THE MIND WORM
Chapter 1: "The Name Is Familiar"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c)2019 by Naoko Takeuchi and are used without permission, but with respect. Story is (c)2019 by Bill K. Lupin the Third and all related characters are (c)2019 by the estate of Kazuhiko "Monkey Punch" Kato and Futabasha Publishers Ltd.
Working at the Crystal Palace was often routine, in spite of its residents and their myriad adventures. There wasn't a crisis EVERY day, so the people employed to clean the place, guard the residents, cook their meals and act as liaison between the Royal Family and the Diet or the various Ministries of the Japanese government often knew what to expect. Citizens and tourists would line up to get a chance to meet and talk with the Queen. Politicians would complain that they weren't getting the special treatment they felt they deserved. Mail was answered and events were planned. Every day business was conducted much the way it was in any other governmental office, whether democracy or monarchy.
That's why the cleaning and maintenance staff didn't react with more than casual surprise when they saw Queen Serenity racing down the halls of the palace squealing like a five year old, a little black cat chasing after her. While it didn't happen every day, it had happened often enough for them to know that the Queen had received some very happy news.
"YOUR MAJESTY, COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" bellowed Luna as she pursued her sovereign. The Queen ignored her and continued to race through the halls toward the residential area. Her skirt was hiked up immodestly and she was still a quivering, giddy mass. "THIS IS NO WAY FOR A MONARCH TO BEHAVE!"
"Oh, stuff it, Luna!" Serenity replied after skidding to a halt before a residence door. Not waiting for the residents to acknowledge her, the Queen passed through the door by going momentarily immaterial. Luna skidded to a stop at the door, which remained solid for her.
"This nation is doomed," muttered the black cat and sat down to wait, either for Serenity to emerge or for her to be allowed in.
"I JUST HEARD! WHEN ARE YOU DUE?" squealed Serenity.
The occupant of the residence, her sister-in-law Yoriko, stared at the Queen in total shock, struck speechless by her wraith-like appearance. She actually backed up a step when the Queen charged her, but couldn't escape. Serenity wrapped her in a bear hug and began bouncing up and down on her dainty toes. Yoriko's two children, five year old Mikomi and three year old Kenji, started giggling at Serenity's antics. For her part, when the reformed Yuki-onna realized that Serenity wasn't attacking, Yoriko began laughing and trying to calm the Queen.
"Serenity-oneesan," Yoriko sputtered between giggles, "please! I can't talk to you when you're jumping around like that!"
"I'm sorry! Yes! You're right!" Serenity apologized. Then she broke out in a wide grin again. "It's just so exciting!"
"What's all the noise in here?" asked Shingo Tsukino, appearing in a doorway from the den of the living quarters. Since he worked evenings, his sister had just roused him from sleep. "Oh, it's you. Guess you heard."
"Don't give me that 'oh it's you'!" growled Serenity. "Why aren't you excited? Your wife's having a baby!"
"Another one?" gasped little Mikomi. "Pretty soon there won't be enough room for me around here!" Kenji laughed without really understanding what was happening, only that his sister was upset.
"There'll always be room for my best girl," Shingo said, walking over and mussing her hair with his hand. Shingo, now thirty-seven and senior manager of the stage crew at a local club, approached his sister. "What can I say? Yoriko told me when we got married that Yuki-onna were very fertile. And Kenji needs someone to boss around."
"You're taking this pretty cavalierly," Serenity eyed him.
"Hey, a new word for you," Shingo jabbed. His sister wrinkled her nose at him. "We weren't planning on having another, but there's always room in this family for one more. And Yoriko has proven to be the greatest mother in history, so why worry?"
"And Shingo is the very best at being a father," Yoriko added.
"Hey, I had a good teacher," Shingo shrugged. Serenity nodded, remembering Kenji Tsukino.
"I know!" gasped Yoriko. "Serenity-oneesan, would you like to name the baby?"
"M-Me?" squeaked the woman who had faced down Sailor Galaxia.
"If you're not up to it," Shingo teased.
"I'll show you who's not up to it!" fumed the Queen, drawing laughter from little Kenji. "I'll come up with the best name possible!" She thought a moment. "Just as soon as the baby's sex has been determined!"
"That would probably help," Shingo grinned at her as Yoriko twittered.
"Shut up!" pouted Serenity. "Honestly, Yoriko, I don't know what you see in him!"
In between working on the latest page of her manga and her daily meet-and-greet with the public in the Royal Receiving Room, Serenity pondered the question of what she could suggest to Shingo and Yoriko as a good name for their impending third child. Luna made it a point to follow her around all day, as a distracted Serenity was often an accident-prone Serenity. But the Queen managed to separate herself from the dilemma when other matters needed her attention.
Still, the question hung over her as she and Makoto headed for the front gate to welcome their own children home.
