THE FLASH POINT
(The lights come up on the theater but J.Bison is alone.)

Bison: What happened to the other guys?
Voice: They had a previous engaement to take care of.
Bison: So you finally got off your butt and wrote more of their story?

Voice:(Grumble) Hey, I'm trapped in a Sailor Moon reality, it kind of 
makes writting a bit difficult.  Any who, you're partner is...

(The one who enters the theater is a male Reploid who wears red armor 
with green orbs on his chest.  He has a large Z-Saber attached to his 
back and a long blond pony tail hanging out the back of his helmet.  
He is ZERO.)

Zero:(Excited) Let's go!
Bison: So, do I have to fill him in on the previous chapters?
Voice: I'll do it.

(Insert standard explination followed by extreme outrage.)
_________________________

                              Mama's Hand
                                   By
                              Douglas Helm

                           Edited/Co-Plotted
                                   By
                        "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl
                               Rated : R

Part VIII - Mommy's Reflection

[Bison: ...Looks so good in that new mirror.]

As the days passed towards another weekend, Chibi-Usa became more 
comfortable with the idea of Usagi going to school. Each day after 
school, Usagi would come home and then take Chibi-Usa over to Ami's 
house. Although why her mother kept muttering to herself, Chibi-Usa 
didn't know. She liked Ami who always seemed to have something new to 
talk about. They kept up with Kanji but mostly for Usagi. Chibi-Usa 
got help with her spelling, math, and reading.

Also between the high amount of fiber her grandmother was feeding her 
and the continually diminishing amount of stress in her young life, 
Chibi-Usa was starting to feel a whole lot happier.

[Both: O_o
Zero: Eeeewwww.]

At bedtime on Friday evening, Chibi-Usa was dozing while laying on 
her stomach. <Cold,> Chibi-Usa thought as she dimly felt Usagi apply 
some of the salve to her bum. The welts didn't hurt so much now; it 
was more like an itching sensation. After the medicine was applied, 
her mother gave her a back rub and she really liked that.

[Both: Awwwww.]

After a few moments Usagi said, "Okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, I'm done." At 
that cue, Chibi-Usa lifted her hips slightly so her underpants could 
be slid back up. Once they were settled, she lowered herself again. 
"Want me to rub your back?" Chibi-Usa nodded slightly; she was almost 
asleep. "Okay," came Usagi's voice as if from a distance.

She felt her mother's hands tenderly work their way up, relaxing her. 
Chibi-Usa gave a sigh of contentment. She felt warm and safe and as 
Usagi worked her way back down again Chibi-Usa slipped from the real 
world into the dream one, she mumbled out, "Daddy, please love me."

[(Zero grits his teeth, growls, stands and draws his Z-Saber.)
Bison:(Handing a piece of paper to Zero) Here.
Zero: What's this?
Bison: A number.
Zero: 2,347?
Voice: Now serving: #6.]

"Konnichiwa Aino-san," Chibi-Usa finally managed to get out, "You 
look like Mommy."

"Oh she's so kawaii!!!" Minako gushed to Usagi, "She just looks like 
you. Come inside." Then turning, Mina bounced with a large amount of 
energy into her house.

[Zero: Is it just me... or is this girl very SCARY?
Bison: It isn't you.]

<She's weird,> Chibi-Usa thought as they followed Minako into the 
house, <Not like Ami.> Stopping, she looked at the white cat that was 
staring at Luna. "Hi kitty," she called, "What's your name?"

"His name is Artemis," Luna answered, "Don't mind him. He's slow on 
the uptake sometimes."

[Both:<Snicker>]

"Watch it, Luna!" Artemis retorted, "So when did you become a living 
hat?" Luna, who was nestled between Chibi-Usa's odangos, declined to 
answer and instead simply hopped off the little girl's head.

[Zero: Diana?
Bison: YOU watch Sailor Moon?
Zero:(Draws Z-Saber) You got a problem with that?!
Bison:(Meakly) No.]

"Oh you two stop," Minako admonished playfully. She noted that Chibi-
Usa was looking worriedly at Artemis, "Oh don't mind him, Pumpkin, 
Artemis and Luna are in love."

"Oh," Chibi-Usa said, "That's why they fight."

"Nani?!?" Minako asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well Daddy says that he loves Mommy but Daddy and Mommy fight all 
the time," Chibi-Usa said. <They fight over me too.> Unconsciously, 
she sniffled.

