Past chapters are at: http://www.rahul.net/arromdee/fanfic.html

                      Sailor Moon: Strategy and Tactics
                                by Ken Arromdee

                                   Chapter 6

    Tsukino Usagi, secretly Sailor Moon, was soundly sleeping in her room,
dreaming of many things.  Sleep was a time for dreaming about nice things:
friends, guys (and guy friends), leisure time...  anything but school.  Or
the Dark Kingdom (recently destroyed, unknown to her).

    Meanwhile, two figures were sleeping, for far longer and far more soundly,
safely inside their pod, as it hurtled through space at enormous speeds.  Ail
and Ann had fled their dead world, taking their world-tree with them, in
search of a new home somewhere in the cosmos.

    Of course, they needed energy.  And of course, though they could have
landed anywhere in the near-infinity of the cosmos, they landed on the Earth,
in Juuban, a minute's walk away from where Tsukino Usagi was sleeping.  Their
pod crashed into the ground, waking Usagi, who vaguely perceived its landing
as thunder, but recognized enough of a difference that she dragged herself
over to the window and, eventually, out of the house and down the block to
gaze at what had fallen from the skies.

    Still yawning occasionally, Usagi rubbed her eyes and looked around the
crowd for anyone she knew.  Ami was there, and Minako too.  Usagi waved and
walked over to meet them.

    "Hi Ami, Minako.  I've never seen a meteor before!  Were either of you here
when it fell down here?" asked Usagi.  "I completely missed it, it landed and
that woke me up."

    "I saw it", said Ami.  "A nearly frictionless landing of an object of
obvious biological origin...."

    "Ami-chan?"

    "Yes", replied the genius girl.

    "What does that mean?" asked Usagi.

    "It means it's very strange."

    "Boy it is!" exclaimed Minako.  "Look at the size of that thing!"

    "Hi Minako.  You quoted that correctly!" said Usagi, surprised.

    "I what?"

    "Oh, never mind.  I wonder if they're going to cancel school because of
this."

    "I hope not", said Ami.  "I like school."

    Usagi and Minako looked at each other, bemused.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    When the classes gathered together for the next morning's class assembly,
the staff called forth two new students, and introduced them.  They were Ginga
Seijuro, in grade 9, and his sister Ginga Natsumi, in grade 8.  As the story
went, they were Japanese, but had recently returned from a long stay overseas.
Their physical appearances, brown haired and with normal-looking skin and
ears, gave no cause for suspicion.

    Had Usagi been able to see them inside the space pod, she'd have hardly
been able to recognize them.  But then, what registered to her eyes the most
when looking at them was Seijuro, and what registered about him was 'handsome
guy'.

    "I know you like Seijuro", said Naru.  "I can tell...  he's really good-
looking, you know."

    "Yeah" she replied.  "He's so dreamy...  I wonder what kind of girls he
likes?  Do you think that if I just went to him and introduced myself he'd talk
to me?"

    "I don't see why not... even if he has a girlfriend he could still talk to
you."

    "Don't talk like that, Naru!  He can't have a girlfriend if he just got in,
unless there's someone back in America...  and if there is, she's there, and
we're here!  I'll just walk up to him after school and, er, you can go and
wait and I'll tell you how it all went, okay?"

    "You're not going to get him all to yourself that way, Usagi."

    "Ah, heh, heh.  Okay, come along, then.  But I bet he'll like me the best,
even if I have to show him I'm Sailor Moon.  Sailor Moon's beautiful, heroic,
and saves the city...  he can't help but like Sailor Moon.  Right?"

    Ami, watching and listening up to that moment, let out a sigh and looked
away.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    A whole crowd of girls had gathered around Seijuro after school.  Seijuro
looked among them, each girl eager to attract the attention of the most
eligible boy in the school.  One of them would hit the jackpot.

    They waited expectantly for Seijuro to say something.  He was looking at
them...  he obviously liked them.  Usagi wondered, if by some chance, it
wouldn't just be them he liked; maybe it would be Usagi herself?

    "I know!" said Seijuro.

    The suspense was nearly killing Usagi.  Seijuro was poring over the crowd,
trying to find a girl he liked...  and somehow, his warm eyes actually stopped
on Usagi.  "It will be you," he said.

    Could it be?  Really?  Wow.

    "Allow me to create a song for you, Usagi."  Usagi was overjoyed.  Seijuro
raised the flute to the lips on his handsome face and began to play.  It was a
beautiful melody, and he was playing it for *her*.

    "Oh, Seijuro", said Usagi.  "That's a wonderful song.  What's it called?"

    "It's...  Galaxy Mysterious Improvisational Song...  Miracle of Andromeda."

    "That sounds so...  American!" said Usagi, who had never been to America.

    Meanwhile, nearby, Natsumi was surrounded by a similar crowd of boys,
who asked her about her favorite foods, her blood type, her life in America,
and just about anything else.  One of them asked her to say something in
English, to which she only replied "Peraperapera".

    But then she noticed Seijuro's playing.  To Usagi, the notes were a melody
of unearthly beauty... but to Seijuro's sister they must have been something
else entirely.  Usagi watched her angrily tear herself away from the group and
storm up to Seijuro and her.  Natsumi glared at the two, looking from one to
the other as if not certain who to be angry at.  Finally, she grabbed Seijuro's
arm and grilled him with a "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing", answered Seijuro.

    Natsumi pulled her 'brother' away and out of the room, leaving Usagi and
the others behind.

    So much for boyfriends, thought Usagi.  At least instant boyfriends... but
she could always see him later, right?  But something nagged at the back of her
head.  It was just a little too strange.  A guy's sister shouldn't get jealous
when he finds a girl he likes, should she?  Maybe they weren't really brother
and sister.  Maybe they were fakes of some kind.

    A moment later she realized that that idea was silly.  If they weren't
really related, they would have just introduced themselves as two unrelated
people, instead of relatives.  She had promised herself to start thinking
occasionally, but it couldn't always work, could it?  There were things to do
instead, video games to play....

                                *   *   *   *   *

    In the branches of a tree dimensionally connected to a nearby apartment
building, Ail and Ann, alias Seijuro and Natsumi, let their disguises vanish,
revealing their yellowish skin and pointed ears.  Features that no human
being possessed.  Lying in the branches of their tree, they concentrated,
trying to draw some energy from it for sustenance.  But the tree was weak.

