Shin Densetsu Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Reborn
By The Scribe of Legends
Author's Notes
And here is Part Two. I plan to upload both parts of an Act at the same time whenever possible. As aforementioned, there is seems to be formatting issues between my word processor and the document manager of this site. Again, I apologize if that makes the work difficult to read.
Note: There was a minor edit to this section, I re-read some of it and felt it could be better.
Disclaimer
Sailor Moon is the original property of Naoko Takeuchi and all other respective holders. Any other copyright material is the property of its intended holders. No harm is intended.
Act Two: Is the Genius Girl a Youma? The Brainwashing School of Terror!
Part Two
Drat, Ami thought, rechecking her book bag. She had lost that flash drive. She didn't really use it much but the carrying case was her favorite. I must have dropped it at the arcade.
"Ms. Mizuno," a cool voice said with a hand suddenly on her shoulder. Ami jumped and tensed as she turned in her chair enough to look up at the owner of the hand and the voice. It was the main instructor – a tall, thin woman with brown short-cropped hair and icy demeanor. She was never mean or said anything wrong but she made Ami very uncomfortable. The way she looked at the students was more like a lion surveying a herd of gazelles than a teacher looking at students.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Don't forgot to use the Crystal Program and study hard. You're on scholarship, so you mustn't be lazy. I have high expectations of you."
"Y-yes, ma'am," she agreed. The woman gave her a predatory smile and walked away. Ami shivered and hoped that the teacher didn't notice that she didn't have it today.
Kinda of glad I lost it. The program gives me such a headache, she mused to herself, pulling out her books. I'll stick with regular note taking and ask Mama about not going here anymore. It's not really helping.
"If you use our patented Crystal Program, even you can become a genius," Usagi read off. "Confident aren't they?"
"Be careful in there Usagi-chan. I have a bad feeling about this place," Luna warned, her tail swishing with agitation.
"I'm just going to return this flash drive!" Usagi said, rolling her eyes. "You worry too much."
Through truth be told, this place was giving her the jeebies too. But bravado was one of her new found skills.
"Are you finally in the mood to study a little, Odango Atama (1)?" asked a sudden and familiar male voice. She whirled around glaring up at him.
"You again!" she growled. The jerk she had first run into at OSA-P, she now ran into at least once a week. She had finally learned his name – Darien Shields (2). Or Darien-baka (3) as she preferred to call him. It was rude but he was rude to her, always calling her that stupid nickname. How Andrew could be friends with such a jerk was beyond her comprehension.
"Why do you always show up at the weirdest times?"
"That's not my problem," he replied. He focused his eyes – very intense sapphire blue eyes – on Luna and frowned before speaking again. "By the way, wasn't that cat just talking?"
Both Usagi and Luna blanched.
"O-of course not!" Usagi answered. "Cats don't talk." She scooped up the still stunned cat and started to quickly leave. "Gotta go now, bye!"
She only ran a few feet before demanding, "What are you staring at?" she couldn't see him but knew he was staring. And sure enough when she glanced over her shoulder, he was looking, his frown deepening. Usagi swallowed and hightailed it out of there.
It was several minutes and several twists and turns in case he had followed, Usagi finally stopped to catch her breathe. Through she wasn't that winded – maybe it was just stress or something. Luna was about the same and she hadn't been the one running.
"That was too close! It would be big trouble if he found out!" Luna said.
Usagi nodded. And noticed something else – Ami's flash drive still in her hand.
"Damn! I forgot to give this back to Ami. Darien-baka made me forget all about it!"
"Maybe before you return it, we should check it out."
"Are you still going on about Ami being a youma? She isn't."
"You don't know that," Luna said gently but firmly. "She isn't normal."
"Ami is normal! And does a talking cat have any right to gripe about anyone else's normalcy?"
"No, she isn't! Usagi-chan, she saw my mark! Normal, everyday people can't!"
Luna had a point, she was forced to coincide. But . . . "But I still don't think Ami-chan is a youma."
"That isn't the only possibility, Usagi-chan," Luna reminded her. "Remember how that youma disguised itself as Mrs. Osaka?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Then that's one possibility. A youma could have taken the real Ami's appearance and place to further one of their plots."
