Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Alone No More - Minako's Story ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: jasonulloa 
Minako tries to win the love of a sickly boy through karaoke, much to Ryoku's chagrin.
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.15.2003 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 259 | Status: Completed
Minako tries to win the love of a sickly boy through karaoke, much to Ryoku's chagrin.
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.15.2003 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 259 | Status: Completed
Alone No More: Minako's Story
by Jason C. Ulloa
Chapter 9
"So," Artemis asked as he sat on top of the kitchen counter in Ryoku's apartment, "how's
your sister doing?"
"She's still complaining about being stuck at that boarding school while I'm going to a
public school," Ryoku replied as he turned his head from what he was doing. "It was great
visiting her for a while, though."
"I bet you missed her," he said as he tried to see what Ryoku was cooking. The smell was
appetizing and he was getting hungry. Ryoku grinned at him over his shoulder as if he knew
that, but he didn't move as he turned back to his food preparation.
"Hai, I did miss Mako-chan very much," he replied wistfully. "She is the very last
remaining member of my family, Artemis. If it wasn't for her, the loss of my parents would
be unbearable. I'm sure she feels the same way." He turned from the food to look at the
white cat. "It sure was good to see her again, even if it was for a little while."
"Well, I suppose that sometimes soldiers of justice must take time out of their fight to
spend with their loved ones," Artemis said with a small grin.
"You make it sound like I was on vacation," he replied wryly.
"According to the school calendars, you were," Artemis replied with a smirk.
"Hmph...," Ryoku snorted as he turned back to his cooking. "Perhaps I shouldn't offer you
any of this delicious food if all you're going to do is mock me."
"Anou...," the white cat said penitently as he sweatdropped. "There's no need to do that.
Gomen nasai, Ryoku-sama!" he said as he bowed his head.
Ryoku's eyebrow twitched in amusement. "No need to go overboard, neko-san," he replied in a
dry, yet amused tone of voice. "Just inform me of anything I've missed since I've been
gone."
"Mina's had to fight three sibling enemies by herself, one by one," Artemis began. "First,
was Nyan-Nyan. She used cute kittens to steal everyone's energy. Mina almost traded me in
for a new cat because of her!"
"Like an old car, almost traded in for a new model," Ryoku said jokingly.
"Hmph!" Artemis fumed. "I suppose you'd find that funny. Anyway, after defeating Nyan-Nyan,
her brother Wan-Wan went after Sailor V. This time, the enemy used cute dogs. He even
fooled me into believing that he was a cute female dog named Luna-chan!" He sighed
reminiscently at that name.
"I think I remember Minako-chan saying something about working with a manga artist,
Marie-sensei, I believe she said her name was?"
"Hai, a shoujo manga artist," Artemis agreed as he grinned in amusement.
"Something funny, Artemis?"
"I just remembered how Sailor V dispatched of Wan-Wan," he replied with a chuckle. "She
said something about sentencing him to seppuku, then ran him through with a katana
strikingly similar to your Star Sword. The funny thing is that, when I told her that
seppuku is cutting one's own stomach, she cried that she didn't want to cut her own
stomach. She also said that since you're the expert on swords, you should've told her about
that."
Ryoku gave a brief snort of amusement, then shrugged. "I guess I should've been there," he
replied as he turned back to the food again. "What about the third enemy?"
"Chuu-chuu," Artemis continued. "A mosquito woman taking energy out of the blood of blood
donors. By the way, Mina volunteered to donate blood."
"You're kidding?!?" Ryoku exclaimed as he turned to stare at Artemis. "I thought you had to
be 16 to donate blood...."
"She lied about her age. She just wanted the free orange juice. And when she found out that
the hospital paid for blood donations...," Artemis trailed off, not needing to elaborate.
"Sometimes I wish she was more like Hikaru-chan. She's the vice-president of a volunteer
organization!"
"You don't say?" Ryoku said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I never knew that about
Hikaru-chan." He turned off the stove and moved the pan onto the counter and covered it.
"Can't I see what you've made for dinner?" Artemis asked pleadingly. "Please?"
A playful grin crossed Ryoku's face. "You'll have to wait... unless you don't mind a burned
tongue and singed whiskers. I understand that cat tongues are very sensitive to temperature
as well...."
Artemis sighed hungrily. "I'll wait."
"I think you'll like it," Ryoku continued. "I got this recipe from Mako-chan. She's a much
better cook than I am, though." He paused for a moment. "Any new sightings of... 'him'?"
The white cat turned to glance at Ryoku at hearing the change in the tone of his voice at
even the hint of mentioning Kaitou Ace's name. He knew that he really didn't like Ace - no,
he practically hated Ace - but for Minako's sake, he never said anything.
"Ryo-kun," Artemis said carefully, "why do you... dislike... uh, 'him'... so much?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression barely changed. "It's nothing I can put my
finger on," he said in a voice tight with surpressed anger, "but I just don't trust that...
that.... Che!" he growled, throwing his arms up in frustration. "You know what I'm trying
to say. What's worse is that Minako-chan likes him and even though I want to tell her how
wrong he is for her...."
"You have no proof," Artemis finished.
"Exactly." He sighed as he turned to stare at the kitchen wall. "My hands are tied." He
shrugged as he turned back towards the white cat and made an attempt at smiling. "Well, no
use worrying over something I can't do much about right now," he said in a false cheery
voice. "Why don't you join me for dinner, Artemis? I've made some shrimp tempura, fried
with a moderate variety of vegetables. Care for some?" he asked as he lifted the lid.
"Don't mind if I do," Artemis replied as Ryoku served him a plate. "I'll take your cooking
over Mina's any day."
"Not that good, ne?" Ryoku asked as he served himself.
"Mmrphf...."
*********************************** ***********
The next day at school, Minako glanced at a poster hanging on the wall: The 35th Shiba Park
Half Marathon Competition. "All right!" she said, grinning at Ryoku. "Class can wait for
the marathon competition!"
"My senpai says he'll get in the top 20," a boy said.
"Wow, a marathon...," a girl added. "Maybe I'll ditch school for it."
Ryoku turned to see where Minako was now looking. By the window, there was a boy staring
out, gazing into the far away distance. "He does that whenever the subject turns to
sports," she told Ryoku when she saw him looking in the same direction. "I call him the
school's unknown idol."
"The unknown idol?" he repeated questioningly.
"Hai," she said with a nod. "He's a quarter Russian named Otonaru Maiku."
"That's strange," another boy said. "Otonaru is here today. How many days has it been since
he's come?"
"Anyway, I bet he's not entering the marathon," yet another boy mentioned. "Since
elementary school, he hasn't done any physical activities at all."
"Is Otonaru-kun's body that weak?" a girl asked as she glanced toward the boy in question.
Otonaru was now exiting the building Minako and Ryoku had spotted him in earlier. "He's so
pale...."
"Doesn't he act sick to get out of exercise?" the first boy asked.
"You know what his nickname was in elementary?" the other replied. "Since he's thinner and
weaker than a bean sprout.... Toothpick!"
Ryoku frowned. "Now that's not very fair...."
"Hey, Toothpick!" the boy said as he walked over and shoved Otonaru from behind.
"Cut it out!" Minako yelled fiercely.
