a huff.

As she walked away, Serena shot a look at the guy. He had re-settled his shades and was looking at the ruckus in the OSA-P store in a meditative way. An almost-physical wall of aloofness and loneliness somehow surrounded him. Who is that guy? Serena asked herself. What does he think he's doing? Wearing a tuxedo out in the streets? I bet he thinks he is sooo cool! Serena had to force herself to look away. Okay, he's handsome and you could drown in those sad eyes, Bunny-chan, but he is just a jerk on the street. Let him go.

Serena would have been very surprised to learn that Darien Michael Shields was watching her go out of the corner of his eye. Kids these days, he thought. Okay, so she's pretty, her hair feels like silk and I could feel the compassion in her heart from ten yards away, but she's just a kid on the street. Let her go. The young man turned back to the OSA-P store, watching the sale-cum-riot thoughtfully. The dreams were back in full force. The beautiful lost princess had been calling out to him, begging him to find something for her. Without understanding why, he had found himself on the streets, trying to offer her the assistance for which she pleaded for night after night. She was so sad and so lonely. She had brought her love to him in his loveless life, so he owed her this much.

The world's biggest chain of jewellers, he thought, owned by one of the top gem-merchant families on Earth. Just the place that a guy could find a Silver Imperium Crystal for his dream princess…

***

Serena slowly trudged through the streets of Juubian towards her home. This is a serious bummer, she thought. I don't want to show this test to mom! She'll freak… as always. The girl's small frame seemed to shrink in on itself. She didn't like failing tests, and she wanted to make her parents proud of herself, but good intentions were not enough.

She was passing by her favourite hang out, the Crown Internet Café and Video Arcade. She idly noticed the posters advertising that the arcade now had Sailor V Fighter, modestly billed as the hottest action game ever. Serena found herself looking at the artist's impression of Sailor V in the middle of an impressive high-kick. "V-babe, you've got it made," she murmured. "You don't have to study or go to school. You don't have to study mathematics that you'll never use… or the grammar of a language that you'll never speak… or history that has nothing to do with our lives today." Serena laughed self-deprecatingly and looked down. No, Bunny-chan, she told herself. She just has to risk her life every night rounding up bad-guys!

Serena sighed and looked down at the test paper that promised to make her life a living hell for the next few weeks. No point hurrying to my own doom, she thought, counting her pocket change. I'll just have one little game… or maybe two…

Within a few minutes, Serena was battling away against various hideous monsters through the Sailor V Fighter game. She pounded away on one particularly ugly creature that seemed to be part crab and part dinosaur. "Come on, die already!" she hissed as she pumped a few more blaster bolts into the creature's scaly hide. "This is impossible! There has to be a secret move that I have to use."

Suddenly, Serena felt a presence behind her. She saw the friendly face of Andrew Fuller, the son of the café owner, reflected in the game's monitor screen. "Hi, Andy-onii-san," she said.

"Hi, Bunny," the tall, blonde young man said. "You decided to pop in for a quick game after school, I see." Andrew leaned over her shoulder and watched as Serena lashed out with Sailor-V's Love-me chain and cut the dino-crab monster in half. "Wow! You're pretty good, Bunny-chan!" Andrew patted her on the shoulder in a friendly manner, so different from the personal-space-invading assault that Molly's mother had inflicted on her earlier.

Serena felt herself blush and she began to squirm nervously. The Fuller and the Moonlight families had known each other since before Andrew and Serena were born, and the two of them had virtually grown up together. Although Andrew was four years older than Serena and she referred to him as 'Onii-san,' big brother, she had a deep crush on him. She dreamt of the day that he swept her back off her gaming stall and told her that he loved her and wanted to be her prince… But he isn't my prince… Serena thought. She was so shocked by this odd thought that seemed to come out of nowhere that she missed a move and Sailor V fell into a fiery furnace. "Kuso!" she cursed, thumping the joysticks away from her.

"Easy on the equipment, Bunny," Andrew said firmly. "And watch the language while you're at it."

"Sorry, Andy-kun," she said, her eyes downcast and another embarrassed blush starting on her face. Suddenly, there was a noise and a familiar meow. Serena turned around. "Oh! It's you, Neko-chan!" she said, her face lighting up in recognition. "Where have you been all day?"

"Is this your cat, Serena?" Andrew asked. "She's been hanging around the arcade all week!"

"No, she isn't mine," Serena said, picking the cat up. "I kinda tripped over her on my way to school this morning. I don't think that she is anyone's, actually. I think that I'll take her home. Maybe mom and dad will let me keep her." Serena smiled gently and nuzzled the cat's furry cheek, making her purr and rub the girl's face appreciatively. "So, why are you bothering Andy-onii-san, Neko-chan?" Serena asked. "Do you want to learn how to play Sailor V?" Maybe it was Serena's imagination, but the cat seemed to roll her eyes in disbelief at her teasing question.

"Look at this," Andrew said, stroking the cat's forehead.

"I've seen it," Serena said. "She's got a crescent moon-shaped bald patch on her forehead." The girl giggled. "Looks kinda cute."

To Serena's immense amazement, the cat seemed to understand what she said and took offence. The level glare that it was directing at her made her feel very nervous. "Er… ah… ha-ha…!" Serena said nervously. "Er… Time to go home, I think," she said. "Do you want to come, Neko-chan?" The cat seemed to consider this for a moment before jumping out of Serena's arms and walking over to the doors.

