Disclaimer: The concepts of Spiderman are the propery of Marvel Inc. Sailor 
Moon is the creation of Nakao Takeuchi. No money is being made from this and 
no such intent should be inferred.

Author's note at the end.

C&C,, public or private is welcome. I respond to all C&C....eventually

************************
Today's Fortune Cookie:
"You know, at 72 pixels and in capital letters, 
fish looks like its mispelled."
-Me

Shinohara made a face as he studied the paper. Sailor Moon this, Sailor Moon 
that. All anyone ever wanted to talk about was the mysterious woman who had 
seen fit to take the law into her own hands. Even his father couldn't stop 
talking about her. Though that may have been because of pressure from his 
superiors on all Kobans to find and arrest the vigilante.   He stared across 
the ice rink at the far wall. Ami was having her first practice today with 
the Hockey team and he had showed up to support her. He glared down at the 
paper and scowled as he wondered who Sailor Moon was and what made her do 
what she did.

"Hiya, Shinnie," Usagi said, sitting on the bench next to him. On the other 
side, he felt someone else sit down and not unexpectedly, it was Naru. 
Shinohara hid the reactive frown that seemed to come up whenever they were 
around. Both girls wore identical mad grins and that meant that they were up 
to something. He steeled himself. He was not going to let them talk him into 
doing something idiotic.

"Say, Shinnie," Naru began.

"No," Shinohara said flatly.

"But--"

"No." Shinohara sighed. "Miss Usagi," he said, speaking very clearly and 
ennunciating each word. "The last time Miss Naru began a sentance with the 
words 'say, shinnie', I spent forty-five minutes in a subway station, dressed 
in women's clothing and flirting with an American Marine. Apologies, but my 
answer is no."

"But you looked so keyoute," Usagi said, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"And Ami seemed to like the pictures we showed her," Naru said.

"Pictures?" Shinohara yelped and then gave a mental grimice. 'Idiot,' he 
berated himself. 'Now they smell blood.' He steeled himself. 'No matter what 
they say, I will not react. I am like ice. My will is like iron. I am 
emotionless. I. Will. Not. React.' Silently repeating that mantra to himself, 
Shinohara focused on his paper again.

"Yep." Usagi sounded thoughtful. "She keeps this safe in the bathroom, you 
know. Under the sink. Last place anyone would look, you know? Anyway, she 
looked at the pictures and then dashed into the bathroom to put the pictures 
away where no one else could see them. She must have stubbed her toe or 
something though, cause when we listened at the door, we heard her moaning. 
She must have wanted you there to kiss it and make it better, cause she kept 
calling out your name."

The paper in Shinohara's hands tore lengthwise down the middle.

"Well done, Miss Tsukino," Naru said, reaching past Shinohara to shake 
Usagi's hand.

"Thank you, Miss Okasa," Usagi replied. "One of my more inspired bits, I 
felt."

"Genius, pure genius." Naru clapped her hands together and then looked at the 
ice as several girls dressed in their uniforms but without their helmets, and 
carrying hockey sticks skated out onto the ice and formed into a loose line. 
Following them came Flash dressed in green sweats, a green baseball cap 
turned backwards and her hair tied back with a green band. Even her ice 
skates were green. Under one arm, she carried a cardboard box. 

Without any effort whatsoever, Flash came to a stop and faced the line, 
looking almost like a drill sargent and her eyes were cold as they swept over 
the group. "Listen up," she snarled. "With Shidou out sick, I'm team captain, 
which makes teaching you lot the fine art of hockey my responsibility. She 
pushed backwards a bit and gestured for them to look around. "See this? This 
room, this whole building. All of it is a seperate world. In here, you are 
part of a team and any feelings you may have towards your teammates, hostile 
or otherwise don't exist here. In here, we are one living, breathing entity 
with one purpose. Kick some ass." She moved back to her original position. 
"Now even though you are backup for us regulars, you still need to be able to 
play just as we do. But since I doubt most of you have even been on ice 
skates before, we'll start with the basics." She reached into the box and 
took out a black plastic disc. "This is the puck, your enemy and your 
friend." She skated forward and handed a puck to each girl. "I say your 
friend, because putting into the other team's goal is our goal. It's also 
your enemy because keeping it out of our goal is our purpose." She let the 
box fall to the floor. "So, let's see what you got. Do laps around the ice 
until I tell you to stop. Go as fast as you feel comfortable. Use your stick 
to guide the puck as you do."

