Hi all! This is a redux of my original story Princess Plan. I may change the name; so keep an eye on my profile for updates.
This is mainly because I wasn't happy with the first version, and my writing has matured over the last few years, so once an anonymous reviewer named lala mentioned that my story had great potential and didn't actually go anywhere with a lot of it I agreed. Hence, this.
Please remember this is an AU story, and hence, I get to change things. Like, for example, everyone's age. They're all a few years older at the start, about sixteen for the girls, eighteen or older for the guys. You'll see what else I change! If you were a reader of the old story, then I hope you will find this a better, fuller and more adult version.
So, here we begin.
Chapter 1: A hero is awakened
Serena Usagi Tsukino sipped her cold orange juice and frowned thoughtfully before running a slim hand through tousled blond hair. It was still dark outside, the pale dark just before dawn, but still dark and she reflected that it wasn't everyday that she was up before her mother. Hell, it wasn't any day that she was up before her mother, but her sleep had been disturbed and she had been thirsty.
Her frown deepened as she recalled the dream that had woken her.
No. Not a dream.
A nightmare.
A voice had called to her from the darkness. It was deep, male, and pleading. It had been cut off, mid cry, and she had seen flashes through fog of women, well, girls, really, dressed in clothes that looked like they belonged in anime… or in a porn movie. They had all had different colours; all represented something different she was sure of that, though she didn't know what it might be. They had been fighting something. Something huge, dark, and nameless.
She shuddered. Something terrible had happened to those girls. She was sure of it.
And she had seen herself, too, through the fog. The other self had been crying, weeping and staggering away from something. She had been wearing a dress that she had never worn or even seen before; white, long and elegant with little puff sleeves and gold embroidery on the bodice. The dress of a true princess.
The now empty glass almost slipped from her grasp. Princess? Why did that thought make her so cold?
She found herself at the kitchen window, staring at the moon as it sank below the horizon and made way for dawn.
The moon. That was where she had been. Her older self… her other self? Was it another her, or someone who looked like her? She pondered that for a moment, still watching the moon set.
Whoever the girl that looked like her was, she had been friends with the girls wearing the strange outfits. The Sailor Scouts. She started in recognition as she thought of that, the name of the team flitting through her conscious like a butterfly.
Yes… yes… she had been that person she had seen, long ago, and the Sailor Scouts had been her friends. And her mother had been Queen. Yes… she had been a princess.
A wry smile twisted her face. Typical, she was a princess, every girls dream, and yet the idea filled her with nothing but fear. Why? She frowned again. What had happened to make her feel this way? The evil dark from her dream?
But that was a long time ago. She reassured herself. Its just a dream about a past life, if that. Just my imagination, even.
And yet, she felt as if there was something she needed to do. Something connected to that long ago person. Something very important.
What? What? What?
With a sigh she rinsed her glass. There was no use worrying about it now. Especially since it was early morning and she was hungry. She cast her eye around the kitchen, knowing that in a few minutes her mother would be up and making a lovely breakfast that she could enjoy for once. But she felt restless, and decided that waiting wouldn't work for her today.
She crept back upstairs and dressed, spent a few minutes applying more than her usual make up (she had to hide the bags under eyes somehow) and pulled her long golden hair into its usual twin buns.
After leaving a quick good-morning note to her parents she strode out the door, book bag in hand. She loved Tokyo at this time of day, not that she got to see it much. Sleep was just too precious to her to be out often at this time. She watched as the morning traffic, now only trickles of cars and bikes, slowly got thicker as the day progressed. She headed for her favourite bakery in the mall, hoping to get a muffin for breakfast, in a gentle wander, unconcerned about being late, for once.
She was almost at the bakery when something happened. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe. There was a pounding in her head, and she was somewhere else, watching as a monster threatened her friend Molly. She heard her best friends scream, and collapsed to her knees.
The monster felt exactly the same as the darkness in her dream.
How is this possible? No! What am I thinking? I've got to help Molly!
She staggered to her feet, ignoring startled looks from passersby and ran back the way she had come, towards Molly's mothers shop, Osa-P.
