Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, it belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. I fully own my original character Lucy.

Key

"Speaking"

Thoughts/Memories/Premonition/Dream

"Speaking in Another Language"

Thoughts in Another Language

Lunarian


"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."
- John Lennon

~Chapter 2~
~Ice Ice Baby~

In a dark palace, with high arches and beautiful architecture. A woman sat, long red hair entrancing, dressed in a black gown and darkly beautiful earrings and necklace of beryl. Her face face shrouded from view, her visible smirk cruel. Clawed hands hovered over an orb glinting with a black light from its center. When she spoke, her voice was rich and commanding, yet vile and oppressive.

"You haven't found the Legendary Silver Crystal yet?"

A blonde man knelt to one knee, hand over heart. Eyes closed, he parted his lips. "I haven't. I offer my humblest apologies."

The lady would have none of that as she barked, "The Great Ruler desires power! We must gather more energy! We must locate the Legendary Silver Crystal immediately!"

Standing, the man nodded his head, eyes opening to reveal clever blue orbs. "I understand." He assured, smile small and evil. "And I, the Dark Kingdom's Far-East Commander, Jadeite, take that responsibility, Queen Beryl.


"We're home!" Usagi called, coming to the front door, skip to step and pleasant.

Lucy followed at a slower pace to her sister, bag clasped in her hands behind her back. Luna sat on the fawn's shoulder.

Ikuko waved her hand, smiling to the two. "Welcome home, girls!" She noticed the black cat and smiled at Luna specifically. "Crescent-bald-spot-chan, dinner isn't ready yet."

Luna glared at Ikuko, reaching her paws out and flexing her claws to scratch the mother. Lucy grabbed the cat around her middle, holding her back as Usagi headed up to their room, looking dead tired.

"Ikuko, her name is Luna." Lucy sighed, both girls having informed their mother of this several times. "If you call her 'bald spot,' you'll get scratched."

Ikuko gave the light brunette a good-natured smile and waved a hand, shooing the fourteen-year-old, middle school second-year up the stairs to her room. "Very well, I see both of you want to keep her. And inform your sister dinner won't be ready for a little while, not just a couple minutes."

"Okay," Lucy called as she let Luna go so the cat could jump to the floor, bounding up the stairs on her own.

Opening the door to their bedroom as Usagi was setting down her book bag, Lucy undid her bow while Luna ran past into the pink and red room. Lucy's fingers unconsciously began to toy with her new earrings. They were solid gold and shaped as stars, and for the time being very dear relics to her due to how she achieved them.

"Luna, do you plan living at our place to keep an eye on us?" Usagi demanded sourly, crossing her arms, glaring intensely at the verbal feline.

Very cross, Luna informed the guardian briskly, "What are you talking about?! Usagi-chan, you have just become a Guardian of Justice a short time ago!" She waved a paw at Lucy who rose an eyebrow at the cat. "More enemies are going to show up! I have tons of things I must teach you, and Lucy must relearn her own duties to you and the other Senshi!"

"What?" Lucy demanded, thinking her part was a one-time deal as Usagi began to tear up, wailing, "I don't want to be stuck in a situation like that ever again!"

The blonde held her face in her hands, worry etched clear across her face. "Just what are these enemies, anyway?!"

Sitting down, wrapping her tail around her paws, Luna informed both girls, whether they planned to stay with the program or not, gravely, eyes serious. "They aren't human." No kidding, Lucy thought with a barely concealed roll of her eyes. "But that should be apparent already. They're evil things that shouldn't even be in this world."

"That is why," Luna rose and strode over to the edge of the bed, looking into Usagi's blue eyes, "Usagi-chan, you must hurry and find your allies! You must discover the location of the Princess and protect her."

The brunette creased her brow. She felt the urge to ask, "What Princess?" and find out why everything was so vague. Something held her back however, as if saying to her mind it shouldn't be broached. Not to mention, if she dwelled on possibilities to long her head began to hurt and she felt the need to ask for an Advil.

