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

Lunarian

"I want to be important. By being different. And these girls are all the same."
Sylvia Plath

~Chapter 4~
~Fire Safety~

It comes, a young, dark haired Shinto miko thought, reading the flames before her. Something comes and it will bring disaster.

She sighed, standing. Looking back at the flames, she shivered despite its warmth. Turning, she left the room, heading out into the shrine's courtyard.

Several children and adults walked about in the evening light. Two children in particular were waiting for the six p.m. bus to go home, a blonde and brunette in pigtails. The two walked quietly, giggling. The brunette noticed the bus first.

"The bus is here!" She turned to the miko who was sweeping, smile bright as she waved. "Bye-bye, Rei-chan!"

Running to the bus with her friend, she almost missed Rei's call back. "Farewell, Mii-chan. Take care."

Rei noticed the bus driver was a young blond. She saw it was the Via Sendai-Zaka bus, with the destination blinking in red. Looking at her watch, she saw the time, her back to the bus as it drove away... and disappeared.

"Have you heard of the Demon 6 P.M. Bus?" One girl asked, garnering Lucy's attention.

She listened to her fellow students and their conversation (more like gossip) about the bus that arrives at Sendaizakue at six and the ideas about the bus driver being Death and it's final stop Hell. Lucy thought all the ideas were silly, but as of late anything could be true. It was the end of the century, after all.

Unconsciously, her hand reached up to play with her earrings, recalling both battles she had been in, her training with Luna that started two days ago, her fight with those three punks, and... Her face flushed. Her eyes that had been staring off into space refocused, gaze dropping to her dozing sister.

Lucy poked Usagi with her eraser. The blonde bunny mumbled. Luna decided to help, patting Usagi's nose with the soft pad of her paws, egging her on to waking up.

"Come on! Wake up!" Lucy huffed as blue eyes finally opened to the world.

Luna jumped up Usagi to Lucy's desk, sitting up straight, tail around her paws. "We have to meet up with Ami-chan after school today and come up with a mission plan."

Lucy leaned on her arm, watching Usagi rub her eyes and yawn. She counted down in here mind. Three... Two... Aaaaand...

"What? I was planning on heading back home and lazing around there, Luna."

The two advisors shared looked. Lucy didn't hesitate with her reply. "Five p.m. at the Game Center."

Usagi sat up bold rot, doing a salut. "Roger!"

Haruna-sensei came in, flustered and late, apologizing profusely. Luna, had been moving to leave and inform Ami of their plans, jumped on the teacher's head, startling.

"Who let a cat in the classroom?" She demanded as Luna jumped down, heading out the door.

Usagi laughed while rubbing the back of her head nervously, Lucy sliding down her seat with an embarrassed blush. "I'm sorry, Haruda! It's our cat. She's leaving right now!"

"Tsukino-san!" Haruna-sensei fumed.

So the day began.

Lucy stretched, bending and getting ready to run. It was gym and she and several others were lined up, going to race each other. On Lucy's left was Naru, on her right was Usagi (bribed into it by Lucy at the promise of chocolate shakes for a month) and two others. Luna sat on the side, holding a handkerchief between teeth at a certain brunette's insistence.

One second passed, two, three and- Luna dropped the towel and the five took off, racing around the track. Kiyoko, a blonde who was turning fourteen in a few weeks, started off in the lead, zooming past Naru and Lucy. The redhead and brunette shared looks before pushing forward, leaving Hoshi and Usagi in their dust.

"Hey!" Usagi yelled after. "No fair!"

"Then hurry up!" Lucy called back with a laugh, surprised to be ahead of her sister when she's usually being dragged.

As suggested by her sister, not a moment later Usagi got in front of her sister and was gaining on Kiyoko. Lucy glared, trying to move quicker, breathing in through her nose and out her mouth.

They came back around the track, passing Luna and the other girls who were cheering. It was four laps for a mile and the first one with a mile won. Lucy wasn't going to lose to her friends today.

Passing Luna, who was sitting their watching with mild admiration at the speed all the girls were pushing themselves toward when the race was supposed to fun and, most likely, lazily preformed. She nodded to Usagi then Lucy and the brunette couldn't help beaming as much as her blonde counterpart.

Then a flash of platinum hair caught the corner of her gaze, turning her head toward the fence and slowing her run slightly. Stood there was Ryū, dressed in the Jûban High uniform with the jacket replaced by a leather one, leaning into the fence and grinning. His hair was windblown, motorbike beside him. Pale grayish blue eyes followed her like a cooper hawk following a sparrow, attentive and predatory. It froze her in place as she came back around.

Other girls shouted at her to keep running, none looking to where she looked. Kiyoko passed, Usagi passed, two pairs of redheads passed, but Lucy still kept eye contact with Ryū. Then she walked toward the fence, not knowing what the hell she was doing. Once there, she bit her bottom lip, staring hard at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked after several tense moments, forgotten by everyone but Usagi who had stopped to watch in confusion and Luna who was slowly getting worried and appeared ready to step in.