"What do you want, Aino?" the boy asked rudely as he turned to face Minako... and looked
upward to see Ryoku fiercely glaring down at him. The boy reflexively took a step back from
him as he shied away from him.
"Thank you, Ryo-kun," Minako said as she slapped him jovially on the shoulder. "You know,
those gray eyes of yours are really effective when it comes to staring guys down. They
almost seem to flash when you're angry."
Ryoku smirked mischeviously. "If you say so, Minako-chan," he replied with a diffident
shrug.
'Yes!' Minako thought as she glanced over to Otonaru as he was getting up from being
shoved. 'A day when Otonaru-kun comes to school is very precious! I won't waste this
valuable chance. And this, at last, the season I've been waiting for! The autumn of love!
I'm going to get close to Otonaru-kun!'
Ryoku noticed the gleam in Minako's eyes and sighed. 'The Aino Minako crush strikes
again...,' he thought in exasperation. 'There is a good side to this, though. At least
she's forgotten about... 'him'... for now.'
"Hey, Otonaru-kun!" Minako said. "Our class has decided to practice together for the
marathon competition. Why don't you practice a little bit too, and enter the marathon?"
He stared at her silently for a moment, then turned and walked away. "You're an intrusive
girl, Aino," he said quietly as he left.
"Quite the verbose individual," Ryoku remarked sarcastically as Minako grimaced.
"That Otonaru-kun has a bad personality!" a girl remarked.
"It's no use," the first boy said. "He doesn't have the will to do anything. Leave him
alone."
'But this was finally my chance to get to know him!' Minako thought despondently.
Ryoku merely sighed as he shook his head. 'Poor Minako-chan....'
**********************************************
The next morning, Minako entered the classroom and noticed a familiar face was also there.
"Oh! Otonaru-kun's here today too! Lucky!" Minako said aside to Ryoku. "He's not as
delicate as those boys say he is. But he doesn't seem to get along with anyone in class."
Ryoku shrugged. "Maybe he just prefers to be alone," he suggested.
Later, Minako changed into her gym suit in the locker room, then ran out into the hallway,
headed for gym class. On her way, she crashed into Otonaru, knocking both of them down.
"Sorry! I'm so clumsy...," she apologized as she got up. "Otonaru-kun! Sorry!" She bent
down to help him up and noticed a book lying next to him:
Road to the Olympics - Surmounting the Challenge of Escaping your Heart
As soon as he noticed Minako's gaze turned toward his book, he quickly grabbed it away.
"Otonaru-kun, do you like the Olympics?" Minako asked. "Hey, just reading books is boring!
You should get out and do it! Why don't you show up to practice with us for the marathon?
Even if it's just to take a look, how about it? Okay?"
**********************************************
"He y, it's Otonaru-kun!" one guy noticed as Otonaru and Minako joined the others on the
field.
'Hmm...,' Ryoku thought to himself, as he grinned slightly. 'Looks like Minako-chan finally
got to Otonaru-kun.'
"Aino brought him to practice?" another boy added. "Wow!"
"All right, one quick lap around the school!" the gym teacher shouted. The students
immediately started running.
"Hey," one of the boys noted as he looked back at Otonaru. "Looks like we're losing him."
Ryoku started to slow down until he was alongside him. Otonaru gasped for breath as all the
boys sped ahead of him. "Otonaru-kun, daijoubu desu ka?" he asked concernedly.
"Hey now!" one of the girls complained, also lagging behind. "Boys, your pace is too
strenuous!"
"Oh, is it?" Minako asked as she kept up with the boys.
"Oi! Quit showing off, Minako-chan!" Ryoku called out as he tried to encourage Otonaru on.
"I can't follow!" the girl said. "I can't take it!"
"Speaking of which," said another girl, "where's Otonaru-kun?"
"He's not here!"
They looked back to see him collapsed on the ground. Ryoku was busy trying to revive him.
"Otonaru-kun!?" Minako called out worriedly.
"Ah, he overexerted himself," a boy explained. "He's had a weak heart from birth."
'What!?' Minako thought in shock.
**********************************************
"Do n't worry about it," Artemis told her later after she had come home. "It's not your
fault, Mina."
"I know...," she said in a depressed tone of voice.
"He'll come to school again tomorrow," Ryoku added consolingly.
"Yeah...," Minako replied sullenly. "But he might not listen to me anymore. He might hate
me."
"Mina...," Artemis said quietly.
"Listen, Mina," Ryoku said softly, "you shouldn't think that. I mean, you were just trying
to encourage him. It's not like you were forcing him. If it'll make you feel any better, we
could go and visit him," he suggested. "See how he's doing?"
**********************************************
"6 66-999 Roppongi 7-chome...," Minako said, reading the address. "This is it."
"Hai," Ryoku agreed, nodding.
They stood before a karaoke hall in the bright city at night. "Wow!" Minako said in awe.
"This is the biggest karaoke place in Roppongi! So, this is where Otonaru-kun lives?"
"This's it," Ryoku agreed. "He told me how to get here after I helped bring him from the
hospital." He lead Minako up the stairs in the back of the room to the second floor and
knocked on the door.
"It's open!" a voice called from inside. Minako opened the door as she and Ryoku entered.
"Aino!?" Otonaru exclaimed as he sat up in bed. "And Kino-san. What brings you here?"
Minako held out a rose. "Otonaru-kun, I'm sorry!" she said penitently. "I didn't know you
were sick. I did a horrible thing! I'm really sorry. I hope you get well soon."
"Don't worry about it," Otonaru replied. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."
She heard music blaring and a voice singing downstairs. "That's loud!" she commented. "How
can you sleep with such noise coming from the karaoke place downstairs?"
"And some of it so horribly off-key, too," Ryoku added, wincing from a sour note.
"It's fine," Otonaru replied. "I love hearing everybody singing out loud. It makes me feel
alive. I really have to be in a hospital, but I stay home because I want to hear this.
Thank you again for helping my mother bring me home, Kino-san," he said to Ryoku.
Ryoku waved a silent dismissal to his thanks and grinned.
"Aino," he continued, "you made such an effort to meddle in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't
enter the marathon. My next heart operation is the day of the marathon."
"I... I see...," Minako said disappointedly. As she glanced downward, she noticed a stone
on the floor next to the book on the Olympics. She picked it up to take a closer look at it.
"What kind of stone is this?" she asked curiously. "It's weird. There's a white line in it."
"Really?" Ryoku asked as he moved to see the stone as well. "Hmm...."
"A Hachimaki stone," Otonaru explained. "It's an old Russian legend. If you have a
Hachimaki stone, you can take first place in any sporting event."
"Interesting," Ryoku commented, raising an eyebrow appreciatively.
"That stone's for you, Aino," Otonaru continued.
"What?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"But, even if you didn't have that charm, you'd surpass the boys and easily come in first,"
he added with a grin.
"Most of them, at least," Ryoku remarked as he glanced teasingly at Minako.
She stuck her tongue out at him, then glanced down at the stone again. 'A charm from
Otonaru-kun?' Minako thought as she smiled. "All right!" she said as she looked back up.
"This year, for Otonaru Maiku, Minako-sama will bring back first place! And then next year,
we will compete to see who will ultimately come in first!"
