AN: The hardest part of this is trying to run Sailor V essentially parallel to Sailor Moon.

Act 18

Beryl glared at Jadeite. "So, you finally have a new plan for me? This fair isn't for a few weeks, I want progress before that."

Jadeite nodded. "Yes, Queen Beryl. I found an old man who is rather distraught over his daughter. No one pays him any attention, they think he's crazy. He's perfect for the harvest. I wouldn't even need to be careful. If he died in the night, no one would know…"

"Very well, but you better succeed this time. Bring back some energy, if you please," she said sarcastically.

After Jadeite left, a man with short, platinum hair approached her. "Report?"

"Yes, Queen Beryl, Okami has been defeated," he explained. "She has come."

The Queen stood. "Okami? She was the one guarding the forest. What is your plan to deal with her?"

"She dreams of her prince, Your Majesty. But she only has a vague idea of what he looks like," he chuckled. "I'm going to woo her. This time she will choose me and we will win."

She chuckled. "You sound so confident, Danburite. Very well, and as a reward, if you succeed, I will allow her to live. But she must not break the spell. In the meantime, we must secure the castle. The Prince cannot find the castle. I know he's in that town somewhere."

Danburite bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. Hmmm, suppose I place a youma to lead the humans and the prince away from the castle. Might be an opportunity to gather some energy at the same time." He suggested. "I have a lovely young fawn that's perfect for this job."

"Do it!" She commanded. "Do not fail me."

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Belle continued to make the best of her new life. She spent the day getting to know the Beast, who she simply affectionately called Kemono. He admitted that it had been so long that he couldn't even remember his name and she needed to call him something.

"Why Kemono?" He asked, amused, from his favorite chair by the fireplace.

She blushed. "Can I tell you a secret? Do you promise not to tell or laugh?" She pleaded. When he nodded, she started. "Well, shortly after my mother passed away, I started having these strange dreams. About a time far in the future, a very distant future. I'm this schoolgirl in Japan and it's been one continuous dream every night. It's almost like I'm living two lives. And I verified before we left Paris. The Japanese in my dream was correct and I learned Japanese through that dream." She waited for the mockery. "I know it sounds crazy."

He shook his head. "You're not crazy. Dreams are a phenomenon that no one really understands. It's absolutely plausible that you could be living a future life and learning the language." He was awarded with a smile. "So it's Japanese for something. What does it mean?"

Belle's brown eyes glimmered with mirth. "Beast…." They laughed together.

"What else can you say? Can you sing?" He asked curiously.

Though embarrassed, she acquiesced. "Youkoso, Douzo, Daiji na okyaku-sama; Kubi ni napukin wo kakete go yukkuri."

He laughed with amusement. "And you know what it means?"

Belle nodded. "It's the first few bars of the song Monsieur Lumiere led the others in singing me on my first night. I'm sorry I didn't join you for dinner. I was just so confused and I needed time to clear my head."

He shook his head. "No, I get it. I was the jerk. I'm the one who locked your father in a tower and then coerced you into taking his place."

Belle glared momentarily to show that she had not forgotten her circumstances. "Let's get one thing straight. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be here." They regarded each other for a few minutes before he laughed. She was right. If she left again, he wouldn't chase her down. He wouldn't have the last time if not for the wolves.

When he found out how much she loved to read, he wasted no time showing her to his library. She could scarcely contain her excitement.

"This is amazing! Hundreds and hundreds of books!" She marveled, looking at each book. "From all over the world. And…." She froze when she saw a pink-purplish spine with familiar letters. She pulled out the book.

"What is it?" He asked her. "I've never seen that book before. It's an interesting color."

She opened it and saw the title page. 5 men as close as brothers. One of them looked a lot like the man from her dreams.

Suddenly, she saw the castle fall away. She was in a garden talking with the man from her dreams. Voices rang in her ears.

"It must be exhausting having to babysit such a curious princess."

"I know, I'm overprotective but we love her. Someday it'll be her turn to watch over this galaxy."

"Well, she doesn't have to watch over it alone…"

"Belle?" Another voice cut into the vision and the garden vanished. She was back in the library. "Are you alright?"

She blinked and closed the book. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry… I was enthralled..."

Kemono looked at it briefly. "I don't remember this book. It's…" He traced the letters with his furry paw. "What are these letters? Are these that Japanese you were talking about?"

She nodded. "It's called Kanji. The Four Heavenly Kings and the Prince of Elysian."

