Yes, updates will be coming eventually to my other stories as well. This is just the most fun to write for the moment, but I'm grinding away at the others.
LoveInTheBattlefield: I intend to.
Avoided Island: Ditto above.
Bouowmx: I've always felt that it's the little touches that make stories brilliant. Show, don't tell.
mlsmls27: Glad to know I'm achieving what I was aiming for.
I don't own Sailor Moon.
"Luna, we need to stop by the hospital after school today," Usagi told her cat as they walked to school.
"It won't be easy for me to get in," the cat demurred, "but I can do it, I suppose. Still, do you really need me there to visit anyone?"
"It's the sleeping sickness that's been going around, Luna. It can't be natural, so I'm betting it's a Dark Kingdom plot, and we need to stop it."
"Not that I'm disagreeing with you, but what makes you so certain?" Luna asked. "It sounds a little like a disease that was around in the Silver Millennium, which made people lethargic and sleepy, and that was perfectly natural."
"The numbers aren't," Usagi insisted. "For one thing, why would a disease only target women and girls? And it's in the wrong age range!"
"Age range?"
"If this were a real disease, it would be a virus or bacteria, right? Those normally target really old people and really little kids, because they aren't good at fighting them off. Instead, all the victims have been between thirteen and forty, which is the age-range that should be hardest to get sick!"
"How do you know all this?" Luna asked. "You seem remarkably well informed."
"They only parrot it every year when we need to get flu shots," Usagi answered, rolling her eyes. "After hearing what the at-risk ages are, I think I'd remember at least a little."
"True," Luna agreed, "but wasn't there a flu that specifically targeted people who were usually healthy somewhere in Earth's past? If it's this, then it's natural, and visiting these people would expose you to it. A sick senshi at this time would be a catastrophe."
"There was…I don't think it was bird flu. Spanish flu, maybe? But yeah, we heard about something like that in history class, but it was fifty years ago. But this is too precise to be normal."
"Precise?"
"In the three days since it sprang up, they've got four cases a day exactly. That's not normal. Also, it doesn't spread like anyone expects. The victims have nothing aside from age and gender in common. Three of them don't even live in Tokyo! How is it spreading if it isn't through contact? I mean: one of the girls who got it had a twin sister who's still healthy."
"…You're right," Luna decided. "I can't imagine how they are accomplishing it, but this does sound like the work of the Dark Kingdom. I'll scout around while you're in school and see if I can catch one of today's victims before they get quarantined inside the hospital."
"You do that," Usagi told the cat, turning her head as Luna scampered away. She turned back just in time to round the corner and come face to face with a green jacket.
"Oof!" She and Mamoru (apparently the jerk was a friend of Motoki's. How someone so sweet could like someone so nasty was a mystery to her) stumbled back, Usagi rubbing her nose.
"Would it kill you to watch where you're going?" she asked snidely.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Dumpling Head," he responded. "Because if you walk into traffic it really could kill you."
"I bet you'd be overjoyed at that," she drawled. Well, we're not screaming at each other yet. "And is Dumpling Head really the best thing you can come up with? You're missing entire world of dumb blonde jokes, if nothing else." Mamoru chuckled.
"Motoki," he explained, "is my best friend. I'd never use a dumb blonde joke that could implicate him. And as for Dumpling head," he reached out and tugged one of her ponytails lightly, "it's easy and obvious."
Usagi's vision flashed red. She shrieked and stormed off in a huff. Mamoru watched her go, rubbing his ribs where she'd rabbit-punched him.
"B**** move," he muttered under his breath, and walked away.
"Chiyo, spill already!" Usagi pleaded to her classmate over lunch. "Is it a new diet or something, because I've never seen anything like it. Show off and gloat a little, you deserve it!" The embarrassed girl stood up and spun around, displaying the new trim figure she was sporting. Then she staggered, yawned loudly, and plopped back down.
"I started working out," she told the gaggle of girls around her. "It's like the pounds just melted off me! The gym's new program really—" she yawned again, rubbing the bags under her eyes, "—works wonders. You should try it out."
"New program?" Usagi asked sharply. First a new sale at the Osa-P, then a new fortune telling shop. Now a new gym program? If the Dark Kingdom wanted energy, I wonder how much they could snatch up from people using energy while they work out…and Chiyo looks like she hasn't gotten any sleep. Luna said people recuperate energy by eating and sleeping, so hunger and exhaustion are signs to watch out for. She's clearly exhausted, and it looks like she's already finished her bento.
"Yes, a new program. They have a couple of personal trainers who will help you work out and pace yourself, and then you finish up in a relaxation chamber."
"A relaxation chamber?" Usagi paused, saw that Chiyo's eyes were following the piece of chicken she was waving around on her chopsticks. Following a hunch, she did something completely out of character. "You want some of my bento? You still look starved."
Everyone present blinked. Usagi was playfully known as a bottomless pit, and the other girls wished that they had her metabolism. Other people sharing food with her on days when even her extra-large bento and store-bought snacks weren't enough was pretty common.
Usagi sharing her food with someone else? Almost unheard of.
Chiyo blushed and squirmed. "I couldn't really. I already cleaned out my bento and, and, and," she trailed off, her mouth first going dry and then beginning to water as Usagi waved the aromatic piece of chicken under her nose hypnotically. Her stomach gurgled.
"Just tell me more about the gym thing," Usagi purred, and fed Chiyo the tidbit. Naru snorted, noticing that Usagi's eyes were half closed, and she was purposefully making her voice more languid. Both were sure signs that she was going into flirt mode.
"Just be careful what you say to her when she's like this," the redhead advised as Usagi fed Chiyo another piece, and then just handed her the bento. "If you give her an opening she'll have you in a broom closet with your blouse open before you can blink."
Chiyo choked and promptly imitated a tomato. A few other classmates chuckled as well, while one or two remembered something like that happening to them. Usagi shot Naru a hurt, pouty look.
"Would I do that?" she whined. "It hurts that you don't trust me to act honorably."
"You'd do it in a second, have done it, and will keep doing it for the foreseeable future," Naru deadpanned. "As for honor, your intentions are for fun and nothing else, even if you do obey the No Means No rule." Usagi pretended to be hurt by this unfair accusation, and one other classmate jumped in.
"You'd know, wouldn't you Osaka," he leered playfully, only to blanche under Usagi's death glare.
"Actually, no," Naru told him. "I'm completely straight, and Usagi accepts that, so we've never done anything."
"Really?"
"Yes, really," Usagi snapped insistantly. "Naru's my best friend, and my sister in all but blood, so if she isn't interested, I'm not going to push it. I've never done anything more than hug her, so don't paint her with the same brush as me. She's a good girl." And it was clear that in spite of how it may have sounded, Usagi meant it as the highest possible compliment.