Beside Lucy, Usagi sighed dreamily, hands clasped together. "Allies and princess, huh?" Something suddenly occurred to her, and Lucy had the faint idea it had to deal with that 'Tuxedo Mask' character from a few nights ago and proven right a second later. "Say, that Tuxedo Mask... and Sailor V! They've gotta be allies, right?"

Luna looked at Usagi, then up at Lucy who's arms were still crossed. "I already have a hint of who your first ally will be."

It wasn't lost on the fawn the hidden, And your second Senshi to help down the right path.

"I didn't sign up to advise a bunch of scouts, Luna. I was only helping out a friend." Lucy informed the cat gravely at that moment, shattering Usagi's bubble of the two sisters with Sailor V and Tuxedo Mask fighting crime together. The brunette and blonde always back to back. "I don't want to help them protect a Princess either."

"Why?" The bunny whined to the fawn. "It's like a romance novel!"

"Gone wrong." Lucy added. "I'm not charging into something like this blindly. Yeah, people'll be in trouble, but what good am I?" She waved at herself vaguely. "Have you not noticed my track record in gym? Or the fact I might have a minor case of asthma? Not really befitting of a chick supposed to help a bunch of scouts by following them. You, you can lead them. Me advising? Not so much."

A soft paw rested at the teen's limp hand. Gray-green looked down into reassuring blue. "I understand your concern, Lucy-chan. Trust me when I say, after some practice, you will be very fit to advise the Senshi alongside me."

Usagi watched her sister, hope brazen across her face. She really couldn't do this alone. If Lucy didn't want to help...

Lucy looked at her sister, saw the anticipation in the sapphire gaze and her resolve to give a stony 'no' crumbled like dust.

"Alright. But only for a little while." She pointed to Usagi who opened her mouth to give a happy response, "And if you start doing your homework and at least trying in English class. Its my native language and I feel insulted at your lack of consideration."

The blonde frowned, pouting, but nodded. "Deal."

Both held up their pinky's and locked them together in a pinky swear, exclaiming, "I promise to keep my promise!"


The next day, at school, the two and many others crowded around to see the highest scores on the National Practice test. Umino pointed at sixth place on the list with a score of 489, pushing up his glasses and grinned at a softly blushing Lucy as Naru and Usagi congratulated the girl.

"No wonder Haruna-sensei wants you to tutor me!" Usagi exclaimed, hugging Lucy close, almost causing her to drop her school bag. "Soon I'll be as smart as you!"

"Maybe in English class if you'd bother to try." Replied the brunette flatly, gaze slightly annoyed. "I've never seen someone give so little contribution of care about another language."

"Hey, starting today I'm going to try." Usagi replied indignantly, the two beginning to walk off from their friends towards class.

Lucy gave a smirk, already fiddling with the cuff of her uniform, thinking to how odd it had felt in a short skirt several days ago. One anyone could get a panty shot from. "Only because we made a promise."

"Eh?!" Usagi whined. "You can't possibly- Lucy!"

Before either could stop, the brunette walked smack dab into a blue haired girl who was reading a book lit. Lucy fell back, barely catching herself as the other hit the floor. Usagi quickly moved to help her up as Lucy profusely began to apologize, helping the girl up as well. It wasn't until the girl had looked up, meaning to apologize herself, Lucy realized who she was.

"Oh my god," Lucy accidentally slipped into English before quickly jumping back to Japanese. "You're Ami Mizuno! You have the highest scores in all classes! You've never failed a single test- ever! I've always wanted to meet you, but I've never met anyone from class five!"

Ami blinked at Lucy, shocked by this information. "I..." The apology she had died on her lips as a small blush lit her cheeks, her bowing to Lucy quickly in gratitude. "Thank you."

"I'm Lucy Tsukino, class one." She replied brightly, shaking hands with Ami after the girl righted herself. "I heard you were attending the new cram school, Crystal Seminar, Mizuno-san. Is it any fun?"

