EMSiT Productions Presents:
To Stand Alone
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver
standard disclaimers
AN: Happy EMSiT Day, from two of the worst! I haven't heard from Una in a while- normally SHE'D be the one sending out this monstrosity, but... well, it's a good thing we had this ready. FB is a very nice thing!
Chapter Two: You Oughta Be in Pictures
"A TV series?" she found herself echoing a week later, wondering exactly what the hell had happened to her life.
Every evening she'd been out late, killing monsters. She'd run into Tuxedo Kamen only once, for which she had been grateful. They had exchanged chill greetings, and she'd killed the monster quickly to get out of there.
Umino stood in front of her, waving the latest newsmagazine. She had grown used to appearing on the front page of the newspapers, but the weekly periodical was a different story. One of the grainy shots of her was now plastered all over Japan, and Umino had informed her of the websites devoted to Sailor Moon. After the first incident, she'd made a point to cultivate him for information; if there was anything worth knowing, he would find it out. "Yes! Ginga TV has bought the rights to a script based on Sailor Moon. They're calling it Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, and the try-outs are open! You should go- you're blond, and they need a blonde."
"You're kidding, right?" she asked sceptically. "I don't know the first thing about acting!"
"It'd be fun to try," he wheedled.
She shook her head. "No, I can't," she said firmly. I have other things that occupy my time, she thought.
Umino let out a frustrated breath. "Usagi-chan, I miss Naru-chan too, but you've changed because of this. I miss the old Usagi. What would it hurt to just try out? The worst they could do is tell you no. And maybe, just maybe, you could find a part of you that you seem to have buried with Naru." His gaze dropped and he sighed. Usagi just looked at him, shocked. "I have to be going now, Usagi-chan. Maybe I'll talk to you later." He turned and walked away, never making eye contact after his speech.
The blonde watched him go, tears nearly building up at the show of concern. She quickly blinked the threat away, and smiled slightly. "Thank you for caring, Umino. It's for people like you that I fight. So that none of you have to end up like Naru." The grin turned wry. "Although you have the strangest ideas sometimes. I mean, me? An actress?" She shook her head as the quiet words meant for her ears only trailed off. "The boy is too much."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Why am I here again?" Usagi asked herself for the zillionth time as she waited in a large reception area with about fifteen other girls of varying heights, builds, and hair colors. The receptionist behind the desk next to the door never took her eyes off her computer screen, and Usagi thought she recognized the woman from one of the youma attacks over the last couple of nights. "This whole Sailor Moon TV show must be bothering her if she won't even look at the candidates for the lead role."
Her attention was caught by the opening of the door opposite the one she had entered the room through. A tall man with wire-rimmed glasses and wearing a dark grey business suit stepped out holding a clipboard. "Tsukino Usagi?"
The petite blonde blinked a few times at the mention of her name, ignoring the jealous looks she got from the other girls there. "Yes, that would be me," she responded.
The man gave her a distant smile. "If you'd join us, it's time for your audition." He gestured toward the room behind him.
Usagi gulped as she stood, surprised to feel nervous butterflies in her stomach, and even more shocked to feel the excitement building with each step she took to follow. She had thought she was beyond the old dreams of stardom. 'I guess not,' she thought with a mental shrug, unknowingly letting her face crease into a smile as the office door closed behind her.
A committee of five people sat at a simple table, facing her. One was a woman, one was a thirty-ish man, and two others were men in their fifties, wearing stodgy suits. She blinked in shock as she recognized the fifth.
Fujisawa Yuusuke.
The young heart-throb, currently featured of the cover of HIP magazine, flashed her a stunning smile. His blue eyes twinkled and he raked a hand through his shoulder-length hair. She tried very hard not to stare, but he was simply one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen.
The woman noted her distraction. "Hello, Tsukino-san. I'm Aino Asuka. These are Liang Wen, Justin Brockport, Sukiyama Tooya, and I'm sure you recognize Fujisawa Yuusuke." Each person nodded at their name, and she bowed to them politely.
"It's nice to meet you," she said, wondering what she had gotten into.
"Now, Brockport-san and Liang-san are our producers, I'm casting director, and Fujisawa-san will be playing the role of Tuxedo Kamen. Sukiyama-san is our director. He wants to find some fresh talent for the role of Sailor Moon. According to your resume, you only have experience in high school plays, so you certainly qualify. I'll be honest; we wouldn't have focused on you so early if you weren't a blonde. You have the right look; now we need to see your acting abilities."
The girl was then handed a short stack of papers. "Look those over for a few minutes. Then we'll have you do a run through of the scene with Fujisawa-san. Will that work?"
Usagi gulped one more time and nodded, her sapphire blues dropping to the typed words she held. Her eyes widened in shock as she read what they actually said. She took a deep breath to tell them they were all wrong about who Sailor Moon really was, but stopped when she realized she should have no knowledge of such a thing. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration. Finally she said she was ready, and the popular actor joined her in front of the table.
