A solemn group met in the faculty room of Juuban Junior High School two hours before the start of the school day.
"Minna-san," the principal began gruffly, "I do not need to tell you that we have a serious problem."
The other teachers shifted uneasily, casting wary, awkward glances at one another.
"One teacher dead. Followed by multiple allegations of sexual assault by said teacher from various students.
"One mass exodus from the building, without staff supervision, which resulted in numerous minor and one severe injury among the student body.
"Every window in the building shattered. Every scrap of paper in the building ruined.
"One lecturer and several students missing."
The vice principal coughed. "Actually, we've done some checking, and found out that this 'Kamiki Amami' was not an accredited lecturer. Nor had anyone ever heard of her before Monday."
The principal raised an eyebrow. "Really? How interesting." He swept his gaze over the assembled faculty again. "And I won't even entertain the reports of bizarre creatures or—" He coughed, and muttered something that sounded like 'cheerleaders'.
"Which we all saw. It was kind of hard not to."
The principal harrumphed. "I didn't say nobody saw it. I said we're not dignifying it with comment." He paused, wringing his hands in front of him. "The sheer number and severity of bizarre incidents in and around this school of late have prompted...an investigation. A thorough investigation."
This news was met with a round of unsettled murmuring.
"Kouchou," a female teacher piped up after a long, awkward moment, "Are we closing the school?"
The middle-aged, stocky principal sighed tiredly, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "I've spent half the night talking with members of the board, with the district police, with the ward mayor...everyone concerned agrees that our duty to education is equal to our duty to public safety. We must continue to hold classes—but we cannot hold them here until the repairs and investigation are complete."
"So..." an older teacher began as the principal trailed off, "What are we supposed to do?"
"As to that," the principal said, the corner of his mouth quirking, "we've made a few...arrangements."
Makoto stretched, groaning as she rose from the sofa where she'd fallen asleep. A number of minor aches made themselves known, and her head felt like it was full of cotton.
"Ugh..."
As she shambled to the washroom and began splashing cold water on her face, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was streaked with grime. With a disgusted sniff at herself, she stripped off her clothes and padded over to the bath, drawing the shower curtain closed behind her.
As steamy hot water cascaded down over her, she began to remember pieces of the previous day.
The monster. Changing into Jupiter. The fight. The rush of power.
The horrible things she did after that.
The strange man whose face she couldn't quite recall. The humiliation of having her newfound power stripped violently away.
*Sunset,* she recalled. *He said I'll be able to...I'll have my powers back by sunset.*
She glanced down at her wrist, surprised to see she hadn't removed the glittery green bracelet. Its weight was comforting; she admired it as the water cascaded over it.
"Jupiter..."
She sighed. "Man, I really fucked up."
She hoped the golden-haired girl, the one who gave her this power—*the Princess?*—wouldn't be angry with her, wouldn't demand she return the bracelet, wouldn't make her give up being Jupiter.
*Can she even do that? Who IS she, anyway?*
An image suddenly flashed through her mind: a girl with long, tea-coloured hair, smiling shyly at her from across a packed auditorium.
The same girl, confronting the health lecturer—the one who had turned into that monster bitch.
*I don't remember her name, but...that's her. The Princess. I'm sure of it.*
Rinsing off one thick layer of soapy lather and applying a second (one of her exploits the previous day had been spectacularly nasty), Makoto resolved to talk to the tea-haired girl as soon as she had the chance.
And hopefully, word of what Makoto had done with her gift hadn't gotten back to her yet...
* * * * *
The students of Juuban Junior High milled around in the courtyard, which still bore the scars and debris of the previous day's bizarre incident, though most of the loose paper had been cleaned up, and large, flat steel dumpsters were full of broken glass.
It was minutes past eight, and entry to the building proper had been barred. Uniformed police officers and—more disturbingly—armed soldiers from the JSDF stood guard over the campus and the students.
The principal came out of the building, holding a megaphone. "Your attention, please." As the students' chatter began winding down, he continued, "Due to extensive damage to the school property in the wake of yesterday's incident, and in the interests of the safety of the student body, this school is closing until further notice."
A wave of noise rippled through the crowd, a goodly amount of which was cheering. The principal indulged them for but a minute, then blasted a squeal of feedback through his megaphone to draw their attention.
