Hiroshi: Welcome to this week's installment of Hiroshi and Daisuke on
Fics. This week, we'll be reviewing Robert's new Sailor Moon fic.
Daisuke: It's the charming story about a lonely young martial artist and
his fian... wait a second...
Hiroshi: Let's just roll tape. Shall we?
From: "Robert Morrison" <EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Jorge Pratt" <terbril@hotmail.com>, <fanfic@fanfic.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 12:56:04 -0600
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1155
Resent-From: fanfic@fanfic.com
X-Mailing-List: <fanfic@fanfic.com> archive/latest/47897
X-Loop: fanfic@fanfic.com
Resent-Sender: fanfic-request@fanfic.com
Subject: [FFML] [fic][SM] Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon +, Vol. 1, Part 1:
Revelations
Daisuke: Headers. Ya' know I love em.
The Eternal Lost Lurker (EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net)
Notes:
Welcome to the first volume of Lurker's first Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon fanfic series. The series is entitled "Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon +" and chronicles adventures and events in the lives of
the Sailor Senshi during their last year of high school, thus placing
the series after SailorStars.
Hiroshi: Oooh, We're using symbols in our titles now, are we?
Daisuke: BSSMP?
Hiroshi: Bissump? What are you talking about, man?
Quick note: Since I have been unsuccessful in locating names for the
parents of Minako and Ami, I've done the old naming trick. If someone
Daisuke: I shall call thee Sting! For -- *whap* (Daisuke is cut off as
Hiro baps him upside the head.)
Hiroshi: Not that naming trick, moron.
Daisuke: ...
happens to know of their actual names, let me know so I can fix this
story.
Daisuke: Angelina Contessa Francesca ... Damn. I forgot the rest, and I
even ran a fanclub for her.
Well, without further ado (and even less further adon't), here we
go...
Disclaimers:
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko,
Kodansha, and Toei Animation.
Daisuke: Just wait till the American live action comes out. We'll have
legions of fanboys swearing allegiance to Disney. Gaah!
Hiroshi: Ah, man! I didn't need to hear that!
Daisuke: Just think, Geena Davis as Beryl...
Hiroshi: YAAAAAAHHH!!!
Daisuke: The mind reels...
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon +
Vol. 1
Part 1: Revelations
Daisuke: Revelations: Usagi and Rei are actually closet lesbians!
Hiroshi: BZZT! Wrong Answer! The correct answer is 'Who is Davies?'
Tsukino Ikuko sighed wearily as she pushed open the door to her
daughter's bedroom, struggling with the overloaded laundry basket.
"Honestly," she complained. "Usagi may be getting more responsible
lately, but let it come time to do laundry, or clean this sty of
hers, and where is she? Not here doing her share of the housework,
that's for sure."
Daisuke: Well, some of us *could* be more sensitive to a daughter that has
to save the world on a regular basis.
She plopped the laundry basket down on the bed,
startling the black cat that had been sleeping on the pillow. "Sorry
Luna, didn't mean to interrupt your nap," she said. The black cat
yawned, and meowed something that almost sounded intelligent,
favoring Ikuko with a feline smirk before she settled back down on
the pillow and resumed her midday catnap. Ikuko chuckled. "I'll never
figure you out, Luna," she said. "Sometimes you seem almost too
human..." she frowned. "And come to think of it, I never *did* figure
out exactly when it was we agreed to allow Usagi to keep a cat." She
scratched Luna between the ears, earning a satisfied twitch from the
feline.
Hiroshi: Revelations: Luna is actually plotting to take over the world
through mind control.
After a few more moments' attention to her daughter's pet, Ikuko
Hiroshi: "Moments'???"
Daisuke: (thumbs through a punctuation rule book.) Nah, it's legal.
returned to the task of putting away the clean laundry, and searched
around for any that might need to go into the hamper.
Aino Minako walked cheerfully into her house, slipping off her shoes
Daisuke: When did Minako move in with Usagi?
Hiroshi: You dolt! (points to the gap between paragraphs) It's a different
section, see?
at the door and dropping her bookbag in the foyer. "Tadaima!" she
called. Her mother emerged from the kitchen, and waved. Then the
woman smirked. "Minako-chan, you're going to have to take that cat of
yours to the vet, remember?"
Hiroshi: (in a deep, evil voice) Here kitty kitty kitty! Heh heh heh...
Daisuke: No! Not the worming suppositories again!
Minako nodded. "Hai, hai, I haven't forgotten."
"I'd take him for you if I could, but he just...disappears whenever
I think it's time for him to go to the vet or have a bath." She threw
Daisuke: You might almost think he was intelligent. Nahhh....
Hiroshi: Revelations: The Senshis' parents aren't nearly as stupid as they
act!
up her hands in exasperation. "Mouu, that cat is such a bother! I
don't see how you handle him so well."
Minako giggled. "That's just how Artemis is. I know how to deal with
him." Looking around, she called, "Artemis! Come out, wherever you
are!"
Minako's mother shook her head. "I don't think he's here. Just
before you got home, I saw him jump out of your bedroom window and
take off running like he was scalded."
Hiroshi: I didn't *mean* to spill boiling water on your cat, Mina, honest!
The blond teenager blinked, and suddenly her cheerful demeanor
turned into a solemn, professional calm. It worried her mother when
she got like that...although having an all-business attitude that you
could turn on and off like a light switch was a good trait in her
book, it still seemed unnatural on her daughter...and when Minako got
like that, it always seemed so sudden, and she never could find a
logical reason for it. That disturbed her greatly.
Daisuke: It was almost like her daughter had to fight monsters and thwart
plots for world domination on a regular basis. Eerie.
"Mom, I'm gonna go take care of something in town, okay? Maybe by
the time I get back, Artemis will have made his way home." Slipping
her shoes back on, Minako took off out the door, in such a rush that
she didn't even bother to call out "Ittekimasu!" behind her.
"I wish I knew what that girl does when she runs off like that," the
elder Aino said, as she returned to her housework.
Ikuko idly swept the upstairs hall, silently grateful for the lack
of carpeting on the second floor of the house, making it unneccessary
to lug the heavy vacuum cleaner upstairs. As she passed Usagi's door,
she suddenly froze stock still, and leaned against it.
She heard voices inside.
Daisuke: They were the same voices that came to her at night that told her
to stock up on tuna...
"...raving about now, you stupid..."
"Shut up and come on! We've got trouble, big time!"
Someone was in her daugher's room! She knew for a fact Usagi wasn't
home yet. Had someone tried to break in? In broad daylight?
Throwing open the door, Ikuko shouted, "Hold it!" She then blinked.
The window was open, and the curtains fluttered in the breeze. But
there was no evidence that anyone had gone through it...and there was
nobody in the room.
Not even Usagi's cat.
Hiroshi: Oooh! Good call, man! I thought for sure it was Usagi and Rei
playing doctor.
Daisuke: I thought you said that was a different author?
Hiroshi: Well, we can always hope, can't we?
"Usagi-chan!" Minako called.
Usagi turned. "Hi Minako-chan..." she trailed off, noticing the look
on Minako's face. Her own expression changed, mirroring it. "What
now?" she wondered.
Minako shrugged. "I dunno, but it must be something. Mom said
Artemis took off from the house like a shot today. He's only that
energetic when there's trouble."
Usagi scowled. "Well, we'd best head over to the temple. If there
*is* trouble, Artemis will probably be headed there, and Luna will
most likely be with him."
The two girls diverted their course, heading for Hikawa Shrine.
Hiroshi: The Senshi Protocols. No one knew what evil would befall the
world if *this* little tidbit fell into the wrong hands.
Mizuno Iyashiko and her daughter Ami were having a quiet moment. Ami
Daisuke: Oh! That Naming trick! ... I still don't get it.
was in a cheerful mood, and felt like relaxing for a moment before
returning to her intense study schedule. The two women were having a
cup of tea, and making idle conversation.
"Ne, Ami-chan," Iyashiko asked her daughter, "tell me how your
social life is doing these days."
Ami shrugged. "Well, you know I spend quite a bit of time with my
friends, and we always have fun together..."
"That's not what I meant," the doctor said, eyes twinkling with
mischief. "What I'm asking is...are there any young men who have
caught your fancy?"
Hiroshi: Well, geez, Mom! Every guy I try to date turns out to be a Youma
or an Alien or from the future. You know how hard it is to get-- *BAP*
Daisuke: Not Ami-chan! Not if you value your life, infidel!
Hiroshi: Geez...
Ami blushed. "Okaasan!" she said. Iyashiko giggled. Ami shook her
head. "Mouuu..."
"Well, you're a young, beautiful woman, surely there have been boys
who have flirted with you...eh?"
Ami blushed deeper. "I don't think about such things, and you know
it!"
Her mother faked shock. "What? Why not?"
"Well, it's just..." Ami was interrupted by an insistent beeping
>from her pocket. She blinked, and her face fell.
Iyashiko noticed it too, and frowned. "I know that's not my beeper.
Ami-chan?"
Ami shook her head. "Gomen nasai, okaasan...I have to do something
very quickly." She rose, briefly hugged her mother, and rushed for
the front door.
Mizuno-sensei blinked repeatedly. "A beeper...? But it didn't sound
like a regular beeper...I wonder what that was all about?" Clearing
the tea cups from the table, she moved off into her study, mulling it
over.
Hiroshi: Oh no, my daughter's a-- *bap* *pang* *smack* *thwip* *pound*
Daisuke: I warned you, man.
"Here they all come again! Always in such a rush at such odd times,"
Grandpa Hino mused. "I swear one of these days, I'm going to find out
just what it is that those girls talk about in there."
Daisuke: You'd think they didn't know I was on to their secret or
somthing.
Usagi, Makoto, Minako, and Ami had all just arrived. The two cats
belonging to Usagi and Minako had arrived much earlier, unsettling
Rei's ravens. Rei herself had become unsettled when she saw the cats
Daisuke: Never more...
approaching, and had been quick to shoo her grandfather and
Yuuichirou away from the temple proper.
Now, the two men were in the garden, sitting on the large, flat
rocks beside the koi pond. This part of the temple was hidden from
the view of onlookers, making it perfect for peaceful meditation.
Of course, neither of the two men had anything remotely resembling
meditation on their minds.