They quickly made their way through the short scene, and Usagi looked at the older people to see how she had done. Their expressions were slightly disapproving, and the little spark that had been building since her name had been called began to flicker and fade. "Did... did I do something wrong?" she asked a bit meekly.
"Well," the director said thoughtfully, "I think you portrayed Sailor Moon a bit harshly. She shouldn't be so... brash."
The blonde girl blinked. "She was talking to the youma."
"Yes, I understand that, but she's not supposed to be quite that abrasive about it. Sailor Moon is the soldier of love and justice! She's supposed to be firm but fun!"
Usagi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Firm but fun? You have *got* to be kidding me! That's not the way Sailor Moon really is!"
"Well, we know that, Tsukino-san," Aino Asuka said with a touch of a condescending tone. "But our writers needed to make her more... acceptable to the television audience."
The girl's jaw dropped. "Acceptable? What's wrong with the way she is? I don't seem to hear people complaining about her attitude when she's out there risking her butt saving their lives!"
"Tsukino-san, please..." the younger heartthrob beside her said placatingly.
"No!" Usagi cried, cutting him off. "This isn't fair! It isn't right! This hero goes out every night to help the people of this city, of this *planet* - at high risk to her own life, mind you - and you feel the need to mess with her personality? How twisted is that?"
"Obviously, Tsukino-san, if you truly think that way, we're going to have to look in another direction for our Sailor Moon," Liang Wen said coldly, raising an eyebrow at the girl's outburst.
Sukiyama made hushing motions. "Wait a second. I really like how she looks- she looks like my ideal for Sailor Moon. Tsukino-san, can you read another scene with Fujisawa-san?"
Usagi blinked. Hadn't she already blown her chances? Against her better judgement, she took a second pile that was handed to her, and started to peruse them. After a second her eyebrows started to rise. By the end, they had practically disappeared into her forehead. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" she said incredulously.
"Sailor Moon has a crush on him."
"She most certainly does not!" Usagi exclaimed. "All reports indicate that the two can't stand each other!"
"Well, she needs a romantic interest, and he's the natural choice."
Usagi's brows drew down into a frown. "And what's this about her being rescued by him? Her powers are stronger!"
"Well, he's her Knight, sworn to her service. All girls would love to be rescued by him. Are you going to read or not?" Aino wanted to know.
She nodded reluctantly. "What do I do!" she said, putting on a panicked expression.
"Use your Tiara, Sailor Moon!" Fujisawa said
"Um, ok!" She balanced on her toes and did an elaborate twirl that practically defied the laws of gravity before miming throwing it. "Moon.... Tiara.... MAGIC!"
"Moondusted!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down like a ditzy cheerleader.
The adults in the room blinked for a few moments after Usagi stopped her jumping and allowed her expression to settle back into the slightly skeptical look she had started the scene with. "Something tells me your heart isn't in this, Tsukino-san," Asuka said quietly.
"Oh, I don't know," the director said thoughtfully. "I think she did a fine job. I could work with her."
"I'm sorry to say I don't agree with you, Sukiyama-san," Liang said firmly. "Tsukino-san is allowing her beliefs about the character to taint her portrayal. I'm not sure we can work around that."
"I'm afraid I have to agree," Brockport said, the first words he had spoken since the girl had stepped into the room. "And we already know that the real thing is too harsh for our target audience." The look on his face said he had finished that thought for Usagi's benefit.
"I will say the girl has potential," Asuka said quickly, cutting off the impending argument from the flustered director. "I think it's a little raw for our needs at this time though."
"I'll tell you what's raw," Usagi growled. "My nerves. I can't believe you people have no integrity whatsoever. This is not just a fun weekly romp for the entertainment of the masses. This is *real*, folks. People are really in danger, and people can die. People already have. I, for one don't blame Sailor Moon for being a bit brash with the monsters that threaten the innocents that get attacked on practically a nightly basis. Why should they get any slack? And just because a handsome guy is in the picture does not mean that he automatically has to be the love interest of 'our plucky heroine' contrary to popular opinion. She doesn't even know him!" She paused to catch her breath, the others in the room still silently reeling from her outburst. "You know what? I don't think I want this role anyway. I guess I have too much respect for the truth. If you want to lie to the people, I don't want any part of it. Thanks anyway." With that, she spun around and walked quickly out of the room, the door slamming behind her.
The remaining people just looked at each other. "Damn," Sukiyama said softly. "That's just the spirit we needed, and she just got away. I think I'm going to regret that one for the rest of my career." The rest of the group just looked at him strangely as he shook his head and stared at the closed door.
"Um, if you'll excuse me I need a drink," Fujisawa said.
The four adults watched as he left the room. "That's odd..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Usagi practically stomped by the desk, for once causing the receptionist to look up. "Stupid script!" she swore.
The other candidates looked at the fuming blonde in surprise. "I'm sure you didn't screw up that badly," a redhead said, obviously trying to reassure her.
"I hope I did!" she declared. "Senshi of love and justice, my cute butt! Sailor Moon would chew nails if she saw what they were doing to her name!"
