Everything was dark and the sounds of battle rand in the air. The sounds echoed in the hall, drowning out the loud clicks of her heels on the marble floor. The warm, firm hand of the handsome man grasped her delicate hand tightly as they ran. He was leading her outside and she knew that despite heading towards the danger it was the only route that would get them to safety fast enough.
"Keep your eyes on me, Princess." His warm voice warned as he shoved the door ajar and pulled her outside. The sternness of his tone failed to hide the concern and fear that he tried to keep from her. She spotted the marbled blue, white, green planet hanging in the sky above and felt her heartbreaking despite its beauty. He leads her through the courtyard of what had once been a pristine ivory palace. Everything seemed to be falling to ruin around them and she couldn't help but let her eyes stray from his back. Her chest ached and tears filled her eyes at the sight of her people, and her friends. So many innocent people were already dead. She could see a few of her closest friends still on their feet, their color-coordinated sailor fukas dancing around their thighs as the fought to push back hordes of men and monsters alike.
"Hold the line!" She barely heard her best friend, the long-haired blond in the orange fuka scream out her command.
"Protect the princess," echoed back the shouts of the other women in fukas. Her warriors and closest friends. She swallowed a sob, shaking her head as she forced her eyes to return to her prince's back. She feared the fate that seemed to be awaiting her dear friends and people. She didn't want anyone to die at all, let alone for her sake.
"Steady, my love. We must find your mother." She tried to steady her breathing as he leads her to the stairs, silently urging her legs to hurry and not fail her. She prayed her blasted heels would hold out despite the abuse of her running in them. Her dark-haired hero leads her up the stairs, his sword gripped in his free hand. He was ready to fight anyone who dared to attack them.
Usagi sprang up, wide awake gasping for air. She unconsciously grasped at her throat as if trying to pull off invisible hands with one hand while the other rubbed at the pain in her stomach and chest. In the time it took to calm down and for her heart rate to lower she could barely recall the nightmare that'd waken her. She mostly only recalled the feelings of terror and despair from it. Still breathing as deeply as she could manage the lingering feelings from her nightmare faded away as she glanced over at her alarm clock as she wiped the tears from her face. She was startled to see that for once she'd waken up an hour before the blasted contraption was supposed to go off, but she wasn't ready to attempt to rejoin the land of dreams. She reached over and turned on her radio for music and turning off her alarm for the day, making sure the volume wouldn't be loud enough to wake anyone else that may have still been asleep in the house. She yanked her sheets and blankets off of her and climbed off her comfortable bed. Letting the songs on the radio soothe her further, she took her time to get ready for the day.
Once she was dressed in her school uniform and her hair was pinned up in her preferred style she sat down at her desk and decided to try to get some of her schoolwork done. She knew she needed to be better about her grades. She was failing Math and English. Numbers always left her confused and English was truly one of the hardest languages to learn. It was so full of contradictions that it was hard to make sense of it all.
Usagi had just finished the last of her homework and closed her workbook as her door opened and her mother stepped inside the room calling out to her, "Usagi, its time to get up! Your alarm didn't go off." She blinked for a moment before realizing the bed was empty. It was strange seeing such a surprised look on her mother's face.
"I had a bad dream that woke me up an hour early. I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go ahead and get ready for the day." Usagi spoke up as she placed her schoolwork back in her satchel. Her mother had a concerned look in her eyes as she let go of the doorknob and approached her teenage daughter.
"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" She questioned as she gave her oldest child a warm hug. She sighed when she felt her daughter shake her head negatively.
"Not really. I don't remember enough to make any sense of it." The two women stopped embracing. "Mom, I know I've been struggling with Math and English in school. I might need to find a tutor... The results of our last English test come back today, and I doubt I did well on it." She almost didn't say anything to her mother about it, but she hadn't forgotten getting locked outside the last time she failed a test.
"Yes, that might be a good idea. Talk to your teacher about it, I'm sure she'll know who to suggest you ask. In the meantime, Your father and I can try to help you study. I'll talk to him about it for you." She beamed at her daughter, happy to see that Usagi was showing a sign that she was maturing. "Come downstairs, We can fix your bento for lunch together, and I'll make you breakfast."