It quickly became easy to tell who had skated before and who hadn't. Those 
who hadn't, took slow mincing steps, most of their attention on keeping the 
puck under control. At one point, Flash skated over to the two worst of the 
bunch and took their hockey sticks from them. Then she grabbed their arms and 
guided them out to the middle of the rink, where she began to guide them 
through the motions of skating until they were comfortable on their own. 

Ami, on the other hand, apparently needed no help. She glided off with an 
almost detached grace, as though it was second nature to her. She didn't move 
very fast, but there was no mistaking her skill. Shinohara frowned. He had 
always been good at reading body language, and Ami was holding herself back, 
and in a big way.

"Odd," Usagi said thoughtfully and Shinohara looked at her. Usagi's blue eyes 
were narrowed and focused on Ami, following her around the rink. There was 
none of her usual playfulness about her, and she radiated cold calculation.

"What's odd?" Shinohara asked. His stomach was a very tight knot. There were 
rumors that Ami had   been using steroids, which was why she had an athlete's 
body when it was a well-known fact that the only excercise she ever got was 
walking to and from school, the cram school, and the library.

"Ami. She skates like she was born doing it."

"Natural ability, perhaps?" He suggested, but it sounded hollow, even to him. 
Usagi, he knew, had been ignoring the rumors, but he could see that she was 
reconsidering, thinking.

"I've known Ami for years," Usagi said. "She thinks it's embarrassing, but 
she has a huge inner ear problem, messes up her sense of balance. She can 
walk and run, but that's about it." She tapped a finger on her knee. "Come to 
think of it, she's been acting odd since that bump on the head. She eats 
more, walks different, just seems more...I dunno, aware." She whirled on 
Shinohara. "You knocked her up, didn't you?"

"What? No!"

"I know." The mad grin returned ans she rubbed her hands together briskly. 
"The fact remains, minions, is that Ami has a secret, and as her friends, it 
is our sacred duty, right, and mission to...Shinohara?"

"Keep our mouths shut knowing she'll tell us when she's ready?" Shinohara 
asked, resigning himself to the fact that by asking, he was leaving himself 
open.

No. Weasel it out of her." The mad grin took on an air of hungry anticpation. 
"This is going to be fun." Shinohara simply nodded, even as he offered up a 
silent prayer to anyone who might be listening that he didn't wind up wearing 
say...a dog suit.

****
After practice, the qaurtet went to Ami's house so that she could drop off 
her gear before they would, in Usagi's words "Descend on the Crown Cafe for 
an afternoon of frozen goodness orgies."

But as they approached the house, Ami suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?" Naru asked.

"Grandfather's here," Ami said, pointing at a large, dark blue car. "He's 
supposed to be in New York."

"Cool," Usagi said and dug in her pocket. "I wanna see if he'll buy these 
pictures of Sailor Moon." She held up a floppy disk in a plastic case.

"But you already have more money then most Hollywood celebrities," Naru said. 
"Why would you want more?"

"Ah, Naru," Usagi said, looking wise. "If you have to ask, you'll get an 
answer." She grabbed Ami's arm. "C'mon."

****
When they entered the house, they found Aunt Mai and an american man at the 
table, talking quietly.

The man was tall and powerfully built with short, dark gray hair in a crew 
cut and a small sqaure mustache. An unlit cigar was in his mouth and his eyes 
were sharp, missing nothing. He wore a dark gray polo shirt and matching 
slacks.

"Hello, Grandfather," Ami said bowing.

"Hello, Mister Jameson," Usagi and Naru said in unison.

"Hello, Sir," Shinohara said softly.

"There's no need for this 'Sir' bisinuess, my boy. The name's Jameson. J. 
Jonah Jameson." He spoke Japanese with a heavy accent.

"Gendo Shinohara."

"Shinohara...so you're the young man who's caught my grandaughter's eye." He 
let out a chuckle. "Mai's spoken quite highly of you."

