Hello again everyone. If you thought cannon had gone off the rails before, you ain't seen nothing yet. And yet...the more things change, the more they stay the same, I find.
I do not own Sailor Moon.
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Zoicite sat back in the padded office chair and smiled. It had taken work to find the right target and incapacitate him silently, but all the puzzle pieces were beginning to fall together. He'd lost twelve of the eighteen youma originally left of his command, once numbering in the hundreds, but he could put the six remaining to good use.
There were two ways a youma could be raised above the ordinary masses. First it could naturally develop and evolve over time, eventually becoming a Shadow Warrior. Second, it could be empowered directly by an external agent, which could also repurpose it for the agent's needs. Queen Beryl's Doom & Gloom Girls were the most prominent examples of such 'empowered youma'.
It would be costly in the long run, both on his power and his sanity, but he had empowered each of his remaining youma solely for fighting, making them smarter and stronger by giving them a piece of his own power and mind. Since he no longer was tasked with energy, he could allow their draining abilities to atrophy, turning them into killing machines.
And of course, Jadeite's 'veteran' was on hand as a meat-shield for if the senshi did show up. Losing a Shadow Warrior could get him in deep trouble, but he had nothing to lose, and even if he failed he could weaken Jadeite's chances by depriving his rival of such an asset.
With his current plan, though, he wouldn't even have to get his hands dirty. A little hypnosis, a few disguises, a bit of theft, and the problems could easily take care of each other. Since he'd scouted out the location of Jadeite's new trick, he'd just wait for the senshi to strike and snap victory from both of his enemies.
He smirked and eyed the waste of flesh tied up in the corner, debating if he needed to interrogate for more information. He decided it could wait. Idly, Zoicite conjured a small cloud of flower petals, and enjoyed the aroma. It was an ability he'd grown to favor from back when they had served Endymion. Back before Queen Beryl had shown them how blind they were and given them true power.
Smiling, Zoicite thumbed through a few papers, picked up the phone, and began the next stage of preparations.
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Naru looked around the bustling shop as children and adults alike swarmed around, filling bags with candy and grabbing bars and boxes of chocolate. She could feel the bustling atmosphere trying to infect her, filling her with cheer and excitement, and to an extent it worked. It was offset, however, by the sickening sense of deja-vu she felt. This was far too similar to the night her mother's store was targeted. Except…
Except it wasn't the same. There was the same sense of mania filling her, but she saw people swarming the cash registers and leaving with their purchases, and no one appeared to even be yawning, much less collapsing from energy drain.
Glancing around, she decided to go for it. It took about five minutes to fill a bag and pay out, and it was only Usagi, catching her as she walked outside and dragging her down the street and into an alley, that kept her from opening the bag and eating a treat she realized. This, naturally, was the first thing she reported.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there were some form of compulsion on the door—or the candy itself—to make people want to eat," Luna concluded. "Ami? What is your visor telling you?"
"This is a remarkably insidious plot," Ami replied, looking up from the candy. "Prior to now a youma has been needed to be present to drain energy. Our new general has copied their draining magic onto the candy, which is genuine, by the way, and looped a feeding pattern back to a pre-determined anchor."
"In small words, Ami? Pleeeease," Usagi begged.
"He took a youma, which can drain energy. Then he cast a spell that let the candy drain energy and feed it back to the youma. However, I believe the youma needs to remain at an anchor point to receive the energy, or else it will flow back to the victim." Ami shook her head. "Worst of all, the candy would drain energy from inside the victim's body."
"Why's that bad?"
"We have no way to identify who is being drained until they collapse, and no way to stop the drain without either destroying the youma, or making them vomit up the candy. And because he uses candy, the sugar rush would delay any signs of the drain for some time. Had Luna not found this when she did, it might have been days or weeks before we caught on to it."
"Scary thought," Usagi muttered. "So what do we do? How do we get those people out of there?"
"We could wait until it closes," Naru suggested.
"And how much energy would they already have?" Usagi replied archly. Naru shrugged.
"The Sailor Senshi have something of a reputation in the news by now," Ami pointed out.
"We do?" Usagi asked.
"We get a brief mention quite often, and much more than that after each operation we stop," Ami confirmed. "There is an abundance of conspiracy theories concerning us, ranging from mutants, to government super soldiers, to aliens."
"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day," Naru snarked, grinning at the last one.
"Oh dear," Luna sighed. "I hadn't considered that. This all is much different from the Silver Millennium."
"My point," Ami continued, "Is that people know the senshi, and trust us more often than not. Why not simply walk through the door and ask everyone to evacuate?" That got a moment of silence.
"It worked with Ms. Shihoin," Usagi said, nodding. "Should we try it Luna?"