The other candidates exchanged looks. "Um... well," the red head started again, but was interupted when the door opened and Fujisawa Yuusuke came in. He gave them his famous smile, the one that gave him a dimple in his right cheek, and hurried over to Usagi's side.
"Tsukino-san, wait a minute!" the young man said quickly as the blonde reached for the handle of the door leading outside.
Usagi paused and turned to face her reading partner. "Yes, Fugisawa-san? What can I do for you?" she asked coolly.
He glanced around at the crowd of gawking girls. "Not here. Can I speak to you alone?"
She shrugged. She figured she could take care of herself if she had to. "I suppose. Where?"
"Come with me." The attractive man led her down the hall on the other side of the receptionist's desk to a small storage room. "You seem to know a lot about Sailor Moon, Tsukino-san. I was hoping you'd be willing to tell me about her so I can portray my character more realistically."
Usagi blinked in the harsh light of the single incandescent lightbulb currently swinging slightly above them. "Um, I wouldn't be the person to ask about Tuxedo Kamen, Fujisawa-san. He is an enigma even to me."
"Well, tell me what you do know. I'm sure it's more than what I've gotten out of the papers."
Usagi took a deep breath and just looked at the anxious young star standing before her. She released it slowly before responding. "All I can say is that you need to try to keep a mysterious air around you. He's nothing if not mysterious. And he obviously carries a secret. Beyond that, I don't think I can tell you much. The script," here she rolled her eyes, "doesn't capture his ego or the rivalry there seems to be between him and Sailor Moon. But you might want to keep it in mind."
Yuusuke just nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you very much, Tsukino-san. You have given me a lot to think about, and much to work with. I am in your debt." He suddenly lifted his gaze and made eye contact with the young girl in the small space with him. "And I think Sukiyama-san was right. You would have made a wonderful Sailor Moon."
Usagi smiled at the irony. "Uh, thanks. But I really couldn't have played her the way she was written. It just wasn't... right."
Yuusuke nodded, giving her the smile that had girls all over Japan swooning. "You want to make her human, and I respect that. But...." he trailed off.
"But?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.
"I heard that she wasn't a conventional superhero. But something in me wants her to be."
"What?! You want her to run around waiting for the dashing hero to save her?" Her good opinion of him vanished.
He shook his head vehemently. "That's not what I meant at all! I meant... well, it'd be nice if she was one of those people out to do good, rather then one of those people out as an Avenger."
Usagi tilted her head, one of her long ponytails almost touching th floor, not sure she understood him. "But.... I've heard of others. Ever heard of Batman?"
"I don't like to think of our world as dark as Gotham City. I'd like to be able to look at a cute girl like her and see a superhero, not a vigilante."
He looked down at the strange sorrowful girl who barely came up to his chest. Something about her drew Yuusuke closer, wanting to be embraced by her slender arms. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, but Usagi seemed to have no intention of doing so. It was fascinating for him.
"I know this is a touch out of place, but can I have your phone number?"
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to find and answer. "I-"
A scream cut her off.
Her muscles all tensed, prepared for action. She looked at Yuusuke, wondering how she could get rid of him. "That wasn't part of the audition, was it?" she asked in a small voice.
"No! Stay here while I check it out!"
He took off at a run and she barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Typical male. Talks like a New Age guy, but when it comes down to it, there's testosterone poisoning. 'Me HE-Man, protect Little Woman.' Sheesh.
She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then waved a hand in front of her broach. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"
The power washed over her like a tidal wave, shaking her to her core. She reveled briefly in the rush it gave her, then dashed out into the hall and saw a small group of people rushing toward her from the waiting room she had recently been ensconced in. "Figures," she muttered to herself as she began to run in that direction.
She paused briefly as she reached the door, her hand resting on the knob. "Well, one good thing is going to come out of this - these TV people will get to know what the REAL Sailor Moon is like!"
She threw open the door and gasped at the sight of all fifteen girls and the receptionist strewn about the room, obviously drained of energy. She heard screams and whimpers coming from where she had just come from her audition and hurried in.
"I am the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!" she declared proudly, stepping in boldly. "Ewwwwwww.... what IS that?!" she exclaimed with disgust. "That" appeared to be a woman-shaped creature made entirely of slime. Everywhere she moved, she left behind a mucus trail.
'Well,' Sailor Moon thought grimly, 'I can see there won't be any hand to hand fighting with this one.' "Okay, slimeball, you've done enough damage to this place and these people today. I'm not going to let you do anymore! Moon..." Before she could call on her deadly weapon, a giant ball of the green goo came flying toward her. And so help her, all she could think of was she was going to be slimed by a humongous loogie.
The slime turned out to be her savior. She tried to move to get out of the way, no matter how fruitless she thought it would be in the long run, when she stepped in the gunk and landed flat on her back. The glob missed her by inches and splattered on the wall behind her. "I meant to do that," she muttered as a blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Uh-huh..." Came a semi-welcomed voice.
"Oh man, not you," she groaned.