"Actually, you've kissed me on the cheek a couple of times, but I don't mind," Naru corrected.
"Oh. Well, we've never done anything more than that," Usagi concluded. Everyone's heads turned to Naru again, expecting her to correct the blonde again and drag out another piece of their personal history, but Naru just leaned back on her heals and resumed eating her bento. Usagi finally turned her attention back to Chiyo, and—
"Whoa, did you finish that already?" Usagi asked, seeing Chiyo dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.
"Um, yeah," she admitted sheepishly. "Thanks, I owe you one. I've been starving ever since I paid the gym a visit to try out their program, because they said the relaxation chambers would speed up my metabolism a little to help the weight stay lost."
To Naru's surprise, Usagi didn't jump on the 'I owe you one' comment, instead focusing back on the gym. "The chambers can do that?" she asked intently.
"Apparently. They said it was new technology just out of the development and testing phase."
"Which gym is this? I want to try it out."
"Why do you want to lose weight?" Sayuri wondered.
"Well, my metabolism won't last forever," Usagi demurred. "Besides, I'm thin, but I don't have a lot of muscle. I want to change that, get some tone, maybe try a little weight lifting." Punching out youma, too. Then her stomach grumbled. "Quiet, you," she ordered, poking herself in the gut.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I completely cleaned out your lunch, didn't I? If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just say so."
"Well…" Usagi drawled, "You still haven't told me which gym to go take a look at."
"It's called Fitness Works. But I was going to tell you that anyway."
"If you want, then," Usagi hmmed, and Naru raised an eyebrow as her best friend moved in for the kill, "I've been wanting to see A Storm of Blossoms ever since it came out, so how about we go see that after school tomorrow, and you can buy the tickets."
"Okay," Chiyo agreed, and paused when she realized what she'd just agreed to. "Wait, like a date?"
"Mmm, not if you don't want it to be," Usagi teased cheerfully, and trailed a single finger down her cheekbone. "But yeah, two people going to a movie, one of them buys, maybe they get dinner or go shopping afterwards…it's a date if you want to call it one."
"I told you so," Naru chorused, seconds before the bell for class rang.
"Ugh, I'm starved," Usagi moaned to herself, hobbling down the sidewalk. "Dumb blonde is right, you think I'd remember why I don't share food," she grumbled. She paused for breath and slumped over, clutching her stomach. "Alright, I just need to get to the Crown and I can down a milkshake or something there." She pushed off the wall and hurried around the corner, only to crash into someone and stumble back.
"Usagi, how are you doing?" Motoki asked cheerfully. Usagi bit down on the biting comment she'd been about to launch at Mamoru. I guess the exception proves the rule.
"I'm starved, Motoki," she whined pitifully to her big-brother figure. Their mothers were best friends growing up, so they'd known each other a long time. "I skipped lunch and was looking forward to one of your shakes to take the edge off, but how am I going to get one if you're all the way over here instead of working?"
"Well," he laughed, "Unazuki is taking a shift, so you could always see how well her skills measure up."
"Moe," she pouted, "No one could ever measure up to you and your Specials. I guess I'll just quietly go home and waste away until dinner."
"Now, now, that can't be healthy. A growing girl like you needs plenty of fuel. Especially one who needs to grow as much as you do."
"Hey," she yelped playfully. "I'm not short, I'm petite! And mom was a late bloomer too."
"Well then, I guess we need to make sure you get well fed with plenty of sun and water, so you can blossom into a beautiful flower. C'mon, I know I good all-you-can-eat place a block from here."
"You're the greatest!" she squeed. "Does Reika know how lucky she is to have you?" He chuckled.
"In this case, it's me who knows how lucky I am to have her," Motoki said, leading her away to the restaurant. "So why were you skipping lunch? You weren't trying to diet, were you? It's not healthy at your age, and your figure really doesn't need the help."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, you wonderful man," Usagi giggled. "No, it wasn't a diet. I let a classmate steal a little too much from my bento, because she was starving too, that's all. Why did you think I'd be dieting? I don't look fat, do I? Do I?!" She looked over her own body in mock horror.
"Usagi…" Motoki said with a long-suffering sigh. "Please don't, I get enough of that from Unazuki."
"Lies, she's got a better figure than I do," Usagi said with only a touch of jealousy.
"Tell her that. First her boyfriend dumped her, and now she's trying to slim down and give herself a makeover for the Princess Cabaret."
"She got dumped? Really? And what's the Princess Cabaret?"
"Yes, her jerk of a boyfriend dumped her, and I still think she's better off without him. But she's convinced that she has to change everything about herself now, which is why she wanted to enter the Princess Cabaret. It's a contest held by one of the big pop-idols to scout out the next generation of 'Rising Talent'. But she wants to get herself a new wardrobe and a make-over for it, so she's working as many shifts as she can handle to pay for everything."
"Sounds cool," Usagi said thoughtfully. "Maybe me and Naru will give it a try. But I think she's going about it all wrong."
"Oh?"
"She wants to be a pop-star from the sound of it, right? Shouldn't she be practicing singing and dancing and stuff? Pop-stars have people to do their hair and make-up for them, but they can't have people sing their songs, so she needs to practice her act."
"I never thought about it like that. Do you think you could have a talk with her sometime this week?"
"Sure, I'll swing by the Crown this weekend if you tell me when her shifts are over. But you might wish I didn't if she ends up actually winning this thing."
"If that happens, I'll be happy for her. Imagine-my sister the pop star."
"Yes, your sweet, innocent sister dumped into the world of paparazzi, drugs, sex scandals, and burned-out has-beens."
"...Usagi, will you help me sabotage her attempts to make sure she never, under any circumstances, has any chance of winning the contest?"
"As long as she never finds out. If we get caught, I'm blaming you," Usagi promised.
"Well," Luna huffed, "not meeting me to look at the hospital is one thing, but it's another thing entirely for me to find one of the senshi making a pig out of herself on another man's credit. What were you thinking, dropping your duties like a hat to go gallivanting off with an older man?"
"I was thinking that I was too hungry to think because I spent most of lunch following another lead about the Dark Kingdom," Usagi snapped. "So put a sock in it Luna. And Motoki has been a friend of the family's since before I was born—we're like cousins." She sighed. "Even if he's hot as hell. But he's taken anyways, so it doesn't matter, even if I had Naru's tastes for older men."
"…What lead were you following?" Luna asked.
"One of my classmates missed class yesterday, and then showed up to school ten or twenty pounds lighter than she was before. She was also starving and exhausted. Sound familiar?"
"That does sound like the symptoms of a slow energy drain," Luna said darkly. "But loss of weight is something new…Possibly they're speeding the body's metabolism to generate more energy, and draining it as it's being generated?"
"You'd know better than me. But apparently she lost the weight after trying out this new program at the gym. The Fitness Works gym, it was called."
