Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 02 - ami : Sailormercury ( Chapter 2 )

       Jadeite was thoroughly, royally, without a doubt, pissed off. Completely. Totally.
       (Did we mention absolutely?)
       The blond general stalked - not walked, stalked - through the long shadowed hallway that led to the throne room. Chiseled stone walls seemed to throb and pulse in beat as he passed them by, droplets of moisture trickling down to pool on the floor. Some fell straight from the ceiling, and as one hit his eyelashes, he had to pause to clean his eye out. The trouble with castles, he thought, was that keeping it clean and dry was a bitch.
       Unlike the rest of the doorways in the kingdom, the one in front of him that lead right into the throne room was completely open and arched. It allowed the queen to see people entering from a far distance down the hall, and for them to see what her current mood was and to prepare themselves accordingly. And today, as his luck ran, she looked particularly angry.
       A gloved hand smoothed over the chest of his tunic, lightly polishing off his shirt button, his sole epaulette. Then he strode into the main chamber, head held high despite the quiet internal quaking of his guts as the eyes of his queen settled on him, hand beckoning him forward.
       The throne room was vast, open, and airy like an amphitheatre. It was made all the more imposing by the fact that their queen was the only decoration, her crystal ball on its stand set up in the dead center, with her standing beside it, both raised up on a small dais. You could scream in this place and have it be heard in the farthest reaches of the kingdom; such was her intent, after all. "You failed in your first mission, Jadeite," she rasped, piss-yellow eyes narrowing on him.
       "I beg apology, my Queen Beryl." He dropped to a knee in quick subservience, fist to his opposite shoulder. His eyes didn't dare lift and run the risk of accidentally meeting hers; such an event in her current mood was enough of an offense to warrant death, even for his high rank. "I never expected…never dreamed, even, to run into the problem we did."
       He could hear the tap of her staff on the marble floor. It didn't bode well. "You 'never expected,' Jadeite? I'm not only disappointed, I'm astonished at that very statement! I will be grievously angry if you're telling me you never read Danburite's reports during his own failed missions!" Her skirt swished and clicked with the weight of the metal belts and chains around her hips as she strode towards her underling. "We need it, Jadeite. Do you understand the importance of this? We need the Ginzuishou to finally gain control again, and I will not listen to reports of failure because you weren't prepared!"
       That inner quaking had reached 7.1 potential. "I understand, Beryl-sama, but my youma…"
       "Do not blame your troubles on your blasted servants when you created them!" The staff slammed down into the marble tiles mere inches from him, so close that he felt the cool metal next to his forehead. "I expect results, Jadeite, not failure. You have another chance to find the crystal and to gather energy for our master; make it worthwhile!"

       "Ohh, look at that pretty doll! Look, look, Moriya-chan!" Usagi's face was flattened out into comic proportions as she pressed it against the window of the toy store. The breath from her nostrils hazed the glass to the point where she couldn't see, and she made a small noise of annoyance as she pulled back.
       Moriya, who was currently busy looking in the window of the music store next door, peeled her eyes away from the newest copy of Dir En Grey's CD to come over by her friend. "Which doll? There's a lot of them up on display."
       Usagi pressed her finger reverently to the glass again. "That one, with the white dress, and the pearls…it's so beautiful!" she sighed, crystal blue eyes taking on a distant look. "I wish I could look so pretty."
       "Ne, Usagi-chan!" Moriya chuckled, lightly prodding her friend in the side. "You're pretty, and just think of how great you'll look when we grow up. I'll have to pry men off of you." She splayed her fingertips against the glass, smearing it hopelessly with the oil from her skin. "It has blue eyes like you," she added.
       Luna, draped as she was over her charge's shoulder like a scarf, nudged her nose against the window to eye the doll. Nothing really special, she decided; it was a typical porcelain doll meant for display cases and viewing, not playing. Expensive white silk dress, a pearl bracelet and golden curls for earrings. But the hair was so fine and pale blonde that it was white, pulled into two ponytails with pearl barrettes. And the eyes were crystalline blue and sparkling with gloss.
       The odango-haired blonde groaned loudly upon seeing just how much the doll cost, and peeled herself away with a whine. "I'd never be able to afford that!" Moriya peeked over as well, whistling low. "And I know papa wouldn't buy it for me…my grades are so low…"
       "There's always hope, Usagi-chan. You could try saving your allowance for a change," the redhead said, lightly scratching Luna's head. "Stop spending all of it at the Crown."
       "But I hardly get anything as it is!" Usagi pressed her face back against the glass, eyeing the doll admiringly, as her friend just sighed. Then, lapis blues caught sight of the clock in the nearby music shop, and she yelped, startling both Usagi and Luna. "Ne, what is it?"
       Moriya picked up her shopping bag quickly, waving a hand. "It's gotten late, and I have to help Fuyuna-san move one of the girls out; she was adopted last week."
       "Adopted? Oh, Moriya-chan…" the odango-haired blonde murmured, touching her friend's shoulder. Luna tilted her head inquisitively, trying to look cute while eyeing the redhead as she just gave up a faint smile.
       "It's ok. She deserved to find a family anyway." She slipped away from Usagi's hand smoothly, sliding on a pair of sunglasses. "Ja ne, Usagi-chan. I'll see you tomorrow," she added, disappearing down the sidewalk into the crowd.
       Luna narrowed her eyes faintly, watching Moriya go. "She's a secretive child."
       "Moriya-chan doesn't like to talk about her life at the orphanage, Luna," Usagi responded a bit pointedly, albeit softening her tone with a chin scratch. The cat simply sniffed, flicking her tail. "She's been an orphan ever since she was three years old, and no one will adopt her."
