Author's Note: This story takes place in 2010, even though it's based off the 90's anime, so there's going to be CDs instead of floppy disks.
Tsukino Usagi
By the end of her grounding, Usagi's hearing has finally returned to normal and – blessedly – no other monsters have appeared to terrorize the city. Luna barely manages to ease off her overprotective watching of Usagi, but only just. She still walks her to and from school to wherever she goes. Usagi knows it's how the cat shows her concern, so she tries to tolerate it.
Besides, she has something else to stress about currently: the national practice exams. The whole school is antsy about the soon-to-be-released results. Usagi's father had pulled her aside a couple of weeks before the test and told her that she needed to improve her scores or he'd take away her allowance, so this time she put in some more effort than usual and now she can only hope it's enough to please him.. When the results do come out the top 1% is posted in one of the main halls of the school. Only one student from their school is even listed.
Mizuno Ami.
She hears the whispers in the halls when she walks to class. Everyone has talked about her at some point or another, most often with envy or jealousy in their voice. She's definitely a genius. Usagi is pretty sure she's never gotten a score less than perfect on anything. And supposedly her mother is a wealthy doctor as well.
'What I wouldn't give to be as rich as her,' Usagi thinks to herself as she reads her grades for the term, which contain the results of the practice exam. She's fluctuating around 60 in all of them, which she expects, but her exam result is barely above 70. . She can only hope her father won't be too disappointed, but there's nothing she can do about that. She'll get a lecture, surely, but she's used to those by now.
When she gets home that afternoon neither of her parents are there, so she sneaks up to her room with no issues. Luna is waiting, pacing agitatedly on her windowsill. "What's wrong?" she asks, concern bleeding into her tone. "Is there another enemy?"
"I'm not sure," the cat responds, sitting down.
"Well, what is it?" she asks impatiently.
"It's…nothing you need to concern yourself about just yet," Luna finally says moments later.
Usagi gives her one last considering look before shrugging it off. "If you say so." She slumps down onto her bed, grabbing the manga she'd been reading the night before off her bedside table.
"Don't you have homework to do?" Luna asks, sidling up next to her on the pillow. "All you've been doing these past few weeks is reading manga. Are you not the least concerned about your studies?"
"Later," Usagi shrugs. "I wanna finish this."
There's silence in the room for several minutes, but just as Usagi really starts to get wrapped up in her manga Luna speaks up again. "Say Usagi-chan…what do you know of Mizuno Ami?"
Usagi pauses, though she doesn't respond for several moments. 'Was this what Luna had been stressing about earlier?' she wonders to herself, glancing at the cat. "Not much," she finally answers cautiously. "She's a genius, the smartest girl in school. But she keeps mostly to herself. I don't think she really talks to anyone. Why?"
"No reason in particular," Luna says. "I saw her today. I don't think she's too interested in cats."
Usagi rolls her eyes. "What, she didn't pet you like you wanted? Lacking attention, are you, Luna?"
The cat flushes, or at least Usagi thinks she does. The fur makes it hard to tell. But Luna does start spluttering. "Wh-what? No! I am not, thank you very much. I'm not your average cat, you know!"
"Sure, of course not," Usagi says as she returns to her manga, though she's still thinking about Mizuno. 'Is she related to that evil thing I fought a couple of nights ago?' she wonders to herself. 'She doesn't seem like it, but then again, what do I know about her.'
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The next day Luna manages to convince Usagi to take a detour through the shopping district after school, which she readily agrees to on the condition they can stop at the arcade before heading home. She follows Luna, who seems to know where she's going as they walk through the throngs of people. At some point she comes to realize they're headed in the direction of the arcade, but before she can get too excited about seeing Motoki-oniisan Luna is stopping in front of a tall building.
"What's this, Luna?" she asks curiously. "The Crystal Seminar?" Usagi reads off of the sign at the front door.
"Yes, they've been gaining quite the popularity these past couple weeks," she begins to explain. "I've been getting some odd readings from them, though, and I thought we might check it out. Let's go inside."
"Inside?" Usagi asks. "Will we be allowed?"
"Who are you talking to?" a voice says, and both Usagi and Luna tense up.
