Tsukino Usagi

Two days after their adventure in DreamLand, Usagi is walking towards the shopping center with Rei. After the fun afternoon they'd had riding around DreamLand they had started hanging out more often, and today Usagi plans to introduce her to Motoki-oniisan at the arcade. But as they walk, a lottery stand catches her eye and she pauses to read the banner, her friend stopping a moment later when she realizes Usagi isn't walking anymore.

"What is it?" she asks, her head tilted curiously as she reads the sign herself. "A luxury cruise? We don't really have time for that, and besides, these contests are rigged."

As she turns to continue walking, an idea pops in her head and Usagi grins deviously. "Oh? I bet you could use your supernatural powers to win it."

Rei pauses. "What?"

"You know, use those spirits or pray to those gods of yours to win the contest," she says lightly.

"It doesn't work like that."

"So you couldn't do it?" Usagi asks innocently.

Rei looks conflicted for a second. "Alright, fine," she grits out, pushing through the crowd around the stand to get to the front. She pays the man to play and then closes her eyes in concentration, her hands coming together as if to pray. They silently watch her for a moment before she bursts into action, spinning the handle so fast it's nearly a blur. And then she stops, and they all wait with baited breath for the ball to come out.

A tiny little golden ball gently drops from the machine. The man running the stand stares incredulously for a moment before suddenly coming alive, animatedly ringing his bell as he calls out, "Winner! We have a winner! We have a winner!" When he finally stops he reaches into his coat and produces two tickets that he hands over to Rei. "Here you go, Miss. Enjoy your trip!"

"Thank you," she replies with a polite bow before walking back to Usagi, who's still standing behind everyone. She gives her companion a pointed look. "And you doubted me."

"I will never do so again," Usagi solemnly promises as she eyes the tickets. "So, you have anyone you wanna take in mind?"

Rei thinks for a second as they start walking again. "No, not really. It's not like I have a boyfriend, or many friends for that matter."

"So…could I go with you then?"

Rei contemplates it for several moments, and the longer she takes the more nervous Usagi gets. "I think I'll take Mizuno –"

"What?!"

"– since we haven't had a girls outing yet," Rei continues, ignoring Usagi's interruption. "Yeah, I think that'll be fun. Let me call her right now." They stop on the corner of the street as Rei pulls out her communicator. She presses the center button to turn on the screen and Rei taps on the Mercury symbol on the bottom row to video call Mizuno. It rings for a second as they wait for Mizuno to respond.

Her annoyed face appears on the screen with a gruff, "What?"

Rei adopts her most innocent expression. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a cruise with me. I just won two free tickets."

Mizuno gives her an incredulous expression, and it's clear even through the small screen that she's wondering what went wrong in Rei's head to be asking her this. "Seriously? No, I don't care. I've got more important things to do."

Rei pouts. "But Mizuno-san, I just wanted to get to know you better, is all. We are comrades. Usagi-chan is the only other person I could think of bringing, but I've already spent an afternoon with her at the amusement park, so I thought it would only be fair to invite you this time."

Usagi wishes Mizuno would've hung up after initially rejecting the offer, because now she looks like she's actually considering Rei's proposition. "Tsukino-san, you say? Does she know about the tickets?" Mizuno asks, and Usagi doesn't like where this is going.

"Of course, she was the one who dared me to get them in the first place," Rei replies.

"Does she want to go?"

Rei shrugs. "Well, yeah, but I thought I'd offer them to you first."

Mizuno grins. "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Noooo," Usagi cries, utterly disappointed. She distantly hears Mizuno laughing through the communicator, and Rei's quieter chuckles. "You've betrayed me, Rei-chan. I thought we were friends." She feels the other girl's arm link through hers as they head off again.

"We are, Usagi-chan," she replies, far too happily for someone who's just betrayed their best friend.

Usagi doesn't reply. 'Two can play at this game,' she thinks, intending on giving Rei the cold shoulder for as long as she can hold out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It lasts until Rei has to leave to get ready for the cruise later that evening, but by then Usagi has cooled down. After all, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't go on the cruise. "I'm glad you've realized that, Usagi-chan," Luna praises her when she gets home. "Besides, someone has to be ready to defend against evil monsters, should one try to attack tonight."