       That caught the feline's interest, and cerulean eyes swiveled up. "Why is that? She's a decent enough child when she's not hiding her feelings, and she's pretty, which I notice many humans regard higher than anything else. Why won't anyone adopt her?"
       Usagi paused in her ministrations to look away, falling into an uncharacteristic silence. Luna frowned, whiskers wriggling as she scented the air. "She…her parents…they were killed in a bank robbery. They were rich, though, so she always has pocket money to spend, but she doesn't like to very often…."
       "Poor Moriya," Luna sighed, sitting upright on the odango-haired blonde's shoulder in a wonderful display of balance. "I admit I was being hard on her now; that's terrible for any child to have gone through." Usagi just nodded dolefully, and the feline rubbed against her cheek, brown eyes wandering through the crowd. "And I suppose she has no relatives, either. How awful-nioaaw!"
       The odango-haired blonde blinked, turning her head to look at Luna, who was suddenly overacting the 'I'm a cute but stupid and harmless kitty' routine. "Luna, what in the world is wrong with you? Stop meowing in my ear like that, it hurts! Luna?"
       "Yes, Luna, stop meowing in her poor ear like that." Usagi and cat froze at the recently made familiar voice speaking behind them. "Why don't you speak up?"
       Mamoru's smirk was a bit sullied by the fingerprints and condensation on the window, but Usagi glared hard at it nonetheless before spinning about to face him. Hands on hips, she tried to look as affronted as possible. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"
       She was even further irritated to see his careless shrug, shifting his case to his other hand so he could slip his glasses off. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention, odango atama." He folded the glasses up, sliding them into his blazer pocket as he leaned in to look at Luna. "So, Luna, going to talk to us again?"
       "Nyiaaaooow, mrrrooww," she purred, looking lazy and limp on Usagi's shoulder. Mamoru didn't look too convinced, but straightened up anyway as the odango-haired blonde fumed.
       "Stop calling me that! And Luna doesn't talk, she's a cat!" She grabbed the feline irritably by the scruff of her neck and swung her down onto the concrete, ignoring her yowling protests. Then she scowled up at Mamoru again, hands balling at her sides. "You're just a jerk, that's what you are."
       Both females were surprised to see the mild change of expression that suddenly flickered across his face. He frowned, pulling his glasses back out. "She hasn't been adopted yet, then? Moriya-chan, I mean."
       Usagi touched her hand to her lips, looking sad. "No…oh, I forgot, you know her. How do you know Moriya-chan? I've known her since we were ten!"
       "I've…known her since she was three," he murmured, putting those wire-rimmed glasses back on. "And I really have to go home and study now. You should do the same, pigtails." Luna meowed in faint irritation down below next to Usagi's foot as Mamoru lightly tugged one of Usagi's aforementioned pigtails. Then he, too, disappeared into the crowd.
       Luna bowed her head. "There's something strange about him…"

       Easy, easy. Far too easy.
       The black shadow that ran across the rooftop was silent on rubber-soled feet. It stopped next to the domed glass outcropping that rose from the shingles like a jewel, strapped with brass. Through it, you could look down clearly into the penthouse below, the living room most specifically. And it was full of the expensive paintings and crystal wares and sculptures one would expect in the home of Tokyo's richest banker.
       It was a snap to open one of the windows; a gentle spray of fine powder revealed the protection grid that laced across the opening below. The usual defense for such arrogant rich people. Honestly, she felt unchallenged. All it took was a small attachment of mirrors in the right places with a bit of tape, and she had a clear opening to get down.
       A rope was looped around the fireplace chimney a few feet away, and she slowly started to slide down. Gloved hands held the rope tight as she twisted it around her leg, before slowly starting to fall backwards. Her legs curled around the burlap and held on as she finally swung upside down, and slid a little bit further towards the ground, and nearer to her prize.
       In a room full of expensive and beautiful acquisitions, they managed to stand out. A jewelry set of earrings and a necklace, they sparkled brilliantly with blue diamonds and platinum. The carat weight alone was worth the month's rent on the penthouse they were displayed in, and they were sadly, woefully, low protected. The man had far too much ego to ever contemplate someone actually stealing his collection, and penny pinched too often to bother paying the money for more of a security system.
       One more foot, and she was within arm's reach. A loop was made out of a scarf she'd brought with her, and she slowly and carefully hooked each one off their stands, then bundled them all up into it. Then, with them tucked up, she brought herself back upright to grab the rope, and slipped the jewelry into a hidden pocket of her shirt. Back up she climbed, sliding out and onto the roof once more.
       The mirrors were carefully peeled off to allow the grid to run its normal course again, and she was just putting them away when she heard a noise. Then a shout of "Crescent Beam!" as a bright yellow light came flying at her, which she jumped clear of just barely. She tucked and rolled, then stood upright to see her attacker.
       You couldn't mistake the long-haired blonde for anyone else.
       "Stealing is a crime, and even if the police force never finds out, I won't allow it!" The thief looked a tad bit annoyed as the soldier-suited girl announced this, pointing at her. "Taking what doesn't belong to you in a display of greed…Code Name: Sailor V! I am the messenger for justice, the beautiful, sailor-suited soldier, Sailor Venus!"
       "So tell someone who cares." The knotted end of the rope was flung out at the long-haired blonde, narrowly missing her as she darted away. As she landed, the thief took the opportunity to run for the opposite edge, speed and shadows on her side.