It wasn't long before Usagi found herself walking down the sidewalk to school for the first time in a long while. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn't running late and actually had the chance to enjoy the beauty around her as she walked to school. As she got closer to her school, she noticed a small black cat trying to avoid and dodge all of the numerous people walking on the busy sidewalk. Without a thought as to why she shouldn't touch a potentially stray cat, she scooped the cat off the ground with ease and whispered soothingly to it as she stepped closer to the tall brick wall that stood opposite of the street. Before she could lift her arms to place the cat onto the wall, it managed to scratch her hand and jumped up to the top of the wall on its own. She stared up at the cat, startled at its sudden reaction, and oddly enough for a moment, the cat met her stare seeming almost surprised. She didn't know how long her eyes were locked with the black feline's, but she was snapped out of it when a tall and handsome boy, probably a high schooler, bumped into her on accident. She let out a startled yelp as he barely caught her before she hit the ground.
"I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" His beautiful blue eyes shimmered with concern as he helped her back to her feet. His black hair messy and dancing slightly in the breeze. She had a sense of Deja Vu and felt like she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't put her finger on where.
"I'm alright. I understand how easily it can be to get distracted." She smiled warmly at him, and for a moment it seemed to catch him by surprise. "Thank you for catching me. I was a bit distracted myself." She giggled softly at her own words. Who gets distracted staying a random cat in the eyes? From the paper in his hand, he'd been reading it as he walked, so it was very easy to understand why they ended up colliding. ]
"I'm Chiba, Mamoru. You go to Juuban Municipal Junior High School, right? I'd like to walk you there, if you don't mind, to make up for running into you. It's not that far from Moto Azabu High School." She blinked not sure why he'd want to waste his time hanging around her, but Usagi certainly wouldn't mind getting to know the handsome boy.
"Tsukino, Usagi," she smiled as she introduced herself and they bowed politely to one another. "I don't mind you walking with me, but are you sure you'd want to be walking with a middle schooler? It could make people think we are dating." She warned with a small but bright smile on her face. For a day where she didn't feel like smiling, she couldn't seem to stop smiling around him. It was odd, but she wasn't going to question the sudden change in her mood. He handed her her bag, which had fallen to the ground when they had collided and they walked side by side and a decent pace towards the middle school. "So what's it like being a high schooler?" She questioned while watching him from the corner of her eye.
"Not so different from middle school I suppose. Just slightly harder classes and more pressure to figure out what you want to do after high school." He smiled back at her. "Have you any thoughts on what you want to do when you are an adult?"
Her eyes twinkled up at him in the sunlight. "I have a few thoughts. I was thinking of maybe becoming a manga artist or a voice actress, but I'm not really all that talented. I might not even be able to get into the high school, I struggle in school a little too much." She admitted a small frown forming on her lips at the thought of her flaws.
"You have a lovely voice, I could see you as a voice actor. I'd love to see any drawings you've done. You shouldn't judge yourself so harshly. What subjects are you struggling with, if I may ask?" He was really trying to make her feel better, and she couldn't help but smile again.
"Math and English mostly, though I'm sure I could use a bit more work in the other subjects. I was actually talking to my mom about trying to find a tutor earlier." She answered, wondering why it was so easy to talk to him. She felt like she could talk to him about anything and everything.
"I have some free time. I wouldn't mind tutoring you and helping you with your other subject as well. I'd do it for free, in fact." He offered his time without hesitation and she found herself caught off guard that such a smart and handsome man would be so willing to help someone he didn't know so quickly.
"If your sure, we could probably meet at the Royal Crown Arcade and Diner after classes let out afterschool. Do you know where it is?" She suggested still a little awestruck.
"That'll work perfectly. We can start tomorrow afternoon to give us both time to prepare. Yeah, I know the Furuhata's. Their son is a friend and classmate of mine." Mamoru grinned. Seeing that they both knew and were friends with Furuhata Motoki and his sister, they spent the rest of the walk to school sharing stories of their mutual friends. Neither Usagi or Mamoru noticed the black cat Usagi had aided following several paces behind them.
