Juubi no Shinju, returning with the continuation of Kamen Sentai Millennium. As well as possibly returning from 1-2 years of depression from all that has occurred.
God damn...2020 was...wow, just wow…2021? Slightly better.
2022…I think things are returning to normal.
Hopefully.
Anyway, here's hoping everyone is doing good and is safe from all that life throws at us. Hopefully, I'll be able to go through other stories as well, both ongoing and new. So, I wish to get back into it.
But everything at its own pace, right?
In other news…I FINALLY got through watching Kamen Rider Saber. My opinion? I. Fucking. LOVED IT! That, along with Kamen Rider Gaim, have to be my MOST favorite ones so far! The action, the drama, the suspense, the betrayal, the deaths and loss, the EMOTION! It had it ALL! It was INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL AND WELL-MADE!
Note: I could be hyping the show more than I should, so…go easy on me.
Fun question: If you guys had watched any, what are your top 5 favorite Kamen Rider/Super Sentai/Power Rangers series? You can rank them separated by their franchise, or just a solo top 5/10 if desired of them altogether.
Anyway, you all know the way. Read, Fave & Follow, and leave some nice reviews, would you?
ONWARD! IT'S...STORYTIME! HENSHIN!
Edit: July 4, 2022
Juubi and Chaos here! Just wanted to wish all you beautiful readers around the world a glorious Fourth of July! With any luck, you have all been safe and healthy throughout the past years, and with any luck, we can hopefully put the Pandemic behind us!
In a dark, black void, Woz appeared, smiling at the readers as he held a large book opened in hand. He threw an arm into the air. "Iwae! It's...Super Hero Time!" He held the book up, showing the pages glowing before a playing video appeared on them, showing the past events.
"Last time, young teenage student Naruto Namikaze was met with a strange girl who told him that in the future, he would become the Ultimate! The Supreme! The Unparalleled! The All-Powerful King! Ohma Millennium! Skeptical of her words at first, Naruto-Mao-sama soon came to accept his destiny and accept the power of Millennium to save his beloved sisters from a sudden monster attack, becoming Kamen Sentai Millennium! However, this is but the first step towards fulfilling his destiny as the King of All! Meanwhile, in another part of the city, young girl Usagi Tsukino, after having a peculiar dream, felt her friend was in trouble, and bravely ran to her rescue. However, despite her initial bravery, young Usagi-chan fell prey to fear before a vicious creature. However, thanks to her close relationship with Mao-sama, she managed to gather the strength to face the creature. Acquiring a special power, she became the glamorous Sailor Guardian of the Moon, Sailor Moon! What will her and Naruto's fates be once they meet face to face?"
Woz closed his book, smirking at the readers. "Time...is always changing. Shifting. Will young Lord Naruto be able to defy fate, or will he come to realize his destiny as Ohma Millennium? Does he and young Usagi hold a connection to the future they do not yet know? You'll just have to wait and see. But for now, let us continue viewing the starting chapter of Mao-Sama's rise to power! It's...SUPER HERO SHOWTIME!"
Chapter 03: The Waking Beast!
The large moon loomed over the world, its light illuminating everything below. Shifting down, in an empty street of Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan, a small group of teens walked calmly down the night-shined empty street. Well, more like trudged, all tired from all they have endured in the past hour or two. Anyone would be if they had to deal with being attacked by a monster, with one of the teens being the one to take care of it, with said teen having gone through an even crazier day prior to that.
Naruto sighed, shoulders sagging, feeling completely exhausted. He glanced down at his little sister in his arms, carrying her after seeing how tired she was, as she rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing her eye sleepily. He hoped they got home soon. Although, that thought also made him groan softly, dreading how his parents would react when they got home at such a late hour. He cringed at the mental image of his enraged mother standing in front of the door, her hair floating ominously around her, hellfire in her eyes.
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS, OR WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING OUT THERE?! THERE WAS A FREAKING MONSTER ATTACK, AND YOU GO OUT THERE WITH YOUR SISTERS, DATTEBANE?!"
…Yeah. He was dead.
Sighing once more, he adjusted his hold on Azuka so she was comfortable. He then glanced over his shoulder. Trailing behind him, Yuriko looked dead to the world as she dragged her feet, trudging along, shoulders sunk and head bobbing as she struggled to stay awake as she walked. He smiled apologetically at her. He suggested using the 'Time Mazine' to drop them off at home - not bothering to explain what it was, as it would just bring up more questions he rather not go through at the moment - however, according to Tsukuyomi, traveling from the past drained its battery and would require some time for it to recharge. He sweatdropped when he heard that. A state-of-the-art time-traveling flying craft from the future, yet it still ran off a chargeable battery. 'Nice to know we'll advance so much in the future.' He thought sarcastically.
Speaking of 'Future-Girl', she silently followed the Namikaze siblings, her face unreadable under the light from the lamp posts. However, Naruto could feel her glancing at him from time to time when he wasn't looking. No doubt she was thinking back to when he accepted Woz's offer and took out the watch.
He frowned, moving Azuka to hold her up with one arm, before reaching into his pocket, where he took out said watch. Looking at it, his mind flashed back to what had happened.
"Henshin!" Naruto shouted, pressing the button on top of the driver before he spread his arms to the side.
The clock hands rotated fully around, meeting in the 12 o'clock position, before they split apart, moving to 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock as the sound of a church bell rang while red Kanji appeared in the clock.
"Rider Time! 𝅘𝅥𝅮Kamen Sentai~𝅘𝅥𝅮 (Rider!)...Millennium!"
Large rings formed around Naruto, rotating around him in an armillary sphere-type fashion. Inside the sphere, armor pieces began to appear and spread throughout Naruto's form, encasing him completely in black body armor. It looked strong, durable yet flexible for movement. Not too thick, but not too thin to not provide protection. The kanji shot out of the clock, floating in the air for a moment, before shrinking in size. As the rings disappeared around Naruto, the kanji moved and clung to his helmet one by one in three pieces, forming the visor. In the middle of the helmet face, clock hands appeared, spreading apart in a wide V angle, resting above the kanji visor.
ケン
In a flash, the kanji changed and became a tall weapon. "Zikan Girade! Ken! (Sword)"
"You will not defeat me!"
"We'll see about that." Millennium said, sliding his blade across Shibuya's own and delivering a slash across the monster's thick skin, causing a shower of spark to erupt.
"Time to end this!" Millennium stated, reaching down and removing the Ridewatch from his driver. He then placed the watch into the slot on his weapon.
"Lock on!" The sword announced, before Millennium pressed the dial on the watch. "Finish Time!" The blade began to glow with immense energy as Millennium reeled it back.
"It's over!" Millennium shouted. Pushing off the ground, Millennium shot towards Shibuya, swinging his blade forward. Passing by Shibuya, Millennium slashed his blade through the monster, cutting through him before continuing to pass him.
"Time Break!"
"Long live Shocker!" Shibuya cried out, before exploding in a blaze of fire.
Standing back facing the flames, Millennium stood up, standing silent as the light of the sun shined over him.
'Kamen Sentai...Millennium...' Naruto thought, frowning as he stared at the watch, at the image of Millennium's face staring back at him. 'What the hell does that even mean? Shouldn't it be Kamen Rider Millennium? Kamen Sentai...is that like the Super Sentai?' The name confused Naruto, along with everything else that was happening. That monster...it said 'Shocker'. Did it mean the Shocker? Even he knew what Shocker was. The infamous terrorist organization has tried to rule Japan or the world, or destroy either, in the past multiple times. Thankfully, each time they were stopped thanks to the Kamen Riders, sometimes also aided by the Super Sentai.
'Still...does this mean that Shocker is coming back?' He thought, not liking the idea. Even with their multiple defeats, Shocker was still very dangerous. He recalled times his father and mother (before her retirement due to being pregnant with Azuka) would come home late, extremely tired during times Shocker would appear and cause havoc. 'Like today.' The fact that Shocker would suddenly spring up after all these years, and he gained the watch and driver...it was too much of a coincidence. 'Maybe not...Tsukuyomi said I became Millennium after Azuka-chan and Yuriko-chan were...anyway, does that mean they were supposed to appear anyway? Was it a coincidence? Or was it just chance?' Groaning, he shook his head, stuffing the watch back into his pocket. It might be best not to think about it anymore. He seriously didn't want to think about what could have happened if he didn't get there in time.
Shaking his head, he looked up. He saw that they finally reached his neighborhood, making him sigh in relief as he saw his house in view. He looked back at Yuriko, the corner of his lips twitching up slightly when he saw her bump into a light post, groaning sleepily as she was practically sleepwalking. Shaking his head, he reached over, placing a hand on her back to help guide her. He heard her mumble something incomprehensible, moving a bit closer to him, her head leaning against his shoulder, looking ready to sleep right then and there. Knowing he had to get her home quickly or else he'll be forced to drag her there, he looked towards Tsukuyomi, who miraculously didn't look the least bit tired, seemingly. "Follow me." He told her, getting a nod from the silent girl. Ignoring her strange silence, Naruto made his way towards his house, pushing Yuriko along the way, getting a mumbling 'tired' and 'let me sleep' from her.
As he inched closer home, Naruto spared a glance at the Tsukino residence right next door, wondering if Usagi was there. He held back a chuckle, just imagining his meatball-haired friend snoring on her bed, open candy wrappers around her from her "secret" stash from last Halloween, while a still closed backpack and ignored homework laid at the corner of the room, where it was no-doubt tossed uncaringly. Shaking his head fondly at the childish antics of his friend, he turned his attention back to his own home, where after climbing the two front steps and making sure the dead-on-her-feet Yuriko didn't trip, Naruto sighed as he stood in front of the door, dreading what possibly awaited him inside. The lights were off, but for all he knew, it was simply a false sense of security to make him think his parents were sleeping, when in truth his mother was wide awake, sitting in the dark living room. Arms crossed and eyes narrowed, just waiting for the door to open and him to step inside. Right before she launched herself at him, ready to deliver the righteous might of motherly fury!
Whimpering slightly and giving a mental prayer to his ancestors for protection, Naruto reached for the doorknob. Gripping it, he turned it. Or at least, he tried. He blinked when he saw it was locked. He groaned. Really, Kaa-san? Grumbling about just wanting to get this over with so he could sleep, Naruto reached into his pocket for his keys, given that with his father's job, and his mother sometimes being called back into duty to help with the fire department during or after battles between Riders/Sentai and monsters, Naruto was given a spare key for when his parents couldn't be home. Taking it out, he unlocked the door. Opening it up fully, he grabbed Yuriko, gently nudging her inside and telling her to go lay down on the couch and he'll help her get upstairs so she didn't trip and fall. Getting a groaning answer, he turned to Tsukuyomi. Seeing the blank look on her face, looking around the porch, he sighed, stepping to the side and gesturing for her to go in. "Well, come on in. Make yourself at home. I know we ate ramen in...the past, but after everything that happened, I'm feeling hungry, so I hope you're in the mood for more ramen, 'cause that's what I'm making." He said. Normally, he would be very excited for ramen, especially homemade, but with the day he's had, he would settle for instant ramen.
Nodding, Tsukuyomi bowed her head slightly in thanks. "That's fine. Thank you." She then entered the house.
'Ohma's house.' She mentally said, unable to find the thought to be insanely hilarious and ironic. She was truly standing in the past home of the guy who in her time laid waste to more than half of the planet, bringing nothing but ruin and death. The guy who is responsible for the death of her friends! She was standing in front of that same monster in his younger form! She had spent all day with him! Why? To change him? To change his future? To change the future? Well, she tried, and she failed. Naruto still became Millennium and it was only a matter of time until he became Ohma.
'So...why am I still here?' She wondered, frowning as she entered the darkroom as Naruto followed her in, closing and locking the door behind him. She winced as he turned on the light, temporarily blinding her. Blinking the spots away, she looked at the interior closer. The house looked normal. Couches - one of which Yuriko was currently snoring on - comfy-looking padded chairs, a small table sitting in the center of the room, and some wooden furniture all placed around what she assumed was the living room, with a kitchen in view to the side. She saw several plants placed around the room, no doubt to give the place a calmer and homey vibe.
'Plants…' She thought, gazing at the potted plant stationed beside her, staring at the green leaves with wondrous and curious eyes.
When was the last time she saw plants in her time? Actual physical plants, not just pictures from salvaged books or photos. Never, she remembered. This time, in the past, it was the first time she saw any form of vegetation, as Ohma's onslaught had wiped out all forms of greenery, burning it all to ashes and leaving nothing on the land but gravel and dust.