Yuuichirou nodded, rubbing his stubbled chin. Then, he grinned.
Hiroshi: I haven't shaved since 'Sailor Moon R'
"Don't sweat it, Grandpa..." he said.
"Eh? What's that?"
"Well," the young acolyte drawled, "Ever notice that when they start
doing this, it always happens around this time of the year?"
Daisuke: Ahh... the scent in the air, the youmas in the street, and the
carnage. Ah, the carnage. I *love* this time of year!
The old priest nodded. "Now that you mention it...yeah."
Yuuichirou reached into his robes, and pulled out a small black box
with an antenna on top. "I figured it was getting close to time
again, so I planned ahead." Grandpa's eyes widened, and Yuuichirou
pressed a button on the box's side. Voices crackled from its tiny
speaker.
"...could possibly happen now?"
"Whatever it is, I hope it's not as bad as Galaxia."
Daisuke: They *are* on to the secret! Cool!
"We're not quite sure what it is yet, but something big is about to
happen."
"Well, we'd best start training again then. Gotta be prepared for
anyth--" <click>
Yuuichirou and Grandpa blinked at the suddenly dead receiver.
"That's funny...it was working fine the other day," the youth
muttered.
Grandpa thought about it for a moment. "Those things use batteries,
don't they?"
Yuuichirou nodded. "Yeah." Then he blinked, and smacked the receiver
into his open palm. "Kuso...I know what happened. I must have left
the other unit on by accident when I was testing it the other day!"
"You IDIOT!" Grandpa shouted, clocking him upside the head. "Now how
are we gonna find out what's going on in there?"
The two men shared a glance, then nodded, and returned to their
meditation.
Daisuke: *Sigh*.
That evening, shortly after sunset, Makoto was making a quick run to
the market to pick up a few groceries she realized she needed.
Several blocks from the store, she heard screams, and saw people
running from a nearby block in panic. She sprinted over to
investigate.
Daisuke: Duu duu duuuuuuu.....
Hiroshi: I'll give the first monster less than five lines.
Daisuke: A thousand yen says your wrong. (The two shake hands.)
A creature hovered in the air several meters above the street. It
had a multitude of legs, and two large, batlike wings. Its body was
dark red, and it seemed to be on fire. It spewed a gout of flame at a
nearby car, which exploded in a dark fireball. Makoto cursed, and
ducked into an alley. "Never thought I'd rather *not* see action,"
she muttered. "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
Hiroshi: Aw, come on, Mako-chan! You know this is what you live for!
Sailor Jupiter pulled out her communicator, and hit the panic
button, signalling the others.
"Oh great, it begins again," Usagi groaned, pulling herself off of
her bed. Answering her communicator, she saw Jupiter's face.
"Jupiter, what's up?"
"Monster. Big, ugly, breathes fire."
"Oh, fun. I'm on my way."
Daisuke: Are we getting just a bit blase?
Hiroshi: (in a 'Valley' voice) And then after the party we had to stop and
kill a cardian. Tsk! It absolutely ruined my dress!
Luna cautioned, "We must be careful with this one, Usagi. You know
what's happened every time a new threat showed up..."
"Don't jinx me by--"
"--saying that, Luna!" Ikuko heard from the hallway. She had been
headed up to her daughter's room to hand her a book she'd left
downstairs. She was just about to knock on the door when she heard
Usagi's words. She blinked. *Usagi's talking to her CAT? Weird...*
"Nevertheless, it's best to be prepared. Maybe you'd best, ahem,
wing in on this one."
Daisuke: (sings) On a wing and a prayer...
Ikuko frowned. Whose voice was *that*?
Usagi sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Well, as late as it is,
that'd be the best way to get out of the house anyway."
Ikuko scowled. Usagi was trying to sneak out? *We'll just see about
that...* Suddenly, her daughter spoke again...only her voice took on
an odd tone. It sounded...imposing, and seemed to reverberate.
"MOON...ETERNAL...MAKE...UP!"
Hiroshi: Revelations: Your bisquit-brained daughter is actually fighter
for love and justice, champion for the righteous, dater of guys who are
waayyy too old for her... Ikuko Tsukino, I give you Sailor Moon.
Daisuke: (claps)
"What the--?" An explosion of light flashed from the crack under the
door. Ikuko stood stock still for a moment, blinking, before she
flung the door open...
...just in time to see the wings on Eternal Sailor Moon's back
unfurl. Without noticing the entrance of her mother, Sailor Moon,
holding a black cat in her arms, leaped from the window into the
Hiroshi: leaped? lept?
night air.
Ikuko gaped in shock. "Ma...masaka..." She sank to her knees,
staring at the open window.
Hiroshi: First I find Elvis is living in the basement, and now this?!?!
Luna frowned as she and Sailor Moon flew through the night air. Had
she imagined it, or had Usagi's bedroom door opened just as they were
leaving? She decided it would be best to concentrate on the matter at
hand, for now, and let the thought slip from her head.
Daisuke: So she was completely surprised about the 'Welcome Home Sailor
Moon and Luna' party Usagi's parents were going to throw later.
Moments later, the pair approached the battleground. The other
Senshi were already arriving. Luna leapt down from Sailor Moon's arms
into a tree, while Sailor Moon folded her wings and dropped in for a
surprisingly graceful landing near the others. She opened her mouth
to begin a speech, but Mars restrained her. "I don't think it
particularly cares, Sailor Moon. Let's just trash it and go home."
Hiroshi: No lines for the bug ugly yet. You got that thousand note ready,
Dai?
Sailor Moon frowned, but nodded. "Alright. Mercury, looks like this
one's up your alley. You go first."
Daisuke: Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors...
Sailor Mercury nodded, and launched into her most powerful attack.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" A short, gentle melody accompanied a stream
of water which erupted from a liquid harp strummed by the
Hiroshi: Arrggh! Barry... Manilow... Must... escape... Senshi...
Daisuke: Cap'n, the monster canna take much more!
blue-haired Senshi, striking the fire creature head-on. The monster
screeched, smoke and steam rising from its body, as its flames were
extinguished. It dropped closer to the street, and charged.
Daisuke: Does that screech count as a line?
Hiroshi: No.
Daisuke: Damn.
"Doesn't look like it'll take full power to stun it," Jupiter
Hiroshi: Stun it? Vaporize the thing before it can say anything!
commented, as she wound up for her attack. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"
The ball of concentrated lightning flew straight and true, smacking
the creature between the eyes. With a bellow of rage, it dropped to
the street. "Okay, Sailor Moon, your turn!"
"Right!" Wasting no time, Sailor Moon stepped forward, and faced the
creature. "Alright, whatever you are, wherever you came from, you're
*not* welcome in this city!" The Eternal Tier appeared in her hands,
and she began twirling it. "SILVER MOON CRYSTAL KISS!" A blinding
wave of energy erupted from the Eternal Tier, slamming into the
stunned fire creature like a tsunami.
Daisuke: Or like a wave of erupting energy.
Amazingly enough, the creature was not immediately obliterated by
the attack. It lay in the street, body broken, a corona of Sailor
Moon's energy surrounding it.
Daisuke: YESS!!
Weakly, it spat, "So...the tales are
true. You *do* have power. Be warned...I am but a messenger. You will
not be powerful enough to defeat those I serve..." With that, its
shattered corpse exploded in a shower of sparks.
Hiroshi: One line, man. Pay up.
Daisuke: (Grudginly hands over a bill)
The Sailor Senshi glanced around at each other, wary of the
monster's warning. "Meeting tomorrow," Sailor Moon said. "Goodnight."
With that, she rose back into the air, retrieved Luna, and headed for
home.
Kenji was worried. Ikuko had just come from Usagi's room, and she
looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, unblinking,
her skin had paled noticeably, and she kept murmuring quietly to
herself as she mechanically prepared for bed.
When Ikuko emerged from the small lavatory attached to their
bedroom, Kenji laid a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Ikuko...what's
wrong?"
Ikuko blinked, eyes focusing on Kenji, and shook her head. "I...it's
nothing."
Kenji frowned. "It isn't 'nothing', dearest. Something really has
you spooked. What is it?"
"I'll...I'll tell you later. I'm...just trying to figure some things
out, is all."
Daisuke: If Usagi is Sailor Moon, and her friends are... and that means
Grandfather Hino is... and then Shingu could only be... and... My god!
Aliens
really did abduct my sister!
Hiroshi: The truth is out there, man.
"What things? Maybe I can help, whatever it is."
Daisuke: (sings) Baaddd thinnnggs...
Hiroshi: No more darkfics for you before bedtime, Dai.
Ikuko smiled weakly, and shrugged. "Maybe...I dunno. Give me a few
minutes, okay?" Kenji nodded, and laid down on the bed, reading a
magazine. Ikuko headed out of the bedroom.
"I hope something terrible hasn't happened," Kenji said. "I don't
know what could possibly upset her so badly."
Daisuke: Our daughter *is* Sailor Moon after all. What could possibly
upset her?
Ikuko heated a glass of milk, and slowly began drinking it to calm
herself. She started to sit down in the kitchen, but decided perhaps
it'd be best if she took the milk back upstairs with her. As she
headed upstairs, her mind whirled furiously. *There's no denying what
I saw. I heard Usagi talking to someone...her cat? Then those words,
that flash of light...Sailor Moon leaping out the window...no,* she
corrected herself, *Usagi leaping out the window. Usagi is Sailor
Moon. I don't know how, but...there's no other explanation for what I
saw.*
Daisuke: Unless all that acid I took in high school is finally coming back
to me.
*But...why? How? If she's...then...* Ikuko blinked. Things were
Hiroshi: Didn't we already cover this?
beginning to lock into place in her mind, things which had never
truly made sense. Setting her jaw, Ikuko nudged open the door to the
bedroom, and walked in, taking a sizeable gulp of her milk.
Kenji looked up as his wife entered the room, carrying a glass of
milk. She closed the door, and set her glass down on the nightstand.
She sat on the edge of the bed, and seemed to be considering
something. "Ikuko?" he prompted.
She turned to face him, and there was a burning intensity in her
eyes. "Kenji...we need to talk."
Daisuke: Our daughter is Sailormoonandallherfreindsaresuperherosandaliens
reallydidkidnapmysisterandOJreallyistherealkiller!
He blinked, and set aside his magazine. "Alright," he said. "I'm
listening."