The walk to school when far faster than Usagi would have liked, but she waved goodbye to Mamoru, wishing him a good day and thanking him for walking with her. A few of her classmates and other students were hanging around outside the school and the ones that recognized her stared at her in complete shock that she was not just on time but early for school for the first time in as long as they could remember. They were even more shocked at the tall high schooler that had been walking with her. Naru swarmed her quickly with Kuri and Yumiko at her heels.
"Usagi, you're early!" Kuri exclaimed as she placed a friendly hand on Usagi's shoulder Her brown eyes shining as her short brown hair shined in the sunlight.
"Is everything okay?" Naru questioned, her eyes shining in concern at how out of character it was for Usagi to be so early. Her wavy auburn hair matched her emerald eyes wonderfully.
"Who was that hunk you were walking with?!" Yumiko exclaimed as her brown eyes stared after Mamoru's retreating form, her long black hair swaying against her back.
The blonde-haired middle schooler blushed at the rash of questions. "Yeah, I had a nightmare that woke me up before my alarm started its first round of beeps and I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up early today." She smiled softly as she answered Kuri's question while slowly getting the group to migrate closer to the front entrance of the school. "I'm fine, Naru. I promise." She grinned at her best and oldest friend, hoping to ease her concern. Was it truly that startling for her to be early for once? "Mamoru accidentally ran into me on the way to school and wanted to walk with me to make up for it. We ended up talking about school and he offered to tutor me after classes." She felt almost jealous at the thought of Yumiko finding him attractive and she couldn't figure out where the feeling came from. She couldn't have feelings for him considering they had just met not an hour ago.
The quartet of girls entered their classroom and settled into their seats. Miss Haruna hadn't arrived yet, but like many of the other teachers, she was usually the last people to enter the classroom, not counting those that tended o be tardy like Usagi normally was. The three girls quietly joked about how surprised their teacher would be to see Usagi not tardy for once. Usagi hoped she wouldn't make too big a deal out of it like the rest of their classmates seemed to be.
"Good morning ladies!" The ever dorky Umino Gurio popped up behind them out of seemingly nowhere, startling the four girls who yelped loudly. Naru playfully swatted Gurio's shoulder and Usagi giggled as Yumiko and Kuri randed at him for scaring them. "So, Usagi, the school hasn't even opened yet and there are already rumors about you dating a highschool boy. Is it true?"
The four girls sighed and shook their heads, the boy was more of a gossip than most girls they knew. It was a little strange. "No, it's not true. He is going to be tutoring me to help me get better grades but he is not my boyfriend. Besides, we all know my dad doesn't plan to allow me to date until I'm close to thirty." Usagi sighed and shook her head in misery at the thought while her friends nodded sympathetically. Her dad was so overprotective of her that it was a wonder he didn't have her homeschooled all together. Before more could be said a chime sounded and the class representative stood fro her seat. The rest of the class scrambled to stand next to their desks before Miss Haruna walked into the classroom. Miss Haruna's gorgeous hazel eyes scanned the room as she stepped into the room, her brown hair swaying with each step. Her eyes lingered on Usagi as the woman paused for just a moment at the sight of the normally tardy blonde. She flashed a warm smile at Usagi, happy for the sudden change.
"Good Morning, Miss Haruna!" The class bowed as they called out their greeting to her as she stopped behind her desk.
"Good morning everyone. Please take your seats so we can get started."
The school day passed quickly without incident, aside from numerous people asking her about the 'mysterious man' that had walked her to school. She was certain Mamoru would find it amusing, but it was starting to get on her nerves. Was it that much of a surprise to see her walking with a handsome guy? She also didn't like how they were all assuming that he was related to her, if not dating her. She'd never been in the middle of rumors like this before and she quickly decided that she didn't like the feeling. For once she wanted them all to leave her alone, aside from Naru.
Despite her gossiping school mates, the day had gone well. Now that school was out, Usagi found herself walking towards Naru's home and family shop, the Osaka Jewelry store, with Kuri and Yumiko chattering away with Naru about potential sales on jewelry. "Don't feel so down, Usagi. I'm sure your parents might go a bit easier on you now that you found that hunk to tutor you. Now all you have to do is try not to daydream and drool after him while he's helping you." Naru teased playfully trying to boost her mood. The observant brunette never let her stay down or mopey for long. Usagi knew her friend couldn't stand to see her sad or upset.
