The girl points the gun at Usagi's forehead. "Did you hear me?" she says. "Hand over the Mystical Silver Crystal!" Usagi's lip trembles. "Th-... This can't be happening, can it!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ ] Act 14 - Black Moon Cooan / Sailor Mars Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, April 1993. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 2.0, 10.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "This pistol is real," says the girl. "If you say you won't give me the Mystical Silver Crystal..." She pulls the trigger. Usagi flies back, falling on the ground. Mamoru rushes at the girl and yanks her into the air. Flowers stick out of the end of the gun's barrel. "Oh, you frightened me!" says Mamoru, dropping her on the ground. "It's a toy!? The girl runs away. "Oh! Hey! Hold on, wait!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A dark, glowing moon floats in space. A man with white hair and a long white cape sips a drink. "Did you find a reaction from the Mystical Silver Crystal?" he says. "Well done, Safir." Two other men and a woman stand next to him. A figure sitting in a dark cloak behind a crystal ball appears. "Wiseman." "The stone that brings us disaster," says the figure. "The stone of deception. Get the Mystical Silver Crystal, immediately." "Yes," says the man. "And once we get it, we will crush them!" The four raise their glasses in a toast. Upside-down black crescent moons adorn their foreheads. "For the rebirth of our magnificent history!" Four women approach them. One with long, dark hair tied in two pointed balls steps forward. A jewel shines on her forehead above her black crescent moon. "Prince Diamaund," she says. "Near the Mystical Silver Crystal, I feel a strong, similar power. The blood of a maiden with the power of fire, like me. Prince Diamaund, entrust this to the crimson Rubeus and his faithful servants, we the four Ayakashi sisters." One of the other two men speaks, with short, light hair standing on his head. "Code: 001, Operation: Recruit," he says. "Send in large numbers of recruits. Begin the operation under the command of me, Rubeus." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi jumps up. "Usako!" says Mamoru as she pulls on his tie. "Mamo-chan!" she says. "Where's that kid!?" "She ran away." "What's with that kid, demanding the Mystical Silver Crystal!!?" "Calm down!" says Mamoru. "She's not really some kid you know, Usako, is she!?" "I don't know her! But you saw, right!? She had a pistol! A pistol!" "The pistol was a toy," he says. "She did seem like she knew you." Usagi grabs his hand. "Let's look for that kid! She must be a new enemy!" "It's still early to decide," he says. They walk to Arisugawa Memorial Park, and see the girl sitting by herself on a swing. The black ball resembling Luna's head lies on the ground next to her. "Mamo-chan!" says Usagi. They hear the girl sniff. "Mom..." she cries. Mamoru steps forward. "Chibi-Usa?" [Chibi - tiny + Usa(gi)] "Where's your house? We'll take you home." "Mamo-chan?" says Usagi. "Come on," he says. As he takes the girl's hand, he sees an image of a crystal city. "What?" he thinks. "What was that? Did I just see something...?" The girl holds onto him. "He's warm," she thinks. "Like my dad..." "Mamo-chan, you've gotten attached to her!" says Usagi. "Now that I look, she's a normal kid," says Mamoru. "She is not normal!" "She has no hostility now," he says. He looks at the girl. "Where did you come from?" "Say, do you know me?" says Usagi. "Is your name really Usagi? How do you know about the Mystical Silver Crystal?" The girl is silent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna watches as they reach Usagi's house, carrying Chibi-Usa. "Luna!" "Usagi-chan?" says Luna. "Mamo-chan? What!? That girl...!?" "She fell from the sky all of a sudden in the park..." says Usagi. Chibi-Usa hides her head behind Mamoru. "She's scared because Luna's glaring at her," says Mamoru. "What!?" says Luna. "I wasn't really glaring!" The door to the house opens, and Usagi's mom comes out. "Usagi, you're back?" "Ack, mom!" thinks Usagi. She and Mamoru blush. "Oh, Mom," says