"It's Tuxedo Kamen!" came a third voice.
She turned her eyes to Tuxedo Kamn's latest fan. "Yuusuke-san!" she exclaimed in surprise.
The young actor was in the corner of the room, pinned to the wall by a hardening lump of slime. His eyes were wide with disbelief and.... lust? Oh, man, she thought, the guy who just asked for my number, the heartthrob of thousands of teenyboppers, is gay. Won't THAT go down well with his fans?
Glancing back at the recently arrived masked hero, Sailor Moon was guessing that his thoughts were on the same wavelength as hers, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly. Tuxedo Kamen looked down at her, confused, which set her off even more. The corners of his mouth began to follow suit, and soon both of the heroes of Tokyo were in the throws of a full blown giggle fit.
The youma paused in its attacks, offended no one was paying it any attention. It roared... and no one noticed. It stomped one squishy foot... and no one cared. It pounded on the wall for a few minutes... and no one even flinched. What was a youma to do?
Finally, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen started to calm down, and he extended a gloved hand to help her up. She took it, and with that one maneuver, a wary truce was born. They gave each other an appraising look and nodded. "Shall we, Sailor Moon?" the well-dressed hero asked politely, noticing the ball of slime that was their opponent sulking in a corner.
The girl in the skimpy skirt grinned as she notinced the same thing. "Yes. Yes, we shall." She brought her hand up the the gem in her tiara. "Moon... Tiara... Action!"
As the disc flew toward its target, roses struck each of the hardened globs of slime that held the production executives hostage, freeing them. The pouting monster was reduced to dust, quickly dispersing into the air.
She glanced at Tuxedo Kamen. "Did you know that Yuusuke-san is supposed to play you in the upcoming TV series?" she asked.
The masked man seemed taken aback. "Is he really?"
"Yup! I think you should give him some pointers- you know, how to throw roses and be obnoxious." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. He stiffened and dropped her hand, braking their fragile truce.
Her eyes widened, and her jaw clenched. "I'm..."
Before she could finish her apology, he spun with a flourish and began to walk away, his cape cutting her off more so than his words. "Be more careful next time, Sailor Moon. Someone may not be there to help you up." He strode out the outer door and was gone.
Sailor Moon sighed as she gazed after him. Boy, did she screw that one up. Hopefully she could at least say she was sorry the next time they ran into each other. Something inside her needed that truce, realizing that man was probably the only other person in the entire city, possibly the world, who knew what she was going through. Maybe not the part with Naru, but the rest...
She turned to face the other people in the room, determined to have *something* good come out of this day. "So," she said wickedly, "where's the script?"
Her grin caused the others to blanch and point. She snickered and went to the table they had gestured toward. "Now let's see," she declared expansively as she tore the cover page off the thick pad of typed paper. "You had to make a big thing out of her klutziness, didn't you? You couldn't let that one slide, could you? Noooooooo, heaven forbid!" she fumed after she had finished the first few pages.
She slowly made eye contact with each and every one of them, quickly passing over Yuusuke with a shudder. His taste in love interests needed serious work- Tuxedo Kamen, of all people. "Shall I continue my critique of your portrayal of me?" She grinned the same wicked smile as before.
"Um.... well, you see...." Aino stuttered, the only one able to keep their wits about them, "we had to make this suitable for a child."
Sailor Moon nodded graciously. "Which I understand. But it's rather rude not to offer me any royalties...."
They all paled. "Um, well..."
"And REALLY! Do I look like the type to go gaga over a guy?"
I used to be, before Naru died.... was the unwelcomed thought.
"We really-" began the producer.
She laughed and shook her head. "It's fine, though I think it'd be great if you'd donate some of the profits from the merchandise to charity.... say the Tokyo Hospital's Children's Fund?"
"We can do that!" they said eagerly. "In return will you endorse Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon? In fact, the lead part is still open..."
Sailor Moon blinked. "Um, I think I'd rather not *endorse* it, per se, but you won't hear any public complaining or anything. And I think I'm a bit busy to be playing myself twice over."
The executives all smiled and nodded their heads in understanding. "Of course, of course. We understand," Aino said quickly.
"That is, of course, as long as you hold up *your* part of the bargain. I find out you haven't, and all deals are off." She scowled seriously. "Don't think I'm above making your lives... difficult."
She received shocked shakes of the head in agreement. "Good. Then it's settled. Just... try to give me some redeeming characteristics, would you? I'm bound to at the very least hear about this, and I don't want to die of embarrassment when people expect me to act a certain way."
"Of course, Sailor Moon!" Aino said, happy to have the superhero's okay if not direct endorsement. "We were planning on that anyway!"
Usagi just nodded. "Then I guess I'm done here. Have a good one!" She took off the same way Tuxedo Kamen had before her. The last thing she heard as she was shutting the outer door behind her was Yuusuke's: "Thank you for saving us, Sailor Moon." She smiled as a warm feeling washed over her. I guess this isn't a thankless job, after all, she thought as she ran off into the city.
