This is the first chapter of my reimagining of the Dark Kingdom arc of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. It will have all the characters and plot points we are familiar it's, but changes will be made to them. I am changing the personalities of some characters to give them new development and give the group a new dynamic when it all comes together. Certain characters who'll not be introduced in this first chapter, but don't worry, haven't forgotten about them (except Umino, he will not be included. Apologies to anyone who actually liked him for some reason...) Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Legend of the Moon
On any other day, the moon shone bright and beautiful like the Sun itself. It's beauty was like that of a jewel floating in the cosmos. On this day, however, it shone with the dark crimson color of blood. Two opposing armies clashed, each side hoping to eradicate the other. Swords cut off heads, spears skewered torsos, and arrows pierced hearts, causing the once shiny and silvery surface of the moon to turn a deep shade of red, as if Heaven itself were turning into Hell.
The Princess of the Moon looked on in horror at the violent scene before her. The moon was supposed to be a peaceful place; a place where no quarrels existed and everyone loved each other. What had happened to her beautiful kingdom? She feared for the safety of her Guardians. They were fierce fighters, but the sheer number of enemies might be too much for them. And what of her mother? Would the confines heavily guarded throne room really be able to hold off the enemy? The anxiety and stress of everything happening around her brought tears to her eyes and caused her heart to tighten. Why did this have to happen? Why?!
Suddenly, the Princess heard a pair of heavy footsteps approaching from behind her. She whirled around, fearing she would be face-to-face with an enemy soldier. However, her heart leapt for joy at the sight of who was actually was approaching. It was her prince, her love, her destiny. He was the only one who could bring comfort to her in this dire Prince was covered in wounds; his armor had been battered, his body was scarred, and his sword was coated in blood. But the important thing was that he was alive, and Princess couldn't be happier because of that fact. She ran into her Prince's arms and they embraced, holding each other tighter than they ever had before, as if somehow their love would end this brutal conflict. Just when all seemed at peace for the two lovers, they felt something go straight through them. It was like a tiny sting at first, but it quickly erupted into a searing pain, as if a fire had been ignited inside their bodies. The two looked down to see a sword had been thrust into the Prince's back, and had subsequently come out the other side and skewered the Princess as well. The two looked into each other's eyes, realizing they were doomed. So this was how their story ended. They leaned in and captured one another's lips one last time. The pain from the stab wound subsided, and everything became numb. Then, as the two deepened their kiss, darkness overtook the star-crossed lovers, and everything became cold.
"WAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHH! I'M SO LATE!"
As the sun ascended over the horizon, a small, yet screeching voice erupted from a neighborhood household. Usagi Tsukino was late for school… again.
"Moooom! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" The young girl cried out as she leapt from her bed and yanked her school uniform off the hangar.
Mrs. Tsukino rolled her eyes from the kitchen downstairs. "I did, but you just told me to go away so you could get back to making out with the prince." The woman was used to her daughter waking up late for school, but she was in eighth grade now. High school would be here before she knew it and she knew they wouldn't be as merciful for Usagi being late. At this point, she was considering getting a shock collar to "assist" her daughter in waking up.
Usagi scrambled around upstairs like rat navigating a maze. She barely managed to do her hair up in a pair of signature buns that she had worn most of her life. Her school uniform was wrinkled from her wrestling it onto her body, and her backpack was left unzipped as she dashed towards the stairs. Some demented force apparently wanted her to move faster, as she slipped on the first step and traveled the rest of the way down on her rear, miraculously not fracturing her coccyx.
"Owowow! That huuuuurt!" Even though she didn't really fall that hard, Usagi was blubbering like she had just had a limb amputated.
"Maybe if you got up earlier, you wouldn't have to break your butt coming downstairs every morning…" Usagi's little brother Shingo walked in, giving his daily advice/sarcastic remark to his klutzy big sis.
Usagi's forehead popped a vein as she glared at her brother. "Shingo, I swear! In a trunk, off a cliff!" She leapt off the floor and headed for the kitchen. "You're so lucky you don't have to go to school as early as I do!"
