Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
"Digital Moon" (Part One)
written by Mike Koos

[OP: Moonlight Densetsu] Usagi was dreaming again. It was one of the relatively few pleasures she had these days; what with all the responsibilities she needed to face up to. Not every girl could claim she was a Princess... or one of the Sailor Senshi. Few people aside from the Senshi themselves knew Usagi's secret, and chief among those people was Mamoru Chiba - "Mamo-chan," as Usagi affectionately put it. She was dreaming about herself and Mamoru again. This time, as themselves, not as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, Princess Serenity and Endymion. She'd hoped they would stay together against all odds. Even if their relationship experienced a few bumps along the way... They had both received a clue to their futures in the form of Chibi-Usa, though any of that could always change, Ami had warned. Playing with time was always dangerous, and knowing your own future might be one of the biggest dangers of all. Mamoru turned to her and spoke the words Usagi always wanted to hear: "We will always be together." But as he spoke those words, a jagged wall of pure rock rose up to drive itself between them. What could it mean? Usagi raised her hand to transform into Sailor Moon... "Moon Cosmic Power, make up!!" Nothing happened. She looked down at her seifuku and realized her transformation brooch was no longer there... Luna bleared awake on the floor of Usagi's bedroom. She didn't sleep on the bed that often, being the victim of those times when Usagi slept restlessly. Morning, already? she asked herself. A quick look at the clock perched on Usagi's nightstand told her that it was one second to... RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! Usagi sat up, rubbed the haze out of her eyes and took a good look at the alarm clock. One eye, then the other. Three, two, one... Luna counted, bracing herself. "WAAAAH!! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!" shouted Usagi, bolting out of the room like her namesake. Luna sighed, as she did often now. It was the beginning of another average day.

* * * * *

As usual, Haruna had become quite upset with Usagi. "It's not going to do any good to place you out in the hall again, Tsukino-san! All that does is make you miss even more of the class." Haruna sighed. "Take your seat. And I hope that this time, you've actually remembered to do your homework." "Yes, I have!" Usagi petulantly dropped into place behind her desk. Naru blinked. "You have?" Usagi's only answer was an abrupt nod. No one ever expected her to have her homework ready by the time class began... often, she'd be sneaking in answers - right or wrong, mostly guesses - right up to the point when her teachers asked for it. If she had remembered to bring it with her. "You actually finished your homework on time? Are you feeling all right?" Haruna asked, suddenly concerned. "I'm fine!" insisted Usagi. "Fine!" Haruna's expression softened. No sense in wearing herself out arguing with Usagi Tsukino. If only Tsukino would show an interest in learning what she had to teach... If only Usagi would take an example from her friend - Ami - and stop being so irresponsible and childish, maybe teaching would be a little easier from that point on. Was that too much to ask? From his seat, Umino glanced at Usagi, then at Naru. Haruna sighed again, and started the lesson.

