A.N.
This idea came from the Sailor Moon drop game, where Michiru was dressed as a witch and Haruka was dressed as a vampire. Shout out to Drifter for the prompt...
"Haruka, hurry up. I need the washroom." Michiru rapped her knuckles on the door. She sighed when Haruka demanded five more minutes.
Michiru went back into the bedroom and resumed putting on finishing touches on her straw broom. She hummed gently to herself as she tied the pieces together, all the while sneering to herself.
"Boo!" Haruka yelled dramatically from behind and flipped her cape.
Michiru turned slowly and tilted her head. "Now that was weak."
"No fair...I can never sneak up on a psychic, can I?" Haruka deflated like a balloon and sat down on the bed.
"Okay, I just need to put on my make-up and then we can go." Michiru grabbed her kit and then bent down to give Haruka a quick peck on the lips. "You look handsome as always."
Haruka flipped her hair and winked. "Do we have time for...you know..."
"Down boy...we are running late. You know what happens when you show up late to a party where Usagi is already attending..."
Haruka nodded and pushed Michiru towards the bathroom. "Yes, I remembered. She ate all the food, including the portions that were reserved for us."
"Hey, we should come up with a cleaver name for our costumes..." Haruka continued to talk as Michiru walked down the hallway. "...something creative..."
"What do you think Hotaru's costume is? She had been so secretive all week, and she won't let me help with the sewing at all..." Michiru poked out of the doorway, holding a curling iron to her hair. "Do you feel like our daughter is growing up too fast? Sometimes she's still a child, and sometimes she behaves like a tween."
Haruka barged in to the bathroom and grabbed the hairspray. "She'll be fine. She's probably doing a matching outfit with Chibiusa. I heard her talking on the phone late last night...and of course she scowled at me and slammed the door when she caught me eavesdropping..."
Michiru applied her lipstick and smacked her lips. Glancing over one last time in the mirror, Michiru beamed at her own handiwork. A black short dress accented with a tight corset in the middle, orange puffy sleeves and an orange hem around her ruffled dress. She made her neckline low, low enough to torture Haruka. She could feel the sharp inhale Haruka took whenever she "accidentally" bumped into her and she knew this would be a very long night for her partner...
"Mama, papa...can we go now? Chibiusa is there already." A tiny figure shrouded in a dark cloak appeared, holding a scythe made out of foam.
"Gah..." Michiru yelped when she saw her daughter. That must be the white, expensive bed sheets they got for her. 4000 thread counts. Hotaru dyed the sheet black and a simple collar was attached around her neck. A paper mask hid the girl's face, covered in gray and black.
"Um, honey...who are you suppose to be?" Haruka bent down and patted her on the head, all the while laughing nervously.
"I. Am. Death." The little soldier of silence dropped her voice to menacing.
"Honey...isn't that a bit morbid?" Haruka approached the sensitive topic. She glanced at Michiru, begging for back up.
Hotaru took off the mask and scowled at her parents. "Halloween is supposed to be scary, not sexy or handsome or beautiful. Your costumes are lame." She turned on her heels and stomped away.
Michiru couldn't help but laugh. She relented and chased after her daughter. "Okay, okay, we are sorry for judging. You did a great job at painting that mask, but you might want to add some shading to make it pop even more. Want me to help make you look even scarier?"
"No. My costume. My work." Hotaru crossed her arms. "Now, can we get going?"
"Aye aye, my little firefly." Haruka double checked her reflection one last time.
"Death."
"Okay, my little...Death..." Haruka said hesitantly. She grabbed her keys and smiled at her family. "Alright, let's get the party started."
The door opened and the trio was faced with a tiny zombie. Chibiusa was covered in a ridiculous amount of blood and her face was smudged with green and black shades. Michiru chuckled as death and zombie skipped away, hand in hand.
"Hi, you guys made it. So, you are a vampire and you are a witch." Mako, the gracious host, came out to greet them.
