All right, another chapter gets done!
As always, Sailor Moon characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma
Half characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just borrowing them,
folks, not selling them.
The making of a strong heart
or
Be it ever so humble...
Chapter 8
In the hallway of Crossroads Junior High School, three girls were standing
side by side, holding buckets.
The first girl was trying to come to terms that she was actually standing
inside a school hallway, and actually holding a bucket of water. This
despite the fact that it wasn't even her own school. Heck, it wasn't even
her own world. But there she was, holding a bucket as if it was a
perfectly ordinary thing to do. The situation would've been quite funny if
she had seen it in some slapstick comedy. In real life, however, she found
it to be very, very depressing. Her anger slowly simmered as she decided to
fall back on an old familiar thought she would take up whenever she wound
up in such bizarre situations: "This is all Ranma's fault."
The second girl was more furious. How dare she be stuck holding buckets
like some lowly human! Worse, she was stuck holding buckets with probably
the worst humans ever to be stuck with. Granted, she only met one of them
an hour ago, but one look was all she needed to know that this human was a
stuck-up, hot-headed show-off. Why, just look at her, holding those
buckets like it was the most easiest thing in the world! Probably showing
off her strength or something, or maybe she's got into trouble enough times
that this *would* be simple to her. And as for the other girl--if it was
just them two, she would've silenced that mouth of hers with a quick energy
drain. Anything to shut that incessant whining! Her anger rising, she
shifted her stance. At this rate, her energy was going fast. If she
didn't do something soon, she was going to pass out right in front of the
she-man and crybaby. Come to think of it, if she remains standing between
them for long, she might do that anyway. Where was Alan when you needed him?
The third girl had only one thought in her mind. "This bucket is SOOOOO
heavy!"
"Will you be quiet?!" Ann hissed. "If you hadn't opened your big mouth, you
wouldn't be standing here in the first place!"
"But I can't stand this!" Serena cried, shifting the bucket of half-filled
water from one hand to the other. "How was I to know Ms. H was in a bad
mood? Is it wrong to say how I feel?"
"Not if it's yelling 'Oh, my God, Akane, I can't believe Ms. H would stoop
so low to make you stand like this!' at the top of your lungs like that."
Akane muttered.
Serena turned to her with wide eyes. "But it's true! You don't even go
here! How can she do this to you?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know," drawled Ann. "God forbid Ms. H to punish anyone,
*especially* bullies who love to pick on people. I think she should let
bygones be bygones and let Little Miss I'll-Tear-You-Limb-From-Limb return
to whatever hole she's spawned from!"
Akane swung to face the pointy-eared girl. "What's with you, anyway?! What
did I ever do to you? Do you have some sort of problem with people speaking
to you?"
Ann drawled. "No, but I do have a problem with your face. I think you
shaved it way too closely this morning."
Akane stared, then lifted her buckets. "How would you like a bucket for a
new head?"
Ann shifted her own grip. "Just try it, sister. Just try!"
"Wait! Please don't fight! Please!" Serena scurried between the two. "You
shouldn't be doing this! Let's just talk-"
Her speech was interrupted by the classroom door blowing open and an
*enraged* Patricia Haruna, pulling off the large head technique quite
nicely, imposed herself directly above the three girls. "DO YOU THREE WANT
TO HOLD THOSE BUCKETS AFTER SCHOOL FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS???"
Three heads vigorously shook back and forth.
"THEN SIIIIIIIIIILENCE!!!!!" the head boomed before vanishing into the
classroom and slamming the door so hard it caused the windows to rattle in
their frames.
There was no arguing after that. None of the three girls even dared to
look at each other, instead choosing to stare straight ahead and willing
their hearts to calm down.
Time passed.
The faint sound of heels swiftly tapping on the floor slowly caught their
attention. They turned to see a young woman coming up the hallway, her face
red from running. She barely tossed a glance at the punished trio, but
after pausing to catch her breath, gently tapped on the classroom door. She
got as far as the third tap before jumping back as the door blew open.
"WHAT THE HE-oh, it's you, Betty."
The woman gulped and tugged nervously on her collar. "Um, I'm sorry to
bother your class, Patricia, but there's a gentleman on the phone who wants
to speak with you. I even brought the cellular out to you, knowing that--."
She squeaked as the phone was snatched from her.
"ROGER! YOU COLD-HEARTED BAS--WHAT?...What?...Really?...Ohhhh, Roger!" In
an instant, the forked-tongue demoness before them switched to a blushing,
giggling woman. Little pink hearts swirled around her. "Yes, I know...Why,
of course I understand!...Three o'clock? Why, that's perfect!...Oh, you're
such a tease!...See you soon!"
Ms. Haruna hung up the phone, then spun in a perfect circle. "Oh, I'm so
*happy*! Thank you Betty!" She swept the bewildered woman up in a hug, then
dashed back into the classroom. Scant seconds later, the hallway exploded
with students eager to vacant the premises before Ms. Haruna changed her
mind. The teacher herself was trying to stuff her books in her bag and
walk at the same time. "Hmm, I have to cancel my last three classes and..."
"Umm, Ms. Haruna?" Serena ventured.
The teacher started and blinked at the three girls still holding buckets in
the hallway. "Goodness! What are you three doing there?"
Serena looked at the other two and said carefully, "Um, you told us to
stand here..."
"I did? Whatever for? Class is canceled. Go home before I decide to give
you homework for the rest of the year." And with that, Ms. Haruna turned
her back on the three and continued down the corridor with the hapless
Betty trailing behind. "And I have to reschedule that hair appointment, and
get the apartment straightened, and -oh-! I have to get a new dress..."
Ann dropped her buckets in relief. "Well, that's that! I don't know about
you losers, but I am getting out of here!"
"Does the teacher act like that all the time?" Akane asked as she and
Serena placed their own buckets down (Serena letting go of hers with a
relieved sigh).
"Oh, yeah. It's nothing new." Molly said as she and Melvin came out of the
classroom. Amy followed behind them. "It's always the same thing, though
sometimes it's with a different guy."
Melvin straightened his glasses with a frown. "I still can't believe she
canceled the math exam just like that! I was ready for that!"
"Ooo, not me," Serena said. "I had completely forgotten about that test!"
Ann snickered. "You'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on, fog for
brains!"
Serena's eyes widened, but it was Akane who growled, "Look, I don't care
what you say about me, but Serena didn't do anything to you, so leave her
alone! No one picks on my friends!" <Wait a minute. What am I doing?! This
is Serena I'm talking about here!>
"Oh, so you're that eager for a fight, huh?" Ann raised her hands and bent
them slightly. With her long fingernails and her feral smile, Akane thought
she looked like a demoness. "Well, I can take you right here. I've been
looking forward to this for a while!"
Before Akane could reply, a male voice sharply interrupted. "ANN! Stop this
right NOW!"
Ann's face went from feral to chagrin in an instant. She lowered her eyes
as a taller boy came to join the group. Akane noticed that he had the same
slanted eyes and delicate features as Ann. "What is this?" He demanded
Ann. "Didn't I speak to you about this before? What were you thinking?"
Ann sullenly drew her toe across the ground. "But, Alan, she started it."
She murmured, her face drawn into a definite pout.
"That doesn't matter. You know the rules!" He glared at Ann a little
longer, then looked at Akane, his eyes narrowing. "Now, what is going on?"
Akane found herself staring into those almond eyes and swallowed nervously.
"Umm, she was picking on Serena, and I was telling her to stop." She willed
herself to get angry again. "Then again, she was being rude to me, too, but
I guess I also was being a little hot-headed there..."
