SAILOR ECLIPSE,
Chapter 9: "Sailor Eclipse Strikes"
By Bill K.
Usagi was at her vanity combing her long golden locks. In the
mirror she noticed Luna perched on the windowsill, staring forlornly
out into the night. A pang jabbed at her heart. She put the brush
down, walked softly over to the cat and gently stroked her fur.
"What's wrong, Luna?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing important," Luna replied half-heartedly. "I'm
just, well, contemplating undesirable eventualities."
"He didn't lie to us, Luna. You have to believe that."
She looked up at Usagi. "You know, sometimes I wonder if
you're just having us on, that you're not really as silly as you
sometimes act." Luna gave a heavy sigh. "What is it about men,
Usagi? Just when you begin to trust them, they do something which
makes you wonder if you're just being a blind, love-struck little
fool."
"Don't listen to Rei. She's just bringing up the possibility
so we'll be ready for it. You have to trust Artemis, like I trust
Mamo-chan."
"Usagi, blind love is not healthy love. Love may forgive a
multitude of sins, but it shouldn't be used to gloss over behavior
that could ultimately destroy either the relationship or you - - or
both."
"But how can you have love without trust?"
"Usagi, love is an emotion. Trust is a judgment. Just because
one may spring from the other does not make them mutually inclusive."
"There you go using those big words again," Usagi pouted.
"Well all I know is you can't love someone you won't trust. I guess
you have to decide what's more important: not being betrayed or not
being lonely. Now come out of that window and go to sleep."
Reluctantly Luna complied. She took her customary spot atop
the dresser and curled up.
But she didn't sleep.
* * * *
The next day in school was a tough one. From the moment
Komatsu-sensei entered the class, Ami was tense and withdrawn. The
entire class sensed it and it seemed to cast a pall over the room.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the tension was already thick
between Makoto and Minako. Both girls seemed to evade each other's
line of sight. It was as if each one feared making eye contact and
bringing accusations from the other. That, in turn, upset Usagi,
because she couldn't stand to see her friends in distress, and her
mood seemed to infect others.
Needless to say, it was a very poor time to hand out the first
test of the term. However, Komatsu-sensei forged on ahead as best he
could and the class somehow made it to lunch.
At lunch, Usagi went looking for her friends. Ami made a
beeline for the library, so Usagi settled on Minako.
"Looks like that old gang of ours is breaking up," Minako said
glumly, noticing the absence of both Ami and Makoto. Having
forgotten her lunch, she was munching on some curry bread from the
vending machine.
"It doesn't have to," Usagi told her between bites. "You and
Makoto need to stop being mad at each other."
"Man, this bread sucks," was Minako's reply.
"Minako," fussed Usagi.
"It's not that simple," Minako scowled. "I've spent a good
portion of my youth 'fighting the good fight', working, sacrificing
- - more than any of you. And for what? To feel those suspicious
glares and hear those whispers just because somebody fakes my attacks
and gets a cheap copy of my old uniform?"
"They didn't want to believe it. They're heartsick about it."
"Good."
"Minako . . ."
"Usagi, they're supposed to be my friends. But when it
counted, you're the only one who stepped up."
"Mina-chan, they are your friends." Minako snorted in reply.
"They are! Minako, what if the evidence didn't point to you? What
if it pointed to Mako-chan? You know her history. Would you still
believe in her, or would you wonder, even just a little bit? Or what
if Rei was the suspect, given how much she always competed with me or
was mean to me in the past? Would you believe in her unconditionally
or would there be some doubt?"
Minako seemed almost moved to tears. "Then how do you do it?"
Usagi shrugged, grinning. "I don't know. I guess I'm just too
naive to think of suspecting people."
"Don't knock it," Minako said with a melancholy smile. "The
world could used more naïveté like that." Minako shifted on the
bench. "And I suppose it is hard not to believe what you see. I
mean, if that lady could fool me last night into thinking she was
you, then I suppose she could fool them into thinking she was me."