She then looked pointedly at Ryoku. "And you'll stay out of it, ne?"
Ryoku shrugged innocently. "I never said I was competing, did I?" he replied. "It's your
Hachimaki stone."
"There's no way I can beat you," Otonaru admitted. "Until now, I haven't once participated
in a school event. I only rested, I had a dark personality, and I had no friends. You're
the first one I've ever talked to like this, Aino. You and your friend, Kino-san, were the
first ones to treat me so nicely, dispite my dark personality."
'Yes, all right!' thinks Minako. 'Go! Go! Mi-na! Push forward for love!'
Ryoku sighed as he glanced at Minako. 'Oh boy, the Aino Minako crush is going full force,
now. Nothing to do but step aside and let her through.'
"I got it!" Otonaru said suddenly as a grin spread across his face. "Since you both came
all the way to my place, sing one song!" He pulled a curtain away beside his bed, revealing
a set of monitors and a microphone.
"Oh, I don't know...," Ryoku began, but was yanked over toward the karaoke machine by an
enthusiastic Minako.
"Aw, come on, Ryo-kun!" she entreated as she handed him a mike. "Onegai? For Otonaru-kun?"
"Hai, hai...," he agreed reluctantly with a sigh. Minako took a mike of her own and started
to sing a duet with Ryoku. As soon as the song ended, Otonaru applauded.
"Ryo-kun," Minako said with some surprise, "did anyone ever tell you that you have a voice
like an idol? You sing so well!"
Ryoku grimaced at the mention of the word 'idol', but grinned anyway as he shrugged. "I've
always been musically inclined, Minako-chan," he told her. "Though I prefer playing musical
instruments to singing, I occasionally like to sing a song or two."
"Really?" Minako asked, amazed at learning a new side to her best friend and partner.
"Hey, now I'll do one," Otonaru said as Ryoku handed him his mike. He began to sing a song
on the karaoke machine as Ryoku and Minako listened.
"That kid has a mike inside him," Otonaru's mom said as she listened by the door. "The
doctor said he might recover from his illness, too, depending on his own feelings."
**********************************************
"Artemis!" Minako said as soon as she came home. "Let's go to the karaoke box again today!"
She brought Artemis over to Otonaru's place, and started singing again.
"What's with you?" Artemis aside to Minako. "Suddenly you're coming here all the time."
"It's to further step up my relationship with Otonaru-kun," Minako replied. "I'll sing a
hundred songs! All right! Next, I call on the familiar idol!" She started to sing another
song.
"Ah...," she sighed as the song ended. "Skipping the marathon practice and coming here
every day.... How touching. Feel the throbbing of my heart, Artemis! Otonaru-kun.... Could
this be my first love?"
"Your 2981st," Artemis muttered sarcastically to himself. "But, I guess Mina is the kind of
person who won't let go of the mike once she gets a hold of it."
**********************************************
Crows suddenly took to wing in the slowly brightening, morning sky of Roppongi. A light
mist slowly rose from the ground, taking the shape of a woman.
"Ah, this passion, brimming with power even in the morning!" she said, feeling the air.
"Among the energy of humans, this enthusiasm fills these abnormal concerts. This energy is
surely the same thing! This sound! This tension! This spirit! This is the stage I have
searched for! I will have the energy of humans gathered here!"
**********************************************
"My body's feeling good now," Otonaru remarked as he stretched upon getting out of bed.
"Maybe it's because every time Aino brings me notes from class, or when she visits with
Kino-san, we train together with karaoke. If I'm this well, maybe I can put off the
operation for a little bit and be able to enter the marathon!
"Well, to raise my spirits, I'll sing in the shop," he said as he went downstairs, and
grabbed an ornate microphone from where the microphones were usually kept. "All right! A
song for the lively one!" he began, when he suddenly realized that the mike he picked up
was different from the usual ones that were usually kept there. "Huh? When did we get this
mike?" He shrugged as he dismissed the difference in mikes and started to sing.
As he sang, the microphone started to drain his energy. Drained of his energy, he collapsed
onto the floor. "Oh no!" his mother gasped as she quickly dashed for the nearest phone and
called the nearest hospital for an ambulance for her son.
**********************************************
"What !?" Minako exclaimed in shock. "Otonaru-kun collapsed!? He's in the hospital!?"
"What happened?" Ryoku asked.
"He lost his strength all of a sudden!" Otonaru's mom told them. "Now I don't even know if
he'll be able to go through his operation.... He's in bad shape!"
"Oh no...!" Minako gasped fearfully. "Come on, Ryo-kun! There's something we've gotta do
for Otonaru-kun!" she told him as she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her.
**********************************************
Hikar u glanced out the classroom window and saw both Minako and Ryoku crawling around the
school yard, apparently searching for something.
"What are you doing, Mina? Ryo-kun?" she asked. "Looking for something?"
"A Hachimaki stone!" Minako replied, not looking up from her search.
"A what?" Hikaru asked, confused.
"We're looking for a Hachimaki stone!" she repeated. "Hurry up, Ryo-kun! Haven't you found
one yet?!?"
Ryoku merely sighed to himself, wondering what Minako did with the one Otonaru gave her.
**********************************************
As Minako and Ryoku went to see Otonaru in the hospital, she held out three stones to him.
The results of at least an hour of combing the school yard.
"Here, Otonaru-kun!" she said hopefully.
Otonaru looked up from his hospital bed. "Aino...! Kino-san...!"
"We found three at school," she told him, placing the stones in his hand. "A charm for your
operation to succeed."
"It's all right," Otonaru told her in a defeated tone of voice as he placed the stones on
the table beside his bed. "I know. I was born with this problem, and there's no way my
heart will completely recover. I've given up. Humans all die someday anyway. The only
difference is whether it's early or late."
Ryoku's eyes widened at that statement of defeat, while Minako suddenly grew upset.
"You're not even trying!" Minako shouted. "Why say such a thing? Being a human takes effort
and guts. 'Giving up' are the words I hate the most!" With that, she ran from the room,
leaving Otonaru and Ryoku behind.
"Aino!!" Otonaru shouted after her, but she was already gone.
"You hurt her, you know," Ryoku said quietly. "She had faith in you, in your ability to
persevere dispite your disabilities." He picked up the stones that Otonaru had put on the
table and placed them in Otonaru's hand. "Don't throw away her faith in you, Otonaru-kun."
He turned and left as well, looking for his friend.
"Kino-san...," he murmured as he glanced down at the stones in his hand. "Gomen nasai,
Aino...."
********************************************* *
Back in class the next day, Minako was lamenting on what she said to Otonaru. "Ryo-kun,
Artemis, I said a horrible thing," she said sadly. "Otonaru-kun has been persevering all by
himself for so long...."
"Mina...," Artemis began, but was silenced by Ryoku putting a hand on his back and shaking
his head at him.
"But! I am not going to give up!" she continued determinedly as she went to stand before
the class. "Everyone, please! Go to Otonaru-kun's karaoke place with me!"
"See?" Ryoku said to Artemis with a small grin. "The Aino Minako crush persevered."
Artemis nodded back at Ryoku and grinned. "I should've figured that."
