And it all begins. . .
Crimson hairs billowed with a life of their own as a beautifully evil woman stared raptly into a crystal ball hovering between her hands. The blonde man bowing before her was not nearly as afraid as she thought he should be. She snarled angrily, revealing fangs that gleamed in the darkness. "Have you still not found the Mystical Silver Crystal?" Her voice was raspy and sharp, almost seeming to slice through the silence that was separating the two.
The man's eyes lowered in shame. "Yes. I apologize." The queen's appearance turned even more sinister. "Our great ruler desires power." Her voice dropped an octave, "Gather energy, and find the Mystical Silver Crystal immediately."
The man's smirk clearly showed his over-confidence and cockiness, "Understood," he said. "I am Jadeite, commander of the Dark Kingdom's Far Eastern division. Leave this to me, Queen Beryl."
Beryl looked up from the swirling depths only long enough to glare, "I will not accept failure." After the third commander left the room, she continued to stay still, almost rooted to the spot. "Our Great Ruler desires power. . ."
~
Usagi slowly walked into her house, calling a greeting to her mother as she walked in, "I'm home!" The bald-spot cat, Luna, followed behind her.
Her mom looked up and away from the delicious smelling food, and smiled at her daughter, "Welcome back." When Luna nuzzled her leg looking for food, Ikuko sighed, "Hey, bald-spot kitty, your food's not ready yet." The cat jumped up and swiped at her arm. Ikuko winced in pain while Usagi sighed, "I keep telling you, Mom, her name's Luna. Call it a bald spot and she'll scratch you."
I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm fourteen, and in eighth grade. My hobbies are eating, sleeping, and relaxing. I'm kind of a crybaby, an ordinary cute girl.
Usagi walked up to her room, "I'm hungry," she whined. Luna followed after her, although she had a bit of trouble with the steps.
It's supposed to be like that, but. . .
As Usagi made it into her bedroom, she collapsed onto her bed - her homework forgotten entirely. When Luna climbed onto the bed with her, Usagi lapsed deep into thought, "Luna. . . Are you going to stay in my house and keep watch on me?"
The cat nearly had an aneurysm, "What are you saying?" She swiped at Usagi with a paw, "You've just become a soldier of justice, right!? The enemies will appear again! There are many things I still have to teach you!" Usagi sprung from the bed, disbelief written across her face, "What!? I don't want to be so scared again!"
'You wouldn't even let me tell Naru! How can I keep doing this? I'm not even the right girl for the job!'
Thanks to this talking cat Luna, I've become a soldier of justice. I just can't believe this!
Usagi became thoughtful, "Just who are these enemies, Luna?" The cat sighed and Usagi sat down, Luna was into a lecture. "They're not human, but you know that by now, right!? They are evil ones. Ones that must not exist in this world. You must hurry and search for your ally soldiers! Then, find the princess and protect her!"
The young girl lay down in a daydream, "Allies with a princess. . . " She quickly jumped up again, startling the cat beside her. "Hey! Tuxedo Kamen! And Sailor V-chan! Those people!? They're my allies, for sure!"
The cat sighed and muttered to herself, "I've already spotted the second ally."
~
Moonlight hit the windowsill as Luna crept out of Usagi's bedroom in the dead of night. The small cat was especially careful, although she knew that Usagi could sleep through almost anything. As she moved gracefully onto the windowsill, Luna couldn't help but wonder if her charge was really as immature and ditzy as she led on. She muttered to herself - a bad habit that was becoming more frequent, "I hope that Usagi grows up soon, for both her sake and for the princess. I'm so glad that I've found our second ally, with antics like what she's shown before, Sailormoon will need more than luck and that suspicious Tuxedo Kamen character to defeat those youma and find and protect the princess."
She silently slinked through the dark streets of Tokyo, although no one could say that Tokyo was actually dark at nighttime. Luna tried her hardest to avoid the lights of the city, instead staying in the shadows. Because of her Mau heritage and Lunarian upbringing, she was outwardly able to talk and her eyes reflected light very well, among other things. Being caught in the spotlight was not something that she wanted to do, especially right now. After a few more minutes of walking, Luna had reached her goal: The Crown Game Center.
After sneaking in through an open window and making sure that no one else was around, Luna walked up to a game console and quickly switched it on. The cat knew that she didn't have much time, so she rushed through the lengthy setup process. When she opened up the folder with the names of the prospective allies, she sighed in relief. Her name was still there, as it had been for weeks. Luna knew that it was the time to try and contact her, and see if she actually was who Central Control said she might be. The feline's heart soared at the thought of finding another soldier, although she knew that it could be a disappointment like the others before. She was on a lucky streak, and Luna fully intended to keep at it.
When the screen saver turned on, Luna realized that she had spent far too much time daydreaming. "My goodness, I'm turning into Usagi-chan!" Looking at the time on the overhead clock, Luna realized that she had already wasted too many minutes online. She placed her paws on the side of the console and memorized the vital information that was on the screen:
Name: Mizuno Ami
Birthday: September 10
Blood type: A
Age: 14
Even more important to Luna was the picture of the girl. Luna had to admit, the girl was pretty. She had pale skin with a short cropped haircut that framed her face. Her blue eyes were accentuated by a smidgeon of freckles across her nose, but her most distinguishable trait was her blue hair.
Sighing with fatigue, Luna closed Central Command and left silently for Usagi's house.
~
The halls of Crossroads Junior High were, as usual, filled with gossip. The crowd of adolescents congregated mostly around the test scores that were posted on a classroom door. Apart from the rest of the large group, a lone girl stood by her locker. She was quiet and demure, and as she stood by her books, she could've been invisible - except that her hair was an unusual shade of blue. She stood away from the large group, not really paying attention to what they were saying, although she couldn't help but hear small parts of conversations that were near her.
"Have you seen the results of the test?"
"I did, I did! There's a genius in class five!"
"Mizuno Ami!"
"Full marks in every subject. She's the best in the country!"
"They say she has a 300 IQ!"
"She's not human!"
Sighing, the girl walked alone towards her classroom, completely ignoring the test scores as she passed them. She didn't need to see it to know that she had scored the highest.
*
Usagi made her way down the hall, not really wanting to look at the test scores - she knew that she had one of the lowest scores without even looking at it. She sighed, her mom was going to kill her, but that manga was so interesting. . . She spotted her best friend Naru in the crowd and ran to her, absently catching bits of the conversation. When she saw her best friend chatting to Umino about the school's new student, her only response was, "Huh? A genius?"
Naru turned around to greet her, "Oh" she said in surprise, "Usagi, good morning!" She smiled at her best friend, "So-"
Umino cut her off before she could say any more, "It worked for her, The Crystal Seminar!"
Usagi thought for a moment, "Oh, that really elite cram school?"
"Mizuno-san goes there!" Umino became very excited and started waving his arms about wildly, "It's the one they put up by the game center. My dad said it costs a lot of money. She can afford it because her mom's a doctor."
Naru stared wistfully off into space, "She's smart, she's rich. . . Her world must be different."
Usagi walked away from their small cluster, but heard another comment. "But she's cool . . . Probably hard to get to know."
As she stopped and looked at her test scores, she could still hear Umino talking.
"I hear she doesn't have any friends. She just studies."
~
As the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, most all of the students ran out of the building, but a few lone figures dragged behind, one standing still. Usagi's normally vibrant demeanor was glum, even her long pigtails seemed to be drooping. The cause of her misery was a test paper that was held very tightly in her right hand. "Oh, with these miserable test results, mom will kill me. . . She's been so loud lately." With thoughts of torture, abandonment, and public ridicule, Usagi didn't notice when a slim girl walked right past her. Looking ahead, she saw the blue-haired girl ahead of her, "Hey, that's the genius from class 5. . ."
*
Ami Mizuno was just walking down the street when a something jumped on her shoulder. She startled in surprise, "Ow!" Seeing that the occupant on her shoulder was a cat with a curious bald spot, she sighed in relief. "Oh, you startled me. A kitty?"
