A few quick things!
I have a tumblr! If you enjoy my work, follow me. The link is in my profile. (PS I'm totally new to this platform.)
I have just realized that I'm supposed to reply to reviews! (I vaguely remember this not really being a thing when I started ff writing a lifetime ago.) So, I promise I'm going to be more on that because I absolutely adore reviews. (They give me all the feel goods.)
I want to address my chapter length. I know they are woefully shot. I'm working really, really hard on that. (I've been scriptwriting for about a decade now, and it's hard to break free of the tearseness.) And while I can't guarantee I'm going to have 5k chapters going forward, I can guarantee regular postings - every two weeks like clockwork for the next several months at least. I'm also working on some "interludes" to add between chapters, but the first one snowballed into its own mammoth chapter, so we'll have to see about that.
As always, thank you to everyone reading, following, and reviewing! A super special thanks to Runic for her awesome beta notes, and Chelsea, for nailing that crucial element I was missing. Thanks Matt, my Prince Ferdinando, for being my cheerleader. Lastly, but not leastly, to my husband for enduring this and putting T-Rex to bed early so that I can write in the bathtub.
Sailor Moon X by Starling Sinclair
Chapter 3: Life as a Sailor Senshi
1/29/2019
Motoki arrived just minutes after Usagi called. He'd heard via a news alert on his phone that an arcade in Roppongi Hills was under attack. So he cut his lunch with Mamoru short and headed straight towards Crown.
While she waited, she took charge. It was easy and gave her focus. EMTs arrived and starting checking everyone for injuries. The man Usagi had saved appeared to have a clean bill of health, but they were sending him to the hospital just in case. He would be the first case of energy reversal seen in a youma attack. Convincing the little girl to come out from behind the Pokemon machine had proven to be a difficult task, that Usagi only succeed at when she offered candy.
Once everyone else was taken care of, only then did she start to assess the damage. Her heart dropped. Several claw machines were destroyed, as was the change machine she'd been working on when the attack happened. Only about two of the actual arcade machines would need repair, but several windows and chairs were destroyed. If only she had been better, quicker somehow to discover these new powers.
She was doing her best to clean up all the broken glass, but Motoki arrived.
He stood in the doorway a moment. His eyes wide as he scanned through the damage. She tried to watch him and the pained expression that cross his face as each little thing registered. His eyes finally landed on her. He pursed his lips.
"Give me the broom Usagi," he commanded.
"I've got this," she said, holding the broom close to her.
"Nope. The Usagi I know doesn't sweep," he said. "Are you sure you don't need to be checked out by the EMTs?"
"I'm fine," she said. She was mostly. (Maybe it was a perk of this new super hero business.)
"Nope. You've just been through a youma attack," he said and pulled the broom from her clutches. "You need to go home and unwind."
"I'm just worried about the arcade," she whined.
"That's what we have insurance for," he said.
"But…" she started. Motoki fixed her with his "boss" face. Seeing that she wasn't going to be victorious in this battle, she relented. "Fine."
Motoki took the broom from her. "You did a great job today," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But go home, and rest."
But she wasn't going home. She was so buzzed. It felt as if she were seeing the world through new eyes. She, Usagi Tsukino, had been chosen to fight alongside real life superheroes. All those years of playing video games, watching Marvel Movie imports, reading magical girl manga, it was all coming together. She had a destiny - to be the Warrior of Love and Justice!
She headed toward Cherry Hill Temple - the place Sailor Venus or Minako had set up as a rendezvous. Usagi had visited Cherry Hill Temple a few times in her life. A year or so back, it had been the spot for charms - good luck charms, bad luck charms, love charms, etc. (Naru had dragged Usagi here during the great charm rush.) The fad had passed, but it was still a well visited shrine. Even rumored that it's young priestess was a psychic.
Now, as the sun was setting, the world around the shrine was shutting down. The noise of the cityscape was surrendering to the timelessness, to its historic beauty and nature of the shrine.
