Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Alone No More - Minako's Story ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Alone No More: Minako's Story
by Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 7

"Ryo-kun!" Minako called out as she saw her friend walking down the street. He glanced back
at her for a moment, then continued walking. "Ryo-kun?" she called again, frowning in
confusion. "What's wrong?" She started running up to him, trying to catch up. "Are you
still upset about what happened when we fought Luga?"

"You," he corrected flatly, "fought Luga. I just stood there like an idiot, watching." He
paused for a moment in thought. "Then again... it wasn't exactly your fault you were sucked
into that video game. I guess I just arrived too late to really help. Amano-kun must've
gotten a kick out of being able to 'fight' alongside Sailor V, ne?" He turned back and kept
on walking.

Minako frowned again. "Then, is it because I went to Hawaii when I won that contest and you
weren't there to help me fight the enemies that I found there?"

"You went to Greece, Minako-chan," he corrected again. "Remember those souvenirs you gave
me and Hikaru-chan? 'Made in Greece'?"

"Oh...," she laughed in chagrin as she put a hand to the back of her head.

He shook his head. "Well, you couldn't've known about the enemies there anyway." He
suddenly halted and turned to look at her. Minako almost fell forward as she also came to
an abrupt halt.

"Do you want to know why I'm upset?" he asked. "Then, I'll tell you. So far, after becoming
Masked Knight, I've only fought by your side once. That was against Fluorite. After that
one fight, you've fought against three enemies by yourself without me to help you: Luga,
Hibiskos, and Vivian.

"Artemis told me about what happened when you fought Vivian," he continued. "I'm upset
because I'm beginning to wonder if you really needed me in the first place. Am I truly so
worthless as a partner that you don't even bother to try to find a way to call on me for
backup?

"It's not you I'm mad at," he said with a sad sigh. "It's me. I'm upset because I'm not an
adequate soldier of justice." He brought out his stick and looked at it for a moment before
handing it over to Minako. "Perhaps you should find a better partner than me to help you.
I'm not good enough for you."

Before Ryoku could pull away, Minako took his hand and handed him back his stick, covering
his hand with her's. "Ryo-kun," she said firmly, "you are my partner. I don't want anyone
else as my partner; only you. You helped me before you even became Masked Knight. Please,
Ryo-kun, don't give up on me now. Maybe Artemis can find a way for us to contact each other
in case of emergency."

Ryoku looked back at Minako and sighed. "I don't know what I was thinking," he said shaking
his head after a long moment of silence. "How could I ever abandon you? Forgive me?" he
asked with a smile.

"Always," she replied with a wink. "By the way," she added with a mischevious grin, "I
never did tell you what happened when I fought Aloha Kamen while in Greece." As she told
Ryoku what happened and described in detail the disguise she used to distract him, she had
the extreme pleasure of seeing him turn a dark shade of red in embarrassment. She briefly
considered showing him, but decided against it... for now. From the look on his face now,
it would be a most interesting reaction when she did show him. Maybe he'd even have a
nosebleed like like guy Hibiskos used, Aloha Kamen, did....

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

It was only a few days from Valentine's Day and this February, Minako was looking forward
to the day more than usual. "It's almost Valentine's Day!" she shouted excitedly as she
walked along the street with her friends. "Now cute and extraordinary chocolates are lined
up all over, and it's fun wherever you go!"

"Mina," one of the two girls asked, "who're giving a valentine to?"

"Me?" Minako asked, stopping to think. "Well...." First, there was Higashi, but he died....
'I sorta killed him,' she thought to herself in chagrin.

Gamer Taku? He was a little nuts, but she at least she respected his gaming skills. 'I
still have first place in Lovely Fight, though.'

Amano.... To say, "I don't think so" would be the most polite thing she could say. 'That
loser....'

How about that guy at the arcade, Furuhata Motoki? 'Maybe....'

Or, Saitou-senpai! Then again, he seems pretty violent. 'But he did kiss me... once. But, I
was disguised at the time.... Good thing Ryo-kun wasn't there to see that. I don't know how
he'd take it....'

"How many pieces do you plan to give?" the girl continued before Minako had a chance to
answer. "Obligatory-gift chocolate is out of fashion."

"So, who's your sweetheart?" the second girl asked slyly. "Is it that boy we always see you
hanging around with? Kino Ryoku?"