"I hope you're right, Naru." The blonde sighed. She truly hated letting her parents down. Then she visually perked up a little. "I wonder what your mom has on sale today." She sighed wistfully at the thought. She doubted she had enough allowance saved up to get anything that might catch her eye. And with her latest test score, there was no way her parents would buy her jewelry. She kept the smile frozen to her face as she tried to shove the subject from her mind once more.
"Oh man, look at that crowd!" Kuri exclaimed as they reached Osaka Jewelry. The inside of the store appeared to be swarming with women, many were struggling to just get into the door. "That must be on insane sale going on." Yumiko pipped up as they gazed into the windows. A small wave of women stepped out of the shop, arms loaded with bags. It gave the four girls more than enough space to get inside and have a look around themselves. The four girls were quickly separated by the pushing and pulling crowd of women. Usagi managed to find a safe place to stand near Naru's mother, Mayumi. The poor woman seemed stressed. There was an almost unnoticeable dark ring around her eyes and something just felt off about her smile. The moment her eyes landed on Usagi she started showing her some jewelry but wasn't acting as she usually did around her. As she looked around for anything that would catch her eye, she did spot a beautiful but simple necklace with a silver charm shaped like a crescent moon. She stared at it mournfully, not wanting to take advantage of the sale with the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach despite how drawn she felt. It was like it was meant for her.
She decided to leave before the temptation became too much. It was just as she finally managed to get back out the door that Usagi noticed Mamoru staring into the store with a curious look on his face. What surprised her was the very fancy looking suit he was now wearing. Feeling a little nervous and maybe a little shy, she decided not to say anything to him as she passed behind him. She was going to head home to face her mother and the consequences of her actions. Hopefully, the fact that she found herself a tutor will help tone down whatever punishment her mother would decide on. She never noticed that his eyes were watching her reflection in the glass.
Usagi arrived home earlier than she usually did since she decided not to head over to the Crown Arcade and Diner like she normally did. Her mom wasn't home from the market, though she'd probably return home soon to start on dinner. She went upstairs, turned on her radio so she wasn't working on her homework in complete silence and got to work. She was only halfway done when she heard the front door open and her mother calls out a greeting from the front door. Deciding this was the perfect time to stop, for now, Usagi grabbed her failed English test and made her way back downstairs.
"Hey mom, I got the results from my Engish test today. I failed spectacularly. But I do have some good news." Usagi spoke as soon as she was bowing apologetically to her mother. "I have managed to find a high school student willing to teach me. And he doesn't want anything in return." While Ikuko looked disappointed at the failing grade, she was happy at how Usagi was approaching it for once. Her daughter was showing a sign of maturity here, and she knew she'd need to encourage it. She was a little concerned that a highschool boy had offered his time for free like that, but she knew her sweet girl was a good judge of character.
"Usagi, it's okay. You are taking the steps to correct it. That's very mature of you, so I will let you off lightly this time." She smiled at her daughter as she straightened from her bow and moved to hug her mother. "I'm going to want to hear more details about this boy and how you met him, but have you finished your homework yet?" She started to frown when Usagi shook her head.
"No, but I'm about halfway done. I know you'd have been upset with me had I waited to talk about the test when you first got home." Usagi pulled away from the hug and flashed her mother a bright smile. "I'll go back upstairs and finish." Her mom nodded, excusing Usagi to go finish her homework, and smiled to herself as she watched her bubbly daughter make her way back up the stairs in a seemingly better mood. It was dinner time, by the time Usagi completed her homework to the best of her ability. Seriously why did math and English be so difficult?
Dinner flew by and she helped her mom clean up afterward while Kenji, her father, and Shingo, her little brother went about entertaining themselves in the living room. She told Ikuko everything about her walk to school that morning, from aiding the cat with the strange crescent marking on its forehead to Mamoru running into her, what they talked about and how he even chose to walk her to school. She even told her how they planned to start tutoring sessions after school at the Furuhata's crown arcade tomorrow. Usagi couldn't hide her blush when Ikuko asked her if the boy was cute.