Usagi felt her stomach drop at the thought. She had not forgotten how terrified Mrs. Osaka had looked when she found her in the basement. Or how weak she was from the lack of food and water. If a youma had taken Ami's place, she could be in really bad shape. Or worse.
"Do you understand now?" Luna asked.
"Yes but I warn you now, I'm not that good with computers!"
"Leave that to me."
To say Usagi was surprised when, in search of a computer they could use without attracting a lot of attention, Luna lead them back to the arcade (Or rather the alley behind the arcade and into a back storeroom in the Crown), was an understatement.
"Luna!" she hissed. She didn't want Andrew or one of the other workers to find them back here. She was pretty sure that no one but employees were supposed to be back here. And how did going into a room with cleaning supplies constitute finding a computer? "What are we doing here?"
"Trust me," was all the cat said. "Oh, here we are."
Here was the wall of the storeroom, one of the interior walls instead of one that made up part of the outside wall.
"I don't get it."
Luna rolled her eyes. "Try looking again. And this time look with more than your eyes."
"Huh?"
"Use your Guardian senses!"
"Oh," Usagi said. Duh.
She took a deep breath and concentrated on the part of her that was Sailor Moon. Moon was part of her, always had been, she just needed to learn to listen to her. she still needed to transform to gain her full powers but she could access a portion of them in civilian form as long as she concentrated and listened to Moon. Concentrate a lot in her case through Luna said, like all of her other powers, it was something that would get easier with time and practice.
After what felt like hours, she felt the power stir and shift inside her. Her basic senses sharpened and others woke up. It was like being blind, not realize it, and suddenly be able to see. She turned her eyes back to the wall and now saw what Luna was talking about.
Eight symbols – one of which she recognized as the marking on the blue woman's forehead – surrounding an upturned crescent moon etched in silver. Directly below was a curious script framed by a star-like symbol on either side. The script looked very pretty and it seemed to fit with the marking. She couldn't read it but got the funniest feeling that she should know what it said.
"Now do you see?"
"Yes."
"Good, now put your hand over the moon and repeat after me." Luna waited until her hand was over the moon before speaking again.
"Nányë Mellon (4)."
"Nányë Mellon," Usagi repeated and somehow understand it. I am friend.
The marking shimmered and Usagi felt a spark of something. A power. Somewhat different from her power as Moon. Not evil like the youma but . . . different. Older. Stronger.
"Good," Luna said, nodding. Then spoke again, "Latya lombafenna (5)."
Usagi yelped as the marking – and the wall – faded away in the vague shape of a door.
"Well?" asked the cat, walking into the space. "Are you coming?"
She did, after gaping like a fish for a few more seconds. And prompt felt her eyes widen in shock again. It was a hallway of rooms, each door marked with similar writing as on the entrance wall. Luna led her to the first one which contained computers and a whole bunch of other stuff. Really high-tech computers almost like in the futuristic movies.
"Close your mouth and open that flash drive into this computer," Luna ordered, hoping into the seat of one of the computer. Somewhat overwhelmed, Usagi obeyed. Managing to move the mouse and keyboard mostly by herself, Luna called up the program. The first few screens seem pretty normal – subjects and options for lessons.
"You're really good at this."
"Knowing how to use a computer is normal these days, Usagi-chan."
"I know how to use one. Just not well," Usagi retorted.
Suddenly a blue screen appeared.
"Cover your ears, Usagi!" Luna ordered. Usagi obeyed but could still hear muffled words.
"Offer your energy and knowledge to our great ruler and become our loyal followers."
Luna hit a few keys and the program closed. She looked up at Usagi seriously.
"It's a brainwashing program! There is a youma at that school!"
"Wait, Usagi-chan!"
"Why? The students and Ami-chan are in trouble right now," Usagi objected.
"We don't know exactly where the youma is and we don't want the enemy knowing who you are. Use the Moon Phone."
"Oh! Good thinking!" She pulled out the cellphone out of her pocket. Luna had given it to her not long after first became Sailor Moon. When Usagi protested about already having a cell-phone, Luna told it that this one was special and "would come in handy." One thing she discovered the phone could do was disguise her appearance.
