Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
I've gotten some comments about capitals and italics, and there's a method to my madness.
"talking"
"LOUD"
"stressed"
thought
Also, someone pointed out that I described Uranus as wearing a yellow fuku. It was an accident, but I haven't decided to retcon it yet. It just isn't an important detail aside from in your minds, or making fan art. And yes, I know the cliffy was stupid, but I like being a little mean. At least I update regularly.
Enjoy.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"Who are you? I don't recognize your face." Everyone on the roof, except Uranus herself, face-faulted at Usagi's question. She chuckled at seeing Luna among their number. A face-faulting mau is hilarious, as anyone who's seen one will attest to.
"What!" came the following outcry when they picked themselves off the floor (or rather, off the roof, except that saying that implies gravity is skipping work).
"My name is Tennou Haruka," the blonde senshi replied, "an' as kick-ass as this is I'd really like to know what the hell is going on!" Her voice rose at the end as she finally vented her steam, but Usagi had frozen at the revelation of Uranus's identity.
"Really? I don't recognize you at all! Oh, wait, you've already got the mask on. I guess the disguise really works after all." She paused as more gears turned in her head before literally jumping for joy.
"Yes! Take that, laws of probabilli-whatsit! I was right! Haruka was a senshi! Woohoo!" She was quickly brought down from cloud nine when Naru lost patience and dragged her back to Earth via one long streamer of hair.
"Yes, it's Haruka, you were right, tralala-lala. Now don't you think we should explain things to her?"
"Yeah. For one, do you guys know me or something?" Haruka—though Usagi still couldn't see the resemblance—looked as though she had the beginning of a migraine. "Two, what on earth happened back there? Three, what's a senshi? Four, how the hell do I get out of this skirt!?" she snapped.
"Okay, everyone de-transform," Usagi ordered. "You just press the bow on your chest," she added for the sake of a confused Uranus. Sailor Uranus then melted away, revealing that she really was Haruka. "Wow, I really couldn't recognize you."
"Koneko! Naru! Ami! You guys are the Sailor Senshi!" Suffice it to say that Haruka was completely gob-smacked, stunned, shocked, and beginning to doubt her sanity. This last one was ironically common among senshi initiates, and arguably even a sign of good mental health. "Either this is one messed up dream or…or…oh man. I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"I asked the same question when this happened to me," Ami said, moving to console the older girl. Naru and Usagi followed, crowding around supportively. Haruka took a few minutes to collect herself, before returning to semi-normal.
"Alright," she said and looked at Luna. "You gave me the magic pen, kitty cat, an' I know you can talk, so give me the run-down." Luna curled into a comfortable pose.
"Very well. It begins with a great empire that fell fourteen-thousand years ago, known as the Silver Millennium…"
+++++++++++++++++
"Zoicite, show yourself." Beryl's words were not barked commands, but a hiss of her venomous displeasure. The court of youma surrounding the edges of the room rustled in fear and schaden-freudian glee. This susurrus only increased in volume when Zoicite entered. He did not teleport, as was the usual occurrence. Instead the beaten general (in both senses of the word) walked on unsteady legs through the hall's main entrance, supporting himself with a crystal staff as a crutch. He prostrated himself before the throne.
"My Queen, I live to serve thy will," he gurgled mechanically.
"And soon, you may die by will! What happened?"
"Several unforeseen occurrences, though I did garner some—"
"Useful information, yes. I know. You use that excuse every time you stand before me. It's funny how it never seems to do you much use. Nor anyone else, for that matter."
"As you say, your majesty," he replied nervously. "The plan began without any problems—" he broke off screaming as Beryl's spell voiced the sorceress's displeasure.
"You say that every time, too. You also say that you have figured out the problem. And of course, you tell me each time you report that you have failed. Why don't you tell me something new?" She punctuated each sentence with a new burst of power. Zoicite quivered for several moments before speaking.
"Your Majesty…" He began screaming once more.
"I don't enjoy being a bad boss, Zoicite. Well, no, I do, but I prefer to torture weak minions, since the strong should be in good health to serve. And yet here we are again, and again, and again." Finally she stopped, looking rather bored, and let Zoicite speak.
"Another senshi has appeared." He flinched as he heard the crackle of her dark energy, but she merely held the spell in her palm for the time being. "I can now confirm with complete certainty that there is both a bastard in a suit and an unknown, and possibly normal human helping them. Distinguishing characteristics include bright pink hair. Also, the senshi got past the shield by being present before it went up, so they must have already known where I was."
"You only spent weeks preparing, Zoicite. Of course they would see the preparations. Anything else, or have you exhausted your vast intellect? No wait, you were the pretty face, and relied on your frigid bed-pet to do the thinking for you before you joined me." Zoicite growled.
"Just one more thing. The moon brat is going to die for wrecking my face. Die slowly, painfully, and gruesomely." Beryl's spell dispersed and she actually laughed.
"If you couldn't manage to kill the disguised Sailor Venus by now, then I doubt you will be able to with reinforcements, which I am not at all willing to give you. You have given me an idea, though. Jadeite!" A moment later the blonde general teleported in, already kneeling.