And were there always that many stairs?
Taking a deep breath, Usagi started to climb.
Rei was sweeping the courtyard, finishing her duties for the day while keeping an eye out for the Senshi Minako had told her about. However, she had expected the new recruit over an hour ago. This did not bode well for the new girl. What kind of warrior would this new girl make if she couldn't even keep to a simple deadline? What did that say about her respect to the position? Or the discipline needed to be a Senshi?
Rei heard dramatic panting and the smacking of feet on the steps. She watched as a woman's headed peeked up from the top of the stairs, each step more arduous than the next.
"I'm just gonna," the woman announced before dropping into a sitting position at the top of the stairs. She sprawled out, breathing heavily and clearly not considering the safety or passage of others.
The woman was in her early twenties, short, unkempt, and had a most peculiar hairstyle. Pigtails and buns? Why not just trim your hair if it's so difficult to manage. Rei decided to ignore her. Though, she was aware of the woman watching her out of the corner of her eye. But Rei had important things to do, and selling charms to some out of shape wimp wasn't at the top of her list.
"Hey," the woman called. "Do you know if Minako is still here?"
Rei stopped sweeping. Oh dear lord, please tell her that this brat isn't their new senshi.
"So, do we have like special communicators or something?" Usagi asked. "Like, calculators that send secret video messages?"
"That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard," Rei replied, "We just use our cell phones."
"Oh, well, that makes sense."
They were gathered in Rei's room around a large table. Rei had set out tea for everyone, which Usagi drank rapidly. (Rei wondered if the blonde thought it was sake.) Minako joined them a few minutes later, when Rei was making the tea. Minako had started filling Usagi in on what it meant to be a Sailor Senshi.
"Right! We team up to fight youma and be heroes!" Usagi said. "What else is there?"
"We're searching for the remaining Senshi, and our princess," Luna added. "Only then, together, can we stop the Dark Kingdom."
"A princess?" Usagi said. "Does that mean there's a prince, and is he single?"
Minako ignored Usagi's comment and continued, "Once, a long time ago, there was a great Queen. She ruled the moon, and…"
"How?" Usagi interjected.
"What?"
"I mean, the moon is just a big rock. It's dead and barron. Are we talking like, a figurative moon queen?" Usagi said. "Like a fairy tale?"
Minako pinched the bridge of her nose. "Will you just let me finish?"
Usagi mimed zipping her lips then held her hands up in surrender.
"A long time ago, in the age of myth, the moon was alive," Luna said. "But the Dark Kingdom destroyed it."
"The Moon Queen, Queen Serenity, wasn't able to defeat the darkness, so she trapped it, and sent warriors as well as her own daughter into the future so that one day they could succeed where she failed," Minako continued. "She put all her faith into us so that we could save Earth, and everyone, from the Dark Kingdom. We can't let her down."
Usagi raised her hand.
"Yes, Usagi," Luna said.
"Okay, but like, I was born in Tokyo, so how can I be a warrior from the past..."
Rei sighed loudly. "She's talking about reincarnation," Rei said. "Our souls are souls of warriors from a distant past."
"Ah," Usagi said. "That makes more sense."
"Can we continue?" Minako asked.
Usagi nodded.
"Together, if we find the Legendary Silver Crystal, we can finally defeat the Dark Kingdom," Minako said.
"But the crystal was broken into seven shards," Rei added. "Each shard traps a particularly evil youma. So, we have to find those too."
"How many are left?" Usagi said.
"Six," Minako said.
"So, let me see if I got all this," Usagi said. "So, we're reincarnated warriors hunting down a magical princess, who could be anyone, the rest of our team, who could be anyone, and a six magical jewels that are linked to particularly evil monsters, all while keeping people safe?"
"Well," Rei started, "Yes, but that's an oversimplification."
"This is like something right out of a Sailor V Manga!" Usagi said happily. "She's my hero."
"This isn't some game!" Rei interjected.
