Ami stared in mute horror at the morning newspaper, jaw slack in disbelief, face tinged slightly green.
An enormous, grainy photo of herself—or rather, Mercury—and Serenity was splashed prominently across the page. There was also a smaller photo of Jupiter, and a blurry black-and-white still capture from the previous evening's news topped a sidebar.
The headline at the top of the front page proclaimed, in bold blue text:
"Real Life Superheroes?!
'Sailor Senshi' Sighted At Tokyo School!"
"SAILOR Senshi? What...?"
She scanned the text of the article and the sidebar, and her brows drew downward.
The other Senshi, the one Luna's enigmatic master had found, the one who had been on the news last night, had been followed by a reporter. The article had very little real or reliable information, but the one most notable feature—much to Ami's disbelief and horror—was that somehow, the reporter had gotten it in his head to christen the masked Senshi 'Sailor V'.
The news media picked it up and ran with it.
Throwing aside the newspaper in disgust, Ami picked up the television remote and clicked it on. She rapidly tuned to a morning news show.
Predictably, the topic of the morning was Senshi.
//—confirmed by witnesses that three Sailor Senshi fought a monster which shattered every window and destroyed all the paper and textbooks at Juuban Junior High School in Azabu-Juuban, Minato-ku. Accounts of the incident are confused and sketchy, but at least three students overheard one of the Sailor Senshi identify herself as Sailor Jupiter—//
*No they didn't.*
//—and another was referred to as Sailor Mercury.//
Ami buried her face in her hands. "That's even more embarrassing than Tsukino-san's speeches."
//But the real mystery is this fourth Sailor Senshi, who is as yet unnamed. What do you think, Kaneda-san?//
//Well, Fuuka-san, if you look at the pictures from the school incident...the golden-haired one has a lot of moon-shaped decorations on her costume. And I hear she was heard yelling the word 'Moon' a lot during the fight.//
//So...you think maybe, 'Sailor Moon'?//
//Sure, it fits.//
Despite not being prone to humour in general, Ami couldn't quite fight down a queasy giggle.
*More than you know...*
//So...you think maybe, 'Sailor Moon'?//
//Sure, it fits.//
"Are you alright, Usagi-chan?"
The tea-haired girl coughed, thumping her chest with a fist. "Just swallowed too fast."
"Be more careful."
"Hai."
*'Sailor Moon'?! What the hell is WRONG with these people? Oh god, Ami-san's gonna be really pissed. And Kino-san, I wonder what she'll think...*
* * * * *
Makoto clicked off the television with a snicker. "Sailor Jupiter..." She shook her head. "Cute. Real cute."
* * * * *
The palatial Yamagoto Tower Hotel was the crown jewel of the sprawling Yamagoto Grand Plaza Complex which occupied a sizeable tract of land just outside the Azabu-Juuban shopping district. Upscale, beautifully architectured, and designed to cater to an exclusive crowd, the monolithic hotel was a beautiful sight to behold in the early morning light—especially the rooftop gardens of the ultra-exclusive penthouse suites.
Of course, only the very wealthiest and most important people in Japan ever had the chance to see the rooftop gardens of Yamagoto Tower Hotel. The average person would likely never be fortunate enough to set foot anywhere near the penthouse levels of the tower.
For a demon panther from the depths of blackness, however, the sight had long since lost its novelty.
Luna emerged from the private access stairwell, blinking dazedly against the blinding sunlight streaming through the glass panes that enclosed the roof. Softly, stealthily, she padded along a smooth, shining path of bright white cement, grimacing at the heady smells of fragrant growth around her.
She hated flowers.
After a few moments, she reached a shaded breakfast nook on the veranda of the lone suite at this level of the tower. The suite was one of several in the hotel to host a permanent occupant, and the cost of maintaining this particular residence was staggering.
But then, her master had always been fond of opulence and excess...
"Master?" she called.
The man seated at the breakfast nook looked up from his morning newspaper, setting aside his coffee. "Luna," he acknowledged.
The youma sighed. "MUST you call me that when we're alone? It's humiliating enough being stripped of my Name..."
