Tsukino Usagi
The first few days after her fight with the vampire monster are a struggle for Usagi as she has to deal with partial hearing loss. The headache abates after a good night's sleep, but she still can't hear anything at a normal level. It makes it hard to talk to her family so she tries to avoid them as often as possible, though she has no choice when it comes to meals. She also can't avoid the lecture her father gives her the next time she comes downstairs, because it turns out her parents had noticed her staying out all night. She gets grounded for two weeks, in which she has to come straight home from school, but Usagi can't even argue it. The real explanation for why she'd been out so long would never be believed.
Usagi hates it, but she has no choice if she doesn't want to make things even worse. It's probably the reason she doesn't notice the massive talent competition until it brings itself to her very classroom. Her hearing has mostly returned by then, but it takes actually entering her classroom to realize the ruckus that's going on inside. She pauses, stunned, in the doorway. Also, locked out, since there are desks piled in front of the doorway. She has to walk down to the other door in order to actually get inside.
"Ah, Tsukino-san, here you go," Umino says, walking up to Usagi and handing her a lime green streamer. "Don't throw it until I say so."
"What?" she mutters to herself, glancing around. Two of her classmates appear to be practicing a skit together. Some are dancing in the corner. Osaka-san is seated at one of the few remaining desks and is furiously signing some cardstock. She walks over to the other girl she's semi-familiar with. "What's going on?" she asks her, unsure of whether she'll get a response or not given how focused she is.
"Can't talk," she says, "gotta prepare. For my fame. No time."
"…Right," Usagi mutters, walking away from her. She's clearly caught up in whatever the rest of the class is as well, but Usagi has no idea what it could be. Either way, Sakurada-sensei is gonna freak out when she realizes what they've done to the class.
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Usagi meets up with Luna – the cat barely leaves her alone for too long since she has yet to fully heal – for lunch and as they sit in the stairwell it happens to overlook the courtyard where a bunch of her classmates have gathered. She still has no clue what's going on, but Osaka and Umino are standing atop the platform out there and seem to be addressing everyone else.
"What's all that about, Usagi-chan?" Luna asks as Usagi picks at her food. She glances over before replying.
"No idea," she admits. "They were like that this morning, talking about fame and such. I don't know where they got the idea."
Luna hums as she thinks. "It might have something to do with that idol competition," she muses. "I've seen the posters around town. An alumnus of the school who became an idol is holding a talent show to find more idols."
"Is that what it is?" she asks, snorting. "Sounds boring."
"Maybe so," Luna agrees, "but you have to admit that their behavior does seem rather odd," Luna says. "I wouldn't have expected your classmates to grow so frenzied about this."
"So what?" Usagi groans. "They're probably having fun, you know, something normal middle-schoolers do."
"I don't think so, but I'll keep an eye on them."
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For the first time in a couple of days Luna isn't waiting at the school gates once classes end, and though Usagi is surprised – a little pleased, as well – she can't take advantage of the freedom because she has to go straight home. It's upsetting not being able to visit Motoki-oniichan, but on the bright side it's given her plenty of time to read the manga she's been collecting.
She's lounging on her bed with one of her latest issues when Luna hops back through the window, an urgent expression on her face. "Usagi-chan!" she calls out, catching her attention. Usagi flinches, startled, and turns to her cat incredulously. "We have to go, quickly! The contest, it's rigged."
Usagi sits up, conflicted. "I-I can't. I can't leave the house; if my parents find out I'll get in trouble!"
"Then you'll have to be quick, but you can't just ignore this," Luna snaps.
"Ugh," Usagi groans, standing. "Alright, let's do this. Moon Prism Power Make Up!" After she's transformed she looks at Luna. "Lead the way."
They quickly take to the roofs since it's the quickest way to get through the city, Luna leading the way to the performance center where the auditions are taking place. When they get there the place is practically deserted, a dead quiet that makes Usagi nervous as they head to the main auditorium.
Usagi throws the doors wide open when they arrive, and then freezes in the doorway. She can see up on the stage all of the competition participants, many of them her classmates. The seats of the auditorium are empty, save for one single figure that she vaguely recognizes. "Hey, you!" she shouts to draw their attention. "Give them back their energy, now! Or I'll punish you in the name of the Moon!"