Even the appearance of the house stumped her for a second. Growing up, all that she recalled of living space was a building built on hastily held materials they could find, filled to the brim with men, women, and children covered in dirt; crying, their expressions sad, hollow, or angry at their current state with many fearful and wary of any outside sound, scared that at any second, Ohma's monsters could break-in to end them all. Or even worse, Ohma himself.
Remembering the people she had left behind in the ruined future - leaving them to continue their struggle of survival against Ohma, wondering what could be happening to them at that very moment, and fearful of the thought that they could have been discovered by Ohma - it made Tsukuyomi clench her fists until her knuckles turned white.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump. Turning her head, she saw Naruto ("Ohma" she subconsciously reminded herself) looking at her. He gestured to the couches. "You can have a seat. I'm gonna put Azuka to bed." He told her, getting a nod. As he moved towards the stairs, his slumbering little sister in his arms, Tsukuyomi let out a sigh, placing a hand on her beating heart. Honestly, she still wasn't used to standing so close to him. Every time she saw him, she always saw Ohma in his place.
She shivered, remembering the last time she saw Ohma, his crimson red katakana visor lenses piercing through her very soul, freezing her in place, as he went about killing troopers from the resistance when they attacked him, only to meet swift ends as Ohma showed off his power.
"You fools could never defeat me. And do you know why? Because I was destined to be king! For it was, and always has been, my fate. My future! My destiny to become the ultimate! The supreme! The unparalleled, all-powerful King! That…is my eternal fate! Believe it…for you do not have a choice!"
'I must be insane to be doing this.' She thought as she walked towards the unoccupied couch, taking a seat in front of the slumbering Yuriko, letting out a heavy sigh. She looked around, memorizing everything as she idly smoothed out her white cloak, miraculously dirt-free even with all that has happened and the places she has been. She jumped once again, as Kurama leaped up onto the couch, sitting beside her. Calming her rapidly beating heart from the small fright, Tsukuyomi looked at the fox in surprise and awe. There weren't that many animals in the future, few birds, fewer mammals. This was her first time seeing a fox that wasn't a picture in a book. Its orange fur looked quite shiny and soft, making her want to feel it, but held back out of fear of startling it. Its gorgeous crimson eyes captivated her, holding her in place as it stared at her curiously, no doubt wondering who she was.
"Who are you?"
The sudden sound of Yuriko's voice startled her, Tsukuyomi turned her head, seeing the awake teen looking at her from her prone position on the other couch, looking at her through half-lid, tired eyes. Exhausted, yet holding a glint of suspicion.
"You were...with Naruto...when he showed up." Yuriko muttered, pausing to let out a yawn. Groaning, she continued as she rubbed her eye. "You helped him...against that monster. But when that other guy appeared...you said something about Naruto...becoming a 'Demon King'. And...after everything...Naruto said you were trying to kill him. So..." With a groan, Yuriko sat up. Letting out a tired sigh, the teenage girl looked at Tsukuyomi, narrowing her drowsy eyes in a suspicious glare at the girl from the future. "Who. Are. You?" She demanded.
Tsukuyomi's throat instantly went dry, unsure of what she should say. What could she say?! That her brother could one day become an unstoppable monster that destroyed 80% of the world?! Where she, and possibly the only remaining humans of Japan, if not the planet, were forced to live in constant fear and terror as they essentially lived underground or in ruins, struggling to survive, as Naruto reigned over the wasteland that was their planet with a legion of monsters at his command! That she came from that terror-filled future with the original intent of killing Naruto to save her time but decided to instead try and convince him NOT to become Millennium?!
If she had not lived the life she had, even Tsukuyomi would have found such a story impossible to believe!
"Um..I-um...I..." Tsukuyomi stammered, unable to come up with the right words.
"She's a friend, Yuriko."
Turning their heads, the two saw Naruto had returned, heading their way. Stopping beside Yuriko, he looked at her, giving her a soft smile. "It's thanks to Tsukuyomi here that I was able to protect you and Azu-chan. You can trust her." He told her, making Yuriko look at him with an unsure look. "Anyway, looks like Tou-san and Kaa-san aren't home. They must be out working. If you're still tired, I can help you up to your room."
Yuriko stared at him for a moment, glancing at Tsukuyomi, before turning back to her adoptive brother, shaking her head, crossing her arms. Her previous tiredness was almost gone, as Yuriko tried to show a tough and serious posture and expression. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on. How do you know this girl? Why did she tell you not to become a 'Demon King'? Why did she pull a gun on you?! Why are you so calm about that?! Who was that guy that showed up out of nowhere?! And how did you turn into a Kamen Rider of all things?!" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at him to show that she wanted her questions answered now!
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what to say. He glanced at Tsukuyomi, only to see she felt as lost as him on what to say. Great, no help there. He sighed. "It's...a long story. Even I don't fully get everything that's happened, dattebayo. What say I make the three of us some ramen and then we can sit down and talk." He suggested, making Yuriko frown, before nodding in agreement. Looking at Tsukuyomi, he saw the future girl also nod. Nodding back, he turned, making his way to the kitchen. Looking down, he smiled as Kurama walked beside him. "Your day must have been fun compared to mine, buddy." He muttered, knowing the fox had probably been napping all day. Lucky bastard. Shaking his head, walked into the kitchen.
After taking out some cups of ramen and boiling some water, he leaned against the counter, waiting. As he did so, he looked at the clock hung up onto the wall. He saw it was about a quarter past midnight. He frowned, wondering if his parents were alright. He didn't know if the monster caused any damage when he and Tsukuyomi got back from the past, but if they were staying out this long, there had to be some damage.
'Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't had one call from Kaa-san.' He thought, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He winced, seeing that it was cracked, and pressing the power button, the device wouldn't turn on at all. That explained it. He groaned, just knowing his parents must be going crazy trying to call them.
Turning his head, he saw the house phone. 'Might as well see if I can call them.' Moving towards the plug-in phone, he picked it up, dialing the Police station to see if his father was there.
'Hopefully, he didn't get hurt by that monster.'
Azabu Police Station
Captain Minato Namikaze let out a tired sigh as he sat on his work desk, resting his chin against his clasped hands, trying to come up with an explanation about everything that has happened in the past hours.
The biggest concern was the apparent revival of the historical terrorist organization, Shocker - going by the uniform appearance of those gunmen - who after attacking the Food Plaza, held all the civilians hostage and trapped them inside a building. They were then separated into two groups, with the second being led to another room. Whatever happened to them in that room, killed them all without a single drop of blood being spilled.
Another concern was the lack of sightings of the reported monster who led the attack. Reports came in that people have heard the sound of an explosion a bit away from the plaza, with his men believing that the monster could have been destroyed by the Red and Blue Kamen Rider. Minato hummed, it could be a possibility.
Then there was the call they got about a strange event happening in a jewelry store, where a large number of women and young female teens were found unconscious on the floor, with the awoken civilians having no recollection of what had happened. The officer who found them even found the store owner unconscious, locked in the closet. Her daughter, who was one of the unconscious victims, had reported that before she passed out, she thought she saw a monster.
Minato narrowed his eyes, massaging his forehead. 'Two monster attacks? On the same day? Are they connected? Was this planned? Is the second monster still out there, or was it dealt with by that Rider or some other hero?'
The second biggest issue Minato had, concerned his son and daughter, Naruto and Azuka, as well as his foster daughter, Yuriko. He had gotten a call earlier from his wife about being unable to call Naruto or Yuriko. That greatly worried Minato, as with the fresh attack, who knew what else could be around. It was even more worrying when he got a call from the Tsukinos about Usagi having suddenly run out of the house earlier by herself, with her father out looking for her right now.
There was also the fact that he just got a call from Kushina about being called in to help in getting the captives to the hospital, with the damage the monster caused making it difficult for ambulances and fire trucks to get to the scene. The only reason Minato wasn't currently out there looking for his kids, was because he needed to help calm his frantic force, panicking about the possible rebirth of Shocker and return of monster attacks after three years of peace, the police force had a right to be worried of another malicious scheme that could bring about the destruction of Japan, if not the world.
'But we can't think like that. Not now. We need to stay strong! It'll only be a matter of time before the news reaches the public, and it'll cause a panic.' He thought, sighing. Knowing he couldn't leave the station in this mess, he already asked two of his trusted men to go and search for his children and Usagi, to first check his house in case they, hopefully, were there.
Ring…Ring…Ring…
Just then, his table phone began ringing. Sighing once more, thinking it was the city mayor calling for a status report, Minato picked it up, answering it. "Captain Namikaze speaking."
"Tou-san…"
Eyes widening, Minato shot up from his desk. "Naruto?! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Where are you?! Where are your sisters?!"
"Whoa, whoa! Tou-san, calm down! I'm fine! Azuka and Yuriko are fine! No one's hurt! We're home right now!"
Minato let out a huge sigh of relief, glad to hear that. "Thank kami! Your mother and I were worried when we heard about an attack in the city."
"Yeah...I heard about it. Yuriko, Azuka, and I were far away from the location when it happened. We immediately headed home, but were a bit far, so we got home late. Before you ask, nothing happened on the way. We just got home. Azuka was tired, so I just put her to bed."
Minato let out another sigh. "Okay, that's good. I'm glad you three are safe and sound. Your mother was going frantic, trying to call you."
"Yeah, my phone...got broken."
Minato blinked at that. "What? What happened?"
"Um...U-Usagi. You know how clumsy she can be, dattebayo. Hehehe..."
Minato raised a brow, catching the slight stutter and nervous chuckling. Not to mention his verbal tic, which he uses only when he's excited, embarrassed, or nervous about something. His son was lying. Why? He didn't know. Could it be he was the clumsy one and just didn't want to admit it? Or did something actually happen that he wouldn't tell him? Either way, he was glad he and his daughters were alright.
"Anyway! I was just about to call Kaa-san."
"I'll call her." Minato said, cutting in. "Saves you the trouble of being yelled at by her for now. Today's been a long day."
"Yeah...thanks."
Minato smiled. "No problem. Get some sleep. I don't know if school will be canceled tomorrow given the attack, but you never know. Your mother and I will probably get home in a few hours. Don't forget to lock the door before going to bed."
"Okay...good night. Love ya."
"Love you too, son. Sleep tight."
With that, Minato hung up. He frowned, thinking his son sounded strange. Like he wanted to tell him something. He sighed, whatever was, it'll have to wait till tomorrow.
'What a night...'
Namikaze Residence
Naruto sighed as he hung up the phone. He wanted to tell his father about what happened. About the monster, about Millennium, about Tsukuyomi and Woz...about the future.
But he didn't. He froze up. Was it because it sounded too crazy to believe? Was it because he was afraid of how his parents would react?
Was it because he was afraid of how they would react to him becoming Ohma Millennium? About how he could one day destroy the world?
He shook his head. No! Stop it! Don't think like that! 'Tsukuyomi said that I became Ohma because that monster killed Yuriko and Azuka. But it didn't! I saved them! That means I won't become Ohma! Right?! The future's changed! ...Right?'
He groaned, angrily scratching his hair. This was so confusing! Has the future changed or not?! How could he know?! 'This is too crazy, dattebayo! I'm not some world-destroying monster! I'm not even a hero! I'm just a regular high school student! I'm not a Kamen Rider or Kamen Sentai, or whatever! I don't want to be! I just did what I had to, to save my sisters! That's it!'
"Naruto! Is the ramen ready yet?"
Raising his head, he looked towards the living room, where Yuriko's voice rang from. A soft smile appeared on his face. 'Yeah, I did save them. Thanks to me...Yuriko and Azuka are safe.' Shaking his head, he headed back to the kitchen, turning the stove off before taking out some bowls. As he poured the ramen into the bowls, he cast off his worries. He didn't know what the future held in store, and quite frankly, he didn't care. All that mattered now was that his sisters were safe. He didn't care about being Millennium or Ohma Millennium. Only that his sisters stayed safe.
Whatever troubles occurred, he could worry about them tomorrow.
Amishiro Park
"Moou~" Usagi groaned as she sat down on a swing in the park she, Setsuna, and Luna arrived in after running from Jewelry OSA-P, leaving the group of unconscious females and Naru in the safe hands of the police. Still in her 'Sailor Moon' form, the teen-turned-superhero let out a heavy sigh. Usagi had never felt so exhausted before, trying to comprehend what had happened. "Did all of that really just happen?"
Luna walked up to the teenage girl, nodding with a smile. "I'm afraid so. Still, you did excellent work in finishing off that creature, Usagi." The talking cat told her.