       Twilight blue eyes narrowed behind the red mask on the soldier's face as she gave chase. The thief had clothed herself well; her black attire covered her entire body, and it was only the sound of her voice that gave her gender. Her hair was covered up in a tightly tied hood, the bottom half of her face by a scarf. Usually, crooks in the city were too arrogant to bother hiding, but this one was smart enough to not delude herself. But she couldn't kill a normal human for such a simple thing as theft…"Venus Love-Me Chain!"
       The thief grunted as the glowing chain wrapped around her ankles, bringing her down near the edge-so close, in fact, that she ended up falling over it, hanging precariously by the mystical links Sailor V had created. It was a long, long drop to the ground, and she was vastly relieved when she felt herself being hauled up. Unfortunately, it meant being hauled up into the soldier's hands. "Asking for forgiveness won't work, will it?"
       Sailor V smiled faintly, shaking her head. The rope the thief had used was now untied and in her hand. "Of course not. Now please hand over whatever you stole." And she held out a gloved hand, waiting patiently for the goods.
       Down below at street level, a semi truck was coming towards the apartment complex. Both of them could hear it clearly as it rumbled along as they stared at each other, the hand between them.
       And then, the sailor-suited soldier was grunted as she received a kick to the stomach. Then she felt something hard - presumably the thief's fists - smash across the back of her head. A lesser person would have fallen unconscious and been left for the sunlight to find in the morning. But she simply dropped down and twisted in her dance, her leg snapping out to trip the thief down.
       The rope, fallen from her hands, was snapped out like a whip as the thief lay sprawled. When Sailor V ducked it again, the girl moved to tackle her, and they went flying across the rooftop to land near the windows again. The strength of the thief, the warmth she held….the long-haired blonde reached up as they struggled, even as the other reached down. "This feeling is familiar…like I know you!" she whispered as she managed to yank the thief's hood and scarf away.
       She felt a cool breeze on her face as her mask was pulled away in turn.
       And both simply stared.
       "No…oh, no," Sailor V gasped softly. "You-uucckkk-" Twilight blues widened as the thief quickly slapped her in the temple; then fluttered closed. She hung limp in the thief's arms as she was set down gently onto the rooftop, her mask replaced over her eyes.
       That done, the thief tucked her hair back into her hood, tying the scarf around her face once more. The rope was coiled up and shoved into her backpack, and she stood. "Gomen ne, Sailor V…but no one's catching me. I made a promise to them." Fingers lightly patted the long-haired blonde's cheek, almost as if reminiscing.
       "Sailor V? Sailor V, where are you!" The white cat nearly flew across the space between the buildings, landing on all fours - naturally - on the rooftop of the penthouse in full fight mode. Ice blue eyes caught the sailor-suited soldier lying motionless, and he was immediately racing towards her. "Sailor V!"
       He skidded to a stop next to her, nose scenting the air. Someone else had been here mere seconds ago…someone he'd smelled before. And his eyes widened as he suddenly realized whom, even as he sensed movement next to him. "Ne, momma, why can't we have gyouza tonight? I'm hungry…" Twilight blues re-opened, and cat and charge stared at one another. "Artemis…"
       "Minako-chan, you fought her, didn't you?" She frowned, sitting up and drawing her legs beneath her, silent in her actions. It was answer enough, and his tail twitched, flicking back and forth. Then, sensing her distress, he padded into her lap and allowed her to hold him close. "Mina…"

       "Happy early birthday, Usagi-chan!"
       The box was rather plain and normal in its blue wrapping. Frankly, the odango-haired blonde wasn't quite sure what to make of it; the puzzled expression she shot over the top of it towards her friend was telling enough. But she held it anyway, managing to balance her obento on her knees in a feat of unnoticed coordination.
       Then, fingernails picked at the tape. "Arigatou, Moriya-chan, but my birthday's not for another few months," she finally murmured. Normally such surprising and freely-given gifts were ripped open, cooed at, and promptly forgotten. But this seemed just a bit too strange.
       Luna perked her ears forward as the redhead just laughed. "Ara, tsukimidango, I know that! But I couldn't resist, it was perfect for you." Then, the cat's eyes seemed to glow as she watched Moriya lightly nudge Usagi with her chopsticks. "Go on, open it."
       "Hai, hai." The feline was suddenly showered in a rain of blue wrapping paper and scotch tape, her mewling protests muffled by 100% recycled tree shreds. Her sight obscured, all she witnessed was a suddenly gasp, before she pawed away the paper to see a familiar wisp of white-blonde hair.
       The doll hadn't changed since they'd first seen it in the window a few days ago.
       Neither had Usagi's adoration for it, noticeable by her cooing and gently stroking of fingertips against the porcelain face. "Moriya-chan, this had to cost a fortune…!"
       "What good is having a large inheritance if you can't treat your best friend?" The odango-haired blonde simply beamed, lightly curling one of the doll's ponytails around her finger. Then she promptly pouted as the bell tolled, signaling the end of lunch hour.
       "I'm not even finished with my food yet! We need more time to eat," she stated firmly, gently setting the doll back in the box with a sureness Luna was almost positive she hadn't had up until now. Then she snagged up her lunch, chopsticks moving like dervishes as she gobbled up her rice and sushi as fast as she could.
       Moriya, her lunch relatively simple and small compared to her friend's, reached over to pet Luna on the head. "See you after school, koneko-chan. That is," she added with a wry smile, "if Usagi-chan ever finishes eating so we can get back to class!"
       A snap of wooden chopsticks was given in response before the odango-haired blonde raised her fist in triumph. "Yo-oshi! Let's face the rest of the day with full stomachs!" She picked up her present again, waving down to Luna. "Ja, Luna! See you after classes!"