"Thank you, Mister Jameson."

"Ami, why don't you, Tsukino, and Okasa and put away that bag you're 
carrying." She looked at Shinohara. "Sit down, boy." The words were those of 
an invitation, but the tone had all the crispness of an order."

The three girls left the room, Usagi pausing to leave a tape recorder just 
inside the next room.

"What did you do that for?" Ami asked.

"Your grandpa's gonna give Shinnie the third degree, silly. You think I'm 
going to miss that?"

Ami sighed. Grandfather Jameson had been with the American Navy during the 
Korean War. After a medical injury had sidelined him, he had gone into 
Journalisim. His first wife had left him soon after the birth of their son, 
unable to deal with his obsession with journalistic integrity. Heartsick, he 
had gone to Japan on assignment, and fallen into the arms of a pretty 
secratary at the Toyko Bugle. Jameson chose to stay in Tokyo with his new 
bride and went to work for the Bugle. He was loud, brash, indomitable, 
scrupulously honest and unforgiving of screw-ups. The Japanese people loved 
him and his weekly editorials were one of the most frequently read. Even 
after Ami's father had been born, Jameson continued in his ways, speaking his 
mind on politics and society, his forign birth allowing him to get away with 
saying things that many thought, but didn't want to speak.

Now the Bugle's publisher, Jameson frequently traveled back and forth between 
Japan and America to attend to the Bugle's New York counterpart, which he 
also owned and had named, "The Daily Bugle", as well as see his family. Ami 
really didn't know much about that side of the family. Her uncle John was a 
test pilot with the American Space Agency and would send her NASA memorbilia, 
and she occasionally exchanged E-mails with her cousin Mattie. But she had 
never met either one of them. To do so would mean flying and--she was 
trapped, the darkeness pressing in on her, getting harder to breathe--Ami 
pushed the memories down and looked at Usagi.

"No," she said. "You wouldn't."

****
Shinohara finally knocked on the door almost an hour later. He was slightly 
pale and looked sick. "He grilled me. I felt like I was on trial." He sank to 
the floor. "Then he said he liked me, gave me ten thousand yen and told me to 
buy Ami as much ice cream as she could eat."

"You're going to need more then ten thousand yen," Usagi quipped. "Have you 
seen Ami's lunches?"

"I don't eat that much," Ami protested.

"Ha! This from the woman who packs away three beef bowls, two rounds of miso 
soup, and a full bento box daily." Usagi put her arm around Ami's shoulders. 
"And with all that, you're still built like an anime girl. Not an ounce of 
fat on ya. So what's your secret? Herbs and veggies?"

"Masochistic excercise program?" Naru chimed in without looking up from the 
magazine she was reading.

"Marathon sex sessions with Shinnie?" Ami and Shinohara both blushed 
furiously. "Ah-Ha!" Usagi said triumphantly. "So Ami, how big is he? 
Thirteen, fourteen, twenty centimeters?"

"I...no...but..." Ami stammered.

"We're not intimate," Shinohara said frostily.

"Then why are both of you red enough that you could stop traffic?"

"Because I...because I have had enough of your chidlish and immature 
behavior," Shinohara said and left the room. Ami looked at Usagi for a moment 
and then ran after Shinohara. Their shouted voices mixed with those of Aunt 
Mai and Mister Jameson wanting to know what the shouting was about and then 
the front door slammed. Moments later, they could hear Ami in the front yard, 
shouting for Shinohara to wait.

"Too far?" Usagi asked Naru.

Naru nodded. "Happens sometimes."

"Ami'll set him straight and I'll apologize. Everything will be right again."

"Yeah. Hey, the Boys are coming to Tokyo."

"Oooh. Let's throw plums as them this time."

****
"Kashanalak Vitri Signa. Turn loose the beast! The Lady hungers again."

****
It took Ami almost two hours to find Gendo and by then, night had fallen. He 
was sitting on the bench in the park, staring at the fountain.

"Hi," Ami said, sitting next to him. Gendo didn't even grunt in reply. 
"Gendo...Gendo, please, talk to me."

"What sort of friend asks questions like that? Never in all my life have I 
met anyone that obnoxious." Gendo turned to look at her and his eyes were 
blazing with fury. "Ami, stop hanging around her."