Minako grew serious. "Which reminds me - - C-16 Star."
Usagi grimaced. "Mina-chan, you're not going to make me say
it, are you?" she whined. Minako remained firm and Usagi scowled.
"The rabbit of the moon likes carrots," she grumbled.
"Watching you say that almost makes all of this worthwhile,"
Minako said playfully.
"I swear Luna made that code phrase up just to humiliate me."
Usagi softened. "So how about it? We all want you back. I
promise."
"I'll be back," Minako looked down. "After all, you guys need
me. I'll be there the next time we've got a senshi emergency. As
for the other stuff, just give it some time, huh? Let's get this
problem solved first."
"OK," Usagi smiled.
Back in the classroom, their teacher began passing out the
graded tests. When he placed her test face down on Usagi's desk, she
treated it like an unexploded bomb. Gingerly she got the test in her
fingers by the corner. While other members of the class tittered,
she inched it up, one eye closed and her head turned lest her
expected score of thirty or less lunge out and bite her in the
jugular. Komatsu-sensei, smothering a grin, was already through the
row and nearing Ami's desk. Usagi got the paper up so she could see
it and her eyes grew wide.
"I got a fifty-eight," she whispered.
"Don't be discouraged," Komatsu said. "I can show you some
study tips or set you up with some tutoring after class if you'd
like."
"I GOT A FIFTY-EIGHT!" Usagi squealed. She leaped to her feet
and began bouncing around the desk in utter rapture.
"Usagi, that's wonderful!" Ami gasped.
"Amazing!" another girl said.
"What, did he grade on a curve?" asked one boy.
"I knew you could do it, Usagi!" Makoto cheered.
"Tsukino got a fifty-eight?" another boy said to his friend.
"It must be the end of the world," his friend whispered back.
"No fair, Usagi!" grinned Minako. "That makes me the dumbest
one in class now!"
All of this was quite perplexing to Komatsu-sensei, but he
managed to recover quickly. However, he wasn't prepared for what
came next. Consumed with joy, Usagi leaped into his arms, hugged him
and kissed him on his cheek. Just as suddenly, though, she
disengaged herself from him as if he were on fire.
"Um, I'm terribly sorry, sir!" Usagi coughed out, blushing
crimson.
"Uh, no harm done, Tsukino-chan," Komatsu replied, stunned.
"Just . . . take your seat." Usagi complied amid the laughter of her
classmates. "Now," Komatsu continued, trying to regain his
composure, "Mizuno-chan. You did an excellent job. I'm very proud
of you," and he handed her paper to her.
Ami gasped in shock and horror. "NINETY-ONE?" she cried. The
sound in the room quickly died away with a low hiss of surprise.
"Oh, I wish I were dead!" Ami sobbed and lay her head down on the
desk. As one, the entire class just stared. They couldn't have been
more stunned if someone had set off a bomb in class.
And Komatsu-sensei suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to
hand out the rest of the tests.
* * * *
Artemis came through the alley behind the Crown Game Center.
He searched the dark recesses of the alley until he spotted a golden
crescent shape in the shadows. As he expected, Luna came out to
greet him.
"Anything new on your end?" Artemis asked.
Luna seemed hesitant to talk. She wouldn't look at him. That
instantly sent up warnings in his head.
"Pale Moonlight," Artemis said.
"Oh, you're really taking this too far," huffed Luna. "Oh very
well. Moon Prowler. Are you satisfied?"
"So what's wrong?" Artemis asked, his demeanor softening.
"I," Luna began, then stopped. "Artemis, please don't take
this wrong. I'm only asking because of the current security
emergency. It's not a reflection . . ."
"I'm not lying to cover for Minako," Artemis replied softly.
Luna sagged. "Honestly! First Usagi and now you! Am I really
being that transparent?" Luna gathered in her emotions. "You
realize I had to ask, don't you? The subject was broached and . . ."
