Chapter Two
Friday night, as the crescent moon shone bright in they stary sky, the Three Guardians- Crimson, Gold, and Silver- jumped from roof top to roof top as they observed the sleeping city. Each was dressed in dark, black body suits, with armor on their chests, arms and legs. Their faves were masked by tinted visors, and the Silver Guardian had a plate-like helmet on the crown of her head.
"Kinda peaceful, ain't it?" Crimson said.
"If you like monotony," Silver replied.
"Do you think they will strike this store next?" Gold asked.
"Reasonably sure," Crimson answered, "It's the only place the Techno Sage needs to hit to complete his weapon."
"There they are," Silver whispered, pointing down at the store front. Dark shadows were surrounding the store, checking every corner, every window for security or anything else that might hinder them. Then, they cut the glass in the front window, and entered through the impossibly small hole.
The Crimson Guardian extended his hand, and a beam of light appeared. He grasped it, and it turned into a glowing sword. "It's on," he said, the three leaping down from the roof top.
Once on the ground, they raced to the store, and with a quick blast from his laser gauntlets to the lock on the door, Gold led the way inside. There, they were confronted by the Dark Mecha-Ninjas of the Techno Sage. The Ninjas threw poisoned stars at them, but Silver called forth the Silver Light Shield to protect them. Then, a dark cloud enveloped the building. And the sound of laughter echoed in the darkness.
"You followed me here? And right into my trap." came the synthetic voice of the Techno Sage. He was cloaked in a veil of darkness and a half mask of metal and a half mask of clay covered his face. "Tonight shall be the end of you, Guardians."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" The lights flashed on, and standing between the Sage and the Guardians were the Sailor Scouts.
"I am Sailor Moon!" said the pigtailed leader.
"And I am Sailor Mini Moon!" said her smaller version. "And in the name of the Moon," they said together, "We shall punish you!"
The Sage chuckled, and said, "How pathetic. They send children to fight me." Lightening flashed, and more Mecha-Ninjas appeared at his side. "Go, my servants!" he commanded. They charged, and the battle commenced.
The Sailors dodged the attacks, though Sailors Moon and Mini Moon kept tripping over the precious electronics they were trying to protect. While the Guardians actually fought. Crimson cut down countless opponents with his sword, slicing through metal and wires, trying to get to the Techno Sage. Silver deflected blows with her Shield while using a hairy-karee dagger to destroy her attackers. While Gold blasted Mecha- Ninjas left and right with his laser gauntlets.
Meanwhile, the other Sailors were having a tough time using their powers against their new foes. Nothing they did seemed to work. Their powers were almost useless. If they blasted one Ninja, two more took it's place. Even Sailors Uranus and Neptune were almost helpless.
"How can they keep coming!?" Sailor Uranus cried.
"Their made by a combination of science and black magic!" replied the Silver Guardian. "They were made to deflect your powers!"
"But why ours and not yours?" screamed Sailor Jupiter.
"Because we adapt!" called out the Golden Guardian as he blasted more Ninjas. They fought on, even as the Crimson Guardian went into a duel with the Dark Sage. When one parried, the other thrust. The reaction of Crimson's White Light blade and the Sage's Dark Light blade was like two magnets coming into contact. They repelled each other, yet the blades were forced to make contact again and again.
"As amusing as this has been, my friends," the Sage said, "I grow weary of this futile conflict." He jumped away from Crimson, and said, "I have the part I came for," as he made the component visible from beneath his cloak.
"He's got the Nuetron Dynamo!" said Gold.
"I suggest you get more effective allies," the Sage said as he swirled the cloak about him. He twisted and turned until he vanished into a dark sphere, taking his Ninjas with him.
They looked around. The place was trashed. And the Scouts hung their heads in shame.
"You idiots!" Silver screamed at them. "He's right! You're absolutely no help what so ever! You fight 'in the Name of the Moon', and let them get away? You're worse than the Cops!!"
"Don't be too hard on them, Silver," Gold said. "They haven't been fighting the Techno Sage as long as we have. They don't know what he's capable of."
"Then tell us," Mercury said. "Who is the Techno Sage, and why is he targeting technology corporations?"
"We'll explain, but not now," Crimson answered as police sirens came in the distance. He extinguished his sword, and said, "Meet us tomorrow, and we will answere you questions."
Then, using her own form of mystical powers, Silver clasped her hands, and formed a globe of white around the Guardians. Then, they also vanished.
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Lita looked at the vacant desk beside her. Thirty minutes into history, and Jim still wasn't there. Her heart sank a little inside her chest. Where could he be? She wondered.
Later when they met after school, they learned that all three siblings had not attended class.
"Not even Jeremy?" asked Serena.
"Nope," Darien said. "He just wasn't there. I mean, granted, we probably don't have the same classes everyday, but I checked around. He didn't even show up on campus."
"I found a great relief," said Amara. "No scribbling in that creepy notebook about our every move."
"You know, the other two had notebooks, too," said Mina. "I wonder what they write in them."
