Hey everyone! Thanks to all of you who took the time to read my first chapter, and especially to those who favorited and followed the story. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Anyway, I didn't know I would be able to write the next chapter this fast, but here it is! (Just don't expect this to be my regular update time, my schedule is really inconsistent when it comes to free time for writing) Anyone I neglected to introduce in Chapter 1 is most likely included in his chapter, especially a certain tuxedo-wearing hero we all know and love. Enjoy! ;)
Chapter 2: The Mysterious Tuxedo Mask
"And then, just when I thought I was done for, Sailor Moon appeared out of nowhere and saved me!" It was the beginning of a new school day, and Naru was all too eager to share the thrilling story about how she been rescued from the grasp of Arachnia by Sailor Moon. Her friends listened intently, some in pure astonishment, others in serious doubt.
"Are you sure about that?" a girl with short brown hair questioned. "I mean, the part about the monster I can believe, it was all over the news this morning. But who's this Sailor Moon you keep mentioning? Are you sure it wasn't Sailor V?"
"I thought so too at first," Naru quickly answered. "But she clearly said that her name was Sailor Moon. Plus, Sailor V lives all the way in Osaka! You think she knew another monster would appear in Tokyo and somehow made it all the way here in one day?"
The short-haired girl scratched her head, deep in thought. "That is a good point…"
"I know… What do you think, Usagi?" Naru looked down to her blonde Bun-Headed BFF, who was currently passed out on her desk, a puddle of drool pouring out from her mouth as she snored away. Naru rolled her eyes. She must have stayed up too late reading manga again. Typical… "ALRIGHT CLASS, TIME TO BEGIN!" Naru raised her voice.
Immediately, Usagi sat up straight like an arrow, placing her elbows on her desk and opening her eyes as wide as an owl. "Yes, Ms. Sakurada!" Usagi was caught off guard by the sound of laughing behind her. She looked back to see a group of girls, including Naru, cracking up. Usagi narrowed her eyes in frustration. "Naruuuu! I was having the best dream ever!" she whined.
Naru placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I had to make sure you didn't get in trouble again. Mama Naru's got to look out for her baby girl!" she said cheerfully.
Usagi's head dropped back down to her desk. "I just had a really long night, that's all…"
"That's not good," a voice suddenly came from behind Usagi. The blonde girl looked back again, but immediately regretted it when she saw Mamoru Chiba standing there. "You need to be getting plenty of sleep, Bun-Head, otherwise you won't be able to focus in class."
"You again?!" Usagi squeaked angrily. "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me or something?" She stabbed an accusing finger at the tall boy, who simply chuckled and shook his head.
"Of course not. We have homeroom together," he said. "You would've known that if you showed up on time yesterday."
Usagi's eyes practically popped out of her head when she heard that. Homeroom? With HIM?! It had to be a mistake! Being around this guy for a few seconds was enough to drive her mad, but spending every morning with him? They might as well just strap a straightjacket on her and be done with it.
"Yeah, well so what? I still can't stand being around you! You're nothing but a big dumb meanie! Now go sit down before Ms. Sakurada gets here! I hear she gives tardies to anyone not in their seats when she walks in!" Usagi spat.
Mamoru simply held up his hands defensively and backed up. "Alright, whatever you say," he said nervously as he walked across the room to his seat. "By the way, Bun-Head, my tutoring offer is still on the table if you're interested!" he called back to her before sitting down.
Usagi practically popped a blood vessel when he said that. "Keep dreaming, weirdo!" Usagi sunk into her chair and crossed her arms, putting like a five-year-old. "Stupid jerk… who does he think he is, trying to be nice to me? He's got some nerve, right Naru?" Usagi looked up at her red-headed friend, who was busy staring across the room at Mamoru. "Um.. Naru?"
Naru didn't take her gaze off Mamoru. He eyes twinkled as she watched him take off his sunglasses and replace them with a pair of reading glasses. "He's so dreamy…"
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Oh boy…" It was bad enough that she had a class with this jerk, but now her best friend was infatuated with him. At this point, Usagi was beginning to regret not letting that monster kill her last night.