"There's the risk that the Dark Kingdom may try to take a hostage," Luna warned, and then wilted. "Then again, we take that risk in every operation. I can't really disapprove, I suppose."
"What should I do?" asked Naru.
"Don't fight with the disguise pen," Luna insisted before anyone else could speak. "We can't risk you getting hurt, Naru. Stay outside, and help herd people away from the store." Naru frowned.
"Can't I help in other ways?"
"Jadeite is working differently than Zoicite, and will have taken precautions against interference by now. One wrong move, and you will die, young lady. We cannot risk that unless we are absolutely desperate," Luna insisted, and Naru nodded reluctantly. "All right. Let's begin."
"Moon Power: Make Up!"
"Mercury Power: Make Up!"
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"Excuse me, everyone!" Sailor Moon shouted, while stepping into the store and giving everyone a good look at the city's newest heroine. "Yes, I'm real, and no, no autographs," she joked.
"We believe there is a youma in the area," Sailor Mercury said calmly. "Please evacuate the building, and if we're wrong you may return in ten minutes or le—"
"Dammit!" Jadeite snarled from one of the cash registers, and threw a purple blast at Moon. Usagi would have dodged, but there was a mother and child behind her, so she crossed her arms and took the hit, angling to fly past them and hit the wall, which she did. That burns like hell! I think he blew a hole in my gloves, too. Ow…
"Aqua Bubble Burst!" Ami yelled, throwing a blast of water at Jadeite as the room erupted into panic. "Mercury Spray Shroud!" Judging by the lack of crashing into things, she had successfully made it so that everyone except Jadeite—and presumably people outside—could see through it. Unfortunately, unclouding it for so many people taxed her abilities, and it would dissipate in seconds.
"Everyone! This way!" Naru yelled from the door, while Luna streaked inside to try and help. Jadeite couldn't see but neither could Luna, Ami realized, while she couldn't attack him without dissipating the fog. She couldn't even talk, the spell was straining her so much. But Usagi was getting up. Then Ami felt a tug in her mind that meant, she somehow knew, that Usagi couldn't see either. I really messed us up. Jadeite stomped loudly on the floor.
"Now!" He yelled. "Hurry up!"
"Evil villain!" Usagi cried. No, please, don't make yourself a target so you know where to attack, just take cover and wait, Ami thought anxiously. "Candy is a treat well-loved by all. Indulging one's sweet tooth is how we reward ourselves for hard work and effort. I will not stand to see it corrupted. In the name of the moon," Luna ran less than two feet away from Jadeite, who had zeroed in on Usagi but was only looking impatient. Almost, only a few people left. Hurry up! Do you have a death wish to hang around this long? "I will punish you!" Usagi took a step forward, not hearing Ami's thoughts, and Jadeite smirked.
*CRACK*
"Huh!" Usagi yelped. Two red, rubbery tentacles had smashed up through the floorboards and grabbed Sailor Moon's ankles. Ami was so shocked that she dropped the fog.
"Going down," said a sinister voice from below, before Usagi was ripped through the floor with a shrill scream.
"Moon!" Ami yelled, and Jadeite leaped into action.
"Don't move, Mercury," he said with a chuckle. He'd grabbed a teenage girl Ami vaguely recognized as going to her school, but in a different class, and was holding glowing fingers to her throat like a knife. "Fold your hands behind your back, lace your fingers, and turn around. Otherwise I squash an insect." Ami did so bitterly, shooting a look to Luna, who had hidden out of Jadeite's sight. Luna's moon glowed, and she sent Ami a telepathic message.
Bide for time. I need to build up power.
"You do realize," Ami said, hoping to draw him into a distracting conversation, "that this is only a stalemate?"
"A stalemate?" Jadeite laughed. His prisoner whimpered. "I hold all the cards here Mercury. You can't think your way out of this no matter how stellar your strategies are. Or have you forgotten that I could beat you half the time when we played Jenza? Our last score was Jadeite—35, and you—32." Ami was glad her back was turned, as shock flashed across her face and her mind reeled. He knows me? His diction and tone indicate that he had some history of friendship or rivalry with my previous incarnation. Think, Ami, think! Luna once mentioned that the Generals and the Senshi had some ties, but I hadn't expected this! We appear to have some rivalry, so perhaps I can use this to stall.
"I had forgotten," she confessed with a dramatic sigh. When she bent her head slightly, she reset her visor's scanning protocols with a few blinks, facial movements, and thoughts. "I dislike to think of those times. But surely you can't even begin to consider this a win, considering how much the decks were stacked in your favor. You cheated." Jadeite laughed.
"Trying to play off my psychology? Really? You're not going to manipulate me into letting her go. But since you like rehashing old times so much," Ami smiled, realizing she'd found a hook. Hurry, Luna! "You can explain why this is a draw."
