Revenge is Best Served at 2:00 A.M.
By Kevin McHorney.
Sailor Moon and all characters created by Naoko Takeuchi.


	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP, click.  Makoto sighed as she heard 
Minako mutter a curse and crawl out of bed.  The apartment the 
two of them had shared for the past three months was freezing 
and Makoto pulled her covers tighter around her.

	Minako's work for the university television station as 
a morning news commentator meant that she could use the 
studio's showers and dressing area.  At four-thirty in the 
morning she only had to spend a few minutes in the apartment, 
which suited Makoto perfectly.  Her first class at the cooking 
conservatory wasn't until ten and if Minako spent any more time 
at home in the mornings Makoto wouldn't be able to get back to 
sleep.  She heard the deadbolt on the front door lock and fell 
back into a dream about a man with soft brown hair and a warm 
smile.

	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Makoto looked around blearily.  
The clock on her nightstand said 4:35.  She hit it a couple of 
times until she realized that it wasn't making the noise.  She 
pulled the covers over her head, leaving only her pony-tail 
exposed and swore, "Dammit, Minako, that's the third time this 
month!"  She listened to the beeping and tried willing it to 
shut itself off, but the alarm kept going.  Angrily, she tore 
her covers off,  stalked to Minako's nightstand and shut the 
alarm off.  She started back to her own bed when her foot 
caught on something warm and furry.  Makoto pinwheeled her arms 
and screamed as she fell.

	"Ouch.  Do I attract feet or something?" Artemis said 
with a groan.  He looked at where Makoto lay sprawled on the 
ground.  "Oh, Makoto, are you all right?  I thought it was 
Minako again."  Makoto swore under her breath and made no 
attempt to get up.  Artemis looked around in confusion.  "It's 
still dark, what are you doing up this early?"

	"I'm awake because my damned roommate forgot to turn 
off her alarm clock again.  I swear, I'm going to kill her this 
time."

	"Actually, I have a better idea.  How would you like to 
get her back and teach her to turn her alarm off at the same 
time?" Artemis asked.  Makoto looked at him quizzically.  He 
took her silence as an invitation to continue.  "Minako doesn't 
have work tomorrow, and she's already told me how much she's 
looking forward to sleeping in."  Makoto nodded as Artemis 
continued, "So here's what we do, first call Rei and ask if we 
can stay with her tonight.  Then we..."

*****

	"I'm home," Minako called as she kicked the door shut 
behind her.

	"Hi, Minako," Makoto called from the kitchen, "anything 
interesting happen today?"

	"Yeah, one of the teachers was arrested for drunk 
driving last night so we had a great story this morning.  Other 
than that classes were boring as usual."  Minako walked into 
the kitchen and saw Makoto dressed in jeans and a jacket and 
packing food into lunchboxes.  Minako cocked her head to one 
side and asked, "What's going on?"

	"Oh yeah, I'm going to be spending the night at Rei's 
tonight.  Also, Artemis said he'd be out all night too and not 
to wait up for him."  She finished with the food and put the 
boxes into a duffle bag sitting next to the stove.

	"You mean I'll have the place to myself tonight?  That 
doesn't happen too often."

	"Yeah, so please, try not to burn the place down."

	Minako glared and said, "That was Usagi, not me.  I 
haven't burned anything."  Makoto stared at her.  "Ok, I 
haven't burned anything this year."

	"Right, well have a good night.  I hope you sleep 
well," Makoto said with a smile.  She picked up her bag and 
walked out.

	Minako locked the door and said, "I will, I haven't 
been able to sleep in in forever."

*****
	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Minako woke with a start.  "Huh, 
wha?" she said as she whipped her head around, trying to find 
the source of the noise.  She looked at her clock which said 
2:00 but wasn't beeping.  She got out of bed and followed the 
noise to one of her stuffed animals.  She reached behind and 
pulled out a small alarm clock.  "What the?" her voice trailed 
off as she turned off the clock and got back into bed.

	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Minako bolted upright again.  She 
looked at her alarm clock which now read 2:30, but still wasn't 
beeping.  Then she looked at the small alarm clock which was 
also silent.  "What's going on?" she asked no one as she once 
again got out of bed.  This time she found the clock behind one 
of Makoto's trophies.  Minako shook her head in confusion, 
turned this clock off and set it next to the first clock.  She 
stared at them for a moment, then crawled back into bed.

	COCK A DOODLE DOO!  IT'S THREE O'CLOCK! COCK A DOODLE 
DOO!  IT'S THREE O'CLOCK!  Minako screamed as she jumped out of 
bed.  She stood panting and clutching her chest as the latest 
alarm clock called out its song.  Minako stalked over to her 
dresser and found the offending timepiece in her underwear 
drawer.  She growled and worked the buttons on the clock, but 
couldn't figure how to turn it off.  Finally she yanked the 
batteries out and threw the clock with the others.  Minako 
didn't even bother to get under her covers, she simply flopped 
on her bed and went back to sleep.

	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Minako rolled over and fell off 
of her bed with a yelp.  She sat up and said, "Someone's going 
to die for this.  Now where is it?"  She reached under her bed 
and pulled out yet another alarm clock.  She mashed the off 
button and dropped it on the rest of the clocks.  "That's it, 
I'll get the rest before they can go off."  Minako tore the 
bedroom apart.  She pulled out all the drawers, checked all of 
the animals and trophies, searched under both beds.  Minako 
even stopped the ceiling fan and examined the blades, but she 
didn't find any more clocks.  "That better be the end of this 
little joke."

	BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  "But I searched everywhere 
already!" Minako hollered.  She got up and dragged her feet 
over to Makoto's nightstand.  It was Makoto's alarm clock that 
was beeping this time.  Minako swore and turned it off and 
glared at the 4:30 cheerfully shining back at her.  Then she 
noticed the note sitting behind the clock.

	'Minako.  I hope you liked our little presents for you. 
 Oh, and in the future please remember to turn off your alarm 
clock in the morning and watch where you step, cats don't 
make good doormats.  Makoto and Artemis.  P.S. I promise, that 
was the last one.'

	Minako dropped the note and chortled.  "I'm going to 
kill them both.  Slowly and painfully."  She yawned loudly.  
"Next time I see them.  I swear."  Minako dropped back into her 
bed and stared at the ceiling until she finally fell back to 
sleep.  Moments later her clock hit 4:35 and began to beep.

End


Please e-mail comments and criticism to: stormwalker628@usa.net

Thank you to Gary Kleppe, Nidoking and Karaohki for critiquing 
this at last month's FFIRC one-hour challenge.

The cock-a-doodle-doo clock really exists and had a close call 
with being thrown overboard many a time.



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