The World Turned Upside Down
By Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi, and all terms, names, etc.
associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and
Kodansha. We make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should
not be seen as making a claim.
Those characters that are original and the story "The World Turned
Upside Down" are copyrighted (c) 1999 by Douglas Helm & Will Wolfshohl.
This fanfic and hundreds of other Sailor Moon fanfics reside in "Tuxedo"
Will's SM Fanfics Archive at http://log.on.ca/users/helm/anime/index.htm
Send comments to: Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)
or "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)
Chapter 6 - Little Girl Blues
The living room fell silent for a long moment as the other
Senshi looked between Makoto and Terra, both of whom were
glaring intently at each other. "What are you talking
about?!?" Makoto finally demanded, "Kami-sama, I hope you
aren't going to be like Chibi-Usa."
"Meaning what exactly?" Usagi demanded.
"Meaning that Chibi-Usa had a `thing' for Mamoru."
[I DID NOT!] Usagi protested, her scowl deepened when Misako gave her a
smug smile. [Okay, but I was a little kid then and besides, I didn't
know that Mamoru was Dad when I went to the past!]
[I believe you, 'Sagi,] Misako said in a condescending tone. She quietly
giggled to herself as her sister glared darkly.
"He's MY boyfriend!" Terra reiterated.
"Aren't you a little young for a boyfriend, Imouto?" Will
asked.
"Iie, silly," Terra replied, "I mean we were betrothed to each
other in the Silver Millennium." Everyone's attention was
drawn towards Doug who was in the process of making gagging
noises. "Queen Serenity and Mother thought it was a good
idea."
"But you were just a little kid!" Makoto protested. <Even
during the Silver Millennium.>
"I was twelve years old and when I reached eighteen years of
age, we were to be married," Terra retorted.
"It ain't gonna happen, Terra," Makoto replied again while
getting up and walking over to Doug, "I was dating Prince
Obsidian back in the Silver Millennium and I'm dating him now
so that pretty much excludes you, ne Doug-chan?"
Doug, feeling very uncomfortable, scrambled to his feet before
saying, "Hai!" To his surprise, Usagi whirled on him, a
expression of disbelief crossing her face. "Well, Imouto, you
knew I always hoped that once you and Endymion got hitched, I
could talk Mother out of that baka idea."
"It wasn't a baka idea!" Usagi protested, "I think it would
have been very good, Onii-chan. Mother wanted our ties with
Earth to be strengthened. What would be a better way to do so
than to have both kingdom's royal houses united by a double
marriage?"
"Usagi, you were always in favor of this?" Makoto demanded.
"I can't believe it!" Makoto shouted when Usagi nodded, "You
told me you'd speak to Her Majesty about this. You told me
you'd help get the betrothal dissolved!"
"I had to think about our kingdom, Mako-chan," Usagi sniffed,
"And with Crystal Tokyo in our future, I'll still have to
think about it." She smiled walked over to Terra and smiled
down towards her. "'Sides, I could never say iie to my imouto,
ne?" Bending down, she gave the little girl a large hug, "I
very sorry I was so mean to you. Gomen nasai."
"That's okay, Usagi-oneechan," Terra replied softly, "I'm just
elated that you remember me now."
"How could I forget my true love's imouto? Especially an extra
kawaii one like you?" Usagi cooed. "Don't worry, Terra-chan,
when you get older, we can have such a nice wedding. We got
thirteen years to plan it too!"
"Nani? What do you mean?" Minako asked.
"Her Highness means that the royal betrothal is STILL in
effect!" Terra chirped before getting up and walking over to
stand beside Makoto, "You're gonna have to give him up!"
"Wait a minute, minna. Don't I get any say in this?!?" Doug
questioned.
"IIE!" Usagi, Terra, and Makoto answered together.
"Gomen, Onii-chan," Usagi said softly, "But I think this is
for the best. The Royal houses will be united just like Mother
and Queen Gaia always meant them to be."
"Onii-chan?" Rei asked, her curiosity piqued, "So he was older
than you?"
"Only by a few minutes," Doug answered, "We're twins and it
was just something that we liked."
"Let me guess, your birthdays are the same," Ami added in.
"Hai," Usagi replied, a broad smile on her face, "Umino did a
background check like usual. We both got the same birthday."
"Using the Earth Calendar of the Silver Millenium, we were
born on the same date as well," Doug added.
Makoto wasn't about to let the issue get sidetracked. "You're
stealing my boyfriend, Usagi?!?" Makoto asked in shock, "What
type of friend are you?!?"
"What type of friend are you, Makoto?" Usagi questioned back,
"You stole my mesume!" Doug gave Usagi a very strange look but
Usagi didn't even notice.
"Hold it!" Doug shouted, both to get Usagi's attention and to
have some say in the entire affair. "Usagi, you promised me
that once you got back from your honeymoon with Endymion, you
would talk to Mother." Terra and Usagi scowled at this. "I
think it only fair you take that into account."
"Mother's dead and I'll be Queen someday so what I says goes,"
Usagi replied petulantly, "And I say the betrothal's still
on!"
"I'll let you two have a good-bye kiss," Terra offered. She
wasn't quite sure what a marriage was but it obviously meant
Doug would be spending plenty of time with her.