"What?" Ami hid it well, but she had a temper that would scare all but the 
bravest souls. Gendo's words had stirred into a restless sleep.

"Stop hanging around her. I demand it. She's a bad influence." 

"Demand?" Ami asked softly. "You demand I turn my back on the only person 
besides my family who's ever dared to treat me like a human being?" Ami could 
feel the edges of her temper beginning to fray. She did not want to have a 
fight in the middle of the park.

Gendo, unfortnutly, had had two hours to work up a fine head of steam and it 
broke lose. "What human being? She constantly teases you, flings insults, 
thumbs her nose at authority, and pays no attention to her grades. Then hides 
behind her name. She's worse then a Bukaramin! They, at least know their 
place."

Now, up until that point, Ami had been doing pretty well with controling her 
temper, but now it woke up and roared it's fury. "Place?" She repeated. "And 
just what, pray tell, is her 'place'? Hm? In the kitchen? Walking behind her 
boyfriend? Blending into the crowd? Not standing out?"

Even through the haze of his anger, Gendo knew he had crossed a line and 
tried to backpedal. "No! But she shouldn't be so outspoken."

"Maybe I like outspoken!" Ami snapped. "Let me tell you something, Gendo 
Shinohara, who, by the way, is afraid to even hold my hand in public for fear 
he'd be seen as too forward, who apologizes everytime he even trips over 
something for being such a clumsy oaf. You think I'm going to be offended if 
you trip? I spent the past two years being a target for Flash Kino's version 
of humor. I can tolerate an insult or two and Usagi's at least, are meant in 
jest. Usagi, at least, isn't afraid to go after what she wants!"

"Listen, you--" Gendo started, but was cut off by a growling noise. It was 
low and subtle, this growl, sending chills of terror through the two teens as 
Ami belatedly realized that her danger sense had been blaring since just 
after she and Gendo had started arguing. The growl became louder and turning 
their heads, they saw a wolf approaching. But this was no ordinary wolf. It 
was huge, with large teeth and extra-sharp claws. It's eyes were mad and 
hungry.

"Stay calm," Gendo whispered, grabbing her arm. "It won't attack us if it 
doesn't see us as a threat." Ami tried to do what he said, but her danger 
sense was blaring louder and louder, compelling her to back away, to get 
away. "Ami, damn it all stay still!" Ami didn't listen, the terror was fully 
on her and she shoved Gendo away, not even hearing as he slammed into the 
bench.

'OhGodOhGodHaveToGetAwayMonsterMonsterMommyMommyWhatsWrongWithThePlane?'

The screams of people and metal echoed in her ears as Ami fled.

****
She hurt. It was dark and hot and pain flooded her body whenever she took a 
breath. Something was over her legs, holding them down. Something big. Where 
was her mommy? She wanted Mommy. Mommy would make it all better.

It was getting hotter.

They were supposed to land safely. Mommy said the planes landed safely.

She didn't feel very safe.

Where was Mommy?

Mommy?

****

Ami blinked as the rooftop swam into view, her breath came in great, 
shuddering heaves as her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest. It 
was a strange feeling, she hadn't been this out of breath in over a month. 
Sitting up, she realized had been curled up in the fetal position next to the 
small wall that ran around the perimeter of the roof. "Where?" She turned 
around to look and gasped. Tokyo was spread out before her, a sea of lights. 
Leaning over the wall, she tried to read the words of the building upon who's 
roof she stood. "Ik..Kar...Ikari Inc? But that's--"

'The tallest building in Tokyo and its on the other side of the city from 
Juuban!' her inner voice shouted. 'I just ran all the way across freakin 
Tokyo!' With that realization came a memory of her crawling up the side of 
the tower. Her hands and feet clinging to the glass and steel like velcro. 'I 
really am a freak,' she thought to herself.' Already her breathing was normal 
and her heartbeat was slowing to its normal pace. 'More proof that I was 
right to keep this curse a secret.' She looked around the roof and sighed. 
There was no sign of roof acess to the inside of the building and with a 
sigh, she began to crawl down the side of the tower, hoping no one saw her.