END PART TWO
To Stand Alone
by: Una Moonstar and Quicksilver
standard disclaimers
AN: Happy EMSiT Day, from two of the worst! I haven't heard from Una in a while- normally SHE'D be the one sending out this monstrosity, but... well, it's a good thing we had this ready. FB is a very nice thing!
Chapter Two: You Oughta Be in Pictures
"A TV series?" she found herself echoing a week later, wondering exactly what the hell had happened to her life.
Every evening she'd been out late, killing monsters. She'd run into Tuxedo Kamen only once, for which she had been grateful. They had exchanged chill greetings, and she'd killed the monster quickly to get out of there.
Umino stood in front of her, waving the latest newsmagazine. She had grown used to appearing on the front page of the newspapers, but the weekly periodical was a different story. One of the grainy shots of her was now plastered all over Japan, and Umino had informed her of the websites devoted to Sailor Moon. After the first incident, she'd made a point to cultivate him for information; if there was anything worth knowing, he would find it out. "Yes! Ginga TV has bought the rights to a script based on Sailor Moon. They're calling it Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, and the try-outs are open! You should go- you're blond, and they need a blonde."
"You're kidding, right?" she asked sceptically. "I don't know the first thing about acting!"
"It'd be fun to try," he wheedled.
She shook her head. "No, I can't," she said firmly. I have other things that occupy my time, she thought.
Umino let out a frustrated breath. "Usagi-chan, I miss Naru-chan too, but you've changed because of this. I miss the old Usagi. What would it hurt to just try out? The worst they could do is tell you no. And maybe, just maybe, you could find a part of you that you seem to have buried with Naru." His gaze dropped and he sighed. Usagi just looked at him, shocked. "I have to be going now, Usagi-chan. Maybe I'll talk to you later." He turned and walked away, never making eye contact after his speech.
The blonde watched him go, tears nearly building up at the show of concern. She quickly blinked the threat away, and smiled slightly. "Thank you for caring, Umino. It's for people like you that I fight. So that none of you have to end up like Naru." The grin turned wry. "Although you have the strangest ideas sometimes. I mean, me? An actress?" She shook her head as the quiet words meant for her ears only trailed off. "The boy is too much."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Why am I here again?" Usagi asked herself for the zillionth time as she waited in a large reception area with about fifteen other girls of varying heights, builds, and hair colors. The receptionist behind the desk next to the door never took her eyes off her computer screen, and Usagi thought she recognized the woman from one of the youma attacks over the last couple of nights. "This whole Sailor Moon TV show must be bothering her if she won't even look at the candidates for the lead role."
Her attention was caught by the opening of the door opposite the one she had entered the room through. A tall man with wire-rimmed glasses and wearing a dark grey business suit stepped out holding a clipboard. "Tsukino Usagi?"
The petite blonde blinked a few times at the mention of her name, ignoring the jealous looks she got from the other girls there. "Yes, that would be me," she responded.
The man gave her a distant smile. "If you'd join us, it's time for your audition." He gestured toward the room behind him.
Usagi gulped as she stood, surprised to feel nervous butterflies in her stomach, and even more shocked to feel the excitement building with each step she took to follow. She had thought she was beyond the old dreams of stardom. 'I guess not,' she thought with a mental shrug, unknowingly letting her face crease into a smile as the office door closed behind her.
A committee of five people sat at a simple table, facing her. One was a woman, one was a thirty-ish man, and two others were men in their fifties, wearing stodgy suits. She blinked in shock as she recognized the fifth.
Fujisawa Yuusuke.
The young heart-throb, currently featured of the cover of HIP magazine, flashed her a stunning smile. His blue eyes twinkled and he raked a hand through his shoulder-length hair. She tried very hard not to stare, but he was simply one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen.
The woman noted her distraction. "Hello, Tsukino-san. I'm Aino Asuka. These are Liang Wen, Justin Brockport, Sukiyama Tooya, and I'm sure you recognize Fujisawa Yuusuke." Each person nodded at their name, and she bowed to them politely.
"It's nice to meet you," she said, wondering what she had gotten into.
"Now, Brockport-san and Liang-san are our producers, I'm casting director, and Fujisawa-san will be playing the role of Tuxedo Kamen. Sukiyama-san is our director. He wants to find some fresh talent for the role of Sailor Moon. According to your resume, you only have experience in high school plays, so you certainly qualify. I'll be honest; we wouldn't have focused on you so early if you weren't a blonde. You have the right look; now we need to see your acting abilities."
The girl was then handed a short stack of papers. "Look those over for a few minutes. Then we'll have you do a run through of the scene with Fujisawa-san. Will that work?"
Usagi gulped one more time and nodded, her sapphire blues dropping to the typed words she held. Her eyes widened in shock as she read what they actually said. She took a deep breath to tell them they were all wrong about who Sailor Moon really was, but stopped when she realized she should have no knowledge of such a thing. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration. Finally she said she was ready, and the popular actor joined her in front of the table.