Will, at this point sensing that Makoto was about to do bodily
harm to someone, decided to step in. "Um... We do have
something more pressing... Can we talk about the betrothal
later?" When the three girls gave him curious looks, he
clarified by saying, "The Guardian Earth Stone. If each piece
comes from a Dark Kingdom General, then where's the fourth
piece?"
"Oh, my dad has it," Usagi chirped, "I guess I could get it
from him. But why do we need it?"
"Baka Odango Atama, think!" Rei commanded, "We don't want the
Dark Kingdom to get it."
"That reminds me," Macavity chimed in, "It's a good thing we
showed up when we did." Noticing the hostile look Luna was
giving him, he continued, "'Cause after two tries at getting
rid of the damn thing, you'd figure even the Senshi would have
a success... but iie, they're still a bunch of boy-crazed
giggling little girls."
"Hey! Haruka isn't boy-crazed," Minako pointed out.
[She did give birth and it takes a guy and a girl,] Usagi pointed out.
[Turkey basters don't count, Onee-chan,] Misako retorted with a straight
face. Usagi sat, staring at her sister for a long moment, before
doubling over and laughing in silent mirth.
"And Hotaru's not a weakling either," Rei added.
Usagi didn't want a fight and she decided to change the
subject. Besides, there was something bothering her. "Ne, how
did you survive the attack on the Moon Kingdom, Doug-chan?"
"Because..." Doug began then trailed off. <What do you know,>
he thought, <I'll be able to get out of this baka betrothal
after all.> "Imouto sent me on a pastry run." Much to his
surprise, everyone excluding Usagi face-faulted much like they
did in an anime show. "See, there were these really special
and rare pastries from Earth and Mother had them locked up so
my sister, the one with the veracious appetite, wouldn't scarf
down the lot of them."
Usagi started to sputter in protest but Terra was more
interested in the story so gave her a pleading look. When
Usagi smiled and gave her another hug, she asked, "So what
happened?"
"We made a little bet," Doug replied, "Anyway, I lost. Mother
had them locked up in the Royal Vault so it took me a long
time to get to them. Then I had to dig my way out of the lower
levels after the attack started." That had been neither easy
or pleasant. "And by the time I got back... well... it was all
over. Or at least... I thought it was all over."
"What do you mean?" Rei and Ami asked.
"That's right," Will chimed in, "When I returned to the Solar
System, I went to the Moon first because I was supposed to
meet Endymion. When I saw Endymion and Princess Serenity
dead..." he trailed off for a long moment before starting to
speak in a quiet tone of voice, "I rushed home and found our
parents and Terra dead."
"When I dug my way out," Doug continued after a long silence,
"I couldn't find Mother. I only saw the bodies of Serenity,
Prince Endymion, and... the others." He looked towards Makoto
for a long moment and then said, "At that moment, I didn't
know what to do. Or how I was still alive. Then Prince Bauxite
came..."
"Beryl was still on the Moon, holding some grotesque form of
Court with unliving Senshi as her ladies-in-waiting. I won't
mention what she did with Serenity's and Endymion's bodies. I
didn't see Obsidian's body but I figured... well..." Will
explained, "I found out later that Obsidian was still alive
and just today, that Queen Serenity was in hiding with Luna
and Artemis."
"My mother hid?" Usagi asked in disbelief. Queen Serenity was
anything than a coward.
"She was preparing to use the Ginzuishou," Doug replied, "At
least that's the best explanation of what happened when we did
attack Queen Beryl given what I learned from Luna's mind meld.
Imouto, you know Mother wouldn't hide from Beryl but to do
what she planned to do would take time."
"You knew?" Ami asked.
"I suspected or rather Macavity suspected as much," Doug
amended, "And when Bauxite arrived, we were the perfect
distraction for Mother to complete her preparations before
attacking Beryl; or I assume we were the perfect distraction.
The last thing I remember was Bauxite and I fighting Beryl's
youma and the rest you know."
Usagi had a concerned and worried expression on her face, "Um
Onii-chan?" she began. When Doug looked at her questioningly,
she asked, "I just have one question... you wouldn't still have
those pastries, ne?" The sigh that went up from the gathered
group shook the house.
[Here,] Misako remarked with a giggle, [Your turn.] Usagi, who was still
snickering, took the pad and pencil.
[Is Hotaru there?] Usagi asked, [I don't remember you mentioning her.]
[I guess so, Onee-chan, unless Mother snuck out and she couldn't take
Hotaru with her,] Misako said, [It doesn't really matter to me.] Usagi
shrugged. She'd think about if for a little bit while she wrote
something else.
Princess Crystal was in a foul mood. She had spent the past
two hours stomping around her bedroom throwing a violent
tantrum. Her energy spent, she flopped onto her bed and
continued to seethe. Picking up Rei-chan #2, she said
sleepily, "I hate those Senshi! Why they gotta be so mean?!"
She sniffled then, "Jed-chan... Neph-chan... I'm all alone."
She was silent for a moment before giving an apologetic smile.
"Gomen, Rei-chan, I know you're with me." There was another
long pause before she sat up. "Now that's an idea. Arigato
Rei-chan!" It was so devilish, so fiendish... so very, very
kawaii! It was perfect! Concentrating, she disappeared from
her bedroom and reappeared outside a maximum security prison.
"These guys aren't very kawaii so they'll help me... by givin'
me their energy." She giggled before skipping happily towards
the front gate.