"Speak and I shall obey, my glorious queen," he intoned.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Beryl purred, "but another's incompetence is your good fortune. As you have stabilized our wards while Zoicite has been beaten like a drum, you get your chance to prove yourself."
"In what way your majesty? I vow that I shall succeed where this vain fool has failed. Thy will is my pleasure."
"While Zoicite spends several days healing, and re-growing his hand, you will have a chance to gather energy for our great leader, Metaria," Beryl replied. "If you fail, then I shall simply have Zoicite continue doing his job until he runs out of youma or dies, as one failure is as good as another. But if you succeed, then you shall take over as our energy gathering officer, and Zoicite will be…reassigned."
"Zoicite was beaten like a redheaded step-child, but I shall not be so easy a foe," Jadeite boasted. Beryl raised an eyebrow at the phrase.
"Actually, my step-mother never raised a hand against me, Jadeite." The general choked as he realized the implications behind the saying. "My father, now, is a different story, but I got into his grimoires, so I suppose it all evens out," Beryl reminisced whimsically. His screams had been music to her ears when she had offered him as the first sacrifice to Metaria. "Now go begin your preparations to gather the energy our Great Ruler so desperately needs, Jadeite." The blond nodded and rose.
The more effeminate general quietly whimpered in fearful anticipation, but Beryl still heard. "No worries, Zoicite. Even if Jadeite succeeds and proves your utter incompetence I won't kill you…immediately."
How reassuring, Zoicite thought. His hopes rose as she continued, though.
"You will be tasked solely with killing the Sailor sluts, using your skill with disguise to assassinate them. Succeed at that, and I may forgive you yet. After all, you served me loyally and competently when we shattered the White Witch's throne. You know that I forget favors as quickly as I do grudges. But fail, and…well, I suggest that you succeed or die trying. Both of you, now, begone!"
++++++++++++++++++
"Freaky," Haruka finally said, once Luna had finished retelling the tale of the Fall of the Silver Millennium.
"I know," Naru agreed. "The idea that something so powerful could be so completely erased…it almost makes my hair stand on end."
"What I really can't believe," said Haruka, "is that all those people died. It makes the Holocaust, the Black Plague, the Rape of Nanjing, and Rwanda combined look like a car accident in comparison."
"Luna," Ami said, realizing she had never asked a certain question, "How large a population did the Silver Millennium have?" The mau closed her eyes.
"I don't remember if it was the one before the Fall, but I think there was a census sometime during my life that left the count at a little more than fifty billion."
"Fifty billion," Naru whispered, horrified at having the scope of the tragedy—if that word was strong enough—spelled out so clearly. It was a reaction mirrored by the others. The idea of the number echoed around the air as they all realized how horrific the Fall truly was. After a moment, however, Ami frowned.
"I almost don't want to say this," and she really didn't, "but I expected it would be bigger." That got her a number of skeptical or horrified looks, so she elaborated. "Earth currently has around eight billion people. By the time our society has advanced enough to be comparable to what it was during the Silver Millennium, our population will probably be closer to eleven or twelve billion."
"Is that a long time or a little?" Usagi asked.
"In between," Ami hedged, before continuing. "Taking into account that the outer planets are extraordinarily larger than the inner ones, and that several of them have moons the size of Earth that were or could have been inhabited, I would have expected the population to be nearer one or two-hundred billion. As it is, there must have been an average of less than five billion people on each celestial body that was habitable. Half of what there should have been, if not less. Were there low birth rates, or another cause?" she asked Luna.
"I honestly can't recall," the mau replied. "It could be that I'm misremembering, but the number feels right." She sighed despondently. "I really do wish I recalled things better. There are so many stories I remember knowing that I wish I could share." Usagi scooped her up.
"There, there," she said gently. "We'll get our memories back eventually, just you wait and see. Everything will be fine." Things stayed quiet for another few moments before Haruka got restless.
"I don' want to seem callous, but I've still got some questions," she hazarded. Luna nodded and motioned with her tail for Haruka to continue. "Okay. How do I make the skirt longer? Or better yet, change it into a good pair of slacks like Tux-boy had?"
"You can't."
"We don't know how, or even if we can," added Usagi. "It's just another thing to ask the princess when we see her."
"Crap. Why are they so revealing?"
"Well," Luna answered, "I believe it was part fashion, part magic, and part public relations. The senshi magic meant that you could walk around naked and still be protected, so when the senshi started to get a reputation as shock troops instead of champions of the realm, one of the rulers—this would have been long, long before Queen Serenity's reign—altered the uniform to be more fashionable and family-friendly." Cynical looks were directed both at her, and at the offending uniforms.
"This is family-friendly?"
"This is fashionable?"
"Fashions change. At the time, there was probably no taboo about displaying your legs, but showing skin between the shoulders and hips would be considered revealing. Then I simply don't think anyone ever bothered to change the uniform afterward."
"But there is a way to change it?" Haruka clarified.
"Yes, I assume, but it almost certainly requires the Ginzuisho, and thus the princess."
"Damn. That's another reason to find her fast, then. Guess there's no help for it," Haruka sighed.