Some time later, the whole class arrived at Otonaru's place. As they went inside, they
gazed in surprise at the fact that his house doubled as a place for karaoke.
"Wow, Otonaru-kun's house is a karaoke place?"
"Hey, Mina, why will Otonaru-kun get well if we all sing?"
'Maiku has spent a long time being hospitalized,' Otonaru's mom told her and Ryoku
yesterday. 'Since he hates hospitals, he'll be recuperating at home again starting
tomorrow.'
'It makes me feel alive,' Otonaru said.
"If we all sing together," Minako told them, "our spirit will pass to Otonaru-kun! Then, he
should regain his will to live! Now, everyone! There are lots of mikes!" She grabbed a
bunch of the ornate microphones and started to pass them out. "They're kind of strange, but
go for it! Fill them with song!"
As they started singing, the microphones begin to drain their energy, causing them to
collapse. "Uhh...," Minako moaned dizzily as she fell to the floor. "The world is
moving.... It's moving...."
Ryoku quickly snapped out of his trance and rushed over to Minako. He quickly shook her out
of her trance. As she regained her senses, she jumped up in shock.
"Oh no! Everyone!? Wake up! What happened!?" Her gaze turned to the microphone she dropped
and picked it up. "This mike?"
"They must've caused this," Ryoku reasoned. "Everyone had one."
"Ehehe!" a woman laughed as she entered the room. "Today's a full house, too. I've spread
these through all the karaoke boxes in Roppongi. These dark mikes suck out all this energy.
I'm so happy!"
"It's your fault," a voice behind her sang.
"Huh!?"
"Shining with neon, the dance of love," Minako sang into the microphone. "Recording with
this mike, the song of life. Changing the beautiful petals of people singing the dreams of
their youth into flowers of evil! This is rotten heresy! The blood of enka boils!"
"Minako-chan," Ryoku whispered, trying not to be heard by the mike, "Enka is a modern
Japanese ballad. Song genres don't have blood."
"Bakayarou!" she muttered back at Ryoku while a big sweatdrop slid down the side of her
forehead. "Keep quiet. You're just the back-up singer for today. Don't ruin my song!"
"But, you're just improvising...."
The woman facefaulted. "Anou.... Are they singers or a comedy act?" she muttered to
herself. "Hold on, wait a sec! Traveling singers are prohibited here!"
"Moon Power Transform!"
"Star Sword Power Transform!"
Seconds later, Sailor V and Masked Knight appeared in place of Minako and Ryoku. "Once I
was a lonely runner in a marathon race!" Sailor V stated. "Once I was a loving singer! But
my true self is... Codename: Sailor V! The robed angel of the karaoke box! For love and
justice, I am the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, Sailor Venus!"
Masked Knight looked as though he was about to say something, but then reconsidered. "Ah,
forget it," he muttered irritably. "Codename: Masked Knight!" Once again, the slight
hesitation, followed by a shrug. "For honor and justice, I am the sailor-suited handsome
soldier, Sailor Knight! In the name of the Copyright Law of 1899, we will punish you!"
Sailor V glared at Masked Knight as she closed her mouth. "I was gonna say that, Knight!"
she told him.
"Ehehe, gomen, Venus," he apologized. "I couldn't help it. You usually get the better
lines, anyway."
Once again, the woman sweatdropped. "Yare, yare.... At any rate, I am the karaoke soldier,
Mike Makki! So you showed. V, the famous rival of my spirit, and her partner, Masked
Knight! How dare you two confront me when I've only conquered one karaoke box! Now all of
Roppongi's mikes are in my hands! I'll raise you to the stage of victimization! Ah, voices
flowing! Great song, great dance!" As she sang, the sound waves attacked both Sailor V and
Masked Knight.
"Che! She can't carry a tune in a bucket!" Masked Knight groaned as he tried to block out
the noise by covering his ears.
"Mike Makki, I give up...," Sailor V moaned.
"Don't give up, Venus!" Artemis shouted, wincing from the terrible noise. "She's winning
with her loud voice!"
"And horrible singing!" Masked Knight added.
"Hey!" Mike Makki retorted indignantly. "I have a wonderful singing voice. You just don't
appreciate quality music."
"I don't appreciate quality screeching," he shot back painfully. "You can't defeat us with
your banshee's howl!"
"Right! I can't lose!" Sailor V added. "I have to sing more for Otonaru-kun! I have to take
first in the marathon like I promised! I have to show Otonaru-kun the wonders of living!"
"Mina!" Artemis said proudly. "That's great! I take my hat off to you this time! You made
me cry! Here's a reward, Mina!" He flipped through the air, producing a golden microphone.
"Your new item, the Venus mike!"
"How kawaii," Masked Knight commented.
"Thank you, Artemis...!" she said as she grabbed the mike. "Thank you, my fans! Please,
listen to my new song, which I sing from the heart!" She held out the microphone towards
the woman. "Masked Knight, on back-up vocals! Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock 'N' Rouge!"
Masked Knight brought out his sword and flung it at Mike Makki, where it struck her in her
left shoulder. The woman was then destroyed as bolts of electricity struck the sword and
electrocuted her. Tears come to Sailor V's eyes as she imagines her crowd applauding.
"Thank you, everyone! I will return to a normal girl!" she said happily as Masked Knight
just stared at her. Obviously, she handn't yet realized that the mike had gone on overload
and was now just barely smoking.
"Anou... Venus...."
"Itai! My hand!"
"Never mind...."
Artemis glanced at the two and sighed heavily. 'Why me?'
**********************************************
A few days later, Minako held up her Hachimaki stone as she broke the tape at the finish
line of the marathon. "What!?" all of the boys exclaimed in shock. "This year's winner is a
seventh grader? A girl?!?"
"You got it!" Ryoku said proudly. "My best friend and partner, Aino Minako-chan! The
winner!" A small smirk spread across his face for a second. 'Good thing she found her own
Hachimaki stone in time,' he thought. 'She wouldn't have wanted to win without it.'
"Otonaru-kun!" Minako said happily as she ran up to him. "This is proof of our love! I
brought the goal tape I broke! It's thanks to the Hachimaki stone you gave me!"
"Aino!!" Otonaru greeted as he stood next to another girl. "Let me introduce you to my pen
pal from Russia."
"Huh???"
"My operation was a big success, since she came rushing to see me. Now I'm full of hopes
for life too. We're engaged to be married!"
"Oh...," Minako said quietly. "How... nice...."
"Oi! Minako-chan!" Ryoku said as he ran up to her. "How about I treat you to something to
eat? My way of saying congratulations." As he led her away, he glanced over at Otonaru and
his new fiancée and gave a congratulatory smile. "Good luck with your new fiancée,
Otonaru-kun!"
"Fiancée...," Minako moaned sadly as she walked with Ryoku. "He's got a fiancée...."
"Maybe you'd like to go home, instead?" Ryoku asked. "I don't think you're in much of a
mood to eat." She just nodded as she stared straight ahead. As soon as they reached her
house, he led her straight up to her room and sat her down on her bed. As soon as he sat
next to her, she wrapped her arms around him.
"I've lost my will to live...," she whimpered sadly.
"Until your 2982nd first love..." Artemis muttered dryly to himself.