[A prison?] Misako asked, ['Sagi-chan, the Senshi ARE gonna stop her,
ne?]
[Iie,] Usagi replied, [This is a far off prison... Not even in Japan.]
[But the bad guys always attack where the Senshi can get to!]
[Not this time, Miko-chan,] Usagi replied. Misako gave her a sour look
so she added, [We need Crystal to have lotsa power, ne?]
Misako thought about that for a long moment before reluctantly saying,
[Hai, we do. Okay, go ahead.] She didn't like it but she'd live with it.
She could still make it work.
Shortly after Crystal appeared at the prison, the Sailor
Senshi were alerted to the activity. Much to Usagi's dismay
though, both Ami and Rei were unwilling to go and help.
"Come... even if they are criminals, we have a duty to help
them."
"I am not going," Ami stated, "If the attack follows the same
premise as the last, then the attack is only after energy. We
know that the people will recover, given enough time. They are
criminals so it isn't as if she's going after innocent
people."
"Ami's right," Rei piped in, "I should really go home. So
should you, Usagi. You should worry about getting the Guardian
Earth Stone piece from your father."
"Obsidian and I will go and investigate while you girls go do
your nails or something," Macavity decided.
"Come on," Obsidian said as he picked Macavity up, "We should
go before somebody punts you into the Sun." Macavity's
response was muffled as a hand was placed over his mouth.
"I think I'll go with him," Artemis suggested. Noting Luna's
scowl, he hurriedly added, "Just in case they need some back
up."
"I'll come too," Makoto said before transforming.
"I desire to come too!" Terra protested. <With MY boyfriend.>
"Iie!" both Mamoru and Will countered. When Terra pouted, Will
added, "Terra-chan, we won't be fighting and besides it's
getting late. You need your rest."
"Hai," Mamoru agreed, "I mean, if you're going to help us
defeat the Dark Kingdom, Imouto, then you do need your sleep."
Terra looked unconvinced but accepted that she wasn't going to
be going with Obsidian and Jupiter. "Just don't kiss him!" she
commanded of Jupiter.
"Terra-chan," Usagi chided softly, "Be polite to Makoto, she's
older than you are."
"Hai Usagi-oneechan," Terra agreed unhappily, "Would you
consent to playing bunny rabbits with me first?
Usagi smiled smugly, "Sure, I will."
"That'll have to wait until tomorrow. Terra needs her rest,"
Will broke in. Terra turned to regard him sadly.
"Please, Onii-san, what if we play quietly?"
Will was looking doubtful so Usagi added, "Yeah, we'll be
quiet." She let her eyes droop slightly as she added, "Pretty
please?"
"Terra can play, just not bunny rabbits," Will conceded.
Terra pouted and said, "But Usagi-oneechan would make a
stellar bunny!"
"After all," Usagi observed, "That's my name. Then me and you
can go get ice cream."
"I think she means your hair, Usako," Mamoru commented with a
grin, "And you can just forget about the ice cream. Like we
said before, it's getting late."
Usagi and Terra both pouted, feeling that they were getting a
raw deal. After looking at each other, they sighed and nodded.
Usagi then got a puzzled look on her face. "My hair?" Usagi
asked. Reaching up, she frowned slightly as she noted her
odangos were out of place. "Nani?" Slowly she walked over to a
mirror and stared at herself. "Rabbit ear odangos?!?"
"I knew you missed Chibi-Usa and Misako, Usako. What a nice
way to show it," Mamoru commented, very proud of his
girlfriend's gesture.
"I DO `NOT' MISS THEM!" Usagi yelled.
[I think she does,] Misako said softly.
[Maybe deep down, Miko-chan,] Usagi conceded.
While Usagi stormed off to the bathroom to redo her hair
properly, an act that would prove difficult, Sailor Jupiter
turned to Obsidian who was looking after his twin sister.
Despite his helmet, Jupiter could easily picture the quizzical
look Obsidian had on his face.
Turning back to Jupiter, Obsidian asked, "So, Lady Jupiter,
just who are Chibi-Usa and Misako?"
"Let's worry about that later!" Macavity griped, "Let's get to
the prison."
"But how? It'd take us too long time to charter a plane there
and we've already wasted a lot of time," Jupiter countered.
"If everybody was going, we could use a Sailor Teleport to get
there I suppose."
"That's the way we'll go," Obsidian replied. Walking over, he
clasped Jupiter's hand and added, "I never did tell you how
beautiful you look in that fuku, My Lady." The others who had
been watching this unfolding scene were robbed, thankfully, of
Macavity's reply as the Lunar Cats, Obsidian, and Sailor
Jupiter winked out of sight.
Meanwhile in the bathroom, Usagi was nearing the point of
ripping out her hair. "I DON'T GET IT!" she wailed, "I take
the rabbit ear odangos OUT but I always put them back IN! It's
like I forgot how to do round odangos! What's wrong with me?!"
['Sagi-chan,] Misako said softly with a grin, [I have an idea.] Usagi
looked curiously at her sister who leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Usagi's face twitched for a few moments before she also grinned.
[That would be kinda funny, Miko-chan,] Usagi admitted, [That's a good
idea.]
"Shhh..." Mamoru soothed as he cupped Usagi's face in his
hands. He gently pulled her up and kissed her softly before
saying, "I'll put your hair up, okay?"