Hiroshi: Damn, she found my Playboys...
She swallowed. "I've...what I'm going to tell you..." Finishing off
her milk, she paused to collect herself. "I found out something
tonight. Something important. You're probably going to think I'm
crazy, but I want you to know...what I'm going to tell you, is the
truth."
Kenji frowned, and nodded. "What's going on? It must be something
awfully serious."
Daisuke: We'll just have Usagi handle it. She is Sailor Moon, and all.
Ikuko nodded. "Very serious." Pausing, she searched for the best way
to begin. "Kenji, can you remember exactly when it was that we agreed
to let Usagi keep Luna?" Kenji started to open his mouth, but Ikuko
raised a hand. "Think about it carefully."
Daisuke: Was it the same week Chibi-Usa hypnotized us?
Kenji thought for a minute, and blinked. "I can't remember."
Ikuko nodded. "Neither could I. I do now, though. We never did."
Kenji shot his wife a sideways glance. "Dear, if all this is about
is Usagi's cat..."
Hiroshi: Yesss... the Playboys are still safe!
Ikuko shook her head. "That's only the beginning of it. I'm...bear
with me. I'm trying to find a way to say what I have to say."
Kenji took his wife's hand, and looked her in the eyes. "Just say
it. Whatever it is, it's obviously important to you. Tell me."
Ikuko swallowed heavily, and nodded. "Al...alright," she said.
Looking up at her husband, she said, "Kenji. I've found out something
very important tonight...I don't know how we've both been so blind to
it for so long. Now that I know, so many things are beginning to make
sense..."
"Dearest," Kenji said. He squeezed her hand. "What is it?"
"Alright, here goes." Ikuko swallowed one more time. "Kenji,
Usagi...our daughter...is Sailor Moon."
Daisuke: You didn't know that?
Kenji blinked several times. He then chuckled. "I'll admit, that
Usagi wears her hair like Sailor Moon...what little we've seen of her
on the news..."
"No, Kenji. You're not listening." Ikuko leveled an intense gaze on
him, boring into his own eyes. "Usagi. *IS*. Sailor. Moon. I was
passing by her room tonight, when I heard her talking to someone
inside. It wasn't a voice I recognized. Then, there was a flash of
light, and when I opened the door, I saw *Sailor Moon* jump out the
window."
Kenji blinked again. "Uhhh...are you sure?"
Hiroshi: Uhhh... yeah!
"Would I *joke* about something like that?" Ikuko asked. "Right
before it happened, I was about to open the door, and I heard her
voice...change. It echoed, it had force to it. And I can tell you
what she said: 'Moon Eternal Make-Up.' I opened the door, and saw
Sailor Moon going out the window. Our daughter."
Kenji rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "There's more," Ikuko said.
"She was carrying Luna with her."
"Why would Sailor Moon be taking Luna?" Kenji wondered.
Ikuko shrugged. "I've wondered about that. Then, I remembered the
language classes I took when I was younger. Think, Kenji. 'Luna' is a
gaijin word for 'moon'."
Daisuke: Poit! Narf! Gat!
Kenji nodded. "I know...I always assumed Usagi just named her that
because of that mark on her forehead."
Ikuko nodded. "And how many cats do you know of that have marks like
that?"
"Just...two," Kenji said. "Luna, and Minako-chan's cat Artemis..."
He trailed off. "You don't think...?"
Hiroshi: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Daisuke: Gee, I think so, Brain... But Kenji Tsukino in skintights makes
my skin crawl!
Ikuko shrugged. "I've been thinking about *that* too. Think about
those friends of Usagi's she hangs around with all the time...aside
>from Minako, does her friendship with any of them actually make
*sense*?"
Daisuke: Well, you do know what she and Rei have been up to, don't you?
Kenji pondered that. "Now that you mention it...I always did wonder
how Usagi wound up being friends with the class brain, and that girl
>from the shrine..."
Ikuko smiles. "I think I know the answers now."
"Dearest...for just having seen what you thought was Usagi becoming
Sailor Moon, you seem to know a lot suddenly." His wife sighed.
"I think...well, you noticed that none of the newspapers and
television crews ever get a clear shot of the Sailor Senshi." At
Kenji's nod, she continued, "It's the same as us not remembering
anything about Luna. I think there's some kind of...magic, or
something, keeping people from figuring it out for themselves."
Hiroshi: Well, I don't have to think to know you're a *looney*!
Pausing, she frowned before adding, "I think when I saw what I did,
the magic stopped working on me. I can think about all these things
now, without my mind wandering elsewhere."
Daisuke: By the way, Kenji? Whose Playboys were those under your
breifcase.
Hiroshi: Busted!
"Hmmm....maybe you're right. I've read articles on magic and
hypnosis before...it makes sense that the Sailor Senshi would have a
trick to protect their identities."
"Right. In any case, think about it. Usagi's friends...the only one
it makes sense for her to be friends with is Minako. Rei didn't even
go to the same school as Usagi when they met, Ami is just
too...smart, for Usagi, and Makoto...well, aside from the food, what
else could Usagi see in her?"
"Maybe it's *just* the food," Kenji snickered. Ikuko giggled.
Hiroshi: Or her long, curvaceuos legs, and her ample, pert-- *punch*
Daisuke: (sits back in his seat, smugly)
"Anyway, then there's Minako...the two are a good match, but she
didn't go to Usagi's school either when they met."
Kenji rubbed his chin. "You're right about that. One has to wonder
where they met...where all of them met. And what the connection
between them is."
"I've been thinking about it," Ikuko said, "since I went down to the
kitchen. I think I've got it figured out." Wringing her hands, she
slowly began, "Let's start with Ami..."
Daisuke: Here's *really* why my sister dissapeared when she was a little
girl.
Sailor Moon peeked over the windowsill, making sure the bedroom was
empty. Seeing the coast was clear, she lifted Luna, who jumped from
her arms into the room. Gracefully, Sailor Moon floated up, and
slipped through the window. With a brief, dim flash of light, Eternal
Sailormoon vanished, and once more became Tsukino Usagi, who
stretched and yawned. "I'm glad I was already in my pajamas," she
said. "I'm tired. G'night Luna."
"Sleep well Usagi. I have a feeling we're both going to need our
rest." With that, the blond girl and the black cat plopped onto the
bed and promptly dozed off.
The door opened a tiny crack, and Ikuko peeked in on her daughter.
"Oyasumi nasai...Sailor Moon," she whispered. She really couldn't
help but feel a glimmer of pride...who wouldn't be proud of a
daughter who had saved the city, and probably the world, countless
times over?
Still, she was worried. She wanted to find out as much about the
Sailor business as she could. But...how?
*Well, Shingo is a Sailor Senshi otaku. I know he saves news
clippings and such. But...I doubt he even has a clue his sister is
Sailor Moon. Hmmm.*
Hiroshi: Or he could just be trying to catch his sister in mid-
transformation so he can see her-- *pound* *pound* *pound* *pound* *pound*
Daisuke: Don't make me hurt you again.
Hiroshi (wounded) --...trans...for...ma...tion...
After a few moments of pondering, she came to a conclusion. She
sighed. *I don't like it, but...there's not much else I can do.*
As she returned to bed, she said, "Kenji...?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think...do you think we should tell the other parents the
truth? Don't you think the families of the other Senshi have a right
to know?"
Daisuke: Oh, Man! This is gonna be better than Ellen's 'coming out'
episode!
Kenji frowned. "Maybe, but...I wouldn't do anything too hasty if I
were you. Besides, you still can't be completely sure of what you
think you know, right?"
Ikuko nodded. "You're right...I'm just going to have to find out,
somehow."
"How are you planning to do that?" Kenji wondered.
Ikuko smiled. "I think the first place to start, is with a certain
black cat..."
Hiroshi: Just wait till I get my hands on her... Do you have any idea how
much Friskies costs in Tokyo?
Kenji blinked. He started to say something, but saw that his wife
had already dozed off. "Ikuko," he said, "I sure hope you know what
you're doing. Someone told me once that knowing too much is a bad
thing..." He chuckled. "Nah, I don't think we have anything to worry
about." He, too, drifted off to sleep.
Across town, two young women were sharing a nightcap in their
apartment. There was a soft knock at their door. "Now who could that
be at this hour?" the one with sea-green hair frowned.
Hiroshi: Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you... The Outer Senshi!
Her short-haired blond companion snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. You
know perfectly well who it is, Michiru."
Kaiou Michiru giggled softly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Rising
>from the small table, she moved to answer the door. Standing outside
was a tall, dark-skinned woman with long green hair, dressed in a
dark business suit. "Good evening, Setsuna," Michiru said. "Please
come in."
Meiou Setsuna entered the apartment. "I'm sorry to intrude so late,
but I wanted to discuss a few matters with you." Seating herself at
their small table, she accepted a drink which Haruka handed to her.
"So, what's on your mind, Setsuna?" Haruka said.
"Well, for one thing...we seem to have trouble again." The other two
raised their eyebrows. "The others have it under control...for now,"
she said. "Although the first attack seemed to have been a warning."
"A warning?" Haruka asked.
Setsuna nodded. Michiru asked, "Do we have any clue as to who the
new threat is?"
Setsuna shook her head. "Nothing I can say about that right now,"
she said apologetically. "In any case, that's not even the reason I'm
here."
Michiru and Haruka blinked. "Then, why *are* you here, Setsuna?"
Haruka asked.
Setsuna smiled slightly. "To bring good news." At the quizzical
looks of the others, she added, "It's finally time."
"Finally time for what?" Michiru asked.
"Finally time for the families of the Inners to learn the truth."
Haruka and Michiru stared at Setsuna, wide-eyed. "Are you serious?"
Setsuna nodded. "After all, it's not going to be much longer until
Usagi and Mamoru are to be married..."
Michiru nodded, understanding. "And assuming that their marriage
itself doesn't cause their true identities to manifest..."
"...it's not going to be very much longer until the prophecy
begins," Setsuna finished for her.
Daisuke: Oh, well if that doesn't just make the rest of the story
pointless...
The next morning, Usagi rose from slumber late...something she had
not done in quite some time. She yawned loudly, stretching. "Oh
man..." she groaned. "I'd completely forgotten what it's like the
morning after a battle," she said.