Ryoku merely sighed as he tried to console his best friend. 'Don't worry, Minako-chan,' he
thought to himself as he hugged his friend. 'You'll find your real first love one of these
days....'
**********************************************
Disclaimer: 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.
by Jason C. Ulloa
Chapter 9
"So," Artemis asked as he sat on top of the kitchen counter in Ryoku's apartment, "how's
your sister doing?"
"She's still complaining about being stuck at that boarding school while I'm going to a
public school," Ryoku replied as he turned his head from what he was doing. "It was great
visiting her for a while, though."
"I bet you missed her," he said as he tried to see what Ryoku was cooking. The smell was
appetizing and he was getting hungry. Ryoku grinned at him over his shoulder as if he knew
that, but he didn't move as he turned back to his food preparation.
"Hai, I did miss Mako-chan very much," he replied wistfully. "She is the very last
remaining member of my family, Artemis. If it wasn't for her, the loss of my parents would
be unbearable. I'm sure she feels the same way." He turned from the food to look at the
white cat. "It sure was good to see her again, even if it was for a little while."
"Well, I suppose that sometimes soldiers of justice must take time out of their fight to
spend with their loved ones," Artemis said with a small grin.
"You make it sound like I was on vacation," he replied wryly.
"According to the school calendars, you were," Artemis replied with a smirk.
"Hmph...," Ryoku snorted as he turned back to his cooking. "Perhaps I shouldn't offer you
any of this delicious food if all you're going to do is mock me."
"Anou...," the white cat said penitently as he sweatdropped. "There's no need to do that.
Gomen nasai, Ryoku-sama!" he said as he bowed his head.
Ryoku's eyebrow twitched in amusement. "No need to go overboard, neko-san," he replied in a
dry, yet amused tone of voice. "Just inform me of anything I've missed since I've been
gone."
"Mina's had to fight three sibling enemies by herself, one by one," Artemis began. "First,
was Nyan-Nyan. She used cute kittens to steal everyone's energy. Mina almost traded me in
for a new cat because of her!"
"Like an old car, almost traded in for a new model," Ryoku said jokingly.
"Hmph!" Artemis fumed. "I suppose you'd find that funny. Anyway, after defeating Nyan-Nyan,
her brother Wan-Wan went after Sailor V. This time, the enemy used cute dogs. He even
fooled me into believing that he was a cute female dog named Luna-chan!" He sighed
reminiscently at that name.
"I think I remember Minako-chan saying something about working with a manga artist,
Marie-sensei, I believe she said her name was?"
"Hai, a shoujo manga artist," Artemis agreed as he grinned in amusement.
"Something funny, Artemis?"
"I just remembered how Sailor V dispatched of Wan-Wan," he replied with a chuckle. "She
said something about sentencing him to seppuku, then ran him through with a katana
strikingly similar to your Star Sword. The funny thing is that, when I told her that
seppuku is cutting one's own stomach, she cried that she didn't want to cut her own
stomach. She also said that since you're the expert on swords, you should've told her about
that."
Ryoku gave a brief snort of amusement, then shrugged. "I guess I should've been there," he
replied as he turned back to the food again. "What about the third enemy?"
"Chuu-chuu," Artemis continued. "A mosquito woman taking energy out of the blood of blood
donors. By the way, Mina volunteered to donate blood."
"You're kidding?!?" Ryoku exclaimed as he turned to stare at Artemis. "I thought you had to
be 16 to donate blood...."
"She lied about her age. She just wanted the free orange juice. And when she found out that
the hospital paid for blood donations...," Artemis trailed off, not needing to elaborate.
"Sometimes I wish she was more like Hikaru-chan. She's the vice-president of a volunteer
organization!"
"You don't say?" Ryoku said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I never knew that about
Hikaru-chan." He turned off the stove and moved the pan onto the counter and covered it.
"Can't I see what you've made for dinner?" Artemis asked pleadingly. "Please?"
A playful grin crossed Ryoku's face. "You'll have to wait... unless you don't mind a burned
tongue and singed whiskers. I understand that cat tongues are very sensitive to temperature
as well...."
Artemis sighed hungrily. "I'll wait."
"I think you'll like it," Ryoku continued. "I got this recipe from Mako-chan. She's a much
better cook than I am, though." He paused for a moment. "Any new sightings of... 'him'?"
The white cat turned to glance at Ryoku at hearing the change in the tone of his voice at
even the hint of mentioning Kaitou Ace's name. He knew that he really didn't like Ace - no,
he practically hated Ace - but for Minako's sake, he never said anything.
"Ryo-kun," Artemis said carefully, "why do you... dislike... uh, 'him'... so much?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression barely changed. "It's nothing I can put my
finger on," he said in a voice tight with surpressed anger, "but I just don't trust that...
that.... Che!" he growled, throwing his arms up in frustration. "You know what I'm trying
to say. What's worse is that Minako-chan likes him and even though I want to tell her how
wrong he is for her...."
"You have no proof," Artemis finished.
"Exactly." He sighed as he turned to stare at the kitchen wall. "My hands are tied." He
shrugged as he turned back towards the white cat and made an attempt at smiling. "Well, no
use worrying over something I can't do much about right now," he said in a false cheery
voice. "Why don't you join me for dinner, Artemis? I've made some shrimp tempura, fried
with a moderate variety of vegetables. Care for some?" he asked as he lifted the lid.
"Don't mind if I do," Artemis replied as Ryoku served him a plate. "I'll take your cooking
over Mina's any day."
"Not that good, ne?" Ryoku asked as he served himself.
"Mmrphf...."
*********************************** ***********
The next day at school, Minako glanced at a poster hanging on the wall: The 35th Shiba Park
Half Marathon Competition. "All right!" she said, grinning at Ryoku. "Class can wait for
the marathon competition!"
"My senpai says he'll get in the top 20," a boy said.
"Wow, a marathon...," a girl added. "Maybe I'll ditch school for it."
Ryoku turned to see where Minako was now looking. By the window, there was a boy staring
out, gazing into the far away distance. "He does that whenever the subject turns to
sports," she told Ryoku when she saw him looking in the same direction. "I call him the
school's unknown idol."
"The unknown idol?" he repeated questioningly.
"Hai," she said with a nod. "He's a quarter Russian named Otonaru Maiku."
"That's strange," another boy said. "Otonaru is here today. How many days has it been since
he's come?"
"Anyway, I bet he's not entering the marathon," yet another boy mentioned. "Since
elementary school, he hasn't done any physical activities at all."
"Is Otonaru-kun's body that weak?" a girl asked as she glanced toward the boy in question.
Otonaru was now exiting the building Minako and Ryoku had spotted him in earlier. "He's so
pale...."
"Doesn't he act sick to get out of exercise?" the first boy asked.
"You know what his nickname was in elementary?" the other replied. "Since he's thinner and
weaker than a bean sprout.... Toothpick!"
Ryoku frowned. "Now that's not very fair...."
"Hey, Toothpick!" the boy said as he walked over and shoved Otonaru from behind.
"Cut it out!" Minako yelled fiercely.
"What do you want, Aino?" the boy asked rudely as he turned to face Minako... and looked
upward to see Ryoku fiercely glaring down at him. The boy reflexively took a step back from
him as he shied away from him.