"Came to make sure our date is still on for Saturday. You seem the type to stand a guy up and break his heart." He smirked, eyes flickering to her left hand again. This time Lucy saw it, not commenting. "Is it?"

"It's still on, and I don't see how I could break your heart when we just met a few days ago."

"You're just that beautiful."

Lucy jerked back, blush heating up her face. She sputtered for a reply and all Ryū did was chuckle. His eyes glanced at the track field, saw Usagi and then looked back to Lucy.

"Pretty friend you've got. Kinda like a princess." He said, watching for her reaction.

Lucy's brain splintered with pain for a split second, splashing a beautiful, vague painting in her mind's eye of a young woman in white with her face shrouded by mist. Her pale gray-green eyes, falling to the grass in that one instant, darted up to meet his. They were guarded and on alert, fading once she saw the concern there and the softness to his eyes.

"You okay, Tsukino-san?" He asked, looking ready to jump the fence he had leaned against casually but a moment ago.

She placed a hand to her head, not woozy but a little surprised by what had happened. "Y-yes." She shook her head, clearing her mind, storing that image for later. "And please, call me Mitsuko."

After a moment, he smiled at her. It was jerkish and all bad boy. Lucy didn't mind it, oddly. "Call me Ryū, then. See you Saturday, Mitsuko."

Backing up, he got on his bike. Turning the engine, he winked at her before taking off, leaving Lucy standing there as if she had just talked with a ghost.

Lucy didn't know how long had passed, but Usagi was shaking her shoulder. She looked at her sister, confused for a moment before seeing what Usagi was holding out to her. It was a card with a name and number. It was Ryū's name and his number.

"I found this at your feet. Who was that guy?" Usagi asked. "He's dreamy!"

Taking the proffered card, Lucy stuck it in her bra under the gym uniform. "He was some guy I ran into the other night when with Luna. I, uh," her eye suddenly found purchase in the nearby cherry tree, "I promised him a date Saturday."

"Oooh, is he picking you up on that bike of his?" She asked excitedly, seeming real into the idea of Lucy going on a date. "That would be so cool!"

The brunette couldn't help but wince, eyes moving back to meeting her sister's. "I hope not. And he doesn't even know my first name. I gave him the middle name you and I chose for me when Kenji and Ikuko adopted me."

"Why?" Usagi moved in front of her sister, walking backwards as she watched her sister intently, crystal blue gaze wide and innocent. "Don't you want him to come calling on you using your first name?" She sighed, looking lovestruck. "I can see it now. You two getting married, a big, pretty event, and then a couple little kids who look a lot like you. But first the dates and the blushing! So cute!"

Before Lucy could back away, Usagi was squealing as she hugged her sister. "You are totally going on that date with him Saturday!"

Lucy groaned, letting her sister hug and squeeze her. Getting out of the hug wasn't going to change the fact she'd just been forced into a date she had been kind of reluctant to go to begin with.

"Alright. Can we go now?"

Lucy sipped her milk shake, listening to Luna explain the princess and Legendary Silver Crystal to Ami. She pulled the cherry from the bottom of the cup, popping stem and all in her mouth. Her gaze turned to Usagi playing the Sailor V video game as she chewed the cherry, swallowed, and tied the stem with her tongue.

Spitting the knotted stem into her cup, she threw it away in a nearby bin as Usagi gained a prize. There were two packages of two wristwatches, making four in all. One was pink, another white, an icy blue and a flaming red.

"Hey, there's enough for each of us!" Usagi chirped, looking to her friends brightly.

Lucy leaned over Usagi's shoulder with mild curiosity, picking up the package that held the pink and white wrist watches. She turned it over, looking at them before showing Luna. Luna purred in delight.

"These are just perfect! With a little modification we can have communicators!" Luna purred.

"Luna, do you know something about the game?" Ami questioned.

Luna shrugged, grinning. The cat then noticed the time just as Lucy did.

"Hey, Ami-chan, it's five o'clock already." The brunette called to the blue girl's attention. "Don't you have night school?"

"You're kidding!" Ami turned to quickly look at the clock at the entrance to the arcade, horrified. "This is awful! I'm late for English night school!"

Lucy blinked, following Ami, Usagi and Luna behind them. "English? I could teach you that!"

"I am aware of that," Ami replied, getting onto her bus with a whiny Usagi and confused Lucy following. "You're also teaching Usagi-chan who's much farther behind." A little lightbulb went off in her eyes. "That reminds me... At this time, if you take the bus, you sometimes get to see a truly beautiful girl riding."

"Really?" Lucy questioned curiously.

"Oh, yes."

Usagi grabbed Lucy's sleeve, tugging and pointing at the bus' name. "'Via Sendai-Zaka.' Where have I heard that name before?"

