SINS OF YOUTH
Chapter 6: "Grounded"
A neo-Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Junichi Kobayashi clawed at the globe of water surrounding his head, desperately struggling to pull the water away so he could breathe. As he struggled, Sailor Juno looked in with a devil's glint in her eye and a mirthless smile of satisfaction at his pain. The attack had come out of nowhere. One moment he was answering the questions of five teen girls. The next he was under attack, with no legitimate provocation. Just like the attack on Sashimi's Inn by Sailor Ceres.
"Juno, stop it!" cried Sailor Pallas as the other senshi looked on in horror. "You're not bad anymore! Please stop it!"
Lost amid the chaos was the fact that Princess Usagi had tried to transform into Sailor Moon and failed.
"What's the matter, Pallas?" Juno snickered. "Lost your nerve? This low-life knows more than he's telling and I'm going to wring it out of him!" She shoved her face up near the globe of water Kobayashi was drowning in. "Or step on his corpse!"
Without wasting time pleading, Sailor Saturn stepped forward. Juno barely had time to pull back from the glaive slash, but the dark senshi's blade wasn't aimed for her. Instead it cleaved the globe of water in front of Kobayashi's face without touching him. When the glaive passed through it, the globe lost cohesion and splashed to the floor. Kobayashi collapsed to his knees and greedily sucked in air, coughing and wheezing as he did so.
"You want a piece of me?" Juno snarled, whirling angrily on Saturn. Saturn gripped her glaive in a defensive posture.
"Juno, what is it?" Saturn pleaded. "Why are you being like this?"
"Stay out of my way!" Juno warned her belligerently. "I may not have my ball attacks, but I've still got enough to take you down!"
"I don't want to fight you!" Saturn cried. Her eyes were taking on a peculiar violet glow, one none of the other senshi had seen before. "Please don't make me fight you!"
And it was away before Saturn could stop it. The psychic bolt she had tried for several years now to learn to control came unbidden and shot across the room. Pallas sensed it and gasped in alarm. Juno didn't sense it until it struck her between the eyes. Instantly her eyes bulged. Her mouth opened and became misshapen, no sound emerging. Involuntarily her hands gnarled and her limbs contracted. Bereft of support, her body sank to the floor and sprawled awkwardly. Juno quivered, but otherwise couldn't move. Instantly Vesta was kneeling by her side.
"Juno? What the Hell?" she gasped. Turning to Saturn, she demanded, "What did you do?"
"My," Saturn began, horrified, "my psychic bolt. I couldn't stop it! I-I'm sorry!"
Saturn felt a hand close around hers. She turned and found Pallas beside her.
"Pallas forgives you," the senshi offered. "And Pallas knows Juno will forgive you, too - - when she's Juno again." Pallas paused a moment to deal with her shame. "Please forgive Juno, Miss Saturn-Ma'am. Juno wasn't herself."
Without acknowledging Pallas, Saturn moved forward and came to rest on her knees next to Juno and Vesta. Vesta was about to shove her away, but stopped when she saw Saturn's hands glow violet. Not waiting for permission, Saturn placed her hands on Juno. Instantly the senshi's quivering eased. Her hands relaxed and her face became more placid. Finally Juno's eyelids drooped shut and Saturn stopped. The violet senshi nearly dropped her head to her lap with fatigue.
"Miss Saturn-Ma'am?" Pallas asked, kneeling next to her.
"I'll be all right," wheezed Saturn. "Just tired."
"What the Hell?" Vesta exclaimed, her voice struggling with panic. She leaped to her feet. "What the Hell, Princess? First Ceres and now Juno? What the Hell is this?"
"And why didn't you change into Sailor Moon, Princess?" Pallas added. Saturn looked up at her, but was too tired to speak. Usa met their gaze for only a moment, then dropped her eyes to the floor.
"I don't know," she choked out. "I - - let's get Juno back to the palace infirmary." She walked like a condemned prisoner over to the still baffled Kobayashi. "Forgive us for causing you trouble," she told him and bowed.
"T-Thank you, Princess," he mumbled in amazement. "I hope things work out for you and your senshi."
Usa nodded curtly and turned to leave. Saturn saw she was using her senshi communicator to call a medical team from the palace.
She also noticed the tears bubbling around her friend's eyelids.
Cere-Cere lay on the bed in her detention cell, such as it was in the palace, and tried without success not to be bored. Her ethernet connection was finally up, but it was restricted to certain sites within the palace and was clearly monitored. The moment she found out it was installed, Cere tried to contact one of her sister Asteroids. However none of them were home.
As time crept along, the teen couldn't help but wonder if she faced a lifetime of this. Everything about her life seemed to be spiraling out of her control and she didn't know how to get that control back, or even if it was still possible. She wanted to trust in the Royal Family, in the Princess, in her sisters and Hotaru, and in the elder senshi. It was hard, though. Her life seemed to follow a pattern of good times and security followed by sudden, wrenching chaos and loss of control. It was that way when her parents died in that air car accident, leaving her with no known relative. And it was that way at other times in her life, too. Security seemed to always be a fleeting thing for her. Ruination always seemed to lurk just around the corner, waiting to pounce when she least expected it.