The shy girl gave a small laugh. "It is very helpful in my learning, if that is what you're asking. Are you thinking of joining?"

Lucy shook her head, catching out of the corner of her eye that the clock stated they had two minutes until the bell rang. "No, not in this lifetime. I'm... busy."

Usagi looked at the clock on the wall to and tugged in her sister's sleeve. "We better go. Class is about to start."

Ami and Lucy shook hands again, smiling at each other. "It was nice to meet you, Tsukino-san. I hope we can talk in the future."

"Me too."

The bell struck one minute to class, the three set off in different directions. Lucy smiled giddily the whole time.

"She has an IQ of, like, 300!" Lucy filled in for the out-of-the-loop bunny, appearing star struck. "She's number one in the entire country! Mizuno-san is an absolute genius. Her mother is a doctor, too. The fact she spoke to me says she's not from a whole 'nother world like people go on and on about." Her shoulders tensed briefly as she gave a squeak.

"Wow... Mizuno-san was really sweet too." Usagi commented.

"Yeah..." Lucy sighed. "Sad thing is, people say she doesn't have any friends. Maybe..."

The two shared looks, both thinking the same thing. Then they nodded, no words needed.

After class that day, the two were walking home, looking at their report cards. Both winced when viewing Usagi's low test grades and Lucy refused to look at hers on the premise of having grades very different to the bunny's. And not in the bad way.

"With low test results like this..." Usagi stuffed her results in her bag, pulling it to her chest to sigh in defeat, footsteps heavier than before. "Mom's been telling me to go to night school lately..."

"We could go together if Ikuko pushes it." Lucy said to her sister, holding her bag behind her back. "I could use some help in science."

Usagi opened her mouth to reply before noticing Ami up ahead. She tugged in Lucy's arm, pointing. A large grin spread over the brunette's face. They moved to catch up with her as a shadow fell over their heads followed by Luna landing on Ami's head.

The blue haired girl made a sound of surprise as the cat then fell into her arms. Her eyes widened from where the two stood and they rushed over faster than they had originally planned. As they caught up, they heard the end of Ami's words.

"... So soft!" Ami giggled, rubbing close to Luna who purred at the contact.

Luna noticed the sisters and jumped from the genius' grasp. Bouncing into Usagi's head, making the blonde flinch and shout the black cat's name. Both observed how Ami was nothing like what everyone said, and even more friendlier than that morning.

"Sorry about Luna. Are you okay?" Usagi asked after Lucy got the cat in her grasp.

A warm blaze in her eyes, Ami pointed toward the sky. "She suddenly came out of the sky! I thought it might have been an angel!"

The sisters sweat dropped, both thinking the same thing, Luna? An angel? The cat huffed quietly, seeing the looks. Ami herself covered her mouth, not having meant to such a thing out loud, blush covering her face.

She's a lot different from what everyone at school says, Lucy thought to herself, hoping she was correct. Luna wiggled in Lucy's arms, scrambling up onto Lucy's shoulder as Usagi introduced herself and Luna to the genius. Luna snuggled her face close to Lucy's, whispering in her ear, "Ami is a possible ally. A possible warrior to lead."

Fighting back a scowl, Lucy smiled brightly at the girl, ignoring when the black cat jumped from her shoulder, scampering off. Usagi asked, "Do you go to game centers, Mizuno-san...?" The bunny laughed nervously as the fawn winced. Not such a good choice, Usa. "You don't, do you?"

"We'll just have to take you to one then!" Lucy joined in to save her sister from an awkward silence. "We know the best arcade on this side of town."

A little while later and the trio was as the Crown Game Center. Usagi was invested deeply in a game of Sailor V with Lucy and Ami watching. Lucy had tried first and lost within the first level, stating she didn't have very well hand-eye coordination when it was her lengthening hair that really got in the way. Now Usagi had been at it for a good ten minutes, though she was having trouble with a monster.

