"Are you certain this is His Highness?"
"It can be none other."
"Alright. So...how do we Awaken him?"
"It is for our Lord Brother to make that determination; this is his area of expertise."
"Then we should summon him immediately."
"Our last day at Tokyo Tower, huh?" Makoto asked, staring out at the city from the observation deck.
"I'll be glad to go back to the school," Usagi said, frowning. "Just knowing how close we are to that...thing..." She shot a meaningful glance upward, in the direction of the concealed energy-draining device.
"Ee."
"So, how's it going with Chiba-san-tachi?" Usagi asked.
"It's going great," Makoto replied cheerfully. "I actually have to invent work sometimes; Obasama tries to keep me from doing too much. And you should see where they've put me."
Usagi smiled. "I'm glad it's working out well."
"Best idea you ever had," the tall girl chirped. "Well, since I've known you anyway."
Usagi looked around for a moment, then leaned close and whispered, "I have something important to tell you..."
* * * * *
Five minutes before the tardy bell, two students at the back of the classroom were having a whispered and very heated conversation.
"I'm telling you for the last time, it's not her!"
"And I'm telling you it's gotta be! How else do you explain that stunt the other day? And she's friends with Hino-san! Nobody's friends with Hino-san!"
"What's that got to do with it?"
"It's just really strange. I mean, this foreign transfer student shows up out of nowhere and suddenly makes friends with somebody who doesn't ever talk to anyone, and right around the time it all started..."
"Mou...dame da..."
"All I'm saying is, if we're friends with her, maybe we'll find out if it's really true or not."
"You're nuts. ...On the other hand, she could probably really help with English homework..."
* * * * *
"Lord Brother."
"Jadeite."
"What news of Brother Zoicite?"
"He is recovering well. I have drawn perhaps more energy than was needed from the Mobius Driver to speed his recovery."
"That is good; the sooner he is on his feet and ready for battle, the better."
"Thine purpose is surely not merely to inquire as to our brother's health."
"We've captured the human we believe to be Endymion reborn. We require your aid in Awakening him."
"Indeed? Then I shall join thee immediately."
* * * * *
Consciousness returned slowly to Mamoru; he groaned as a blinding light stabbed his eyes.
"I see you are awake," the voice of Sanjouin Masato ripped through his head, causing him to wince. "In no small degree of pain, as well, I wager."
"Hell...did you do to me...bastard?" Mamoru growled out; his mouth felt like it was full of cotton.
"A mere sedative," the oily-haired man replied. "Quite potent; human alchemy has advanced remarkably these many millennia."
*He sounds like he's on some pretty potent drugs himself,* Mamoru thought. Struggling to fight off the haze and pain from the sedative, he forced himself to glare at the long-haired man. "What...do you want from me?" As he asked, he worked his way into a seated position, and discovered he was rather tightly bound. *Damn...I don't have my tools for this...*
"You will understand why you have been abducted soon enough. Ah, Brother Jadeite. Is our Lord Brother on his way?"
A second man had appeared, clad similarly to Sanjouin. This man had Caucasian features, blond hair, and piercing green eyes. "He will be here shortly. The thief has regained consciousness?"
"Indeed."
The blond man strode across the room and crouched in front of Mamoru, gripping his chin in a gloved hand and turning his head side to side. "Doesn't look like much, does he?"
"You're no prize yourself," Mamoru spat.
Jadeite chuckled. "Spirited."
"As well he was of old; no doubt you remember—"
"We agreed, did we not, to never speak of those days?"
"My apologies."
Another man appeared; Mamoru's eyes widened as he recognised the fan of white hair that trailed behind him. "Brethren," he called.
"Lord Brother, welcome," Sanjouin replied. "He is here, and awaits your ministrations."
"You," Mamoru choked out as the white-haired man knelt before him. "You were on that roof...the other night."
"Yes, I was," the weathered, pale-eyed, white-haired man said. "Thou shalt be silent as I unbind thy memory."
* * * * *
Makoto's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Usagi shook her head and sighed. "That's what Ami-san heard from her mother. Something big is happening, and I'm afraid we may not have a chance to investigate before all hell breaks loose."
The tall girl toyed absently with her ponytail. "This whole thing just keeps gettin' more fucked up."