****
It was rare for Usagi to see someone mad spitting mad and even rarer for that 
anger to be not directed at her. It was therefore, with some amusement, that 
she and Naru sat side by side on the couch sharing a bag of candied nuts and 
watching as Mister Jameson screamed into his phone.

"I told you! Her name is Ami Mizuno, she's fifteen years old and she ran out 
of the house three hours ago after her friend and has yet to call us. She's 
my granddaughter and I want her found. So get off your--" he said several 
words in english, which Usagi didn't speak, but thought they sounded naughty 
"--and find her instead of feeding me excuses!" Whoever was at the other end 
said something that Jameson apparently didn't like because he turned a 
peculiar shade of reddish purple and bellowed into the phone. "Rules be 
damned! FIND HER!" With that, he jabbed the phone with his thumb, cutting the 
connection.

"I told you," Aunt Mai was sobbing to the officer standing in the middle of 
the room. "She and her boyfriend had some kind of argument and he left. She 
followed him and that was the last we saw of her. Isn't there anything you 
can do?"

"We're doing everything we can, Ms Mizuno," the officer said. "We'll find 
her."

At that moment, the door opened and they heard somebody come in.

"Ami?" Aunt Mai asked. There was no answer but a few moments later, Ami 
shuffled into the room. She looked around smiling, but her eyes were blank, 
half-dazed. "Oh dear," Mai said softly and went over to her niece, and knelt 
in front of her. "Ami? Are you okay?"

Some of the blankness seemed to fade. "I'm fine, Aunt Mai, I 
just...remembered."

"The crash?" Mai asked softly. Ami nodded, no longer dazed and her eyes were 
alert.

"Crash?" the officer asked.

"She was at Okinawa," Jameson said gruffly.

"She's one of the Miracles?" The officer asked, obviously astonished. The 
Okinawa Air Collision was one of the worst disaster in the history of Japan. 
Equipment failure, sloppy traffic control and bad weather had caused five 
aircraft, three Marine Transports and two passenger liners to collide over 
Okinawa Marine Base. Only seven people had surived, most of them children. 
More then a thousand people dead in the air and twenty more on the ground 
during both rescue efforts and when bits of the planes and flown every which 
way upon landing, destroying buildings and incinerating an entire stretch of 
tarmac. The so called "Miracle Seven" had become minor celebrities, each one 
bearing the number in the order they had been pulled from the wreck. "I 
thought her name seemed familar." Ami Mizuno had been number seven, the last 
living being they found.

"Whoo-hoo!" Usagi shouted, jumping to her feet. "I call slumber party at 
Ami's house!" She grabbed Ami's arm. "We're going to braid your hair." With 
that, she dragged Ami from the room. Their voices, however, could still be 
heard.

"My hair? Why my hair?"

"Because thanks to that incident with the goats, Naru won't let me touch hers 
with a curling iron."

"It wasn't goats, it was sheep! Get the victims straight!"

"Well," the officer closed his notebook. "I suppose that's that." He touched 
a fingertip to his hat. "Good evening."

"I suppose I should me moving along as well," Jameson said. "Miki will be 
starting to wonder." He paused. "Mai, are you sure it's a good idea? The 
slumber party? I've heard stories about Tuskino and Okasa."

"I wasn't sure either," Mai replied. "But Ami trusts her, and Usagi has never 
once failed to be there for her when she needs a friend." From upstairs came 
a shriek of laughter and Naru shouted voice declaring a pillow fight. "And 
Ami needs friends tonight."

Jameson nodded. "Good night, Mai."

"Good night, Jonah."

****
Mai rose with the sun. The noises from Ami's room had fallen away just after 
midnight and a check at three showed them lying in various places around the 
room. More importantly, Ami had a smile on her face.

Nodding to herself, Mai poured her second cup of tea and turned the page of 
the file she was looking at.

It was at that point, the phone rang.

"Mizuno Matchmaking," Mai answered.

"Turn on Channel Six News."

"Jonah?"

"Just do it." the phone clicked and Mai heard the dial tone.

"Curious," Mai said to herself and set the phone on the reciever. Walking 
into the TV room, she turned the TV on and flipped the dial to six.