Just as she reached the shop, the glass plate windows exploded in her face with an earth shattering noise. She shrieked and ducked sideways; catching a glimpse of the monster she had seen in her vision a few seconds previous. It had its hand wrapped around Molly's throat.
Goddamnit! She snarled to herself, how the hell am I supposed to help her against that?
A vision of the girls from her dream came to her. The uniforms, the Sailor Scout Uniforms. She had to become something like that!
Inwardly, the part of her that was free to comment on such things rebelled against wearing the fan-service outfit.
Outwardly she looked desperately around for an idea to help her become one of the Sailor warriors she had seen in her dream.
"How?" she cried desperately, tears running down her cheeks. "What do I do?"
Here she was, useless as Molly was dying!
The answer came unbidden, from somewhere deep inside her.
Hold out your hand.
She did so and stared in amazement at the small drop of blood in her palm. She had been cut in several places by the glass, but something about her hand...
The tiny drop of blood glowed and there was a golden flash, and she blinked back stars. There, resting in her hands was a long, silver staff. At its head there were two intricately carved wings, between which nestled a crescent moon with its two points curving so tightly that they almost touched. The neck and body of the staff where covered in a gold, copper and silver braid that twisted around and around to the very base of the staff where there was a vicious point.
"Wow!" She breathed. Somehow, she had made herself a tool to use in this battle... but how?
Sailor Sceptre Power.
Again the voice from deep inside her. She obeyed it without hesitation this time,
"Here goes nothing! Sailor Sceptre Power!"
Tiny white lights appeared at the moon on her staff before floating quickly to her. One hit her stomach, and her white school shirt changed to a white bathing suit-like top with a wide white collar. Another hit her hip and her school skirt morphed into a shorter, heavier version, but remained the same colour. Another light touched her bow, and it too morphed into a darker red and slightly bigger bow. A light for each hand, and she was wearing white gloves with red and blue braid at the cuff. Another light hit her back, and another bow appeared, its tails reaching to the ground. A light for each leg, and deep red stiletto boots emerged with silver crescent moons on each. A light at her neck morphed into a red choker with a silver crescent moon in the centre. A final light for her forehead and a silver tiara appeared with a blood red gem in its centre.
Sailor Moon looked down at herself and grinned, before frowning again. With the transformation had come many memories. Memories she would have to think about later, she realised before turning back to Osa-P. She ran at the building, leaping through a broken window and landing easily, even on the glass that was everywhere. She took the situation in at a glance.
Molly's mother was lying on the floor, unconscious. Molly herself was still struggling in the grip of the monster, a strange purple creature with withered skin and terrifyingly glowing but dark eyes.
There was a man there too, and she paused to try and place where he stood in this strange tableau. He wore a dinner jacket, a mask and a cape, all pure black. Her wielded a cane like a sword and darted in to strike at the distracted monster even a she watched. His speed was impressive, she thought, but knew somehow she could do better.
"Oi!" she yelled to get the monsters attention, and it turned. So did the man in the tux. They beheld a young woman, wearing a strange mix of school uniform and cosplay. She held in one hand a sceptre as long as her arm. In the other was a glowing disc.
"Who the devil are you?" demanded the monster.
"My name is Sailor Moon. This place is a place to shop and have fun. I won't forgive you for ruining it, nor will I forgive you for hurting innocents!"
The man remained silent, seemingly puzzled by her entrance, but the monster laughed. "Sailor Moon? Never heard of you. Never will again, either. Arise, my minions! Serve the Negaverse!"
Sailor Moon watched in horror as Molly's mother slowly began to shift, and climbed to her feet. She was joined by a man in a cleaners' uniform. Their eyes were hollow, and they moved towards her.
Oh, great. Zombies.
Sailor Moon sucked in a deep breath, and threw the disc.
"Moon Tiara Slice!" the glowing disc flew straight and true, straight over the heads of the two controlled humans and through the arm of the beast before lodging in the wall behind them. Molly and the severed arm dropped to the floor.
By that time, Molly's mother and the cleaner were on her. She ducked reaching hands and began to whine.
"This isn't fair! Where are my guardians who are supposed to help me with this?" among her new memories were the two guardian cats of the Moon.