"Hey, at least no one knows it's you," Naru consoled. "Usagi didn't have her disguise spell on when she started this, and I figured out it was her. That's how I got involved with helping, even though I'm not a senshi."
"Isn't that a little dangerous?"
"If I help, I might die, sure. But…If I don't help and the Dark Kingdom wins, everyone on Earth is going to die, including me. At least by helping I have some say in saving my own life."
"And you're not going to die," Usagi said fiercely, wrapping the redhead in a hug. "I won't let them hurt you." Haruka, Ami, and even Naru shivered as Usagi's voice once again displayed a normally absent edge. Luna was once again reminded that Usagi's previous life, whoever she was, hadn't been made the leader of the senshi because of her pretty face.
"Intense," Haruka murmured.
"Ah! Owie," Usagi complained, suddenly reverting back to normal.
"Sorry. Usagi, are you hurt?"
"Oh my!" Ami yelled as she noticed her blonde leader's wounds for the first time, and rushed over. "Why didn't you mention that you were injured? Luna, do you have my bandages and disinfectant?"
"Wait, shouldn't we take her to a hospital?" Haruka asked, seeing the wounds looked a little severe. How she had missed them before, she didn't know.
"The senshi don't regenerate like youma, but they get this really fast healing," Naru explained as Ami worked quickly. "If we just wrap it up so it stops bleeding and Usagi stays in the sun to soak up its light to fuel the magic, then it'll probably be gone in three or four days."
"I guess there are some perks to the job, after all. Just not the uniform."
"Yeah, but I think getting hurt was a good thing this time," Usagi said. "I pulled off this awesome new spell after I got hit."
"Was that what carved out that trench?" Ami asked while tying off the gauze she had wrapped around Usagi's stomach. Luna's sub-space pocket was very useful.
"I saw this pink flash, but didn't see anything else," Naru added.
"Yup, that was it. Since we have to have a meeting tonight to see what our rookie can do," this earned a pout from Haruka, "I'll just show you guys then."
"I'm not sure I can sneak out," Naru said.
"Then you'll sleep over at my place and I'll smuggle you along. It's not like I can't carry you and jump around. And don't pull the injury card on me, I was hurt when I brought you up here and it still went fine. I'm not leaving you behind."
"Thanks," Naru quietly, but with a bright smile. There was an unspoken part to the conversation as well, but neither would mention it aloud.
"Alright, I hereby declare this senshi meeting to be over," Usagi announced pompously. "Meet in the park at ten tonight?" Everyone agreed, and separated.
++++++++++++++++
"Usagi! Alre you alright?" her mother fretted when she saw her daughter covered in bandages.
"Mom!" Usagi flinched away from the touch. "I'm fine! Honestly! It looks a lot worse than it is."
"What happened?" Ikuko's look brooked no argument. Usagi flailed around for an answer.
"Um, well, it was two things actually. You see, we were walking and my bag got caught on this bush, and I got scratched by the thorns when I got it loose. So we went to Naru's house and Ami patched me up, 'cause her mom's a doctor, you know? But then I broke a glass in the kitchens, so I had to get patched up again, but I'm fine!"
"I'm not sure. I think we should take you to the doctor."
Crud! There's no way I could explain this. Think, think, bargain!
"Mom, really it's okay. Ami just went a little wild with wrappings. How about…if I haven't healed up by the day after tomorrow then we can go to the hospital, alright?" Ikuko looked at her daughter sternly and Usagi fought the impulse to look away. Naru and Ami had both told her that that was a dead giveaway of lying.
"Alright, Usagi. But if you start bleeding through the bandages you are going to the hospital, like it or not," Ikuko said, relenting. Her daughter babbled an agreement and raced up to her room. Then she raced back down again.
"Um, mom, Naru and me had plans for her to come over and work on a project, and sleep over. Is that okay?"
"If her mother is fine with it, I am too," Ikuko said. She frowned as her daughter hurried out of sight again, since it looked like she was limping What is she hiding? Ikuko walked over to the phone and dialed Naru's number.
"Hello," the recorded message said, "you have reached the Osaka residence. Please leave your message at the beep."
*BEEP*
"Hello, Naru? This is Ikuko. Usagi came home covered in bandages and said she got caught in some rose bushes. Is that what really happened? Call back, please. Oh, and you're welcome to sleep over if your mother says okay." She hung up. She can''t get in touch with Usagi if I get the phone first, so they can't check stories. If she leaves out the broken glass I'll know something is happening and take steps.
She couldn't have known that Usagi was calling Naru and Ami on her communicator to relay the cover story right then, but it was the closest anyone had yet come to discovering the senshi's identities, though no one would know it.
+++++++++++++++++
"Alright, rookie, show me what you can do," a transformed Usagi goaded, taking a stance opposite Haruka.
"I'm gonna smack you around for calling me that, Koneko," Haruka replied with a grin. Ami, who was watching with her visor active, smiled. Naru, who was refereeing, took a moment to chuckle. Luna said nothing.
"Begin!" the redhead called. Usagi slid forward and lobbed a punch at Haruka's guard. It was easily countered, and the taller blonde responded with kick that Usagi ducked under. She aimed to sweep Haruka's pivot leg out from under her, but the newest senshi took advantage of her new skills a jumped straight up on one leg.