"It really is quite simple," she said with a quiet smile. "Taking a hostage only works if you take more than one. As things stand, we can stay here forever. If I move first, you kill the hostage, which I don't want. If you move first and kill the hostage then there is nothing to stop me from breaking you into many, tiny pieces, which you don't want." Her visor had deciphered what it was looking at. There was one youma in the basement fighting Usagi, which she had x-rayed when it flitted into view for an instant, and one in the back room in the middle of a complex magical pattern, absorbing motes of life energy. And…was or wasn't there a youma upstairs? There were faint traces but she couldn't be certain. "Thus, neither of us will move, creating a stalemate."
"Oh really," Jadeite drawled. "Well, I—augh!" He let out a strangled cry as something made a thumping sound, and Ami caught a flash of Luna's magic in her visor.
"Mercury Spray Shroud!" she yelled, whirling around to catch Jadeite staggering to the ground under a yellow glow as Naru- how did she get here?- dragged their schoolmate out the door. Moreover, Tuxedo Kamen was standing over Jadeite, having bashed him with his cane. "Aqua Bubble Burst!" She spammed the spell several more times, hoping to freeze Jadeite solid, but he had called up dark power that was beginning to fight it off.
"Sailor Moon's down there," Kamen said to Ami, looking at the hole, and it wasn't a question. Before she could ask for help he jumped down the hole after her.
"Why couldn't I have an actual attack spell?" the blue senshi mumbled to herself. "Aqua Bubble Burst!" Repeating that umpteen times was getting tiresome, and Luna's glowing crescent and quivering signified she was still doing her magic, as well. I really hope Haruka gets back in action soon. She faintly heard sirens in the distance. Then Luna's magic ran out.
"Weak fools!" Jadeite screamed as he summoned a wave of power that shattered her ice, and then threw a bolt at her. The impact hit before she could react and threw her across the room. She slammed into the wall with a thud, feeling as though she'd been punched in the stomach, but rolled to her feet immediately. The room swam as her body caught up with her and felt the impact from hitting the wall, but she stayed standing.
"Mercury Aqua—" Jadeite desperately swiped an arm at her, and something stinging hit and bounced off her shoulder, drawing blood. And then Sailor Moon erupted out of the door to the back room, followed closely by Kamen.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" she finished chanting as she hit the ground, and Jadeite teleported away from the attack. There was a moment while everyone breathed. Surprisingly, Tuxedo Kamen broke the silence.
"Those aren't mine," he said bluntly and pointed. Ami looked and saw what Jadeite had thrown at her—yellow flowers, more like dandelions than roses, traced through with veins of black.
"He—Jadeite I think—threw them at me," she explained. Like Zoicite's flower petals, perhaps? Uasgi's theory that Tuxedo Kamen is a traitor from the Dark Kingdom looks more and more probable. Tuxedo Kamen frowned, and vanished in a swirl of cape before another word could be said.
"I'll try to follow him," Luna called, and followed him into the back room. Ami turned to Usagi.
"I'm surprised you didn't say anything." Usagi's fondness and faith in Tuxedo Kamen was no weaker than it had been when they began.
"I just spent ten minutes fighting a demon bee and a tentacle monster," Usagi growled. "I'm not in the best of moods, even if dusting the furry guy back there was easy." Ami noted that Usagi was splattered with a shiny slime, and small wounds.
"There were two youma in the basement?" Usagi nodded. That might explain the different readings, Ami thought, remembering the question of a youma upstairs, and then saw something more important. "The authorities are outside, and they don't look happy." Usagi turned to look at the several police cars in the street and shot Ami a haggard look.
"Let's go out the back door, please," she begged.
"Come out with your hands up," called one of the cops over a megaphone.
"That would be a bad idea, I think," Ami said. "Let's try to clear this up and we can take to the roofs if things go sour."
"Fine," Usagi said, and dragged her feet towards the door. There was a muttering when they stepped outside.
"I said with your hands up," the cop with the megaphone repeated uncertainly. Seeing that these really were two adolescent—YOUNG adolescent—girls was making him question the situation. Admittedly, he couldn't remember their faces when he was looking right at them, which was rather intimidating, and they were supposedly capable of throwing around some sort of nasty magic attack, but they just didn't look threatening. Especially with how bedraggled the blond looking one was. Then a humming buzz came from the blonde's direction.
"Look," she said, her gems reverberating her voice across the block, and causing gasps from the people the barricade was unsuccessfully trying to keep away. "I have just spent the last ten minutes fighting a tentacle monster. Bear in mind that I am a teenaged magical girl in a short skirt. Got it? I saved the people, I dusted the monster, and now I want to go home, take a long, hot shower, with plenty of soap, and spend the rest of the day curled up under the covers with a mug of cocoa. Maybe then, just maybe, I won't cry myself to sleep tonight, and will actually get some sleep, without waking up from nightmares three times, wanting to vomit. If you really want to talk to me, I can swing by the police station tomorrow. It's not like I don't know how to find you, you know? But today? I'm in a bad place. Please, don't push me." The cop raised the megaphone again.
