"If Usagi Can Do it..."
			
                        A Sailor Moon story
                                 by
                          Steven P. Cornett
                          
Characters and situations taken from "Sailor Moon" by Naoko Takeuchi.
All rights reserved to their respective owners, Toei (in Japan) and
Mixx (for the manga) and Cloverleaf (anime) in the US.

This story is inspired by an idea by Jonathan Rosebaugh (aka Jon)
<skip@plover.net>.  Thanks for letting me use it, Jon.

Comments, flames, grunts and loud noises to cornetts@siscom.net

*********************************************************************

	There are times when, as the Moon Cat advising the Princess,
even I wonder at times what strange and power god of fate I offended
to have an air head like Usagi be Sailor Moon.  Not merely that she's
a crybaby and a klutz; hey, I've gotten over that sometime after she
kicked Beryl's butt.  Besides, if I really want a laugh, I can always
listen to Artemis' regale me with some of Minako's more boneheaded 
antics.

	Instead, what really drives me batty when Usagi's natural
air-headedness trips up our job, like what just happened.  Having 
Naru find out that her best friend is Sailor Moon is bad enough, but
to have it happen *this* way...

	[growl]OK, let's back up a bit, and I'll explain (since it 
seems I'm going to have a lot of it to do, I may as well get some
practice in, and unlike my dear dumb-bunny you, my dear readers, 
won't talk back about it!).

	It all started last night, when Usagi dragged on back to bed
after a long night fighting plant monsters from Planet Ten (wonder
if I should mention the evil-yet-curvaceous electroids from Planets
One through Nine?...nah, I doubt *they'll* ever show up), and 
simply left the henshin laying on the nearest elevated flat surface
along with her clothes and other items before hitting the sack and
nodding off to a romantic rendezvous with Mamoru in upper dreamland
again.  

	But did I get ticked over this?  No, I did not, because 
Serenity knows I've seen the Princess do this more times than
I can count.

	The time I started to get worried was when Usagi slept up 
until 10 minutes before her study session was supposed to start 
before waking up with a jolt (alright.  I know what you're thinking 
and I do admit I helped in that regard.  But I only stood on her nose
for a second there...) and ran like a shot in the bathroom, out the 
bath and into the closet, out the door, down the stairs and out
the front door.  Again, nothing I hadn't seen hundreds of times
before, so most of the school day passed before I noticed that, lo
and behold, my charge left her henshin right where she left it 
the night before!

	I wondered what to do about it before it occurred to me that,
not hearing the screams of people being attacked by any youma, the
day had passed without incident and, once Usagi returned, all would
be well.  Not that would let the incident pass without scolding her
thoroughly, but at least it was a minor slip-up...this time! 

	And so, resolved in my course of action, I sat on the 
windowsill and waited for the reincarnated Moon Princess to return
home from her institution of learning and her many side trips to
the mall or the arcade or whatever, but was pleasantly surprised to
see Usagi return early.  That she was returning with Naru in two 
was *not* so pleasant a surprise, but again I didn't think too much
of it since that only meant a slight delay in reminding Usagi about
what she forgot.

	Usagi and Naru sat in the former's room, as I sat down to 
take a nap as they babbled on about boys, music, and all the other
things girls talk about.  It was only when I heard Naru say "This
broach is *so* pretty...can I try it on for a minute." that I 
got up with a worried expression.

	Why would Usagi allow *anyone* to 'try it out'?  What if 
Naru guesses the keyword and...

	"You know, this reminds me of the broach that's on 
Sailor Moon, you know that?" Naru asked.

	"Eheheheheh...you don't say?" Usagi nervously laughed.
	
	"Ah yes, can you imagine being Sailor *Moon*...wonder what
*makeup* she uses..."

	"Moon...makeup..." intoned in my ear like the tolling of 
doom as I said a silent prayer that the change in the henshin 
phrase to include 'crisis' would be enough to prevent the broach
from activating.  When it didn't, all I could do was watch in 
stock horror as Naru changed from regular teen...

	...into a sailor Senshi!
	
	Oh, shit!  I'msodeadI'msodeadI'msodeadI'm...
	
	"Wow...I am the Pretty Soldier of Love and justice...I am 
Sailor Moon!" Naru-Moon recited.  Noticing her friend's expression,
she asked, "Why are so standing there so slack jawed...and why 
is your cat *talking*?!"

	"Well, I...err...LUNA..."
	
	"You're the one that left the transformation broach sitting
on the desk and forgot to pick it up!"

	"What about that?  Why is *Naru* wearing *my* uniform!!!  You
told me *I* was the Moon Princess!  I'm the one that's supposed to be
Sailor Moon...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

	I'm cooked!
	
	"Well, Usagi, you *are* the Princess of the Moon, just as we
discovered, but the fact is that *anyone* could have been Sailor 
Moon.  All Sailor Moon was supposed to do was find the Moon Princess
and help her destroy the Dark Kingdom, so when I found you, I didn't
realize that your were her!"

	"Wait a minute, you mean *she*," Naru cried, pointing at 
her friend, "is Sailor Moon?  What does that make me?"

	Now *that* I had an answer to, "She is, and that makes you
a young foolish girl that wore something she shouldn't have, and 
said something she REALLY shouldn't have!"

	"Hey, I'm the one that let her borrow that.  I didn't think 
she could ever activate the broach.  I thought I was *destined* to
be Sailor Moon, like Rei and the others were supposed to be Mars 
and..."
	
	"Ixney on the Irosailay..." I shushed.  "The other senshi 
*are* reincarnations, and their henshin is specific to them.  Yours
was needed to be general since there had never been a Sailor Moon
before."

	"Hmmm..." Usagi thought, looking at her transformed friend.
"So you're saying that my broach will work with anyone, eh?"

	She then put her hand on Naru's shoulder and confidentially
whispered, "Naru-chan, how would you like to join a brave group of
pretty warriors in the adventure of a lifetime...."

			*****  ***  *****
			
	Which brings us back to where Artemis and I are now, which is
at Motoki's arcade, where we are attempting to contact the 'ghost' of
our ancient queen.  "I think I'd better start this," I told Artemis.

	"Of course.  At least my charge isn't *that* air-headed."
	
	I just shook my head as the image of Queen Serenity appeared
before us.  "You majesty, I'm sorry to disturb you, but..."
	
	"Let me guess," the holographic image finished for me, "you
need another broach.  How did that dumb-bunny of a princess trash it
this time?"

	"Well, it's not *exactly* that, your majesty...you might want
to sit down for this.  It's going to be a long story...and while 
you're at it, could you think up a planet name we haven't used yet?
Eros or something might be nice."

                            FIN (SHARK)
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