"It's the same line as this rumored 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus.'" Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's a string of kidnappings blown out of proportion. But," she looked a little uneasy, "we shouldn't be on at six."

Usagi had gone pale as Lucy spoke. She swallowed, letting go of Lucy's sleeve slowly. "It is just a rumor, right?"

"The kidnappings aren't, but the rest is." Lucy shrugged, leaning into the back of a nearby seat.

"Then we won't be on when it's six or anywhere near it." Usagi stated, looking to Ami then Lucy with worry.

"See," Ami pointed out on their second stop, coming into the conversation. "That's her! The one in the T.A. Girl's Academy uniform?"

Both girls turned to look at who Ami spoke about. Raven hair that brushed her beige skirt, serious violet eyes in an aristocratic face, flushed lips that could make a beautiful smile. Her air of regality was stifling, as was her swift, airy movements.

A cord was struck in Lucy, but not that this girl- no, woman, was the lost princess. No, that was the farthest from mind. This breathtaking woman was another Senshi. Lucy was frozen with the realization of this, not understanding how she could know this was another warrior to fight an enemy Lucy didn't even know the source of.

Ami waved to the girls as she got off, only receiving a goodbye from Lucy while Usagi was beauty-struck.

"Next, Sendaizakaue. Exit here for Hikawa Shrine."

Lucy jerked, looking at her watch quickly. It wasn't very late, only ten past five, but a bad rolling in her stomach had Lucy feeling uneasy. The bad rolling was accompanied by a powerful good grace as the bus stopped.

The woman got off and Usagi trailed after, the advisors chasing after. Luna jumped to Usagi's shoulder, pawing lightly at the blonde's ear in a futile attempt to make her pay attention.

"Usagi-chan, what good will it do you to chase after that girl?! This is no place to get off the bus!"

"But she's so pretty!" Usagi protested, not giving up. "And who cares? I've got time to kill!"

Lucy picked Luna from Usagi's shoulder, placing her on her own. Luna mewed in confusion but Lucy shook her head, scared to tell Luna what she thought. The girl continued to follow her sister with a confused cat on her shoulder.

Then they lost sight of her and Usagi groaned. "She's gone! Luna, it's your fault I lost her!"

"Usa, she probably went in the shrine right here." Lucy replied as the blonde reached for the cat, jerking her thumb at the gate of Hikawa Shrine.

"Oh, perfect!" Usagi cheered, running up the steps into the shrine.

"W-wait for us!" Lucy yelled after, hurrying to catch up, having to hold Luna down on her shoulder to keep her from falling and scratching up the brunette's shoulder. "You can't just lea-"

"Ahhhh!" Usagi cried out, ducking from the two ravens attacking her just inside the gate. One grabbed her hair, using its claws to rip at the golden locks. The other yanked at her arms. "What's going on?! Stop it!"

"Usa!" Lucy yelped, rushing to the bunny's side, swatting at the ravens.

One dove at Lucy before sharply veering back into the air as if frightened by her, going back to attacking Usagi and keeping away from Lucy and Luna. The brunette was getting pretty angry that these animals had attacked her sister and no one was helping fend them off.

"It's okay, Usa! Just give me a—!"

"Evil spirit," someone shouted behind Lucy, "be exorcized!"

Lucy turned to see the pretty woman from earlier dressed as a miko just as a ward smacked Usagi in the forehead. Usagi froze, unable to fend off the ravens now and crumbled. Lucy barely had time to catch Usagi as the ravens flew off.

The woman noticed her error with some amount of shock, bowing, a deep blush across her cheeks. Lucy helped her sister up as the woman did so, watching with some irritation and confusion.

"Many apologies, um..." She looked up uncertainly, not having names.

"Usagi and Lucy." Lucy supplied.

"Many apologies, Usagi-san, Lucy-san." She murmured. "I confess my error. However, the demonic atmosphere was definitely there."

"O-okay..." Usagi trailed uncertainly. Luna and Lucy shared discreet looks. The woman lifted her arms, calling the two ravens to her with a grace that gave Lucy a headache and flash of auburn. She shook her head in confusion, Luna mewing in her ear softly an getting a comforting patting in comfort.

"Phobos and Deimos hardly ever attack humans normally," she explained.

"That sure surprised me!" Usagi whispered to Lucy. "But when it's a pretty girl I'm willing to forgive just about anything!"

"I'm more surprised she's a miko." Lucy replied. "But then again she is the type I'd imagine one to be. Reserved, graceful, intuitive, respectful. Quite the woman."

"Please, guide my daughter Mii back home to me!" A woman cried to the shrine not far away. The woman turned, walking closer and the sisters and cat followed at a small distance.

"Excuse me," the miko began, "but what did you say happened to Mii-chan?"