She rolled away from a swipe and came up with a kick, winding the cleaner.
"Sorry! But seriously, I get to do this all..."
She leapt over molly's mum.
"...By..."
She ducked under the swinging blow of the creature.
"...Myself!"
Sailor Moon raised her sceptre and planted the sharp end in the zombie's eye with all the strength she could manage.
It screamed, the sceptre flashed a bright white light... and it was gone. Nothing remained but a pile of dust, and even as she and the silent man watched, it too vanished. And the feeling that she had felt since that morning, the need to do something, vanished with it.
"Hah! Done and dusted! Moon dusted, that is." Sailor Moon cried jovially as she approached the wall and wrenched her tiara from its spot. She placed it back on her forehead and turned to see the man in the tux standing in one of the high windows of the shop, silhouetted against the new sun.
"And who are you when you're at home?" she asked, still in that same bright voice.
He looked down at her for a few seconds before bowing. "My name is Tuxedo Mask. You fought well, Sailor Moon. And you are not on your own."
He disappeared out into the street.
Sailor Moon stared after him for several seconds, lost in thought. She had no memory of a man in a tux. But he had been wearing a strange jewel hanging from his bowtie that she felt she should know. Not to mention the man was seriously hot!
But her thoughts turned quickly to the memories that had swarmed back to her when she transformed.
Serenity. That was her name. Princess Serenity of Lunaria.
She felt grief bubble up inside her. The kingdom of Lunaria was long gone, so long gone that people on earth had forgotten her. And now here she was, fighting the same foes that had destroyed her home in her new life on earth.
The Negaverse. The named filled her with dread and pain. She remembered each of the Sailor Scouts now; her dear friends had died protecting her and her mother. And her mother had died sending them forwards in time... to now. This place. This time.
"I guess I have to find the others." She muttered. But there was still so much she didn't know. Who was the man that called to her? How had she died? Had she been alone? Had she been fighting? How would she fight now? That monster... no, nega-creature had been fairly easy to defeat, but surely that wasn't the most powerful creature the Negaverse had to offer? She would need the other Scouts in order to fight. She couldn't rely on the masked man, especially since she didn't know who he was in relation to her.
These musings were cut short by a low groan from Molly. Sailor Moon jumped, startled, and quickly left the shop the way she had come. The street was surprisingly empty, but even so she hid behind a dumpster in an alley to return to her normal self.
After that, she continued on her way to school, deep in thought.
So deep, in fact, that she didn't notice the confrontation until she was almost in the middle of it.
"But I don't h-have any money!" said a small, timid voice.
Serena looked up and stopped. Just in front of her stood three of the burliest boys in school. They had surrounded a girl a little shorter than Serena. She was currently clutching her bag to her chest and pressing herself into a garden wall as if she was trying to sink into it.
"Yeah right!" leered one of the boys.
Another snorted, "Get her, Jin!"
The one in the middle laughed in a cruel way and lunged. The blue haired girl squeaked and slipped as she tried to duck, and ended up on her rear on the pavement. Jin snatched her bad away, dealing her a nasty slap when she tried to hold on to it.
"We'll take whatever she's got and spend it ourselves!" he declared, and began to sift through the bag.
Serena had had enough.
She stepped up to Jin, moving easily between his two cronies and on one swift movement snatched the bag back from him and gave him a shove.
He staggered backwards, his beefy face registering nothing but shock.
"I wonder what our school boss would say when he finds out three of his lesser gang members was taking money from kids and not paying him his dues?" she asked quietly before they could react.
Jin went red and his two followers went white.
Serena pulled out her phone, "Hayate and I are friends. He owes me a couple favours. I'm sure he'd listen to me..." she trailed off.
Jin glared at her, but he was stuck and he knew it. Serena Tsukino was one of the few people in the school that Hayate had declared a no-go-zone. No one knew why, but now, looking into her deep sky blue eyes he felt sure it was because Hayate was as scared of her as he was currently. There was something deep and unfathomable in those eyes. Something more than a little bit frightening.
He grunted at the other two; "Let's go."