"We're not having this discussion again," the white-haired man said, stirring cream into his coffee. "Besides, you obviously have something very important to say, or you wouldn't have bothered coming all the way here to speak in person."
The panther hesitated, then nodded. "Serenity...has demanded an audience."
A slim white eyebrow raised. "I thought I already told her and Mercury it isn't the time yet—"
"No, Master," Luna interrupted. "Serenity DEMANDS an audience. She spoke to Jupiter yesterday, and learned about her temporary loss of power." The panther looked up, locking her crimson gaze on the silver-grey eyes of her master. "The Princess is...angry."
"Well, I can't imagine she'd be thrilled knowing someone can turn her Senshi on and off like a light switch, but..."
"And it was Serenity," Luna interrupted. "Not Usagi. Not the schoolgirl. The princess. I don't even think she realised she was doing it, but she issued a Royal Decree."
The white-haired man seemed taken aback by this. He said nothing for a long moment, sipping his coffee and staring into space. Then, he sighed, dabbing his mouth with a silk napkin. "Well then," he said, pushing his chair back and standing, "If that's the case, then that changes everything. I suppose I'd best take care of today's business swiftly." He smiled. "After all, it would be terribly remiss of me to keep Her Highness waiting."
* * * * *
Chiba Mamoru sat at a posh outdoor cafe, taking advantage of a free morning to indulge in a late brunch and a leisurely read of the morning newspaper.
And what a newspaper it was, this morning.
He had missed the previous evening's news, having spent much of the night at the library, but the replay on the morning broadcasts had been...illuminating.
*Sailor V...she's going to make my life even more interesting than it already is.* He couldn't decide whether or not that was a bad thing.
He still couldn't quite figure out what the enigmatic girl was, or how she did that laser thing. One thing he was absolutely certain of, however:
She was as dangerous as she was sexy.
Her little friends—if they were indeed connected to her—weren't too shabby either.
As he read the confused, sensationalist reports concerning the Juuban Junior High School incident, he thought about his upcoming heist.
Ever since he had begun his 'night job', a primary concern had been secrecy. He did everything in his power to avoid attracting attention—despite the admittedly unusual attire he wore to 'work'.
The battle with Sailor V had been an invigorating change of pace. He could do without the disgusting zombies, but...
Frowning as he nibbled on a bit of egg and toast, Mamoru contemplated once more the Yamagoto gala and the showcase of treasures he intended to liberate.
Perhaps...
It would be risky, to be certain, but it almost guaranteed a second meeting with Sailor V, and maybe the other Sailor Senshi.
Surely, for a dashing, handsome thief, at least one of them would put out.
Mamoru covered his uncharacteristic grin with his napkin.
*Tomorrow night...the phantom thief goes primetime.*
* * * * *
The morning chatter at Mina's school had taken a decidedly odd turn. Everyone—boys and girls alike—were chattering animatedly about something called 'Serabi' or 'Sara V' or...
Oh, who could tell, with these accents. *I really, really HATE this country.*
She espied Rei, sitting at her desk by the window, aloof as always, and made her way over. "Mornin'," she called.
Rei looked up, and nodded to her. "Ohayou gozaimasu."
Mina glanced around the room and let out a snort. "What's this lot on about then?"
The raven-haired girl looked up, glanced around, and her brow lowered slightly. "There was some sort of nonsense in the newspapers this morning about a group of girls in strange outfits fighting a monster." She frowned. "There was also that odd story on the news last night about the robbery..."
Mina blinked. "Robbery?"
"Apparently, it was on several stations through the night. I didn't see it myself." Rei frowned. "From what I understand, some girl in a strange costume apparently foiled two men attempting to rob a jewelry store."
"Really? Wow." *So I WAS on the news last night...*
Rei seemed indifferent. "In any case, several newspapers and even more television news programs have been running stories about last night, and about an incident they claim occurred yesterday at another school in Juuban. It sounds completely ridiculous, and I can't understand why the real news media is wasting their time on this foolishness."
Mina nodded, deciding not to comment about Rei's opinion of the matter. "So this superhero girl, or girls, or whatever—that's what everyone's talking about?"