"Disguise University hospital doctor! Change!" and hit the button that on a normal phone simply took pictures. A flash of light and power, and her uniform was replaced with a lime green scrubs, white lab coat, and a suddenly short haircut. She replaced the phone and ran into the building.
"Emergency! Someone is ill," she shouted over her shoulder at reception. Following her instincts (and those of the black cat at her heels), she soon found an occupied classroom. She burst open the door.
The noise was very jarring but the students only sluggishly turned in her direction. Their eyes were glazed and not like glazed like too many hours in front of a computer but under the influence of a youma glazed.
"Everyone, get away from those computers!"
"Who are you?" demanded a familiar voice. Usagi looked over at Ami, the only person not in a zombie-like state and felt her heart drop. "Don't interrupt our studies."
"So you are a youma!" Usagi growled, furious. If that monster was at all good at mimicking Ami's behavior, then how dare that . . . that thing do something like this to such a sweet girl!
"Wha-?"
"Don't play fool with me! Moon Prism Power Make Up!"
A wash of power and moonlight and she stood as the Guardian of Love and Justice.
"I won't forgive you for abusing dedicated students and an innocence girl! Sailor Guardian of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon!"
"Sailor Moon?" Ami sputtered in disbelief. She had heard of Sailor Moon of course. It was impossible not to. She was on the news, in all the papers, and discussed all over the school. She didn't know why she was accusing of being a monster . . .
A sudden chill down her spine and hand rough smacked over her mouth, pulling her against a body!
Needless to say, Moon was pretty surprised when 'Ami' didn't turn a monster but was grabbed by a tall woman who glared coldly at her.
"Ah, here at last. We knew that targeting these brats would bring you out Guardian," the woman said. The woman grew taller and taller, her skin peeling away to a dark red color. Purple spikes erupted from her shoulders. Yellow eyes met hers banefully.
"They call me Garoben! I am your executioner, Sailor Moon!"
"Let Ami-chan go!"
"Unlikely," the monster snorted. With a wave of its' hand, several of what appeared to be sheets of paper appeared above her head and shot toward her.
With a yelp, Moon managed to dodge most of the papers, except for the one that sliced away some of her hair. It didn't seem to deter the monster any because it just shot more and more papers at her. before she knew it, she was maneuvered into the corner of the room, razor sharp papers all around her.
The monster laughed. "Now my slaves, hold the witch while I deal with this brat."
At once the students rose from their chairs and lumbered over toward Moon. Damn, she didn't have room to use Moon Tiara Stardust (6) on them. She blocked and smacked away the grabbing hands, trying to knock them out or back without hurting them. Not easy to do considering she was stronger than a normal human and they weren't hampered by restraint.
Ami tried to struggle, horrified by the ugly hand over her mouth and the sight of Sailor Moon fighting to fight against her classmates, but the monster was inhumanly strong.
"Now your turn, brat," the monster said, releasing her mouth to grip the back of her head, forcing her face up the computer screen. "Give up your energy to our great leader!"
No, Ami thought, gritting her teeth and pulling strength from somewhere deep inside. No, I will not allow it!
"Huh? Why isn't it absorbing her energy?" The monster's voice grew colder. "You didn't use the Crystal Program, did you?"
"You should study on your own without depending on machines or computer programs!" Ami growled out, the inner strength that had welled up growing, making her more confident, sure of herself. She would not help these . . . things hurt people. She wouldn't!
A burning sensation erupted on her forehead and she felt something inside start to stir . . .
Luna was torn between trying to help Sailor Moon and Ami when the monster snarled, "What is this?"
Luna looked over and gasped in shock. The blue symbol of Mercury was blazing on Ami's forehead.
"Mercury! She's a Sailor Guardian!" Luna wastes no time in summoning the Mercury pen and run toward the girl. She had to hurry!
Ami heard the monster growl in annoyance and throw her to the floor. Ami winced as she skidded on the tile floor.
"If I can't your energy, then you're useless. Prepare to die, human," The monster laughed as its arm distorted and melded, shifting into a large ax. The edge glimmered in the lights and Ami had no doubt that it was razor sharp. She stared up at the monster in terror. She was going to die. It was going to kill her.
"Ami-chan!" An unfamiliar voice yelled and shattered the paralyzing fear. She looked back but only saw Usagi's black cat – what was Luna doing here? "Take this!"