"Sweetheart?" Minako exclaimed defensively. "I-I-I don't have a sweetheart!!! Ryo-kun's
just a good friend of mine! That's all!"

"Oh...," the girls replied a little disappointedly. The three turned and began walking
again.

"There's nobody I like...," Minako said miserably to herself as they walked through the
Shiba shopping district. "I'm probably going to have such a lonely youth."

"Isn't that just a coincidence?" Artemis commented from Minako's arms, where he had been
riding the whole time. "You could find someone to like right away."

"Artemis!" she muttered softly so the others wouldn't hear. "You.... You've been REALLY
rude to your mistress lately!" 'Even though you're a cat,' she thought to herself. "You're
so cold to the fact that I don't have anyone to give chocolates to. I'll only be giving
them to you, dad, and Ryo-kun."

"That's fine with me," he replied. 'I love chocolate.'

Suddenly, she realized that her friends had left her and ran over to a stand that was
selling candy. "What's this?" she wondered. "Lots of people. Are they selling chocolates
over the counter?"

"Two rainbow chocolates!" the first girl called out.

"I'll take five!" the other girl shouted. Each girl tried to be seen amidst the other girls
clustering around the booth.

"Here you go!" the woman behind the counter said as she passed out boxes of chocolates to
her customers. "Everyone, get in line!"

"Mina...," Artemis said as he saw her walking over to the counter.

"Wow!" Minako exclaimed as she looked over at the displayed chocolates. Each candy was
coated with a light rainbow-colored sugar powder, giving them a glittery look. "Those
chocolates are SO pretty! Rainbow chocolate, eh?" She glanced at the price. "Hundred yen a
piece? That's cheap! Me, too!" she called out to the woman. "I want three!"

As soon as she received her purchase, she walked off, ready to enjoy her rainbow
chocolates. "This looks good! Ehehe!" She unwrapped one small box, then tossed the wrapper
over her shoulder.

"Hey, you!" Wakagi shouted as he pointed at Minako. "Don't throw your trash on public
streets! Your teachers at school may let you get away with that, but the police won't!"

'Oh!' she thought to herself. 'He's cute! Even with that angry face, he looks like a nice
guy!' She walked over to where she dropped her wrapper, picked it up and tossed it into a
wastebasket. With a final glance at Wakagi, she walked away with Artemis.

"Hmph. Every year, every year," Wakagi muttered tiredly to himself. "Before Valentine's
Day, I feel like giving up this patrol. The whole city gets crazy with merriment. The
crimes get more and more numerous...."

"Mina!" Artemis chided as soon as they were out of anyone's earshot. "How many times do I
have to tell you? Okay? You have an important mission. Love is forbidden! A soldier of
justice has no use for it!"

"Come on, Artemis!" Minako retorted. "It's not like I want to marry the guy!" She grimaced.
'Jeez, marriage....' She glanced back at Artemis. "I mean, I don't even have a sweetheart.
Relax!" She glanced back over where Wakagi was. "I wonder if that guy's from around here.
I'd like to talk to him some more."

"Talk to who some more?" Ryoku asked as he walked up to them.

"Ryo-kun!" Minako greeted with a grin. "Hi!" She noticed a bag hanging from his left hand.
"Did you just finish shopping?"

"Eh? Oh, this?" he asked, lifting the bag. "Yeah, I did. It's a bunch of stuff that Boss
asked me to get after I told her about our little communications problem."

Artemis' expression turned to one of great interest. "Really, Ryo-kun? Can I see?" He put
his head into the bag as soon as Ryoku placed the bag on the ground. "It's a bunch of
electrical parts."

"Hai," Ryoku agreed. "Boss wants me to put them together. She also said that she'd lead me
through the assembly, step by step. If I don't mess up, we should have a means of
communicating with each other. Boss calls the devices 'communicators', appropriately
enough."

"Really?" Minako asked, interested, as she popped one of the rainbow chocolates into her
mouth. "Yummy!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Feels like I'm melting away! Like a rainbow of
flavors! I've never tasted a chocolate like this!" She popped another one into her mouth.
'Actually, maybe instead of giving these to someone, I'll just keep them for myself!' she
thought as she enjoyed the flavor.

"Oh, yeah, no need for concern...," he muttered as he glanced exasperatedly at Minako.

"Can I try one?" Ryoku asked as he watched Minako thoroughly enjoying her chocolates. "Are
they really that good?"