As Naru stared longingly at the handsome dark-haired boy, she got a funny feeling in the recesses of her mind. The guy was attractive, that was for sure, but this feeling caused her to be drawn to him for another reason, though what that reason was she couldn't figure out. While Naru pondered what the reason could be, her naive young teenage mind took hold and made her decision for her. This boy was her soulmate, and she was going to be his girlfriend sooner or later.
The end of the school day came, and as the bell rang and children charged out the front doors, eager to get away from the tortures of lectures and tests, Usagi straggled behind at the back of the crowd. She still hadn't recovered from the exhaustion that resulted from last night, and she knew that the walk home would be long and excruciating. As she slugged down the road home, dragging her backpack behind her like a sack of coal, a black cat suddenly leapt out of the bushes in front of her.
"Aaagghh! A black cat! That's eight years of bad luck!" Usagi cried, repeating the same thing she said yesterday.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Usagi, it's me, Luna." The cat looked a little hurt by Usagi's comment. "And I would prefer if you didn't acknowledge that stereotype. I find it very offensive."
Usagi quickly realized her mistake and fell to her knees, clasping her hands together. "Oh my gosh, I'm so so sorry, Luna! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! You're not mad at me, are you?" Usagi pleaded, teardrops forming at the corners of her eyes.
Luna sighed. "Of course I'm not mad. Just please be aware of what you say," she said, her face quickly brightening up. "Now then, are you ready for your second night out?"
Usagi looked confused, but quickly figured out what Luna was saying and grew worried. "Wha… what do you mean, 'second night out?'"
"Well, now that you are a Sailor Soldier, it is your duty to look after the people of this city by fighting any other monsters that may appear," Luna stated, a little too casually.
However, Usagi already knew how she was going to respond. "No."
Luna was taken aback by this. She stayed silent for a moment, pondering the single word that had come from the girl's mouth. "No? What do you mean no?"
"I mean I'm not going to be Sailor Moon anymore. I won't go back out there and fight any monsters. I refuse," Usagi said sternly.
"B-but, you have to! It's your mission! Your destiny! This is the reason you were reincarnated!" Luna said, desperately trying to change the blonde's mind. If she truly meant what she said, it could mean that mankind and the world itself was doomed. The cat had been searching for this one girl for most of her life, but suddenly, with one word, it seemed like her entire life had led to nothing.
Usagi shook her head. "No, I won't do it! I'm not a soldier, I'm just a young girl who's going to graduate middle school in a few months. I have my whole life ahead of me, and I won't risk ruining that life over something I never even wanted to happen!" With that, the girl picked up her backpack and marched down the sidewalk. However, after only a few feet, she stopped and turned to look sadly at the dejected black cat. "I'm sorry Luna, I really am. But… I just can't do this…"
Luna watched as Usagi continued walking. She kept her eyes on the girl until she turned a corner a few blocks away. "This is bad…" she said to herself. "This is really bad…"
Luna found herself strolling through a deserted alleyway. Even though it was broad daylight, the narrow space made it impossible for any sun to reach the area, making it dark and eerie. Luna looked around to make sure no one was looking. She noticed a rat nearby munching on a piece of garbage and hissed at it, scaring it away into the shadows. Rats were such disgusting creatures. Now that she was sure she was alone, she closed her eyes and concentrated, causing the moon on her forehead to glow. A beam of light shot forth and created a sparkly sphere a few feet in front of her. Inside the sphere was the shadow of someone, though the image was too distorted to make out any features.
"Luna? Is that you?" the shadow asked, forebodingly.
"It's me, sir. I'm sorry for the short notice of this report, but we have a serious problem," Luna apologized. "The girl who became Sailor Moon last night has refused to fight anymore."
The shadow grumbled, clearly distraught by this news. "Did you try to convince her otherwise?"