With that said, Usagi rushed into the kitchen, snagged her lunch off the counter, and gave her mom a quick peck on the cheek as she whizzed by. "Bye mom! Love you more than anything in the whole wide world!" Before Mrs. Tsukino could respond, the front door was opened and closed in what had to be a millisecond.
"Screwed doesn't even begin to describe what I'm going to be when I get there!" Usagi whined as she sprinted down the street as fast as her petite legs could carry her. Just as she was beginning to reach her top speed, a small black cat stepped out on the sidewalk in front of her, making her stop dead in her tracks.
"Oh no, a black cat! That's eight years of bad luck if I cross its path!" She watched as the cat came to a stop, turning its head toward Usagi as she muttered to herself. "Okay, now just stay where you while I walk around-" He speech was cut short when she noticed the cat was staring directly into her eyes. Suddenly, Usagi felt like she was in a trance. The back of her mind told her to move it or be late again, but her body told her to hold still. She found herself in what could only be described as a waking state of sleep paralysis, as the cat's eyes bored deeper and deeper into her own.
Out of nowhere, a bell rang in the distance, signaling the beginning of the school day. "Waugh! What the heck am I doing?! Now I'm gonna be super late!" She continued on her way down the sidewalk, mentally chastising herself for crossing the cat's path. "Oh well, I've lived with bad luck all my life, I can deal with another eight years," she thought to herself as reassurance. She didn't noticed that the cat never took its eyes off her, even after she was several blocks away.
Icy winds sent enormous drifts of snow crashing into a tall stone structure. A large castle sat freezing in the middle of the Arctic, obscured to the eyes of any passing creature by a blinding downpour of snow. Any living thing unfortunate enough to wander to close was incinerated by a barrier of dark energy.
Within the dark halls of the castle, a larger marble door creaked open, revealing a tall man with long, white hair. He wore a white uniform with black patterns lining the creases. A small rectangular silver gem stuck out of his forehead. The man walked into the room, silent as a mouse, and took a knee in front of a glass sphere. Inside the sphere, a black and purple mass swirled about, while a demonic whisper emitted from it.
"Kunzite, what do you have to report?" The mass said suddenly in a deep, foreboding voice.
"I have unfortunate news, Queen Metalia. The monster I sent to Osaka last night was destroyed by that heroine Sailor V. I believe it is time we changed our tactics," the man said stoically.
"And what exactly is this change you have in mind?" Queen Metalia said softly.
Kunzite looked up to the sphere with a look of determination. "I believe we should temporarily halt our quest for human energy and focus on killing Sailor V herself before she-"
"NO!" Metalia interrupted in a booming voice, now sounding angry. "We cannot afford to halt our intake of human energy even for a day! I am as weak as I can be, and I must continue to feed on the human energy if I ever hope to reach my full power again. I feel I have been very clear on this before."
"Y-yes… my Queen. Forgive me," Kunzite said weakly.
Queen Metalia sighed. "Perhaps we can change tactics in another way. Send another monster to Tokyo. That city is far away enough from Osaka that we should have a full night's worth of energy without Sailor V interfering."
"Brilliant, my Queen! I shall send out my monster Arachnia at once!" Kunzite said, standing up and placing a fist over his chest.
"Excellent. Make it so, Kunzite," Metalia said, cuing the knight to exit her presence. Kunzite walked backwards out of the room, the heavy marble doors slamming shut in front of him.
Kunzite made his way down the freezing cold hallway towards the barracks, where his monsters lay in wait for his orders. As Kunzite strode along at a leisurely pace, a soft voice suddenly echoed out of the darkness.
"Kunzite… zite… zite…"
The stoic man stopped for a moment, scanning his surroundings. He appeared to be alone, so he continued on his way.
"Kunzite… zite… zite…"
Upon hearing the voice again, Kunzite turned around, ready to confront whoever had the impudence to stalk him. He was greeted only with the black hole that was the opposite direction of the hall. Sighing to himself, he turned back around.
"KUNZITE!"
A man with short blonde hair suddenly leapt out at Kunzite as he turned around, screaming his name into his face. Even though Kunzite appeared unfazed, the other man laughed maniacally at his sick joke.