Haruka whipped up her cape and covered half her face. In a thick, fake accent, Haruka tried her best to impersonate Dracula. "I am Varuka and dis is my wife Witchiru. Beware! We are here to wreck havoc."
Mako laughed out loud and high fives the vampire. "Good name. Good name. I am still too busy in the kitchen. I will put on my costume later. Snacks are on that table over there. Help yourself."
A figure dressed in a fuzzy black costume was hunched over the snack table. Michiru nudged Haruka and pointed at the cat.
"Hey, little kitten. You grew up." Haruka went over and slapped her on the back, causing Usagi to cough and sputtered out whatever was in her mouth.
Usagi turned around and beamed. "I am not just any cat. Guess again. Wait, Mamo-chan, come here and stand beside me."
Mamoru, appeared in a white fuzzy cat costume, shrugged and stood next to Usagi.
Michiru glanced at the crescent moon that was added to the foreheads and she let out a roaring laugh.
"I still don't get it. You guys are...cat couple?" Haruka rubbed her chin. Never one to notice details, she clearly missed the memo.
"That's Luna and that's Artemis." Michiru kindly explained. "Good job, guys. Don't tell me you dressed up Luna and Artemis as you guys..."
Artemis leapt down from nowhere and landed on the table. He was adorned with a tiny tuxedo and a mask was taped to his face. "I am tuxedo mask. Luna, come out." He leaped down and searched for the other cat.
Begrudgingly, Luna stepped out, looking embarrassed. Usagi had taped two yellow yarn balls with some lose strings to Luna's ears and a paper tiara was taped to the forehead. "Hi, I am sailor moon. Love earth and everything...blah blah blah...now can I take it off?" Luna tried to paw at the tiara.
"No!" Usagi and Artemis said in unison. Mamoru looked like he was about to cry himself and he patted Luna on the head. "I sympathize. The things we do for love, huh?"
Usagi whined loudly and slapped Mamoru on the arm. "Don't make me claw you."
"I don't talk like that and I am not that mean." Luna complained.
"Yes you do. Oh, Artemis, only an idiot gets sick in the summer..." Usagi tried her best pretending to be Luna.
"Oh yeah? I am Usagi and I love to eat. Going to eat everything. Oh what's a clock? I am always late and I am clumsy and I am a cry baby. Wah wah wah..." Luna was not going to take this lying down.
Michiru chuckled as fumes came out of Usagi's head, followed by a pout and a long whining noise. As always, Luna didn't hold back.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong. The doorbell started to ring like crazy and Mako rushed out of the kitchen. Haruka mouthed the word "Minako" and Michiru laughed. Of course it was that firecracker.
The moment Minako stepped into the room and unbuttoned her long fall jacket, everyone's jaws dropped to the floor. Michiru was glad the kids were playing in the other room.
"Helllllllllllooooooooooo! What am I? !" Minako struck a pose and winked.
Minako was wearing next to nothing...she had tons of pompon balls glued to her flashy pink bra and her short pencil skirt was the same matching colour. It was the slit in the middle of the skirt that made this costume inappropriate on so many levels...
Minako couldn't wait and blurted out the answer before anyone could venture a guess. "I am a gumball machine. Get it? You can put in your money through the slot and then I will give you some candy. Tadah..."
Haruka' face was rosy and she pretended to cough. "Minako, do you have to put the slot there? Hotaru and Chibiusa are just in the other room..."
The gumball machine waved her hand nonchalantly. "Whatever. It's Halloween."
"Where is Rei?" Usagi asked while she continued to pile food onto her already mountain high plate.
"She said she was having some technical issues with her costume, so she told me to get here first." Minako draped her coat roughly over the sofa and sat down. "Looks like we are also missing Ami and Setsuna."
Ding. Minako' cellphone pinged and she fished it out of her skirt. People looked away uncomfortably. "Need help. Wing stuck." Minako read aloud. "What the hell…." She scratched her head as she walked out of the apartment.