"Rei-chan!" A teary mother turned to the miko. She looked ready to break down right there. "You may have heard about it on the news, but Mii has gone missing!" Rei took the news calmly. "The kids are all talking about the 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus,' right? Mii boarded the bus right in front of this shrine. There have always been bad people living in this area, so it may be a kidnapping..." The mother realized what she might have been implying and and waved her hand, wiping away her tears. "I not saying that this temple or your family are bad people! I'm just so upset..."

Her husband set his hand on her shoulder, watching silently through his shades, and Mii's mother left with him. As they left, their conversation, not so quietly given as it should have been, drifted to the girls and cat.

"What's with that miko? She didn't react at all to the news!" Mii's father groused, followed by Mii's mother, "That Rei-chan, old man Hino's granddaughter, is an odd one! She performs weird exorcism rites, keeps ravens as pets, and they say she senses the supernatural!"

Both Luna's and Lucy's interests were piqued, both for different reasons. Both once again shared looks were they mistook what the other meant. Luna thought Lucy also suspected Rei as being the Princess. Lucy thought Luna also suspected Rei, as much as Lucy was loath to admit, was another Senshi. It was a mistake on both parts.

Rei turned to them, a little morose without looking or saying so. It was all in her eyes, really. "Sendaizakaue is where five hill slopes meet," she explained, taking up a nearby broom. "It is a very unusual place. But there's an urban legend of a rarely seen sixth slope of this hill. The 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus' is said to be sucked into that sixth slope and vanish." Her eyes seemed to hold Lucy's gaze instead of Usagi's as she asked, "Do you know the name for such an occurrence?" Then Rei was watching Usagi intently and Lucy felt like a backdrop. "Being 'spirited away.' That's what they call it."

Lucy yawned as she brushed back her hair, sliding her clip into place to tide back the bangs. Beside her, Usagi twisted her hair up into their signature buns and streamers. The two positioned their respective transformation items, did their pinky swear for a good day, and headed out the bathroom.

"Go on down to breakfast, I'll be there in a few." Lucy told Usagi, shuffling things on their shared desk. "I've got a couple things to go through before coming down."

"Oh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, look cheeky. "Like your clothes for the date tomor- hey! Don't throw things!" She laughed, missing the stuffed bunny as she darted away from the blushing brunette.

Lucy proceeded to sigh in agitation, finish straightening the papers on the desk, and turned to the window as Luna came in. The cat settled on the bottom bunk and wrapped her tail around her front paws, watching Lucy sternly.

"I don't approve."

"I didn't ask for your approval."

"You have a duty, you know."

"One I'm ready to drop at a moments notice if Usa bails."

"Even with people at stake?" Luna challenged. "These are missing children this time, Lucy-chan. You cannot think I'll go with the I-Only-Care-For-My-Sister's-Well-Being act all the time. There are points where I see it, and there are times where you want everyone safe. This is one of those times and we are dealing with the enemy right now."

"We aren't dealing with the enemy!" Lucy replied sharply. "They're just kidnappings! We can't do anything about it!"

"You know that isn't true. You sensed the bad energy as well as I did, and you know you shouldn't go through with tomorrow's date with that boy." Luna shot back. "We have the enemy to worry about and he is no good."

Lucy nearly snarled at the cat, grabbing her bag and storming from the room. As she left, she threw back in English, "Jusso y'know, I don't support bringing Rei-chan into the Senshi. She deserves normality."

Luna didn't know English as well as she should have. Have of it was lost in translation.

"Morning!" Usagi chirped to everyone, sitting at her seat. Luna curled up on the desk next to her and the blonde missed the glare sent at the cat from the brunette. Lucy was about to get very agitated.

"Did you see the news? That first-year student has been missing for four days! The news says she boarded the bus!"

"I hear that it makes almost ten kids that have gin missing, including the Ichinohashi Middle School girl!"

"You're kidding!"

"You know, it has to be that 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus'!"

"They all disappeared at Sendaizakaue!"

"Oooh! Scary!"

At that moment, when Lucy had gotten really agitated by all the superstitious gossip, Haruna-sensei came in. She was clearly worried and concerned for everyone's well-being as she stood before her desk.

"Quiet, everyone!" She called attention from the class. "Recently there've been a rash of missing-persons cases. I want everyone to be especially careful!"

The sisters looked to each other, Lucy looked away when Luna stared hard at her and Usagi sighed, looking at the ceiling, murmuring, "'Spirited away,' huh?"

Umino came over, freaking out and waving his arms. "Usagi-san! I think it's a new group of kidnappers at work!"

Usagi looked to him in interest as Luna muttered, "Its suspicious, is what I think. I smell the enemy."

Later, after school as the sisters and cat were heading to the bus, Luna finally spoke to Usagi about her ideas. "Usagi-chan, I want to investigate that bus and Zendaizakaue. So how about we go to see that Rei-chan girl again? I'm curious about it." Her eyes caught Lucy's, trying to convey her thoughts. Lucy looked away. "It could be that Rei-chan might be one of your allies."