Luna, who was doing quite a bit of yawning herself, nodded. "Yes,
and just when you were beginning to wake up at a decent hour, too..."
"Hey!" Usagi scowled. "Nine in the morning is a decent hour!"
"Not when you have to be at school at eight," Luna chided.
Usagi blinked, and glanced at the clock. "Dammit!" she groaned. "I'm
going to be late if I don't hurry and get ready!"
Luna sighed and laid back down on the bed as Usagi began the morning
scramble which hadn't been seen in the Tsukino household since the
battle with Galaxia. It was really quite a shame, she mused. Lately,
Usagi had become somewhat more responsible, actually waking up early
enough to eat breakfast with the family.
"Good morning, Usagi-chan!" Ikuko smiled brightly at her frenzied
daughter.
"Morning Mom! No time to chat, no time to eat, I'm running late!"
Ikuko giggled. "That's okay, Usagi." She handed her daughter the
obligatory piece of toast, which the blond girl accepted with her
teeth as she dashed past. "Take care! Have a good day!" she called.
Usagi scrambled out the door, and was gone in a blink.
Kenji chuckled. "It's a good thing Shingo left for school already,"
he mused. "No telling what he'd have said when he saw that."
Ikuko smiled. "Yes." Musing, she said, "Well, at least now I know
Usagi has a good reason for being like that."
Kenji nodded, becoming thoughtful again. "So, what are you going to
do today, dear?"
Ikuko furrowed her brow. "I think probably I'll be having a good
long talk with Luna."
Kenji shook his head, and chuckled. "You know, under any other
circumstances, I'd think anyone who said *that* was nuts." Ikuko
giggled. "Well, I'm off. Ja ne!"
Daisuke: While you're unravelling the secrets of the universe, I'll just
be off in the rat race that makes me a salary man. Then I'm going to go
get drunk and stay out all night. Have a nice time with the Senshi, dear!
"Have a good day, Kenji," the Tsukino matriarch said. After her
husband left, she took a moment to straighten the kitchen, then
headed upstairs.
Luna sighed as she looked out the window. She had honestly thought
their troubles would be over now. And there was still something
nagging at her about last night.
The bedroom door opened, and Ikuko walked in. Luna curled up under
the window, paying the woman no heed, expecting her to tidy the room
as usual, and be about her business, and maybe to give her a little
scratching behind the ears.
Luna's eyes widened, however, as Ikuko sat down on the floor and
fixed her with a stare.
"Luna," Ikuko said, "We're going to have a nice long talk."
"Meow?" Luna asked. Alarms were going off in her mind.
Ikuko shook her head. "Don't even try it," she said. "I know you can
speak. Drop the act."
Hiroshi: (singing) I want chicken, I want liver, Meowmix Meowmix please
deliver...
Luna blinked. "How--?"
Ikuko relayed what she had seen last night. Luna's eyes widened
further. "So I *did* see the door open when we were leaving..." Luna
furrowed her brow. "I have a feeling Usagi isn't going to like this."
She sighed. "Oh well, I suppose it had to happen sometime."
Ikuko nodded. "To be honest, I'm surprised this has gone on as long
as it has without someone catching on."
Luna nodded. "Even with the abilities of the Senshi, we can't be
perfect. This isn't the first time someone's discovered the identity
of one of the Senshi. Although usually, it's either our enemies, or
other powerful allies who figure it out."
Ikuko grinned. "Somehow I don't think I fall in either category."
Luna giggled. Sobering, Ikuko said, "Well, I think you can guess that
I have a lot of questions."
Luna nodded. "I suppose it's only fair that you get the answers you
want," she said. "After all, Usagi's your daughter, at least in this
life."
Ikuko raised an eyebrow. "In *this* life?"
Daisuke: What? Did you think she was *your* daughter? Ha!
Luna cleared her throat. "You see, long ago, there was a kingdom on
the Moon..."
Hiroshi: A long, long time ago, in a pretexture, far, far away...
"And that brings us to today," Luna finished, over an hour later.
Ikuko's eyes were wide, unblinking, and her mouth was hanging agape.
When she found her voice, she said, "...incredible. All that has been
going on, and all of us have been ignorant of all of it, aside from
the monster attacks that happened in public."
Luna nodded. "It's been a terribly trying ordeal on all of them.
Especially on Usagi. She's relived a past life where herself and
everyone she knew lost their lives, she's lost her destined love
several times, she's watched as her friends and allies died right in
Daisuke: That reminds me. We haven't seen Mamoru yet. Do you think he's
dissapeared again?
Hiroshi: He did show up at the end of Stars, didn't he?
Daisuke: Think so...
Hiroshi: He's just off wooing other jail-bait at the moment...
front of her..." Luna had told Ikuko almost the entire tale of
everything that the Sailor Senshi had been through. She had decided
to edit out everything involving Chibi-Usa and Crystal Tokyo,
however, including the fact that Usagi was destined to be Neo-Queen
Serenity.
Hiroshi: Why bother?
Ikuko nodded. "The poor girl...I can only imagine what that must
have been like." After a moment, she frowned. "Luna...something
doesn't make sense."
"What's that?" Luna asked.
Ikuko paused, then said, "I think you left something out. You didn't
mention anything about Chibi-Usa..."
Daisuke: *Ding* *Ding* *Ding* *Ding* Good call!
A sweatdrop rolled down the back of Luna's head. "Anou, well..."
Ikuko fixed her with the *look*, the one parents usually reserve for
disobedient or dishonest children. Luna stared at her in disbelief,
but after a long moment, the *look* got to her, and she sighed.
"Alright, but this is going to come as even more of a shock than
everything I've already told you."
Ikuko paled, but recovered quickly. "I...I think I can handle it,"
she said.
Daisuke: You think you can handle it?!?! I don't think you can handle it!
I think we'll just have to brainwash you again!
Artemis left the Aino house shortly before noon, deciding that
avoiding Minako's mother would be to his advantage. He figured he'd
spend some time with Luna today. As he arrived outside Usagi's
bedroom window, however, he was surprised to hear Luna speaking
inside. "That's odd," he thought. He jumped to the sill. His eyes
widened when he saw Ikuko sitting on the floor, raptly listening to
Luna, who was talking about...
"...and that's how Chibi-Usa fits into the picture," Luna finished.
Ikuko gasped.
Hiroshi: Why that little.... Arrrh! She used me!
"LUNA! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Artemis yelled,
Hiroshi: You said *I* was the only one you-- *bonk* *unimaginable
violence*
mortified. Ikuko and Luna both looked up at the irate white cat, who
jumped onto the bed and got in Luna's face.
Luna flinched. "It's not my fault," she said. "Ikuko discovered the
truth last night."
Artemis blinked. "What!?"
Ikuko, for her part showing absolute calm over the fact that two
cats were arguing in plain Japanese, said, "It's true. Last night, I
learned that Usagi is Sailor Moon."
"How'd *that* happen?" Artemis asked. Ikuko related the story to
him.
Daisuke: Duh!
Hiroshi: Well, it all starts when the boy bird shows his brightly colored
plummage to the girl bird.
"I wanted answers to questions I had about Usagi, and about
everything else...the Senshi, and what's been going on under all our
noses the last few years. I'd realized that Luna could talk when..."
Ikuko blinked. "*That* explains what I heard yesterday afternoon..."
Both cats blinked. "Eh?"
Ikuko said, "Artemis, you were here yesterday, weren't you?"
The white cat nodded. "Yes...how...?"
"I was walking past the door, and I heard voices in here. I opened
the door and there was nobody in the room."
Luna nodded. "I see. That must have been when Artemis came to get me
for the emergency meeting..."
Hiroshi: You don't think she saw us doing.. you know...
Daisuke: No, I don't.
"Anyway," Ikuko said, "I realized Luna could speak when I heard
Usagi talking to someone in here, just before I stumbled onto the
truth about Sailor Moon."
Artemis nodded. "And you figured she'd be the best source of
information, right?"
"Hai."
"And Luna here decided she might as well get loose-lipped about
everything, including Chibi-Usa?"
Luna shifted. "I tried to keep *that* part secret," she mumbled.
"But Ikuko gave me the *look*."
"The *look*?" Artemis asked.
Ikuko gave him the *look*.
Daisuke: (singing falsetto) She's got the look...
Hirohsi: Ladies and Gentlemen, the artist formerly known as Daisuke...
"Oh," Artemis said. "The *look*." He frowned. "I don't know how
everyone's going to take this. Luna, you do realize that we have to
mention this at the Senshi meeting today, right?"
Luna nodded. "Hai..." She frowned, a sudden thought striking her.
"Ikuko-san, did you mention what you saw--"
Ikuko nodded. "I told Kenji what I saw last night. I was so unnerved
Daisuke: Damn, there's another one we're going to have to brainwash.
and confused, I had to talk to him. Besides, he's in this too. He has
a right to know...and I'm going to tell him all the things you told
me, as well."
Luna blanched. "This isn't good. I don't like this."
Ikuko scowled. "Luna, our daughter is involved. The daughters of
other people are involved, too. The parents of the others...hell,
even *Shingo* has a right to know, thought I'm not sure it'd be a
^^^^^^^
Hiroshi: Thought? I'm *thinking* that it would be an incredibly poor idea
to tell Shingo
good idea to tell him."
Artemis snorted. "Might as well. Hell, if the rest of the Tsukino
family knows, why should he be left out?"
Ikuko snatched the pillow off the bed, and threw it at him. "Don't
be rude," she said. Luna snickered.
"Seriously, though...I'm a little nervous about all this," Luna
said. "We never exactly prepared for this, after all."
"Don't worry about it, Luna," a new voice intruded on the
conversation. The two cats and Ikuko whirled to face the doorway,
where a figure had suddenly appeared.
"S--Sailor Pluto!" Luna said.
Artemis frowned. "Pluto, what are you doing here?"
Ikuko gasped. Aside from the brief experience last night, she had
never seen a Sailor Senshi up close before. And Pluto was definitely
one of the more imposing ones. She blinked as she realized something.
"Hey, it's different now."
The other three blinked at her. "What's different?" Luna asked.
Ikuko shook her head. "When I see the Senshi on TV or in the
newspaper, I can never see their faces very clearly. But now..."
Hiroshi: Now she *knows* Sailor Pluto is a stranger she's never met before
in her entire life.