"I—" and a crack split the air, just before a police car exploded into green flame. Usagi reeled back in shock, and her right shoulder went numb. What! What happened to the car? To my arm! Ami twisted and ran to catch her as she fell. Another crack was heard over people screaming, and Ami stumbled as something slammed into her cheekbone like a fist, hitting the ground herself.
"They're attacking!" one of the cops yelled, just as a burst of green fire erupted on the ground. A third crack, and Ami's visor replayed it in slow motion. A bullet.
"They're shooting at us," she hissed at Usagi, disbelieving. They both stumbled back toward the candy store, and now Ami's visor caught something else. "There's a youma on the roof!" she yelled, and another blast of green fire erupted in the middle of a group of police officers. I knew I shouldn't have discounted those readings! Ami and Usagi ran into the alley and bounced off the walls and onto the roof. The youma, resembling a human-iguana hybrid with red eyes, grinned at them. Then it disappeared in a plume of fire.
"Teleportation?"
"Run for it!" Usagi yelped and grabbed Ami as another bullet ricocheted inches away. They ran.
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"Thankfully it's Friday. I couldn't handle another day of school tomorrow." The fact that Ami said this should have been heralded by ominous thunder, flying pork products, and snowball-fighting devils. Instead it got two shocked looks from a redhead and a black mau.
"What happened?" Luna asked Ami as the team recouped in her apartment. Usagi had almost literally kicked Luna out of the way on the way to Ami's shower, and had pulled rank to make Ami explain. Considering her mood, though, Ami thought to herself, I'm not sure I could sit here and explain it without soiling myself in terror if Usagi were here. She's as frightening as any youma sometimes, and I really can't blame her for it. Tentacles, ugh. Ami then looked back at the astonished Luna and Naru.
"I think someone set a trap for us, but I don't know how deep it goes," she said finally.
"Details, details," Naru urged, eyes flitting towards the bathroom Usagi occupied every few seconds. The last time I saw her this upset was when someone tried bullying Shingo at school. What on earth…? "I was there for most of it, but I don't really know what happened."
"When we finished the fight and had caught our breaths, I noticed several police cars, maybe as many as seven. They were parked in the street outside, similar to a barricade, and a number of police were arrayed behind them while others tried to keep civilians away with little success. Usagi suggested going out the back door, but one of them used a mega phone and asked us to come out."
"You mean 'us' the senshi?"
"Yes."
"With your hands up?" Naru asked, "Because I think I heard that part."
"Yes, actually. I felt that it would be a bad idea to antagonize law enforcement, since it is their job to help people, and we might manage to form the beginnings of an alliance. Usagi was too tired to argue and went outside. The officer asked us again to put our hands up, and I was going to comply and open a dialogue, but Usagi beat me to it. She activated her gems and broadcast a message stating exactly what had just happened, and how she felt about it. She asked if we senshi could stop by and talk to the police tomorrow. Mostly, they looked sympathetic, I believe."
"Looked sympathetic to what happened?" Naru asked. "The crowd was definitely on your side. Some people in the audience beside me were commenting that it was a crime to treat you girls—heroines, they were calling you—like felons. A reporter was nearby too, but I wasn't paying attention to her. Then the car exploded! So what happened?"
"Like I said, someone set a trap. Given our discussion, I believe that Jadeite left a youma on the roof to attack as a last-ditch effort after his plan failed. It blew up the police car. But that isn't the disturbing part."
"What was, then?" Luna asked.
"Someone was shooting at us. Shot us, in fact."
"Like with regular bullets?" Naru gasped. "As in guns, not lasers or fireballs or whatever youma use, but human guns?"
"Yes. Thankfully, it turns out that our senshi uniforms are, in fact, bulletproof. I wish I had found out under more controlled circumstances, or never at all, but things could have been much worse." She rubbed her cheek, contemplating her close call with death.
"I'm still going to have a hell of a fucking bruised shoulder," Usagi groaned as she emerged from the bathroom. The girls jumped up and ran over to her before she collapsed. She was dripping wet, and warm, and looked horribly vulnerable, and was only barely wearing a towel. She looked up at Ami weakly. "Sorry I left such a mess, but I feel like shit," she groaned. "And how do you get off without a fucking scratch? I thought I saw you get shot, too."
"Whoa, language much?" Naru commented with raised eyebrows, moving to act as Usagi's crutch. Ami thought Usagi's mess just meant her clothes until the smell hit her, at which point she took a second look at Usagi's mouth.
