Spoiled Brats - Chapter 24

[DarkFyre99]

Spoiled Brats

Acknowledgements: A thousand thanks for everyone who have bore with me this last month. From my friends and family who haven’t said too much about my recent obsession with writing, to the folks at fukufics dot com who provided C&C, and of course everyone who have read and reviewed the final version on fanfiction dot net. I wouldn’t have managed to do this without you.

Chapter Twenty-Four – Encounters and Meetings, Part Two

Usagi pounded on the man’s muscled back, yelling, “Put me down! Put me down! Aaaaaaa! Don’t drop me!” This last came out as the man jumped several stories up to another rooftop. When the man ran across the roof and jumped across an alley, and up several more stories, the girl screamed again as she reached for her locket. ‘I’ve got to transform!’

“That is no way to treat a lady,” a familiar male voice declared. “You will put her down, gently and safely, and you will do it now! And when you’re done, you’ll apologize to the lady.”

‘Tuxedo Kamen-sama!’ Usagi craned her neck in order to see that it was indeed Tuxedo Kamen, who was holding his cane like a sword, the tip pointed at the strange man.

The short and slender man shook his head vigorously. “No way! I caught her fair and square! Go find your own!” He did, much to Usagi’s relief, put her gently and safely down. The girl scrambled away from the man, whose fur-lined clothing was faintly reminiscent of a fox. The man withdrew a handful of throwing spikes. “Leave now, or you’ll get hurt.”

Kamen’s eyes behind his mask narrowed. “The only one who’ll get hurt is a lout like you.”

The fur-clad man hurled his spikes at his tuxedoed foe, who deflected each one with his cane. He then pulled a sword, and charged at caped man. Tuxedo Kamen easily evaded the clumsy attack, driving the point of his cane into the man’s stomach in the process.

Much to the surprise of both Usagi and the Tuxedo, the man was only briefly stunned. ‘He really is a monster!’ Usagi thought. The man assumed a much more traditional sword stance, as if daring Tuxedo Kamen to attack.

Usagi jumped when another voice yelled, “ENOUGH!” right behind her. The girl turned around, and much to her surprise, the voice’s owner wasn’t right behind her, but across another alley and one floor up. He was a tall and powerfully built man, and quite handsome, Usagi noted with surprise. He had long flowing pink and white hair, and his scaled armor glistened in the sun. A second, smaller man stood by his side, also clad in furs. “Parsley, you have embarrassed me enough in one day. Do not make me regret bringing you along.”

“I am sorry, my lord.”

“Besides, you’re asking out a girl all wrong! Let me demonstrate!” Usagi’s eyes opened in alarm as the man jumped at her. The taller one grabbed him by the back of his tunic, preventing him from crossing the alleyway.

“Mint, I think the lady has been harassed enough for one day.”

“Of course, Lord Herb.”

Herb jumped across the alley, and very politely kissed Usagi’s hand. “Please forgive my men for what they…” Herb turned his head to the left, and then to the right, staring at the two men who were scribbling in notebooks. “What are you two idiots doing?”

“Taking notes!”

“Yes. This is good stuff!”

Ignoring the giggling Usagi, Herb asked, “By any chance, do you know where I could find Takeda Megumi?”

“My Lord Herb?” Mint asked, confused. “I thought we were looking for… oof!” Mint was cut off by Herb’s elbow to his gut.

Tuxedo Kamen looked suspiciously at the pink haired man. “I believe you could contact her through her agent. Galaxy Studios would probably be able to contact him for you.”

“Of course. A warrior of her caliber would have people to speak for her. My thanks. Mint! Parsley! Come!” With a flourish of his cape, Herb leaped back up to the taller roof, his two men close behind. He was soon out of sight.

Usagi, a bit starry eyed, watched him depart.

“Ahem!”

“Oh, sorry!” Blushing, Usagi bowed to Tuxedo Kamen, and said, “Thanks for rescuing me, Tuxedo Kamen.”

“My pleasure, Sailor Moon.”

Usagi gaped at the masked man. “Wha… how?”

Tuxedo Kamen removed his mask. “I saw you transform at the park,” Chiba Mamoru said. “I felt it was only fair that you know who I was in return.”

Usagi jabbed a finger at him in surprise. “But… you…”

Mamoru smiled as he replaced his mask. “Exactly my reaction. Let’s get you back to street level, so you can get to school.”