"I'd rather kiss..." Usagi paused and then amended, "Or maybe
get some ice cream..." She screwed up her face for a moment
and then looking up at Mamoru blissfully asked, "Ne,
Mamo-chan, what was I complaining about?"
"You don't remember, Usako?" Mamoru asked.
"Uh... I thought about ice cream and everything else in my
head vanished."
"That's because you can only hold one thought in that puny
head of yours, Odango Atama!" Rei thundered.
"QUIT BEING SO MEAN TO ME!!!!" Usagi snapped while beginning
to wail.
"You leave Usagi-oneechan alone!" Terra yelled at Rei as she
stepped between the two girls. "Don't worry, Usagi-oneechan,
Rei's just being mean due to the fact she's jealous of you. I
inferred she's been miserable so long that she believes
everyone else has to be as well." Rei was, to say the least,
not amused.
When Macavity, Artemis, Obsidian, and Sailor Jupiter appeared
a short distance away from the prison, Obsidian could tell
that Jupiter was impressed. "We need all of the Inners to do a
Sailor Teleport," Sailor Jupiter admitted, "Think you could
teach me? This would be handy for getting around places."
"I'm afraid not," Macavity replied while shooting a dangerous
look towards Obsidian, "Lunar Knights ONLY have the fortitude
necessary."
Seeing the annoyed look on Jupiter's face, Obsidian broke in,
"Can we see what's going on here first... Then you can punt
him into outer space, okay?" Jupiter grumbled for a few
moments before nodding.
It was strangely quiet as they approached the front gate.
Jupiter voiced the question they were all wondering. "Where
are all the guards?" In answer to that question, they heard
the sounds of giggling. Glancing at each other in surprise,
Jupiter and Obsidian ran towards the sound. "Nani?!?" she
demanded in surprise after coming through the open gate. "What
are you doing here?" she demanded of the pack of little girls
no older than Terra.
"Pwayin'!" one answered. Then as an after thought, she
answered, "Go 'way... you ain't 'pose ta be here." Giggling,
she turned and started skipping away.
['Sagi-chan, this prison is OUTSIDE Japan, ne?] Usagi nodded. Misako's
curiousity piqued, she asked, [How come everybody can understand
everybody else? I mean if the prison was in Italy, I don't think many
people there speak Japanese and I don't think any of the others speak
Italian.]
Usagi gave a shrug and said, [Doesn't really matter, ne?]
[S'ppose not,] Misako conceeded.
"You shouldn't be here," Jupiter protested, "It's dangerous!"
"She's right. Where are your parents?" Artemis demanded.
"Me pwayed here wong time," another little girl replied after
turning around. "Not so bad, 'specialwy with all the cute
kitties 'n' bunnies!" Grownups could be so dense sometimes.
"Waan pway?" she asked Artemis but he just hissed, "Silwy
kitty!"
"Kitties?" Obsidian questioned while looking around.
<Kami-sama! There are a lot of kittens and bunnies here.> He
also noticed a number of other little girls, all dressed
similarly. "She changed all of the guards into girls."
"This could be bad," Macavity muttered out.
"I agree," Artemis said beside him.
"Bunnies?" Jupiter asked. The little girl nodded, a happy
smile on her face, and started skipping away again. "What's
going on?" Before Obsidian or Macavity could venture any
answer, a short middle-aged man with a balding head came
running towards them. "Save me!" he cried, "Don't let her zap
me! I don't want to be a kawaii bunny or a cat! I'm allergic
to cats!"
"That's not very kawaii!" a young woman's voice yelled.
Jupiter gasped as she recognized Crystal.
<How does that girl breathe with that thing on?> Jupiter
wondered as she noticed Crystal was wearing a tight and very
short pink leather dress barely covering her ample cleavage.
She still sported two white bows in her long red hair.
"Please save me!" the balding man wailed, "I don't want to be
a little girl! I just want to run this prison!"
"But prisons aren't kawaii," Crystal complained, "Just hold
still!" Even before Jupiter or Obsidian could do anything,
Crystal attacked and before their very eyes, sucked an
ink-like substance from the cowering warden who immediately
started changing.
"NO!!!!" the warden cried his voice becoming higher pitched.
"Stop her!" the preteen begged the stunned Senshi and Knight.
"Pl... Pwease!" the still regressing six year old pleaded. His
next words were cut short as his body completely shifted over
to a little girl younger than the others. Giving a giggle, she
turned and toddled away to play with the others.
Crystal turned to observe the new arrivals and giggled. "So
what do you think?" She pouted slightly as Jupiter gave her a
sour look. "And what 'bout you?" she asked Obsidian.
"I don't think that was very nice," Obsidian commented.
"Nani? Why not? I mean these were all bad people," Crystal
observed. "And they did mean stuff so they ain't kawaii." It
was quite obvious to her that she was doing these evil people
a huge favor.
"What about the prison warden and guards?" Macavity asked.
Crystal's eyes enlarged and she stared at Macavity as if he
had breathed fire. "Nani?"
"A kitty that talks... Kawaii!" Crystal squealed in delight.
She ran forward and scooped Macavity up, "Oh you're such a
nice kitty! Blue? Too bad you're not pink." <Maybe I can fix
that...>
Usagi regarded Misako who grinned. [Okay, Miko-chan, your turn, but I
want to do the next Will scene.]
[Hai,] Misako agreed and took the pad and pencil.