She fearfully glances over to see her least favorite person in the world. "Umm, I-I don't know what you're talking about? Myself. I'm talking to myself," she hurriedly stammers.
He gives her an incredulous look. "You do know that's the first sign of insanity, right?"
"And no great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness!" she says brightly, not even bothering to argue about his jibe at her. "Well, gotta dash! Hope I don't see ya around." And then she takes off speed walking down the sidewalk to put as much distance between her and him as possible. She doesn't slow down until she's nearly out of the shopping district and then she finally starts paying attention to where she's going. She barely notices Luna followed dutifully behind her.
"That was a close call," she says, breathing heavily from the run. "He nearly heard me."
Usagi gives the cat an annoyed look. "You've got to be more careful about talking in public, Luna," she scolds her.
"Yes, yes, I know," the cat bemoans. "I suppose that's all we can do for the day," she says. "Let's go home, then." As they start walking home, Luna continues talking even though Usagi had just scolded her for doing exactly that. "I had hoped that we could do some investigating inside the seminar school to see where these readings are coming from. There's something odd about the students that attend, and I know some of them go to your school so you need to pay attention to their behavior, but I don't understand why they're acting this way."
"It's probably Jadeite again," Usagi mutters. "Him and his stupid, creepy monsters."
"Yes, that is the likely answer," Luna agrees. "We'll have to be especially careful. You haven't been having much luck with those monsters recently. Maybe we need to get you training again."
Usagi makes a noise of agreement, wincing at Luna's frankness, but she isn't wrong. There have been far too many close calls lately, and if Luna can get her some training she'd feel a lot more comfortable going out. As it is, she's not looking forward to what this Crystal Seminar place might lead to.
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When Usagi goes to school the next day she tries to pay attention to her classmates like Luna said, though she has no idea which of them attend the Crystal Seminar so she's really just looking for anything unusual. Not that she knows what looks normal for most of them because she doesn't usually watch the rest of them all that often. It's pretty boring, actually, and after going the whole day without noticing something odd she resolves to tell Luna she couldn't find anything.
That is, until she runs into one of them, literally. It's not even in class, but down at the shoe lockers. Usagi is just putting on her shoes when someone runs into her – and really, is she that invisible? – and knocks them both over. She doesn't recognize the kid but all the stuff in his bag falls out, which he then scrambles to put back. Usagi tries to help, belatedly, but by the time she gets moving he's already grabbed his stuff and run, leaving her holding just a single disk out.
"Well never mind then," she mutters, and then she gets a good look at it. The words 'Crystal Seminar Disk' are printed right at the top, and Usagi has a feeling this is just the kind of thing Luna wanted to find when they searched the seminar. She quickly finishes putting on her shoes and rushes out of the school, spotting Luna waiting just beside the school gates. Briefly glancing around for other students and finding them relatively isolated, she whispers, "I've got a Crystal Seminar disk that I think we should check out."
Luna looks surprised but quickly nods. "I won't ask how because I don't want to know, but we can use the computers in the lab to check it out," she says.
Usagi rolls her eyes. "I don't think I want to know how you were imagining I got it; I'm sure I'd be insulted," she mutters as she leads the cat back onto campus, disregarding her school shoes in favor of just walking straight in. Hopefully no one will see them, anyways. They head right for one of the labs, Luna picking one of the computers in the back to sit at.
"Go on, Usagi-chan," Luna encourages her.
"I know, I know," she gripes as she pulls the disk out of the case, inserting it into the tower. It takes a minute to load, but when it does it seems like a normal study program. There are subject categories she can pick from, and when she does it takes her to another menu with broken down topics. "What are we looking for, Luna?" she asks, growing frustrated.
"I'm not sure," she mutters. "There's gotta be something. Try opening one of the lessons."
Usagi grimaces but clicks on the first option. A new page loads with an introductory paragraph on the topic. Luna takes over then, scrolling through the information. Usagi doesn't bother to read it. She zones out while Luna works, but moments later her attention is drawn back when she hears a burst of static coming from the speakers. They both pause and look at the computer in confusion, and then a voice speaks.