Pluto nodded. "You've become resistant to the glamour field we cast
in our Senshi forms. The glamour starts to wear off for a person if
they so much as hear one of us calling for our transformation."
"I clearly heard Usagi when she said 'Moon Eternal Make-Up'," Ikuko
said.
"Yes, I was here, and witnessed the entire incident," Pluto said.
Luna blinked. "You *knew* this was going to happen?"
"Remember who you're talking to, Luna," Artemis said. Pluto chuckled
dryly.
"As I was saying before," Pluto said, "So long as everyone remembers
to keep it quiet outside of the Senshi and their families, it's
perfectly fine for them to know the truth now."
Daisuke: Damn! Now we *have* to kill Shingo.
"What's brought this on?" Luna asked.
Pluto smiled slightly. "Now that the Sailor Wars are over, and now
that it's coming close to time for certain...other things," she
paused for emphasis, eyes twinkling mischeviously, "it's time for
everyone involved in this to know the truth."
Ikuko smiled at the dark-skinned Senshi. "I'm glad someone else
agrees with me."
Pluto's smile dropped, and she leveled a stern gaze on Ikuko. "Be
warned...trying times are coming, Tsukino Ikuko. You must be strong,
and you *must* have faith in your daughter. It is the only way you
will survive what is to come."
Ikuko gulped, and paled slightly. "I...I understand. Thank you for
the warning...I'll be ready for whatever happens," she said.
Pluto nodded, and with little ado, vanished.
"That sounded rather ominous," Ikuko said.
Daisuke: Ominous? Ominous? Apparently you've never smelled a youma's
breath. Now *that* is ominous.
Luna and Artemis nodded. "That's Sailor Pluto for you," Artemis
said. "And chances are, whatever it is that's going to happen will be
every bit as bad as she said."
Daisuke: (sings) Baaddd thinnnggs...
Hiroshi: Not again...
Ikuko blanched. "I...I hope nothing terrible is going to happen."
Daisuke: You mean like your daughter or her friends all dying horribly?
Too late!
"Relax," Luna said, smiling reassuringly. "Things have gotten bad
before, but Sailor Moon and the others always pull through in the
end."
Ikuko smiled. "Thanks, Luna. I feel better now." She furrowed her
brow. "I think," she added hesitantly.
Hiroshi: And now, live from the monster's headquarters....
/As predicted, the Messenger was destroyed rather easily./
/Of course. These girls are no amateurs./
/What shall we do next?/
/Send them each a...personal greeting./
/Will we be able to find them?/
/Of course. We know who they are. We can literally hit them where
they live./
/Very well./
Daisuke: Slashes! What fun! What do you think, Hiro? Telepathy? Subsonic
communication? Sign Language? Rogers and Hamerstein Showtunes?
Hiroshi: Crayon.
Daisuke: ????
Hiroshi: I tell you, Man. They're communicating in Crayon. Kunzite and
Zoicite did the same thing.
Daisuke: ?!?!?!?
Hiroshi: Crayon on construction paper. You know those demons in 'Cast a
long Shadow?'
Daisuke: (Hesitantly) Yeah?
Hiroshi: Crayola washable markers.
Makoto muttered darkly to herself as she once again headed for the
market. She had forgotten to grab a few crucial ingredients for the
muffins she planned to take to the meeting today.
As she left her block, she realized there was someone following her.
Casually pretending to check her reflection in a window, she took
stock of her pursuer: male, medium height and build, short pink hair,
wearing a dark green suit and green-tinted mirror shades.
Makoto continued on for two more blocks, and ducked into an alley.
"You!" she called. "I know you're following me. What do you want?"
The man stepped into the entrance of the alley, and chuckled. "I'm
impressed."
"Answer my question!"
The man smiled nastily. "I'm just here to say...hi," he sneered,
"Sailor Jupiter."
Makoto's eyes widened. The green-suited man reached inside his
jacket, and pulled out a dark green nunchaku. As he twirled the
weapon, bands of dark green energy formed around it, with sparks
arcing along the chrome chain.
Hiroshi: Dammnit! I've wandered into Nerima.
"Alright, if you want to play...JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
Daisuke: Gee, don't maintain your secret identity or anything...
After her transformation, Sailor Jupiter scowled at the suited man.
"Ready?"
"I was waiting for you," he replied. He raised the nunchaku over his
head, and a small crackling ball of electricity gathered around the
chain. "ARC ROTATION!" he called, whipping the weapon forward. A
green disc of energy flashed out towards Jupiter, arcs of electricity
arranged in a wheel-spoke pattern across its surface, spinning
rapidly. Jupiter barely leaped over it in time. The live disc struck
the brick wall at the back of the alley, and the green energy
dissipated, sending the sparks flying outward. Jupiter took a light
sting to the left leg, and grimaced. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" she
Hiroshi: A light sting? With an electricity attack?
called as she reached the apex of her leap, and tossed the compressed
thunderbolt at her opponent. He calmly blocked with his nunchaku, but
was surprised when the weapon was blown out of his hand. "Well well,"
he said. "You're more powerful than I expected."
Daisuke: Never underestimate the power of a pissed-off Japanese woman.
"You haven't *seen* powerful yet!" Jupiter snarled. Landing on her
right foot, she began spinning as soon as she touched down. "JUPITER
OAK EVOLUTION!" A small whirlwind picked up around her, and a
Hiroshi: If she landed on her left foot, it wouldn't have worked.
veritable hailstorm of green leaves appeared from nowhere. She sent
the leaves flying at her opponent, who crouched, and somersaulted
backwards, lashing out with a kick as he did so. A lightning bolt
marked the passage of his foot. About half the leaves were stopped by
Daisuke: Huh?
Hiroshi: A lightning bolt hit just where his foot was after he jumped.
Daisuke: It didn't hit his foot?
the bolt, but the remaining leaves struck home, knocking the
green-suited man out of the alley. He winced as he picked himself up.
"Very well, Jupiter, you win this round," he said, smirking. "The
next time we meet, however...I shall kill you." In a flash of green
Hiroshi: You and what loser army, Pink?
Daisuke: Green and Pink... *sigh* This season the Senshi battle monsters
from Clashia, who are fighting to instill their incredibly bad sense of
fashion on the rest of the universe.
light, he vanished.
Reversing her transformation, Makoto gaped at the pattern his
disappearance left in the air. It was the sigil of Jupiter, upside
down, burning in dark green flames.
Hiroshi: Angel's Sheildsmen gone bad.
"Bah...what a waste. Why should I be here, bothering with
this...this...*child*?"
Two figures stood upon the roof of a building across the street from
the home of Aino Minako. Through the open window opposite them, they
could see the blond schoolgirl teasing a white cat.
Hiroshi: Put your clothes back on Mina, we're in-- *ping* *boof* *whump*
Daisuke: You're never gonna learn, are you?
"Because she's your responsibility to deal with," one of the figures
ground out in a deep voice. His dark skin seemed to absorb the
daylight, and the black jumpsuit he wore didn't help much in that
regard. His hair was pale silver, and he wore silvery mirrorshades.
His female companion sighed, running a hand through her
shoulder-length indigo hair. She idly smoothed the skirt of her
orange business suit. "Well, if I must," she said.
Hiroshi: I don't get it.
Daisuke: What?
Hiroshi: First a firebreathing BEM, and now Anti-Senshi. I don't get the
connection. Nobody's energy's been drained yet, either.
Daisuke: Not a Sailor Moon fic if Naru doesn't get drained in the first
three paragraphs, is it?
"You must," the dark man said menacingly, before vanishing in a
bright burst of white light, which left a shining crescent in the
air. The crescent, however, was quickly consumed by a space-black
disc of shadow, which slid across the surface of the crescent, fully
concealing it. Soon, the disc of shadow was also gone. The
orange-clad woman smirked. "Damn that's annoying," she muttered. "Ah
well," she sighed. "Might as well get this over with." Her golden
eyes twinkled. "Heh, maybe this'll actually be fun."
The doorbell rang. "Wonder who that is?" Artemis mused.
"Probably just one of the others, fetching me for the meeting,"
Minako said.
"Hello, may I help you?" Minako's mother said to the smiling young
woman standing outside the door.
"You are Aino Yoshiki, correct?" the woman asked politely.
"Yes, that's correct," Yoshiki said.
Daisuke: (singing) Yoshiki-iki Bo-biki fananna-fanna fo-fiki... Me-mi-mo-
miki... Yoshiki!
Hiroshi: No, it's the naming trick, not the Naming Game.
Daisuke: You still don't get it, do you?
Hiroshi: Nope.
"May I come in? I need to speak to you for a moment."
"Of course." The orange-clad girl stepped inside, and Minako's
mother closed the door behind her. "So, what is it you wanted to talk
to me about, miss...?"
"Oh, my name isn't important," the woman giggled. Sobering, she
said, "Actually, the reason I'm here is..."
"Yes?"
Suddenly, the visitor's expression went cold, and she reached into
the pocket of her suit. "To kill you," she finished, withdrawing a
yellow-handled switchblade, springing its blade with an ominous
*snik*.
Yoshiki's eyes widened.
Minako and Artemis headed downstairs to see who the guest was. As
they neared the bottom of the steps, Minako went pale. "Artemis," she
hissed. The white cat looked up, and blinked.
Minako's mother was pressed fearfully into the couch, eyes wide,
fixed on the gleaming blade of the knife held by a young woman with
indigo hair. Minako scowled, and began moving stealthily, trying to
stay low to the ground.
Yoshiki caught sight of her daughter creeping up on the deranged
woman, and gasped in fear. "Minako! Be careful!"
The assailant whirled around, catching sight of the blond creeping
toward her. She grinned evilly. "Well, well...my true target
arrives," she commented. "I'd be careful if I were you, Aino Minako.
One wrong move, and your mother will be dead before you can blink
your eyes."
"Want to bet on that?" Minako growled as she sprang forward. Taking
the knife-wielding woman by surprise, she sent the attacker flying
into the corner of the living room. However, she took a light stab to
Hiroshi: Anime rule #33. A protagonist can only be wounded in a designated
'Good Guy' area. See 'Die Hard' I - III for more details.
the arm in the process. She winced as a trickle of blood flowed down
her sleeve.
"Minako!" her mother yelled.
