The Ero-Sennin wrote a Sailor Moon Fanfic!
Opening night arrived and Tokyo Dome City, the sprawling entertainment complex that surrounded its arena centerpiece, was alive as crowds of fans, critics, and even protestors swarmed around the entrances as spotlights waved beams of bright white light above their heads.
Backstage inside the Tokyo Dome itself was chaotic, as the show director informed the band and staff that it was less than ten minutes to show time. Instruments were being tuned, lines were being rehearsed, and most importantly the security detail was being reviewed again by Natalie and Natsuna.
“So you’ve finished moving your units outside?†Natalie, who was half-dressed and sporting a hair-style identical to Sailor Moon’s, asked.
“Yes, security inside the arena itself will be handled by your staff. But we’ll be on alert to move in if things get too out of hand.â€
Natalie nodded. “And if the Sailor Senshi show up?â€
“We won’t try to apprehend them, so long as they keep the situation from getting out of hand themselves.â€
“I promise we’ll behave,†Sailor Moon declared from the doorway leading to backstage.
Natsuna and Natalie whirled around as the other staff momentarily paused in surprise at the appearance of the fugitive hero herself. The latter smiled and walked over to her.
“It’s nice to finally meet you in person,†she said before taking Sailor Moon into a hug.
“Same here,†Sailor Moon replied as she returned the hug. “And it’s so nice of you, Natsuna, to not make this a big old farce to attempt arresting us.â€
“Public safety is my priority here tonight, not arresting you. Don’t do anything to endanger the public directly, and I won’t be bothered too,†Natsuna replied.
“Ah, so tonight is a truce then?†Sailor Moon asked.
Natsuna nodded.
Sailor Moon beamed. “That’s good! In exchange for your leniency I will give you some helpful information: You were absolutely right in what you’re doing out there, the Dark Kingdom’s going to try something here tonight.â€
Natsuna frowned. “What?â€
“You were right as rain to think they’d do something to Heroes of Gunstar, the whole point of this thing is to draw us into a battle. But we don’t have to worry about that.†Sailor Moon winked. “I appreciate the consideration, Natsuna.â€
“Not too considerate, we had to bar people from the floor seating. No one was happy about that,†Natsuna lamented.
Natalie smiled. “But those people are getting a very special performance as an apology.â€
Sailor Moon nodded. “I’d like to be part of that show, too!â€
“You’re always welcome at my shows.†Natalie then remembered. “Oh! There’s something I wanted to ask you.â€
“Shoot,†Sailor Moon replied.
“… Is there a Sailor Venus?â€
A strange question to ask, but Sailor Moon nodded. “Yes, there sure is, though she’s on assignment elsewhere.â€
Natalie pumped her fist. “Yes, that’s perfect!†She looked over towards Joseph, who was tuning a guitar. “There is a Sailor Venus, I told you!â€
“Damn,†the bearded misanthrope growled. Well, that was a ten-thousand dollar bet he lost.
Natsuna frowned. “You’re going to go on with the show?â€
“Of course, can’t have a good show without a fight to extend the set.â€
“Yes you can, we’re just used to it,†Stephen Stills called out.
Natalie looked off to the side. “Well… yeah, that too.â€
“I see…†Natsuna looked to Sailor Moon. “I would like to talk to you about something. Can we go somewhere private?â€
“Of course, lead the way?â€
Nodding, Natsuna and Sailor Moon headed towards the door, the latter looking back. “See you during the show!â€
“Sure, I have to get into the rest of my costume anyway.†Natalie gestured to her largely incomplete outfit.
Both Natsuna and Sailor Moon excused themselves, and Natalie clapped her hands to gain the attention of the rest of her band and staff. “All right guys! We’re in the eleventh hour, let’s hurry this up!â€
Natalie headed to her dressing room, one of several set up by the refreshment table for the staff. Standing beside the table, Scott Pilgrim and a currently male Ranma Saotome watched Sailor Moon leave with the Superintendent-General.
“Sailor Moon’s really short.†Ranma had expected someone taller, not someone hardly taller than his girl half.
Scott smiled. “I guess, but it’s kind of hard for me to notice the difference, what with me being so tall.â€
His expression going blank, Ranma turned his head and stared up at the Canadian. “You know, you’re not that tall, for a foreigner.â€
“I’m tall enough and that’s what matters!†Placing his arms akimbo, Scott threw back his head and laughed mightily–before Ranma quickly elbowed him in the stomach. “OOF!â€
Ranma chuckled, before Scott grabbed him in a headlock and began grinding his knuckles against the top of his head. From there, the two began roughhousing as one of the dressing room doors opened and Kim walked out. Seeing the two, she shook her head and smirked.
“Reliving the glory days of high school, huh Scott?†She asked.
Scott, now stuck in a headlock of his own, looked up at Kim, who was now wearing a mostly white Gothic Lolita gown that seemed almost too elaborate for a drummer to wear.
“Uh… isn’t it a bit much to drum in?â€
“It doesn’t stop Visual Kei drummers,†Kim replied.
“Most Visual Kei drummers do it on keyboard, though,†Ranma said.
Kim smirked. “Good thing I’m not most Visual Kei drummers.†She twirled a drumstick and tapped Scott on the nose. “Wish me luck?â€
Scott blinked, and then shrugged his shoulders. “Um… good luck?â€
Kim smiled. “Thanks.â€
Grabbing a bottle of water, Kim waved and walked off to join the other band members. Ranma looked at Scott. “Isn’t she a face-eating monster?â€
“Yeah, about that…†Scott elbowed Ranma in the stomach to escape the headlock and looked back in the direction Kim went. “I think something’s wrong with her.â€
Ranma rubbed his stomach. “What do you mean?
“She apologized for exploding at me the other day… it was so weird.â€
The door to Natalie’s dressing room opened, and Natalie poked her head out to follow Kim’s departure with her eyes. Looking over to Scott and Ranma, she called out to them. “It is.â€
Both young men turned to her.
“Scott, Ranma… keep an eye on her okay?†For the first time since Scott first ran into her after touching down in Japan, Natalie looked genuinely worried.
“Jeez, to think there’d be drama over someone not acting like a miserable jerk,†Ranma muttered.
Natalie gave him a look. “I’ll forgive you because you don’t know any better… but Kim’s always been…â€
“A miserable jerk because of Scott dicking her then dicking her over?â€
Scott was affronted. “Dude!â€
“Yes actually, but there was a lot more than that. She’s never had it easy in life. Ever since she met Scott, people have gone out of their way to just screw her over. And it wasn’t even because they didn’t like her or she did something to deserve it. People would just do stuff and not care that it hurt her.â€
Natalie stared at Scott pointedly as she said this, and he got even more defensive. “We worked out our issues.â€
Ranma whistled. “Is it really that bad?â€
“Whenever she got to a good or stable place, something happened and she would be forced to start over. Even in the band, she’s got this fear that something’s going to happen and it’s all going to come crashing down around her.â€
Ranma held up his hands behind his head. “Well, now she’s in a good mood right? What’s the problem then?â€
“That’s exactly it, the moment she’s happiest is when something terrible happens. So keep an eye on her okay, in case anything goes wrong.â€
“You got it,†Scott replied.