"Un..."
* * * * *
Kunzite frowned. "This is inconvenient."
"What is, Lord Brother?"
"Serenity's magic is more tightly woven than I anticipated. I cannot Awaken him."
"I'm already awake, you—"
"Silence," Kunzite intoned coldly, waving a hand across Mamoru's face; he suddenly found himself incapable of speech.
"Perhaps this is not him?" Jadeite asked.
Kunzite shook his head. "No, this is indeed our forsaken liege. But to Awaken him will require..." He paused, eyeing Mamoru intently.
"Will require?" Jadeite prompted.
"Princess Serenity," Kunzite announced suddenly, standing upright. "Only she may break the binding magic and Awaken Prince Endymion."
*Prince...who?* Mamoru wondered. Even as the name was spoken, his head began to throb painfully.
"It would seem there are minute cracks in Queen Serenity's spell," Nephrite observed. "Hark now, as his True Name causes him pain. Is that not so, Prince Endymion?"
Mamoru doubled over, eyes squeezed tightly shut, and felt consciousness slipping away.
"That is enough of that, Brother Nephrite."
"Of course, Lord Brother."
"We must bring Serenity here at once," Kunzite continued as though the disruption had never occurred.
"I think I know how to arrange that," Jadeite said with a smirk.
"Then with due haste, my brother."
* * * * *
As Mina moved to sit across from Rei at lunchtime, two students who normally ate in the back of the room walked up to them. "Do you mind if we join you?"
Mina looked up. The speaker was a relatively short girl with an open, honest face and short, wavy hair. The boy standing next to her had a messy mop of light brown hair and the thickest glasses Mina had ever seen. "Uhh...sure, I guess," she said, quirking an eyebrow at Rei and tilting her head. The priestess shrugged absently, breaking apart her chopsticks.
"Arigatou," the girl said with a smile. "I'm Sorano Hikaru, and this is Amano-kun."
Mina nodded. "Yeah, I know your names," she said. "Never spoken to either of you before, but I've been in this class a few weeks now..."
Hikaru flushed. "Aa, sou ne." She giggled, then sat down. "Anyway, we were just talking about how you've already been here this long and the only friend we ever see you with is Hino-san, so..."
"Mina-san does have other friends," Rei said suddenly, startling the pair, "but they attend a different school and we see very little of them during the week."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind having some more friends here," Mina said. "And Rei needs a couple more friends too. I don't think she even knew the word 'friend' until I came along."
Hikaru giggled. Rei ducked her head low. "Mina-san..." the priestess mumbled.
"Anyway, nice to meet you," Mina said. "Fancy a chip?" She fished a soggy, greasy wedge of potato out of her bento with her chopsticks and offered it to Hikaru.
* * * * *
Usagi and Makoto were eating lunch together when the commotion started.
At first, they merely heard a faint rumbling. Then the sounds of terrified screams filled the air, growing in volume until the cacophony was utterly earsplitting.
"What the hell's goin' on?" Makoto wondered.
A crowd had gathered in the door of the restaurant; people were whispering and murmuring excitedly. Elbowing her way through, Usagi was just about to ask someone what had happened when a flash of black shot past, trailing crimson flames.
"Was that...Luna?" Makoto asked, eyes wide.
"No," Usagi replied, shaking her head and frowning. "That was—"
Another black shape shot past, this one carrying a screaming child.
Usagi's eyes narrowed. "Henshin and follow that thing. I'll grab Ami-san and we'll meet up with you shortly."
"Ryoukai," Makoto answered, diving through the crowd and making a beeline for the restroom.
* * * * *
"So, what manga do you like?" Hikaru asked.
"I'm still having a little trouble with kanji, so I don't really read much manga," Mina said. "Besides, I'm getting used to the fact that it's common for everyone to read comics in Japan."
Hikaru blinked. "Eh? What do you mean?"
"British and American comics are totally different from what you've got here in Japan," Mina said. "Other than the strips in the newspapers, I mean, everybody reads those, but actual comic books, they're really more of a geek thing. I think." She shrugged. "At my old school, American comics were a big fad, but it was just the boys that read them and they were all kind of...weird."
"Sou ka."