"What do you want, Jadeite?" Kunzite said, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Oh, nothing," Jadeite said, still calming down from laughing. "I'm just practicing my 'fear factor.' What do you think?" he said, gesturing in mock courtesy to Kunzite.
"It was frightening the first 178 times. Now it just irritates me," Kunzite said in a sharper tone, as if trying to make a point to Jadeite.
"Aw, you've been keeping track. I'm touched," Jadeite cooed, batting his eyes at the annoyed Kunzite.
"Perhaps you should practice your fighting prowess instead of playing these little games of yours," Kunzite said.
Jadeite giggled at this statement. "Well, you see, that's why we're partners. When it comes to brute strength, your clearly have me outmatched. But without my stealth and strategy, you wouldn't stand a chance. It's best to break our enemies' minds as well as their bodies, you know."
Kunzite suddenly towered over Jadeite, staring down at him with anger burning in his eyes. "Do not even begin to suggest that your mind is superior to mine!" he snarled.
Jadeite gasped. "You honestly think I would suggest such a thing? That hurts my feelings, brother!" He began laughing again, not even flinching at Kunzite's aggressive advances.
Kunzite backed off and sneered, regaining his composure. "Have you seen Nephrite or Zoisite anywhere?"
Jadeite laughed at this. "Ha! Those two? Last I saw them, they were going out to gaze at the stars together! Oh, they are just precious!"
"I wish they would spend more time on their mission and less on each other…" Kunzite sighed.
"You should take your own advice, given your infatuation with that Sailor V girl!" Jadeite said under his breath.
Obviously hearing what he said, Kunzite grabbed Jadeite by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "WATCH YOUR TONGUE!"
Jadeite quickly held up a finger and shook it. "Ah-ah! Temper, temper! Remember how the Queen reacted when Nephrite and Zoisite had that little quarrel? I'd hate to see how she would feel about us fighting!" Jadeite burst out laughing again, causing Kunzite to toss him aside.
"Get out of my sight," he growled as he stomped down the hall.
"You say that as you walk away from me… how adorable!" Jadeite whispered before slithering back into the shadows.
After that frustrating encounter, Kunzite finally reached the barracks. He swung the door open and marched inside. The numerous monsters that now surrounded him ceased their snarling and squabbling, immediately going silent as their master entered the room. Kunzite glanced around at the abominations that made up his army. Most of them were humanoid, with bodies ranging from muscular and bulky to slim and spindly. Their heads were a mash of different animals, creating visages that could only have come from children's nightmares.
"Arachnia! Come forth!" Kunzite announced suddenly. In a split second, a long, sleek shadow leapt down from the ceiling, but stayed hidden in the shadows.
"Yes, Master Kunzite?" a low, hissing feminine voice spoke from the darkness.
"I have a task for you. It is of great importance, so make sure you do not fail…"
Usagi stood outside her classroom, unable to enter due to the period already having started. "Man, every time!" she whined to herself. She looked up and down the halls, as if checking for anyone else. "Well, since I didn't have breakfast, I might as well settle for an early lunch."
She reached into her backpack and took out the lunch her mother packed for her. The first thing she took out was a small rice ball, and she licked her lips at the sight of it. She raised it to her mouth to take a bite, when out of the blue the classroom door opened.
"Mind if I have a bite?" A tall red-haired woman stood in the doorway, scowling down at the tiny blonde girl.
"M-Ms. Sakurada!" Usagi stumbled over her words as she faced her teacher, struggling to come up with a new excuse for today. "I.. uh… I-"
"You know, your behavior is what gets you grades like this, young lady!" Sakurada exclaimed as she thrust a piece of paper into Usagi's face. Most of it was gibberish to the young girl, but what stuck out like a sore thumb was the big number 30 written in red pen at the top. It was also circled and underlined several times, as if deliberately trying to rub salt in the wound.
As Usagi stared at the paper in horror, her teacher made her way back into the classroom. "Maybe you can think about your future for the rest of the period!" With that, the door slammed shut and Usagi was left alone in the hall once again.