"Hey!" called their friend Molly as she and Melvin came in and sat beside them.
"We figured out what happened to the new kids," said Melvin, rubbing his eyes as his new contacts irritated them again.
"It's all here in this week's variety pages in the paper," Molly said holding up the paper. On the head artical were the siblings, each in their goofiest pose. The title read, 'Teen Philanthropists Take Tokyo By Storm."
"Philanthropists?" they all said together, flabbergasted.
"You mean that clown is rich?" Amara cried. She knocked her head against the table.
"Yup, Meatball Head Syndrome," Darien muttered.
"What was that?" Serena questioned.
"Nothing, dear," Darien replied.
"So they're millionaires," Rei said. "What does that have to do with them being out of school?"
"Duh," Molly said, "They have special permission to leave whenever they need to take care of business matters."
"They're part of a triumbred technologies corporation. They have stock in every major company just to cover their bases. And each one has their own branch. Kat actually runs a record company! And Jim is the spokesman for the top martial arts academy in Hollywood. And their brother has helped produce every Hollywood blockbuster for the past two years!"
"And on top of it all," Molly said, "They co-own their own technology corporation."
"You mean Merlot Techno?" Amy asked, since she was the only one who would notice the name on most electronics in their group.
"They just opened up a new corporate office here, in Tokyo." Molly said
Melvin nodded, "And they're planning to host a huge celebration for the economy boost this will make!"
"And they invited the whole school to a party this Saturday," Serena said in awe. "She's a millionaire?" she said, looking at the picture of Kat, smiling and making a peace sign, again.
"And you were worried about a cream puff record," Rei said, mockingly.
"That was important to me!" Serena argued. "And I didn't know she was mega rich before! Besides, she should have been more worried about her millions anyway instead of destroying my record, and acting like it was something she could do on a whim!"
"Why don't you stop worrying about food, and grow up you big baby!" Rei said. They both stuck out their tongues at one another, and stared coldly at each other.
"Pot calling the kettle black," came a familiar voice. "You know that's not a very good picture of me." They looked up, and there they were. The 'millionaire teens' themselves.
Molly's face turned red as Jeremy took the paper, and said, "Actually, I think they got your best side. Mine, however looks like a reject from a wax figure museum."
"At least you don't look like a deer in headlights," said Jim, blushing as he looked at his own photo.
"I.. .uh…I kinda liked it," Lita said meekly - a tone no one ever thought to put with Lita.
"Aww,. How sweet," Kat said. "Your girlfriend thinks your bad book photo is cute!"
"I hardly know her!" Jim cried. Then, he rushed towards the restrooms, to hide from the onlookers.
"Stop him, bro," said Kat.
"On it!" Jeremy said, tackling his younger brother to the ground, and dragging him back. "You shouldn't be so rude as to run off in the middle of a conversation, Jimmy. Especially with such a pretty young lady." Then, Jeremy stopped short, looked at Amy, and said, "Oh, and who do we have here? What's your name, miss?" he said rather charmingly.
Amy blushed, and said, "Anffnmy…" she mumbled, then clapping her hand over her malfunctioning mouth.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that, but it sounded rather exotic," he said with a charming smile.
"Her name," Serena said, taking her friends shoulder in her hands, "Is Amy. And she's the smartest girl in school hands down!"
"Serena!" Amy said, blushing.
"Oh she speaks," Kat said sarcastically.
"And with great eloquence," Jeremy added.
"What do you three want?" Amara interrupted.
"Want? We just came in for a soda and saw you guys sitting here," Kat said. "Figured we'd say hello."
"And we thought it a great surprise to see that you all know each other," Jeremy said, squeezing in between Serena and Amy. "So, Darien," he said, "is this the Meatball Head you've been dating?"
"Well…uh…."
"If she's not," Kat said, "Are doing anything next weekend?" she asked Darien dreamily.
"Hands off," Serena said, guarding him, "He's mine!"
"And mine!" came Rini's meager little voice. She climbed over the back of the booth, and climbed on Darien's back.
"Oh, Creampuff Queen has a Mini Me," Kat said. "And she's so precious!"
"Guys, we better get our orders and leave," Jim said, "We're attracting a crowd." And many head were turned towards them in interest. Most of those heads had hands that held the variety pages.
"Oh, look at the time," Jeremy said, looking at none existent watch on his wrist. "We really must be going. It's been delightful and delovely meeting you, Amy. Now If I could just get your number?" But he was cut short when Kat grabbed his ear and pulled.
"Down, boy! Down! You need to learn good manners in public." Kat said as she dragged her older brother away from the booth. Jim grabbed a bag of carry-out food. "Bye guys. Bye Lita," he said as he rushed out after his siblings.
"He remembered my name…" Lita said dreamily as they watched the three walk by the window.
"Can you believe how shameless he acted!" Amara said, outraged. "Hitting on a high school girl ,and him in college!"
Serena and Darien gave their friend an icy stare.