"Thank you, Ryo-kun," Minako said as she slapped him jovially on the shoulder. "You know,
those gray eyes of yours are really effective when it comes to staring guys down. They
almost seem to flash when you're angry."
Ryoku smirked mischeviously. "If you say so, Minako-chan," he replied with a diffident
shrug.
'Yes!' Minako thought as she glanced over to Otonaru as he was getting up from being
shoved. 'A day when Otonaru-kun comes to school is very precious! I won't waste this
valuable chance. And this, at last, the season I've been waiting for! The autumn of love!
I'm going to get close to Otonaru-kun!'
Ryoku noticed the gleam in Minako's eyes and sighed. 'The Aino Minako crush strikes
again...,' he thought in exasperation. 'There is a good side to this, though. At least
she's forgotten about... 'him'... for now.'
"Hey, Otonaru-kun!" Minako said. "Our class has decided to practice together for the
marathon competition. Why don't you practice a little bit too, and enter the marathon?"
He stared at her silently for a moment, then turned and walked away. "You're an intrusive
girl, Aino," he said quietly as he left.
"Quite the verbose individual," Ryoku remarked sarcastically as Minako grimaced.
"That Otonaru-kun has a bad personality!" a girl remarked.
"It's no use," the first boy said. "He doesn't have the will to do anything. Leave him
alone."
'But this was finally my chance to get to know him!' Minako thought despondently.
Ryoku merely sighed as he shook his head. 'Poor Minako-chan....'
**********************************************
The next morning, Minako entered the classroom and noticed a familiar face was also there.
"Oh! Otonaru-kun's here today too! Lucky!" Minako said aside to Ryoku. "He's not as
delicate as those boys say he is. But he doesn't seem to get along with anyone in class."
Ryoku shrugged. "Maybe he just prefers to be alone," he suggested.
Later, Minako changed into her gym suit in the locker room, then ran out into the hallway,
headed for gym class. On her way, she crashed into Otonaru, knocking both of them down.
"Sorry! I'm so clumsy...," she apologized as she got up. "Otonaru-kun! Sorry!" She bent
down to help him up and noticed a book lying next to him:
Road to the Olympics - Surmounting the Challenge of Escaping your Heart
As soon as he noticed Minako's gaze turned toward his book, he quickly grabbed it away.
"Otonaru-kun, do you like the Olympics?" Minako asked. "Hey, just reading books is boring!
You should get out and do it! Why don't you show up to practice with us for the marathon?
Even if it's just to take a look, how about it? Okay?"
**********************************************
"He y, it's Otonaru-kun!" one guy noticed as Otonaru and Minako joined the others on the
field.
'Hmm...,' Ryoku thought to himself, as he grinned slightly. 'Looks like Minako-chan finally
got to Otonaru-kun.'
"Aino brought him to practice?" another boy added. "Wow!"
"All right, one quick lap around the school!" the gym teacher shouted. The students
immediately started running.
"Hey," one of the boys noted as he looked back at Otonaru. "Looks like we're losing him."
Ryoku started to slow down until he was alongside him. Otonaru gasped for breath as all the
boys sped ahead of him. "Otonaru-kun, daijoubu desu ka?" he asked concernedly.
"Hey now!" one of the girls complained, also lagging behind. "Boys, your pace is too
strenuous!"
"Oh, is it?" Minako asked as she kept up with the boys.
"Oi! Quit showing off, Minako-chan!" Ryoku called out as he tried to encourage Otonaru on.
"I can't follow!" the girl said. "I can't take it!"
"Speaking of which," said another girl, "where's Otonaru-kun?"
"He's not here!"
They looked back to see him collapsed on the ground. Ryoku was busy trying to revive him.
"Otonaru-kun!?" Minako called out worriedly.
"Ah, he overexerted himself," a boy explained. "He's had a weak heart from birth."
'What!?' Minako thought in shock.
**********************************************
"Do n't worry about it," Artemis told her later after she had come home. "It's not your
fault, Mina."
"I know...," she said in a depressed tone of voice.
"He'll come to school again tomorrow," Ryoku added consolingly.
"Yeah...," Minako replied sullenly. "But he might not listen to me anymore. He might hate
me."
"Mina...," Artemis said quietly.
"Listen, Mina," Ryoku said softly, "you shouldn't think that. I mean, you were just trying
to encourage him. It's not like you were forcing him. If it'll make you feel any better, we
could go and visit him," he suggested. "See how he's doing?"
**********************************************
"6 66-999 Roppongi 7-chome...," Minako said, reading the address. "This is it."
"Hai," Ryoku agreed, nodding.
They stood before a karaoke hall in the bright city at night. "Wow!" Minako said in awe.
"This is the biggest karaoke place in Roppongi! So, this is where Otonaru-kun lives?"
"This's it," Ryoku agreed. "He told me how to get here after I helped bring him from the
hospital." He lead Minako up the stairs in the back of the room to the second floor and
knocked on the door.
"It's open!" a voice called from inside. Minako opened the door as she and Ryoku entered.
"Aino!?" Otonaru exclaimed as he sat up in bed. "And Kino-san. What brings you here?"
Minako held out a rose. "Otonaru-kun, I'm sorry!" she said penitently. "I didn't know you
were sick. I did a horrible thing! I'm really sorry. I hope you get well soon."
"Don't worry about it," Otonaru replied. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."
She heard music blaring and a voice singing downstairs. "That's loud!" she commented. "How
can you sleep with such noise coming from the karaoke place downstairs?"
"And some of it so horribly off-key, too," Ryoku added, wincing from a sour note.
"It's fine," Otonaru replied. "I love hearing everybody singing out loud. It makes me feel
alive. I really have to be in a hospital, but I stay home because I want to hear this.
Thank you again for helping my mother bring me home, Kino-san," he said to Ryoku.
Ryoku waved a silent dismissal to his thanks and grinned.
"Aino," he continued, "you made such an effort to meddle in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't
enter the marathon. My next heart operation is the day of the marathon."
"I... I see...," Minako said disappointedly. As she glanced downward, she noticed a stone
on the floor next to the book on the Olympics. She picked it up to take a closer look at it.
"What kind of stone is this?" she asked curiously. "It's weird. There's a white line in it."
"Really?" Ryoku asked as he moved to see the stone as well. "Hmm...."
"A Hachimaki stone," Otonaru explained. "It's an old Russian legend. If you have a
Hachimaki stone, you can take first place in any sporting event."
"Interesting," Ryoku commented, raising an eyebrow appreciatively.
"That stone's for you, Aino," Otonaru continued.
"What?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"But, even if you didn't have that charm, you'd surpass the boys and easily come in first,"
he added with a grin.
"Most of them, at least," Ryoku remarked as he glanced teasingly at Minako.
She stuck her tongue out at him, then glanced down at the stone again. 'A charm from
Otonaru-kun?' Minako thought as she smiled. "All right!" she said as she looked back up.
"This year, for Otonaru Maiku, Minako-sama will bring back first place! And then next year,
we will compete to see who will ultimately come in first!"
She then looked pointedly at Ryoku. "And you'll stay out of it, ne?"
Ryoku shrugged innocently. "I never said I was competing, did I?" he replied. "It's your
Hachimaki stone."
