What if Luna had located Sailor Moon many years earlier, before even Artemis found Sailor V? Here we meet Usagi as the dark kingdom launches its first attack, only this time she's ready for it.

Chapter updated: 20/07/2014 - chapters without this prefix may not follow directly chronologically unless otherwise stated.

Usagi rolled over, her hand flopping onto the blankets and smacking onto the small black cat that lay there. Luna hissed and jumped up, her claws digging into the blanket before she relaxed, still grumbling a little, into Usagi's side.

She jumped up again, however, when a shout sounded through the open window. She leapt onto the sill and peered cautiously outside to see what had caused the disturbance. A man was stumbling across the pavement, looking as though he'd run at least a mile. He was panting, something about monsters and energy, the sort of garbage that might have got him sectioned had anyone but a cat heard him. Luna stiffened as he spoke and jumped back down onto the bed, pricking Usagi's arm with her claws.

Usagi jumped and sat up, "don't want any turnips…" she said before realising that Luna was looking at her. "Oh… what's up?"

"I think the dark company are back in Tokyo."

"What! Usagi hissed so as not to wake her parents, "but we haven't heard from them since we left England." Usagi cast her mind back to the glorious day she had finally seen off the dark company representative in London. It had allowed her to finally leave the awful school she'd had to attend in order to stay there without her family and the return to a peaceful Tokyo could not have been more welcome.

"I know," Luna sighed, "but when duty calls…"

"I know, I know," Usagi sighed, climbing out of bed. She fumbled in the pocket of her housecoat, flung unceremoniously on the bedroom floor, and pulled out a small golden broach.

She climbed out of the window and jumped onto a branch of the nearby tree, only just maintaining her balance, before shouting, "Moon prism power, make up!" There was a flash of pink light and Usagi felt ribbons tighten around her body. When the light faded, she jumped to the rooftops and ran, her high heels clicking on the tiles as she went.

Usagi concentrated and a voice began to emerge from the jewels now clipped to the buns of her hair. "The attack's in Naru's mum's jewellery store," she shouted to Luna who was not far behind, "it's not too far from here."

"Hurry up," Luna warned, "we don't know how long it's been going," Usagi continued to traverse the rooftops, at last arriving on top of the store. She crept around to a window that was open at the end of a long row and peered in. The scene inside was not a welcome one. People, victims of whatever Youma had been conjured, were lying lifeless on the ground, their energy drained. Peering down, Usagi saw the youma. It was, if she was not mistaken, disguised as Naru's mother.

"Here we go again," Usagi muttered, jumping down through the window and onto the floor, her shoes cracking pieces of already broken glass scattered across the floor. "Hey you," she shouted, "pick on someone your own size!"

The youma turned and Usagi saw Naru cowering in a corner, her hands over her head. Very suddenly she was glad of the magic that prevented her from being recognised while the henshin was in effect. "That rules you out, midget," the youma growled, moving across the floor towards her.

"I hate it when they call me that," Usagi growled. "I am the sailor warrior of love and justice Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"Sailor Moon," the youma looked taken aback, "on my very first job as well, such a treat!"

"Whatever," Usagi said, reaching for the diadem resting on her forehead. She plucked it from it's place and began to power up her attack. Just before she was about to shout it out, something rather unexpected happened. A rose flew down from the window Usagi had jumped from earlier. She stopped and looked around, disorientated, giving the youma enough time to fling her into a wall. She screamed and the jewels on her buns flashed. The sound made the youma clap her hands over her ears as Usagi turned to the caped crusader standing in the window.

"I am Tuxedo-"

"I don't give a damn who you are," Usagi yelled, "just clear off before you get hurt! Amateur," she sniffed, turning to the youma, "moon tiara action!" she threw the tiara and it hit the youma, causing her to dissolve into nothing more than a pile of dust. Usagi glared up at the still open window, but Tuxedo-Whatever had already gone. She sighed and moved over to Naru, holding out a hand to help her school friend up.

"Relax, the youma's gone," she said, smiling, "your mum's almost certainly hidden around the store somewhere. I'll help you look if you want."

"Thank you," Naru said shakily, unable to tear her eyes from Sailor Moon's.

"Right, well the broom cupboards always traditional," Usagi said, smiling. She moved across the room, past the vaguely stirring bodies of those whose energy was stolen and opened a door. "Ok, it's the cellar, but still… there she is." Naru raced past Usagi and hugged her mother tight, fumbling with the knots keeping her still. Usagi jumped down the stairs and took care of them for her.

"Thank you," Naru's mum said shakily, leaning heavily upon her daughter, "whatever can we do to thank you?"

"Nothing really," Usagi shrugged winking, "although you could always show solidarity by attending the movie next week."

"One of my friend's starring in that," Naru said.

"Is she?" Usagi said, smiling.

"Yeah, it's all she ever talks about." Naru was right about that, Minako never shut up about the Sailor Moon film.

"Well then even more reason to go watch." Usagi winked and leapt out of the cellar and up through the window she had used to get in. Once she was out of sight of the victims of the youma attack, she collapsed and groaned in pain. "Stupid hero thinking he's helping," she grumbled, rubbing her side. She was sure she'd have a beautiful bruise there by the morning. Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and beckoned to Luna, leaping with her until they got home.

Usagi yawned as she trundled into school that morning, having been woken by Luna to ensure she wasn't late. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for Luna's early wake up calls, but the occasional lie-in wouldn't have gone amiss either. The room was buzzing with talk as she collapsed into her desk. She turned to Naru and Minako both of whom were, unsurprisingly, talking about Sailor Moon's appearance in Tokyo.

"You actually spoke to her?" Minako asked, her eyes wide, "wow…"

"She was amazing," Naru replied, "got rid of the youma so quickly, but there was this twerp who got her wounded at one point. Bet she's got a massive bruise down her side after that."

"Think it could have been Ace?"

"Nah, not cool enough for Ace."

"But he was so romantic," Minako said, going goo-goo eyed, "prophesying love that would transcend eternity for Sailor Moon and whoever the lucky bloke would be. Wish someone would promise me that.*"

"Bet it's great publicity for the movie as well," Usagi chipped in, covering her mouth with a hand as she let out a massive yawn.

"Probably," Minako nodded fervently in agreement. She looked as though she was going to continue, but just then Miss Haruna walked into the room, register in hand.

You alright Usagi? You've been really quite today."

"What? Oh, no I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean. You've got massive bags and you keep putting your hand to your side. Did you get hurt or something?"

"No, really it's nothing."

"You didn't get in a fight with that new girl did you?"

"What? No!" Usagi gasped, staring at Minako, "Makoto's not like that really."

"I don't know, she certainly looks scary enough."

"She's not as scary as your cooking."

"Touché."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Usagi said, smiling as she moved towards her house. Minako's eyes narrowed and she leapt at Usagi, pinching the side of her stomach. Usagi yelped and whirled around, "what the hell was that for?"

"I knew it! Something is definitely up and if you don't tell me," she drew herself up to her full height, "I'll tell your dad you're dating Motoki."

"You wouldn't…"

"Try me."

*That's a codename Sailor V reference. As Usagi is the one to have dealt with the dark company, it makes sense that she meets Ace instead of Minako. For those who haven't read Codename Sailor V (you should, it's quite good) Ace tells Minako that her quest for love will forever be hopeless, allowing her to concentrate fully on her job. But this was obviously Usagi, not Minako.