"Shit…." A loud curse word came from the hallway. Moments later, the door flew open and a figure with massive black wings appeared. One wing was damaged during that struggle, and the figure scowled.
"Are you an injured bird, Rei?" Usagi tilted her head and looked at her friend up and down.
"I am supposed to be a sexy raven…" Rei did a quick twirl, and one wing promptly knocked over a plastic cup that was on a nearby table. Rei sighed deeply and hung her head.
Michiru approached and put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "I love the corset and the feather collar you sew on the back. Here, why don't we just take off the wings before you poke this in someone's eye. You still look gorgeous without them…"
Meanwhile, Minako had been trying to stifle her laugh, until she couldn't breathe anymore. "Rei, are you angry?"
"Yeah, well, and annoyed. I should've gotten the smaller wings." Rei plopped down on the couch.
"Then, guess what you are now…"
Rei scowled at Minako. "What?" she said flatly.
"You are an angry bird." Minako doubled over in laughter and tears. "Get it?"
Rei rolled her eyes and stared back at Minako. "I think I win with my stylish dress." Suddenly, Rei frowned and she shushed everyone. "Did you guys hear that?"
The room hushed. "Yeah, what was that noise?" Haruka walked towards the door.
"Sounds like something is ticking…." Michiru closed her eyes. "Like a…"
"Oh my gosh, a bomb." Minako shrieked.
Michiru looked amused and turned the door handle. "Like a lot of alarm clocks. And my money is on….."
The door opened and Setsuna gasped in surprise. Her hand was raised in midair, as she was about to ring the doorbell. Setsuna smiled and waved her hand over her costume. The group collectively plucked their ears as Setsuna walked closer. She was wearing her white lab coat and she had taped about 30 different alarm clocks on herself. The constant ticking was quite loud…
Michiru put one hand to her chin and smiled. "Setsuna. I was right."
Chibiusa and Hotaru appeared in the living room, quickly running over to greet Setsuna. "Are you a ticking time bomb?"
"Bingo." Setsuna ruffled their hairs, and then fished out two bags of candies from her pockets. "And here are your prizes."
"Come, we are making something scary in Mako's craft room. Your costume counts as scary, so you can join us." Hotaru tugged on her hands.
"Yeah, and we can eat the candies together. If we eat them out here, Usagi will get to them." Chibiusa said and then stuck out her tongue at Usagi.
"Hey…." Usagi's complain fell on deaf ears as they retreated back to their "scary" room and the door was slammed shut. She smiled as she heard the girls giggling beyond the door. Usagi sat down and snuggled close to Mamoru. "Hey, Mamo-chan, how come you didn't get me candies?"
"Because…you are not a child?" Mamoru replied with his one eyebrow raised.
Luckily for Mamoru, Makoto appeared just in time to save him from someone's hangry wrath. "I made a lot of sweets and baked goods, Usagi. Pace yourself or you'll get sick like last time." She offered a plate of beautiful chocolate candies and cookies and Usagi happily accepted.
"Thank you, Mako. You are the best." Usagi jumped up and hugged her friend. "Hey, when is Ami coming back?"
"Speak of the devil…" Mako smiled when she heard the click of the front door unlocking. She rushed over and greeted her girlfriend at the door.
"Hi, guys. Sorry I am late." Ami bowed her head slightly, offering her apology. She smiled as Usagi approached her for a hug.
"Guys, dinner is almost ready. I am going to change into my costume, and then we will take a group picture and then eat." Mako beamed at her friends. She walked into her bedroom, followed by Ami.
"Ooooooo…..scandalicious." Minako sneered and nudged Michiru. The two chuckled.
For the next ten minutes, Minako, Rei and Usagi pressed their ears against the bedroom door. All they could here were some grunting noises, Ami swearing softly once….and then…silence…
Pop. The door swung open and the eavesdropping group promptly fell into a heap. The girls looked up and smiled apologetically.