Rei nodded. "Yes. The news media has dubbed the girl from last night 'Sailor V'." She enunciated the name very carefully, in her flawless, unaccented English.
Mina smiled sickly. "Is that so? How...strange."
"Yes, isn't it?"
* * * * *
Osaka Naru was a minor celebrity for most of the day.
Everyone wanted to know if she'd seen Sailor V, if she knew anything about the Sailor Senshi, if she knew who the three Senshi from their school were, if the robbers got away with anything, if her mother was closing the store, if, if, if...
After a few hours of it, she just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
As Naru sought refuge in one of the lavatories, Usagi found her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey...you okay, Naru-chan?"
Naru gave a start, then turned, sighing, and smiled. "Un. I'm just...kinda tired. Last night was really long, and then everyone's been pestering me all day..."
"So I noticed."
"I wasn't even HOME, though!" Naru exclaimed. "I mean, the whole thing was wrapping up when I got home last night, and I didn't even know about this 'Sailor V' stuff until this morning!" She sighed. "Everyone wants me to say I saw her, or I know her, or whatever, and I just..."
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," Usagi replied softly. She frowned, then, and tilted her head. "You were out THAT late? What—"
"I had a late dental appointment," Naru said, grimacing. "And...and I went to the hospital, to visit Umino-kun. I felt kinda bad for him, and I know nobody else went to see him, so I figured he could use some cheering up."
Usagi smiled. "You're so kind, Naru-chan."
The redhead giggled. "Yeah, I know." She straightened up, digging her handkerchief out of her pocket. "So, are you excited about tomorrow night?"
The tea-haired girl grimaced. "Mou, Naru-chan...you KNOW how I feel about the jerk fiance..."
"Yeah, I know, but..." Naru started washing her hands. "It's still a big fancy party, and the Yamagoto Tower is really beautiful. I think you'll have a really good time, even if you don't like the guy you're going with."
"Are you and your mom still going?" Usagi asked. "I mean, with all the...you know."
Naru nodded, turning off the water and drying her hands. "Un. Mama's already got the doors fixed, and she hired private security to keep an eye on the place tomorrow night. Besides," she giggled, "I think the whole Sailor V thing's gonna scare off anybody stupid enough to try to rob us again."
Usagi laughed. "You're probably right."
* * * * *
Lunchtime arrived, and as they sat together eating, Mina noticed that Rei seemed unusually pensive. "Something wrong, Rei?" she asked.
The raven-haired girl shook her head slightly. "No, it's just..." She paused. "Mina-san...we don't have school tomorrow..."
"Yeah...?"
Rei looked down at her bento. "...well, the thing is, I..." She paused. "I realise that I've been rather...evasive."
"Evasive? How so?" Mina asked, feigning surprise.
"You are so straightforward with me, and I have not been equally candid. If...we are truly to become friends, then perhaps I should...open up more."
Mina smiled. "Hey, I'm not gonna push or pry, Rei. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"No," Rei replied, shaking her head, "I can make more of an effort than I have to reciprocate your friendship." She took a long sip from a can of tea. "If...you are not otherwise occupied tomorrow, I..." She hesitated. "I would like to invite you to my home."
The blond blinked. "Really?"
"If it is inconvenient—"
"Not at all!" Mina replied enthusiastically. "I'd love to come over! Do you need me to bring anything?"
Rei stared at her for a moment, then smiled—a rare, earnest smile. "Just yourself and your set books, so we can study. I can help with your Japanese..."
Mina winced. "An afternoon with kanji, bleah." At Rei's slightly hurt and regretful look, she smiled. "I'm kidding. I'd love the help, really. I can't even read a bloody newspaper in this country, it's getting on my nerves."
"I can well imagine."
"So...around noon, then?"
Rei nodded. "I will meet you at the bus stop."
* * * * *
King smiled at the antics of the students. The questionable veracity of the reporting aside, the entire 'Sailor V' thing had certainly created enough excitement, and the teachers' attempts to quell the students' eagerness to gossip about the newest celebrity fell largely flat.
King had been drawn into the discussions about the Sailor Senshi a few times, and had fielded them with practised ease, disclaiming any knowledge, not offering an opinion on the matter. "Who knows? The world is a strange place," was the only answer given to the students' overeager questioning.