"It's OK, Luna. I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't look
into it. The thought occurred to me that you might be lying to cover
for Usagi."
"Really?" Luna replied, her tone cool.
"Yes. No matter what our personal feelings, we have to put
them aside for the sake of the mission. You know that."
"So you investigated me?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Artemis began to stammer then, taking on the look of a
shy little boy. "Luna, I - - one day I would like nothing better
than to, well, to, um, settle down with, um, with you. But until our
mission is over, I can't let that cloud my judgment."
He stared earnestly at her and Luna's disdain crumbled away.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," she whispered sheepishly.
"Forgive me, Artemis. I'm acting like a vain old witch. I'm
certainly old enough to know better."
"It's OK, Luna," Artemis grinned. "It doesn't take very much
effort to forgive those eyes."
"Oh!" clucked Luna, feeling her cheeks burning. "How you do go
on!"
Artemis gave himself a few moments to savor Luna's reaction.
"I think we need to concentrate on Ami right now," Artemis
said.
"Ami? You honestly think she's behind this?"
"She's the only one who hasn't been attacked, so she's either
behind it or she's the next target. Either way, I'd say that merits
our immediate attention. Besides, maybe she's the only one who can
make any sense of the energy readings we took."
"No luck at all?"
"No," grimaced Artemis in frustration. "But I'm missing
something, because those readings look damn familiar."
* * * *
The end of the school day couldn't come soon enough for Ami.
She was the first one out the door, then stationed herself in the
hall so she could intercept the others. Makoto was first.
"We need to meet, at the shrine," she told Makoto. Makoto got
one look at her grave manner and nodded. Ami snagged Usagi next and
told her the same. "I have some new information about our 'little
problem'," she added.
"What is it?" gasped Usagi.
"Later. I want Rei and the cats there to hear it, too." She
spotted Minako. "Minako, we need to meet tonight."
Minako's gaze shifted to Makoto and she grimaced. "I'll be
there," she responded reluctantly. "I just . . . well, I'll be
there." And the girl hurried off.
"Minako!" Makoto called after her.
"Let her go, Mako-chan," Usagi said, putting a hand on her
friend's arm. "She said she'd be there and I trust her."
"She doesn't have to avoid me," Makoto replied, pained.
"She'll come around. Just give her time."
The trio headed off for the shrine. As Makoto called ahead to
alert Rei, Usagi huddled next to Ami.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"I try not to think about it," sighed Ami. "It doesn't hurt
when I don't think about it. That's why I've been concentrating so
much on our impostor problem today. But I have to confess that today
was the most difficult day I've ever had in school."
"You'll get there, Ami," Usagi said, putting her arm around her
friend. "Just don't give up."
Just then Naru came running up to them. She seemed very
distraught and headed straight for Usagi.
"Usagi!" Naru cried. "I'm so glad I found you! I have the
worst news!"
"Naru-chan, what is it?" Usagi cried, Naru's distress instantly
transferring to her.
"I," she began, then stopped. "Oh, I can't! I can't tell you!
You have to see it! But please, only you Usagi! It's - - just too
embarrassing!" She turned and ran off. Usagi started to follow.
"Usagi?" Makoto said, wondering if she needed her friends.
"Go on," Usagi called back on the run. "I'll catch up with
you!"
"But Usagi!" Ami began to protest.
"Naru needs me!" she called as she ran into the distance.
Ami sighed in frustration. "So do we."
"Come on," Makoto said. "You can't change her. You can only
live with her."
Usagi turned the corner behind the school building. About
twenty-five students were there, either heading home or lingering
with friends. She scanned the area, but Naru was nowhere to be
found.
"Naru?" she called out. Some of the students glanced at her,
but there was no response. "NARU!" Her shoulders slumped in
frustration. "Now where'd she go?"
* * * *
"So, any idea what's up?" Artemis asked Minako. They were in
their special room, waiting for the others. Luna sat off to one side
with Rei. Rei absently stroked the cat as she stared at Minako.