* * * * *

If there was one thing Usagi loved about school, it was lunchtime! Study period might figure in there somewhere... though nothing beat sitting down to lunch. No worrying about school work for at least part of the day! Goodness knew Usagi had enough to worry about already. Usagi chewed happily away at her bento, humming to herself all the while. Naru gave her a concerned look and shrugged. Vintage Usagi, indeed. "Nee, Usagi," Naru started. "Have you seen that new computer game everyone's talking about?" "Computer game?" Usagi drew out the words slowly, even more so since she still had a mouthful of bento. Ah, computer games were something more along Ami's line than hers; she preferred the traditional stand-alone video games like the consoles at the Crown Game Center. The Sailor V game, for one. She'd thought about asking her parents to buy a newer home console for her and Shingo... hadn't they released a version of Sailor V for the Super Famicon? "It's a role-playing game. It's a sword-and-sorcery-type game, but you get to play as the Sailor Senshi." Sailor Senshi? That caught Usagi's full attention. She pictured the Senshi with swords. To her surprise her image of Rei-chan fit the picture rather well. "Huh? I can't picture Sailor Moon or the Sailor Senshi doing anything like that." "I couldn't, either, but the game is done so well. It's a shareware game done by some otaku in-" Umino chose that moment to pop up from behind them. "You don't want to get involved with that game. There's something evil about it." Speaking of otaku... Both girls instinctively threw him an angry glare. "Can't you approach us like a normal person?" Umino dismissed the look. "Don't I?" Usagi sat up with a start. If Umino thought there was 'something evil' about the game... "Evil!? Like what?" "There's been reports of people disappearing while playing it," Umino sat at the table, glad that they were finally listening to him. "Without a trace. The guy who programmed and released the thing claims he knows nothing about it. But I'll bet he does..." "That's great, Umino-kun," Usagi said with mock enthusiasm. "Why don't you go warn everyone else about this, now? Go on." Naru tried to keep from breaking into a smile. "But..." "We can't waste any time! Just think, you could be doing the Sailor Senshi a favor." Umino's glasses took on a dull sparkle. "You really think so...?" "Yeah!" Naru jumped in. "They wouldn't want to have their name connected to an evil game, would they?" "I guess not!" Umino finally left of his own accord. "Whew! I thought he'd NEVER leave!" Naru exhaled. "It is getting harder to get rid of him," agreed Usagi. Naru rummaged around in her bookbag for a small blue disk. "Here. I brought you a copy of the game." "How did you get a copy?" "My mom uses a computer in the shop, so I talked someone here at school into getting me one. My characters are almost at level 13." Naru beamed proudly. Usagi looked at the disk in her hand. She'd been wondering how she might find a copy... knowing Luna, who would likely want to investigate this as soon as possible. But all she really wanted to do was play the game. Fighting monsters on a computer screen had to be more fun than fighting them in real life. She gave Naru one of her patented grins. "Thanks!"

* * * * *

Unfortunately, Usagi had forgotten the most important fact of all: Her family didn't own a PC. Ironic - like standing off to one side and watching people play games at the Center, knowing you were out of money. Which, considering Usagi's grades, happened quite often. She already owed Naru a few hundred yen... Vaguely she felt the cars passing by her in the street on the way home. What did she care? It wasn't like any one of those drivers were about to stop and offer her a PC to try the game on. She'd have to ask Ami. She let out an long, exaggerated sigh; Ami wasn't exactly known for enjoying a computer game now and then. "Usagi!" No, not computer games. Maybe a game of chess now and then though that was the only exception. "...Usagi!" Ami would probably prefer an educational game. "USAGI-CHAN!!" Er, was someone calling her? "Mako-chan?" By far the tallest of the five main Senshi, Makoto was also perhaps the most tomboyish in the true sense of the word. She still wore the uniform of her old school out of habit; her dress, and her long brown ponytail fluttered slightly in the wind as she strode up to Usagi. By contrast, Usagi's longer blond odango tails always liked to stay where she left them. She thought about this. Would Mamo-chan like her with a different hairstyle? Minako nearly talked her into changing it once before... Mako smiled. "Earth to Usagi." Blushing, Usagi told her the reason her head was in the clouds. "Naru-chan gave me a copy of the new game everyone's talking about." "Isn't that the one that puts us in an RPG?" "Yeah, I guess so. I don't have a computer to play it on, though." Mako could almost feel Usagi's spirits dropping. "What about Ami's?" "Are you kidding? She'd never let us play the game on it. You know how paranoid she got about 'unknown disks' after the Dark Kingdom tried to spread their own computer virus." "So what are you going to do?" Usagi thought about it. Her response was clear and to the point: "I don't know." "Couldn't Luna or Artemis get you a computer?" "Not one to play a game on, that's for sure." Not only that, but the two would be very upset with her if they found out the reason why Usagi needed a system of her own. Luna and Artemis were very adamant about how Usagi should conduct herself, even after seeing how Neo Queen Serenity had developed... "I guess you'll just have to hold on to it for a little bit, Usagi. We'll think of something." "Hmph," Usagi contorted her face. "You're just trying to torture me." "Why should I?" Mako asked innocently. "Annoying you is Rei's job."

