Konnichiwa!!
That's your Japanese for "hello". And I say hello to you. Watakushi wa Janelle-Li desu. Or, if you in Japan wish to prefer, Jainei Ee. There's no 'r' or 'l' in that language.
I picked up that little 'r and l' tidbit from Steppenwolf. He's gone everywhere on Earth, and he finds it funny that he knows every single Earth language now. Actually, that's not a surprise to me. These languages are like baby talk to us. Try putting an Earth person in the same room with one of us, and from what I have gathered you people will leave no more informed than a dog. You wouldn't know it if we were telling your world was going to be destroyed.
But perhaps I'm being pessimistic. Pessimism was something I couldn't abide by before I came here, and I really don't like it now. And anyways, your languages can just sound so sad, almost all of the people who wrote them had their dogs die the day before.
Kind of like that conversation being played out on a street in Mokan-ban right now. Just two guys, and they both sound like the Plague came upon them. The again, one person has a good reason to be pessimistic.
How do you do?
I'm fine.
And how about you? You look pale.
I've been feeling under the weather.
Really? How?
My skin's starting to discolor. I'm going to the doctor to check on this.
The man unrolls his arm. There is a nasty little spot on his arm. The outer circle is brown, and as it goes further in, it turns green.
Someone tried to rob my jewelry three nights ago, and I've been having problems with it since.
But how could you have gotten something so horrible?
Well, I don't know. Maybe I've been tainted with smallpox or anthrax.
Don't joke like that!
But poor Ata Nakitsu of Mokan-ban, you have no clue. The thief that broke into your place was more than just a thief that tried to take your jewels. He stole something more precious than anything you might have owned in terms of material things. When you get here, I'll explain what it is to you that that boy was after.
Oh, and when you do come to my house, I'll have to clean up. Being the only woman can become pretty annoying, especially when everyone goes to see your country and whatnot and they leave dirty underwear all over the couch. That's the problem with being the only woman among a group of men. They expect you to clean everything. It can get annoying after awhile.
I can sympathize with other girls on this planet. They're always being underestimated. Take this girl in another city in Japan. She's right here, snoring. Snoring rather loud, actually. But who'd think she could wipe out a city block? She can, too. I've seen her in action. She's incredible! And she's been doing it for awhile now. I know she'd tell her parents about this little secret of hers, but they probably wouldn't believe her.
Say....I just figured it out. If all families could understand where the black sheep came with their ideas before they flew off the handle, a lot of this stuff wouldn't have been happening./i
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"Usaaaaaagi!!!!!"
"Coming, mom."
Usagi's feet shuffled as she took her bagel.
"You're going to be late, young lady!!"
"I know."
Usagi quietly walked away from the table and out the door.
"That girl…something is wrong." Kenji looked up. "She's been acting strange the past three days."
"I don't know what it could be." Ikuko turned to Luna. "Do you know?"
"Meow." Luna shook her head.
"Aaaah, probably a test she isn't telling us about!" Kenji sipped his coffee. "When she gets to school, she'll be her usual chatty self…"
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Usagi looked at the empty desk in front of her as the class ended. Even after everyone left, she simply sat, staring.
I can't stop myself from being low, she thought. Of all the people to have it happen to…
"Usagi."
Usagi turned to see Haruka sitting in the back, holding a bag. She simply gave a half-hearted smile.
"Hi, Haruka."
"Usagi, I know what you're thinking." Haruka got up. "You don't have to pretend."
Usagi watched as Haruka came over to the desk next to hers. Her head went down, and she began to cry.
"Stop." Haruka shook her head. "There's nothing you could do."
"But, Haruka..." Usagi rubbed her eyes. "I didn't think that I'd meet someone like that. I mean, one moment, I'm chasing off some thieves, and the next....."
"Usagi." Haruka looked over at the window. "We've been trying to locate it since it attacked OSA-P. But there's no sign of the enemy we saw anywhere. Nor...of that other thing."
Usagi nodded.
"Are you going to see her today?"
"Yes."
"Look, if I could give you some suggestions," Haruka opened a bag, taking out a dozen roses. "One of them is that you owe me for this."
"Haruka!!" Usagi's face brightened. "You kept your promise!"
"Yes." Haruka nodded. "I kept my part. Now you have to invite me over to try your mother's cooking. I've known you long enough, and I seem to be the only person that hasn't tasted Ikuko's food. And you have to come with us tonight."
"Where?"
"To a show."
Usagi gave a smile, and she leaned over to give Haruka a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks."
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"And what happened next?"
"Well...." Naru rubbed her hands. "I'm not completely sure."
"Tell me what you remember."
It had been three days since Naru had been carried to the First Juuban Hospital by the superheroine Sailor Moon. The blond policeman took off his glasses, revealing his blue eyes, as he scanned Naru's skin, which was dotted with spots and IVs.
"Then this Sailor Moon came in?"
"Yes." Naru replied.
"Then....after that. One of the shadowed figures attacked you?"
"Yeah. They were all keeping in the shadows. So I couldn't really tell what they were doing. Except that one. He charged at me."
"He?"
"Yeah. I'm sure of that. It was a short guy." Naru rubbed her nose. "I went to get a weapon from upstairs, and......"