"I did! I really tried!" Luna talked as if she were about to be punished. "What should we do, sir? If we don't convince her to fight somehow, the world is in trouble!"
"I'm aware! Calm down, Luna, we'll figure this out," the shadow reassured. Luna's breathing eased. She seemed to regain her composure. "I hate to resort to this, but it looks like we'll have to initiate Plan D."
Luna's eyes grew wide at the mention of this Plan D. "Are… are you sure? That seems a little extreme…"
"We have no other option! If Sailor Moon won't fight, then we'll make her fight," the shadow said firmly. It seemed as though his mind was made up. Luna's eyes drifted downwards. She looked unsure about this plan, but like the shadow said, it was their only option.
A final bolt of lightning flashed from the monster's mouth and struck the young blonde girl in a sailor suit, instantly disintegrating her into a smoldering pile of ashes. As the monster cackled victoriously, a pair of big red words appeared in the air above them: "GAME OVER."
"Aw man! Not again! This level is impossible!" Usagi whined relentlessly. "There goes half my weekly allowance…" The girl had gone straight from school to her favorite arcade, only to play her favorite game of all time: Sailor V! Even though she had played it countless times, her gameplay style never went much further than mindless button-mashing. However, another reason she went was because of her crush on the young man who worked at the arcade...
"Having trouble there, Usagi?" A warm, kind voice came from behind the blonde girl. She turned around to see a tall sandy-haired boy who looked to be in his early twenties. He smiled down at the girl and gestured towards the Sailor V game, still flashing the Game Over sign.
"Motoki, I swear this game is rigged!" Usagi complained. "I do so good up until this point, but I can never get past the electricity-spitting alien-robot-monster-Godzilla thing!" The monster on the screen let out another demonic cackle. Usagi's forehead popped a vein and her eyes turned pure white. "And then it keeps doing this stupid laugh after I lose! It's like the game is mocking me!"
Motoki simply chuckled to himself. "Easy there, Usa. It's not like the game is self-aware or anything. You probably just need to keep practicing." He leaned down to Usagi and whispered in her ear. "In fact, I know a passcode you can use to skip the beginning of the game and come right to this spot until you beat it…"
Usagi's eyes sparkled as she twirled around and threw her arms around the tall boy. "Oh Motoki! You're the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the young girl chirped.
Motoki smiled nervously and hugged her back. "Heheh… I didn't know the game meant this much to you."
From across the arcade, a television mounted on the wall was airing the afternoon news, when suddenly a tab that said "Breaking News" appeared on the bottom.
"Breaking News!" the female newscaster announced, drawing both Usagi and Motoki's attention. "We have just received word that moments ago, the body of the superheroine Sailor V was found in an alleyway by a passing homeless man. The young girl appears to have died due to the serious injuries she received battling the monster that attacked Osaka two nights ago. While the body is currently still being identified, citizens are already beginning to question whether or not they will be safe at night now that their hero is gone."
Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sailor V was dead? It couldn't be true! Sailor V was her hero! She was supposed to be unstoppable! How could she be dead? This wasn't right! This was all wrong!
Motoki reached down and patted Usagi's head. "Usa, are you…"
Usagi suddenly reached up and pushed his hand away. She then dropped to her knees and reached her hands to the sky, as if trying to bring down Heaven itself. "NOOOOOOOOOO! SAILOR V, YOU WERE MY HERO! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the blonde girl wailed as Motoki looked on, taken aback by her display of drama.
Kunzite entered Queen Metalia's chamber and took a knee. "My Queen, I have something most interesting to report."
"Oh? Do tell," the dark mass whispered softly.
"Just an hour ago, Sailor V was found dead. It appears the wounds that Reptilicus inflicted on her were… too much for her body to handle," Kunzite said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
The Queen was silent for a moment, but she suddenly began chuckling lightly, before erupting into a malicious howling laughter. "Excellent! This is a marvelous development! Now we have one less enemy to deal with…"
"But my Queen," Kunzite interjected. "What about that Sailor Moon girl? How shall we deal with her?"