"This does not absolve any of you of your duty to your own education, nor does it absolve the faculty's responsibility for said education. For the duration of the school closure, each class will be reassigned to a temporary location. On a recommendation from a mental health professional, the selected locations will be what you might consider 'field trip' destinations, rather than a more official setting. Those in charge have agreed that a more relaxed, recreational venue will be beneficial to everyone's recovery from the recent disasters." He paused once more. "Of course, you WILL be expected to work hard, and not simply spend your school days goofing off. Your homeroom instructors will provide you with materials for self-study and keep attendance records. Any student whose attendance is found lacking will receive the same disciplinary actions as though the school were operating normally."
Groans met this proclamation.
"Your homeroom teachers have gathered your belongings from your classrooms, as well as your shoes from your shoe lockers. In a few minutes, you will be dividing into your classes, and your belongings will be returned to you, along with instructions regarding your temporary facility assignments." A brief pause. "I regret to inform you all that, for reasons nobody can determine, everything made of paper which was in the building has been destroyed. This includes graded assignments, textbooks, and extracurricular reading materials." He allowed a brief moment of reaction to this news. "It is regrettable, and I apologise if you lost something you considered precious. The Ministry of Education will be replacing your set books, AND ONLY your set books, and providing a ration of blank paper and notebooks to each student. Anything else you may have lost, the burden of replacing lies with you and your parents.
"We will endeavor to re-open the school as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we must continue, as always, in the face of adversity."
As he clicked off his megaphone and re-entered the building, and the faculty began lining up to herd their charges into class groups, much groaning and complaints rose from the crowd of teenagers.
"Man, I had last week's Jump in my bag! I never got to finish reading it! And they're not selling it anymore!"
"I had a really hot ero book...cost me three weeks' allowance. Dammit..."
"I never got to show my mom the test I scored perfect on..."
"Why does stuff like this keep happening?"
Usagi, head bowed, eyes glistening, shuffled morosely through the crowd, guilt settling like a heavy weight upon her shoulders.
*Minna...gomen nasai...*
* * * * *
*So, the other girl I suspected might be a Senshi turned out to be Jupiter. Strange coincidence, that she would turn up at the Princess' school.*
*I thought you did not believe in coincidences, Master.*
*I don't. That doesn't mean they don't exist.*
*So one Senshi remains, and then...*
*We will proceed according to whatever the situation demands of us, once we reach that point. In the meantime, I believe I shall take a few days to train the British girl. She has only had one active engagement as a Senshi, and it would not do for her to be a hindrance to the others.*
*Are you certain you do not wish to have her meet with the Princess, to be Awakened properly?*
*No...no, not yet. I have my reasons, and my methods. Alert me of any changes in the situation immediately.*
*Hai.*
* * * * *
Class 2-C wound up at Tokyo Tower.
Their homeroom teacher, Haruna, had informed them—seriously or in jest, they could not be sure—that the principal had passed around a hat, and the teachers had drawn locations from it.
Nobody particularly minded. There was plenty of room on the roof of the shopping complex that occupied the base of the Tower to spread out in preferred groups and study—not that many of them intended to do anything of the sort. Haruna-sensei had warned them that she'd be taking a head count at the end of the school day to make sure nobody had simply left. Beyond that, they were given free run of the Tower facilities—it was less troublesome that way, in her opinion.
What they actually DID with their self-study time, she honestly didn't care. After all, she was being paid to call roll, not to sit on them and make them study.
The usual groups gravitated, for the most part, among the students; the notable absence was Umino Gurio, who had received a concussion, a broken leg, and various scrapes and nasty bruises during the stampede at the school the previous day, and would be in the hospital for at least a week. The new girl, Kino Makoto, was hanging back from the others, keeping largely to herself; likewise, Mizuno Ami sat quietly on a bench out of the way of foot traffic, calmly reading a test prep manual. Most of the other girls had wandered off into the shopping complex below, but that was to be expected. Most of the rest of the class had gone up to the observation levels, which was also to be expected.
Haruna sighed as she stretched out on a bench in the shade.
*This is nice...*
* * * * *
Makoto strolled slowly around the perimeter of the amusement park on the Foot Town roof, watching people come and go as she thought about the current situation.
She needed to find the Princess and get her alone to talk. There were plenty of places here at the Tower one could find privacy, of a sort; but...
She noticed that one girl from her class was sitting all by herself, reading. A fuzzy memory from the day before boiled up from her mind—wasn't that one of the two girls who had been attacked by that monster?