They quickly made their way through the short scene, and Usagi looked at the older people to see how she had done. Their expressions were slightly disapproving, and the little spark that had been building since her name had been called began to flicker and fade. "Did... did I do something wrong?" she asked a bit meekly.
"Well," the director said thoughtfully, "I think you portrayed Sailor Moon a bit harshly. She shouldn't be so... brash."
The blonde girl blinked. "She was talking to the youma."
"Yes, I understand that, but she's not supposed to be quite that abrasive about it. Sailor Moon is the soldier of love and justice! She's supposed to be firm but fun!"
Usagi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Firm but fun? You have *got* to be kidding me! That's not the way Sailor Moon really is!"
"Well, we know that, Tsukino-san," Aino Asuka said with a touch of a condescending tone. "But our writers needed to make her more... acceptable to the television audience."
The girl's jaw dropped. "Acceptable? What's wrong with the way she is? I don't seem to hear people complaining about her attitude when she's out there risking her butt saving their lives!"
"Tsukino-san, please..." the younger heartthrob beside her said placatingly.
"No!" Usagi cried, cutting him off. "This isn't fair! It isn't right! This hero goes out every night to help the people of this city, of this *planet* - at high risk to her own life, mind you - and you feel the need to mess with her personality? How twisted is that?"
"Obviously, Tsukino-san, if you truly think that way, we're going to have to look in another direction for our Sailor Moon," Liang Wen said coldly, raising an eyebrow at the girl's outburst.
Sukiyama made hushing motions. "Wait a second. I really like how she looks- she looks like my ideal for Sailor Moon. Tsukino-san, can you read another scene with Fujisawa-san?"
Usagi blinked. Hadn't she already blown her chances? Against her better judgement, she took a second pile that was handed to her, and started to peruse them. After a second her eyebrows started to rise. By the end, they had practically disappeared into her forehead. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" she said incredulously.
"Sailor Moon has a crush on him."
"She most certainly does not!" Usagi exclaimed. "All reports indicate that the two can't stand each other!"
"Well, she needs a romantic interest, and he's the natural choice."
Usagi's brows drew down into a frown. "And what's this about her being rescued by him? Her powers are stronger!"
"Well, he's her Knight, sworn to her service. All girls would love to be rescued by him. Are you going to read or not?" Aino wanted to know.
She nodded reluctantly. "What do I do!" she said, putting on a panicked expression.
"Use your Tiara, Sailor Moon!" Fujisawa said
"Um, ok!" She balanced on her toes and did an elaborate twirl that practically defied the laws of gravity before miming throwing it. "Moon.... Tiara.... MAGIC!"
"Moondusted!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down like a ditzy cheerleader.
The adults in the room blinked for a few moments after Usagi stopped her jumping and allowed her expression to settle back into the slightly skeptical look she had started the scene with. "Something tells me your heart isn't in this, Tsukino-san," Asuka said quietly.
"Oh, I don't know," the director said thoughtfully. "I think she did a fine job. I could work with her."
"I'm sorry to say I don't agree with you, Sukiyama-san," Liang said firmly. "Tsukino-san is allowing her beliefs about the character to taint her portrayal. I'm not sure we can work around that."
"I'm afraid I have to agree," Brockport said, the first words he had spoken since the girl had stepped into the room. "And we already know that the real thing is too harsh for our target audience." The look on his face said he had finished that thought for Usagi's benefit.
"I will say the girl has potential," Asuka said quickly, cutting off the impending argument from the flustered director. "I think it's a little raw for our needs at this time though."
"I'll tell you what's raw," Usagi growled. "My nerves. I can't believe you people have no integrity whatsoever. This is not just a fun weekly romp for the entertainment of the masses. This is *real*, folks. People are really in danger, and people can die. People already have. I, for one don't blame Sailor Moon for being a bit brash with the monsters that threaten the innocents that get attacked on practically a nightly basis. Why should they get any slack? And just because a handsome guy is in the picture does not mean that he automatically has to be the love interest of 'our plucky heroine' contrary to popular opinion. She doesn't even know him!" She paused to catch her breath, the others in the room still silently reeling from her outburst. "You know what? I don't think I want this role anyway. I guess I have too much respect for the truth. If you want to lie to the people, I don't want any part of it. Thanks anyway." With that, she spun around and walked quickly out of the room, the door slamming behind her.
The remaining people just looked at each other. "Damn," Sukiyama said softly. "That's just the spirit we needed, and she just got away. I think I'm going to regret that one for the rest of my career." The rest of the group just looked at him strangely as he shook his head and stared at the closed door.
"Um, if you'll excuse me I need a drink," Fujisawa said.
The four adults watched as he left the room. "That's odd..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Usagi practically stomped by the desk, for once causing the receptionist to look up. "Stupid script!" she swore.
The other candidates looked at the fuming blonde in surprise. "I'm sure you didn't screw up that badly," a redhead said, obviously trying to reassure her.
"I hope I did!" she declared. "Senshi of love and justice, my cute butt! Sailor Moon would chew nails if she saw what they were doing to her name!"