"Mom is gonna kill me if she sees this!" An idea quickly entered her head. "Then I just won't bring it home!" She crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it behind her, but she was caught off guard when she heard it hit something. Instantly, she felt another presence behind her.
Usagi whirled around, clapping her hands together as if she was going to start begging for forgiveness. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"A thirty? You've got to be kidding." A soft male vice interrupted. "You should probably study harder, Bun-Head."
Usagi's face suddenly warped with rage at the sound of the embarrassing nickname. "Why… you…" She reached forward and snatched the test out of the boys hands. "Just who do you think you are?!"
The tall boy looked down at her. He had black, neatly combed hair and wore the boys' school uniform. He also sported a pair of sunglasses, but behind them, Usagi could make out a pair of jet black eyes. Normally, she would have found a boy like this attractive, if she weren't already so turned off by his comment from a moment ago.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Mamoru Chiba. I just transferred here a few weeks ago. What's your name, Bun-Head?" he said politely. However, Usagi was less than willing to return his kind approach.
"Stop calling me that! My name is Usagi, not Bun-Head!" Usagi said fiercely to Mamoru, who simply smiled back at her.
"Oh. Well, Usagi, are you in eighth grade too? I could probably tutor you if we have any of the same classes-" Mamoru began before Usagi cut him off again.
"Get real! I would never be tutored by a jerk like you! Get lost, weirdo!" Usagi shouted before marching off down the hall, mumbling under her breath. "Stupid jerk… who wear sunglasses indoors anyway?"
Mamoru's eyes followed the girl for a moment, until he eventually shrugged and headed in the opposite direction towards his next class.
Usagi sat on a bench in the courtyard of her school, staring down sadly at the degrading mark on her test. "Man, Shingo is gonna have a field day with this one…"
From across the courtyard, Usagi heard the sound of girls laughing. At the center of the group, she saw her friend Naru holding her mobile phone, which everyone appeared to be watching something on. Usagi strolled over to them and broke into the group.
"Hey Naru! What're you guys watching?" Usagi asked curiously.
Naru looked up at her blonde friends and beamed. "Usagi! I've been wanting to show this to you! Check it out!" Naru moved her phone so that Usagi could see the screen. On it was a video of a girl in a sailor suit beating up a large reptilian monster. "Sailor V took down another monster in Osaka last night, and someone actually caught it on video this time! Isn't it awesome?!"
Usagi simply looked down and sighed. "Yeah, it's pretty awesome…"
Naru looked worriedly at her best friend. "What's wrong girl? I thought you'd be all over this! I mean, it's Sailor V for crying out loud!"
"Sorry, I'm just dreading going home today. I got a bad grade on my last test and I know my mom is gonna kill me for it." Usagi showed her test to Naru, who quickly began looking as glum as her friend.
"Dang, that sucks." Then, just as quickly as her expression dropped, it suddenly lit back up again and she grabbed Usagi's hands. "I've got it! Mama Naru's got the perfect Tesititis cure for you, girlfriend!"
Usagi looked up curiously. "Really? What is it? Tell me! Tell me!"
"My mom is having a huge blowout sale at the jewelry store she owns! Everything is like seventy-five percent off!" Naru cheered.
Usagi's frown turned upside down at this news. "No way! That's incredible! You mean we're going there after school?"
"Now why would I say such a thing if we weren't? Don't you trust your Mama Naru?" Naru said, batting her eyelashes.
"Ooo, this is so exciting! I can't wait!" The Bun-Headed blonde squealed, seeming to have forgotten all about her test.
After school was over, Usagi and Naru practically raced each other to the jewelry store. They burst through the glass doors, only to be greeted by a mad crowd of women who were at war over the display cases. The cases themselves were lined with necklaces, bracelets, and rings of all shapes and sizes that sparkled like stars. Women, pushed, shoved, and tackle each other to get at the best prices. Meanwhile, a woman with a loudspeaker stood at the edge of the crowd with a megaphone in hand.