"Of course, Luna," Usagi agrees obligingly, all the while mentally planning exactly how she's going to get on that cruise. She'll get on and interrupt their "hanging out," just to prove that she can and they shouldn't try to mess with her like this. Besides, Guardians should stick together, so it really isn't fair that it's just the two of them. After all, Mizuno could've stuck with them if she'd wanted to, she just chose not to.

A half-hour before the cruise is set to leave, Usagi gets up and leaves. Unfortunately, Luna follows along as well, curious about where she's off to. She tries to distract the cat with other questions, keeping her talking about her research into the Dark Kingdom and other potential comrades and the like. But once they approach the pier Usagi can't hide her destination any longer.

"What are we doing here?" Luna asks, and she sounds like she's struggling not to get angry.

"Sneaking aboard the cruise, obviously," Usagi replies. "I've got a bad feeling, so we need to check it out," she lies, hoping that'll quiet Luna about it.

The cat is quiet for all of ten seconds before she's asking Usagi, "And just how do you plan to get on the ship? You don't have a ticket, I'm assuming."

"No, but I do have this." Usagi pulls out her Disguise Pen with a flourish, winking at Luna. "Moon Power! Change me into…a photographer." When the warm feeling fades Usagi looks down at herself and is pleased with what she finds. It's different enough that no one would recognize her at first glance. "Now come on, Luna. There's an employee entrance somewhere around here."

They avoid the crowds of people trying to get on the ship and head to the less populated areas. Usagi spots a door, and after a quick glance around, walks right on in. After a moment's thought, she stuffs Luna in her camera bag, just in case someone sees her and tries to question why she's got a cat following her. Luna grumbles but doesn't outright complain, and once the lid is shut Usagi can't hear her anyways. She starts walking down the hall, looking for anything that will get her up to the public levels.

It's like a maze down in the bowels of the ship, and there isn't a single sign that could possibly tell her how to get to the top. "What the hell, Luna?" Usagi complains to the cat after nearly ten minutes of wandering.

She pokes her head out of the box to look around. "I don't know, Usagi-chan. Just keep going up."

"Easier said than done," she grumbles under her breath as she takes the flight of stairs up on her left. It leads her to a very noisy room, but still not the public areas.

A hand on her shoulder startles her into jumping away, and when she turns to see who's approached her Usagi realizes her heart is beating very fast. It's a man she doesn't recognize, wearing the crisp white uniform of the boat's staff. "What are you doing here? This area is restricted."

Usagi plays innocent. "Oh, I'm sorry," she says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I got a little lost looking for the bathrooms, and now I don't know how to get back."

"I will show you the way back, Miss," he offers.

"I appreciate that," Usagi says pleasantly. 'He's kinda cute,' she thinks as she follows him through the ship. "So, what's your name, sir? I'm Tsukino Usagi."

"Uh, I'm Jed," he replies. "It's nice to meet you," he says stiffly, as if he's merely observing formality and doesn't really mean it.

Usagi falters. 'Jed was the same name as the guy who worked at Rei-chan's shrine, the one she had bad feelings about,' she recalls, though she tries not to let it show on her face. "It's nice to meet you too," she replies, though her heart isn't in it anymore. She's wary of this man now, and glances at him often out of the corner of her eye. He doesn't look like the other Jed, but Usagi knows that isn't much. She's disguised herself, after all. She tries to feel if there's something off about him, but unfortunately she doesn't have the spiritual awareness that Rei does.

Finally they make it to a brightly lit hall. Usagi looks around curiously, but there's no one else. Jed turns to her and bows. "I must take my leave now. Good luck finding your companions," he says curtly before walking off.

Usagi waits until he's a little ways off before following after him. Forget finding Rei and Mizuno, she's found something more important to do. She keeps trailing Jed through the ship until he enters a room, and then she has to peek through the small window to see what's going on. Her eyes widen in surprise.

Jed is in there with another woman, also in a uniform like his, and they're watching the dark blue orb floating before them. It glows faintly, and Usagi doesn't need Rei's level of spirituality to know that the orb holds energy, she can feel it even through the door. "Not good, Luna," she mutters, opening the case and holding the cat up so she can see.

"What isn't good, Usagi-chan?" the cat asks.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asks incredulously, and then her eyes widen in surprise when she looks back through the hole. "They're gone!" she exclaims in surprise. "But I saw –! That man and woman, they're trying to gather the passengers' energy. We have to stop them."

Luna jumps out of the case. "We need to find Ami-chan and Rei-chan."