"Give us all your knowledge and mental energy. Offer it up to our Great Ruler…"
"What…What is this?" Usagi asks, stunned.
Luna's expression is tense as she replies, "It's a brainwashing program."
"What?!" Usagi's eyes widen in shock. "Then all those students…" she trails off, sharing a look with Luna.
"We need to get to the Crystal Seminar and get rid of this monster." Luna darts down off the desk and rushes to the door, though she stops when she notices Usagi isn't following. "Usagi-chan, what are you waiting for?"
"I don't know," she shrugs, suddenly unsure. "I mean, you said it yourself I haven't been doing so well with these monsters lately. What if something else happens today and Tuxedo Mask doesn't come in time to save me? I don't want to die, Luna."
"You're strong enough, you just have to believe in yourself," Luna says.
Usagi shakes her head. "I'm not sure I can."
Luna plods closer to the teen. "Then for now, trust in the fact that I believe in you. Besides, I'll be there and I will help in any way I can."
Usagi looks at her companion, but the expression on Luna's face is dead serious. It's almost enough to bring some confidence back in herself. That vampire monster had really shaken her; she'd just barely recovered from those attacks, for gods' sake. And this last time she was nearly frozen to death. It scares her that she could encounter something similar, or worse, again.
"Usagi-chan," Luna says, when she sees Usagi is still hesitating. "Have faith in your powers. You can do this. You're the only one who can do this. If you don't, then all these students are going to get hurt, or worse."
"I'm not a hero, Luna," she reminds her. "I can't take responsibility for those people."
"But you have to," she argues. "You're the only one who can do anything. You're a Guardian; you can't abandon them."
"I didn't ask for this."
"It is your destiny," Luna insists, and then she softens. "It'll get better, Usagi-chan. You just need some more experience."
"Not if I die."
Luna shakes her head. "You won't. I won't allow it, so have some faith."
Usagi sighs, realizing she isn't going to be able to argue her way out of this. Luna isn't going to change her mind, and she certainly won't let Usagi just bail on her duties. She really has no choice, as unfair as it is. It's hard to accept, but she knows she can't keep doubting herself. Doubt will only lead to making more mistakes, which could very well cost her her life. She has to have faith in herself, or she's screwed.
She nods to herself. "Alright, let's go." This time, when Luna darts out the door, Usagi is right on her heels.
They race through the halls of the school, the closest exit putting them between the main and secondary buildings, near the back entrance of the school. At this hour the place is practically deserted, though oddly enough Usagi spots two people talking at the gate ahead. One is a student, she can tell from the uniform, and when she identifies the blue hair Usagi knows it's Mizuno. But the other appears to be an adult. Both she and Luna slow as they approach, but the two don't seem to have noticed them yet. Soon enough they're close enough to hear what's going on.
"No thank you," Mizuno says, her tone distant and bored, "but I have no intention of joining any seminar, let alone yours."
It seems to infuriate the woman, because she snarls and grabs Mizuno's arm, yanking the startled girl closer. "You pathetic little girl! Don't you know? Your intelligence will give us so much energy for the Great Ruler."
Mizuno struggles in the woman's grip, but her hold doesn't loosen. "You crazy lady! What are you talking about? You're insane!"
"Usagi-chan," Luna says insistently, drawing her attention, "you need to transform!"
She nods. "Right. Moon Prism Power Make Up!" She tries to take comfort in the warm feeling covering her body, and when it's gone she's back in her short sailor outfit. She shares one last glance with Luna before turning all her attention to the duo before them. "Hey!" she shouts, drawing their attention. The woman whips her head to glare at Usagi, but Mizuno just looks confused. "Let her go," she demands.
She does, shoving Mizuno away hard enough she stumbles and falls to the ground. In her peripheral Usagi sees Luna darting over to the other girl. But her attention is quickly drawn back to the woman as she starts to change. Her skin turns a bright red and her eyes grow more angular and black. Her ears lengthen, as does her hair, and her hands extend to form razor sharp claws.
"What the hell?" Usagi mutters.
"Who are you?" the thing asks, its voice raspier now.