       Luna purred in response, pawing the tossed-aside shreds of paper. Her tail lazily flicked as both girls ran for the building, pointed ears perked forward to catch their last words: "-can't, Moriya-chan, not today, Mama wants me to stay home and study…"
       "Amazing that you'd even study to begin with-" Their voices were finally lost in the crowd of schoolmates by this point, and Luna sighed, hauling herself to her paws. Usagi had lied, as the cat had instructed her to do, and that was all she wanted to make sure of.
       The feline wouldn't allow herself to feel sorry for Usagi's friends, the lies she told them. You couldn't mince emotions in this, the holiest of missions, and she was trying to get Usagi to understand that. She simply couldn't get anyone else involved, except for those chosen. Their allies were the only ones who could know.
       It was simple enough to pad through the now-emptied courtyard, up the old tree, and onto the wall. The concrete wall ran all the way down to the street corner, and it was ample protection against the little children who seemed to enjoy tormenting her…she shuddered, whiskers flicking. She could still remember the helplessness she had felt, wearing those ridiculous Band-Aids, unable to speak or truly think.
       "Never again," she quietly promised herself as she ran along the wall top, dropping down at the corner.
       She must have presented an odd sight; not many cats sat patiently waiting for the WALK sign to change. Luna considered it something of a prideful badge; the mere fact she had enough human intelligence to recognize words and language was indeed special. Of course, it wasn't used quite as often as she would have liked.
       Across the street and down the sidewalk her path took her, a lone black cat lost in a crowd of human feet-many of them horribly smelly, too. Her nose wrinkled as best as it was able as she passed by a particularly loathsome set of sneakers, her sense of smell rejoicing as she finally reached her destination. A moment's wait for someone to open the door, and she darted in, careful of her tail.
       It was still too early for a real crowd to gather; even the regular workers weren't here yet. A thankful little detail Luna was vastly grateful for. It made it so much easier for her to slip through the rows of machines without being stepped on, or even noticed. She did so now, darting like a little demon down the little paths, eyes alert for the one she wanted.
       "Shimatta!" Paws skidded on the linoleum as she ground to a stop and jumped behind a different machine. Little kitty heart pounding, she peered out around the corner's edge to a sinking sight:
       Someone was playing the Sailor V game.
       And it was a boy she'd never seen before, with bad skin and a horrible nasally inhale; he sounded as if he were the type to be perpetually sick. He executed a certain triple combo, and Luna could see Sailor V destroy a monster that looked like a box with five rectangles for arms, horribly pixilated as it was. Then, he took a slurp from his nearby can of green tea, nearly spilling some of it on the console.
       Luna nearly had a heart attack. She darted from machine to machine, bounding up onto the console of a nearby fighting game to survey her current obstacle a bit more closely. He was dressed in a school uniform that looked wrinkled and spotted with various bits of food product. A white shirt and pants denoted a different school than Juuban junior high, for which she was glad.
       Then he let loose with a loud puff of flatulence, and the black cat did indeed have what she was certain was a seizure. Off the console she tipped, hitting the ground in a grave error of the common legend of four-legged felines, and lay sprawled on her back. Gasping for air. Praying to whatever god of cats existed that she didn't expire right then.
       "How cute! A little black kitty cat!" The smell alerted her first, before the hands seized her, greasy and wet from the can's condensation. She started to flail, yowling, as that pimpled face loomed in her view range, mouth curved into a sickening coo. "You can be my mascot, kuroneko-chan!"
       Oh, that did it. With a battle meow any housecat would be proud of, Luna launched her paws out at the only clean spot on his shirt: a brightly-shined Sailor V pin. A swipe right, then down, and the plastic was perfectly marked with two claw slashes across the face. She was actually pretty damn proud of it, too.
       To strike at a nerd, know where to hit them.
       In this case, it was most definitely the pin. He screamed a high, mucus-marred screech of terror, flinging the feline down onto the console as he took off running. "My pin! My pin! My precious Sailor V-chan!" The sliding glass door almost didn't open in time to let him spring through, and he squeezed out like a greased sausage. Once it closed behind him, all noise ceased.
       The black cat picked herself up from where she'd been thrown, nose twitching; that was definitely the scent of spilled tea in the air. She craned her head back to see the can rolling along the ground, a thread of tea following it. Most, thankfully, was on the floor, but some had landed in her fur. "Humans," she muttered, exasperated. "They worry over such silly things!"
       So spake the feline as she began to vigorously clean her splattered fur, making a mildly disgusted face in the process. She'd be tasting the canned tea for days in the back of her throat, and on every damn hairball she'd end up coughing out.
       Clean and neat again, she hopped down to the ground to settle herself primly in front of the Sailor V console. Her ears perked up to make sure no one was nearby; and when no screams of nerdish terror ripped her senses apart again, she began to speak.
       Although 'speak' was definitely a loose term for what she was doing.
       As a feline of the lunar persuasion, Luna had special abilities others did not. Her command of Japanese was due more to a magical, inherent, understanding of languages; the gist of, leastways. It worked only to the degree that she had to be physically interacting with the speakers to know their words. TVs, radios…those were useless to her, though from assimilation had Japanese become her second language. That she constantly understood, either in text or spoken word.
       This was not speech so much as a resonant purring. It was a strange, ethereal sort of sound that was like sharp lines and curving spheres in the air. And it moved the entire Sailor V console just by its tone, revealing a small but gaping square hole beneath it. Stairs appeared soon after - doing so only because she highly disliked the drop - and she disappeared down them with a flick of her tail.