.

Hino Rei

She and Ami – as the girl had requested she call her when they began this whole endeavor, since they were practically going on a date – sit down to a nice dinner in the dining hall. It's a small and intimate table, and Rei is sure that, had she been on an actual date, it would've been very romantic. As it is, the whole trip so far has been pretty romantic, but she and Ami are taking it in stride. Ami even dressed up in a suit to play at being the boy, which Rei had laughed at.

It hasn't been as awkward as she would have thought. Before tonight Rei had never spoken much with Mizuno, since the girl was never around when there was no Guardian business, but she was glad for the opportunity to get to know her. She didn't have very many friends – none, really, until Usagi-chan had started talking to her, and she always found it hard to go up and talk to people when they all knew the rumors about her. But Ami didn't care about her powers; she had similar ones herself, and as Rei had found out, was a bit of a loner as well though it wasn't her supernatural abilities that kept her apart from everyone else. Plus they were Guardians together, so they had no choice but to interact.

Dinner is peaceful. They make small talk for a while until they receive their food, and now they eat in companionable silence. Rei is pleased to find that Ami also enjoys the quiet, and that it isn't awkward between them. Neither one of them is the kind to talk just to fill the quiet. Rei knows it must seem odd to the other couples that they don't interact much, but it's just another thing for them to giggle about. They've been turning heads since they arrived on the boat once people realized Ami isn't a boy and they aren't a couple, but that just makes it more fun.

Their meal is interrupted half-way through when the speakers on the ship come to life. "Would everyone please join us in the Reception Hall for tonight's show?" a feminine voice informs them.

Rei and Ami share a look. "We might as well go; we've got nothing better to do," Ami says, wiping her face with her napkin and standing. "Are you done?"

"Yeah," Rei nods. Ami offers her arm like the gentleman she's pretending to be and Rei takes it with an amused smile. Then they head for the Reception Hall with the rest of the passengers.

When they get to the Hall there's a woman in a Chinese dress and a man in the ship's uniform standing up on the stage. "Welcome all," she says, and Rei recognizes her as the woman who made the announcement. "I hope you've been enjoying your romantic cruise." Ami and Rei share a look. "Now it's time for the highlight of the evening…the stealing of your energy!"

Their attention snaps back to the stage as the woman's form changes appearance. Her skin goes blue and her dress is replaced by a tight blue suit. Her hair grows long and black and there's a golden symbol resting on her forehead above deep red eyes, but no face. She raises her arms and the disco ball above them starts glowing. Then the people start falling as their energy is drained, but they're surprised to find themselves still standing once it's all over. Ami and Rei look around in confusion.

"What's this?" the woman asks.

"You only took the romantic energy from the passengers," the man says, and is that amusement Rei hears in his voice? "They have no romantic energy. They're not here on a date."

The monster almost looks flustered as she rounds on them. "What are you doing on a romantic cruise without your boyfriends?" she asks.

Rei flushes. "That's none of your business!" she snaps. Ami nods in agreement next to her, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Fine," the monster growls. "We'll just have to take care of you in another way." As she speaks murky blue figures start to rise from the ground and approach them.

"Shit," Ami mutters, and Rei can't help agreeing with the sentiment. They turn back-to-back as they face the clone things and prepare to defend themselves.

.

Tsukino Usagi

"Hold it right there!" Usagi says, landing on the window to the Reception Hall. "How dare you make fun of girls who are just here for a good time! They don't need boyfriends to do that, so there's no reason to be mean!" she proclaims. "I am Sailor Moon, Guardian of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

"You again!" Jed shouts as his form changes, revealing Jadeite.

"I'll take care of her, Master Jadeite," the monster claims with a bow. "I, Thetis, will be your opponent, Sailor Moon!" She launches herself off of the stage at Usagi, and she has nowhere to dodge. The monster slams into her with her arms gripping tight at her shoulders. The fall to the outer deck hard enough to break through the wood, creating a crater where they land. Usagi gasps in pain as her back is battered black and blue again.

She knees Thetis in the gut, remembering her karate training enough to kick the monster over her head. She quickly scrambles out of the crater to stand and face the monster, who caught herself on the ship's railing. "You won't defeat me here, Sailor Moon!" She raises her arms and massive jets of water shoot up beside the ship. Usagi swallows heavily and hopes Mercury and Mars plan on joining her sometime soon, because this monster doesn't seem like the other ones they've faced before.