Usagi. "Umm... Err... This is Chiba Mamoru-san." "Why, Usagi, you're always so helpful," says her mom. She looks at Chibi-Usa. "Is this your little sister?" "No, that's..." says Mamoru. "A kid I'm kind of fond of." "Well, she's got the same odango atama as Usagi," she says. "Usagi is my name," says Chibi-Usa. "Usagi?" thinks Luna. "So, are you called Usa-chan?" says Usagi's mom. Usagi's dad walks up to them with Umino. "What's going on?" he says. "You're all gathered here." "Hey, look at the toy Usa-chan's holding. The crescent moon bald spot looks just like Luna's." "Yeah, it does!" says Usagi. "H- How rude!" thinks Luna. "I don't have a weird face like that! But indeed, now that I look at it..." "You're so cute!" says Usagi's mom. "Where's your home? It's dinner time already. Your mother must be worried." "I..." says Chibi-Usa. "Tsukino Usagi. I've decided to watch you for a while." "Huh!?" says Usagi. Chibi-Usa picks up the ball and bounces it on the ground. In a burst of smoke it turns into an umbrella. "Wh- what!?" says Usagi. Chibi-Usa holds the umbrella out and spins it. A spiral pattern on the outside hypnotizes everyone there. Luna shakes her head. "Oh no!" She jumps on Usagi and Mamoru, knocking them out of their trances. "Usagi-chan!" Usagi looks at her parents. "Mom!? Dad!?" Her mom smiles at Chibi-Usa. "Well," her mom says. "How great to have you here! From now on, think of this as your home. We've been waiting for you, Usa-chan." Usagi gasps. Chibi-Usa sticks out her tongue at Usagi. "Damn that brat!" thinks Usagi. She grabs Chibi-Usa and runs to her room upstairs. "Show me your true identity!" she says. "Chibi-Usagi!! What did you do to Mom and Dad!? Return them to normal!" "I won't..." Chibi-Usa says quietly. "You won't...!? What's that supposed to mean!! What did you do!? Who the hell are you!?" Chibi-Usa is silent. "Say something!" says Usagi. "You've been unfair since the start! I won't go easy on you just because you're a kid!" Her brother walks into the room. "Hey!" he says. "Usagi's bullying Usagi!" "Shingo..." says Usagi. "Come on, Chibi-Usa," he says. "Dinner." He leads her out of the room. "I am not chibi..." she says. As she leaves, the light catches on a key and a crystal hanging on a chain around her neck. "What?" thinks Luna. "Usagi-chan," says Luna. "Where's the Mystical Silver Crystal?" "I always carry it with me," says Usagi. "It's all right. Look, it's inside my compact brooch." She opens the brooch and takes out the crystal, holding it from a chain. "Since it returned to its original form and its release of power has stopped, I don't think I tend to notice it as long as I don't transform." "There's something about that kid..." says Luna. "I want to keep an eye on her for a while." "Luna!?" says Usagi. "Since I don't feel any strong hostility, that's what I want to do. Leave it to me." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi peers into Chibi-Usa's room the next morning, and sees her sleeping quietly. "What a relief. Is she sleeping...? I don't believe it..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I see," says Mamoru. "So she's staying at your place after all, Usako. If Luna says it's all right... But we don't know what kind of bomb she might be carrying." "Mamo-chan!" says Usagi. "I'll come to take a look at her, too. Should we at least ask the police whether anyone's asked them to search for her? As Usagi and Mamoru walk away, a boy with short blond hair, wearing a Moto Azabu school uniform, watches them go. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The five girls sit at a table at the Crown Fruit Parlor. "Oh, isn't peace great?" says Makoto. "This is not peace!" says Usagi. "Sorry, sorry," says Makoto. "About the true identity of that 'Chibi-Usa', who's after the Mystical Silver Crystal." "Usagi's love-child..." says Rei. "Her long-lost little sister..." says Ami. "Excuse... me... here...!" says Usagi. "My whole family is completely at her will! And my mom is stuck to her!" "But it's just this Chibi-Usa who's playing that strange trick, right?" "I guess," says Usagi. "Since my mom and dad are the same as before, and it