Queen Metalia ceased her laughing, causing Kunzite to freeze. He looked as if her regretted what he just said. "I believe I made it clear that our primary goal is gathering human energy. We will not waste time on that weakling Sailor Moon! From what I observed, the main reason she defeated Arachnia was her ability to create sonic waves. The obvious solution to this is a monster who will be immune to such an attack," the Queen hissed at Kunzite.
"Of… of course, your majesty! That would be the most logical strategy…" Kunzite stroked his chin for a moment, deep in thought. "I believe I have just the monster for the job!" he said eagerly.
"Well then, waste no more time. Send forth this monster immediately!" Queen Metalia ordered. Kunzite stood up and placed a hand over his chest before beginning to walk backwards out of the room. "And Kunzite?" He stopped and focused on the glass sphere. "Do not fail this time… or there will be consequences…"
Kunzite said nothing, settling for a simple nod. He finished backing out of the room and closed the door behind him. He drew in a deep breath, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"A threat from the Queen? You had better get your act together!"
Kunzite narrowed his eyes, recognizing the sly, arrogant tone of voice. He turned around to see none other than Jadeite standing across the hall. "No tricks this time, Jadeite? It seems you are the one who needs to get his act together," Kunzite said mockingly.
"Are you two squabbling again? Honestly, you boys are so immature sometimes!" a flamboyant voice chastised from down the hall. Kunzite and Jadeite looked over to see short, slender man with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail clicking his tongue at them.
"Zoisite. Where's Nephrite?" Kunzite asked.
Zoisite smiled and flipped his hair back. "Oh, he's just off dolling himself up in his barracks. The two of us are hoping to catch the Northern Lights tonight." The feminine man suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You're not suggesting I can't be without him for a moment, are you?"
Upon hearing this, a devilish grin spread across Jadeite's face. "He's not, but I am," the blonde man sneered. "I believe you would go insane if you went so much as an hour without clinging to his arm!"
Zoisite glared at Jadeite with passionate eyes. "How dare you! I am more than capable of handling myself!"
Jadeite simply laughed out loud. "Don't make me laugh! If you so much as see a mouse crawling around you run into your beloved Nephrite's arms and cry like a woman! You are such a pathetic man."
Suddenly, a strong hand clamped down on Jadeite's hair and yanked him around, bringing him face-to-face with a tall, muscular man with long, red-brown hair. Jadeite's expression suddenly dropped. He was clearly afraid of this man. "Now Jadeite, surely you aren't mouthing off to my dear Zoisite again, are you?"
Zoisite smiled briefly, but quickly put on a fake sad face. "Oh, but he is, Nephrite! He called me weak and pathetic! Oh, it hurt my feelings so bad!" Zoisite cried.
Nephrite's eyes narrowed and his forehead popped a vein. He held up his hand, producing a black rose in his grasp. He held the thorny stem up to Jadeite's face. "I should slit your throat for saying such things!" He swiped the thorns across Jadeite's cheek, drawing a slight drop of blood. Jadeite flinched in pain.
Seeing this, Kunzite quickly strode up to Nephrite and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nephrite! Enough," he said firmly. Nephrite looked back at him and scowled, but released Jadeite as he was told. He then walked over to Zoisite and held out his arm.
"Apologies, my dear," Nephrite said softly. "What's say we get away from this duo of hooligans?"
"Indeed!" Zoisite chirped as the two began walking away. "True beauty awaits us in the sky!"
"Oh Zoisite, not even a miracle of nature like the Northern Lights could be compared to your beauty," the tall brunette complimented.
Kunzite watched he pair of lovers go, before crouching down and helping Jadeite to his feet. "Are you okay?"
Jadeite narrowed his eyes for a moment, before letting cheerful smile cross his face. "It takes more than a flimsy rose to hurt me!" He tensed the muscles on his face, sucking the blood seeping out of the cut on his face back under his skin.
Kunzite shook his head. "Your arrogance is going to get you killed one day, little brother." With that, the silver-haired man turned around and walked down the hall towards his monster's barracks.