"Oooh, you just have to try it, Ryo-kun," she told him, handing him one. "They're selling
them at the booth back there. You might have to wait quite a while, though. There was quite
a long line of girls."

"For Valentine's Day candies, no doubt," he remarked. "If it was March, all the boys would
be lined up for White Day candies." He popped the chocolate in his mouth, then grinned.
"Ara! This is good!" He glanced over at the booth. "Maybe I should stock up... for White
Day, of course," he ammended.

"Of course," she replied with a knowing grin as she watched him head over to the booth.
"Hey! If he gets enough, maybe he'll give me some as a White Day present! All right!"

Artemis merely shook his head and grumbled to himself. 'Not you, too, Ryo-kun....'

**********************************************
At the Dark Agency's office, Danburite grimaced as he glanced down of names. Narkissos,
Pandora, Petite Pandora, Fluorite, Luga, Hibiskos, Vivian.... Each name was crossed out.

"Thanks to Sailor V and Masked Knight, every one of our operations has failed," he observed
dismally. "We're having a hard time gathering energy. My neck's really out on the line
here.... The end of the Dark Agency could be near...."

"Now, now, Danburite-sama!" the woman from the chocolate booth said. "Calm yourself by
eating some of these sweets! Just leave things to me, Debrine. I'll get you lots of energy!
I'll take care of the Dark Agency's fundraising, too." She left a platter of rainbow
chocolates on his desk as she turned and left. Danburite just glanced at the chocolates for
a moment, then went back to brooding.

"I'm not in the mood for chocolates."

**********************************************
In her office at the Metropolitan Police Board, the superintendent-general was enjoying
herself as she popped another rainbow chocolate into her mouth. "Oh, these are good!" she
exclaimed happily. "It's been ages since I've had rainbow chocolates. That's it, for
Valentine's Day, I'm giving these." Her expression then turned to one of regret. "But, I'm
the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board, Sakurada Natsuna, and really,
I want to give chocolates to V-chan! She's my favorite! Doesn't anyone know where she
lives?!?" She sighed to herself. "Because of all this stress from not being able to meet
V-chan, I've lost weight. Really...."

She stood up, opened the door, and stuck her head out. "Wakagi!" she shouted impaitiently.
She tapped her foot as she waited for him, casually stepping aside as he all but barreled
into the office.

"It's your fault, you good-for-nothing!" she reprimanded disdainfully. "You can't catch
Sailor V!"

"It's not my fault!" Wakagi exclaimed, trying to explain.

In response, Natsuna merely pointed to a chart on the wall. "Look at this, Wakagi!" she
scolded as she pointed to an almost flat blue line. "This is your record as a special
police officer. Your capture rate almost zero! Now compare that with Sailor V's capture
rate. Look!" she said as she pointed to a steadily inclining red line. "It's just going up!
And here!" She pointed to a new third silver line that began just recently. "This is the
capture rate of Sailor V's new partner, Masked Knight. His capture rate is rapidly going up
as well!"

"If you like them that much," he muttered, "why don't you get them to work for the special
police yourself? You can meet Sailor V and Masked Knight all you want at the crime scenes."

"Wakagi! That's your job!!" she shouted. "Got that? Your duty is to solve suspicious,
strange incidents, build my reputation, and get Sailor V! And Masked Knight as well!" she
added almost as an afterthought.

'Since when is getting Sailor V my job...?' he wondered to himself. 'Now I've got to get
this Masked Knight, too?'

"Next time you get outdone by V," she warned, "if you let her or Masked Knight slip through
your fingers, I'll send you to Siberia!!"

"Si-Si-Siberia!?" he exclaimed in shock.

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

A few days later, Minako and a couple of her friends were talking with Ryoku when one of
the girls suddenly wriggled uncomfortably in her uniform.

"Man, my chest is tight," she remarked irritably as she shifted again.

"No way," the other girl added. "Mine, too."

"Me, too," Minako addeed. "And my skirt's gotten so tight...."

"My Sailor V socks...," the first girl lamented as she glanced down at her feet. "They're
all stretched out."

'Has she... gained weight?' the second girl thought to herself.

'Hmm...,' Ryoku thought to himself, 'each of them has gotten a little bigger since they
bought all those rainbow chocolates. It's a good thing I've only had a quarter of a box
since buying them... even though the temptation to eat all of them right now is a little
rough.'

"Hey, want some rainbow chocolate?" the first girl asked.