    "There's not much left", said Ail.  "We need to get more energy."

    "But there's plenty on the Earth", replied Ann.  "Plants, animals...
Humans.  They have amazing life energy...  we could settle on this planet and
live here forever.

    "I know", said Ail.  "Pick a Cardian."  He held out a hand of what seemed
to be blank, reflective, cards.  Ann chose one, and Ail played another melody
on his flute.  The card floated in the air and transformed, becoming a pale-
skinned monster with feminine features, green eyes, green fur for clothes, and
a really bad-looking flat haircut.

    "Go out, Cardian Vampiru", commanded Ail.  To Ann, he explained.  "It will
be easy to get all the energy we need.  The people of Earth have never seen
anything like this before."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    It was late at night.  Late enough to be past Naru's bedtime, at least.
Not being tired yet, she was happily engrossed in a phone conversation with
Usagi.

    "So I got the wallet off of that evil guy who was trying to control your
friend", explained Usagi.

    "Wow, that's some story", said Naru.

    "We haven't seen another monster since then.  It was the last time."

    The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud, piercing, scream from
beneath the window.  Naru leaned out the window and looked down at the street.
Outside was a monstrous woman-thing, advancing towards its cowering victim, 
who Naru recognized as a neighbor from across the street.

    Into the phone, Naru yelled "Usagi!  It's not the last time!"

    "Yes it is!  I know, I was there!"

    "It's not, there's a monster here.  It's right outside my window!  Sailor
Moon, please save me!"

    Attracted by the screaming, the monster turned towards Naru and flew up to
the second floor, menacingly waving a flower-like limb whose petals surrounded
two tentacles.  It grabbed her with its superhuman speed and strength while
she struggled uselessly.  Energy flowed out of Naru's body and into the
monster, and she fell unconscious.  Her last words over the phone, before she
dropped it, rung in Usagi's ears.

    "Oh no, not again."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Sailor Moon ran to Naru's house, grasping her moon phone in her hand and
trying to press the right buttons to summon her friends.  She nearly tripped
several times because she wasn't keeping her eye on the sidewalk, but by the
time she arrived she had managed to signal all of them.  But there was no need
to wait for them before acting; certainly the monsters wouldn't.

    Sailor Moon reached the door and knocked hard on it.  "Ms. Osaka!" she
yelled.  "Let me in!  I'm Sailor Moon!"

    Naru's mother opened the door and let her in.  "Thank goodness!" she said.
"Naru suddenly screamed, and in her room I saw this...  this *thing*...  She's
upstairs.  Please save her!  By the way, I'm amazed you got here so fast,
Sailor Moon!"

    "Oh, I have a special arrangement with the police", she replied.  "They
called me on the Moon-phone and alerted me with the Moon-signal.  Don't worry,
I'll defeat that youma for you!"

    Sailor Moon ran upstairs and shoved the door open.  She faced the silly-
looking monster, which was right there, and was still busy draining Naru.  She
had to do something fast to get it off of her friend...  ah, a speech should
distract it.  Monsters were dumb without anyone around to give them orders.
As long as she took care to keep moving around while making it...

    "You are the unluckiest Dark Kingdom monster alive!" she said.  The monster
paused, looking at her.  "You attacked the only person out of billions of
people in the world who was talking to Sailor Moon at the time!  I won't
forgive you for hurting my friend!  In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

    The monster seemed to make a decision, dropping Naru and lashing out at
Sailor Moon instead.  Sailor Moon watched the tentacles come through the
doorway and slammed the door on them as they were halfway through, making the
monster scream...  well, that served it right, she thought!  Monster tentacles
shouldn't just make innocent girls scream.  Girls could make monsters scream
too.

    Carefully timing her attack, Sailor Moon yelled "Moon Tiara Action!"  She
stretched out the last syllable, waiting, and waiting, until just the moment
when the monster tore the door off of its hinges.  At that second, it was wide
open to an attack.  Sailor Moon removed the tiara from her head and threw
it into the creature.  She scored a direct hit; the monster transformed into a
card (something she had never seen a Dark Kingdom monster do before) and then
fell apart into the usual pile of dust.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "How is she?" said Naru's mother, looking in through the ruined doorway.

    "I think she's okay, Ms. Osaka...  I've never heard of anyone being killed
by a Dark Kingdom monster unless maybe no help ever comes."  From below the
stairs came a rapping sound.  "Oh, hey, I think someone's at your door.  I
bet it's the other Senshi."

    "Let me get it."

    "Okay."  Sailor Moon tried to help Naru get to her feet.  She already
seemed to be recovering well.  "Naru?" she asked.  "Are you all right?"

    "I'm fine, Sailor Moon", replied Usagi's friend.  "Like you told Mom.  I
don't feel so good but I'm really just tired.

    Sailor Moon led Naru down the stairs to where Naru's mother was letting
the others in.  "Oh wow", said Naru.  "The other four Sailor Senshi.  I feel
really safe now."

    "It's all over", said Sailor Moon.  Until an odd sound came from up the
stairs.  It wasn't very loud, but it was loud enough to worry Usagi--there
wasn't supposed to be anyone up there, and the monster was supposed to be dead.
"Or maybe it's not all over", said Sailor Moon.  "Everyone, get your attacks
ready.  Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus...."

    Two people floated down the stairs, a boy and a girl.  They were about
Usagi's age.  Their skin was yellow, and they didn't quite look human.  

    "Don't attack!" said the boy.  "We're just going to warn you."

    "Warn us?"

    "Sailor Moon, we didn't know there was anyone like you on this planet."

    "Who are you anyway?" asked Sailor Moon.

    "We're noble travellers of the universe, Ail..."  He bowed.

    "... and Ann", finished the girl, bowing too.

    "I know you were controlling the monster!" said Usagi.

    "Just a little entertainment for you" said Ail.

    "Get real!" said Usagi.  "Nobody works for the Dark Kingdom just because
they're trying to have a little fun.  What are you really up to?"

    "Dark Kingdom?" said Ail.  "I know of no such thing.  Now, I beg your
pardon, but we must go."