Unfortunately, she was still inexperienced, and ended up five feet in the air, slowly somersaulting backwards, about to land on her tailbone. Usagi, for some unknown reason, or perhaps because she was just feeling fancy, cartwheeled toward where Haruka would land and aimed an axe kick at her chest. Haruka could only cross her arms and take the hit, smashing her into the ground, but she had grabbed Usagi's ankle.
"I've told you not to overextend, Koneko," Haruka chided, before twisting and slamming Usagi into the dirt. She used the momentum to rise to her feet and moved to pin the smaller blonde, only to get a nasty surprise.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Haruka reflexively took a half step back, confused that she didn't see the glowing ring anywhere. Had Usagi faked her out? Then suddenly the ground moved under her and she was pin-wheeling her arms as she fell, unable to move her feet.
"Match. Winner, Usagi," Naru declared.
"What was that?" Haruka asked, flat on the ground. She twisted to look and saw that her ankles had been bound together by a glowing band that looked like—"Your tiara? Is that wha' that is?" But I didn't see her throw it. Was she even holding it? Was she even wearing it when I flipped her? I don't remember seeing it, but it didn't click.
"Yup," Usagi cheerfully affirmed, and recalled the ring to her brow. "I can decide if I want it to cut something, or just bounce off, or I can make it tie stuff up. I only bother to use the cutting on the youma, though."
"So how did you throw it? I didn't see it before it got me."
"It was when she cartwheeled," Ami explained, replaying the scene on her visor. "She dropped the tiara on the ground when she was balanced on her hands."
"Oh," said Naru. "I thought she just did that to get momentum for the kick. I didn't know you could activate your tiara at a distance, Usagi."
"I just found out a few days ago, when Luna sent me off to practice alone, and I forgot to tell you since I haven't really had to use it. Sorry."
"It's a useful skill," Ami commented, preoccupied with something else. "Haruka, could you please de-transform?"
"Alright." She did. "Why?"
"I'm testing a theory. Retransform now, please."
"Uranus Power: Make Up!" This was the first time Usagi had seen Haruka's transformation. She was covered in the same veil of light and gusts of glowing wind whirled around her, forming the yellow and blue-themed fuku, and a white tiara. And one, Usagi noticed, was whirling around a bracelet on Haruka's left wrist. Wait. Wasn't she wearing that bracelet before she henshined? Why didn't it disappear?
"Were you looking at the bracelet, Ami?"
"Yes," the bluenette replied. "That was very observant of you, Usagi."
"What about it?" Haruka asked, confused.
"You had it on before you transformed and it didn't disappear. Drop the transformation again." Ami was fiddling with her computer and visor as Haruka complied. "This is interesting. Apparently healing isn't the only thing that necessarily stays with us outside of transformations. I can't quite tell what it is, though."
"I can," Luna said. "I don't know why I didn't recognize it before—I must be going blind in my old age. And if any of you repeat that I'll get you." She glared at the girls.
"Already forgotten it," Naru swore, and the others nodded.
"The bracelet is a sub-space generator." Luna's explanation got blank looks from everyone except Ami.
"Similar to what you use to store our artifacts?"
"Yes and no," Luna replied. "I use a spell generated by my own magic for that pocket. Most mages did in the Silver Millennium. The bracelet is enchanted to do the same thing, but it also acts as a key to that pocket, so anyone wearing it could get in. They were popular among non-magical people, but they were also rather expensive. It looks like the senshi mantle recreated one for you to use."
"So how do I use it? And what does it do?" Haruka asked, examining her wrist.
"A sub-space pocket," Ami explained, "Is a magically folded piece of space-time designed to warp around small amounts of matter, and tied to another piece of space-time."
"In small words, please?" Usagi groaned, holding her head.
"To use the example of a school, students can walk to school no matter where they live in the city. The school and everything inside can be accessed from any direction, including the air or underground. However, if we put a dome-shaped wall around the school, the only way to get in is through the front gate. Similarly, if you place something in your subspace pocket, you can access it only through the bracelet, while the rest of the world doesn't even know it exists."
"…I still don't get it," Haruka confessed.
"Oh! Wait! I think do!" Usagi chirped. "It's hammer-space! You can put stuff in there and take it out, and no one else knows it's there! Like pulling a tiger out of a hat."
"Wow," Naru said. "That actually made sense. Sort of. I think."
"Yeah," Haruka agreed. Hearing this slight against her teaching skills, Ami curled up into a ball of depression, grumbling about philistines. Usagi and Naru shared a look, and promptly declared a tickle-war on her. Finally, everyone was back to normal a few minutes later.
"So how does it work?" Haruka asked. Ami handed her a stick, which she stared blankly at.
"I figured out my glove and visor through trial and error," Ami explained. "Just try to put the stick in the pocket and you'll eventually figure it out." The tall blonde frowned, fiddled with the bracelet, and began twisting her wrist in odd ways.
"Gah!" she yelped, seeing her hand disappear for a moment. When it reappeared, the stick was gone.
"That looked weird."
"That felt weird." She reappeared the stick.