From her place leaning against the playground's slide, Setsuna smiled at the girl, nodding. "She's right, Usagi-chan. For that being your first time in battle, you've done very well."
Usagi frowned, her mind flashing back to the recent events.
"No!" Morga shouted. She will not be destroyed! Not if she had anything to say about it.
"Time Freeze!" Pluto called out, slamming the end of her staff against the ground. This time, instead of everything freezing in place, a wave of energy shot out and hit Morga, freezing her instead. "Now, Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon threw her arm forward, tossing the tiara towards the frozen Morga, the ring spinning rapidly like a frisbee. The ring shot through the air at incredible speed, before cutting through the Youma. "NOOOOO!" Morga screamed before the Youma began to turn to stone and crumbled away.
Usagi shook her head, clearing the memory away. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. "But that was scaryyyyy~!" She whined, whimpering. That was the scariest thing she has ever done, and she usually dealt with her angry mother and even an angry Kushina-obasan! She turned to Setsuna, her eyes pleading. "Please tell me I never have to do something like that again. Right?!"
Setsuna smiled sympathetically at the young girl. "I wish I could, Usagi-chan. However, the truth is that creature we just faced...it wasn't the only one to appear in the city in recent months. Creatures similar to that one have been appearing throughout the year inside, and outside of Tokyo, and I have been doing my best to handle them. Thankfully, I've gotten help from Sailor V."
"Huh?! Sailor V?!" Usagi asked, perking up. She looked at Setsuna with wide eyes. "You know Sailor V?!"
Setsuna shook her head. "Not personally. I ran into her by accident around the start of the year. I was out patrolling when I detected a dark presence. Following it, I discovered a dark creature attacking civilians. As I faced it, Sailor V appeared, and together, we dealt with the creature. After which, Sailor V and I talked. Apparently, she also possessed special abilities and transformed not that long ago and had been dealing with those dark creatures for a while now. I offered my aid and we've been in communication with one another since then, protecting the city since."
Usagi looked at Setsuna in awe, stars shining in her eyes, while Luna looked at the woman. "I'm curious. How did you gain your ability to transform?"
Setsuna hummed, thinking back. "Well...it all started when I began having strange dreams." She said, making Usagi blink.
"Dreams?"
Usagi blinked at him, before looking at the statues as well. "Represent?" She asked, tilting her head. "Um...Heroes?" She asked more than said. The people did look like posing superheroes to her, and the statue could have been made in their honor. The man chuckled, making her frown, thinking she was wrong.
However, the man nodded. "You are not wrong, for these statues are built to symbolize the heroes they portray. However, it is more than that. These statues stand to symbolize brave warriors, men, and women who stand for those weak and afraid. Heroes who fight not for fortune and fame, but for justice and helping those in need. Heroes who stand to represent the light of goodness, and the courage anyone could achieve, no matter who they are." He said, his voice so strong, that it froze Usagi on the spot, her attention fully on him, listening to his every word. "Still, their presence here has much more meaning than even that."
"Like what?" Usagi couldn't help but ask. Once more, the man smiled at her, and for some reason, his smile made her insides warm, her heart beating fast.
"They represent the future. Of the rise of heroes, in times when the darkness grows and combats the light. Of how ordinary people can find the courage inside of them to become the heroes they have hidden deep within them."
Setsuna nodded. "Yes. At first, they were confusing. Blurry. However, they soon began to clear up. I saw a castle. A large shining moon. A forest."
'A castle...a forest...' Usagi thought, noting how they sounded similar to her dreams.
"It was then in a recent dream, that I heard a voice."
Luna blinked. "A voice?"
Setsuna nodded, smiling. "Yes. A woman. She told me I had a destiny to fulfill. To become a protector of the innocent, as well as a protector of time. She told me to find others like me. To join forces against a rising darkness that endangers the lives of every being on the planet!" She declared, with Usagi and Luna looking up at the woman in awe. "When I woke up, I noticed several items on my desk that weren't there before. Like the brooch you have."
Usagi blinked, surprised as she raised her hand, feeling the brooch attached to her front bow.
Setsuna then lost her smile, looking serious. "At first...I thought those monsters were the threat I was warmed about. However, with recent events, I think there might be a greater threat than I thought possible." She stated, her mind flashing to the memory of Woz, as well as his declaration about his 'Mao-sama'.
Usagi whimpered, scared. "'Greater threat'? You mean there's something scarier than that monster?!" She asked, begging the negative. Unfortunately, her hopes shattered when Setsuna nodded.
Luna narrowed her eyes. "Do you know who or what it is?" She asked.
Setsuna frowned. "I don't know much, sadly. Only that, apparently this threat comes from the future."
Usagi blinked, surprised. "Eh?! The future?"
The Pluto Sailor nodded. "Yes. According to a devoted follower I encountered, in the future this being laid waste to the world." She stated, crossing her arms in agitation. She would not allow for such a future to come to pass! She would give her life to ensure the planet's protection!
Luna frowned. "Do you know what this threat is called?"
Pluto frowned, narrowing her eyes in a hard glare. "His followers entitled them as Ohma Millennium."
"Ohma..." Usagi muttered.
"...Millennium?" Yuriko asked, tilting her head slightly.
Currently, she sat with her foster brother and the mysterious girl at the family dining room table, bowls of ramen placed in front of the three. Right now Yuriko was given the rundown of what Naruto and Tsukuyomi knew. About Tsukuyomi being from the future, which in said future Naruto became some sort of dictator or worse and essentially destroyed the world.
Naruto sighed, while Tsukuyomi nodded. "Yes. Originally, you, along with Azuka Namikaze, perished. This event affected Naruto, leading him to one day gain the power to declare war against the planet, with him coming out the victor. For many years, as the world was laid to ruin, Ohma Millennium drove the surviving humans into hiding in fear as monsters he summoned hunted them. Many brave men and women attempted to use whatever weapon they could find to fight back. However, in the end, they were powerless before Ohma and his army, and fell." She said, frowning at the memory of the friends she lost throughout the years. She looked down at the empty bowl in her grasp, hands trembling at the image of Ohma's power and might, his dark laughter echoing through her head. Closing her eyes, she shook her head, looking back at the stoic Yuriko. "Using technology left over from the war between the world and Ohma, the surviving humans were able to use science to craft a way to change the past."
"A Time Machine." Yuriko said skeptically, raising a brow.
Tsukuyomi nodded. "Yes. Driven to save the planet from the threat of Ohma, several were made with the limited resources available. However, before a selected team could make the journey, Ohma's monsters suddenly appeared, attacking the camp. Many fell, including..." Tsukuyomi stopped there, closing her eyes at the painful memories.
"Geiz!"
"Tsukuyomi! Go! Stop Ohma! Save the future! Go!"
BOOM!
"GEIZ!"
Naruto looked at the silent Tsukuyomi worriedly, seeing her hands shaking. He frowned, unsure of what was going through her head, not sure if he even wanted to know.
After a while, Tsukuyomi took a deep breath, before opening her eyes, continuing her story. "Their attack was strong. They were sent to destroy the Time Mazines. To stop us. My people tried to eliminate them but suffered heavy casualties. In the end, only one Mazine remained intact. Being one of the only ones capable at the time, I was sent to travel to the past while the rest held back the enemy. I was reluctant to go alone, but in the end, I agreed. So, I traveled back to the past."
"To kill Naruto before he became Ohma." Yuriko stated, glaring hard at the girl in white. Tsukuyomi sighed while Naruto turned to his sister in all but blood.
"Yuriko-" He said but was cut off.
"That's what you want to do, right? Kill my brother before he became this…Demon King?!" Yuriko demanded, keeping her glare on Tsukuyomi, who stared back at her, silent. "Well, let me tell you right now, there is no way I'm gonna let that happen!" She hissed out, gritting her teeth in anger.
Tsukuyomi frowned, looking down at the bowl. "I...that was my initial intention, yes...however..." she raised her head, looking back at Yuriko. "I could not, in all honesty, bring myself to do it. I...I have never taken a life before. As such, no matter how much I know my friends were counting on me...no matter how much a part of me told me I was saving the future, I couldn't take the available chance."
Naruto looked at her. "So that's why you instead tried to get me to not accept that Woz guy's offer of the watch." He said, glancing at the Millennium watch set on the table beside him. He looked back at Tsukuyomi. "Who is he anyway? That 'Woz' guy?"
Tsukuyomi raised her head to him. "Woz is a devoted follower and servant of Ohma Millennium. He used to be part of the resistance, but…he betrayed us and joined Millennium's forces. No one really knew why, as it happened all of a sudden. Still, his appearance in this time means that he has followed me to stop my mission of preventing Ohma's rise to power, no doubt to ensure the opposite happens." She stated, frowning. Woz has always been a slippery man in terms of goals and thinking. Who knows what went through his head or what actions he would take next. "Now that you have accepted Millennium's power, he will attempt to persuade you to follow in the footsteps of your future self to become Ohma."
Raising a brow, Naruto crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair and letting out a sigh. "This whole thing about the future, and Millennium is giving me a big headache, dattebayo…" He groaned, rubbing his forehead
Frowning, Tsukuyomi bowed as much as she could, her nose mere centimeters from touching the table. "Apologies! In my rush to get you to not accept Woz's offer, I neglected to instead stop the cause of what led you to become Millennium in the first place!" If she had not been so eager in changing the timeline and saving her present, she would have been thinking clearer and figured out the best alternative to preventing Ohma. Now, because of her foolishness, Millennium came into existence, and Woz has vanished to parts unknown. However, to make matters worse, the safe insurance of Yuriko Murakami and Azuka Namikaze has obviously altered the timeline. As such, there was no way of knowing if the events that led to her time's apocalypse were still the same.
Yuriko frowned. "Me and Azu-chan dying." She muttered, the thought making a shiver of dread go down her spine, her blood freezing at the idea of sweet little Azuka meeting a terrifying end at such a young age.
Sitting up, Tsukuyomi nodded her head. "Again, I am deeply sorry for my ignorance. When I realized my mistake, I quickly returned Naruto to the present to locate you. I had hoped that preventing the event would be what would change the future. However..."
"I still chose to take the power." Naruto muttered, picking up the watch, staring at it. To think that something so small could give such power. That it would allow him to go head-to-head against a real monster and win. 'But still...' He thought, frowning. He saved his sisters. He took care of the monster. So... "Here." He said, reaching over and placing the watch in front of Tsukuyomi, whose head snapped up to him in shock.
"What?!"
Naruto shrugged, leaning back on his chair. "Becoming Millennium was cool and all, dattebayo, but I don't really need or want it, now that my sisters are safe. So...there we go. No more Millennium. You can destroy the watch, and boom, no more Ohma Millennium. Future saved." He states, brushing his hands off like it was nothing.
Yuriko looked at him, tilting her head. "Is it really that simple?" She asked, getting a shrug.
"Why wouldn't it be? It's still a paperweight. It shouldn't be that hard to break, right?"
Tsukuyomi frowned, staring at the watch, the faceplate staring right back at her. A shiver went up her spine, feeling like it was Ohma staring at her. "I...I..."
"But what if some other monster shows up, Naruto?" Yuriko asked her brother.
Naruto frowned, crossing his arms. "I'm not a hero, Yuri-chan. I'm not really up for constantly risking my life taking on villains and saving people I don't know. This isn't some manga or weekend tv show. I'm not a Kamen Rider or part of some Super Sentai team. I'm just a regular teen, with a regular life."
Yuriko frowned. "What about your dream of being king?" She asked, knowing that growing up, Naruto wanted nothing more than to be king, being inspired by his great-grandmother Mito's stories. She recalled many times when they would play as children, how Naruto would declare that he was king with a huge smile on his face, wearing a red blanket as a cape as he posed with his hands on his hips. From what she saw, being this 'Millennium' could help him achieve that. Well, not including the whole Demon King thing, of course.
Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "That was just the dream of a little kid, Yuri. Nothing more. I mean, let's be real. Me? A king with a pet dragon? Fighting bad guys and getting praise and fame? Sure we've seen a lot of crazy things happen in Japan, but a king? Seriously? We don't even have a king! We have an emperor, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be too willing to allow some unknown teen to take the throne. It was just some ridiculous dream. That's all. Not really something to take seriously. I mean...who would actually believe that I could be king?!" He said, finding the whole thing laughable.
Yuriko frowned, looking down at her empty bowl. 'I would.' She thought. Growing up with Naruto, she always believed Naruto could one day be king. She still did, secretly, as embarrassing as that was. Why wouldn't she? He was her amazing big brother, even if they weren't blood! The person who was always there for her, to pick her up when she fell or was hurt! Heck, he just literally risked his life saving her and Azuka! If anyone could become king...it was him.