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At their mansion, Jeremy was surveying the basement. "If we move the wine cellar back a few feet, we should have enough room for the Crystal Cavern." he said.
"Well hurry up and get those computers set up," Kat said, her arms crossed. "We need to look for that Princess before we waste any more time."
Jeremy removed a crystal shard from a box, and set it on the ground. Jim used chalk to make an outline of where the central command post was to be. Then, they stepped back, and watched as the crystal grew into the room. Sparkling rainbow colored prisms encased the walls, floor, and ceiling, until every inch was covered in pure, Silver Crystal. And to seal the crystal, Kat began to sing a song in a long forgotten language, her first soprano voice echoing, sounding like tiny bells ringing under clear water.
And they were done. The majority of the old cellar had become The Crystal Caverns.
"Nicely done" Jeremy said. He turned and walked over to a large expanse of crystal. On a small surface that jutted out from the rest, a keyboard seemed to emerge from the crystals. And flat space above became a screen. "Patience is a virtue, sis," he said over his shoulder. "Now we will put these samples in the computer and know for certain if our friends are who we think they are, or just ordinary shmucks."
"I still think we should wait for the party," said Jim. "It'll easier to get samples from everyone that way."
"But it'll take longer," Kat said, "And killing my social life by plucking hairs from all my classmates."
"It'll just take a sec," Jeremy said, putting the different strands of hair into a cylinder. Then, he tapped a few keys, and the screen read the progress of the data transfer sequence. Each strand was analyzed, and the data recorded.
"Alright, now hand me your samples from the other night." Jeremy said.
"It was hard getting these the other night in battle," Kat said, getting out her dishes.
"And some of mine are incomplete." Jim said.
"We should still be able to use them," Jeremy said as he fed the samples into the computer. The system took in the data from these, and after five minutes, displayed it's results
"Well, now we know," Jeremy said. "Serena and the others are the Scouts."
"We've got a lot of training to do," Kat said, heading for the stairs. "And they need it desperately."
"Hold on! Is that all you have to say?" Jim asked her angrily. "We finally found the Moon Princess, her court, and a possible heir to the throne of two kingdoms, and all you have to say is 'we'll need practice'?"
"They're kids!" she yelled. "They're untrained, undisciplined! They nearly got us all killed last night!"
"We were kids too when we found out who we were," Jeremy reminded her. "You and Jim are still kids. Just because you were the top trainer of the Moon Army in those days, when you were stronger and wiser than you are now, doesn't mean you have the right to call them what you want. Especially not our royal Princess."
"And she was only a baby when we went away to fight," Jim said. "She didn't have us to train her properly, like Pluto did."
"Don't you think I know that?" Kat said. "The Princess from Pluto was my favorite student! Top of her regiment! Why do you think I recommended her to the Queen for the Scout program? Why I insisted she take the Key? She was ready. These kids aren't! Honestly, I don't know how the world hadn't fallen to the Negaverse." she said, climbing the stairs slowly. "When you tell them, send them to me. They'll get the training they should have had a long time ago." she said, leaving her brothers in the room.
"She's right," Jim said. "They should have been trained. But they also need new weapons."
"I'll handle that," Jeremy said. "You go on to bed, buddy. You've got school tomorrow."
Jim looked at his older brother…his commander…and went back upstairs, too.
-----------------------
The Techno Sage sat in his lair and marveled at his new ultimate weapon. Electrodes, cables and wires protruded from his body and linked him into every inch of his electronic hive. Neutron Cannon was finally completed and ready for testing but on what would he unleash it's destructive power?
"Show the city of Tokyo." He ordered his Mecha-Ninjas, and glowing orb appeared with image of the city glowing brightly upon it. "Yes. I think that I shall begin with destruction of those meddlesome Guardians." He said looking at Merlot mansion. "Yes, they shall be the first to feel my wrath."
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Cars were lined up so far they circled around the mansion and spilled into the streets. Music blasted loud from every door and window. And all three siblings greeted various guests.
"Welcome to the Merlot Estate," Jeremy said with his charming, sparkling white smile, "come in and partake of our fine food! Just please don't partake our fine silver, and most definitely don't partake the kitchen sink!"
"High school guests in the parlor," Kat said, directing everyone, "College in the dining room. We will all meet outside in the garden in a few hours. No outside food or drink," she added as a guy tried to smuggle in a six pack.
"Hi," Jim said to each person at the door, "glad you could make it. Please, make yourself at home."
This was the state of affairs that the Scouts found themselves in as they arrived.
"Oh my! Look at this artwork!" Amy said, "It must be priceless!"
"They have a live band!" Rei said. "Later! I'm going to go dance."
"I wonder if Jim can leave the door long enough to give me a tour of this place," Lita said as she turned back to the front entrance.
Serena turned into a room, and her jaw dropped. "Look at all that FOOD!!!" she said in ecstasy. "CREAMPUFFS!!!" she exclaimed. She rushed over and started gobbling morsels left and right.