"Luna," Ami asked, "Could the rest of us get these too? I've been having some problems carrying my brooch and wand everywhere, and I've had a day or two when I completely forgot them. This would be very useful, if it's made like the mask. We could also carry our own medical supplies, so we wouldn't need you if someone got hurt again."
"It's possible," Luna allowed hesitantly. "I'm not sure how many accessories the senshi mantle can make, but it may be worth a shot. And yes, it would be the same as the mask."
"I see," Ami said and de-transformed. Usagi copied her.
"Moon Power: Make-Up!"
"Mercury Power: Make-Up!"
Both transformations lit up the dark clearing in the park. Sure enough, Usagi and Ami both had bracelets on their wrists as they reappeared.
"Alright," Usagi cheered. The two of them spent several minutes de- and re-transforming to ensure that the bracelet stayed on in civilian form, and figuring out how to work them. Luna finally caught their attention.
"Girls! Need I remind you that we are here to practice fighting, interesting as this is," she put archly.
"Yeah, show me some awesome spells already," Naru added with a grin.
"Strut your stuff, rookie," Usagi told Haruka. The two blondes exchanged smug smirks.
"Uranus Space Shock!" The spell was a translucent ball of orange that flew from her outstretched arm and smashed into the lake. It created an impressive plume of water, and Ami hummed as her visor dissected it.
"I see," she said to herself. "In essence, the spell is nothing more than a ball of compressed air and magic. It doesn't use very much power, but it is very efficient, since Haruka doesn't need to create air the way I do water, so it packs an impressive punch. One more time, please." Haruka threw another burst into a tree, and this time they felt the small shockwave of air as it cratered the wood.
"Whoa," Naru said. "Now try the tiara." Haruka shot the redhead a questioning look.
"Senshi magic creates all of our adornments, so it would have made your tiara do something, or it wouldn't be there," Ami explained. "Usagi's is the base for her offensive spell, and my tiara activates my visor."
"Huh," said Haruka, fiddling with the circlet. It appeared to be made partly of gold, but mostly of smooth white stone. Possibly marble, Ami theorized. "Well, I can't think of anything it could do, really. I'm stumped. Except… it doesn't. Come. Off!" she yelled, yanking at the stubborn thing.
"I'll try scanning it," Ami said. "In the meanwhile, Usagi was going to demonstrate her new offensive ability, correct?"
"You mean show off my wicked attack? Yeah!" Usagi bounced eagerly and moved a few meters from the others. "Okay, this was really really strong, so get ready! One. Two. Three! Mirror Light Escalation!"
…
…
…
"What's supposed to happen?" Naru asked after five seconds of nothing. Usagi drooped.
"I'm supposed to shoot this really big super powerful PINK blast of energy from my hand. I don't get it. Mirror Light Escalation! Mirror Light Escalation! Mirror. Light! ESCALATION!"
"Maybe the incantation is incorrect," Ami offered.
"No, I know this was it. I don't get it!"
"What happened the first time you used it that is different now?"
"Well…the first time I felt really odd. Powerful. It was like my blood had turned to lightning and it was singing in my veins, trying to be released. Like what we learned about in science back in fourth grade, about hurricanes and their ears."
"Eyes, Usagi," Naru corrected.
"Yeah, that! I was in the eye of the hurricane and I didn't need to blink so I could do pretty much anything. It was almost like I was dreaming, except better."
"And what prompted this sensation?" Ami asked clinically, fingers flying across her computer.
"You mean why? I guess it sort of happened after Miss General stabbed me with those crystals. I sort of thought that it was an adrena-whatsit rush."
"Some magical form of adrenalin is a possibility, I suppose, but I have another theory, too. Have you ever felt that before?"
"Um, sort of. I felt a little like it back at the wedding, when that youma cut up my stomach. It was like the world had slowed down, and I could feel my own heartbeat, and it was weird."
"Wait, you mean it only works if you get hurt," Haruka interjected.
"That is a fair assumption. Specifically, if she bleeds, I hypothesize. I believe those are the only two attacks where Usagi's blood has been drawn, while she has been bruised on multiple occasions, correct?"
"I believe so," Luna agreed. "So it's some form of defense mechanism, perhaps? I don't remember anything like that in the past, but I don't remember Sailor Moon, either, so anything is possible."
"Moon Tiara Magic."
"What are you doing!?" everyone simultaneously shrieked as Usagi ran her tiara down her own arm, drawing a red line against the white glove. She whimpered, but didn't wail.
"We need to see if Ami's right, don't we? That's what scientists do, form a hypotenuse and test it. And I think she is…" Usagi drew in a deep breath and let it out, her entire frame shuddering.
"Mirror Light Escalation!" Usagi thrust out her uninjured arm and pink light gathered in her hand, bursting out in a missile of plasma. Everyone else only stared, not even taking cover from the splash of steaming lake water raining down on them.
"That is awesome," Naru finally said.
"More than you saw," Ami added quietly, shivering. "According to my visor, a direct hit might have seriously burned my hand, broken bones, or ruptured my internal organs. Even with the senshi armor."
"That was actually a lot weaker than what I used on Zoicite," Usagi commented. "With him I vaporized a youma in the way, blew up his shield, and half-killed him."