"Isn't it normal for humans to lose weight after exercising?"
"Not this fast," Usagi told her. "I thought that the Dark Kingdom could probably steal loads of energy from people working out, and they'd never notice because they'd expect to be tired anyways."
"So you checked out the gym during lunch, and didn't eat?"
"No, I wrung her for information, and I gave her my bento because it looked like she was about to pass out from hunger. Next time I'll let other people be generous," she grumbled. "Did you find anything at the hospital?"
"Unfortunately, they have a strict 'no animals' policy that I couldn't maneuver around. But I did hear that there were another four victims today," Luna told her.
"Definitely not normal," Usagi contemplated. "Decision time, Luna. We don't have enough time to check out both the gym and the hospital today. Which do we go for? I'm leaning towards the gym."
"The gym? Why?" Luna asked. "I would think the hospital would be a more important target, given how many victims are there."
"Yes, but they aren't targeted at the hospital," Usagi argued. "They're ending up there after they're attacked and drained, but that's not where the draining is happening. If we go to the gym and stop them, then there might not be anyone else showing up at the hospital. If we go to the hospital instead, all we'll find out is that we should've gone to the gym, so let's skip the side-quest."
"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that logic," Luna conceded. One bus ride later and they stood outside the gym in question.
"Well, this place has been around a while, so it isn't like the House of Fortune. More like the Osa-P, where the youma impersonated someone. Anyone in particular I should watch out for, 'cause it would suck if all the trainers here were youma."
"It's very uncommon for the Dark Kingdom to put more than one youma on an operation at a time," Luna assured her. "Two or three at the most, which is almost unheard of. More likely there's one youma here that is brainwashing the other people into following their will."
"Any giveaways? Vacant eyes, drool, repeatedly saying 'braaaains'?"
"Slowed reactions, so it will commonly take a moment to react to a question you ask them," Luna told her. "Their reactions slow even further the more unexpected the development, and they often don't have the mental filter humans normally have before speaking, so unpredictability is your ally here. Just so long as you don't give away your identity, of course."
"Of course," Usagi agreed, and frowned as something caught her eye. Someone. "Oh, hell no," she growled, and stormed into the gym. "Naru!" she called with false cheerfulness, waving to the redhead. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, checking out Chiyo's weight-loss advice," Naru told her.
"Why would you want to lose weight? Your curves are in all the right places, unlike me. I barely have any curves," Usagi complained, looking down at her as yet undeveloped chest.
"Well…it's what you were saying about gaining muscle," Naru told her, and stepped in conspiratorially. "That thing that attacked the store still has me freaked. I was helpless against it—pinned to the wall by my neck when Sailor Moon showed up. If I get in better shape, then maybe I won't be so helpless."
Usagi sighed, unable to argue with that. "Fine, I guess we should spot each other then. What should we start with?"
"Did I just hear someone ask for work-out advice!" Usagi and Naru jumped and spun around to find themselves facing the source of the boisterously cheerful voice. While not a mountain of muscle, the personal trainer was at least a large hill of it. "I will be happy to help you with any exercise assistance you require!"
"Thank you so much," Naru gushed, happily ogling the hot guy despite his being almost a decade her senior. Or in her case, perhaps it was because he was almost a decade her senior.
"Which do you think is better, boxing or kendo?" Usagi asked spontaneously. Naru looked at her, confused, but she was too busy counting mentally.
1…2…3…4…
"I'm afraid we don't have kendo equipment here!" the trainer announced. "We do however offer boxing, kick boxing, and various martial arts lessons if you're interested!"
"Just wondering," Usagi told him with a cheerful smile. Either he's a total idiot, or he's brainwashed. For the sake of the gene pool, I hope it's the latter.
"The best place to start is with stretches, and if you don't have proper equipment we have clean changes of exercise clothes we are happy to lend you at no extra cost!"
"Oh, thanks! What's the cost for the workout?" Naru asked.
"From stretching to relaxation chambers, the first day's workout is free!" he chorused mechanically. A few minutes later they had both changed into tank-tops and sweats, and he was running them through some basic stretches. Usagi, interestingly, had undone her trademark style and rewoven it into a single, large bun with a shorter ponytail trailing off of it.
"You changed your hair," Naru commented with mild surprise. "That bun looks sort of complicated, though. Any reason you lost the odangos?"
"I'm not sure I trust the lockers here," Usagi told Naru, "so I grabbed some stuff I didn't want to risk losing and tied it up in my hair. It's gotta be useful for something, after all." She leaned down to touch her toes and the knot flopped, but didn't become undone.
"You stuck your wallet in your hair?" Naru was a touch impressed by her friend's ingenuity, despite it also being somewhat paranoid. That, and it looked like it would be absolute hell to untangle when Usagi had to let her hair back down.
"No, but I emptied it out and stuck the money in my socks," she admitted, and gestured to the bulge at her ankles as they sat on floor to do butterflies. Naru nodded and let it drop as they continued, finishing with a sitting twist that made Usagi's spine pop in three places.
"That was a nice warm-up," Naru chirped as the trainer led them across the floor to the weights stand. Usagi hung back a second and whispered to her.
"Naru, don't you think you should get to know him better before you leave the bra out of your outfit?" The redhead flushed and tried to stammer a denial, but Usagi kept going. "I mean, I guess he's hot, but he's a bit thick. Not the type I'd want to father my children, which must be what you're thinking of if you're moving this fast. And besides, he might be taken."
"I didn't see a ring," Naru snapped, blushing, and then covered her mouth at the slip. "It's not like that Usagi! I'm just more comfortable like this when I work out."
"Which is why you leave it off at school when there are guys our own age around," she deadpanned.
"D****it Bunny! I don't bug you about stepping into closets with half our classmates, so leave my preferences alone!" Naru scolded under her breath.
"It isn't illegal for me to date half our classmates," Usagi countered. "Even if I do it at the same time. Morally wrong and slutty, maybe, but not illegal. And none of them are liable to pull a wham, bam, thank you ma'am on me!"
"He wouldn't do that!"
"Because you know the personal trainer you just met five minutes ago so well," the blonde argued quietly. "I just don't want you to get yourself in a bad situation!" Before Naru could argue back Usagi stepped forward and tapped the trainer on the elbow. "Hey, would you be willing to give my friend a wild ride tonight?"
"Usagi!" Naru tried to screech, but her throat had locked up, and her legs had turned to jelly. The trainer just stood there for several seconds, the same bland, cheerful smile never leaving his face.
1…2…3…4…5…
"I'm afraid I don't understand your question!" And then he went back to explain the weights and different exercises you could use them for. Usagi just raised an eyebrow at Naru, who wilted over.
"Okay, point taken." She turned and hurried back to the changing rooms and returned a minute later, with the telltale straps visible under her tank top. The trainer didn't even notice her disappearance.