* * * * *

That evening, Naru loaded the game into her mother's computer. Sure, she had to put up with no sound, only the base amount of memory and a monochrome monitor, but going from sixteen colors to two didn't hurt the graphics. Much. It didn't matter at any rate; she was on her way to having Level 13 characters. Five hundred more experience points and her five Senshi learned an entire new range of abilities. She was grateful to have Sailor Moon's Moon Spiral Heart Attack, but wished she could do a lot more... Even the air around her seemed a bit charged with the excitement that ran through her. The game was asking for it, too. It was almost as if it were helping her gain a level, by throwing all of those weak monsters against her party. Another youma met its end. She smiled... only 110 more points to go. A youma blundered into one of Sailor Venus' attacks. 95 more points to go. Sailor Mercury blinded a monster with the Shabon Spray and Jupiter finished it off. 65 points. "Fire Soul!!" read the text in the small window on the bottom of the screen. Sailor Mars succeeded with a Level 1 attack. Weak monsters, indeed, Naru thought. She had few points to go, so she ran her characters around in circles trying to attract the monsters' attention. If she had known more about the actual program itself, she would have tried something else. One more attacker bit the dust. That's it! The tinny little fanfare coming from her computer's speaker told her she'd made it to Level 13! Quite a thrill this was; for some reason getting to Level 13 was a lot more exciting than she had thought it would be. And the part of that excitement that charged the air around her was still there. Literally. Naru realized in shock that she wasn't imagining the lively blue-white energy arcing around her and her computer, in between both and everywhere at once. Pulling her... but to where? I-into the screen? Impossible... but the image on the monitor suddenly DID appear more colorful and animated than it had when she was crossing it a moment ago. More lifelike, more inviting. She couldn't decline the invitation, not now! She tried to scream but fainted before she had the chance.

* * * * *

Naru awoke facedown in the middle of a dirt road. A dirt road? she asked herself. There weren't that many dirt roads she knew of. Certainly none with a grassy field that extended - at least as far as she could tell - into the horizon. The sun was setting into the nondescript mountain range in the far distance. She was alone. For now. The game! I'm INSIDE the game! it came to Naru slowly. A quick glance told her she was defenseless, with only a faded and worn light blue peasant frock for protection. No weapons, no armor, no food... not even a piece of gold with which to buy such things. In no time at all it would be dark. That was the way many RPG's worked; the rising and setting of the sun happened considerably faster in game time than it did in real-time. She would be in even worse trouble in the dark. Sticking to the dirt road in the game was one way to keep from getting attacked, though how the heck was she supposed to do that in the dark? She noticed a thick piece of dry wood next to the road. Perfect for a torch, if she could only find a way to light it. Maybe... She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated. For a moment nothing happened, though she didn't know it. Then all at once her torch lit with a bright magical flame. Naru felt the heat from the flame and opened one eye. It... worked!? At least now she had a light to travel by. And she wasn't completely defenseless: she did have some 'magic' to work with. But in RPG's, magic was almost always limited. Best to conserve her magical strength for when she truly needed it - and that would be soon. How long would the torch last? NARU: HP (150) MP (85) LEVEL: 1 LOCATION: Open Plains

* * * * *

Usagi awoke to the sound of her mother's voice. "Usagi? Wake up, dear." Usagi took a sidelong squint at her clock. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet. What, Mom had actually decided to wake her up early? Something must be wrong. "What - what is it? What's going on?" Mrs. Tsukino tried to hide the note of concern in her voice. "Naru's mother just called. She wants to know if we've seen Naru..." That snapped Usagi's mind into the present. "Naru-chan...?" Neat trick, Luna watched from the sidelines. Even she couldn't get Usagi to wake up that fast. "...She hasn't seen Naru since yesterday, in the afternoon," Mrs. Tsukino finishes. "Do you know where she might be? I told Mrs. Osaka we'd call if-" Usagi felt herself gripping the edge of her pillow a little too tightly and let go. "No. I don't know..." "Okay," Mrs. Tsukino said, heading for the doorway. "I hope Naru hasn't become another one of those people disappearing all over Tokyo." What she didn't see, was that Usagi never heard those words; Usagi had already dropped back to sleep. Luna frowned, in as much as a cat could. She was going to have to call a meeting of the Sailor Senshi.