"Can you read it to me?" He requested. "Sounds like a great story."

Belle happily opened the book again. "Once upon a time, when the Earth was still young, there were five kingdoms of Earth, four kings and one prince. The four kings were charged with protecting the prince who would one day inherit the planet's throne…"

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The rest of the day, Gaston carefully went to each person and made sure they knew to say that no, they did not see a young woman with her child. They were confused about the request because a new person in town was always hard to miss but they trusted him. If he said that it was important to keep it secret, then they would do as he asked. He knew the man would eventually follow the road to their town.

Knowing this, he stood at the edge of town. While waiting, he turned his eyes to Belle's cottage. Regardless of the man's mental health, he had to admit that he hadn't seen Belle in several days. He just doubted that she was really being held captive by a beast. He laughed to himself, rolling his eyes. Crazy old Maurice. Belle must have just gone on a short trip to another village. Perhaps she was looking for him.

He ended up being grateful for the day's task. For the first time in weeks, he didn't spend his day thinking about his dreams. That mysterious princess called for him every night. And just a few mornings ago, he'd woken up to find some sort of white mask on the floor and a black hat on his chair. A hat he wouldn't be caught dead in. He tried throwing it in his fireplace to burn the evidence but it didn't burn. He had to resort to burying it in the back of his closet.

"Gaston?" Bunny's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She and her new friend Molly were heading up the path. "Is everything alright?"

He blinked, trying to clear his head. "Yes, everything is fine. I'm simply on the lookout. Where are you ladies going?"

Molly held up a basket. "Bunny told me that the old man who lives there needs someone to help him until his daughter gets home. She's missing."

Gaston nodded. "I know, I heard. I plan to search for her but right now, there's… there's something else I have to do." He knew it was possible he might not even come. He might forget his wife and child, he might have gone the wrong way. He might have encountered bandits on the road. However, he could feel it in his gut. He would come. "Besides, Belle is probably fine. I'm guessing she's home by now, wherever she was. Maurice isn't… he's… well, he's old, he's not all there upstairs…." He said what everybody in the town believed.

Bunny sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right but even so, she wasn't home when I left earlier and he was very distraught. I'm afraid he might worry himself into a fever. He may be old and… maybe getting slow… but he's still a nice old man. He's still a part of this town and so is Belle. So… until she's home, Molly and I are going to look after him. And it would be nice if we could at least find her and ease his old mind, Town Hero."

Two sets of blue eyes met and she hoped she hadn't offended him somehow. Finally, he laughed and nodded. "Point taken. Alright, I'll walk you ladies up to the door." He felt an instinctive need to protect the girls.

"That's not necessary, Gaston. You'll be able to see us get there," she bit her lip. They were going to transform when they got there but he was watching.

He nodded. "Then go straight there. I'll watch from here. When you're ready to go home, I'll walk you," he promised. He turned his head and stood up straighter, his expression becoming serious. "Go on, hurry. I think this is who I'm waiting for."

Molly looked down the road at the man with the short, brown hair, wearing a simple brown tunic and slacks. "A friend of yours?"

"Nope," he replied. "Go on."

Bunny touched Molly's arm. If Gaston said go, they needed to go. "Demanding isn't he?" Molly asked.

"Gaston is called the Town Hero for a reason," Gaston heard her say as they hurried to Belle's cottage. He puffed up everytime he heard it said. That's right. He was the Town Hero, the strongest, bravest man in town. It was only a perk that he was also the most handsome.

Once they went into the cottage, he turned to face the man coming to his town. "Good evening, welcome to Montlune." Gaston was amused to see the man sported a lovely purple eye and a fat lip.

"Good evening, I'm Constantine Maurane and I'm looking for my wife and daughter," he explained. "They… went missing… early this morning."

Gaston listened. "Interesting. Why do you think they might be here?"

"Because this is the closest town to our home town," he explained.

"And… how did they go missing? What happened?" The hunter feigned curiosity. "Come with me. You've had a long journey. Come, have a drink with me at my tavern."

The man allowed Gaston to lead him into the town, to the largest building. "Welcome to the best pub in the part of France. Marc! Two beers and two bowls of the house stew. Made with a gorgeous buck I bagged this morning." He bragged. "I'm the best hunter in town. Sit, tell me what happened, maybe I'll help you find her."

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Inside the cottage, Bunny saw Maurice had not left his chair. The same empty cup of tea sat there. "Hello, Maurice. Has she come home yet?"

He shook his head. "No."