She swallows her hesitation, suddenly realizing it's been a while since she last introduced herself to her enemies. "I am Sailor Moon," she proclaims, almost like she's reminding herself, "Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
"Get out of my way!" the creature shouts, waving an arm towards Usagi. White squares appear beside the monster before shooting towards Usagi. She darts away in time to avoid being hit, the squares colliding with the ground in an explosion of dirt and dust. There's barely any time for her to catch her breath or even pause to launch her own attack as she's forced to dodge continuous attacks with no cover to hide behind.
"Luna," she manages to shout, "what do I do?!"
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Mizuno Ami
She hears the girl's shout, but Ami can't imagine who she'd be talking to. Who is Luna? As for what she should do, well, attacking back would be a good start. Running around like this isn't going to accomplish anything except tiring herself out, and then she'll be more liable to get hit by those attacks. Then, once she falls, who will be left to deal with the – the monster?
A monster. It isn't possible. It shouldn't be possible, and yet, Ami can't think of anything else to describe what she's seeing. The woman who'd approached her before is clearly gone, mutated into that…thing. Calling it a monster is the most apt description she can think of.
Her thoughts go back to analyzing the battle. "She needs a distraction," Ami mutters. "Something to give her a break, a chance to attack."
"Can you do it?" she hears someone ask suddenly and flinches in surprise. She turns to glance around, but the campus is empty save for them. So who spoke?
"Down here," the voice says again, and Ami does just that – to see a cat. "Can you do it?" the voice – the cat – repeats.
She knows her expression goes slack with surprise. "Did you – you just talked," she says incredulously.
"That's not what's important right now!" the cat growls. "Sailor Moon is in trouble. We need to do something!"
"You –" she starts, and then falters, deciding to focus more on what it's asking rather than the fact it's asking anything in the first place. "Like what?"
"Anything!"
"And get in the middle of that? No way!" Ami shouts, glancing fearfully at the two currently battling. There's not a chance in hell that Ami's going to jump into that mess. She'd be dead in a heartbeat. She's not a fighter; her strength is her brain, and what good is all her smarts in a physical fight? None at all, that's what.
But the cat is persistent. "Sailor Moon can finish it off, she just needs an opening," it says. "We have to help her."
"I can't!" she insists.
The cat growls, low and dangerous. Ami flinches and barely resists stepping back. She won't show fear over a tiny cat she could punt across the yard. "She helped you earlier when you were being attacked," the cat reminds her – and Ami wonders just how long it had been there; had it been present when the other girl – Sailor Moon – showed up? "The least you can do is return the favor."
Ami frowns, something keeping her from outright telling the cat no. She gives it a bit more thought, glancing over at the battle. Sailor Moon – what a weird name – is still dodging, but Ami can see that she's breathing heavier than before. She probably won't be able to keep it up for much longer. Once she's taken care of by the monster, it'll come back for Ami, and she knows she won't stand a chance by herself. Logically speaking, providing an opening for Sailor Moon would be the best way to ensure she herself isn't attacked, but the problem is how to go about it. How could she cause a distraction?
"What would you have me do?" she reluctantly asks the cat. Clearly it knows something she doesn't.
"You'll help?" it asks, hope and gratitude showing in its expression – and what has the world come to that Ami's even indulging a talking cat in the first place?
It's her last chance to back out, and then what? Run? Maybe. Use Sailor Moon as a distraction and get out of there? But if Sailor Moon can't beat it, then there's always the chance it'll come back for her. She's screwed if she runs, and screwed if she doesn't help. This really is her only bet. The feeling of determination settles over her as she makes up her mind, finally picking herself up off the ground. "Yes, I will." The cat beams, but then its gaze turns from one of gratitude to one of confusion, and Ami can't help but mimic its confusion. "What?"
"Mizuno-san…" it trails off, then shakes its head almost disbelievingly. "I should have known. Here, this is for you." It pounces and does a backflip in midair. There's a shimmer of light underneath her before a blue pen drops to the ground. Ami's eyes widen in astonishment, but then again, she probably shouldn't be so surprised. The cat talks. "Take this," it instructs.