Wait...she'd seen her AND the tea-haired girl thrown through a window!
*But she...doesn't look injured at all. There's not even a bandage or a scratch on...*
It clicked.
Glancing around warily, she walked purposefully over to the bespectacled girl.
"Excuse me," she prompted softly.
The girl glanced up, annoyance in her eyes. Then, she saw who had spoken to her, and her expression changed—only slightly. "Kino-san," she addressed in a calm tone.
"You...um..." Makoto paused, uncertainly.
"Yes? I would appreciate if you were brief. I have fallen behind in my exam preparations."
"Oh—sorry." The tall girl frowned. "Um, it's just...yesterday..." She then noticed the glittering blue band on the shorter girl's wrist. Her eyes widened. "I was right. You ARE one of those other Senshi."
The short-haired girl's test manual snapped shut, and her gaze locked onto Makoto's face with chilling force. "Do not speak of such things openly, Kino-san," she advised.
"Oh! Right, um...sorry."
The other girl continued to eye her for a long moment, her face unreadable. At length, she returned her attention to her test manual. "Tsukino-san likely wishes to speak to you concerning your actions after the...incident. She is most likely wasting time in the shops or museums downstairs."
"Um, right...thanks. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name..."
"Mizuno Ami," the girl replied tonelessly, adjusting her glasses. "We have little need to speak to one another. Good day, Kino-san."
Makoto stood watching the short-haired girl for a long moment, then shook her head and walked away.
*What the hell's HER problem?!*
* * * * *
Mina wasn't quite as talkative during lunch, a fact which Rei picked up on with a note of concern. The blond dismissed it as having not slept well the previous night and being a little tired, but Rei wasn't sure her strange friend was being completely truthful.
Of course, it was none of her business, and she was hardly one to pry into someone else's affairs, so she held her peace.
Near the end of the lunch period, a secretary stuck her head into the classroom. "Aino Minako-san?"
Mina glanced up at the door, blinking. "Yes?"
"Your doctor's nurse called the school office. Your appointment has been moved up. You're excused from classes for the rest of the day."
Mina blinked. *Doctor?*
"You'll need to hurry. The nurse says Arturo-sensei wants you to come as early as possible."
The blond's eyes widened with realisation. "Ah, right! Silly me, I forgot...thanks!" She stood quickly, rapidly packing away her lunch things and gathering up her bookbag. "Sorry, Rei, I've got to go!"
The raven-haired girl glanced up at her with mild concern. "Are you ill, Mina-san?"
Mina shook her head. "It's just a checkup." Pausing, she glanced around furtively, then leaned closer and whispered, "You know...'girl stuff'."
Rei's face reddened, and she averted her gaze. "I understand. I will see you tomorrow."
Mina bade her friend goodbye, then raced for the school exit. As she did so, she giggled to herself at her little performance.
She also wondered what Timothy was up to. Calling her out of school...
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open, and a new e-mail appeared on the small screen.
FROM: Arturo, Timothy S.
RE: Meet Me...
13:30 on the roof of Yamagoto Plaza.
Mina blinked. *Weird place for a date...*
* * * * *
Usagi had spent most of the morning in and out of shops with Naru and a few other girls. Now, it was early afternoon, and she sat in a small, mostly empty kissaten. Most of her classmates were eating in the trendier places like McDonald's or Pizza-La, but she decided she felt like having a quieter lunch. After all, she had a great many things on her mind, and was finding lately that crowds of girls her own age made far too much noise for her to think.
"Hey."
Usagi looked up from her yakisoba. Kino Makoto stood next to the table, looking somewhat nervous; somehow, it seemed out of place on her.
"Hi...Kino-san, right?"
Makoto nodded. She shifted uncomfortably. "Um...mind if I—?" She gestured at the empty seat across from the shorter girl.
Usagi nodded, gesturing. "Sure."
"Thanks. I'm a bit surprised to see you eating alone," Makoto commented as she sat down. "I mean, I saw half our class go into the Pizza-La..."
Usagi smiled. "I just needed a little break from the chattering about yesterday."
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," Makoto replied with a wince. She busied herself with separating her chopsticks, then toyed absently with the korokke on her tray.
"Are you alright, Kino-san?" Usagi asked gently. "You seem nervous."
Makoto looked up at her, then ducked her gaze back to her tray. "No, it's just..." She sighed. "Yeah, I guess a little."