"And the body found late last night in the park has finally been identified. 
Gendo Shinohara, age fifteen, was apparently mauled by some large animal near 
the Genki memorial fountain. Police still have no clues as to who could have 
turned the animal loose and search teams are presently combing the park, 
which is, of course, closed to the public until further notice. Wendi Li, 
Tokyo Six news."

Mai closed her eyes for a moment and then swept up the stairs to Ami's room 
where she found the girls rousing themselves.

"Good morning, Aunt Mai," Ami said and then looked at her face. "Aunt Mai? 
What's wrong?"

Mai swallowed hard, the words lodged in her throat. "There is something on 
the news you should see," she said quietly.

Giving her aunt a puzzled look, Ami left the room, Naru right behind her. 
Usagi, however, stopped at the doorway and looked at the older woman. "Bad?" 
the teen asked. Ami's wail of grief from downstairs answered the question. 
"I'll call my dad's lawyer," Usagi said simply and hurried downstairs.

****
Ami finished her prayers and stared down at Gendo's grave. It had been a week 
since the funeral and she still felt empty inside. 

Hollow.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice. Ami turned to see a tall, graceful woman 
standing nearby. She wore a bisinuess suit and her long hair seemed almost 
dark green in the afternoon sun.

"Yes, yes, I'm...I'm not fine." Ami stood. "He's been gone more then a week, 
the hurting should start to fade by now, shouldn't it?

"I couldn't say," the woman answered. "I've lost many friends...some pains 
never fade....and neither do the memories."

"I'm sorry," Ami said. "I didn't mean to take you away from them."

"No, no. It's quite all right. It was a long time ago. No, my first husband 
has...interests here. I was visiting when I saw you." She gestured at the 
headstone. "Father?"

"No, my boyfriend...he died last week. Animal attack." She wiped away her 
tears furiously. "It's not fair. It was too soon."

"It's always too soon for the ones we leave behind. All we can do is try to 
make this world a better place with the gifts we have...and those we are 
given. Even if we don't seem them as gifts to begin with."

Ami turned to stare at the woman, but there was no sign of her. She stared 
back down at the grave and then looked at her hands.

She had been given great power and had hidden it. She had run, when she had 
the power...the responsibility to stand and fight.

And if she hadn't run, Gendo would still be alive.

A grim purpose filled her. There was only one thing to do.

Turning on her heel, she left the park.

****
The room was dark.

Dark save for the table in the middle of the room. Upoun this table sat a 
lamp, which cast a small circle of light around the table, and beyond that 
circle, deep blackness. The only other thing on the table was a small, old 
fashioned tape recorder.

Accompanied by a sigh, a hand emerged from the shadows laying a golden crown 
on the table. The hand was pale as moonlight, with long and graceful fingers. 
Pinkish red eyes hidden in the shadow studied the tape recorder for a moment, 
and then pressed the play button. The voice that emerged was weary, hollow, 
but carried a note of steel. It was the voice of someone with a mission.

"This is the journal of Ami Mizuno, to be published in the event of my death. 
I have been more then a month in the preperation for my purpose. For my 
atonement of the act of cowardice that cost Gendo Shinohara his life.

Wether by accident or design, I have power. Gendo only wanted one thing out 
of life. To be a cop. To protect the people of Tokyo. Now, in his name, I 
will do what he never got to do. I will become the spider, I will become the 
night.

With Great Power, comes the even Greater Responsibilty to use it.

>From this moment on, Ami Mizuno is a shell, a layer of protection. A guise to 
hide my real self. I am Spiderwoman.

Tonight, I shall begin my war."

****
Author's note:
If anyone cares, I drew a picture of Ami's spider costume.
http://unlogic.dyndns.org/dudweiser/asw.jpg
I neglected to include them, but there is a vertical rectangular pouch on the 
outside of each thigh.

*************
Steve "Komodo" T.
"Great," Nabiki said, getting up to pace as her voice began to climb in 
volume with every word. "Kasumi gets a man who worships the ground she walks 
on, Akane has three different rich lunatics, or kings, or Demigods fall in 
love with her nearly every day--and that's just before breakfast, mind 
you--and what do I get?" She glared at SETCOM's burnished black metal shell, 
her voice soft, but her tone as cold as ice. "A computer."



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