The other candidates exchanged looks. "Um... well," the red head started again, but was interupted when the door opened and Fujisawa Yuusuke came in. He gave them his famous smile, the one that gave him a dimple in his right cheek, and hurried over to Usagi's side.
"Tsukino-san, wait a minute!" the young man said quickly as the blonde reached for the handle of the door leading outside.
Usagi paused and turned to face her reading partner. "Yes, Fugisawa-san? What can I do for you?" she asked coolly.
He glanced around at the crowd of gawking girls. "Not here. Can I speak to you alone?"
She shrugged. She figured she could take care of herself if she had to. "I suppose. Where?"
"Come with me." The attractive man led her down the hall on the other side of the receptionist's desk to a small storage room. "You seem to know a lot about Sailor Moon, Tsukino-san. I was hoping you'd be willing to tell me about her so I can portray my character more realistically."
Usagi blinked in the harsh light of the single incandescent lightbulb currently swinging slightly above them. "Um, I wouldn't be the person to ask about Tuxedo Kamen, Fujisawa-san. He is an enigma even to me."
"Well, tell me what you do know. I'm sure it's more than what I've gotten out of the papers."
Usagi took a deep breath and just looked at the anxious young star standing before her. She released it slowly before responding. "All I can say is that you need to try to keep a mysterious air around you. He's nothing if not mysterious. And he obviously carries a secret. Beyond that, I don't think I can tell you much. The script," here she rolled her eyes, "doesn't capture his ego or the rivalry there seems to be between him and Sailor Moon. But you might want to keep it in mind."
Yuusuke just nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Thank you very much, Tsukino-san. You have given me a lot to think about, and much to work with. I am in your debt." He suddenly lifted his gaze and made eye contact with the young girl in the small space with him. "And I think Sukiyama-san was right. You would have made a wonderful Sailor Moon."
Usagi smiled at the irony. "Uh, thanks. But I really couldn't have played her the way she was written. It just wasn't... right."
Yuusuke nodded, giving her the smile that had girls all over Japan swooning. "You want to make her human, and I respect that. But...." he trailed off.
"But?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.
"I heard that she wasn't a conventional superhero. But something in me wants her to be."
"What?! You want her to run around waiting for the dashing hero to save her?" Her good opinion of him vanished.
He shook his head vehemently. "That's not what I meant at all! I meant... well, it'd be nice if she was one of those people out to do good, rather then one of those people out as an Avenger."
Usagi tilted her head, one of her long ponytails almost touching th floor, not sure she understood him. "But.... I've heard of others. Ever heard of Batman?"
"I don't like to think of our world as dark as Gotham City. I'd like to be able to look at a cute girl like her and see a superhero, not a vigilante."
He looked down at the strange sorrowful girl who barely came up to his chest. Something about her drew Yuusuke closer, wanting to be embraced by her slender arms. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, but Usagi seemed to have no intention of doing so. It was fascinating for him.
"I know this is a touch out of place, but can I have your phone number?"
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to find and answer. "I-"
A scream cut her off.
Her muscles all tensed, prepared for action. She looked at Yuusuke, wondering how she could get rid of him. "That wasn't part of the audition, was it?" she asked in a small voice.
"No! Stay here while I check it out!"
He took off at a run and she barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Typical male. Talks like a New Age guy, but when it comes down to it, there's testosterone poisoning. 'Me HE-Man, protect Little Woman.' Sheesh.
She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then waved a hand in front of her broach. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"
The power washed over her like a tidal wave, shaking her to her core. She reveled briefly in the rush it gave her, then dashed out into the hall and saw a small group of people rushing toward her from the waiting room she had recently been ensconced in. "Figures," she muttered to herself as she began to run in that direction.
She paused briefly as she reached the door, her hand resting on the knob. "Well, one good thing is going to come out of this - these TV people will get to know what the REAL Sailor Moon is like!"
She threw open the door and gasped at the sight of all fifteen girls and the receptionist strewn about the room, obviously drained of energy. She heard screams and whimpers coming from where she had just come from her audition and hurried in.
"I am the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!" she declared proudly, stepping in boldly. "Ewwwwwww.... what IS that?!" she exclaimed with disgust. "That" appeared to be a woman-shaped creature made entirely of slime. Everywhere she moved, she left behind a mucus trail.
'Well,' Sailor Moon thought grimly, 'I can see there won't be any hand to hand fighting with this one.' "Okay, slimeball, you've done enough damage to this place and these people today. I'm not going to let you do anymore! Moon..." Before she could call on her deadly weapon, a giant ball of the green goo came flying toward her. And so help her, all she could think of was she was going to be slimed by a humongous loogie.
The slime turned out to be her savior. She tried to move to get out of the way, no matter how fruitless she thought it would be in the long run, when she stepped in the gunk and landed flat on her back. The glob missed her by inches and splattered on the wall behind her. "I meant to do that," she muttered as a blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Uh-huh..." Came a semi-welcomed voice.
"Oh man, not you," she groaned.