"Naru, get her to the kitchen and rinse out her mouth in the sink," she ordered, her doctor side taking over. "Then get her to eat something simple."
"You sure you want me puttering around your kitchen?" Naru asked uncertainly.
"Your other option is cleaning up vomit," Ami said bluntly, moving to the cupboard with sanitation supplies. Naru grimaced, not having realized what had happened, and pulled the blonde away.
On second thought, though, I should do this first, Ami realized, and moved into the bathroom as her stomach also roiled. Ten minutes later Ami shakily walked back in—wearing a new outfit—and found the two of them nibbling on crackers. Luna was curled up in Usagi's lap. She moved over to the sink, ignoring Naru's question that she honestly hadn't heard, and washed her mouth out a second time to be thorough, before taking a seat a the table.
"Sorry about the mess," Usagi repeated weakly. Ami smiled weakly and put a reassuring hand on her friend's arm.
"I made a bigger mess," she confessed. "You got it almost all in the toilet, and I ended up getting half on myself."
"I'm sorry I didn't help," Naru said worriedly. "I would've if I'd heard you throwing up."
"It's not a problem," Ami assured. "Usagi, I put both our clothes in the wash to get off the slime and sickness. Do you want to borrow an outfit?"
"Is anyone else going to show up?" Usagi asked in an apparent non-sequitur. Her friends shared a look and shook their heads. "Then if you guys aren't feeling freaked out, I think I'll stay with the towel." They shared a look again.
"I've seen it before at the hot springs," Naru commented with a shrug.
"I'm studying to be a doctor. Bodies and vomiting aren't important in the grand scheme of things," Ami agreed.
"I'm naked already," Luna said. They all burst out laughing.
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It was the evening after a long day when Saeko Mizuno opened the door to the apartment and heard a cheery, jingling music that she recognized from one of her daughter's video games. Mario never gets old, does it? I'm glad she's finally enjoying those. They must have sat in the case for a year or so before she finally tried them out. Then she heard something else.
"Noooooo! How could I lose again?" wailed an unfamiliar voice, followed by cheerful laughter.
"Don't worry, Usagi. You'll beat Ami one of these days," a second girl said. "You know, probably right after you spend a few days practicing with your grandchildren!" She burst out laughing again.
"Now, now," said Ami's tinkling voice, in a cheerful tone Saeko barely recognized. "I'm sure it won't be that long, Naru. Maybe just after she gets her first A+ on a final exam." The laughter got louder.
"S-so, even further in the future than what I was guessing, right?" Came the voice of Naru.
"Hey!" yelled the voice of the girl called Usagi. Saeko's face lit up like the sun when what she was hearing finally clicked. Ami brought her friends over! This is wonderful! She strode into the living room and decided to take advantage of the fact that they hadn't noticed her. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out.
"Eek! Burglars!" The reactions were hilarious. Her daughter spun around so fast that she fell off the couch and onto the floor, wide-eyed. The redheaded girl with a green ribbon in her hair had just finished drinking, and her eyes bugged out of her head as she barely managed to keep from spit taking. The long-haired blonde, however, was the funniest.
She screeched like a banshee and—in what the doctor would much later recall as one of the most astounding (and done accidently, no less) feats of acrobatics she had seen—shot a good three or four feet into the air, simultaneously somersaulting forward so that she was upside-down and facing Saeko at the height of her jump, and then crashing back down to the cushions she had been sitting on, unharmed. Ami's mother burst out laughing, and after a few seconds the three teens joined in.
"Usagi, Naru," Ami said as they wound down finally, "this is my mother. Mom, this is Usagi," she pointed to the blonde, "and Naru," she motioned to the redhead.
"It's a pleasure," Naru said, still chuckling. Usagi jumped over the back of the couch and threw her arms around the older woman in a tight hug.
"I'm soooooo happy to meet you!" she exclaimed, and bounced backwards a few steps. Apparently, she had misjudged or forgotten exactly where the couch was, because she hit the back of it mid-bounce and somersaulted backwards, thumping down on the floor next to Ami. "Owie…"
"Are you alright?"
"I've had worse," Usagi said, and laughed nervously. "Keep me away from the fine china, though, this bunny is worse than a bull!" Saeko smiled at the joke and everyone took a seat.
"I've heard so much about you from Ami," she said. "And yet she still couldn't quite do you justice, now that I meet you face to face." Usagi blushed.
"Thanks, Ms. Mizuno." Then she leaned over to Ami and asked in an exaggerated whisper, "You only told her about the good stuff, right?" That got another round of chuckles.
"Mother," Ami began. "Would it be alright if Usagi and Naru slept over? I thought I should ask you before we called their parents."
"If their families don't mind, then it would be a pleasure. The phone is over there." A few minutes later they both had permission, and everyone was smiling. Saeko joined them for a few rounds of gaming, as well, displaying surprising skill for an adult, though still not enough. Then Usagi's stomach rumbled.