Ami picks up the pen, giving it a cursory glance. The top half is gold, with a wide top encircled by a gold band. The center piece has four stones in the cardinal corners, each a different color. There's a gold band separating the bottom blue half from the top, a small blue stone in the front. "What do I do with it?" she asks, deciding it the more pressing question than how exactly the cat summoned it in the first place.
"There's no time to explain if you want to help Sailor Moon. Now," the cat explains, enthusiastic about something, "shout 'Mercury Power Make Up.'"
"What?" Ami asks incredulously. "Why?"
"Just do it!" it shouts, and Ami blinks. She might as well. At worst she'll only sound – and feel – stupid, but the cat is clearly capable of some odd things. Perhaps this will have some unknown effect, too.
She spares one last dubious look at the cat standing next to her before gripping the pen tighter. "Mercury Power Make Up!" A blue light starts to surround Ami as a warm feeling envelops her. Her eyes close of their own volition, but when she opens them again she finds she's no longer wearing the same uniform as before and she gapes, glancing down at herself.
Her sweater has changed into a white leotard with a blue collar and her skirt has shortened. She wears a light blue bow with a dark blue brooch in the center, white gloves on her forearms, and knee-high blue boots. On her neck she feels a choker – and given what else she's wearing Ami assumes it's blue as well – and on her forehead she can feel something resting there – a tiara, perhaps? "What the hell?" she asks, glancing incredulously at herself.
"You are Sailor Mercury," Luna tells her, "a Sailor Guardian meant to help Sailor Moon defend the earth from evil! Now go!"
Her mouth opens to form some sort of protest, but nothing comes out as she turns to the battle. Sailor Moon is looking much worse for wear, and Ami can see some tears in her uniform. She stumbles and the monster's attack grazes the back of her legs, making her cry out. Ami knows she won't last much longer.
But she promised to do something to help, and Ami won't be backing down now. Seeing what she has this afternoon has given her so many questions, and if they lose to this monster none of them will be answered. She steps forward with determination. "Hey you!"
The monster cuts off its gritty chuckle to turn and look at her. "What's this? Where did Mizuno Ami go?" It glances around curiously.
Ami grits her teeth and speaks, the words coming to her naturally. "I am Sailor Mercury, Guardian of Water and Intelligence. Douse yourself in water and repent!"
"Oh?" the creature questions, its head cocking to the side.
"Mercury Bubble Spray!" Ami shouts, throwing her hands out on instinct. Water – and where did that come from? – splashes out and then instantly evaporates, covering the area in a thick mist.
"Now, Sailor Moon!" Ami hears the cat shout, though she can no longer see the feline. Presumably Sailor Moon is somewhere in the fray, and Ami hopes she knows what she's doing. Then she hears another voice shout.
"Moon Tiara Action!"
A golden light cuts through the fog, heading directly towards the monster. It has no chance of dodging and the tiara – boomerang? – connects squarely in its chest. The monster screams in agony, and the mist dissipates enough that Ami can see it fall to its knees as it starts to turn to dust and disintegrate. Eventually there's nothing left of it, its remains scattered in the wind.
"Woah!" Ami hears Sailor Moon exclaim, closer than she'd have imagined. She turns to see her fellow Guardian walking over – or more like limping, given her injuries. She looks surprised to see Ami, which she guesses can't be helped. Ami is surprised, too. "Luna, what's going on?" she asks, and Ami realizes she's talking to the cat, who must be named Luna.
"This is Sailor Mercury, another Sailor Guardian that I've been searching for," she explains. Ami has questions, but she decides to hold off on asking them for now, instead watching the two talk and hoping she'll hear something interesting.
"What?" Sailor Moon exclaims. "There are others? Why didn't you tell me?"
Luna frowns. "I didn't know she would end up being one. I don't know who they are, I just know that others exist," she quickly explains.
Sailor Moon pouts. "Well, hopefully this will make things easier."
"Wait, hold on," Ami interjects. They both turn to look at her. "What 'things' are you talking about?" She gives Luna a look in particular. "I agreed to help this one time, because she helped me earlier. I'm not about to make this a regular occurrence. I have more important things to do!"