For the love of all that's holy, please let him be brainwashed, Usagi thought to herself as they kept going. She noticed that, interestingly, Naru was losing energy (presumably literally, given the Dark Kingdom's involvement) faster than she was, and called a stop to the workout early.
"Well, the day won't be complete without a visit to our patented relaxation chambers!" he insisted, ushering them down into the basement.
"I feel pretty relaxed already," Usagi tried to demur, "I think I'll skip it."
"Nonsense! The chambers are an integral part of our workout program! Here at Fitness Works, we see to it that your hard work works with the help of our patented relaxation chambers, which speed your body's metabolism while massaging your muscles with pleasant vibrations—you'll swear that the excess weight is just drained off of you!"
Usagi snorted at the vibrations comment and then choked when he mentioned draining. These guys have a sick sense of humor.
"You might not want them, but I'm sore," complained Naru. "Lead the way!"
"Fine, I'll come along," Usagi grumbled. If only so I'm on hand to make sure nothing happens to you. You know, if Naru keeps getting targeted, secrecy be d***ed I'm telling her who I am so she'll take this stuff more seriously.
"Here we are!"
"I'll take over from here," said a quieter voice as a man stepped out from the shadows. Immediately the trainer about-faced and walked out of the room. "Welcome to our relaxation chambers, ladies," he said politely. Where the trainers had looked like body-builders—piles of muscle—this man looked more like a martial artist: lean, limber, and stronger than he appeared. "Follow me to an available chamber, please." He turned around, his ponytail swishing behind him, and Usagi called out.
"How do these things work?" she asked, looking around at the mechanical coffins spread out across the room. "These aren't tanning beds, are they? Because that's really not good for my skin."
"Not at all," he said with a laugh. Usagi saw that his nametag read Kyo. "You simply lie face up in one of the chambers and it vibrates the surface beneath you as part of a massage. The top part vibrates the air in the chamber to have a similar effect on your skin without being too intrusive."
That makes absolutely no sense, Usagi thought to herself, but decided that drawing the youma's ire (since this guy pretty clearly wasn't brainwashed) by calling it out would be a bad idea. This stuff didn't really hit Chiyo hard until the next day or two, so we'll go through it, and I'll come back later and wreck the place.
"Show me the way," she said bluntly. A few minutes later they both were in different pods. In the dark, Usagi wondered to herself how she was going to take out the youma. Oh well, she thought to herself, shifting to reach up to touch the pocket knife stuck in her hair bun, I'll figure it out when I get there.
Kyokudo smiled, allowing a fang to momentarily appear through his disguise. He walked back to his desk in the corner to check how the models were functioning.
"Yes, relax, become tired and sleep as you give your energy to the Dark Kingdom," he crooned to himself. "With the imprinting these chambers do, we can keep draining you even after you've left us. Flail around and try to stay alive, little fish. The more you fight, the more we feed."
He noticed that three of the twelve chambers were reaching the end of the timespan it was safe for a human to be in them. General Jadeite had ordered no casualties if it was at all possible, to avoid drawing the suspicion of the authorities. It really was rather annoying.
The conflict in Africa and the Middle East left Kunzite with what was almost a free hand in attacking humans and ripping their life-force from their mangled bodies. Nephrite's methods only disappeared individual people, which happened often enough to be ignored in the Americas. And Zoicite simply wasn't good at collecting energy, which was why he'd spear-headed the search for the Silver Crystal to redeem himself.
But Jadeite's forces had the difficult task of collecting large amounts of energy with as few corpses as possible. Thus far they had succeeded admirably, and he was quickly rising above the others in Queen Beryl's favor. But that didn't make it any less annoying.
Kyokudo hit the End Session buttons for each of the victims and escorted them out. When he returned to the desktop, however, he frowned at the message he was being given.
Module 6 isn't draining any energy, in spite of it having an occupant? How can that be? He double-checked the computer readings and then walked over and examined the chamber cautiously. The chamber has been running less than ten minutes, and the occupant is still healthy, so it hasn't run out of energy to absorb. In fact, according to the readings it absorbed only the trace amounts of energy the human was leaking from its workout, and stopped. The whole point of the workout is to get their energy flowing so it's easy to drain? Did this one not work out before coming down here? He double-checked the readings again.
No, there was a measurable amount of energy flowing from her in the beginning, so the human definitely used the facilities upstairs. Also, the trainers are programmed not to bring down anyone who didn't work out first. But once the drain started, the flow stopped. The youma frowned, horns peeking out from his forehead before he got his disguise back under control.
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. He must have some power stopping the drain from affecting him. Which means…he must have some contact with magic of his own. He quirked his lips.
Well, considering that he probably killed Balm, I'd like to buy him a drink. Sadly, I'm probably on our mysterious warrior's target list as well. I could kill him now, while he's helpless in the pod, but… Kyokudo eyed the other pods around the room. General Jadeite said no witnesses, and this would leave too many. Should I just contact him with the information? Kyokudo considered the problem and gave into his ambition.
I can do this without the general's help. I didn't feel any magic on anyone who's come in in the past day, so he probably just has that as a weak passive defense, and relies on an enchanted weapon to attack. I'll just wait for him to run out of time in the chamber and ambush him before he can leave the premises. General Jadeite will probably promote me to Morga's old position once I bring him her killer's head.
And…it will be nice to cut loose and leave some corpses for once. The other generals' troops get all the fun.
Kyokudo smiled and eyed the clock. Sixteen minutes in Chamber 6, and only fourteen more to go before he got a look at this mysterious warrior.
Usagi yawned slightly as the lid of the relaxation chamber swung away from her with a hiss. She swung her legs to the side, squinting in the light after being in the dark for half an hour, and stood up.
"Eh, that was an okay nap, I guess," she said carelessly. "What did you think, Naru?" The redhead was leaning against a wall, waiting for her, despite the dirty looks Kyo was shooting her.
"I think—" Naru began and trailed off with a large yawn. She looked dead on her feet to Usagi's eyes, despite the grin on her face. "I think it was wonderful, and I could go for another four hours or so." She yawned again. "I'm just going to hit the hay when I get home, and homework can go to hell for all I care."
"Well ladies," Kyo said, eying Usagi strangely, "I'll just wish you a good day, and remind you that we only advise use of our relaxation chambers every four to six days, so don't come back until then unless you want to risk your good health!" He smiled cheerfully at the thought, his eyes never leaving the blonde as she and Naru walked out the door. I wouldn't have guessed it was a girl. Oh well, the plan will still continue. He reached out and gave a mental nudge to the thralls under his command. Then he stepped out after the girls.
"Excuse me, Miss blonde!" he called up the steps. The two girls paused.
"What is it?" Usagi asked. S***, he knows. He was eyeing me the entire time—he has to know. He's about to attack, and I need to kill him now before he gets anyone else caught up in the cross-fire, or worse, reports back on my identity. Her left hand idly reached up to scratch her hair bun, and palmed one of the things there. A pocket knife.
