Disclamer: I am in no way responsible for the ownership of said Moon, or any of her friends. I am a starving college student, so even if you wanted to sue me, you wouldn't get jack!

Italics: Thoughts

Chapter 8 "One or Two Players?"

Down in the hot, dark, and evil depths, a lone figure sat anxiously waiting for his charge to return. It had been a day since he sent his minions to asses his exit's status, and he was growing more and more impatient as the time crawled on. When his right hand man returned with a single Maggot, his spirits livened.

"Finally! You DO realize that I am a man with, well, maybe not a man, but I still have deadlines, Beelzebub. Now, tell me, what is the news?"

Beelzebub hated being called by his given name, but his master was boss. He gave an inward sigh and let the name slide. It wasn't like he could do anything about it.

"Sir, this Maggot has some special news. I will let him speak for himself." There, he removed the attention from himself and on this lesser being.

The dark figure settled in his rocky throne and said, "Proceed."

The Maggot cleared his two throats and began his stereo narration of the previous day's events. "Aanndd tthheen, II rreettuurnneed aass ssoonn aass II ccoouulldd."

The Lord of Darkness pondered this turn of events, then regarded his charge, "You have done well, Maggot. I think that a reward is in order. You will be placed in a cocoon and given the opportunity to lead our armies against this new Avenger." With a wave of his shadowy hand, the ground split again and the Maggot was engulfed in the fiery case that he would need to mutate.

The dark one sat back and contented himself with watching the creature grow. It would take at least a week for the creature to be ready, so he let his right hand man go and occupy his mind with what ever distractions there could be found.

"Don't worry. Even though I gave him command of the armies," he gestured to the cocoon, "You will be in charge of him. Now, go, and watch the surface for any signs of change."

In car-Tokyo...

I want to check out the arcade! Jonathan screamed at himself while he was sitting in Darien's apartment. He tried to busy himself with reading or T.V. or anything that would take his mind off of the absence of his jam partner. They were planning something special for the Christmas party, which took some doing, but Jonathan finally persuaded Darien to go along with it.
"She'll really like it, and you will be able to show off to the girls, and let them know that there is a real guy in there!" Jonathan said, smacking the back of his head for emphasis.

It is really good that he and Mina are so much alike! Well, he actually says the jokes right!

Jonathan mentally went over the way to the arcade, and then set off to find some entertainment. He hadn't been playing as many games as he used too, and he thought it would be a good idea to see how his skills had fared. Besides, he thought, I might run into a certain someone there! With that thought, he began to sing softly to himself and bop down the sidewalk. When he finally walked through the arcade doors, he was met with a scene that brought him joy. It was an old fashioned arcade, the kind that had rows of standing games, racing games and other prize games that otherwise would have sapped his money. If he had any. That was a big problem right now. Luckily, a kind hearted blonde man behind the counter came to the rescue.

Andrew noticed the new guy waltz right into the room and stop dead in his tracks. He had seen that look many times before, but on certain young blonde females that frequented his arcade. He knew that one day wouldn't hurt him. Andrew approached the newcomer, and lightly tapped his shoulder.

"Hey buddy. Five games, on me!" With that, he dropped five games worth of tokens into the stunned student's hands. "Don't worry about it," he said when he presented the tokens, dismissing a muttered "I can't take those!"

"It helps to be prepared with the crowd that usually frequents this place. By the way, it is about to get really crowded in here, school's almost out. Well, have fun! I have got to go and start making hot cocoas!" Andrew bounded back to the counter with a look of accomplishment on his face. One more Mina or Serena in here is all I need, but then again, maybe he can take the heat off me for once. Besides, He is new, and he looked like he could use some fun.