"I'll take that as a yes," Andrew said with a grin.

Chapter 3 – The Last Evening

Serena, with her new feline companion in tow, arrived at the Moonlight family residence just as the sun began to set. "Hello, darling," Ilene said, waving at her daughter from where she was cooking dinner. "You're home a little late!" She saw the cat following her daughter. "And who is this?"

"I tripped over her on the way to school today," Serena explained to her mother. "She doesn't have a collar, and she decided to follow me home. Can we keep her?"

Ilene looked at her daughter. "Maybe," she said. "Your father will have to decide." However, she continued silently, maybe having a pet to care for would teach Serena responsibility. "So, how was your day at school?" Ilene asked. She caught the way that her daughter rolled her eyes and laughed gently. "Same as usual, huh?" she shook her head. "Anyway, I ran into that nice boy Melvin while I was out shopping. He told me that he got 95% on a surprise English test that you had yesterday. How did you do?"

Much to Ilene's surprise, Serena seemed to buckle under an unseen weight. The girl's face went bright red; storms of anger darkened her normally cerulean blue eyes and her hands closed into fists. Melvin! Serena thought. That little rat blabbed on me! When I get my hands on him…!

"Serena…" Ilene said firmly, her hand extended to her daughter. "Show me your test paper, please."

Serena, visibly trembling in fear, extended the horrid document to her mother. Ilene's face darkened with anger, her mouth narrowing to a dangerous line. "Well, young lady," she said. "With grades like this, I wonder how you ever dare to come home." Suddenly, Serena was airborne as her mother (who was stronger than she looked) carried her out of the front door and dumped her on the porch step. "Sit there until dinner is ready," Ilene commanded. "I want you to think very carefully about your future, young lady, because these… awful grades are just not good enough!"

"But mom!" Serena protested just as her mother slammed the front door in her face. Serena slumped back down onto the step, tears of self-pity running down her face. Why does everyone pick on me? she asked herself. I'm not such a bad person. Okay, I'm lazy, clumsy and not too smart, but I've never hurt anyone, and I would help anyone who needed it without them having to ask me…

A sudden nudge on the shoulder from a shoe interrupted Serena's self-examination. She looked up into the sneering face of her kid brother, Sammy. Although he looked a lot like Serena, he had a much harsher personality. Oh, he wasn't a bad person, just a bit spiteful at times. "Great job, Sere-baka," he said. "You've got mom ticked off for the evening! I bet that I'll never get her in the mood to buy me the new Sailor V game!" Sammy turned to unlock the door. "So, what was it this time? Late detention or a failed test?" The boy snorted. "Some role-model you've turned out to be!" Sammy pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue mockingly before closing the door in his sister's face.

Serena's despair turned to anger. "Some little brother that you've turned out to be, you little fungus!" she shouted. Suddenly, she was tired of her exile. "Open the door! Mom!" she shouted, rattling the door as hard as she could. "Open up!" There was no reply. "Okay, don't say that I didn't give you a chance! SAILOR V KICK!" Serena delivered a perfect high kick that made the door shudder in its' frame. It also sent an agonising pain shooting up the girl's leg (understandable as she had just kicked metal-reinforced mahogany). Hopping on her good foot, she began to rattle the door again, pounding on it as hard as she could.

Inside, Ilene had gone red in the face with embarrassment. She had covered her ears, trying to ignore out Serena's deafening shouts. Sammy took some pity on his embarrassed mother. Besides, he had his pride. Someone he knew might pass by while his idiot of a sister was making a fool of herself outside. "Mom, she is really making a scene," he said, tugging on his mother's apron.

Ilene opened the door and looked at her daughter, who had collapsed at the foot of the door, gasping in exertion. "For goodness' sake, stop that racket and come in!" she said to her sobbing daughter.

***

On the other side of the Juubian district, the OSA-P had just closed its' doors after its' most successful day ever. Outside, a shadow in the form of a man watched from behind a white domino mask as Mrs. Baker closed the last of the shutters and turned off the store's lights.

The woman went into a back room and started to examine what looked like several crystalline cylinders that seemed to be filled with a soothing sea blue energy. Mrs. Baker began to laugh. "Excellent," she growled. "Those modified jewels are doing their job perfectly, tapping off the life force from those pitifully vain humans and returning it to me! Soon, I'll have enough energy stored to meet the month's quota in a day. The general will be pleased."

All over Tokyo, women and girls were stumbling and falling over onto their knees as something started sucking out their very life force, leaving them weakened and dying…

Mrs. Baker was looking around the store's vaults. "Now to examine this facility's storerooms for the prize," she hissed in a voice that didn't even sound human.

The noise that the woman made tearing through the storage shelves, throwing things about in her quest for one particular gem, attracted Molly's attention. The girl walked into the trashed storeroom just in time to hear her mother say, in a voice that sounded like grinding metal: "Plenty of trinkets, but I can't find the thing that I came here to find… Maybe it wasn't here in the first place."

"Mom?" Molly gasped.

Mrs. Baker turned around in a lightning-fast blur of motion. Molly jumped back with a little shriek of fear. Her mother's eyes were glowing with a poison yellow light and her upper canine teeth had lengthened to vampire-like fangs. The woman's 'smile' was one of utter cruelty and sadism. "Well, well," hissed the thing that still looked a little like her mother. "If it isn't my 'darling daughter'!" Mrs. Baker charged at Molly, her fingers arched as if they were claws. Molly screamed like a lost soul.