Usagi glanced around to make sure nobody was within earshot, then leaned forward. In a soft voice barely above a whisper, she said, "When you left after the battle, we were...well, I was...a little worried. You kinda scared us."
Makoto tensed, flinching as though struck. "So you really ARE the Princess."
Usagi nodded. "But it's best if you just call me Usagi, at least when we're..." She gestured around them. "You know."
"Yeah." Makoto took a bite of her lunch, chewing silently. Then, she sighed. "I'm...sorry I ran off like that. And, um..."
"It's...okay. I know the whole Senshi thing is a bit of a shock. It certainly was for me." Usagi smiled. "You took it a lot better than I did at first."
The tall girl grimaced. "I wouldn't be so sure. I, um..." She paused, sighing. "Well, I guess the guy with the blurry face probably already told you all about it."
Usagi blinked. "Guy with the blurry face? Huh?"
"You know, the guy who shut off my powers. You did send him after me, didn't you?"
The tea-haired girl's confused look spoke volumes. "I didn't send anybody after you," she said. "And what do you mean 'shut off your powers'?"
"He did...something...I don't know what. And I changed back into me. He says I can't be Jupiter again until sunset tonight."
Now, Usagi looked VERY alarmed. "Anou...Kino-san...I don't know anybody who can do that."
Makoto blinked at her, an incredulous look on her face. "You mean this guy isn't working for you?"
"Working for me?" Usagi snorted, giggling. "Kino-san, whatever they say I am, I've got about as much control over this whole mess as the terebi has over the weather."
"But...he said I should talk to you..."
"And he knew who I really am?" Usagi asked, eyes wary and alert.
Makoto shook her head. "If he does, he didn't say. He just said 'talk to the Princess', and that you were 'anxious' to have words with me." The tall girl grimaced. "Um...are you mad at me?"
"Mad at you?"
"For, you know—" She trailed off. Then, she ducked her head. "For abusing my powers."
"Abusing—?" Usagi blinked. "Kino-san, you didn't...hurt anyone...?"
"No!" Makoto said sharply. Then, she paused, and amended, "Not seriously. Not permanently. I just..." She sighed. "I really screwed up."
Usagi eyed her silently for a long moment. Then, she took a sip of her tea. "Kino-san...perhaps, after 'school', we should meet up somewhere. I get the feeling there are things we do need to discuss. And not just about whatever you're obviously feeling guilty about. There's things you need to know..."
* * * * *
A date, as it turned out, was not what Timothy had in mind.
As the breathless blond emerged from the roof access stairs, she found the white-haired man seated on a large trunk. He smiled and nodded at her. "You made it...good."
"Timothy!" Mina rushed over to him, pausing only to catch her breath. "You know, calling me out of school—"
"Was necessary." He stood, hands clasped behind his back. "There are lessons to be learned which are more important than the drivel imparted by your teachers."
"Well...yeah, I'll go along with that," Mina replied, blinking. "But..."
"It's time you received some proper training...Senshi."
The blond's eyes widened. "THAT'S what this is all about?!"
"Indeed. The other Senshi have fought powerful opponents already. They have no training, but their true powers have been Awakened." He fixed a gaze like cool steel on her. "You acquitted yourself well against the creatures which attacked you at the museum that night, but you have not been tested since, and you are not a full Senshi yet. If you were to encounter a youma, such as the one Jupiter dispatched yesterday, you would most likely die. I have no wish to see that."
Mina gulped. "No...me neither." She blinked. "Wait...Jupiter? A youma?"
"Yesterday was...quite eventful."
"And you didn't tell me?!"
"I'm telling you now." Timothy smiled, eyes twinkling. Then, suddenly, the chilly steel glint was back in his gaze. "Transform, Mina. We have a lot to do, and not much time."
"A...alright..." Swallowing nervously, Mina took a step backward...
"MOON POWER, TRANSFORM!"
* * * * *
Naru groaned as her phone went off for the fifth time in an hour. "Umino-kun," she sighed.
A classmate giggled. "Maybe he's given up on Usagi-chan and has a thing for you now, Naru-chan," she teased.
The redhead rolled her eyes. "As if! He's just bored and lonely, and I'm the only one who'll bother talking to him."
"I guess I do feel kinda sorry for him," the other girl said lightly. "I mean, a week in the hospital sucks for anyone."