No matter how much Macavity struggled, he couldn't get away
from Crystal who seemed intent on petting him to death. "Oh,
you're such a pretty kitty!" Crystal cooed. Spying Artemis,
she asked, "Do you talk too?" When Artemis only mewed, she
said to Macavity, "The other kitties are pretty too but you're
special. You can be my bestest special friend." Macavity's
already frayed patience snapped as Crystal planted a sloppy
kiss on his forehead.
"At least I'm not as ugly as you are!" he yelled. Crystal's
eyes enlarged and stared at him in shock. "You are by far the
meanest, nastiest villain I have ever had the displeasure to
meet!" Much to Jupiter's and Obsidian's surprise, Crystal's
bottom lip trembled as she sniffled.
"Why don't you like me, kitty?" Crystal asked, her voice
cracking as her eyes filled with tears.
"I don't like you because you're a very bad and ugly person!"
He gave a yelp of surprise as Crystal dropped him and burst
into tears.
"You're being real mean to me!" she cried out, "Stop being so
mean! You ain't my special friend no more!" Stamping a foot,
she said in a pouting tone, "I'll get you for this!" Snapping
her fingers, a dark portal opened and she stomped through it.
"That wasn't very nice, Macavity," Obsidian observed.
"Yeah," Artemis agreed.
"I know that, you lummox!" Macavity snarled as he started
cleaning his fur, "She was one very hot looking babe! It was
fun at first when she hugged me to her b..." looking at
Makoto, "chest but she wouldn't let me go."
"You made that all up?" Jupiter asked in disbelief. Macavity
just smiled smugly in reply.
After Obsidian, Jupiter, Artemis, and Macavity left for the
prison, Minako walked into the kitchen with a small smile on
her face. <This is so great!> she thought to herself as she
started rooting through the refrigerator. <Terra's back so
that means Will can relax a little.> And she knew exactly the
way to relax a guy, feed him. <Mom does it all the time to
Dad.>
While Minako prepared to cook, Terra and Usagi were playing
while Will and Mamoru watched. "That's quite a change," Will
remarked as Usagi gave the little girl a large hug, "Before
you would never get Usagi to do something like that..."
"Even for food," Mamoru finished for him and grinned. "Hai,
it's strange. I really glad that Usagi and Terra can be so
close but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"You can't mean that Usagi's faking her emotions, Otouto,"
Will protested with mild shock, "What ever Usagi is, she's
definitely a caring person."
"Hai, and I don't doubt that Usagi does love Terra like an
imouto. What I'm worried about is she'll want a little girl of
her own." Seeing Will's curious look, Mamoru elaborated, "A
friend of hers got a puppy so Usagi wanted a puppy. I'm quite
sure that the same thing will hit her."
"Meaning since I have a little girl to care for, she wants one
of her own?"
"Hai Onii-san, there were signs of that when Misako and
Chibi-Usa were around," Mamoru commented, "I think Usagi will
make a great mother... just not right away."
Seeing her sister's look, Misako remarked, [Dad has to say that,
Onee-chan.]
Usagi's head turned to regard Mamoru for a few seconds before
she said, "Mamo-chan, when can we have a little girl of our
own?" <Maybe Chibi-Usa can have an onee.> Will tried hard to
hide his mirth as Mamoru heaved a heavy sigh.
"Ne, Will-chan!" Minako's voice came from the kitchen, "Can
you come and help me?" Happy for the distraction, Will quietly
slipped from the room and walked down the hallway towards the
kitchen. "Can you get me that big bowl? I can't reach it,"
Minako asked as he came into the kitchen.
"Hai," Will replied and walking over, reached up to get the
desired bowl. He froze midway through his actions as he felt a
set of arms wrap around him. He felt Minako's cheek settle
onto his back as she gave a little sigh.
"Finally we're alone," Minako purred. Will's heart stopped for
a moment before starting to beat faster. "I made you some
food, Will-chan." Will's heart froze again as his blood
started to run cold. He had heard horror stories about
Minako's cooking.
Trying to cover his discomfort, Will reached the rest of the
way up and got the bowl. "Here," he said as he turned
partially and held the bowl out to his girlfriend.
"You silly," Minako cooed softly and pushing the bowl away,
moved around so she could wrap her arms around him. "You're
happy to have Terra back." Will only nodded as he felt himself
sinking into the depths of her blue eyes.
Misako glanced over towards Usagi who nodded before taking the pad and
pencil.
"I'm very happy to know she's safe, Minako-chan," Will agreed
softly as he stroked Minako's cheek.
"And I'm happy you're happy, Will-chan," Minako replied in a
soft tone of voice before pulling him slowly down into a kiss.
When they finally came up for air, both sighed in a
contentedly. "Come and eat."
What followed was both an unconscious act of self-preservation
and the lasting effects of the recent kiss. So as Minako
started towards the pot that was releasing greenish vapors,
Will blurted out the only thing that came to mind,
"Minako-chan, would you like to have kids?!?"
"When?" Minako asked in confusion as she turned to stare at
him oddly.
"Um, right now?" Will suggested. <What in the world am I
saying?!?> Thankfully Minako only giggled and blushed.
"Will-chan, my parents would kill you, then they'd kill me.
We'll just have to wait until I graduate high school," Minako
remarked, "Now come and sit down and I'll serve you something
extra special I made."