***

Back in the Minato-ku district, Serena was sitting on her bed, petting her new pet cat and crying to herself.

When her father had come home, he had agreed that Serena's scholastic performance was a disgrace to the Moonlight family. The adults gave the girl a firm dressing down and informed that she would not receive her allowance in the coming month. Mr. Moonlight told Serena that if she didn't improve her grades, they would ship her off to a boarding school that taught discipline as well as knowledge. Finally, they sent her to bed without her normal evening dose of TV and told to do her homework.

All of Serena's weeping and wailing did not affect her parents' resolution in the matter. Finally, her throat sore from wailing, she tried to do her homework as her parents had ordered. She didn't want them angry with her, after all, and she did want to do well at school. However, no matter how she tried, the figures in her math homework blurred into meaninglessness. Her language homework was gobbledegook. Serena tried to concentrate, but the words blurred together. "I… I guess I wore myself out with all my crying," she told her new pet, who observed her silently from her bed.

That was the only bright spot of the evening. Her father had agreed to allow her to keep the black cat so long as she was personally responsible for feeding it and cleaning up after it. He also delivered a stern lecture to his daughter about the health perils that domestic cats faced and received a promise from Serena that she would take her pet to a vet for a check up as soon as possible. One thing that she had stood firm on was that the cat would not be spayed. If her new companion were to have kittens, then Serena would care for them too.

Serena tried to get a handle on her homework for one last time and failed miserably. "Kami-sama," she said at last. "I can't do this. I don't wanna do this…" The girl turned off her study light and sank onto her bed next to her as-yet-unnamed cat. "Maybe I'll feel better if I have a little nap, eh Neko-chan?" she said. The cat was silent, but seemed to agree. Serena lay back and sighed. "Just a nap," she murmured, her eyes relentlessly closing. "Just a teeny-weenie nap…"

[DISCONTINUITY]

"Doo-dee-dah-doo-de-doodee-doo!"

Suddenly Serena could see herself, in the form of a chibi bitmapped sprite in a stylised sailor's fuku, walking across a familiar dungeon-like background. What the…? I'm in a video game? Cool! I'm Sailor V… I think. The costume looks a bit different, I guess…

Suddenly, a massive Godzilla-esque monster appeared. The Sailor V/Serena sprite drew a sword that began to shine blue-white with power. The monster lunged forward, but the little computer-generated heroine blocked every blow with her sword. Suddenly, she somersaulted over the head of the monster and landed behind it. As it swung around, the sprite touched its' forehead and threw a discus of blue-white light, which slammed into the creature with a blue-white crescent-shaped flash. Then the creature crumbled away into ash.

The little sprite ran on until it reached what looked like a cell, where she freed a sprite version of Andrew and… and her new cat!

Wow! I saved Andrew-onii-san! And my kitty with the crescent-moon bald spot!

SCRATCH!

[DISCONTINUITY]

Serena jumped awake with a startled cry of pain. "Hey! Why are you scratching me?"

Her new cat was sitting at her side, looking at her in an annoyed way. "For the very last time, this isn't a bald spot," she snapped in a voice with a cut glass English accent. "It is my Moon Brand, and I am very proud to have it!" There was a long pause as a suddenly hyperventilating Serena gazed at her pet. "Hello? Are you awake?" the cat asked in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Is… is this cat talking?" Serena squeaked, so shocked that she wasn't even aware of speaking aloud.

"Humph!" Of course I talk!" the cat snapped. The cat looked at the shocked teenage girl and relented slightly. "I know that all of this must be a terrifying shock for you, my dear, but you must concentrate on what I have to tell you. You see, I have been looking for you for some time, Serena. I had been afraid that I might never find one of your sisterhood, but I have found you at last. Firstly, the introductions. My name is Luna."

The cat walked up Serena's body and stopped standing on Serena's chest, gazing into her eyes. "By the way, I must thank you for removing that ridiculous Band-Aid. With that on, I wasn't able to talk and my intelligence was that of a normal cat. Frankly, that existence is a nightmare with all the punk kids in this neighbourhood. It has been quite horrible." The cat shook her head. "Anyway, I'm glad that I've found you, as I said before. I have…"

"That's nice, good night," Serena said with a nervous laugh, turning away from Luna and curling up into a foetal ball, trying to fall asleep again.

"Serena! What are you doing?" Luna raged, waving her forelegs around angrily.

"Stay calm, Bunny-chan," Serena was babbling to herself. "This is just a dream. A really freaky and realistic dream."

"You are not dreaming girl! Get a grip!" the cat said in an impatient tone of voice. Serena didn't respond, remaining curled up on her bed, trembling slightly in fear. "Oh all right!" Luna snapped. "I'll prove it! Here! Take this!" Luna leapt into the air and performed a back flip. Serena turned and looked just in time to see a sparkling silver brooch tumble through the air and land in her outstretched hand.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Serena enthused. Receiving a present made Serena immediately forget her fears about her verbose pet. "I love it, Luna! Thank you so much!" The girl jumped to her feet and ran over to her vanity so that she could fasten the brooch to the centre of her school uniform bow (yes, she was still wearing her uniform. Somehow with everything that had happened today, she hadn't thought to change). "Is it really for me?" the girl gasped, looking at the sparkling crystalline core of the brooch and the red, orange, blue and green gems that formed a cross around the outside. The brooch had an odd design, a silver crescent moon with a five-pointed star in between the horns of the crescent. "This is cool," Serena gasped.