"I've noticed a slight defect in the chamber you were using, and I'd like you to take a moment and sign a document saying that it wasn't your fault." Usagi blinked and played along.
"That it wasn't my fault? Wouldn't you want to blame me for this?"
"No you're a minor, so it's just a formality. Also, our warranty only covers usual wear and tear, not vandalism, so even if you did do it I'd say that you didn't, so that the company would repair it for free." He smiled in an attempt to be charming.
"Okay. You go on ahead, Naru. This should only take a minute." And I don't want you anywhere near the fighting this time.
"Alright, meet you outside," Naru said, and walked off. Usagi trampled back down the steps and followed Kyo into a side room—his office.
"So where's the paper?" she asked, palming the knife and tensing.
"Oh, this isn't about a paper at—" Kyo began, only for her to dart forward, slash at his ribs, and dart back again. Green blood, she noticed. He definitely wasn't human. Good.
"You little b****!" he shrieked, and dropped his disguise, revealing his true form to be similar to that of a lizard-man.
"Moon Power: Make-Up!" she yelled, grabbing the brooch she had snuck into the center of her knotted hair. Instantly she felt power enshroud her, eating away at her exercise clothes and weaving new ones from pure magic. The door opened behind her just as the glow of her transformation faded and in stumbled two—no, three of the brainwashed trainers.
Sailor Moon slid backwards, dodging a lash of the youma's tail, and buried her elbow in one trainer's gut. The man bent double as her senshi strength broke through even his brainwashing to elicit a huff of pain, and she backhanded his face, knocking him into the wall. He slumped to the ground silently. The other two clutched at her and she jabbed their ribs as hard as she could, feeling something break.
"Die!" screamed the youma as it darted forwards, claws outstretched. Moon spun under its arms and kicked it in the back, cratering the wall where it hit.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" The disk missed as the youma ripped its head from the wall.
"I am Kyokudo, and I will kill you for the glor—" it threatened, only to jerk backwards as Usagi shot forward, drilling a fist towards its face. The punch missed, but tiara on its return trip did not, biting into the lizard's skull. It dispersed into dust.
Usagi immediately moved backwards as the trainers' headbands fizzled. One of them groaned and wheezed in pain, clutching at his ribs. After a few seconds it was pretty clear that he wasn't going to reveal himself to be another youma and attack her. She walked over and nudged him with her foot.
"Hey, you alive?" He groaned and turned to face her.
"Who are…you?" he wheezed. "What happened?"
"My name isn't important, you can just know that I'm the one who saved your lives from that youma."
"A what…?"
"The thing that got blasted into the big pile of dust over there," she told him, pointing with her thumb to the lizard man's remains. She bent down and frisked the other two unconscious trainers, producing a cell phone. "Here, call the police and an ambulance." She paused. "And I'd take it as a favor if you didn't mention my involvement. You know, since I saved your life and all."
She dropped the cell phone and walked into the empty hallway. Scanning it for cameras, she changed back into her civilian guise and went to meet Naru and collect her stuff.
"So, I smashed the operation at the gym," she summarized to Luna while training in the park that night. "Tomorrow we'll find out if that put a stop to the sleeping sickness. They should all regain their energy with the youma gone, right?"
"Maybe not all of them, or all of their energy, but they should regain their energy if the connection hasn't been severed."
"Connection?" Sailor Moon asked, standing up and shaking out her arms after several sets of push-ups. "You mean the spell used to drain their energy?" She began jogging lightly, and Luna followed.
"Yes. Think of it like a pump and a pipe," Luna explained, knowing that Usagi wanted to know about these things. "The pipe allows energy to flow between two places. The Dark Kingdom inserts this 'pipe' into the 'tank' of human energy and uses a 'pump' on the other end to suck it empty to fill up their own 'tank'. However, the energy wants to stay where it is, so it's the equivalent of making water flow uphill. If you destroy the pump, the water—the energy—will return to where it came from on its own."
"The Dark Kingdom doesn't have any way of stopping it from returning?"
"They could sever the connection between the two, effectively blocking or removing the 'pipe' but that also means that they couldn't drain anymore energy from this victim." Usagi slowed down, frowning.
"Luna, how long would it take for this energy to return to the victims? A few hours? Days?"
"Not at all! As long as the connection is intact it should only take a few minutes for it to return. Water flows downhill much faster than up."
"Then why was Naru still exhausted for several hours after being drained?" Usagi asked. "Shouldn't she have gotten her energy back?"
"I…don't know. The connection wouldn't have atrophied on its own until after the energy had returned, and it doesn't sound as though the Dark Kingdom was severing the connection on their own," Luna admitted. "The energy should have returned on its own when you destroyed the draining devices." Usagi tripped mid-jog and ate dirt.
"The draining pods! D***it Luna! I thought I only had to destroy the youma!" She jumped back to her feet and face-palmed. "I should have realized that, it's so obvious in hind-sight," she grumbled to herself. "I'm an idiot! No, worse, I'm going genre blind!"
"Usagi! You're saying you didn't destroy the draining devices?"
"No!" Usagi began running towards the gym, despite it being a dozen blocks away, and Luna followed. "The other two times I only needed to destroy the youma! How was I to know this time was different?"
"I would have thought you'd have done it anyways, just to be thorough," Luna told her.
"There were still people in them! I didn't want too many witnesses," Usagi snapped. Then she stumbled as a thought hit her. "Crud, there were still people in there, and the youma wasn't there to get everyone out and oversee stuff." She grabbed Luna and took to the rooftops, chafing at their pace in the streets.
"I think they should be okay. I stayed around after you and that girl left, and the police evacuated everyone fairly quickly," Luna told her. The moved through the city in silence for a few minutes more and then touched down in front of the Fitness Works gym, which had Crime Scene—Do Not Cross tape around the front door.
"Can you scout ahead and see if anyone is there, Luna?"
"I have a better idea," the cat said. Luna flipped into the air, and at the apex of her jump produced a silver domino mask (the same one that manga!Usagi starts with for the first few battles) that Usagi snatched. "This is equipped with some minor scanning spells, which should let you scry the building." Usagi put the mask on and then stared at Luna unblinkingly.
…
"What is it?" Luna asked the blonde. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Luna, if you had this the entire time, why are you only now giving it to me?" Usagi asked coldly.
"You never needed it before," Luna answered defensively.
"Bull, Luna. I'm fighting a war against life-sucking monsters. I need every advantage I can get," she snapped. "I could have found a use for it before, like checking out the House of Fortune without going inside, or seeing that they were draining people in the basement of the gym."
"I'm not just training you to fight the Dark Kingdom, but to be a senshi," Luna told her. "Giving you too many shortcuts before you can use your own power well is counter-productive to that."