Eventually, Usagi went upstairs as she was getting ready for bed when she heard something scratching at her window. Confused, she walked over to the little balcony that was connected to her room and opened the glass door. She stepped out and looked around. Not seeing anyone in sight, Usagi looked towards the beautiful sight that was the moon, pausing for a few moments to enjoy the serenity before she turned to go back inside. She paused in her door frame, staring in surprise at the cat from earlier sitting on her bed watching her intently. "Well hello, there pretty kitty. Did you follow me all the way here?" The blonde greeted as she walked closer to the cat.
"I've been looking for you for quite a while, Usagi." The womanly voice was sudden and unexpected. The cat was looking at her expectantly, as she spun around trying to figure out where the voice came from. "I'm right here. I need you to listen to me." Usagi watched in stunned silence as the cat's mouth moved and made sounds that should never come from a normal cat's mouth.
"I... I must be dreaming... Am I delirious from not sleeping well last night?" The blonde asked herself out loud as she stumbled over to her desk chair feeling very unsteady. She reached up and pinched her arm in an attempt to wake herself up. "This is no dream, Usagi. I'm not your run of the mill house cat or stray. I am Luna, a survivor of the planet Mau and advisor to the heir of the Silver Millennium." The feline held up her paw in greeting to the confused middle schooler. "I'll save the bigger explanation for when I have found the other four guardians who are to aid you in the battle against our enemy, the Negaverse.
Usagi sighed and shook her head. "Alright, Luna... Say I believe you and this isn't a dream I can't wake myself from. How do you know I'm one of these guardians you've been looking for? There isn't anything about me that stands out, aside from my hair." She was far more self-aware than many gave her credit for. Luna purred happily that the blonde was willing to hear her out. "I can sense it. The powerful energy sleeping inside you. First things first, allow me to give you something that was meant for only you." Luna stood and stretched for a moment. Then she did a backflip. There was a flash of light surrounding her black fur that fades just as quickly as it appeared. Luna was standing on the bed once more and sitting on the bed in front of her was a large gold broach in the shape of a circle with little gems of orange, red, blue, and green at the for points. There were a crescent moon and star, as well as some circles engraved into the brooch. There was no denying its lunar theme. The whole thing looked like a star that could have fallen from the sky.
Usagi was awestruck as she pushed herself to her feet and moved to pick up the beautiful trinket. "It looks expensive... Are you sure this is supposed to be mine?" She hesitated, not comfortable with just accepting such an extravagant gift. "Let's test it and see then, shall we? Hold it in a way that feels natural to you and close your eyes." Luna paused as she watched her first charge follow her instructions hesitantly. "Now I'm going to say a phrase and I want you to repeat it exactly. The word for word. While you say it I want you to remember what you feel." Luna couldn't help the toothy grin on her face as she saw Usagi nod in understanding. "Moon Prism Power! Makeup!" Without wasting a second, Usagi called out after her. "Moon Prism Power! Make-up!" And she was enveloped in bright, warm light.
Ribbons swarmed her from collar to groin before merging to form a top that was similar to the blouse of her school uniform, except she had short puffy sleeves that somehow managed to be skin tight like the rest of the top. The red bow on her chest was far larger than the one on her school uniform. She didn't seem to notice that the brooch was spinning in the air between her hands as she guided it, without actually touching it, to the center of her bow. She stretched her arms upward and ribbons coiled around her arms and formed white elbow-length gloves. Then her feet were ensnared in ribbons that became bright red knee-high boots. The top trim of the boots was white with a golden crescent with the edges pointing towards the sky. A red choker with a golden crescent in the same position as the ones on her boots forms around her neck. Golden star and moon earrings suddenly dangled from her ears as though they'd always been there. Then she felt herself spinning as a blue fuku appeared on her hips. It was far shorter than any fuku she'd ever worn before, barley reaching her thighs. She tilted her head back and cool metal spread across her forehead in the form of a tiara with a reddish-pink gem in the center. White clips appeared in her hair, which was now back in her normal hairstyle. Red circular clips appeared in her buns. She opened her eyes and found herself doing a strange two-fingered salute with the back of her knuckle lightly touching her forehead and her other hand resting on her hip as the light faded. She blinked, letting her arms fall to her sides as she glanced down at herself. "What in the-" She interrupted herself as she turned to look into the mirror. "Okay, I believe you, but why this outfit of all things? It doesn't look like it will provide much protection in any sort of fight... I look like a magical girl from a manga..."