       Six minutes later…
       "A-ano, the kitty was right here five minutes ago!"
       "You're losing your mind, Togusa-chan! Too many videogames has short-circuited your brain." The nerd and his friend stared at the console, before the newer entrant looked down. "Ne, your tea is spilt all over the floor!"
       Both shuffled off to find a mop, still arguing over the existence of illusionary cats. Neither noticed the liquid had begun to seep down through the tiniest hidden crack in the floor beneath the game.

       Mizuno Ami was definitely, most positively, bored out of her mind; no mean feat for Tokyo's resident genius student.
       The bookstore's usual siren's song was muted in her ears today as she stared blankly at the rows and rows of textbooks. Normally she would have her arms full by this time with books that spoke of the wonders of quantum physics, geometry, calculus, medical procedures. They would weigh her down until her shoulders hurt, and she'd know her night would be full of nothing but the comfort of studying.
       Now, she found herself unable to even choose a single title. Almost all of them were piled in her room or on her shelves in neat, even rows, their bindings worn with usage, but that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was the empty feeling she felt blossoming in her stomach when she even dared to read the bold kanji inscribed on the spine of any of the books, as if the organ were trying to flee.
       It was as if, in one giant of a moment, studying had lost its interest.
       "Baka," she muttered finally. Of course it wasn't that; she simply would have to frequent another bookstore, one that carried a wider selection. A simple, efficient way to fix the problem, though the nearest one she knew of was almost another twenty minutes bus ride.
       She checked her watch, then peered out the window of the second-floor store to watch the bus she needed drive off in a puff of exhaust. The next one wouldn't arrive for ten minutes; a minor annoyance. Her school case was picked up from where she'd set it against another row of shelves, and she walked out from the section. Since the textbooks couldn't hold her attention, she'd flip through some of the new medical journals the store carried.
       The journals were up front, placed with the magazines and manga. "Konnichiwa, Yuki-san," Ami said respectfully, bowing faintly to the old lady behind the counter, her case set down before she straightened. The woman smiled softly, whispering a return greeting, before picking her cigarette back up.
       Ami wrinkled her nose, but said nothing, as was her way. She had no right to tell people what to do, so she simply turned away and faced the magazines. As she did so, she removed a plastic glass case from the pocket of her school skirt, opening it to pull her reading glasses out. A sharp flick of her wrist unfolded them, and she slipped them on as she snapped the case shut. Now, she was ready.
       By the end of the first journal, she felt mentally fatigued. The usual joyful glow she received from digesting new information was nonexistent; it was as if the very effort of trying was tiring. She frowned and put it back, taking another.
       And another.
       The third one was simply left on the shelf as the empty feeling returned to her stomach. It started to cave in on itself when she reached for a fourth, so instead, she shocked herself by taking down a vibrantly colored manga. Brain-rot, it was, insipid, childish trash with no true learning potential. Yet she felt comforted by the image on the front, the posing, sailor suited girl grinning as she winked up at the blue-haired genius. Above, the kanji read simply, "The Adventures of Sailor V!"
       "Fantasy for young minds…but I feel so much better. Why?" The answer eluded her, the cover girl continuing to grin in her frozen pose. So she opened it, flipping through a few pages: super heroine runs about in her secret identity. Secret identity runs into the bad guys, and transforms into her super-powered personality. Bad guys caught. A whole smattering of bubbly dialogue and attacks and speeches thrown in for added spice and lack of originality. Repeat.
       Ami ran her finger along the page, tracing the image of Sailor V as she posed, making her speech about justice. The sailor suited soldier looked just as she did on the posters in the arcade Ami passed by each day, mysterious mask and all. But the crescent moon on her forehead seemed out of place for some reason, despite its glow. "Crescent moon…ne, Venus-chan, that wasn't you…"
       "Mizuno-san, your bus will be here in five minutes." The old woman's smoke-scratched voice was like a dagger in the blue-haired genius's mind. She nearly dropped the manga in her shock and sudden embarrassment, almost positive she'd be chided for reading such a thing. Then she stared closer at the page she held it open to, a colored poster in the center of the book, and gasped.
       She hadn't even realized she was crying, but the blurred, damp blot on the page spoke its tale. As she watched, the ink began to run, the salty water having penetrated the paper, an imperfect circle of mixed colors forming. "….baka," she whispered again. "Baka, baka, baka!" Now she would have to buy it, and the old woman would know she had idled her time away reading trash.
       Of course, she could just put it back on the shelf…no! Her head shook violently at the very thought, the manga held tight in her hands. She had ruined it, and she would buy it. Honesty was constant in her life. Even now she was turning to tell the old woman she would purchase it, removing some notes from her pocket.
       Five minutes later, she stood at the bus stop, case and plastic bag in hand. The old woman had agreed with her; the American journal of medicine was most assuredly a wonderful purchase…
       Sailor V? Nothing but a momentary lapse in judgement.
       The bus ground to a stop in front of her, its doors opening to let her in. Her fare was deposited in the box, and as she moved to take a seat, she happened to glance out the window. "Oh, kawaii…I wish I could keep a kitty like that in the condo." She smiled and waved to the black cat standing on the sidewalk, not even thinking it odd that it stared straight at her.
       Luna watched the bus rumble away, whiskers twitching. "Blue hair, somber eyes…a girl genius, Mizuno Ami. Yes, she's the next one." She bobbed her head to herself in affirmation, though such a discovery should have merited at least a smile; she frowned. The blue-haired genius was a single face in a row of many…one of many faces that were still hidden from her.