*
'Luna!?' Seeing that her cat had just jumped onto the genius, Usagi stopped where she was walking and stared at the unlikely duo. From a few feet away, she could barely hear the girl talking, "If I didn't live in a condo, I could have a cat like this." Usagi watched as Ami began to gently pat her cat, "Ooh, you're soft."
'Somehow, I get the feeling that she's different from what everyone says.'
*
Luna noticed Usagi staring at Ami and her, and jumped again - but this time from Ami's arms. She ran up to Usagi and nuzzled against her legs while motioning to Ami. Usagi had the gall to seem surprised to see her, "Oh, Luna." When the insolent girl still didn't get the message, Luna began to fume. Steam was beginning to come out of her ears, it took a hard shove and bite to get the dimwitted girl to get the message. "Hehe, I'll talk to her. . ."
'Finally, that ditz better not mess this up!'
*
Usagi ran up to where Ami was standing quietly, "Sorry. Are you okay?" Ami looked seemed to have been happy with Luna, "Oh, that cat suddenly fell from the sky," Usagi watched as the girl blushed and looked at the sidewalk, "I thought she was an angel or something."
To say that Usagi was surprised was an understatement, 'Luna, an angel!' She looked at the shy girl closely for the first time, noting how nicely her cropped blue tresses fell around her face, and the blush that now covered it, 'This girl is kind of cute!'
She stepped closer to Ami, "You're Mizuno Ami-san, from class 5, right? I'm Tsukino Usagi, from class 1. The cat's name is Luna." When she saw the girl smile, a devilish thought occurred to Usagi, 'If I become friends with her, she can tell me all about the tests. Then will I be a super-genius too?'
*
Ami watched as Luna ran down the street, wanting to follow after her but not wanting to offend Usagi. She watched as the cat walked calmly into the Crown Game Center, as if she belonged there. Usagi finally noticed that her cat was gone, "Luna?" she called after the kitty, but Ami was relieved when Usagi went off to get her cat, and surprised but happy when she invited her to come along, "Umm. . . Mizuno-san, you want to go to the game center? How about it?" When she finally gained enough courage to nod her head, Ami was rewarded by a huge smile from Usagi - who grabbed her hand and ran into the arcade.
She watched as Usagi waved a quick hello to the man behind the counter, and had a hard time following her as Usagi ran to a game console. Ami stood back and watched as Usagi attempted to play the game. Ami looked for a few minutes and quickly figured out the mathematical equation that made the game work. She was jolted out of her trance-like state by Usagi, who was speaking quite quickly, "This is the Sailor V game, it's really hard, and I always get killed!" She inserted another coin into the slot, "Okay, once more!" Ami stared at the game again, almost laughing when she realized that the blonde had no idea what to do. Usagi sighed in an emotion almost akin to despair as she lost again, "That's another hundred yen gone. . ." But Ami noticed that se immediately piped up 'This girl seems to be an eternal fountain of optimism!' Usagi's eyes lit up, and Ami could only wonder what she was up to, "You want to play, Mizuno-san?" Ami nodded and waited for Usagi to move out of position at the game console.
When she started playing, Ami realized how simple the game was and began to speed through the levels. Soon, a small crowd of people had assembled behind her, of course she was embarrassed, but was to involved in the game to mind - much.
"What's this?"
"Wow!"
After a few more minutes, Ami had finished the game - and held the number 1 spot. She could still hear the people talking as she entered her initials.
"The top score! Wow!"
Ami blushed as Usagi jumped up and down in excitement. To say the least, Ami was surprised when the bouncing girl's eyes showed no sign of resentment, only happiness. Ami had never met anyone like her before, this girl was special. She was the first person that hadn't gotten jealous and mean to her when she had beat them at something. She could only help but wonder if this girl could really become a friend, or if she would turn out like all of the others. She was again awakened from her trance-like state by a loud exclamation from the blonde bunny, "Wow! That's Amazing! Mizuno-san!"
A blonde man, probably the attendant walked up to the machine and stood next to Usagi. He turned to address her, and butterflies started fluttering in Ami's stomach. "Hey, you're pretty quick at that for a girl." She felt blood rush to her cheeks at the compliment. She was quickly becoming flustered because of his attention, desperately she looked around for some kind of distraction - any kind of distraction. She thanked the gods when a fancy blue object came out of a slot in the front of the brightly colored machine.
"Huh? Something came out. A prize?" She held it in her hands and pretended to study it while she waited for her ears to stop burning. After she had calmed down a bit, she showed it to Usagi, softly speaking. "It's a pen."
Usagi looked surprised, and after taking a few seconds to untangle it from her long hair (it almost touched the ground and part of it was in twin buns at the top of her head) she handed it back to Ami. She could feel a jolt running through her body at the sudden, albeit brief, contact. She noticed how the pen seemed to sparkle and shine when it was near the curious brooch that was pinned to the bow on Usagi's school uniform. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, but pushed those thoughts from her mind. Usagi was a bit wound up, and it was obvious that she was a bit slow on the uptake, "What!? Wow! Cool! No fair! I want one too!"
Ami couldn't help but gasp when Usagi started pounding on the machine, "Maybe it'll put out another one while it's at it!" Ami found that she could only stare as Usagi continued to pound the machine with her fists. She had to step out of the way quickly to avoid being whipped by Usagi's long pigtails. Ami almost laughed at the sight of the bow on Usagi's uniform wiggling madly. It almost made her look like a bunny.
To Ami's surprise, another pen popped out of the machine. "Hey, it came out! It's cute!" Usagi started jumping up and down. Ami noticed that it was a lot like hers - only, Usagi's prize was pink and had a large prismatic crystal on the top. Ami looked at her pen again - the top was a blue spherical stone that was outlined in gold, and when she looked at it from a certain angle there was a gold symbol in the middle. She stared at it more closely, it looked like a cross with a circle perched on top and antennae on that circle, to her surprise she didn't know what it meant. She vowed to research it when she got home, and turned again - only to see the handsome gamekeeper grimacing as he reprimanded Usagi, "Usagi-chan. . ." His voice took on a pleading tone, "Please don't break it!" Ami could feel the heat returning to her face during the exchange, but thankfully he turned away before he could notice her.
Usagi handed her pen to her and Ami took the opportunity to calm herself while examining the object. She noticed that when she held her pen close to Usagi's, they both seemed to shine. She handed the pen back to the rabbit-like girl, "This sure is interesting, Tsukino-san." She was interrupted, again. "Call me Usagi. Can I call you Ami-chan?"
Ami's heart leapt into her throat. She was amazed that anyone would want to be friends with her, especially Usagi. She felt more glad than she could ever remember feeling. Ami knew that she was smiling, and Usagi was also. She noticed a bit of hopeful apprehension in Usagi's eyes, 'It's almost like she thinks that I'm too intelligent to be her friend.' Not wanting to make her wait any longer, Ami responded - and this time it was alright that Usagi could hear the happiness in her voice. "Sure."
She snuck a look at the clock behind her and gasped in surprise, "Oh no! It's time already! I've got to go to cram school!" Usagi looked even more surprised than she did, "Oh, you have cram school today?" She looked thoughtful for a few moments, "It's near here, right? The Crystal Seminar?" Ami nodded her head, "Yeah, I have it every day." Usagi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, "Every day!?" Ami nodded again, "I'm not good at anything but studying. I want to be a doctor, like my mom, so I really have to work hard."
Ami waved a goodbye and turned to walk to the Crystal Seminar, but as she left, she could hear Usagi muttering to herself, "Wow, a doctor. . . That's cool!"
~
Ami walked into the plain, but large room that housed the Crystal Seminar and sat at the computer that had been assigned to her. She put a floppy into the processor and while it loaded, she focused on the task at hand. When the disk had fully loaded, she was ready to work. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind was on nothing but the contents of the disk.
She was so engrossed with her work, that when the instructor came up and placed a hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her seat. She wasted no time, "Mizuno-san, I've got my hopes on you. Excellent people like you will lead the world of tomorrow. Everyone wants to be like you. Keep studying and your level will improve.