"Prisoner has a visitor," the environmental control computer announced with an even yet commanding tone. "Prisoner will make no sudden moves toward the door. Any sudden moves toward the door will result in a warning energy shock."
"I wonder who this is?" Cere thought. "I hope it's not that CDP Chief. He scares me."
Sitting up on the bed, Cere watched the door from a safe distance. It opened and Makoto Kino ambled in. She nodded to the guard outside and the door shut behind her. Turning, she found Cere and came over.
"How are you holding up, hon'?" Makoto asked, offering the teen an encouraging smile. "Anything I can help you with?"
"I suppose getting me out of here is out of the question," Cere commented, flopping back on the bed.
"Yeah, I don't think Nakamura would like that," Makoto sympathized. She sat down next to Cere. "Don't give into it. I know it's rough, but everybody's trying to figure out what really happened."
"You don't think I did it?" Cere asked.
"No, I don't," Makoto told her, straight and to the point. "I think I've known you long enough to know what kind of person you are."
"That makes one of us," Cere replied. "Kino-Sensei, I don't honestly remember doing it - - but they have it on vid. Hotaru even saw me and she wouldn't lie about something like that!"
"Cere," Makoto interjected, placing her hand on the girl's arm, "I've seen a lot of things in my life. There's all sorts of explanations for what's on those vids. It could be anything from mind control to spirit doubles to - - well, anything. The one thing you have to keep hold of, above everything else, is that you didn't do it. That may not be you on those vids, and even if it turns out it's your body, it's not you doing it." Makoto flashed her a maternal grin. "Because I don't think you're capable of it anymore. And remember, I knew the old you way back when."
Cere took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Thank you, Kino-Sensei," she murmured. "I'm glad you still believe in me. But even if I'm not responsible, what if it happens again? What if whatever took control of me does it again and makes me hurt someone else?"
"Well, that's kind of part of why you're here," Makoto admitted. "It's to protect you as well as everyone else. That is, until we can run whoever or whatever it is to ground and put a stop to it. That's another reason why you can't give in. You have to be here and ready when we run this thing down and we need you again."
"OK," Cere nodded solemnly. "Thanks for the talk, Kino-Sensei. You make a lot of sense."
"No charge, hon'," Makoto replied. "Can I get you anything while I'm here?"
"Some entertainment streams so I'm not bored out of my mind?" Cere answered. Makoto smothered a grin. "And - - well, when the others get back, could you ask them to call me? I-I kind of miss them."
"I can do that," Makoto nodded.
After watching the medical transport zoom off, the four remaining teens, in their civilian forms, headed back for the palace via the overhead transport shuttle. For those unwilling or unable to use the faster transport disks, the shuttle was their alternative for mass transit. Using crystalline-generated magnetic fields to run on an overhead tram, the shuttle consisted of three train-like cars that circled the city on a pre-programmed route.
The trip was tense. Ves eyed Hotaru with poorly concealed suspicion. This caused Hotaru to shift uncomfortably and avoid eye contact. Palla-Palla sensed the tension and that made her uneasy. And Usa was wrapped up in her own world, worrying about Jun-Jun's actions, her current health, and what had prevented the Princess from transforming into Sailor Moon.
"Ves-Ves," Palla-Palla began with a child's anxiety, "please don't be mad at Miss Hotaru Ma'am. She didn't mean to hurt Jun-Jun."
"I could have stopped her," Ves groused. "You didn't have to do it."
"I'm sorry," Hotaru grimaced. "I can't control it. You know that."
"Yeah, well I've felt one of those things," Ves snapped. "I hope it doesn't do anything permanent."
"I have, too," Hotaru replied softly. "It only comes when my mind is trying to protect itself."
"So it's Jun's fault?" Ves growled. "Well maybe you better take Palla-Palla and me out before we turn back into our old selves, just to be safe! Put a couple more Asteroid notches in your belt!"
"Ves," croaked Usa. "Please stop. Hotaru isn't the enemy anymore than Juno or Ceres was. Something's making them do it. It has to be."
Ves scowled, but said nothing more. Hotaru glanced at Usa with silent gratitude.
"What's doing it, Princess?" Palla-Palla asked. "Palla-Palla doesn't want to be the way she was. She was mean and hurt people. She doesn't want to do that again."
"Maybe Jun can tell us something when she wakes up," Usa suggested.
"Perhaps we should ask the elder senshi for help," Hotaru offered. Usa scowled silently at the idea. "Usa?"
"I don't want to do that," Usa said, her body a knot of frustration. "We can't keep running to the elders every time we have a problem. They didn't have anybody to run to when they were doing this. They had to figure out their problems on their own."