"You don't think I'm obsessing on this, do you?" Serenity asked as they descended the grand staircase into the front lobby. Tourists in the lobby pointed and murmured at the sight of the Queen while palace security kept them behind balustrades.
"Not about this," Makoto replied with solemn earnestness. "The name you give a child is very important. It's going to be their identity for their entire life. The wrong name can handicap a child from the start."
"You really think so?" Serenity asked. Makoto could immediately see the pressure mount on the Queen's slender shoulders.
"But hey, Hon', you've got seven months yet to think of one," she counseled. "It's not like you have to pick one by tomorrow."
"That just gives me more time to second guess myself," sighed Serenity. "Why did you choose the name Akiko?"
"It just sounded right," Makoto shrugged. "I figure it was mother's intuition."
"Ami-Chan says that's a myth."
"Ames doesn't know everything, just most things," smirked Makoto. "I am a firm believer in mother's intuition. Why did you choose Kousagi for your, um, . . .you know."
"It just sounded right," Serenity chuckled. "But that doesn't help me now. I'm not the mother."
"You'll figure it out," Makoto proclaimed. "You've got seven months."
"I'll probably need all seven, too," whimpered Serenity.
The gate opened and the first of two palace cars discharged its passenger. Fourteen year old Akiko sauntered through the front gate and into the atrium. She smiled at Serenity.
"Hi, Auntie Usagi," Akiko said.
"Hi, Akiko-Chan!" Serenity squealed. She wrapped her arms around the teen and kissed her cheek. Akiko endured it, but couldn't work the smile off of her face. Serenity passed her off to Makoto. The mood between them was civil, but with an undercurrent of tension.
"Hey, Mom," Akiko nodded. "Sakura, Grace and I were going to go see a movie tonight."
Makoto willed herself calm. "Homework?"
"It'll be done before dinner," Akiko replied.
"What movie and where?"
"'Blossoms of Autumn' at the Sunrise." Makoto began, but Akiko stopped her. "And yes, we'll have our phones and yes we'll be back by ten."
"Have fun," Makoto sighed. "If it's really late, Sakura and Grace can stay over."
"I'll tell them," Akiko said as she headed up for the residence. Makoto felt Serenity's hand on her shoulder.
"You handled that well, Mako-Chan," Serenity said.
"Then why do I keep thinking the worst will happen?" Makoto sighed.
The second contingent entered the palace: Eleven year old Ichiro, nine year old Yuri and eight year old Setsuko. Serenity flew over and kissed Ichiro on the cheek, while he ground his teeth, then pounced on her two adoptive children. Makoto smiled at Ichiro, draped her arm around him and escorted the boy up the stairs.
After dinner, Endymion retired to the next room to speak privately with a government minister on current affairs concerning North Korea. He could be heard on the phone talking with the man, but no one could quite make out what was said. Setsuko watched a game show on television where two contestants were alternately publicly humiliated for cash prizes. Yuri was sitting at a table with Serenity and Luna, watching his adoptive mother puzzle over a form he'd brought home from school.
"I'm sorry, Yuri-Chan," the Queen mumbled as she stared at the paper. "I don't understand any of this. You're not in trouble, are you?"
"It's a parental consent form to allow Yuri to compete on his elementary school's soccer team," Luna sighed impatiently, "Your Majesty."
"I TOLD you about that!" Serenity fumed at the little cat. She got withering disdain in return.
"You and Mamoru-Papa have to sign it before they'll allow me to be on the team," Yuri added.
"Well of course I'll sign!" cooed the Queen. "And I'll be at every game, cheering you on! I just know you'll be the best quarterback on the field!"
"Wrong sport, Your Majesty," Luna said sourly. Yuri rolled his eyes. By now he was used to it.
"Don't you have other people to annoy?" growled Serenity.
Just then, the buzzer signaled that someone was at the door. Since the guards had passed the person through, it obviously wasn't a threat. Still Luna accompanied Serenity as the Queen got up and glided over to the door.
"Sanoko-Chan!" Serenity gasped happily.
Yuri and Setsuko glanced over and found their mother's fellow manga artist. Sanoko was unchanged from before: short black hair with a violet streak, wearing rumpled jeans and a leather jacket against the coming fall, her feet clad in Doc Marten boots. Under her arm was a portfolio of art.
"Hi, Sem - - um, Serenity," Sanoko grinned. She drew a quick pout from the Queen. "Brought in the pages from Chapter 53."
"Gimme, gimme, gimme!" Serenity lunged for the portfolio and opened it. Her smile grew exponentially.
"I know where the 'fridge is," Sanoko quipped. On the way to score a Diet Coke, the woman waved at Yuri and Setsuko. When she returned, Setsuko was waiting for her.
"Look at what I did, Sanoko-San!" Setsuko said, proudly offering up a drawing on paper.
"You're getting better," Sanoko nodded as she looked over the drawing. "I like the perspective. But you still need to work on your anatomy."
"Anatomy's hard," scowled Setsuko.