Still slightly in shock, Usagi simply nodded.

- + - + -

Naru was attempting to describe what had happened to the two police officers. It was kind of hard to do so without sounding like a complete lunatic, but enough weird events had been happening around Minato that they were inclined to believe her. Especially, if she was reading things correctly, Sailor Saturn had foiled another abduction attempt earlier.

Naru gasped in surprise when a man in a tuxedo jumped down from a nearby three-story building, carrying a blushing Usagi in his arms. He set her friend gently on her feet, tipped his top hat to her, and jumped back to the rooftops. Usagi waved at him, calling enthusiastically, “Thank you for saving me!”

Naru shook her head at her friend’s ability to shrug things off like that casually. She’d had one brush with a youma, at her mama’s jewelry store, and she’d had nightmares for weeks. ‘I’d scream if someone jumped down three stories carrying me, and she acts like that happens every day. Usagi-chan, what’s happening to you? You seem to be drifting away from me, ever since you made friends with Ami-chan. Even when I’m with you, you seem so distant. Will the day come when you don’t have time for me anymore?’

- + - + -

“Tsukino-san, this is beyond belief, even for you,” Haruna-sensei exclaimed as Naru and Usagi arrived at their classroom. “You are over half an hour late! And you, Osaka-san…” Haruna-sensei trailed off as the two of them presented notes from the Principal. After reading it, the pair found themselves in the tearful embrace of their Sensei. “Oh, I’m sorry I yelled at you two! Are you all right? Do you need to sit down? Of course you do!”

It took a few minutes for their mercurial teacher to calm down. As Naru dug into her book bag for the things she needed for their first class, she noticed that Ami-chan actually was absent. ‘The girl never misses school. At least I’ll have Usagi’s undivided attention for a change.’ From her seat, she saw her best friend staring at the empty desk in concern, and the familiar feelings of jealousy reared their ugly head. ‘Ever since Usagi decided, out of the blue, that Ami-chan needed a friend, I’ve been seeing less and less of her. I really can’t begrudge Ami-chan Usagi’s attention, but…’

Mizuno Ami entered the classroom, blushing as all eyes turned towards her. Naru’s eyes widened when Haruna-sensei, after reading Ami-chan’s note, hugged the surprised girl with a cry of, “Oh no! Not you too!” When Ami passed by Usagi, she whispered something to the girl, who nodded. ‘What’s going on?’ Naru asked herself.

- + - + -

“I’m sorry Naru-chan, Hikari-chan, Maeko-chan, but I really need to talk with Ami-chan at lunch today,” Usagi said, before she followed the class genius out of the door, her bento in her hand.

“Naru-chan, what exactly happened between the two of you on the way to school?” One of their friends asked, concerned.

“Yeah, have you and Usagi-chan been fighting or something?” Another of their friends asked.

“No, it’s not that… It’s… excuse me, girls. I’m going to talk to Usagi-chan.”

“Want us to come with?”

Naru shook her head. “Something weird, and kind of scary, happened on the way to school today, and I think something similar happened to Ami-chan too. I think it’s best if we kept it between us, for now. I’ll let you know if there’s something really wrong.”

Naru headed towards the roof, where she knew Mizuno habitually ate lunch. She was at the foot of the stairs to the roof when she heard Usagi’s excited voice. “Minako-chan? You’re going to Juuban now! Lucky!”

“Easy, Usagi-chan,” a rather familiar voice said. “You really need to hear what happened to Ami-chan and me this morning.”

“What happened?” An unfamiliar third voice said.

“We were attacked by someone,” Ami-chan said.

“Dammit, Sensei was really off on her estimate, wasn’t she?” The unfamiliar voice said.

“No, Mako-chan”, the familiar one replied. “These weren’t from the Dark Kingdom. These were people from Sempai’s past. These were humans who serve some being called Saffron, who use magic to mutate themselves into bird people. Really nasty people, from what we’ve seen, and from what Sempai’s said.”

“Great,” a second unfamiliar said faintly. For some reason, the voice didn’t quite sound right to Naru’s ears. “Are there any other skeletons that either you or your sempai failed to mention, Aino-san?”

‘Wait… that’s AINO Minako!’ Naru thought, stunned.

“Naru-chan and I were kind of attacked this morning too,” Usagi-chan said. “Do you think it’s related?”