"You are wearing the official uniform of the Sailor Guardians of old. You are right though. it may not be much defense against our enemies. I'll see what I can figure out about making it more practical. Now, as you can see I was right, you are Sailor Moon. You are the Sailor Guardian of the Moon. With the power from your Planetary Guardian, it is up to you to help me find the Sailor Guardians of the other planets." Luna's long-winded speech was suddenly interrupted by the new heroine. "Planetary Guardian? The moon isn't a planet, it revolves around the Earth. How is it the source of my power and not say, Earth or another actual planet?" Luna sighed at the question.
"I was going to wait to say this, but I suppose you should know this now rather than later. Thousands of years ago, the moon wasn't a lifeless rock. It was the home of the Lunarians and the birthplace of the Silver Alliance. Every planet, in our solar system, except for Earth was part of the Alliance, and the leader of the Alliance was Queen Serenity of the Moon. She was a descendant of the Goddess Selene, and the wielder of a great power many wanted for themselves. She was the Keeper of the Legendary Silver Crystal, which was handed down from mother to daughter for generations." She paused, holding her paw to stop Usagi from interrupting her. "The Earth and Moon were at odds, Earthlings were afraid that the Lunarians were going to enslave or destroy them, while the Lunarians felt the people of Earth were too uncivilized and barbaric. They felt it better to try to protect Earth from outside interference and allow them to settle their internal problems. Earthlings and Lunarians weren't allowed on each other's planets and contact between anyone but the King of the Earth and the Queen of the Moon was forbidden." A Very sad look appeared on the feline's face.
"I was assigned to be the advisor to the Moon's Princess and future ruler. The princess broke the law and went to Earth. There she met and eventually fell in love with the Prince of Earth. Despite the odds, their parents decided to allow them to marry and allow Earth to finally join the Alliance. Unfortunately, a great evil awoke on Earth, one that had once been sealed there by a Queen of the Moon, with the aid of a jealous woman who wanted the prince for herself. The people of the Earth were brainwashed, all but the Prince himself, who fled to the moon for safety and to warn the Alliance of what was happening. They attacked the moon. All of the Sailor Guardians died trying to defend the moon and protect the princess. Both the Inner and Outer Guardian groups were there that horrible night. The prince was slain protecting his princess and she was killed shortly after. Seeing no hope in sight, Queen Serenity made her wish upon the legendary crystal. She sealed the great evil and her minions back on Earth. Then, she sent the souls of all the Sailor Guardians, the Princess, and her Prince to Earth to be reborn in the distant future to be there should the seal break, but to also live happy lives as she wished they could have in their original lives. Before she died from using the crystal, she placed me and another advisor into stasis chambers and sent us to Earth to find and awaken the powers dormant in your guardians should the need arise." She sighed as she sat down on Usagi's bed. "I wish I didn't have to find and awakened you, but I have no choice in the matter now. The seal has broken and the Earth will be destroyed if we cannot stop them."
Usagi walked over to Luna and lifted her into her arms, cuddling her gently. "You poor thing... Having to live through that and then being put to sleep for so long. I don't know how you managed to get accustomed to daily life in the present... It must have been very difficult..." Luna nuzzled Usagi's cheek. "Thank you for being so kind and understanding. Now-" Luna was interrupted this time by a cry for help that suddenly rang out from the red hair clips in Usagi's buns as if it were a radio. "That... That sounds like Naru." The blonde gasped as she looked down at Luna. "Then there's no time to waste. Sailor Moon lets go save your friend." Nodding to Luna, Usagi walked over to her balcony, opened it then leaped out into the night without a thought.
Sailor Moon stumbled to a stop in front of the Osaka Jewelry store, which housed her friend's home above the shop. The building was locked up tight and she knew it.
