Disclaimer: The characters of the BSSM universe aren't mine, so don't sue. Umeko Tsukishiro, however, is. Why you'd want to use her is beyond me, but you can't.
*****
Alone in her apartment that night, as she was every night, Makoto tried to figure out what was so unsettling about the new student. On the surface she seemed very nice, but Makoto knew there was something up. And her fascination with Usagi wasn't a good sign. Then again, Mamoru had always somehow ended up around Usagi, and there was Haruka, and Seiya... People just naturally gravitated to Usagi. She had a good heart and a good soul and this *radience* to her.
"Maybe," Makoto mused, running the water in the shower as she prepared for bed, "maybe we're just being paranoid about Tsukishiro-san."
As she stepped in the shower and soaped herself down, the simplicity of it all became more clear. Tsukishiro was just drawn to Usagi's friendliness like everyone else. She was a bit creepy, but didn't everyone find Ami and Makoto creepy when they'd started at Juuban?
Well, some kids still did find them creepy. But that was irrelevant.
"She could really go either way," Makoto said to herself. She shut off the water and brushed her wet bangs out of her eyes, fumbling for the edge of the shower curtain. "Evil...or good. It's fifty-fifty."
Makoto pulled open the curtain and found herself met with a shower of cherry blossoms. Makoto blinked, waving her arms wildly in a feeble attempt to ward off the harmless blossoms.
And they really were harmless, she discovered, as they simply fell to the floor in clumps, dampened by steam clouds.
The real danger lay in the person who had caused the blossom hurricane. Who stoodin front of her, a shadowed figure in the open bathroom door. Makoto had nothing to cover herself and was too confused and stunned to even step behind the meager protection of the shower curtain.
She was a fighter at heart, and the Jupiter side of her personality took over where her regular instincts failed. Without a second thought, she stepped out of the shower, feet brushing up against wet piles of soft petals. A few stray ones danced through the air, twisting and turning with the air currents spasmodically, fighting gravity. Makoto, without even looking to see what she was doing, reached out a hand and snatched the petals.
She uncurled her fingers and glanced at them. She was torn in two; the grip of horror and the urge to say 'I told you so'.
Not cherry, *plum*. Plum blossoms. Umeko.
The lights in the bathroom went out, casting Makoto in darkness. She both embraced its protection and feared what sort of edge it gave her faceless adversary.
Moonlight streamed through the small window in the corner. Into the square it cast on the floor stepped the bringer of the blossoms, glowing preternaturally. Tsukishiro Umeko.
"It's a bit of a cheat, really," the pretty student said, as if she'd been reading Makoto's mind. She spoke calmly, easily, and with a charming smile that held no venom or any hint of malevolence, but still set Makoto on edge. "My signature is the umeko, and my power is amplified in the moonlight." Her smile grew larger, and more enigmatic. "Then again, your name means 'sincerity of wood', doesn't it? Demo..."
Tsukishiro stepped closer, out of the square of moonlight, but yet the lunar glow still clung to her. Makoto tensed, feeling the cold rush of Tsukishiro's breath on her still wet skin. "You used to fight with electricity, didn't you, Jupiter?"
"Who *are* you?" Makoto asked softly.
"Who I am depends on who the moon child will become. Will she fight to protect Earth, or destroy it?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Sailormoon fights *for* Earth and *only* for Earth. She'd never destroy it. She'd die first."
"That may be the case this time, as well," Tsukishiro said, and placed a hand on Makoto's bare shoulder. Her touch was icy cold. "But you never know, Sailormoon might have a change of heart...a different future. She might choose to destroy the earth, thus saving it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your little friend from the ringed planet knows best...from death comes rebirth. From the apocalypse can only come redemption. Renewal. Sailormoon can do more good for the earth by killing it than she ever could by fighting on its behalf."
Makoto laughed, shortly, harshly, and without mirth as Tsukishiro slowly circled her, as the predator would circle the prey. "Sounds to me like you've been reading too many CLAMP mangas."
"There's truth in my words, Jupiter-san, and you know it. Deep down in your heart, you know it." Tsukishiro finished her lap around Makoto, and held the brunette's chin in one hand, forcing the women to look at each other. "Demo...it's not you I have to convince. Only the moon child. And unfortunately for you, Kino-san, you're only a minor character."
"Oh, am I really?" Makoto scoffed. "Watch me." In her hand appeared her henshin wand, and she raised it high, opening her mouth to evoke the transformation, but Tsukishiro interrupted her.
"Jupiter Crystal Power," she said with the laziest of smiles. "Make-up."
There was a flash of light, and Tsukishiro stood before Makoto, dressed in the green fuku of Sailorjupiter.
"What the hell..?" Makoto said, her arm lowering as her brain tried to compute. As it descended, Tsukishiro plucked the henshin wand from Makoto's hand. "Very pretty," she pronounced, studying it over. "Pity you couldn't use it this last time.
"Oh well," she sighed, "it wouldn't have mattered. Do you know why?"
Makoto said nothing.
"Jupiter," Tsukishiro said very softly, leaning in so Makoto could hear properly. Although Makoto could barely hear anything over the rush of blood in her brain. "Oak," Tsukishiro continued, with a wide, cheery grin. "Evolution."