"Bunny, please pay attention," Luna said in an exasperated tone. "I'm sure that you have noticed all the strange events that have occurred lately; all the unsolved crimes in the newspapers and on the TV? Well, you see, this shows that an ancient and terrible Enemy has awoken. You, Serena Moonlight, you are the Chosen One. You and your sisters will fight the Enemy, defeat them and protect the people of this world from evil. Once the Enemy is beaten, we will find out lost princess and… and… Are you even listening to me?"

Luna scowled at Serena, who was still staring at her new brooch in the mirror with an alarmed look on her youthful face. "Luna," she said, "should this brooch be glowing like this?" There was a distinct blue-white glow emanating from the jewelled brooch. Serena touched it and felt a distinct thrill of power.

"Oh for goodness sake!" Luna snapped. "I have been wasting my breath, haven't I? All right, if you really need proof, I will give it to you. Cross your hands over the brooch and say the following phrase: 'Moon prism power: Make up'."

"O… Okay," Serena said. She crossed her hands over her breast, her wrists crossing over her heart and spoke what she recognised as a magical spell with what she hoped was the appropriate respect. "Moon prism power…" The glow from the brooch suddenly brightened to a blinding intensity and Serena felt light headed as she cried out: "Make up!"

Suddenly shimmering lights surrounded the girl, swirling trails of stars and ribbons of energy. Her clothes seemed to dissolve off her body, leaving only the brooch, which was shining like a sun. The ribbons coalesced into strange figure-hugging clothes. Serena felt ecstatic. She had never felt so… alive… or as strong in her life. A little moan of pleasure escaped her lips as power surged through her nerves, her arteries and her veins. Finally, the light died down and she could see again.

When Serena opened her eyes, she could see with unprecedented clarity. She could hear every creak and groan in the house. She could hear the peaceful sleeping breaths of her family from the rest of the building. She felt so strong, as if she could leap over a tall building with a single bound or as if she could rend steel with her bare hands. Then she looked down at herself and gasped. She turned to look at her full-length dressing mirror and her mouth dropped open. "No way!" she squeaked.

She was wearing what she could only describe as a superhero's costume. She was wearing a white bodysuit with a midnight blue sailor's neckerchief around the plunging neckline. The sleeveless and legless suit had blue chiffon shoulders that extended a short distance along her arms. She was wearing white elbow gloves that ended with three bright red hoops. Her high-heeled knee-length boots were blood red with white trim at the top and a silver crescent-moon logo on the front. She had a midnight blue skirt that might as well not be there because it was barely thigh-length. A red choker with a jewel that resembled her brooch decorated her throat. At the bottom of the 'V' of her collar was a blood red bow. A second blood red bow was on the back of her belt and had two long blood-red ribbons trailing down her back. A golden tiara with a red gem in the middle made a 'v' across her forehead, and she wore a sky-blue eye mask with feathered edges. Strange red metal protectors covered the front of her buns. Feathered hairpins were fastened to the hair on her forehead, mirroring the edges of her mask. Alarmingly, the hilt of the small katana-like blade that protruded from behind her hips. Most disturbing was the glow of sky blue light shining from various parts of the uniform, such as from in between the ribs around the ends of her gloves, from the brooch, the choker and the bun protectors.

"What in the world is this?" Serena murmured as she stared at her new threads.

From the bottom of the bed, Luna looked at her young charge in a way that combined pride and sadness. She had hoped to have more time to ready Serena for this moment, but the Enemy had other plans, it seemed. "You are the Champion of Love and Justice," she said. "You are the Guardian of the Moon, she who wields the power of the moon in protection of the innocent and in the service of the Silver Kingdom. You are the Sailor Senshi of the Moon."

Serena tried to follow that, but it was just too amazing. Despite the sensations coursing through her body and the sight of her transformed self in the mirror, a part of her still insisted that this was just a dream. Suddenly, however, her mind was wandering and she could see something happening with her inner vision…

Molly's face, twisted with fear and pain… Someone was trying to throttle her? Help! Serena jumped as she recognised her friend's voice as it echoed in her mind. Somebody help me! PLEASE! My mom's trying to…

Suddenly, Serena could see the whole scene as if it were a movie being projected on the inside of the lenses of her eye-mask. Molly, with a person that looked like a vampire version of her mother trying to strangle her. "Luna, there is some kind of video playing on the inside of my goggles!" she gasped. "What's going on?"

"You have sight beyond sight," the cat explained. "That, combined with advanced sensing apparatus in your fuku, is enabling you to see the site of the Enemy's latest attack. Do you believe me now?"

Serena looked at her cat. In a strange way she did believe her, but it was all too much to take in. "Luna, I don't get any of this," she said. How odd that she had got used to talking to her cat and getting a reply. Well, 'when in Rome', as her grandma always said when confronted with the unusual or surprising. "Molly's in trouble and we've got to help her," she announced. Dream or no dream, she had to help her friend.

Chapter 4 – Fighting Evil by Moonlight

"No… Mom, please… don't…!" Molly begged, trying to breathe around the relentless pressure on her oesophagus.