“ ‘Kind of attacked, Usagi-chan?’ ”

“Hai, Mako-chan. It didn’t really feel like an attack, more like a misunderstanding. Their leader was really polite when he apologized, too. I got the feeling the guy didn’t really understand how to ask a girl out.”

“Was their leader named Herb?” Minako asked.

“Hai,” Usagi replied. “How did you know?”

“Hear anything interesting?” A menacing voice asked, right behind Naru. The girl turned her head, and saw the scowling face of an auburn haired woman. The woman gently pushed the girl up the stairs, saying, “You know, girls, you really need to make sure you’re alone before you start discussing sensitive information in public.”

Usagi stared at Naru in shock. “Naru-chan?”

“She’s your friend, Usagi-chan,” the woman said. “It’s your decision.”

“What do you mean, Megumi-san?”

“Do you know what they call a secret known by more than one living person?” Usagi shook her head, “Public information.”

Naru’s eyes widened as the full implications of what the woman said sunk in. She looked around, seeing Aino Minako and a girl she recognized as Kino Makoto looking at her gravely. Ami-chan looked as horrified as Naru felt right now, and Usagi looked confused.

Naru could tell the moment that Usagi figured out the woman’s veiled threat. “No! No! No! Naru-chan’s not a threat. She won’t tell anyone, will you, Naru-chan? You won’t hurt her, will you, Megumi-san?”

“I don’t have to hurt her, Usagi-chan. I can easily erase the last fifteen minutes of her memory.

“Is that really necessary?” The second unfamiliar voice said, coming from the cell phone in Ami-chan’s hand.

“Anonymity is the only advantage you girls have right now. What she doesn’t know, she can’t reveal.”

“It’ll be alright, Usagi-chan,” Naru said, making a decision. ‘It won’t be as scary if I make the decision, right?’ Naru thought. ‘I don’t know what’s happening, but I trust Usagi-chan.’

Usagi shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I trust Naru-chan.”

The woman named Megumi looked at Naru’s friend through narrowed eyes. “Are you sure, Usagi-chan?”

“Hai. No offense, Megumi-san, but we need at least one person involved who isn’t involved with the ‘past life.’ Naru-chan’s really smart, and she might point out something we overlooked.”

“That’s a very good idea, Usagi-chan,” Megumi-san said. “Provided that Osaka-san agrees to get some training, for her own protection.” At Naru’s nod, the woman said, “Then it’s decided. Now, Usagi-chan, what was this about Herb?”

- + - + -

When Usagi finished her story about that morning’s encounter, Ranma shook her head. “Herb sure has mellowed. I guess he got married, after all. Both the Musk Dynasty and Kiima are in Tokyo at the same time. What next, the Amazons?”

A familiar voice interrupted. “Hai. Long time, no see… Takeda Megumi.”

Ranma looked up in surprise at the school’s clock tower. “Shampoo,” she said, nodding. “Your stealth techniques have improved greatly in the years since we last saw each other.”

The Amazon warrior nodded. “I thank you for your kind words. I bring you greetings from the Matriarch and the Council of the Amazons, Takeda-sama,” Shampoo said in very formal Japanese. “As per our agreement, I also bring two warriors, who have violated our laws, and sought to do injury to you and yours.” The Chinese woman shoved two bound teens off the tower. “I leave their judgment to you, as the one they tried to harm, and as a gesture of respect.”

Ranma produced a tanto out of somewhere, ignoring the girls’ wide-eyed stares. “I take it they went after Minako-chan like Kiima did?”

“Hai.”

“Are they fully trained warriors, including the Hiryuu Shouten Ha and the Bakusai Tenketsu?”

“Hai.”

Ranma smiled evilly. “Then I sentence them to the ordeal.” She weakened the ropes just enough for them to break free, eventually. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” In a shimmer of air, Ranma and the two bound Amazons vanished. A second later, Ranma appeared about twenty meters above the roof. She fell fast, landing on her feet while leaving a crater of cracked rooftop.

Shampoo hopped down. “What did you do to them?”

“Well, I decided to let them decide their own fate. If they keep their wits about them, they’ll survive, and if they don’t… well…”

“What exactly did you do to them?” Mizuno Ami asked in a tight voice.

“Ami-chan, what’s human terminal velocity?”

Ami blinked at the unexpected question. “About fifty-three meters per second.”