"Yes, please!" Minako replied eagerly. "Those are good!"

'Should I tell Minako-chan to ease up a little?' he wondered to himself. 'Nah. I'll just
suggest she work out a little more. Besides, those chocolates are good.'

"I'll have a piece as well," he added. "Just one, though. Don't wanna overdo it, ne,
Minako-chan?" He glanced over at her to see if she got the hint, but sweatdropped as he saw
her stuff five into her mouth at once. "Never mind...."

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

"I'm home!" Minako called out as she darted into the house and headed up to her room. "Oh,
I'm tired. Think I'll take a shower."

"Mina...," Artemis began as she headed toward her door.

"Yeees?" she asked as she reached for the doorknob.

"You've got some flesh sticking out of your skirt."

"Huh?" she gasped as she stared down at the flesh roll just barely sticking out between her
skirt and uniform shirt.

"Mina, have you... put on a little weight?" he asked pointedly.

At that remark, she screamed as she dashed into the bathroom and leaped onto the scale.
"Aaaah! I've gained 4 kilograms! Oh no! Oh no!!!" She put a hand to the offending flesh
roll. "Is it all that chocolate?!?"

"I can't think of anything else," the white cat commented as he padded into the bathroom.
"I don't want to look at some porky Sailor V. And I'm sure Ryo-kun wouldn't, either."

"You shut up, Artemis!" Minako snapped angrily. "It's fine! Just 4 kilograms, I'll work it
off with my everyday training! Right away! But...." She glanced wistfully back toward her
room. "My mouth is empty...." She headed back to her room, but Artemis beat her there.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of these," he told her as he ate all the remaining rainbow
chocolates.

Minako stared in shock at the empty box for a second, then turned angrily toward the white
cat. "Artemiiiis!!!"

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

"I've gained weight again!" Natsuna exclaimed as she weighed herself in her office at the
Metropolitan Police Board. "Since I've been sampling all these chocolates, I've put on six
kilograms! Is that the reason I'm gaining all this weight?"

One of her officers stepped into her office and paused at he noticed her weighing herself.
"You know, Chief, lately you've been looking a little pudgy...," he remarked.

Her only response was a sigh.

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

"Wha t can I do?" a girl moaned as she started home from school. "With this fat body, I
can't give valentine chocolates! He won't like me!"

"Take one!" a woman said as she walked by, handing her a flyer. "Here you go, take one!"
She continued on her way, handing out flyers.

The girl looked down at the flyer in her hand and started to read. "Este de Brine: Get your
ideal proportions! If you act now, the full course is FREE! Huh?" She blinked as she read
the flyer again. Este de Brine? The full course is free!? I want to lose weight by
Valentine's Day! I have to go!!"

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

Waka gai sat on one of the many benches in Shiba Park, reading the newspaper. An article
about Este de Brine caught his eye, especially after noting the rise in chocolate sales and
the weight gain in schoolgirls.

"This is suspicious!" he said to himself as he stood. "Smells like trouble! This chocolate
company and Este must be working together. When suspicious stuff starts going down, Sailor
V always...!" He balled up the newspaper angrily and thrust it into the wastebasket next to
the bench. "Hurry and show up! Damn V! This time, I'll get you! You and your partner,
Masked Knight!"

Nearby, Minako sat on another bench with Hikaru and Ryoku. "What am I going to do...?" she
moaned sadly. "I gained weight again!"

"If all you eat is chocolate, you're bound to gain weight," Hikaru told her.

"Maybe you should start cutting down on the chocolate?" Ryoku suggested.

"But, they're so good...," Minako replied. "These rainbow chocolates. Haven't either of you
ever yielded to temptation? Hikaru-chan? Ryo-kun?"

"Self-control is the foundation of dieting, Mina," Hikaru said proudly. 'Always oolong
tea!' she thought with a mental grin.

Ryoku nodded sagely. "Hikaru-chan is right, Minako-chan. With no self-control, you won't be
able to control your urges. You can pretty much guess where it goes from there."

"Got it!" Minako stated as she confidently stood up from the bench. "No matter what, I'm
going to lose weight!" She turned to see Hikaru and Ryoku grinning encouragingly at her.
'Like Artemis said, I don't want to die a porky Sailor V! Besides, I don't want Ryo-kun to
have a porky Sailor V for a partner.' She broke a twig off a nearby tree and held her fist
up determinedly. "I'll do it!"