Ranma nodded assent. “It’s the least I can do; a Martial Artist always repays his debts.â€
“Thanks, you guys…†Natalie smiled to Ranma before looking to Scott. “He’s good people, Scott, even if he’s just a kid.â€
With that she turned and went back into her dressing room, closing the door behind her.
As Scott and Ranma looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders, Naru narrowed her eyes after overhearing the exchange from Naruru’s partially opened dressing room door.
Hidden in the lights suspended from the ceiling, the Sailor Senshi were careful to stay better concealed this time, with the tens of thousands of people waiting for the concert to begin below. Sailor Mars in particular was trying not to freak out, with so many people around them, while Jupiter was surprised at the dramatically reduced attendance. The floor seats, which would normally be set up on the rest of the baseball diamond not occupied by the stage, were completely absent aside from pieces of audio/visual equipment set up to take advantage of the new space.
“If something happens, we’ll have plenty of room to fight at least.â€
Though, all of the Senshi would prefer it if a youma didn’t appear. Then they could enjoy a free concert.
Sailor Moon suddenly shot up and landed atop the structure holding the lights with the other Senshi, causing Sailor Mars to let out a yelp. “I’m back!â€
“So Natsuna didn’t try to arrest you?â€
“Nope, it’s exactly like I thought: even they’ve got Nephrite figured out like a two-piece puzzle on this one.†Sailor Moon folded her arms and looked back down at the empty field as she recalled the advice given to her. “But even with all this space to play around in, we’ve never done a gig in front of a crowd like this.â€
“So we’re going to be a bit more defensive, then?†Sailor Jupiter asked.
Sailor Moon nodded. “First chance we get, though, we hit her all at once and hold nothing back, got it?â€
The other Senshi nodded resolutely to Sailor Moon.
In the arena’s Press Box, taken over by the police and acting as their command center, Natsuna entered and was surprised to see the Governor himself overseeing the show with his hands folded behind his back. “Ishihara-dono what are you doing here?â€
“I just came to oversee how things were going,†Ishihara replied with a small smile. “And see what’s so interesting about this particular foreign band.â€
Natsuna nodded. “Well, everything’s ready for when the battle starts.â€
“That’s very good. Are they here as well?â€
Natsuna blinked. “Yes… they’ve been here for a while now. They’ve agreed to fight on the terms we’ve set, so any fight shouldn’t be too bad.â€
Ishihara nodded, as the lights went down. “Then this will be quite the show.â€
The stadium soon plunged completely into darkness, as Nephrite watched from one of the gates, his arms folded. A single light shone on the stage, revealing Mikan Shiratori, and the crowd’s cheers intensified as she held up her hand.
“Hello, everyone!†she called out into her headset microphone. “It’s me, the fabulous Mika-chan, your MC for tonight’s show! I hope you’re all ready for a great show, the greatest show!â€
She held out her arms, as hologram projections of colorful flowers and sparkles appeared over her, wowing the crowd. She then clapped her hands together. “But first! We have a very special guest, honorary band member and all around super cute girl, Naruru Osaka! Let’s hear it for her, everyone!â€
Another spotlight appeared on Naruru, who emerged despite her nervousness at being in front of so many people, and walked quickly over to Mikan, who exchanged a bow with her. Resting a hand on Naruru’s shoulder, Mikan turned to the crowd again, as hologram projections of lights, like glass twinkling in the sun, began to appear around them.
“Naruru-chan, it’s true that you’re a big fan of Heroes of Gunstar, yes?â€
“The biggest!†Naruru replied happily.
Sailor Mercury snorted. “I would’ve won that contest were I not failing that test…†Just another thing to blame on Ryo Urawa, she supposed.
“Is there any other music you like, any particular idols that you also listen to? Hm? Hm?†Mikan asked.
Naruru thought about it. “Well… there is one artist I listen to, but it’s kind of embarrassing.â€
“Oh no, don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure we all know who it is!†Mikan insisted, while looking a bit smug.
“Oh, if you insist, I do really like G-Money USA!â€
Sailor Moon laughed, as the rest of the audience laughed and cheered. “I’m so glad I released that mix tape!â€
“You know, it was really good,†Sailor Jupiter admitted.
Sailor Mars tapped her fingers together. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand hip-hop.â€
Mikan looked a little stunned, and annoyed, as more of the sparkles appeared. “G-Money… USA…?†She sounded angry.
Naruru looked up at Mikan, when she heard her tone shift, and then stepped back as the idol turned a nasty glare onto her. “G-Money USA!? You mean Sailor Moon, right!?â€
“Uh… ah… what?†Naruru stepped back, as Mikan walked towards her, her expression becoming meaner as the sparkles intensified.
“Thanks to that stupid girl, I lost my head! Do you have any idea how much that hurts!?†Mikan roared at her.
Sailor Moon stood up. “What?â€
Naruru tripped and fell back, as Mikan held out her arms, and the sparkling lights surrounded her, and flashed away… revealing the form of the youma Derella.
Derella grinned down at the girl, as the audience freaked out. “Well I hope she’s watching this, because I’m about to lop off yours!â€
She raised her hand, ready to strike Naruru, when the lights all went out again, leaving only Derella lit up. Looking around, Derella growled. “Now what?â€
There was a tremendous, billowing red explosion behind the stage, and a solid beam of light shot up. A single figure began to appear from within it, and the crowds stared as a booming voice spoke.
“Preying on the defenseless is what you youma do all the time, this is nothing new. How about I teach you a new trick?â€
Derella looked towards the glowing light, and the figure that began to emerge from it. “Who… who the hell are you now?!â€
The figure replied, as her booming voice became more distinct and the light receded to reveal her identity. “I am the unrelenting force of good and justice in the universe! Where there is evil, I will be there to meet and obliterate it!â€
The light faded to reveal Natalie Adams, dressed in a red, white, and black, stylized rendition to Sailor Moon’s outfit, her long red hair done up in a similar style of long tails, though sans the odango. “I am Sailor Gunstar!â€
Naruru sat up, gasping. “A Sailor Senshi!â€
“A dead Sailor Senshi!†Derella yelled as she opened her mouth and unleashed her glass spray attack. Crouching, Sailor Gunstar leaped above the attack and high above the stage, before flipping and landing behind Derella. When Derella looked back in disbelief, Sailor Gunstar comically booted her in the backside, sending her falling to her face.
Derella got back up, looking indignant. “Who do you think you are?!â€
She lunged to attack Sailor Gunstar, but was held back at arm’s length by a hand on her face as she flailed ineffectually. The audience broke into applause, as Sailor Gunstar looked back and shrugged her shoulders.
Shoving Derella back, Sailor Gunstar helped Naruru onto her feet and dusted her off. “You okay?â€
“Yes!†Naruru said excitedly, before Derella got back up. “Oh no, the youma!â€
“Oh yes, the youma, and I’m going to rip you to shreds!†Derella roared.