“And how long does it take to fall from about ten kilometers in altitude?”

“About 192 seconds, assuming they started from a stationary… you didn’t!”

Ranma nodded smugly.

Usagi leapt to her feet, along with Makoto. “There’s no way anyone could survive a fall that high!”

Shampoo snorted. “If someone can survive a fall from 150 meters, then they should be able to survive a fall from anything higher.”

“Provided they keep their wits,” Ranma added.

“Hai. It’s survivable, but the sudden stop at the end will probably be painful.” Shampoo said grimly. “It’s a good lesson, assuming they survive. Oh, look. There they are!” She pointed to two falling dots to the south.

“I do believe they’re on a trajectory for the lake in the park.”

Shampoo nodded. “That’s a good sign.”

A tornado appeared right below the pair of falling bodies.

Ranma frowned. “I think their timing is off.”

Shampoo nodded. “Yes. They started too soon. The tornado will dissipate while they’re too high in the air.”

“They’ll survive, at least, and learn from their mistakes.”

“True.”

“By the way, Herb’s in town too, and he’s looking for me.”

Shampoo frowned. “What’s he doing here?”

“Probably the same reason you and Kiima are: Saffron. Do you have a number where you can be contacted?”

“Yes.” The Amazon handed Ranma a piece of paper. “It’s my cell phone number.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a call when I find Herb. You’d better check on your two criminals.”

“Hai. It was nice to see you again, Megumi-san. I’m glad you’re well.” With that, Shampoo jumped off the roof, to the surprise of the already stunned girls on the roof.

“She jumped down five floors like it was nothing,” Makoto said, looking down.

“Five and a half, she had to jump the safety fence too,” Ami added.

“Sempai… you wouldn’t have let them die, would you?” Minako asked, uncertainly.

“If they had come directly after me, I would’ve beat them until unconsciousness, and then called it even. But they went after you instead. I wanted to send a clear message to them, and those who think like them. A pair of bodies sends one message, but that,” Ranma pointed in the general direction of Prince Arisagawa Park, “Sends an entirely different message.”

“Which is?” Usagi asked in a quiet voice.

Ranma’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t go after the people I care about. If that was me being merciful, imagine what I’d do if I was pissed off.”

Silence descended upon the roof of Juuban Junior High. Eventually, a forgotten cell phone said, insistently, “Would one of you please tell me what’s happening? Hello? Anyone?”

- + - + -

The prisoner hung limply from his chains, his blank gaze focused upon a spot on the floor. He tried to summon the will to move his gaze to something more interesting, but it proved to be too much for the dejected figure. He couldn’t even make the effort to remember his name.

“Where the hell am I now?”

Something deep within the prisoner was stirred by that plaintive cry. The tiny core of free will assaulted the prison that trapped it, desperate for any chance to escape. It concentrated every single ounce of power it had, in order to say a single word.

“Help.”

[Ordieth117]

A somewhat confusing, but still exciting addition to the story. I'm not sure this fits well as a chapter by itself, but it's entertaining if nothing else.

[Dumbledork]

Damn! Everyone from Ranma's past is coming back. As friends or as foes? And is that Ryoga at the end of the chapter?

[Jomasten]

Holy jumping Jesus Christmas biscuit, batman! Everyone and their (great great) grandmother are coming back like flies to rotten meat! And, it is still funny to see the Musk almost the same.

EDIT:
Srsly, though, you should probably reorganize this chapter. Everything happened a bit at once, so I got lost on some key points.

[DarkFyre99]

A somewhat confusing, but still exciting addition to the story. I'm not sure this fits well as a chapter by itself, but it's entertaining if nothing else.

This is part two of what would probably be a rather long chapter (10,000+ words) if it was together. I'm trying to keep the chapter lengths down for this fic, because there's a lot less temptation to go back and rewrite what I wrote earlier once it's been published, so I'm trying to chop it up into natural subchapters, at places that would make a pretty good transition point.

This particular Monday is very busy for Ranma. It's one crisis after another for our hero.

Srsly, though, you should probably reorganize this chapter. Everything happened a bit at once, so I got lost on some key points.

As the author, I have a hard time telling where things get confusing, since I wrote the thing, and may not realize I accidentally left out crucial information. I noticed I had already done it once, when I reread it while adding in the italics tags.

Could either of you be more specific?