"What are you guys doing?" Ami maneuvered through the pile, trying not to step on anyone but also not to mess up her costume. Wearing a box as a shirt was not an easy task….
Luna jumped on the table and studied Ami's costume. Slowly, her face came to a realization and Luna pouted. "Et tu, Ami? Is this Stab-your-favorite-cat-in-the-back day?"
Ami smiled apologetically. "Sorry Luna." Ami spun around slowly to let everyone see her costume. It was a simple box that she cut holes into. In the front, Ami had sewn two stuffed cats to her shirt, one alive, one dead with Xs on their eyes…
"What are you?" Usagi walked around Ami in a circle, puzzled.
"Schrodinger's cat."
"Why couldn't they think of Schrodinger's dog?" Luna mumbled near Ami. Artemis leapt over and patted his paw on Luna's back.
"What?" The group looked more confused.
"Imagine I am a cat being stuck in a box and there is a radioactive source and a poison in the box as well. The source will unpredictably release radiation, and the cat may be both dead and alive….until the box is opened and the cat is observed." Ami tried her best to explain the theory but they looked just as lost, if not more…
"She tried to explain that to me last night. I didn't get it either." Mako appeared on the doorway and the room hushed. Certainly, Mako had picked this costume because it would put her talent center stage.
Mako cracks her golden lasso and then posed with her hands on her hip, her head held high. "I am wonder woman." Gone was her usual pony tail and Mako let her hair flown free. With her impressive size, Mako was positively intimidating.
Haruka appeared and whistled. "Do not compel me to tell you the truth."
"Oh, what do you think?" Mako asked, eager to hear what people think of her costume.
Once again, the blonde's eyes darted to Mako's talents and she quickly averted her gaze. "You look beautiful. Um…yeah…beautiful." She caught Michiru's gaze and she coughed.
Michiru smiled, sensing an opportunity to torture Haruka even more. "Honey, why don't we get a picture of wonder woman capturing a vampire? We all know how you like to be tied up…."
Haruka was in the middle of sipping her wine when she heard that. The wine flew out of her mouth and spilled onto the carpet.
"Oh no. You dirtied Wonder Woman's carpet. Should you be punished?" Michiru said as she trailed one finger slowly down Haruka's body.
Haruka put up her hands in surrender while the group burst out laughing. "Sorry, Mako. I will clean this up."
A soft voice piped up from behind. "I like the lasso." Everyone whipped their heads around and stared at Ami. She turned red, redder than the spilt wine on the white carpet. "I mean…it's so pretty and shiny…."
"Anyway, let's get this dinner started. I am starving…." Mako quickly came to Ami's rescue. She ushered Ami into the kitchen. "Come help me."
Chibiusa laid back on the mattress and giggled as she crunched the candy wrappers underneath her. The crinkling noise was amusing for her, in her state of heightened sugar high.
She glanced over and smiled. Hotaru and Setsuna were playing a fierce game of Old Maid. Chibiusa looked up at the ceiling and sighed contently.
Suddenly, a bright green light flashed from the outside.
"What was that?" Setsuna got up and walked to the window. Her eyes widen as the green light came flying in and smashed into one of Mako's plants on the window sill.
The plant twitched. Then it stopped and the light was gone.
At first, it was slow. One or two new leaves popped up on the plant. The branches grew just a few inches.
Setsuna turned to the girls. "Go tell the others. Get ready to…." She didn't get to finish her sentence.
The plant shot out a branch and wrapped it tightly around Setsuna's neck. It squeezed and sucked the energy out of Setsuna, as it continued to grow bigger and taller. The pot cracked as the plant's trunk expanded.
Hotaru and Chibiusa looked up in shock, at the six foot tall plant monster. They looked at each other and nodded. The branches shot out but they leapt out of the way. Midair, they transformed and spun into their fukus.