[(Both growl and Bison readies his Psycho Power as Zero upgrades his 
Z-Saber.)
Voice: Now serving: #7.]

<This was a bad idea,> Usagi thought as soon as they walked into 
Minako's room, <I forgot that Minako has a thing for stuffed animals.

Sure Usagi had her own collection of stuffed bunnies but it was 

small, in fact tiny, compared to Minako's collection. Ninety-eight 
percent of the room's surface area was covered with some type of 
stuffed animal. It ranged from the giant red hippo chair to a family 
of stuffed toy mice that were sitting on Minako's neglected homework.


[(Zero drops his Z-Saber and J.Bisons Psycho Power falters as they 
shudder at the scene of intense cuteness before them.)]

"Here you go, Chibi-Usa-chan. You look like you could use a friend," 
Minako said and shoved an overly large stuffed bunny into the child's 
arms. Chibi-Usa's reaction confused Minako. The little girl acted as 
if holding the toy was painful. However, she didn't drop it, instead 
Chibi-Usa stiffened while taking on an expression similar to one that 
deer get when caught in the glare of oncoming headlights. "Don't you 
like it?" Minako asked taking on a hurt expression. This just caused 
Chibi-Usa more stress and she gave a small whimper.

<Mina no baka!> Usagi thought. Crouching down, Usagi looked at Chibi-
Usa and said, "It's okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, Minako didn't know." She 
then slowly took the toy. Chibi-Usa immediately took on a relieved 
expression but looked worriedly towards Minako who was looking 
extremely confused. "Minako-chan, Chibi-Usa's Daddy doesn't let her 
have toys. You wouldn't want to get her in trouble with him, would 
you?" Usagi said while handing the toy back to Minako.

"No, I wouldn't want that," Minako said after a brief pause, "Gomen, 
Chibi-Usa-chan."

[(Several sparks eminate from Zero.)
Bison: What the...
Zero:(Montione) Program malfunction.  DISMEMBERMENT MODE!
Voice: Oh, you're not fooling anyone.  Now serving: #9.
Zero:(Pouting) Rats.]

"Bye Minako-chan," Chibi-Usa waved, "Arigato!" <I like Minako. She's 
like Mommy but different.> She and Usagi had endured Minako's "sing 
along" with good grace before the three girls found something all 
found entertaining. <I wonder if Mommy has anymore friends like that..
. Minako looks like Mommy too.> As they walked towards the Tsukino 
home, Chibi-Usa asked, "Mommy, is Minako your sister?"

[Zero: Depends.
Bison: "Depends"?
Zero: Depends on who's writting the fic.]

Usagi glanced down and gave Chibi-Usa a smile, "No, but some people 
think we are. It's silly really. Me and Minako are just friends. Did 
you have a good time at Minako's?"

"Hai, arigato," Chibi-Usa said.

<Arigato Minako, you made her happy and I like that. She took meeting 
you better than Ami but I'm not sure meeting Makoto will go over so 
well. I'll have to think of something special for that.>

[Zero: She's probably dreading the meeting with Rei.
Bison: You really think it'll be that bad?
Zero: It might start out okay, but one little slip and it's firebrand 
city.]

Once they were within the Tsukino home, Usagi said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, 
would it be okay if I went out for a little while?" <I gotta meet 
Mamoru. I haven't seen him in such a long time and he sounded really 
lonely.>

[Bison: What could have happened that changed kind Mamoru to that 
vicious Endymion?
Zero: The Sygma Virus?
Bison: He's not a Reploid.
Zero: D'oh!]

High above Tokyo, a crystalline ship floated and inside Rubeus was 
plotting. "Cooan!" he summoned to the youngest of his traveling 
companions, "Come here!"

Cooan walked out of one of the many mirrors that surrounded Rubeus 
and said, "Hai Rubeus-sama?"

"I have a mission for you. His Majesty has ordered me to capture his 
daughter. First though, we must deal with these supposed Sailor 
Senshi. >From what His Majesty has told me, they're fourteen."

[Zero: So?  I'm four.
Bison: What's with the ">"?]

"Endymion-sama told me that the Sailor Senshi are closest to the 
Juuban District. We are to start our operations there and move 
outwards. My observations indicate that there is a popular arcade in 
the Juuban District. Start there, go and crush it and all that are 
inside. That should draw the Senshi out."