"There's no way I can beat you," Otonaru admitted. "Until now, I haven't once participated
in a school event. I only rested, I had a dark personality, and I had no friends. You're
the first one I've ever talked to like this, Aino. You and your friend, Kino-san, were the
first ones to treat me so nicely, dispite my dark personality."
'Yes, all right!' thinks Minako. 'Go! Go! Mi-na! Push forward for love!'
Ryoku sighed as he glanced at Minako. 'Oh boy, the Aino Minako crush is going full force,
now. Nothing to do but step aside and let her through.'
"I got it!" Otonaru said suddenly as a grin spread across his face. "Since you both came
all the way to my place, sing one song!" He pulled a curtain away beside his bed, revealing
a set of monitors and a microphone.
"Oh, I don't know...," Ryoku began, but was yanked over toward the karaoke machine by an
enthusiastic Minako.
"Aw, come on, Ryo-kun!" she entreated as she handed him a mike. "Onegai? For Otonaru-kun?"
"Hai, hai...," he agreed reluctantly with a sigh. Minako took a mike of her own and started
to sing a duet with Ryoku. As soon as the song ended, Otonaru applauded.
"Ryo-kun," Minako said with some surprise, "did anyone ever tell you that you have a voice
like an idol? You sing so well!"
Ryoku grimaced at the mention of the word 'idol', but grinned anyway as he shrugged. "I've
always been musically inclined, Minako-chan," he told her. "Though I prefer playing musical
instruments to singing, I occasionally like to sing a song or two."
"Really?" Minako asked, amazed at learning a new side to her best friend and partner.
"Hey, now I'll do one," Otonaru said as Ryoku handed him his mike. He began to sing a song
on the karaoke machine as Ryoku and Minako listened.
"That kid has a mike inside him," Otonaru's mom said as she listened by the door. "The
doctor said he might recover from his illness, too, depending on his own feelings."
**********************************************
"Artemis!" Minako said as soon as she came home. "Let's go to the karaoke box again today!"
She brought Artemis over to Otonaru's place, and started singing again.
"What's with you?" Artemis aside to Minako. "Suddenly you're coming here all the time."
"It's to further step up my relationship with Otonaru-kun," Minako replied. "I'll sing a
hundred songs! All right! Next, I call on the familiar idol!" She started to sing another
song.
"Ah...," she sighed as the song ended. "Skipping the marathon practice and coming here
every day.... How touching. Feel the throbbing of my heart, Artemis! Otonaru-kun.... Could
this be my first love?"
"Your 2981st," Artemis muttered sarcastically to himself. "But, I guess Mina is the kind of
person who won't let go of the mike once she gets a hold of it."
**********************************************
Crows suddenly took to wing in the slowly brightening, morning sky of Roppongi. A light
mist slowly rose from the ground, taking the shape of a woman.
"Ah, this passion, brimming with power even in the morning!" she said, feeling the air.
"Among the energy of humans, this enthusiasm fills these abnormal concerts. This energy is
surely the same thing! This sound! This tension! This spirit! This is the stage I have
searched for! I will have the energy of humans gathered here!"
**********************************************
"My body's feeling good now," Otonaru remarked as he stretched upon getting out of bed.
"Maybe it's because every time Aino brings me notes from class, or when she visits with
Kino-san, we train together with karaoke. If I'm this well, maybe I can put off the
operation for a little bit and be able to enter the marathon!
"Well, to raise my spirits, I'll sing in the shop," he said as he went downstairs, and
grabbed an ornate microphone from where the microphones were usually kept. "All right! A
song for the lively one!" he began, when he suddenly realized that the mike he picked up
was different from the usual ones that were usually kept there. "Huh? When did we get this
mike?" He shrugged as he dismissed the difference in mikes and started to sing.
As he sang, the microphone started to drain his energy. Drained of his energy, he collapsed
onto the floor. "Oh no!" his mother gasped as she quickly dashed for the nearest phone and
called the nearest hospital for an ambulance for her son.
**********************************************
"What !?" Minako exclaimed in shock. "Otonaru-kun collapsed!? He's in the hospital!?"
"What happened?" Ryoku asked.
"He lost his strength all of a sudden!" Otonaru's mom told them. "Now I don't even know if
he'll be able to go through his operation.... He's in bad shape!"
"Oh no...!" Minako gasped fearfully. "Come on, Ryo-kun! There's something we've gotta do
for Otonaru-kun!" she told him as she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her.
**********************************************
Hikar u glanced out the classroom window and saw both Minako and Ryoku crawling around the
school yard, apparently searching for something.
"What are you doing, Mina? Ryo-kun?" she asked. "Looking for something?"
"A Hachimaki stone!" Minako replied, not looking up from her search.
"A what?" Hikaru asked, confused.
"We're looking for a Hachimaki stone!" she repeated. "Hurry up, Ryo-kun! Haven't you found
one yet?!?"
Ryoku merely sighed to himself, wondering what Minako did with the one Otonaru gave her.
**********************************************
As Minako and Ryoku went to see Otonaru in the hospital, she held out three stones to him.
The results of at least an hour of combing the school yard.
"Here, Otonaru-kun!" she said hopefully.
Otonaru looked up from his hospital bed. "Aino...! Kino-san...!"
"We found three at school," she told him, placing the stones in his hand. "A charm for your
operation to succeed."
"It's all right," Otonaru told her in a defeated tone of voice as he placed the stones on
the table beside his bed. "I know. I was born with this problem, and there's no way my
heart will completely recover. I've given up. Humans all die someday anyway. The only
difference is whether it's early or late."
Ryoku's eyes widened at that statement of defeat, while Minako suddenly grew upset.
"You're not even trying!" Minako shouted. "Why say such a thing? Being a human takes effort
and guts. 'Giving up' are the words I hate the most!" With that, she ran from the room,
leaving Otonaru and Ryoku behind.
"Aino!!" Otonaru shouted after her, but she was already gone.
"You hurt her, you know," Ryoku said quietly. "She had faith in you, in your ability to
persevere dispite your disabilities." He picked up the stones that Otonaru had put on the
table and placed them in Otonaru's hand. "Don't throw away her faith in you, Otonaru-kun."
He turned and left as well, looking for his friend.
"Kino-san...," he murmured as he glanced down at the stones in his hand. "Gomen nasai,
Aino...."
********************************************* *
Back in class the next day, Minako was lamenting on what she said to Otonaru. "Ryo-kun,
Artemis, I said a horrible thing," she said sadly. "Otonaru-kun has been persevering all by
himself for so long...."
"Mina...," Artemis began, but was silenced by Ryoku putting a hand on his back and shaking
his head at him.
"But! I am not going to give up!" she continued determinedly as she went to stand before
the class. "Everyone, please! Go to Otonaru-kun's karaoke place with me!"
"See?" Ryoku said to Artemis with a small grin. "The Aino Minako crush persevered."
Artemis nodded back at Ryoku and grinned. "I should've figured that."
Some time later, the whole class arrived at Otonaru's place. As they went inside, they
gazed in surprise at the fact that his house doubled as a place for karaoke.
"Wow, Otonaru-kun's house is a karaoke place?"