"What was that?" Michiru heard the commotion and ran towards the door. "Hotaru?" She froze in her steps as she took in the scene before her.
The two little girls were battling fiercely with what appeared to be a plant-monster. Before she could transform however, the plant knocked the pen out of Michiru's hand and a branch whipped her across the face.
Michiru flew backwards and slammed into Haruka, whom was just coming to help.
The plant came crashing out and roar.
"Can plants roar? What is that thing?" Minako asked as she transformed. Before she could send out an attack, Mako yelled at her to stop.
"We can't attack here. We might accidentally shoot too far and into my neighbors…" Sailor Jupiter helped Michiru and Haruka up to their feet.
"Mama? Mama…it's you."
The group stopped and stared. The hostile plant was docile now. It smiled and wiped a single tear from its green eyes. Then the plant ran full speed towards Jupiter and wrapped its branch around the stunned Mako.
"What?!" Jupiter looked up at the plant.
"Mama, it's me. Your favorite plant. You once said my shade of green is your favorite and an inspiration for your crafts. That was why you kept me close to your side, unlike these in the living room."
Jupiter jerked her head out as far as she could, but the plant still leaned forward and planted a scratchy kiss on her cheek. "Mama, I love that story you read me last night. Can you read it to me again tonight?"
"Does that mean we can't kill it now?" Mars asked awkwardly, her hands froze in her attack position. "Now that you are doing this mother daughter bonding thing…"
Jupiter looked over and silently pleaded with Mercury. As always, Mercury was already scanning the monster and formulating a plan….
"What's your name?" Sailor Mercury de-transformed and approached the plant.
"I…..I don't have a name. Mama never gave me one." The plant narrowed its eyes and looked at Jupiter. "Why?"
"I….I didn't know you would become….well… a six foot tall talking plant." Jupiter shrugged and tried to smile. She could feel the branches tightening. Did she anger the plant just now?
"Let your mama go. We can figure this out." Ami put a hand gently on one of the branches. "If you have memory, then you would remember me? The nice lady that fed you yummy plant nutrients…and I made sure you were taken care of when Mako was out of town?"
The plant tilted its "head" and stared down at the short girl. "I also remember you proposing to use me in one of your little light experiment. It was mama that saved me from your wretched hands…"
"Oh, oh, that wouldn't have hurt you. She just wanted all of you to grow bigger and stronger." Jupiter quickly explained, as she felt the hostility was shifting to the now unarmed Ami. Mako let out a nervous chuckle as the plant continued to look around the room, as its eyes get narrower and narrower.
"I sense that you guys are not friendly towards me." The plant said coldly as it sent out branches, lashing and whipping the rest of the scouts.
'Ami….." Mako yelled as she watched her girlfriend flew across the room and smashed her back into the wall. "Okay, that's it." Jupiter used all of her strengths against the branch, trying to break free.
"Mama…" The plant sounded hurt and betrayed. "You don't like me…" The branch released Mako and she fell to the ground. It retreated a few steps and bowed its head. "I …..am…not…loved."
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Sailor Moon ran up to the plant and position herself between the plant and Jupiter. "Did you know you are the first plant I ever talk to? This is so cool. You know, if you don't have a name, you can name yourself. What would you like? Come here, sit down with me. Forget about fighting. I want to get to know you."
"Usako…" Tuxedo Mask tried to run to Usagi's side but was stopped by Ami.
"Don't. It's working." Ami put up her hands, telling everyone to stop. "Look…."
Incredibly, the plant took Usagi's hand and they both went over to the couch. Miraculously, the two were conversing like they were long lost friends…
"How did you know this would work?" Luna jumped up on Ami's shoulder.
"The energy inside of the plant, whatever it was, its power was to animate anything it touches. According to the computer, it wasn't inherently evil. It must have hit Mako's plant and made it grew."