    Usagi's friends looked at her, waiting for a signal.  Instead, she just
let the two aliens leave.

    "You let them go", said Sailor Jupiter.

    "Yes, I know that.  Those weren't youma, guys.  They were giving the
youma orders.  They were powerful, and we'd destroy the house if we fought
them here...  that door was bad enough."

    "But you'll track them down", said Sailor Jupiter.  "Right, Sailor Moon?"

    "I hope so.  I've always managed to do it so far, somehow."

    "Can I get you some tea?" asked Naru's mother.  "You've been a great
help...  Sailor Moon anyway."

    "No, thank you, I'm not thirsty", replied Usagi.  Suddenly an idea came to
her.  "Say, do you have any cake?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    During the next day, Usagi was a bit worried about just what was going on
with the Dark Kingdom.  Those enemies had said they weren't from the Dark
Kingdom, and they seemed to mean it.  Yet if they had nothing to do with the
Dark Kingdom, why did they have monsters that looked just like Dark Kingdom
monsters?  Usagi didn't understand it.  But that was something to deal with
with her friends, later, in the Senshi meeting at Makoto's place.  In the
meantime there was school.  Ahh...  Seijuro.  And tests and homework too, but
everything had its flaws.

    'Later' soon came.  Walking away from school, Usagi passed by Natsumi,
and waved.

    "Hi Usagi", replied Natsumi.  "I'm glad to see you."  She didn't sound as
mad as she was the day before, but she still seemed a bit tense.  "Can I
have a word with you?"

    "Hmm?" said Usagi.  "Sure, what is it?"

    "I just want to, er, warn you about my brother Seijuro.  He's really not
as nice a man as he seems.  Sometimes with a girl he'll just..."

    "Just what?"

    "He'll just...  not be as nice a man as he seems!"

    "I don't get it."

    "Well, just stay away from him.  That's all."

    "I suppose" replied Usagi.  What a strange girl Natsumi was.  Jealous of
her brother.

    Looking down the street, Usagi then spotted Mamoru.  There goes another
suspicious person, she thought.  Though she had to admit, he was handsome.

    "Ooooh" said Natsumi.  "Who's he?"

    "That's Mamoru.  And he may pick on people a bit, but I still saw him
first."  Usagi could go up to him before Natsumi did and...  Oh no.  She
couldn't.  She had a Sailor Senshi meeting planned.  She had to get over to
Makoto's apartment.  If she didn't go, she'd be late.  But how could she just
leave Mamoru to Natsumi?

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Usagi reached Makoto's apartment and the other Senshi let her in.  She
looked at the others and sat down, a little dejected.

    "Hi Usagi", said Makoto.  "Is something wrong?"

    "Oh, no!  Everything's great.  It's just so hard coming here."

    "What was hard?" wondered Minako.

    "It's Mamoru.  I had to leave him with Natsumi.  All alone with that one
girl."

    "Don't worry Usagi", said Ami.  "You got here on time.  Barely on time,
but on time.  The only one who isn't here is Rei..."

    "I'm sure she'll be here soon" said Usagi.  "I'll tell her everything she
missed."  She stood up and tried an authoritative tone, copied mostly from what
her teachers had used on her in the past.  "We're all here to figure out how
to deal with these new enemies.  Someone here has to have some idea!  Let's get
to work!"

    Usagi looked around the room.  Ami and Makoto were politely silent;
Minako, Luna, and Artemis looked ready to strangle her.

    "Okay, okay" said Usagi, sitting down on the sofa.  "I can't do it that
way.  But I don't know how to get ideas.  We have to think of something...
even if it's just...  wait a minute.  Natsumi and Seijuro."

    "What is it, Usagi?" asked Luna.

    "We've been looking for people with the right family names...  sorry,
Minako..."  Usagi didn't want to reveal what she suspected about her.  "Well,
look at Natsumi and Seijuro.  Their family names are 'Galaxy'.  And they sound
exactly like Ail and Ann.  And we all met them on the exact same day we met
Ail and Ann, right after that meteor seed thing crashed.  It's got to be them,
even if they look a little different."

    "No, Usagi" said Luna.

    "You don't think so?"

    "Usagi, if it's them, they couldn't possibly have gotten all the paperwork
they needed to pretend to live here and let them go to school.  Not in a day.
Even if they did make fake IDs on their ship."

    "But what if I'm right, Luna?  We could have aliens right in our class!"

    A knock on the door interrupted the argument.  Makoto walked over and let
in the person, who turned out to be Rei.

    "Hi Rei-chan!" yelled Usagi.

    "Oh, I've had so much trouble, Usagi" said Rei.

    "Trouble?"

    "Yes.  Natsumi was alone there with Mamoru and I just had to get him away
from her!  And then we were arguing and he just walked away...  he was
pretending to be annoyed with us for some reason.  It was so awful!"

    "Say, Rei, do you think she might be from outer space?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    By the next day, Usagi had decided.  She would watch Seijuro.  If she
followed him, she could probably find out if he was an alien, and besides, he
was handsome.  She liked some parts of being a Senshi, and hated others, but
watching Seijuro was definitely one of the 'like's.

    Come to think of it, she didn't really even have to sneak around much.
The attraction was mutual.  They could just talk.

    After the final bell rang, Usagi waited by the school gates until he came
out.  When he finally did, she said "Hi!"

    That was all it took, of course.  "You were waiting for me?" said Seijuro
as he stopped.  "Such a vision of loveliness...."

    "It's so much fun hearing you talk like that!" said Usagi.  It was, too,
even though it was a little overblown.  Okay, a lot.  "Is that how people talk
in America?"

    "No, Usagi, it's just me.  I'm not upsetting you, am I?"

    Him?  Upset her?  "Of course not.  I was just curious as to what it's like
in America."

    "It's, er...  nothing like you'd expect.  America's big, so there are lots
of different places there.  I could tell you but anyone else who comes from
there would tell you something different.  Why don't we come to the park and
talk a little more?"

    "They tore down the park a few days ago..."

    "What about some ice cream, then?"

    "Sure!"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "I bet you must be close to your sister", said Usagi, pausing to spoon some
sherbet into her mouth.  "She was worried about you."

    "Pay her no mind", said Seijuro.  "She may be beautiful, but forget about
her for now."