* * * * *

Naru never came to fill her chair at school that morning, either. "Osaka Naru?" Haruna called. She repeated the name. No answer. Usagi caught Umino giving Naru's empty desk a solemn stare. She knew he had a good idea of what had happened to Naru. The disk was still buried in her bookbag. An exact copy of the one Naru possessed, if she read computers right. Usagi wished she'd listened a bit closer to Ami's explanations of computer processes. Instead, she'd wanted to get to the games...! And now a game may have taken a good friend from her... Naru-chan? she vowed. Wherever you are, we're coming to help! I promise!

* * * * *

Naru froze in her tracks. For an instant, it sounded like she could hear Usagi saying something. Usagi!? Here? No. Couldn't be. It was completely dark now. Or more correctly, it had been for far too long. The whole thing was probably just a trick of the wind or her imagination. Neither were helping her right about now. The monsters sure were real enough. The first that ambushed her on the road nearly took her head off before she blasted it with a fireball - a weak fireball. Oddly enough, the thing ran away nursing its wounds and crying like some sort of frightened child. She was no Sailor Senshi, but she was starting to get the feel of the game. By the fifth ambush, she had already gone up two levels and held a book of spells one of the monsters dropped. With a purse half full of gold pieces, more spells under her cap and a small sword tucked within her belt, she didn't feel so defenseless any longer. A sign along the road told her she was thirty-two kilometers from a town named Traldone. Kilometers? She couldn't remember how far one kilometer was, let alone thirty-two. It better not be too far. Even though she was making good progress, she knew better than to stay out in the open all night.

* * * * *

Later that afternoon, at the Hikawa Shrine, Ami, Minako, Makoto and Rei patiently waited in the courtyard for Usagi and Luna. Artemis cast a futile glance at the front gate. "We'd better start without her," Rei told the others impatiently. "Rei-chan!" Ami scolded. "Don't worry, she'll be here." "Luna'll see to that," Mako smirked. "Ah, who are you kidding? She's probably off at the Center again." Rei knew Usagi had a tendency to get wrapped up in a video game, even when the Senshi had something important to do. Usagi had even once done so when Luna was off on her own trying to protect one of the holders of the nijizuishou from Zoisite...and it was Rei who had come to Luna's 'rescue.' "I'm tired of waiting for her all the time." Whoever had said Usagi and Rei were more alike than either were willing to admit? The sound of footsteps clattering up the shrine's steps came echoing to them. "Sorry I'm late," Usagi apologized, trying to catch her breath. "Mom was asking me a bunch of questions about Naru-chan." Rei turned her attention to Luna. "I'll vouch for that," Luna shifted in Usagi's arms, aware of what Rei was about to ask. Usagi let Luna climb down. Luna faced the five Senshi. "As you may have heard, people have been disappearing from all over Tokyo. Naru-chan is apparently the latest person to disappear." Luna's whiskers twitched. "Does anyone have an idea what might be going on?" "Umino said that that new computer RPG was behind it all," Usagi said all of a sudden. "And I'll bet Naru-chan was playing it the night she vanished." Mako gave her a curious look. "The shareware RPG?" Ami asked. "I've heard about it." "Yeah, something like that," Usagi confirmed. Luna sniffed. "Hmm... if only we could get a copy of that game and--" "Usagi has a copy," Mako pointed out, matter-of-factly. Ami's eyes widened. "You do?" "Why am I not surprised?" Rei snorted, her raven-black hair falling across her robe as she turned her head. Usagi pulled the disk from her pocket. She had a feeling she'd be needing it. "Naru-chan gave it to me at lunch yesterday." "So what good is this supposed to do us?" Minako interjected. She was understandably upset; she'd had to cancel a chance to go autograph-hunting to come to the meeting. Idols waited for no Senshi. "I guess whatever's going on is happening to people who play the game," Usagi said, almost happily. "The only way we're going to find out is if we play the game." Rei snorted again. "Notice how this plan of action conveniently requires you to play a video game." "It's a computer game." Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei. "Yeah, whatever." Rei shot back. Mako, who knew better than to step in between Usagi and Rei when they were arguing, figured she'd ask the next question: "Ami? Can we use your computer to look at the disk?" Ami shook her head in a negative. "I'm afraid we can't. My system is in the shop being repaired. I had to buy a new CPU and motherboard." "Why? Your old one not fast enough for you?" Minako smirked. "You might say that," Ami spoke in her usual gentle manner. "It burned out trying to keep up with my calculations." That brought an ear-to-ear grin to Minako's face. "Ami-chan," she said in an almost singsong tone of voice, "we've got to get you out more often." Ami blushed. "So what are we going to do? If we can't use Ami's computer, then whose...?" Mako's voice trailed off. Usagi giggled. "I know whose computer we can use." One look at her told the others exactly who she was thinking of. "Mamoru?"