Alan frowned. "Is this true?" He asked Serena. Akane noticed that his
voice--no, his entire demeanor softened when he looked at her. Serena, for
her part, looked flustered and shook her head, murmuring, "It's nothing,
though. It's okay. Ann was just poking fun at me, that's all."
"I see." Alan thought for a moment, then laid a hand on Serena's arm.
"Allow me to apologize then. My sister and I are still trying to adjust to
this school and there are many things we have a tendency to slip on. She
didn't mean to be so rude. I am sure that she will not insult you again."
Akane blinked at the teenager's action. Serena's face had turned a bright
red and she was growing more flustered. "Please, it's all right. Really."
Molly and Melvin seemed shocked, while Amy appeared amused.
Ann's face, however, was the most profound of all. The small girl's pert
face was drawn up in a rictus of fury and...jealousy?
Without realizing what she was doing, Akane stepped closer to Serena.
"AlaaAAANNN..." Ann growled.
The boy broke his gaze on Serena, who stepped back, placing a hand on her
heart as if it was beating rapidly. "Yes?"
Ann spat out every word. "I think it's time for us to GO!" Without warning,
she grabbed her brother's arm and, not even looking at the group, marched
away, the both of then hissing sharp words under their breath until they
turned the corner and was lost from sight.
"Well," Akane said after a long pause, "that was interesting."
"And that's not half of it!" Melvin added, adjusting his thick glasses.
"Did you see the way Alan was looking at Serena? I've heard he really has
the hots for you, Serena!"
"Oh, er, really?"
"Yeah! He has the entire female junior class chasing after him, but he
only has eyes for one girl: you, Serena! But the weird thing is, he's also
protective of his younger sister. In fact, I hear she goes googly-eyed
over some college guy named Darien."
"What?!" Serena squawked, her face going from beet-red to paper-white.
"Yeah, isn't that weird, huh? The guys down at the computer club are
running a pool to see who will catch who first, you or this Darien guy."
Molly lightly smacked him on the head. "Is that all you do is gossip?
Geez, Melvin, you'se worse than my grandmother! Don't pay any attention to
him, Serena. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
"I do too!" Melvin retorted. "It's the latest thread on
rec.crossroads.relationships!"
Serena lifted her head, but her eyes were brimming slightly. It nearly
broke Akane's heart to see her so unhappy. She added, "Hey, Serena, don't
worry about it. Guys are so goofy anyway. They'll chase after anything in
a skirt. Isn't that right, Melvin?"
"That's right, men will do--HEY!"
The girls giggled, including Serena, who smiled gratefully at Akane.
"Thanks." Louder, she said, "Well, I know the perfect thing to cheer me
up! Let's go to the arcade!"
"The arcade?!"Amy asked. "But weren't you there yesterday?"
"So? Since class was let out, that means even more time we can spend there
today! And besides, we have to show Akane around; it's the polite thing to
do! *And*, you still haven't gotten the high score on Sailor V, Molly, and
Andrew would be there!"
Melvin straightened his glasses. "You mean there are *three* guys after
you? Wait until the guys hear about this!"
Molly lightly smacked him on the head again. "Grow up and get a clue,
Melvin! And what do you mean 'get the high score', Serena? I beat you in
that game!"
"Nuh-uh! My name is currently next to the highest score!"
"No fair! You can't do that, Serena! You can barely tie your shoe!" The
three students walked off, absorbed in their good-natured bickering,
leaving Akane and Amy to follow behind in a more sedate pace.
"A princess," Akane muttered. "I still can't believe Serena's supposed to
be a princess."
Amy smiled sweetly. "It is hard to believe, isn't it? Sometimes I wonder
if this is just a case of split personality. Serena's princess side is
dormant while her more ditzier side is allowed to take precedence."
"Was Serena like this when she actually *was* a princess?"
Amy shook her head, then lifted a hand to shield her eyes as they stepped
into the bright sunshine. "Not really. All our memories from the Silver
Millennium are somewhat vague. But one thing I'm sure that didn't change
was that her heart was always good, no matter what she did. Something I
think you and her have in common."
"Huh?" Akane nearly tripped, caught off her guard. "What do you mean?"
"I mean what you did for her today. Cooking up lunch when she forgot hers,
then sticking up for her when Ann was picking on her. That was really nice
for someone you just met yesterday. "
"Oh, it's nothing. Really! I just wanted to show my appreciation for all
that you've guys have done for me." Embarrassed, she looked away. In
front of them, Serena and Molly were arguing the merits of the Sailor V
game versus the Mortal Kombat(TM) game, while Melvin interjected here and
there how he can pull playing tips off the Internet.
"Hey, Amy. Can I ask a question?"
"Why sure. Go ahead."
"Um, no offense, but why do you hang out with Serena?"
Amy blinked. "Pardon?"
"Well, you see, you're so much smarter than her...in fact, you're smarter
than all of us put together, I bet. And all of you are so different from
each other. I mean, I can understand Mina; she and Serena are so alike.
But you're so quiet and studious and Raye is so *serious* compared to
Serena. What's the appeal? I mean, besides protecting her, why do you
like hanging out with her?"
It was Amy's turn to look flustered. "Me? Well...I...um. I don't know.
We just sort of *clicked*, you know." At Akane's puzzled glance, she spoke
rapidly. "It's hard to explain, really. Serena's got this personality that
you can't help *not* be friendly with. I mean, sure she can be ditzy
sometimes, a bit of a crybaby, a pig, lazy, whiny, dense--"
"Don't hold back," murmured Akane.
Amy blinked, then laughed. "Oh my, I am going a bit overboard, am I? What I
meant to say was that Serena may not be perfect, but she has a good heart,
and she really does care for people.
"When I first came to Crossroads, I was immediately labeled as a
know-it-all. I was the one who always got the highest score in every
class. I never hung out with anyone. I would walk around the hallways
reading at least one calculus book. I guess my constant studying
intimidated people, but I had to do it. I needed to be on top of all my
classes if I wanted to make it into high school, and if it meant
sacrificing friendship and relationships, I was prepared to do it. So
naturally, everyone stayed away from me. I could hear them whispering
behind my back, but they didn't even try to talk to me. I tried to not let
it get to me, but sometimes, it was hard.
"When Serena found out about me, though, instead of being intimidated, she
was extremely curious. She would follow me about, always from a distance,
just to see what I was doing. It somewhat irritated me at first, because I
had no clue on who she was. Finally, I confronted her and do you know what
she did?"
"No, what?"
"She took me to the arcade."
Akane giggled. "That sounds like something she would do."
"I couldn't believe it! Here I was, the smartest girl in the entire school,
and this blonde girl is pulling me into an arcade and talking to me as if
we've been friends for years. It was so strange and new to me. I didn't
know what to think. Later, after I learned about my new powers, I found out
that Luna originally had misgivings about me, but Serena didn't care. Even
before she knew I was Sailor Mercury, she didn't care that I was the most
intelligent person in her school or my IQ was far above hers. All she knew
was that she wanted to be my friend, and that was all that mattered to her."
Ahead of them, Serena brayed loudly over something Melvin said while Molly
stuck her tongue at him. Amy's voice softened as she watched the
pig-tailed girl double over in laughter. "It's funny, you know. Ever
since I've known Serena, it's like I've had my eyes suddenly open to the
world around me. Do you know I've never been to an arcade, or hung out at
a mall, or even been to a pajamas party before I've met her? To think that
I would actually be learning things from her! But Serena does care about
me, just like she cared for Raye when no one visited the 'spooky temple
girl', or Lita when she transferred to our school for getting into fights
all the time. To a person like me, that means so much it can't be put into
words. For all that she's done for me, I would do anything for her.