The shuttle pulled up at the palace station and the four teens disembarked. At full speed, they whizzed past the guards at the front gate and bolted for the infirmary. Ami met them at the door.
"Relax, girls," Ami smiled reassuringly. "Jun-Jun is resting comfortably. I'm still running a complete set of physical and neurological scans on her, but I don't see any evidence of permanent damage."
"That's great, Aunt Ami!" Usa exclaimed. "Can we see her?"
"Not for a while yet," Ami replied. "She needs to rest and recover. Advice I remember giving you the last time I saw you."
"Sorry, Aunt Ami," Usa offered meekly.
"I don't appreciate patients checking themselves out of my infirmary," Ami advised her. "Now how exactly did this happen?"
"It was weird!" Ves interjected. "We were talking to this guy about the night Cere's supposed to have flipped out, and all of a sudden Jun flips out."
"What did she do?" Ami asked. Suddenly Ves grew silent, unwilling to further implicate her sister.
"She," Usa began reluctantly, "transformed into Sailor Juno and began physically threatening the club owner. Then she turned on Saturn and Saturn nailed her with a mind bolt. Aunt Ami, it was like she was channeling the old Jun-Jun."
"Oh dear," Ami frowned.
"She's not back-sliding!" Ves spoke up anxiously. "Something is making her do it!"
"Yes, that is still a valid theory," Ami nodded. She thought a moment. "Where did this occur again?"
"Tanaka's Palace," Hotaru answered. "We were there tracing Cere's steps from last night." A light bulb went on over Hotaru's head. "You don't suppose something or someone in Tanaka's Palace affected them both, do you?" Inspiration colored both Usa and Ves.
"It certainly warrants further investigation, wouldn't you say?" Ami nodded to Hotaru.
"Usa," they heard the King say. Everyone turned and found King Endymion framed in the doorway, with Queen Serenity behind him. "I understand you left the infirmary without being released."
"Yes, Pop," Usa whispered, head down.
"Usa, how many times are you going to needlessly risk yourself and your health by acting without thinking?" Endymion demanded with a parent's exasperation.
Usa's lower lip began to quiver. The anger drained from Endymion. He stepped toward his daughter, Serenity moving to get around him. Then Usa broke for him and buried her face in his chest.
"Usa honey, what is it?" Endymion asked.
"I," the teen sobbed as her father's arms folded around her, "I couldn't transform, Pop! I couldn't do it! I may never be Sailor Moon again!"
In the Central Defense and Protection Department office of CDP Chief Nakamura, the Chief was reviewing budgeting dispersals for the past three months. He was looking for more money and officers to route into juvenile prevention and apprehension. According to the crime statistics - - and there was still crime in Crystal Tokyo, though not nearly as much as in other places in the world - - that was where the most attention was needed.
"Captain Saito wishes entry," announced the environmental computer. Nakamura looked up from his screen.
"Show him in," Nakamura replied, leaning back in his chair. Though the budget needed this review, he was privately grateful for the interruption.
Captain Danguro Saito entered the office. Saito, thirty-nine, was chief of detectives and a sub-commander under Nakamura. He was very efficient and a good detective, so Nakamura trusted him. He was also deferential to Nakamura's authority, which also ingratiated the man to Nakamura, for Chief Nakamura believed in obedience and deference to authority above all else. Nakamura observed the Captain was carrying a memory crystal in his hand.
"Sorry for the interruption, Chief," Saito began as he approached Nakamura's desk. "Normally I would let my department handle this, but given the circumstances . . ."
"What do you have, Saito?" Nakamura asked.
"Another incident involving one of the guardians for the Princess," Saito responded.
"Is the Cere girl out of detention?" Nakamura goggled.
"No, Sir, it was another one. The one named Jun-Jun," Saito told him. "You remember her, don't you?"
"Yes," Nakamura scowled. The name was enough to bring back bitter memories of the teen's fling with Nakamura's outlaw son, Quadrel, and how the fling ended in his son's untimely, but hardly out of character, demise. Nakamura expelled a breath. "What happened?"
"In her senshi identity, she attacked a club owner in the west entertainment district," Saito explained. "Tried to drown him, according to the victim, before the Princess and her other guards pulled her off. The interview with the victim is recorded on this crystal if you want to look at it."
Nakamura reached for the crystal and Saito handed it over. The Chief studied the crystal for a moment, turning it around in his hands.
"Has the Royal Family been notified of this?" Nakamura asked finally.
"No, Sir," Saito reported. "You usually liaison with the palace, so when Fukuhara came to me with this, I thought I better pass it on to you."
Nakamura nodded. He was still staring at the crystal.
"Actions, Sir?" Saito asked.
Nakamura sighed. "I'll review the crystal's contents, and then handle it from there."
"Very good, Sir," Saito nodded, feeling the quandary the Chief was in.
Continued in Chapter 7