[Scene: The Midori house. Zoi finally returns home from Naru's loft apartment after a night of playing board games, eating icecream sundaes, and hearing Usagi lament her lost love*.]
[*though not without a healthy dose of optimism about the odds of their getting back together again in the near future.]
[His father is sitting at the kitchen table looking exhausted.]
Zoi: Hey, Dad.
Chief Midori: Son, we need to have a talk...Mamoru's aunt called. She said you got in a fight with him.
[Zoi's jaw drops]
Zoi: I didn't say one word to him!
Chief Midori: Sue told me Mamoru came home from school with his sleeve torn and the front of his shirt all bloody. He had tears in his eyes, and he didn't want to talk about it. When finally got him to talk about what happened, he said you punched him in the nose.
Zoi: I DID WHAT?
Chief Midori: She said you asked Mamoru to meet you behind the bleachers, but when he got there, you suckerpunched him and then kicked him right in his kneecap. While he was on the ground you leapt on top of him and kept pummling him in the face until Minako happened to walk by and pulled you off of him.
Zoi: I DID NO SUCH THING!
Chief Midori: Then what did happen?
Zoi: NOTHING! I NEVER TOUCHED HIM! Oh, my God, Dad! Susan Chiba actually believes I beat up Mamoru? He must weigh at least forty pounds more than I do!
Chief Midori: [nods] She said that's why he didn't fight back.
[Zoi's jaw drops]
Zoi: Unbelievable! Dad...Mamoru and Minako weren't even in school today! Something weird is going on with them! Mamoru told me about some weird stuff going on with some of the girls at our school! Now he's acting the same way!
Chief Midori: What kind of stuff?
Zoi: First he was scared! Then he was avoiding me! And now...he's joined a gang! Minako's gang!
Chief Midori: The C'est La Vie gang?
Zoi: Yes!
Chief Midori: I don't they are really think they are really a gang...
Zoi: Oh, they are! Trust me! They are! They may have fooled you into thinking they rescue cats from trees and help little old ladies cross the street! But they act mean, and cut school, and get into fights! Minako's got Mamoru doing bad things, and now they are using me as a scapegoat to stay out of trouble!
Chief Midori: Why would they use you as a scapegoat?
Zoi: I don't know! But if I had to guess, it's because they know I'm a Shitennou!
Chief Midori: How could they possibly know you are a Shitennou?
Zoi: It's a long story! I don't feel like going into it right now...I'm going to take a hot shower!
[Zoi sneers as he walk up the stairs]
Chief Midori: I'm sure this is all just a simple misunderstand. Don't worry about Mamoru. I'm sure it's nothing.
Zoi: [snickering] A simple misunderstanding? Right, Dad.
[Zoi showers briefly, not wanting to waste water. As he turns off the shower, he hears his father shouting]
Chief Midori: THAT'S BULLCRAP AND YOU KNOW IT!
[Zoi blinks. He wonders if his father has snapped.]
Chief Midori: Don't you blame this on Zoi! He has made it very clear all along that he and Mamoru could never be more than friends!
[Oh, his father is on the phone. Zoi dries off and dresses by magic and comes closer to the stairs so he can listen in]
Chief Midori: No! I think he's right about this!...Because I know my son! Look here, Susan Oliva Chiba! If Zoi says Mamoru is hanging around with a bad crowd-...What do you mean I don't know my son as well as I think I do?
[Zoi sits on the stairs]
Chief Midori: Don't tell me how to raise my son! If Zoi needed therapy, don't you think I'd get him into therapy?...If you think I'm going to remind him about that, you'd better think again! My boy almost died in that fire! But he's made a full recovery! Physically and psychologically! If your nephew and his gang of hooligans are going out of their way to make trouble for him, they're going to answer to me!
[Zoi can't help but smile at how fiercely protective his father is.]
Chief Midori: ...We ARE friends, Susan Olivia, but this is hurting my son!...You got that right!... If I catch any of those kids setting one toe out of line, I'm throwing the book at them! ...I'll be keeping an eye on them, you can be sure of that!...Fine, yeah!...Goodbye to you too!
[When his father slams the phone down, Zoi comes over and gives him a big hug.]
Chief Midori: You weren't supposed to hear any of that.
Zoi: I'm glad I did...I love you, Dad.
Chief Midori: I love you too, Son.
Zoi: How is the case coming?
Chief Midori: I'd finally gotten a big break. We have a survivor.
Zoi: [wide-eyed] Really?
Chief Midori: Unfortunately, he's still unconscious. He lost a lot of blood. It looked like he'd been attacked by wild animals, but when I arrived at the crime scene, I saw a man, about six feet tall, rise up and run away.
Zoi: That's great, Dad.
Chief Midori: Better still he left evidence behind. A broken watch, made by a local artisen. The victim would not have had time to purchase it, so there is a good chance that it belongs to one of the killers.]
[He holds up an evidence photo and Zoi sees a pocketwatch with a cracked face and a moon motif. He's seen that watch before. He recognizes it as the watch Usagi gave to Mamoru.]
[Zoi sees red as the pieces fall into place: The brainwashing, the absences from school, the injuries, the crying, the breakup with Usagi...]
[Zoi can see only one possible explaination]
[The Moon Guardians are finally taking their revenge against the people of Earth.]
Chief Midori: Zoi? Are you ok?
[Zoi vanishes in a flurry of petals. He reappears in Mamoru's bedroom where Mamoru is asleep. Zoi telports over his bed and Mamoru sits up suddenly]
Mamoru: What the hell are you doing in my-
[Zoi punches Mamoru as hard as he can in the face]