Sailor Gunstar laughed. “Not so fast, you don’t know it yet youma, but you’re not just facing Sailor Gunstar!â€
Sailor Gunstar then performed a series of Kamen Raider-style poses and pointed to the sky. “Heroes of Gunstar… ASSEMBLE!â€
Some truly heroic music began to play, as more beams of light shot to the ceiling. From the beams, the members of Heroes of Gunstar began to emerge. Stephanie Nordegraf, Stephen Stills, Joseph, and finally Kimberly Pine stepped from the light and staring death straight at Derella.
“Oh my God, this is awesome,†Sailor Moon said as she all but drooled at the display of special effects in front of her.
Sailor Gunstar held her hand out, and from a trap door below her, her alter-ego’s keyboard is ejected for her to catch. The band’s other instruments; Stephanie’s bass, Stephen Stills and Joseph’s guitars, and Kim’s drum kit were raised much more slowly, for their wielders to take up.
Sailor Gunstar joined her band mates, with Naruru at her side, and set up the keyboard’s stand. Derella took a step back, clearly nervous. “Wait, hold it…!â€
As Stephen Stills proceeded to dive bomb on the whammy bar of his guitar, Sailor Gunstar called out. “It’s time to banish you once and for all, youma… with the power of rock!â€
Spinning her drumsticks, Kim raised them above her head and counted it out for the whole damn arena to hear.
“WE ARE HEROES OF GUNSTAR!†She slammed her drumsticks together. “ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!â€
The music exploded from the speakers, as the band unleashed their opening song, an instrumental known simply as the “Anthem of Scott Pilgrimâ€. The music buffeted Derella, whose scream of agony was drowned out as she disintegrated, leaving a smiling Mikan who turned to the crowd and urged them to give it up for the band as the sparkles of the Derella hologram scattered across the arena, joined by multi-colored rays of light, and pixilated stars to the audience’s delight.
Up in the lights, the Sailor Senshi were as amazed by the light show that was happening around them as they were by the upbeat and blood pumping music being played on stage. As a few pixilated stars whipped by them, Mars looked over to Sailor Moon. “This is amazing!â€
“I know, right?!†Sailor Moon called back.
Mercury was trying her hardest not to head-bang to the music, when a call signal appeared in her visor. It was a text message from Naru, which she quickly opened and began to read. Her eyes widened. “Sailor Mars?â€
“Yes?â€
“Get your ofuda ready, Naru-chan’s figured out the target.â€
On the stage, the song was rapidly approaching its climax, the audience already at a fever pitch as the band played to their fullest, no more than Kim, whose drumming seemed to stand out over the others. She was on fire, note-perfect, playing better than she had in months, even better than the dress rehearsal yesterday.
The song drew to an end, and the hologram projections settled into a starry sky on the arena’s ceiling, as a recreation of the Toronto and Tokyo skylines appeared behind the band.
“TOKYO!†Natalie called out as she picked up a microphone. “HOW ARE YOU?!â€
The audience roared back, the sound of cheers, applause, and stomping feet causing even the lights where the Senshi were sitting to sway.
“I see that Tokyo’s got a monster problem, but that’s being handled, huh?†Natalie asked as she paced down the stage’s runway, eliciting even more cheers.
“You know who I’m talking about yeah? Let’s hear it! Come on!†Natalie held up her microphone, as the whole house began chanting her name.
“SAILOR MOON! SAILOR MOON! SAILOR MOON! SAILOR MOON!†SAILOR MOON!â€
“That’s right, let’s give it up for her! It’s been years since Tokyo’s seen a Hero of Justice, hasn’t it!?†Natalie asked the crowd.
As the crowd of thousands cheered, Kim sat back at her drum kit and took it all in. She felt… good, like a weight had been lifted off her head and shoulders and now that it was gone she could appreciate it all better now. She was playing for a sold out crowd of thousands, loved by millions of people she didn’t even know, but that wasn’t just it.
“… I deserve this,†Kim said to herself.
The years of being dumped, treated like crap, cheated on, and used for nefarious schemes that turned her into a cold, mean person felt behind her. She glanced out the corner of her eye, towards where Scott was watching, and began to smile. She had her friends, her fame, she had it all.
An ofuda charm then tagged her right in the forehead.
The music stopped and everyone on stage looked at Kim in surprise, while Kim stared cross-eyed at hissing and cracking charm.
“Huh?†Kim asked.
“Kim…?†Natalie whispered.
Before anyone could react, a blinding light erupted from Kim. Shielding her eyes from it, Natalie slowly backed away, as its intensity slowly ebbed. She could see Kim sitting limp at her drum kit, her head tilted back as the light–shining from her forehead–began to change shape, as if something was beginning to emerge from it.
“Oh man!†Scott gasped as Ranma assumed a fighting stance.
To everyone’s fright, the light fully transformed into a female figure that slipped from Kim’s body and began to rise above the stage. The light faded faster, revealing the red-skinned, tiger print bikini-wearing youma Goro. Several arcs of electricity shot up from the black-haired youma’s back, before transforming into a ring of tomoe-marked drums that gave off sparks of dark-colored electricity.
Goro opened her eyes, and looked down at the stage below, and at Natalie, Naruru, Mikan, and the other members of Heroes of Gunstar staring up at her. The thunder youma stared down at them, and felt nothing but contempt for the very idea of their existence. She raised her hands, and in a flash of plasma, a pair of silver drum sticks appeared in her hands. She was going to reduce these stupid humans to shadows burned into the stage.
The youma heard something and looked up, just in time to see Sailor Moon’s leg swinging down to meet her face. The kick connected, launching Goro like a missile towards the stage. Before she could hit and completely trash it, however, Sailor Mercury struck from below with her own kick, launching Goro straight up to the ceiling of the dome.
Before she could impact it, Sailor Jupiter caught her in the stomach with an elbow, before she lifted her foot and dropped it on the youma, sending her crashing down into the open floor of the arena in front of the stage.
Landing on the edge of the stage, Sailor Moon let out a huff. “Damn it! Of all the people the world Nephrite sticks the youma in; it’s the one person who actually gets nicer when she’s possessed!â€
Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter landed beside her, as the latter asked, “Why do you suppose that is?â€
“Negativity,†Sailor Mercury answered quickly as she activated her computer.
Sailor Moon quickly got it. “I see…â€
The youma rose to her feet, entirely unharmed by the attack.
Sailor Moon blinked. “Well! This is going to be one of those fights.â€
Goro huffed. “Sailor Moon, you and your friends have killed a lot of youma, even defeated Zoisite and Jadeite. Your run ends tonight.â€
She twirled a drumstick in one hand. “I’m far stronger than any youma you’ve faced before, and now I’m stronger than ever.â€
“Thanks to all that negative energy you ate, right?†Sailor Moon asked.
