Title: The Chosen Three
Author: Violet Star
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: PG-15 ('T' on for mild swearing and violent imagery.
Summary: Another Slayer is called after Buffy dies in "The Gift".
Time: BTVS- AU halfway into season 7. Sailor Moon- After SMStars
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from BTVS or SM belongs to the shows' creators, anything else is mine.
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"Beep, Beep, Beep."
That was my alarm. I knew it was going off, but after the strangeness of the night before I really didn't want to wake up. "Luna can you turn that off for me? Please, I just want to sleep for a few more minutes." I whined and pulled the covers further over my head, effectively blocking out the light but not the sound.
"Sorry Usagi, I can't do that. It's already11:30 and you need to meet the girls at noon." Luna jumped on my bed and crawled onto my back. "Time to get up." She bit the top of my blanket and started to pull it down. I knew this routine and so I grabbed hold of the corners and held them up past my head. "Usagi, let go this minute! I know you had a late night last night but that's no excuse, you manage to get up in time to go to class on the weekdays. And you've already slept more tonight than you have all week. It is time to get ready and meet your friends at the arcade for lunch. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"
"It's tempting, but I don't feel like having Rei yell at me again today. Especially if I have to walk around the mall with her all afternoon." I grumbled under my breath. I really didn't feel like it, but I got up and started looking for something to wear that day. I didn't want to wear a dress or skirt so I put on a simple pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt that said 'I am loved' in pink sparkle lettering. I sat down in front of my mirror and began to fix my hair. "It's a good thing I remembered to take a shower last night before I went to sleep. I would never have made it on time."
Luna jumped up to my dresser and sat in front of the mirror. "Yes, you probably would have been late but if you don't get going in the next five minutes you are going to be late anyway.
I finally tucked the last bobby pin in my second bun and patted it to make sure it was secure. "Alright, I'm done, and in record time!" After slipping on a pair of sandals and grabbing my purse from the chair next to the door I ran down stairs with Luna on my heels. "Later Mom! I'm meeting the girls for lunch and shopping at the mall." Mom was in the kitchen making lunch for Shingo and Papa.
"Be back for dinner at six or call if you're eating with the girls." Mom met me in the front hall. "Remember we just replaced that screen door you ruined last week."
"Right. Open door, don't run through it." I reprimanded myself. "Don't worry I'll be back or call, like always!" I pushed the door open and held it there barely long enough for Luna to scramble through. Once I was out on the sidewalk in front of the house I checked my watch and noticed it was almost noon. "Crap, ten minutes! Even running at slayer speed I'm still barely going to make it." I snatched up Luna, slipped her into my extra large purse and made a break for it toward the mall, which was inconveniently located on the other side of town. 'Why did I have to argue with Luna this morning? I am in the third year of high school now. I have to prove to the girls that I am changing; show them that I can be on time for once. Without actually showing them how much I have changed.'
On my way to the mall I ran past the Crown Arcade and out of habit glanced inside. My eyes quickly scanned the interior and fell on the group's usual booth. I didn't notice anything unusual right away but once I had gone a few steps further down the street my brain caught up with my feet and turned myself around. "Oh, right, we were supposed to meet at he arcade for lunch, I almost forgot." As I approached the door I had to pause for a moment to remind myself 'Everyone is expecting you to have grown up now that you're in high school Usagi, that includes being on time. Don't make a fuss if Rei yells, just brush it off. Now big smile and here we go!'
When I burst through the door I bent over in exhaustion. I couldn't let the others know that I wasn't at all tired. In fact I probably could have kept going all the way to the all and not be tired. "There you are Odango Atama! Late, like always." Rei teased. I just shrugged at her and slipped into the booth next to Ami.
"Actually she's not late, she's two minutes early." Makoto was looking at her watch.
Rei glared down to her and mouthed something that looked like, "Thanks a lot."
"Look, it's not like you've never been one minute late for anything in your life." I tried to rationalize with Rei, but by this point our fights had become more routine than anything so I knew we were just having fun.
"How does that saying go again? 'Better late than early'?" asked Minako. The rest of us tried to hide our grins, but it was hard.
"No Mina, the saying goes 'Better late than never'." Ami corrected Mina and rolled her eyes. "I hope you don't want anything different today Usagi. I already ordered for you. Strawberry milkshake and a cheeseburger with everything, correct?"
"Yep! Thanks Ami-Chan." I was very thankful that she thought to order for me but what I was really craving ever since becoming the slayer was a nice big, salad. I knew that wouldn't go over well with the girls, especially Makoto and Rei. Rei would tease me till I died for eating healthy and Makoto would be heartbroken thinking that I didn't want to eat her food anymore. It wasn't that I didn't like junk food any longer, but after a late night of slaying all I really craved was a great big salad, or at least an apple. Luna tried explaining it to me – something to do with increased metabolism is making me hungry and greasy burgers are just not filling me up anymore, but honestly, I wasn't listening.
"Usagi, did you hear what I said?" Minako's question brought me out of my thoughts. "Are you looking for something in particular at the mall today?"
"Oh… no not really. I don't have that much money actually. Just window shopping for me today." I frowned, thinking about the fleece lined leather jacket I saw last week. It looked so warm and with the nights getting colder I didn't want to give up fashion for warmth, even while slaying. Unfortunately that thing cost more than all the money I would have if I could save five months worth of my allowance. And that's a big IF I could save all my money for five months.
"OK, I don't have any money either. We'll window shop together." said Makoto. "Ever since we stopped fighting youma every night, and we actually have time to go shopping, we don't seem to have as much money." Minako shook her head in agreement.