Anything."
Akane couldn't think of anything to say.
After a moment, Amy looked at her and blushed deeply. "Oh, dear! I didn't
meant to go on like that."
"No, it's okay. I understand!" Akane hastily comforted her. "I'm glad you
told me. I guess it explains why Serena is so nice to me, with one of her
friends disappearing like that and all."
"Oh, Serena is always like that. She'll probably make friends with just
about anyone. I have a theory that she'll even befriend a psychopath if she
met one."
"Is that so? We have plenty of those in Nerima. Of course, we'll have to
find a way to teleport them all over here or something if we want to test
that theory." Akane looked up. "Oh, we're here, I guess. Serena and the
others are going into that building up there. I've always wondered...Amy?
Where are you?"
Akane turned to see Amy a few steps down from her, staring at her with an
incredulous look. Slowly, she raised her hand to her forehead, lightly
smacking it, and said, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner!"
"Um, Amy?"
But she was already turning. "Look, Akane. I have to go see Luna and
Artemis real quick! Tell Serena I'll catch her later, okay?!" Without
waiting for an answer, she dashed down the street, leaving Akane to stare
at the blue-haired girl weaving swiftly through the crowd that immediately
swallowed her up.
==================================================================
Akane realized that she had a lot more in common with Amy than she thought.
She also had never been in an arcade before she met Serena.
"NO! Ah, stupid..."
Oh, she knew such places existed. She just didn't care for them all that
much. After all, why should she waste her time playing bash-em-up arcade
games when she basically did the same thing for real?
"No, don't go there! Wait...ARRGHHH!!"
But she had to admit there was a certain charm in watching a tiny animated
person zap disco beams of light at vague forms of goo with bug eyes in
their middles. True, the tinny music seemed to be permanently stuck on
three chords, and all the tiny person knew how to do was aim, shoot, jump,
and pump its fist in the air whenever it got a lucky shot. But it was
actually challenging to see how high she could get on a level. Plus, it
was really neat to watch the bad nastie at the end of the level explode in
a shower of pyrotechnics.
"That's it...come on...YESSSSSS!!!"
In short, Akane was hooked.
"Wow, Serena! She's already made it to the sixteenth level! At this rate,
she'll beat your score in no time!" exclaimed Molly as she peered over
Akane's right shoulder.
Serena grumbled and lightly kicked the edge of the machine. Her score
happened to be the highest in the game. "It's just beginner's luck."
"But the fact that she had not only found five extra bonuses on this level
puts her odds over winning this game in about twenty to one!" Melvin
pointed out over Akane's left shoulder. "Oh, wait...she got another one!
Make that fifteen to one, Serena!"
"Thank you...Melvin."
A friendly voice asked, "Hey, who's your friend, Serena? I never seen
anyone do so well on 'Asteroid Invaders' before." Akane looked up to see a
blonde young man wearing a white apron leaning casually upon a pushbroom.
Serena's face immediately brightened as she pounced on the young man and
gave him a huge hug.
"Hi Andrew! It's sooooo good to see you! This is Akane! She's a friend of
Lita's."
"Actually," Akane interjected quickly, "I'm Lita's cousin." Serena blinked
at this, but Akane had already turned back to her game, only to find her
character had been squashed by a falling rock. "Hey! No fair! That came out
of nowhere!"
"Lita's cousin, huh? Yeah, I can see it." Andrew commented as Akane slid
over to let Serena have her turn. "You both seem a lot alike."
Akane rolled her eyes. This had to be the third time somebody compared her
to this mysterious person.
"Oh, come on, Andrew," Serena remarked casually, "Akane and Lita are no
ways alike. For one thing, Akane's far, far easier to beat than Lita."
Akane nodded. "That's ri--ehhhhh?!" She turned to see Serena's character
blast a rock her own character had overlooked. The rock slid aside,
revealing a level filled with score-boosting crystals. "Looks like I'm
gonna win after all! Ha! Ha!"
Akane's response was a stuck-out tongue while Molly giggled. "With all the
time and money Serena puts into this game, I'm not surprised to see her
winning."
"Serena? Winning? Isn't that an oxymoron?" a sarcastic voice quipped.
Akane glared at the owner of the voice: a young man who looked similar to
Andrew, except his hair was black and his build was slightly heavier in the
shoulders. He would appear quite handsome if it wasn't for the arrogance
radiating from his piercing blue eyes. He made Akane think of Kuno the way
he stood as if he had every right to be there. She could even imagine him
standing in moonlight and whipping a rose bouquet from behind his back as
Mexican guitars strummed a serenading tune. He ran his fingers through
his hair and groused, "Geez, Meatball-Head, if you spent as much time at
the library as you spend here, maybe, just maybe, you'll gain enough sense
not to waste so much time and money here."
All this chose to annoy Akane further. "And who made you king of the world,
hm?" She snapped. "Don't you have better things to do than pick on young
girls--like growing up?" She turned to Serena. "Don't pay attention to
this jerk, Serena. He's just--eh?"
Serena sat rigidly in the small seat in front of the game, her back ramrod
straight and her fingers gripping the joystick so tightly her knuckles were
turning white. In the game, her character was getting the tar beaten out
of it by some rock-like beasts, but she was staring blankly at the screen,
her lower lip trembling slightly. As Akane watched, she slowly mouthed,
"Meat...ball...Head..."
"Ano...Serena?"
Suddenly, Serena whirled around and threw her arms around the arrogant man,
who stumbled back with a startled gasp. "Darien! My nickname! You
remembered the nickname you used to call me! You remembered! You're back!"
Darien's face turned a deep red as he looked helplessly at Andrew, who
returned a baffled look. Darien sighed and said slowly, "Serena...I only
called you that because that what those balls on your head look like. I
don't remember calling you that before. Can you let go of me now, please?"
Serena pulled back slightly so she could look up at him. "But--but don't
you remember? You *have* to remember!" she exclaimed, her words sounding
more like sobs. "You used to call me that all the time! Please, think
harder for me! Why would that particular name come to your mind if you
haven't called me that before?"
For a brief second, a look passed over Darien's face, a strange, yearning
look, as if something suddenly entered his mind and was gone before he
could recognize it. He shook his head, then firmly took Serena's arms and
pulled them away from him. "Look," he growled. "I don't know what your
problem is, but it's getting to be really embarrassing! I mean, first that
time at the virtual arcade, and then when we babysat that kid. Sure, we had
fun and all that, but when will you get into that ditzy head of yours that
I'm *not* your boyfriend?" His voice became less gruff and more annoyed.
"Besides, even if I was interested, don't you think you should hold off
until you're older, or at least a bit more *mature*?"
Serena stared at him, a small sound catching in the back of her throat Her
eyes began welling up and she managed to whisper, "I'm sorry," before she
fled towards the back of the arcade where the washrooms were.
There was a long silence, then Melvin whistled. "Wow! So it really is true!"
Andrew frowned. "She's really got it bad for you, Darien. I never seen her
like this before."
Darien groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't get it. I mean,
I do like her. She's sweet, in an innocent sort of way. Why this deep
fixation for me?"
"I'm wondering the same myself. I just don't know *what* she sees in you."
The frosty voice of Akane replied.
Darien started, and turned to see two *very* glowering girls, glaring at
him with all the hardness of stone. He scratched the back of his head
nervously. "Um...do I know you?"
"You have some nerve speaking to Serena like that," Akane started.
"She didn't even deserve any of that," Molly continued.
"I guess you feel like some great macho stud now, hmm?"
"You outta be ashamed of yourself, embarrassing her in public."
"If I were Serena, I would've slapped you before you'd even opened your
mouth!"