They followed silently. Serena watched them until they disappeared around a corner and turned to the girl as she bent to pick up some of the items that had fallen out of the girl's bag in the jostling.
"You must be new here, Miss Mizuno." She commented, "After a while everyone gets to recognise the local rats and keep away from them."
"H-how d-did you know my name?"
Serena grinned and held up the calculator she had just retrieved. On it Amy Mizuno was written quite clearly in a neat and precise hand.
She laughed at the look on Amy's face and handed her the bag back.
"So they'll leave you alone from now on, but you better watch out for others. You can tell who they are by their jacket lapels; they all wear a red bird brooch." She held up a hand to imitate where the boys wore their gang symbol.
Amy nodded, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Said Serena easily, "Say, what uniform is that?" Amy's uniform was similar to hers, but pale blue instead of dark and green instead of red.
"Bridstone Academy."
Serena started, "The brain farm? Whoops, sorry, that's what we call that place around here. What on earth are you doing here anyway? It's miles away!"
Amy went red from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, "My mother moved. I'm starting at a new school today. Crossroads Junior High. Except I've gotten lost."
Serena's grin returned full force. "I'd say. You're about five blocks away from it and facing the wrong direction."
Amy's look of dejection was hilarious, and Serena couldn't help but chuckle a little, reining it in so she didn't offend the girl.
"Come on. I can show you the way. I go to Crossroads. So do those three bullies, by the way."
"Oh dear." Said Amy as they began walking.
"You'll be fine. All you have to do is say the name Hayate and they'll go running, but like I said, you shouldn't have a problem with them anymore."
"I hope so."
"So Bridstone, huh? I don't think there's anyone around here who could live up to what you must be able to do. Me, I get confused when there are more than two numbers in any given sum." She grinned, showing that it didn't bother her in the slightest, and Amy wondered who on earth this strangely pretty and odd person was.
"Oh, there's Melvin. He might give you a run for your money in math. But he's a weirdo so don't get your hopes up." She shuddered dramatically.
"Melvin?" for the first time, Amy showed a hint of a smile. Serena grinned,
"Yeah, I know. Great name. Mine's Serena, by the way. Serena Tsukino."
Amy held out her hand primly. A little bemused, Serena shook. "Nice to meet you." Amy said formally. Serena grinned, "Don't do that to everyone here, our manners aren't as pretty as yours, I'm afraid and people will think you're odd if you go around doing that."
"Oh dear." Amy said again.
"So yes, stay away from Melvin. That shouldn't be too hard. He spends all his time chasing me or Molly."
Amy noticed Serena frown briefly as she mentioned Molly.
"Who is Molly?"
"Oh, she's one of my best friends. Her mum owns an awesome jewellery store, back that way."
Amy felt a pang of longing. She'd never had a best friend. She'd never even had a proper friend. She was too boring for friends.
"Do you need a friend, Amy? You kinda look like you do. No offence or anything, but you look a little down."
Amy started at the gentle voice. How many ways could this girl speak? How many emotions could she show in her eyes? In the few scant minutes she'd known her, Serena had gone from threatening to teasing, from jocular to serious and now her eyes were showing compassion.
"Yes!" Amy blurted before she could stop herself. "Yes, I'd like a friend!"
Serena linked arms with her. "Then look no further! I will be a very good friend. I sit with you at lunch and introduce you to everyone, not that I'm bragging, but I'll know everyone at school and can I copy your homework? Oh and I can't wait to show you around school and afterwards the arcade and mall, and the park, it's really beautiful...."
Neither girl noticed a small black cat following them, flitting from shadow to shadow. This girl definitely did not act like the Sailor Scout of the Moon should act. But the cat's memories of events on the moon were hazy, and she could not call Sailor Moon from ancient kingdom to mind. And she could not refute the evidence of her own eyes. She had seen the girl return to her normal form. And she had mentioned the guardian's when she had fought the monster, and only someone from the moon would know her and Artemis, the guardians of the future. This girl would bear close watching.
Tuxedo Mask frowned, even as he leapt from building to building. What was this vision? He could see, through shrouds of mist a palace, old and marble. It gleamed in the moonlight. He saw a figure moving in its shadows, and strained to see more. But all he could tell was that there was something there. His frown deepened, why was he seeing this? Was it something to do with that girl, Sailor Moon? He didn't know....