"And not giving them to me could get me or someone else killed!"
"You've survived well thus far," Luna retorted.
"All's not well just because it ends well," Usagi countered, and then stopped herself from kicking the black cat. Crossing her would probably count as bad luck, Usagi thought to herself. And besides, 'I will resist the urge to dropkick the obscenely cute and fuzzy whatsit which follows my party around. There's no telling what powers it has.' Or what cool toys it can give me. "Do you have anything else that I might find useful? Like a weapon I can use on the youma?"
"No," Luna told her, "nothing safe for you to use. Most of my equipment is the transformation objects for the other senshi, as well as communicators. I also have something for the senshi of Mercury to use, as well as an item that will help us find the princess and the Silver Crystal, but neither of them are useful in this situation."
"You sure?" Usagi asked drily, taking the mask off and raising an eyebrow.
"Prove to me that you can handle yourself without external help," Luna told her, "and I'll give you more tools to make things easier. But you—you especially —should realize what a bad idea it is to use something as a crutch." Usagi sighed.
"You have point there," she grumbled. "If I start relying on it it'll just get broke at the worst possible time." She rubbed her brooch self-consciously, still not comfortable with the target it represented.
"If that's enough, we should hurry up and destroy these draining devices," Luna told her.
"Alright." Usagi turned to enter the gym, and found herself staring into a security guard's flashlight.
"Whoever you are, stop right there," he said stiffly. "This is a crime scene, and private property. No trespassing is allowed." Usagi opened her mouth to explain, realized how unproductive that would actually be, and closed it again.
"Okay, sorry for loitering," she said cheerfully. "I was just curious about what happened. Uh…could you tell me the way to the park? I live nearby and got turned around in the dark."
He eyeballed her, but nodded. "Just keep going that direction for about ten blocks. But…are you sure it's safe for you to be out alone after dark? This is a good part of town, but still… would you like to come in and I can call your parents to pick you up?" Usagi weighed the possibility of the invitation in, and decided he'd be watching too closely for her to slip away.
"They won't be home for another hour, so no go, but thanks. It's fine, I've got some tricks if anyone bothers me, and I can scream really loudly," she assured him airily, and flounced off in the direction he'd indicated. A block later she stopped, picked up Luna, and jumped onto a nearby roof.
"Why didn't you take his invitation?" Luna asked. "It seems like the perfect opportunity to get inside the building."
"Yes, but he would have been watching me too closely to slip away and break stuff," Usagi rationalized. "Also, I would have had to give him a number he could call: either give him a fake number which would make him suspicious, or my parents' number which would have them wondering why I'm over here instead of in bed like they think."
"Oh…yes, you have a good point."
"Granted," Usagi continued, "I could have just beat him up with brute force, but I'd rather have a reputation for saving lives and stopping monsters, instead of one for breaking, entering, assaulting, and battering. The last thing I need is people thinking the youma are the good guys, so I need whatever little good publicity I can get."
"Yes…" Luna agreed uncertainly. "Well, what do you plan to do now?"
"Well first, I'm going to go back to the gym via the rooftops, and stay out of sight." She picked up Luna and began suiting word to deed. "Then I'm going to use this really cool and useful mask to spy on him and learn where he's patrolling, and then I'll sneak past him and wreck the stuff."
"It's…as good a plan as any," Luna told her.
After a few minutes of observation Usagi had figured out that he mostly stayed in the office on the ground floor with the door open, and only stepped out occasionally, to do a light patrol.
"Great," she grumbled, "As long as he keeps the door open he can see almost the entire floor without leaving the room. I don't suppose I can teleport, Luna? You'd have mentioned it by now, I think."
"Teleportation is rather high-level magic. Even if you can learn, it won't be for a year or two," Luna told her. Usagi sighed.
"I thought so. Well, I guess we need a distraction."
"What do you have in mind?" Luna asked, feeling uneasy about the blonde's smile.
A few minutes later, Usagi's shrill scream cut through the night.
"Eeeeek! Somebody! Help! Please, somebody! Help! Rape!" The security guard was rushing outside before she finished the first "somebody," nightstick at the ready. He raced further down the street in the direction of the screams, hearing a second, older woman begin yelling as well.
A few seconds after he'd crossed the street, Usagi dropped down from the roof and cautiously slipped inside the building. Luna would keep him occupied for the few minutes she needed to destroy the equipment, and her mask would (hopefully) warn her if he returned early.
"This way…down the stairs," she remembered, scampering down the hall and stairwell. Sure enough, the orange pods were sitting where they'd been before. Lucky the police didn't impound any as evidence.
Not wasting any time, Sailor Moon simply drew back an arm and punched the machine as hard as she could. Her fist broke the metal and plastic easily, plunging her arm into it up to the elbow. There was a whine, a spray of electrical sparks, and with a crackle a plume of life-energy shot into the air and dispersed, hopefully back to its owners.
Usagi kicked the device to be thorough, breaking it completely in half, and moved onto the next machine. Three kicks completely crushed it, releasing the captive energy, and she was about to destroy the third when a picture clicked on over her left eye.
She didn't pause, immediately throwing herself to the side while tossing a "Moon Tiara Magic!" blind over her shoulder. A blast of dark energy destroyed the machine, releasing another spray of life energy, prompting the new figure to swear. She rolled, twisted to face him, and immediately jumped onto another pod and caught her tiara, which had missed completely.
"Well, I was going to wait another hour or two before I collected the energy we stored," the blonde in a military uniform said, power crackling around him, "but when we started losing chunks of our store I thought I'd see who the rat is. You don't look like Sailor V."
Usagi took a deep breath and focused her thoughts, eyeing the energy he had called up. "Foul villain of the Dark Kingdom, my na-Moon Tiara Magic!" He flinched at the sudden assault and her tiara bounced off his force field, but she threw one of the modules at him as well.
Instead of crashing into his shield, it froze in the air in front of him and floated as she picked up her tiara, assuming another ready stance.
"Please, senshi wanna-be," he drawled, tapping a few buttons on the machine. "I am General Jadeite of the Four Heavenly Kings, and I'm dimensions beyond any mere youma." The lights on the pod flickered, and a stream of energy poured out. It didn't disperse into the air, however, instead flowing into a crystal in Jadeite's hand. Then he flicked his wrist.
The now empty pod flew at Sailor Moon with no warning, and it still nicked her when she dodged, sending her tumbling behind another pod.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Jadeite frowned when he didn't see the tiara appear, but his eyes barely widened when she threw the machine she was hiding behind at him.
"Thanks," he deadpanned, catching it harmlessly in his telekinesis again and reaching out to draw the energy from it. He frowned as he saw Sailor Moon kick in another machine with a crunch, sending a plume of life energy into the air. This time, he didn't let her throw it, blasting it and her into the walls when she picked it up. His telekinesis may not work on living things, but everything else was fair game.