When Usagi's little Sailor V finally died, she stood up and turned around to face Ami, bright and happy after several moments of complaint on wasting a coin. "Mizuno-san, you want to try?"

Ami nodded, uncrossing her arms and walking over to sit down. Hands moving fast, the girl zoomed through a lot of levels. Usagi peered over her shoulder, unsure of what to think. Around them, people began to crowd around at how quickly the aqua haired teen went through each level. At one point, even Lucy shoved through to see what was going on.

Her eyes widened at the score in the upper right corner, a small sound of shock passing her lips. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lucy's mind screamed, Luna's right! She has to be an ally. Lucy refused to think it though, not wanting to buy into the cat's nonsense. Not yet.

Suddenly, one of Ami's fingers slipped and like that the little Sailor V was killed. All around them people groaned. One man chirped behind them, totally flabbergasted, "She got the top score!?"

Motoki, hands on waist, flummoxed, added, "Wow! I never thought a girl could do that in such a short amount of time!"

Both bunny and fawn, eyes sparkling in amazement though only the bunny sweat dropped, made jumpy gestures of approval. Usagi, awestruck, spoke, "You're amazing, Mizuno-san! Amazing!"

"She's awesome!" Lucy added as a little pen popped out of the slot machine on the game.

The body was aqua colored, the same shade as Ami's hair, and the top looked like a little frosty blue planet circled by a silver ring. Lucy leaned over the girl's shoulder, look curious.

"What came out?"

"Some kind of giveaway." She pulled the top off, revealing a pen. "Oh! It's a pen."

Usagi gasped, look indignant. "I want one! No fair! I want one too!" Turning, she began to beat on the poor machine, hitting and kicking it as if she wouldn't have to pay for any damage sustained to it. "Come on! Throw out an extra for me!" Grunting as she slammed on the controls, she added, "Hitting machines tend to make things come out."

"A broken part, maybe!" Lucy scoffed, arms crossed and shaking her head as Ami giggled. "I hope you know I'm not cov-"

Suddenly a pen and barrette tumbled out, the pen pink with a top similar to a pearl and the barrette a silver upturned crescent moon. She held them both up, cheering. "Hey, two did come out!" She stuck her tongue out to Lucy who returned the gesture. "Told you it tends to work!"

Rolling her gray-green eyes but not really angry, Lucy smirked. "Okay, fine. No more beating on the machines though. Ikuko would be so upset with you."

Usagi nodded, heeding the brunette's words, then held up the pen, turning her attention to it. "It's so cute!" She looked at the silver barrette then held it out to Lucy who took it slowly. "It's pretty too, but I don't need it. My bangs don't fall in my face all the time."

Lucy blinked in surprise, then looked down, gaze shy. Then, running her fingers through her bangs to get out nots, Lucy pinned them back to the left side of her face. The silver crescent gleamed in the arcade's lighting and a sense of warmth flooded the teen's system, as if she'd worn it before. "Thanks, Usa."

Ami, still laughing after the duo's antics, giggled out, "You're kinda funny, Tsukino-sans!"

Winking, Usagi informed Ami as Lucy shrugged, "Call me Usagi! And you can call my sister Lucy. Is it okay if we call you Ami-chan?"

"Sure!" She replied, tucking her pen into her bag, looking up at the clock. The teen let out a gasp, eyes wide. "Is it that late already? I have to get to night school!"

Usagi canted her head, confused, "Today was a night-school day? It's close by, right? Crystal Seminar?"

"Yes," Ami nodded, hurriedly picking up her bag and making sure she had everything. Lucy trailed after the two, picking up her and Usagi's own bags as she went. "I go everyday."

Lucy jolted to a stop. "Whoa."

"Everyday?!"

Ami nodded, stopping for a brief moment, blue gaze a little distant, smile reminiscent. "The only thing I'm good for is studying." Lucy winced. That's not true. You can do so much more. "I want to become a doctor like my Mom, so I have to work hard."