    "Beautiful?  That's strange, my brother Shingo never calls me 'beautiful'."

    "Oh.  Well, forget about that too.  I'm so glad to be with you now, Usagi."

    "Me too!  I mean I'm glad to be with you, not to be with me.  I want to
know all about you...  what's your blood type, your favorite color, what do
your parents do?"

    "I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Usagi.  My blood type is AB, my
favorite color is green, but my sister and myself have been living alone for
a long time.  We're the last of our... family, and we've had to learn to take
care of ourselves."

    "Oh.  That's so sad, Seijuro.  Mako-chan is like that too.  Maybe I could
come and visit you two at home sometime."

    "No" sputtered Seijuro.  "You can't come, Usagi!"

    Why, wondered Usagi, was he so against the idea of having her visit his
home?  Maybe he really was a space alien; he could have all sorts of strange
things from outer space there.

    Seijuro must have noticed Usagi's apprehension.  He quickly added "We've
just moved in and we haven't unpacked so everything is a mess."

    "I understand, Seijuro.  My room's always a mess like that even though I
haven't moved from anywhere.  It must be awful to have a room even worse than
a usual messy room.  By the way, what are you doing there?"

    "What?"

    "Not you, Seijuro."  She yelled over to a nearby table where someone in
a boy's school uniform was facing in the other direction.  "Haruka!  I know
it's you."

    Haruka turned around.  "Oh, Usagi, you're here too!" she said.

    "Haruka, remember I listened in on Rei and Mamoru with you.  So I know
how to do that and it's going to be really easy for me to figure out if
someone's doing it to me."  Usagi explained to Seijuro "Seijuro?  This is
Ten'ou Haruka.  We're just friends.  Haruka, this is Ginga Seijuro.  We're
just friends."

    "Just friends?" wondered both of them in unison.

    Seijuro looked at Usagi with his wonderful eyes.  "Usagi", he said, "our
love is forever, like the universe.  Let's go beyond the stars."

    Usagi giggled from amusement.  Haruka giggled too, but at Seijuro.  "Your
lines..." she said.  "Your lines..."

    "Seijuro", said Usagi, "you don't need to talk like that to impress me.
Why don't you just try to be yourself?  And Haruka, I don't hate his lines.
In fact, they made me realize something."

    "Care to let just a friend in on what it is?" wondered Haruka.

    "Maybe I will, later" replied Usagi.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    The next Senshi meeting was an occasion for snacks and video games, but
that was pretty much the usual.  But the Senshi did do real business too.
Everyone shared her findings, and Usagi's was a big one.  "My suspicion is
right", she explained.  "Seijuro and Natsumi are aliens!  From space!"

    "Really?" said Minako.  "From that space pod?"

    "Yes, really, Minako!  Everyone, tell me what you think of this..."

    Ami nodded first, then the others.  Usagi knew that Ami, at least, would
listen and decide whether her ideas made any sense.

    "We talked for a while...  had ice cream together...  he's handsome and
sweet but he's a little weird.  Has anyone ever watched a movie where someone's
keeping a secret and they say all sorts of things that really have to do with
the secret, but that nobody in the movie ever figures out?"

    The Senshi and cats looked at her skeptically.

    "Well, he said this thing about his love and the universe and the stars...
Universe, stars, space aliens!  I know, it could be a coincidence...  But
then there was that time someone, I think it was Umino, asked Natsumi to say
something in English.  I don't know what she said, but I know it wasn't
English.  It wasn't any language I heard of.  It could be space language.  And
there was that song.  He called his song for me Galaxy-something.  Galaxy,
space aliens!  And we already know they sound the same as Ail and Ann, they're
around the same age, and they appeared on the same day.  Luna, why don't I
invite Seijuro home tomorrow and you can scan him for evil energy?"

    "I want to do that!" said Minako.  "Invite him to my home."

    Everyone else looked at Minako.

    "Well who here wouldn't want to?  The humans, I mean."

    "Ahem", said Usagi.  "Anyway, Luna, please do it?"

    "I could" replied Luna, "but I can't detect aliens.  Unless they're Dark
Kingdom people.  Maybe I could detect them, maybe I wouldn't."

    "It's still something to try", said Usagi.  "Unless anyone knows something
else to do."

    "You could go to his house instead", said Ami.  "My computer can get his
address from the school computer."

    "Hmm..."  Usagi thought.  "I don't know how I could do that.  I asked him
about that and he didn't really want it.  He said they were unpacking but if
they're aliens they could be unpacking wave motion guns."

    "I don't think a wave motion gun is like that", said Makoto.  

    "You could bring him a gift", said Rei.  "Tell him that if you brought it
in school, everyone would get the wrong idea."

    "If I come to his house with a gift, he'll get another wrong idea!  Ami...
I told you to tell me when I'm being dumb.  Am I forgetting something?"

    "Well..." said Ami.  "There must be something."

    Usagi thought a moment and said "Of course!  I can use the disguise pen.
Thanks Ami!"

    "But I didn't..."

    "Ssh", said Luna.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "So where should we go, Luna?" asked Usagi.

    "Well, this is the right address", replied the moon cat.  "That must be
Seijuro and Natsumi's apartment building.  So if you want to get this over
with, you just have to transform and go in."

    "I'm not transforming here, Luna."

    "What?"

    "Luna, I'm not transforming here.  What if someone sees me?  For all I know
maybe someone's looking out their window right now, and they'll know I have a
transformation pen.  I know I told Naru and Natsuna, but I don't want everyone
in the whole world to know who I am.  What if someone's looking out the window
at me?  They'd see me naked for a moment *and* they'd know my identity!"

    "Fine, Usagi.  Go somewhere else to change."

    "Luna, you don't have to get so upset about it.  Please?"

    "All right.  There should be a bathroom somewhere.  Maybe even in the
apartment lobby."

    "I can't use one of those, Luna!  If I change in a place with one exit,
someone could see me going in as one person and coming out as another.  They
could also see me talking to a cat even out here."

    "Usagi, sometimes I wonder if you'd be better off dumb."

    "Hush, Luna."  Usagi gestured over her shoulder, where Natsumi was
approaching.

    Natsumi waved.  "Hello", she said.  "I didn't know you lived around here,
Usagi."