She paused after she said this and cocked her head, thinking. Then she frowned, wrinkling her nose much like her namesake, and turned to her advisor.
"Luna, is it bad that rather than feeling sorry, I just wish I had all-killed him?"
"Well, considering that monster participated in and led the genocide of tens of billions, and is trying for a repeat show, I'd say not at all. You shouldn't enjoy the actual act of killing, in my opinion, but it is perfectly healthy to feel satisfaction at the hope that he will never harm anyone again."
"So it gets stronger the more hurt you are?" Haruka asked, latching onto what Usagi said. "That's sort of sick. Don't start carving yourself up, please."
"No worries," Usagi said absently. "Hey, it's stopped bleeding already. Cool. Super-healing rocks! So Ami, have you finished scanning rookie yet?" The mentioned blonde growled.
"Yes and no. My findings only indicate that there are no findings, which is rather impressive."
"Eh heh heh...dumb it down a bit more, please."
"I can't scan Haruka herself at all, though I could get the bracelet to a small extent. Her tiara keeps her from showing up in my visor, I assume, making her undetectable to magical observation—a useful ability."
"Alright," Usagi cheered. "So we have one super soldier, one genius, one invisible fighter, an undercover redhead, and a cat! We're unstoppable!" She spent the next few minutes begging Luna to stop scratching her face, and she was sorry she'd called her a cat. Pretty please get off?
++++++++++++++++++
"Strawberry, please, Motoki," Usagi called as she slid onto a seat, Ami slipping in next to her with an order for her usual vanilla. Haruka and Mamoru weren't there yet, and might not be since there wasn't a lesson planned today.
"Here you go," said the blond cheerfully. "You two are being careful when you're out walking, right?"
"Always," Usagi agreed, and popped a cherry into her mouth.
"No, I'm serious," Motoki said, his tone darkening, "A public bus full of passengers disappeared into thin air yesterday. If you need to travel, get your parents to drive you. If this monster stuff is real, and a lot of people are saying it is, then it's only going to be a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt." The girls chewed on this, and their shakes.
"I'm confident that Sailor Moon and the others can handle whatever is thrown their way." Usagi's voice was strong, but her eyes betrayed the unspoken, I hope.
"What was this about a bus disappearance?" Ami asked. "I think we would have heard about it in the news."
"It was in this morning's newspaper," Motoki agreed. "Do you know the Hikawa Shrine? It's sort of a landmark, pretty famous, a popular tourist spot?" Ami shook her head while Usagi frowned and nodded slightly.
"It's really famous for its good luck charms, especially for love, right?"
"Right. Well, yesterday a bus stopped by the stop there to pick up some passengers, went around the corner, and completely disappeared. More than two-dozen people are missing, and no one knows what to do about it. But there are actually rumors that this is the second time it happened in the past week, and that the first one was hushed up to prevent a panic." Now the two girls looked worried. That sounded a LOT like the Dark Kingdom, and they hadn't had a clue.
"I think I'm going to take your advice and go home," Usagi said, and slipped out of her seat, Ami following with a quiet agreement. "Walk home, I mean."
"Hey, wait, your shakes are only half done!"
"I'm not hungry!" Usagi called back, which caused the half of the arcade that knew her—even if they only knew her in passing—to begin worrying about the oncoming apocalypse. Usagi and Ami turned the corner and darted part way into an empty alley. "Luna!" she hissed into the communicator. The mau's head appeared.
"Luna, this is bad. They're stealing buses and they've already got, like, thirty people! How come we didn't know about this?" Luna looked shocked.
"I had no idea. That doesn't sound like Zoicite at all. Maybe someone new is working on this one. I can't imagine how we're going to find it though, there must be a hundred buses in as many places."
"According to rumor, both the buses that disappeared were around a place called Hikawa Shrine."
"It's really famous for its love charms," Usagi added. "We should go check it out. I need a good grades charm, anyway."
"You just need to study," Ami chided. "But it does seem possible that they set up a base of operations there."
"Go, but be very careful. They may have a general on site to oversee the operation. One of you should go in senshi form, but disguised." Usagi looked a little guilty.
"Haruka's got the disguise pen right now."
"I have my computer," Ami added. "That should be good for some scanning."
"I'll try to contact Uranus. Go if it feels safe, but run if anything happens."
"Right," they agreed, and moved towards the bus stop.
+++++++++++++++
"Welcome to Hikawa Shrine," greeted a young woman in miko robes, as the two civilian senshi finished climbing the stairs. She was holding a broom and had a yellow ribbon tying her long black hair into a ponytail.
"Ugh. They should call it High Climbing Shrine."
"Don't mind my friend," Ami demurred. "We heard you sell charms?"
"Yes, they're over there," the miko said, pointing to a stand manned by a blond teenager. "Daito is selling them. Also, the head priest should be in the main chamber if you need spiritual advice." She paused and leaned in conspiratorially, whispering.
"He might come off as a bit of a letch, but really he's very wise. Just don't be surprised if he makes a comment about your looks before he asks if you'd like to volunteer at the temple. He does it to all the girls, but he never does anything else."
"Thanks for the heads up," Usagi said cheerfully. "What's your name, if you don't mind?"
