I don't own Sailor Moon, nor did I create it. Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor Moon, this is just my alternate universe version, a sort of "If I created Sailor Moon" story...

Note: Any dialogue written like this, unless another language is specified, is in Japanese. Furthermore, any dialogue in Japanese will use Japanese naming convention, which puts family(last) name first, followed by given name.

CHAPTER 7: ADVENTURES IN MALE BONDING(HUMAN/FELINE EDITION)

NOVEMBER 15, 1986

Usagi Tsukino, Ami Mizuno, Rae Hino, Makoto Kino, and Mina Aino, along with Luna and Artemis, had a meeting in the fallout shelter in Rae's backyard. During the meeting, Luna would translate for Ami whenever necessary, being she only spoke limited English. "So where's John?" Mina asked. "Shouldn't he be here, seeing as he's part of the team?"

"John had to work this morning," Usagi said.

Besides, Ami said, He's an unofficial member of the team.

"I kind of wish he was here," Artemis said.

"I understand," Mina said. "I mean, it would be nice for you to have another male to talk to."

"John McCoy not being here isn't the point of this meeting," Luna said. "The important thing is, we now know who our enemy is."

"Right," Makoto said. "Beryl."

"I was wondering when Beryl would rear her ugly head," Mina said. "Or, in her case, heads."

"You've dealt with her before?" Rae asked.

"Not directly," Mina said. "But I have fought a few of her minions back when I was Sailor V."

"Right," Artemis said.

"And we know what she wants," Usagi said. "She thinks herself queen of Earth. But there are a few obstacles in her path."

"Us," Rae said.

"Don't forget about John," Ami said, in halting English.

"Yeah," Usagi said. "He may not officially be part of the team, but he's been there for us on more than one occasion."

"I don't really know the guy," Mina said, "I mean, I've only met him briefly last night, but I can tell he's going to be a valuable ally. What do we know about him, anyways?"

"I've known him since kindergarten," Usagi said. "He's one of my best friends."

"I didn't meet him until he helped Usagi and Ami fight off a bunch of demons not too long ago," Luna said. "But I had heard of Golden Hawk. Keep in mind I'd been scouting you girls for a couple years before I first gave Usagi the powers of Sailor Moon. I was around when Golden Hawk first showed up just before last Christmas."

"So he's a little like me," Mina said.

"Not exactly," Artemis said. "Luna filled me in last night a little about him. You've always been fighting Beryl's minions, until he took it upon himself to help you girls, he's only dealt with bank robbers, muggers, purse snatchers, and other basic street thugs. You've always been part of the team, I just had you use the Sailor V identity for a little of what you might call on the job training. From what I understand, he became a superhero on his own."

"He doesn't exactly call himself a superhero," Makoto said. "He prefers the term Suburban Vigilante. Anyways, what Mina asked, what do we really know about him? And I don't think she meant personality wise, I'm thinking she wants to know what his powers are exactly, what weapons he uses, where exactly did he come from, stuff like that."

"I can tell you that his powers didn't come from the same place your powers came from," Luna said. "And yes, Mina, your powers did come from the same place as the others, you just got them from Artemis instead of me. But as for John's powers, from my own personal observation, he has enhanced speed, strength, and agility, and the ability to teleport."

What about the smoke pellets? Ami asked.

"I suspect those are just for show" Luna said. "That, or to cover his tracks, to conceal him while he transforms or teleports. It could be both, I don't know him all that well myself."

"I remember hearing somewhere he has the ability to fly," Rae said.

"I heard that, too," Usagi said.

"Ditto," Makoto said. "Don't forget, Usagi, Rae, and I all grew up in Placentia. The three of us know about as much about Golden Hawk as anybody."

"And as for weapons," Rae said, "he has those blasters he keeps on his back."

"Tonfas," Usagi said. "Similar to the side handle nightsticks cops use. He only uses them to channel his energy projection powers through."

"How do you know that?" Luna asked.

""I noticed whenever he uses them as blasters," Usagi said, "his hands glow. If they were actually blasters, his hands wouldn't glow. And besides, if they were blasters, they would have triggers, and possibly a scope, or at the very least, sights. But they don't have either. And don't forget his staff."

"Oh yes, that," Rae said. "When we were trapped in the energy dome last night, he transformed it into a laser sword, a blaster big enough and powerful enough for whenever they make Rambo in Space, and a Walther PPK with a laser scope. What else can he transform that thing into, anyways?"

"Pretty much any weapon I can imagine," John said, as he teleported in.

"What are you doing here?" Usagi asked. "I thought you had to work today."

"I do," John said. "At least I did. I'm off for the rest of the day. The good news is, I get paid for the whole day just for showing up. The bad news is, why Colleen had to close the shop for the day."

"What happened?" Usagi asked.

"She had to rush Brooklyn to the hospital," John said.

"Why did Molly have to go to the hospital?" Usagi asked, concerned.