* * * * *

Naru arrived in Traldone around the mid-morning hours. She was tired, weary from walking and fighting countless monsters with just her rapidly depleting magic energy and a larger sword she'd picked up from a defeated monster to replace the smaller sword she never even bothered to use. The fact that she would never look at an RPG the same way again was the least concern on her mind at the moment; she wanted nothing more than to collapse on a bed at the local Inn. *Then* she would worry about stocking up or equipping or whatever the heck it was she needed to do. One look at the town told her she'd come to the right place. Traldone was a town designed specifically for the weary traveler, albeit those in horse-drawn carriages or what-not... Naru really didn't care at this point. Passers-by started talking about the stranger in a motley attire built of items she'd won from fights layered over her simple peasant frock, making her way toward the inn. Naru shrugged these comments off as well and went inside. "Good morning, miss-" the lady behind the counter began reflexively. "My goodness! You look terrible! Have you been walking the roads alone?" "All night," came Naru's response. "Why on earth would you want to do a thing so foolish?" Earth - the irony of that statement brought a snort to Naru's mind. She dismissed it as quickly as it came. "I had no choice. I was..." Was what? she wondered, mind racing. "Someone magically transported me into the wilderness. I was just trying to make my way back to civilization." "You were extremely lucky to make it back, then. You're one of the first people I have seen to attempt walking the wilderness roads alone, much less at night, and return a survivor." The lady studies Naru's 'attire.' "It looks like you are no ordinary traveler." "I don't know about that," Naru sighed. "I'd like to get a room so I can get some sleep, clean up and take a good look at myself." "As well you should," the lady chuckled. She hands Naru a key from the rack. "Here you go. That will be 120 gold pieces for one night." 120 gold pieces? Petty cash, after all Naru had been through. She pulled out the coins and laid them neatly on the counter. "If it's possible, can I ask that I not be disturbed?"

* * * * *

"What's the meaning of all this?" Mamoru asked as he looked over the five girls and two cats standing outside the door to his apartment. Which wasn't to say he was blind to what everyone gathering in one place meant; he merely liked to stay informed. Or try to. "We need to use your computer," Luna hopped out of Usagi's arms, saving Usagi the trouble of tripping over her own explanation. "We think that the game everyone's playing may be behind these odd disappearances." Mamoru's brow furrowed. "Mmm... yes, I've heard about them. So you're sure there might be a connection?" "Naru-chan was the last to disappear," replied Usagi. "And she was very excited about getting to level 13 on the game." "Level 13?" Luna and Artemis echo. Usagi waved the thought away. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" "Some people consider thirteen to be an unlucky number. In the United States, there are hotels that don't even have a thirteenth floor. A Friday that falls on the thirteenth of the month is considered to be a very unlucky day." Minako's eyes narrowed. "Exactly what are you getting at, Artemis?" "I see," Luna breathed. "You think that getting to Level 13 in the game might be a triggering point for something to happen." "Well, yes, though it's just a suspicion." Luna drew her gaze up to Mamoru and the Senshi. "Still, it's worth checking into. Ami, Mamoru? Would you do the honors?"

* * * * *

Within five minutes Ami and Mamoru had the computer running and were scanning the disk for computer viruses. "You're going to have to tell Naru to get her computer checked," Ami told Usagi. "This disk has a weak strain of the Stoned virus on it." "The game, Ami? What about the game!?" If Ami had been wearing glasses, she might have pushed them further up onto her nose to indicate her indifference. "I'm getting to that. I simply thought you would like to have a computer that wouldn't self-destruct on you while you're trying to play the game." She purged every last trace of the virus from the disk. Ami checked herself. It looked as if Naru had copied Usagi's disk straight from her own, virus and all... so maybe, just maybe... She found what she was looking for with a mere directory search. A file named NARU.SAV, dated two days ago.