"Sure, instead of her parents killing me, she's going to do it
herself," Will muttered and tried to feign excitement as he
walked over and sat down at the large kitchen table. He
watched warily as Minako dumped the contents of the pot into
the large bowl before walking over to the table. "You want me
to eat all that?" Will asked.
"Iie, I made the extra stuff for Doug. But most of it's for
you, my love."
<Oh goody!> Will thought as he picked up a spoon and carefully
dipped it into the bowl. "It looks like green Jell-O," he
observed as he swirled it around, "But it's hasn't set yet."
"Shh! That's the secret ingredient," Minako said as she looked
at him with a soft smile on her face. "Now taste it and tell
me what you think." Trying to resist the urge to hold his
nose, Will lifted the spoon and noted it wasn't melting, a
good sign. "Don't tell me you're scared of my cooking too,"
she said before slightly pouting.
"Minako-chan, why would I be scared of your cooking?" Will
asked. <Well, what's one taste going to do?> The others had to
be exaggerating. <With Makoto to spoil them, I bet anything
else would taste bad,> Will decided. Before his common sense
could kick in, he placed the contents of the spoon in his
mouth and swallowed. As the vile tasting concoction crawled
down his throat, Will only had one thought, <So that's what
toxic waste tastes like.> "It was good," he whispered out in
answer to Minako's expectant look. He just couldn't disappoint
her.
"Sugoi! Have some more!" Minako prodded smiling
enthusiastically before kissing him.
Later that evening, Doug came into the living room and asked,
"Will, where's Terra?"
"Usagi took her home for a sleepover," Will said, "I can't
believe the mood swings that girl can have."
"That's what worries me," Doug remarked as he sat down with a
sigh, "Serenity never used just her heart, she used her head
too. It's like Usagi forgot everything she learned when she
was a princess. How to walk, for example. I never knew
Serenity to be so... clumsy. And irresponsible. Even with what
I've heard from Makoto, she just seems... all wrong." What
happened to the intelligent graceful woman he knew as his
sister?
Will nodded, "Mamoru's told me stuff as well, Doug. I knew
Serenity as courageous to the point of going out of her way to
scare herself silly. No offense but your sister in this
incarnation is a total airhead."
"Well, she can't be that bad. Apparently she's has two
beautiful daughters in the future." He sighed, "It's a wonder
that Luna's not given up on Usagi."
"That's because she's like all women... stubborn!" Macavity
interrupted as he came into the room, "I tell you, these
Sailor Senshi are nothing but trouble. Well I'll see you guys
later."
"And just where are you going?" Will asked.
"I am going to go rescue Artemis from boredom and go have a
good time. Don't wait up!" It was at that moment that Minako's
cooking decided that it was time to put Will out of
commission.
[How long do you think I should give him to recover?] Usagi asked her
sister.
[I don't know, Onee-chan,] Misako said while tapping her lip in thought,
[I mean we really don't want to hurt him too badly. Maybe a day or so?
Just as long as he's healthy to fight Crystal.]
[This is MINAKO'S cooking we're talking about, Imouto,] Usagi pointed
out.
[Good point... Okay, say a week then. That'll give Crystal enough time
to gather lots of energy.]
It did take a week for Will to fully recover from Minako's
meal. Minako apologized profusely and personally nursed Will
back to health. It was only his fantastic constitution and the
others' help keeping Minako from going too overboard, that
kept Will from a protracted hospital stay.
During that week, Crystal continued her campaign of energy
draining outside of Tokyo. The Senshi's attitude on Crystal's
attacks were mixed. While Ami, Rei, Makoto, and the Lunar Cats
were of the opinion that Crystal should be stopped, Usagi,
Minako, Terra, and Hotaru were of the opinion that what
Crystal was doing, in essence reforming hardened criminals,
was a good thing. Mamoru, Doug, and Will kept their opinions
to themselves.
It also didn't help that government agencies worldwide
applauded Crystal's actions. Once she had moved into the
prison and "reformed" the prisoners, the government commuted
their sentences to time served. Of course, there was an outcry
over what was happening to the prison staffs but the benefits
outweighed the consequences.
In most cases, the little girls were accepted back into their
families, many happy to have a new little sister or daughter
and the government benefit check that went with it. For those
children who had no family, there were no shortages of eager
families wishing to adopt the little girls that had nowhere
else to go. The kittens and bunnies, too, had little problem
getting good homes.
[Maybe we can convince Dad to try this here and put Haruka out of a job
or have her become a little girl,] Usagi ventured. Misako giggled.
Also during the week, Artemis had to suffer through Macavity's
tirades about Diana. The brutish Lunar Cat couldn't believe
that Artemis had fallen for Luna. Much to Artemis' relief,
Macavity was at least polite towards Diana. Although he was
not in his appraisal of her when she wasn't around.
It was on a Saturday when the Senshi and the Lunar Cats, along
with Will, Mamoru, and Doug, gathered to discuss the
situations. They were sitting outside enjoying the nice
weather at the Hikawa Shrine.
"So you finally convinced her?" Rei said to Mamoru, "I don't
know how you did it. She was certainly stubborn enough!" Usagi
stuck her tongue out at Rei who reciprocated.
"Rei-san," Terra hissed warningly, "Insulting Usagi, your
princess and leader I might add, is not something that a
Sailor Senshi should do." Rei glared at the little girl but
Usagi's question prevented her from responding.