Ami turned back to her work, but couldn't really focus again. She thought about what the instructor had said, and then she thought about her new friend, Usagi. She couldn't help but think that the instructor was leading her on, the world of tomorrow should be lead by people like Usagi. She thought about the way the instructor treated her, compared to the way her treated the others, it almost seemed like she was setting her up for something. She laughed at her silliness, "Right. . ." And when others looked at her strangely she pretended that it was something in the text that was so funny. When the instructor looked at her again, Ami stopped her daydream and went right back to work.
~
Usagi removed the strands of hair that clung to the back of her neck with a loud "Eww! I hate sweat!" She didn't even bother to change out of her gym clothes and back into her uniform - but she made sure that she hadn't moved her brooch back onto the bow of her uniform. She looked around, everyone else was changing. She closed the locker door with a slam, but realized that her hair was still up. She removed the hair elastic and grumbled about stupid gym lockers as she tried to reopen the ugly green monstrosity. She couldn't get the lock to open, no matter how hard she tried.
Minutes later, she was so into unlocking the lock that she almost missed what her best friend, Naru, was saying. "Wanna go get some ice cream at the corner shop?" Usagi was the first to answer, "Yeah, I'll go!" She could see nods of agreement almost from everyone. A few people answered with a, "Me too."
Usagi turned around and saw a girl leaving, and she wasn't going to come. Naru caught her eye, "Kuri-chan is going to the Crystal Seminar." Usagi could hear another girl answer, "Everyone's going there now." She couldn't believe it, "Is the school that effective?" A different girl answered this time, "The lectures are all on computer. They take home disks with interesting contents, and at home, at school, they use them like they've gone mad. I'm interested in those disks' contents."
Usagi was silent for a moment, wondering. 'Disks?'
~
Ami sat in the computer room, studying for the Crystal Seminar. She could not concentrate and as a matter of fact, hadn't been able to since yesterday's class. "I can't do this, my mind is foggy", she muttered under her breath, cradling a feverish forehead against the palm of her hand, "I can't get into the contents of the disk." She took out her new pen and a piece of paper from the backpack at her feet. "I know I'll remember it better by writing like this."
She looked up to see Usagi, still in her pink gym clothes, running towards her, "Ami-chan!" Usagi practically yelled, "You're studying even after class is over? Hey, you're using that pen! You want to go eat ice cream on the way home?"
Ami noticed some kids walking behind Usagi and not even having strain her ears to hear what they were saying. She could make out a soft voice saying, "I have to go to the seminar. And another saying, "Me too." She could remember the instructor's words for her yesterday, 'Everyone wants to be like you. Keep at it.'
Ami got up out of her chair, "I have to go to the Crystal Seminar too." She was about to leave when she noticed that she had almost forgotten her disk. She put it into its place in her backpack and walked out of the room. 'How could I almost forget that, Ami, what's gotten into you?'
*
Luna walked up to Usagi and rubbed her face against the girl's head, "Meow" Usagi looked unhappy, "I got ditched by Ami-chan. She was so worn out. She studies too much!" Luna looked around, when she was sure that no one could hear her she whispered, "It's just as well, I think that there's something going on at that Crystal Seminar, I need you to help me investigate."
~
Usagi was walking down the street with Luna, she passed by the building where the Crystal Seminar was and noticed the instructor handing out flyers. She gave one to Usagi, "If you join now, admission is free! You can bring out your true abilities!" Usagi looked at the paper, which had a picture of Ami. "It's Ami, she's in the flyer!" She read it aloud for Luna, "Now open! With the Crystal Seminar, you'll be a genius too!" Luna whispered in her ear, Why don't you enroll and study a little more?" Usagi was outraged, "What? No way! This is a weird school!"
To prove her point, Usagi crumpled the paper and threw it behind her. Luna hissed into her ear, "Hey, don't throw it on the street!" She didn't noticed that the flyer had landed on the face if a guy behind her, "Hey," He yelled, "You odango atama! I am not a garbage can!" She spun around, and recoiled when she saw the black hair and sunglasses, "Oh no, not you!" She noticed him studying her cat, "Was that cat just talking?"
Usagi immediately became nervous and began to stutter, "Oh! Of course not! Err, goodbye." She practically ran away from him and his ugly green jacket. But she did notice that the instructor gave him a flyer, too, "Here's one for you, too"
'I absolutely hate Chiba Mamoru!'
~
Unbeknownst to Usagi, Mamoru had taken the flyer home with him. He also had a disk that someone had 'dropped' and he inserted it into his computer, fully intending to find out what was up with the Crystal Seminar. It was normal for the first few seconds, just ordinary lectures and problems - but then. "Devote yourself! Become a servant for our great ruler! Gather data on the Mystical Silver Crystal!" He gasped, "It's a brainwashing curriculum for the enemy!"
He rushed out of his apartment, hoping that he wasn't too late to stop the enemy. . .
~
Usagi looked outside the window of the computer room and saw a group of students leaving for the Crystal Seminar. 'I just know there's something going on there.' "Luna," the cat looked at her, "I know that there is something wrong with that Crystal Seminar!" She saw Ami, who looked weak and pale, "I think that this is something that Sailormoon should investigate."
She left the computer room, "I have to save Ami-chan!" Luna followed behind her. "But, how will I get in??"
"Usagi-chan, the pen!"
"Huh?"
Luna sighed, "That pen you got at the game center! Take it and throw it high into the air! Shout and transform! It disguises you!"
"What?! I can do that kind of thing with a pen?" She tossed it into the air, "Moon Power!! Transform me into a doctor!" A pink light appeared, blinding her from sight. When it faded, Usagi appeared in a doctor's uniform. She kept running.
Luna ran with her, "Usagi-chan! Hurry!"
~
Ami slumped over at her desk, too exhausted to do anything else. She didn't notice when the instructor moved her to a different room. And she certainly didn't notice when her new pen dropped from her hand onto the floor by her desk.
*
Usagi ran into the building and past the receptionist, "I received a phone call about an emergency!"
She saw the students going into a classroom and followed them.
*
"Heh heh…" The instructor thought to herself. 'These Crystal disks will soak up energy. And, if I can use this genius girl's mind, soon Tokyo... no, all of Japan will be under control. Soon I will find the Mystical Silver Crystal!' She let out a decidedly evil chuckle, but no one heard her - as no one saw when she placed a pair of magical handcuffs on her captive.
*
Usagi ran into the classroom, "Everyone, get away from those computers! You'll be crippled, I think!"
The instructor stood up angrily, "Who are you?"
Luna yelled at Usagi, "Usagi-chan! Transform into Sailormoon!"
"What!? Again!?"
"You can't fight like that! Hurry!'' Luna yelled.
"Oh yeah, I have to fight..." She grabbed her brooch. "Moon Prism Power!! Make Up!!" She transformed, throwing her mask high in the air. "You're taking away the pure love of learning by brainwashing these kids! I won't allow it! I am the soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon!! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
A storm of papers flew at Sailormoon. "Oww! These papers are sharp as razors! Quit it, quit it! I'll be covered with cuts. Oww! I hate cram school, I hate test papers!"
She started crying loudly. Waves formed, shattering the glass windows. "Luna!"
"Usagi-chan!! Don't cry blindly and make those supersonic waves come again! If you're not careful, Ami-chan and the others. . ."
Sailormoon looked around the room, "Where is Ami-chan?" She looked up. "Ami-chan!"
The instructor held Ami by the throat. Ami was unconscious, but struggling to breathe as she was slowly waking.
Luna yelled, "The pen! Throw the pen high into the air." But then she noticed, Ami didn't have her pen - and her hands were bound with what seemed to be some kind of dark energy.
*
Before their eyes, the instructor shed her skin and was revealed to be a youma. She bared her claws and dropped the prone girl to the ground, and went after Sailormoon.
As the instructor chased a now hysterical Sailormoon, Luna tried to wake Ami. She had no success, and Sailormoon wasn't doing as well, either. Luna turned her attention to finding Ami's lost pen, 'Oh, goddess. She's Sailormoon's only hope and she's unconscious without her henshin! Oh goddess, what do I do?'