"I'm not your 'mom,' little girl," was the hissing reply. Before Molly's horrified eyes, her mother morphed into a hideous humanoid monster with glowing inhuman eyes, dagger-like reptilian teeth and bony, fleshless limbs. An unholy symbol glowed in a poison-yellow light from the creature's brow. "I am Morga, little human, and I am your doom! Your mother is currently tied up in he basement while I complete my mission. Don't worry though, she will join you in death soon enough." The creature laughed in sadistic amusement as the redheaded girl screamed and started crying hysterically, clawing desperately at the hands tightening around her throat.

Across the road, the stranger in a tuxedo and a mask stepped forwards. Mission or no mission, he would be damned if he allowed a child to be murdered by that abomination. He flexed his hand and a red rose, glowing dimly a red-gold colour with earth elemental power, materialised in his hand. He hadn't much experience with his powers, and no combat experience at all, but the girl was in danger and that was all that mattered…

Suddenly a figure leapt from the roof of the building over the road from the OSA-P store and landed in front of the shop. The stranger dived back into the shadows and watched the figure, a girl in a stylised sailor's fuku in the colours of red, white and blue. He noted the strange buns-and-pigtails hairdo with a certain startled déjà vu as the girl lifted up a parked subcompact car as if it were a throw pillow and threw it through one of the entrance doors, making the intruder alarm begin to scream.

Morga turned around in utter surprise as a car smashed through the front of the shop and a small human female in magically-charged armour leapt through the opening. "Okay, freakazoid! Stand away from Molly, right now!" the girl shouted, looking very professional and dangerous.

Morga dropped Molly, who could only cower on her hands and knees, trying to breathe, her consciousness quickly fading away. The witch-monster looked at her adversary thoughtfully. "Oh? And who are you, warrior?" she asked in a hissing, metallic tone of voice.

"Me? I'm… uh…" Serena had no idea what to say next. Certainly, she wasn't about to give that nightmare her real name! Luna meowed urgently and Serena looked around to see the cat sitting on a roadside billboard, silhouetted by the moon. Suddenly, the girl was struck by an inspiration. She turned back to the monster than had been impersonating Molly's mother and the words just flowed from her mouth as if someone else were speaking. "Who am I, foul one? I am the Champion of Love and Justice! A pretty girl soldier in a sailor suit, Sailor Moon! I defend the innocent against the forces of evil, which means you! In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" Serena took a pose, her hands raised in a posture of power.

Morga's response was slightly demoralising. "Sailor Moon?" the monster said. "Never heard of you. Die anyway." The creature raised a hand and projected a poison-yellow-coloured ball of energy at Sailor Moon.

Startled, the girl dived forwards to avoid the attack. Suddenly, reflexes that she didn't know she possessed kicked in. She caught her dive on her hands and somersaulted forwards through the air, devouring the distance between her and Morga in a moment. Serena landed lightly on her feet and grabbed the hilt of the knife sheathed on the back of her belt. She drew the weapon (wanting to have more than her smile to wave in the monster's face) and, much to her surprise, it trebled in length and began to glow in the same blue-white colour as the energy that glowed from her costume. A deep electrical hum filled the room. Serena blinked in shock when she realised what she had done. She would get straight A-grades in PT class rather than her usual competent C-plus grades if she could do stuff like this normally… It must be my powers, she decided. She refocused on the demon as it charged with a terrible hissing sound, its' claw-like fingers cocked to slash at her .

"Die!" Morga hissed, lashing out.

"Woah! Low bridge!" Serena squeaked, ducking the first slashing blow from the monster's left hand and then leaning back to dodge the second from the right hand. Morga changed tack and lashed out with her foot, tripping Serena over. "Ow! Hey, this isn't funny anymore!" Serena protested, tears of surprise and fear starting in her eyes.

"Too bad," Morga snarled and lunged forwards. Instinctively, Serena rolled out of the way and staggered to her feet. Snarling like an animal from her crouched position, Morga lunged forwards again, lashing out with her left claw/hand to disembowel her enemy. Serena instinctively met the attack with the edge of her sword to deflect the blow, forgetting for a second that this wasn't a kendo staff like the one she used at her martial arts class, but a razor-sharp katana with some kind of magical enhancement. Morga screeched in agony as the sweep severed her left hand just behind the wrist.

"Oh! Kami-sama! I'm sorry!" Serena said instinctively, stepping back in horror. To her utter surprise, not a drop of blood had been spilt from the wound. Rather, the severed hand dropped to the ground and turned into a pile of grey ash that quickly blew away.

"It isn't human, Sailor Moon," Luna called from the doorway. "Show no mercy! It will kill you if you don't destroy it!"

Serena licked her lips and nodded uncertainly. It is just a dream, she reminded herself. I've been playing Sailor V Fighter too much, that is all. Just kill the monster like you would in a game. Serena took a pose, her sword raised above her head, the point facing backwards, in a classic attacking pose. "Time to die, monster," she said. Her proclamation would probably have been a bit more believable if there had not been a fearful squeak in her tone of voice.

Morga staggered to her feet. "You are stronger than most of your pitiful kind, Sailor Moon," she hissed. "Fortunately for me, however, I do not need to engage you personally to destroy you." The demon raised its' remaining hand and gestured in the air. "Listen to me, all you who have drained by my trap! Heed my call and obey my commands! Destroy Sailor Moon!"