"Now, don't be greedy, everyone! Remember, everything is seventy-five percent off, but only for today! So take your time and pick out whatever you want!" the woman said into the megaphone, before dropping it and grinning to herself. "And once you've bought all your precious jewelry, I'll use it to drain your energy for my great ruler! Soon you shall all bow before her!"
"Hi, mom!" Naru seemed to have snuck up behind her mother and was now placing hand on her shoulder, startling the woman. "Were you saying something?"
Naru's "mother" struggled to regain her composure. "Oh, um… of course not, dear! I'm just really excited about this sale, that's all!"
"Uh… okay," Naru said, a little confused. "Oh, mom, you remember Usagi, right?"
"But of course! How could I forget?" She ran up to Usagi and took her hand, leading her over to the counter. "In fact, since you're Naru's best friend, I'll be sure to give you a special discount!"
Usagi's face lit up. "Really?! Oh boy, this day just can't get any better!" The girl joined the crowd of rioting women, while Naru stood back and giggled to herself. She wasn't used to seeing her mother act like this. But like she said, she was probably just excited about the sale.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a small black cat watched the scene from outside the store. However, its eyes appeared to be stuck on a certain blonde Bun-Head…
Usagi strolled happily up her front steps, now bearing a cute bracelet on her right wrist. "Oh my gosh, this is so beautiful! I totally owe Naru big time for this!" The girl walked through her front door, still admiring the bracelet, but her celebration was cut short when she bumped into her mother, who was glaring down at her like a certain teacher had earlier that day. "Uh… hey mom! How was your day?"
"Well, it was going just fine. That is, until I got an email from Ms. Sakurada about a certain test score." It was at this moment the Usagi knew she screwed up. "A THIRTY?! Are you kidding me, Usagi? It's bad enough that your tardy count is off the charts, but now your grades are literally dropping off the charts!"
"M-Mom, wait… I can, uh…" Usagi stuttered, trying to think of something to say.
"No excuses, young lady! This is the last straw! Get up to your room right now and don't come out for the rest of the night!" She stabbed a finger towards the stairs. Usagi didn't question this at all, as she slowly began sulking up to her room. "And I had better not come in there and find you reading manga instead of your textbooks!"
"Aw, but moooom!" Usagi began to whine.
"No buts! Room, NOW!" Mrs. Tsukino shouted at her daughter. Defeated, Usagi continued on her way upstairs, her eyes now swirling with unshed tears.
As she made her way down the upstairs hall towards her room, Shingo stuck his head out of his room and clicked his tongue at her. "You failed another test, didn't you?"
Usagi whirled around and glared at her obnoxious little brother. "I don't need this right now, Shingo!"
Shingo sighed and clicked his tongue again. "Man, I wish I didn't have a sister who's such a loser…" That was enough set Usagi off.
"Oh, you're gonna get it now, you little brat!" Usagi began winding up her leg, ready to lash out at Shingo. "SAILOR V KICK!" She swung her leg at the little twerp, but it was too late. Shingo closed his door just in time, causing Usagi to drive her foot into it instead. Pain shot up her leg like a thousand needles being stabbed into her. She began wailing and crying, complaining over and over how much it hurt. The whole household had to plug their ears to make sure they didn't lose their hearing.
Back at the jewelry store, Naru's mother stood in the middle of the room, grinning a malicious grin. "And now, I will use all the jewelry bought today to gather energy for our great ruler!"
She raised a hand to the sky, causing an orb of dark energy to manifest in her palm. At that moment, from all over the city, everyone who had bought something from the store that day began to feel weak. The had no idea of what was really happening to them. Their life was slowly being drained away, collected into the dark orb.
"Foolish humans and their greedy ways…" Naru's "mother" hissed under her breath.
"Mom?!"
The imposter turned around to see Naru standing behind her, a shocked and terrified look on her face. "What are you doing?"
"I have no time for distractions!" The imposter temporarily halted her activity and turned towards Naru. Her body began to bend and contort unnaturally. Her limbs grew to disgusting lengths and her hands stretched into sharp clawed pincers. Her outfit changed as well, changing into a black short-front long-back dress that resembled the thorax of a black widow spider. Finally, her mouth grew a pair of spider-like mandibles and six extra eyes appeared on her face.