Thetis launches the streams of water and her and Usagi ignores the pain enough to dodge, and she's very glad she does. The force of the water jets is enough to create more dents in the deck, rending the wood to slivers. She reaches for her tiara as soon as she has a second to breathe and quickly attacks, "Moon Tiara Action!" In her haste, though, the throw goes wide and barely scratches at the monster's shoulder before clattering somewhere off on Usagi's right.

She stares, horrified, at her dropped tiara, and in her distraction takes Thetis's revenge shot right in the same shoulder, throwing her roughly back into the metal ship. She hits her head hard and cries out, though luckily she doesn't fall unconscious.

"Mercury Bubble Spray!"

The area is covered in mist and Usagi squints, though two figures immediately materialize in front of her. She flinches back for a second before recognizing them as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars. "Thank the gods you guys are here," she mutters.

"Sailor Moon, your shoulder," Rei mutters, gentle hands touching at her shoulder as her expression twists in concern.

Usagi doesn't want to look; she can barely feel her arm, so it must not be good. Instead she levers herself off of the wall, a little unsteady as her head starts pounding, but she can at least stand on her own. Her right arm hangs limply at her side.

"You have a head wound," Mizuno remarks, sounding surprised.

Usagi almost shakes her head, but then gets dizzy when she starts to move it and aborts the movement. "We need to defeat her, quickly. She's not like the other monsters."

"I'll dry her out," Rei growls. "Mars Fire Soul!" Flames burn through the mist and hit Thetis right on, causing the monster to slump as she starts smoking. "Now, Sailor Moon!"

"I need my tiara to finish her," she snaps, panicked. There's no way she can concentrate enough to summon the thing with a headache pounding at her head, and she has the perfect opportunity right in front of her to attack but she can't do a thing. Then something clatters at her feet.

"Here, Sailor Moon!" Luna shouts.

Usagi has never felt more relieved to see the cat. Thankfully Mizuno bends down to pick it up and hand it to her. Usagi isn't sure she could manage it herself with her head pounding like it is. This time she'll be more careful. "Moon Tiara Action!" Thetis is still recovering from Rei's attack, and with Usagi's toss on point this time she's an easy target for the tiara. It strikes her right in her center and she screams in pain before turning into water and falling into the river, her streams of water disappearing a moment later.

"Damn you girls!" Jadeite snaps, finally making his appearance before them. Rei and Mizuno tense beside Usagi, and she does her best to get into her own defensive position, though she knows she won't hold up in a battle against him. She's far too weakened right now.

Then, under their very feet, the ship gives a massive groan and rapidly deteriorates, the wooden boards turning rotted as the metal of the ship goes rusted. The engines stop and the massive boat slowly comes to a stop in the water. "What the hell?" Rei mutters, looking around.

Usagi only has eyes for Jadeite, though, and notices that he immediately disappears as the ship goes sour. She heaves a breath of relief as she relaxes. "He's gone," she tells the others.

"I wonder if it was that monster's power that was keeping the ship in its pristine condition," Mizuno mutters. "It would explain why it deteriorated so suddenly after she died."

"Who cares about that? We're stuck now," Usagi complains, leaning against the wall though it makes a frightening creaking sound when it does. Her shoulder is starting to ache, and from her peripheral vision she can see how raw it is, with blood trickling down her arm from the really exposed parts. The shoulder of her uniform is utterly ruined, as well as part of her collar. She really needs a hospital this time.

"That looks bad, Usagi-chan," Rei says. Even Mizuno looks a little concerned by Usagi's injury, and she feels almost touched.

"The coast guard will be here soon," Mizuno reassures them. "They'll have first aid kits and you can just say you were hurt when the ship turned all rotted."

Usagi nods and drops her transformation, which thankfully doesn't jar her injury. Then she slides to the ground to rest as her companions do the same, settling beside her. "Sorry for interrupting your date, but do you mind if I wait with you guys?" she asks jokingly, though her voice is tight with pain.

Rei chuckles, appreciating the small attempt at humor. Even Mizuno cracks a wry grin. "Sure, it's fine. My date wasn't all that great anyways. Hardly a gentleman," she jokes, though Mizuno still adopts an affronted expression. The genius snaps something back in return, and Usagi is grateful for the distraction as they bicker back and forth.