"So she was a little overfriendly. You didn't need to put her down in front
of everyone!"
"Oh, thank you for showing me how universal obnoxious jerks like you are!"
"Why don't you go take some candy from little kids now? I'm sure you'll get
even more kicks from that!"
"I hope you're satisfied. I hope you're really, really satisfied! You JERK!"
And with a final "Humph!" from Molly, the two girls stomped off with their
arms crossed and their noses in the air, leaving behind a gawking Andrew
and a shell-shocked Darien. Melvin looked at the two men, then called out
towards Molly's stiff back, "Wait! If Serena and Akane are leaving, does
this mean I can finish their game?"
========================================================================
In the washroom, crouched against the far wall, Serena was, predictably,
bawling.
"It's not FAIR! Why does he have to be so mean to MEEEEEEE!!! WHY CAN'T HE
REMEMBER MEEEEEEE?! WHYYYYYYY?!?!?!"
Another teenager was at the sinks looking torn between bolting and going to
comfort the weeping girl. As Akane and Molly entered, she gave them a
grateful look and hurried out, casting one last sympathetic glance towards
Serena.
Molly sunk down on her right side and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I still
don't get it, Serena. Why are you so hung up on him anyway? He's way older
than you, more sophisticated, and all that other mature stuff. Won't he be
interested in someone older than fourteen?"
"BUT WE WERE DESTINED TO BE TOGETHEERRRRR!!!!" Serena wailed. She let out
several more sobs before opening her eyes to glare at Molly. "And anyway,
you didn't care how old Maxfield Stanton was when you were gaga over him!"
Molly stared at her for a long time before she said, "Who's Maxfield Stanton?"
Serena blinked, then dropped her face in her hands. "Oh, yeah. I forgot.
You wouldn't know." She lifted her head again. "But I still think Darien
and I were meant to be together!"
Akane had gone into a stall to grab a large wad of toilet paper, which she
now handed to Serena. "You still haven't told us what you see in him. I
mean, I've just met him now and all I see is a rude, arrogant, sexist pig!"
"Yeah, but he's *my* arrogant sexist pig." Serena sniffed. "And he's not
really like that. Well, he is, but not all the time. There is another side
to him that's much more sensitive and romantic."
"Romantic?" Molly snorted. "Oh, get real! Darien has as much romance as
Melvin does!"
Serena's eyes suddenly lit up, her woes forgotten for the moment. "Oh, I
don't know about that. What about the time he spent all night reserving
that picnic spot for you? And what about the lunch you made for him the
other day, hmm?"
"Those tuna fish and squid sandwiches! Yuck! I made those so he could leave
me alone!"
"And all those times he walks you home, and the time I caught the both of
you snuggling after that attack in the park, and that time he slept outside
your front door dressed up in a tuxedo so he could protect you from
monsters, though you probably won't remember that either..."
"Serena!" Molly clapped her hands over her ears, but not before two bright
pink spots blossomed on her cheeks.
Akane couldn't help joining in. "Sounds like somebody's denying their
feelings..."
"I don't like him! We're good friends, that's all. Just really good friends!"
Serena smirked. "So that kiss on the cheek you gave him the other day was
just a 'friendly' kiss, hmm?"
Molly looked at her watch and shot up. "'Oh, gosh, look at the time! I
promised my mother I'd help her with the store! I gotta get out of here!"
Her face softened as she looked down at Serena. "Umm, will you be okay? I
mean--"
Serena looked over at Akane and gave her a soft smile. "Sure, I'll be fine.
Don't worry." As Molly turned, Serena hastened to add, "Molly? Um...thanks."
"Sure. Anytime. Well, I better let Melvin know I'm going. He'll probably
want to talk to me on the Internet tonight. See ya later! Bye, Akane. Nice
meeting you."
Akane waved at her until she was gone, then turned to Serena. "Is she
really going out with that Melvin guy? The one who looks like a nerd?"
"I guess so. I mean, they're together all the time. It's a weird
relationship, but they do make a cute couple, so I guess it's okay."
"But she doesn't seem to like him all that much. She's always teasing him
and making fun of him!"
Serena got a wistful look on her face. "Yeah, just like me and Darien when
we first met."
"Huh?"
"Oh, Darien and I *hated* each other. I thought of him as some stuck-up
snob, where I guess he saw me as some whiny crybaby." Serena finally
noticed the wad of toilet paper in her hand and honked into it loudly. She
frowned at the mess in her hands before folding it up and tossing it in the
trash bin. "But there was *something* between us, something neither of us
could understand. It was like a dream you've almost forgotten, or a
language you thought you understood if only you could listen to it just a
little longer.
"But Darien and I didn't know what those feeling meant at the time. We
didn't know we had loved each other a long, long time ago. And neither of
us had such strong feelings for any other person like that. So the only
thing I could think of was that I really, really disliked him. It's like
when you had your first crush when you were a small kid. You couldn't
explain how you felt, so you resorted to hitting, and hair-pulling, and
name-calling and all that other stuff. Akane, when you were a kid, wasn't
there a boy who called you ugly all the time and you found out later he had
a crush on you?"
"No, not really."
<You are soooo uncute!>
Akane almost jumped. Where did that come from?
<Built like a brick, legs too thick, face makes me sick...nyah, nyah, nyah!!!>
Well, yeah, there was Ranma, but he wasn't a kid, though he acted like one
sometimes. But that didn't mean anything. He was an idiot and a pervert,
plain and simple. He liked tormenting her, making her late for school,
calling her names, making faces at her, mocking her fighting skills,
embarrassing her with his juvenile pranks, making her jeal...ticking her
off, and generally picking on her. That didn't mean anything.
Did it?
Well, of course it didn't! Just because he called her all those names
doesn't mean that he automatically liked her. Besides, she did a little
namecalling herself out of self-defense, and yeah, maybe even hit him a
couple, okay, *lots* of times, but she wasn't falling all over for him, okay?
Wasn't she?
No! She didn't care for him! She despised him! She couldn't stand the sight
of him! He made her sick! He's a stupid, egotistical, puffed up,
thick-headed, macho, show-off pig!!!
Hmm...looks like somebody's trying to deny their feelings.
I'M NOT--
"Uh, Akane? Are you okay? Your face is turning really red..."
Akane broke out of her mental argument with herself. She laughed weakly.
"Nothing! It's nothing! Really!" Seeing Serena's dubious look, she changed
the subject back. "So...Molly and Melvin make a good couple, huh?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. It's pretty weird. You see, when they first met, she
didn't like him at all because she liked this guy who was waaaaay older
than her named Maxfield Stanton, except he was really Neflyte, one of the
bad guys of the Negaverse, and we were supposed to be fighting him, but I
couldn't let Molly know that because she didn't (and still doesn't) know
I'm Sailor Moon, but she kept hanging around him even though he was after
us and trying to use Molly to get to us and then I don't know what happened
but something happened that caused him to change his mind and become a good
guy, but then he was killed, and Molly was really broken up over it--I
mean, she was right *there* when he died, you know, and it turned out that
Melvin happened to be there for her a lot afterwards, and then boom!--they
were a couple. Raye said they were only together because of what happened
to Neflyte, but when we defeated Beryl and time started over again, they
still wound up together. I guess it was just meant to be. Weird, huh?"
In the sudden silence, Akane tried to absorb the rapid-fire information.
"I--uh...I guess so." Then she blinked. "Wait a minute. Did you say what I
thought you just said? *Time* started over?"
Serena nodded. "At least, that's what I think what happened. I mean, I was
there, kind of, but I don't really know what happened that made time go
back. To tell the truth, I can't really remember anything after I defeated
Beryl."