Naru could only stare at the horrific sight before her. What was once her mother was now a humanoid spider creature, with a sticky white silk oozing from its mouth. "What are you? Where's my mom?"
"Your mother is in the basement, safely trussed up in my webs. And now, young Naru, prepare to join her!" The monster known as Arachnia lunged at Naru, causing the mortified girl to let out a scream of terror as it swung a clawed pincer at her.
Usagi was woken up with a jolt and she sat up in her bed. She had fallen asleep in her room soon after her scuffle with her mother and Shingo. But just as she had begun to drift off, a sharp pain crossed her arm, causing her to wake up suddenly.
"Ow! What the heck was that?" She looked down at the red mark on her arm, and quickly noticed the bracelet she had bought earlier that day was now sitting on her bed in pieces. "Oh no, my bracelet!" She began to reach for the remnants of the piece of jewelry, but a voice stopped her.
"Don't touch that!" it said firmly.
Usagi looked around, confused. "Who said that?" The answer came in the form of a silhouette perched on her windowsill. As she squinted to drown out the moonlight surrounding it, she saw that it was the black cat she had encountered that morning. Only now that it was closer, she noticed what appeared to be an upside-down crescent moon emblazoned on its forehead.
As soon as she realized what was happening, Usagi jumped out of her bed and threw herself against the wall as if she were being cornered by a predator. "Did… did you just talk?!"
"I did. Why, is that odd?" the cat asked casually.
Usagi stared wide eyed, half in amazement, half in fear. "Odd?! Cats don't talk! They can't talk!"
The cat sighed. " Well, I'm talking, aren't I?"
"This is… this is unreal… do you have name?" Usagi asked.
"Of course. My name is Luna. And you are Usagi Tsukino," the cat answered, smiling.
"You know my name?! But… how?" Before Luna could answer, Usagi noticed the broken bracelet on her bed. "Wait, did you do that to my bracelet?"
"Yes. Forgive me, but I had to. That bracelet was infused with an evil energy that would have-" Luna began before Usagi cut her off.
"I don't care what it was 'ensued' with! I got this from a one-time blowout sale! You'd better pay me back for this!" Usagi rambled on, becoming more and more whiny with each sentence she finished.
"I don't have any…" Luna began before stopping herself, an idea occurring in her head. "Actually, I can pay you back right now!" The black cat narrowed her eyes and the moon on her forehead began to glow. The resulting ray of light compressed a few feet in front of her, causing a shiny golden brooch to materialize in the air. The light subsided and the brooch dropped onto the bed, ruffling the sheets.
Usagi's eyes went wide with joy at the sight of the new piece of jewelry. "Oh my gosh! A brooch! It's so pretty!" She practically threw herself at the brooch and picked it up, running over to the mirror on her vanity table. She quickly attached the brooch to the bow and began admiring herself. "Thank you so much, Luna! I love it!" As she adjusted the brooch, it suddenly began to glow brightly, shining like a small star. "W-what? It's glowing?!"
Luna smiled. "Now listen to me, Usagi! Repeat these words as loud as you can: Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"
Usagi hesitated for a moment. "M-Moon…" Then, something in the recesses of her mind clicked, compelling her to say the words as loud as her tiny lungs would allow.
"MOON PRISM POWER! MAKE UP!"
A brilliant bright light exploded from the brooch and enveloped Usagi, lifting her slightly into the air. Beautiful streams of pink ribbons materialized out of the light and wrapped around Usagi's torso, arms, and legs, forming a sailor uniform, as well as a pair of gloves and boots. She did a cute little twirl in the air, causing a light blue skirt to fluff out of her waist. A bright pink bow poofed out of her chest, followed by a pair of earrings blinking onto her earlobes. Finally, an elegant golden tiara with a small red gem at the center of it formed on her forehead. Her transformation now complete, she unconsciously placed a hand on her hip and flashed a V-sign over her eyes. The young girl drifted back down to the ground, slowly taking in what had just occurred.
"I… I don't believe this! What happened to me?!" Usagi stammered.