"You guys go on into the Wax Museum, I'll be there in a few." As her friends walked off, Naru sighed, and hit the dial button for the geeky boy's phone.
"What's up, Umino-kun?" she said into the phone with exasperation.
//Naru-chan? Did you say you saw Usagi-san hanging around with the new girl earlier?//
Naru blinked. "Kino-san? Yeah, they seem to be hitting it off. Why?"
//Naru-chan...I don't think it's a good idea for those two to hang out much.// Umino sounded uncharacteristically upset.
The redhead frowned. "Why? I mean, she seems okay to me..."
Umino spoke at length. As he spoke, Naru's eyes grew progressively wider. "Uso..."
* * * * *
Usagi and Makoto stood watching fish swim lazily by in the Tower aquarium. "They're so lucky," Usagi commented. "No pressure whatsoever. Nobody makes them do anything, they don't have to worry about anything..." She sighed. "I'm jealous."
Makoto nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She sighed. "But we're not fish, are we, Usagi?"
"No, we're not."
"Well...maybe that Mizuno girl is. What's wrong with her? I tried to talk to her, and she's..."
"Grumpy?"
"Bitchy is more the word I'd use," Makoto replied.
Usagi sighed. "Ami-san has never liked other people. And so many strange things have happened lately..." She trailed off, her eyes moist. "She's not a social person, and probably never will be. But she has a good heart, I think, and she's taking this...business...seriously. Just...don't expect her to get friendly. It just isn't her thing."
The tall girl nodded. "That kinda sucks, but I guess she didn't ask for this either, huh?"
"No..." Usagi said softly, sadly. "No, she didn't."
* * * * *
Mina slumped against the roof access door, panting. Sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead. She wiped at the lenses of her mask with the back of her glove.
"Better. Much better that time."
She glared at Timothy and made a rude gesture. "You can only do a 'few simple tricks', huh?"
The white-haired man chuckled. He leaned lazily against a shining silver rapier. His customary attire had been replaced by flowing white silk robes, silver boots and gloves, and a pearly white breastplate. Ever since the "training" started, he had pressed a series of relentless physical and magical attacks, forcing her to stay on the defensive, scrambling around the roof awkwardly and returning fire whenever she had a chance.
He wasn't even breathing hard, damn him.
"Come on, love," Timothy said. "I know you're not THAT tired yet."
"Sod off," Mina panted, glowering at him. Rising shakily to her feet, she braced herself to move rapidly; she'd learned early in the session that Timothy tended to attack without warning—and he was FAST. "One question," she asked as her breathing grew less laboured.
"Hmm?"
"If you're packing this much badass, what the hell do you need with Senshi? Why are you putting me through this when you're way stronger than me?"
Timothy chuckled. "Mina...I've been doing this a lot longer than you have. You don't even have your full power yet. Once you do, it'll take you all of ten seconds to beat me bloody."
The blond regarded him sceptically. "I don't know...I'm starting to get a little upset with all these things you keep not telling me."
The white-haired man sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry, I really am. It's just that right now, things are delicate...it wouldn't do to dump everything on you all at once." He paused. "The Princess, Mercury, and Jupiter were all thrust into their roles rather abruptly, in the midst of traumatic emotional shocks. They're handling it fairly well, all things considered, but—" He sighed. "It isn't the way I'd prefer things to happen. That's why I'm taking it slowly with you, trying not to give you too much to worry about all at once. I know you're strong, Mina. I just...don't want to have to find out how much pressure you can take before you crack." An old, deep pain filled his eyes. "I never want to watch someone break under pressure again. Not someone I care about."
Mina stared at him, eyes wide. Where was THIS coming from...? "Timothy..."
The white-haired man shook himself, then smiled, the roguish twinkle returning to his stormy eyes. "So, ready for another go?"
The Senshi-in-training sighed. "Yeah, let's—"
She was sprawled in a heap on the other end of the roof before she even saw him move.
*God, this sucks.*
* * * * *
"So that's everything. Well, everything I know."
Usagi and Makoto sat on the bank of the canal, watching the sun set. They had been there for the past hour; Usagi had launched into a disorderly but mostly complete briefing, telling the newest Senshi about the Moon Kingdom, the Dark Kingdom, the strange panther with the enigmatic master who was going around Awakening Senshi, and the battles they had already faced.
She had left out certain details, such as the circumstances of Mercury's Awakening.
Now, as the last light of day faded away, Makoto sat silently beside her, taking it all in.
"Sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it?" Usagi said, smiling shyly.
"Yeah. But..." The brunette glanced down at the green bracelet on her wrist. "Well, I've got the proof right here, don't I? Speaking of which..." She glanced around; there didn't seem to be anybody anywhere nearby.
"Jupiter Power, Make-Up!"
Makoto's body was enveloped in crackling green lightning. When it faded, Jupiter stood in her place. The Senshi exhaled sharply. "Whew. That's a relief."
Usagi stood, smiling. "Just...be careful what you do with that, ne? We're very strong as Senshi, and you don't want to go around hurting people that can't fight back."
Jupiter cast her gaze to the ground. "Yeah, I know. I mean, I know now. I won't go flying off the handle again. I just..." She sighed. "I gotta lotta crap to deal with, and this week's been hell on me. So when I got this power, I just kinda..."
Usagi's smile turned sad. "I think I understand." She stretched. "I need to get home. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Jupiter transformed back into Makoto, who smiled and nodded. "Un. Ja, Usagi!"
The two girls went their separate ways.
* * * * *
Timothy had insisted they end the day's training session with a "cool-down jog".
What he'd actually meant was that they were going to dash across half of Minato-ku, keeping to the rooftops, at deadly speeds.
They had run/jumped for ten minutes, crossing Azabu-Juuban twice, and Mina was just beginning to grow winded. Suddenly, Timothy jerked to a halt two rooftops away. Blinking, the blond pulled up alongside him. "What's wrong?"
Timothy pointed down into the street below. "You see those two guys there?"
Mina followed his gaze, and groaned. "Oh man, why do I keep running into jewel thieves in this stupid city?"
The two masked men below were holding guns, and were clearly about to break into a jewelry store across the street.
The white-haired man eyed Mina speculatively, then grinned. "Tell you what. Why don't we make this your 'homework' for today."
The Senshi blinked. "You mean, stop the robbery?"
Timothy shrugged. "Why not? It's an easy workout, and you'll be doing some poor soul a favor."
"Some 'poor' soul who owns a jewelry store?" Mina asked, raising an eyebrow. Laughing, she continued, "Well...alright. Just don't grade me on a curve, okay?"
"Love, if I graded you on curves—" Timothy trailed off with a suggestive leer.
Mina grimaced. "I've got to stop setting myself up like that." Shaking her head, she descended to the street, just as the burglar alarm of the jewelry store began to ring.
* * * * *
As Usagi trudged wearily home, a shadow peeled itself away from the canal railing; a pair of red eyes blinked up at her.
"You look exhausted," Luna remarked.
"It's been a long day."
"Did you talk to Jupiter?"
"Yeah." Usagi paused. "Luna? What do you know about ways to take away a Senshi's powers?"
The youma blinked. "Take away..." She paused. "You want to strip Jupiter of her powers, just because she ran off?"
"No, it's not like that," Usagi replied, shaking her head. "It's just...she says she met someone yesterday who..." The tea-haired girl paused, then shrugged. "Stopped her powers, somehow. Broke her transformation. She got them back about thirty minutes ago."
Luna's eyes widened. "Such power exists? But..."
"Then you don't know anything about it?"
"I've never heard of anything like this before," Luna replied, shaking her head. "As far as I know, only the Ginzuishou can do that. Or a circle of High..." She trailed off, eyes wide. "High Lunar Mages..."
The princess and the youma shared a glance.
"I want to have a word with your 'Master'," Usagi said, a cold fire in her eyes—eyes which were suddenly blue and sharp, despite her not having transformed. "As soon as possible. No excuses."
Luna could not completely repress a shudder at the tone in the young girl's voice.
* * * * *
"Tadaima," Usagi called as she walked through the door.
"Usagi-chan! Come see this!" Ikuko called excitedly from the living room.
"Eh?" The tea-haired girl shuffled into house slippers, then entered the living room, where her parents were anxiously glued to the television. "What's going—"
"SHH!"
On the screen, a reporter stood in front of a jewelry store—one which Usagi recognised as Osa-P. Police lights were flashing behind the reporter, and uniformed officers were bustling to and fro in the background.
//—robbery was foiled by a mysterious vigilante,// the reporter was saying. //And we have exclusive video footage of one of the most amazing and unbelievable events in this city's history.//
The caption 'Earlier Tonight—Amateur Video' replaced the reporter, along with a much less active view of the Osa-P storefront. The glass doors of the store suddenly exploded, and a loud alarm rang out. Two men in ski masks, armed with guns, dashed out of the store, clutching large sacks.