[Zero: Jeez... much more vicious Rubeus here.
Bison:(Psycho Power growing) All... to... draw.. the Senshi OUT?!  
That... MONSTER!  I hope you have to EAT the Moon Scepter!]

"As you command, Rubeus-sama." Cooan turned to leave but Rubeus' 
voice drew her up short.

"Cooan, you are NOT to harm the girl they refer to as Sailor Moon. 
That is a direct order from Endymion himself. You hurt her and you 
will be explaining it to His Majesty in person." Cooan paled slightly 
but nodded her understanding before disappearing through one of the 
mirrors again. <Soon Rabbit, the fox will find you and he might play 
a little before handing you over,> Rubeus thought and started to 
laugh. This was going to be excellent sport.

[Both: Growl, snort, snarl, ect.]

"Oh... lost again," Usagi pouted as she started at the "Game Over" 
screen for the "Sailor V" video game.

[Both: Huh?
Zero: I thought that she was going to meet Mamoru.
Bison: An indication that it was the next day or something would have 
been nice.]

Motoki's eyes enlarged. "But Usagi," Motoki protested, "You spent 
almost one thousand yen on tokens. Are you saying that you put them 
all into that one machine?!?" Usagi nodded. "And you still lost???" 
His voice was now incredulous.

[Voice: Heh.  Reminds me of how my cousin and I once did the same 
thing on the original Double Dragon game once.  We must have spent 
over thirty bucks in tokens, but we finally beat it.
Zero: Aren't you supposed to be counting numbers?
Bison: We're getting tired of waiting.
Voice:(Coughs) Now serving: #15.]

<I guess I should get home,> Usagi thought, <Dumb game! I lost all my 
allowance.> Her self-pity was interrupted by a voice yelling. Turning 
to see what was happening, her eyes enlarged and her mouth swung open 
in surprise.

"SENSHI!!! COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" the heavily armored 
figured called. Hefting a car like a dumbbell, it tossed it into the 
arcade that Usagi had just left. As the car flew towards and then 
impacted the arcade, Usagi could hear screaming, first of fear and 
then of pain as the window in front shattered sending deadly 
projectiles in all directions.

[Both: Ouch.]

<NO!!!> Usagi desperately thought and then commanding her legs to run,
 she scurried down the street looking for a place where she could 
transform. Behind her, she heard and explosion and then the monster 
called out again. <Where did it come from?!? And why's it looking for 
us?!? They never look for us!>

As she watched her Droid cause havoc, Cooan smiled. She would not 
fail Rubeus and he would reward her. <Yes, come out my pretty little 
Sailors. And if I'm lucky, you'll have the Rabbit with you.> "Tumble, 
get that one!" Cooan shouted spotting a figure running down the 
street.

"Hai Cooan-sama!" Tumble cried out. Snaring a lamppost, she turned 
and, aiming at the fleeing figure, flung it like a javelin. "When the 
weak run, the tough get after them!" Tumble shouted and raised her 
spiked arms high above her head in triumph as her makeshift javelin 
found its target.

To Tsukino Usagi, seeing a girl of her own age being flung down the 
street by a flying lamppost was a little too much to take. Grabbing 
at her communicator, she frantically pushed the call buttons and then 
started to jabber away as if her life depended on it.

[Bison: Actually, her life DOES depend on it!
Zero: As a Maverick Hunter, I know that back up is a VERY good idea 
in this kind of situation.]

"What is that thing?!?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"I don't know!!!" Sailor Moon wailed, "I was coming out of the arcade 
and then all of a sudden, that thing shows up and starts wrecking the 
place while calling for us to come out."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!?" Mars demanded, "There are innocent 
people being hurt. We have to help them!"

[Zero:(Z-Saber activating with a Lightsaber like sound effect) Allow 
me.  I'LL show you how to handle a Maverick.
Bison: But that's not a Maverick.  It's a Droid.
Zero:(Deactivates Z-Saber, blushes, and sits down) Oops.  I forgot.]

"Hai Cooan-sama!" Tumble called and picking up a good sized chunk of 
concrete, flung it at the ledge on which the Sailor Senshi were 
standing. Sailor Moon gave a cry of surprise and leapt away to land 
down the street about twenty feet from the enemy. She needn't have 
worried though as the concrete sailed over her previous position 
easily and, instead, impacted in the middle of the other Senshi.