"Heh-heh? Oops? I guess I'm hungry again," she said sheepishly. Saeko sighed. "I'm sorry, but I've had a bad day at work. Would take-out be acceptable?"
"Of course."
"Sure!"
"That sounds good to me."
"Chinese?" She got a round of nods and they spent the next few minutes digging out menus and ordering. Then Usagi, naturally curious and caring, had to ask.
"So, you said you had a bad day? What happened?" Saeko sighed. Ami flinched a little, worried that her mother had lost a patient, which always put her in a foul mood.
"It could have been worse," Ami's mother said. "I work at the hospital, so it could have been a horrible day, but I didn't lose any patients, thankfully. We had a large influx of injuries from an incident, but nothing life threatening. We were just understaffed. Have you girls been watching the news?" Ami got a feeling that she knew what this was about.
"Not really," Usagi admitted, "I'm more of an anime person."
"You know about these Sailor Senshi going around?" Realization flashed in Naru's and Usagi's eyes, but it was too late to back out of the conversation now.
"I was actually around for the thing with the police this afternoon," Naru said. "Is that what you were talking about? Cars blowing up and people shooting?"
"Yes," Saeko said. "You were there, you say? I only managed to put together a general picture of what happened. Would you mind telling me about it?"
"Well…so there are these things the senshi are fighting, right? Monsters called, um, youma I think I heard."
"Yes, they drain people's ki," Saeko agreed. That got the girls' attention.
"Ki? What's that?" asked Usagi.
"Ki is the word used for the aura of energy the body produces from cellular activity," the doctor explained. "It used to be more prominently known, but these days it's becoming less and less heard of. You might call it your life-energy, although that term isn't entirely accurate either. Some extraordinarily skilled martial artists can be trained to use it as a weapon, but that level of dedication is becoming less and less common as well."
"It sounds like chakra," Usagi mused. "Youma killer no jutsu!" She giggled.
"I'm surprised I haven't heard much about it," Ami said with a frown. "I would think it would be important for medicine."
"They still make you take a class on it in medical school," her mother agreed, "but only the one class. Ki is only important when dealing with pressure points and acupuncture, or when you need to give medical aid to a ki-user. And in my years of medicine, I've never yet had to do the latter. With more and more modern advances, it's going the way of herbal poultices and other natural remedies. With these monsters—youma?—it might see an upswing in popularity again. Now, you were saying, Naru?"
"Oh! Right," she said absently. "I've been caught in like, four or five youma attacks, so I'm sort of an old hat at them by now. I'm guessing the youma had set up in that candy shop, and the senshi went in to clear it out before it could hurt anyone." She fiddled with her hair a bit nervously. "The shop filled up with this fog they use, and people came streaming out the door. I think there were still a few people inside, though. I mean, people who stayed inside. One guy who came out really late was complaining about how his phone couldn't take a video through the fog. Idiot."
"Staying near a monster fight like that because you want to take a video does seem like Darwin Award material."
"I'm just glad they weren't actually hurt," Ami said in response to her mother's tasteless joke. Naru continued.
"After a few minutes a whole bunch of cop cars showed up and moved everyone away while they formed a barricade. Reporters, too. The mist vanished, and one of them used a megaphone and I think they did the 'come out with your hands up' shtick. I was there, but I couldn't really hear over everyone else, because I was smart enough to keep away from the monster-infested building. That got the police a few complaints."
"Complaints?"
"The senshi are pretty popular, even if people don't know much about them. There was almost an uproar that they were 'treating those young heroines like criminals'. The senshi came out, but without their hands up. Sailor Moon looked really beaten up. I'm not really sure who said what, but Sailor Moon did this cool voice projection spell, I guess, if you believe in magic, and basically went on a really polite rant. Apparently she had to fight a tentacle monster, and she was exhausted."
"Brr…" Usagi said, shuddering. "Tentacle monsters and magical girls with short skirts. Sounds really nasty."
"I suppose a bit of it depends on if you believe in magic," Saeko said mildly. The girls shared a look.
"Do you?"
"Well…I don't really know. I would have said no before, but… Well, let me put it like this. Just because people never saw an elephant before doesn't mean they don't exist. However, if you don't know what an elephant looks like and someone shows you what they say is an elephant, you should do some research on your own, anyway. It may turn out to be a rhinoceros, after all."
"So you don't believe in magic, but you don't deny it either," Naru summarized.
"Yes, exactly. But it might just be sufficiently advanced technology. Now, what was this about an exploding car?"