"Hey, come on now!" Wakagi shouted as he walked up to them. "What are you doing breaking
public property! You're getting a fine! A fine!"

"Oh no!" she gasped apologetically. "I'm sorry!" She blinked as she recognized who it was.
'Oh!! It's him!'

Wakagi blinked as he looked at her. "Huh?" he said, half to himself. 'The same red
ribbon....'

Hikaru and Ryoku took that opportunity to drag Minako away. 'Hey, wait! Let's talk some
more!' she thought to herself as she let herself be dragged away.

'Mina!' Hikaru and Ryoku thought to themselves as they dragged the smitten Minako away.

"Wait...," he said again as he glanced at Ryoku. "That boy's ponytail...." He paused and
shook his head in chagrin. "Oh boy.... Thinking everyone looks like Sailor V and Masked
Knight.... I'm going crazy." He started to leave then halted as he spotted a building that
wasn't there recently. "What?"

"A new building?" Hikaru said as she and the others spotted it as well.

"Este?" Ryoku said as he read the sign on the building.

"Full course for free?" Wakagi said as he read the posters placed on the walls.
"Suspicious."

"Hmm...," Ryoku said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder...."

"Free???" Minako exclaimed excitedly. "No way! I want to go!"

"Meow," Artemis said as he padded over to her and leaped into her arms.

"Artemis!" she said as she moved closer to Ryoku so he could hear without letting the
others hear as well.

"Mina! What're you doing?" the white cat admonished. "You don't have time for detours,
being a soldier of justice! Hurry and get home for training! Shape up!" He glanced
meaningfully at her. "Don't you want to lose weight?"

"Don't be so hard on her, Artemis," Ryoku interjected. "Of course, Minako-chan wants to
lose weight. In fact, I'm gonna help her lose it as fast as she wants to go."

"Really?" she asked. He nodded. "Thank you, Ryo-kun!"

"Well? Shall we get started, then?"

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

In the Este de Brine building, Debrine began to lecture the group of overweight girls who
had arrived to learn how to lose weight quickly.

"And so, everyone," she concluded, "heavy girls look better! Boys like glamour girls. This
is the age of plump girls being popular! Still, for those of you who want to lose a little
weight, you can do so for an extra fee."

As soon as she collected the girls' money, she led them to a room lined with strange
capsule like devices. She directed each girl to lie in a capsule, which then began to drain
them of their energy. As soon as the girls were finshed, Debrine brought out a mirror which
was warped in certain areas. When the girls saw their reflections in the mirror, they saw
an illusion of themselves as having lost weight.

"Wow! I've lost so much weight!" one girl exclaimed happily.

"Thank you!" Debrine said cheerily.

"I feel sort of dizzy," she observed. "But, if I lost weight, I must be okay."

'Heh heh heh. Everyone, you can't lose weight,' Debrine thought smugly to herself. 'Girls
who want to lose weight will get the impression that they have when they look in these
mirrors. Keep on eating the rainbow chocolates I made and keep on gaining weight. Then,
come to Este de Brine. And when you've gained plenty of weight, I'll take plenty of your
energy. And your money, too!'

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

Febr uary 14 seemed to come quickly. All over, girls were presenting their sweethearts and
loved ones with presents. Most of them gave the rainbow chocolates that seemed to have
become quite the rage with the young girls. Minako, however, was a little busy that day....

"All right, Venus," Masked Knight said flatly as he assumed a defensive fighting stance.
"Come at me again."

Sailor V sighed tiredly. "Aww, come on! We've been at this for three hours! Come on,
Knight, can't we take a break?"

He considered her request for only a second. "If you want to take a break, Venus, then go
ahead. I won't stop you. Let me know when you're ready to continue."

She sat down in one of the chairs in the command center that Ryoku had brought into the
room. She didn't bother to change back yet; last time she did, she ached all over from the
workout she had went through with him. This time, she decided to stay as Sailor V for the
duration. One of the advantages being Sailor V had was that she healed quickly. Aches and
bruises vanished rapidly.

Off to the far end of the room was a table with various electrical components that Ryoku
was putting together on Boss' request. Today, she had glanced at the finished device for a
second while Ryoku began to warm up, like he did before each one of their practice
sessions. Until the second one was finished, they wouldn't know if he had put them together
right or not. The communicator was interesting to look at though.

