AN at the bottom…
Title: Shades of Grey
Authors: Moonlight Storm
E-mail: MoonlightStormSM@aol.com
Genre: Romance/Action/AU/Supernatural
Season: 1st
Standard disclaimer applies.
Chapter 10
~*~
Usagi stepped jubilantly into the Crown, quickly scanning
the surrounding area for a glimpse of a familiar head of
dark hair. He raised his head at the jingling of the bells to
announce an entrance, and met her eyes. Usagi shook her
head nearly imperceptibly, telling him not to come over –
she had not told them yet.
"Luna hasn't come yet. Wonder where she's gone off to…"
Ami commented, after following Usagi into the Crown.
"Since she's not here yet, I'm heading to the restroom
really fast. Give me just a minute, Usagi-chan," Ami set her
schoolbag on the counter next to Usagi's.
"Hai, Ami-chan. I might head to the arcade area."
'Now I can go tell Mamoru what's going on. I really should
have a chat with him soon, find out how far his vampiric
abilities have progressed… Setsuna said he changed
because *I* did, but I don't see how that would work… Our
link, as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen? But I don't even
understand why *that* is in effect. Gods, I can't believe
*Mamoru*, of all people, is Tuxedo Kamen…'
Usagi shook her head to clear her thoughts, while striding
quickly over to Mamoru's booth.
"Mamoru-kun, I'm getting Luna and Ami-chan together
here. Then, we'll head over to the park, I guess, so I can tell
them about Setsuna, and you, and then I have a hunch Luna
will want to talk to you."
Usagi glanced at the clock above the Crown doors.
"Give me… 45 minutes, then come find us in the rose
gardens in the park. There's a small spot just off to the right
a little after the entrance. You wouldn't notice it if you
weren't looking, but it should be easy enough for you to
find. You know that spot?"
Mamoru arched an eyebrow, smiling behind his coffee cup.
"The rose gardens, Odango? Shouldn't the saviors of the
world have some sort of building for these kind of things?"
Usagi, overcome with the irrational urge to blush, fought it
off before quipping, "You find a way to talk the
government into giving us a building to plan how best to
save the world and we'll talk. Ami should be back any
second, see you in 45 minutes."
Sliding into the booth, Usagi waved as Ami exited the
restroom.
"I thought you would be in the arcade, Usagi-chan."
The golden child shrugged, "Nah, I decided to wait for
you."
Ami smiled before picking her schoolbag up from the
counter and pointing to the window, "Luna's outside. We
better go."
Usagi turned her head to see Luna perched on the
windowsill outside the Crown, then followed Ami into the
fresh spring air.
~*~
Shortly after leaving the Crown, Usagi, Ami, and Luna
found themselves nestled into a private alcove in the rose
gardens of the nearest park. After a few minutes of
struggling for words, Usagi proceeded to tell Luna and Ami
everything that had happened, conveniently editing out any
and all parts relating to vampiric activities. With few
outbursts from either of them, it took Usagi a shorter time
than expected to finish her story. However, before Usagi
could tell them of the upcoming meeting with Mamoru,
Luna began to speak.
"We'll need to talk with Mamoru soon, assuming he's
willing to join forces with us as you claimed, Usagi. Right
now, though, I have more news. You two may have been
wondering why I was late today, but as I was walking here
I sensed a strange presence. It took me a fair time before I
could pinpoint its source, but I finally did: the Hiwaka
Shrine. This power was coming from a dark-haired girl,
wearing a T*A Private Girls Academy school uniform. At
first, I thought the power might just be manifesting itself
because she was an exceptionally strong miko-in-training,
for she changed into the Shinto temple robes. Yet, her
power felt increasingly familiar. When she went inside to
pray to the sacred fire, I realized – her power is that of a
Senshi, the guardian of Mars."
"This priestess is Sailor Mars? We've already found the
next Senshi?"