"What, you think I don't either?" Sailor Moon asks, clearly annoyed as she crosses her arms across her chest. Ami is briefly drawn to the intricate brooch in the center of her bow, but then shakes her head clear of the thought.
"But you're a Sailor Guardian!" Luna protests. "It is your duty to fight against evil, just as it is Sailor Moon's."
"What does being a Guardian even mean?" she asks. It's a term she's heard several times this afternoon and she's grown curious.
"Yeah, Luna," Sailor Moon agrees, to Ami's surprise. "You never told me about that either."
Luna sighs. "And I will explain, when there aren't more important things to worry about. We barely know where these monsters are coming from and what they're after. Not to mention we still need to find the rest of the Sailor Guardians, and the Moon Princess."
"You know," Sailor Moon begins, "I think I remember you mentioning them, but you never really explained any of it."
"Ah, well," Luna has the sense to look guilty. "I had meant to, but we got sidetracked with several monsters one right after the other and I forgot."
Ami looks at Sailor Moon curiously after hearing this. Apparently she's just about as new as she is. Makes sense, she supposes, since she seems to be arguing with Luna almost as much as Ami herself is. How curious. And Luna expects them to band together to form a team when they have no idea what they're doing?
"It doesn't matter," she says before Sailor Moon and Luna can get further in their argument. "I'm not going to do this again." She turns to step away, but then remembers what she's wearing and pauses. "And if you could tell me how to undo this, I would be very grateful."
"Just concentrate on it vanishing," Sailor Moon explains, appearing to do just that herself. Ami watches as her body glows briefly before being replaced by a figure she vaguely recognizes.
"You…go to my school?" she asks, tilting her head.
The girl blinks at her. "Yeah. I'm Tsukino Usagi, year 2 class 1. And you're Mizuno Ami."
Ami is surprised she already knows who she is. Before she can really ponder it, though, she does as Usagi instructed and concentrates on the form fading away. When she feels the warmth envelop her again she knows she's succeeded. Sure enough, when she looks she's back in her school uniform. "How did you know?" she asks.
Tsukino shrugs. "We saw you before the monster transformed and attacked, and everyone knows who you are."
Ami frowns. "Regardless, I'm not going to help you again." Then she turns and walks away.
"You have questions, I'm sure," Tsukino calls after her. She pauses, unsure of where the other girl is going with that. "If you leave now, you'll never have them answered." Ami freezes and glances back at the other girl, giving her a look. Tsukino looks unusually serious. "You like figuring things out, don't you? Aren't you the least bit curious about what just happened?"
"So what if I am?" Ami responds. "Is that knowledge worth risking my life?"
Tsukino shrugs, infuriatingly calm. "I don't know. You're supposed to be the genius girl who knows everything. Will you be able to live knowing there's things out there you can't comprehend? Things that you could know, but chose to ignore?"
Ami's fists curl at her side when she hears Tsukino's questions. They're intentionally designed to get to her, she knows, but Tsukino isn't wrong. Ami knows what she's like. If she let this go, never spoke to either of them again, this encounter would fester in the back of her mind. She'd never really forget it, always wondering and thinking it over and over. She does have a lot of questions. She wants to pick Luna and Tsukino's brain for everything they know. But if she leaves she won't have the chance.
She turns back to the pair, a frustrated grimace on her face. "Fine," she spits out. "I'll join your magical club, or whatever these Guardians are. But you have to start giving us answers, Luna," she demands of the cat.
Luna seems to grimace before nodding. "Very well. But I think that can hold for another day, at least. Take the evening to process today, and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can tomorrow."
"Deal," Ami agrees. "I'll find you after school then, Tsukino-san." When Tsukino nods in agreement, Ami turns back around. This time when she heads out, she doesn't turn back.
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Tsukino Usagi
Beside her, Luna lets out a heavy sigh. "I didn't think she'd be so difficult to convince," the cat bemoans. Usagi gives her a considering look.
"What did you expect? This is a lot to spring on someone out of the blue," she reprimands the cat. "Come on," she says, heading out after Mizuno. "I'm hungry." She hears Luna plodding after her, but the cat is quiet. After a while Usagi speaks up again. "How many of us are there, really?"