"I BELIEVE!"
Everyone turned their heads around at the sudden voice. There, standing at the bottom of the stairs, was a wide-awake Azuka.
"Azu-chan?!" Naruto said, shooting up from his chair. "What are you doing awake?! You should be sleeping!" He scolded. However, the little Namikaze ignored him, running forward, impacting his waist in an embrace, looking up at him with determined eyes.
"I know you can become king, onii-chan! You saved me and Yuri-nee-chan from that monster, didn't you?! So you can become king!"
Naruto sighed, patting her on the head. "Thanks, Azu-chan, but I don't want to be king. As I said, it was just something I thought about when I was your age. That's it."
Azuka frowned, stepping back. "But you can still be one, can't you?! Didn't you always tell me that you can be whatever you want?!"
Naruto smiled softly at his younger sister, kneeling to her level as he rubbed the top of her head affectionately. "Yes, I did. But sometimes, not every dream can be achieved. That's just how life is."
Azuka kept frowning. "I still think you could be king, and Tou-san and Kaa-san will agree when they hear about how you saved us!"
Naruto frowned, taking his hand away. "About that...listen, I don't want you to tell Tou-san and Kaa-san about what happened."
Azuka looked confused. "Why not, dattebane?"
Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I just don't want to worry them. You know how they are when they think something happened to us. They will panic, and you know how busy they are. I don't want to worry them about anything else. So, please, don't tell them about the monster attacking us, okay? As far as they know, we were as far away from that place as possible. Okay?" He begged her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Azuka was quiet for a moment, biting her lips as she thought about it. Eventually, looking at her big brother, she nodded, making Naruto let out a breath in relief. "Okay. Thank you." He said, smiling at the redheaded girl, giving her a peck on her forehead. Standing up, he looked at Yuriko. "Anyway, it's getting late. So what say we head off to bed?" He suggested, getting a silent nod from Yuriko. Smiling at her, Naruto nudged Azuka her way. "Can you get Azu-chan to bed?" He said, making the youngest look up at him.
"I want to sleep with you, onii-chan!" She protested.
Naruto gave her a sorry look. "Not tonight, Azu-chan. Tsukuyomi doesn't have a place to stay, so she'll be sleeping the night over." He said, getting Tsukuyomi's attention. He smiled at her and nodded. Yuriko looked unsure, glancing suspiciously at Tsukuyomi. "Now c'mon, off to bed everyone." He stated, not leaving room for arguments. Yuriko and Azuka frowned at him, dissatisfied. However, knowing nothing they said would change his mind, the sisters reluctantly made their way up the stairs, leaving Naruto alone in the dining room with Tsukuyomi.
Letting out a sigh, Naruto silently picked up the bowls, taking them to the kitchen to wash as Tsukuyomi watched him. "You can take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
Tsukuyomi frowned. "I wouldn't want to intrude." She said, but Naruto just chuckled.
"Little late for that." He said, though without any heat in his words. Still, his words made Tsukuyomi frown, feeling guilty for suddenly dropping into his life. "Still, I can't just kick you out. Not with the undoubtful chaos happening outside. So, you can stay the night, and tomorrow, you can take your time machine, and return to the future, cause as I said, I won't become Ohma. Me, or anyone else. No Ohma, no dystopian future." He stated, drying his hands with a hanged towelette.
"Do you really think it could be that easy?" Tsukuyomi muttered, picking up the Millennium watch. "No Ohma, just because you say so?"
Naruto leaned against the counter, gasping the edge as he stared at Tsukuyomi through the kitchen window. "Maybe, maybe not. Honestly, I don't know what could happen in the future, dattebayo. I just know that if it brings trouble to my family, I don't want to deal with it. If being Millennium causes that...I don't want to be Millennium."
Tsukuyomi raised her head to him. "What if you don't have a choice?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "There's always a choice. No matter how tough you might think something is, you can't give up. I didn't give up when my sisters were in danger. I'd gladly risk my life to make sure they were safe. When you have something you love, you want to protect it, no matter what, and no matter how many times you fall...you just get right. Back. Up." He stated, eyes firm and hard.
Tsukuyomi lowered her eyes, turning her gaze back to the watch. "You make it sound so easy." She muttered, her hands gripping the watch tightly. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Raising her head, she looked up at Naruto, who had, unnoticed by her, moved to stand beside her, offering her a gentle smile.
"It's not easy. It's hard, but isn't that what makes it worth achieving? The rewards of your loved ones being safe and happy?" He asked her.
"...What if I go back...and nothing's changed?"
Naruto frowned, feeling her shoulders shaking as her voice hit a pitch. He gripped her shoulder, before reaching down, and held her hands gripping the watch, making her look at him, surprised. Naruto once more smiled at her.
"Then I'll travel to the future with you, and kick the older me's ass, dattebayo!"
Tsukuyomi's eyes widened, staring at Naruto in shock.
Naruto just smirked at her, his eyes holding the truth of his words.
"Usagi! Why in the world did you run out of the house! Don't you know how dangerous it is out here!" Kenji Tsukino scolded as he held his daughter by her shoulders, giving her a stern glare. Honestly, what was she thinking, running off like that, right when there was a monster attack! He has spent the better part of a half-hour looking all over for her!
Usagi whimpered, lowering her head in shame, muttering a soft 'sorry'. No longer in her Sailor uniform, having unexpectedly returned to her normal appearance in a flash of light moments before her father arrived at the park in the car, the young Tsukino could say nothing against her father's parental anger. Any words she wished to say were caught in her throat under her father's disappointed look.
Behind the father and daughter, Setsuna, also back in her normal attire, decided to intervene on her fellow Sailor's behalf. "Excuse me." She announced, taking a step forward, drawing Kenji's attention.
"Who are you?" He asked, suspicious. Setsuna held her hands up in a show of non-threat.
"Hello. My name is Meiou Setsuna. A 3rd-year student at Mugen Academy. I ran into your daughter earlier while I was heading home. Something has happened to her friend, Naru, who had called Usagi earlier. Which is why she had to run off. Unfortunately, it seemed your daughter had gotten a bit lost on her way when I came upon her. I had just finished calming her down when you arrived. I wanted to notify you, but it seemed she had forgotten her phone at home."
Kenji looked at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He glanced at Usagi. "Is that true?" He asked her, getting a nod from her.
"Yes, tou-san. Naru called me, saying she wasn't feeling well and sounded like she fell. I'm sorry I didn't tell you instead of running out, but I was worried something happened to Naru! I just had to check on her!"
Kanji stared at her for a moment, before sighing. "Alright. Just never do something like that again, you hear me!" He warned, getting a guilty nod from her. Sighing once more, he looked at Setsuna. "Thank you for looking after my daughter."
Smiling, Setsuna waved her hand. "It's quite alright. I'd do the same as her if my best friend was in trouble as well. Though I will agree that it was quite a reckless thing to do." She said, looking at Usagi.
Usagi whimpered at the added scolding she got from Setsuna. Wasn't she supposed to be on her side?! Kanji nodded, looking at Usagi. "Still, it's not safe out here! Not with the monster attack!"
Setsuna blinked, surprised at this. "Monster attack?" She thought the dark creature's attack was contained in the jewelry store. It couldn't have possibly been known to others outside of her, Usagi, and Luna.
Turning to her, Kenji nodded. "Yes, apparently a monster attacked the Food Plaza and held the people hostage!"
Setsuna, Usagi, and the hidden Luna blinked at this, looking shocked. Kenji looked at Usagi, his expression serious. "It's too dangerous to be anywhere at this time! We have to get home, Usagi."
"But...Naru!" Usagi tried to protest, but her father cut her off.
"You'll just have to check up on Naru tomorrow, Usagi! Right now, we are going home!" He told her sternly, not taking any more arguments. Usagi whimpered but reluctantly nodded. Kenji looked at Setsuna. "Do you need a lift home?" He offered, but Setsuna shook her head.
"I don't live that far, I can make it there by myself." She said, getting a nod.
"Alright. I wish you luck getting home." Kenji said, before leading Usagi to the family care, with the teen glancing back at Setsuna, who waved farewell at her, with their conversation rewinding in Usagi's mind.
"Sailor V and I could use your help, Usagi-chan." Setsuna said, making the girl yelp.
"M-Me?!" She asked, eyes wide with fright. She quickly began shaking her head from side to side. "Nah ah! No way! I don't want to fight scary people! Much less a Demon King!" She exclaimed, her mind conjuring up an image of a giant oni-like monster, all red with large horns and a scary smile on its face. Just the thought made her feel faint!
"Usagi! You can't quit now! We need you! The world needs you! You're a Sailor Senshi! A warrior!" Luna told her, trying to get her to change her mind.
Usagi shot up from the swing. "No, I'm not!" She exclaimed, her eyes getting teary with fear. "I'm not a hero! I'm not a warrior! I just wanted to save Naru! That's it! You saw how I was! I didn't know what I was even doing!"
"You can learn as I have." Setsuna suggested, but Usagi kept shaking her head.
"No no no no NO! I don't want to fight some Demon King! I JUST WANT TO GO HOOOME! WAAAAHHHH!" She exclaimed, starting to cry, making Luna sigh, while Setsuna gave Usagi a sad smile. Approaching the crying teen, the older woman placed her hand on her shoulder, getting her attention.
Setsuna gave the sniffing girl a small smile. "Usagi-chan, trust me, I understand. It is quite scary. I'm also scared of what could happen. But I keep fighting because if I don't, people could get hurt. People I care about could get hurt. The truth is, there is no telling when a monster could appear, or from where. If someone doesn't stop them, more and more people will get hurt, like your friend, Naru. Tell me, do you want another monster to hurt your friend?" She asked, getting a silent shake of the head from Usagi. "Then please...help us save people like Naru. Help us stop monsters. We need you, Sailor Moon." She stated.
Usagi whimpered. "But...but I don't know how to fight! I'm not like Naruto! I wasn't trained to fight! I don't even work out like he does! I'm not as strong, or as brave as him!"
"Naruto?" Setsuna asked, raising a brow. "Is he a friend of yours!"
Wiping her tears from her face with her arm, Usagi nodded, calming down as she thought about Naruto. Just thinking about him always calmed her down. "He's my best friend! Like Naru! He's strong and brave, and always willing to help others!"
Setsuna smiled at her. "He sounds like a great guy."
Smiling, Usagi nodded. "The best!"
"Then tell me...if your friend was in your position, what would he do?"
Usagi frowned, not needing to think about it too hard. "He would want to protect people against the monsters. He would say that he'd kick all of their butts, no matter what." She said, looking down. "He wouldn't be afraid. He isn't a crybaby...like me." She muttered, clenching her hands into fists. "He would be brave. He would tell me that no matter how scary things are if people were in danger, he would face danger head-on. He would tell me...that as long as I take a deep breath and hold my head up...I can do anything." Closing her eyes, Usagi took a deep breath. Wiping any remaining tear stains, Usagi looked at Setsuna. "Okay...I'll do it." She said softly, making the woman smile at her.
'To think, one second she was crying, the next, with just the mere talk about one person, she immediately changes her mind. Whoever this Naruto guy is, it seems Usagi holds him to a high standard to be able to inspire her so much.' Setsuna thought as she watched Usagi and her father drive away. She and Usagi exchanged numbers to schedule the latter's training in getting used to her new role as a Sailor Senshi as Luna called them. Speaking of the talking cat, she walked out from her hiding spot, standing beside Setsuna, looking up at her.
"Does the Boss know about this Ohma threat?" Luna asked, but Setsuna shook her head.
"I hadn't had the chance to report to them or Sailor V, given the appearance of the monster. However..." Setsuna frowned, crossing her arms. "To think that a second one would also appear."
Luna nodded, looking serious. "Two monsters and this Woz character you spoke of...it's too much to be a coincidence."
Setsuna nodded, agreeing. "We'll have to keep an eye out for anything strange. Whoever this Ohma Millennium is, if they really are as powerful as Woz makes him out to be, he would have tried to take over the world by now. Which means, he isn't strong enough to do so just yet."
Luna nodded, seeing where she was going. "Giving us enough time to stop them; them and this Woz person." She noted, getting a nod. Luna then looked towards the direction Usagi and her father went. "I'll keep monitoring Usagi, as well as keep my eyes out for any other potential Sailors."
Setsuna nodded, wishing her luck. Watching Luna leave, Setsuna turned her gaze up to the moon. Staring at it, she closed her eyes, basking in its light. She let out a sigh.