Luna appeared out of nowhere, weaving around Lucy's legs until the girl picked her up into her arms. Both shared knowing looks before turning back to Ami and Usagi.

The bunny looked a little surprised but also in admiration at Ami. "Really? A doctor?"

"It sounds like it would be a pleasant job..." Lucy hummed, petting the cat. "You'd be good at it. Attentive, hard-working. Very smart and clever."

Ami gave Lucy a shy look. "Thank you, Lucy-chan." She looked at her watched then nodded to both. "Goodbye, Usagi-chan, Lucy-chan."


The next day in the girls changing rooms, dressing back into their school uniforms from physical education, Naru asked the sisters and several others if they wanted to go get ice-cream later.

"Count me in!" Lucy hummed, pulling her shirt over her head and fixing the collar. "I'm always up for strawberry ice-cream."

"I'm there!" Usagi nodded eagerly, drinking from a juice box, still in her PE uniform.

Another girl, Kuri, walked past, pumping into Lucy, sending a wave of ill feeling through her. The brunette squeaked and looked at the girl who had passed by, calling to her, "Sorry." Kuri did nothing and the girls watched Kuri leaving the room.

Naru said, "I heard Kuri-chan is going to Crystal Seminar now."

"Everybody's goin' these days..." Lucy mumbled, concern welling up in her. Now that she thought about, that girl had a lot of bad energy surrounding her. It even made her feel a fever flush for a moment. So had a lot of other people who'd been going to the Crystal Seminar lately. It wasn't just a little concerning but also alarming.

"Do they really get such great results?" Usagi asked, curious.

"All the classes are held on computers." Naru explained. "And the course work is so fun that everybody brings the disks home with them and to school too."

Crossing her arms, Lucy said in an offhanded manner, meaning nothing by it. "I'm kind of interested to see what's on those disks." A second later, she registered what she said and frowned. "Huh..." I'm starting to sound like Luna.

Luna appeared then, meowing and rubbing against the brunette's ankles, trying to get her attention. Lucy glared at the cat, shaking her head, pulling on her skirt and fixing it so the bow was in the back.

"Go away," she hissed quietly, bending to tie her shoes on. The penny loafers, good for running and work, were getting old she noticed as she slipped them on. Soon she'd have to ask for new ones. "I have to finish getting dressed!"

"You must go find Ami-chan!" Luna growled back, people leaving the locker room, too focused on getting home or going to get ice-cream to notice a talking cat. Even Usagi had left. "Things don't seem normal with this Crystal Seminar."

"I'm busy!" Lucy shot back, clipping her moon barrette into her bangs.

Turning to leave, grabbing her bag, she was stopped by Luna calling, "You feel dark auras coming from the people who attend, do you not?"

Lucy sighed, turning around. Her expression conveyed everything the cat needed to know. From worry and fear to apprehension and confusion.

Jumping to perch on a bench, Luna spoke directly to the advisor. "This gift is not from being an advisor to Sailor Moon and, soon, the other allies." The Mauan explained, blue gaze boring into the teen. "You were born able to feel the enemy and it's dark power. I, on a smaller level, can feel them, but only from training. It is why you are so important as advisor to Sailor Moon and her allies, you can find the enemy before the enemy finds us."

"Is that all I'm good for?" Lucy asked, brow furrowing. She could understand being needed for such a thing, but if that was all she was needed for, why bother? She might as well be a background character to a big time anime.

The creature shook her head, eyes serious.

"No, Lucy-chan, that is not only why. You..." Taking a breath, she plowed ahead. "I do not remember much from before I woke up to find Usagi-chan and you, but I remember you always being at the side of the Moon Princess. Of being closest to her." Lucy's mouth fell open a little, disbelief on her face and in her gray-green eyes. "I have reason to believe one key to finding the Moon Princess is you, Lucy-chan. Many more reasons are why you are here and important to the Senshi, but we must find Ami before she goes to the Crystal Seminar."

