DISCLAIMER(IN OTHER WORDS, STUFF YOU PUT IN TO COVER YOUR ASS: Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor Moon. I didn't. I don't own anything Naoko Takeuchi created(except maybe for a copy of the Sailor V manga), but I do own everything I created.
SAILOR MOON: 1987
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's not going to be a whole lot of action the next few episodes. In fact, there may be an episode or three where our heroes don't even transform from their civilian identities. This is part of the story, the plotline is that the villains are trying to cause our heroes to develop a false sense of security by laying low, making them think they've given up after the defeat of Jaedite. Since I don't really want to do a time skip, I figured I would put in some good old fashioned character development, and show what the lives of our heroes are like when they're not out fighting the bad guys.
EPISODE 8: SLICE OF LIFE
PROLOG
TSUKINO RESIDENCE, FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA
NOVMEBER 28, 1986 4:00 PM
"From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California," the voice of Jerry Dunphy said, "Good afternoon. We begin this newscast with breaking news out of Orange County. We take you to Laura Diaz, on scene in Fullerton."
"I'm here at Orangefair Plaza,' newscaster Laura Diaz said. "Where just a short time ago, the masked hero known as Golden Hawk, along with a team of what appears to be superpowered, costumed teenage girls, has fought and destroyed a demon. Now we don't know much about these girls, except the one showed here," the newscast showed a graphic of Sailor Moon in action, "goes by the name of Sailor Moon. Although none of the girls wear masks, we were unable to identify these females, as although they don't wear masks, they apparently have the power to obscure their appearance, to hide their identity. Now as you know, Golden Hawk has been fighting crime in the Tri-City area of Brea, Fullerton, and Placentia since just after Christmas last year, but these girls have joined him within the last week."
"I know who Sailor Moon is," Sammy Tsukino said, turning the TV off.
"How can you know who she is?" Ikuko Tsukino asked. "They just said nobody knows who they are. I wouldn't be surprised if Golden Hawk didn't know who "Sailor Moon is."
"You saw how she wears her hair?" Sammy asked.
"Yes," Ikuko said.
"They said Sailor Moon is a teenage girl," Sammy said. "How many other blonde haired teenage girls do you know who wear buns on top of her head and long pigtails?"
"You aren't saying what I think you're saying?" Ikuko asked.
"Sailor Moon's hair is even the same shade of blonde as Usagi's," Sammy said. And every time I've seen Sailor Moon on TV, she's accompanied by a black cat. And isn't a coincidence that Usagi just happened to get Luna right around the time Sailor Moon first showed up? And with the possible exception of school, she takes Luna everywhere she goes. If the two of them were any closer, they would be the first recorded instance of interspecies Siamese twins. And get this, I've caught Usagi talking to Luna."
"Remember when we had Butterscotch?" Ikuko said. "That orange calico we had when you were in kindergarten? You used to talk to that cat sometimes."
"The only thing Butterscotch ever said to me was meow," Sammy said.
"Luna talks to Usagi."
"I hope you're right about Luna," Ikuko said. "But you do have a point about the hair. Usagi's the only girl I've seen who wears her hair like that."
"What are you talking about Usagi's hair?" Kenji Tsukino said, as he got home from work.
"Sammy said it's more than coincidence that Sailor Moon wears her hair in the same style as Usagi," Ikuko said. "He said that Usagi is Sailor Moon."
"I think he may be on to something," Kenji said. "I noticed that Sailor Moon is accompanied by a black cat named Luna, and around when Sailor Moon first shows up, Usagi not only does Usagi adopt a black cat, but names her Luna? I'm starting to suspect myself that Usagi is Sailor Moon."
Later on, when Usagi got home, her parents confronted her. "We want to have a little talk with you," Ikuko said.
"About what?" Usagi said.
"Sailor Moon," Ikuko said.
"How long have you known?" Usagi asked.
"Your brother figured it out this afternoon," Kenji said. "At least, that's when he told your mother."
"I'm sorry," Sammy said. "But you need to do a little better job hiding your identity. Maybe, I don't know, wear your hair in a different hairstyle as Usagi or as Sailor Moon, or maybe give your cat a different name, and not having conversations in the house, where we can hear you. A mask wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"I thought your aura was supposed to protect your secret identity," Luna said. "That's why I never made any other measures to hide it. Besides, I have a feeling a mask would have looked pretty ridiculous."
"If it makes you feel any better," Sammy said, "I only figured it out this afternoon."