    "I'm really pretty near" answered Usagi.  She was, too.  The space pod had
landed not too far from her house, and Seijuro and Natsumi lived not far from
the space pod.

    "I haven't met your friend", said Natsumi.  "The cat."

    "Oh, she's Luna.  She's pretty friendly to people she knows well."  Usagi
picked up Luna to show her to Natsumi, but first brought Luna close to her
own face.  She quickly whispered "Luna?  Can you sense any evil?"

    "Why are you two whispering?" wondered Natsumi.

    "Me and Luna?  Oh, we're not whispering.  I mean why would I be talking to
a cat, right?  Cats can't understand me or talk back."

    "It certainly looked like you were talking.  Come on, what were you
saying?"

    "Natsumi, cats can't talk.  I bet on your planet you haven't even heard
of cats and you don't know about them."

    "Well, on our planet we...  I mean...  there's no such thing as another
planet!  I..."  Natsumi's voice suddenly faltered, and she leaned against a
car.  "Never mind.  I have to go.  I need...  energy..."  She ran off, into
the building.

    "Are you feeling okay?" asked Usagi, but Natsumi didn't stop to reply.
Then Usagi got out her communicator and pressed the buttons to page all the
Senshi.  "Everyone, I'm at their place.  And Natsumi just ran inside to get
some energy, and I don't think she means an energy drink!  Wish me luck.
Sailor Moon over and out."

    There was just one more bit of preparation needed, and fortunately, there
was nobody else in the lobby when Usagi entered.

    "Moon Prism Power, MAKE UP!"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Sailor Moon often charged in and attacked monsters immediately.  When Naru
was in danger before, she had to do it; otherwise Naru might have died from
energy loss.  But, Usagi realized, that wasn't always best.  Sometimes it
made more sense to wait, and there was no way to know when except to sit down
and figure it out.  Usagi hated thinking about tactics, not just because it was
too much like schoolwork, but because if she messed up, someone could die.
Which in the end, was why she did it, whether she hated it or not.

    It was unlikely that anyone was in any immediate danger here, unless
Natsumi kept prisoners in her apartment to drain energy from.  And even then,
they probably wouldn't be in danger at that very moment.  So this time, it
would be best to wait for the other Senshi.
    
    The main doors opened, revealing Sailor Mars.  Sailor Moon greeted her
as she entered.  "Hi.  Have a seat" she said.

    "We wait now?" asked Sailor Mars.

    "Yeah, Rei, we wait.  If I have to fight them, I'm not going to fight them
alone.  I want us to all be here for it.  One part of my head says to get it
over with so I can do something fun somewhere else, and another says that if
I got us killed because we didn't have enough people, I'd have even less fun."

    "Well, it was lucky I was nearby.  I wonder who's going to show up next?"

    Suddenly a long-stemmed red rose whizzed through the air.  Fortunately,
the stem had landed in a convenient potted plant.

    Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars looked up at a balcony.  "Tuxedo-mask-sama!"
they exclaimed.

    "A tree tainted by evil bears bitter fruit!" intoned Tuxedo Mask.  "The
leaves will... the...."  His voice trailed off as he looked around himself,
eyes suddenly full of confusion.  "There aren't any enemies here.  You're
not..."

    "Not fighting?" guessed Sailor Moon.

    "Yes!  You're not fighting the...  not fighting who you were supposed to be
fighting.  I knew you were about to fight and needed my help, but--"

    "I was going to fight!" said Sailor Moon.  "But I thought about it and I
figured I should wait instead.  I must have ruined the timing for your dreams
or whatever tells you to come over here when I did that.  I'm sorry, I didn't
mean to keep you from having a good entrance, Tuxedo Mask."

    "I..." he said.  "I'm confused.  I...  Goodbye Sailor Moon.  I hope I can
help you better next time!"  He moved so rapidly that he seemed to disappear,
but Sailor Moon, prepared for that, looked all around and glimpsed him out of
the corner of her eye.  He had opened a window and was in the middle of
crawling out through it to the bushes outside.

    "Wait, Tuxedo Mask!" yelled Sailor Moon, turning.

    He stopped and turned.  His hat hit the window frame and fell off, and he
reached down to retrieve it and put it back on his head.

    "I don't mean wait there.  I mean wait with us!"

    "I must go" he said.

    "Before you go, can you tell me if you're really Mamoru?"

    Tuxedo Mask furrowed his brow in concentration.  His hat fell off again,
and as he picked it up, he explained.  "I don't remember...  who am I?"

    "Nice try, dumpling head", said Rei as Tuxedo Mask left.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    The next to arrive was Sailor Venus, followed by Mercury.  Five minutes
later, Jupiter arrived.  The five Sailor Senshi were finally together.

    "Okay!" said Sailor Moon, pushing the elevator call button.  "Now I try to
get in and you stay right behind me.  All right?"

    "Okay!" said everyone.  Even the cats, for once.

    The elevator door opened and they got in.  "Now for the transformation so
they can let me in", said Sailor Moon.  She raised her moon pen into the air.
Then she yelled out a command.  "Moon Power!  Turn me into someone who
they'll let inside their apartment!"  Ribbons of rainbow color enveloped her as
her clothes changed and she lost several years of apparent age, instead of
gaining them as she usually did with that pen.  When the elevator finally
reached Seijuro and Natsumi's floor, what stepped out were four Sailor Senshi,
two cats, and a ten year old blonde carrying several boxes.

    Usagi, with Luna at her feet, knocked on Seijuro and Natsumi's door while
the others waited out of sight around a corner.

    Seijuro opened the door.  "Hello, little girl.  Can I help you?" he asked.

    "Mister...  if you have a little time, I just want to know if you'd be
interested in buying any Sailor Scout cookies.  Can I come in?"

    "Sure, sure" he said and let Usagi and Luna in.

    "We have round ones and square ones and ones shaped like evil monsters",
explained Usagi.  She looked around the room while not even sparing a glance
at Luna, who was already sniffing around at the doors.  Seijuro and Natsumi
were there, still in their school uniforms.  The room was fully furnished and
had a tall shelf full of books.  There were no cardboard boxes or any other
signs of having recently moved in.  Usagi decided that space aliens who could
order their youmas to unpack really wouldn't have much trouble cleaning up
fast after they moved in.