"Ami's got that look in her eye," Minako responded, blowing her
bangs out of her eyes. "She's probably got the whole caper figured
out and is going to name the real killer - - you know, like those
murder mysteries with Charlie Chan and Dr. Watson." Artemis rolled
his eyes. "And it's not me, so you can stop staring at me, Rei!"
"I know," Rei replied calmly.
"Did you see something, Rei?" Luna asked.
"Yeah. I've been sitting here reading her - - and Artemis - -
and I can't sense any duplicity. I admit it's kind of hard to read a
cat, but he's no ordinary cat - - and I'm sure about what I'm seeing
in Minako."
"You can read me?" Minako asked doubtfully.
"Like a cheap manga," Rei grinned. "It's easier when you're
calm and there aren't other people around distorting things. It
helps that I'm close to you, too." Rei looked down uncomfortably.
"I admit I suspected you for a while. But obviously I was wrong."
Minako flashed her a timid smile. "Hey, I told you."
"What makes you think I ever listen to anything you say?" Rei
needled back.
"Good, everyone's here," Ami said, entering the room with
Makoto. Makoto and Minako locked eyes for an instant and the tension
in the room shot up.
"Where's Usagi?" demanded Luna.
"She had some emergency with Naru," Makoto reported. "She'll
get here as soon as she can."
"We can fill her in later," Ami said. "Right now, we're the
ones who need to hear this. Before we go into specifics, though,
'first of the second'."
"Tiger, Tiger, burning bright," Rei responded.
"C-16 Star," Minako answered. They looked to Makoto.
"Stand by your man," Makoto scowled. "You cats hinting at
something?"
"Never mind," Ami interrupted. "The impostor was at my
apartment last night. She was waiting for me when I got home.
Mother let her in thinking she was Usagi."
"What did she do?" Rei asked.
"She," and Ami blushed slightly, "hugged me. She was consoling
me, pretending to be Usagi. But she didn't know Usagi's code phrase.
I tried to stop her, but she was too fast and she got away."
"Well, that's all of them now," Luna said, gravely concerned.
"Usagi has to be her next target."
"There's more," Ami said. "I took energy readings with my
computer and compared them to the readings you gave me, Artemis.
They're identical. I also compared them to the readings I took last
month, when Usagi cut her finger."
"Identical?" Artemis asked, alarmed.
"The wave pattern was very weak, but when I reconstructed the
original wave pattern through projection analysis, it was close
enough to be a statistical match." Ami scowled at herself. "If I
hadn't been - - preoccupied with other things - - I would have
thought of it much sooner."
"Well now we know when all this started," Luna commented. "If
only we had that piece of glass to analyze."
"We don't need it," Ami said. "I also ran a search of my
archived computer scans, just to be thorough. My computer came up
with a match. Our impostor . . ."
"You know who the impostor is?" Usagi gasped, entering the room
as if on cue. "Ami, that's wonderful! Who is it?"
Ami stared suspiciously at Usagi. "First of the second," she
said.
Usagi grimaced, shifted from one foot to the other, then rolled
her eyes in embarrassment. "Don't yell at me, Luna, but I forgot
what my phrase is."
"That's funny," Minako said with a deadly seriousness, her
henshin stick out as she rose from her chair. "You knew it this
afternoon." As one, the other three girls produced their henshin
sticks, while Artemis and Luna glanced to each other for some cue to
act.
'Usagi' responded by sprouting a wide, malicious grin on her
face. Her blue eyes twinkled with devilish amusement.
"Venus Crystal Power Make Up!" was Minako's response.
"Mercury Crystal Power Make Up!" came Ami's.
"Mars Crystal Power Make Up!" followed from Rei.
"Jupiter Crystal Power Make Up!" was Makoto's reply.
In seconds, 'Usagi' was surrounded by four very deadly looking
senshi. But all she did was smirk.
"You all think you've got me," the blonde girl grinned. "But
looks can be deceiving."