"Mom, get outta here!" the blond shouted. Before she could do much
else, the orange-suited woman was on her feet again, circling the
pair, knife held at the ready. Things looked bad...if Yoshiki tried
to make a break for it, she'd be dead in an instant, and the way that
woman handled her knife, Minako wasn't about to count on her own
martial arts skills to try to disarm her.
"What do you want from us?" Minako yelled.
The woman chuckled darkly. "What do you think I want from you?"
"If you're going to rob us, get it over with!"
The golden-eyed woman blinked, then threw back her head and laughed.
"Is that what you think this is about? That I'm a robber? Oh, child,
you are so, so wrong." Her eyes hardened. "This is about something
far more important than simple money," she said. The blade of the
knife began to glow orange.
Minako's eyes widened. "Masaka..." Her mother screamed. *This is
getting insane...who is this woman? Does she know who I am?* She
Hiroshi: Minako said 'Masaka' or Yoshiki screamed 'Masaka'?
Daisuke: Kinda hard to tell...
Hiroshi: ...And who's thinking here? What horrible secret does Yoshiki
have to hide from her daughter?
looked over at her mother, then at the strange assailant. She set her
jaw firmly. Yoshiki stopped screaming when she saw that...calm, the
same calm that usually disturbed her, slip onto her daughter's face.
Idly, a detached part of her mind wondered if she was about to find
out what the source of that calm was.
Hiroshi: Duu duu duuuuuunnn!
"Alright you...you've left me no choice."
The woman's eyes flashed. "Finally," she said.
Minako held out her hand, and an object appeared in it from out of
nowhere. "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
Yoshiki's eyes virtually popped from their sockets as her daughter
transformed into Sailor Venus right before her eyes. "Minako...?"
"Mom, save it. I've got work to do," Sailor Venus said grimly.
"Alright, whoever you are..."
Daisuke: So Sailor P's *not* going around on home visits? I was kinda
hoping for just a general Senshi PTA meeting here.
Hiroshi: We don't always get for what we wish for.
The orange-clad woman slashed outward with her knife, and a hail of
narrow orange beams flashed out at Venus. Leaping up, Venus
somersaulted in midair, touching off the ceiling with her feet, and
dove head-first at the intruder, arms crossed before her. Tucking her
legs, she flipped over onto her back as she neared her opponent, who
slashed at her with the knife. "Haven't done this in a while," Venus
muttered. "REVISED SAILOR V KICK!" she yelled, as she struck the
knife with her foot. The weapon flew out of the indigo-haired woman's
grasp, and imbedded itself into the far wall. Landing gracefully,
Hiroshi: Dammit, Mina? Do you have any idea how much that wallpaper cost?
Venus raised one hand above her head. "VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" she
called. The glowing heart-linked chain circled around her, before
striking out, snaking itself around Venus' opponent. The woman
smirked. "Nice trick, Venus. Alright, you win for now," she said. She
extended her trapped hand as far as she could, and the knife flew
>from the wall into her grasp, breaking the chain as it did so.
Hiroshi: What?!?!
Daisuke: You read correctly. The knife broke the chain. It was glowing a
minute ago...
Hiroshi: Still...
Venus
tensed, preparing for another attack, but the woman repocketed the
knife, gave an almost cheerful wave, and vanished in a burst of
orange light. Her disappearance left a burning afterimage in the air:
the sigil of Venus, spinning like a deranged top.
Hiroshi: And lo, I saw the second sign, and it was spinning like a
deranged top.
Reverting from her Senshi form, Minako looked over at her mother,
who was on her knees, pale, eyes wide with shock. She reached down,
and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Mom..." she said.
Yoshiki looked up at her daughter. "Y...you're a...Sailor Senshi,"
she gasped.
Minako sighed, and nodded. "Mom," she said, "Why don't you go get
some rest...
Daisuke: I'll have Artemis stop by and brainwash you later.
you need it." She looked over to the staircase, where
Artemis was perched on the railing. "I...gotta go for a little while,
Mom. I'll be back later."
Yoshiki nodded hesistantly. "You don't...you don't think...she'll
come back?"
Hiroshi: Of course she will. Why do you think *I'm* taking off?
Minako shook her head. "I don't think so. She knew who I was." She
sighed, and clenched her fist. "That...that *bitch*...put you in
danger, to draw me out. I swear, if I ever see her again..."
"You probably will," Artemis said softly. "She appeared to be
testing you."
Yoshiki blinked, and stared at the white cat. She looked slowly from
her daughter to the cat, and regaining a small bit of her usual
composure, said, "You two..." she winced momentarily at the
implication... "are going to have a *lot* of explaining to do when
you come back."
Minako gulped, and nodded. Artemis chuckled. "Now I know how Luna
felt," he said.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Minako asked.
Artemis sweated nervously. "Ah, heh heh...you'll find out at the
Senshi meeting," he offered lamely.
Daisuke: 'S gonna be one *hell* of a meeting. They're all bringing parents
this time.
Iyashiko noticed that her daughter seemed rather subdued today.
"Ami-chan? Is something wrong?"
Hiroshi: Well, Mom. I'm waiting for a poorly dressed Anti-Senshi to show
up and get his or her ass kicked and run away after wounding me lightly in
a designated good guy area.
Daisuke: Oh.
Ami looked up, and smiled sadly at her mother, shaking her head.
"Nothing to worry about, Okaasan. I just...just have a lot on my
mind," she said.
The doorbell rang, and Ami moved to answer it. On the porch stood a
young boy, perhaps ten or so. He had pale blue hair, and ice-blue
eyes, and was wearing a blue school uniform. He shuffled nervously,
face cast down. Tears streamed from his cheeks.
Ami blinked, and crouched down to face him. "Is something wrong,
little boy?" she asked.
He nodded. "'m lost," he said, sniffling.
Hiroshi: *This* is Sailor Mercury's antithesis?
Daisuke: Kinda pathetic.
Hiroshi: *Gotta* be in disguise!
Daisuke: Another thousand say's he's dinky *and* really powerful.
Hiroshi: Your on!
Ami smiled gently at him. "Why don't you come inside, and sit down.
We'll try to figure out where you live, okay?"
He looked up, and smiled at her. "Thanks."
"Ami-chan? What is it?"
"A little boy, who seems to be lost," Ami said. Her mother nodded.
"Would you like some tea?" the doctor said kindly to the boy. He
smiled.
"Why don't you take him into the kitchen, Okaasan," Ami said. "I
need to make a quick phone call, then we'll see about finding out who
this little boy belongs to." Ami's mother nodded, and took the child
with her into the kitchen.
Ami picked up the phone, and dialed the number for Hikawa Shrine.
/Moshi-moshi, Hikawa Shrine, Hino Rei speaking,/ Rei's voice chirped
>from the handset.
"Rei, it's Ami. I'm going to be just a little late for the meeting.
This little boy who's lost just showed up at our house, and we're
going to try to get him home to his folks."
/Alright, Ami. We'll wait for you./
Hiroshi: And whatever you do, *don't* let your mom find out you're a
Senshi. Usagi and Mina already blew it.
"Thanks." Ami hung up, and headed for the kitchen.
"So, what's your name, little boy?" Iyashiko asked. The boy didn't
respond. *Must be shy,* she reasoned. She poured a cup of tea, and
turned to face the little boy, smiling.
Her smile fell as she saw the mischevious look on his face. He drew
his hands from behind his back...and was now holding a small blue
gun.
"Now, what on earth are you doing with *that*?" the doctor asked,
trying to hide her sense of confusion and shock. She hoped that thing
was a toy. She took a step closer.
The boy smiled evilly, and took aim at the teacup, squeezing the
trigger. A stream of water shot from the gun. Ami's mother breathed a
sigh of relief...
...which turned to a gasp of fright as the teacup in her hands
became suddenly *very* cold, and was covered with ice crystals. She
dropped it, and it shattered on the floor, spraying fragments of
frozen ceramic and tea everywhere.
Hiroshi: Does a watergun filled with liquid nitrogen count as a disguise?
Daisuke: Nope.
Ami dashed in. "Okaasan? Are you okay...?"
"Ami, get back! This kid's not normal!"
Ami looked at the boy, who turned and leveled a disturbing gaze at
her. "Mizuno Ami," he said slowly. "How would you like to see your
precious mother turned to a living ice sculpture?" Grinning evilly,
he said, "How about you? Would you like to be frozen?" He took aim at
her with the gun, and fired. Seeing water stream from the gun, she
held up her left hand to block it. Big mistake, as her left arm froze
over from the elbow down. Iyashiko screamed.
Ami, for her part, remained calm. Furrowing her brow slightly, she
reached behind her, and produced a small plastic case with an odd
symbol on it. She opened the case, and held the object over her arm.
A series of beeps issued from the device. Her eyes widened.
"Completely frozen solid...it's as if liquid nitrogen struck me," she
Hiroshi: You need a computer to tell you this?
mused. She scowled at the boy, replacing her pocket computer in
subspace. "Who or what are you?" she asked the boy.
"A welcome wagon," he sneered, taking aim again. Iyashiko screamed
as a stream of the vile coolant spewed forth...
...but it never struck. Ami had retreived another object from behind
her. "MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!" she called. The frigid stream
was deflected by the pure waters of Ami's transformation. The ice
encasing her left arm thawed, and Sailor Mercury shook the numb
appendage, flexing her gloved fingers. Iyashiko blinked. "Ami-chan?"
she asked. "What...?"
Daisuke: Ouch! That's gotta tingle...
Mercury smiled gently at her mother. "You might want to get down,
Okaasan." Glaring at the boy, she said, "Things are about to get...a
little messy."
The blue-haired boy smirked, and took aim again. Mercury dropped to
the ground in a roll, the wall freezing over where her head had been
only a second ago. She rolled towards the boy, and snaked out one
blue-booted foot, knocking him to the ground. Springing back to her
feet, Mercury called, "SHABON SPRAY!" A thick fog permeated the
kitchen. The boy gagged on the mist. "Dammit!" he cursed. "I can't
aim in this mess!"
"That was the point," Mercury said from directly above him. The ice
gun was kicked from his grasp...and shattered on the floor.
"Bitch!" he screamed. "That was my favorite freeze gun!"
Daisuke: INFIDEL! You dare profrane the holy one?!?!?!