Meanwhile, Kat had taken over door duty. "Hello, thanks for coming. Have a good time. What was your name again?" But then she noticed a baseball cap walk by. She turned, and picked up the little pink haired party crasher. "And who do we have here," she asked party crasher.
"I'm P.J. Popover," she said in a indignant, meager little voice. "A high school person."
"Oh really?" Kat asked. "Either years of smoking has stunted your growth or you're a midget, and I don't think you're either one." She tucked the child under her arm, and carried her inside. Kat went straight to the dinning room where she knew Serena would be. She tapped Serena's shoulder, and the blonde girl turned around. She was in the middle of a cupcake when Kat held up Rini- who had by this time lost the hat- in between them. "Lose your Mini Me?" Kat asked, putting the little girl down.
"I thought I told you to stay home," Serena said, annoyed.
"But I've never been to a big party like this before!" Rini said, making little fists. "I never get to go anywhere that's fun!"
"That's cause you're not old enough to go anywhere that's fun!" Serena said.
"Far be it for me to tell a teen mom how to raise her kid, but I think you have a discipline problem," Kat said.
"What? What did you say??" Serena asked, shocked that someone could have guessed who Rini was, even a little.
"You have a discipline problem," Kat said a bit louder, "Are you deaf as well as dimwitted?"
"Why don't you take your nose out of our business," Serena said, stuffing her face again. By now, she'd been joined by Rini.
"I see you're enjoying the food," Kat observed.
"Yeah," Rini said, "Who'd you get to cater?"
"I did," Kat said proudly, "I have degrees from two culinary institutes."
"Wait a minute," Serena said, "You're in high school!"
"Summer program," Kat said. "Took two years."
"Well…that's still not impressive," Serena said.
"But you're still enjoying my baklava," Kat pointed out.
"Yeah well…You broke my record," Serena said, faltering.
"So what?" Kat said.
"So, I challenge you to a rematch!" Serena said.
"You're on!" Kat replied.
"I want in on this!" Rini added as they all marched to the kitchen.
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Meanwhile, Mina, Amara, Michelle, and Amy walking around, following Jeremy as he gave a brief tour.
"And to your right, you'll see the library," Jeremy said.
"So many books!" Amy said, "How do you find time to read them all?"
"I don't," he replied. "Kat and Jim do. I'm just a collector."
"You have a beautiful home," Mina said, "I would just love to be able live in a place like this...And host parties…and decorate the rooms," she said dreamily.
Jeremy sidled up next to Mina, and said, "You know, they say that blondes have more fun than most others. Is that true, or is that just your opinion?"
"Well, uh…I don't know" Mina said, blushing.
"So then it's not true!" he said, faking distraught. "How dare you lead a poor innocent boy on like that? And you," he said, turning to Amy, propping up on a table, "I still don't have your number."
"Well, uh…" Amy said, nervously.
He took her hands in his, got on one knee, and said, "Marry me, and we'll share our hopes, dreams, and towels together."
"J…Jeremy!" Amy said, flustered and blushing.
"What's down there?" Amara said, pointing to a door under the stair case, "What's that door go to?"
"Oh, uh…That's just the wine cellar," Jeremy said, "Nothing of interest down there. Now if you follow me this way," he said, ushering the girls out of the room, "I'll show you where the last resident did himself in. He's probably still hanging around up there."
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Back downstairs, in the kitchen, Lita, Rei, and Jim had just come in to see Kat and Serena in the rematch of the century.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"What happened to Rini!?" Rei said, kneeling beside the green colored child.
"She couldn't go on after 30," one kid said, "These girls are tied, so far."
"No more cream puffs…." Rini moaned. All the while Serena and Kat were stuffing their faces with creampuffs in a ceaseless motion of grabbing and gulping. While the bystanders shouted the numbers, "52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58..." Some counters held their breaths, for Serena had stopped at 59...and then she fell over. And the sound of people chanting, "60, 61, 62, 63! YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!" they all cheered as Kat wiped her mouth off with a napkin, sipped some water, and got up from her chair. She walked over to Serena.
"If you can't take the heat," Kat said, "Get out of my kitchen."
"Are you ok, Serena?" Lita asked her friend as she helped her up.
"No more creampuffs…" Serena groaned.
"I think she's finally full," Rei said as she carried Rini.
"Where'd Jim go?" Lita asked, looking around. He and Kat were both gone.
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"What's your problem?" Jim asked his sister when they were alone in the library.
"She challenged, I accepted," she replied. "Especially when it comes to food."
"But she's…she's…" Jim said, flabbergasted.
"Please," Kat said, leaning against the wall, "Some princess! No one insults my cooking and gets away with it."
"Keep your voice down," Jim said, "Do you want some to hear you?" But unbeknownst to them, they were being listen in on. Sailor Pluto, in disguise, had made it inside, and was now listening intently to their conversation.
"You're still they same, ma'am." she said quietly to herself.
AN: Please, don't stay silent! Review!