"Alright, food's here." Rei interrupted our musings as Motoki came over with a tray piled full with our orders. "Thanks Motoki. Can you get us some more napkins too?"
"Sure anything else ladies?" With a 'No thanks' all around he left. As he turned away Minako leaned over and around Rei to get a good look at Motoki's backside.
"Mina, that's disrespectful. I thought you had better manners than that." Ami chided.
"Oh come on Ami, you can't tell me you haven't checked out Motoki, ever." When a light blush crept up Ami's face we all knew the answer and burst out laughing. We knew the others in the arcade were probably looking at us like we'd grown three extra heads a piece but if they were, they didn't know that this was how we acted all the time.
After a few minutes of calm and silence while we scarfed down our food, we started gathering our purses and pulling out money to cover the bill.
"I guess I can't actually buy anything either," Minako pouted, "I just ran out of money."
"Me too.' said Rei. "Ami, do you have money?" Ami nodded her head shyly. She was always the best at saving money. Rei looked around the table, "I guess it is window shopping for the rest of us then."
With that we got up, paid and headed outside.
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As the rest of the senshi were walking into a clothing store I stood in the causeway, staring at the jacket I wanted so much.
Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I noticed a strangely dressed man trying to hide behind a bush. I felt as though something was watching me all day and I noticed that this guy was giving out some very evil vibes.
"Hey guys! You keep shopping, I have to go to the restroom. I'll catch up to you later." I called into the store. After hearing a muffled see you later that sounded like it came from Ami, I started walking faster and faster toward the nearest uncrowded exit. I suppose that was better than being out front where someone could get hurt, but even after dusting vampires in dark places, I was still kind of uneasy when fighting somewhere I wasn't fairly familiar with.
As I got acquainted with the back entrance to the mall – the one the loading trucks used – the hooded man who was following me inside came through the door followed by two others like him. "I didn't realize this was a party? Can I bring my friends too?" I asked sarcastically from the rooftop where I was standing. At once they all pulled their hoods back and I had to bite back a shout of surprise. 'Ahh! They have no eyes!! That's crazy! Who are these people?'
I jumped down from the rooftop and knocked one of the strangers to the ground. I punched the one on the left then ducked an attack from the one on the right who was wielding a nifty pair of daggers – if I do say so myself. I swept my foot out and kicked down the guy on the left who had bounced back after the punch.
The one I landed on pulled out his own pair of daggers and made a jab at me. I grabbed his wrists hard and forced him to drop the daggers. Now that I had weapons in my hands I felt more at ease and turned to the guy coming at me from the left and shoved a dagger deep into his chest. I could tell that the one who got his feet knocked out from under him was going to try to get me in the back so I spun around and got him with the other dagger. As the third was trying to get away I grabbed a dagger one of the first two had dropped and threw it, hitting him square in the back.
I stood up and took a look around. "Well they were definitely not vampires." I mumbled aloud. "Luna, are you alright?" I turned to my oversized purse that I dropped just outside the door.
"I'm fine, are you hurt?" she asked and I looked down at my left arm where a small trickle of blood was dripping. I could already feel a small stinging which meant my slayer strength was starting to heal the cut.
"It's just a little cut. I'll need to wash off the blood in the restroom but I'll be fine." I picked up my purse and headed back inside to find the restrooms. "Do you know who those men might have been?"
"Sorry, I have no idea. Were they demonic?"
I nodded. "I felt a negative energy around them and they weren't after an innocent, that's for sure. I thought I felt someone watching me all day, waiting for the right time to attack. I can only assume that those guys were my stalkers. But I don't understand how they knew who I am?" I pulled open the door of the restroom.
"They must have some kind of demonic-slayer sixth sense. Like the reverse of yours." Luna suggested.
A few moments later, after I left the restroom, the senshi spotted me from a table in the food court. "There you are Odango, we thought you might have flushed yourself down the toilet." Rei teased. "We were just about to check on you."
Minako and Makoto sighed and turned to me. "Are you feeling alright?"
"You were in there for a while."
"I'm fine." I answered, "Where's Ami?"
"She said she had to go get something from the media store. Something about having run out of memory…" Mina cocked her head to the side and got a funny look on her face, "but if she had run out of memory how did she remember she needed more?" Minako was clueless as always.
I glanced at my watch and was surprised at how late it had gotten. "Hey guys I need to get home for dinner tonight and it's already 5:30."
"See you Usa, call us later on the communicator. Maybe we can have a sleepover at Rei's tonight."
"I will, see you later!" I called over my shoulder "I didn't realize how much a day of shopping could take out of a girl." I remarked to Luna once we were out of the mall.
"Well there were those demons you fought. They were do different, it probably took a lot of your energy fighting them." Luna jumped out of my purse and onto my shoulder. We've only seen vampires around here before."
"You mean there are other monsters besides vampires out there!" On one level I realized this had to be true, I just didn't expect to be facing them right away.
"Obviously – you just fought some today." Strangely Luna's voice had an edge of nervousness.
"Right. But why would they come out now? Why haven't we seen them before if they really were out there?" We turned onto our street and I paused under a street lamp.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "So are you going to call the girls tonight?"
"Yeah, I think I am. We haven't had a proper sleepover in a long time. It would be nice to spend the night with the girls again." At that moment my stomach gurgled loudly and Luna snorted back a giggle. "I am so hungry. Thank Selene we're almost home. I could eat an elephant."
"When aren't you hungry enough to eat an elephant?"
"Very funny Luna. You are starting to sound like Rei. I'm going to be sure to remind Minako to bring along Artemis." I winked at Luna and giggled as I ran up to my front door.