Amy stayed close to Serena all day, and the newly awakened scout was so busy keeping her new friend occupied and introducing her to everyone that Serena didn't have a chance to mull over the events over the last twenty four hours until she was in bed that night. She stared at the ceiling and pondered her memories. There were so many holes! So many things she didn't know! Why had she been friendly with the earth generals? What was the reason for the negaverse attacking? Maybe by the time she had found all the scouts she would have remembered more... she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.
The next day Amy was busy after school, and Molly was still in hospital after the monster attack so Serena went window-shopping alone, though she did spy Amy entering a cram school, and rolled her eyes. The very person who didn't need a cram school was attending one! She shopped for a little while before buying a bouquet to take to Molly. She visited with her friend, who was full of tales about a dashing hero and a beautiful heroine. After she left Molly, Serena pondered Amy. The blunette's face had seemed so sad as she entered the cram school.
Serena went to the school, and stood glowering at it for several minutes. She was supposed to be a princess, right? So she should going to cram school and getting good grades... doing her homework. She glanced down at her school bag. No way. She'd fight evil and save the world, but no way was she going to learn sine and cosine just because that's what princesses did.
She ducked inside and snuck through the corridors, doing a very bad job of being stealthy, but the students were all concentrating and the antics of the blonde were not noticed.
Halfway down one hall that strange dark feeling came over her again. All at once it felt like all the light had faded, and the air grew hard to breathe. She ducked down low and peeked into a door.
Luna, the little black cat, watched from the corner of the hall as she let out a little 'eep' and leapt backwards, falling onto her rear. It took her several seconds to return to the door, and when she did her face showed none of the fear that it had shown previously.
Inside the room row upon row of students were sitting staring at the glowing computer screens, here and there one was dribbling or sweating, but they all had the same blank look on her face. And residing over it all was one of the ugliest creatures Serena had seen outside her dreams. It looked like a dried, half-eaten apple, she decided and let out a hysterical giggle, making Luna slap her forehead and the Apple Monster turn around. Serena ducked sideways and transformed, this time not paying any attention at all to the pretty lights that held her fuku. Instead she let out a small moan as more memories assaulted her. Again, they would have to be dealt with later. Taking a deep breath she stepped into the room.
"A school is a place to learn and have fun. You are using it to steal energy and that is wrong. In the name of the moon I will punish you!" she announced angrily.
"Sailor Moon, I presume? You'll pay for what you did to my sister! Arise, children, and serve the Negaverse!"
As one the students in the room rose to their feet and moved in a slow, shuffling walk towards Sailor Moon, who once again began to whine.
"Oh, sure! Use the human children to do your dirty work! Very nice! Geez! Why me?"
Amy stared around, still in her seat. These were her classmates! What had happened to them? Being Amy, she quickly processed what she was seeing, and registered that she had forgotten her cram school disk today. Was the disk what was brainwashing them? She watched in horror as the strange girl wearing the red, blue and white outfit ducked a punch, rolled away from a kick and came up in time to receive a punch to the jaw.
"Oh, come on!" growled the blond scout, "this isn't fair!"
Geez, she thought desperately, I can't hurt these kids! What can I do?
Moon Light Net Ensare
...Ok then...
She flung up a hand, "Moon-light net! Ensare!"
A glowing web of silver light appeared above the students, shaped like a spider web and as fine, it settled over the students and they froze in place.
Sailor Moon stepped around them and advanced on the monster, her cobalt eyes threatening. She raised her staff in one hand, and pulled her tiara off her forehead with the other. Amy watched in amazement as it rose into the air above her palm and rotated faster and faster until it was nothing but a blur of silver light.
The apple-like creature backed away, casting about for an escape. Unfortunately, there was one at hand.
Amy let out a shriek and tried to run when the monster's eye fell on her, but was too slow.
Sailor Moon grunted in annoyance. These monsters really had to stop using her friends as shields.
"Let her go." She demanded angrily, watching the monster curl its arm around its new shield. Amy whimpered.