Suddenly, there was an undefinable sound like something rippling with energy and several green energy portals suddenly appeared. Out of the portals came several people, mostly women, their eyes blank and staring. They staggered towards Serena, their hands reaching out like claws to tear her flesh from her bones. "Destroy… Sailor… Moon…" they muttered in dreadful unison.

Serena kicked the first woman in the face, knocking her back and ducked several clumsy sweeping attacks from outstretched hands. "Hey! What is this?" she shrieked, back-pedalling as quickly as possible.

"They have been brainwashed somehow!" Luna called out. "Use your sight!" When it was clear that Serena didn't understand, Luna began to gesture wildly with her forelegs. "The goggles, stupid! Concentrate on them!" Serena did as she was told and saw that the zombies were connected to Morga by glowing green energy tendrils. She shouted out that revelation. "You will have to destroy the demon to stop them, Sailor Moon!" Luna declared.

"I can't even get close to it!" Serena protested, ducking several other blows. One of the zombies/brainwashing victims had a bottle of something, which she smashed to create a crude weapon and lashed out at Serena. Serena dodged most of the attack, but the jagged glass edge slashed across her knee. Serena screamed in pain. "Hey! I'm bleeding… This isn't a dream!" Serena began to wail and cry. "Oh Kami! I want to get out of here! I want to go home!" Morga, realising that her enemy was loosing hope, began to laugh in an inhuman, mocking tone.

Distracted by her sudden terror, Serena didn't notice the zombie coming from behind her until she grabbed her in a head-lock, trying to break her neck. Serena screamed and started struggling. Then, without warning, the possessed woman released her. Serena whirled and saw what looked like a blood-red short-stemmed rose imbedded in the immobilised zombie's left shoulder. She looked up and saw a guy in a black tuxedo wearing a top hat with a scarlet-lined black velvet cape swirling around him standing on the street behind her. He was staring at her with stormy blue eyes from behind a white domino mask. "You must have courage, Sailor Moon," he declared. "You are these people's only hope! Destroy the demon and free them!"

The woman with the broken bottle lunged forwards again. Serena drew her katana, blocked the blow and then kicked the woman in the solar plexus, making her drop her weapon and stagger back. "There are too many of them!" Serena announced, ducking a wild punch and then lashing out with her katana. The sweep of the sword cut across a woman's chest and she staggered back, clutching at her injury. Serena could smell cooking pork and realised that she had just cut a real person with her energy sword! She stared at the char-edged cut on the woman's blouse in horror for a moment, tears of terror and anger clouding her vision. "I… I can't kill them!" she protested. "They're people! They are possessed and can't control their actions!"

"There are other methods, Sailor Moon," Luna called. "Use your tiara. Take it off of your head, say 'Moon tiara shriek', and then throw it so it circles the room!"

"Are you crazy?" Serena said, ducking another attack and sweeping the zombie's legs out from under her before sending her down with a hard karate punch to the right temple. Those self-defence classes that her dad had insisted she attend were now paying off. "What are you talking about?"

"Just do it!" Luna shouted angrily.

Serena backed off and pulled her tiara off of her brow. "Moon tiara…" she said, and to her surprise, the decoration morphed into a golden Frisbee-like discus with a razor edge and the red gem just behind the edge. Serena suddenly felt hope. As she raised the discus to throw, it began to glow blue-white. She completed the incantation: "Shriek!" and then threw the tiara with all her strength. The discus circumnavigated the room while emitting a high-pitched wail, which was even louder than the shrieking of the store's intruder alarm. The glass began to shake in the display cabinets and the remaining windows and doors.

Morga screamed in pain, falling to its' knees. "Aargh! That noise! The penetrating sound!" the demon wailed, covering its' ears (it no longer looked even barely human). The zombies all began to shake as if they were suffering from a fit. As Serena looked through her goggles, she saw the green energy tendrils connecting the zombies to the demon suddenly break up and vanish. The people all dropped to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut. Serena was so startled that she barely thought to catch the tiara as it returned to her after its' second circumnavigation.

Morga staggered to her feet. "You little fool," it hissed. "You've ruined everything, but you haven't won yet!" The monster raised its' remaining hand and began to summon another whirling poison-yellow-coloured energy ball.

"Now Sailor Moon!" Luna cried out. "Use the attacking mode of the tiara! Quickly!"

Somehow, Serena knew what her talking cat meant. "Okay! Moon tiara action!" she threw again, this time aiming for the witch-monster. The tiara, glowing like a magical shooting star, shot across the short distance in between the combatants and slammed into Morga's guts with a massive crescent-shaped blue-white flash of light. Morga screamed in fury and agony as blue white light crackled across the contours of its' body, turning grey-green flesh into lifeless grey ash. The tiara leapt back into Serena's hand. The girl cocked her arm, ready to throw again.

For a long moment, the statue of ash that had been Morga stood in the centre of the room, then, with a breath of wind, it collapsed and blew away. "I… I did it?" Serena said quietly.

"Indeed you did, Sailor Moon," said a warm, dark voice. Serena turned to see the tuxedo-clad stranger standing right behind her. She jumped away from him with a little squeak of surprise. She raised her tiara again nervously. "Don't worry, I don't want to fight, little warrior maiden," the man said gently. "Although I did not find what I was looking for, I have found an ally, and for that mercy I am grateful to the spirits of my ancestors."

Serena watched the man in a daze as he stepped away from her. I know that voice from somewhere, she thought as she resettled her tiara on her forehead, but where?