"What a day..."
In another part of Tokyo, Woz smirked, standing under a massive, brightly lit tower. His trusted book in hand, open as he read the contents held within.
"As the light of the Moon shines over the Lord's kingdom, its citizens slumber. Blissful, and ignorant as they slept away. Blissful and oblivious, to the beast that lurks in the shadows. A beast, mighty and fearsome. A beast, ravenous and hungry. A beast, searching for its master. He who will control it. He who will command it. He...who it could call 'friend'."
Feet moving, Woz walks under a clock post. Pausing, he glanced up at the time.
2 o'clock
He smirked, looking back down at his book.
"Time, its river. Patience, its paddle. The beast searches. Slithering through the darkness, through the glass, all of which the light of the moon is shined upon, the beast lurks. The darkness, its shelter. The light, its eyes. Never resting. Never stopping. The beast lurks. A figure without a face. A being without a name. Who might they be? The beast wonders. Would it know? The beast ponders. Would it know, at their first meeting? Would they be friend or foe? The beast knows not. Instinct, it is driven by. A dream, it is guided by. A figure, hidden in darkness, outshined by light. For whoever they be, the beast promises power. Strength. Might. Royalty. For whoever tames the beast, shall they be King, the beast declares. King of All, before their might. King of Ends, before their rage. King of Kings, before their being. For wherever they who is king be, the beast is but watching from the shadows." Woz said, smirking, closing his book.
"Guys, are you sure we should be out here?"
"Oh quit your bitching! What the hell are you so worried about?!"
"Y-You heard the news! Monsters are starting to appear again!"
A scoff sounded out as three figures stood around a bench in a park, loitering under a lit light post. One leaned against the post, drinking from a soda can, while another sat on the bench, glancing around nervously. A third, the source of the scoff, held a handful of pebbles, spending time chuckling them at birds located around, scaring them off. After throwing his last pebble, the punk-looking man turned to the nervous guy, scoffing once more. "Don't tell me you actually believe that shit!"
"Well, I..."
The punk rolled his eyes. "Oh please! Like a monster would suddenly show up after all this time! There aren't even any Kamen Riders or Sentai for them to fight!"
"But..." The nervous guy muttered, looking unsure. "What about the rumors? You know...about that new Red and Blue Kamen Rider?"
"Oh please! It's probably just some police trick! To scare guys like us! Do you really think if there was a Rider like that, we would have gotten more evidence or proof about them?!"
"I...guess..."
"I bet the news just made up the monster attack! Spice things up around here! Satoshi! You're with me, right?!"
The guy drinking the soda paused in his sipping. Looking at the punk, Satoshi shrugged. "I guess it is weird for a monster to just attack the Food Plaza."
The punk pointed at him. "See?! That's what I'm saying! It's all just a ploy! A scam! To scare guys like us off the streets! Trust me, there ain't no monsters!"
Shrugging, Satoshi finished his drink before tossing it away, chucking it into the trees.
"Grrrrrrrr..."
The three jumped, hearing a sudden sound. "What the fuck?!" The punk shouted, looking around wildly.
The nervous guy jumped, sweating. "Oh shit. I FUCKING knew it!"
"Oi! Who's out there?! Show yourself!"
"Grrrrrrrr..."
Flinching, the three grouped together, back-to-back in a circle, looking around. Reaching into his pocket, the punk pulled out a switchblade, sliding it out. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll make yourselves scarce, ya hear me?!"
Satoshi looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Catching a glint in the corner of his eye, he turned his head, looking in the direction where he threw his can at. Seeing something, he squinted his eyes, trying to look closer. There, in the shadows, he could faintly see something there. "What the hell?"
Suddenly, two bright lights shone from the shadows, before something big shot out from the trees, heading right toward the three delinquents before they had a chance to react.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Dark Kingdom
"What happened, Jadeite?"
Jadeite knelt before Queen Beryl. "My deepest apologies for my failure, Queen Beryl. There have been some...complications." He reported, making his queen narrow her eyes at him.
"Complications?"
Jadeite nodded, raising his head up to her. "Humans it seems, my mistress. Out of nowhere, they have appeared and destroyed not only Morga, but also the monster Shocker has brought to cause the distraction." Standing up, Jadeite snapped his fingers. Suddenly, enlarged images appeared, showing Kamen Sentai Millennium, Kamen Rider Build, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Moon. With a second snap, videos began to play, showing Millennium and Sailor Moon destroying Shibuya and Morga respectively, while Build dealt with the Shocker Combatmen.
Watching the events, Beryl narrowed her eyes at Jadeite. "I thought you said the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai have not been seen for years." She hissed, not pleased at the interferences to her escape.
Jadeite bowed. "I had believed so as well. However, it would seem these...heroes are new, or at the very least, have been in hiding until now."
Just then, sparks of lightning began surging out of Beryl, her annoyance shown, making Jadeite nervous as he bowed low, hand across his chest. "I apologize, Queen Beryl! Allow me to make things right! I will send out another of my minions to gather the energy we lost! No, double the amount! I will not fail you again!"
Keeping her glare aimed at him, Beryl scoffed. "Very well. Go and gather the needed energy to release me from this infernal prison! And while you're at it, keep searching for the Legendary Silver Crystal! With that in my grasp, there will be no further need to gather energy! If need be, get those Shocker mortals to provide aid. Now go!"
Jadeite nodded. "Yes, my queen." He said, before vanishing.
The Next Morning - Namikaze Residence
POW
"Itai!"
At the sudden sound, Tsukuyomi sprang up from bed, wide awake and alert! Blinking, she looked around, wondering where she was, and what that noise was. Was the base under attack?! Was it Ohma's monsters?! Was it-
"That's for being an idiot and not calling!"
"My phone was broken!"
"Don't talk back to your mother, dattebane!"
POW!
"ITAI!"
Blinking, Tsukuyomi looked towards the door, hearing the sound of yelling. That's when the memories of the previous day flashed through her head, making her frown. "That's right..." She muttered, turning her head to the cabinet beside her, where the Millennium watch sat. She then looked around the room. "This is...Ohma's bedroom." Or at least, the one he had when he was younger. To think she actually slept in his room. In his bed - that thought made her cheeks warm up a bit with embarrassment at the phrasing. Anyway, she spent the night at Ohma's house! Looking back at the watch, she reached over, grabbing it. Holding it in her lap, she glared at the watch. This was the source of Millennium's power. Something so small...it would one day grow in strength, giving him the power to ruin the world. She gripped the watch hard, almost as if trying to break it.
She should, shouldn't she?
If she destroys the watch, Ohma Millennium will never be created!
Her future would be saved!
Her friends! Geiz! They would be alive!
So why?
WHY COULDN'T SHE DO IT?!
Her hands shook as she gripped the watch, glaring at it, her mind telling her to squeeze and squeeze until it shattered! Yet, her body refused to listen! Why?! She was trying to save the future! No, the world!
So why couldn't she do it?!
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "There's always a choice. No matter how tough you might think something is, you can't give up. I didn't give up when my sisters were in danger. I'd gladly risk my life to make sure they were safe. When you have something you love, you want to protect it, no matter what, and no matter how many times you fall...you just get right. Back. Up." He stated, eyes firm and hard.
Ohma Millennium scoffed as he gazed at the wounded warriors before him, their latest frontal attack against him once again ending in failure. Now, they laid before him, wounded, hurt, whimpering. "Pathetic! Is this truly the extent of your determination?! Is this truly all you have to show for it?! Such weakness! You call yourselves the saviors of this world?! Yet here you lay, giving up! Insulting! No matter how tough you might think something is, you don't give up! To do so is an insult towards me! Would you rather I end your lives at this moment?! Is this all the strength you possess?! Or would you rather I eliminate all your loved ones? You have those, do you not?! Heed my words, for I give them to you as your Lord! As your KING! When you have something you love, you want to protect it, no matter what, and no matter how many times you fall...you just get right. Back. Up! So come! Show me the strength your loved ones give you! So I may CRUSH it!"
Teardrops began to fall onto the bed's blanket as Tsukuyomi started to cry. Was she weak? So weak, that when the chance to end Ohma came, she once again fell to her knees in weakness?! First before his presence, and now, before that which grants him power?! Why?! What could have compelled her to hesitate?!
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard. Quickly, Tsukuyomi wiped her face clean. She finished just in time, as the door to the bedroom opened. Looking up, she saw a woman with long red hair, smiling at her. "Oh, you're awake!" The woman said, stepping into the room. Still smiling at her. "Naruto told me he ran into you last night after you got lost?" She asked. Seeing that Naruto seemed to have given his parents an excuse on why she was there, Tsukuyomi went along with it, nodding.
"Yes. I got separated from my family when the monster attacked and lost my way heading home. That's when I ran into Naruto and his sisters, and he suggested that I stay over the night before heading home." Tsukuyomi said, making Naruto's mother sigh.
"Yeah, that sounds like him alright. Well, my name's Kushina. I just made breakfast if you'd like some."
Before Tsukuyomi could say anything, her stomach suddenly let out quite the loud groan, making her eyes widen, her face slowly turning red.
Kushina giggled. "Well, that answers that, dattebane! Hehehe!"
Never before had Tsukuyomi wished to die more than ever, then at that very moment.
Having breakfast with Ohma Millennium's family was...not what Tsukuyomi expected. Sitting at the table with them, Tsukuyomi looked at the gathering. At the head of the table, was Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, an older spitting image of his son wearing a police captain uniform, reading the newspaper. Beside him, was his wife, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, eating her breakfast, while glancing questionable at a silent Azuka. Beside the young girl, was Yuriko at the end of the table, with Tsukuyomi feeling her stares every time she took a bite from the served breakfast. Obviously, the girl was still cautious of her. Understandable, but still a bit unnerving. Doing her best to ignore her, Tsukuyomi glanced at Naruto to her left, seeing the teen look at his father.
Tsukuyomi had questions about the bumps on his head.
"Has there been any news about yesterday?" Naruto asked.
Looking at him, Minato folded the newspaper. "No doubt it's been made public on the news earlier. Schools haven't been canceled, as the attacked has occurred far from any nearby education sections, but there are now stationed officers around blocks and public places just in case."
Nodding, Naruto frowned. "Has there been…was anyone hurt?"
Minato and Kushina paused their eating, glancing at each other. Naruto and Tsukuyomi watched as they held a silent conversation with their eyes before Minato looked at Naruto. "I can't tell you anything about the case, Naruto."
While disappointed, Naruto nodded in understanding. Still, that just confirmed that yes, people were hurt, or worse. 'Could...could I have done something?' Naruto couldn't help but think, before shaking that thought away. He wasn't a hero. He shouldn't be thinking like that. With a slight shake of his head, he got back to eating his breakfast, while Tsukuyomi looked at him, frowning.
"Azuka-chan, what's wrong?" Kushina asked her daughter, who just idly ate her breakfast.
"Nothing."
Frowning, Kushina felt her forehead, thinking she wasn't feeling well. "You don't have a fever. Is it your tummy?" She asked, worried.
"I'm fine, Kaa-san!"
"You don't seem fine to me."
"Well I am, dattebane!" Azuka suddenly shouted, surprising everyone. Frowning, Azuka got off her chair. Moving around the table, she went to Naruto's side, grabbing his arm. "Come on, onii-chan! Let's go!" She declared, starting to drag him off, grabbing her school bag on the way.
"Hey! Wait, I wasn't done!"
Yuriko quickly got up, running to get her and Naruto's bags before following them. "Hey! Wait up!"
Tsukuyomi then stood up, bowing to the parents. "Thank you for the meal!" She said, before chasing after the siblings, leaving the confused couple.
"What was that about?" Kushina asked her husband, getting an equally confused shrug.
Naruto frowned as he followed the silent Azuka as the girl walked ahead of them. He sighed, looking at Yuriko. "What do I do? She won't talk to me no matter what I say!" He whispered to her. He had been trying to get Azuka to talk to him since they left, but she just kept ignoring him!
Yuriko shrugged. "I'm sure she's just timid about what happened yesterday. Just give her some time to calm down."
Naruto sighed, agreeing. He then looked back at Yuriko, hearing her grunt. He raised a brow when she started to look annoyed. Suddenly, she stopped walking, turning around. "Why are you following us?!" She demanded, glaring at Tsukuyomi behind them, who jumped, startled. She then glared back at Yuriko.
"I'm not following you! I parked my Time Mazine in this direction! We're just going the same way!"
Yuriko scoffed, not believing her. "Yeah right! I bet you're just coming along until you get the chance to kill Naruto!"