Friday night, as the crescent moon shone bright in they stary sky, the Three Guardians- Crimson, Gold, and Silver- jumped from roof top to roof top as they observed the sleeping city. Each was dressed in dark, black body suits, with armor on their chests, arms and legs. Their faves were masked by tinted visors, and the Silver Guardian had a plate-like helmet on the crown of her head.
"Kinda peaceful, ain't it?" Crimson said.
"If you like monotony," Silver replied.
"Do you think they will strike this store next?" Gold asked.
"Reasonably sure," Crimson answered, "It's the only place the Techno Sage needs to hit to complete his weapon."
"There they are," Silver whispered, pointing down at the store front. Dark shadows were surrounding the store, checking every corner, every window for security or anything else that might hinder them. Then, they cut the glass in the front window, and entered through the impossibly small hole.
The Crimson Guardian extended his hand, and a beam of light appeared. He grasped it, and it turned into a glowing sword. "It's on," he said, the three leaping down from the roof top.
Once on the ground, they raced to the store, and with a quick blast from his laser gauntlets to the lock on the door, Gold led the way inside. There, they were confronted by the Dark Mecha-Ninjas of the Techno Sage. The Ninjas threw poisoned stars at them, but Silver called forth the Silver Light Shield to protect them. Then, a dark cloud enveloped the building. And the sound of laughter echoed in the darkness.
"You followed me here? And right into my trap." came the synthetic voice of the Techno Sage. He was cloaked in a veil of darkness and a half mask of metal and a half mask of clay covered his face. "Tonight shall be the end of you, Guardians."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" The lights flashed on, and standing between the Sage and the Guardians were the Sailor Scouts.
"I am Sailor Moon!" said the pigtailed leader.
"And I am Sailor Mini Moon!" said her smaller version. "And in the name of the Moon," they said together, "We shall punish you!"
The Sage chuckled, and said, "How pathetic. They send children to fight me." Lightening flashed, and more Mecha-Ninjas appeared at his side. "Go, my servants!" he commanded. They charged, and the battle commenced.
The Sailors dodged the attacks, though Sailors Moon and Mini Moon kept tripping over the precious electronics they were trying to protect. While the Guardians actually fought. Crimson cut down countless opponents with his sword, slicing through metal and wires, trying to get to the Techno Sage. Silver deflected blows with her Shield while using a hairy-karee dagger to destroy her attackers. While Gold blasted Mecha- Ninjas left and right with his laser gauntlets.
Meanwhile, the other Sailors were having a tough time using their powers against their new foes. Nothing they did seemed to work. Their powers were almost useless. If they blasted one Ninja, two more took it's place. Even Sailors Uranus and Neptune were almost helpless.
"How can they keep coming!?" Sailor Uranus cried.
"Their made by a combination of science and black magic!" replied the Silver Guardian. "They were made to deflect your powers!"
"But why ours and not yours?" screamed Sailor Jupiter.
"Because we adapt!" called out the Golden Guardian as he blasted more Ninjas. They fought on, even as the Crimson Guardian went into a duel with the Dark Sage. When one parried, the other thrust. The reaction of Crimson's White Light blade and the Sage's Dark Light blade was like two magnets coming into contact. They repelled each other, yet the blades were forced to make contact again and again.
"As amusing as this has been, my friends," the Sage said, "I grow weary of this futile conflict." He jumped away from Crimson, and said, "I have the part I came for," as he made the component visible from beneath his cloak.
"He's got the Nuetron Dynamo!" said Gold.
"I suggest you get more effective allies," the Sage said as he swirled the cloak about him. He twisted and turned until he vanished into a dark sphere, taking his Ninjas with him.
They looked around. The place was trashed. And the Scouts hung their heads in shame.
"You idiots!" Silver screamed at them. "He's right! You're absolutely no help what so ever! You fight 'in the Name of the Moon', and let them get away? You're worse than the Cops!!"
"Don't be too hard on them, Silver," Gold said. "They haven't been fighting the Techno Sage as long as we have. They don't know what he's capable of."
"Then tell us," Mercury said. "Who is the Techno Sage, and why is he targeting technology corporations?"
"We'll explain, but not now," Crimson answered as police sirens came in the distance. He extinguished his sword, and said, "Meet us tomorrow, and we will answere you questions."
Then, using her own form of mystical powers, Silver clasped her hands, and formed a globe of white around the Guardians. Then, they also vanished.
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Lita looked at the vacant desk beside her. Thirty minutes into history, and Jim still wasn't there. Her heart sank a little inside her chest. Where could he be? She wondered.
Later when they met after school, they learned that all three siblings had not attended class.
"Not even Jeremy?" asked Serena.
"Nope," Darien said. "He just wasn't there. I mean, granted, we probably don't have the same classes everyday, but I checked around. He didn't even show up on campus."
"I found a great relief," said Amara. "No scribbling in that creepy notebook about our every move."
"You know, the other two had notebooks, too," said Mina. "I wonder what they write in them."