My first instinct is to move Usagi's encounter with the Musk to the previous chapter, where I originally had it. But this chapter is rather heavy without it, and I couldn't resist ending the last chapter with a bit of a cliff-hanger, to create a bit of tension about the Musk's intentions.

That would leave the whole chapter dealing with events at Juuban Junior High.

[stratagemini]

Wait... The Prisoner at the End, I assume that it was Zoicite, but that phrase... That phrase was Pure Ryouga.

[Ordieth117]

I personally think that this chapter would make more sense if you had a summery of the previous chapter's events at the beginning. Reminding us that Minako and Ami were attacked by Phoenix people (_and_ Amazons? When did that happen?), and that Usagi was abducted by a Musk.

Then, maybe a small break between the action and Naru's POV. The conversation from Naru's POV was particularly confusing for me. Not much emotional reaction on Naru's part, no speculation, just trying to follow the conversation of a LOT of people, and doing so poorly.

[PepperJAQ]

Wait... The Prisoner at the End, I assume that it was Zoicite, but that phrase... That phrase was Pure Ryouga.

i think the idea there was that ryouga happened on the same cave as zoicite...

[AshK1980]

It looks like it is going to be an interesting chapter when it's posted. I am indifferent toward Cliffhangers. It's nice to see some of the other Ranma 1/2 characters being involved in this story. Good going.

[DarkFyre99]

I personally think that this chapter would make more sense if you had a summery of the previous chapter's events at the beginning. Reminding us that Minako and Ami were attacked by Phoenix people (_and_ Amazons? When did that happen?), and that Usagi was abducted by a Musk.

Thanks, that gives me an idea...

Then, maybe a small break between the action and Naru's POV. The conversation from Naru's POV was particularly confusing for me. Not much emotional reaction on Naru's part, no speculation, just trying to follow the conversation of a LOT of people, and doing so poorly.

Thanks again. I'll need to polish that section up quite a bit.

*goes back to drawing board*

[bissek]

Ignoring the giggling Usagi, Herb asked, “By any chance, do you know where I could find Takeda Megumi?”

“My Lord Herb?” Mint asked, confused. “I thought we were looking for… oof!” Mint was cut off by Herb’s elbow to his gut.

Tuxedo Kamen looked suspiciously at the pink haired man. “I believe you could contact her through her agent. Galaxy Studios would probably be able to contact him for you.”

While we (and Herb, given that he knows that Megumi is Ranma) knows that both gender pronouns are technically valid ways to refer to Megumi, I haven't seen anything that implies that Mamoru knows this.

[DarkFyre99]

While we (and Herb, given that he knows that Megumi is Ranma) knows that both gender pronouns are technically valid ways to refer to Megumi, I haven't seen anything that implies that Mamoru knows this.

Ah... that's the problem with pronouns in Ranma 1/2. It's so easy to get confused.

The "him" referred to Megumi's agent, not Ranma himself.

[DarkFyre99]

Well, here's the second draft of chapter 24.

Major changes were to add a scene of the two Amazons stalking Minako, and to remove Shampoo's appearance, and the scene with the prisoner.

Minor changes were to add more internal monologue for Naru, and a few tweaks here and there for greater clarity:

_______________________________________

Spoiled Brats

Acknowledgements: A thousand thanks for everyone who have bore with me this last month. From my friends and family who haven’t said too much about my recent obsession with writing, to the folks at fukufics dot com who provided C&C, and of course everyone who have read and reviewed the final version on fanfiction dot net. I wouldn’t have managed to do this without you.

Chapter Twenty-Four – Encounters and Meetings, Part Two

Mascara and Lather of the Amazons were not having a good day. They had spent the weekend carefully laying an ambush for the doxy of their hated enemy, Saotome Ranma. They would leave her mutilated corpse as a warning to outsiders who dared to become an obstacle to the destiny of their tribe. And then, when their enemy was distracted by grief, they’d breach the wards he’d erected around their apartment, and liberate the keys to Saffron’s power.

The plan was perfect. It was foolproof. It also didn’t work. The girl had changed her morning routine. So they decided to do things the old fashioned way: knives. They kept an eye on the girl and her companion as they talked with their elders. They had overheard just enough to know where the girls would be going. It was a pity the other girl had to die, but she was just a weak outsider. No great loss there.