Guardian Moon stumbled to a stop in front of the Osaka Jewelry store, which housed her friend's home above the shop. The building was locked up tight and she knew it. She looked around, noticing the light shining out of the open window of the second floor of the jewelry store half of the building. She knew she couldn't jump to it. "Luna, how can I get to that open window?" She questioned the black cat that had managed to stay on her shoulder during her sprint over. "You should be able to jump to the top of that street light. From there jump to the window." Nodding at the instructions, Sailor Moon took a running start before she leaped into the air and landed on the light pole. She wavered, feeling a bit unsteady, yet thankful that she didn't slip off clumsily and fall back to the ground. From there she bent her legs and took a breath before she took another running leap at the window. She pulled herself onto the windowsill as Luna hoped down to stand on it. "I'll stay here out of your way, but I'll provide as much guidance as I can. Be careful." The blonde heroine nodded as she surveyed the room. The window was right next to the upper-tier area of the jewelry store, so she quickly darted over to the floor and peered over the railing. It took her no time at all to see what appeared to be a monstrous version of Naru's mother choking her best friend out with a single clawed hand. There was no time to be subtle or sneaky.
"Let her go!" Guardian Moon balanced herself carefully on the railing as she yelled out as loud as she could to make sure she was heard. The ghoulish looking woman paused and her head spun around. The blonde hero grimaced in disgust at the sight. "I said let her go." A creepy grin formed on the creature's face. "And who are you supposed to be?" "I'm the pretty suited sailor guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon! This is a place of business and a store that helps couples show their love to one another. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" The blonde heroine fought to keep a straight face as she blurted out the first words to come to mind. She couldn't believe the word vomit that she spewed. She sounded like a cheesy cartoon hero.
"Eh, never heard of you." The woman shrugged, Naru was starting to turn in the ghoulish woman's grasp. Suddenly it tossed Naru aside, not caring as the petite redhead hit the wall and dropped to the ground. The rest of its body turned with a snap as one of its hands shot out at the heroine, spike-like nails protruding from its fingertips ready to pierce her. With a startled yelp at the speed the sharp points came at her, the blonde heroine narrowly dodged the attack. Swipe after swipe she clumsily avoided the nightmarish woman's claws.
The ghoulish youma quickly grew bored with the game of cat and mouse and snapped her fingers with a cruel chuckle. "Enough of this little girl. Why don't you play with these people for a while? I've better things to do than entertain myself with you." Suddenly the glass doors shattered and numerous human women charged into the room heading straight for Guardian Moon.
The Lunar Guardian recognized many of the faces in the crown despite their doll-like expressions. A scream tore from her lips as she was quickly overwhelmed. She wasn't going to raise her hand against a human. Her red hair clips picked up the sound and amplified it, sending out a loud ear bursting blast that knocked the brainwashed humans out cold on the ground and left the ghoulish youma shrieking in pains at it tried to cover its ears.
"Stop crying, Guardian Moon." A very male voice called out startling the teenage heroine as a beautiful red rose in full bloom flew through the air and embedded itself through the youma's shoulder. She jerked up to look at the window where he'd entered and standing right next to a startled Luna was a man in a black tuxedo. "Stand up and calm your mind. You are here to fight this youma, aren't you?" His voice was harsh but clear as he glanced down at her. Gulping air to calm herself, she nodded to him and turned to glare at the now recovered youma, that was now charging at her angrily.
"Guardian Moon! Your tiara! Use your Tiara!" Luna shouted from her perch on the windowsill as she worriedly watched the completely unprepared and untrained heroine's fight. Guardian Moon wasn't quick enough to dodge the youma's attack and she was thrown to the side with three deep and heavily bleeding gashes on her forearm. She toppled over the shelve that caught her painfully. Fire danced in the little blonde's eyes as another rose flew through the air, preventing the creature from charging at her again.
Guardian Moon pushed herself to her feet, biting back a groan of pain as she reached up with her uninjured right arm and tore the tiara from her head. Her blood trickled down her left arm she the tiara began to spin in her hand until it was nothing but a glowing disk radiating moonlight. Raising her other arm to match it she began to spin, winding herself up to launch her attack as the words filled her mind. "Moon Tiara Action!" She yelled out her attack as she flung it like a frisbee at the youma. At the last moment, the Youma dodged it and moved to charge Sailor Moon once more when it noticed the smirk on the little heroine's lips. "What's so amus-" it began before the shape spinning moonlit disk tore into the side of its neck. It let loose a strangled cry as it's oozing ink-like blood spurted from the wound. The tiara flew back to Sailor Moon's waiting hand and vanished before reappearing on her forehead once more.