"No, no I don't think I will. She's smart this one. If I could take all that brain power... My master would be very, very pleased."
Sailor Moon growled and glanced about, looking for ideas once again. The monster and Amy where moving slowly up the aisle between the desks and computers. Her gaze fell on the computers. Old computers, she noted with the part of her mind free to notice such things. They had big monitors.
Amy's eyes widened when Sailor Moon smiled wickedly.
"Shut your eyes." Sailor Moon said, looking directly at Amy. At that moment Amy felt that somehow she knew this girl. The moment passed as quickly as it had come and she shut her eyes.
Sailor Moon hurled her sceptre into a monitor on the right of the monster, and it the same instant flung her tiara at a monitor on the left.
Both monitors exploded with a shower of sparks and gas. The monster squeaked and jerked backwards, and Amy took her chance. With a shriek and a jerk that used every muscle in her body she tore herself free from the clutches of the evil creature and threw herself to the floor.
Sailor Moon waited long enough to see Amy begin to fall before flinging herself into the air with a flying kick. Her stiletto heel caught the monster at the base of its neck and flung it backwards and down.
She landed, jerked her sceptre from where it was lodged in a ruined monitor and bought the pointed end down through the chest of the creature. Like last time there was a flash of light and the monster turned to dust.
Sailor Moon retrieved her tiara and then her net, just before the students returned to normal. She tied the net around her waist, a sparkling belt to add to her uniform. Then she bent over Amy.
"Hey, Amy, its ok now. Its all over. Everyone went back to normal."
Amy slowly got to her feet. "How did you know my name?"
Sailor Moon smiled and pointed to the pile of books at Amy's station. "That's where you were sitting, right?"
Amy merely nodded.
Sailor Moon turned to leave, but Amy grabbed her arm.
"Thank you!"
Sailor Moon smiled a sweet, gentle smile that somehow made Amy feel incredibly sad.
"Take care of yourself Amy. I don't want to have to rescue you again."
And she was gone.
Serena reappeared on the pavement outside the building several minutes later, back to her normal self. She had turned to head home when a shiver ran down her back and she turned. The street was empty except for a single man on a corner a block away. She stared at him for a second, discomfited. He was watching her intently. He had dark hair and seemed to be quite tall. They stared at each other for a moment, before she turned away and continued towards home, feeling his eyes burning into her back.
That night Amy dreamed.
She was lying on the ground, something had thrown her there, and she was terrified. There was a girl calling her name, through mist and haze that seemed to muffle sound as well as light. There was a looming black figure over her, and no matter how hard Amy tried to get up and run she couldn't. Her long blue boots just slipped on the snow. The sleeping Amy frowned, since when did she wear boots?
The figure looming over suddenly became clear, and Amy screamed. A bright light spewed from somewhere to her right, the monster screamed and disappeared. Amy turned to thank her rescuer, who was still standing in mist. The words died on her mouth. She could see a silhouette; a girl, standing with one arm high and in her hand there was a staff. She wore a long flowing gown. She slowly lowered the arm and came forward. Her face was still obscured by the mist. She crouched in front of the prone Amy.
"Will you join the fight, guardian of the water and ice planet Mercury?" the voice was soft and quiet, but it echoed through the dream plane with a subdued sense of power.
The figure held out a hand, and it was the only part of her that Amy could see properly. She knew with a cold sense of clarity that if she said yes and took the hand she would be transported into a terrifying world full of love, hate pain and loyalty. She also knew she would find out who his girl was, and why the word Mercury made such horrible sense to her. She looked up at the obscure face.
"I can't!" she cried, "I don't know enough!"
"Amy!! Amy!!!"
Her mother was shaking her. Amy opened her eyes, "wha???"
"You were having another nightmare sweetie. Was it about your father again?"
"No..." murmured Amy, blinking in confusion, "no..... no, it was something different, this time mum, frightening and real, but it felt right... somehow."
"You're not making much sense my dear, go back to sleep. It was just a dream."
AN; Somehow this managed to be about twice the length of the original chapter. I'm not complaining. I think it's better. Let me know what you think. Please!