"Hai, Usagi. And if her power is showing, I have a feeling
she will become involved in the next youma fight. We
should visit her now, before the youma appears, and try to
explain everything. Her gifts as a miko may affect her
abilities as a Senshi, or she may have noticed changes in
her day-to-day training, which could have alerted her to
strengthening powers within her. If the miko has, it should
be easier to convince her of her Senshi heritage, short of
her henshin pen being revealed."
And with that, all thought of meeting Mamoru was driven
from Usagi's mind.
~*~
"So, the Senshi are progressing with no further help from
me. I think it is time for Ikuko and Kenji to go on their trip.
Perhaps tomorrow. That should be sufficient time for
matters to arrange themselves, and my next appearance as
Setsuna shall be fulfilled."
~*~
Two Junior High students, accompanied by a small black
cat, made their way up the steps before the Hiwaka Shrine,
the afternoon sun shining against their backs. At the top of
the steps, a dark-haired temple maiden stood sweeping the
entry to the temple. Upon hearing their footsteps, the young
miko looked at the visitors and smiled.
"Welcome to Hiwaka Shrine. I am Hino Rei," she said,
bowing slightly, "May I help you? Perhaps you'd like a
charm bracelet?"
Luna glanced up at her charges, making sure they would
take the girl to a secure place to talk to her.
Usagi swiftly took over the situation, "Hino-san, we'd like
to speak to you. Could we talk privately somewhere?"
Rei blinked at them for a moment, before recovering her
composure and gesturing gracefully to the temple itself,
luckily taking no notice of Luna trailing the trio.
~*~
Mamoru had quickly found the niche Usagi spoke of in the
rose gardens, and arrived promptly 45 minutes after they
last spoke – yet the area was empty. He waited another 10
minutes before exiting the park angrily.
'She stood me up! I will speak with the golden spitfire child
tonight… Then maybe she'll tell me exactly what the hell is
happening around here.'
~*~
After seating themselves around a small table, Usagi began
to speak again.
"Ne, before we begin, I should probably introduce myself.
I'm Tsukino Usagi, and this is Mizuno Ami," gesturing to
the blue-haired girl, Usagi continued. "This probably
sounds extremely odd, but we possess the key to allow you
to become a fighter for justice."
Looking at them in near anger, Rei seemed about ready to
take this as a joke, an insult to her temple.
"Look, if this is a joke, I have better things to be doing. I
need to go finish my chores."
Usagi held up a hand, stopping Rei before she could stand
from the table.
Ami chimed in with her own protest, "Please, just listen a
few minutes. Then you'll understand."
Rei looked at them in disbelief, clearly skeptical.
Usagi tried again.
"Have you seen the news lately? Or heard stories of strange
youma being driven off by several superheroes in short
skirts, and a tuxedo-clad man?"
The miko nodded hesitantly.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Those superheroes are called Senshi, specifically Sailor
Moon and Sailor Mercury, and the man is Tuxedo Kamen.
And you, are soon to be Sailor Mars."
~*~
AN: Not much of a cliffhanger, ne? Well I tried. Sort of.
*sweatdrop* Anyway, sorry again its kind of short. You
may notice I include elements of both the anime and the
manga, mainly because I personally like the manga much
more than the anime, but am more familiar with the anime.
Hence, this fic is going to contain pieces of each. It'll be
like aniga. Or something. o.O
Did it seem like Rei was ooc? I tried to have her react as
she would in Takeuchi-sama's own head… but it doesn't
always work that way. Were any of the characters ooc? Let
me know, or any other comments/criticism you have.
Also, I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed me.
First, Lia, for putting up with me and actually reading this.
Jamiegirl, thank you so much for reviewing, it means so
much to me. And DragonSparkle, there'll be romance,
don't worry. I just can't *stand* fics where it moves too
quickly from "I hate you" to "I love you" so I'm going to
take my sweet time getting Usa and Mamo there. Thanks
for your comments though! Kiss, thank you for the
criticism, I like to know what readers want more of. I did
try to make it a little longer this chapter, but I was kind of
crunched for time, along with adding more details. Thanks
to all of you!
*Please* review, or e-mail me at
MoonlightStormSM@aol.com. Thanks for reading!