"If we fail," Luna continued. "If the Dark Kingdom gets their hands on the Legendary Silver Crystal first, or even the princess, then all hope is lost."
"That's why we have a strict training regiment," Minako added. "Tomorrow morning, you'll meet us here for training. Six a.m. sharp."
Usagi laughed, but the deadpan looks that Minako and Rei gave her made her laughter die in her throat. "Oh, you were serious."
"Deadly," Rei said. "This isn't some silly video game. You're not in an anime. This is real life, and people's lives depend on us."
"I know that youma attacks are…" Usagi began.
"No, you don't," Rei said. She stood up very sharply. "I'm going to make more tea." Then she stormed out the room.
"You have to forgive Rei," Minako said. "Her grandfather perished during a youma attack a year ago."
"I didn't know," Usagi said, her heart hurting for this girl she just met. Losing someone as a Senshi, knowing that she could have done something, must be extra painful. For the most part, Usagi's life had been relatively untouched by the strange and infrequent monster attacks from the last two years.
"It's part of the reason we're extra diligent about training," Minako continued.
This of course, made Usagi feel even worse about not wanting to get up at 6 am to train. "But, I have work," she whined.
"I doubt you have work," Luna said. "The damage to your arcade is pretty severe."
Rei entered with more tea and a calmer demeanor. She took Usagi's cup from her, then handed her another mug.
"I'm the assistant manager," Usagi said. "Even if we're not open, I need to help Motoki file paperwork, or whatever else we may need to get the arcade open."
"The arcade isn't your priority anymore," Rei said. Rei was examining the bottom of Usagi's cup intently, hoping that she could divine some reason why this airhead was a part of their team.
"Yeah, well, it is my job. And it's how I keep a roof over my head," Usagi continued. "I can't just drop everything. Don't you have jobs?"
"I live at the temple," Rei said.
Minako shrugged. "I invested wisely, and work the odd job every now and then."
Usagi tried not to roll her eyes. "Well, that's all great, but I have an apartment and bills and I don't have a college degree, so my options are a little limited. I have a great thing going for me at the arcade, so I can't just quit my job."
"Your job," Rei scolded, "is to be a Senshi."
Minako held her hand up. "Of course you can't quit your job, but you do need to realize that all things Senshi come first. Be here in the morning, then you can go to work, and come back after to finish your training."
"Ooo, afterwards I'm also busy…" Usagi said, cringing.
"What's so important that you can't cancel?" Rei said. "Meeting the love of your life?" She slammed the mug down on the table.
"Tomorrow is my friend Naru's birthday, and I kinda promised I'd take her out," Usagi continued.
"Don't you get it? Friends are a liability. You're going to need to make changes now. Make sacrifices," Rei said.
"And I do get that. Great power and great responsibility and all that," Usagi said. "But you have to remember that I didn't ask for this, and I'm new to this. And it's not so easy to just leave everything behind." Usagi stood up. "I think it's time I go home. I've had a long day, and possibly a head injury. I'll see you in the morning."
Without waiting for a dismissal, she left the room. Minako looked at Luna, and sighed. "This isn't going to be like Rei is it?" she asked.
Luna shook her head. "No, but give the girl some time. It's a big adjustment. And just abandoning her old life would draw suspicion. That's not what we need right now," Luna added.
"I suppose not," Minako said. "Can you keep an eye on her? It's not that I don't trust her, it's just that…"
"Well I don't trust her," Rei said. "She clearly has no idea of responsibility, and we were doing just fine on our own."
"Rei," Minako said. "We need her. I don't understand how, but she had the power to reverse the youma energy drain."
Rei mouth hung open mid-sentence. "What?"
"You girls catch up. I'm going to go follow Usagi before she gets too far away," Luna said, then let herself out through a crack in the door.
"What do you mean the power to reverse the energy drain?" Rei continued.
Minako shrugged. "I can't explain it, but I saw it happen with my own eyes. What did you see in her tea leaves?"