Concluded in part 10
Chapter 9: "Sailor Eclipse Strikes"
By Bill K.
Usagi was at her vanity combing her long golden locks. In the
mirror she noticed Luna perched on the windowsill, staring forlornly
out into the night. A pang jabbed at her heart. She put the brush
down, walked softly over to the cat and gently stroked her fur.
"What's wrong, Luna?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing important," Luna replied half-heartedly. "I'm
just, well, contemplating undesirable eventualities."
"He didn't lie to us, Luna. You have to believe that."
She looked up at Usagi. "You know, sometimes I wonder if
you're just having us on, that you're not really as silly as you
sometimes act." Luna gave a heavy sigh. "What is it about men,
Usagi? Just when you begin to trust them, they do something which
makes you wonder if you're just being a blind, love-struck little
fool."
"Don't listen to Rei. She's just bringing up the possibility
so we'll be ready for it. You have to trust Artemis, like I trust
Mamo-chan."
"Usagi, blind love is not healthy love. Love may forgive a
multitude of sins, but it shouldn't be used to gloss over behavior
that could ultimately destroy either the relationship or you - - or
both."
"But how can you have love without trust?"
"Usagi, love is an emotion. Trust is a judgment. Just because
one may spring from the other does not make them mutually inclusive."
"There you go using those big words again," Usagi pouted.
"Well all I know is you can't love someone you won't trust. I guess
you have to decide what's more important: not being betrayed or not
being lonely. Now come out of that window and go to sleep."
Reluctantly Luna complied. She took her customary spot atop
the dresser and curled up.
But she didn't sleep.
* * * *
The next day in school was a tough one. From the moment
Komatsu-sensei entered the class, Ami was tense and withdrawn. The
entire class sensed it and it seemed to cast a pall over the room.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the tension was already thick
between Makoto and Minako. Both girls seemed to evade each other's
line of sight. It was as if each one feared making eye contact and
bringing accusations from the other. That, in turn, upset Usagi,
because she couldn't stand to see her friends in distress, and her
mood seemed to infect others.
Needless to say, it was a very poor time to hand out the first
test of the term. However, Komatsu-sensei forged on ahead as best he
could and the class somehow made it to lunch.
At lunch, Usagi went looking for her friends. Ami made a
beeline for the library, so Usagi settled on Minako.
"Looks like that old gang of ours is breaking up," Minako said
glumly, noticing the absence of both Ami and Makoto. Having
forgotten her lunch, she was munching on some curry bread from the
vending machine.
"It doesn't have to," Usagi told her between bites. "You and
Makoto need to stop being mad at each other."
"Man, this bread sucks," was Minako's reply.
"Minako," fussed Usagi.
"It's not that simple," Minako scowled. "I've spent a good
portion of my youth 'fighting the good fight', working, sacrificing
- - more than any of you. And for what? To feel those suspicious
glares and hear those whispers just because somebody fakes my attacks
and gets a cheap copy of my old uniform?"
"They didn't want to believe it. They're heartsick about it."
"Good."
"Minako . . ."
"Usagi, they're supposed to be my friends. But when it
counted, you're the only one who stepped up."
"Mina-chan, they are your friends." Minako snorted in reply.
"They are! Minako, what if the evidence didn't point to you? What
if it pointed to Mako-chan? You know her history. Would you still
believe in her, or would you wonder, even just a little bit? Or what
if Rei was the suspect, given how much she always competed with me or
was mean to me in the past? Would you believe in her unconditionally
or would there be some doubt?"
Minako seemed almost moved to tears. "Then how do you do it?"
Usagi shrugged, grinning. "I don't know. I guess I'm just too
naive to think of suspecting people."
"Don't knock it," Minako said with a melancholy smile. "The
world could used more naïveté like that." Minako shifted on the
bench. "And I suppose it is hard not to believe what you see. I
mean, if that lady could fool me last night into thinking she was
you, then I suppose she could fool them into thinking she was me."