Sailor V glanced over at Masked Knight at the other side of the room. He had just taken out
his stick, or rather, his sword and was now standing in a fighting stance. She had never
seen him use his sword as a weapon yet, so she settled herself in her seat to watch him.

Masked Knight suddenly leaped into motion, fluidly performing quick, complex, and even
dangerous techniques with his sword. Her eyes remained fixed on him thoughout the routine.
She had never known that he had that kind of skill with a sword! As she watched the routine
come to an end and he began to go through the motions of sheathing his sword - even though
his sword didn't have a sheathe - one thought came to mind: Ryoku was a boy of many talents.

"That was incredible, Knight!" she applauded. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Masked Knight shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Just natural talent, I suppose." He
glanced down at her as he put his sword, now a stick again, away. "By the way, Venus,
you're looking much better. Just a few more days and you'll be back to your own beautiful
figure again. Ready to get back to work again?"

Sailor V blushed slightly at the compliment. 'He called me beautiful....' She smiled at him
as she stood up. "I'm ready to go! Let's get to it!"

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

A few days later, Artemis joined Minako and Ryoku in the command center. He brought a
newspaper with him in his mouth. "Look at this," he said as he tossed it at Ryoku.

"Fat is in fashion," Ryoku read. "But only rainbow chocolates." His expression turned to
one of bewilderment. "What does this mean?"

"Everyone's beginning to look a little chubby," he said. "It's odd.... It smells like an
enemy!"

"Artemis! Look!" Minako said eagerly. "Look! I lost weight! I'm almost back to normal!" She
spun around to show off her progress. "And since I've lost weight, I can have a few rainbow
chocolates.... Artemis!" Her eyes widened as she spotted the white cat scanning one of her
last chocolates with one of the computers.

"Boss!" he said, glancing up at the main computer when the scan was complete.

"Find something?" Ryoku asked, looking up as well.

"I'm getting abnormal reactions from these chocolates!" Boss announced. "Making people gain
weight unnecessarily, it must be the work of the enemies! Mina! Ryoku! Take action!"

"What?" Minako exclaimed angrily. "The enemies made me gain weight?!? I won't allow that,
Boss! Come on, Ryo-kun!"

"Right!" Ryoku agreed as he followed her out with Artemis close behind.

The three ran to the chocolate booth they had visited before, but it was no longer there.

"What!? A swindler!" Minako yelled. "That chocolate store is gone!"

"If that's true, it's another suspicious thing!" Artemis stated.

"Or maybe it's because Valentine's is over...," Ryoku added. "But we have to be sure...."
He trailed off as he noticed a girl walk out of the Este de Brine building.

"Oh, great," she murmured happily as she left the building. "I've lost so much weight!"

"Hey!" Minako observed. "She hasn't lost any weight at all!"

"She looks strange!" Artemis added.

"We'd better check out this place," Ryoku suggested. Minako and Artemis nodded their
agreement.

Another crowd started for the building, but was quickly intercepted and held back by Wakagi
as he began to approach the building. "I'm the police! If you're not concerned with this,
keep out! I'm investigating!"

"Police?" Artemis said worriedly. "Uh-oh."

"He'll get in the way," Ryoku added. "We need to distract him."

"Hey! It's him!" Minako exclaimed.

"Him?" Ryoku repeated as he took a good look. "Oh. The policeman at Shiba Park."

"Yeah!" she told him. "Let's go! Crescent Moon Power Transform! I'm transforming with
energy! Change me into a beautiful secretary! Change Ryoku into a handsome businessman!"
Minako appeared in a professional-looking red dress blouse and skirt, while Ryoku appeared
in a sharp gray business suit and black necktie. Thin-rimmed glasses appeared on his face
just above his nose.

"Pardon me," Minako said as she brushed past Wakagi, leading Ryoku behind her. "I am the
president's personal secretary. I must bring this man to see him, since he's his business
partner."

"Excuse me," Wakagi said politely. "I'm Wakagi, of the Metro Police special forces. Would
you show me to the president's office?"

"Sure, I'd love to!" she replied with a smile. "So, you're with the police? Wakagi-sama.
Handsome name." Ryoku pointedly ignored Minako's flirting as he followed her and Wakagi.

"Now!" several people in the crowd exclaimed. "We want into Este de Brine, too!"

"Look out!" Wakagi and Ryoku shouted as they both rushed over to Minako and covered her
protectively as the crowd charged past.

