Disclaimer: As hard as I have tried, I still don't own the rights to Sailor Moon.

AN: This is going to span all of season 1, but with a slightly darker look at it. This chapter is just the very beginning, but I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon, which will start the main plot. This will be slightly AU, but I plan on sticking pretty close to canon. It's not going to be primarily a romance story, but there will definitely be romance in it. :) Please review and let me know what you think!

Usagi Tsukino walked down the street, happily licking away at an ice cream cone. She was in a good mood, because she'd had a test today in school, and she thought she did pretty well. Well.. by 'pretty well' she meant she thought there was a reasonably good chance she passed. Plus, she had just gotten her allowance, so she was looking forward to an afternoon spent at the Crown Fruit Parlor, with a milkshake in hand, playing the new Sailor V game and fantasizing about Motoki. Usagi was just about to turn the corner to the parlor, when she saw a group of kids throwing rocks at a poor cat.

"Hey, you!" Usagi shouted. "Back off!"

The boys, a couple years younger than Usagi, took off running.

"Oh, you poor little kitty," Usagi said. The cat backed away a bit, but Usagi held out a hand. "It's okay, kitty, I won't hurt you. What's that on your forehead?"

Usagi peeled off the bandages on the cat's forehead and saw a peculiar crescent moon there. The cat was black all over, except for on its forehead where there was a small, yellow crescent moon.

"Huh, that's odd," Usagi said. "Well, kitty, I'm afraid we have to say goodbye now. I'd love to take you home, but my mama would freak out if I brought you home. Apparently I'm not responsible enough to take care of a pet." Usagi rolled her eyes at the cat. She gave it one last pet, scratching it behind the ears, and then she left and turned into the parlor.

Luna watched the girl go with curiosity. She had felt an odd aura around her. It was… well, Luna couldn't quite figure out what it was. But it was different. Could she be one of the warriors Luna was sent to find? There was only one way to find out. Luna quickly followed after the girl.

Usagi skipped into the parlor, swinging her purse.

"Hello, Usagi-chan," Motoki greeted as she walked up to the counter.

"Hi, Motoki-onii-san!" Usagi said. "I'll have a chocolate malt milkshake, please."

"Coming right up," Motoki said. He walked off into the kitchen, and returned a couple minutes later, milkshake in hand.

"Here you go," Motoki said. "One chocolate malt milkshake, as requested."

"Ahh," Usagi said as she took a sip of the frothy drink. She loved all things sweet, but chocolate was her favorite. And no one could make a chocolate milkshake like Motoki.

After she was done with her milkshake, Usagi headed over to the video games at the front of the store. She was dying to play the new Sailor V game, it came out a couple weeks ago but she'd blown all her allowance.

"Arrgh, come on!" Usagi muttered as she pressed the controls frantically. She was just getting to the second boss fight, and that was always what did her in. She had to access the secret weapon in order to defeat the boss, but it was locked in a chest behind the boss, and the key was in the underwater level. Usagi could barely make it out in time, much less find the key. And besides, even if she managed to get the key, the box was behind the monster! Usagi sighed in despair as she died, the words 'game over' flashing on the screen. Well, that was all for today, she didn't have any more money on her.

Usagi left the arcade, waving goodbye to Motoki, and starting on the path home. It was getting close to dinner time, and she was just starting to fantasize about what her mama might be cooking, when she caught her foot on an uneven slab of concrete, and her shoe went flying.

"Ow!" Usagi looked behind her to see a man clutching his head, with her shoe in the other hand.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Usagi asked, bowing respectfully.

"Watch what you're doing, Odango Atama!" The man said.

Usagi was about to apologize again, when the man's words sunk in. "Excuse me, what did you just call me?"

"Well, what do you expect, wearing your hair like that?" The man gestured to Usagi's usual hairstyle.

Usagi was livid. "Why, you… you little…" she couldn't even think of a good insult. She just marched right up to the man, snatched her shoe from him, and walked off.

Who did he think he was? Ruining her perfect day like that! Usagi continued home, unaware of the cat following her.

By the time Usagi got home, it was starting to get dark, and she could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen.

"I'm home!" Usagi said, following her nose to where her mother was in the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart, how was school today?" Usgai's mother asked as she stirred a pot on the stove.

"Fine," Usagi said, sitting down at the table and popping a rice ball into her mouth.

"How did your test go?" Ikuko swatted Usagi's hand away as she reached for another rice ball.