The stranger stepped out into the night air and shot Serena a heart-melting smile. "I enjoyed the show," he said with a wink. The man pulled a thorn-less red rose from nowhere and threw it to Serena, who caught it. "I have no doubt that we will meet again. Until then, farewell, Sailor Moon." The man leapt into the air and soared off into the night.

"Wow! Cool! What a dream-boat!" Serena gasped, her hands clasped together around the rose, her eyes glazed and unseeing as she tried to see where the tuxedo-clad man had vanished to.

"Well done Serena!" Luna called as she rushed over to her charge. "You have won your first battle! It wasn't exactly from the regulations manual, but for a total neophyte, you have done well!" The cat jumped onto Serena's shoulders and continued her lecture. "As you see, the Enemy has played their first card and revealed themselves to us. They are searching for some kind of gem or crystal. They are also harvesting human life-forces for some reason. So, the question is… Serena, are you even listening to me?"

Serena was still watching in the direction in which the tuxedo-clad masked stranger had gone, still holding the rose that he had given her as if it were a token from a dashing prince. "He is so handsome! What do you think he is, Luna?" she asked. "Maybe a count, or even a prince?"

"Se-RE-na! We don't have time for this!" Luna snapped. Serena blinked and turned around to the cat. "Is there anything else you can detect with your goggles?" Luna asked firmly.

Serena frowned and looked around. "There is something odd," she reported. "I can see a blue-white light around me, you and Molly, but not the others."

"That must mean that their bio-etheric energy, their 'life-force' if you will, has been removed." Luna said. "Can you detect any other sources of that energy?" Serena concentrated and quickly detected the crystalline cylinders of energy that Morga had stored in the vault.

Moments later, Serena and Luna were standing in the vault, looking at the crystalline cylinders. Luna seemed worried as she studied the strange objects. "Those lights are the stolen life-forces of who knows how many innocents," the cat announced. "We have to find some way to return the energy to its' proper place."

Serena shrugged, drew her katana and lashed out at the cylinders, shattering them with one blow. "Serena Moonlight! What are you think you are doing?" Luna shrieked. As soon as the lights were freed from the cylinders, they began to drift up the stairs back to the shop floor where the battle had taken place. As an afterthought, Serena used her sword to cut the ropes around Molly's unconscious mother, who she had found lying in a corner. Then she sheathed her sword and followed the lights up the stairs. She watched as some of the lights entered into the unconscious zombies. The people began to stir, their movements more natural… more 'alive' than beforehand. Most of the lights drifted out of the main doors and vanished into the night, doubtless looking for their owners elsewhere in the city.

"I thought that a simple solution would work," Serena said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Beginner's luck," Luna snorted. "Come on, we have to get out of here. Unless you want to spend the rest of the night answering questions from bystanders and the police."

Molly groggily opened her eyes as the masked girl in the red, white and blue fuku stepped out into the night air and settled a strange black cat on her shoulders. "Wait! Who are you?" she called out. She suddenly remembered the girl's earlier entrance, which had saved her from that monster that had been impersonating her mother.

The heroine turned back and grinned infectiously. "I'm Sailor Moon!" she announced, making a 'V-for-victory' gesture in front of her eyes with one hand and the other poised on her hip. Then she leapt into the sky.

"Th… thank you for saving me, Sailor Moon," Molly called out quietly as the mysterious warrior girl leapt onto the roof of the high-rise building opposite, and then jumped off into the night. Then she heard her mother calling her and was engulfed in the crying woman's arms. Molly hugged her back, feeling safer than she ever had before.

Chapter 5 – Reality

Serena slowly awoke. She was lying on her bed, still in her school uniform. Obviously her 'little nap' had turned out to be a full night's sleep. She felt oddly refreshed. Maybe the secret of a good night's sleep was to not do your homework…

She turned to her cat, who was curled up at her feet and tickled her under the chin. The cat opened her eyes and purred loudly, making Serena laugh. "I had a lovely dream last night, Luna," she said. "I dreamt that I was a superhero like Sailor V. I defeated a monster and saved lots of people!" Serena smiled in a shy way and looked down. "I also dreamt that I met this gorgeous guy who saved my life! Great, huh?"

***

In a place of darkness both near to and far from Tokyo, a man with blonde hair, icy blue eyes and a cruel smile was watching a repeat of the battle between Morga and Sailor Moon in a dark crystal ball. "Hmm…" the man finally said. "So, we have an enemy to contend with. 'Sailor Moon', eh?" The man laughed and shook his head. "For a hopeless amateur, that was a pretty good showing, my dear."

The man, who was wearing a grey uniform with red highlights, turned away from the crystal ball and began to pace. "Well, it seems that events are progressing far more quickly than I anticipated," he said, thinking aloud. "We will have to redouble our efforts. The Silver Imperium Crystal has become indispensable."

***

Because she had got up early, Serena got to school early and was wandering around the playground waiting for the start of lessons. For some reason, her cat had followed her to school, but Serena was glad for the company. Right now, the girl was trying to think of a reason to give Haruna-sensei for not having done any of her homework. Suddenly, she heard Molly talking. "It was incredible!" the redheaded girl was telling Brandy. "My mother had been replaced by some kind of demon and it was using fake jewellery to steal people's souls or something!"