'Mina... It's the first time you've been protected by a man...,' she thought excitedly to
herself as she looked up at the policeman and Ryoku, 'let alone, two. Wakagi-sama's new
suit, his starched shirt, his regimental tie. His arms are strained, protecting me. His and
Ryo-kun's, but he's elite. I can tell, from the way he smells. Wakagi-sama....' Her gaze
shifted over to Ryoku. 'And Ryo-kun.... Brave, loyal, Ryoku. His name means 'strength'...
and he surely does have a quiet strength about him. Always ready to come to my aid whenever
I need him; even if I don't know that I need him. He's always doing his best, just for me.
I can always depend on him. My dear friend, Ryoku....'

"You okay?" Wakagi asked as he and Ryoku helped her to her feet.

"You aren't hurt?" Ryoku asked.

"I'm fine," Minako replied with a smile.

"I'd like to go to the president's office, so...," Wakagi prompted.

"Oh, right!" she said in chagrin as she rubbed the back of head. "The president's office."
She glanced over at Ryoku, who just shrugged in reply. 'Umm.... Anou.... Where would that
be...,' she wondered nervously. 'I'm in trouble. Oh, and I want to investigate some
more....' Finally, she decided to just look through the building. The president's office
had to be somewhere around.

After a time of searching the building, they came across the room where Debrine extracted
the energy from her customers. "Heh heh," she laughed wickedly. "I'll take lots of energy
from your plump flesh, and I will gain from it. With my operations, I'll take all your
energy and your money. Heh heh."

"Now who is that!?" Wakagi said. "She looks suspicious! Is that Este?"

'An enemy!?' Minako thought to herself.

"Who's there!?" Debrine shouted as she spun towards them.

'Oh no!' Minako and Ryoku thought to themselves.

"Meow! Meow!" Artemis shouted as he came up behind them.

'Mina! Gotta transform!' Minako thought urgently to herself as she reached for a nearby
vase sitting on the carpeted floor. 'Wakagi-sama, forgive me!' She was about to crack the
vase over Wakagi's head when she saw that Ryoku had already moved. The policeman was now
lying unconscious on the floor, while Ryoku stood above him with his transformation stick
in hand. With a nod, they both turned toward Debrine; the blade of Ryoku's Star Sword
appearing as fast as thought.

"You make people eat and gain weight," she shouted angrily. "You're like an enemy from
Hansel and Gretel! As the president's personal secretary, I can't permit your management
policy!"

Ryoku sweatdropped in chagrin, but since she was taking her part so far.... "Who are you?"
Ryoku demanded. "As the president's business partner, I can't condone what you've been
doing at the company's expense!" There. Now, he felt like a proper idiot.

"Who are you!?" Debrine demanded. "Such stylish people are still left!? No matter. I am
Debrine, and you two will soon join the others."

"Not likely," he countered. "Star Sword Power Transform!"

"Moon Power Transform!!" Minako shouted only a half second behind him. "Codename: Sailor V!
I have unrivaled style! The soldier of justice, the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, I am
Sailor Venus!"

"Codename: Masked Knight!" he said, flourishing his sword. "I have unrivaled flair! The
soldier of justice, the sailor-suited handsome soldier, I am Sailor Knight!"

"I won't allow your style!" Debrine yelled. "From now on, girls' rice skin will be rice
fat! Rainbow Chocolate Attack!" She hurled a storm of rainbow chocolates at Sailor V and
Masked Knight.

Masked Knight quickly stepped between the chocolates and Sailor V. "No! We will not allow
you to try to fatten us up with your sweets! Masked Knight Flashing Sword Dance!" His Star
Sword flashed through the air, slicing up rainbow chocolates wherever it passed.

"My turn!" Sailor V announced. "V-chan's Rub Out Sailor V Chop!" She leaped forward and
struck at Debrine, striking her across her shoulders.

"Yeouuuch!" she yelped as she jumped back.

"Debrine! To lose weight, you have to exercise!" Sailor V stated. "And thanks to your
workout with me, I'll lose weight for sure!" She quickly brought out her compact. "I don't
have time to waste looking at you anymore! Maiden enemy! I'll wipe out you and your
chocolates! Crescent Slender Beam!"

"Earth Thrust!" Masked Knight added for good measure.

Debrine screamed as the attack struck her and destroyed her. No sooner did Debrine die than
the building began to collapse around them. Masked Knight quickly scooped up Wakagi as they
dashed out of their before they became trapped inside.