"Anyway why's it all in black and white?" Mina asked. "I don't get that."
"It just is," Hikaru shrugged. "Besides, I've seen some American stuff. I think the art in our manga is cleaner."
"Oh, I can't argue with that," Mina said. "What I've looked at is really well-drawn. It's just that I'm still learning to read kanji and, like I said, I'm not used to the idea of everyone walking around reading manga yet."
"Well, I'll have to lend you some back issues of Nakayoshi," Hikaru said with a smile. "Maybe that'll help ease you into it..."
"What about you, Hino-san?" Amano asked. "What manga do you read?"
Rei, seemingly caught by surprise at being included in the conversation, adopted an almost comical thoughtful pose. "I like yonkoma," she said.
Amano and Hikaru stared at her. "Eeh? Seriously?"
"Hai," Rei nodded. "And stuff that's more about daily life."
"Sou ka..." Amano said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm a fan of Azuma-sensei."
"So am I!" Rei said brightly; Mina stared at her in disbelief. The two of them began chattering away about their shared passion.
"I think we've lost them," Hikaru said with a giggle.
* * * * *
Luna emerged from a shadow behind a vending machine. "Princess!" she hissed. "There's trouble!"
"No, really?" Usagi retorted, dashing past. She caught sight of Ami and pelted towards her, heedless of the people around them who were unaware of the commotion below. "Ami-san!" she called.
Ami looked up, frowning.
"We need to henshin," Usagi said as she skidded to a halt by the bench. "Those youma...the ones that attacked Hino-san...they're back. They've taken a child."
Ami nodded, packing away her study materials and standing.
* * * * *
The situation had not improved.
A sizeable crowd, at least a third of which were Jupiter's own classmates, were running around screaming in a terrified panic. The homeroom teacher, Haruna, was caught up in the middle of it, looking completely at a loss. The panther which had taken a hostage had disappeared; a second was prowling the perimeter of the crowd, letting out the occasional roar, and a third was sitting in the doorway of a shop, flaming eyes fixed on the Senshi.
"Get these people OUT OF HERE!" Jupiter roared to the petrified Haruna.
"B-B-but..I..." The teacher hedged, glancing around and trembling.
Jupiter sighed. "Look, someone needs to take charge of these people and look out for them, and I'm a little busy making sure these damn demon cats don't kill anyone. Help me out here!"
"H-hai!" Snapping to attention, the teacher marshalled herself and began barking orders left and right, attempting to force the panicked crowd to evacuate.
Serenity and Mercury appeared, on guard and glancing warily in all directions. "How bad is it?" Serenity asked.
"Three of them, and the one that ran off still has a little kid."
The crowd began to thin out; the youma panthers grinned savagely at the three Senshi before darting up the stairs.
"After them!" Serenity shouted.
The two panthers led the three Senshi on a chase that took them clear to the roof of the main observation deck. When they arrived, they found the third panther, still clutching the screaming child. "Release that child!" Serenity yelled. "There will be no mercy for you!"
"As you wish, Your Highness," the cat purred. She set down the child, who ran to Serenity, bawling. She knelt and embraced him, whispering soothing words to him.
"My, how touching," a male voice said. A figure faded into view, grey-clad back turned to the Senshi. "But then, you have always been a gentle soul, have you not, Princess Serenity?"
"Jadeite," Serenity snapped. "You've gone too far this time..."
"No humans have come to any harm," Jadeite replied. "I apologize for the distress my servants caused that young child, but I felt it was the quickest way to get your attention."
"Oh, you've got it," Serenity ground out, eyes narrowed. "You're not leaving here alive!"
"Come now," Jadeite said. "There's no need for us to fight today." He turned to fully face Serenity. "I have come to extend an invitation, Your Highness."
Serenity frowned, eyes cold and hard. "An invitation of what kind, exactly?"
"Oh, a very special party. All four of us, my brethren and I, will be attending. As will the jewel thief Tuxedo Kamen."
"Ano yarou...! So he's joined up with you guys?" Jupiter growled.
Jadeite chuckled. "Not exactly. You see..." He paused theatrically. "Locked within that pitiful clown's head is the location of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou." He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "And the only one who can unlock that information from his so-called mind..." Here, the blond Shitennou unfolded his arms and pointed dramatically at Serenity. "Is you, the daughter of the Queen herself."