Goro paused. “You caught on that quick?â€
“I have to admit, putting the youma in a girl who already is a major bitch? Pretty sneaky, but it’s not going to change the outcome of this fight for you.†Sailor Moon posed and pointed down at Goro. “Negativity or not, you’re still going down for snacking on that girl’s energy!â€
“It ate Kim’s energy?†Natalie then looked over to Kim, who had fallen from her chair. Without hesitation, she ran to her. “Kim!â€
In the stands, Nephrite narrowed his eyes, as Goro let out a laugh, her voice echoing among the clamor from the audience. “I was able to drain that miserable little cunt dry, and with all of her dark, dark energy, I’m going to fry you until you’re nothing but free particles!â€
“Yeah… no,†Sailor Moon said as she crouched down and shot forward to kick a hole through Goro. The youma ended up no-selling the hell out of the kick. “What the…?â€
Millions of volts of electricity immediately struck and sent her smashing into a wall. When the electricity disappeared, Goro herself punched Sailor Moon in the stomach, creating a large crater in the wall, which was then illuminated by another burst of millions of volts.
Goro drew her hand away, to punch her again, when Sailor Moon socked her in the jaw, knocking her back. With a few cracks and pops, Goro disappeared. As Sailor Moon stepped out of the hole she made, she realized it.
“She’s got moves like fucking Enel-†A bolt of lightning struck her, driving her into the ground.
Above her, Goro raised her drumsticks, as electricity arced between them. “You’re not fast enough to beat me, Sailor Moon!â€
Sailor Moon got up, smoke rising from her body and a little unsteady, but more or less intact. “Oh shit, I think she boiled my blood for a bit there.â€
Goro snorted and held her drumsticks above her head as the ring of drums lit up, charging an even stronger lightning bolt. Sailor Moon looked up, and then held up her hand. “This one’s more your speed.â€
The lightning bolt came down, just as Sailor Moon vanished, replaced by Sailor Jupiter, who met Goro’s lightning blast head on in an incredible display of light and sound, before the bolt was grounded harmlessly. Steam rising from her body, Sailor Jupiter smirked up at Goro.
“Lightning elemental, now what?!â€
Sailor Mercury reappeared on the stage, setting Sailor Moon next to Mars. “You okay?â€
“I need a few seconds to… recharge.†Sailor Moon brought a hand to her mouth to avoid vomiting from her bad pun.
“Okay, I’m gonna go back over there and kick the crap out of her then,†Sailor Mercury said. “Sailor Mars, stay with the band and protect them in case the youma tries to attack them.â€
Sailor Mars nodded affirmative, before stopping. “Wait, but you’re a water-type!â€
Mercury looked back at her. “What does that have to do with anything–ohh… don’t worry I’ll be alright.†Mercury looked towards Goro and smirked. “I know Extreme Speed.â€
Sailor Moon actually vomited this time. “You guys are killing me worse than the youma.â€
Goro backed from Sailor Jupiter once again, her electricity pushing the Senshi back considerably. “What’s the matter Sailor Senshi, afraid to fight back?!
Goro moved behind Sailor Jupiter instantaneously and lunged to stab her in the back with one of her drum sticks, when Mercury parried the strike. Goro grinned and her drums collected electricity. “Water conducts electricity you know.â€
Sailor Jupiter suddenly turned and lunged through Mercury, scattering her into particles of light as she uppercut Goro to the ceiling. Goro flipped over to set her feet onto the ceiling and crossed her arms to block Sailor Mercury’s punch as she reappeared in front of her.
Electricity crackling around her body, Goro attempted to fry Mercury, but the swift Senshi slipped away from the burst of lightning. Goro watched as Mercury stopped, also standing upside down on the ceiling, and grimaced in annoyance. “Cameran was right, you have to go first!â€
She attacked Mercury, becoming a bolt of lightning that shot after Mercury as she disappeared from sight.
As flickers of light shone from Mercury and Goro’s high speed engagement on the ceiling of the Dome, Natalie was leaning over Kim, checking for vital signs. They were there, but she was barely breathing, and her pulse was weak. Scott and Ranma were at her side, having gotten there when Natalie did.
“Kim, wake up!†Natalie whispered as she gently shook her.
Scott shook his head. “We have to get her to a hospital, or get a health pack or something!â€
“Yeah, trying to leave in the middle of a monster fight,†Stephen Stills said as the other band members watched Mercury and Goro’s clashes all over the arena.
“We’re all going to die here,†Joseph lamented in annoyance.
“Shut up, Joseph!†Natalie, Stephen Stills, Steph, and Ranma shouted at the bitter bearded guitarist before Goro and Mercury’s fight had returned to the floor of the arena.
A bolt of lighting tore up the floor and Sailor Mercury’s disappearing afterimage as both youma and Senshi exchanged blows all over the open floor. Reappearing with a line of images trailing behind her, Goro swung her drumsticks as if she was hitting the drums on the ring on her back, and each drum fired a lightning bolt that homed in on Sailor Mercury from different directions.
Mercury managed to dodge three of them with ease, but the forth cut close, singing her hair, while the fifth curved in to hit her dead on. Sailor Jupiter, however, slid between them with a burst of electricity-boosted speed and again grounded the lightning bolt with the antenna from her tiara.
“Shit…†Jupiter growled as smoke rose from her singed body after tanking the hit. She looked out the corner of her eye to see Mercury suddenly vanish from her side. “Can we get an opening already?!â€
Sailor Mercury reappeared, her kick being blocked by Goro’s punch before they disappeared again. “Coming up!â€
When they reappeared, they were behind Jupiter, with Mercury twisting her body to avoid a lightning slash. “Get ready!â€
They disappeared and reappeared again, Mercury recoiling from the headbutt she crashed into Goro’s nose, before disappearing again when she missed the follow-up kick.
Another barrage of lightning bolts hit the ground around Jupiter as she moved to avoid them. Charging up as the lightning crashed around her she looked around rapidly before she disappeared. When she reappeared Goro was all but impaled on the punch she rammed into the youma’s gut.
Pulling her fist away, Jupiter performed a somersault kick that launched Goro up, and got clear as Mercury kicked off the ceiling and landed on Goro with enough force to create a ten meter deep crater that almost reached the edge of the stage.
Sailor Mercury jumped out of the hole. “Jupiter! Your turn!â€
Goro slowly tried to get up from the hit and looked up to the edge of the pit to find Sailor Jupiter held a steel girder in her arms.
Tossing the girder into the air, Sailor Jupiter leaped up after it and drew her arm back as electricity crackled up and down it. “Go! Jupiter Sky-Burning Javelin!â€
She punched the girder straight down at Goro, accelerating it to supersonic velocity within fractions of a second and leaving a trail of superheated plasma behind it. The ensuing impact deepened and widened the crater, and left Goro impaled on a pillar of molten slag.
Sailor Jupiter landed next to Sailor Mercury, who had activated her computer again and was quickly running through hundreds of thousands of calculations.