<Baka Droid!> Cooan thought. Moving to stand beside the droid she 
said, "Tumble Don't hurt the one with the funny hairstyle!" <Rubeus 
is not going to be pleased if she does.>

[Bison: This is going to raise some questions later.
Zero: As well as maybe make Ami more positive of her theory in the 
last chapter.]

After recovering from the shock of having a chunk of concrete tossed 
at her, Sailor Mars ran towards the ledge. "BURNING MANDALA!" Mars 
called from the rooftop firing her attack towards Cooan. The hot 
flaming rings shot forth but passed harmlessly through the space that 
Cooan had been occupying. <Where'd she go?!?> Sailor Mars thought.

"Nice try, child, but you'll have to better than that!" Cooan sneered 
out to Sailor Mars. "Allow me to show you how it's done." With that 
Cooan summoned her ice fire and started her own attack.

[Zero: That's no fire attack.  Now this... RYUENJIN (Zero jumps into 
the air with his Z-Saber encircled by flames and does a Shoryuken 
type manuver)... is how to do a fire attack.
Bison: O_o]

Meanwhile, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus had decided to double team 
the creature. Venus used her "Venus Love-Me Chain" to encircle the 
brute. "Now!" Venus called.

"Right!" Jupiter signaled back, "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!" The 
powerful energy forces which formed the energy dragon swirled for a 
moment before coalescing into a brightly glowing form of a dragon. It 
hovered briefly above the struggling armored figure before shutting 
down and engulfing its target.

"Sailor Moon, get it now!" Sailor Mars called, "Before it can do 
anything!" Turning her attention back to Cooan, Sailor Mars attacked 
once again, "BURNING MANDALA!" The flaming rings shot out and managed 
to singe Cooan.

"You'll pay for that!" Cooan yelled as she quickly squelched the 
flames on her gaudy outfit.

[Bison: No kidding.  I will NEVER insult Dan's fashion sense again 
after seeing THAT outfit.]

"Hai!" Sailor Moon said and, drawing out her Moon Scepter, she called 
upon her attack. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!" And after the giant 
crescent moon had obliterated the creature, Sailor Moon gave a cheer, 
"Dusted!"

"How dare you destroy my Droid!" Cooan shrieked. She was about to 
launch into another attack when a streak of red shot forth. At the 
sound of an impact, Cooan looked down to see a red rose imbedded into 
the road at her feet.

[Zero: Farewell to thee R2-D2.
Bison: Actually, I got an image of C3PO biting it.]

<I shall be back!> Cooan thought angrily, <If I could kill you, 
Sailor Moon, I would... slowly.> "You won that round," Cooan snarled, 
"But this was just a test. Be warned, children, we are out to kill 
you!" With that Cooan flitted out of sight leaving the Sailor Senshi 
to ponder their newest enemy's words.

End of Part VIII

Next set should be out Friday or Saturday.

[Both: We'll be waiting for it.]
________________________________

(Zero and J.Bison relax into their seat.)

Zero:(Looking up) Hey, what number are we up to?
Voice: Now serving: #24

(Both sigh.)

Bison: How big is this line anyway?

(An image on the screen in front of the two of them pops on.  The 
image is of a long line containing: The entire casts of Ranma 1/2, 
Dragon Ball Z & GT, Bubble Gum Crisis, Neon Genisis Evangelion, 
Street Fighter, Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Samurai Showdown, 
Eternal Champions, Mortal Kombat, that spider woman/demon from Wicked 
City, the entire FFML, the entire Revenges End group, Mega Man, X, 
Kamui, Tetsuou, Kanada, Protoman, The Outer Senshi, Crimson, Super 
Powered Task Force Ohranger, Racing Task Force Carranger, Ninja Task 
Force Kakuranger, and Metaldar.  At least, those are the only ones 
who can be identified because the ones behind them are too far away 
to make out clearly.)

Both: O_O
Bison: I guess we really WILL be here for the next chapter.
Zero: No kidding.  Something tells me that line is not going to move 
for a LONG time.
Voice: HEY!  Your time's up Ukyo, let the next person have their turn 
beating his brains in.

The Flashman
(Proud member of The Church Of Tsukino Usagi)

3 Months till I-Con

May The Spirit Preserve You!