"I didn't think so but I know how tenacious she is. She could escape if she wanted to," she tried desperately to lift his spirits. "Maurice, this is my friend Molly."

"Are you the one who's going to help me rescue Belle?" He asked her.

Molly smiled and sat down with her book. "I'm going to try. But I have another friend coming who will also be able to help." She looked at Bunny. They had devised a plan while walking up to the cottage.

Bunny nodded. "Right. I'm going to step outside and get you some fresh water from the well." She stepped outside and hurried to the well behind the house. "Moon Prism Power, Make-up."

She filled the cup with water and went to the door. Molly opened it a little. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. Monsieur Le Inventeur is very worried about Belle. So are we."

She felt so silly talking to herself but trying to change her voice a little. "Don't worry, Mademoiselle Rivière. Why don't you go talk to that young man while I talk to him. We don't want to overcrowd him. I'll take his water."

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Sailor Moon gasped when she saw the old man. "Monsieur Le Inventeur, I am Sailor Moon." She looked at Molly. "He's not doing well is he?"

Molly frowned. "Something is wrong. This isn't just worry about his daughter." He was barely aware anyone else was there.

Sailor Moon opened the window. "Luna, come in here!" She asked.

The cat leaped up into the window and came over. "Oh my… poor old man. You were right to be worried, Sailor Moon."

Molly opened her book, reading it for anything that might help. "Oh! It says I can use my computer. Do I have one of those?" She asked as she flipped the page. She jumped to see a small, rectangular compact. Opening it, it first had a mirror but when she lifted the mirror, she saw it was a handheld version of the devices in the command center. "Alright… so…"

Luna nodded. "That is the Mercury Handheld Computer. It's powered by light and holds a charge through the night. You can use it to pinpoint the source of his ailments. Whether they are natural or Dark Kingdom."

The young genius began using her book to learn how to use the small gizmo. She was so fascinated by it.

———————

Gaston drank his ale while the other man recounted his tale. "So, your wife and daughter were kidnapped? Really? By who?"

"I told you, I didn't see, I was attacked from behind," Monsieur Maurane explained. "They must have passed through here."

Gaston nodded. "That makes sense but I don't remember seeing anyone. Pascal!" He called out to one of his bar buddies. "Have you seen anyone new in town? A young woman and her child?"

The man obediently shook his head. "No, Gaston, I can honestly say that I have not seen anyone new in town. Not since Belle and Maurice moved here. Oh and the bookseller's niece. I've been considering making a move on her. She's cute, if I can get her books away from her."

The Hunter nodded. "Definitely, women really shouldn't read. It just takes them away from their responsibilities." He looked at Monsieur Maurane. "So you see, she hasn't come here."

"You asked one person!" Constantine shouted.

"Yes and that's all I need to ask. And if you ask everyone here, they will all give you the same answer," the man put both elbows on the table, and cracked his knuckles, letting the other see just what he'd gotten himself into. "I see that shiner and you're trying to make me believe someone kidnapped them and gave you that. Let's try this. I think your wife left you but you can't admit that because then you'd have to tell me why."

"It's none of your business!" He hissed, slamming his fists on the table. "I think you have seen my wife! And my daughter! Where are they!"

Gaston grabbed the man by the collar and hauled him out of the tavern. "Now, let me tell you what I think happened. I think your wife left you. And a good wife doesn't leave without a good reason, then I see that eye and that lip. You make up a really good story but it's just that. A story. I think you decided you were bored with hitting your wife so you started hitting your daughter and your wife went Mama Bear on you. Am I close?"

Maurane growled. "Where is my wife and daughter?"

"They're not here. I told you already. They didn't come here," Gaston said even firmer. "And no one tell you different so I suggest you move on and keep looking. Try the next town up. Don't come back here because if I see your face again… you won't be leaving." He vowed. "I'm the Town Hero for a reason."

The angry husband glowered at Gaston but could tell he was outmatched. "If I find them here, they're mine!"

"Anyone found in this town is MINE and under my protection," Gaston corrected him. "Anyone. Now get out of here!!" He clenched his fists and advanced, ready to fight.

Fortunately, the other man wasn't a complete idiot and he took off. He hoped he'd stay away but doubted it. For now, though, he was gone. She and her daughter was safe for now. He was about to go tell LeFou that it was safe to find her a proper place to stay when his head suddenly felt as though it was splitting before everything went black.

AN: Who is your favorite Sailor Senshi (canon)? My favorite is Mercury.