The figure stands and Usagi recognizes her as Shiratori Mikan, some pop idol who'd gotten popular in the past few years. But then she changes, growing taller as her skin turns a shiny blue while her dress changes into a soft violet wrap. "I will not!" She lifts a hand for an attack and ice comes shooting at Usagi.
She dives forward in a roll, and when she lands back upright she dodges to the side into the seats, crouching low to keep hidden. 'Gotta keep moving,' she thinks, a little unsteady. With her hearing still a little off her balance is worse than ever, and that roll nearly threw her off but she managed to keep herself in check. On the ground, she finds moving far easier than before. She crawls under the seats into the next row and the one before that to confuse the monster. When she thinks she's crawled a pretty decent ways she pokes her head up to look for the monster.
Scanning the rows before her, she can't find a trace of where the monster went. When she glances behind her, the monster isn't there either. "What the hell?" she mutters to herself.
"Looking for me?" she hears up above and she looks up in horror to find the monster floating high above her.
"Shit," she stands, but she's too slow getting her hand up to her tiara. The monster's attack catches her arm and Usagi immediately feels a chill where it hits her. She can't hesitate, and while the monster is preoccupied with her current attack she reaches up with her other arm and grabs her tiara off her head. "Moon Tiara Action!"
She flings the tiara, but with her off hand the throw goes wide, missing the monster completely. However, it does manage to distract it enough that she cuts off her attack on Usagi, giving her a moment to try and hide again. But she doesn't make it very far. A clinking sound draws Usagi's attention back to the ice covering her forearm, and with a start she realizes it's grown. She hears another clink and watches as a new chunk appears even further up her arm.
'Oh no,' she thinks, grabbing at her arm to try and pry the ice off. It's utterly ineffective, and when it starts growing again the ice spreads to her other hand. 'Not good, not good.' In her panic it starts spreading faster, quickly growing up her arms until they're frozen in their positions.
"Luna!" she shouts. The cat is nowhere to be found, lost amongst all the seats.
"There's no one here to help you now, little girl," the enemy says with a cackle. "You're going to freeze and then I'll take your energy along with the rest of them!"
"No!" Usagi screams. The ice is creeping onto her chest now, her arms totally unmovable. It snakes up and down her torso at the same time, and she jolts when it touches the soft skin of her neck. Horror starts creeping up on her. She barely survived the last monster, and if it hadn't been for Tuxedo Mask's intervention she might've died then. Now she's in almost the same situation, but there isn't anyone to save her now.
'When did things start to go so wrong?' she wonders to herself, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. 'I don't want to die. I told Luna I wasn't cut out for this.' One slips down, cold on her cheek. "I don't want to die!" she screams aloud. Ice creeps further up her face, nearly covering her mouth now.
There's a sharp crack different from the crinkling sounds of ice creeping over her, and Usagi tries to look down as much as she can without moving. She can barely see a red rose lodged in the ice on her stomach, and she wonders where it came from. As she watches, the ice starts cracking and hope builds in her chest when they start spreading, eventually shattering into pieces. Usagi heaves a huge breath of relief as she's finally freed.
"Never fear, Sailor Moon!" a voice shouts, and both Usagi and the monster spin to look at the new figure. She smiles when she sees Tuxedo Mask. "Have faith that you can defeat anyone!"
The monster roars. "I'll freeze you too and then come back for her!" She launches an attack at Tuxedo Mask, and while he dodges Usagi takes advantage of the opportunity to summon her tiara and throw her attack again.
"Moon Tiara Action!" The tiara hits it solidly in the back and the monster crumbles into dust. A minor explosion goes off behind her and Usagi flinches again, turning to see the massive disco ball on the ceiling now has a gaping, smoking hole. Dust sprinkles out of it, falling back over the participants. They start groaning moments later and Usagi realizes she has to go, and quick.
She jumps up, launching herself up where Tuxedo Mask had appeared through an open window on the second floor. Luna is nowhere to be found, in the moment Usagi pauses to look, but she doesn't have time to stay back and search. She's got to get back before her parents notice she's missing. Without a second thought she heads back home in a way similar to her arrival.
She rushes back to the house, sliding into her room and dropping the transformation. She peeks out into the hallway for a minute or two, listening to the sounds of the house. Nothing seems amiss; everything is quiet, so she assumes her presence hasn't been missed. 'Thank god,' she thinks, flopping back on her bed. With yet another near-death experience she feels exhausted, and she figures since she's got nothing else to do a nap is certainly in order.