Luna's smiled grew even wider, clearly proud of her work. "I knew it! You are the one I've been searching for, Usagi! You are the pretty soldier, Sailor Moon!"
"That doesn't answer my question! What happened to me? It felt like I was in there for five minutes!" Usagi squealed, confused.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "The transformation only took about three seconds…"
Usagi's eyes grew even wider. "Okay that doesn't make any-" Before she could finish, her brooch began flashing red. A panicked cry or help emitted from it as well. "That voice… that sounds like Naru!"
"She's in danger, Usagi! You have to go help her!" Luna said confidently.
"Me? What can I do? I'm just a little girl!" Usagi cried.
Luna stared sternly at the blonde girl. "Now that you are a Sailor Soldier, you possess powers beyond anything you thought possible! You can help your friend! Trust me."
Arachnia let out a demonic cackle as she wrapped Naru up in a thick, silky web prison. The red-headed girl struggled to get free, but she was trussed up to a point where she could scarcely move or speak. "Struggling is pointless, you pathetic human!" Arachnia spat. "Just relax and accept you fate! It will only hurt for a moment…"
Naru looked up at the abominable female creature. The thing laughed in her face as she was fighting for her life, as if it enjoyed seeing her squirm. This wasn't right, she didn't want to die tonight! There was so much more she wanted to do with her life. And now that she was on the brink of death, something at the back of her mind told her that she still had a purpose to fulfill…
"Stop right there!" a young, high-pitched shouted at the monster.
Arachnia twisted her head around to face the silhouette now standing in the doorway of the jewelry store. She squinted all eight of her eyes, making out the figure to be a petite blonde girl in a sailor suit with a pair of buns and pigtails in her hair. "Who the hell are you?!" she hissed.
"Me? I'm… um…" The girl struggled to find her words, but once again, a voice buried deep in her subconscious told her exactly what to say.
"I am the pretty soldier who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! And now, in the name of the moon, I'LL PUNISH YOU!"
For a brief moment, Arachnia stared at the blonde heroine in confusion, until she finally let out a noise that sounded halfway between a hiss and a click. "I don't have time for this! Minions! Come forth and kill this girl!"
From all around the store, women with glowing red eyes began popping up. Sailor Moon saw they were wearing expensive pieces of jewelry, likely what they had purchased from the sale this afternoon. She was suddenly really glad Luna destroyed her bracelet. She wasn't so glad, however, when the women began to collectively lunge at her, obviously with the intention to carry out Arachnia's orders. Sailor Moon dove to the floor, allowing the woman closest to her to glide past. She let out a sigh of relief, but tensed up again as she saw a huge crowd of possessed women charging at her. Sailor Moon screamed and began running all over the store, clumsily dodging any women that got too close. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough to dodge a tall, slender woman who reached out and clawed at her with long pink-painted fingernails. The nails caught Sailor Moon's arm and left four light but bloody scratches in their wake. The girl let out a scream, half surprised and half in pain. From a nearby windowsill, Luna sat and watched anxiously.
"What are you doing, Sailor Moon?" Luna called out. "You have to fight them!"
Sailor Moon looked at Luna with tears in her eyes. "I can't! I'm too scared!"
Luna rolled her eyes. This was not what she expected from who was supposed to be the legendary soldier she had been searching for for years. "Just throw a punch! If you don't fight back, they'll kill you!"
Sailor Moon stood still as a statue, trying to pull herself together. She knew what Luna said was true, but she didn't want to fight these women knowing they were simply innocent people under Arachnia's control. She was snapped back to reality when she saw the same tall woman who had clawed her moments ago rushing at her again. Acting on instinct, Sailor Moon lashed out with her left foot and drove it into the woman's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The woman collapsed to the ground, unconscious from the blow. Sailor Moon couldn't believe what just happened. She had knocked out an adult with just one kick! The realization came to her that her transformation had made her a lot stronger than she was as an ordinary girl.
Luna smiled. "Good job! Now keep going! Here come the rest!"