Her salvation came in the form of Tuxedo Kamen, who moved Usagi out of the way and attacked the youma simultaneously. Sailormoon got in a few 'Sailor Moon Kicks' and Tuxedo Kamen had thrown at least two dozen roses - but the youma wouldn't stop. And, it got worse. But, Luna spotted the pen, it was underneath a chair. She ran to reach it, she almost had it. . .
*
"What do we have here?" Jadeite watched the cat squirm in his hands, "I think it's a little house cat, trying to get something. But, whatever could it want?" He mocked the cat without shame. He looked down, "Oh - it's a pen. Hmm, this must be important, especially if a cat with the Lunarian mark is after it." The top flashed blue when he touched it, and he could feel its power radiating in his hands. "What is this, cat?" He held the cat almost near enough to touch the pen. "Well, kitty-kitty, I think that there's something that you're not telling me. And I intend to find out what it is." He looked at the object, he couldn't remember exactly what it was - until. A symbol flashed gold. "Ahh yes, kitty-kitty, this is a henshin wand. Thank you for finding it for me. It will help me locate the Mystical Silver Crystal!"
*
"Oh no, that creepy guy from before's showed up! And he has LUNA!!!" She dodged a paper from the youma. 'Why does it have to be test papers?' Tuxedo Kamen wasn't helping much either! She couldn't believe how much work she was doing. "Let go of Luna you big meanie!"
*
"As you wish." He threw the cat against the wall, not caring when it collapsed into unconsciousness. "Now, to whom does this belong? I guess I'll just have to find out." He started roaming around the room, placing the tip of the pen on the foreheads of the drained students, completely ignoring the fight that was happening in the opposite corner of the room. He was getting more than frustrated when none of the students had tested positive, but. . . There was a girl bound and unconscious on the floor in the front of the room.
He walked over and placed the pen on the girl's forehead, he moved aside a few strands of blue hair. There it was, a matching, glowing blue symbol. He checked the identification card that was stuck in her pocket. "Okay, Miss. . . Mizuno. One more test." He threw the pen in the air in front of her. A flash of blue light surrounded her, and grew with intensity until everyone in the room was blinded.
She was Sailormercury. But, she was still unconscious and he took that to his full advantage, lifting her up in his arms and opening a portal to the Dark Kingdom. 'This may not be the Mystical Silver Crystal, but I think that Queen Beryl will be pleased.' As he stepped through the portal he gave the impudent youma an energy booster, commanding it to kill Sailormoon and that weird guy in the tux. He made sure to pause long enough so that Sailormoon and her friend could see the prone body in his arms.
He ported off to the sound of gasps of surprise and his own evil laughter.
*
"Sailormercury!" Oh Serenity, no. No, she had just found another one! This couldn't be happening!
Luna sunk to the ground again, disappointment radiating from her body. "No, this can't be happening. NO!" Oh Serenity, what was she going to do? She needed to consult with Central Control, now.
*
It was amazing how hard it was to kill one youma. Tuxedo Kamen could feel his shoulder give out from the strain that he had put it through. He was trying to be sympathetic to Sailormoon, but she hadn't stopped crying (although now not as loudly as before) since the general had ported off with Sailormercury ten minutes ago, and the youma wasn't killing itself. He didn't know how she could manage to 'Sailor Moon Kick' the stupid monster with all of those tears in her eyes, but she managed to, barely.
God damn it, that evil bastard had just taken a potential ally. And, he only had Sailormoon - she wasn't much help or much of an ally. He saw how she stared at him when she thought he wasn't looking. 'Hormonal girls, who needs them?' But, he would definitely have think this problem over when he got home. That is, if the fight ever ended.
He tried for a plan, when for about the fifteenth time he had to sweep Sailormoon away from danger. They really needed to work together, so he formulated a plan while fighting and whispered it to her as he rescued her, 'Sixteen.' He thought to himself, keeping count of the times he had rescued the pigtailed heroine from danger, 'Why can't the girl just save herself?' When the youma had its back to the wall, he threw about a dozen roses simultaneously, 'My florist bill is going to be astronomical!', paralyzing it momentarily. Sailormoon then threw the tiara, and decapitated the youma - turning it into dust.
He said his final poetic and encouraging line, and jumped dramatically out of the window - he had physics homework to do.
Oh, and he had to figure out a way to rescue the new senshi - or - find some way of charging Sailormoon with his florist's bill.
*
Queen Beryl was surprisingly more pleased then he had expected her to be. He had expected her to be angry at his failure in obtaining the Mystical Silver Crystal. She only said that his impudence was suffocating, but she had been pleased when he had shown her the unconscious senshi. She had smiled, a very rare occurrence, when he had shown her the henshin pen and had said something to herself about his triumph, albeit through failure. Of course, he had to tell her how he had obtained the girl, but that went over quite nicely. She had also been pleased when he told her about the girl's possible usefulness, especially when she learned of the girl's considerable intelligence. Of course, he had used a scrying crystal to find out about the girl - memory logs were just too messy.
She had consulted Metallia about the girl, and it was decided that she would be tortured, interrogated, drained and eventually turned. It took a long time to reach the decision and it was very uncomfortable for him to remain kneeling for three-quarters of an hour with a half-naked girl in his arms.
He had dropped her off in the interrogation/torture room a few minutes ago, and he was looking forward to hearing her screams. He was going to call forth a goblet of red wine, which tasted much better than that foul whiskey that Nephrite always drank, and sat on the edge of his canopybed when, 'Damn. That youma obviously failed. Now the stupid crystal is on my bed.' He removed the fragmented crystal from the red coverlet and threw it into the nearest trash reciprocal, which happened to be outside the entrance to his chambers. "Oh well, I didn't exactly expect it to succeed anyway. Stupid minion." He ran his fingers through his hair, 'It's soon.'
He climbed back onto the bed, leaned against the pillows, and stared at the engravings that were on the posts of his canopy while sipping his wine. Soon, the screams came, pain filled and scared. And he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the show.
~
Hours later, Usagi still lay upon her bed. Her tears had not stopped, leaving her pillow case a soaked mess. "If I had been better, maybe. . ." Luna was gone, she had been frantic after she had gotten home, lecturing her harshly then leaving. Now she was Central Command, and probably going to be there for a few hours. Her thoughts kept drifting to earlier that day. Ami didn't deserve it! She didn't even know her power! 'If I had gotten there more quickly. . . Or, if I hadn't had left her laying there. . .' She slammed her palm against the bed. 'If I had gotten the henshin pen. . .' All of the possibilities were running through her head, but Ami was gone - like Luna had said. She still felt the sting of the reprimand that Luna had given her. 'She's right, if I wasn't such a lazy, dumb, inconsiderate, incompetent klutz then Ami would still be here, and Sailormoon would have a new ally.' She slammed her head against the wall, 'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.' Her mother called her to dinner again, but for the first time, she wasn't hungry - at all.
Usagi just couldn't forget the look on Jadeite's face as he had taken Sailormercury, her friend Ami, into the Dark Kingdom. Despite what anyone had said and could say, she just knew in her heart that Ami wasn't going to be okay.
~
And in the Dark Kingdom, screams echoed and reverberated through the interior - all through the night. . .
~
Violet eyes opened in panic. A girl jumped up, simultaneously grabbing an ofuda. Echoes of screams reverberated through her head, she shivered from the aftereffects of her nightmare. 'That was just too real, I need to consult the sacred fire.' Her rough breathing was the only sound as she moved through the hallways of her home. When she reached the room where the sacred fire was housed, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed into her priestess robes. As she sat down in front of the fire, a tear escaped from her calm façade, As she began to chant, the tears did not stop. For hours she searched the fire for answers, 'Who is that girl in pain? How can I help her?' The fire did not yield the answers, and as she saw the sunrise she stopped, completely exhausted and more worried than she had ever been in her life.
She couldn't get over a feeling of finality, and as she released her long hair from its restraints she cold almost hear a voice echoing in her mind. Soon.