"Too bad," Mercury said. "Let me show you the real way to put
someone on ice. SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" Mercury's attack struck the boy
full-force, and he became a short pillar of ice. Muffled by the frost
Daisuke: She shoots... (stands, makes a 'touchdown' sign) SHE SCORES!!!
encasing him, he ground out, "Okay, okay, I get the point. I'm going.
But I'll be back. Watch out next time!" The ice pillar shattered in a
flash of blue light. There was no trace of the boy. An upside-down
Mercury sigil, composed of crystal-blue water, hung ominously in the
air, marking his passage, before sagging to the floor in a wet wave.
The water turned to steam on contact with the ground.
Hiroshi: *grumble* *grumble* *grumble* *grumble*
Daisuke: I'll have my thousand yen back, thank you very much.
Hiroshi: Poor winner...
Mercury powered down, and her mother staggered numbly over to her.
"Ami-chan..."
Ami hugged her mother. "Are you alright?"
Iyashiko nodded. "Y...yes, but...I have to admit, I'm a bit
shocked..."
Ami smiled gently at her. "I understand. I'm sorry to have had to
keep this from you for so long..." she frowned. "This isn't good...I
hope the others aren't too upset. I couldn't help it, though. I had
to do something to stop that horrible boy..."
Iyashiko hugged her daughter. "I'm proud of you," she said.
Returning the hug, Ami said, "I have to go now, Okaasan. There's an
important meeting..."
The doctor nodded. "I understand. Be careful."
Ami left, and Iyashiko sighed. "My daughter, a Sailor Senshi. Why am
I somehow not terribly surprised?" Looking around, she sighed, and
began cleaning up the mess left by her daughter's battle.
Hiroshi: Get used to that, 'cause from now on out...
Daisuke: Hiro...
Hiroshi: Did I cast aspersions on your goddess, Dai? Hmm... I didn't once
imply that she was a-- *crack* *rip* *snap* *crackle* *pop*.
Daisuke: That was for next time.
Rei swept the shrine's porch, watching for any trace of her friends.
She was relieved that today was a slow day in terms of visitors to
the shrine.
Hiroshi: Oooh! Goody! Now we get to see Rei exposed before Yuuichiro and
her Grandfather!
Daisuke: Pervert.
Hiroshi: I didn't mean it that way... Still, with the transformation
sequences... You know, this *could* be a verrry ecchi fic, if it went
the wrong way here.
Daisuke: That's a bad thing?
No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, than a businesswoman,
perhaps in her mid-twenties, made her way up the shrine steps. Her
dark purple hair hung halfway down her back, and her purple eyes were
sharp and intense. She wore a stylish red business suit. Something
about this woman set Rei on edge. "May I help you?" she asked.
The woman nodded. "I'd like to speak to the old priest that lives
here, if I may," she said.
Rei frowned. "I don't know...he's in meditation right now..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Rei!" piped up an elderly voice from behind
her. Grandpa Hino showed up, and bowed formally to the businesswoman.
"Come in, come in!" he said. "Rei, be a dear and fetch some tea for
our guest, alright?"
Rei scowled. "Sure, fine," she said. *Can't he sense that
something's not right about her?*
Hiroshi: Oh, he knows alright. Ever since he bugged your room, though, he
knows he can count on Sailor Mars to save his butt.
"Oh, that's alright, I just had some tea," the woman said smoothly.
"Might we speak in the courtyard?"
Grandpa blinked, but shrugged. "Sure, I suppose." He led the way out
to the courtyard in the rear of the shrine.
"Something's very wrong here," Rei murmured to herself. She decided
to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"So, what's on your mind, madam?" Grandpa asked. He noticed Rei
emerging from the shrine, pretending to sweep the back porch. He
frowned slightly.
"Oh, nothing much," the woman said, smiling. "I'm actually just
wondering...do you like fire?"
The old man nodded. "I suppose you could say that. We do fire
readings right here at the shrine," he said.
The red-suited woman nodded, and her smile suddenly turned nasty.
"I'm glad you like fire," she said. "I like fire too." She reached
into her pocket, and pulled out a short red rod. She pressed a stud
on it, and it extended into a meter-and-a-half-long quarterstaff.
"What the--?" Grandpa asked.
Rei scowled, and ran towards the woman, bringing her broom up to
knock away the staff. As she approached, the purple-haired woman's
staff began to spark, and suddenly was wreathed in bright flames. Rei
blinked.
The woman laughed darkly. "We're going to have some hot fun now,
folks," she said.
Hiroshi: Pyro!
Daisuke: Fire! Fire! Fire! Heh heh heh
Hiroshi: My turn!
Daisuke: *punch* *slam* *mangle*
Yuuichirou emerged from a storage shed at the back of the shrine,
and took stock of what was happening. "Rei, gramps! Get outta there!"
he yelled, rushing the woman from behind. She turned around, and
whacked him with the staff. He jumped out of the way just in time,
receiving a light burn to his robes, but no other damage.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Rei demanded.
The woman just laughed, and raised her staff over her head, spinning
it. Flames leapt from the staff, forming a blazing ring around the
four people, only four meters in diameter.
Grandpa's eyes widened as he saw the ring of fire. "This woman must
be a demon!" He whipped a ward from his robes, and began chanting.
"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen!" The ward became
stiff, as he looked up at the woman. "Akuryou Taisan!" He tried to
pin her with the ward, but she struck it with her staff, and it
burned to ashes. "AAHHHH!!" Grandpa yelled, sucking on his scorched
fingers. The fire woman laughed cruelly.
Rei scowled. "I don't know who you are, but you've picked the wrong
shrine to mess with!" *Don't like doing this, but I've got no
choice...*
"Rei, what are you saying? She's too dangerous! You'll get killed!"
Rei shook her head, and smirked. "It's time to fight fire with
fire," she said.
"Then give me your best," the woman taunted.
Rei reached into her subspace pocket and pulled out her henshin rod.
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER MAKE-UP!" she cried. In a flash of fire, Rei
transformed into Sailor Mars.
"Wha--wha---WHAAA!?" Grandpa yammered, staring in shock at the
sailor-suited girl now standing where his granddaughter had been only
seconds ago. "Rei--?"
Sailor Mars nodded. "Alright you," she said. "You've attacked this
shrine, and my grandfather..."
"And me!" Yuuichirou cried, the first to recover from his shock at
Rei's transformation.
Hiroshi: Mostly because he had been fantasizing about it for months now...
Daisuke: Pervert.
Mars sighed. "And him," she said. "So get ready, 'cause now you're
facing Sailor Mars, and in the name of Mars, I'm gonna put out your
fire!"
The woman yawned. "And I thought your leader was supposed to be the
one with the stupid speeches," she said.
Mars developed a sweatdrop, then scowled. "Now! MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
A flaming bow and arrow appeared in her hands. She released the fiery
projectile at her opponent.
The woman tried to block with her staff, and managed to deflect the
arrow...but her staff was knocked from her grasp. "Impossible!" she
yelled.
Hiroshi: Ya' know. For badguys, these people are getting trashed pretty
easily. When the Senshi recieve their obligatory powerup, that'll pretty
much be the end of the show, unless they bring us in some better cannon
fodder.
Daisuke: Heard that...
"Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned," Mars said. "BURNING
Daisuke: And winning this year's 'Best Use of Cliche in a Fanfic'...
MANDALA!" A ring of fiery orbs surrounded Sailor Mars. The orbs
became rings of fire as she gathered them, and launched them at the
red-suited woman. Trying to block the attack, the woman was knocked
backwards into the wall of flames. She screamed out in pain.
"Curse you! You haven't seen the last of me!" she roared. The ring
of flames surrounding the group vanished. The sigil of Mars, wreathed
in dark flame, hung upside-down in the air for a moment, before
dropping to the ground, where it exploded in a bright fireball.
Mars reversed her transformation, and looked around. Amazingly, the
flames had done no actual damage to the shrine's grounds. She noticed
a short red rod lying on the ground nearby, and moved to retrieve it.
Meanwhile, Grandpa finally quit yammering, and stared at his
granddaughter. "Rei! How could you keep something like this a secret
>from me, your own grandfather!"
Rei sighed. "I didn't have much choice, Grandpa," she said wearily.
"Do you realize what this means?" Grandpa Hino went on. "I used to
think Mars was the sexy one!" he cried. "Now I find out that it was
my own granddaughter...!" he began wailing.
Hiroshi: Like that ever mattered before...
Daisuke: (starts to pound, but changes his mind.) For once, I agree with
you.
Rei scowled, and booted the old man into orbit. "You old hentai!"
she roared, blushing furiously. Yuuichirou wisely decided to make
himself scarce.
Hiroshi: With my high heels, I will punish you!
Daisuke: Why you... wait a second... (pulls out a dog eared manga)
Hiroshi: That's right! Straight from the Manga!
"Well now," the dark man chuckled. "Here you are, all alone, nobody
to hear your screams of suffering as I slowly torture you to death."
Hiroshi: Boy, this guy's a fast worker, isn't he?
Daisuke: And meanwhile, Kenji's at work, bragging on his kids. "Yeah,
Shingo just got an 89 in sceince, and Usagi's actually Sailor Suited
warrior for love and justice, Sailor Moon. I wonder what Ikuko's up to?
Ikuko had been doing laundry, when suddenly this dark-skinned man in
a black suit appeared right in her living room, and had knocked her
on her rear with a dark energy blast. Now he was standing over her,
ranting like a madman...as he had been for a good twenty minutes.
"Oh, shut up," she said.
"I suppose you're going to make me?" he taunted.
Ikuko glared at him. "You," she said calmly, "have picked the
*wrong* family to mess with."
His face registered surprise for an instant, before he chuckled
evilly. "I see," he said. "So you already know the truth about your
daughter."
Now it was Ikuko's turn to be surprised, but she quickly covered it
with a scowl. "That's right," she said. "And you're going to regret
crossing her."
He laughed maniacally. "Dear, stupid woman," he said, leaning into
her face. "I don't regret crossing Sailor Moon. It's what I came here
to do."
Unseen by either, a black cat quietly ran upstairs, and jumped from
one of the bedroom windows.
Usagi and Shingo were walking together, having come from generally
the same direction. "So, how's school going?" Usagi asked her
brother.