“What now?â€
“Now we murder her with science!†Sailor Mercury looked back at Sailor Mars. “Quickly, use your Fire Soul! Sailor Jupiter, follow up!â€
Impaled in the pit, Goro just let out a growl as she tried to remove herself from it. “You think… this is going… to stop me?!â€
She looked up, and saw Sailor Mars in the air above her, fire in her eyes and her hands clasped together. “MARS FIRE SOUL!â€
The blast of flame shot into the pit, as Sailor Jupiter's Supreme Thunder followed, creating a magnetic field around flames that got very hot, very fast. Holding her hands out, Jupiter drew her hands together, her electric field compressing the flames tighter and tighter around Goro as the ball lifted out of the crater and became brighter, turning the dim arena into high noon in the desert.
Sailor Moon stumbled over to Sailor Mercury’s side, staring in amazement at the ball of light. “Did you just make a fucking ball of fusion?â€
“I want to be thorough!†Mercury replied proudly. “Finish it off, Sailor Moon.â€
“With pleasure!†Sailor Moon removed her tiara, and it too began to shine brightly. “Moon Tiara, action!â€
She threw it straight into the miniature sun burning in the arena, and the golden discus sliced clean through it, leaving two halves that erupted into a bright flash.
Mars and Jupiter landed with Mercury and Sailor Moon, as the tiara returned to her hand and was replaced on her forehead.
Sailor Moon looked over to Mercury. “Did we kill it?â€
Sailor Mercury scanned the area with her computer, and grew wide-eyed as the dark energy and Goro’s electrical signature began to reemerge, much more powerful than before. “N-no…â€
“Are you kidding me?!†Jupiter demanded as Goro reconstructed herself from stray electrons and the dark energy that wreathed her.
Nephrite scowled at the sight of Goro simply manifesting herself out of thin air. How much energy did that negative drummer girl have?!
“You don’t get it, do you?†Goro asked. “When channeled properly, emotional energy is one of the strongest forces in the universe!â€
She held her hands out, the dark energy mixing with her electricity, intensifying it and causing her body to become firmer and more muscular as her red skin adopted an orange tone to it. “This negativity is the best! Her anger, despair, and outright hatred for everything, even herself… it has magnified my powers by a thousand fold, maybe more!â€
As Goro declared this, Sailor Mercury was measuring the youma’s skyrocketing energy output. “She’s not bluffing!â€
Sailor Moon looked over. “Mercury, what does the computer say about her power level?â€
Mercury read the numbers. “The output is increasing exponentially; it’s already over nine times higher than when we first started slapping her around and not showing any signs of stopping!â€
Sailor Moon was relieved at least that Mercury didn’t make the obvious reply. “So… in layman’s terms we’re fucked?â€
They were, as Goro swung her staff downward, sending a tremendous lightning bolt crashing down on the Sailor Senshi. As before, it was immediately drawn to Sailor Jupiter, and when the bolt went through her into the ground, the ensuing blast of force knocked all four Senshi back into the front of the stage.
“Fuuuck… having your blood boiled and living through it is not cool!†Sailor Moon groaned as she tried to get up.
Sailor Jupiter, coughing, tried to get back up on her feet, as Sailor Mercury shook her head.
“She officially hits harder than that bus youma…†The blue-themed Senshi moaned.
Up in the press box, Natsuna couldn’t believe it. “Are… are they actually losing?â€
Ishihara just hummed, and waited patiently.
Back on the stage, Scott stared down at Kim. She looked strangely peaceful despite her grave condition; her lips were even turned up into a small smile. He was a spaz and an idiot, but this was one of those few things that clicked perfectly in his head. Kim’s growing niceness had been because of the monster literally eating all of the pain and misery that made her into such a cold, angry person.
“Her being happy was just something hurting her,†He realized aloud before he got up and looked towards the youma, now wrapped in a bright ball of pure plasma as she continued to transform.
Over her bikini-clad body, a gold-tinted, lacquer-like armor appeared and spread across every inch of her skin, as her drum ring transformed, becoming an ornate, lightning themed ring of bronze that gave off blue flames rather than just simple lightning. Goro’s drumsticks turned into staffs, which she combined to form a single long pole that she held above her head.
“I am no longer a mere youma! I am a thunder GOD!†she yelled as she unleashed a massive bolt of lightning that Sailor Jupiter once more stood to ground like the others. When it struck, Sailor Jupiter actually yelled in pain as her own energies were overpowered by the youma’s.
“Sailor Jupiter!†Sailor Mars yelped, as the other Senshi fell to her knees, coughing.
“Ishihara-dono, we have to get out of here!†Natsuna shouted as she tried to pull him away from the Press Box’s windows. Ishihara just held his hand out, stopping her.
“The tide is about to turn,†he simply said.
“Stubborn aren’t you?!†Holding her staff above her head, Goro grinned down at the Sailor Senshi, and created a massive orb of dark, electrical energy at its end. “Be as stubborn as you like! Nothing can defeat a Thunder God!â€
In the arena’s shadows, Nephrite opened his eyes as they flashed red.
“Even the gods are ruled by the stars.â€
At that instant, a strange crest appeared on Goro’s forehead, first shining blue, and then a dark red before black and red bolts of lightning suddenly shot across her body, causing her to scream in pain.
“The fuck…?†Sailor Moon asked as Goro threw her head back and screamed, the dark energy suddenly shooting from her and through the ceiling of the arena. To Mercury’s surprise, the energy count began to decrease rapidly.
“She’s venting energy and getting weaker!†Sailor Mercury happily reported.
“Why is this… what’s happening?!†Goro screamed as more power left her.
“This energy is not for you, but I’ll leave you just enough to deal with the Senshi while they are weakened,†Nephrite contacted her.
Goro fell to the ground, still in her transformed state, but her golden lacquer armor was already cracked and peeling in some places. Getting up to her feet, she panted and wobbled as she felt another burst of energy leave her, and then another. “Nephrite, damn you… I was going to defeat them with that…!â€
“You’re still standing, aren’t you? Go, defeat them and show me your strength,†Nephrite ordered.
Sailor Mercury looked to Sailor Moon. “She’s weaker than when she first came out, and stabilizing. She’s a little higher than the last youma, but be careful with her electrical tricks.â€
Sailor Mars couldn’t help it. “It looks like she blew a fuse!â€
Sailor Moon let out a groan in agony.
Steeling herself, Goro looked up at the Senshi and gripped her weapon in both hands. “Tch… I’m still going to defeat you! I’ve more than enough power to take care of all of you on my own!â€
Sailor Moon snorted. “Care to bank on it?â€
Electricity flickered across Goro’s body, and to the ends of her staff. “Let’s go-!â€
A fist slammed into Goro’s face. Wide-eyed, Goro looked down the arm to the person who had landed the punch. “The fu-?â€
She was launched backward, and slammed into the back wall of the converted baseball field by the overwhelming force of Scott Pilgrim’s punch.