* * * * *

The loud banging on Naru's door jolted her awake. For a second, she almost forgot where she was. "......M-mom?" Then reality came barging into her mind. This wasn't home, and her mother probably wasn't on the other side of that door. She rolled out of the bed - almost stabbing herself with the point of her sword in the process, though she still wasn't awake enough to notice - and stumbled over to the door incredibly much like a sleepy bear. She stopped. Her clothes were a mess. All she had done was collapse onto her bed the moment she reached her room, so now she looked even more ruffled than before. Naru did her best to make herself look presentable before opening the door. Whoever was there was either impatient or wanted to see her badly, Naru thought as the banging came again. They might even want to hurt her... That's right. She had let her defenses down for a moment, hadn't she? Yet who would attack her here? Naru hadn't seen many RPG's before this, and she figured no one would dare attack while the players were in a town, much less the Inn... Naru waited for the next knock and forcefully swung the door open. A young girl with hair the color of jade, looking for all the world almost as ragged as Naru pictured herself to be, fell flat on her face. "Ah! I'm sorry!" started Naru. The girl stood up and brushed herself off. "That's okay. I should've seen that coming. I'm just glad I didn't fall onto my sword." She studied Naru intensely. "You're Naru Osaka, aren't you?" "Eh!?" If Naru hadn't been fully awake before, she was now. She made a quick scan of the hallways and then closed the door behind them. "How do you know my name?" "I heard you were coming," the girl blinked. "Word had it you would come to help free our lands from the curse of the demon." "Me? But how... why? I'm no warrior. I'm just a girl... from another world." At that she subconsciously looked down at herself. She certainly didn't look the part. "Who are you, anyway?" "All I know is that the legends said you would come," the girl, who introduced herself as Liana, stated. "I never heard nothing about you coming from another world." "'Never heard anything,'" Naru corrected her. "'Never heard nothing' is bad grammar." "Big deal," spat Liana. "What are you, some kind of scholar?" "Sorry," Naru grinned. "Old reflex." To which Liana sighed. "So why are you here, then?" Liana planted herself on the edge of Naru's bed. "I want to help." "Help?" "Why do you echo everything I say?" Liana's eyes studied her again. This Naru Osaka must be telling the truth when she says she's from another world, decided Liana. "I want to join up with you. I'm sure you could use the help." "I might," the other began, suspiciously. "What's in it for you? Why are you doing this?" "Why," Liana repeated, "do you keep asking me so many questions?" She put a hand on the hilt of her sword. "I'm doing this because I'm an adventurer, just like you. Don't look a gift ogre in the mouth." "Gift horse." "Whatever." Come to think of it, that did sound a bit more sensible to Liana. Naru was about to tell Liana that she wasn't an adventurer, but she thought it over: she had played a dedicated game. Once in it, too, she felt a certain desire to continue on, to see what was out there... "Okay, I guess you're in," she told Liana. The young adventurer took on a ridiculous enough grin that reminded Naru of Usagi; that she wasn't home. "Can you use magic? Or are you only a fighter?" "Not as well as you can," Liana gestured to some of Naru's 'clothing.' "Some of the opponents you've obviously faced can only be defeated by magic, and strong magic at that." Naru felt a bit surprised. "Really? All I had once I got here was magic. I picked up a sword or two, but I never used them." "You are a bit of an innocent, aren't you?" "Not anymore," Naru Osaka put up a lopsided grin to match Liana's.