"Hey! Yuriko!" Naruto exclaimed, stopping in his tracks as he looked at the two.
Tsukuyomi glared at Yuriko. "I already told you! I was never going to kill him! I just wanted to convince him to not become Millennium! Besides, he gave me the watch to do so!"
Yuriko glared back at her. "And I'm just supposed to believe you! Yesterday you had what looked like a gun to his head!"
Naruto looked around nervously, seeing several people around them look their way. "Guys! Shush! People are looking!"
Sadly, he was ignored. "I wasn't going to do anything!" Tsukuyomi shouted, leaning closer.
Yuriko smashed her forehead against hers. "I don't believe you!" The two gritted their teeth, glaring at the other.
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! BREAK IT UP!" Naruto shouted, forcibly splitting the two from the other, getting in between them. He glared at them both. "This is not the place to start a fight!" He told them. He sighed as Yuriko just huffed, turning away with crossed arms, while Tsukuyomi scoffed, turning her head. "Good grief, dattebayo." He groaned, looking at Azuka, only to blink when he couldn't see her. He looked around for her. "Azuka? Azuka?!" He shouted, getting the two girl's attention. Looking around, the two grew worried when they couldn't see the young redhead anywhere.
"AZUKA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Further ahead of the three teens, Azuka sighed as she silently walked the sidewalk. She knew she shouldn't have walked off by herself, but she didn't want to be around her brother right now. Honestly, she was quite angry with him. Why? Because of his words last night. 'How could he say he wasn't a King? Of course he is! At least to me, he is.' The earliest memory she had was playing with her brother. They were playing make-believe. Playing Knights and Kings. She was a princess, while Naruto was a knight who she made a King. To her young mind, he was nothing but a king.
Growing up, Azuka always looked up to her big brother. He was strong and brave. He would always hold her when she had a bad dream, or let her sleep in his bed during thunderstorms. Whenever she was scared of something, he was always there to fight the monsters away, be they under her bed or in her closet. He always made her laugh when she was sad or cheered her up when she was upset.
To her, Naruto was her hero. Her Knight in Shining Armor. Her King. No matter what. So, for him to say otherwise...it hurt her. She believed he could be a king, so why couldn't he?
"Why the long face, little missy?" A voice asked.
"Huh?!" Blinking back into focus, Azuka turned to where the voice came from. Seeing it was coming from a small opening to her right, she looked in and spotted an old man with long gray hair, a mustache, and beard wearing a cap, sitting behind a covered table with a cup holding long wooden straws set on top, along with a Palm Reader sign on the table. The man smiled kindly at her. Thinking about what he asked her, Azuka frowned, looking down. "It's nothing, dattebane."
The man hummed. "Now, with a face that long, I doubt it's nothing. Tell me, would you like to learn about your future?" He offered, hoping it would cheer her up.
Azuka blinked at her. "My future?" She muttered, before frowning once more. "It's not my future I want to know."
"Oh? And who's is?" The man asked, curious.
Seeing no harm, Azuka stepped closer to the table. "My big brother. He doesn't think he could become King! But I know he could!"
"King, huh?" The man muttered, chuckling. "My, that's quite the goal your brother has. You have much faith in him, huh?"
Azuka nodded strongly, making the man chuckle again. "Well, you never know what the future has in store for anyone. So there is always the possibility."
Azuka frowned, hoping the man would have confirmed her belief.
The man smiled at her. "However, if your belief in your brother is as strong as you show, what say we take a look?" He offered, holding out his hand. Looking at it, Azuka frowned in thought, before agreeing, placing her hand on top of his. The old man hummed, taking out a magnifying glass, looking through it at her young hand. "So young, you have quite the future ahead of you. Hmm..."
"You see anything, dattebane?" Azuka asked, curious.
The old man hummed, before smiling at her. "I can see that you will have quite the adventurous life ahead of you. Someone close to you will need you in their life to handle many troubles ahead of them. I also see that on this adventure, you will grow, seeing many wonders."
"Really?" Azuka asked, pulling her hand back, staring at her hand in wonder. The old man nodded, smiling at her.
"However, this is but just one vision of what is to come. Always remember, the future is never set and can be changed as swiftly as the wind."
Blinking, not fully understanding, but either way, Azuka smiled, nodding. "Hai!"
"Azuka-chan!"
Hearing the voice of her brother, Azuka peered around the entryway, seeing Naruto along with Yuriko and Tsukuyomi heading her way. Seeing that she worried them, Azuka decided it was time to head to them. Turning to the old man, she bowed, thanking him, before heading toward her siblings.
Once she got close to them, Naruto frowned at her, crossing his arms. "What were you thinking, running off like that?!"
Azuka frowned, looking down guiltily. "I'm sorry, dattebane."
Yuriko put her hands on her hips, glaring sternly at Azuka. "Don't you ever do that again, you hear!" She exclaimed, getting a shamed nod. The two siblings sighed, they led Azuka back on the path towards the schools, with Tsukuyomi following behind silently, traveling with them halfway, before splitting off, much to Yuriko's relief, even if Naruto waved farewell to the teen.
?
"Well, well, well. Hello again, friend. And here I thought you'd never want to see me again after yesterday's failure. Well...your failure."
Appearing from the shadows, Jadeite glared at the woman. "Be thankful I still have use for our partnership."
The woman waved her hand uncaringly. "Yes yes, glare all you want. What sort of service are you looking for this time? Another two-sided plan of action?"
Jadeite clicked his tongue in annoyance, desiring nothing more than to eliminate the woman where she stood but held back his urges. "Not this time. This time, I require a bodyguard for my minion."
The woman crossed her arms. "That's it? And here I was expecting something more."
"We cannot act irrationally. Not when the humans will no doubt be on the lookout for any more strange events after your minion attacked a public location!" Jadeite shot, glaring.
The woman scoffed. "That attack served its intended purpose. It both gathered the necessary energy needed, and struck the city with fear at the knowledge of Shocker's return."
"It was reckless!" Jadeite hissed, angry.
The woman turned away, uncaring. "It worked a lot better than your plan! All that energy gathered, and for what? For two humans to suddenly show up and ruin everything?"
Jadeite shook, enraged beyond belief. He would not be talked down like this! "Enough! Will you provide the necessary aid, or not?!"
The woman looked at him, thinking, before shrugging. "Very well. Lucky for you, Shocker has its own mission to handle that needs to be under the radar. And should these unknown Kamen Riders or those two mystery women appear, they will be disposed of." She stated, her tone deadly and firm.
Azabu-Juban Streets
Haruno Sakura walked down the sidewalk towards school silently, her mind anything but as she tried to figure out a mystery.
That mystery being, what happened the night prior?
The last thing she remembered was that she and Ino went to a jewelry store to see about purchasing a few that were on a grand giveaway. She remembered seeing a lot of women there, fighting over who got what. Then...the women started to fall to the floor, unconscious. She felt worried and scared. How could a large number of women suddenly fall to the floor?
The next thing she knew...she saw Ino also fall to the ground before she started to feel...tired. Drained. She remembered falling to her knees in exhaustion, before...darkness.
When she then opened her eyes, there were police around the store, medical units outside. Whatever had caused her to faint, was gone. She felt back to her normal self.
She remembered sitting in the back of the ambulance with Ino, before seeing her frantic parents running towards her. As they were hugging her tightly, Sakura remembered catching a conversation from some nearby officers. Something about whatever caused the people in the store to faint, possibly being connected to something that had happened in the Food Plaza.
Something about a monster attack?
She had been confused by what they meant, until that morning's news. Apparently, out of nowhere, a monster appeared yesterday in the Food Plaza and attacked with a large swarm of armed men. Everyone in the plaza was held captive, with something happening to a good number of them. What? The news didn't say.
But by the looks on her parent's faces, whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.
Her parents have been against her going to school after what happened, but she managed to convince them to allow her to go. She wanted to make sure her friends were alright. Of course, their one demand was that she would immediately go home when school was over, to which she agreed.
'A monster attack...it's been about three years since the last one. That's also the last time anyone's seen any Kamen Riders and Super Sentai.' She thought, frowning. She could see two possibilities coming out of this. One; with the return of monsters, new Kamen Riders and/or new Sentai will appear. Or, the worst possibility...no new heroes came, leaving the city, if not all of Japan, defenseless against monsters. Hopefully, that option didn't happen.
"Sakura!"
Sakura blinked, hearing her name being called. Looking up, she smiled when she saw Ino heading her way, arm in the air, waving. Chuckling, Sakura raised her own arm up, waving back. As Ino met her, the two walked toward school together. As they walked, Ino looked at her friend. "Hey, have you figured out why we fell unconscious yesterday?" She asked. Sakura smirked at her.
"You are the one whose dad is a famous psychologist. Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Ino rolled her eyes. "C'mon, I'm serious! Don't you find it weird?! All those women fell unconscious, at the exact moment too! Including us!"
Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah, but since the news reported that there was a monster attack yesterday, it could be because of that."
"But that was at the Food Plaza! We weren't anywhere near it!" Ino exclaimed.
Sakura shrugged. "Maybe it was a monster thing?" She offered. Ino pursed her lips, not so sure. "Anyway, they said it's been dealt with."
Ino looked at her, a glint in her eye as she grinned. "Yeah, but they didn't say that the police were the ones who dealt with it."
Sakura raised a brow at her. "What are you getting at, Ino?"
"Isn't it obvious?! It could have been the mystery Red & Blue Kamen Rider everyone's talking about! Or some secret Sentai group!"
"Maybe..." Sakura muttered. She shrugged. "So? What does it matter?"
"Hello! This is juicy news! News that anyone and everyone will be fighting to be the first to present actual facts! Not some bogus fan theories!"
Now realizing why Ino was acting as such, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Not this again, Ino!"
Ino blinked at her, confused. "What?"
Sakura gave her a deadpanned look. "This is obviously your plan to get into the news business, even though last week you wanted to be a fashion designer, and the week before that, you wanted to be a journalist!"
"I'm still deciding my future! Cut me some slack!"
Shaking her head, Sakura focused on heading to school with Ino trying to explain her idea on how to find information about the Red-Blue Rider.
*Tik-Tok*
*Tik-Tok*
*Tik-Tok*
Usagi blinked, frozen in place. She stood in a large empty room. The walls and floor looked to be made out of marble as the light from a full moon outside shone off them. Behind her, a large clock ticked, the sound echoing throughout the chamber, as its large pendulum swung side to side. The room was barren of furniture, leaving the space wide open and empty, with Usagi being the only being there. Well, her...and someone else.
Usagi blinked as she stared ahead, gazing at the large tall glass windows facing the large moon outside, a figure standing under its light by the glass. She couldn't see them clearly, their features hidden as they faced the moon, their back to her.
Usagi couldn't move. Couldn't speak. She just stared at the figure.
As if just noticing her presence, the figure turned their heads, glancing in her direction over his shoulder.
She couldn't see their face, as it was hidden. Covered by a helmet. All she could see were the katakana letters laying across the face, glowing a soft pinkish-red against the light of the moon.
Usagi blinked at them. Their identity was a mystery, yet somehow...she knew them, as her mouth opened, and a name escaped her lips.
"Mille-"
"WAKE UP!"
With a startled shout, Usagi sprang up from her bed. She then immediately dropped back down under the covers, groaning as the light from the open window nearly blinded her. Damn sun!
Standing at the corner of the bed, Luna gazed at the grumbling Usagi. "Usagi, you must get up! You have an important day to attend! You now have a duty as a Sailor Guardian to prepare yourself for future battles against the forces of darkness!"
"Sleep~" Came a dulled response from under the covers, making Luna sigh. She then had an idea, guaranteed to get the teen up. She walked closer, smirking mischievously.
"You also overslept, and it's now 15 minutes past 7."
"..."
"..."
"..."
With an eruption like a volcano, Usagi threw the covers off. "WHAT?!" Snatching the clock on her side stand, she went pale when she saw that Luna was right. With a shriek, she leaped out of bed. "I'm gonna be late for school!"
Watching her charge run around in a panic, Luna sighed.
She really had her work cut out for her.
A thud sounded out. Luna felt a large bead of sweat trail down the back of her head, as she saw that Usagi had tripped on her face while trying to put her skirt on.
"Good grief..."
Jounan Junior High | Room 3-1
"Tou-san wasn't kidding when he said the police would be on the lookout for anything strange." Naruto muttered as he approached his homeroom. Just entering school grounds, Naruto had seen several police cars parked around the block, with several officers stationed around the campus grounds. "The city must be on high alert after yesterday."
