"Chibi-usa!"
"Don't call me that!" Chibi-usa called peevishly, rolling over on her side, and pulling a pillow over her head. Isn't this how yesterday started? she thought wearlily drifted back to sleep, trying to ignore the tugging feeling she felt on her sleeve. The tugging grew more insistent, until finally something sharp poked her. "Ouch!"
"Small lady, you must get up at once. It's almost time for school and your mother already called you."
Chibi-usa blinked sleepily at the cat. "Fine I'm up. Off to fight evil?"
"Off to school. Hurry now, don't be late. It's not suitable for a princess."
"I demand a royal leave!" she said with a grin.
Diana frowned. "Move it."
Outside the school building Chibi-usa was surprised not to find any of her friends. I'm not that late am I? She lingered uncertainly near the entranceway to the school, scanning to see if any of her friends would show up late, but finally went to her class, closing Diana outside despite protests. "And don't talk to anyone!"
No teacher had entered the classroom yet, and she found Momo, the closest friend who shared her class, in the admiring group around Cereta. Slightly miffed that nobody had bothered to greet her, she approached Momo. "Where were you yesterday afternoon? I looked for you!"
Momo shrugged. "I was talking to Cerecere."
"Cerecere?" Chibi-usa raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that's her nickname! She told everybody to use it, 'cause Cereta makes her uncomfortable." Momo was beaming ear to ear.
Chibi-usa looked up at 'Cerecere', who was bent over last night's homework. Around her people chattered happily. One geeky kid kept trying to offer her advice, which the busy girl brushed off. *Rude*, Chibi-usa thought, annoyance causing her to take offence. Finally she decided to put aside her irritation, and try to make friends. She walked over. "Um, hi Cereta, I'm Bunny, and we didn't really get a chance to talk yesterday, but I was thinking-"
Cerecere cut her short with a wave of the hand. "Not right now, Chibi-usa, I'm doing my homework and I don't need any help, thank you!"
Chibi-usa took a step back, momentarily to horrifed to speak, and then her bottled up anger burst out. "My name is Usagi! And I wouldn't want to help you with your homework if you asked me. You think you're so cool because your parents were from the circus, but if you can't even be polite, I don't like you!" Drained of her initial anger, and faced with the stares of classmates, Chibi-usa ran out of the classroom, and out of the school.
Diana approached her immediately. "What's wrong, small lady?"
"Why do you call me that?" Chibi-usa asked suddenly. "Why does everyone treat me like I'm still a baby? I'm not!" she added fiercly.
Diana rubbed up against her, and looked into her eyes. "We call you those names because we love you, and sometimes it's hard to see those you love grow up so quickly! But I won't call you that anymore, Lady."
"Thanks." Chibi-usa hugged Diana. "It's just that I've been feeling so odd lately and I keep getting upset about things that shouldn't bother me, and-" Suddenly she looked up. "What are you doing here?" Diana saw who she was talking to, and with a startled meow, dashed away.
Cerecere was looked after her with an expression of wonder, mingled with fear. "Your cat was talking. I heard it. But I came out here to say I'm sorry."
"Managed to rip yourself away from you fans?" Chibi-usa asked snidely.
"I had to sneak!" Cerecere said with a grin. She sat beside Chibi-usa. "I wish they'd leave me alone. I'm not that special, and besides, I want people to like me for me, not my parents, or my life." She glanced at Chibi-usa. "And I only called you Chibi-usa because that's what your friends called you. They said you were really nice, and that everybody liked you. And I'm sorry I was rude. I guess I was sort of jealous..."
"You were jealous of me?" Chibi-usa asked quietly.
Cerecere nodded slowly. "You're so lucky to have so many friends who care about you... I never stay long enough to make close friends."
Chibi-usa sat in silence for a moment. She hadn't really meant to get angry, and Cereta seemed so sincere. She smiled, feeling her good-nature return. "Well I'll soon remedy that. I'll be your friend... Cerecere." Cerecere grinned. "You mean it? And I'll call you Usagi if you want." Chibi-usa considered. For some reason she kept going back to that weird incident at breakfast. "I was just mad when I said that," she said slowly. "I think I'd feel weird being called that. But..."