End 1 ~ (8-31-03)
2 ~ (9-26-03)
Crimson hairs billowed with a life of their own as a beautifully evil woman stared raptly into a crystal ball hovering between her hands. The blonde man bowing before her was not nearly as afraid as she thought he should be. She snarled angrily, revealing fangs that gleamed in the darkness. "Have you still not found the Mystical Silver Crystal?" Her voice was raspy and sharp, almost seeming to slice through the silence that was separating the two.
The man's eyes lowered in shame. "Yes. I apologize." The queen's appearance turned even more sinister. "Our great ruler desires power." Her voice dropped an octave, "Gather energy, and find the Mystical Silver Crystal immediately."
The man's smirk clearly showed his over-confidence and cockiness, "Understood," he said. "I am Jadeite, commander of the Dark Kingdom's Far Eastern division. Leave this to me, Queen Beryl."
Beryl looked up from the swirling depths only long enough to glare, "I will not accept failure." After the third commander left the room, she continued to stay still, almost rooted to the spot. "Our Great Ruler desires power. . ."
~
Usagi slowly walked into her house, calling a greeting to her mother as she walked in, "I'm home!" The bald-spot cat, Luna, followed behind her.
Her mom looked up and away from the delicious smelling food, and smiled at her daughter, "Welcome back." When Luna nuzzled her leg looking for food, Ikuko sighed, "Hey, bald-spot kitty, your food's not ready yet." The cat jumped up and swiped at her arm. Ikuko winced in pain while Usagi sighed, "I keep telling you, Mom, her name's Luna. Call it a bald spot and she'll scratch you."
I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm fourteen, and in eighth grade. My hobbies are eating, sleeping, and relaxing. I'm kind of a crybaby, an ordinary cute girl.
Usagi walked up to her room, "I'm hungry," she whined. Luna followed after her, although she had a bit of trouble with the steps.
It's supposed to be like that, but. . .
As Usagi made it into her bedroom, she collapsed onto her bed - her homework forgotten entirely. When Luna climbed onto the bed with her, Usagi lapsed deep into thought, "Luna. . . Are you going to stay in my house and keep watch on me?"
The cat nearly had an aneurysm, "What are you saying?" She swiped at Usagi with a paw, "You've just become a soldier of justice, right!? The enemies will appear again! There are many things I still have to teach you!" Usagi sprung from the bed, disbelief written across her face, "What!? I don't want to be so scared again!"
'You wouldn't even let me tell Naru! How can I keep doing this? I'm not even the right girl for the job!'
Thanks to this talking cat Luna, I've become a soldier of justice. I just can't believe this!
Usagi became thoughtful, "Just who are these enemies, Luna?" The cat sighed and Usagi sat down, Luna was into a lecture. "They're not human, but you know that by now, right!? They are evil ones. Ones that must not exist in this world. You must hurry and search for your ally soldiers! Then, find the princess and protect her!"
The young girl lay down in a daydream, "Allies with a princess. . . " She quickly jumped up again, startling the cat beside her. "Hey! Tuxedo Kamen! And Sailor V-chan! Those people!? They're my allies, for sure!"
The cat sighed and muttered to herself, "I've already spotted the second ally."
~
Moonlight hit the windowsill as Luna crept out of Usagi's bedroom in the dead of night. The small cat was especially careful, although she knew that Usagi could sleep through almost anything. As she moved gracefully onto the windowsill, Luna couldn't help but wonder if her charge was really as immature and ditzy as she led on. She muttered to herself - a bad habit that was becoming more frequent, "I hope that Usagi grows up soon, for both her sake and for the princess. I'm so glad that I've found our second ally, with antics like what she's shown before, Sailormoon will need more than luck and that suspicious Tuxedo Kamen character to defeat those youma and find and protect the princess."
She silently slinked through the dark streets of Tokyo, although no one could say that Tokyo was actually dark at nighttime. Luna tried her hardest to avoid the lights of the city, instead staying in the shadows. Because of her Mau heritage and Lunarian upbringing, she was outwardly able to talk and her eyes reflected light very well, among other things. Being caught in the spotlight was not something that she wanted to do, especially right now. After a few more minutes of walking, Luna had reached her goal: The Crown Game Center.
After sneaking in through an open window and making sure that no one else was around, Luna walked up to a game console and quickly switched it on. The cat knew that she didn't have much time, so she rushed through the lengthy setup process. When she opened up the folder with the names of the prospective allies, she sighed in relief. Her name was still there, as it had been for weeks. Luna knew that it was the time to try and contact her, and see if she actually was who Central Control said she might be. The feline's heart soared at the thought of finding another soldier, although she knew that it could be a disappointment like the others before. She was on a lucky streak, and Luna fully intended to keep at it.
When the screen saver turned on, Luna realized that she had spent far too much time daydreaming. "My goodness, I'm turning into Usagi-chan!" Looking at the time on the overhead clock, Luna realized that she had already wasted too many minutes online. She placed her paws on the side of the console and memorized the vital information that was on the screen:
Name: Mizuno Ami
Birthday: September 10
Blood type: A
Age: 14
Even more important to Luna was the picture of the girl. Luna had to admit, the girl was pretty. She had pale skin with a short cropped haircut that framed her face. Her blue eyes were accentuated by a smidgeon of freckles across her nose, but her most distinguishable trait was her blue hair.
Sighing with fatigue, Luna closed Central Command and left silently for Usagi's house.
~
The halls of Crossroads Junior High were, as usual, filled with gossip. The crowd of adolescents congregated mostly around the test scores that were posted on a classroom door. Apart from the rest of the large group, a lone girl stood by her locker. She was quiet and demure, and as she stood by her books, she could've been invisible - except that her hair was an unusual shade of blue. She stood away from the large group, not really paying attention to what they were saying, although she couldn't help but hear small parts of conversations that were near her.
"Have you seen the results of the test?"
"I did, I did! There's a genius in class five!"
"Mizuno Ami!"
"Full marks in every subject. She's the best in the country!"
"They say she has a 300 IQ!"
"She's not human!"
Sighing, the girl walked alone towards her classroom, completely ignoring the test scores as she passed them. She didn't need to see it to know that she had scored the highest.
*
Usagi made her way down the hall, not really wanting to look at the test scores - she knew that she had one of the lowest scores without even looking at it. She sighed, her mom was going to kill her, but that manga was so interesting. . . She spotted her best friend Naru in the crowd and ran to her, absently catching bits of the conversation. When she saw her best friend chatting to Umino about the school's new student, her only response was, "Huh? A genius?"
Naru turned around to greet her, "Oh" she said in surprise, "Usagi, good morning!" She smiled at her best friend, "So-"
Umino cut her off before she could say any more, "It worked for her, The Crystal Seminar!"
Usagi thought for a moment, "Oh, that really elite cram school?"
"Mizuno-san goes there!" Umino became very excited and started waving his arms about wildly, "It's the one they put up by the game center. My dad said it costs a lot of money. She can afford it because her mom's a doctor."
Naru stared wistfully off into space, "She's smart, she's rich. . . Her world must be different."
Usagi walked away from their small cluster, but heard another comment. "But she's cool . . . Probably hard to get to know."
As she stopped and looked at her test scores, she could still hear Umino talking.
"I hear she doesn't have any friends. She just studies."
~
As the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, most all of the students ran out of the building, but a few lone figures dragged behind, one standing still. Usagi's normally vibrant demeanor was glum, even her long pigtails seemed to be drooping. The cause of her misery was a test paper that was held very tightly in her right hand. "Oh, with these miserable test results, mom will kill me. . . She's been so loud lately." With thoughts of torture, abandonment, and public ridicule, Usagi didn't notice when a slim girl walked right past her. Looking ahead, she saw the blue-haired girl ahead of her, "Hey, that's the genius from class 5. . ."
*
Ami Mizuno was just walking down the street when a something jumped on her shoulder. She startled in surprise, "Ow!" Seeing that the occupant on her shoulder was a cat with a curious bald spot, she sighed in relief. "Oh, you startled me. A kitty?"