Lucy stiffened. She didn't want Rei involved in this. She wanted the miko to be left alone to be normal. Before she could dissuade Usagi, the bunny spoke.

"If you think about it, she might be the enemy instead." She stated a little reluctantly, look unsure.

Luna's purr of approval wasn't missed. "You do think clearly now and then." The sound of the approaching bus caught their attention. "Here's the bus."

Both noticed it was the Via Sendai-Zaka bus and shuddered. They got on, Usagi dropping onto her seat in the back with Luna in her lap and Lucy beside her.

"If anything happens to us, it's your fault, Luna!" Usagi huffed as the bus began to move.

"It's all right! It's only five p.m. And if anything does happen, one of you can use the communicator to contact Ami-chan." Luna opened her mouth to say more, noticed something, and shriveled up like a grape in the sun. Lucy did too and her eyes widened, shocked to have not noticed. Usagi continued her tirade.

"Hm? What is it, Luna? You're being annoying! Just go ahead and talk!" Usagi shook Luna a little, but all the cat did was meow, waving her paws frantically. Lucy herself was tugging her sister's shirt sleeve, trying to tell her to be quiet.

"That's right, Luna." The guy in the tuxedo from a few days ago said, leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand with the elbow rested against his knee. Her watched the cat and blonde casually as Usagi let out a small shriek of surprise. "Talk some more."

"You again!" Usagi yelped, pointing a shaking finger at him with no small amount of anger.

He pushed his glasses up his nose, looking a bit annoyed. "Cut the shrill voice, all right?" Something seemed to occur to him. "Bun-head, we meet up a lot, huh?"

Usagi ignored that comment, demanding, "What are you doing here?!"

He wrinkled his nose at her shrill voice. "I'm just taking the bus from school."

"No way! You mean you're a middle school student?!" She blanched, completely thrown off by that. He didn't look young enough to be a middle school student, but who knows. "Come to think of it, you're wearing a uniform..." One of Usagi's hands pressed to her mouth, watching him with an embarrassed blush.

The guy seemed irritated, glasses sliding down his nose as he held up his student I.D. for both girls and cat to read. He was Chiba Mamoru, a second year at Moto-Azabu, a private school not too far from Jûban Middle. "No, I'm a full fledged high school student." He sighed, putting it away. He calmed down, looking out the window, and Usagi's blush had disappeared.

Something occurred to Usagi then, and, tentatively, she asked him, "If you commute by bus, then do you know about the 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus'?"

He sighed once again, this time more relaxed, and pulled off his glasses, placing them in the pocket of his jacket. "Of course I know. It's on this very line, right?" He spoke, turning to look at her. Lucy felt like the invisible man, and she was pretty sure Luna did too. "There have been a large number of strange incidents."

Usagi and Mamoru stared at each other for a few moments, about a minute if Lucy looked at the watch on her communicator. Suddenly a blush bloomed across the bunny's cheeks and she looked away. Mamoru seemed surprised by the reaction, watching her with a look in his eyes neither girl could name.

"... Guardian of Justice..."

The strangled sound from Usagi's mouth was almost drowned out by Lucy yelp of "What?!" in English. He covered his mouth quickly, looking away with a flushed face. "No. Nothing..."

The stop for the Hikawa Shrine was called and the girls and cat quickly left. Lucy was shook up form the encounter, watching the bus leave was a certainty the man must have been Tuxedo Mask. Their resemblance and voice patterns were uncanny, and what he had uttered couldn't be ignored.

"Th-that really surprised me!" Usagi breathed, letting Luna to the ground so she could place a hand over her heart. Lucy couldn't agree more, neither could Luna.

"He's pretty darn sharp!" Luna exclaimed.

The trio caught their breath, heading up the steps to the shrine. A few patrons were talking with Rei, asking for her to pinpoint where their children had gone. When she informed them her spiritual senses couldn't pinpoint people or even a location and that the police were better, one mother snapped at her, saying the exorcism rites meant it was Rei's fault her daughter, Mii, was spirited away.

Rei was clearly disturbed by this, shocked by such an accusation. After a moment, struggling to find a reply, she demanded everyone return home. Slowly, reluctantly, people began to leave, looking back at Rei and sneering occasionally. Rei noticed Usagi and Lucy watching her with sympathy. After a moment, Rei ran off back into the shrine.

"...You know," Usagi commented, "I feel sorry for Rei-chan." The next words shook Lucy to the core, knowing she'd have to accept it now for what it was. "I can't tell what the enemy is doing."

Lucy quietly sighed. She didn't want it to have to do with the enemy this time, or to pull Rei into this. They were probably going to, though. It was affecting Rei most so that meant she'd be involved personally, just like with Ami and Usagi and her. It upset Lucy.

"...looking for the 'Legendary Silver Crystal' too?"

