Chapter 7: Neo Sailor Pluto
One afternoon, Konata and her friend Hiyori Tamura were sitting outside of an ice cream shop, eating their sundaes and looking over a 4-panel manga that Hiyori had recently completed. "This Strawberry Panic fan manga you made is pretty interesting! You really love Amane and Hikari, don't you?" Konata said. Like Konata, Hiyori was also a fan of anime and manga, and she liked to draw her own manga, some of it based off of series she liked, and some of it of her own creation.
"Thanks! Amane and Hikari are my favorite couple in Strawberry Panic," Hiyori gushed, "I love how Amane is a girl who looks like a boy, yet she's timid in her own way, like she's both a strong prince and a dainty princess."
"I like them too, but I like Nagisa more, because she's so cute! I can't decide whether or not I like her better with Tamao or Shizuma, you know? With Tamao, they're BOTH cute, but with Shizuma, you get that contrast that makes Nagisa's cuteness stand out even more," commented Konata. Konata then smirked, looking mischevious. "If you like girls like Amane, what do you think of that couple over there?" She pointed in the direction of Haruka and Michiru, who were in line at the serving counter, along with Setsuna Meiou and Princess Chibi-Usa Tsukino. Hiyori stared at them, her magenta eyes lighting up with excitement.
"That's the famous Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaiou, the lesbian Sailor Senshi! I can't believe I'm so close to them," Hiyori gushed in an excited whisper. She squeaked in excitement and nervousness as she noticed that they were staring at her. Will they think I'm perverted if they know why I find them to be so fascinating, Hiyori wondered to herself. What if they see the manga I made? Will they approve of it? Hiyori gasped as she noticed the group of four coming over to their table.
"Hi, Princess Chibi-Usa! I'm surprised you're here instead of in some fancy restaurant that only royals go to or something," Konata joked in greeting.
"There's nothing wrong with me buying ice cream, Konata. Mama likes it too," Chibi-Usa pouted defensively, and then she became very serious. "The other reason we are here is because we have something very important to tell your friend."
"Me?! Oh no, am I in trouble?! I knew I shouldn't have been discussing a manga like this in public!" Hiyori panicked, quickly grabbing the manga she made and snatching it off of the table.
"It has nothing to do with your manga," Setsuna said, and she took her old Sailor Pluto wand out of her pocket. The wand was glowing, and it turned into a black, star-shaped brooch. Setsuna set the brooch on the table between Hiyori and Konata.
"You're a Sailor Senshi, Hiyori," Konata realized in awe, and also a bit of jealousy.
"That's correct. Miss Hiyori, if that is your name, you have been chosen to be Neo Sailor Pluto," Setsuna said solemnly.
"Yes, my name is Hiyori Tamura, but…me?! A Sailor Senshi?! But I'm not even good at sports! I mean, I sometimes draw manga about magical girls, but I really don't know anything about fighting," Hiyori protested.
"Mama didn't know anything about fighting either when she first became Sailor Moon. As long as you don't cry and run away from every single battle, I don't think you can be worse than her," Chibi-Usa remarked dryly.
"But I read in a book about the Sailor Senshi that you have to stay at the Gates of Time! Does that mean I'm going to have to stay there all the time too? What if I never see my friends ever again?!" Hiyori worried, beginning to panic.
"You will thankfully be spared from that fate. There is someone else who has taken on that duty, so that you will be able to fight as a Sailor Senshi unrestricted," Setsuna answered.
"My cat, Diana, has a daughter named Moonbeam. She's able to turn into a human girl and use some magic attacks, and she's the one who is going to guard the Time Gates now. That's why Puu was able to come here to pass on her powers to you," Chibi-Usa explained.
"Wait, you used to guard a door all the time and you couldn't leave?! How did you get food? Or have any games to play?" Konata blurted out.
"Time does not pass at the Gates of Time in the same way it does in other places," Setsuna said simply, "And if I were to have played games there, it would have distracted me from my duty."
"You sure sound like one of those mysterious and stoic guardian characters from anime and games. 'Course they usually just get beaten up, either by the heroes or the villains. Guards in stories are kind of stupid like that," Konata said with a smirk. Setsuna stared at Konata in stunned disbelief at the words she had just heard come out of the blue-haired girl's mouth, wondering what incompetent guards in fiction had to do with anything they had been talking about.
"Excuse me?! Did you just call Setsuna stupid?!" Haruka growled, stalking over to Konata angrily.
"Nah, she just sounds like one of those stoic guards who could just be replaced by a robot with how emotionless they are," Konata shrugged.