Rei grumbled. "She's going to get lucky if she goes out with her friend. Some sort of long lost love reunion."
"Well, hopefully that won't be another complication," Minako said. "We're going to need her, probably more than we even realize."
Usagi's apartment was simple. She had a bedroom, a bathroom (with a washing machine), and the kitchenette was in the hallway. The little foyer had enough room for her to remove her shoes and have a small hall closet. As small as her apartment was, it was one of the most welcoming places Luna had been in.
It was a little messy. Things had places, but not everything was in its place. There were dishes in the sink, and clothes overflowing from the laundry hamper. She could also stand to do with a good cleaning, but it had to have been cleaned at some point recently.
There were pictures everywhere though. Pictures from her school days, pictures of her family, pictures of her with Crown patrons, pictures of her and the Crown manager, pictures of her and friends having good times - singing karaoke, going to the Osaka Aquarium, at Tokyo Disney. There were little souvenirs and prizes from all places she'd been.
It was such a stark contrast to both Minako and Rei's rooms. Rei kept her room humble and classic. A futon on the floor, a small table for tea, a paper screen for changing. Minako more modern, chic furniture, a large tv, and art from around the world. But both lacked the homeyness of Usagi's place.
"Oh!" Usagi exclaimed as she nearly shut the door on Luna's tail. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
"It's all right," Luna said. "I thought you might need someone to ask questions to tonight. It is a lot to take in."
Usagi put her shoes in the hall closet (that could really use some organization). She went into the kitchen, digging through the cabinets until she found some instant ramen. Her movements were routine, and she flipped the switch for the electric kettle without even thinking about it.
"It is, but, I don't really have much to ask. I figure I'll learn the answers as the time comes," she said. Luna found this oddly profound.
"I'm sorry," Usagi started. "I don't have much to offer you. I don't really have any cat food, or, maybe you don't eat cat food. I might have a can of tuna somewhere…"
"It's quite alright," Luna said. "Just some water would be fine."
Usagi found a little rice bowl (cute and most certainly from the one hundred yen shop), and brought it into the bedroom area.
Usagi had a small TV that she turned on, then sat on her bed to eat her ramen. There was a chair and small table beside a sliding door that must have lead to a balcony. The chair and table were covered in clothes. Did the girl not know what a closet was for?
The bedspread was a bright pink number with moons and hearts, which reminded Luna of something a teenager would have, not a grown woman. It was faded and soft and clearly loved. This Usagi girl was quite peculiar.
The two sat in companionable silence while Usagi watched the news. That lasted for about ten minutes before she switched channels to a new anime.
"Shouldn't you keep up with the news? There may be more information on the lastest youma attacks," Luna said.
"I don't know what the news would know that I wouldn't," Usagi said. "'Not only was I there, and I manage the place, but like, I'm also a Senshi. I don't think the evening news knows much about this silver moon crystal thingy."
"The Legendary Silver Crystal," Luna corrected.
"Yes, that thing," Usagi said. "However, tonight is the newest One Piece episode, and I would like to watch it."
Luna rolled her eyes. Usagi didn't make it through the whole episode, before she fell asleep atop her bedspread and completely clothed. At least there was no ramen in her cup to spill onto the mattress. A weird motherly instinct overtook Luna as she looked at the sleeping girl. Usagi still had an innocence that Minako and Rei had lost. Luna's heart cracked over the thought that this girl would soon lose everything.
She had connections to the world. She had friends and family, which was more than the other two Senshi. It would be harder for her to adjust. But maybe this would be a good thing. Warriors needed to know their people, and Minako and Rei were both so isolated. Maybe Usagi could bring them out of their shells a little bit.
Luna smiled. Tomorrow, she'd help Usagi, not only become a great warrior and perhaps a good friend to her other girls, but become a better woman. They would start by doing the laundry. Then maybe get some fresh fish in the kitchen for Luna.
Content with a plan, Luna pulled the corner of the comforter over Usagi, then curled up beside her and fell asleep.