Minako grew serious. "Which reminds me - - C-16 Star."
Usagi grimaced. "Mina-chan, you're not going to make me say
it, are you?" she whined. Minako remained firm and Usagi scowled.
"The rabbit of the moon likes carrots," she grumbled.
"Watching you say that almost makes all of this worthwhile,"
Minako said playfully.
"I swear Luna made that code phrase up just to humiliate me."
Usagi softened. "So how about it? We all want you back. I
promise."
"I'll be back," Minako looked down. "After all, you guys need
me. I'll be there the next time we've got a senshi emergency. As
for the other stuff, just give it some time, huh? Let's get this
problem solved first."
"OK," Usagi smiled.
Back in the classroom, their teacher began passing out the
graded tests. When he placed her test face down on Usagi's desk, she
treated it like an unexploded bomb. Gingerly she got the test in her
fingers by the corner. While other members of the class tittered,
she inched it up, one eye closed and her head turned lest her
expected score of thirty or less lunge out and bite her in the
jugular. Komatsu-sensei, smothering a grin, was already through the
row and nearing Ami's desk. Usagi got the paper up so she could see
it and her eyes grew wide.
"I got a fifty-eight," she whispered.
"Don't be discouraged," Komatsu said. "I can show you some
study tips or set you up with some tutoring after class if you'd
like."
"I GOT A FIFTY-EIGHT!" Usagi squealed. She leaped to her feet
and began bouncing around the desk in utter rapture.
"Usagi, that's wonderful!" Ami gasped.
"Amazing!" another girl said.
"What, did he grade on a curve?" asked one boy.
"I knew you could do it, Usagi!" Makoto cheered.
"Tsukino got a fifty-eight?" another boy said to his friend.
"It must be the end of the world," his friend whispered back.
"No fair, Usagi!" grinned Minako. "That makes me the dumbest
one in class now!"
All of this was quite perplexing to Komatsu-sensei, but he
managed to recover quickly. However, he wasn't prepared for what
came next. Consumed with joy, Usagi leaped into his arms, hugged him
and kissed him on his cheek. Just as suddenly, though, she
disengaged herself from him as if he were on fire.
"Um, I'm terribly sorry, sir!" Usagi coughed out, blushing
crimson.
"Uh, no harm done, Tsukino-chan," Komatsu replied, stunned.
"Just . . . take your seat." Usagi complied amid the laughter of her
classmates. "Now," Komatsu continued, trying to regain his
composure, "Mizuno-chan. You did an excellent job. I'm very proud
of you," and he handed her paper to her.
Ami gasped in shock and horror. "NINETY-ONE?" she cried. The
sound in the room quickly died away with a low hiss of surprise.
"Oh, I wish I were dead!" Ami sobbed and lay her head down on the
desk. As one, the entire class just stared. They couldn't have been
more stunned if someone had set off a bomb in class.
And Komatsu-sensei suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to
hand out the rest of the tests.
* * * *
Artemis came through the alley behind the Crown Game Center.
He searched the dark recesses of the alley until he spotted a golden
crescent shape in the shadows. As he expected, Luna came out to
greet him.
"Anything new on your end?" Artemis asked.
Luna seemed hesitant to talk. She wouldn't look at him. That
instantly sent up warnings in his head.
"Pale Moonlight," Artemis said.
"Oh, you're really taking this too far," huffed Luna. "Oh very
well. Moon Prowler. Are you satisfied?"
"So what's wrong?" Artemis asked, his demeanor softening.
"I," Luna began, then stopped. "Artemis, please don't take
this wrong. I'm only asking because of the current security
emergency. It's not a reflection . . ."
"I'm not lying to cover for Minako," Artemis replied softly.
Luna sagged. "Honestly! First Usagi and now you! Am I really
being that transparent?" Luna gathered in her emotions. "You
realize I had to ask, don't you? The subject was broached and . . ."
"It's OK, Luna. I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't look
into it. The thought occurred to me that you might be lying to cover
for Usagi."