Title: Shades of Grey
Authors: Moonlight Storm
E-mail: MoonlightStormSM@aol.com
Genre: Romance/Action/AU/Supernatural
Season: 1st
Standard disclaimer applies.
Chapter 10
~*~
Usagi stepped jubilantly into the Crown, quickly scanning
the surrounding area for a glimpse of a familiar head of
dark hair. He raised his head at the jingling of the bells to
announce an entrance, and met her eyes. Usagi shook her
head nearly imperceptibly, telling him not to come over –
she had not told them yet.
"Luna hasn't come yet. Wonder where she's gone off to…"
Ami commented, after following Usagi into the Crown.
"Since she's not here yet, I'm heading to the restroom
really fast. Give me just a minute, Usagi-chan," Ami set her
schoolbag on the counter next to Usagi's.
"Hai, Ami-chan. I might head to the arcade area."
'Now I can go tell Mamoru what's going on. I really should
have a chat with him soon, find out how far his vampiric
abilities have progressed… Setsuna said he changed
because *I* did, but I don't see how that would work… Our
link, as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen? But I don't even
understand why *that* is in effect. Gods, I can't believe
*Mamoru*, of all people, is Tuxedo Kamen…'
Usagi shook her head to clear her thoughts, while striding
quickly over to Mamoru's booth.
"Mamoru-kun, I'm getting Luna and Ami-chan together
here. Then, we'll head over to the park, I guess, so I can tell
them about Setsuna, and you, and then I have a hunch Luna
will want to talk to you."
Usagi glanced at the clock above the Crown doors.
"Give me… 45 minutes, then come find us in the rose
gardens in the park. There's a small spot just off to the right
a little after the entrance. You wouldn't notice it if you
weren't looking, but it should be easy enough for you to
find. You know that spot?"
Mamoru arched an eyebrow, smiling behind his coffee cup.
"The rose gardens, Odango? Shouldn't the saviors of the
world have some sort of building for these kind of things?"
Usagi, overcome with the irrational urge to blush, fought it
off before quipping, "You find a way to talk the
government into giving us a building to plan how best to
save the world and we'll talk. Ami should be back any
second, see you in 45 minutes."
Sliding into the booth, Usagi waved as Ami exited the
restroom.
"I thought you would be in the arcade, Usagi-chan."
The golden child shrugged, "Nah, I decided to wait for
you."
Ami smiled before picking her schoolbag up from the
counter and pointing to the window, "Luna's outside. We
better go."
Usagi turned her head to see Luna perched on the
windowsill outside the Crown, then followed Ami into the
fresh spring air.
~*~
Shortly after leaving the Crown, Usagi, Ami, and Luna
found themselves nestled into a private alcove in the rose
gardens of the nearest park. After a few minutes of
struggling for words, Usagi proceeded to tell Luna and Ami
everything that had happened, conveniently editing out any
and all parts relating to vampiric activities. With few
outbursts from either of them, it took Usagi a shorter time
than expected to finish her story. However, before Usagi
could tell them of the upcoming meeting with Mamoru,
Luna began to speak.
"We'll need to talk with Mamoru soon, assuming he's
willing to join forces with us as you claimed, Usagi. Right
now, though, I have more news. You two may have been
wondering why I was late today, but as I was walking here
I sensed a strange presence. It took me a fair time before I
could pinpoint its source, but I finally did: the Hiwaka
Shrine. This power was coming from a dark-haired girl,
wearing a T*A Private Girls Academy school uniform. At
first, I thought the power might just be manifesting itself
because she was an exceptionally strong miko-in-training,
for she changed into the Shinto temple robes. Yet, her
power felt increasingly familiar. When she went inside to
pray to the sacred fire, I realized – her power is that of a
Senshi, the guardian of Mars."
"This priestess is Sailor Mars? We've already found the
next Senshi?"