"To quote from Madeline," John said, "It's an appendix. And from how bad it is, I'm guessing our Titian tressed friend from Flatbush is going to have to have it removed. But anyways, back to my staff. I can transform it into any weapon I can think of. So far, you've seen me use a laser sword, a blaster rifle, a Walther PPK with laser sight. But there were a few other weapons I've used in the past, before I cast my lot with you. Nunchucks, a blackjack, lead pipe, and a couple others I can't remember at the moment. Heck, Usagi and Ami even saw me using a flying guillotine. Believe you me, those things are harder to use than the movie made it look. Actually, they would be hard to use if I didn't have low level telekinesis."

"Well, I for one am glad you're on our side," Mina said.

"I may be a freelancer," John said, "but you can make bank on one thing. As long as I have a beat in my heart, a breath in my lungs, and I can stand up, you can bet your cute little asses I'll be there when you need me, all you need to do is call."

"There is one thing you can do for me," Artemis said.

"What's that?" John asked.

"Sometimes I need another guy to talk to," Artemis said.

"I understand fully," John said. "You know the park we were in last night?"

"Yes," Artemis said.

"Anyways, there's a neighborhood behind it, you get to it by going through a break in the cinderblock wall."

"I know where that is," Mina said. "I live right next to the break in the wall, right around the corner on that little side street."

"I live right across the street," John said. "You see the house with the red 1966 Mustang convertible in the driveway?"

"Yes," Mina said. "That where you live?"

"There are two windows directly over the garage," John said. "If you're facing the house, my bedroom window is the one on the right. There's a little ledge below the window, just climb up to the ledge and meow. If I'm there, and I hear you, I'll let you in. And if the window's open, just come in."

"Okay," Artemis said.

Later that night, after his promised date with Ami, John was in his bedroom, debating whether to put Destroyer or British Steel on his turntable, when he heard a cat meowing outside his bedroom window. He went to the window, and saw Artemis standing on the ledge. "Just give me a second to open the window," John said, opening the window.

"Nice to finally have a guy to talk to," Artemis said. "I mean, there's Mina's dad, but after all this time, she still hasn't told her parents about her being a superhero."

"I know the feeling," John said. "Except I think between my mom and her twin sister, they probably figured it out by now. And as for having another male to talk to, I know that feeling as well. My aunt moved in with my mom and me after my parents got divorced. I have an older sister, but she lives in Berkeley with her girlfriend."

"Don't you mean her boyfriend?" Artemis asked.

"No," John said. "My sister Michelle is a lesbian. I kind of suspected since I was 8, or would have suspected if I had known at the time what a lesbian was. All I know was that she was always affectionate to girls, way more so than boys. In fact, my father included, I'm the only male she's really shown any affection for, even if it's the normal brother/sister affection. Michelle was the one who taught me what the word lesbian meant, actually, it was her girlfriend at the time. I told Michelle some guys said she was a lesbian, and I didn't know what a lesbian is. Her girlfriend asked me if I knew what gay was, I told her it was when a guy liked other guys the way guys are supposed to like girls. Anyways, Michelle's girlfriend told me that a lesbian was a gay girl. I know it sounded a bit blunt, but I understood what it meant. But it did explain why Michelle never had a boyfriend."

"So where is your father?" Artemis asked.

"Other side of Fullerton," John said. "he remarried this past summer, he lives in the Sunny Hills area of Fullerton, along with his new wife, Alice, and her son Trevor. Trevor's more like the son my dad wishes I could be, he plays football and baseball, he's the proverbial "tall, dark, and handsome", and he's dating a blue eyed blonde cheerleader. As for me, I'd rather play guitar than sports, I'm a blond of average height and looks, and I'm currently dating Ami."

"What's so bad about you having blond hair or dating Ami?" Artemis asked.

"For some reason I never understood," John said, "my dad thinks blond hair is kind of effeminate. He also knows that I can't help having blond hair, it's in my DNA. As for dating Ami, he's from the South, he was brought up around those who kind of frown on interracial couples. I told him my girlfriend is Japanese, he took it better than I thought he would, but I could tell he wasn't 100% okay with me dating an Asian girl. To his credit, he's okay with Michelle being a lesbian. He doesn't really have a problem with gays or lesbians, he has a couple gay friends."

"I've been living with Mina for a couple years," Artemis said. "Believe me, the first time I spoke to her, it freaked her out. I should have thought about it first, I kind of forgot that Earth cats don't speak. But she got used to it, though. Fortunately, I was able to train her somewhat before she went into action as Sailor V. Unfortunately, she kept her identity secret, so she was the only person I could really talk to. I mean, in the time I've known her, she and I have become good friends, but she's a human female, she and I don't really relate on a bunch of things. I realize you're human, but still, you're male, so I can relate to you on that level."

"And I can relate to you on that level as well," John said. "Don't get me wrong, the girls are great and all. As for Luna, I can't shake this feeling that she sees us as her kittens."

"I hear you there," Artemis said. "I've known Luna, well, let's just say a lot longer than you think. And yes, she does have that mother cat vibe, even though I'm a few months older than her, sometimes she treats me like one of her kittens. That's just her. She has a strong maternal instinct, and is very protective of those she cares about. That's just her, I have a feeling that will never change. Now let me ask you this: Imagine it's Friday night, Mina doesn't have a date, she's hanging out by herself at home. What would you guess she's doing?"