Usagi winced. She knew this question was coming. "It was fine. We find out our scores net week."

"Well, I hope you get a better grade than on your last test," Ikuko said. "Not that you could really get much worse than a 20%… really, Usagi, if you only studied more, I'm sure you could…"

Usagi tuned her mother out. She got these speeches all the time, and she had them memorized by now, She did try, really, it's just… well, given the choice between lying around reading comics and snacking or doing her homework, it was obvious which one was more fun.

A couple of hours later, after she had finished dinner, Usagi went upstairs to her room. To her surprise, she saw the same black cat from before sitting on her bed.

"How did you get in here?" she asked the cat. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave, my mama won't let me keep you."

"I need to discuss something very important with you, Usagi," the cat said.

Usagi just stared at the cat. "Did… did you just talk? Because cats don't talk. Even I know that!"

"Well, I do, obviously," the cat said,. "Now listen…"

"This is so weird," Usagi said. "I must've fallen asleep or something, or maybe all the studying I did for my last test wasn't too good for my brain, because really, cats don't talk."

"Just be quiet for a minute!" the cat said. "My name is Luna, Usagi, and—"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Usagi asked.

"I have my sources, it's not important," Luna said. "What is important, however, is that enemies are attacking this world, and I need your help. You are destined to be a powerful warrior, and it is your duty to protect this planet from harm."

"Wait, me, a powerful warrior? Enemies? Yeah, right." Usagi said, shaking her head.

"Just listen to me. Use this," Luna jumped into the air, and produced a small brooch out of nowhere. "To transform into Sailor Moon. It will grant you the powers needed to fight off the enemies. Shout 'Moon Prism Power' to activate it."

Usagi hesitantly picked up the brooch, fingering it carefully. She knew what the cat said couldn't be true… I mean, her, a warrior? Besides, magic didn't exist. But something about it felt so right.

'Eh, why not?' Usagi thought. It couldn't hurt. So she stood up, held out the brooch and shouted "Moon Prism Power!"

To her surprise, Usagi felt power and light explode within her. She could feel her clothes fading away, and being replaced by a new uniform. But most of all, Usagi could feel the power running through her veins, she could feel it crackling in her fingertips. When the transformation was done, Usagi looked down at herself. Her school girl uniform had been replaced with knee-high red boots, long white gloves, a white leotard with a blue collar, a blue skirt, and a red bow on the front and back of her leotard. Reaching up, Usagi felt a tiara on her forehead.

"Wow," Usagi said, marveling at how different she looked.

"There's no time to waste," Luna said. "Servants of the Dark Kingdom have already started to infiltrate this planet, and without you, all hope is lost. I have yet to find the other Sailor Senshi, so for now, it is up to you. Meet me tomorrow morning at daybreak at the Juban park. I will explain more then, and we must immediately start training."

"Daybreak?" Usagi whined. "But tomorrow's Saturday! I was looking forward to sleeping in."

"Well, I'm afraid that will have to wait," Luna said. "The fate of the planet rests on your shoulders now, Usagi."

"But why me?" she asked. "Why can't it be someone more capable?"

"You were chosen by destiny," was all Luna said. "Don't forget, tomorrow at daybreak, in the park."

And with that, Luna leapt out Usagi's open window, and disappeared.

Usagi, still in her Sailor Moon outfit, realized Luna hadn't told her how to de-transform. Luckily, Usagi instinctively knew what to do. She closed her eyes briefly, and concentrated on it. She felt the power fade from her fingertips, and her Sailor outfit shimmer back into her everyday clothes. Usagi sunk onto her bed, staring at her hands. Just minutes ago they'd held such power, as if Usagi could destroy anything she wished. It scared her. She couldn't be a powerful warrior! She was just ditzy, cry-baby Usagi. All she wanted out of life was to pass middle school, get Motoki's attention, and master the Sailor V games. She didn't lead a complicated life, and she liked it that way. She knew that whatever Luna was talking about was big. And she could feel, it, too. Even after de-transforming, Usagi felt different. Changed. As preposterous as it was to believe in talking cats, magic and mystical enemies called the Dark Kingdom, Usagi knew it was all true. And protecting the planet rested on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Talk about a big responsibility. Usagi had never been responsible, she did badly in school, and she was absent-minded and ditzy. Usagi didn't know what the future would hold for her, but all she did know was that everything was about to change, whether she liked it or not.

AN: Please review!