Naru stopped. The policeman didn't blink as she looked confused.
"Go on."
"Well....this is the part where I'm not sure. When I started up the stairs....I felt this sharp pain. First in my arm, then in my whole body. It was like I was being.......electrocuted or shot at.....I'm not sure..." Naru's voice cracked. "Then I saw....at the top of the stairs.....something."
"Something."
"Yes. It looked like....I don't know. It was like a flash of light, then a silhouette, then the pain stopped. I remember being really disoriented from the pain. I could see something coming towards my attacker, and then my attacker kind of.....disappeared."
"Then you fainted."
"Yeah. I guess I couldn't take the pain. Then I found myself here."
"I suppose that's all I have to ask." The policeman checked his notes. "I'm simply here to verify what you have told us. Thank you."
As the policeman stood up to leave, the door opened. The policeman turned to face Usagi, carrying a bouquet of flowers.
"Hi, Naru." She looked up at the policeman. "Oh, hi."
"Hi............" The policeman blinked, his eyes wide. "And you must be....?"
"Her friend. Can I get through?"
"Um....." the policeman turned red as he nodded. "Of.....course.....you may."
As quick as he could, the policeman excused himself from the room. Naru chuckled, then coughed.
"And in the news today…" the anchorman continued. "American troops have attacked a small group believed to be al-Queda sympathizers near the southern city of Kandahar…"
"What a weirdo, that policeman." Usai took the remote and changed the channel. "Yam Yam cookie commercial…heh."
"He is, isn't he? Well, he was acting normal until you came in."
"Pervert." Usagi rolled her eyes. "You'll find them everywhere."
"Yeah." Naru spotted at roses. "Are those for me?"
"Yes. They're from everyone."
"Thank you."
Naru took the flowers and smelled them, but Usagi noticed the sadness in her eyes. With a sigh, her head went down.
"They smell wonderful, Usagi."
"Naru...." No way to turn back. "Are you angry at me?"
"Angry? Why?"
"Naru, please don't be like this."
"I guess I shouldn't be a little upset." Naru turned her head. "But I am. I thought we could keep each other's secrets."
"Naru. I didn't tell you I was Sailor Moon because I didn't trust you. It was because….well, look at me!!" Usagi stood up. "Would you honestly think I was Sailor Moon?!? Me!!! Usagi, the girl who can't walk without tripping over herself, saving the world!!! You wouldn't have believed me."
Naru's eyes grew wide with shock. Slowly, however, she nodded.
"I guess you're right." Naru looked at Usagi. "I wouldn't have believed you. But I guess I knew all along. I mean, I should have. I was the only victim that you knew well enough to use the back door to get into OSA-P in the night…instead of breaking the windows or falling through the ceiling or doing something stupid like other superheroes do."
The two began to laugh at that thought. Neither of them noticed the door cracking open slightly, nor did they see the blue eye peering in.
"Well, what did the doctors say?"
"Radiation sickness."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but only because they have no other name for it. If they said something like…..well….you know…." Naru gave a sigh. "And supposedly I'm not the only one with it. They're saying some other guy's been infected with radiation sickness too. Up north, that is."
"Well…." Usagi thought for a moment. "Maybe that guy injected you with something."
"Maybe. But….Usagi…." Naru gave a nervous laugh. "Now, I know this is going to sound like a weird question, but….when I got attacked…..was there a strange figure that came down the stairs?"
Usagi's eyes grew wide as Naru's question. The…..figure?
"You look shocked! So you saw it?!"
"I'm shocked because you saw it."
"What did it look like??!"
"Well…." Usagi wasn't sure how to describe it. "I mean, it was short. And….it was a dark color. Red or brown or black or something like that. It was dark, but I could tell it had a dark color nonetheless."
"And what did it do?"
"Well, I was fighting the Russian guys when I heard some shouting, then I looked over and saw the creature running towards us. I ducked, natu-"
"Russian?!"
"Yeah. I could tell. They were saying some Russian words. Not that I know Russian, but you know a Russian when you hear one."
The sound of a door clicking shut suddenly turned their attention to the door. The two gasped, and Usagi stood up.
"You don't think….?"
"I think it was." Usagi quickly went to the door. "If that policeman was an enemy getting information….!!!"
As quick as Usagi could open the door, however, it was the policeman who was the quicker one. The girl looked all over the hallway that the room was in, but there was no sign of there ever having been a policeman there.
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The sun began to set upon the city of Tokyo. It blazed forth many different colors upon the sky - blue, orange, yellow, purple But all he could see was red, blood red.
The blond wig and police clothing fell to the floor. The man clutched his staff as he looked over the city through his window. Adjusting his hat, as well as his dark overcoat, he wondered why he was bothering himself with this burden. This wasn't his home. It wasn't his people. There was nothing that said he had to lift a finger to help them.
Yet when he thought this, he thought he saw himself staring at two bright blue eyes through the reflection of the window. When the blue eyes caught the dying sunlight they turned white and melted back into the city. The eyes were not his, but hers. He had never seen such beauty before. The image clung onto him, even as he mapped out the next target in the line of fire.
TBC