"Yeah, right," Brandy sneered. "Any reason will do for explaining why your mom's cheap baubles crumbled into dust overnight!"

"Listen!" Molly insisted. "I'm telling the truth."

Serena felt a sudden horrible dread. My dream! But how could Molly-chan know about it? She dived into the shadows of the school building and got as close to her best friend as she could without being seen. Luna jumped onto her shoulders as Serena strained her ears to listen.

"That thing was trying to strangle me!" Molly was continuing. "I thought I was dead! And then Sailor V's partner, Sailor Moon, came to rescue me! She beat the monster; I don't know how. If I hadn't blacked out, I would have seen a real-life superhero in action, blast my luck!"

Brandy laughed. "Whatever," she said. "Great dream you've had Molly-chan."

"No! It wasn't a dream!" Molly was shouting, going red in the face in exasperation. "It really happened…!"

In her hiding place. Serena's legs lost all strength and she slumped to the ground, her limbs trembling. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she began to stroke the Moon Prism Brooch pinned to the centre of her uniform bow. "Serena?" Luna murmured in her ear. "Child, what is the matter? Why are you so sad?"

Serena jumped in shock and began to cry even harder. Hearing that voice again was the final nail in the coffin of her innocent illusions. "It wasn't a dream, was it Luna?" she asked. Suddenly, she knew with terrible certainty that her life had changed forever. She would never be that happy, carefree schoolgirl ever again. Destiny and a little black cat had taken all that away.

Luna laughed. "Of course it wasn't a dream, Serena," she said. "It was very real. Considering your lack of training, you did very well. I'm proud of you." Serena slumped and buried her face in her folded arms, still crying. Luna simply stood by, recognising that the girl needed to sort this out in her own time and her own fashion.

I wanted my life to change, Serena thought, but like this? She stroked Luna as the cat rubbed her face supportively. She remained huddled there, feeling unable to face the first day of her new life, until the bell rang signalling the beginning of another school day. Then she gathered Luna to her shoulders and walked to her class. If you looked closely, you would see the sadness and despondency in her eyes. If you looked closer, you would have seen that the brooch on her bow was glowing ever so gently a blue-white colour. If you looked really closely… you would have seen the golden crescent moon mark just visible on the girl's forehead…

And so it begins…

Author's Concluding Notes

Firstly, some FAQ answers about how I portray Sailor Moon and her abilities.

Where did that sword come from? Regular readers will have noticed that I include a magic/energy sword in the Senshi's equipment in all my fanfics. I like the katana, and I think that this weapon (which I call the Soul Blade) would be useful in some of the battles that the Senshi face. Most importantly, I am a Star Wars fanatic, and I love the concept of the lightsabre. I would just love the Senshi to have something like that.

How does Serena know how to use a sword? In Japan, all boys have to take compulsory lessons in Kendo, basic swordsmanship using wooden staves instead of swords to practice. I don't know if girls have to attend those lessons too (I doubt it), but if Serena did take them, she would be familiar with the basics of how to use a katana in a fight.

What about the hand-to-hand stuff? You know how both the manga and the animé portray Serena's dad. It is in-character (in my humble opinion) that he would insist that his daughter take self-defence lessons so that she can protect herself. Fighting lumbering zombies would be fairly easy, anyway.

Where did that new function of the Moon Tiara come from? In the early issues of the manga, Serena can generate sonic attacks from the bun protectors on her ondangos. While it is a funny concept (thanks to this ability, she really does wail loud enough to shatter glass), it is also a bit silly. More importantly, each of the Senshi has abilities that come from a particular elemental power (fire, light, water, etc). Serena's power seems to be based on focussed moonlight. So the 'sonic' ability doesn't fit. I made it a function of the tiara instead, which appears to have many functions from the way both Takeuchi-san and the animé portray it.

***

I freely admit that I make Serena a bit too competent compared to how she is portrayed in both the earlier issues of the manga and throughout the animé. However, although all the Senshi are fairly green in the first season, they all have certain abilities and skills that come from subconscious memories of their Silver Millennium selves. While these memories are not consciously available to them until almost the very end of the war against the Dark Kingdom, they are subconsciously available from the start.

It is true that Serena is clumsy and not-too-bright. However her strength, agility, knowledge and wisdom are all greatly boosted through Princess Serenity and her moonlight elemental powers. While she cannot use most of these enhancements consciously, she can perform great feats based on reflex (like when she somersaults across the room to face Morga in my story). While Serenity was never originally trained to serve as a Senshi, I have no doubt that Jupiter and Mars would have taught her the basic physical skills of avoiding attacks and defending herself as part of their duty as her bodyguards.

We see the subconscious intelligence enhancements in several episodes of the animé. Serena, seemingly by luck, zeroes in on the latest Dark Kingdom operation while all the other Senshi think that she is just wasting time. I suspect that this isn't luck, rather it is Princess Serenity whispering into her future self's ear about where she can feel dark powers gathering. However, outside a fairly narrow range of abilities, Serena is still a school girl who needs coaching in most areas of superheroing. For instance, while she has psychic sight and a range of sensors in her eye-mask, she cannot interpret what she sees through them without Luna's help.

In conclusion, I hope that I haven't strayed too far from Naoko Takeuchi's original vision of the Pretty Girl Soldier Sailor Moon. My only intent was to fill in the blanks a little. If you'd like to see me treat other issues of the manga like that, please let me know in your review (hint, hint!).