"Really?" Luna replied, her tone cool.
"Yes. No matter what our personal feelings, we have to put
them aside for the sake of the mission. You know that."
"So you investigated me?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Artemis began to stammer then, taking on the look of a
shy little boy. "Luna, I - - one day I would like nothing better
than to, well, to, um, settle down with, um, with you. But until our
mission is over, I can't let that cloud my judgment."
He stared earnestly at her and Luna's disdain crumbled away.
"Yes, I suppose you're right," she whispered sheepishly.
"Forgive me, Artemis. I'm acting like a vain old witch. I'm
certainly old enough to know better."
"It's OK, Luna," Artemis grinned. "It doesn't take very much
effort to forgive those eyes."
"Oh!" clucked Luna, feeling her cheeks burning. "How you do go
on!"
Artemis gave himself a few moments to savor Luna's reaction.
"I think we need to concentrate on Ami right now," Artemis
said.
"Ami? You honestly think she's behind this?"
"She's the only one who hasn't been attacked, so she's either
behind it or she's the next target. Either way, I'd say that merits
our immediate attention. Besides, maybe she's the only one who can
make any sense of the energy readings we took."
"No luck at all?"
"No," grimaced Artemis in frustration. "But I'm missing
something, because those readings look damn familiar."
* * * *
The end of the school day couldn't come soon enough for Ami.
She was the first one out the door, then stationed herself in the
hall so she could intercept the others. Makoto was first.
"We need to meet, at the shrine," she told Makoto. Makoto got
one look at her grave manner and nodded. Ami snagged Usagi next and
told her the same. "I have some new information about our 'little
problem'," she added.
"What is it?" gasped Usagi.
"Later. I want Rei and the cats there to hear it, too." She
spotted Minako. "Minako, we need to meet tonight."
Minako's gaze shifted to Makoto and she grimaced. "I'll be
there," she responded reluctantly. "I just . . . well, I'll be
there." And the girl hurried off.
"Minako!" Makoto called after her.
"Let her go, Mako-chan," Usagi said, putting a hand on her
friend's arm. "She said she'd be there and I trust her."
"She doesn't have to avoid me," Makoto replied, pained.
"She'll come around. Just give her time."
The trio headed off for the shrine. As Makoto called ahead to
alert Rei, Usagi huddled next to Ami.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"I try not to think about it," sighed Ami. "It doesn't hurt
when I don't think about it. That's why I've been concentrating so
much on our impostor problem today. But I have to confess that today
was the most difficult day I've ever had in school."
"You'll get there, Ami," Usagi said, putting her arm around her
friend. "Just don't give up."
Just then Naru came running up to them. She seemed very
distraught and headed straight for Usagi.
"Usagi!" Naru cried. "I'm so glad I found you! I have the
worst news!"
"Naru-chan, what is it?" Usagi cried, Naru's distress instantly
transferring to her.
"I," she began, then stopped. "Oh, I can't! I can't tell you!
You have to see it! But please, only you Usagi! It's - - just too
embarrassing!" She turned and ran off. Usagi started to follow.
"Usagi?" Makoto said, wondering if she needed her friends.
"Go on," Usagi called back on the run. "I'll catch up with
you!"
"But Usagi!" Ami began to protest.
"Naru needs me!" she called as she ran into the distance.
Ami sighed in frustration. "So do we."
"Come on," Makoto said. "You can't change her. You can only
live with her."
Usagi turned the corner behind the school building. About
twenty-five students were there, either heading home or lingering
with friends. She scanned the area, but Naru was nowhere to be
found.
"Naru?" she called out. Some of the students glanced at her,
but there was no response. "NARU!" Her shoulders slumped in
frustration. "Now where'd she go?"
* * * *
"So, any idea what's up?" Artemis asked Minako. They were in
their special room, waiting for the others. Luna sat off to one side
with Rei. Rei absently stroked the cat as she stared at Minako.