    "We don't eat many cookies here" said Seijuro.  "But maybe we'll just buy
one box."

    "But I sell cookies!  Could you at least buy two?  Waaaah...."  Seijuro
had already gotten his wallet out and was reaching for a 500 yen bill.
Everything was going well; too well.  Usagi couldn't leave before Luna was
finished looking around.  She had to stall for time.  "I've been so tired
walking all over the block selling cookies.  May I sit here for just a minute?
Please, mister?  Waaaaah!"

    "Come on, little girl, don't cry" said Seijuro, while Luna continued to
search.

    Usagi ran up to Seijuro and put her arms around his waist as best she
could at her present size.  "Thank you, mister, thank you, thank you!  I
just know you'll buy my cookies!"

    "Okay, I'll buy three!" said Seijuro.  "Just sit down and stop crying."
Luna was sniffing at a door, and suddenly she nodded--a prearranged signal
meaning she found something evil--and ran back to Usagi.

    "We don't need to buy any", said Natsumi.  "We don't have a lot of this
planet's money."

    "Planet?" said Usagi.  "Planet?  Are you...  space people?  You're going to
eat me!"

    "Don't be silly!" said Seijuro.  "We're not from another planet, and we
don't eat little girls.  He smiled at Usagi, who did a good imitation of
fleeing in terror.

    "I'm gonna go!  You're from Mars and you're going to eat me!"

    "Oh, come on" said Natsumi.  "It was just a joke."

    Usagi backed away from the two to the door, and hit it twice.  The Senshi
waiting outside would hear it.  She heard them come running, and opened the
door to let them in...  and then transformed.  "Moon Prism Power, MAKE UP!"

    Seijuro and Natsumi, not knowing what was going on, watched.  "Sailor
Moon!" they exclaimed in unison as they finally realized who the 10 year old
really was.

    "I'm here to..." said Sailor Moon.

    "Get out or we'll call the police!" said Natsumi.

    "That's not going to work!  We have friends in the police department!"
Sailor Moon pointed to a blue door.  "Luna could sniff out the evil energy.
You have something bad in that room over there and I want to see what it is!"

    "If you're not going to leave, then die!"  Seijuro transformed into Ail,
and Natsumi into Ann, only a moment later.

    "Seijuro and Natsumi are really Ail and Ann!" exclaimed Luna, as if
trying to inform an unseen audience.

    Sailor Moon glared at Luna.  There was really no need to state the obvious.

    Suddenly Natsumi hurled an energy bolt at Sailor Moon.  Distracted by
Luna, she didn't manage to dodge far enough and it grazed her arm.  That
bolt felt as if a needle had stabbed through her arm.  She looked at it in
fear, but was relieved to see only some redness.  Whew...  so though she had
to fight, it wouldn't be too dangerous.  Having her arm disintegrated by alien
ray guns would have ruined her day.

    Ann threw another bolt at Usagi, but this time she dodged it.  Then
Jupiter yelled "Supreme Thunder!" and her tiara gathered energy and flung
bolts of lightning Natsumi's way.  Natsumi might have been fast, but it was
hard for even her to dodge lightning.  When the bolts hit her and she screamed,
Sailor Jupiter tackled her.

    Meanwhile Mars, Mercury and Venus were trying to pummel Ail.  Ail threw
a bolt of energy at them, but it seemed smaller weaker than Natsumi's somehow;
it missed the Senshi, and barely even made a hole in the wall when it hit.
And then, after only one bolt, Ail fled towards the mysterious room of evil.

    The Senshi responded with their own attacks.  "Burning Mandala!" "Shabon
Spray!" "Crescent Beam!" they yelled, burning, freezing, and irradiating Ail
all at once.  He fell against the door, gasping, but managed to grasp the knob,
and turned it, letting the door open, before he collapsed to the floor.
"Makaiju" he whispered, "give me energy..."

    Of course, thought Usagi.  Ann was out of energy before, but she went
home to recharge.  Ail must have been low, not low enough to have to recharge,
but close.  Low enough that without a recharge, he couldn't fight so well.
The room he was going to recharge in was only dimly lit, but Usagi could make
out some kind of huge tree shape in there...  somehow the room seemed bigger
on the inside than the outside.  Like that guy had on that TV show... who was
he anyway?

    "Sailor Jupiter!" she yelled.  "Forget Ann.  Get Ail!  He's weak and you're
the strongest, so you should be able to get him by yourself.  Everyone else,
help me!"  Jupiter threw Ann aside and hefted a table, hurling it at Ail.
The others, suddenly without a target, rushed Ann and pelted her with blows,
not having had enough time to charge up another attack.

    The table slammed into Ail.  Sailor Moon hoped that Jupiter hadn't broken
his bones, but these people were aliens, and obviously much tougher than
humans, if not stronger.  Ail, already crawling, collapsed outright, but
something inside the room was crawling at him.  Like a snake...  No, a tree
branch.

    Jupiter leaped forwards and pulled Ail out of tree branch range, while the
others, fighting four against one, managed to subdue Ann.  The fight was
finally over.  But it wasn't as hard as Sailor Moon had expected; though she
imagined that if they had had to fight Ail, Ann, and the strange tree at the
same time, things would have been much, much, harder.  It was best to fight
enemies separately, if possible.

    "Luna, what's the range on this moon wand?" asked Usagi.  "Do you think I
can get the tree from here?"

    "I think so" replied the cat.

    "Good!  I get enough chances to be brave.  I don't need another one by
doing this from where it can attack me!"  She waved her wand around in an
intricate spiral as she proclaimed, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    The tree moaned and groaned, despite being a tree, and then went silent.
Until it spoke out.  Somehow it had learned Sailor Moon's language just as
Ail and Ann had.

    "I am the Makaiju...  It is over, and thank you, Sailor Moon."

    "Thank you?" she wondered.

    "You may approach if you want.  I won't hurt you.  And Ail and Ann, there
is no need for fighting now."

    Sailor Moon asked Luna "Is it okay?  The evil's gone?"  The cat nodded,
and Sailor Moon walked into the room, followed by the rest of the Senshi and
Ail and Ann.  It was as big as it seemed, and didn't look at all like an
apartment room; it had real soil, and the centerpiece of the room was an
immense tree, the one that was somehow speaking to them.