Sailor Moon’s eyebrows rose. “Well!â€
As Goro pulled herself out of the crater she made in the wall, Scott pointed at her. “You bounced around in my friend’s head, feeding off her like a parasite! I’m going to kick your ass you evil… evil… sexy bikini thunder demon!â€
In a flash, Goro leaped out of the hole she made in the wall, and spun her staff. “Who the fuck… do you think you are?!â€
She all but teleported to Scott, swinging the staff to cut clean through him with the electricity surrounding it, only to miss as Scott narrowly ducked under it and countered with an uppercut that lifted her off her feet. Jumping up, he flipped and stomped on her chest with both feet, sending her bouncing off the ground.
As the young man landed on his feet, Goro stopped and slowly got up, her golden lacquer now missing in places. “No, he’s just a human…†She got back up. “There’s no way a human’s going to get the better of me.â€
“Too late, I am so much better than you!†Scott shouted back.
Goro snorted. “No.â€
She zapped over to him, and swung down at him with the staff… only to miss again. As Goro’s eyes widened in disbelief, a kick connected with the side of her head. Slamming into the ground, the youma tumbled along the ground and was struck several more times, accelerating her roll before Ranma finished his rushing chain of hits by stomping her into the ground with both feet.
Jumping off her, the teenaged martial artist prodigy landed next to Scott. “Oi… you know you’re pretty big dumbass for jumping into a Sailor Senshi fight, right?â€
Scott snorted. “What’s that make you?â€
Ranma grinned. “An even bigger dumbass.â€
“And I’m the biggest dumbass of them all,†a furious Natalie said as she hopped off the stage and walked over to the gathered Senshi and the new challengers. “Sailor Moon take five, I want to kick this bitch’s face in for messing with my band!â€
Sailor Moon couldn’t help herself and laughed. “Well, well, well! I defer to you, Miss Adams!â€
Goro got up, letting out a growl of frustration and created a blade of lightning at the end of her staff. “I will kill all of you!â€
She shot towards the nearest target, Ranma, and thrust the spear for his chest. Ranma was quick, however, and parried the spear away and then clock Goro in the face with a headbutt, knocking her over again with pieces of lacquer and the bronze from her ring clattering behind her. As the lightning youma got up, Sailor Moon called out to her.
“Hey Thunder God! You look like you’re having a bad time, there!â€
Goro’s eyes became bloodshot at the taunt. “When I’m done with them, you die first!â€
A ball of plasma surrounded her, sending out a wave of heat that buffeted the three above-average humans. Channeling the energy to her palm, Goro roared and fired it as a solid beam of energy that all three avoided. As her plasma barrier faded, she looked up in time to see Natalie fall upon her Sailor Moon style, twisting her body to drop her with flying roundhouse that hit like a speeding truck.
“I really like her form,†Sailor Jupiter admitted.
“Is this a good idea?!†Mars asked.
Sailor Moon nodded. “Let them, we’ll mop up.â€
Goro got up, huffing angrily before she screamed and attacked Natalie wildly. Her swing left her open to a kick to the face, that Natalie followed with a high kick that sent Goro stumbling back.
Scott and Ranma passed Natalie on either side, Ranma elbowing Goro’s stomach as Scott kneed her in the nose, shattering all the lacquer on her face and breaking part of the ring above her head.
Natalie panted as Goro struggled to stand on her feet. She looked back towards Kim, and then at the lightning youma. “Bitch… you pissed off the wrong front-woman!â€
As she said this, Ranma looked to Scott and held up his fist. Nodding, Scott pounded his to Ranma before he called out to Goro. “It’s time to get what’s coming to you, sweet combo style!â€
Goro took a deep breath, and let out a berserker’s scream as she fired lightning from her remaining drums and her open palms, creating a single large beam aimed at her attackers. “I’LL SHOW YOU THE STRENGTH OF A THUNDER GOD!â€
Natalie responded by raising her foot above her head and swinging down, the tremendous force of her kick splitting the beam down the middle, all the way back to Goro.
Sailor Jupiter was simply awestruck now. “I have got to learn her technique.
Frozen in disbelief that her attack could be countered, Goro stared dumbly at Natalie before Ranma ran up to and punched her several times in the stomach, chest and finally face, knocking her back. “Hey, you’re up!â€
Scott caught Goro by the back of her head and yanked her down to knee her in the back. As Goro howled in pain from the hit, he punted her back towards Ranma. Stopping her with a kick to her throat, Ranma somersault kicked her into the air, lobbing her back towards Scott before rushing after her.
Recovering in mid-flight, the youma lifted up her spear and thrust it straight for Scott as he waited for her. “DIE!â€
At the last second, Scott twisted his body to dodge the spear and backhanded her in the face, smashing the last of the lacquer covering it.
Turning back around Scott nodded to Ranma as the dazed Goro began to fall back to the ground. Returning the nod, Ranma skidded to a halt, and both unleashed hell, raining a barrage of punches all over Goro as their arms vanished. Up on the arena’s jumbotron, the word “HIT!†with a rapidly increasingly counter appeared, counting every strike Ranma and Scott struck the youma with.
As she watched Goro lift off the ground, held aloft by the punches, Natalie felt Sailor Moon rest a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, is that five?†The Senshi asked.
Natalie looked to Sailor Moon, and nodded. “Yeah, this is a wrap.â€
The counter kept going, ascending past 100, then 500, and then finally stopped at 997 as Scott and Ranma drew back their steam-emitting hands. Suspended in the air for a moment, Goro limply fell forward… and right into the double uppercut that sent the counter to 999 and Goro flipping head over heels straight up towards the ceiling.
As she flipped, she could catch glimpses Sailor Moon grinning up at her as she got ready. “Why… when I was so close?â€
She got no response.
“Nephrite?!â€
Silence.
“Ready!?†Sailor Moon shouted as she drew her leg back. Natalie nodded, and jumped. With a gleam in her eyes, Sailor Moon swung her kick, which Natalie landed upon and used to launch her straight for Goro. “Moon Natalie, Action!â€
Goro went wide-eyed when she turned over again to see Natalie reach her, with her foot extended in a classic flying kick. “Nephrite you-!â€
Her yell became an unintelligible, gurgling scream as Natalie shot past her like a bullet. Goro’s ring of drums shattered, as her head was severed from her neck, the youma’s entire body bursting into flames immediately after.
Reaching the apex of her flight, as the jumbotron flashed the number 1000 repeatedly, Natalie nodded and let herself fall. “You just got kicked to the curb, bitch.â€
She fell, plummeting towards the stands below, and landed rather unexpectedly into the many arms of her fans in the upper levels. She sat up and looked around; not a single person had tried to leave the arena so they could watch Sailor Moon kill the fuck out of another youma.
“Shit, you guys are the most loyal fans on Earth. I just wish you were mine,†Natalie said in exasperation as they crowd-surfed her to the edge of the upper seats. Thanking them, she jumped and landed in a crouch as Scott and Ranma rushed to join her.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve seen in like, two weeks!†Scott declared. “You did a Fastball Special Flying Meteo Inferno Death Blow that was SO SWEET!â€
“Are you okay?†Ranma asked as Natalie stood.
“I’m fine; I think I got demon blood all over my leg though.†Natalie looked down. “Yeah, I did.â€
“That’s an occupational hazard,†Sailor Moon said as she walked over.