"The Este de Brine building's health has been wiped away, too," Sailor V remarked as they
watched the dust settle.

"Good ridance," Masked Knight added as he tapped his sword on the ground, knocking the rest
of the rainbow chocolate on the ground next to Wakagi, who had just now woke up from his
'nap'.

"Uhh... Sailor V! Masked Knight!" he shouted as he leaped to his feet and surveyed the
wreckage. "You! You did this, didn't you!" His gaze fell on the chocolate pieces still
stuck on Masked Knight's Star Sword. "Oh! Don't let those chocolates get near me! Those
chocolates! I'm resolute. I hate sweets!" The stress finally got to him and he collapsed.

"Someone definitely needs a vacation," Masked Knight commented under his breath as he knelt
down to check on him. He stood back up once he found that he was fine.

"Wakagi-sama?!?" Sailor V exclaimed when she saw him faint. She glanced down at the, once
again, unconscious Wakagi. "Huh. Chocolate is bad for Wakagi-sama. But even though
Valentine's is over, not participating in it kind of disqualifies me as a girl."

Unnoticed behind them, Artemis slowly tried to free himself from being trapped underneath
the rubble. "Uhh...," he moaned weakly. "Somebody help me...."

She glanced from Masked Knight down to Wakagi and back to her partner again. "It might be a
little late, but...."

"What are you talking about, Venus?" Masked Knight asked curiously, raising one eyebrow.

Sailor V just smiled. "For Valentine's Day, my sweethearts this year are the men who
protected me." She walked over to Masked Knight and kissed him on his left cheek. Masked
Knight said nothing, but blushed red. She then bent down to kiss Wakagi on the cheek, but
as she did so, a button popped off her skirt. She sweatdropped as Masked Knight caught the
button in midair and handed it back to her.

"I guess you still have an inch or two to lose," he said in chagrin. He grimaced as he
glanced around. "I think I'll go see where Artemis has gotten to."

"Uh-oh!" Sailor V gasped as she realized something. "All those overweight people have to be
returned to normal." She brought out her compact again. "Venus Power! Love Crescent Shower!
Pour down rain!" Golden rain poured down over the people, causing them to snap out of their
trances, but not reduce in size.

"Huh...?"

"What!? I was supposed to go to Este and lose weight!"

"Oh no! I haven't lost weight!"

Sailor V stared in befuddlement. "What!? Why!? Their bodies have hardly gone back to
normal!" A thought hit her. "Uh-oh! Were those rainbow chocolates as fatty as real
chocolates? Oh no! Now what!?"

"Somebody.... Put me back to normal...."

"Gotta do it somehow. This fat body is horrible!"

Papers and candy suddenly began to fall from the sky. The overweight people caught some of
the falling items and began to examine them.

"What are these? Flyers?"

"Candy?"

"Look! These flyers are dieting cures!"

"Mine is a weight-loss diet through bean curd!"

"Weight-loss tea! This has a store with it!"

"These are diet candies!"

"What's going on!?" Sailor V wondered aloud. "They're falling from the sky!? From where!?
From who!?"

Masked Knight walked back to Sailor V's side carrying a slightly battered Artemis in his
arms. "Up there," he said, nodding toward a masked man standing atop a building, tossing
candy into the air.

"That's...!" Artemis exclaimed.

Inside that storm, the downpour of candies... was a new beginning. The beginning of a new
chapter in Sailor V's battle.

"He's cute!" Sailor V exclaimed. "Who is it, who is it!? I can't see his face well, but his
style is flashy! He looks tall! His face must be nice, too! Oh, I wish I could give
chocolates to him! Are these candies.... My White Day present? Little early, though...."

Masked Knight and Artemis exchanged glances and sweatdropped.

**********************************************
< br> "Well, Wakagi," Natsuna said back at the Metropolitan Police Board. "Now your capture rate
is zero! A promise is a promise."

Days later, at the Metropolitan Police Board branch in Siberia, Wakagi began to shiver.

"Why do they have a branch in this place!?" he exclaimed miserably. "Why!? Damn it! It's
all Sailor V's fault!!"

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

D isclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs
to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before
posting it anywhere else. Thank you.

The Question and all stories included are:
Copyright © July 6, 2001 Jason C. Ulloa.
Manga translation by Alex Glover © 1996
All Rights Reserved.