    "I was born on a beautiful planet", explained the tree, "whose entire
surface was covered with an ocean".  "For a long time I was alone, but I wanted
companionship.  New life budded from my body, and we loved each other."

    Usagi smirked.

    "Not that way!" replied the tree.  "We lived together in happiness, but
then they began to quarrel over my energy, and lost their love for me.  Hatred
and malice controlled them, but I still believed and hoped peace would return.
They destroyed their own planet in their wars.  We escaped into space and
searched for a new planet...  The last two were you, Ail and Ann, born after
all the others who had died.  The last two, in whom I placed all my hopes.  I
surrendered my consciousness..."

    "So it has nothing to do with the Dark Kingdom after all.  It was just a
coincidence", said Sailor Moon.

    "I never needed energy, I only needed love."

    "Love?" wondered Natsumi.

    "But", said the tree, "you thought only of stealing.  I lost control of
myself, and until the power of Sailor Moon's love purified me...."

    "Now wait just a minute", said Sailor Moon.

    "What?" said the tree.

    "You needed love from them, and you forgot to tell them?  You couldn't
even leave a note or something?  I know they can read."  And, thought Sailor
Moon, people called *her* dumb?

    "I..."

    "It doesn't really matter anyway.  Will they be okay now?  I mean, from
what you're saying, you never needed energy.  But they did.  Where else
were they going to get it from aside from taking it?"

    "I never needed energy in order to give them energy.  As long as they love
me and the world, I will have all the energy they need."

    "Well, say what you mean!"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "Thank you" said Ail.

    "Seijuro... so it's all over.  Nobody's hurt."

    "If we had gone on attacking people to get energy for the Makaiju, Sailor
Moon..."

    "It would have gone completely evil and purifying it would have killed it.
But it didn't, and I didn't.  Are you going to keep coming to school?"

    "Our own planet's gone", said Ail.  "Of course we will."

    Usagi looked at her friends.  "Should we tell them?" she asked.  Each one
in turn nodded.  The vote was unanimous.

    All the Sailor Senshi let go of their magical forms, and transformed back
to normal.  The two aliens then transformed to human form too.

    "U-- Usagi?" said Seijuro.

    "It was you!" said Natsumi.  "You who got Seijuro to love her."

    "I didn't 'get' anything, Natsumi, and you should have told us you weren't
brother and sister in the human way.  How was I supposed to know?  You could
have said you're second cousins and let everyone know you were dating
Seijuro."

    "We're not really 'dating', said Seijuro.  "And Natsumi, I know there's a
guy named Mamoru you've been eyeing, so it's not as if you haven't done
anything like that."

    "Really?" said Usagi.  "You're not dating?  Oh, that's good!"  She thought
a moment.  "I'm sorry, Natsumi.  The whole dating and jealous thing is
something even human junior high students haven't completely figured out."

    Natsumi looked doubtful.

    "But *anyway*" said Usagi, changing the subject, "maybe you should tell
everyone at school that you're aliens.  They'd all love you!"

    "Do you really think nobody would mind that we're a little different?"
asked Seijuro.

    "They might", interjected Minako.  "Sometimes if you're different, it makes
people think they're better than you.  If you're anything other than Japanese,
who knows what everyone else at school would think."

    "Minako..." said Usagi.  "I don't think it's like that."
    
    "Usagi", said Makoto.  "People hate me right now for being too tall and
strong.  For not being exactly the same as everyone else."

    "I think she's right", said Minako.

    "Well..." said Usagi.  She could guess what Minako had meant.  It was
something they'd have to talk about.  "Maybe it's, er, not a good idea after
all.  It's a one way thing, you can't undo telling everyone who you are.  So
let's forget it, okay?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "I'll see you later, Seijuro, Natsumi!" said Usagi as she left.

    "Bye everyone" said Makoto, and left.

    "Bye" said Rei, then Ami, both leaving.

    "See you later" said Minako.  She turned to leave.

    "Minako, can I talk to you?  In private, outside somewhere."  She looked
down at her cat.  "Luna, without you.  I mean really private."

    "Me?  Sure, Usagi.  It's not about telling me not to go after Seijuro, is
it?"

    Usagi shook her head.  "Minako, it's nothing like that.  And this does
have to be private.  From everybody except us."  She looked down at her cat.
"Luna, I really mean everybody.  I don't know what cats do for fun, but could
you go off and have some cat fun?  Please."

    "Usagi", said Luna, "Are you going to at least tell..."

    "No.  I'm not."  The cat looked up at Usagi and seemed to decide that there
was no way to make Usagi less stubborn this time.  Grudgingly, Luna walked
away.

    Usagi watched the cat until she was satisfied that she was nowhere in the
area.  Looking around, she decided that the pool area behind the apartments
would be the best place to talk.  "Minako", she said, "we can go over there.
It's cold enough that nobody's going to use it while we're there."

    "You're being serious again, aren't you, Usagi?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Usagi led Minako over to a vending machine behind the pool fence and
looked around.  "This is okay", she decided.

    "So what's the big secret?" wondered Minako.

    "I don't know if it's a secret, Minako.  I have to ask you: are you
Korean?"

    "WHAT?"  Minako backed off from Usagi.

    "Minako", said Usagi.  "You're going to fall into the pool if you go back
any more.  And I really do need to know.  I'd rather ask you now and get you
a little mad than be right and have the Dark Kingdom blackmail you about it."

    "What makes you think I could be Korean?" asked Minako.

    "Because...  Maybe it's a little strange, but I started to wonder because
of your name."

    "My name?"

    "Yes, your name.  All of us have names that end in a name that fits the
name of our planets.  I'm Tsukino...  Tsuki...  The moon.  Rei is Hino Rei...
Hi...  The kanji in 'Mars'.  Even Haruka fits.  There's only one exception."

    "Me?"

    "Yes, you.  You're Aino Minako.  'Ai' seems to have something to do with
Venus, but it's the wrong kanji.  The right kanji...  the most popular name
that has the right kanji is 'Kim'.  And a lot of Koreans change their names to
pass as Japanese.  If your family changed theirs, that would explain it."