“If it’s all the same I’ll stick to music.†Natalie’s eyes widened, when it all swiftly came back to her. “Oh no Kim, is she alright?â€
Sailor Moon smiled, and looked back. “She should be okay.â€
They looked over to see Kim sitting up, rubbing her head. Sailor Mars had gone to her and was gently rubbing her back. She could feel strange warmth emanating from her palm, returning her strength gradually.
“God… what happened… where am I…?†She then turned her head to see Sailor Mercury smiling at her. “Holy shit, you’re that red Sailor.â€
“Y-yes, I’m Sailor Mars. Can you get up?â€
Kim nodded and rose to her feet. She rubbed her forehead. “Did… did a monster really just pop out of my head?â€
“Like something out of FLCL, yes,†Sailor Mars replied.
“Huh, I always thought that’d be more a bassist thing,†Kim said. “Well, is it dead?â€
Sailor Mercury nodded. “Yes, your friends killed it,†She said just before Scott and Natalie pretty much tackled her, knocking her back down onto the stage. “And they’re really glad you’re fine.â€
“I couldn’t… tell…†Kim groaned as she was cuddled by the two. She didn’t struggle though; she just felt none of that old misanthropic charge she was used to. “God, I expected Scott to be like this, but Nat?â€
Natalie hugged her. “I’ve seen enough band members die at gigs, I’m glad you’re safe.â€
Scott nodded. “What would we do without you to point out our flaws and hate us for being idiots?â€
Kim shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, hang out with Julie?â€
“She’s gonna be okay!†Scott tearfully exclaimed as he nuzzled Kim’s face.
Up in the press box, Ishihara turned and headed for the exit. “Sakurada-san.â€
“Yes, Ishihara-dono?†Natsuna was dreading the next words to come out of the Governor’s mouth.
“Well done.â€
Natsuna blinked, and stared at the old man. She was relieved out of her gourd but… just like that? Before she could say anything, Ishihara gave her a wizened smile, and Natsuna dropped it then and there. “…Yes sir.â€
Ishihara nodded. “I’m going to go get something from the concession stand, is there anything that you’d like?â€
Natsuna blinked again, and then held up her hand. “A beer, if possible!â€
“…Good choice.â€
“So what the hell happened out there?†Sailor Jupiter asked as the band started picking up their instruments, and a quick test of the systems went underway.
Sailor Moon folded her arms and nodded slowly. “I would like to know that. The Dark Kingdom used energy from their victims against us before, and this was probably their best shot. Then just like that–poof.â€
Sailor Mercury analyzed the data. “The youma had more energy than she could handle, so naturally once she tried to use too much of it, it all fizzled out of her.â€
“What about that sigil that appeared on her forehead, though?†Mars asked.
Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter stared at Rei, who blinked. "Y-you didn't see it?"
“I'll review the data more in-depth later, we should get going since everything’s beginning to wind down,†Mercury suggested.
“What, and miss the rest of the concert?!†Sailor Moon asked.
“What concert? “There’s a big old hole in the middle of the floor, there’s rubble everywhere, and I think the structural integrity of the ceiling’s in question,†Jupiter noted.
“Sound check!†Stephen Stills called out, and the band began tuning their instruments.
Sailor Moon smiled. “I guess that answers it.â€
“What about Kim? They can’t play without a Drummer!â€
“Oh, she’s fine now!†Sailor Mars declared proudly. “I gave her some of my energy; she should be okay for the rest of the show.â€
“You can do that?†Sailor Moon asked.
“I guess I can? I mean I thought I’d try it, and I guess it worked…?†Sailor Mars shyly looked to Kim. “Did it?â€
Kim nodded and dusted herself off. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.â€
“Crazy-ass Canadians…†Jupiter muttered with a smile.
“Are we really so different?†Ranma asked before he gestured to the Senshi. “I mean… look at you guys! Look at me!â€
“Yes, yes, look at you!†Sailor Moon purred at the boy.
Ranma hesitated a bit, and then took a step back when Sailor Moon sidled over to him with an amorous edge to her tone. “I really liked those moves of yours out there. Want to show me some more after the show?â€
Putting his hands up, Ranma quickly shook his head. “Ah… no…†He smiled nervously. “I have a girlfriend, you see!â€
Sailor Moon couldn’t help herself. “Is she cute? Call her up and let’s make this a party.â€
Ranma paused and blinked as he clearly remembered hearing something like that before. Before he could point this out, Sailor Jupiter grabbed Sailor Moon by her long streams of hair and hauled her back. “Down girl.â€
“Sailor Moon,†Natalie called as she ran over to her. Both Naruru and Mikan were at her side, now that it was safe. “You’re not leaving, are you?â€
“No, no-no-no, in fact we wanted to stay for the rest of the show!†Sailor Moon replied cheerfully after freeing herself from Jupiter’s grasp.
“Great!†Natalie took Sailor Moon’s hand, and led her to the front of the stage, and the cheering crowd, a bit thinned due to all the running around caused by the battle but no-less enthusiastic. Seeing two of their idols together, their cheers grew to a fever pitch.
“Greatest show on Earth, am I right!?†Natalie called to the crowd, as Mikan and Naruru joined the two, Naruru looking up at Sailor Moon in awe.
Natalie looked over to Sailor Moon, as Kim performed a few rim shots on her drums to make sure she was up to snuff for the next song. “A few days back I said I had something for you.â€
Sailor Moon brought her hands to her cheeks. “Come on, Nat-chan! You’re making me blush! I don’t need anything from you, protecting people is a reward in itself!â€
“I know, I know, but me and the band were thinking, that if you’re gonna be a hero, you’re gonna need a few things! A bunch of badasses backing you up, a sick-nasty villain to kick the shit out of, but most importantly… you need a theme song! And while you have the first two down pat, Heroes of Gunstar is here to supply the music!â€
And with that, the sound of a bell tolling began to sound from the stage’s speakers. Stepping back, Natalie called out.
“WE ARE HEROES OF GUNSTAR AND SHE IS THE ONE NAMED SAILOR MOON!â€
The band hit it, starting up with Stephen unleashing the opening guitar chords, a sharp sting that led to the intro to the song that sounded vaguely like a hard rock version of an old nineties J-Pop song, Moonlight Marinade or something, Sailor Moon could not be bothered to remember for how cool it sounded. As the intro played, the skyline of Tokyo appeared via projection behind the stage, with a stylized crescent moon above it, it was with the completion of this transition that Natalie began to sing.
Fighting evil by Moonlight
Winning love by Daylight
Never running from a real fight…
She is the one named Sailor Moon!
Natalie pointed to Sailor Moon for emphasis, and Sailor Moon oh, so humbly smirked and shrugged her shoulders.
She will never turn her back on her friends
She is always there to defend
She is the one on whom we can depend,
She is the one named Sailor…
The lights then turned orange, as the astronomical symbol of Venus appeared in place of the Moon, and Mikan and Naruru joined Natalie.
Sailor Venus!