"I think I'll be quite alright…" Jadeite mumbled before slithering off in the other direction.
Usagi and Naru dragged their feet as they walked down the road, their backs slumped over and tears streaming down their cheeks.
"This can't be happening…" Usagi whined. "Sailor V Can't be dead!"
"I know, girlfriend," the redhead responded sadly. "But we have to try and move past this."
Usagi looked at her best friend, her eyes practically filled to the brim with tears. "I don't think I'll ever be able to move past this! Who's gonna be my hero now?"
Naru placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Hey, the important thing is she went out fighting," she said with a half hearted smile. However, the smile quickly faded as she began crying again. "Even if she still died!"
The two girls hugged each other and let out a collective "WAAAAAHHHH!" before being interrupted by a loud voice.
"Manga sale! Special Sailor V Manga sale!" the voice announced. "Commemorate the loss of the beloved Sailor V by partaking in this one day Sailor V Manga sale! All issues are ninety percent off today and today only!"
Naru and Usagi looked across the street to see a man holding up a large arrow sign, pointing to a manga store on the corner. The display windows showed a huge Sailor V poster with a big red "90% OFF" tag slapped on it. The two girls' eyes lit up instantly.
"Oh my gosh! Ninety percent off?! That's practically free!" Usagi cheered.
Naru took Usagi's hand in her own. "What do you say, girl? Let's pay our respects to Sailor V by buying every issue in that store!"
The two girls cheered as they dashed across the street. They cut off several cars in the process, causing the angry drivers to honk and shake their fists at them, but the girls were too overjoyed by the sale. They practically knocked the advertisement man over as they barged into the store.
"Take your time picking an issue, girls! Remember this is offer only lasts today!" the advertisement man encouraged. However, once the two girls were out of range of his voice, the man bared his teeth in an evil grin and chuckled. "And as you'll soon find out, your lives will only last today as well…" the man snickered.
Usagi flopped down on her bed, bringing the huge pile of Sailor V manga with her. The Bun-Headed girl had spent the entire afternoon scouring the shelves of that store for every issue of Sailor V she didn't own, and thanks to the sale she was able to afford all of them. Of course, it cost her the other half of her weekly allowance…
"Where should I start? I have to read them all tonight!" Usagi quickly shook her head at this thought. "No, Sailor V is gone. I have to honor her properly by dragging out this binge as long as I can," she told herself proudly. "I'll only read one issue tonight."
Usagi searched through the stack of manga before settling on one of her favorite issues: Sailor V #91: The Revenge of Masquerade Man! Usagi rolled onto her stomach and flipped open the book to the first page. The story picked up right where it had left off; the evil Masquerade Man, a tall, devilish man in a tuxedo and a masquerade mask, had returned from out of nowhere, seemingly haven risen from the grave. He planned to get revenge on Sailor V for beating him the first time by killing the man she was in love with! Oh boy, this was gonna be intense! As Usagi turned the page, the battle with Masquerade Man began, with Sailor V jumping into the air and lashing out with her signature Sailor V Kick! However, Masquerade Man simply stood there and absorbed the blow! How was that possible? The kick was Sailor V's strongest technique, and the villain just took it like it was nothing! Is it possible he had gotten stronger since they last met?
Normally, all this intense action would have Usagi walking all over her room as she read her manga, but the young girl found herself feeling strangely exhausted. In fact, she was so tired she couldn't even move! What was going on? It wasn't that late, so why was she so tired? Her vision began to darken around the edges and her eyelids began fluttering as it felt like her strength was literally being sucked out of her. Just as she was about to pass out, Usagi heard a loud shredding noise, and she was suddenly jolted awake, her strength seeming to have returned. Usagi looked in front of her to see Luna standing there, along with her Sailor V manga, which was now nothing but a pile of torn ribbons of paper.
"Luna!" Usagi cried. "What's with you and destroying my stuff? I got this from a one-time sale! And I haven't even read this issue yet!"