"Hey!" called their friend Molly as she and Melvin came in and sat beside them.
"We figured out what happened to the new kids," said Melvin, rubbing his eyes as his new contacts irritated them again.
"It's all here in this week's variety pages in the paper," Molly said holding up the paper. On the head artical were the siblings, each in their goofiest pose. The title read, 'Teen Philanthropists Take Tokyo By Storm."
"Philanthropists?" they all said together, flabbergasted.
"You mean that clown is rich?" Amara cried. She knocked her head against the table.
"Yup, Meatball Head Syndrome," Darien muttered.
"What was that?" Serena questioned.
"Nothing, dear," Darien replied.
"So they're millionaires," Rei said. "What does that have to do with them being out of school?"
"Duh," Molly said, "They have special permission to leave whenever they need to take care of business matters."
"They're part of a triumbred technologies corporation. They have stock in every major company just to cover their bases. And each one has their own branch. Kat actually runs a record company! And Jim is the spokesman for the top martial arts academy in Hollywood. And their brother has helped produce every Hollywood blockbuster for the past two years!"
"And on top of it all," Molly said, "They co-own their own technology corporation."
"You mean Merlot Techno?" Amy asked, since she was the only one who would notice the name on most electronics in their group.
"They just opened up a new corporate office here, in Tokyo." Molly said
Melvin nodded, "And they're planning to host a huge celebration for the economy boost this will make!"
"And they invited the whole school to a party this Saturday," Serena said in awe. "She's a millionaire?" she said, looking at the picture of Kat, smiling and making a peace sign, again.
"And you were worried about a cream puff record," Rei said, mockingly.
"That was important to me!" Serena argued. "And I didn't know she was mega rich before! Besides, she should have been more worried about her millions anyway instead of destroying my record, and acting like it was something she could do on a whim!"
"Why don't you stop worrying about food, and grow up you big baby!" Rei said. They both stuck out their tongues at one another, and stared coldly at each other.
"Pot calling the kettle black," came a familiar voice. "You know that's not a very good picture of me." They looked up, and there they were. The 'millionaire teens' themselves.
Molly's face turned red as Jeremy took the paper, and said, "Actually, I think they got your best side. Mine, however looks like a reject from a wax figure museum."
"At least you don't look like a deer in headlights," said Jim, blushing as he looked at his own photo.
"I.. .uh…I kinda liked it," Lita said meekly - a tone no one ever thought to put with Lita.
"Aww,. How sweet," Kat said. "Your girlfriend thinks your bad book photo is cute!"
"I hardly know her!" Jim cried. Then, he rushed towards the restrooms, to hide from the onlookers.
"Stop him, bro," said Kat.
"On it!" Jeremy said, tackling his younger brother to the ground, and dragging him back. "You shouldn't be so rude as to run off in the middle of a conversation, Jimmy. Especially with such a pretty young lady." Then, Jeremy stopped short, looked at Amy, and said, "Oh, and who do we have here? What's your name, miss?" he said rather charmingly.
Amy blushed, and said, "Anffnmy…" she mumbled, then clapping her hand over her malfunctioning mouth.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that, but it sounded rather exotic," he said with a charming smile.
"Her name," Serena said, taking her friends shoulder in her hands, "Is Amy. And she's the smartest girl in school hands down!"
"Serena!" Amy said, blushing.
"Oh she speaks," Kat said sarcastically.
"And with great eloquence," Jeremy added.
"What do you three want?" Amara interrupted.
"Want? We just came in for a soda and saw you guys sitting here," Kat said. "Figured we'd say hello."
"And we thought it a great surprise to see that you all know each other," Jeremy said, squeezing in between Serena and Amy. "So, Darien," he said, "is this the Meatball Head you've been dating?"
"Well…uh…."
"If she's not," Kat said, "Are doing anything next weekend?" she asked Darien dreamily.
"Hands off," Serena said, guarding him, "He's mine!"
"And mine!" came Rini's meager little voice. She climbed over the back of the booth, and climbed on Darien's back.
"Oh, Creampuff Queen has a Mini Me," Kat said. "And she's so precious!"
"Guys, we better get our orders and leave," Jim said, "We're attracting a crowd." And many head were turned towards them in interest. Most of those heads had hands that held the variety pages.
"Oh, look at the time," Jeremy said, looking at none existent watch on his wrist. "We really must be going. It's been delightful and delovely meeting you, Amy. Now If I could just get your number?" But he was cut short when Kat grabbed his ear and pulled.
"Down, boy! Down! You need to learn good manners in public." Kat said as she dragged her older brother away from the booth. Jim grabbed a bag of carry-out food. "Bye guys. Bye Lita," he said as he rushed out after his siblings.
"He remembered my name…" Lita said dreamily as they watched the three walk by the window.
"Can you believe how shameless he acted!" Amara said, outraged. "Hitting on a high school girl ,and him in college!"
Serena and Darien gave their friend an icy stare.