Cerecere obviously understood her hesitation. She snapped her fingers. "I got it! How about, 'Bunny?'"
Chibi-usa frowned. "Bunny?"
"Yeah! It's sort of the English translation of your name. I stayed in the U.S. for a while..." Chibi-usa grinned. "Bunny," she said experimentally. "I like it! I'll be Bunny."
"Well, Bunny, we should probably worry about your talking cat later, because we are both seriously tardy," Cerecere said suddenly.
"Oh no!" Chibi-usa, now Bunny, lept to her feet. "Not again!!" She dashed into the school building closely followed by Cerecere. She skidded around the corridor, and for the second time that week threw open the door. Professor Aquilo was at the teacher's desk but he did not look up. He was cloaked in a loose black outfit. The long-sleeved shirt was emblazoned with a red four-point star on the back. Aquilo watched the class intently as one by one they collapsed over their desks, shining crystals appearing above their heads.
"Heart Crystals," Bunny breathed quietly, remembering something. As they watched, Aquilo opened a golden jar, and out flowed a girl-like spirit. Or ghost. It was grey and misty, and it listened intently to Aquilo's commands, before whirling around the first heart crystal. A sparkling blue-green mist seemed to escape the crystal, joining with the ghost girl, and she flew on, the heart crystal returning to its body. The boy in the desk sat up, eyes blank, unmoving. The spirit girl repeated the actions and a rainbow of glittering mists moving to join her, until the ghost positively glowed. One by one, the students sat up, staring ahead with lifeless eyes. Bunny shuddered as she heard Aquilo laugh.
"What are you doing?!!" Cerecere was in the room, yelling angrily at Aquilo, red eyes flashing.
Aquilo looked momentarily surprised, but quickly recovered himself. "Why, another arrival! Tardy aren't you? Don't worry. Benjamin, why don't you help your classmate to her desk?" The boy who had been sitting blank-eyed in his seat, rose obediently, and walked over to Cerecere. His hands locked around her wrists in an iron grip, and he began to pull her towards a desk.
"What? Ben, stop it! Snap out of it!" Cerecere started to struggled.
Bunny was about to run to her friend's aid, when Diana called her attention. "Lady!" the cat cried around the object in her mouth. "You have to transform! Take this wand and call out: Moon Goddess Power!"
Bunny hesitated, then took the transformation wand. "All right!" She raised the wand. "Moon Goddess POWER!!" There was a swirling, and a pink and silver senshi uniform appeared on Bunny. She stepped into the room. "Stop right now!"
Aquilo looked up. "What the-?"
"I don't like substitutes! Especially ones that steal their student's hearts, and then take their crystals! I fight for love, and justice! I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, You're punished!!"
Aquilo frowned. "How... unexpected. Too interesting to pass up in fact. Well Sesa can handle you." The spirit-girl stopped swirling around the heart crystals, and grinned eerily at them. "As for me, I must be going. Adieu." He took a step back, and disappeared amid a shimmering of silver light.
Cerecere suddenly cried out in pain. 'Zombie' Benjamin, had managed to force her into a desk, and she was sturggling as the desk held her motionless, trying to force out her heart crystal. A yellow symbol burned on her forehead. Diana gasped. "You've got to save her, Sailor Moon! She's the senshi of Ceres!" Sailor Moon was caught by surprise but nodded. "Right!" She felt an innate knowledge of what to do. She faced the spirit-girl, Sesa, who opened her mouth in a ghostly screech, and moved towards her. "Pink Moon Disruptive Beam!!" A shining bar of pink energy shot from Sailor Moon's wand, and the screeching ghost burst into flames. The flames grew smaller as the glittering mists scattered out about the room, and as the flame disappeared, a soft voice whispered Thank you. Gradually each bit of moved to hover above the head of a student.
Benny batted angrily at it, and then, taking a deep breath to yell, inhaled it. He blinked and looked around. "What's going on? Where'd Professor Aquilo go?"
The rest of the class was sitting up, looking around, and a normal Bunny walked over to Cerecere. "Are you all right?"
Cerecere was looking around absently. "It's like I had a wierd dream. It was a dream right? Because I thought..." she trailed off, looking at Bunny intently. "I guess I'll just ask your talking cat after class!" She grinned.