//STOP RIGHT THERE!// a voice called.
The shaky camera panned wildly around, and then focused—more or less—on a figure standing atop a streetlight. Despite the poor focus and the bad lighting, the shape of the figure was unmistakeably female.
Her voice carried clearly through the night, even over the din of the burglar alarms. //Jewels are pretty, and everybody wants to have lots and lots of them, but anybody who goes around stealing other peoples' jewelry is just asking for trouble! Now, drop the guns and give back the loot, or else!//
Gunshots rang out. The cameraman dove wildly, causing his camera to shake violently. When he got his bearings again and the camera focused, the female figure was leaping down from her perch, landing in the middle of the street. Two more gunshots rang out, but she didn't seem concerned. Instead, she extended a hand, pointing a finger at the crooks.
//CRESCENT BEAM!//
A golden shaft of light lanced out from her finger, sending one thief's gun flying. A second blast dealt with the other gun as its owner stared in shock. The two men stood, transfixed, unsure what to do.
Sirens sounded from off camera, and red lights threw eerie shadows across the scene. In the flickering strobes, the mysterious girl was finally revealed in more detail: she wore what looked like a severely modified seifuku, spike-heeled sandals, and a large mask over her eyes. Golden hair fanned out behind her.
The crooks looked from the strange schoolgirl to the rapidly approaching police cars and scrambled down the sidewalk at a breakneck run, bags of loot dropping forgotten to the pavement.
The mystery girl suddenly leapt high into the air; the cameraman followed her jump, but she disappeared seemingly in midair.
The video feed returned to the live reporter. //And that was the scene. Just who is this mysterious vigilante? What were those blasts of light? We'll keep you informed with the latest on this bizarre incident as it unfolds.//
Kenji clicked off the television. "Can you believe it?"
"I've never seen anything like that!" Ikuko cried. "It's like something out of one of your silly manga, ne Usagi-chan? ...Usagi-chan?"
Usagi had left the room.
* * * * *
"That was a little sloppy," Timothy chided as Mina rejoined him on a rooftop two blocks away from the crime scene.
"Huh? I didn't get hurt, I didn't hurt the bad guys, and they didn't get away. What else do you want?"
"Your fight was recorded," Timothy informed her. "And because I was worried about keeping the police from trying to chase YOU, I didn't manage to get to the man with the camera before he slipped the video to a news crew." He smirked. "Right about now, your face should be plastered across televisions all over Tokyo."
Mina's eyes widened behind her mask. "Eep."
"Don't worry. Your identity is safe. Part of the Senshi transformation is a glamour—a disguise spell that makes it impossible for anyone to remember your face. Your own mother wouldn't know you if you were standing two feet in front of her." He crossed his arms. "More importantly, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. Tonight's little performance wasn't bad, exactly, but you're a long way from ready for real action."
Mina wilted a bit at his criticism. Then, she looked out over the city, the light evening wind stirring her hair. "So, if I was on the telly, does that mean the Princess and the others saw me tonight?"
"Probably."
"What'll we do about that? I mean, won't they be pissed or something? What do we tell them about tonight?"
Timothy shrugged. "C'est la vie."
Mina sighed. "Right. Well, I should get home. See you tomorrow?"
"I'll call you."
The white-haired man and the Senshi disappeared silently into the night.
Neither of them noticed the man standing in an alley below, a notebook in hand, pencil scribbling furiously.
Most of the conversation he'd just overheard, he couldn't follow, as they had been speaking English. But the female voice clearly belonged to the vigilante. It sounded like her companion wasn't thrilled with her, either.
He looked over the notes he'd taken, cursing his lack of proper attention in English class in school. The furiously scribbled kana added up to a whole lot of gibberish, as he'd only gotten every third word or so.
One thing, however, he'd heard VERY clearly—and it would be enough to guarantee a front page byline.
The very last line of kana he'd written, he underlined.
セーラーヴィ
He frowned. That last didn't sound QUITE right. Idly, he chewed on the eraser of his pencil, then nodded thoughtfully, crossing out the last character, and carefully wrote in a new line below it:
セーラーV
Grinning as he pocketed his notebook, he hopped onto his scooter and sped off for the newspaper office...