Lucy tuned back into the conversation, listening as Luna replied. "That's right, but remember Usagi-chan; the 'Legendary Silver Crystal' is something we must never allow to fall into enemy hands."

"They could cause unimaginable destruction with it." Lucy added before blinking in surprise. Usagi also looked to her sister in surprise, knowing Lucy had been reluctant the past few days to admit it was the enemy causing all this. "Kill everyone and thing on this earth."

Usagi nodded after several silent moments, looking to her watch. "It's just about six..."

"Hey, that bus is weird." Lucy commented when a dark aura surrounded her. She frowned as she saw the sign's destination blinking red. Luna pointed out the sign with alarm, but it was Lucy's gasp that caught real attention. She pointed to their miko acquaintance, leaning against the window and sleeping. "Rei-chan is on that bus!"

"You mean this is the 'Demon 6 p.m. Bus'?!" Usagi cried, pulling out her transformation pen as a hole in the wall opened at the end of the lane. "I have to rescue Rei-chan!" Throwing the pen into the air, she called, "Moon Power! Change me into a stewardess!"

"Lunar Power Transformation!"

In twin blinding lights, a tabby and stewardess now stood in Lucy and Usagi's places.

Both advisor's sweatdropped at Usagi's outfit. "Usagi-chan, why a stewardess?!"

Lucy and Luna barely had enough time to jump onto Usagi as she grabbed onto the back of the bus, legs dangling dangerously "Because my duty is to protect passengers safety and insure a pleasant trip for each of them!"

Luna's hold slipped first, falling with a yelp. Usagi cried out the cat's name. Lucy followed second, yelping her sister's name in horror as her stomach flipped and clenched in fear.

"Usa!" She screamed, falling into arms beside Luna. She watched as her sister disappeared into the dark void.

Lucy looked up into Tuxedo Mask's eyes and realized with a start he'd seen Usagi and her transform. He knew who they were now. Lucy also realized the uncanny resemblance between him and that Mamoru man as she kicked out of his hands, racing after Luna.

"Can you contact Ami-chan, Lucy-chan?" Luna asked Lucy, hurrying side-by-side away from Tuxedo Mask, heading somewhere secluded.

"Yes," Lucy agreed, shaking her head to open the communicator around her neck. "Ami-chan, it's Lucy."

"Yes, Lucy-chan?"

"Come to the corner of Zendaizakaue, quickly."

"On my way."

It wasn't long before Ami was meeting them, running up to them.

"Usagi-chan is going after that bus!" Luna immediately informed, worry clear on her feline face. Beside her Lucy transformed into her Selene garb, eyes shinning with guilt for leaving her sister all alone and being unable to help.

Ami pulls out her mini computer from Luna, tracing Usagi's whereabouts by communicator. To help hurry along the process, Lucy gave Ami her own communicator, watching intently. "It's a good thing you have her the communicator. Now, if we can use it to track where she's going, we can find her quicker."

Ami silently gasped, nearly dropping the computer as the sensor jumped from the monitor, going down into the ground. No sooner had it vanished underground had Usagi's voice crackled over both Ami's and Lucy's communicators, calling for Luna.

"Usa!" Lucy cried happily, taking her communicator back as Ami asked for the blonde's location.

"I came out of the hole and suddenly I'm in this stone building like a castle, and I've lost the bus! What'll I do?!"

Luna looked to. Lucy as Usagi cried for the cat's help. Lucy, reluctantly, opened her communicator, taking a breath. "Usa, it's Lucy." Usagi's sound of relief to know her sister was okay made Lucy feel very, very bad for what she was about to do. "You need to transform and save the children and Rei. You might have to fight the enemy again, but main priority is the children and Rei right now. Okay?"

It was silent for several moments. An audible swallow was heard before Usagi spoke. "Yeah... The kids and Rei."

"Lucy-chan, Luna, send me to where Usagi-chan is." Ami said, looking to the two. "If we used the same power we use to transform, it might create a similar portal that took her to where she is."

"Alright," Luna agreed, holding a pen similar to Ami's pen, only in red. "Take this, Ami-chan."

Ami took it, looking between the two transformation pens seriously and with some minor confusion. She stood from her kneel with Lucy, ready to go. Lucy was stopped by Luna who shook her head, frowning. Lucy glared back but hung back like silently told.

Lucy knelt by Luna, placing on the headset Luna held out to her. She placed the small computer in her lap, Luna moved to balance on her leg and watch the data on the small screen. The two advisors could hear the battle going on, and take in the readings, but not see.

"Lucy-chan, this is your job." The cat told the reluctant brunette, tail wrapping around her front paws. "We talked about this recently, if you recall."

Lucy looked away from the cat's intent gaze. "I'm not sure, Luna. I can barely explain English to Usa let alone how to fight."

"You don't need to explain how to fight, you need to advise. Fighting comes naturally to the Senshi." She mewed, eyes watching the data calmly.

"Mercury Aqua Mist!"