"Right after Sailor Moon finished talking, one of the police cars burst into flame. Green flame. Everyone panicked, and the Sailor Senshi looked surprised and stumbled back, too, so I don't think it was their doing. Then fire kept showing up, and there were what sounded like gunshots. I think someone was shooting at the senshi, because they looked like they got hit, although I didn't see any blood. Then they jumped onto the roof of the shop, and I think I saw a youma there, but it vanished. Maybe they dusted it, but they didn't come back down."
"That was a much more complete story than I had," Saeko said. "No one seemed sure of anything at the hospital. Maybe you should call the police and tell them what you told me." The girls shared an uncertain look, and Usagi nodded slightly, granting tentative permission.
"I guess. I'll call them tomorrow, I think."
"If there were reporters, then would this be on the news yet?" Ami wondered.
"Let's check," her mother suggested, turning the television back on and flipping through a few channels.
"No one was killed in the incident, although a few people suffered minor injuries," said a reporter. "The worst two were an officer who suffered burns on his arms, and a woman who was hit by a ricochet bullet. Their names have been kept private at their own request. No information has been released as to where the bullet may have been fired from, but eyewitnesses and film records all agree that neither of the so-called Sailor Senshi carried firearms, or took any discernably threatening actions, suggesting that they may have been the targets. Also, seven other bullets were recovered from the scene, none of which struck anyone, it appears. And now we take you to city hall, where city police chief Yamada Kenshin is holding a press conference." The frame changed to show a tall, heavy-set man with short dark hair and a bushy mustache standing at a podium.
"Due to the chaos and questions surrounding this blatant attack on our officers," he announced gruffly, "I have been convinced to name these Sailor Senshi enemies of the public, and issue a warrant for their arrest."
"What!" exploded the girls. The reaction at city hall was not much quieter. Finally one reporter made himself heard.
"Commissioner Yamada, is it really wise to focus on these heroines and not the monsters they are fighting?"
"The monsters they appear to be fighting," he said sharply. "We know nothing of their origin, their motives, their methods, or their plans. It could very well be that they are actually in league with the Dark Kingdom, and are merely using this to gain good publicity so that they have the public's backing when they show their true colors."
"Commissioner, weren't they offering to cooperate earlier today?"
"Yes, and then what happened? They blew up several police cars and hospitalized several men and women who put their lives on the line daily to protect you all! Have you no respect for their suffering?" Yamada roared.
"But weren't people firing at the senshi?"
"What of the pictures of a monster on the roof, that attacked the car?"
"Will you be bringing in other demon hunters to help the city?"
"Have you identified the gunman targeting our heroines?"
"Enough!" Yamada roared. "There was no gunman firing on the senshi and no youma on the roof! I have examined the evidence and the testimony several times, some of which is not yet available to the public, and I will hear no more of this nonsense. The senshi need to be stopped, no matter what! I will not have vigilante justice for any reason! The press conference is over!" He turned and left the podium, ignoring the near rioting in the room. Saeko turned off the television.
"What on earth is that man thinking?" she muttered, disturbed. "Naru, you should definitely contact the police department and give your testimony soon." The shell-shocked redhead nodded mutely, and took a moment to pull herself together. The two civilian senshi were still almost catatonic.
"If you don't mind, Ms. Mizuno, I'm going to drag these two upstairs and set up some cots. We'll come back down once they reboot from the blue screen of death." Their hostess nodded and Naru dragged the two unresisting senshi upstairs and into the bluenette's room, shutting the door. She sat the two on Ami's bed, took a deep breath, and reared back her hands.
*Slap!*
*Thwack*
"Ouch!" they both yelped as Naru shook out her stinging hands. The news release slid back into Usagi's mind.
"What the HELL is that IDIOT thinking?" she shrieked. "We risk our lives to save other people, we're up at all hours of the day and night, we never get rest days in case we miss something, and did I mention we SAVE LIVES! He's treating us like—like—like we're CRIMINAAAALLLS! WAAAAAHHH!" She broke down crying, her wail echoing around the room, and Ami looped an arm around her shoulder while Naru took her other side. "Is it all for n-nothing? Does-s i-it even matter? Why b-b-bother fighting if th-this is what h-happens? WAAAAAAHHH!"
*Whap!*
This time it was Ami who had delivered the Earth-to-Usagi call. "Usagi, I don't know what's happened, but we will figure it out and clear our names. Do you understand?" Usagi nodded. "Good. Because I don't ever want to hear you wonder if this is worthwhile ever again. We don't save lives for thanks or reward, we do it because it is the right thing to do, and if you think otherwise then you aren't the Usagi I so greatly love and respect." There was a long pause as the words hung in the air. Usagi's eyes hardened.
"You're right. We do this to protect the innocent. And we will track down the Dark Kingdom and punish them in the name of the moon! Even if we have to wade through a crowd of police to do so. We will not stop until the world is safe!" Naru started clapping wildly and Ami laughed. The old Usagi was back.