The youma grasped at its neck with one hand as it gave a shrill shriek and began to attack the blonde girl in a frenzy of swipes with its deadly claws. The heroine was tired and exhausted. She clumsily tried to avoid its claws looking for another opportunity to pull her tiara back out. "Guardian Moon!" Luna cried out in fear as she turned to look at the domino masked man. "Please, help her. She can't defend herself again without an opening!" The man raised an eyebrow at the talking cat but nodded in understanding. Now wasn't the time for questions.
The blonde tried to dodge another attack and found herself pinned to the wall with the sharpened points embedded in the stone around her head. She couldn't move without escape without getting cut. The youma pulled its bloodied hand from its neck and moved to impale her in its deadly claws when multiple sharpened roses pierced the wound in its neck. A strangled cry escaped it as it began to fall to the side. A blur of black yanked Sailor Moon forward, and out of the path of the deadly claws as they scrapped across the wall as the youma hit the ground with a heavy thud. It wasn't moving. The two heroes stared at the downed Youma, neither seeming to notice how comfortably he was holding onto her.
"Is it... Is it dead?" She murmured in shock at how close she'd come to dying." "Yeah... I believe so." Luna jumped down to sniff it. "Yes, thanks to both your efforts, it's dead. Now, why don't the three of us relocate before the authorities arrive? We can find a safe place to talk." The masked man glanced down at the worn-out and injured girl and sighed. She was looking pretty pale and a little green.
Guardian Moon let out a startled yelp as he suddenly picked her up bridal style and got them outside the building with Luna at his heels. Luna followed him to a secluded park where he set the blonde down on a bench and pulled out some medical equipment from what appeared to be nowhere. "You have a subspace pocket too? Intriguing." Luna spoke softly as she watched him clean the gashes on her new charge's arm.
"I'll tend to her wounds then we part ways here. I'm sure we'll run into one another again. Next time, lets both try to be better prepared." He advised calmly, not seeming to notice as both females flinched at his words, as well as stinging of getting wounds cleaned. "I'm going to have to stitch this up so it won't get infected, be sure to take care of it. I'd rather my efforts here not go to waste." Guardian Moon flinched once more at his tone while Luna glared at him. "Look here, Tux Boy. It's not her fault. I didn't find her fast enough to be able to give her some training before the youma started causing problems." The two heroes blinked as they paused to stare wide-eyed at the feline. "Besides, unlike her, you only acted when prompted. It seems to me you need training too."
"Fair enough. So Guardian Moon? What was with that little introduction you did in there?" He smirked as an embarrassed blush colored her cheeks. "I just blurted out the first thing to come to mind. I had to get its attention or it would have killed that girl. If I can help it I won't ever say something so stupid and corny again..." She was so distracted by the conversation that she didn't notice how quickly he was stitching up her arm, but Luna did. "You are quite skilled... Are you a doctor?" He startled at the question. "N-no, but I want to be one. It's my dream job, to be honest." The two females smiled at him. "That is a worthy dream. I believe you will succeed if you apply yourself, but don't forget that you have to take care of yourself as well." Luna advised as he tied off the last stitch. He nodded to the two of them as he put the rest of his supplies back into his subspace pocket.
Pulling himself to his feet, he gave them both a small smirk. Till next time then, I suppose." He suddenly vanished in a swirl of rose petals with a swoosh of his cloak. The two females stared in shock. "Wait, he never told us what we should call him..." The blonde pouted at the realization as Luna shook her head. "Maybe we'll get it out of him next time. Come one, it's late. We better get you home so you can get some sleep before school." Luna jumped onto Guardian Moon's shoulder, who jumped to her feet at the mention of school. "Oh, man... Your right! Tomorrow's gonna suck even more with less sleep." She complained as she began to sprint back towards her home, neither female noticing the piercing blue eyes of the masked man as he watched them leave from the trees.