"The Ginzuishou..." Serenity said softly, frowning.
"It is unlikely this is anything more than a trap," Mercury said.
"Oh, it is most definitely a trap," Jadeite replied conversationally, smiling. "The Princess alone, all of you...however many of you come, that is how many of you will die." He paused. "But if none of you come, we will kill Tuxedo Kamen very slowly and very painfully...and we will force the whole of Japan to watch, live."
"Kisama...!!"
"You have until sunset tomorrow to decide," Jadeite said to Serenity, ignoring Jupiter's growl. "We'll be waiting for you. And you will have no trouble finding us, I assure you. If you do not show yourselves by the time the moon has fully risen, Tuxedo Kamen is dead."
"But if he indeed holds the key to finding the Ginzuishou, then it is not in your best interests to kill him," Mercury pointed out.
Jadeite shrugged. "In the end, we will find it whether the thief is dead or alive. This is merely the most expedient manner." He gazed calmly at each Senshi in turn. "The choice is yours. We will be waiting." He turned to leave; as he did so, he called back over his shoulder, "Oh, and Your Highness? Do put your dog—" Here he nodded in Jupiter's direction— "on a leash, will you? Farewell." The Shitennou disappeared in a silent flash of shadow.
"That son of a..." Jupiter rumbled, trembling angrily.
"Calm down, Jupiter," Serenity said softly. She crossed her arms, frowning. "I don't like this at all."
"Che...who cares if they have that tuxedo bastard?" Jupiter asked. "He's just some pain in the ass jewel thief. If he'd kept his nose out of this whole Ginzuishou business in the first place..."
"Jupiter is correct," Mercury said. "We cannot risk our own lives for the sake of a fool who makes poor choices."
Serenity sat down, propped her chin on her knees, and sighed. "I don't want to sacrifice any innocents, not even that tuxedo idiot. But..." She cast her eyes down. "We can't afford to walk into a trap and possibly get killed just to save one man, not when billions of lives are at stake."
"I concur," Mercury said.
Jupiter nodded. "It's not our job to save that jackass, even if he did get taken by our enemies."
Serenity stood slowly, head bowed. "First thing we need to do is get this child back to his mother," she said. "Then...then we should go home. I'll call Venus and Mars and see what they think about it. I'll call you guys later." With that, the Senshi descended the Tower with the rescued child, minds and hearts heavy.
* * * * *
Haruno called for her students to gather so she could take a head count. As she went down her roll sheet to make sure nobody was unaccounted for, she discovered that Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, and Kino Makoto were not in the group. "Did anybody see Kino-san, Tsukino-san, or Mizuno-san?" she asked.
"Mizuno usually stays on the roof most of the day," one student said. "I think I saw Kino-san and Tsukino-san go into Pizza-la before those panthers showed up."
"Sou ka. Did anyone see them leave?"
"Hai! I saw Kino-san go into the toire," one girl said. "I think I saw Usagi-chan going upstairs."
Haruna frowned. "I should go back inside to find the girls. Osaka-san, please prevent anyone from leaving until I return."
"Hai!"
* * * * *
On the way to Hikawa Jinja, Mina thumped her bag cheerfully against her knees, skipping every other step. "I kinda like Hikaru," she chirped. "She's pretty cool. I guess the dork she was with isn't that bad, except for the way he kept looking at me."
"How could you even tell, with those glasses?" Rei asked, tilting her head.
Mina stopped and stared at her in shock. "You didn't just...!"
Rei smiled mischeviously and continued walking.
Mina shook her head and fell in step beside her. "Anyway, I guess it helps to make more friends, since I..."
"You will adapt to life in Japan, Mina-san," Rei said. "I am certain of it. Moreso every day."
Mina grimaced. "Yeah...I guess so. Anyway..."
Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag and looked at the screen. Her expression clouded. "It's Usagi," she said. Rei's eyes became sharp and alert. Mina answered the phone. "What's up? Is it a youma?"
She listened intently for a moment, eyes wide. Her mouth tightened into a grim line. "I see," she said. "No, I agree. It sucks, but...yeah. Yeah, she's with me, I'll tell her." She disconnected, sighing.