"Hokuto Inabi," she responded with a smile.
"Tsukino Usagi." "Mizuno Ami."
"Nice to meet you both," Inabi said politely, and went back to sweeping as they moved toward the stand.
"Hello, girls," said the blond young man selling charms. "Can I interest you in a charm? Protective charms, good luck charms," he shot them a smile that had them both blushing, "love charms?" Take that Nephrite, you're not the only one who's still good with girls. I can charm like a master, no matter how out of practice I may be.
"I, uh, need a charm for getting good guys. I mean grades!" Usagi buried her red face in her hands.
"A charm f-for pro-t-tection?" Ami requested, and took a calming breath, remembering why they were here. "There's been stories of some unusual disappearances lately, and we thought it couldn't hurt to pray, certainly."
"You mean the bus disappearances?" he questioned, grabbing the charms they had asked for. "I wouldn't take those too seriously. Scores of people ride the buses by here everyday and are completely fine."
"Not take it seriously!" Usagi yelped. "There are youma popping up everywhere and people are disappearing and getting their energy drained. How can you not take that seriously?"
"Hey! I just want to make one thing clear," snapped the suddenly unfriendly voice of Inabi from behind them. The girls whirled around to find her glaring at them.
"I don't care who says what, or why, but Hino-sensei has nothing to do with the disappearances! He is a great, wise man who has been a pillar of the community for decades, and anyone who says otherwise—"
"Inabi!" interrupted a voice. The girls turned around again to see a shriveled, bald man in priest's robes come out of the temple. "I am truly glad that you see me in such a good light, but please don't go scaring our visitors. They said nothing bad against me, and nothing that wasn't true, either, and the fact that they are here shows that they must have some faith in us, still." The miko blushed.
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing to the girls. "I guess that was uncalled for. It's just that people have been saying a lot of nasty things about Hino-sensei because they're idiots—"
"Inabi," he rebuked gently.
"Okay, because they're frightened by things they don't really understand. But anyone with half a brain could tell that you have nothing to do with it, Hino-sensei, so the police have no business to be here asking questions."
"The police force's job is to keep people safe, and it is not a good sign that I get psychic signals around when the buses have been disappearing. If there is the possibility in their eyes that I am involved in the abductions, any possibility at all, then it is their duty to investigate in order to protect people. I do not blame them."
"You're also supposed to be one of the people they're protecting!"
"Um, not to butt in," Usagi said cautiously, "but could I hear a little more about this? Inabi said that you were looking for volunteers and I'd sort of like to know a bit more before I say yes to anything."
"Certainly, pretty girls are always welcome here at the shrine," the old man told them with a laugh. "Would you like some tea, too?"
"That would be really great, thanks!" chirped Usagi, with Ami pausing a moment to pay for the charms before following her into the temple. They stopped in a room with a large fire burning in the middle of it, and politely sat on the pillows he indicated while he left to fetch the tea. The fire made the room a bit hot, but not uncomfortable.
"Do you really think he could be involved with the Dark Kingdom?" Usagi asked.
"If he is, then we shouldn't talk about it where he could hear," Ami murmured.
"Oh, right! Sorry," Usagi whispered back. The old priest entered the room carrying a tray, and they politely waited whiled he poured out three cups of tea and took a sip.
"Ah, it is always a good time for a good cup of tea with lovely ladies, eh?" he said with a chuckle. "Now, were there any questions in particular I could answer?"
"What do you know about the disappearances around here?" Usagi blurted out, and Ami visibly flinched.
"Please excuse my friend's rudeness, Hino-sensei, could you tell us what volunteering at the shrine would entail, and what hours we would be working?"
"Yes, but your friend's question is perfectly valid, too," he said mildly. "There is a bus stop at the corner of the street, and a few days ago missing person reports went out when about eighteen people went missing. Within a day, the police had figured out that they had all passed through this area at about the same time, and no one had seen them after that."
"How did you get involved?"
"They didn't suspect me, as several of the people had not visited the shrine, just the bus stop on the corner. Then it happened again, yesterday, which is when the papers first got a hold of it. All I know is that there was an evil presence both days, and on the second day I rushed down and was one of several people who saw the bus turn the corner and vanish."
"It just disappeared, like into thin air?"
"My eyes are not as good as they were, but it appeared that way. Moreover, spiritual senses have long been strong in my family, and I get…feelings around the time of the disappearances, so I am certain it is of a supernatural nature."
"Do you think it has anything to do with Sailor Moon?" Ami asked carefully.
"Yeah! Those monsters she's fighting get up to all kinds of tricks!"
"It is quite likely," he said with a sigh. "I worried when I heard of happenings in England, but with these things appearing here now, I am glad…" he trailed off.
"You're glad they're here?" Usagi yelped, his words setting off alarms.
"No! Not at all. Never. But my granddaughter, Rei, lives in England with her father. She said she got caught up in one of those fights between the demons and that Sailor M girl. When I heard that, I wanted her to come here, where it was safer, but her father refused. Now I am glad she is not here, as she would be in even more danger."
"Your granddaughter met Sailor M! That's so cool!" Usagi enthused. "Did she say what she is like? She's like, my favorite heroine ever!"