"You may be a little twerp," Usagi said, "but you're no dummy."
"Gee thanks," Sammy said.
The next day, the Sailor Soldiers and Golden Hawk were having a debriefing after destroying Jaedite. "We need to talk about coming clean to our families about our secret identites," Usagi said.
"Don't tell us you told your family," Ami Andersen said.
"Not exactly," Usagi said. "My brother figured it out. I don't blame him, it's not like we took any measures to protect our identities."
"We just assumed the aura each of us have that protects our identity was all we needed," Mina Webb said.
"For that, I apologize," Luna said.
"If you can believe it," John McCoy said, "I've been at this for nearly a year, and as far as I know, nobody I know has even suspected I was Golden Hawk. Of course, I wear a mask to cover my face, and gloves to keep me from leaving my fingerprints everywhere."
"Just out of curiosity," Rae Hinowski asked, "Does anyone outside this room know your secret?"
"My parents, the Mailman, Jackrabbit Slim, and Bear," John said. "Although Jackrabbit Slim only knows my real name, he's never seen me without my mask on."
"How did your parents take it?" Mary Ann Kino asked.
"My mom was a little concerned," John said. "Of course, she said that she wasn't concerned, if she didn't worry about me whenever I took a crap, the mother's union would take her card. As for my dad, and I quote, "I'd rather have my son putting on some fancy pajamas and thrashing bank robbers and muggers than having him getting wasted behind the 7-Eleven or impregnating half the cheerleading squad." unquote. They've pretty much accepted the fact I have superpowers, and I'm using them for good. And my dad does accept the fact I'm not an athlete, that I'd rather play the guitar than quarterback. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing in Rainy Day Man, but I like teaching guitar a little more. That's why I was hired on at Cavern, to teach guitar, but when I don't have a student, I work the floor or behind the counter."
"So how long have you been playing guitar?" Mary Ann asked.
"Since I was 7," John said. "I got into it because of my mom's cousin's old band."
"What band is that?" Mary Ann asked.
"His mom's cousin is Ace Frehley," Usagi said.
"I love KISS!" Rae said.
"I've met Ace a couple times myself," John said.
"Anyone busy tonight?" Usagi asked. "I was thinking of having a sleepover at my house."
"That sounds fun," Mary Ann said. "I think my uncle will let me."
"Count me in," Ami said.
"Mina and I have sleepovers all the time," Rae said. "We have an awesome time."
"Stuffing our faces with junk food," Mina said, "playing games like truth or dare, doing each other's nails, pretty much doing anything but sleeping. Rae and I are definitely in."
"Just keep your communicators on," John said. "I may need you tonight."
"What do you have planned for tonight?" Artemis asked.
"Besides not going to your sleepover?" John asked. "No offense, but I'm not exactly the kind of person who girls normally invite to sleepovers. Anyways, I'm just going to do a short patrol, maybe hit the Miracle Mile, and afterwards, check in with the Saturday Night Social Club."
"What's that?" Mary Ann asked.
"A group of guys who are CB enthusiasts," Mina said.
"They get together every Saturday night, and just shoot the bull all night," Usagi said.
"If any of you ever get access to a CB radio," John said, "Come check it out one week. It starts at 8, goes pretty much all night, on channel 27. If you come in, my handle is Gōrudenhōku."
JOHN MCCOY'S BEDROOM, 8:00 THAT EVENING
Golden Hawk had decided only to hit the Miracle Mile, he did a brief patrol, made a couple rounds, and saw nothing. Afterwards, he went to a hidden spot, and transformed back into John McCoy. After stopping at a local convenience store to buy himself a bottle of orange Gatorade. Once he got home, he changed into a pair of blue sweatpants, a gray T-shirt, and a pair of tan slippers with sheepskin lining. He sat at the desk in his bedroom, placing the bottle of Gatorade next to a container full of Red Vines, and switched on his CB radio, and turned it to channel 27. "Good evening," he said, over the radio. "This is Gōrudenhōku, checking in."
"I read you loud and clear, Gōrudenhōku, this is Joker, signing on."
"Coming in as loud as the front row at an Iron Maiden concert and as clear as crystal, Joker, this is Bull Hammer, coming to you from where I'm at."
"Loud and clear, Bull Hammer, Red Five standing by."
"Read you loud, Red Five, read you clear. 'Tis I, Billy Shakespeare, armed with my rapier wit."
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
OUR NEXT EPISODE: DATELINE-MIRACLE MILE