They prepared a second ambush… only to have that fail, when the girls went the wrong way. The pair glanced at each other, at a loss for what to do, when a pair of warriors from Mount Phoenix attacked the girls. Ranma’s little tramp certainly had good instincts, tackling the longer-haired girl out of the way, and easily slipping out of her coat when one of them seized the hood of her coat in his talons.

And then she showed up. An avenging warrior in a white body suit and a dark blue skirt that appeared from nowhere, striking down the two winged warriors as easily as one would swat a fly. The Amazons decided then and there that today would be a very poor day to take the girl’s life. As they began to rework their plans, the pair never noticed the shadow moving up behind them.

- + - + -

Tsukino Usagi was no stranger to weird happenings. She was Sailor Moon, the sailor suited guardian of love and justice. She regularly fought life stealing monsters, but getting abducted by foreign young men was a new experience.

Usagi pounded on the man’s muscled back, yelling, “Put me down! Put me down! Aaaaaaa! Don’t drop me!” This last came out as the man jumped several stories up to another rooftop. When the man ran across the roof and jumped across an alley, and up several more stories, the girl screamed again as she reached for her locket. ‘I’ve got to transform!’

“That is no way to treat a lady,” a familiar male voice declared. “You will put her down, gently and safely, and you will do it now! And when you’re done, you’ll apologize to the lady.”

‘Tuxedo Kamen-sama!’ Usagi craned her neck in order to see that it was indeed Tuxedo Kamen, who was holding his cane like a sword, the tip pointed at the strange man.

The short and slender man shook his head vigorously. “No way! I caught her fair and square! Go find your own!” He did, much to Usagi’s relief, put her gently and safely down. The girl scrambled away from the man, whose fur-lined clothing was faintly reminiscent of a fox. The man withdrew a handful of throwing spikes. “Leave now, or you’ll get hurt.”

Kamen’s eyes behind his mask narrowed. “The only one who’ll get hurt is a lout like you.”

The fur-clad man hurled his spikes at his tuxedoed foe, who deflected each one with his cane. He then pulled a sword, and charged at caped man. Tuxedo Kamen easily evaded the clumsy attack, driving the point of his cane into the man’s stomach in the process.

Much to the surprise of both Usagi and the Tuxedo, the man was only briefly stunned. ‘He really is a monster!’ Usagi thought. The man assumed a much more traditional sword stance, as if daring Tuxedo Kamen to attack.

Usagi jumped when another voice yelled, “ENOUGH!” right behind her. The girl turned around, and much to her surprise, the voice’s owner wasn’t right behind her, but across another alley and one floor up. He was a tall and powerfully built man, and quite handsome, Usagi noted with surprise. He had long flowing pink and white hair, and his scaled armor glistened in the sun. A second, smaller man stood by his side, also clad in furs. “Parsley, you have embarrassed me enough in one day. Do not make me regret bringing you along.”

“I am sorry, my lord.”

“Besides, you’re asking out a girl all wrong! Let me demonstrate!” Usagi’s eyes opened in alarm as the smaller man jumped at her. The taller one grabbed him by the back of his tunic, preventing him from crossing the alleyway.

“Mint, I think the lady has been harassed enough for one day.”

“Of course, Lord Herb.”

Herb jumped across the alley, and very politely kissed Usagi’s hand. “Please forgive my men for what they…” Herb turned his head to the left, and then to the right, staring at the two men who were scribbling in notebooks. “What are you two idiots doing?”

“Taking notes!”

“Yes. This is good stuff!”

Ignoring the giggling Usagi, Herb asked, “By any chance, do you know where I could find Takeda Megumi?”

“My Lord Herb?” Mint asked, confused. “I thought we were looking for… oof!” Mint was cut off by Herb’s elbow to his gut.

Tuxedo Kamen looked suspiciously at the pink haired man. “I believe you could contact her through her agent. Galaxy Studios would probably be able to contact the man for you.”

“Of course. A warrior of her caliber would have people to speak for her. My thanks. Mint! Parsley! Come!” With a flourish of his cape, Herb leaped back up to the taller roof, his two men close behind. He was soon out of sight.

Usagi, a bit starry eyed, watched him depart.

“Ahem!”

“Oh, sorry!” Blushing, Usagi bowed to Tuxedo Kamen, and said, “Thanks for rescuing me, Tuxedo Kamen.”

“My pleasure, Sailor Moon.”