"It's Tuxedo Kamen!" came a third voice.
She turned her eyes to Tuxedo Kamn's latest fan. "Yuusuke-san!" she exclaimed in surprise.
The young actor was in the corner of the room, pinned to the wall by a hardening lump of slime. His eyes were wide with disbelief and.... lust? Oh, man, she thought, the guy who just asked for my number, the heartthrob of thousands of teenyboppers, is gay. Won't THAT go down well with his fans?
Glancing back at the recently arrived masked hero, Sailor Moon was guessing that his thoughts were on the same wavelength as hers, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly. Tuxedo Kamen looked down at her, confused, which set her off even more. The corners of his mouth began to follow suit, and soon both of the heroes of Tokyo were in the throws of a full blown giggle fit.
The youma paused in its attacks, offended no one was paying it any attention. It roared... and no one noticed. It stomped one squishy foot... and no one cared. It pounded on the wall for a few minutes... and no one even flinched. What was a youma to do?
Finally, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen started to calm down, and he extended a gloved hand to help her up. She took it, and with that one maneuver, a wary truce was born. They gave each other an appraising look and nodded. "Shall we, Sailor Moon?" the well-dressed hero asked politely, noticing the ball of slime that was their opponent sulking in a corner.
The girl in the skimpy skirt grinned as she notinced the same thing. "Yes. Yes, we shall." She brought her hand up the the gem in her tiara. "Moon... Tiara... Action!"
As the disc flew toward its target, roses struck each of the hardened globs of slime that held the production executives hostage, freeing them. The pouting monster was reduced to dust, quickly dispersing into the air.
She glanced at Tuxedo Kamen. "Did you know that Yuusuke-san is supposed to play you in the upcoming TV series?" she asked.
The masked man seemed taken aback. "Is he really?"
"Yup! I think you should give him some pointers- you know, how to throw roses and be obnoxious." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. He stiffened and dropped her hand, braking their fragile truce.
Her eyes widened, and her jaw clenched. "I'm..."
Before she could finish her apology, he spun with a flourish and began to walk away, his cape cutting her off more so than his words. "Be more careful next time, Sailor Moon. Someone may not be there to help you up." He strode out the outer door and was gone.
Sailor Moon sighed as she gazed after him. Boy, did she screw that one up. Hopefully she could at least say she was sorry the next time they ran into each other. Something inside her needed that truce, realizing that man was probably the only other person in the entire city, possibly the world, who knew what she was going through. Maybe not the part with Naru, but the rest...
She turned to face the other people in the room, determined to have *something* good come out of this day. "So," she said wickedly, "where's the script?"
Her grin caused the others to blanch and point. She snickered and went to the table they had gestured toward. "Now let's see," she declared expansively as she tore the cover page off the thick pad of typed paper. "You had to make a big thing out of her klutziness, didn't you? You couldn't let that one slide, could you? Noooooooo, heaven forbid!" she fumed after she had finished the first few pages.
She slowly made eye contact with each and every one of them, quickly passing over Yuusuke with a shudder. His taste in love interests needed serious work- Tuxedo Kamen, of all people. "Shall I continue my critique of your portrayal of me?" She grinned the same wicked smile as before.
"Um.... well, you see...." Aino stuttered, the only one able to keep their wits about them, "we had to make this suitable for a child."
Sailor Moon nodded graciously. "Which I understand. But it's rather rude not to offer me any royalties...."
They all paled. "Um, well..."
"And REALLY! Do I look like the type to go gaga over a guy?"
I used to be, before Naru died.... was the unwelcomed thought.
"We really-" began the producer.
She laughed and shook her head. "It's fine, though I think it'd be great if you'd donate some of the profits from the merchandise to charity.... say the Tokyo Hospital's Children's Fund?"
"We can do that!" they said eagerly. "In return will you endorse Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon? In fact, the lead part is still open..."
Sailor Moon blinked. "Um, I think I'd rather not *endorse* it, per se, but you won't hear any public complaining or anything. And I think I'm a bit busy to be playing myself twice over."
The executives all smiled and nodded their heads in understanding. "Of course, of course. We understand," Aino said quickly.
"That is, of course, as long as you hold up *your* part of the bargain. I find out you haven't, and all deals are off." She scowled seriously. "Don't think I'm above making your lives... difficult."
She received shocked shakes of the head in agreement. "Good. Then it's settled. Just... try to give me some redeeming characteristics, would you? I'm bound to at the very least hear about this, and I don't want to die of embarrassment when people expect me to act a certain way."
"Of course, Sailor Moon!" Aino said, happy to have the superhero's okay if not direct endorsement. "We were planning on that anyway!"
Usagi just nodded. "Then I guess I'm done here. Have a good one!" She took off the same way Tuxedo Kamen had before her. The last thing she heard as she was shutting the outer door behind her was Yuusuke's: "Thank you for saving us, Sailor Moon." She smiled as a warm feeling washed over her. I guess this isn't a thankless job, after all, she thought as she ran off into the city.
END PART TWO