Then he frowned when he saw that she wasn't wearing her tiara. Hadn't she thrown her stupid spell earlier? His eyes were drawn to an odd gash in the floor, and he stepped to the side just in time.
Her tiara burst back up from the floor beneath his feet, opening a deep gash along his left leg, and carved through the now-drained pod he had been levitating as it homed back in on Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon, who had pulled herself out of the rubble and was flying through the air at him with a fist pulled back. It flashed against his force field, and he swatted her out of the air with the damaged machine. She hit the wall hard, and he was charging up a blast to take her out before she got back up when it hit him.
A rose slashed across his arm, embedding itself in his wrist, and he gasped in pain. Simultaneously, roses embedded themselves in the other relaxation pods, prompting them all to spout off their stored energy.
"Do not fear Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Kamen declared from the doorway. "No matter how many times you fall, there shall always be those to offer a helping hand in your fight against the dark."
"Sailor Moon? F*** this, I'm cutting my losses," Jadeite snarled as his injured leg buckled, and disappeared. Sailor Moon, blinked and hauled herself out of the wreckage with a sigh. Well, he actually helped out there, so I guess he's not completely useless. And unless they're playing a very long con, he's not on the Dark Kingdom's side either. Still, that doesn't mean he's on mine…
She glanced around, double-checking that all the machines had been destroyed, and a picture flicked on in her mask. The security guard was heading back to the gym, but still two blocks away. She cracked her neck and ran out of the gym, not willing to put up with anything else tonight.
"How did it go?" Luna asked once they both settled in her room.
"Mostly a success," Usagi answered blithely. "Does the name Jadeite ring a bell?"
"Vaguely, but nothing definite," Luna told her. "Did you run into a youma by that name?"
"I think so. He called himself General Jadeite of the Four Heavenly Kings, so I think he's got some authority." She yawned. "He wore a gray uniform and looked like a blond human male, except that he bled green like a youma."
"In my experience with the Dark Kingdom, those with higher ranks are more powerful," Luna said. "I'm impressed that you managed to make him bleed."
"I don't think I could do it twice. He was more preoccupied with gathering the stored energy than killing me, or I'd have been in trouble. When he got serious after I cut him, he swatted me like a fly."
"Oh?" Luna asked.
"He was going to blast me pretty hard when Tux-boy showed up. I'm not sure what it would have done, since getting pounded into the wall by a flying relaxation pod didn't do much more than sting, but it would have at least hurt, and I bet he could have kept blasting me."
"I'm not sure I trust this man," Luna said archly.
"Even if he's not on our side, he's the enemy of my enemy," Usagi countered. "I don't have to like him or trust him, provided we can cooperate against the Dark Kingdom. And if he wants to save my bacon when I need it, I'm not really going to complain too much, no matter how cheesy and over-dramatic he may be."
"Still…be careful," Luna warned.
"Oh, I will. But now I believe you were going to tell me about the other equipment you're holding onto."
"Now why would I do that?" Luna asked.
"Because you told me that if I handled this well you give me other tools to help me survive."
"I told you that once you proved yourself capable of acting only with your own power, I would give you tools to make things easier. You have not yet proven yourself."
"I destroyed the modules!"
"Only some of them. Some were handled by that man, and you told me that Jadeite gained the energy from at least two of them. Jadeite, whom you admit had all but defeated you were it not for that man's outside help."
"They're still destroyed, and I was facing a General! The guys you just said are the Dark Kingdom's strongest! I survived, and I made him bleed!"
"Which is impressive, but not enough," Luna told her. "What few things I do have that you could use are not toys, and should be used to supplement or boost your abilities. Not to replace them."
"I'm not going to rely on them, but I need every advantage I can get!"
"Then prove it by making good use of the advantages you already have instead of seeking new ones."
"This could be the difference between life and death Luna! What if I die?"
"There is nothing I could give you right now that would do more than slightly prolong your life," Luna told her. "What's more, the enemy would figure out what you were using, and once they overcame it and killed you it would be impossible for any other senshi to use the same advantages, crippling our entire side. Get to Prism-class, and then we'll talk."
"If it could prolong my life, it could prolong it long enough to get to Prism-class," Usagi argued. Luna didn't even bother to respond, just twitching her ears. Instead, Usagi sighed and changed tactics. "…Luna, what exactly were you in your past life?"
"What was I? I was a mau, just as I am now."
"Not that, your position. Your job. Were you a warrior?"
"A warrior? Not as such. I was primarily an advisor and teacher of warriors."
"So don't you think you should listen to the person who had actual combat experience in their past life?" Usagi asked archly.
"I think I should listen to the orders Queen Serenity gave me before she died, which were to find the senshi and see that they fought and could fight the Dark Kingdom and all other threats in this life." Usagi sighed again.
"So all I can do is get to Prism-class, huh?"
"If I see a situation where a tool I have would be useful, I will let you use it," Luna assured her, "but I believe you greatly overestimate my arsenal. Even the communicators I have, for instance, were made mostly from a base model of the one I had with me and other scraps I assembled."
"…You can make stuff I could use, then? Because I can think of one or two things you could make that might be helpful," Usagi said eagerly.
"You probably overestimate my skills, but get to Prism-class and we'll talk," Luna told her.
"Seriously, Luna? I destroyed the pods and fought off a General!"
"You were involved, but you were not the only one involved."
"It still got done, didn't it?"
"All's not well just because it ends well," Luna countered. There was a long pause and then Usagi blew out an exasperated breath.
"Defeated by my own argument," she grumbled. "You know what Luna, I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot. You think I'm too demanding, and I think you're too passive, right?"
"I wouldn't call myself passive, but yes, you are rather demanding."
"That's because I pretty much got press-ganged into a war. But anyways," Usagi continued before Luna could open her mouth to either respond or apologize, "my point is that we got off on the wrong foot. I want to make a deal and bury the hatchet."
"A deal? Go on," Luna said.
"I'll stop complaining about wanting help until I get to Prism-class, but once I do I want you to treat my points with the seriousness they deserve. Because this isn't just about me, Luna. If I fail—for any reason, be it your fault or mine—a lot of innocent people are going to die. You don't want that to happen, do you? I don't want to take any chances, so I want to stack the odds in my favor as much as possible. It isn't just my life at stake. It's the world."
"Yes, but if you stack the odds in your favor and still lose, then you've stacked the odds heavily against the other senshi as well," Luna explained. "I have to think not just about you, or the people you protect, but the other senshi and the people they will protect as well."
"…Yeah, I can sort of see that. So here's my deal. I won't complain about this stuff until after I ascend to Prism-class on my own power, and I'll even give the mask back if you want, but once I've ascended I want you to treat my suggestions and requests with respect. You don't have to follow them, but you have to have good, logical reasons why you don't."