He shrugged. "It's okay."
Usagi nudged him playfully in the ribs. "Going steady with Mika
yet?"
He blushed. "Cut that out!" Usagi giggled.
Suddenly, a familiar black cat dashed up the sidewalk towards them,
looking around frantically. "Hey, Usagi, isn't that your cat?" Shingo
asked.
Usagi blinked, and nodded. "Luna?"
Luna looked around for several seconds, sweating. *Should I...?* She
berated herself. *Ikuko's in danger! I can't afford not to!* Making
sure the area was clear of anyone besides the Tsukino siblings, Luna
quietly said, "Usagi...your mother's in danger!"
Shingo's eyes widened as he stared at the black cat. "Wh--what the
hell!?"
Daisuke: Don't worry. We'll brainwash you later.
Usagi frowned. "What's going on, Luna?"
"There's a man, at the house...he's got your mother trapped in
there. He knows your secret, and he claims to be looking to fight
you!"
Shingo recovered from his shock at that last, and frowned. "Who in
their right mind would want to fight Usagi? It's not like she's a
martial artist or anything."
Usagi shook her head, and sighed. "It's not Tsukino Usagi he's
looking to fight," she said wearily. She looked around, and spotted
an alley between two buildings. "Guess I'd better change *before* I
get there," she said.
Luna nodded. "It might not be a bad idea."
"Change? What're you talkin' about?" Shingo said. Something about
this whole situation was making him nervous...and it wasn't the
talking cat, *or* the thought of his mother in danger.
Hiroshi: No, neither of those should make him nervous at alllll...
Usagi didn't answer, instead dashing for the alleyway. "MOON ETERNAL
MAKE-UP!" her voice rang out.
Shingo's eyes widened. "What in the--?"
A dazzling light show erupted from the narrow alleyway. When it
finished, Eternal Sailormoon dashed out of the alley, running at top
speed towards the Tsukino residence.
Shingo's jaw dropped. "S--sailor Moon..."
Luna nudged him in the ankle. "Stop standing there gawking and come
on! This affects you too!" With that, she tore off after Sailor Moon,
as fast as her paws could carry her.
Shingo's brain fuzzily registered that last comment, and he snapped
himself out of his shock. "H--hey! Wait up!" He dashed after them.
Daisuke: Can I be Tuxedo Shingo?
Ikuko sweated nervously at the black ball of energy the man was
holding nonchalantly in one hand. "Now then," he said, "Should I wait
for your daughter, or should I go ahead and use this on you?"
"You shouldn't bully those without the power to fight back," an
angry voice called from behind him. He turned.
Ikuko heaved a sigh of relief. "Usagi," she said softly. "Thank
kami-sama..."
Sailor Moon blinked, then shook her head, deciding it could wait
until later. "You," she said ominously to the dark man, "have about
five seconds to live."
He chuckled. "My my my...what ever happened to 'Tsuki ni kawatte,
oshioki yo'?" he jeered.
Sailor Moon shook her head. "Trash that invades someone's home and
attacks them for no good reason doesn't deserve one of my usual
speeches."
Hiroshi: After five seasons, Sailor Moon finally gets down to business!
Daisukue: 'Bout bloody damn time.
He laughed. "I like your attitude, Sailor Moon. And here I thought
you'd be the sissy, whiny brat I've heard about..."
Sailor Moon scowled. "I'll show you a sissy, whiny brat!" she
yelled, summoning the Eternal Tier.
Shingo and Luna ran into the house, right behind Sailor Moon. The
man in the black suit lobbed his dark blast over their heads, and it
formed a barrier of blackness in the doorway. Shingo 'eeped' and dove
to the side, landing in the corner. The dark man laughed.
"Alright then, Sailor Moon," he sneered. He reached into his jacket,
and pulled out a long, deadly-looking black katana. "Let's see what
you've got."
Ikuko, seeing the man was too busy fighting Sailor Moon to notice
her, scrambled around to the corner where Shingo and Luna sat,
watching the spectacle. Shingo seemed to be in shock.
"Shingo," Ikuko said. He blinked, and looked over at her.
"Mom! What--?"
Hiroshi: We're all superheroes, son. You're just our bait to lure in bad
guys.
"I'll explain it all later," she said.
With the members of her family out of harm's way, Sailor Moon
tightened her grip on the Tier. "No time for playing around," she
said. "SILVER MOON CRYSTAL KISS!"
The dark man's katana blurred into motion, and actually managed to
absorb a good portion of Sailor Moon's attack energy. However, what
got through still had an obvious effect on him. His mirrored shades
were knocked from his eyes, revealing one to be a shining, blank
silver orb, and the other to be a dark, black featureless orb. He
Daisuke: He's a labrador with a cataract...
staggered slightly, using his katana to support himself.
Hiroshi: Glasses.... can't... be... seen... without my... glasses...
"Very...impressive, Sailor Moon," he grunted. "I'll admit, I wasn't
expecting you to be this powerful." He glared at her with those
disturbing eyes. "I'll be seeing you around," he said. With that, he
Hiroshi: Wussy! Come back and fight like a real Anti-Senshi. At least ice
boy stuck around long enough to get frozen.
disappeared in a crescent-shaped flash of light. Immediately after he
vanished, a disc of blackness slid in front of the crescent, hiding
it from view. After a moment, the shadow disappeared, leaving no
trace of the man's passage. The barrier of darkness fell from the
doorway.
Daisuke: Ohhh, eclipse of the moon. I get it now!
Hiroshi: Do you get the naming trick, yet?
Daisuke: Nope.
The living room was in shambles. Ikuko stood, and closed the front
door. Looking around at the mess, she sighed. "Usagi...thank you,"
she said. "That man was insane."
Sailor Moon whirled, and faced her mother. "Mom...you...you
know...?"
Ikuko nodded. "I found out last night," she said, telling Sailor
Moon about what she'd witnessed.
Sailor Moon nodded, and reversed her transformation. Shingo's eyes
widened. "Usagi...you're...you're really Sailor Moon?" he said
softly.
Hiroshi: What show have *you* been watching for the last half hour?
Usagi nodded, smiling wearily. "That's right, Shingo," she said.
Shingo grinned. "COOL!" he said.
Ikuko turned to him seriously. "Now, young man...you do realize that
nobody outside of the family and the other Sailor Senshi should be
hearing about any of this, right?"
Shingo nodded. "Yeah, Mom," he said. He grinned. "But this is still
way cool! And here I thought Usagi was just a whiny, klutzy, annoying
older sister."
"Hey! I'm *still* a whiny, klutzy, annoying....WAIT A MINUTE!" Usagi
fumed. Ikuko and Shingo laughed. "Ooooh, you little..."
Daisuke: D'OH!
Luna cleared her throat. "Usagi? The meeting."
Usagi blinked. "Oh yeah! Mom, Shingo, I gotta run. Let's go, Luna!"
The two ran out the door.
Ikuko sighed. "Pluto was right," she said. "Kami-sama...what else is
going to happen to us?"
Hiroshi: You're going to get your energy drained over and over again, just
like the last five seasons.
Five exhausted girls and two weary cats gathered at the Hikawa
Shrine.
Daisuke: The most pointless Senshi meeting ever.
"Oh man...you'll never guess what happened to me today," Makoto
said.
"Couldn't be as bad as what I went through," Minako said.
"Heh, you don't *want* to know what kind of day I had," Rei said.
"I was frozen today," Ami commented. Everyone stared at her.
Usagi shook her head. "Something weird's going on." She looked up at
everyone. "Minna...I have something important to tell you. My...my
mom...actually, my whole family....sortafoundoutI'mSailorMoon," she
mumbled.
Everyone stared at her.
"Happened to you too?" Minako said.
Ami blinked. "You mean both of you--?"
Rei's eyes widened. "Wait...that happened to *all* of us today?"
The five girls looked around at each other. Makoto smirked.
The door slid open, and Grandpa Hino walked in with a tray of tea.
"Hello Rei, hello girls!" He smiled cheerfully. Yuuichirou was right
behind him. "You girls should've seen Rei-chan today! She was
amazing!"
"Grandpa!" Rei hissed.
"Oh, hush, Rei! What's the big deal? I figured it out you know," he
said conspiratorially. "We were wondering what you five girls kept
talking about in here...now we know!" he said. Looking around, he
Daisuke: And it had absolutely nothing to do with the listening bugs or
the long range microphone, either.
said, "You're all Sailor Senshi, aintcha?"
The girls blinked. He smiled. "Hey, I won't tell anyone. You're more
than welcome to use this shrine to meet, or train, or whatever it is
you girls do." He grinned.
"Grandpa," Rei said, "Don't get nosy, alright? You don't want to
make me angry..." she finished, summoning her henshin rod.
The old priest's eyes widened. "I, uh...I think I'll go
uh...meditate. Come on, Yuuichirou!" he said, dragging the young man
out into the courtyard with him.
Rei replaced her henshin rod in her subspace pocket. "Mouuu..."
Ami frowned. "We seem to have a bit of a problem," she said.
Minako shrugged. "I don't see it that way. If anything, this makes
our job easier...our folks knowing the truth."
Makoto sighed.
Usagi cleared her throat. "I don't think we need to worry about our
secrets being out," she said. "I think we have bigger problems...like
the guy I just fought," she finished, growling slightly.
Everyone blinked.
"Usagi...?"
"Being serious?"
"About Senshi business?"
"The world must be ending," Rei muttered.
Everyone except Usagi laughed. Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei,
who reciprocated.
Luna and Artemis grew sweatdrops. "Some things will never change,"
Luna sighed.
Artemis nodded.
Daisuke: Rolll credits!
Hiroshi: And cut film!
Daisuke: Well, that wraps up this weeks episode of Hiroshi and Daisuke on
Fics. Next week we'll be reviewing Akane Goodall's 'Otaku in the Mist'
about a lonely anthropologist studying the primatives that gather in Tokyo
manga shops.
Hiroshi: Goodnight Everybody!
Daisuke: You know, Hiro. I've always wonde@>>>@!@#$!#@!(*(@)#NO CARRIER
* * *
Chris Jones, Rodent without a cause - hamster@arn.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ranma 1/2 Gallery - http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/6413
Rodents of the world, unite! Throw off your cages and rise up against
your oppressors. Squeak as ye have never sqeaked before!