"Do you want to know or not?" Usagi asked in a annoyed tone.
Rei grumbled for a moment before settling down. "Mamoru told
me about the guards. And he's right, Crystal shouldn't be
attacking them. So if we stop her, it's only to stop her from
hurting the innocent. I still say turning criminals into
bunnies and kitties is a good idea."
"So what do we do, Usagi-oneechan?" Terra asked Usagi, "I mean
if she doesn't pursue us, how are we going to capture her?"
"She'll come back," Diana remarked as she preened her fur,
"From what I've been told, she wants revenge. And I plan on
making her fight for it."
"You?" Macavity asked while raising an eyebrow, "Come on, kid,
this isn't no game."
"I can so take on Crystal," Diana huffed hotly, "Come on, I'll
prove it!" With that, she hopped to the ground and started
towards the stairs, "Well come on."
"Okay kid, this should be good for a laugh," Macavity said and
started to follow Diana. Luna and Artemis gave each other
worried looks before hurrying after their daughter.
"Could we teleport to her?" Usagi asked, "I mean, as long as
we know where she is, we could get her."
"That plan has merit, Usagi-oneechan!" Terra agreed, "Now
let's go play!" Giggling, she grabbed Usagi's hand and they
both hurried off together.
"I think that's a new record," Ami remarked.
"Nani?" Will asked.
"I think this is likely one of the shortest Senshi meetings
we've ever had."
"That's okay," Minako purred, "I got a make up gift for,
Will-chan." Seeing Will's expression, she pouted and added,
"It isn't food." Her pout got bigger as the others snickered.
"I tell you, there was nothing wrong with it!"
"We had to pitch that bowl," Doug remarked, "After that stuff
had set, there wasn't any way of getting it loose."
"Minna, I thought we were going to talk about the Guardian
Earth Stone," Mamoru remarked.
"We might as well wait until the cats get back, and I think
Terra's the only one that knows anything besides Macavity,"
Will pointed out, "Besides, I want to know what favor Doug
promised Terra."
"Oh... you mean besides taking her anyplace to eat supper?"
Doug asked while looking uncomfortable, "She wants me to help
out with a play she wants to put on." Mamoru and Will looked
worried at this announcement. "I think you two are safe unless
you do want to help out."
"I think it would be nice," Makoto volunteered and Minako
nodded her agreement.
"I'll think about it," Will replied while Mamoru announced
that he'd go and see what Usagi and Terra were up to.
[Here, Miko-chan, you do this part,] Usagi suggested while handing the
pad and pencil over to Misako, [I'm not sure what to do with Diana and I
might get a little carried away.] Misako only grinned as she took the
offered items and began to write again.
The four Lunar Cats, who had made their way to the park, were
arguing over how Diana was to prove herself. Artemis was
trying to get Diana to be sensible and not doing anything
overly dangerous while Luna and Diana were intent on proving
how good Diana was.
"Now listen here, Macavity," Luna began, "My mesume has been
trained by Artemis and me. I am quite confident she can do any
task you give her to do."
"Hai," Diana piped up, "As Sailor Kitty, I can do ANYTHING!"
"Sailor Kitty?" Macavity questioned in a sarcastic tone. "Come
on, kid, you aren't any Senshi. Great Serenity's Ghost! At
least the Senshi have some real power."
"I AM TOO A SENSHI!" Diana protested, "Aren't I, Okaa-san?"
Luna shifted uncomfortably and was thankful that Macavity's
laughter distracted her daughter.
<Oh Diana, what are you getting yourself into?> Luna thought.
<Could she really be a Senshi? She is five years older.>
"Anything?" Macavity questioned after he had gotten the bulk
of his mirth out of his system.
"Anything," Diana answered confidently, "Tell me what you want
Sailor Kitty to do."
"Diana-chan," Luna said, "Why don't we drop the Sailor Kitty
bit. I mean as a Lunar Cat, you are to be the Royal Advisor to
Her Highness Princess Usagi. A very important post I might
add. You have nothing to prove to Macavity."
"Don't worry, Okaa-san, I can do anything this arrogant snot
can do."
"Okay kid, this will be easy. You just have to tag me with
your paw." Diana grinned and lunged towards Macavity but he
teleported away.
"I'll show him!" Diana huffed out before yelling, "KITTY PRISM
POWER, MAKE UP!" Much to Luna's relief, Diana didn't
transform. To her embarrassment though, Diana declared in a
strong and loud voice, "FOR THE LOVE OF CATNIP, YARN, AND
SUGAR COVERED MICE, I'LL GIVE MACAVITY A CAVITY! I AM SAILOR
KITTY AND HE WILL BE PUNISHED!" With that, Diana darted down
the pathway, her tiny bell tinkling as she ran.
Finding Macavity hadn't been as hard as Artemis has suspected
it would have been. The blue Lunar Cat was lying on one end of
a seesaw looking very bored. As Diana and her parents
approached, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.
"So you found me, kid, but then again, I made it easy for
you."
"Be careful, Diana," Luna said softly.
"Mother!" Diana protested, "The name's Sailor Kitty! And he's
no match for a Sailor Senshi!" Turning away from her mother,
Diana stalking towards Macavity, a small smile on her face.
"Now I'll show you that Senshi are just as good as Lunar
Knights."