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At their mansion, Jeremy was surveying the basement. "If we move the wine cellar back a few feet, we should have enough room for the Crystal Cavern." he said.
"Well hurry up and get those computers set up," Kat said, her arms crossed. "We need to look for that Princess before we waste any more time."
Jeremy removed a crystal shard from a box, and set it on the ground. Jim used chalk to make an outline of where the central command post was to be. Then, they stepped back, and watched as the crystal grew into the room. Sparkling rainbow colored prisms encased the walls, floor, and ceiling, until every inch was covered in pure, Silver Crystal. And to seal the crystal, Kat began to sing a song in a long forgotten language, her first soprano voice echoing, sounding like tiny bells ringing under clear water.
And they were done. The majority of the old cellar had become The Crystal Caverns.
"Nicely done" Jeremy said. He turned and walked over to a large expanse of crystal. On a small surface that jutted out from the rest, a keyboard seemed to emerge from the crystals. And flat space above became a screen. "Patience is a virtue, sis," he said over his shoulder. "Now we will put these samples in the computer and know for certain if our friends are who we think they are, or just ordinary shmucks."
"I still think we should wait for the party," said Jim. "It'll easier to get samples from everyone that way."
"But it'll take longer," Kat said, "And killing my social life by plucking hairs from all my classmates."
"It'll just take a sec," Jeremy said, putting the different strands of hair into a cylinder. Then, he tapped a few keys, and the screen read the progress of the data transfer sequence. Each strand was analyzed, and the data recorded.
"Alright, now hand me your samples from the other night." Jeremy said.
"It was hard getting these the other night in battle," Kat said, getting out her dishes.
"And some of mine are incomplete." Jim said.
"We should still be able to use them," Jeremy said as he fed the samples into the computer. The system took in the data from these, and after five minutes, displayed it's results
"Well, now we know," Jeremy said. "Serena and the others are the Scouts."
"We've got a lot of training to do," Kat said, heading for the stairs. "And they need it desperately."
"Hold on! Is that all you have to say?" Jim asked her angrily. "We finally found the Moon Princess, her court, and a possible heir to the throne of two kingdoms, and all you have to say is 'we'll need practice'?"
"They're kids!" she yelled. "They're untrained, undisciplined! They nearly got us all killed last night!"
"We were kids too when we found out who we were," Jeremy reminded her. "You and Jim are still kids. Just because you were the top trainer of the Moon Army in those days, when you were stronger and wiser than you are now, doesn't mean you have the right to call them what you want. Especially not our royal Princess."
"And she was only a baby when we went away to fight," Jim said. "She didn't have us to train her properly, like Pluto did."
"Don't you think I know that?" Kat said. "The Princess from Pluto was my favorite student! Top of her regiment! Why do you think I recommended her to the Queen for the Scout program? Why I insisted she take the Key? She was ready. These kids aren't! Honestly, I don't know how the world hadn't fallen to the Negaverse." she said, climbing the stairs slowly. "When you tell them, send them to me. They'll get the training they should have had a long time ago." she said, leaving her brothers in the room.
"She's right," Jim said. "They should have been trained. But they also need new weapons."
"I'll handle that," Jeremy said. "You go on to bed, buddy. You've got school tomorrow."
Jim looked at his older brother…his commander…and went back upstairs, too.
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The Techno Sage sat in his lair and marveled at his new ultimate weapon. Electrodes, cables and wires protruded from his body and linked him into every inch of his electronic hive. Neutron Cannon was finally completed and ready for testing but on what would he unleash it's destructive power?
"Show the city of Tokyo." He ordered his Mecha-Ninjas, and glowing orb appeared with image of the city glowing brightly upon it. "Yes. I think that I shall begin with destruction of those meddlesome Guardians." He said looking at Merlot mansion. "Yes, they shall be the first to feel my wrath."
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Cars were lined up so far they circled around the mansion and spilled into the streets. Music blasted loud from every door and window. And all three siblings greeted various guests.
"Welcome to the Merlot Estate," Jeremy said with his charming, sparkling white smile, "come in and partake of our fine food! Just please don't partake our fine silver, and most definitely don't partake the kitchen sink!"
"High school guests in the parlor," Kat said, directing everyone, "College in the dining room. We will all meet outside in the garden in a few hours. No outside food or drink," she added as a guy tried to smuggle in a six pack.
"Hi," Jim said to each person at the door, "glad you could make it. Please, make yourself at home."
This was the state of affairs that the Scouts found themselves in as they arrived.
"Oh my! Look at this artwork!" Amy said, "It must be priceless!"
"They have a live band!" Rei said. "Later! I'm going to go dance."
"I wonder if Jim can leave the door long enough to give me a tour of this place," Lita said as she turned back to the front entrance.
Serena turned into a room, and her jaw dropped. "Look at all that FOOD!!!" she said in ecstasy. "CREAMPUFFS!!!" she exclaimed. She rushed over and started gobbling morsels left and right.