"Hey! Naruto!" Kiba called out, waving at the blond as soon as he stepped through the classroom door. Waving back, Naruto approached his group of friends.
"Hey, guys! What are you talking about?" He asked, before grunting as the grinning Inuzuka wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck.
"What else would we be talking about?! We're talking about the monster attack yesterday!" Kiba proclaimed. Shikamaru sighed, leaning his head against his hand tiredly.
"So troublesome...and here I thought Japan was done with monster attacks." He said dully, while next to him, Chouji frowned as he ate a bag of chips, worried for the people who could have been hurt in the attack. Not to mention the food!
Shino pushed up his shades. "It is a peculiar event. Why? Because why, after several years of silence, would a monster appear and attack the Food Plaza out of any other public setting?"
Pushing Kiba away, Naruto sat down, nodding. "Yeah, it's weird when you think about it, dattebayo."
Kiba scoffed, also taking a seat. "Who knows how monsters think! They don't need a reason or plan to attack places! Besides, it hasn't shown itself again since then! No doubt it was taken care of! Good riddance, I say!"
Chouji chewed on his chips, swallowing. "Maybe...Do you think it was a Rider? Or some Sentai! Think they're back?" He asked, wondering the same thing no doubt the whole city was.
After two years or more since their last appearance, were the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai reappearing?
Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome~...Whatever the case, I've got a bad feeling this won't be the last time something like this happens. What a drag~"
Naruto frowned, looking out the window. As much as he wished otherwise...Naruto had a feeling that Shikamaru was right.
And here he was, trying to live a normal life…
The sound of a snort got the boy's attention, making them turn their heads to face the direction, with two frowning in distaste.
"Oh please. If it really was a Rider or Sentai, the whole city would know. No doubt the police took care of it. Simple as that!"
Kiba clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Oh yeah?! How would you know, Sasuke?!" The Inuzuka teen demanded, glaring at the School's "#1 Pretty Boy".
Sasuke Uchiha rolled his eyes as he sat down at his desk. "It's pretty obvious, nitwit. No one mentioned anything about a person in armor or brightly colored suits showing up."
Shikamaru sighed, leaning his head against his fist in boredom. "What about the mysterious Red and Blue Rider? Did you forget him? Or the Blue and Gold one?" He reminded him. Rumors had it that along with the mysterious Red/Blue Rider, there was possibly another unknown Kamen Rider.
Sasuke scoffed. "Rumors, nothing more. Don't think the police haven't improved after all the years of monster attacks. No doubt they're the ones who took care of the monster!"
Kiba rolled his eyes, knowing Sasuke was only boasting about their police force because his father and older brother were in it.
Naruto stayed silent, knowing the truth. Of course, he wasn't going to say anything, not wanting to think about the event, both of what he went through, and what happened in the background with the hostages.
Meanwhile, as the boys chatted, a small gathering of girls in the room held their own gathered group to talk.
"Eh? You want to find the Red/Blue Kamen Rider?" A girl with brown hair pulled into two buns on top of her head, resembling bear ears, asked Ino, resting her head on her hand.
The pale blonde nodded her head, an eager grin on her face. "Of course! I mean, you can't say you aren't interested in who they could be, Tenten!"
Tenten gave her a dull look. "Barely anyone knows who the heroes really are Ino, pretty sure that's the point of the helmets." She deadpanned.
Ino pouted at her, crossing her arms. "I know that! But think about it, if we could learn their secret identity-"
"And then what, Ino?" Sakura cut in, rolling her eyes. "Heroes keep their identities secret for a reason! We should respect their wishes!"
Hinata nodded shyly. "I-It would be rude to do so, Ino-san."
Ino grumbled. "You guys are no fun! Think of what an adventure it could be! The experience we'd have! The action we'd see!"
"The monsters we'd attract." Sakura reminded her. "Who knows what sort of trouble Riders and Sentai attract! We'd be nothing but distractions to them! Ino, we are not fighters, much less heroes! We have no superpowers, no skills, and nothing to defend ourselves with. What would happen if we came across a monster?! We'd be dead!"
Ino frowned, not thinking about that. "Fine, fine...I get your point...would've still been cool..." She said, muttering the last part begrudgingly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ino-pig."
Outside the School
As per their order, the cops were in full focus, looking around for anything suspicious. The slightest evidence of anything being even the slightest peculiar, they were to act immediately, not willing to risk the chance for another surprise attack like the day before.
Currently sitting in one of the police vehicles, two police officers enjoyed their warm brew of morning coffee as they sat comfortably. One of the officers smiled softly as he looked at the school they were stationed outside. "Hope everything stays calm." He said, getting his partner's attention. "Have a little one, ya know. A son. No older than 8. Don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him."
The other man smiled, nodding in agreement. "Same for my little girl. If another monster appeared...I ain't taking any chances." He stated, fingering his hoisted pistol, getting a nod of agreement from the other.
As the two conversed and focused on their surroundings, neither one noticed as something passed by in the reflections of their mirrors.
Something large.
Nascita
"Hmm..." Sitting at the shop's counter, Sento Kiryu hummed to himself as he replayed the events that took place the day prior in his mind. From the monster's sudden attack in a public setting; to the appearance of Millennium; to the reported news about a possible secondary attack happening in a jewelry store in another part of the district. If he has learned one important fact after all that he's been through in his original world, it was that there was rarely such a thing as coincidence.
All events that played were linked, somehow, someway. Like pieces of a puzzle. One way or another, everything matched together. The only question that remained, was how?
He shook his head. He shouldn't be overthinking this. He had no reason to get involved more than he already has. He had made his choice in not going public with the existence of Build, wanting to put his old life behind him. Still, revealing himself to that squad of police was a necessary cost to ensure they were not killed by those gunmen. While he'd like to keep his anonymity, he couldn't just let innocent men-at-arms lose their lives. Still, that was as far as he'll allow Build to be known. 'This world already has its own heroes. It doesn't require another.' He thought decisively. After all, it has Kamen Riders Ex-Aid, OOO, Fourze, Gaim, and Ghost. Not to mention all the other historical Riders and Super Sentai! 'There is no reason for Build to exist in this new world.' He was knocked out of his thoughts, as a cup of coffee was placed in front of him. Looking up, he saw the smiling face of Misora.
"Here's your coffee, Sento!" The 20-year-old waitress said, getting a smile from her long-time friend.
"Thank you, Misora." He said, picking the cup up. Taking a sip, he froze, looking at the coffee in shock. "It's still good!"
"Isn't it?!" Soichi Isurugi exclaimed from the other end of the counter on the register side. "I question why some customers are so shocked! It's not that hard to make good-tasting coffee! You start with the beans and-"
"Tou-san!" Misora cut him off, jabbing a finger at him. "Back to work!"
"But I was just-"
However, his daughter would not have any of it, as she waved him off. "We still have customers! Come on, get moving!"
Soichi groaned, pouting at Misora. "Hai~!"
Misora and Sento shared a chuckle, both still finding it hard to believe that the man before them was the true Soichi Isurugi, and not Evolto. "This really is a New World." Sento muttered, making Misora look at him, smiling as she nodded. Until a few months ago in the year prior, such a statement would have confused Misora, since for as long as she knew, there has always been one world.
One life.
It wasn't until one fateful day that her entire worldview was forever broken. Literally. Due to the appearance of a member of the Blood Tribe, Killbas, who shockingly enough was the older brother of Evolto and king of the Blood Planet, who somehow emerged from the White Pandora Panel, using it to recreate the Pandora Box to destroy not just the world, but the whole universe. Of course, the recreation of the Pandora Box sent out a wave of energy, which caused all those who had been experimented on by the Nebula Gas in the Old World to regain their memories.
Just then, the cafe door was thrown open.
"Mii-tan~!"
Misora sighed, as her "number one fan" - thanks to her former viral alter-ego, Mii-tan back in the Old World - Kazumi Sawatari, also known as Kamen Rider Grease, literally leaped into the store, a wide smile on his face, arms spread joyfully. Behind him, were his three oldest friends. His "followers" as Misora thought of them as. Thankfully, the cafe was virtually empty of customers aside from Sento, so Kazumi was saved from embarrassing himself more than he already was.
"Grease" She welcomed with a dead tone, making the smiling man face fault to the floor, emotionally hurt.
"She still calls me 'Grease'..." Kazumi moaned, hurt that once again, his beloved Mii-tan would call him anything but his name, while his friends tried to cheer him up.
He thought they grew closer after he died in the Old World! Mii-tan called him Kazumi back then. SHE EVEN CRIED FOR HIM! But now...why was life so cruel?!
Sento watched on, smiling in amusement and joy, happy to have his friends back to their old selves. Since arriving in the New World, he had been worried and scared of being the only one in their group to withhold their memories of their old lives. Then came Banjo, and then the event with Killbas, and such fears were vanquished.
The entrance opened once more, as another person passed through the door. Sento and Misora waved as Sawa Takigawa entered. "Irasshaimase~!" Misora welcomed.
Sending her a smile, Sawa passed by the gloomy Kazumi, as she approached the counter. "Kon'nichiwa~" Sawa told Misora, before looking at Sento, a hopeful look on her face. "Sento! Could you tell me anything about this new Kamen Rider? Please?" Sawa begged, making the genius sigh, standing up.
"I told you, Sawa-chan. I don't know anything about it." Sento said, grabbing his coffee as he moved over towards a table, a pouting Sawa following him.
"You have to tell me something~! Anything! What did they look like? How old were they? Are they male or female? Anything! I need to be the first to bring something new before someone else does!" Sawa begged while a curious Misora walked over.
"Eh? A new Kamen Rider?" She asked. Sawa looked at her.
"That's what Banjo said, but Sento won't give me any information!" She said, glaring at the calm Sento, who looked anywhere but at her, making Sawa pout, grumbling.
The door opened once more, and a tired Banjo walked through. "I'm back..." He droned, tired after wasting another day trying to sell Sento's inventions.
"You sell anything?" Sento immediately asked as Banjo dragged his feet towards the table, plopping down on the chair Misora pulled out for him.
Banjo groaned. "One or two~" Sluggishly hold up two fingers.
Misora tilted her head. "I thought Mabuchi-san was helping you sell things." She said, thinking of Banjo's girlfriend, Yui Mabuchi, who like them was a former victim of Faust in the Old World, and like them, regained her memories through the reactivated Pandora Box. In the Old World, she was a kindergarten school teacher, who attempted to get her students to safety during the Three Regions War and came across Kamen Rider Cross-Z fighting Guardians. Beyond being scared, Yui called out to him to save them. However, to her tragic grief, Cross-Z ignored her cries and continued his fight against the Guardians elsewhere. Unfortunately, her cries caught the attention of the remaining Guardians, who took Yui and her students captive, taking them to their base to be experimented on by the Nebula Gas, where she was turned into a Lost Smash, before being chained, mercilessly beaten by the Guardians, then set on fire as her connection to the Lost Bottle was cut, returning her to normal, where she burned to death. Unfortunately, even after being reborn in a new world, the scars of her old life still remained, as evidenced by the burns on her body. For a time during Killbas's attack, Yui held great anger towards Banjo for leaving her and her students to be captured in the Old World, who in the New World were in comas. She hated Cross-Z for his neglect and for leaving them to suffer. However, upon learning of how he has changed since that time thanks to Sento and his friends, Yui grew to forgive him, helping deliver the Muscle Galaxy Fullbottle to Ryuga, and in the end, the two grew a connection.
Banjo shook his head. "She had to go to work." He said, laying his head down on the table. "This is getting us nowhere! No one would buy Sento's useless junk!"
"Oi! It's not useless!" Sento defended his inventions.
Misora bit her lip. "If you guys need money, I can lend you some." She offered. Suddenly, Kazumi popped up beside her, making Misora and Sawa yelp as they jumped.
"Maaah~! Mii-tan! So kind! It makes my heart pound!"
Misora looked at him, annoyed. "Quiet, Grease!"
Just like that, Kazumi dropped like a crumbling brick wall. "Grease..."
Sento looked on, amused. He looked at Misora, shaking his head. "Nah! I'm sure Banjo and I will find a way."
"Speak for yourself." Banjo muttered, knowing that they couldn't keep living in an abandoned factory forever. Not to mention that they didn't exactly have a lot of money for food. It was only through Misora's kindness that they made it as long as they have, as she would bring them food weekly since regaining her memories.
Of course, Gentoku offered Sento a job at Japan's Government R&D Division. However, Sento turned him down, having no desire to get into anything that could lead to weaponry development. Not after what he had done as Takumi Katsuragi in the Old World.