Luna simply stared back at her with a serious look. "Maybe if you didn't keep buying evil objects, I wouldn't have to keep destroying them! Look!" Luna gestured with her paw towards the pile of Sailor V manga, which was now glowing with a dark aura. Suddenly, a dark tendril shot forth from the aura and shrouded Usagi, causing her to feel tired again. Luna panicked. "Quickly! Throw them out the window!"
Even though Usagi's mind told her not to waste such a precious collection of unread manga, Usagi took the stack of books in her arms and tossed them all out the window. Once again, the dark aura disappeared and Usagi's strength returned.
"What was that? It felt like my life was being drained away…" Usagi said nervously.
"That's because it was," Luna answered. "The man who sold you those manga was an agent of the Dark Kingdom in disguise. Usagi, you have to go and fight him!"
Usagi crossed her arms and turned away from the black cat. "I told you I won't do it! It's too scary for me and I have too much to live for! I haven't even had a boyfriend yet!"
Luna took a step towards the blonde girl, looking directly at her with pleading eyes. "Usagi, you have to! Everyone who bought those manga today are currently having their life sucked out of them, including Naru!" Usagi's eyes went wide at this revelation. "Sailor V is dead now," the cat continued. "You're the only hope this city and its people have now! If you don't transform and go out there, everyone in this entire world is doomed! I know it's a heavy burden to bear, and I understand that you're scared, but just think: what would Sailor V have done?"
Usagi lowered her head, tears brimming on her eyes. If Naru really was in danger, then she had to fight! But still… "I… I'm not Sailor V…"
Luna sighed. "You're right, you're not. But you are Sailor Moon! You possess powers that make you stronger than anyone else. You're not some helpless little girl anymore! If you put your mind to it, you can win!" Usagi lowered her head even further, and tears began streaking down her cheeks. "Usagi, please, I'm begging you!"
The young girl whimpered, feeling the weight of the situation falling on her like a ton of bricks. She was scared, more scared than she had ever been. But if she really was the world's only hope, what choice did she have? "Alright," she said suddenly, wiping the tears from her eyes and standing up. "I'll do it!"
Luna smiled and nodded, taking a step back as Usagi jumped to her feet and raised her right hand to the sky.
"MOON PRISM POWER! MAKE UP!"
The advertising man stood behind the counter of the manga store, one hand held high in the air. A sphere of dark energy hovered above his palm, growing larger by the second. "Yes…" he hissed. "Just a little more energy should be enough to satisfy our great ruler…"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
The man looked over to where the voice came from to find a young girl in a pink, white and blue sailor suit standing in the entrance to the store. The girl had her hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face.
"Who dares to interrupt my collection of human energy?" the man demanded to know.
"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!"
The man watched as the girl struck a pose, completing her grand entrance. However, the sight of the pose simply made the man laugh. "Is that supposed to scare me? I don't think you realize who I really am!" He leapt out from behind the counter and stood parallel to Sailor Moon. His flesh seemed to begin to melt, or at least turn into some kind of liquid. His skin also changed color, going from a lively pale to a deathly pure shade of black. His casual t-shirt and shorts morphed into a sharp pair of dress pants, a shirt, a tie, and a jacket (all black, naturally). Finally. The man's face twisted and contorted, slowly turning into a disgusting mesh of a human and some kind of amphibian. "My name is Inkling, soldier of the Dark Kingdom and loyal servant to Queen Metalia!" the slimy creature announced. He held out his hand and produced a large fountain pen. "But I am also an accomplished artist."
Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes. "I don't care what you are! Taking advantage of the emotions of people mourning the death of a hero is unforgivable! Now you'll suffer the most dire of consequences!" she said angrily, thrusting her pointer finger at the monster.
Inkling simply grinned at the girl, finding her attempts to intimidate him quite adorable. "I would love to see you try!" He grasped the fountain pen in his hand and threw it like a spear at Sailor Moon. The girl ducked out of the way just in time, and when she looked up she saw the sharp tip of the pen embedded in the door frame. She gulped at the thought of what could've happened if she hadn't dodged.