Meanwhile, Kat had taken over door duty. "Hello, thanks for coming. Have a good time. What was your name again?" But then she noticed a baseball cap walk by. She turned, and picked up the little pink haired party crasher. "And who do we have here," she asked party crasher.
"I'm P.J. Popover," she said in a indignant, meager little voice. "A high school person."
"Oh really?" Kat asked. "Either years of smoking has stunted your growth or you're a midget, and I don't think you're either one." She tucked the child under her arm, and carried her inside. Kat went straight to the dinning room where she knew Serena would be. She tapped Serena's shoulder, and the blonde girl turned around. She was in the middle of a cupcake when Kat held up Rini- who had by this time lost the hat- in between them. "Lose your Mini Me?" Kat asked, putting the little girl down.
"I thought I told you to stay home," Serena said, annoyed.
"But I've never been to a big party like this before!" Rini said, making little fists. "I never get to go anywhere that's fun!"
"That's cause you're not old enough to go anywhere that's fun!" Serena said.
"Far be it for me to tell a teen mom how to raise her kid, but I think you have a discipline problem," Kat said.
"What? What did you say??" Serena asked, shocked that someone could have guessed who Rini was, even a little.
"You have a discipline problem," Kat said a bit louder, "Are you deaf as well as dimwitted?"
"Why don't you take your nose out of our business," Serena said, stuffing her face again. By now, she'd been joined by Rini.
"I see you're enjoying the food," Kat observed.
"Yeah," Rini said, "Who'd you get to cater?"
"I did," Kat said proudly, "I have degrees from two culinary institutes."
"Wait a minute," Serena said, "You're in high school!"
"Summer program," Kat said. "Took two years."
"Well…that's still not impressive," Serena said.
"But you're still enjoying my baklava," Kat pointed out.
"Yeah well…You broke my record," Serena said, faltering.
"So what?" Kat said.
"So, I challenge you to a rematch!" Serena said.
"You're on!" Kat replied.
"I want in on this!" Rini added as they all marched to the kitchen.
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Meanwhile, Mina, Amara, Michelle, and Amy walking around, following Jeremy as he gave a brief tour.
"And to your right, you'll see the library," Jeremy said.
"So many books!" Amy said, "How do you find time to read them all?"
"I don't," he replied. "Kat and Jim do. I'm just a collector."
"You have a beautiful home," Mina said, "I would just love to be able live in a place like this...And host parties…and decorate the rooms," she said dreamily.
Jeremy sidled up next to Mina, and said, "You know, they say that blondes have more fun than most others. Is that true, or is that just your opinion?"
"Well, uh…I don't know" Mina said, blushing.
"So then it's not true!" he said, faking distraught. "How dare you lead a poor innocent boy on like that? And you," he said, turning to Amy, propping up on a table, "I still don't have your number."
"Well, uh…" Amy said, nervously.
He took her hands in his, got on one knee, and said, "Marry me, and we'll share our hopes, dreams, and towels together."
"J…Jeremy!" Amy said, flustered and blushing.
"What's down there?" Amara said, pointing to a door under the stair case, "What's that door go to?"
"Oh, uh…That's just the wine cellar," Jeremy said, "Nothing of interest down there. Now if you follow me this way," he said, ushering the girls out of the room, "I'll show you where the last resident did himself in. He's probably still hanging around up there."
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Back downstairs, in the kitchen, Lita, Rei, and Jim had just come in to see Kat and Serena in the rematch of the century.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"What happened to Rini!?" Rei said, kneeling beside the green colored child.
"She couldn't go on after 30," one kid said, "These girls are tied, so far."
"No more cream puffs…." Rini moaned. All the while Serena and Kat were stuffing their faces with creampuffs in a ceaseless motion of grabbing and gulping. While the bystanders shouted the numbers, "52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58..." Some counters held their breaths, for Serena had stopped at 59...and then she fell over. And the sound of people chanting, "60, 61, 62, 63! YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!" they all cheered as Kat wiped her mouth off with a napkin, sipped some water, and got up from her chair. She walked over to Serena.
"If you can't take the heat," Kat said, "Get out of my kitchen."
"Are you ok, Serena?" Lita asked her friend as she helped her up.
"No more creampuffs…" Serena groaned.
"I think she's finally full," Rei said as she carried Rini.
"Where'd Jim go?" Lita asked, looking around. He and Kat were both gone.
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"What's your problem?" Jim asked his sister when they were alone in the library.
"She challenged, I accepted," she replied. "Especially when it comes to food."
"But she's…she's…" Jim said, flabbergasted.
"Please," Kat said, leaning against the wall, "Some princess! No one insults my cooking and gets away with it."
"Keep your voice down," Jim said, "Do you want some to hear you?" But unbeknownst to them, they were being listen in on. Sailor Pluto, in disguise, had made it inside, and was now listening intently to their conversation.
"You're still they same, ma'am." she said quietly to herself.
AN: Please, don't stay silent! Review!