"There are four others, besides yourself," Luna says, walking on the wall next to Usagi's head. "I knew there was something about Mizuno when I encountered her before, but I didn't expect her to be a Guardian. I should have known, though. Sailor Mercury was always the smartest of you girls."
"Are there any others you've had these weird feelings about?" Usagi asks.
"No, none as of yet," Luna answers. "Please, Usagi-chan, just let it be for tonight. I'll answer your questions tomorrow."
Usagi shrugs and relents. "Alright."
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Mizuno is waiting for the pair of them at the gates after school. She doesn't say anything when they approach, and Usagi briefly stops by her to nod in acknowledgement. When she walks off the blue-haired girl follows, and Usagi leads them to the park in silence. They stop at the fountain in the center of the park. At this time of the day, when school has just let out, they've got the area to themselves.
Usagi sits on the ledge, Mizuno beside her, and they both look expectantly at Luna sitting before them on the ground. "Alright then, what are your questions?" Luna says, seemingly resigned to her fate.
"What are the Sailor Guardians?" Mizuno immediately begins. "How many of us are there? And who is the Moon Princess?"
Luna sighs. "The Sailor Guardians are the sworn protectors of the Moon Princess and the Moon Kingdom. There are five of you, one for each planet, so –"
"There are nine planets," Mizuno interjects.
"Yes," Luna agrees, "but I speak of only the Inner planets, as you humans have taken to referring to them. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Those are your comrades."
"Jupiter isn't an Inner planet."
"So we're looking for Venus, Mars, and Jupiter," Usagi interrupts over Mizuno.
"Do you know who they are? Or have any idea of how to find them?" Mizuno asks.
Luna shakes her head. "I don't know anything."
"But you said you felt something about Mizuno?" Usagi interjects curiously.
"Well, yes," Luna agrees. "Sometimes I get a…sensation. I knew there was something different about Ami-chan. But that's not very helpful when it comes to finding the rest."
"Then how do you plan to find them?" Mizuno asks, annoyance creeping into her tone. "Do you have any plan, or were you just going to hope to come across them?" Luna grimaces and Ami scoffs. "That's absolutely brilliant."
"W-well," Luna stutters, more than a little flustered under Mizuno's inquisition. Usagi watches intently, more than content to let them speak. "Now that there's two of you, perhaps the search will be easier now. Not to mention fighting evil."
Mizuno holds up a finger. "That's another thing. What exactly is this 'evil' we're fighting? Where do they come from? Who's behind all this?"
"I'm not sure. I have some ideas," Luna says, looking down at the ground, "but nothing concrete. I need more information."
"Clearly," Mizuno rolls her eyes. "What have you got so far? Where do you even get your information?"
Luna stands and walks around in front of them. "We know who's been behind these attacks lately. He's introduced himself as Jadeite, but aside from that we don't know where he goes or who he works for.
"And we do have a base, with a computer I can gather data on." Then she gives Mizuno a considering look. "But perhaps…" she trails off, and then prepares to jump, flipping in the air as something drops below her. It's a thin blue something, and Usagi and Mizuno both lean forward in curiosity. Then Usagi notices the symbol on its top.
Mizuno picks it up, turning it over in her hands. "Is this symbol supposed to mean this is mine?" she asks Luna, opening it to reveal a screen and keyboard. Usagi's eyes widen when she realizes it's a mini computer, much smaller than any device she's seen on the market lately.
Luna nods. "Yes. I think, with your intelligence, perhaps you can make more sense of the data we have than I can. It's connected to the Moon System's computer, so you should have complete access."
Mizuno presses a button and it turns on. Then she starts fiddling with some of the buttons, slowly growing absorbed. "Hmm," she mutters distractedly, "I'll take a look."
"How do you even do that?" Usagi asks since Mizuno is busy.
"Magic."
"Okay…" she trails off, not really happy with the answer but not surprised by it either. Luna does talk, after all.
"Anything else you'd like to ask me?" Luna asks, settling down again before them.
Mizuno mutters a quiet, "No," still absorbed with the information scrolling through the computer. Usagi shakes her head. "For now."
Luna nods. "Very well then. I'll let you girls get on with your afternoon."