Jonathan stared down at the tokens in his hands, and thought that it was really nice of him. He also knew that it would be rude to refuse the gift, so he began to look around for a new home for the hot little coins burning a hole in his anxious hand. Then he spotted it. The 'Sailor V' game. He always wanted to play that, and he walked forward to begin his new experience. And play he did. When he arrived, the high scores were presented and the top ten read:

1. MA

2. MA

3. ST

4. MA

5. ST

6. MA

7. ST

8. ST

9. ST

10. MA

Looks like I have some competition! This is gonna be fun! He began to play, and soon he was lost in the virtual world of a tiny, pixilated Sailor V, blasting demons left and right. He was also unaware of the small crowd steadily gathering at his back. When he finally took his last hit, the crow cheered and he was slightly surprised to see that he made the high score. He grinned and entered his initials in the number one spot. When he finally got up, he heard the many comments of "Wow! He made it to the last level!" and "not even did that blonde get that far!". These comments didn't do as much to his self esteem as they would have a year ago. He was slowly weaning himself off of the drug that he affectionately dubbed "EM". He was hooked on "Electronic Media" for too long, and he decide to change that. When he heard the bells over the door jingle, he looked and couldn't keep from smiling. Mina and Serena strolled through the doors and out of the chilly, December air and walked up to the counter. Jonathan decided that it would be good time to go and start up some "friendly" competition. He collected his thoughts and walked up to the counter. He cleared his throat and tapped Mina's shoulder.
"Excuse me miss, but I believe that Sailor V has a new high score." Mina jumped at his initial touch, then she realized what he said.
"Hey! What! That's impossible! No one could have gotten past the level eight guardian! I know! I couldn't."

Jonathan tried, unsuccessfully, to contain his laughter and said, "You don't believe me? Go and see for your self."

She obliged him, and left to ascertain the situation. Serena jumped in and asked, more like wailed, "You really beat her score!" Jonathan was about to answer the question when they both were distracted by a scream from the other side of the room. They turned and saw a frazzled Mina staring at the game. Jonathan felt a sense of sadness wash over him. He wanted to play a game with her, not hurt her feelings. He left a sputtering Serena and moved over to Mina's side. Just as he was about to reach down and place a comforting hand on her shoulder, she whirled on him.

"This can't be. You. Me. Challenge. NOW!"

Three games later…

"And it looks like we have a tie, ladies and gentlemen. Since it is the final match, we will let the lovely lady decide the final game." Andrew could have auditioned for the job of announcer. He was currently judging the most competitive gaming experience that Jonathan ever witnessed. So far, his admiration for the goddess of love and beauty had grown into full blown wonder. They decided to count the Sailor V game as the first, and the second was a test of hand-eye-coordination. The player had to stop a glowing light on a ring in the area titled "jackpot" to win. Jonathan's slightly, very slightly better coordination won him that round. She had whooped him in two consecutive racing games, and if she was feeling competitive she would choose another racing game. Or, if she was smart. To every one's surprise, she said, "I choose, Mrs. Pac-Man."

Did he just hear her right? Jonathan OWNED that game! Really, he had a standing copy in his basement at home. He made a show of disappointment in her choice, while silently praising his luck. I think that I might actually win this competition!

They moved up to the machine, and they moved to insert their tokens at the same time.

Their hands brushed against each other for a split second, and they both blushed. Jonathan recovered and scored some brownie points by allowing her to go first.

When their credits were received, Andrew proceeded with the event. "Select, One or Two players!" He practically sang his announcement, and the two duelers said in unison, "Two."

They were stunned again, and Serena caught the blushes on both of their faces instantly, like some kind of attraction radar. She couldn't decide who to cheer for. Jonathan became a friend to her and the rest of the girls, and he was especially getting along with Darien. She also noticed how Mina was spacing out a lot lately. She decided to keep her mouth shut for once. She wished she could choose. It was the hardest thing she had to do, just to keep her mouth shut.

Jonathan watched as Mina sailed through the first two levels, then ran into a problem with the third. The red level held blinking dots that didn't last as long as the previous two, and she quickly found herself trapped between two ghosts. When her game was up, her score was around the 50,000 mark. Jonathan stepped up and soared just as easily through the first two levels. When he reached the red level, he adjusted his strategy.

He raced around the level trying to gobble up as many dots as possible without using any of the blinking ones. He finished that level, and promptly lost on the "Jr." level. When the score was tallied, his reached into the 100,000's. This brought a sigh from the defeated Mina, who held out a hand to congratulate the winner. To her surprise, he didn't take the hand. Instead, he bent slightly and raised the gentle hand to his lips. Her breath caught in her throat and she could barely manage a giggle.

"Congratulations on your win." she finally managed.

Jonathan just looked over her raised knuckles and said through a grin, "No, Thank you for such a good time."