Shaking her head, clearing away the cloud of surprise and confusion. "Ye-yes, yes, of course." Turning, she left the locker room, Luna at her ankles.

The pair caught up to Usagi just as she was leaving, Ami already left for Crystal Seminar. The blonde took an offered flyer from a woman dressed like a stuffy old woman, blonde hair pulled back as Lucy jogged up.

"What's this?" Lucy looked over her sister's shoulder, eye caught on the picture of Ami up in the corner, the proclamation of Ami apparently getting her scores up through the school. "That's cool! Ami-chan's on the flyer." Remembering their first year at Jûban, Lucy added, "But Ami's had her scores up since she started school, I think."

Usagi nodded, reading aloud from the flyer, "'Newly Developed! You too can be a genius with the Crystal Disk!'"

"They can get your 'test scores up now.' Usagi, why don't you enter and get studying?" Luna said, making Lucy glare at the cat. Had they not just been talking about the vibes of evil on the people who went? A returned look from Luna explained she was trying to get them inside.

Usagi herself was contemplating the idea of cram school, then crumbled it, throwing it over head. "Eh?! In a weird school like that? No way!"

"Usa!" Lucy admonished, reaching for the paper as Luna did, the cat calling, "Don't go littering the street!"

Lucy froze, eyes widening and body tensing at who she saw. A scowl played on the corner of her lips as the man, like a day or so earlier, appeared dressed in a tuxedo and ripped the crumbled flyer from his head. His expression was irked, to say the least, with shoulders hunched and clearly agitated as much as she was.

What was with him showing up?

"Hey," he called to the retreating bunny, "Bun-head! I'm not a trash-can, you know!"

Usagi turned around, a little surprised. She blinked at the man.

"Ohh," realization dawned on her as he pulled off his shades, revealing cool blues like a crystal, "you're that guy from before."

Instead of answering Usagi, he looked at the cat held in her arms, alarming the trio of females. "Didn't that cat just talk?"

"N-no way!" Usagi yelped, turning away. Lucy laughed nervously, following after, "Cats can't talk!"

He watched them go, blue gaze attentive, curious and serious. They're odd, those two.


Lucy dug through her sister's bag, pulling out the disk Usagi had said she'd picked up and belonged to Ami. She found it from the dark energy surrounding it, pulling it out and looking over it.

"So this the disk Ami-chan dropped?" Lucy asked, holding up for both Usagi and Luna to see. "The Crystal Disk?"

"Yeah!" Usagi nodded, taking it from Lucy to look over it. "Pretty plain if you ask me."

"Let's borrow a school computer," Luna suggested of the two. "It's very suspicious, this school."

"I agree." Lucy hummed, taking back the disk. The trio had returned to the school on Luna's asking and were now in the library, using a computer. "The vibes people who're going is giving off has been making me feel ill. That doesn't just happen, y'know."

Usagi looked at Lucy in curiosity for a moment, not knowing that odd ability her sister had. She wanted to comment on it but her attention snapped to the screen a second later when Luna smacked her hand with a paw.

It was plain, just information on what they were supposed to be studying at the Seminar. Usagi was deeply disappointed, Lucy felt a headaches coming on as the thing spoke, feeling sicker than ever before.

Usagi complained about the disk, hitting the computer, hoping to get something out of beating the crap out of it, probably. Luna was admonishing her. Neither noticed Lucy stepping away, pressing her palms to her forehead at the skull splitting pain, feeling a bad taste in the back of her throat.

"Lucy-chan, you were right!" Luna's voice cut into to the girl's mental pain. Lucy looked up shakily at the cat.

"... the 'Legendary Silver Crystal.'"

"We have to go this instant!" The cat ordered, jumping from the table as Usagi got the disk.

The two ran past, Usagi stopping at the doorway, concern on her face. "Lu, you coming?"