*
'Luna!?' Seeing that her cat had just jumped onto the genius, Usagi stopped where she was walking and stared at the unlikely duo. From a few feet away, she could barely hear the girl talking, "If I didn't live in a condo, I could have a cat like this." Usagi watched as Ami began to gently pat her cat, "Ooh, you're soft."
'Somehow, I get the feeling that she's different from what everyone says.'
*
Luna noticed Usagi staring at Ami and her, and jumped again - but this time from Ami's arms. She ran up to Usagi and nuzzled against her legs while motioning to Ami. Usagi had the gall to seem surprised to see her, "Oh, Luna." When the insolent girl still didn't get the message, Luna began to fume. Steam was beginning to come out of her ears, it took a hard shove and bite to get the dimwitted girl to get the message. "Hehe, I'll talk to her. . ."
'Finally, that ditz better not mess this up!'
*
Usagi ran up to where Ami was standing quietly, "Sorry. Are you okay?" Ami looked seemed to have been happy with Luna, "Oh, that cat suddenly fell from the sky," Usagi watched as the girl blushed and looked at the sidewalk, "I thought she was an angel or something."
To say that Usagi was surprised was an understatement, 'Luna, an angel!' She looked at the shy girl closely for the first time, noting how nicely her cropped blue tresses fell around her face, and the blush that now covered it, 'This girl is kind of cute!'
She stepped closer to Ami, "You're Mizuno Ami-san, from class 5, right? I'm Tsukino Usagi, from class 1. The cat's name is Luna." When she saw the girl smile, a devilish thought occurred to Usagi, 'If I become friends with her, she can tell me all about the tests. Then will I be a super-genius too?'
*
Ami watched as Luna ran down the street, wanting to follow after her but not wanting to offend Usagi. She watched as the cat walked calmly into the Crown Game Center, as if she belonged there. Usagi finally noticed that her cat was gone, "Luna?" she called after the kitty, but Ami was relieved when Usagi went off to get her cat, and surprised but happy when she invited her to come along, "Umm. . . Mizuno-san, you want to go to the game center? How about it?" When she finally gained enough courage to nod her head, Ami was rewarded by a huge smile from Usagi - who grabbed her hand and ran into the arcade.
She watched as Usagi waved a quick hello to the man behind the counter, and had a hard time following her as Usagi ran to a game console. Ami stood back and watched as Usagi attempted to play the game. Ami looked for a few minutes and quickly figured out the mathematical equation that made the game work. She was jolted out of her trance-like state by Usagi, who was speaking quite quickly, "This is the Sailor V game, it's really hard, and I always get killed!" She inserted another coin into the slot, "Okay, once more!" Ami stared at the game again, almost laughing when she realized that the blonde had no idea what to do. Usagi sighed in an emotion almost akin to despair as she lost again, "That's another hundred yen gone. . ." But Ami noticed that se immediately piped up 'This girl seems to be an eternal fountain of optimism!' Usagi's eyes lit up, and Ami could only wonder what she was up to, "You want to play, Mizuno-san?" Ami nodded and waited for Usagi to move out of position at the game console.
When she started playing, Ami realized how simple the game was and began to speed through the levels. Soon, a small crowd of people had assembled behind her, of course she was embarrassed, but was to involved in the game to mind - much.
"What's this?"
"Wow!"
After a few more minutes, Ami had finished the game - and held the number 1 spot. She could still hear the people talking as she entered her initials.
"The top score! Wow!"
Ami blushed as Usagi jumped up and down in excitement. To say the least, Ami was surprised when the bouncing girl's eyes showed no sign of resentment, only happiness. Ami had never met anyone like her before, this girl was special. She was the first person that hadn't gotten jealous and mean to her when she had beat them at something. She could only help but wonder if this girl could really become a friend, or if she would turn out like all of the others. She was again awakened from her trance-like state by a loud exclamation from the blonde bunny, "Wow! That's Amazing! Mizuno-san!"
A blonde man, probably the attendant walked up to the machine and stood next to Usagi. He turned to address her, and butterflies started fluttering in Ami's stomach. "Hey, you're pretty quick at that for a girl." She felt blood rush to her cheeks at the compliment. She was quickly becoming flustered because of his attention, desperately she looked around for some kind of distraction - any kind of distraction. She thanked the gods when a fancy blue object came out of a slot in the front of the brightly colored machine.
"Huh? Something came out. A prize?" She held it in her hands and pretended to study it while she waited for her ears to stop burning. After she had calmed down a bit, she showed it to Usagi, softly speaking. "It's a pen."
Usagi looked surprised, and after taking a few seconds to untangle it from her long hair (it almost touched the ground and part of it was in twin buns at the top of her head) she handed it back to Ami. She could feel a jolt running through her body at the sudden, albeit brief, contact. She noticed how the pen seemed to sparkle and shine when it was near the curious brooch that was pinned to the bow on Usagi's school uniform. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, but pushed those thoughts from her mind. Usagi was a bit wound up, and it was obvious that she was a bit slow on the uptake, "What!? Wow! Cool! No fair! I want one too!"
Ami couldn't help but gasp when Usagi started pounding on the machine, "Maybe it'll put out another one while it's at it!" Ami found that she could only stare as Usagi continued to pound the machine with her fists. She had to step out of the way quickly to avoid being whipped by Usagi's long pigtails. Ami almost laughed at the sight of the bow on Usagi's uniform wiggling madly. It almost made her look like a bunny.
To Ami's surprise, another pen popped out of the machine. "Hey, it came out! It's cute!" Usagi started jumping up and down. Ami noticed that it was a lot like hers - only, Usagi's prize was pink and had a large prismatic crystal on the top. Ami looked at her pen again - the top was a blue spherical stone that was outlined in gold, and when she looked at it from a certain angle there was a gold symbol in the middle. She stared at it more closely, it looked like a cross with a circle perched on top and antennae on that circle, to her surprise she didn't know what it meant. She vowed to research it when she got home, and turned again - only to see the handsome gamekeeper grimacing as he reprimanded Usagi, "Usagi-chan. . ." His voice took on a pleading tone, "Please don't break it!" Ami could feel the heat returning to her face during the exchange, but thankfully he turned away before he could notice her.
Usagi handed her pen to her and Ami took the opportunity to calm herself while examining the object. She noticed that when she held her pen close to Usagi's, they both seemed to shine. She handed the pen back to the rabbit-like girl, "This sure is interesting, Tsukino-san." She was interrupted, again. "Call me Usagi. Can I call you Ami-chan?"
Ami's heart leapt into her throat. She was amazed that anyone would want to be friends with her, especially Usagi. She felt more glad than she could ever remember feeling. Ami knew that she was smiling, and Usagi was also. She noticed a bit of hopeful apprehension in Usagi's eyes, 'It's almost like she thinks that I'm too intelligent to be her friend.' Not wanting to make her wait any longer, Ami responded - and this time it was alright that Usagi could hear the happiness in her voice. "Sure."
She snuck a look at the clock behind her and gasped in surprise, "Oh no! It's time already! I've got to go to cram school!" Usagi looked even more surprised than she did, "Oh, you have cram school today?" She looked thoughtful for a few moments, "It's near here, right? The Crystal Seminar?" Ami nodded her head, "Yeah, I have it every day." Usagi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, "Every day!?" Ami nodded again, "I'm not good at anything but studying. I want to be a doctor, like my mom, so I really have to work hard."
Ami waved a goodbye and turned to walk to the Crystal Seminar, but as she left, she could hear Usagi muttering to herself, "Wow, a doctor. . . That's cool!"
~
Ami walked into the plain, but large room that housed the Crystal Seminar and sat at the computer that had been assigned to her. She put a floppy into the processor and while it loaded, she focused on the task at hand. When the disk had fully loaded, she was ready to work. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her mind was on nothing but the contents of the disk.
She was so engrossed with her work, that when the instructor came up and placed a hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her seat. She wasted no time, "Mizuno-san, I've got my hopes on you. Excellent people like you will lead the world of tomorrow. Everyone wants to be like you. Keep studying and your level will improve.