    "Or it could be a coincidence!"

    "Then", continued Usagi, "you didn't want to work for Natsuna.  I really
didn't understand why, but maybe there was something you didn't want her to
find out.  Like doing a background check and finding out that your parents'
fingerprints are on file.  So when you said what you said to Ail and Ann, I
wondered.  You don't stand out like Makoto or even Ami, so there had to have
been some reason.  If you're not Korean, Minako, just tell me you're not."

    Minako looked down, and didn't say anything, and Usagi knew very well what
that meant.

    "It's okay", said Usagi.  She hugged Minako, who seemed about to break
into tears.  "I don't think worse of you for it.  Please believe me."

    "You don't?  Really?"

    "Really...  cross my heart and hope to be drained by youmas."

    "Usagi, thank you.  I'm glad, I hoped you wouldn't, and I thought you
wouldn't...  but I couldn't *know*.  Someone can seem the nicest person in the
world, and then they find out I'm Korean, and they won't even speak to me after
that.  It happened to me before, when people found out.  It only ended when I
moved to England.  It's not fun."

    "But that was years ago, Minako.  We're not little kids any more.  We don't
do that kind of thing."

    "People our age do it to Makoto, and she's just tall."

    Usagi didn't know how to answer that.  Minako was right.  She herself had
tried to comfort Makoto, when she had sounded upset over the phone and when
they had first met in person.

    "I wonder what would happen to Seijuro and Natsumi if they told.  Maybe
everyone will say they're loud troublemakers, like Koreans.  Maybe it'll just
be a 'space men are after our Earth women' sort of thing.  Maybe nothing at
all."

    "Of course they're after Earth men and women, Minako.  Who else is there?"

    "Dark Kingdom youmas?"

    "I can just imagine Seijuro trying to ask a youma out!" said Usagi,
laughing a little.  "Maybe they could go somewhere and get some energy, just
the two of them...  oh, I'm sorry, Minako.  I know it's a serious thing for
you."

    "It's okay!  Like they say, laughter is the blessed medicine.  Thanks,
Usagi, you've been great about this."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    While Setsuna had power over time, her powers weren't as straightforward
as letting her see the future.  She could see possibilities; she could push
things in certain directions; but her influence was limited.  If time was like
a stream of water, she was like a beaver building a dam.  And everyone else
was a rock, but enough rocks could still make an avalanche.

    And lately the future Neo-Queen Serenity wasn't a beaver or a rock, she
was a flash flood that could instantly change that stream more than any beaver
could.  The world's survival, and its ultimate perfection, rested in the hands
of Usagi and those that would guide her.  Usagi had thrown the flow of time
off track, and there was no way to be sure even that it would even reach the
ocean any more.

    Enough.  Setsuna had to do something.  Crystal Tokyo, as near a place to
utopia as human beings could hope for, must be allowed to exist.  And Setsuna
would have to take a more active hand in ensuring it did.  The first step
was to make sure that Usagi defeats Queen Beryl.  Was that even possible any
more, the way Usagi had been acting?  If she didn't find the Silver Crystal,
or if her friends lived and she wasn't angry enough to kill Beryl...  so many
'if's.

    Setsuna looked for the possible futures where Usagi defeated Beryl.  But
in growing horror, she searched and searched and found none.  That means that--
wait.  There was no timeline where Beryl conquered the planet, either.  But
that was impossible, unless...  Beryl was already defeated?  But how?  It was
to be a narrow escape.  Everyone but Usagi was supposed to die.  She would use
the power of the Silver Crystal...  But she didn't.  She didn't turn back time,
and *that*, Setsuna would have noticed.

    If Sailor Moon had defeated Beryl without turning back time, things were
even worse than Setsuna had thought.  Everything *could* still happen on
schedule, just a year early, with nobody noticing that a year wasn't repeated.
Except for one big problem.  Setsuna had sent Small Lady a year into the
future, so she'd appear when Sailor Moon was fighting the Black Moon family.
But now...  that was wrong.  If that repeated year never happened, the Black
Moon would be happening fairly soon.  Small Lady should appear *now*.  Instead
of fixing time, Setsuna had ruined it further....

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "Usagi!  Telephone for you!" exclaimed her mother.  "It's some girl named
Minako."

    "Oh!  I'll get it."  Usagi ran downstairs and picked up the phone.  "Hi?"
she said.

    "Hi", said Minako over the speaker.  "This may be a weird question. but..."

    "Go on."

    "Usagi, I need to ask you before we meet today.  If I told everyone about
me, and it didn't work, would you be able to use your moon wand to make them
forget?"

    "Hey, that's a great idea!  Hmm.  Oh, maybe it's not that good.  I don't
think..."  Whoops.  Usagi lowered her voice to a whisper.  "I don't think my
magic items let me erase everyone's memory.  I'd have to ask Luna to really be
sure."

    "Usagi", asked Minako, "why are you whispering?"

    "I don't want Mom and Dad to hear me talk about magical girl stuff.  I
might reveal my identity someday, but I'm not going to do it early..."  She
raised her voice to normal.  "If you really want to tell everyone you're
Korean, maybe you should just tell Makoto first.  Or Haruka.  I think maybe
Haruka would understand."

    "Maybe.  Maybe if we get to know each other for a while I will."

    "Just as long as you don't mean you want Haruka to be your boyfriend.  You
can't have Haruka as a boyfriend!"

    "I can't?"

    "Because Haruka is a girl."

    "Oh, that's right.  I forgot."

    "Anyway, I'll see you when we all meet today."

    "Okay, bye Usagi!"

    "Bye Minako!"  Usagi put the phone down and hurried to the door.

    "Hold it, Usagi", said her mother.  "Where are you going?"

    "I'm just going out to be with my friends.  I won't be out real late, so
it's okay."

    "I heard you on the phone, Usagi", said her mother.  "I really think you
should be staying home tonight.  That Korean girl sounds like she might be a
bad influence."

End.

Author's note: there is some information on the web about Koreans in Japan,
but needless to say, it's not something the Japanese talk about much, so it's
hard to tell just how much discrimination happens today.  I hope that this fic
is at least within the plausible range.

I probably should go through my fics and fix the honorifics too.  It's not
always clear which one to use.