"Try here, Lucy-chan!"

Lucy's eyes turned from Luna to the computer, scanning the data. Pulling the mouthpiece down, she licked her lips. "Us-" She coughed to clear her throat, trying again. "Usa, save Rei-chan while the fog is still thick and blocking his view."

A dark voice laughed. "Don't be naïve!"

The computer read the fog was dissipating, eliciting sounds of surprise from the two warriors.

"Luna," Usagi wailed, "the fog's turned to ice! It's no good as ice! I knew I was no good!"

"Sailor Moon, Usa, listen to me. This is not Luna, this is your sister, and I say you are good! You protect love and justice!" Lucy replied, holding the mouthpiece steady as she spoke to her sister quickly and urgently. "You're the best good out there, better than Sailor V! Now don't cry, it'll make the situation worse. The place wasn't stable to begin with and you're high-frequency waves makes it more dangerous. You won't even save yourself through tears."

She could hear Usagi choking on her tears, forcing herself to quiet. Lucy hated doing this to her sister. She liked her crybaby sister who had trouble in school and was always late and loved video games. Usagi still was, but it was fading faster than Lucy could blink.

"What should I do?" Usagi asked quietly after several tense seconds.

"Usa, you know better. What you've been attacking with."

The ping of the tiara's change into a boomerang sounded, her sister shouting her attack. Lucy almost shouted a cheer when the tiara boomerang caught the man, holding him in place and freeing Rei. Lucy didn't know that would happen, but was glad it did. She could hear Usagi's and Ami's cry of pain and a little bit of anger bubbled up in her.

The red transformation pen came to mind and how she thought Rei might be a Senshi. The advisor stilled for a moment, not wanting it to be true, but knowing that feeling wasn't a lie. Rei was one of the Senshi.

"Ami-chan, remember that pen Luna gave you?" She got an affirmative from the Senshi of Water. "I want you throw it, hard as you can. You're going to have to trust me on this and hope for some luck, too."

Ami didn't reply, but the burst of crazy energy readings wasn't missed, and neither was the appearance of two more energy signals onto the monitor or her friends sounds of exclamation.

"Rei-chan?!"

"Phobos! Deimos!" Came Rei's shout over the com link. "Evil Spirit, be exorcized!"

The energy readings began to go haywire and Lucy could barely read the data before, more replaced the old. Lucy understood the gist of it, however, and it wasn't good.

"Guys! The fire is destroying the place and it's putting you in danger." She looked to Luna in worry but the cat shook her head, as if to say, "This is yours, not mine." Lucy turned back to the monitor, making sure they could still hear her as she thought of what Luna had taught her several nights ago. "Usagi, get everyone in a single place."

A tense silent minute passed before Usagi made a sound of ready and, clicking a few buttons on the keyboard, the three Senshi and missing children appeared at the Hikawa Shrine. Lucy quickly closed up the computer, it disappearing with the headsets, and she hurried with Luna to meet the girls.

When Lucy saw Rei in the fuku of red and purple, a feeling of sadness settled in her with one of excitement. Luna jumped to Lucy's shoulder, purring in delight the word Mars.

"You're the warrior of passion and fire," Luna purred, "and guardian of here Red Planet: Sailor Mars! You are a chosen warrior."

"Guardian?!" She gasped.

Usagi pulled off her giggles, approaching Rei with Ami behind her. "You and I are allies, Rei-chan!"

Ami clapped her hands, pleased. "We've been looking for an ally just like you!"

Usagi pulled Lucy into a tight hug, forcing Luna to jump to Ami's shoulder. Lucy smiled as happily as she could at Rei, which was pretty happy much to her surprise later.

"Glad to have found you, Sailor Mars." She said softly, seeing the sigil of Mars float around the woman's head. "Welcome to the Sailor Senshi."

She still shocked, unable to fully comprehend yet. "I'm Sailor Mars...? The reason I've got a power unlike normal people is because... I'm a guardian?"

Lucy couldn't help her laugh, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

Lucy flopped into the desk chair, groaning. Usagi looked up from doodling little Sailor Vs and Tuxedo Masks in her English notebook where she should have been studying, watching her sister seemingly give up. The bunny sat up in bed, crossing her legs and asking, "What's wrong?"

"It's Saturday." Lucy stated as if it answered everything, and in a way it did but didn't if Usagi's confused gaze said anything.

"What do you mean? You don't have to meet Ryū until..." Usagi's eyes widened as she jumped up. "You don't know what to wear, do you?"

"Of course I know what to wear, Usa." Lucy huffed, rolling her eyes. "What I've got on now."

Usagi took one look at her jeans, the green tank top with a banana and flats and went straight to their shared closet. Despite common belief that all Westerners couldn't wear Eastern clothes due to major size difference, which was actually pretty true, Lucy didn't fit that standard. She was smaller than Usagi but still close enough in size to share almost all their clothes. The two called it a joint account but they did keep track of their own clothes with the fact Lucy liked to keep her tags and Usagi cut hers out due to them harassing her (when Usagi borrowed Lucy's clothes she dealt like a good sister).