"Hai, Usagi. And if her power is showing, I have a feeling
she will become involved in the next youma fight. We
should visit her now, before the youma appears, and try to
explain everything. Her gifts as a miko may affect her
abilities as a Senshi, or she may have noticed changes in
her day-to-day training, which could have alerted her to
strengthening powers within her. If the miko has, it should
be easier to convince her of her Senshi heritage, short of
her henshin pen being revealed."
And with that, all thought of meeting Mamoru was driven
from Usagi's mind.
~*~
"So, the Senshi are progressing with no further help from
me. I think it is time for Ikuko and Kenji to go on their trip.
Perhaps tomorrow. That should be sufficient time for
matters to arrange themselves, and my next appearance as
Setsuna shall be fulfilled."
~*~
Two Junior High students, accompanied by a small black
cat, made their way up the steps before the Hiwaka Shrine,
the afternoon sun shining against their backs. At the top of
the steps, a dark-haired temple maiden stood sweeping the
entry to the temple. Upon hearing their footsteps, the young
miko looked at the visitors and smiled.
"Welcome to Hiwaka Shrine. I am Hino Rei," she said,
bowing slightly, "May I help you? Perhaps you'd like a
charm bracelet?"
Luna glanced up at her charges, making sure they would
take the girl to a secure place to talk to her.
Usagi swiftly took over the situation, "Hino-san, we'd like
to speak to you. Could we talk privately somewhere?"
Rei blinked at them for a moment, before recovering her
composure and gesturing gracefully to the temple itself,
luckily taking no notice of Luna trailing the trio.
~*~
Mamoru had quickly found the niche Usagi spoke of in the
rose gardens, and arrived promptly 45 minutes after they
last spoke – yet the area was empty. He waited another 10
minutes before exiting the park angrily.
'She stood me up! I will speak with the golden spitfire child
tonight… Then maybe she'll tell me exactly what the hell is
happening around here.'
~*~
After seating themselves around a small table, Usagi began
to speak again.
"Ne, before we begin, I should probably introduce myself.
I'm Tsukino Usagi, and this is Mizuno Ami," gesturing to
the blue-haired girl, Usagi continued. "This probably
sounds extremely odd, but we possess the key to allow you
to become a fighter for justice."
Looking at them in near anger, Rei seemed about ready to
take this as a joke, an insult to her temple.
"Look, if this is a joke, I have better things to be doing. I
need to go finish my chores."
Usagi held up a hand, stopping Rei before she could stand
from the table.
Ami chimed in with her own protest, "Please, just listen a
few minutes. Then you'll understand."
Rei looked at them in disbelief, clearly skeptical.
Usagi tried again.
"Have you seen the news lately? Or heard stories of strange
youma being driven off by several superheroes in short
skirts, and a tuxedo-clad man?"
The miko nodded hesitantly.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Those superheroes are called Senshi, specifically Sailor
Moon and Sailor Mercury, and the man is Tuxedo Kamen.
And you, are soon to be Sailor Mars."
~*~
AN: Not much of a cliffhanger, ne? Well I tried. Sort of.
*sweatdrop* Anyway, sorry again its kind of short. You
may notice I include elements of both the anime and the
manga, mainly because I personally like the manga much
more than the anime, but am more familiar with the anime.
Hence, this fic is going to contain pieces of each. It'll be
like aniga. Or something. o.O
Did it seem like Rei was ooc? I tried to have her react as
she would in Takeuchi-sama's own head… but it doesn't
always work that way. Were any of the characters ooc? Let
me know, or any other comments/criticism you have.
Also, I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed me.
First, Lia, for putting up with me and actually reading this.
Jamiegirl, thank you so much for reviewing, it means so
much to me. And DragonSparkle, there'll be romance,
don't worry. I just can't *stand* fics where it moves too
quickly from "I hate you" to "I love you" so I'm going to
take my sweet time getting Usa and Mamo there. Thanks
for your comments though! Kiss, thank you for the
criticism, I like to know what readers want more of. I did
try to make it a little longer this chapter, but I was kind of
crunched for time, along with adding more details. Thanks
to all of you!
*Please* review, or e-mail me at
MoonlightStormSM@aol.com. Thanks for reading!