Perhaps the most amusing—or the most alarming—part of the day, King mused, was when a number of second-years began suspecting the recently-arrived British girl, Aino Minako, of being Sailor V, simply because she happened to be blond. King had defused an awkward moment for the foreign girl when several of her classmates had cornered her, gibbering anxiously. She had seemed most grateful, as well as terribly flustered.
Poor thing. She was cute, but she got worked up so easily...
* * * * *
As the day wore on and Naru gradually managed to shake off the eager pestering about the Sailor V incident, her mind returned to the alarming and disconcerting things Umino had told her the previous day.
*Kino-san...she doesn't act like a delinquent, even if she's a little on the tall and scary side, but...*
"Well, I guess I'll see you at the party tomorrow," Usagi's voice broke into her thoughts.
Naru jumped, then smiled at her friend. "Un. I'll try to bail you out if I see your fiance giving you a hard time."
"I'm just glad somebody I know is going to be at this thing," Usagi replied, grimacing. "Parties aren't any fun when you're all alone."
"Yeah...well, I need to go help Mama finish up things at the shop. Mata ne!"
*Usagi...* Naru mused as she walked listlessly to the train station. *I hope...you're not getting yourself into something you can't handle...*
* * * * *
"So, how was your day, 'Sailor V'?"
Mina groaned and batted playfully at Timothy's shoulder. "Don't. Just..don't."
"Why not?" he asked, eyebrows raised, eyes twinkling. "I think it's cute. It's catchy, and at least it's something to call you until we know whether you're Venus or Mars."
"I'd better be Venus, then, oughtn't I? Because going from Sailor V to Sailor M would just be dumb."
Timothy snorted. "Speaking of 'Sailor M', I'm afraid I can't do anything tonight. I..." He paused, a pained expression on his face. "I'm going to meet Princess Serenity."
Mina's eyes widened. "Really? Tonight? I'll go with—"
"No, love," Timothy said, shaking his head and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Not a good idea."
The blond blinked. "But why not?"
Timothy sighed. "The Princess is...somewhat upset with me."
"She is? How come? I mean, how can she be, if she's never even met you?"
"It's kind of a long story."
Mina glanced down at her watch. "I have time."
The white-haired man chuckled wearily. "Well, Her Highness lost control of one of her Senshi the other day. Jupiter decided to go on a rampage. Beat the snot out of several blokes."
The blond's eyes widened. "No way."
"I'm afraid so. My subordinate, Luna, informed me about it, and said that for whatever reason, Serenity decided not to try to find and stop Jupiter before she did any real harm." Timothy sighed heavily. "So I took care of it myself."
"Took care of—?"
"I disabled Jupiter, temporarily. I sent her home and told her to cool off. She didn't take it well. And yesterday, she complained to the Princess."
"And the Princess got mad."
"That's about the size of it. So I'm going to meet with her and try to sort this mess out." He smiled gently, tiredly. "You can see why I'd rather go alone. I don't want her getting a bad first impression of you just because she's angry with me."
Mina sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, that makes sense." She smiled. "Well, good luck, love." She leaned up and gave Timothy a peck on the cheek, then bounced down the sidewalk, headed for home.
The white-haired mage watched her for a long moment, then chuckled and strolled away.
* * * * *
Usagi had lingered at the Tower for several minutes after Naru had left, hoping to have a word with her two fellow Senshi. Ami, however, was already long gone, and Makoto had blurted out a hasty apology, saying that she had an urgent errand to run. She seemed rather unhappy about whatever it was she needed to do, so Usagi didn't press or offer to follow.
Finally, she headed for the train station. As she neared the platform for her train, a tall, lean figure peeled away from a column, veering into her path.
Usagi stopped just shy of plowing into the black-shirted, green-jacketed youth in front of her. She craned her neck to look at him, and her eyes narrowed. "Anata," she spat.
Chiba Mamoru's cold, dark eyes bored into her. Then, he glanced aside. "I have been waiting for you," he said.
"Really? Why?"