Ami turned back to her work, but couldn't really focus again. She thought about what the instructor had said, and then she thought about her new friend, Usagi. She couldn't help but think that the instructor was leading her on, the world of tomorrow should be lead by people like Usagi. She thought about the way the instructor treated her, compared to the way her treated the others, it almost seemed like she was setting her up for something. She laughed at her silliness, "Right. . ." And when others looked at her strangely she pretended that it was something in the text that was so funny. When the instructor looked at her again, Ami stopped her daydream and went right back to work.
~
Usagi removed the strands of hair that clung to the back of her neck with a loud "Eww! I hate sweat!" She didn't even bother to change out of her gym clothes and back into her uniform - but she made sure that she hadn't moved her brooch back onto the bow of her uniform. She looked around, everyone else was changing. She closed the locker door with a slam, but realized that her hair was still up. She removed the hair elastic and grumbled about stupid gym lockers as she tried to reopen the ugly green monstrosity. She couldn't get the lock to open, no matter how hard she tried.
Minutes later, she was so into unlocking the lock that she almost missed what her best friend, Naru, was saying. "Wanna go get some ice cream at the corner shop?" Usagi was the first to answer, "Yeah, I'll go!" She could see nods of agreement almost from everyone. A few people answered with a, "Me too."
Usagi turned around and saw a girl leaving, and she wasn't going to come. Naru caught her eye, "Kuri-chan is going to the Crystal Seminar." Usagi could hear another girl answer, "Everyone's going there now." She couldn't believe it, "Is the school that effective?" A different girl answered this time, "The lectures are all on computer. They take home disks with interesting contents, and at home, at school, they use them like they've gone mad. I'm interested in those disks' contents."
Usagi was silent for a moment, wondering. 'Disks?'
~
Ami sat in the computer room, studying for the Crystal Seminar. She could not concentrate and as a matter of fact, hadn't been able to since yesterday's class. "I can't do this, my mind is foggy", she muttered under her breath, cradling a feverish forehead against the palm of her hand, "I can't get into the contents of the disk." She took out her new pen and a piece of paper from the backpack at her feet. "I know I'll remember it better by writing like this."
She looked up to see Usagi, still in her pink gym clothes, running towards her, "Ami-chan!" Usagi practically yelled, "You're studying even after class is over? Hey, you're using that pen! You want to go eat ice cream on the way home?"
Ami noticed some kids walking behind Usagi and not even having strain her ears to hear what they were saying. She could make out a soft voice saying, "I have to go to the seminar. And another saying, "Me too." She could remember the instructor's words for her yesterday, 'Everyone wants to be like you. Keep at it.'
Ami got up out of her chair, "I have to go to the Crystal Seminar too." She was about to leave when she noticed that she had almost forgotten her disk. She put it into its place in her backpack and walked out of the room. 'How could I almost forget that, Ami, what's gotten into you?'
*
Luna walked up to Usagi and rubbed her face against the girl's head, "Meow" Usagi looked unhappy, "I got ditched by Ami-chan. She was so worn out. She studies too much!" Luna looked around, when she was sure that no one could hear her she whispered, "It's just as well, I think that there's something going on at that Crystal Seminar, I need you to help me investigate."
~
Usagi was walking down the street with Luna, she passed by the building where the Crystal Seminar was and noticed the instructor handing out flyers. She gave one to Usagi, "If you join now, admission is free! You can bring out your true abilities!" Usagi looked at the paper, which had a picture of Ami. "It's Ami, she's in the flyer!" She read it aloud for Luna, "Now open! With the Crystal Seminar, you'll be a genius too!" Luna whispered in her ear, Why don't you enroll and study a little more?" Usagi was outraged, "What? No way! This is a weird school!"
To prove her point, Usagi crumpled the paper and threw it behind her. Luna hissed into her ear, "Hey, don't throw it on the street!" She didn't noticed that the flyer had landed on the face if a guy behind her, "Hey," He yelled, "You odango atama! I am not a garbage can!" She spun around, and recoiled when she saw the black hair and sunglasses, "Oh no, not you!" She noticed him studying her cat, "Was that cat just talking?"
Usagi immediately became nervous and began to stutter, "Oh! Of course not! Err, goodbye." She practically ran away from him and his ugly green jacket. But she did notice that the instructor gave him a flyer, too, "Here's one for you, too"
'I absolutely hate Chiba Mamoru!'
~
Unbeknownst to Usagi, Mamoru had taken the flyer home with him. He also had a disk that someone had 'dropped' and he inserted it into his computer, fully intending to find out what was up with the Crystal Seminar. It was normal for the first few seconds, just ordinary lectures and problems - but then. "Devote yourself! Become a servant for our great ruler! Gather data on the Mystical Silver Crystal!" He gasped, "It's a brainwashing curriculum for the enemy!"
He rushed out of his apartment, hoping that he wasn't too late to stop the enemy. . .
~
Usagi looked outside the window of the computer room and saw a group of students leaving for the Crystal Seminar. 'I just know there's something going on there.' "Luna," the cat looked at her, "I know that there is something wrong with that Crystal Seminar!" She saw Ami, who looked weak and pale, "I think that this is something that Sailormoon should investigate."
She left the computer room, "I have to save Ami-chan!" Luna followed behind her. "But, how will I get in??"
"Usagi-chan, the pen!"
"Huh?"
Luna sighed, "That pen you got at the game center! Take it and throw it high into the air! Shout and transform! It disguises you!"
"What?! I can do that kind of thing with a pen?" She tossed it into the air, "Moon Power!! Transform me into a doctor!" A pink light appeared, blinding her from sight. When it faded, Usagi appeared in a doctor's uniform. She kept running.
Luna ran with her, "Usagi-chan! Hurry!"
~
Ami slumped over at her desk, too exhausted to do anything else. She didn't notice when the instructor moved her to a different room. And she certainly didn't notice when her new pen dropped from her hand onto the floor by her desk.
*
Usagi ran into the building and past the receptionist, "I received a phone call about an emergency!"
She saw the students going into a classroom and followed them.
*
"Heh heh…" The instructor thought to herself. 'These Crystal disks will soak up energy. And, if I can use this genius girl's mind, soon Tokyo... no, all of Japan will be under control. Soon I will find the Mystical Silver Crystal!' She let out a decidedly evil chuckle, but no one heard her - as no one saw when she placed a pair of magical handcuffs on her captive.
*
Usagi ran into the classroom, "Everyone, get away from those computers! You'll be crippled, I think!"
The instructor stood up angrily, "Who are you?"
Luna yelled at Usagi, "Usagi-chan! Transform into Sailormoon!"
"What!? Again!?"
"You can't fight like that! Hurry!'' Luna yelled.
"Oh yeah, I have to fight..." She grabbed her brooch. "Moon Prism Power!! Make Up!!" She transformed, throwing her mask high in the air. "You're taking away the pure love of learning by brainwashing these kids! I won't allow it! I am the soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon!! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
A storm of papers flew at Sailormoon. "Oww! These papers are sharp as razors! Quit it, quit it! I'll be covered with cuts. Oww! I hate cram school, I hate test papers!"
She started crying loudly. Waves formed, shattering the glass windows. "Luna!"
"Usagi-chan!! Don't cry blindly and make those supersonic waves come again! If you're not careful, Ami-chan and the others. . ."
Sailormoon looked around the room, "Where is Ami-chan?" She looked up. "Ami-chan!"
The instructor held Ami by the throat. Ami was unconscious, but struggling to breathe as she was slowly waking.
Luna yelled, "The pen! Throw the pen high into the air." But then she noticed, Ami didn't have her pen - and her hands were bound with what seemed to be some kind of dark energy.
*
Before their eyes, the instructor shed her skin and was revealed to be a youma. She bared her claws and dropped the prone girl to the ground, and went after Sailormoon.
As the instructor chased a now hysterical Sailormoon, Luna tried to wake Ami. She had no success, and Sailormoon wasn't doing as well, either. Luna turned her attention to finding Ami's lost pen, 'Oh, goddess. She's Sailormoon's only hope and she's unconscious without her henshin! Oh goddess, what do I do?'