       "Luunaa!" Footsteps pounded the concrete towards her, and the black feline found herself hoisted up suddenly, and unceremoniously plopped on Usagi's shoulder. "Gomen nasai, I'm so late! Haruda-sensei gave me detention again…ne, Luna? What's wrong?"
       Humans, Luna decided, really needed to slow down and take things one at a time. "I think I've found another of our allies, Usagi-chan. A girl genius by the name of-"
       "-Mizuno Ami-san?" The odango-haired blonde stuck her tongue out at her guardian's stupefied look, scowling. "I've seen her in the hall. She always gets the top grades during exams along with Moriya-chan."
       "Moriya-chan is smart then, I assume," Luna queried, assuming a more comfortable sprawl over what she thought to be a rather bony shoulder.
       Usagi perked up, nodding madly. "Hai! That's why she's in public school. But is Mizuno-san really one of our allies?" She looked pleased with the prospect; it meant she didn't have to fight the odd creatures by herself. In fact, she thought they should celebrate, and immediately started off towards the Crown fruit parlor.
       "She is. I can sense it-Usagi-chan, this isn't the way home! Usagi-chan!" The black feline started batting her charge's face with her paw when she didn't even look at her. "Usagi-chan! Your mother said to come home right away and study!"
       The odango-haired blonde simply started humming, skipping down the sidewalk. "But this is a special occasion, which should always be celebrated with a big banana split!" Luna hung her head and sighed.

       Night came once again to Tokyo, creeping in under the windows and doors. But in an apartment, high at the top of its complex, it seemed as if the night had been there forever.
       Mamoru leaned against the railing of his balcony, shirtless in the warm breeze. The bottle of mineral water in his hand was half-empty; a few deep swallows finished it off, and the plastic was set aside. His thirst abated, he searched the skyline with eyes the color of a deep stormy ocean as he searched through his pocket with an ink-stained hand.
       Finally he removed his pocket watch, reading its face; 7:57 PM. Far too early for the sensations to come again. "I know it's bad when I can time it," the black-haired man laughed ruefully, holding the star shaped watch in his palm. None of the hallucinations started until well after 10 O'clock.
       He shivered with a sudden chill, walking in bare feet over the concrete of his balcony and back into the warmth of his bedroom. The glass door was slipped shut behind him, but he didn't draw the curtain; he left it open for the moonlight to pour in, setting his pocket watch on the bed in a ray. Then he continued on, going into the living room to survey the damage.
       Moriya-chan had come over after helping Fuyuna move her things out, claiming they hadn't spent enough time together lately. Which, of course, he knew better, and he knew she knew it too. But they had played the game of ignorance for a couple of hours anyway, cooking up a slapdash dinner, reminiscing over their childhood, and trading stories about school. Then she finally broke down and cried in his lap, and went back to the orphanage.
       A cup of eaten half-eaten ramen was lifted off his coffee table, along with a slick black mug that still had some sludgy chocolate and melted marshmallows in it. "It would've been nice if she had stayed to help me clean up." Right. And odango atama would stop being a clutz--no. He banished the bubbly girl from his mind almost savagely, focusing instead on his cleanup work and the girl that had so recently left his apartment.
       He'd only been seven when Moriya was brought to the orphanage. Her parents had been killed in a bank robbery, and no relatives could be found, not even a hint. She'd been somber and quiet when she was being led down the hall to her new room, and Mamoru had watched her from his doorway. It wasn't until she was left alone that she started to cry, curled up on her bed.
       And Mamoru, in an act that surprised even himself, had gone in and sat down beside her. He hadn't said a word, or even touched her, just let her cry. And when she was finished, eyes red and swollen and nose runny, he had begun to tell her about how he'd ended up there. About the car crash, and his amnesia. How he wasn't even sure that the name they'd given him, 'Chiba Mamoru,' was even the one he had been born with.
       She told him about her parents, and at first, he'd been shocked. Then he just nodded, taking her small hand in his. "We're friends now." And that had been that. They'd been inseparable ever since, even after he moved out on his own with his parents' money. Secrets were always shared…except the one he hadn't told her about yet.
       Even as he thought about it, his glance strayed towards a chair just within his line of sight inside of his room, draped with black cloth. A white domino mask was stark in the shadows, and it gave him a tight feeling in his gut to see it. 'The Mystical Silver Crystal…'
       Long hair and a flowing dress. He frowned and turned away from the mask, carrying the gathered plates and assorted mess into the kitchen. "Always that one phrase, over and over again…why does she haunt my dreams? Why can't she tell me who she is!" he snapped, slamming the plates down into the sink.
       The clock in the living room struck 8:00, and with every tick, he felt the sudden tug at his soul. Like a sleepwalker, he released the plates and turned away, ignoring the rest of the mess. Through the living room and back into his bedroom he walked, leaning down to pick up the mask. Once it settled over his eyes, the rest was a blur, and he ran out onto the balcony. He could feel the warm wind again, bouncing the medallion that hung from his tie, threatening to remove his top hat.
       Like a dreamer, he leapt. His cape caught the breeze as if it was alive, and he took up the edges of it to slow his ascent to the roof of the next building. Then he jumped again, higher this time, to land on the next. This was his mode of travel as the phantom he was currently; the rooftops were his freeway, the only map he needed the burning feeling in his chest.
       A hospital loomed in the distance, and even from here he could see the sudden burst of energy that shattered a second-story window. But he couldn't see inside, where the patients were screaming, forgotten by their nurses and doctors as they ran to save themselves from the long-armed creature attacking them. "Ara ara, humans are always so selfish and fast! That energy of yours can be put to such better use!"