"I..." He paused. "I felt it would be prudent to at least speak to you before our...'date'. I am not without manners."
*Could've fooled me.* "How thoughtful of you," she said, somewhat frostily. Straightening up, she added, "I suppose you're worried I might embarrass you at the ball."
Mamoru said nothing.
"I assure you, I will be on my best behaviour, anata. I will not embarrass either of our families."
Mamoru nodded curtly. "I will be expecting it." A pause. "I will collect you from your home at 18:30, promptly. Be ready to leave immediately." With that, he turned and left the train station.
Usagi stood for a long moment, staring at his retreating back. Then, scowling darkly, she boarded the newly-arrived train for home.
*As if I didn't have enough problems...*
* * * * *
"So, King-san, what did you think of your first week here?"
King, who was going over worksheets to be graded in a corner of the staff room, looked up at the source of the voice, and nodded respectfully. "Headmaster. It was...very interesting."
The headmaster was a bit of an enigma. His short hair was the wispy silver-white of drifting summer clouds, and yet his face was smooth, youthful, and unlined. He nodded, hands clasped behind his back, gazing through the open door into the hallway beyond, where students were chatting as they left for the weekend, or drifted off to club meetings.
King followed his gaze and smiled. "There are certainly some very interesting students here."
The headmaster smiled, tilting his head to appraise the teaching assistant. The harsh glare of the flourescent lights reflected brilliantly off the lenses of his round-rimmed spectacles.
"Sou da."
* * * * *
"Hi, Mum!"
Mina's mother raised her eyebrows as her daughter flounced in, stepping out of her shoes. "You're in an unusually good mood."
"I'm going to my new friend's house tomorrow," Mina replied.
"Hontou ka?" Her mother stood, a happy expression on her face. "Oh, Minako-chan...I knew if you gave it a chance, you'd start to like it here..."
Mina raised a hand to forestall the gushing spurt of Japanese patriotism she knew was coming. "Hold up, Mum. I still hate Japan. But I'm trying. I mean, I've got a friend, and..." She paused, hesitant about what she was about to reveal to her mother.
"And...?"
*Fuck. I can't let it drop now.* "Well, I only know this because I kinda followed her home the other day and she doesn't know it yet, and I think she's kind of embarrassed about it, but...she lives at a Shinto temple."
Mina's mother blinked several times. "She lives at a..."
"Yeah. I guess so, anyway. I mean, her grandpa's the priest there and she was doing the chores and dressed up in the red skirt thing and all..."
Mina's mother seemed about to make a scolding remark about her daughter's ignorance, but held her tongue. "Hmm...which temple did you say she lives at? Was it Hikawa?"
"Yeah, that's the one. You know it?"
With a broad smile, Mina's mother nodded. "I believe I know exactly who your new friend is..."
* * * * *
Rei kept her face down as she fed wood into the fire heating her grandfather's bath.
"So, you are bringing your gaijin friend here tomorrow to study."
"Hai, Jijiue."
"Mmm." The old priest paused. "I trust she will behave respectfully while on our sacred grounds?"
"She is not ill-mannered, Jijiue. Just...energetic."
"Mmm." Another long pause. "Did you dispose of that...obscenity, as I asked?"
"...hai, Jijiue."
"Mmm." Yet another long pause. "I trust there will be no further such obscenities."
"Hai, Jijiue."
"Because you know that I will not be as forgiving the next time."
"...hai, Jijiue."
* * * * *
Usagi sat at her dresser, brushing out her hair before bed. It was unseasonably warm and muggy; on evenings like this, her sleep attire tended towards an oversized T-shirt and panties. Her mother often expressed dismay at this; she was oddly wary of the dangers of perverts spying on the house.
Usagi always dismissed her concerns with a laugh. After all, her room was on the upstairs floor, and she kept her curtains drawn, and who'd want to spy on her, anyway?
"Your Highness."
Usagi jerked upright, brush clattering to the floor, and spun around.
A man was standing in her bedroom.
The man bowed, smiling winsomely. His silver-grey eyes sparkled with charm. "I apologise for startling you, but your...missive did sound rather urgent. Allow me to introduce myself.
"My name is Artemis."