"Ye-yeah," she slipped out in English before correcting herself. Shaking her head to clear away the fading pain quicker, she smiled small at her sister. She didn't want Usagi to worry. "I'm coming, Usa."

Grabbing her bag, she following after the two quickly. Lucy couldn't get held back now. Even if she didn't want to have anything to with all this, she couldn't leave Usagi.

Soon the two found where the Crystal Seminar was being held. They hid in the bushes, watching people head into the building. The entire place felt of darkness. Lucy's dulled headache was coming back. She's caught sight of a familiar head of blue.

"There's Ami-chan!" Usagi pointed out. Lucy's eyes widened in alarm when she saw the dulled, pale expression on the genius' face. "She's pale as Death!" Usagi looked to Luna. "Please don't tell me she's brainwashed!"

Luna didn't reply, instead she ordered Usagi to take out her pen won from the Crown Game Center She took it out, confused as Luna explained how it worked.

"Using Moon Power, you can use it to transform." She explained hurriedly, just throw it hight over head and shout loudly, 'Transform!'" The cat glanced at Lucy who was looking paler by the second being so close to so much darkness. "Lucy-chan," the advisor-to-be looked to Luna, smile weak, "you can do the same with your clip using Lunar Power, just brush it. It will also relieve your headache."

Skeptical, but excited to try it, Usagi threw the pen into the air, crying out, "Moon Power! Transform me into a doctor!"

A beautiful gleam of white, brilliant light enveloped Usagi, dissipating to reveal the bunny dressed as nurse, stethoscope and all. She was doing her trade mark hand sign. Luna swatted at her, telling her to go.

Before Lucy could follow after, Luna stopped her, looking up into the girl's gray-green eyes. The cat wasn't going to put up with any of her self-doubt or insubordination right now.

"Lucy-chan, brush the clip and cry, 'Lunar Power Transform.'" She ordered. "You are going in with Usagi-chan. I am not going in to help you this time."

Alarm was in her eyes. "But Luna-"

"No buts!" The cat snapped. "Do it!"

Lucy, realizing she had no other alternative, hesitantly brushed her middle and index fingers over the moon clip, letting the calling warmth envelope her. She call out, she didn't yell, that wasn't her, she knew. Lucy spoke, as if the words were familiar, eyes closed.

"Lunar Power Transform."

The headache was gone, Lucy felt warmer and safer, something seemed to flicker behind her, something was tied around her neck and she was on all fours. Lucy understood this before even opening her eyes. When she opened her eyes and everything seemed larger and the ground much closer. She looked to Luna who stared at her with satisfaction.

"I didn't expect you to be a tabby." Luna spoke. "I expected you to be more solid colored like me, but it suits you." Her whiskers twitched. "That bow is ghastly, though. Does nothing for you. And everyone can know you are of the Moon, though it's odd your symbol is silver..." She blinked, blue eyes catching Lucy's confused and panicky gray-green ones.

"Do not worry, Lucy-chan." Soothed the cat. "You've merely reverted to the form of your father's side."

Lucy backed up, confused. "Father? How...?"

"I will explain this to you later, but right now Usagi-chan needs you."

The girl-turned-cat flinched. Luna nudged her toward the building. "Go, Lucy-chan. You need to begin your practice and this will help."

The tabby raced into the seminar, reaching her sister as Usagi came into the main computer room, shouting for people to wake up. The enemy turned, anger on her visage. Lucy jumped to Usagi's shoulder, tugging at the steamers of hair to get attention.

"Usa, you've gotta turn into Sailor Moom!" She said with urgency, looking at the blank students all around them.

"Lucy?!" Usagi gasped at hearing her sister's voice come from the cat.

"Yes, now transform!" Replied she, bunching on her hind legs and springing at the hag with claws extended when she saw it coming toward them.

It was easier than Lucy had expected. This tiny, more compact body had a lot of strength to it, possibly her own, she wasn't sure. Color was still there, but her sight was sharper. The feel of evil the enemy gave off was still pressing her, but it didn't give her a headache or muddled thoughts anymore. It helped her focus on scratching the hag across the face before being sent flying into a wall. She cried out in pain as she hit the floor.