"Beryl. I was speaking with Artemis today and he told me about this fight
you had with her. He said no one really knows what happened that day."
"Yeah. It's really complicated. I think it has something to do with the
Silver Empyrean Crystal in my locket."
She removed the brooch from her school uniformed and touched a small button
on its side. The locket opened, revealing a multi-faceted, sparkling
crystal in its center. Though the fluorescent lights overhead was more
than bright, the crystal shone with a brilliance that made Akane want to
shield her eyes. Serena continued in a hushed tone, "I'm not exactly sure
where it came from or even how it works. What I do know is that it somehow
amplifies the power within me. It kinda draws my power out more, but it's
like a dam. It draws so much power out of me that..." She hesitated,
staring sadly at the crystal, then shook her head and went on. "I don't
like to talk about it much. I don't think the others do either. You see,
it's very powerful, but even with that I couldn't defeat Beryl by myself.
I had to call on the others and they helped me by giving me their own powers."
Akane whistled. "They did that while still captured by the Negaverse?
That's incredible."
It was Serena's turn to look confused. "Captured? What do you mean captured?"
"Well...I thought...Artemis said..."
"Artemis wasn't there!" Serena said fiercely, then instantly looked
chagrined. "No--I didn't mean it that way--I mean...what did Artemis tell
you?"
"He told me that the Scouts were captured when you went to fight Beryl. At
least, that was what I assumed what happened."
Serena shook her head slowly, tracing the brooch's rim. Her voice became
heavy. "I guess we never got around to telling him or Luna, huh? I wonder
if that's why no one else wants to talk about it. I mean, it's not easy
even *thinking* about it, much less talking about it. The others may call
it whatever they want, but I was there. I *saw* it, saw it all."
Akane was growing more mystified. She laid a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"Wha-what happened, Serena?"
Serena took a deep breath, and looked Akane squarely in the eyes. "We
weren't captured. We di--"
A piercing scream cut through her words. Serena's eyes widened and she
jumped to her feet, exclaiming, "That was Molly!"
"Chotto! What's going on?" Akane scrambled up to dash after the blonde
girl, who was already at the washroom's entrance, peeking carefully out the
door. Akane had to peer from beneath Serena's arm to see what was happening.
The arcade was in chaos. People were plastering themselves against the
walls while others cowered behind machines. Akane couldn't see Andrew or
Melvin, but she spotted Darien endeavouring to pull a collapsed Molly away
from two smirking beings hovering in the center of the arcade.
"It's those two alien weirdos!" gasped Akane.
Serena nodded grimly as the girl alien snapped, "Well, well, well, since
you like playing games so much, how's about we give you a real toy to play
with!"
The boy alien fanned out a pack of cards. "Pick one, dear. Make it a good
one."
The girl grinned, displaying small, pointed fangs, and slid one from the
pack. "Oooh, this one is my favorite! Do this one!"
"As you wish, my sweet."
<Their voices...so familiar...> As Akane struggled to place their voices,
the girl tossed the card into the air while the boy produced his eerie
flute. Darien was able to yank Molly completely away as the card flared
brightly in mid-air, causing everyone to wince.
"Cardian Pokemokona!" the girl's voice rasped out. "Come forth!"
The light increased, then faded away. When Akane looked up again, she had
to blink several times to make sure she was seeing things right. Sitting
in the middle of the arcade was a big, white, furry, *thing*. It vaguely
resembled a cross between a gigantic mouse and gigantic rabbit in that it
had long floppy ears, formless arms and legs, flat, furry, feet, closed
eyelids that resembled two drawn happy-smiling mouths, and a cute button of
a nose ringed with whiskers which constantly twitched. In fact, if one
overlooked its grotesque hugeness, and the strange, round, red crystal set
in the middle of its forehead, one would have the sudden urge to give the
behemoth moppet a large a hug as one could.
And then, it opened its eyes.
"Pika! Pika! Pika! PUUUUUU!!!!!!"
Akane stumbled back, clamping a hand to her mouth as her stomach churned.
The monster's eyes were enormous, two bulbous globes which swiveled in
their sockets, rivaling that of Cologne's eyes. As it viewed the horrified
patrons, its eyes turned a vivid red, then it switched to a brilliant blue,
then red, then blue, red, blue, red, blue, until it became a steady, almost
hypnotic, pulse of light.
The effect on the people was immediate. Some became rooted on the spot,
gazing slack-jawed at the monster. Others crumpled to the ground,
twitching and jerking as if they were having seizures. A strange light
mist filled the air, eddying around the monster and the two aliens, who
laughed in maniacal glee. Oddly enough, the only person who appeared to be
putting up a fight was Darien, who had raised a trembling hand before him
to try to shut out the sight before he succumbed.
"Pika! Pika! Piiiiiiika! PUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!"
"Youma!" Akane gasped under her breath, causing Serena to glare at her.
"Hey! That thing doesn't look anything like my ma! My mother a rabbit?
Puh-leeze! If she was a rabbit, that would make me one too!" Ignoring
Akane baffled look, she went on. "Besides, we have to stop that monster
before it drains everyone's energy!"
Akane looked nervously at the door. "But how? Once we step out there, that
thing can hypnotize us with its eyes."
Serena backed further into the washroom. "You still have Jupiter's
communicator right? Use it to call the others to let them know there's a
monster at the arcade."
"Huh? Oh yeah!" Akane fumbled about until she fished it from her pocket.
Keying it on, she said, "Then what'll we--?"
Akane looked up in time to see Serena grab her locket off her uniform with
a wide, swooping gesture. She held it up and called out in a voice that
suddenly was strong and filled with power, almost echoing off the bathroom
walls, "MOON...CRYSTAL...POWER!!!!"
A burst of light dazzled Akane for a moment. Squinting, she caught
glimpses of trailing red ribbons and multi-colored sparkles before the
light died down. In Serena's place, Sailor Moon stood in a rather jaunty
pose.
"What will I do?" she asked. Then she smiled, winked, and gave a V-sign.
"*I'm* gonna distract it!" And before Akane could stop her, she executed a
flying leap out the washroom window.
<This is not turning out to be a good day.> Akane fumbled with the
communicator until she managed to press the tiny mercury button. The tiny
viewscreen flickered to life, showing Amy's worried face. "Akane? What's
wrong?"
"Come to the arcade quick!" rushed Akane. "There's a youma hypnotizing
everyone and only Sailor Moon is here!"
Amy's frown deepened. "Youma? Isn't that the famous cellist? When did he
start incorporating magic acts into his music?"
Akane couldn't answer, "Not Yo Yo Ma! YOUMA!" because a high-pitched
"PIIIIIKA?!" caught her ears. She scurried to the door and looked out to
see the Pokemokona fall flat on its face. It screeched and lurched back
up, rubbing a large, nasty-looking bump on the back of its head. Something
glittering was flying back towards the arcade's entrance, where standing
there, arms akimbo, was--
"S-S-Sailor Moon?" Darien said incredulously before slumping over, finally
succumbing to the monster's power.
"Pika...pu?" The monster screeched likewise.
Sailor Moon casually reached up and snagged the glittering object from the
air. Akane saw that it was actually her tiara, spinning rapidly. After
putting it back in place, she glared and pointed a finger at the monster.
"A video game arcade should be the delight and fancy of people of all ages
who want to have a good time! How dare you turn it into a den of evil! I
won't let you do it anymore!"
Then, before Akane's very eyes, Sailor Moon launched into a series of
complicated gestures and handsigns, all the while announcing, "I am Sailor
Moon, Champion of Justice!" Swoop. "I right wrongs and triumph over evil,
and that means *you*!" Turn. Shake. "In the name of the Moon..." Pause.