"My guess would be she'd be up in her room," John said. "Painting her toenails."

"What color do you think she'd paint her toenails?" Artemis asked.

"Red," John said.

"What shade of red?" Artemis asked.

"How the fuck would I know?" John asked. "Red is red. Now I have a question for you. You live with Mina, what did she do last night?"

"Painted her toenails," Artemis said. "And for your information, she painted them maroon. So why would you have thought that's what she would be doing?"

"Two reasons," John said. "First, I've seen enough girls with painted toenails the last few years, and I know that fingernails and toenails don't paint themselves. Second, until she moved to Berkeley with her girlfriend, my sister spent many a Friday night up in her room painting her toenails. You know, Artemis, I probably appreciate you being here as much as you do. I mean, since my parents got divorced, except for the 4 years she was married to Akira, I was the man of the house by default."

"Who's Akira?" Artemis asked.

"Some guy my mom dated after she and my dad divorced," John said. "She met him when I was 6, they got married when I was 7, and they were married until I was 11."

"They got divorced?" Artemis asked.

"Unfortunately no," John said. "Akira was a chemistry teacher at La Habra High, one day, on his way home from work, some asshole had a few too many for the road, ran a red light at Cypress and La Habra, and T-boned his car on the driver's side at 35 mph. By the time the paramedics got there, he was already dead. Paramedics smelled alcohol on the other driver's breath, so they administered a field test, turned out the guy's BAC was more than twice the legal limit. Wasn't his first DUI, in fact, he was driving on a revoked license, they took it because of his history of drunk driving. And since Akira wasn't the first person to die because this jerk had a few for the road, the DA threw the book at him, he ended up getting life without parole. I know he wasn't my father, but he was a decent, upstanding guy, he taught me to speak Japanese. After he died, I made a promise on his grave that I would never drink alcohol. That's kind of how I got into the Straight Edge lifestyle."

"What's the Straight Edge lifestyle?" Artemis asked.

"A subset of punk rock," John said. "Basically, it means abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drug use. I first heard about it last year, and realized I was already following the lifestyle."

"So what do you do when you're not in school or fighting evil, anyways?" Artemis asked.

"I work in a record store part time after school," John said. "Besides that, Rae and I play guitar in a rock band. And don't ask us what our name is, we don't have one at the moment. Actually, the band wasn't really serious at first, until about a couple months ago. We batted a few ideas for names around, but haven't settled on one yet. Anyways, so what's Mina like? What's she into?"

"Sports, mostly," Artemis said. "Back in Liverpool, she was captain of her school's volleyball team. She's also fairly good at gymnastics and track & field, although those are more hobbies than serious pursuits. Strangely enough, her dream is to be a singer."

"Does she have any favorite singers?" John asked.

"A few," Artemis said. "Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Karen Carpenter, and Debbie Harry seem to be her main influences. But she also likes the Bangles, the Go-Go's, and Bananarama. So who are some of your favorite artists?"

"I have a few," John said. "KISS, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, AC/DC, MC5, Mötley Crüe, the Beatles, the Who, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, Clash, Aerosmith. Thing is, with Iron Maiden, I didn't really care for their first couple albums, I wasn't really a fan of their original lead vocalist, Paul Di'Anno. But the guy who replaced him, Bruce Dickinson, I think he's what they needed all along. As for some of the other bands, I wasn't sure at first when AC/DC replaced their lead vocalist, but it's not like they had a choice. Bon Scott died, and they had to replace him. But if you ask me, Back in Black, the first album they did with Brian Johnson, was their best album. I say that album is "All killer, no filler". The amazing thing, it came out less than 6 months after Bon Scott died. In under 6 months, they audition and hire a new singer, write, record, and mix an album."

"I noticed you like a lot of heavy metal bands," Artemis said. "Mina's not really all that much of a fan of heavy metal, she calls it noise pollution. Although she does admit she likes Led Zeppelin. And of course, she likes the Beatles, I mean, she is from their hometown."

Artemis and John talked for a few minutes, until they heard what was obviously the voice of a teenage girl, speaking in an English accent, calling for a cat. "Artemis!" the voice called. "Here kitty!"

"You did let Mina know you're coming over, right?" John asked.

"Of course," Artemis said.

"In any case," John said, "I'll let her know he's here." He opened the window, and stuck his head out.

"Hey John," Mina said. "You seen Artemis?"

"He's up here,' John said. "I'll bring him down to you."

"Thanks," Mina said.

John came out a minute later, with Artemis in his arms. "Meow," Artemis said.

"So what did the two of you talk about?" Mina asked.

"Nothing much," John said. "We just talked."

"Meow," Artemis said.

"Anyways," Mina said, "I don't really have a problem with Artemis spending the night talking with you, but I'm afraid my dad and mum would suspect something. They don't even know Artemis can speak."

"I understand," John said. "That's the thing with secret identities."

À Suivre...