Usage changed from nurse to Sailor Moon. She pinned several papers with one clip, posing with the other, smile warm. "Guardian of Love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Lucy stood, shaking her fur. Her side stung and when she stepped, a thrum of pain ran up her back leg. She ignored it in favor of paying attention to Usagi who was getting paper cuts from paper weapons. Usagi began crying and the glass was shattering from the hypersonic sound her buns cups reflected.

"Usa, stop crying!" Lucy growled, covering her ears as students screamed, ducking down and covering their ears. "That screech is gonna kill someone- and not the enemy! We need to find Ami-chan!"

Usagi calmed, wiping her eyes, looking around. "That's right! Where's Ami-chan?!"

Turning in a full circle, the bunny soldier found Ami held captive by the hag in a headlock that, with one sharp turn of her head, could kill her. Lucy's eyes widened, alarmed and frozen, and Usagi cried their friend's name.

"You twerp!" The hag growled lividly. "You should be brainwashed! You've skipped disk lessons," her grip around Ami's throat tightened, "haven't you?!"

"I didn't skip anything! Study is done through your own efforts!" Ami gasped put, grimacing in pain as she scrabble de to hold on, pushing herself up to breathe easier. She couldn't breath. Ami sucked in as much air as she could to speak. "I can't take this anymore..."

Those words sprung Lucy back into action. She jumped assed Usagi, voice loud and commanding over the hag's, head raised high. "Ami-chan! Your pen!" Lucy could just see it in the pocket covered by the enemy's arm, gleaming an icy halo. "Throw it in the air!"

Couldn't hurt to repeat what Luna had done twice before.

Ami, with some struggle but desperate to breathe, got the pen and threw it up. It turned twice in a wide arc over head, making a full circle of frost blue. Ami was suddenly released as the hag screeched in pain, brow bursting in ice blue Mercury's sigil. Lucy couldn't see anyone as the room flushed with freezing fog that soaked the tabby's pelt.

Usagi's panicked tone could not be missed when she called out, "Lucy, where are you? Ami-chan? I-I can't see anything! Lucy?!"

Lucy darted in the direction Ami had been, sure Usagi was safe in this thick fog. Lucy could find Ami, but came across Usagi's goggles and hair pins. The goggles laid uselessly on the floor next to one of the pearl, feathered pins, the other embedded in the floor a foot away. She plucked it out, gathering the items in her maw.

The fight was finished when Lucy found her sister again, looking up into the high window. She stopped to sit patiently before the blonde, the awareness of the throbbing pain in her side came back to mind, and wrapped her tail around her front paws. Usagi picked her up, hugging her close. Lucy hid her winced pain.

"Where's Ami-chan?" She asked after a moment, looking down into weary gray-green eyes.

"The fog's thinning, we should see her in a moment."

They did. Ami, in a sky blue and ice blue variation of Usagi's fuku, was crouched down, arm over face, recovering from the attack and surprise of her transformation. Usagi gasped and Lucy frowned. She didn't want this. Lucy had hoped Ami wouldn't be a Senshi,

Sadly she was.

"Yes, just as Luna thought." Lucy spoke, jumping from Usagi's arm, wincing when she landed, and transformed back into her normal self in fuku. "She'll be the brains of the group, I'd imagine. Our warrior of intelligence and the element water. Our guardian of the Sun's closest planet: Sailor Mercury." Lucy grinned as best she could, gaze on Ami who was awed and startled by the girl's transformation. "Luna and..." She swallowed on the next word. Did advisors really do this? "Luna and I have been looking for you."

"Sailor Mercury?" Ami was positively shocked. Lucy wasn't surprised. "I'm a Senshi too?"

"Ami-chan's an ally?" Usagi clapped her hands together happily. "Alright!"


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