Sailor Moon looked up to see the rest of the women charging at her, groaning like a horde of zombies. Even though Sailor Moon knew she could defend herself now, a sick feeling in her stomach washed over her. She couldn't hurt these people! Even if they were possessed and trying to kill her, she just didn't have the heart to inflict pain on anyone.
" I… I can't do this! I don't want to hurt anybody, it's wrong! Why do I have to do this? Why me?!" Sailor Moon wailed.
The girl's incessant whining quickly turned into crying; very loud crying. Luna rolled her eyes. Perhaps this wasn't the person she was looking for after all. Just then, as Sailor Moon's vocal cords reached their peak, the tiara on her forehead began to glow brightly. As the girl continued to bawl, ear-piercing sonic waves erupted from her tiara, shaking the entire building, shattering glass cases and windows, and paralyzing everyone in the room, including Naru and Arachnia. The sound was so strong that it caused Naru and all the possessed women to fall unconscious. As the noise subsided, Arachnia looked up, her ears ringing to the point of near deafness. She saw that her army of greedy humans was on the ground and Sailor Moon was still standing.
"Why you…" Arachnia growled. "I shall kill you myself if I must!"
The spider woman leapt out from behind the counter and sprinted towards Sailor Moon, silk drooling from her mouth and pincers bared, ready to tear the girl to pieces. Sailor Moon saw the monster approaching fast and tensed up, ready to start crying again. Luna saw what was happening and panicked. But after seeing how the tiara had reacted to the girl's crying she was more convinced than ever.
"Sailor Moon, you must act fast! Throw your tiara at her and shout 'Moon Tiara Boomerang!'" Luna ordered the blonde girl.
Sailor Moon snapped out of her crying state and did as she was told. She took the tiara off her forehead and held it out in front of her. It glowed for a moment before it transformed into a sharp circular disk. As Sailor Moon stared at the newly formed weapon in her palm, the unknown presence in her mind called out to her, instructing her exactly what to do.
"MOON TIARA BOOMERANG!"
The blonde heroine reared back and hurled the disc at Arachnia. The spider woman spat a stream of silk out of her mouth aimed at Sailor Moon, but the golden tiara cut straight through the strong fiber. Arachnia could only stare in horror as the disc got closer and closer, until it finally reached her, slicing into her neck and decapitating her on the spot. No sooner was her head separated from her body did she begin to turn grey and dissolve into ashes. Within second, she was nothing more than a pile of dust on the floor.
Sailor Moon stared in astonishment at the gruesome sight before her. It was like something out of a horror movie. But then, a more important thought occurred to her: it was over. In a flash, the tiara reappeared of her forehead. She reached up and touched it, wondering how it had gotten back up there. Then again, nothing else that happened tonight made any sense, so she decided to not question it. Luna hoped down from the windowsill and pranced over to Sailor Moon, a huge grin plastered on her face.
"I knew it! You are the one I've been looking for!" she beamed.
Sailor Moon looked down at the black cat and raised an eyebrow. "The one you've been looking for?"
Luna continued to ramble. "Yes! You are the reincarnation of an ancient warrior who lived on the moon! That girl was Sailor Moon, the pretty soldier of love and justice, leader of the Moon Princess' royal guard. Usagi, you're that girl!"
Sailor Moon couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was she really a reincarnated warrior from the moon? Was she an alien? As millions of questions pooled into her mind, she noticed her shadow being cast on the marble floor. She looked up to the highest window in the store to see the moon itself shining through the window. The girl stared up at it in awe. Amongst the flood of questions swimming through her brain, she found a funny feeling tickling the back of her conscience. She didn't know what it was, but the feeling weighed down on her like a mountain on her shoulders. Usagi knew in this moment, her life would be changed forever. She was a hero, just like Sailor V, just like all those manga she had read, and just like that girl she had been all those millennia ago.
Little did the young girl realize, but just outside the store, a tall, handsomely dressed man was watching her through the display window. He wore a dark tuxedo, a top hat, and red and black cape. However, his most eye-catching feature was a white masquerade mask that covered his eyes. He stared at the girl for another moment, before turning around and running off into the night, never to be seen by anyone.
~A Suivre~