       In front of the youma lay a crippled woman, her legs useless. Her doctor had turned tail and fled upon seeing the creature, inadvertently yanking her wheelchair out from under her; even now it was still slowly rolling down the hall. "Matte…don't leave me here…!" She dug her fingers into the floor, pulling herself along as she tried desperately to escape.
       "A broken one! Has your speed and selfish nature finally slowed you down, human?" Suddenly finding herself upside down and dangling, the woman started screaming. "It doesn't matter; your energy is stored up, begging to be released. Let Utsusu take away your burden!" The youma tapped an IV bag at her hip, which was actually attached to her wrist by a tube; the hand turned into a stethoscope cup, and she sucked the energy from the crippled woman with a flourish.
       Unconscious and blue in the face, the woman was dropped onto the ground, and the youma surveyed her work. Half of the floor's staff currently lay in haphazard position on the floor, along with many of the more sickly patients who weren't quick enough to escape. The bags that laced her belt were stuffed full of energy, pale and glowing; Beryl-sama would be most pleased with this mission.
       Or maybe not. The youma frowned as she spotted one of the doctors slowly dragging herself around a corner, barely conscious. "Ami…"
       "Useless!" A pair of feet just disappeared around the corner as Utsusu dived forward, gaping maw dripping with saliva. She hadn't compensated for the doctor's small burst of speed, and her leering grin turned into one of shock as she hit the opposing wall face first. "Shimatta…human! Stop moving so fast!" Back around the youma spun…and right into an instrument tray heading right for her nose.
       The long-armed creature went down with stars in her eyes as Ami dropped the tray. "Unusual, nasty creature," the blue-haired genius whispered, stepping back. A plaintive groan near her foot had her bending down to pull the feeble doctor up, supporting her. "We can make it, mama…we'll call for help once we get out of here."
       "Ami….I can't…we can't just leave my patients…" The doctor stumbled as they hurried down the hall, her legs as unmanageable as lead poles. They passed up many bodies on their way, a few still conscious enough to watch them with glazed, sunken eyes.
       Behind them, the youma was starting to crawl back up; the whisper of limbs against the wall was suddenly loud in Ami's ears. "Hai hai, mama, but we're almost there." And sure enough, the elevator was just footsteps away. They would make it, and they would surely call for help the moment they were safely outside…
       Then, her entire body seemed to turn to rubber, useless. It didn't even take a minute for both herself and her mother to turn limp, collapsing like dolls atop one another. Something viscous and wet coated them both, and Ami dimly marked it as something similar to novocaine. She couldn't even roll her eyes up in her sockets to see the youma advance on them once more, the bags at her waist glowing brighter and brighter. "Let me release your burden…."
       "Moon Frisbee!" The blue-haired genius stared in her enforced silence at the wall, unable to see the impact but the shadow of it. Something discus-like hit the creature in the back of the head, rebounding off to dissipate in a sudden burst of light. "Get away from Mizuno-san, you disgusting thing!"
       The youma gripped her head, seeing those same damn stars again; and this time, they were doing the calypso to an 80's death metal band. A snarling set of teeth were shown as she twisted around to see her attacker, who stood in the hallway Ami and her mother had just escaped from. "You must be that Sailor Moon child I was told of."
       A hand at her side lifted, shooting off a mucous-like wad of the same novocaine substance she'd used on the blue-haired genius. Only now, she aimed it at the sailor-suited soldier in the hallway who suddenly looked terrified. And who, upon realizing she had yet another evil minion to beat silly, began to shriek and dropped to the ground.
       "Ami-san…Ami-san!" Dimly was Ami aware of something nudging at her, the feeling so dull she almost attributed it to vibrations of the so-called 'fight' being waged. Then, as the black feline padded into her immobile view and repeated her name, she figured maybe the drug had some side-effects. Did evil entities worry about such things as loose bowels and migraines?
       Luna frowned. Whatever the youma had coated Ami with was effective; the blue-haired genius couldn't even follow the cat's movements with her eyes. "Ami-san, listen to me. I know you may not be accepting of such things such as magic, or of destiny, but you must believe me." A minor tussle of paws brought up what looked to be a blue pen into Ami's line of sight; it seemed to pulse in synch with her heartbeat.
       In the hallway, Sailor Moon was literally slip-sliding on blobs of novocaine goo that had missed her. Thankfully, she had yet to fall, though each time she managed to straighten up, Utsusu took aim once more. "You little nuisance!"
       Doctor Mizuno's eyes had closed, and Ami could feel her unsteady breathing against her leg. The black feline was staring at her intently, that sigil-capped pen clutched unsteadily between her paws. She could just barely twitch her own fingers now, and her tongue managed to free itself to wet her lips. "Magic…des…dest…iny?" Her vocal cords were still sluggish, however.
       A black blur shot out from an adjoining room as the youma finally cornered the odango-haired soldier. Sailor Moon was snatched up and out of the way just seconds before the stethoscope cup hit the wall and went right through from the force. The creature began the painful task of yanking her arm out as a domino-masked, tuxedo-clad man smiled down at an enthralled Sailor Moon. "You're welcome."
       "Make your muscles work again, Ami-san. You have to transform and become one of our allies!" Luna set the pen on the blue-haired genius's chest to physically lift and tug a hand up, back paws wobbling as she hoisted up to rest atop the pen itself. "Now," she panted. Humans had such heavy limbs! "You have to say the words. Say 'Mercury Power, Make Up!' to access your self, your true form! Say it!"