Her salvation came in the form of Tuxedo Kamen, who moved Usagi out of the way and attacked the youma simultaneously. Sailormoon got in a few 'Sailor Moon Kicks' and Tuxedo Kamen had thrown at least two dozen roses - but the youma wouldn't stop. And, it got worse. But, Luna spotted the pen, it was underneath a chair. She ran to reach it, she almost had it. . .
*
"What do we have here?" Jadeite watched the cat squirm in his hands, "I think it's a little house cat, trying to get something. But, whatever could it want?" He mocked the cat without shame. He looked down, "Oh - it's a pen. Hmm, this must be important, especially if a cat with the Lunarian mark is after it." The top flashed blue when he touched it, and he could feel its power radiating in his hands. "What is this, cat?" He held the cat almost near enough to touch the pen. "Well, kitty-kitty, I think that there's something that you're not telling me. And I intend to find out what it is." He looked at the object, he couldn't remember exactly what it was - until. A symbol flashed gold. "Ahh yes, kitty-kitty, this is a henshin wand. Thank you for finding it for me. It will help me locate the Mystical Silver Crystal!"
*
"Oh no, that creepy guy from before's showed up! And he has LUNA!!!" She dodged a paper from the youma. 'Why does it have to be test papers?' Tuxedo Kamen wasn't helping much either! She couldn't believe how much work she was doing. "Let go of Luna you big meanie!"
*
"As you wish." He threw the cat against the wall, not caring when it collapsed into unconsciousness. "Now, to whom does this belong? I guess I'll just have to find out." He started roaming around the room, placing the tip of the pen on the foreheads of the drained students, completely ignoring the fight that was happening in the opposite corner of the room. He was getting more than frustrated when none of the students had tested positive, but. . . There was a girl bound and unconscious on the floor in the front of the room.
He walked over and placed the pen on the girl's forehead, he moved aside a few strands of blue hair. There it was, a matching, glowing blue symbol. He checked the identification card that was stuck in her pocket. "Okay, Miss. . . Mizuno. One more test." He threw the pen in the air in front of her. A flash of blue light surrounded her, and grew with intensity until everyone in the room was blinded.
She was Sailormercury. But, she was still unconscious and he took that to his full advantage, lifting her up in his arms and opening a portal to the Dark Kingdom. 'This may not be the Mystical Silver Crystal, but I think that Queen Beryl will be pleased.' As he stepped through the portal he gave the impudent youma an energy booster, commanding it to kill Sailormoon and that weird guy in the tux. He made sure to pause long enough so that Sailormoon and her friend could see the prone body in his arms.
He ported off to the sound of gasps of surprise and his own evil laughter.
*
"Sailormercury!" Oh Serenity, no. No, she had just found another one! This couldn't be happening!
Luna sunk to the ground again, disappointment radiating from her body. "No, this can't be happening. NO!" Oh Serenity, what was she going to do? She needed to consult with Central Control, now.
*
It was amazing how hard it was to kill one youma. Tuxedo Kamen could feel his shoulder give out from the strain that he had put it through. He was trying to be sympathetic to Sailormoon, but she hadn't stopped crying (although now not as loudly as before) since the general had ported off with Sailormercury ten minutes ago, and the youma wasn't killing itself. He didn't know how she could manage to 'Sailor Moon Kick' the stupid monster with all of those tears in her eyes, but she managed to, barely.
God damn it, that evil bastard had just taken a potential ally. And, he only had Sailormoon - she wasn't much help or much of an ally. He saw how she stared at him when she thought he wasn't looking. 'Hormonal girls, who needs them?' But, he would definitely have think this problem over when he got home. That is, if the fight ever ended.
He tried for a plan, when for about the fifteenth time he had to sweep Sailormoon away from danger. They really needed to work together, so he formulated a plan while fighting and whispered it to her as he rescued her, 'Sixteen.' He thought to himself, keeping count of the times he had rescued the pigtailed heroine from danger, 'Why can't the girl just save herself?' When the youma had its back to the wall, he threw about a dozen roses simultaneously, 'My florist bill is going to be astronomical!', paralyzing it momentarily. Sailormoon then threw the tiara, and decapitated the youma - turning it into dust.
He said his final poetic and encouraging line, and jumped dramatically out of the window - he had physics homework to do.
Oh, and he had to figure out a way to rescue the new senshi - or - find some way of charging Sailormoon with his florist's bill.
*
Queen Beryl was surprisingly more pleased then he had expected her to be. He had expected her to be angry at his failure in obtaining the Mystical Silver Crystal. She only said that his impudence was suffocating, but she had been pleased when he had shown her the unconscious senshi. She had smiled, a very rare occurrence, when he had shown her the henshin pen and had said something to herself about his triumph, albeit through failure. Of course, he had to tell her how he had obtained the girl, but that went over quite nicely. She had also been pleased when he told her about the girl's possible usefulness, especially when she learned of the girl's considerable intelligence. Of course, he had used a scrying crystal to find out about the girl - memory logs were just too messy.
She had consulted Metallia about the girl, and it was decided that she would be tortured, interrogated, drained and eventually turned. It took a long time to reach the decision and it was very uncomfortable for him to remain kneeling for three-quarters of an hour with a half-naked girl in his arms.
He had dropped her off in the interrogation/torture room a few minutes ago, and he was looking forward to hearing her screams. He was going to call forth a goblet of red wine, which tasted much better than that foul whiskey that Nephrite always drank, and sat on the edge of his canopybed when, 'Damn. That youma obviously failed. Now the stupid crystal is on my bed.' He removed the fragmented crystal from the red coverlet and threw it into the nearest trash reciprocal, which happened to be outside the entrance to his chambers. "Oh well, I didn't exactly expect it to succeed anyway. Stupid minion." He ran his fingers through his hair, 'It's soon.'
He climbed back onto the bed, leaned against the pillows, and stared at the engravings that were on the posts of his canopy while sipping his wine. Soon, the screams came, pain filled and scared. And he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the show.
~
Hours later, Usagi still lay upon her bed. Her tears had not stopped, leaving her pillow case a soaked mess. "If I had been better, maybe. . ." Luna was gone, she had been frantic after she had gotten home, lecturing her harshly then leaving. Now she was Central Command, and probably going to be there for a few hours. Her thoughts kept drifting to earlier that day. Ami didn't deserve it! She didn't even know her power! 'If I had gotten there more quickly. . . Or, if I hadn't had left her laying there. . .' She slammed her palm against the bed. 'If I had gotten the henshin pen. . .' All of the possibilities were running through her head, but Ami was gone - like Luna had said. She still felt the sting of the reprimand that Luna had given her. 'She's right, if I wasn't such a lazy, dumb, inconsiderate, incompetent klutz then Ami would still be here, and Sailormoon would have a new ally.' She slammed her head against the wall, 'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.' Her mother called her to dinner again, but for the first time, she wasn't hungry - at all.
Usagi just couldn't forget the look on Jadeite's face as he had taken Sailormercury, her friend Ami, into the Dark Kingdom. Despite what anyone had said and could say, she just knew in her heart that Ami wasn't going to be okay.
~
And in the Dark Kingdom, screams echoed and reverberated through the interior - all through the night. . .
~
Violet eyes opened in panic. A girl jumped up, simultaneously grabbing an ofuda. Echoes of screams reverberated through her head, she shivered from the aftereffects of her nightmare. 'That was just too real, I need to consult the sacred fire.' Her rough breathing was the only sound as she moved through the hallways of her home. When she reached the room where the sacred fire was housed, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed into her priestess robes. As she sat down in front of the fire, a tear escaped from her calm façade, As she began to chant, the tears did not stop. For hours she searched the fire for answers, 'Who is that girl in pain? How can I help her?' The fire did not yield the answers, and as she saw the sunrise she stopped, completely exhausted and more worried than she had ever been in her life.
She couldn't get over a feeling of finality, and as she released her long hair from its restraints she cold almost hear a voice echoing in her mind. Soon.
End 1 ~ (8-31-03)
2 ~ (9-26-03)