* * * * *

Liana insisted on having Naru enter the weapons and armor shop first. Not that it made much of a difference to Naru; she naively figured Liana wanted her to experience everything without another body in the way. Inside, the shop smelled of strange oils and polished, grinded metals. Naru had never known these odors, so she stood there for a moment, absorbing the scene. Even the fact that her traveling companion seemed to be hiding behind her. And with good reason. "YOU!!" a booming voice startled them both. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU I NEVER WANTED TO SEE YOUR FACE IN HERE AGAIN!" The angry shopkeeper strode up to them... or was he only concerned with Liana, who actually seemed to be cowering? "What's this all about?" Naru put on the best adamant look she could muster, remembering where she was. "This girl is a thief. She stole several of my fine daggers!" Naru turned to her new friend. "Is this true?" "Umm... well... uh......," she fidgeted. "Yeah. ...But I had no choice! I had to find money to eat somehow..." "Couldn't you have gone out into the fields and fought a few monsters for gold?" To Naru, the question made sense. To the shopkeeper, it sounded ludicrous. "I couldn't afford to take the risk," Liana pointed to her rogue-style clothing. "You've seen how strong the monsters are in the fields. And I'm not even equipped to take on one, let alone several! They tend to like to gang up on you." Naru had found that out the hard way. "Okay, okay, I see your point." To the shopkeeper, she brought her bag of gold into view. "I'll pay for what she took. I'm here to buy some armor and weapons, if that's possible." The shopkeeper saw Naru in a new light. "You may stay," he spoke slowly, "but the thief must stay outside." "I am NOT a thief!!" insisted Liana. "A rogue, maybe. But no thief!" She glared at the shopkeeper, who glared right back. Naru exhaled. "She's with me," she wondered if she was trying to convince herself. "Can she stay as long as she promises not to take anything and keep her distance from your merchandise?" "Hey!" protested Liana, until a quick look from Naru silenced her. "Well... I suppose so."