From behind her, Luna watched nervously. "Sailor Moon, use your sonic attack to stun him!" the cat instructed, quickly placing her paws over her ears.
"Good thinking, Luna!" Sailor Moon took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she possibly could. Her tiara began to glow, and like before, giant sonic waves erupted from it, colliding with Inkling and throwing him off balance. Sailor Moon carried out the attack as long as she could, until her lungs desperately cried out for air and she was forced to halt her screeching onslaught. As the heroine gasped for breath, she looked up at Inkling, but was shocked to see the monster laughing. "But.. but I thought that attack was supposed to stun you!"
Inkling continued to laugh. "Foolish girl! I'm made of ink! I don't have any eardrums," the slippery villain said, tapping the side of his head. "But I do possess a consciousness, and right now, my mind is fixated on your demise!" Inkling raised both of his fists, causing six more razor-sharp fountain pens to appear between his knuckles. He hurled the deadly weapons at Sailor Moon, causing the girl to shriek in horror and dash out of the way, just barely avoiding the projectiles. As the blonde heroine ran clumsily around the store, Inkling reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a jar of ink. "Oh no you don't!" He threw the jar at the floor in front of Sailor Moon, shattering it and splashing a thick pool of black ink around her feet. Sailor Moon began to slip and slide around like a cartoon character before finally falling flat on her butt.
"Owowow! That hurt!" the girl whined.
Inkling saw his chance and whipped out another pen. "Farewell, Sailor Moon!" He drew back his arm and took aim at the girl's head. Sailor Moon gasped in horror as she saw what was coming. She tried desperately to get back up, but the slippery ink kept her from going anywhere. Inkling let out a triumphant demonic hiss as he threw the pen at Sailor Moon with all his might. The girl let out a terrified scream, bracing for what was to come…
From out of nowhere, a shadow was cast over the helpless girl, and she heard a loud plinking sound above her. Upon realizing that she wasn't dead, Sailor Moon slowly opened her eyes and looked up, amazed at what she saw. A dashingly handsome man adorned in a tuxedo, a top hat, a cape, and a white masquerade mask was standing protectively in front of her. In his hand was a long, black cane, and as she looked down again, she noticed the pen that Inkling had thrown was now stuck in the carpeted floor. She looked back up to the man, her eyes sparkling with amazement. Who was this man? And where did he come from?
As if Inkling was reading her mind, the monster growled at the unwelcome intruder. "Who are you?" he demanded furiously.
The man stood up straight and stared at the slimy villain. "My name is Tuxedo Mask, and that is all you're going to know about me. I've come here to save Sailor Moon and stop your evil deeds."
Sailor Moon was transfixed by this Tuxedo Mask. He was so brave, and he had saved her from certain death! Within seconds, bright pink hearts appeared in the young girl's eyes. She was in love.
Tuxedo Mask turned around and looked down at Sailor Moon, extending his hand to her. Sailor Moon snapped back to reality and she more than willingly took the man's hand. As he helped her to her feet, she slipped a few more times on the puddle of ink, but Tuxedo Mask quickly grabbed the girl's shoulders, helping her balance herself. "Are you alright Sailor Moon?" he asked.
Sailor Moon gazed longingly into the man's eyes. They were a deep color, almost black. They were so beautiful and hypnotic. As the girl realized she was probably worrying the man, she regained her composure and smiled up at him. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me," she said quietly.
"You can thank me once we've finished this freak," Tuxedo Mask said stoically. He whirled around to face Inkling once again, only this time the monster was gritting his teeth and snarling like a wild animal.