Macavity yawned expansively before saying, "Whatever, kid."
Diana gave a growl and charged towards Macavity who teleported
away at the last moment. Diana tried to stop herself and in
the process, tripped over her own feet. Landing heavily on the
seesaw, she laid there disoriented.
Then the ground heaved as the seesaw shot into the air. Diana
gave a sharp gasp of surprise and scrambled to grab onto
anything but she failed. With a mew of distress, she tumbled
from seesaw and landed with a splash in a mud puddle.
"Diana!" Luna cried in distress and darted forward.
"Macavity!" Diana roared and darted off after the blue cat.
Her daughter's sudden movement disoriented Luna and she went
skidding into the same mud puddle. "That was a dirty trick!"
Diana howled in rage.
[Speaking of dirt,] Usagi began with a mischevious grin, [I have two
Disguise Pens.]
Misako gave her sister a broad grin and replied, [So are you up to
getting your butt kicked at Youma Catch AGAIN?]
[Don't count on it. We'll be equal ages this time.] Usagi then winked
and added, [Who says I just don't want to play in the mud?]
[You know... I don't believe you for a minute, 'Sagi-chan,] Misako
replied, [But I'd be willing to let you prove it after the story's done.
I mean it's still snowing outside.]
[Imouto, you got yourself a deal!] Usagi declared.
Macavity stopped and Diana did as well. "You think so?" he
asked her.
"Hai," Diana, covered in mud, huffed while blinking.
"All right, I then give you my word as a Lunar Knight that I
will not teleport during the remainder of this contest." Diana
gave a evil look, or as best as a Lunar Cat could, and ran
full speed towards him. Macavity kept his word, he didn't
teleport; he simply sidestepped.
Diana twisted and landed on a small pile of leaves. With a
startled cry of surprise, she went skidding down a small hill
and vanished into a drainage ditch.
"Diana!" Luna called out as she ran down towards the drainage
ditch, "Are you all right?!?"
"I could have beat him, Mama!" Diana protested with a whine.
She sat covered with dead leaves and muck looking towards the
ground. "He cheated!"
"So much for the Sailor Senshi!" Macavity chortled and
wandered away.
"You just wait, I'll..."
"Do absolutely nothing!" Luna commanded in her sternest tone
of voice, "Now get out of that ditch. We're going home and you
and I are going to have a long talk." <I've never been so
embarrassed in my entire life. Imagine playing pretend games
at her age!>
"But Mama..." Diana began
"Diana, out, now!" Luna commanded and gestured with a paw.
Turning, she saw Artemis and added, "And as for you... this is
all your fault."
"MY FAULT?!?" Artemis said in confusion.
"Hai, your fault!" Luna huffed out, "You should have stopped
me from making a completely fool of myself!" Artemis sighed,
today was going to be a very long day.
[Oh, that was mean,] Usagi stated, [But Diana deserved that and she
wasn't really hurt.] Misako giggled before turning back to write.
That Sunday was damp and cold. A low bank of black clouds
blotted out the sun as a heavy rain streamed from the darkened
sky. This didn't help the Senshi meeting one little bit. Usagi
and Terra were both clamped to Mamoru for protection and
screamed every time a peel of thunder rumbled overhead.
Makoto wasn't speaking to Usagi. Doug was equal distance
between Usagi and Makoto not wishing to get into more hot
water with either. And Minako was more interested in Will than
in what the Senshi meeting was supposed to be about.
"Minna-san," Macavity interrupted, "Could we at least deal
with one thing at a time?"
"He's right," Luna agreed moodily, "SO SHUT YER YAPS!"
Everyone blinked at Luna who sat and preened some fur. "Much
better. Now Usagi, did you get the last piece of the Guardian
Earth Stone?"
"Hai," Usagi said, letting go of Mamoru. Making a flicking
motion, she produced the final piece of the Guardian Earth
Stone. "Here ya go," she added while placing the piece in
front of Macavity.
"Here are the others," Doug remarked and placed the remaining
three pieces on the table. "So now what?"
"Now I try and kick start them," Macavity said, "Terra-chan,
would you please help me?"
"Her?!?" Ami asked with mild surprise, "Why not Usagi, Will,
or Mamoru?"
"Because she knows how to fit the silly thing back together
again," Macavity replied. <And Ami's the smart one?!>
Terra slid from her position near Mamoru and knelt in front of
Macavity. "Silly kitty, it is a simple process that I have
attempted to convey to you on several occasions."
"And I keep telling you that I can't remember," Macavity
huffed.
Terra giggled before picking up the first piece of the
Guardian Earth Stone. "This is from Kunzite, the next from
Zoisite. Both are eternally bound together." Picking up the
second piece, she carefully pushed them together. As the
pieces were pushed together, they started to glow a dark
green. "The third is from Nephrite, seeking knowledge and
strength. Guiding the other two." The third piece joined the
other two glowing pieces and the light grew brighter. "The
fourth is from Jadeite who practiced cowardice and deceit." As
the fourth piece touched its brethren, the Guardian Earth
Stone glowed a bright whitish-green before its growing
softened.
Terra now held a large polished green jewel. Its many facets
glinted in the room's light and an eerie glow came from its
center. "The Guardian Earth Stone, to defeat that which would
harm the planet Earth," Terra whispered out.
End of Chapter 6
Coming next in Chapter 7 - A Day Out and About