       The tuxedo-clad man had just barely introduced himself when he had to drag Sailor Moon out of the way again. But this time, the novocaine goo didn't miss, and the odango-haired blonde screamed as they both went down, his leg suddenly numb. She was buried beneath him, and nearly paralyzed by fear. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama, get up, get up! I can't do this alone, I'm too scared!"
       The hand Luna had lifted onto her chest gripped the pen feebly, barely getting a grip. Ami could hear Sailor Moon's screaming, eclipsed by the sudden shrieking triumph of the youma. Like a soundtrack, Tuxedo Kamen's bouts of shouting waxed and waned as he tried to continue pulling Sailor Moon away, dragging his useless leg. And the weight on her own chest was relieved slightly when the black feline catapulted off, racing to impact with the creature's legs. "M…M-Ma…Maaaah…" Mercury Power, Make Up! "Mahhhh…" Mercury Power, Make Up! "…kyuurii…" Mercury Power! Make Up!
       Mercury! Power! Make! Up!
       Everyone but Ami was conscious of the fact she was now screaming by this point.
       "MERCURY POWER, MAKE UP!"

       Fog is nothing but condensed vapor, water particles suspended in a grounded cloud. In some cold conditions, water can turn to ice.
       That was the situation the youma suddenly faced as everything went cloudy and dim, cold and wet. Her two victims were lost in the mist, and the cat she'd kicked off was gone as well. She was lost, directionless, and quite open to attack.
       Another glowing discus came at her right side, and was easily dodged. But on the return arc it impacted with her belt, and the energy she had collected simply exploded outwards. Tossed backwards by the force, the youma lay stunned as the tendrils of milky white burst free, flying in globules into the bodies that once possessed them. And with the clearing fog, Sailor Moon's aim was easy, and on target.
       The creature's destruction went out in a whimper instead of a bang.
       And as the fog totally dissipated, the odango-haired blonde found herself with a room full of groggy, awakening patients and doctors, a cat, no black-clad saviour, and… "A-ano…what happened to me?"
       "Mizuno-san?" Sailor Moon bent to pick up Luna, staring all the while in awe at a girl who had, moments prior, been a blue-haired genius in a school fuku.
       Now, a uniform similar to her own tightly hugged Ami's body, an aquatic blue in color, and lacking shoulder pads. The girl herself was staring down in confusion and surprise, and pulled at the white bodice of her fuku as if to check that it was indeed tangible. "I..changed," she finally admitted, studious blue eyes lifting to feline and fellow soldier.
       "Hai. You command water, and ice, the soldier of water, Sailor Mercury," Luna replied calmly, though a kittenish smile twitched her lips. "You're our ally in the battle against the enemy."
       The black feline expected her to possibly deny it, or even, in the extreme, faint from the shock. What they got instead of a sudden schooling of features, a rock-solid expression put into place. "We need to help these people get up, and back to their beds." And, without a pause, she turned to help her mother up to her feet.
       Sailor Moon blinked, glancing down at her mentor. "Ne, Luna…"
       "Hai, Sailor Moon?" The odango-haired blonde nibbled at her lower lip, setting the feline down. "Is something wrong?"
       Images of a man in a tuxedo, with eyes like the ocean behind a domino mask…. She shook her head, moving to hold out hands to a small girl. "Nothing, Luna. Now, stop talking." A girlish smile spread as Luna complacently meowed, padding off to nudge another child. Hopefully, the people who had heard her speak would attribute it to hallucinations.
       The child she had nudged, a small boy, opened eyes of glassy brown. "Ha-hajimemashite, koneko-san. I think I fell." When Luna seemed to nod her head in agreement, he held out his arms, one still sluggishly bleeding from the prick of an IV that had fallen out in the skirmish. She padded into them, purring like an engine as he stroked her back; albeit, the wrong way.
       At the window, a flash of gold, of blue. Solemn twilight watched the patients being helped to their rooms, a hand gloved in white holding a star-capped pen to her lips. The girl made sitting on a windowsill nary two-inches across look easy, her comfortable pose languid despite the height. But it was easily abandoned in a gymnastic twist and flip as the lights turned on, a flurry of golden hair disappearing out the window.
       Mercury led her mother in, despite the woman's weak (but steadily strengthening) protests. Sailor Moon and Luna followed close behind, the doctors on the bottom floors having finally making it up the stairs to help the fallen patients. Their job was almost done, and Luna had a kitten's smile on her lips as she hopped onto the windowsill. "But my patients…"
       "….will be fine, Mizuno-san," the odango-haired blonde chirped. "Daijoubu! Have faith in the rest of the staff."
       Luna shifted her tail, glancing suspiciously down at the street level. Why was the windowsill so warm? She lowered her head, daintily sniffing at the wood, as Doctor Mizuno finally slumped down onto the bed as ordered. "Thank you Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury." The short black-haired woman thankfully didn't notice Mercury's flinch when she then asked, "Do you know if my daughter, Ami, is alright?"
       Sailor Moon ran a hand along Luna's back, smoothing down hair the feline didn't realize was standing up. About to speak, she was cut off by the blue-haired genius. "She's alright, Ma-Mizuno-san. She was only dazed, and she knows you're here. I bet she's at home right now, safe and sound." The lie came out much easier than she expected, and she turned away with tears in her eyes as her mother murmured her thanks.
       As the doctor finally slipped into a deep sleep, Mercury shut the door. "Is it always going to be this way, this lying?" Teary, studious blue eyes swiveled around towards the odango-haired blonde and the black feline.
       "Hai. Gomen ne, Ami-san, but it has to be done. The enemy waits for no one, and we have a mission to accomplish." With a flick of tail, Luna looked up towards the moon hanging heavy and chalky white in the sky.