Usagi gaped at the masked man. “Wha… how?”

Tuxedo Kamen removed his mask. “I saw you transform at the park,” Chiba Mamoru said. “I felt it was only fair that you know who I was in return.”

Usagi jabbed a finger at him in surprise. “But… you…”

Mamoru smiled as he replaced his mask. “Exactly my reaction. Let’s get you back to street level, so you can get to school.”

Still slightly in shock, Usagi simply nodded.

- + - + -

Naru was attempting to describe what had happened to the two police officers. It was kind of hard to do so without sounding like a complete lunatic, but enough weird events had been happening around Minato that they were inclined to believe her. Especially, if she was reading things correctly, Sailor Saturn had foiled another abduction attempt earlier.

Naru gasped in surprise when a man in a tuxedo jumped down from a nearby three-story building, carrying a blushing Usagi in his arms. He set her friend gently on her feet, tipped his top hat to her, and jumped back to the rooftops. Usagi waved at him, calling enthusiastically, “Thank you for saving me!”

Naru shook her head at her friend’s ability to shrug things off like that casually. She’d had one brush with a youma, at her mama’s jewelry store, and she’d had nightmares for weeks. ‘I’d scream if someone jumped down three stories carrying me, and she acts like that happens every day. Usagi-chan, what’s happening to you? You seem to be drifting away from me, ever since you made friends with Ami-chan. Even when I’m with you, you seem so distant. Will the day come when you don’t have time for me anymore?’

- + - + -

“Tsukino-san, this is beyond belief, even for you,” Haruna-sensei exclaimed as Naru and Usagi arrived at their classroom. “You are over half an hour late! And you, Osaka-san…” Haruna-sensei trailed off as the two of them presented notes from the Principal. After reading it, the pair found themselves in the tearful embrace of their Sensei. “Oh, I’m sorry I yelled at you two! Are you all right? Do you need to sit down? Of course you do!”

It took a few minutes for their mercurial teacher to calm down. As Naru dug into her book bag for the things she needed for their first class, she noticed that Ami-chan actually was absent. ‘The girl never misses school. At least I’ll have Usagi’s undivided attention for a change.’ From her seat, she saw her best friend staring at the empty desk in concern, and the familiar feelings of jealousy reared their ugly head. ‘Ever since Usagi decided, out of the blue, that Ami-chan needed a friend, I’ve been seeing less and less of her. I really can’t begrudge Ami-chan Usagi’s attention, but…’

Mizuno Ami entered the classroom, blushing as all eyes turned towards her. Naru’s eyes widened when Haruna-sensei, after reading Ami-chan’s note, hugged the surprised girl with a cry of, “Oh no! Not you too!” When Ami passed by Usagi, she whispered something to the girl, who nodded. ‘What’s going on?’ Naru asked herself.

- + - + -

“I’m sorry Naru-chan, Hikari-chan, Maeko-chan, but I really need to talk with Ami-chan at lunch today,” Usagi said, before she followed the class genius out of the door, her bento in her hand.

“Naru-chan, what exactly happened between the two of you on the way to school?” One of their friends asked, concerned.

“Yeah, have you and Usagi-chan been fighting or something?” Another of their friends asked.

“No, it’s not that… It’s… excuse me, girls. I’m going to talk to Usagi-chan.”

“Want us to come with?”

Naru shook her head. “Something weird, and kind of scary, happened on the way to school today, and I think something similar happened to Ami-chan too. I think it’s best if we kept it between us, for now. I’ll let you know if there’s something really wrong.”

Naru headed towards the roof, where she knew Mizuno habitually ate lunch. ‘Just what is going on between those two? The Usagi I know wouldn’t be so… nonchalant about what happened this morning. And how’s Ami-chan involved in this whole thing?’

She was at the foot of the stairs to the roof when she heard Usagi’s excited voice. “Minako-chan? You’re going to Juuban now? Lucky!”

‘Minako? Usagi never mentioned a friend named Minako…’

“Easy, Usagi-chan,” a rather familiar voice said. “You really need to hear what happened to Ami-chan and me this morning.”

“What happened?” An unfamiliar third voice said.

Naru frowned. ‘Who are these people Usagi’s talking to? Is she part of a gang or something? Yeah, right. I can’t see either Usagi-chan or Ami-chan making trouble or roughing people up.’