Numbly, Ami grabbed the object, it only penetrating then that the cat had spoken to her. And that object she had slide over was . . . a pen. A swishing sound and Ami threw herself to the side. just in time to avoid the ax. She scurried further out of the way.
"Shout Mercury Power Make Up!"
Figuring doing anything was better than doing nothing, she shouted, "Mercury Power Make Up!"
Of its own violation, her hand raised the pen high into the air. Blue light and power spilled from the pen and the power filled her. The power of water. The covering mists and fogs, the gentle streams and raging rivers, the splash of rain. The cold breath of winter, clean snow, glittering ice. The power of wisdom, of knowing things, of eagerness to learn, to discover, to realize how much more is out there to learn and experience. It was all hers. All hers in a cool embrace of water around her body, of a blast of arctic air as the water vanished within.
She wanted to sing for the joy of it. It was like reading your favorite book, finding a treasured old toy, seeing a friend or family member after a long absence. It was familiar, joyful. It was home.
"Another Guardian?" the monster snarled. "Die, blue witch!"
It slashed its hand-ax at her but she dodge the clumsy blow with ease. The monster, which had seem so powerful before, now seemed slow and clumsy, weak. It was no match for her. Mercury was a warrior and had fought things more terrible than this for generations.
"Say Shabon Spray!" Luna called from somewhere behind her as the monster lunged for another attack.
Mercury dodged again, jumping a distance away from the monster. She raised her hands in front of her in a cupping motion, gathering power. The power of water, of cold into a ball in her hands.
"Shabon Spray! (7)"
True to its name, the ball divided into a spray of bubbles which spread across the room, bursting to release a white heavy fog. Mercury found that she had no trouble seeing through it and could manipulate the thickness of it and its chill.
It doesn't like the cold, she thought, seeing the monster shiver and wrapped its arms around itself. She concentrated, increasing the bite of winter around the monster making it cower further and peer blindly in the fog, shouting in frustration.
Mercury looked over at Sailor Moon, and saw the first of the students suddenly falter in their attack and collapse to the ground. Good, she thought. The youma has to concentrate to control its victims. An idea appeared in her mind and she smiled.
She positioned herself and recalled some of her fog, allowing her reflection to appear on the monitor behind the youma. Snarling, it took the bait and tried to behead her. It got itself stuck in the computer for its trouble. Mercury strengthened the fog again, cloaking herself in white and moved toward Moon.
Moon was too busy trying avoid being penned by students or killing them to notice anything happening beyond that until the heavy fog blanketed the room. And the students suddenly stopped fighting her and slumped to the ground.
"What that-?"
"Sailor Moon!"
She looked up as another person stepped out of the fog, someone dressed in a very similar to hers. Her collar and skirt were blue too but her bows were a light blue instead of red. She also lacked the rolled sleeves. Her boots were also like hers but blue in color and without the crescent moon. A blue jeweled tiara graced her forehead and triple blue pearl earrings adorned her ears.
Her hair looked black . . . no, not exactly black. When the light hit it just right, she could see the tint of blue in the hair. The ice blue eyes were familiar. Like the woman in the dream . . . Mercury. It was Mercury.
She smiled, felt a hint of connection reach between her and Mercury. It felt like they had known each other for years, no ages. Someone she fought with. Cried with. Bleed with. A friend. A sister.
Mercury smiled and Moon knew that she felt it too. Then Mercury's eyes turned back the way she came.
"Moon, the youma! Aim for the that spot right there!" She said and pointed, some of the fog thinning enough for her to make out the hulky form of the monster.
Moon nodded in understanding and removed her tiara. She gathered her power, summoning the glimmering disc of moonlight. "Moon Tiara Action!"
She heard the monster scream as the attack hits it mark. The fog began to lift and Usagi breathed a sigh of relief.
As the adrenaline faded, Ami looked down at herself and fingered the skirt. And felt the tiara on her brow. What a strange outfit but somehow it felt right. Even the skirt which was beyond short.
"This is . . . I am a Sailor?"
"Yes," Luna said from by her feet. "The Sailor Guardian of Water and Wisdom, Sailor Mercury."
Sailor Moon smiled brightly and said, "Sailor Mercury."