The symbol for Mercury appeared next as the lights turned blue.
Sailor Mercury!
It became Mars as the lights turned red.
Sailor Mars!
The lights turned green, as the symbol became Jupiter.
Sailor Jupiter!
Natalie then stepped forward.
Powerful and unstoppable, she is the one named Sailor Moon… GUITAR!
Stephen Stills cut loose, unleashing a brief but positively smashing guitar solo. Standing close to Kim’s drum set, Sailor Mars tried not to explode from embarrassment, Sailor Jupiter maintained a cool composure, while Sailor Mercury recorded the song for her ringtone.
Up in the lights, where the Senshi had been, Jadeite looked to Motoki and Tuxedo Kamen, the latter of whom just smirked and nodded as he continued to air guitar in tune with Heroes of Gunstar’s guitarist, who was wrapping up his solo with a reprise of the intro. Natalie took it from there, putting an arm around Sailor Moon’s shoulders, which Sailor Moon returned.
Fighting evil by Moonlight
Winning love by Daylight
With her Sailors there to help fight,
She is the one named Sailor Moon!
Beautiful Destroyer Sailor Moon!
She is the one…
She, Sailor Moon, and everyone on stage raised their hands to the air, as the audience did the same and called out together.
“SAILOR MOON!â€
As the greatest concert in Japan’s recent memory raged on well into the night, Nephrite appeared in the lair of Queen Beryl, who was watching the concert on her tablet as she held an orb of energy just above her other hand that was significantly smaller than the energy Nephrite had previously gathered. As he finished materializing, her eyes went from her tablet to him briefly before returning to it.
“You did pretty good, Nephrite.â€
Nephrite bowed deeply.
“Once again, you’ve exceeded my wildest expectations.â€
“Thank you my Queen.â€
Beryl looked at the ball of energy. “But…â€
Nephrite didn’t rise up from his bow. Of course.
“… We’ve proven it fool-proof and effective; we can now raise the quota.â€
Nephrite looked up. “Raise the quota? Why?â€
Beryl dismissed the orb of energy and rubbed her chin. “Remember a while back when I said that Adonis was dead? Well, he’s dead and so is his entire operation. Kunzite can’t even gather energy like he used to because that Sailor Senshi and her friends are a half-step behind him ruining his operation, and Zoisite is trying to help Kunzite kill that other Senshi.â€
She adopted a condescending, if relaxed expression. “So yeah, if you could take on the quotas of three generals and meet them by the end of November… that’d be great.â€
Nephrite recoiled somewhat. “My Queen, I can get the energy I need, six or seven more operations and-â€
Beryl smirked before lowering her tablet. “Nephrite, you know how savvy those girls are. You’ve fooled them three times, but they’re catching up, and pretty soon they’ll know full well what you’re doing… and not just them.â€
She suddenly swung her hand to the side, smashing a spider that had been crawling on the armrest of her throne.
Nephrite grimaced.
Beryl wiped off the back of her tablet. “You need to work fast, you need to work hard, but above all else… you need to work smart. So get out there, champ and show me what knots you can tie those bitches up in.†She then shooed Nephrite away, the tremendous force displaced by her hand buffeting and pushing him back slightly. “Now get out of my sight.â€
His expression tight, Nephrite quietly vanished from Beryl’s throne room. As he left, Beryl returned to watching the stream of the concert on her tablet. When the camera showed a close-up of Kim performing a drum solo, she smirked with pride.
“That’s my little cousin…â€
It was hours later, well after midnight, when Usagi opened her bedroom door and crept inside. The rest of the concert and the after party had taken a lot out of her, it was easily the longest she or any of the Senshi remained in their forms but it was worth it. Lives were saved, a youma was defeated, and everyone had a great time.
“I saw the show online, you were amazing out there!†Luna said from the end of Usagi’s bed.
Usagi smiled to Luna. “Thanks.â€
“Artemis and Minako thought so too.â€
Usagi blinked. “Minako, you mean Sailor V?â€
Luna nodded, and Usagi sighed.
“Sailor V’s been doing this longer than the rest of us, did she offer any critique?†Usagi asked as she began stripping from her clothes.
“Well, Artemis was impressed that you were able to figure out Nephrite’s plan like you were and Minako said that ‘Moon Natalie Action’ was pretty cool.â€
Usagi finished buttoning up her pajamas and looked at her animal advisor. “How does she deal with youma, anyway?â€
Luna’s ears briefly folded back. “Messily.â€
The more Usagi heard about Sailor Venus, the more she wanted to party with her. “I hope she wraps up that Millennium nonsense soon and comes back, we’re going to need all the help we can get.†She climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up.
“We will.†Luna settled in to go back to sleep, and closed her eyes.
“Get help, or we will need it?â€
“Both. Now get to sleep, after a long day like that you must be…â€
Usagi was already snoring. Rolling her eyes, Luna moved up to Usagi’s side, and curled up alongside her to fall asleep as well.
The gunshot echoed across the luscious garden, and then silence fell over it. Her eyes opening cautiously, the Princess sat up, and looked to her Prince, who appeared as bemused by the sound. It wasn’t an enemy; they would’ve fired again by now, wouldn’t they?
A young woman’s laughter then made them freeze, and the lovers turned to find its source standing over them, a young woman in elegant yet very functional attire, twirling a small handgun in her gloved hand. Upon sight, the Princess’s eyes narrowed.
“What’s wrong, Rabbit, did I scare you and the Animal King over there?†She asked in a taunting voice.
Getting up, the Princess hitched her shoulders and began marching straight towards the woman, who lowered her hand and the gun she held. Behind her, the Prince stood and tried to call after her, “Princess, wait…!â€
“No, let her come, I want to see what the pampered bunny thinks she can do,†The woman said smugly.
The Princess stopped in front of the Gunwoman, her fists clenched. The Gunwoman leaned close. “Well, go ahead, do whatever you think you can, Rabbit.â€
The Gunwoman was rather surprised, when the Princess grinned, cocked back, and punched her straight in the face.
With a jolt, the woman dreaming awoke and looked around groggily. She was lying on the deck of a heavily modified, WWII vintage PT Boat. Shaking her head, she brought a hand to her face and rubbed her nose, it still felt sensitive. "Fuck, did I bump my face on something?"
She looked over to a Japanese man, sitting on the edge of the boat with a line cast into the clear and beautiful ocean, the sandy floor only a few meters below them and teeming with fish. "You know, I had the weirdest dream while I was out."
“You were a pacifist advocate for non-violence and gun control?†The man asked.
He was swiftly kicked in the side, painfully. As he whimpered and rubbed where she struck him, the woman lit up a cigarette and took a drag from it. “It was weird; I can barely remember it now. I was in space, or on the moon or something, and there was this chick… who punched me in the face. I fucking hated her.â€
Her companion stared at her with a completely baffled look on his face. It was obvious he was looking for words, any words he could possibly say, he finally found them.
“Revy… did you take any strange pills before we set out?â€
“Fuck you, Rock.â€
= = =
Oh my God... how big was this chapter?!