The cheer turned to malice, the grin now maniacal and demonic in nature, and Makoto was still in a state of shock, unable to even scream as her own attack --*her own attack*-- pierced her body.
*****
Alone in her apartment that night, as she was every night, Makoto tried to figure out what was so unsettling about the new student. On the surface she seemed very nice, but Makoto knew there was something up. And her fascination with Usagi wasn't a good sign. Then again, Mamoru had always somehow ended up around Usagi, and there was Haruka, and Seiya... People just naturally gravitated to Usagi. She had a good heart and a good soul and this *radience* to her.
"Maybe," Makoto mused, running the water in the shower as she prepared for bed, "maybe we're just being paranoid about Tsukishiro-san."
As she stepped in the shower and soaped herself down, the simplicity of it all became more clear. Tsukishiro was just drawn to Usagi's friendliness like everyone else. She was a bit creepy, but didn't everyone find Ami and Makoto creepy when they'd started at Juuban?
Well, some kids still did find them creepy. But that was irrelevant.
"She could really go either way," Makoto said to herself. She shut off the water and brushed her wet bangs out of her eyes, fumbling for the edge of the shower curtain. "Evil...or good. It's fifty-fifty."
Makoto pulled open the curtain and found herself met with a shower of cherry blossoms. Makoto blinked, waving her arms wildly in a feeble attempt to ward off the harmless blossoms.
And they really were harmless, she discovered, as they simply fell to the floor in clumps, dampened by steam clouds.
The real danger lay in the person who had caused the blossom hurricane. Who stoodin front of her, a shadowed figure in the open bathroom door. Makoto had nothing to cover herself and was too confused and stunned to even step behind the meager protection of the shower curtain.
She was a fighter at heart, and the Jupiter side of her personality took over where her regular instincts failed. Without a second thought, she stepped out of the shower, feet brushing up against wet piles of soft petals. A few stray ones danced through the air, twisting and turning with the air currents spasmodically, fighting gravity. Makoto, without even looking to see what she was doing, reached out a hand and snatched the petals.
She uncurled her fingers and glanced at them. She was torn in two; the grip of horror and the urge to say 'I told you so'.
Not cherry, *plum*. Plum blossoms. Umeko.
The lights in the bathroom went out, casting Makoto in darkness. She both embraced its protection and feared what sort of edge it gave her faceless adversary.
Moonlight streamed through the small window in the corner. Into the square it cast on the floor stepped the bringer of the blossoms, glowing preternaturally. Tsukishiro Umeko.
"It's a bit of a cheat, really," the pretty student said, as if she'd been reading Makoto's mind. She spoke calmly, easily, and with a charming smile that held no venom or any hint of malevolence, but still set Makoto on edge. "My signature is the umeko, and my power is amplified in the moonlight." Her smile grew larger, and more enigmatic. "Then again, your name means 'sincerity of wood', doesn't it? Demo..."
Tsukishiro stepped closer, out of the square of moonlight, but yet the lunar glow still clung to her. Makoto tensed, feeling the cold rush of Tsukishiro's breath on her still wet skin. "You used to fight with electricity, didn't you, Jupiter?"
"Who *are* you?" Makoto asked softly.
"Who I am depends on who the moon child will become. Will she fight to protect Earth, or destroy it?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Sailormoon fights *for* Earth and *only* for Earth. She'd never destroy it. She'd die first."
"That may be the case this time, as well," Tsukishiro said, and placed a hand on Makoto's bare shoulder. Her touch was icy cold. "But you never know, Sailormoon might have a change of heart...a different future. She might choose to destroy the earth, thus saving it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your little friend from the ringed planet knows best...from death comes rebirth. From the apocalypse can only come redemption. Renewal. Sailormoon can do more good for the earth by killing it than she ever could by fighting on its behalf."
Makoto laughed, shortly, harshly, and without mirth as Tsukishiro slowly circled her, as the predator would circle the prey. "Sounds to me like you've been reading too many CLAMP mangas."
"There's truth in my words, Jupiter-san, and you know it. Deep down in your heart, you know it." Tsukishiro finished her lap around Makoto, and held the brunette's chin in one hand, forcing the women to look at each other. "Demo...it's not you I have to convince. Only the moon child. And unfortunately for you, Kino-san, you're only a minor character."
"Oh, am I really?" Makoto scoffed. "Watch me." In her hand appeared her henshin wand, and she raised it high, opening her mouth to evoke the transformation, but Tsukishiro interrupted her.
"Jupiter Crystal Power," she said with the laziest of smiles. "Make-up."
There was a flash of light, and Tsukishiro stood before Makoto, dressed in the green fuku of Sailorjupiter.
"What the hell..?" Makoto said, her arm lowering as her brain tried to compute. As it descended, Tsukishiro plucked the henshin wand from Makoto's hand. "Very pretty," she pronounced, studying it over. "Pity you couldn't use it this last time.
"Oh well," she sighed, "it wouldn't have mattered. Do you know why?"
Makoto said nothing.
"Jupiter," Tsukishiro said very softly, leaning in so Makoto could hear properly. Although Makoto could barely hear anything over the rush of blood in her brain. "Oak," Tsukishiro continued, with a wide, cheery grin. "Evolution."
The cheer turned to malice, the grin now maniacal and demonic in nature, and Makoto was still in a state of shock, unable to even scream as her own attack --*her own attack*-- pierced her body.