Groans brought their attention to the floor as the students began to stir.
"Are they-?"
"They'll be okay," Sailor Moon said confidently. "We should go before anyone gets curious."
Ami nodded and followed Sailor Moon out, though she paused to grab her things. It would not take a lot brains to connect the dots between the girl in the sailor suit and the things belonging to a student who wasn't there.
Instead of going down, Moon led to the ground. With a leap, she jumped to the roof of the next building as if the gap between them was a hop. She gestured for Ami to follow and trusting the other as well the power inside her, Ami made the leap. And found it was easy.
Grinning, Moon began to run, her steps followed closely by Mercury. Soon they were both laughing. Mercury from the sheer joy of it. Running under the cheerful sun with her, with her sister. The only thing that marred it was the thought that there should be other running feet with them, other laughter filling the air like bells.
After a while but all too soon, Moon dropped from the building heights and slipped into a park. When they reached a small clearing in the trees, she nodded satisfied. "This is probably far enough away."
"Far enough away for what?"
In answer, Moon turned to her and closed her eyes. She glowed bright white and when the glow faded, Usagi Tsukino stood in her place.
"To de-transform, of course."
Ami was shocked. Usagi was Sailor Moon? That was as likely as . . . as mousy bookworm Ami Mizuno being a Sailor Guardian. She nodded, closed her eyes and concentrated. She willed away the transformation, the power, returning it to that deep inside place. Mercury faded away to far background and felt her fully Ami Mizuno again.
Now it seemed it was Usagi's turn to look surprised. "Ami-chan?"
The only one who did not looked shocked was Luna. "Now, now, Usagi-chan, no need to sit there with your mouth open like that. We need to bring Ami-chan up to speed."
"And that's when we went to the school. You pretty much know the rest," Luna finished an hour later.
"And sorry for thinking you were in any way a youma," Usagi added, looking sheepish.
"No, it's alright. In your position, I would have thought the same thing. And thanks for wanting to save me from an monster impersonator." Ami assured.
She smiled and extended a hand, "I'm glad to have meet you. Let's work together to beat the villains, ne?"
"Yeah!" Usagi grabbed her. "It will be so nice not to fight all those ugly things alone! And by the way, I was right!"
"About what?"
"Studying is NOT your only talent."
Ami blushed and Usagi laughed. Even Luna seemed to smile.
To be continued . . . in Act Three!
Linear Notes
1: Odango Atama is Dumpling Head. We used Meatball Head.
2: Darien Shields is one of the English names they used for Mamoru. I will point that this is not Mamoru's real name in my story – his name really is Mamoru Chiba. Darien Shields is more like his adoptive name. Only his closest friends call him Mamoru – Andrew (Motoki) does too but knowing how Mamoru feels about his real name, would introduce to a relative strange like Usagi as Darien instead of Mamoru.
3: Darien-baka basically means Stupid or Idiot Darien. What Usagi calls Mamoru in revenge for the Odango Atama thing.
4: Nányë Mellon is Elvish as in Tolkien elvish, and means I am Friend. Nányë = I am. Mellon = Friend.
5: Latya lombafenna roughly means Open Secret Door. Latya = to open, opening or allow entry. Lomba = secret. Fenna = door.
6: Moon Tiara Stardust is a one-time attack she used in episode 5 which instead of slicing, dusted the target with sparkly dust which broke the enchantment the Dark Kingdom had put on them. She used it because the attackers were children, one of which was her brother Shingo.
7: Shabon Spray is Bubble Spray. Shabon just sounds cooler than Bubble.
Note on the Elvish: I am going to have the people of the Silver Millennium spoke and wrote elvish as their language through it, over time, become a bit of mixture between Sindarin and Quenya, probably gradually adding more Sindarin to their words as Quenya was used less and less over time. My Elvish in nowhere near perfect so there will be, most likely, mistakes. This will be discussed in more detail by the characters but most likely not until after Princess Serenity reveals herself and more of their memories return.
Note on the Cell Phone: That was largely used in the live action version and this way they can talk to each other without looking weird (talking into a cell phone is normal to observers, talking into a calculator-like device or a watch is not). One of the things I liked about the live action version was that all of the girls could disguise themselves if necessary, not just Moon.