"A robot?! You know nothing of the duty that Setsuna has devoted herself to through all these millennia, and you say she could be replaced by a robot?!" Haruka demanded, pounding on the table in front of Konata, who met Haruka's glare with a mischevious smirk. Hiyori watched them, surprised and not a little frightened and intimidated by Haruka. Michiru was about to join Haruka in scolding Konata, but then she was distracted by a faint sensation of magical power that she could sense inside of Konata. She took out the Deep Aqua Mirror and looked at it, silently asking it in her mind whether or not Konata had the potential to be a Sailor Senshi. The mirror answered by showing her a turquoise symbol that looked like a circle with a 5-pointed star inside of it.
"Apologize to her, Konata," Chibi-Usa scolded, stepping up next to Haruka to show her solidarity in defending her oldest friend's honor. Konata was about to make another sassy remark when a beam of energy shot over her head and struck Haruka in the chest. Jadeite approached with his hand outstretched, and both Chibi-Usa and Michiru grabbed their transformation objects as they noticed him.
"Even you don't have a Rainbow Crystal," Jadeite said bitterly, as Haruka slumped to the floor, clutching her chest in pain.
"Neptune Crystal Power, Make Up!" shouted Michiru.
"Moon Mystic Power, Make Up!" added Chibi-Usa. Setsuna, who had just given up her powers to Hiyori, took action in a different way by directing the other people who were still at the ice cream shop to take shelter with her. Though she also called for Konata to follow her, Konata ignored her and charged at Jadeite.
"I'll make you pay for turning Haruhi Suzumiya into a monster! HIIYAAH!" Konata screamed, leaping up at Jadeite in an attempt to do a jumping kick. Jadeite grabbed her by the leg, causing her to flip upside down. She thrashed and tried to kick him with her other leg as her skirt fell down too, revealing her Pikachu print underwear. He managed to grab her shoe with his other hand, and it glowed and flew off of her foot, turning into a monster with a shoe for a body.
"Miss Izumi! Pluto Mystic Power, Make Up!" Hiyori called and transformed into Neo Sailor Pluto, realizing that she needed to help her friend. Neo Sailor Moon and Sailor Neptune were about to attack Jadeite, but they both paused when they noticed he was holding Konata in front of himself as a human shield, and also draining her energy at the same time. They also noticed the shoe monster and they both began attacking it. Meanwhile, Neo Sailor Pluto was behind Jadeite, and she charged at him with the Garnet Rod, striking him in the head. He stumbled forward, still managing to keep a hold of Konata. He noticed Haruka, who was standing back up, determined to fight even though she wasn't transformed, and smirked.
"How would you like to make a deal? Would you like to have your wand back, Sailor Uranus?" he sneered.
"I'll take it back myself!" she growled, and she charged forward in an attempt to tackle Jadeite. Neo Sailor Pluto swung the Garnet Rod at Jadeite again too, but Jadeite ducked out of the way, and Neo Pluto accidentally hit Haruka with the Garnet Rod instead. He straightened up again and faced his opponents, still smirking.
"You don't want to make a deal? You don't care about this girl either?" he said, and he sent a jolt of black electricity through Konata's body, causing her to cry out weakly in pain. "If you try to attack me again, I'll kill this girl and take all her life energy."
"Please let Miss Izumi go! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" Neo Sailor Pluto wailed, desperate to free her fellow anime fangirl friend.
"Your Garnet Rod, the Deep Aqua Mirror, and the Space Sword," Jadeite stated, still smirking. Neo Pluto began to approach him, intending to trade the Garnet Rod for Konata, but Haruka pulled her back.
"Don't you dare give that to him! The sacred Talismans are worth more than the life of one girl," she scolded Neo Pluto coldly.
"How would you feel if he wanted to kill Sailor Neptune instead?! I don't want Konata to die!" Neo Sailor Pluto sobbed. That got Konata's attention. Despite her weakened state, she realized that this was the first time Hiyori had addressed her by her given name. Surprisingly, Jadeite backed off and nodded in assent.
"I can give you more time to think about it. Meet me again at dawn tomorrow at a place of your choice. If you choose to surrender the three talismans, you can have this girl and your wand back, Sailor Uranus. If you do not surrender, then I will kill both her and you," Jadeite said, draining more of Konata's energy to show he meant business.
"Then we will meet at the parking lot outside Juuban High School. No one will be there on a Sunday morning, so no civilians will be hurt," said Sailor Neptune, who had finished defeating the shoe monster along with Neo Sailor Moon.
"I will see you then," Jadeite promised, and he teleported away, taking Konata with him.