Point. "I'll punish you!" Flourish.
Unseen by anyone except Amy, Akane facefaulted. <That was supposed to be
distracting?!?!>
Amy gave a soft sigh. "We'll be right there. Don't do anything, and
furthermore, don't let *her* do anything." The communicator gave a tiny
beep as it switched off.
Akane peered out the door again. The alien girl gave a sneering laugh.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little sailor-suited brat! Have you
come to play or shall we cut straight to the carnage?"
"Shut up, you Negaverse creep!" Sailor Moon snapped as she strode
purposely towards them. "I won't let you do this to all these people!
It's 'game over' for you!"
Akane was near enough to the aliens to hear the girl whisper to the guy,
"There she goes again with this Negaverse crap? What is this place, some
kind of megalomaniac mall?"
"I don't know, but I'll be more than happy to send her there!" the guy
snarled. "Cardian Pokemokona, destroy Sailor Moon! Now!"
"Pika! Pika! Puuuu!" the monster replied as the alien couple vanished out
of the way. It then turned its attention to Sailor Moon, who slowly began
to backpedal away.
"It's okay," she said nervously to herself. "I can handle this."
The monster grinned. "Pika....PU!" The red jewel set in its forehead
suddenly flared, then shot out a blast of dazzling light. Sailor Moon
squawked and dove from its path, leaving it to strike a pair of
schoolgirls, sinking them into deeper unconsciousness. The monster shot
several more beams, and Sailor Moon clumsily avoided them all, her cries
piercing through the monster's roars. This little game of chicken ended
when Sailor Moon suddenly tripped over her feet and landed painfully on her
rear end. And the other Scouts were nowhere in sight.
<Forget this,> Akane thought. <It's time to provide a distraction of my own.>
The monster chortled with glee as it leaned over its quivering prey, not
noticing the figure sneaking from the back of the room. As its bulbous
eyes turned red, a shout rang out.
"Hey, you ugly freak! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!"
"Pika?!" The monster whirled and spotted an energy source it had
previously missed, glaring at it in a defiant stance. The monster narrowed
its eyes.
"Puuuu...."
Quickly it shot an energy-draining beam towards the interloper, who nimbly
dodged out of the way (more nimbly than its previous prey). With a shriek
of rage, the monster gave chase.
Akane ducked, weaved and bobbed frantically. <Okay, I distracted it. Now
what?> She didn't have much room to maneuver due to the game machines and
the clumps of fallen people. As she dodged another blast, she caught a
glimpse of Sailor Moon rising shakily to her feet. <If only I still had my
mallets...>
Seeing Sailor Moon distracted her enough for the monster to get in a good
shot. Akane barely dodged it by diving next to the 'Asteroid Invaders' game
she was playing earlier, banging her hip against the stool in the process.
Gritting her teeth, she looked up to see Sailor Moon try a high kick at the
creature. From her vantage point, Akane could tell that the angle was all
wrong, and as the creature caught Sailor Moon's leg and began to swing her
about in a dizzying circle, a familiar anger rose within her.
"Stupid baka youma," she growled. "How would you like a stool sandwich?"
And she grabbed the arcade stool, yanked it out of its moorings, and threw
it at the monster.
At least, that was what she meant to do.
Now, there's something to be said about Akane and her anger. It was well
known around Nerima that Akane was a strong girl, and was in fact one of
many girls in that region whose strength was enhanced by strong emotion.
Whenever she was very angry, embarrassed, frightened, or all three, she
became a near powerhouse. Akane herself never thought about it much; those
periods of super-strength were far too brief to count towards her regular
physical prowess. Still, it came in useful, like toting huge pickle
cisterns from here to there, or fighting through hordes of marauding boys,
or smashing a table on a certain someone's head, or punting a certain
someone into the atmosphere, or pounding a certain someone into the ground...
So, with her adrenaline rushing and her anger nicely peaking, Akane yanked
on the stool so she could throw it at the youma.
Imagine her surprise when it didn't budge.
"NANI YO?! What's with this stupid--"
She heaved. She yanked. She pulled. She even straddled and braced. The
stool rose up an inch on its right side, but other than that, it didn't move.
<Why won't it move? This would be a piece of cake at home! What's wrong
with me?!> A sudden possibility made her stare at her hands in dismay.
<Did coming to this world somehow affect...my strength?>
A hoarse cry made her look up in time to see Sailor Moon flying her way,
flapping her arms and legs in vain, and then an extreme close-up of the
supergirl's face as she crashed into her, sending them both skidding across
the floor and fetching up painfully against a UFO catcher game. Akane
groaned, shook her head to dislodge the stars circling around it, and found
herself staring directly into the monster's eyes. "Oh, crap."
"Piiiiiika...PUUU!" The monster's eyes flashed red, then blue, then red,
then blue, red, blue, red, blue...
...and in the back of her mind, Akane was screaming to move, or talk, or do
*something*, but her limbs were too heavy for some reason, and she stared
at the flashing red, blue, red, blue, and she couldn't tear her eyes away,
because the eyes, the eyes, they were red, blue, red, blue, and her mind
was sinking, sinking down, into a nice warm puddle and she wouldn't mind
taking a nice nap right there the red blue red blue and yes she will give
in give in because it was nice to watch the red blue red blue and she was
so sleepy so heavy she couldn't move she couldn't blink she had no strength
no willpower and everything was draaaaining awayyyy ooooh wook at all the
pwetty colorsssss...
WHIIIIIZZZZZ!!! *SMACK!*
"PIKA?!"
The monster stumbled back, startled. Akane's mental senses slowly returned
to her and she struggled to bring her remaining senses back. All she could
manage was turning her head to see what had caused the creature to react so
violently. Her eyes widened when she saw the rose.
The white rose...
The white rose embedded in the floor so hard cracks had formed around it...
"Arcades are places where the realms of the imagination can be enjoyed by
people of all ages." A strong male voice called out. "Yet you have turned
it into a den of suffering. For the pain you've dealt," the voice paused,
then lowered dramatically, "I won't forgive you."
Akane flopped about. Strength was returning to her, but there were still
parts of her body that refused to obey her. She had to jerk and twitch
like a dying fish to get herself facing in the same direction as the voice.
He was standing in the exact same spot as Sailor Moon when she made her
entrance. In one hand, he fingered a long-stemmed, white rose. The other
gently clasped the hilt of a thin rapier that glinted by his side. He was
clad from head to toe in white Arabian robes which gently rustled and
danced about him in the baffling absence of wind. Only his piercing blue
eyes were visible, glaring at the monster with a inbred arrogance that
courted danger.
Akane's mind immediately thought, <Kuno? How did he get here? And since
when did he start wearing bedsheets?>
Those piercing eyes shifted towards her where they softened...slightly.
"Sailor Moon," he called out, "are you alright?"
"Moonlight Knight, you've come to save me!" The crumpled form next to Akane
burbled.
The man's eyes crinkled in mirth, even as the monster screeched and lunged
for him. He gracefully somersaulted away and gently chided her. "Sailor
Moon, you don't need me to save you from this monster. You do have the
means to defeat your enemies, but you rarely put it to practice." He
paused to dodge a beam and continued. "Defending yourself doesn't mean you
have to have super powers nor does it mean you need incredible strength."
He glanced sharply at Akane before executing a perfect back flip. "Your
mind is the greatest weapon that you will ever possess. Using wits instead
of might can cause even the weakest person to overcome the most mightiest
foe. I know you have that power inside of you, Sailor Moon, so don't be
afraid to use it!"