Usagi, being the more fashionable, was about to put their joint account to major use. She was gonna pull out all the stops.

"You are not going dressed like that."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Lucy commented with little concern, watching her sister dig through the pile of clothes Usagi never bothered to organize. Lucy would have to do that later.

"It is." Usagi replied, pulling out a lace edged skirt that wasn't quite periwinkle but not quite frost blue. She held it up as she turned to Lucy and smiled in delight. She tossed it at her sister who fumbled to catch it.

"I'm not wearing a skirt this short without- hmp!" Sheer sunburst stockings struck Lucy in the face. She ripped them off to glare at the bunny who had gone back to digging. "Hey!"

"Start getting dressed unless you want me to pick out undies too."

Lucy had never blushed harder or switched out of her jeans into a skirt so fast. Last time Usagi had done this Lucy wore a matching set and that was plain weird.

When Usagi was done ransacking their closet and destroying their room, she had several tops set on the bed and her only two pair of shoes not meant for school. Lucy was forced to try on a green button down ("My green washes you out. So no more greens from me.") and a creme baby doll shirt ("Creme is good on you, but baby doll is a no.") before being forced into a sunburst orange blouse with little vines designs in that frosty periwinkle. The shoes were neutral brown flats. Lucy felt like a walking color pallet.

Usagi attacked Lucy's hair when she was still straightening the blouse and she couldn't stop her sister from brushing her hair like a crazed maniac and dragging her into the bathroom, Lucy screeching the whole way, to fix it. Usagi pulled the calming Lucy's bangs over to the left, opposite their usual right, and clipped them back before pulling out the straightener neither ever used because their hair was either too short or long and didn't care (they used it maybe once because Ikuko got it for Christmas and neither wanted her to feel bad). Usagi curled the lengthening locks, taking out one of the pins in her own hair to pin the opposite side back.

The bunny put her sister at arms length, looked over what she'd done to the fawn, and grinned. "You should try some lip-"

"No." Lucy deadpanned. "I am not becoming a Barbie doll." Her eyes drifted to the clock. "I've got to go anyway. Think that card he left the other day was for me to call him."

"You'll have to go past Mama and Papa." Usagi stated, watching Lucy shift through the stacks of drawn on paper, pulling out the card with Ryū number.

"I know." She hummed, opening the bedroom door. "I'm not worried."

"Papa's protective."

"Kenji'll understand. It's just a onetime thing." She headed downstairs, Usagi following.

Luna wasn't there to follow, having being gone since Rei had awoken as Sailor Mars. Lucy didn't know what she was doing it, but had an idea it had to do with Rei being a new Senshi. It was all the better considering she'd just look at Lucy as if she was betraying everyone, which Lucy was absolutely sure she wasn't.

Getting to the phone, and seeing Ikuko and Kenji weren't home, she picked put it to her ear while dialing the number. It rung for a few moments and Usagi had grabbed the phone in the kitchen, right in Lucy's line of sight, so she could listen in. When there was a pick-up, it couldn't of been anyone but Ryū.

"Kazeno. Talk."

"Is that how you greet the girl you asked to dinner?"

There was a laugh on the opposite line, making her smile as Usagi had to move away from the phone as she squealed. "So you can be funny, Mitsuko."

Usagi's eyebrow raised, grinning at her sister who flushed a little. Lucy waved her hand at Usagi, motioning for her to stop grinning. Usagi didn't listen.

"So, I'm heading out to Toshi's Diner now. I'll be there in fifteen." She told him.

Ryū hummed, sounding pleased. "Alright, Mitsuko. See you then."

"See ya, Ryū."

The two hung up at the same time. Usagi put her phone on the hook and before Lucy could back away was swept up in a strong hug.

"You have to give me all the details when you get back!" Usagi squealed, pushing her sister toward the door opening it, forcing a small shoulder bag into the brunette's hands as she did. "I want to know everything, even how many times he blinked."

"Usa, that's a bit obsessive don't you think?"

"Nope!"

The door closed, nearly hitting Lucy in the back. She turned back to the door, mouth to reply to her sister, and once she realized the door was closed huffed, arms crossing.

"Rude!" She shouted into the house, turning and heading out the yard and down the street to Toshi's Diner. As she walked, her stomach seemed to turn and flip, oddly excited and scared. Her hand clutched the purse's strap, her steps slowing the closer she got.

When the sign, a vibrant red with its name in caramel and little cup of tea steaming above, came into view, Lucy stopped all together. She stood there, staring at the little diner.

Lucy realized she really wanted to go in, but was scared to. Something told her not to, even when Usagi egged her on.

"Oi, Mitsuko."

Words w/o additional script: 7,606