"Yeah? Tell that to Setsuna-mama. She's lying on the floor unconscious, because that thing sucked the energy out of her." Sailor Saturn yelled. Sailor Chibi moon nodded and stared at the plant angrily.
Ami quickly followed the girls into the room to check on Setsuna. Meanwhile, the rest stood tensely in the living room, as Usagi and the plant continued to talk.
"Hahahaha….." Usagi's loud laughter filled the apartment, making the scene weirder and weirder. "Oh my gosh, Mako. Your plant has a sense of humour."
The plant looked down and seemed to be turning slightly red, as if blushing. "Stop it, Usagi."
Usagi sighed happily and linked her hand with one of the branches. "I think you should tell everyone what you want."
"But I don't want to leave mama….." The plant glanced at Mako quickly.
"Trust me. She will support you, as long as you promise not to hurt anymore humans. You'll have to apologize to Setsuna before you go." Usagi looked at the plant earnestly.
The plant stood up and took a deep breath. It shook its trunk and the leaves trembled. Then the plant looked straight into Mako's eyes. "Mama, I've never seen the forest. I have only heard it in the stories you told. I…I would like to go live in a forest. I think, that is where I belong."
"Um…" Mako was dumbfounded. She looked towards Ami and Ami gave her a brief nod. "I mean, if that's something you really want…"
"And I promise not to hurt anymore humans. It's just that Setsuna was the closest human at the time and I needed that one last bit of energy to grow into form. Now that I've grown, I only need the sun and water." The plant bowed apologetically at the group.
"So you are like a…vegetarian monster..?" Haruka frowned.
The plant nodded. "I must go now. Please tell the lady I hurt that I am sorry. Also, sorry to everyone I hurt just now." It wobbled over and gently pulled Mako into a hug. "I love you, mama. Sorry I scared you."
Usagi ran over and hugged its trunk. "Take care of the forest. Live happy and free."
The plant leaned down and returned the hug. "Thank you Usagi."
"Are we sure we can release that into the wild?" Minako leaned over and whispered to Ami. "It's still a monster."
Ami showed the mercury computer to Minako. "It was telling the truth. Its cells can still photosynthesize and it is still a plant. All it needs is the sun and water. However, just in case, we will keep an eye on it for a little while…"
The plant walked over to the front door and turned the handle. It waved once more and then walked towards the elevator. The group followed.
A pair of kids exited the elevator and looked up at the plant. Their faces light up and excitement shone. "Cool costume, dude. You are Groot."
The group relaxed when they realized this was probably the only night in the whole year that the plant could walk the streets.
Ding. The elevator doors opened and the plant walked in.
"O…kay….Halloween night is officially weird now." Minako stared up at the ceiling, shaking her head. "Anyway, let me get out of this fuku. Way too much clothing…"
The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Setsuna eventually woke up, thanks to senshi healing power. Finally, they sat down around the table as Mako brought out her delicious Halloween meal.
"Say, Mako, next year let's do the party at Rei's temple." Minako asked as she reached for another serving of eyeballs and guts (meatballs and spaghetti).
Mako shot an angry glance at the blonde. "Re's temple is full of spirits and ghosts. I imagined they would be extra active on Halloween night."
"How about my place?" Ami offered as she took a bite of the mummy bread stick.
"No thanks. I don't want to fight a textbook monster. I wouldn't know how to talk to it, or to convince it not to kill people." Usagi commented, which caused the group to laugh. "What?"
"Knowing Ami, it's probably going to be a romance novel monster." Rei nudged Ami and laughed.
Mako smiled warmly at her friends. She clinked on her martini glass. The eyeball swirled inside as she raised it. "I just want to say thanks to everyone for coming, and for dressing up. Usagi, you never cease to amaze me. You can make friends with just about anyone, or in this case, any plant… Also, I love you guys. Happy Halloween."
The rest raised their glasses as well. "Happy Halloween!"