<Maybe he's related to Kuno somehow,> Akane thought sourly as she struggled
to her feet. For a lot of talk, this Magical Knight wasn't doing much
fighting. All he did was a lot of fancy footwork, though granted it made
her own defensive style of fighting almost as awkward as Sailor Moon's. But
his sword remained at his side, giving the impression that he was merely
taunting the monster in a strange game of tag. It reminded Akane of the
times she would spar with Ranma, her swinging and panting, and him
laughingly dancing out of her reach. But obviously this Arabian Knight
weirdo wasn't sparring, nor was he playing. What was he up to?
Then she heard Sailor Moon speak, her voice soft but determined. "Wits
instead of might...I think I understand." The sailor-suited girl came
slowly to her feet, clenching her fist while she watched the monster with a
newfound intensity Akane hadn't seen in her before. Confused, Akane looked
back at the Knight, who kept looking at Sailor Moon with expectancy, as if
waiting for her to step in anytime.
And suddenly, Akane realized that he *was* waiting for her to step in. It
was her fight, after all.
Sailor Moon was not the greatest fighter in the world, if one would call
her a fighter. She lacked in offensive skills, and her defensive wasn't
much better. But she did have determination, and the ability to continue
trying even after she had been knocked down several times. The knight's
presence only served as a confidence booster, something that over time
could turn the girl into a seasoned fighter who could hold her own.
Akane thought of the times when she got into fights with Shampoo, Kodachi,
on occasion, Ukyo, and complete strangers like the Dojo Destroyer. Somehow
Ranma would always find a way to interrupt the fight and take over, as if
he had forgotten she had been fighting hordes of schoolboys before he even
met her. He had it in his head that she was some weakling who always
needed to be rescued, who couldn't fight her way out of a paper bag, and he
took great delight in pointing this out to her. And sometimes, whenever
Shampoo would capture her, or she was relegated to the sidelines while
Ranma battled, she wondered if he was right.
Looking at the Moonlight Knight with newfound respect, Akane wondered what
her fighting skill would be like if Ranma was half as encouraging as the
man before her. <Though I don't know if I would want him spouting off corny
words of wisdom...>
"There!" Sailor Moon suddenly pointed. "That crystal in its forehead! I bet
if we could cover it up or break it somehow, we'll stand a better chance of
defeating it!"
Akane looked around. They had tumbled into the more athletic section of
the arcade. All she could see were ping-pong tables, ice hockey, small
basketball hoops, and...
"Hey, Sailor Moon, how do you play ske-ball?"
"Huh? It's kind of like bowling, but instead of knocking down pins, you try
to bowl them into holes to get points. Why?"
She turned to see Akane tossing a striped ball into the air, testing its
weight. "So, Sailor Moon, ever done shot-put before?"
The monster was growing frustrated. Not one of its blasts had touched the
robed figure, and it wouldn't stand still long enough for it to use its
hypnotic powers. It was readying another lunge when the voice of its
previous prey rang out:
"Oh Mr. Mean-And-Nasty Monster!"
"Pika?" The monster whirled about and got a facefull of ball.
"Good one!" Akane sang as she and Sailor Moon lobbed ball after striped
ball at the monster. It screeched and reeled back, trying to fend for
itself, but there were too many balls being thrown at it. One particular
ball flew high in the air and came down lower than the thrower intended.
"Oops! Sorry about that!" Sailor Moon blushed scarlet as the monster
collapsed to its knees.
Akane, however, saw it a different way. "An opening!" she shouted,
throwing her last ball. The monster looked up just in time to get nailed
directly above its eyes. There was a flash of light and a faint tinkling
sound.
"Yatta!" Akane leapt in the air and slapped hands with Sailor Moon. "We did
it!"
"Yes," The Moonlight Knight appeared between them, making Akane jump again
from surprise. "As long as you have your mind, you can always defeat your
foes. It is a unprepared person--"
A screech of rage halted his victory speech. The monster had risen to its
feet; whatever cute and cuddly appearance it held was now gone. Shards of
red crystal fell from its forehead mingled with droplets of a thick green
fluid, and its mouth had grown wider, revealing rows of sharp yellow teeth.
Judging from its reddening eyes, it looked pissed enough to swallow the
three of them whole.
"You will have to go for his eyes next!" The Moonlight Knight commanded,
all formalities gone.
Sailor Moon scrunched up her face. "Eeyyeeewww! What if it explodes into
more of that goo?"
"But we've already destroyed its crystal!" Akane pointed out desperately.
"What else can we do?"
In response, a voice cried out, "MERCURY BUBBLES...BLAST!!!"
Suddenly, the arcade filled with a thick bone-chilling mist, obscuring all
vision. Akane could hear the monster screeching in confusion. "PIKAAA?"
"MARS FIRE...IGNITE!!!"
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM...SMASH!!!"
Two streaks of light, one a jagged line of fire, the other a smooth yellow
beam, leapt from opposite ends of the room to collide in the center,
illuminating the monster for a brief moment. Its shrieks of pain rose a
notch higher as the smell of singed fur filled the air. The mist chose to
lift at that moment, revealing the other Scouts standing at different
points in the room.
"Sailor Mars! Sailor Mercury! Sailor Venus!" Sailor Moon called out gleefully.
Mercury waved at them and replied, "Sorry we're late!"
"No time for chit-chat, Sailor Moon," the Moonlight Knight warned, pointing
at the dazed, smoking monster. "Hurry, while it's still down!"
"Right!" Sailor Moon finally appeared to remember her wand as she whipped
it out and did all the necessary twirling. "MOON SCEPTER...ELIMINATION!!!"
The magical beam of glitter struck the monster, making it arch its back and
howl in agony. With one final "PUUUUUU!!!!!", it slowly transformed into a
grey statue, which after a moment crumbled into itself, until all that
remained was a small playing card with the monster's picture on it stuck
into a mound of fine dust, and even the card slowly faded into blackness.
Sailor Moon solemnly proclaimed, "Moondusted." She then proceeded to dance
in place, crowing, "We did it! We did it!"
Akane wondered if all the trouble they went through to catch the monster
could've been avoided if Sailor Moon had done the scepter thing in the
first place. But as the dancing girl grabbed her in a joyful hug, Akane
felt a spark of pride grow in her that she haven't felt for a long time. To
think that she had helped defeat a monster without anyone butting in and
telling her she couldn't fight or she would just get in the way. Well,
there was the Moonlight Knight did butt in, but all he did was distract the
monster until she and Sailor Moon came up with a plan. <I guess wits do
work better than brawn after all.>
As the other Scouts approached, Akane turned to thank the knight for his
help and was startled to see he wasn't there. A couple of turns showed him
at the entrance of the arcade where he originally made his appearance.
Though his robes masked his expression, Akane got the impression from his
crinkled eyes that he was gently smiling at Sailor Moon's antics. There was
also something else in his eyes, a strange, almost yearning look that
seemed familiar...
"Moonlight Knight?! Where'd he go?" Sailor Moon's pigtails whipped to and
fro as she looked for him.
The knight stirred slightly and raised his rapier, pronouncing, "Never
forget that your mind is the greatest tool you'll ever possess. When you
combine your minds with teamwork, however, you will become a force more
powerful than you'll ever dreamt. Remember that, and you will always win.
So long."
And with a final flap of his robes, he vanished in a swirl of white rose
petals.
"Strange guy you have helping you. Shows up, spouts off a lot advice, then
takes off again. I should introduce him to this kendoist who rattles off a
bunch of poetry all the time. He'll probably cream Kuno before he'd
finished one stanza." Akane chuckled at the thought and turned to see what
Sailor Moon thought. The girl in question wasn't paying attention, gazing
at the door with her hands tightly clasped and pink hearts dancing in her
eyes.