"Now, what was going on there?" Naru asked her friends. They shared a look and shrugged.
"Have we really done that much damage?" Usagi asked. "I thought we've kept it pretty low."
"I do not believe our collateral damage has been excessive at all," Ami stated. "There's some, certainly, but it could be much worse. Sailor M's problems with things getting caught in the crossfire are worse than ours."
"Maybe it's politics," Naru said. "Someone might be leaning on him to bring us in. But why?"
"Our abilities are rather extraordinary," Ami mused. "It is not unthinkable that they might hope for a specimen to study in hopes of recreating our abilities. Or an extraordinarily religious official might see us as walking blasphemies and seek to 'cleanse the abominations'."
"Sick extremists," Naru growled.
"Or he may just be frightened of things he doesn't understand, and is reacting out of fear turned into hatred. He may also see us as threatening because our handling of the youma makes him look inept, and he wishes to preserve his job."
"Or it might be the Dark Kingdom," Usagi said. The others paused.
"That is possible," Ami agreed. "I would not wish to put every setback in their hands, as someone else may blindside us in the future if we do, but it bears considering."
"Yeah, they might be threatening his family they way they would ours if they knew our identities, or they might just have hypnotized him," Naru agreed. "That probably explains the youma and the sniper—they were luring us into trap, and are trying to lure us out to exterminate us."
"Ami, what do you think we can do?" Usagi asked. "Give me a list."
"One: we could do nothing and continue as we have while ignoring the police presence. This is undesirable, as they would not ignore us in return, and things would undoubtedly escalate."
"It would also mean that I'd have to stop helping, since I'm not bulletproof," Naru added.
"That's definitely out," Usagi decided. "You're as much a member of the team as I am. We will not let this stand!" She pumped her fist, and winced as it aggravated her bruised shoulder. "Owie. Why did I have to bruise? Ami got off scot-free."
"My armor is naturally stronger than yours, that's all. Two: we could stop fighting the youma until the authorities realize that they can't handle things without us."
"No!" Usagi snapped. "I won't let people get hurt, and I won't let Berry-what's-her-name win!"
"Exactly what I was going to say, but it's good to have thrown it out there."
"Option three: we actively oppose the police as we do the Dark Kingdom. This would be bad, as it would hurt our image and also cause harm to innocents."
"Not. Happening."
"Four: we can attempt to subtly unravel the cause of the commissioner's obsession and get him off our case. The downside being that this would be a delicate operation requiring time."
"Maybe," Usagi said, pursing her lips. "Maaaybe."
"Finally, we can go public with our own story in an attempt to get the commissioner replaced with someone more sympathetic to our cause. The downsides—"
"I've made my choice," Usagi said. "Unless there's some really really good option you haven't covered yet?"
"Nothing beyond those five immediately come to mind."
"So what's the plan?" Naru asked.
"We'll try subtle first, 'cause the guy might be a victim too. If that doesn't work, we go to a television station and go public like Ami suggested," Usagi said. The others nodded.
"Works for me."
"I find no faults inherent in the plan."
"Good." Usagi fell back on Ami's bed. "I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something, though."
"I have a similar feeling," Ami confessed. "Something about the commissioner's speech doesn't sit right with me."
"I'm not feeling it, but you guys are the ones with the senshi instincts," Naru said. "Now, is this a slumber party or what? All work and no play—"
"Makes Jack a dull boy," Usagi finished.
"You've seen the movie?" Ami asked.
"Horror movie buff at age eleven. Remember?"
"I tried to block it out," Naru said drily, and grinned. "Now, Ami." The girl looked nervous as Naru reached into the bag she'd dropped off in the room earlier. "There's an ancient tradition at these events that we have to uphold. It's time to give you: a make-over! Bwahahahaha!"
++++++++++++++++
Later that night the girls were all asleep. Naru was on the bedroll nearest the hall and Usagi on the one near the bed. Ami should have been sleeping in her bed, but had tossed and turned too much, and everything from the waist up had slipped down to the floor, with her head using Usagi's chest as a pillow. At least, that was until Usagi bolted upright with a panicked gasp, her eyes shooting wide open. "The Dark Kingdom!"
"What? What?" the other mumbled, stirring awake. Ami blushed when she found her head in Usagi's lap and fell all the way out of bed when she tried to free herself.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Naru asked.
"Yes," Usagi confessed, remembering the churning images of the Generals, youma, the commissioner, and a mountain of corpses in a flat, dead land. "But I also know what bugged me about the speech. The Dark Kingdom is definitely involved."
"What spee—oh. Yeah. What was it?"
"If the commissioner was just a normal person, how did he know that they were called the Dark Kingdom?"
+++++++++++++++++++
Well, we have reached the ¼ mark. Coming up next, it's the beginning of the end, for Zoicite.