"Ami's got that look in her eye," Minako responded, blowing her
bangs out of her eyes. "She's probably got the whole caper figured
out and is going to name the real killer - - you know, like those
murder mysteries with Charlie Chan and Dr. Watson." Artemis rolled
his eyes. "And it's not me, so you can stop staring at me, Rei!"
"I know," Rei replied calmly.
"Did you see something, Rei?" Luna asked.
"Yeah. I've been sitting here reading her - - and Artemis - -
and I can't sense any duplicity. I admit it's kind of hard to read a
cat, but he's no ordinary cat - - and I'm sure about what I'm seeing
in Minako."
"You can read me?" Minako asked doubtfully.
"Like a cheap manga," Rei grinned. "It's easier when you're
calm and there aren't other people around distorting things. It
helps that I'm close to you, too." Rei looked down uncomfortably.
"I admit I suspected you for a while. But obviously I was wrong."
Minako flashed her a timid smile. "Hey, I told you."
"What makes you think I ever listen to anything you say?" Rei
needled back.
"Good, everyone's here," Ami said, entering the room with
Makoto. Makoto and Minako locked eyes for an instant and the tension
in the room shot up.
"Where's Usagi?" demanded Luna.
"She had some emergency with Naru," Makoto reported. "She'll
get here as soon as she can."
"We can fill her in later," Ami said. "Right now, we're the
ones who need to hear this. Before we go into specifics, though,
'first of the second'."
"Tiger, Tiger, burning bright," Rei responded.
"C-16 Star," Minako answered. They looked to Makoto.
"Stand by your man," Makoto scowled. "You cats hinting at
something?"
"Never mind," Ami interrupted. "The impostor was at my
apartment last night. She was waiting for me when I got home.
Mother let her in thinking she was Usagi."
"What did she do?" Rei asked.
"She," and Ami blushed slightly, "hugged me. She was consoling
me, pretending to be Usagi. But she didn't know Usagi's code phrase.
I tried to stop her, but she was too fast and she got away."
"Well, that's all of them now," Luna said, gravely concerned.
"Usagi has to be her next target."
"There's more," Ami said. "I took energy readings with my
computer and compared them to the readings you gave me, Artemis.
They're identical. I also compared them to the readings I took last
month, when Usagi cut her finger."
"Identical?" Artemis asked, alarmed.
"The wave pattern was very weak, but when I reconstructed the
original wave pattern through projection analysis, it was close
enough to be a statistical match." Ami scowled at herself. "If I
hadn't been - - preoccupied with other things - - I would have
thought of it much sooner."
"Well now we know when all this started," Luna commented. "If
only we had that piece of glass to analyze."
"We don't need it," Ami said. "I also ran a search of my
archived computer scans, just to be thorough. My computer came up
with a match. Our impostor . . ."
"You know who the impostor is?" Usagi gasped, entering the room
as if on cue. "Ami, that's wonderful! Who is it?"
Ami stared suspiciously at Usagi. "First of the second," she
said.
Usagi grimaced, shifted from one foot to the other, then rolled
her eyes in embarrassment. "Don't yell at me, Luna, but I forgot
what my phrase is."
"That's funny," Minako said with a deadly seriousness, her
henshin stick out as she rose from her chair. "You knew it this
afternoon." As one, the other three girls produced their henshin
sticks, while Artemis and Luna glanced to each other for some cue to
act.
'Usagi' responded by sprouting a wide, malicious grin on her
face. Her blue eyes twinkled with devilish amusement.
"Venus Crystal Power Make Up!" was Minako's response.
"Mercury Crystal Power Make Up!" came Ami's.
"Mars Crystal Power Make Up!" followed from Rei.
"Jupiter Crystal Power Make Up!" was Makoto's reply.
In seconds, 'Usagi' was surrounded by four very deadly looking
senshi. But all she did was smirk.
"You all think you've got me," the blonde girl grinned. "But
looks can be deceiving."
Concluded in part 10