“We were attacked by someone,” Ami-chan said.

“Dammit, Sensei was really off on her estimate, wasn’t she?” The unfamiliar voice said.

“No, Mako-chan”, the familiar one replied. “These weren’t from the Dark Kingdom. These were people from Sempai’s past. These were humans who serve some being called Saffron, who use magic to mutate themselves into bird people. Really nasty people, from what we’ve seen, and from what Sempai’s said.”

‘Dark Kingdom? Magic? Bird people? Is this some kind of joke?’

“Great,” the second unfamiliar voice said faintly. “Are there any other skeletons that either you or your sempai failed to mention, Aino-san?” Something seemed off with that voice.

‘Wait… that’s AINO Minako!’ Naru thought, stunned.

“Naru-chan and I were kind of attacked this morning too,” Usagi-chan said. “Do you think it’s related?”

‘Kind of attacked?’ Naru thought. ‘I was scared half to death, and it was only sort of an attack? Barely worth mentioning? Usagi, you used to break into tears when someone jumped out and yelled, “Boo.” ’

“ ‘Kind of attacked,’ Usagi-chan? ”

“Hai, Mako-chan. It didn’t really feel like an attack, more like a misunderstanding. Their leader was really polite when he apologized, too. I got the feeling the guy didn’t really understand how to ask a girl out.”

‘Is that really Usagi up on the roof?’

“Was their leader named Herb?” Minako asked.

“Hai,” Usagi replied. “How did you know?”

“Hear anything interesting?” A menacing voice asked, right behind Naru. The girl jumped, and when she turned her head, she saw the scowling face of an auburn haired woman. The woman gently pushed the girl up the stairs, saying, “You know, girls, you really need to make sure you’re alone before you start discussing sensitive information in public.”

Usagi stared at Naru in shock. “Naru-chan?”

Naru looked at her friend apologetically. She really hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the conversation had been so strange, that she couldn’t help it.

“She’s your friend, Usagi-chan,” the woman said. “It’s your decision.”

‘Decision?’ Naru thought. ‘What decision?’

“What do you mean, Megumi-san?” Usagi asked, looking concerned.

“Do you know what they call a secret known by more than one living person?” Usagi shook her head, “Public information.”

Naru’s eyes widened as the full implications of what the woman said sunk in. She looked around, seeing Aino Minako and a girl she recognized as Kino Makoto looking at her gravely. Ami-chan looked as horrified as Naru felt right now, and Usagi looked confused. ‘She can’t be serious!’

Naru could tell the moment that Usagi figured out the woman’s veiled threat. “No! No! No! Naru-chan’s not a threat. She won’t tell anyone, will you, Naru-chan? You won’t hurt her, will you, Megumi-san?”

“I don’t have to hurt her, Usagi-chan. I can easily erase the last fifteen minutes of her memory.”

‘Kami-sama! This can’t be happening!’

“Is that really necessary?” The second unfamiliar voice said, coming from the cell phone in Ami-chan’s hand.

“Anonymity is the only advantage you girls have right now. What she doesn’t know, she can’t reveal.”

‘I don’t know what’s happening, but I trust Usagi-chan. She’s my oldest friend,’ Naru thought. “It’ll be alright, Usagi-chan,” Naru said, making a decision. ‘It won’t be as scary if I make the decision, right?’

Usagi shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I trust Naru-chan.”

The woman named Megumi looked at Naru’s friend through narrowed eyes. “Are you sure, Usagi-chan?”

“Hai. No offense, Megumi-san, but we need at least one person involved who isn’t involved with the ‘past life.’ Naru-chan’s really smart, and she might point out something we overlooked.”

Naru stared at her friend in surprise. ‘Are you really the same girl who got a 54 on her last test?’

“That’s a very good idea, Usagi-chan,” Megumi-san said. “Provided that Osaka-san agrees to get some training, for her own protection.” At Naru’s slightly panicked nod, the woman said, “Then it’s decided. Now, Usagi-chan, what was this about Herb?”

[Ordieth117]

Especially since, if she was reading things correctly, Sailor Saturn had foiled another abduction attempt earlier.

Missing word there.

I really like the changes in the chapter. It flows better now and it seems more like a complete chapter on its own.

[khim]

It's chapter 24 still... And it's even shorter now... I sure hope this'll not be a case where perfection will become the enemy of good...