"So you knocked away one of my pens, so what? You really think you can defeat me, pathetic human?!" Inkling produced another fountain pen, this time holding it like a dagger, and charged at Tuxedo Mask. The caped man gripped his cane and ran to meet the monster head-on. The two clashed their respective weapons, Inkling trying to get close enough to gore the man with his pen, and Tuxedo Mask trying to push back his opponent's assault. Finally, Tuxedo Mask brought his fist up and smashed it directly into Inkling's jaw, splattering ink, or what might have been the creature's blood, all over one of the manga racks. His white glove became stained with black ink, but he managed to stun the monster with the blow. The handsomely dressed hero quickly maneuvered himself behind Inkling and put him in a headlock, pulling him in line with Sailor Moon.
"Sailor Moon, do it now! Destroy him with your tiara!" the man shouted.
Sailor Moon nodded and reached up and took off her tiara, the jewelry quickly transforming into the sharp golden disk. As the girl was about to throw her weapon, she noticed that Tuxedo Mask was standing right behind Inkling as he held him. "Wait! What about you? If you're standing behind him when I throw it, the tiara will kill you too!"
"Just trust me! I'll be alright!" Tuxedo Mask said as he struggled to hold onto Inkling, who had recovered from the man's punch and was now putting up a tough resistance.
Sailor Moon had no choice. She closed her eyes and reared back her arm.
"MOON TIARA BOOMERANG!"
The brilliant golden disc flew across the store, directly towards Inkling and Tuxedo Mask. Just as the weapon was about to make contact, Tuxedo Mask pushed his captive forward and jumped out of the way. Inkling let out a cry of agony as the disc sliced through his torso, gruesomely splashing ink all over the store. However, the sticky liquid, along with the creature it came from, began to stiffen and turn grey. In just a few seconds, the monster became a pile of dust on the ground.
Sailor Moon gasped and fell to her knees, the stress of the situation clearly having taken a toll on the petite girl. Luna bounded over to her, looking like a concerned mother. "Sailor Moon! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
The girl was panting heavily, but managed to get a few words out. "No… I'm fine… Luna…" Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound erupted from outside. As if acting on instinct, Usagi jumped to her feet and ran outside. "Usagi!" Luna called out, but the girl ignored her.
Sailor Moon stepped outside and looked around, as if trying to find something. "Sailor Moon!" a voice said loudly. The girl looked up to find where it came from, only to see none other than Tuxedo Mask standing heroically on the edge of a building, his cape billowing and whipping around in the cool night air. "You fought bravely tonight. I hope that one day we will meet again so that we may continue to fight evil together." The well-dressed man turned his back to the blonde heroine and began leaping across the rooftops before disappearing into the night.
As Sailor Moon watched the man leave, the bright pink hearts returned to her eyes and she squealed like a crazed fan girl. "He's so handsome!" she cried. "You're my new hero, Tuxedo Mask!"
Luna had followed Sailor Moon outside and had watched Tuxedo Mask leave. Even as she rolled her eyes at Usagi's teenage infatuation, two questions crossed her mind: Who was this Tuxedo Mask? And was he friend or foe?
"Please, forgive me, Queen Metalia! I had no idea that this Tuxedo Mask character would interfere! I beg of you, spare me your wrath!" Kunzite was on his hands and knees in front of Queen Metalia's glass sphere, begging to be spared the consequences she had promised him.
Queen Metalia sighed. "Fear not, Kunzite. You have not incurred my wrath this time. I was surprised by this man's appearance as well. It appears that while one of our enemies has died, two more have taken her place. Let us hope that Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are the only ones we will have to deal with. If more of these pests arise, we may begin to have complications…"
The school bell rang once again, announcing the beginning of a new day. Usagi slumped into her desk, dreading the thought of whatever assignment would be forced onto her today. "Man, I'm so tired… if I'm gonna keep doing this Sailor Moon thing, I'm gonna have to start taking naps after school…"
As the rest of the class walked into the room, Ms. Sakurada entered with a small girl in tow. She had short, blue hair and had a warm, welcoming smile on her face.
"Class, I have someone I'd like you to meet," Ms. Sakurada announced, gesturing to the blue-haired girl. "This is your new classmate, Ami Mizuno."
The girl turned to her new classmates and bowed. "Hello. It's nice to meet you all."
~A Suivre~