"Oooo, the Moonlight Knight is soooo dreamy! If Tuxedo Mask showed up with
him, I would be in heaven..."
"Oh, gimme a break." Sailor Mars huffed as the other girls developed large
sweatdrops on their heads. "You can't have both, you know. We still don't
even know who this Moonlight Knight is!"
Sailor Moon waved it off. "Details, details."
Venus frowned at the pile of harmless dust slowly dispersing away. "What
was that thing supposed to be anyway? That was even weirder than the last
one!"
Akane shrugged. "Beats me. It wasn't hard to beat though. Me and Sailor
Moon and that Knight guy were doing a fine job before you guys showed up.
Not that we couldn't use your help anyway..."
"Wait a minute." Mars turned a sharp eye on her. "What were *you* doing
fighting this monster?"
Sailor Moon frowned. "She was helping me. I mean, you guys hadn't showed up
yet and so many people were getting their energy sucked away, we had to do
something. And besides, Akane was so good! You should've seen her!"
"But a *civilian* fighting a monster like that?! What were you thinking?!"
Akane started to say that she could take care of herself, thank you very
much, when Sailor Moon interjected, "Well, what else were we supposed to
do? Challenge it to a game of Sailor V?"
"The point is you weren't supposed to do *anything* until WE GOT HERE!"
"But you guys took so loooong! What if something bad happened? What if what
happened at the North Pole happened to you guys again and I didn't know
about it?"
Mars' lips compressed to a thin red line. Then she grabbed Sailor Moon's
arm and dragged her across the room, growling. "We are going to the temple.
*Now*."
"Huh? Hey! Leggo my arm!! What I do?! MAAAAAARRRRS!?!????"
"Oh boy." Venus muttered. "Here it comes."
Mercury frowned. "You think?"
The two exchanged solemn looks which Akane couldn't read, then Venus nodded
her head. "It's been a long time coming."
"Hmm. We better go after them, then. Come on, Akane."
"Ch-chotto!" Akane exclaimed as Venus took her arm. "Wait a minute! What
about all these people? Aren't you even going to make sure they're alright?"
Venus replied tersely, "A little rest and they'll be fine. Their energy
just got drained, that's all."
"Besides," Mercury continued, "the police and ambulances are on their way.
Can you hear the sirens? We make it a point not to be around when they
arrive, unless you would like to explain how these people got this way?"
As Akane was pulled to the exit, she cast one last glance behind her. As
Venus pointed out, people were beginning to stir, looking tired and
confused, but none the worse for wear. She saw Molly lift her hand to her
face and moan, "Oh, gawd, not again..."
She saw Melvin reach out to Molly, asking softly, "Hey, um, are you okay?
She saw Andrew looking about, massaging his head as he groaned, "My arcade..."
Finally, she saw Darien, his piercing blue eyes fixed upon Sailor Moon as
she was pulled out the arcade's entrance, and his face was a mixture of
confusion and something else, almost desperate, as he said incredulously,
"Who are you? And why is it whenever I see you I feel--"
Then, Akane was pulled out into the bright sunshine, and the rest of his
words were lost.
=======================================================================
Unbeknownst to the girls, two pairs of alien eyes were watching them flee.
"Blast it all!" Alan snarled as the two hovered over the arcade. "We were
so close! A few more minutes and we would've had more than enough energy
for the Doom Tree! Sailor Moon just keeps wrecking our plans!"
Ann nodded absently, her almond eyes narrowing as she focused upon the only
girl not wearing a sailor suit as she pulled down the street. This was an
interesting turn of events. There must be a way to use it to her advantage.
A slow, evil smile spread across her face.
"Oh, I don't know," she commented at last, fighting to keep a wild cackle
from coming out, "I think I have a plan on how to rid us of that meddling
goody-goody two shoes once and for all."
Alan scowled at her. Not that he didn't adore Ann, but there were times
when her ideas tended to go a bit overboard. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on! Didn't that human who was with those skirted floozies look
familiar?"
"Huh? Oh. You mean the one you were nearly got into a small tiff with at
school."
"A small tiff? She was going to throw a bucket on my head!" She clenched
her fists several times recalling the incident. Anger was good. It kept her
focused. Oh, the things she was going to do to that insolent human! "Don't
you find it odd that a girl who shows up out of the blue is seen not only
talking with our enemies, but fighting alongside them as well?" She
watched his face anxiously as he stared down the street. Ann deeply admired
Alan, even if it did take him a while to understand her suggestions. She
squelched down another cackle as his eyes slightly narrowed.
"She knows them." He murmured.
Ann smiled and wound her arm around his, lowering her voice seductively.
"Yes, and if that human knows the Scouts, then that means--"
"She knows their civilian identities as well!" Alan concluded, turning to
her and clasping her hand. "Perhaps a little visit to meet this new girl is
in order. I understand the custom among the humans is to have a welcoming
party to greet a new person. Surely she wouldn't mind if we gave her one as
well."
"Yes, of course! You're right, Alan!" <And if the 'welcoming' gets a little
out of hand, well, that can't be helped, now, can it?> Ann chortled to
herself. Aloud, she said. "Oh, believe me, we'll give Akane Tendo a
welcoming party she'll never forget!" The wild cackle she held down finally
forced its way up, and Ann let it come, throwing back her head and reveling
in its triumph. A delicious thrill rippled through her body as Alan joined
in with his own sinister chuckle.
Holding each other close, the pair vanished, their wild laughter echoing
within the neighborhood long after the last sparkle from their exit had
vanished.
=====================================================================
Unbeknownst to the alien couple, a pair of red eyes had been watching them
watch the Scouts.
Unlike the alien couple, she chose to remain hidden, watching
dispassionately as the couple cackled with glee and vanished in thin air,
then turning her gaze down the street at the Scouts, now vague blurs in the
distance.
"Akane Tendo," she spoke musingly. "This should not have happened."
She stood like that for a long time, paying little heed to the ambulances
and police cars pulling up, and later the mass of dazed and confused
patrons spilling into the street. It wasn't until the last straggler
stumbled home when she nodded to herself slightly and murmured.
"Yes, perhaps it is time to pay a little visit."
Without preamble or fanfare, the woman raised her staff and vanished. No
wild cackle or mysterious chuckle accompanied her. It was all done in
silence. If anyone had chosen to look up at that moment, they would've been
disappointed at such a lackluster exit.
Not that they would remember seeing it anyway.
===============================================
Yes! Another chapter gotten out of the way! There's your proof that yes,
I'm still working on it.
I'll be typing out part 3 of The Passion of the Rose-Colored Sword, and
hopefully that will be done by next week. I'm also going to rope my fianc�
into helping me update my web page (he's been bugging me to do it anyway),
so you can get back chapters off of it.
One note: I'm working off the assumption that the arcade in Sailor Moon
uses stools at the actual games. This is based off of fuzzy memories, so if
it ain't so please let me know.
Finally, this has been a T-bone Productions Fanfic: In Touch With Yours Truly.
============================================================================
/===\ LaShawn M. Taylor (tbone@ccm.net) MSTie#83924
|^ ^|\ "Motivation is having a sense of the future."
\v/\| - Peter Daniels
|\ "Your heart's on mine beating double time,
\| but we have promises to keep, and miles to go,
miles to go, miles to go before we sleep..."
- Over the Rhine
T-bone Corporations * In Touch With Yours Truly * Merging with Wanak, Inc.
T-bone's Existential Cafe is at http://www.ccm.net/~tbone/index.html
============================================================================