"Hey, Mina, why will Otonaru-kun get well if we all sing?"
'Maiku has spent a long time being hospitalized,' Otonaru's mom told her and Ryoku
yesterday. 'Since he hates hospitals, he'll be recuperating at home again starting
tomorrow.'
'It makes me feel alive,' Otonaru said.
"If we all sing together," Minako told them, "our spirit will pass to Otonaru-kun! Then, he
should regain his will to live! Now, everyone! There are lots of mikes!" She grabbed a
bunch of the ornate microphones and started to pass them out. "They're kind of strange, but
go for it! Fill them with song!"
As they started singing, the microphones begin to drain their energy, causing them to
collapse. "Uhh...," Minako moaned dizzily as she fell to the floor. "The world is
moving.... It's moving...."
Ryoku quickly snapped out of his trance and rushed over to Minako. He quickly shook her out
of her trance. As she regained her senses, she jumped up in shock.
"Oh no! Everyone!? Wake up! What happened!?" Her gaze turned to the microphone she dropped
and picked it up. "This mike?"
"They must've caused this," Ryoku reasoned. "Everyone had one."
"Ehehe!" a woman laughed as she entered the room. "Today's a full house, too. I've spread
these through all the karaoke boxes in Roppongi. These dark mikes suck out all this energy.
I'm so happy!"
"It's your fault," a voice behind her sang.
"Huh!?"
"Shining with neon, the dance of love," Minako sang into the microphone. "Recording with
this mike, the song of life. Changing the beautiful petals of people singing the dreams of
their youth into flowers of evil! This is rotten heresy! The blood of enka boils!"
"Minako-chan," Ryoku whispered, trying not to be heard by the mike, "Enka is a modern
Japanese ballad. Song genres don't have blood."
"Bakayarou!" she muttered back at Ryoku while a big sweatdrop slid down the side of her
forehead. "Keep quiet. You're just the back-up singer for today. Don't ruin my song!"
"But, you're just improvising...."
The woman facefaulted. "Anou.... Are they singers or a comedy act?" she muttered to
herself. "Hold on, wait a sec! Traveling singers are prohibited here!"
"Moon Power Transform!"
"Star Sword Power Transform!"
Seconds later, Sailor V and Masked Knight appeared in place of Minako and Ryoku. "Once I
was a lonely runner in a marathon race!" Sailor V stated. "Once I was a loving singer! But
my true self is... Codename: Sailor V! The robed angel of the karaoke box! For love and
justice, I am the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, Sailor Venus!"
Masked Knight looked as though he was about to say something, but then reconsidered. "Ah,
forget it," he muttered irritably. "Codename: Masked Knight!" Once again, the slight
hesitation, followed by a shrug. "For honor and justice, I am the sailor-suited handsome
soldier, Sailor Knight! In the name of the Copyright Law of 1899, we will punish you!"
Sailor V glared at Masked Knight as she closed her mouth. "I was gonna say that, Knight!"
she told him.
"Ehehe, gomen, Venus," he apologized. "I couldn't help it. You usually get the better
lines, anyway."
Once again, the woman sweatdropped. "Yare, yare.... At any rate, I am the karaoke soldier,
Mike Makki! So you showed. V, the famous rival of my spirit, and her partner, Masked
Knight! How dare you two confront me when I've only conquered one karaoke box! Now all of
Roppongi's mikes are in my hands! I'll raise you to the stage of victimization! Ah, voices
flowing! Great song, great dance!" As she sang, the sound waves attacked both Sailor V and
Masked Knight.
"Che! She can't carry a tune in a bucket!" Masked Knight groaned as he tried to block out
the noise by covering his ears.
"Mike Makki, I give up...," Sailor V moaned.
"Don't give up, Venus!" Artemis shouted, wincing from the terrible noise. "She's winning
with her loud voice!"
"And horrible singing!" Masked Knight added.
"Hey!" Mike Makki retorted indignantly. "I have a wonderful singing voice. You just don't
appreciate quality music."
"I don't appreciate quality screeching," he shot back painfully. "You can't defeat us with
your banshee's howl!"
"Right! I can't lose!" Sailor V added. "I have to sing more for Otonaru-kun! I have to take
first in the marathon like I promised! I have to show Otonaru-kun the wonders of living!"
"Mina!" Artemis said proudly. "That's great! I take my hat off to you this time! You made
me cry! Here's a reward, Mina!" He flipped through the air, producing a golden microphone.
"Your new item, the Venus mike!"
"How kawaii," Masked Knight commented.
"Thank you, Artemis...!" she said as she grabbed the mike. "Thank you, my fans! Please,
listen to my new song, which I sing from the heart!" She held out the microphone towards
the woman. "Masked Knight, on back-up vocals! Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock 'N' Rouge!"
Masked Knight brought out his sword and flung it at Mike Makki, where it struck her in her
left shoulder. The woman was then destroyed as bolts of electricity struck the sword and
electrocuted her. Tears come to Sailor V's eyes as she imagines her crowd applauding.
"Thank you, everyone! I will return to a normal girl!" she said happily as Masked Knight
just stared at her. Obviously, she handn't yet realized that the mike had gone on overload
and was now just barely smoking.
"Anou... Venus...."
"Itai! My hand!"
"Never mind...."
Artemis glanced at the two and sighed heavily. 'Why me?'
**********************************************
A few days later, Minako held up her Hachimaki stone as she broke the tape at the finish
line of the marathon. "What!?" all of the boys exclaimed in shock. "This year's winner is a
seventh grader? A girl?!?"
"You got it!" Ryoku said proudly. "My best friend and partner, Aino Minako-chan! The
winner!" A small smirk spread across his face for a second. 'Good thing she found her own
Hachimaki stone in time,' he thought. 'She wouldn't have wanted to win without it.'
"Otonaru-kun!" Minako said happily as she ran up to him. "This is proof of our love! I
brought the goal tape I broke! It's thanks to the Hachimaki stone you gave me!"
"Aino!!" Otonaru greeted as he stood next to another girl. "Let me introduce you to my pen
pal from Russia."
"Huh???"
"My operation was a big success, since she came rushing to see me. Now I'm full of hopes
for life too. We're engaged to be married!"
"Oh...," Minako said quietly. "How... nice...."
"Oi! Minako-chan!" Ryoku said as he ran up to her. "How about I treat you to something to
eat? My way of saying congratulations." As he led her away, he glanced over at Otonaru and
his new fiancée and gave a congratulatory smile. "Good luck with your new fiancée,
Otonaru-kun!"
"Fiancée...," Minako moaned sadly as she walked with Ryoku. "He's got a fiancée...."
"Maybe you'd like to go home, instead?" Ryoku asked. "I don't think you're in much of a
mood to eat." She just nodded as she stared straight ahead. As soon as they reached her
house, he led her straight up to her room and sat her down on her bed. As soon as he sat
next to her, she wrapped her arms around him.
"I've lost my will to live...," she whimpered sadly.
"Until your 2982nd first love..." Artemis muttered dryly to himself.
Ryoku merely sighed as he tried to console his best friend. 'Don't worry, Minako-chan,' he
thought to himself as he hugged his friend. 'You'll find your real first love one of these
days....'
**********************************************
Disclaimer: 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.