"What is it?" Rei asked.
Mina looked around, then whispered, "The Shitennou have Tuxedo Kamen. They want Usagi to walk right into a trap to save him, or they'll kill him."
Rei's eyes narrowed. "Cowardly."
Mina shook her head. "No, Usagi said something about the location of that crystal being locked away in that nutter's head. Seems she's the only one who can unlock it." She shook her head. "That could all be codswallop, but...it doesn't matter anyway. She's letting him die."
Rei's face hardened. "Ordinarily I would dissuade Tsukino-hime from such a course of action, but..."
"We warned him to bugger off, and he didn't, so he brought this on himself," Mina said with a heavy sigh. "I don't like it, but I agree with Usagi's reasoning. It just isn't worth it...if she dies, that's it for the whole world."
The two girls trudged onward, their bags suddenly feeling almost as heavy as their hearts.
* * * * *
Half an hour after sunset, Haruna finally returned home. She had combed what felt like every nook and cranny of Tokyo Tower, but had not turned up her three wayward charges. Finally, she had calmed down enough to think to call their cells, and had confirmed that all three of them had exited the Tower and returned home. She had reprimanded them for not checking in with her before leaving, but her heart hadn't really been in it; she was relieved they were alright, and she couldn't blame them for bolting under the circumstances.
One thing still bothered her, though: the last time anyone had seen Tsukino Usagi, she had been going upstairs instead of down, and nobody had actually seen Mizuno Ami leave the roof of Foot Town. Of course, in a place the size of Tokyo Tower and with only thirty students in her care, it was possible they'd simply not been noticed, but...
She shook her head. "This is what I get for having a father and a sister on the police force," she muttered to herself as she shuffled to the kitchen and popped open a beer.
* * * * *
"Mako-chan, are you feeling alright? You don't seem particularly energetic today."
"Gomen nasai," Makoto replied, bowing.
"Iie, I'm just worried about you, that's all," Hanako said.
Makoto bowed again. "Hai, doumo. It's nothing, I'm just a little tired today."
"Mm."
"You also seem out of sorts today, Obasama," Makoto remarked as she poured tea.
"It's..." Hanako paused. "It's probably nothing, but I haven't been able to get in touch with Mamoru since yesterday. He might just have his cellphone turned off, but even when I call his flat..."
The tall girl frowned. "Mamoru-dono doesn't seem the type to ignore a call from his mother. Rather the opposite. He cherishes both you and Goshujin-sama above all else."
Hanako flushed slightly. "Which is flattering to think, but..."
"But it's true," Makoto insisted. She paused, then added, "Would you like me to check on him? Maybe offer to tidy up if it needs it?"
"That's not a bad idea, Mako-chan." After a sip of tea, Hanako looked up at Makoto thoughtfully. "Perhaps you could take him some of those delicious onigiri you make."
Makoto smiled and bowed. "I'd be happy to." She paused, then added, "Demo..."
"Don't worry about whether he's home or not," Hanako said. "I'll lend you the spare key. And if he's not there, you can leave a note for him to call as soon as he gets home."
"Hai!"
* * * * *
After waiting almost two minutes at the door, Makoto decided Mamoru wasn't at home, and let herself in with the key.
The flat was actually fairly tidy; given how little time Makoto had spent in her own flat due to school and..."work"...she wasn't terribly surprised.
Setting the basket of onigiri on the kitchen table, she began hunting around for something to leave a note on. She opened the drawer of Mamoru's desk and frowned. There were a large number of pamphlets and flyers related to museums and mineral exhibits...
Finding a memo pad and writing out a note, Makoto placed it next to the onigiri, then decided to look around to see if anything needed straightening.
Entering the bedroom, she noticed that Mamoru had a sewing machine and worktable set up in one corner. "He sews?" she wondered idly, running a finger over the machine's surface. There was a large, ungainly wad of thread and torn fabric shoved off to the back of the worktable; while she debated whether or not to untangle it, she swept her gaze over the rest of the room...
And paused.
A somewhat rumpled tuxedo jacket had been tossed carelessly on the bed. Next to it was a familiar silk domino mask.
A VERY familiar silk domino mask.
Makoto's eyes widened. "Uso..."