"Even after Sailor Moon?" Ami teased.
"Yes, those young girls are true heroines in this day and age. I can only imagine the burden on their shoulders, and I hope they are not carrying it alone. I wish I could help."
"Could you help?" Ami asked. "If you had the chance, I mean."
"I do not know. But my charms should be of use against the evil spirits they face, so I could provide those if nothing else. I would, at least, like to try and aid the heroines who saved my granddaughter, and so many other innocent lives."
"I imagine so," Ami said. "If you'll pardon my changing the subject, could you tell us more about volunteering at the shrine? I want to know if I can fit it into my schedule."
"Certainly," he said with a smile.
+++++++++++++++
"I don't think he's evil," Usagi said to Luna in her room that night, the other members of the team present by communicator. "He's been there a long time, and everyone thinks really well of him, and he seemed really nice."
"I don't know," Haruka said slowly.
"You weren't even there!"
"I know. But you said you've seen youma imitate people before, right? Could he a youma in disguise?"
"I had my Mercury computer in my backpack, scanning. It found mild traces of dark energy, of the kind that would be caused by prolonged osmosis. That does seem very suspicious, but I also think it would have picked up more than it did around Hino-sensei if he was a youma."
"Prologue what?"
"Prolonged osmosis. A powerful thing has been there for a long time so it rubs off a little even if it isn't trying to, much like the way we shed hair follicles. The shrine's wards kept it to a minimum, however."
"You guys do realize," cut in Naru, "that the old priest isn't the only possibility. Either of the shrine workers could be the youma. What do you know about them?"
"Inabi grew up in the area with her mother. Her dad walked out on them when she was really little, and Hino-sensei was like a surrogate father, except he's too old, so he was like a grandfather. She think she's sort of like a surrogate granddaughter for him since his real granddaughter lives in England, though they visit each other several times a year. She's met Rei and likes her, but doesn't know her particularly well. She goes to her neighborhood's public school, and she has a boyfriend she started dating a few months ago named Toshiro, which she shortens to Shiro, and she isn't certain how serious she wants to let the relationship become because he's starting to nudge her a bit out of her comfort zone with making out and stuff." Usagi finished rattling facts off and gulped in a deep breath as the others stared at her. She blinked. "What?"
"Usagi," Ami said slowly, "You couldn't have talked to her for more than ten or fifteen minutes when she was showing you around the shrine and going over the various volunteer duties. How on Earth did you manage to get her to tell you that much?"
"I really like talking to people, and she seemed like a really cool person," Usagi said with a shrug. It wasn't like it was particularly impressive. Naru just chuckled.
"Yeah, Usagi is really good at getting people to open up. I mean, just look at how quickly she grabbed you guys' trust," she pointed out to Ami and Haruka. "What do you know about the guy?"
"Nothing, really. But I bet Ami knows more. She was talking with him a lot." Usagi grinned wickedly at her friend's mortification.
"It was purely from an intellectual point of view! He's a college student double majoring in engineering and religion and I wanted to get his unique perspective on things!" She flushed under the barrage of skeptical looks and grins. "Really! I'm more attracted to Zoicite than I am to Jiro!" The shocked silence was thick, as Ami realized how deeply she'd dug herself in.
"I'm not sure what the most disturbing part of this conversation is." Naru shook her head slightly. "For the sake of our friend's sanity, and our own, let us never speak of this again."
"Agreed," everyone unanimously replied.
++++++++++++++++++
*RIIIIINNNGG* *RIIIINNN—*
"Usagi, phone for you!" Ikuko called up to her daughter. "It's Ami."
"One sec!" yelled Usagi, turning away from her homework to grab the phone. "Hey, what is it? Didn't we cover everything this afternoon, because I have some math I could really use your help on."
"Usagi, turn on channel 7 news. Now." The flatness of Ami's voice told her just how serious this was. She raced downstairs, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television.
"Usagi, shouldn't you be working on—"
"Shhh!" Ikuko was so surprised at her daughter's vehemence, and that she was watching the news and not some anime, and she shushed instead of starting a lecture.
"—as a father and grandfather myself, I completely understand and sympathize with the fears of everyone who is missing family members. It makes perfect sense that I come under suspicion, as the disappearances are happening within a very close-by area, and this is why I am remanding myself into police custody until new information comes to light. I can only pray that the police find the person or people behind these kidnappings as soon as possible, and send my prayers out to all my fellow citizens that our loved one return home safe and sound." Then Hino-sensei turned around and walked into the police station.
++++++++++++++++++
What? Were you expecting Rei for some reason? If she's being Sailor M over in England then she can't exactly be living at the Shrine.
I plan to post it in an interlude, so I'll just give you the background now. Rei's father is an as yet unnamed politician who currently serves in England's Parliament. He met her mother, Miyabi Hino, while studying abroad in college. He returned to Japan with an internship job at the embassy (his family had connections) and they began a relationship. Her father reluctantly gave them permission to wed, and they moved back to England.
P.S. The first person to correctly guess where I got Rei's mother's name (Miyabi) gets a one-shot/omake/oc/something cool of their choice. Happy hunting!