Shaking her head, Sawa went back to the topic at hand, looking at Ryuga. "Banjo, do you know anything about the new Kamen Rider?" She asked him. Banjo rolled his head around the table to look at her.
"Huh?"
Sawa knelt down to his head level, looking at him beggingly. "Sento won't tell me anything! Is there anything you could tell me?"
"Hmm...isn't his name Kamen Sentai or something?" Banjo said, lost. Sawa sighed, knowing she wouldn't get anything from the "Musclehead".
"Kamen...Sentai?" Misora muttered, tilting her head.
Sento frowned, thinking.
Jounan Junior High
"Moooh~"
"You had to stand in the hallway again, didn't you?"
"Mooaah! Shut up!" Usagi shouted, glaring at her deadpanning best friend. Naruto shook his head, dipping his hand into their shared bento, picking up a piece with his chopsticks.
"What was it this time? Did you fall asleep in class again?"
"..."
"Did you stub your foot against the wall and start crying...again?"
"..."
"Did you oversleep and tried to sneak into the class without anyone looking, but in a common move of idiocy, crawled through the middle row. Directly in Ms. Haruna's line of sight...Again?"
Usagi dropped her head, letting out a groan, as Naruto shook his head, reaching up to pat her on the head. "It's not my fault! I was up late last night!" Usagi whined, getting an eye roll from the male blond.
"That's what you always say. You've got to stop playing video games all night, Usagi." Naruto scolded her. He loved video games as much as anyone else, but even he knew the importance of school attendance.
He didn't like it, but he knew.
"It wasn't that!" Usagi exclaimed, getting a non-believing look.
"Oh really? Then what were you doing?" He challenged, making Usagi flinch.
"Um..."
"One more thing." Setsuna said, getting Usagi's attention. "It is very important that you not tell anyone about you being a Sailor Guardian." She stated.
"Eh?!" Usagi exclaimed, looking hesitant. "No one? Can't I tell Naruto? We always tell each other everything!"
"She's right, Usagi." Luna spoke, getting the teen's attention. "There's no doubt that being a Sailor Guardian is very dangerous. While the abilities you now possess grant you some form of protection, not everyone who could come to know will be as lucky. Learning of this secret would only put their lives in danger!"
"But..." Usagi muttered, frowning. She and Naruto never kept any secrets from each other. They always told each other everything. Who they liked. What their favorite snacks were. Even embarrassing things! Never once have they ever kept something from the other!
Setsuna placed her hand on Usagi's shoulder, getting her attention. "I'm sorry. Usagi-chan, but if your friends were to learn about the Sailor Guardians and this dark threat, it could only endanger them. You must keep your new life a secret from them. It's for their own good."
Usagi frowned, looking at Naruto, who stared back at her with a raised brow. "So? What were you doing last night?" He asked.
"Um..." Usagi sounded, turning her head away, biting her lip as she tried to come up with an excuse. "I ate too much of my secret Halloween candy stash, and got so sleepy that I slept through my alarm!" She said quickly, giving Naruto a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head, hoping he bought it.
Naruto raised a brow at her, humming. After several stressful moments, in which Usagi sweated nervously, Naruto finally nodded, looking away. "Yeah, I thought as much. You know, if you keep eating candy and junk food, you'll eventually get fat, dattebayo." He warned her.
While letting out a breath of relief, Usagi twitched at the accusation, glaring at her whisker-cheeked friend. "Hey! Don't you know you're not supposed to call a lady fat!" She exclaimed angrily.
Glancing her way out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto smirked at her, holding up a piece of shrimp on his chopsticks. "Yeah, but as far as I can see, there isn't a lady anywhere near us." He jabbed, chuckling at her annoyed huff. Closing his eyes in victory, Naruto threw the shrimp into his mouth. However, he blinked his eyes open when he didn't feel said shrimp. Hearing the sound of chewing, Naruto turned his head, glaring at the smirking Usagi, her mouth moving as she chewed on something. "Oi! That's my shrimp!"
Swallowing, Usagi stuck her tongue out at him. "Naah~"
Eyebrow twitching, Naruto turned away with a huff, making Usagi giggle. Unseen to her, the corner of Naruto's lips twitched upward in an amused smirk.
With only a few moments before lunch was over, the two friends enjoyed their rare moment of enjoying lunch alone together instead of with friends. It felt nice, enjoying each other's company without anything bothering them.
"Hey...Naruto?" Usagi suddenly said, getting Naruto's attention as he paused while drinking from a water bottle. He turned to her, asking her what was up. Usagi frowned, staring down at the ground, gripping her skirt nervously. "We're best friends, right?" She asked, getting a raised brow.
"What kind of question is that, dattebayo?" He asked, wondering why she would ask that. "Of course we are! Why? Wait...are you replacing me?!" He asked, looking nervous. "Did you find a new best friend?! Who is it?! Is it Umino?! Please don't tell me it's Umino! Is it Naru?! I know our names are similar, but I'm WAY better than her! She doesn't even like video games! SHE'S NOT EVEN A REAL BRUNETTE, DATTEBAYO!"
"Naruto, calm down!" Usagi shouted, seeing him go hysterical. "I'm not replacing you!" stated, making Naruto stop.
"Oh...forget I said anything." He said, chuckling, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, making Usagi sweatdrop, sighing. "Still, why the sudden question, dattebayo?" He asked.
"Well..." Usagi began, before taking a deep breath. "Would you hate me...if I kept something from you?" She finally asked.
Raising a brow, Naruto looked at her, blinking. He hummed, taking a moment to think about it, before he shrugged. "No really." He said nonchalantly, making her look at him. Naruto offered her a kind smile. "Even if you kept something from me, or I from you, we'd obviously have our reasons for it. Not all best friends tell each other everything, and that's fine. Some secrets are not told. Like, for example, if the secret could hurt the other? It's kept from them to protect the person. So even if you kept something from me, if you think it could hurt me, I wouldn't hold it against you." He told her, with Usagi staring at him, stunned.
"You wouldn't?" She asked, wanting to make sure. He shook his head, smiling at her.
"Of course not! If you had a secret you couldn't tell me, I'd trust you without a second thought...you're not replacing me, are you?"
Usagi giggled as Naruto looked at her worriedly. Reaching over, she hugged him, surprising him before smiling as he hugged her back. "No, you big dummy. I could never replace you."
Naruto nodded. "Good, I'd hate to prank Naru in revenge."
Usagi giggled.
Later That Day - After School
"House of Fortune?" Naruto asked as he walked with Usagi and Yuriko, with the latter having just informed the two blonds about a recently new fortune-telling place that has become very popular.
Yuriko nodded. "Yeah, my friends told me it was someplace new. Just opened last night, in fact, but they are really good."
Naruto looked unconvinced, but Usagi had stars in her eyes. "Really?! Let's check it out!" She suggested, but Naruto shook his head.
"No thanks, not really that interested." He had enough with things involving the future and fate. The last thing he needed was some fortune teller telling him he would grow up to become a Demon King and take over the world.
Yuriko nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the same." She said, glancing at Naruto, feeling the same as him, not wanting to deal with any future nonsense after just dealing with Tsukuyomi and her talk about Ohma Millennium.
Usagi pouted at the two foster siblings. "C'mon! It could be fun!" She begged. However, Naruto waved her off.
"If you want to go, be my guest. We don't want to get involved." He said, ignoring her pout and pleading eyes. Seeing her pleading wasn't working, Usagi puffed her cheeks at him. He was no fun!
As the three passed through an opening in a short alley, Usagi paused, peering inside, seeing the same old man Azuka met that morning. "Huh?" She muttered, looking around. "What's going on? Aren't there usually a really long line of people around here?" She asked, recognizing the old man as the famous palm reader her friends told her about a few days ago. Apparently, he was pretty popular, having been on tv a couple of times, and would tell people's fortune for free.
Seeing Usagi stop, Naruto and Yuriko also looked inside.
The old man smiled kindly at them, chuckling. "Yes, there used to be. However, it would seem people have quickly grown more interested in the newest thing." He said, pointing across the street. Turning their heads, the students for the first time noticed a new building, all flashy with lights with a large sign for all to view.
"'House of Fortune'? So that's the new fortune-telling place?" Usagi asked, staring at the brightly lit building, while Naruto raised a brow, not recalling having seen that building there the day before.
'Didn't that used to be a small, one-story pawnshop, dattebayo?'
"Talk about flashy." Yuriko nodded, seeing the number of lightbulbs it had. That place looked like it belonged in the Shibuya District of Las Vegas in the US.
The old man nodded. "Yes, and because it's new, everyone became more interested in going there." He sighed. "I suppose new is better than the old fashion method." He muttered, dejectedly.
Naruto and Yuriko frowned, feeling bad for the old man. Just because he didn't have a nice building and bright lights didn't mean the new place could just run him out of business!
Also feeling bad for the man, Usagi then smiled, holding out her hand to him, getting his attention. She smiled at him. "Well, I want you to read my fortune!"
The old man blinked at her, before chuckling, nodding. Bringing out his magnifying glass, he looked at her palm. "Hmm...I can tell that there's a boy that likes you right now, and it's someone you see all the time." He said mysteriously.
"Really?!" Usagi said, practically squealing in joy.
Yuriko smirked, nudging Naruto. "Maybe it's Naruto~" She teased, getting Naruto to glare at her.
"Knock it off!" He said, his cheeks a bit red.
Usagi blinked, before shaking her head, her own cheeks red in embarrassment. "N-No way! Naruto and I are just best friends! We don't like each other like that!"
"Are you sure~?" Yuriko teased the two, enjoying their embarrassment, before shrugging, humming in thought. "Well, you know plenty of boys. Could be any one of them..."
Blinking, Usagi thought about it, before her mind immediately latched onto her crush. 'Maybe it's Motoki...' She thought, blushing hard at the thought of him liking her back.
Smiling at their interaction, the old fortune teller looked at Naruto. "Would you like to try?" He offered, making Naruto frown, unsure.
"Yeah! You should try it, Naruto! Maybe you also have someone who likes you!" Usagi encouraged, snapping out of her daydream.
'He better not.' Yuriko thought, frowning, feeling protective of her foster brother. The last thing she needed was some bitch sinking her claws into her brother!
Thinking about it, Naruto sighed. 'Might as well get this over with.' He thought, holding his hand out to the man. The fortune-teller looked at his hand closely, taking a bit longer than with Usagi, making Naruto nervous. He prayed that the old man didn't say the last thing he wanted to hear!
After a few more seconds, the old man pulled back, looking at Naruto. "I can see that soon, you will meet a very special friend." He said, smiling at him. Naruto blinked, surprised, relieved, and confused as he looked at his hand.
"A special friend?" He muttered, wondering what that meant. The old man turned and looked at Yuriko, offering her a chance, but she politely declined, not desiring to have her fortune told. Soon the three left the old man, wishing him good night, as the Namikaze siblings had to go pick up Azuka from school, while Usagi separated from them to spend some time at the Arcade, with Naruto reminding her about the police scheduled curfew, telling her not to stay there too long, getting a "Kay~!" from Usagi as she ran off, as Naruto sighed at her.
Unbeknownst to them, one Gurio Umino stood in front of the House of Fortune building, eager to have his fortune told on how to best accomplish what he most desired.
Asking Usagi out on a date.
He was told about the place by Naru after he told her that he wanted to ask Usagi out, wanting her to be his girlfriend. At first, Naru laughed, admitting that she didn't really see a chance of that happening. Mostly because she secretly thought that Naruto and Usagi had a better chance of being a couple given their history and closeness. However, willing to give him support, Naru told Umino about the new House of Fortune, to see if he and Usagi could really become a thing, and get some aid on what he should do.
And so, there he was, practically shivering with excitement, Umino eagerly entered. Walking inside, he saw that the place was quite packed, seeing many other teens his age, along with quite a few adult men and women, all eagerly awaiting their turn. The numbers made him frown, seeing that this could take a while. However, not willing to back down from his chance with Usagi, he patiently sat down to wait his turn. He didn't care how long it took!
Unbeknownst to anyone, in the alley beside the House of Fortune, a large shadow passed along the wall, with the soft sound of a growl going unheard.
End of Chapter.
Once again, I apologize for my long silence, and hope you've enjoyed this little 'gift'.
I cannot promise it won't happen again. XD
You know the common drill!
Give this story some nice reviews as you share your thoughts. Chaos and I worked hard on it.
So please, would you kindly?
As always, I'll see ya'll in the stories soon.
Ja Ne!