"Tell me about it," chuckled Sanoko. She glanced over at Yuri. "How's life, Yuri-Kun?"
The boy responded with a very shy shrug.
"Oh, Sanoko-Chan, my art is so much better after you ink it!" sighed Serenity.
"High praise," Sanoko replied. "I think I learn something new every time I do one of your pages. Speaking of which, you got anything for me?"
Serenity scampered over to a shelf. "These just came back from my letterer! It's fate, Sanoko-Chan!"
"Or good timing," she replied and smirked at the kids. They smirked back. "I'll have these back in a week - - unless I get engrossed in the story again. Or we get invaded by space aliens or something."
"Don't jinx things," Serenity told her.
"You got something else for me?" Sanoko asked in good humor.
"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry! Endymion, could you pay Sanoko-Chan?"
"Pardon me for a moment, Minister," Endymion said over the phone. He then swiped at his phone several times, then pressed the screen. "Funds are transferred!"
Instantly Sanoko's phone pinged. She looked at it and smiled.
"Solvent for another week," Sanoko grinned.
"Um, Sanoko-Chan," Serenity began, "would you like to have some dinner? It's no problem at all!"
Sanoko seemed amused. "Starving artist is just a cliche, Serenity. I may live check to check, but I am able to afford meals."
"I'm sorry! It's just," Serenity mumbled, "you're so thin."
"Now you sound like my Mom," chuckled the artist. "See you in a week, Serenity. And thanks for the Diet Coke."
After the door closed, the Queen emitted a sigh of frustration. She turned and nearly tripped over Luna.
"I suppose you're going to criticize me for being too personal," fussed Serenity.
"On the contrary," Luna commented. "She is too thin."
"Don't be catty," Serenity admonished. Then she grew a wide grin. "Oh, I always wanted to say that!"
Luna scowled.
At the main police headquarters in Chiyoda-Ku, Superintendent Natsuna Sakurada sat at her desk going over budget appropriations for the coming fiscal quarter. Out of all the jobs she'd had to perform in her twenty-nine years on the Tokyo Metro Police Force, this was probably the one she liked the least - - and that included the time a drunk vomited in the back of her police car when she was a beat officer. As such, any distraction was secretly welcomed by the stylish head of the department. A tapered finger with an attractively lacquered nail pressed a button on the intercom in response to its signal.
"There's a detective inspector from I.C.P.O. here to see you, Superintendent," came the report.
"Interpol?" Sakurada wondered privately. "What could they want?"
When she buzzed him through, Sakurada wasn't quite expecting what arrived. The man was tall and gaunt, with a grim, business-like expression on his face. Clearly Japanese, he wore a rumpled wide-brim hat atop thick black hair, and sideburns that were carelessly tended to and fifty years out of date. His dark suit was cheap and rumpled. His tan raincoat was old and rumpled. His shoes were cheap and functional.
For a moment, Sakurada expected him to comment on her being a woman in a position of authority. Instead, to her surprise, he saluted her crisply and obediently. When she realized that he would continue saluting until she acknowledged it, Sakurada returned the salute and gestured him to a chair.
"Forgive me, Superintendent-Sama," he replied in a gravely voice. "I prefer to stand. I've come to warn you of an impending threat to the King and Queen of Japan."
"Oh?" Sakurada replied, looking him over because for some reason she still couldn't quite believe him.
"I.C.P.O. has received intel that Lupin the Third intends to strike here in Tokyo at the Crystal Palace." And the man waited for the gravity of his words to sink in.
"Who?" Sakurada asked.
"Lupin the Third!" exclaimed the man. "The single greatest menace to law-abiding society in the world! The man is wanted in over fifty countries! Don't tell me you haven't heard of him! What kind of a police department are you running?"
Sakurada stared at the man for a moment, at once annoyed by his manner and curious about his vehemence. She turned to her desktop computer.
"Lupin, you say?" she asked, typing in the name. "And your name was?"
"Inspector Zenigata, Ma'am," he replied crisply.
"Well I can't find anything in records or warrants for a 'Lupin the Third'," Sakurada said, "either locally or internationally. Does he go by any known aliases . . ."
"He's managed to erase himself from the police data banks!" exclaimed Zenigata. "Well it's not going to help you, Lupin! I'm still on your trail and I'll always be on your trail!"
"Inspector," Sakurada began, surreptitiously signaling for back up as she spoke, "if you'll just sit down, we can discuss . . ."
"I don't have time!" Zenigata roared. "Lupin's trail gets colder by the second! Thank you for your time, Superintendent-Sama, but I'll pursue him alone if I have to!"
Spinning a pair of handcuffs on his index finger, the man in the rumpled raincoat ran out of her office. When Sakurada got to the door, she looked down the hall, but the man was gone. Sakurada stood for a moment and wondered if she'd hallucinated the entire event.
Then she went over to her desk and put in a call to her friend, Minako Aino.
Continued in Chapter 2