"Prism-class and one upgrade to your attack repertoire, but you can keep the mask," Luna offered.
"Deal." And they shook on it.
"You look like s***," Flau commented when Jadeite limped into the Radio Station. He shot her a dirty look, but the presence of the other workers kept her from any other punishment.
"Yeah, Mr. J Daito! What happened to your hand?" one of the plebs asked.
"Just…a rose thorn drew a little blood," he said stiffly. "I thought the flower shops were supposed to remove those, but I guess someone didn't get the hint."
"Tell me about it. I'm allergic, so I have to send back any flowers my adoring fans send."
"You don't have any adoring fans," someone else teased. They all broke into laughter as Jadeite and Flau stepped into the next room.
"Don't forget, you're on in five," someone called. Jadeite waved in acknowledgment before shutting the door.
"I take it all did not go according to plan, general?" Flau asked quietly.
"You're walking a fine line, Flau," warned Jadeite. "I'll remember your insubordination when the mission is through, you realize."
"I hope to redeem myself by killing our little pest, before that."
"Well, you might be interested to know that our little pest is indeed a senshi."
"I get a shot at Sailor V?" Flau asked eagerly, her disguise flickering for a moment. Jadeite laughed.
"You certainly are brave. Brave, or stupid, Flau. Most youma treat the minx like the boogie man, and you're so eager to test your luck." Before the youma could respond he waved a hand to interrupt. "No, it's not Sailor V. It's a new girl called Sailor Moon."
"Anything I should know, General?" Jadeite considered sending Flau in blind, or with misinformation, but decided that the mission was more important than petty revenge.
"Very fast and relatively strong, and mostly a physical fighter. Has only one spell that I saw, where she throws a glowing Frisbee." Flau choked up.
"A F-Frisbee? Even V had things like a boomerang, at least," she laughed.
"It could still probably kill you if it hits, and she can throw it past you and call it back so it hits you from behind," he warned.
"I'm not worried by that weakling," Flau chuckled, only to hiss in pain as Jadeite touched a glowing finger to her neck. She recoiled, the burn quickly fading.
"You should be," he warned, "she's killed several youma already. Also, she has another bozo in a suit hanging around. Granted, the guy throws roses, but they hurt like a b****." He rubbed his injured hand. "Not only that, but her stupid Frisbee almost took my leg off."
"The wound doesn't look too bad boss, why don't you just regenerate it?" Flau asked skeptically.
"I'm not a youma, you twit. I don't have regeneration unless I steal energy for it, and our magic isn't good at healing. Exhibit A: Queen Beryl herself."
"Oh, right," Flau muttered, realizing how close she was to genuinely getting blasted from the tone of his voice. "Well, uh, I believe we're on, sir." They entered the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and most especially all you lovely ladies, welcome to another night of Midnight Zero. I hope all of last night's lucky ladies are enjoying their prizes. If your boys are worth anything they'll have mentioned how beautiful you look, I don't doubt.
"And now here's the first of our four winners for tonight," Jadite continued. "This one is from Miss Sewing-sensei. 'I'm writing this in the hopes that my long-term boyfriend will finally take the hint. We've been seeing each other for three years now, and I'm ready to take the next step. My job doesn't pay the best, but I'm off in the summer so that's the perfect time for us to have the ceremony and honeymoon. I can even make my own dress! But no matter how much I've been hinting I haven't even gotten a glimpse of a plan for a ring! All I want is for him to sweep me off my feet and take me away into the sunset.'" Jade paused and chuckled charismatically.
"Well, Sewing-sensei, I hope your boyfriend is listening and takes the hint. If not, screaming and throwing things at my head always worked to get my old girlfriend's point across." The laugh track came on as the other men in the studio cracked up. "I hope you enjoy your gift. Ah, here's our next letter. This one is from Todai Tester.
"'Dear Midnight Zero, I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm a high-school student hoping to get into Todai [that's slang for Tokyo University] and to that end I've been attending cram school and seeing a tutor. The thing is, I've ended up falling for my tutor! He's so much older than me that I fear he'll never see me as a woman, just as a child and a student! He's a grown man who works at Todai, with a daughter of his own, but he's not married. How can hope to make him take me seriously and get my happily ever after?' Well, Miss Todai, you've already taken the first step. Admitting that you have an attraction is one of the hardest things at the beginning of any relationship. Tell him what you told me, and the worst that can happen is that you have to try again after you grow up a little. If he's the one, he's worth waiting for. Enjoy your prize.
" Our third letter for this episode comes from—well, we aren't supposed to use names, so I'll assume that Mariko is a pseudonym and hope for the best. 'Dear J Daito.' Oh that's nice, so few of our writers remember my name. 'My relationship problems are a bit scandalous, to tell the truth. I'm in love with a classmate and close friend who may or may not return my feelings. The thing is, she's a she. I don't think she likes girls, since she's been to mixers and had a relationship over the summer, but I can't live with this secret much longer! How do I try for a relationship without risking our friendship?' A tricky situation indeed, Miss Mariko. Does your friend know you like girls? If not, I'd suggest you break that to her first, possibly by trying to date another girl outside your usual social circle. If that doesn't repulse her, then you still have a chance. Best of luck.
"Our last letter comes from Ms. December Twenty-fourth. Ah, worried about becoming a Christmas cake, I see. She writes, 'Dear Midnight Zero. I'm not writing you for advice about my boyfriend, because I don't have a boyfriend in the first place. I'm young, single, and I have my own steady income. In spite of this, and my patronage of three different dating sites, I still can't find a good man! It's so bad, even my students are starting to spread rumors, and my coworkers are probably next. Is true love so hard to find?' Ms. December, the best advice I can give you is this. Ask your friends to set you up with someone they know and trust, instead of a blind date with a stranger. Maybe you'll find a spark.
"Well, that's it for tonight's Midnight Zero, everyone. Also, we'd like to alert all our viewers to a completion known as the Princess Cabaret coming up next week. Sponsored by Mikan Shiratori, it's a talent hunt for the next generation of idols. You could be the big winner. Tune in tomorrow for more love, all you ladies."
Usagi flicked off her radio. "That's it for me, goodnight Luna."
"I will never understand what you see in that. Sleep well, Usagi."
I wonder if I know anyone who's written to Midnight Zero…Didn't Ms. Haruna wail something about becoming a Christmas cake when Umino flipped her skirt? I should ask her tomorrow—I bet her face will be amazing! Hey, maybe I should give it a try and get a prize—I could probably fake something pretty convincing and be one of the lucky four…four!
Her eyes snapped open. "Luna, I've got an idea about the sleeping sickness."
Things are moving. Jadeite's building up several plans at once, so he's going to get some energy no matter what. I also left a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, so revisit this one once I get around to posting more chapters.