* * * * *

Mako gave Ami a quick tour of the game's displays and options. "...These numbers show how much you can get hit before you lose. Those... are your magic points, then your experience points. Down here is how much gold you have." Ami really didn't need the guided tour; she'd guessed at all the labels on screen and was no stranger to a pull-down or key-access menu... Mako's heart was in this, though. Ami decided not to spoil her friend's fun. She was disappointed that this was only another basic 'hack-and-slash' role-playing game with the images of the Senshi pasted in place of generic adventurers. Then again, she never really played RPG's; she always preferred chess to swordplay. One person who wasn't disappointed, however, was Usagi. Her eyes widened as she watched Ami start her paces at the game. Rei and Minako, each having a different reason to pretend not to watch, watched from a couple of feet away. Mako sat next to Ami, offering advice and encouragement. Mamoru looked upon the scene with puzzlement. "Uh, ...if nobody minds, I think I'll get us all something to drink." No one replied. He sighed heavily and left the room. If Ami deduced everything correctly, Naru had about 500 points remaining before her characters reached level thirteen in her save position. Ami felt a moment's nervous pause blanket her like a shroud. She shook it off and set her determination to play the game - Naru's life could very well be at stake, after all! Luna suddenly decided she wanted to leave the room as well. "Luna?" Artemis drew his head up. "What's the matter?" "Oh, ...nothing," she replied. "I thought I would see what Mamoru is up to." "Can I come?" Luna looked back at the Senshi. "Minna? You won't mind if Artemis and I go to the kitchen for a little bit, would you?" No one gave them a second thought. "Sure." "Go ahead." Once out in the hallway, Luna let out a deep sigh. "I never thought we would have to play a video game to save someone." "Come on - you mean to tell me you never saw this coming?" "Well... no. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. As Humankind makes its own advances, they open up more ways for Darkness to entice and trap them." Artemis frowned. "Don't let Usagi hear you. You know how she acts when you talk like that." Luna gave him a puzzled look. "It has to be said. The Senshi are far from realizing the grand scheme on their own." "I've told you before, you can't expect them to realize that all at once - not yet, anyway! There are far too many distractions in the present... and besides, doesn't everything turn out well in the future?" "Now who's the one making assumptions, Artemis?" Luna scoffed. "Remember, that's only a possible future." "Maybe," said Artemis, "but if that future were so volatile, wouldn't Chibi-Usa risk disappearing from our time at any moment?" Luna didn't have an answer for that question. "I'd rather not think about it," a new voice entered into the conversation. It was Mamoru. "Mamo-chan..." the more dominant of the two cats withdrew. "What are you discussing? The fate of the Senshi, again?" "Something like that," minced Artemis. "I suppose Luna is simply anxious to see the Senshi regain the status they once had." "They will. But nothing can make it happen immediately. I think it's best to allow Usako and the others to develop on their own time, not a rushed schedule." From the other room, they heard the sound of Mako's cheering and another of Usagi and Rei's... well, 'heated debates.' "That's what I said," Artemis walked over to Mamoru's side. The doorbell chimed before Luna had a chance to reply. Only 255 more points to go. Ami narrowed her eyes. "Are these mosters supposed to be this easy to defeat?" she asked Mako. Mako watched Ami's party defeat another group of monsters and add 150 experience points to her credit. "Er... no. Not unless... the game's making it easy for us by throwing weak monsters at us. Or giving us a lot of points." "That's a possibility," Ami thought it over. Rei grinned. "Or maybe Ami's a better role-playing gamer than she thinks. Right, Ami-chan?" Minako nodded her agreement, the little red ribbon in her hair bobbing eagerly up and down. "I still don't see what all of you find so interesting about this type of game." Ami shouldered her way through a battle with few problems - the damage her party sustained was quite superficial. "I mean, sure, there's something to be said for playing a part in a fantasy adventure, but-" "Oh, geez, Ami, don't try to over-analyze it," Minako cut in. As a dedicated video gamer in her own right, Minako wasn't about to let Ami take the fun out of this game. Even if it was a front for an evil plan to kidnap people. Mako had to laugh. With any luck, they were all about to embark on another real-life adventure of their very own. The doorbell chimed again. Mamoru manuevered around the two cats to get to the door. "I'm coming!" He opened the door... and found Chibi-Usa waiting impatiently on the other side. "Mamo-chan!" "Yes?" Somehow, staring up into that face defused all of Chibi-Usa's anger. She tried to pretend it was still there. "Is Usagi here? Mama Ikuko told me I should try to find her. She wants to know where Usagi is..." "She's in there with the others," Mamoru pointed toward the room without thinking. "They're playing a game that-" "A GAME!?" Chibi-Usa's anger returned. "I'm out looking all over town for baka-Usagi and she's here playing a GAME?" She started to storm toward the room, intending to give the older Usagi a piece of her mind. "Uh, wait!" Trying to salvage the situation, Mamoru placed himself between Chibi-Usa and the door. "You didn't let me finish. That game might be the cause of all those disappearances around-" This time, it was a scream that interrupted Mamoru. Usagi's scream. And those of the four others in the room with her. Mamoru threw open the door. "Usako!!" But they had not come in time. The last sparks of animate blue-white energy disappeared into the computer with the ones it had come to take away. Mamoru gripped the keyboard, trying to see if he could provoke something to happen. Anything. Nothing. He set the keyboard down, and his head as well. "Usako..........!" (...to be continued...)
Well, I hope you've enjoyed part 1 of this story. Feel free to direct any comments and suggestions to my mailbox below. :) I know parts of this story may contradict information in the Sailor Moon universe, but with only 48 episodes from Sailor Moon, SMR, SMS and SM Super S, plus 4 volumes of the manga and any text I could FTP as source material, I've got to fill in a lot of blanks... The idea for this particular story has been gathering dust here in my desk drawer for a while. Some inspiration was later added after reading a similar story in the early GS Mikami manga installments, and the Piers Anthony book, "Demons Don't Dream." Though, I'll admit, the original story had a small connection to Record of Lodoss Wars. ^_^ Now, it's become a Sailor Moon story, partly because there aren't that many out there (at least of late) and because I thought I'd get in a storyline or three before SM hits the airwaves here in the States. :) Oh, well. Be sure to be here for part two... where we'll find out what happens to the Sailor Senshi. And Naru; can't forget about her...
CREDITS: Writer: Mike Koos Prereaders: Johnny Dentino David Wills Guy who had absolutely nothing to do with this story, but will be mentioned anyway: Ed Little Special thanks to: Dave Wills, providing inspiration for all the hentai hopefuls out there; Drew Hurlstone, Ed Little, John Boomgarn, Tom Kinnen, Tom Williams and anyone else whose name I might have left off. Also, a special note of thanks to the nonexistent spell-checking and grammar programs I'm going to blame wholeheartedly if someone points out an error in my stories... ^_^ Sincere apologies to everyone who is a part of the Sailor Moon series in Japan, manga or anime, especially Takeuchi Naoko.

Mike "Ranma Saotome" Koos
(AKA "Makoto Kino")
Email:
"I can do nothing to stop you. Your
background music is too strong for
me."

---Whose Line is it Anyway?