doesn't look like they're physically different." Luna and Artemis walk up to the table, and drop four decorated pens with stars on the ends. "Everyone," says Luna. "I brought new transformation pens!" She drops wrist bracelets on the table. "And communicators." They all gasp. "Luna...!" "We must be prepared in case something happens." Minako picks up hers. "So now... We can transform again." She puts her arm around Usagi, and the other girls hold up their pens. "Leave it to us! We'll fiercely protect Usagi!" A girl with tied-back red hair sets a drink on the table. "What are you planning with your friends, Mako-chan?" she says. She holds a tray of drinks in one hand and a menu in the other. "Take your time and order lots more." "Usagi, Usagi," says Makoto. "This is Furu-chan nii-san's little sister, Unazuki-chan." "What!? Really!?" says Usagi. "She told me their family runs this Crown Fruit Parlor as well," says Makoto. "I didn't know that!" says Usagi. "Oh Mako-chan," says Minako. "You're thinking of moving in through his little sister to drop on Furu-chan nii-san, right?" "N- Not at all!" says Makoto. "Well, maybe a bit... I came here because of a particular interest I have ." A group of boys walk by. "That group?" says Ami. "They're classmates from Moto Azabu Junior High." "Hey, hey!" calls Makoto. "Asanuma-chan!" The boy with short blond hair waves. "Oh, Makoto-senpai! You brought a lot of friends today." ['Senpai' is used referring to one's senior (as in an older student). Conversely, 'kouhai' is used for one's junior.] Makoto pats him on the head. "Isn't he cute!" "Please stop, senpai!" he says. "Asanuma-chan's a regular here," says Makoto. "He's in seventh grade at Moto Azabu. We've become good friends just happening to notice each other here." She points at Usagi. "Look, Asanuma-chan! It's the girlfriend of the Mamoru-senpai you respect, Tsukino Usagi. I brought her today thinking I'd show her to you." She turns to Usagi. "This guy says he respects Mamo-chan tremendously!" "Wow, Mamo-chan's kouhai!?" thinks Usagi. "So you really are... his girlfriend," says Asanuma. "Mamoru-senpai can do too much! He's playing all kinds of sports with the talented kids who've come since school's started, and he's nice to the kouhai in junior high like us... I, Asanuma Ittou, want to be like a senpai!" Minako and Makoto stare at him. "He's so cute...!" "Asaunuma, we're going!" says one of the other boys. "Bye," says Asanuma. He leaves with them. "Kouhai..." thinks Usagi. "I wonder if Mamo-chan's popular at school." Rei looks at her watch. "Oh no!" she says. "I was going to be back at school by 4:30. I have preparations to make for the school festival." "What? A school festival?" "Come see me do a fortunetelling booth," says Rei. "I'll be right on target." "Of course you'll get it right," says Makoto. "Being Sailor Mars..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A smiling girl with long blond stands outside T*A Girls School. "I'm head of the supernatural phenomena study group, Sarashina Kotono," she says. "How do you do! I'm so happy to be getting assistance from the Hino Rei-san I've heard about. I'd love for you to join the group as well." "I'll think about it," says Rei. Kotono gestures to a group of people. "This is everyone from the Moto Azabu sci-fi group," she says. "They help out with the festival every year." Asanuma looks at Rei. "Oh!" "Oh, that guy from before..." thinks Rei. "Mako-chan's..." "She's a pretty girl," thinks Asanuma. "If you'd asked me which it would be, this is the image I'd have had for Mamoru-senpai's girlfriend." People talk as Rei walks through the hallway. "Say, Hino-san's become easier to talk to than before." "They say her mother's body was weak, and she passed on. Since then she's been a parishioner at the Hikawa Shrine with her grandfather on her mother's side." "Her father's a member of the political world..." Posters line the walls. One mentions "The Realm of Spirits", and another reads, "Alien World". Rei picks up a book titled "UFO Secrets: Exposing the CIA". "UFOs..." says Rei. "Give me a break..." "Huh? Did you say something?" says Kotono. "No!" says Rei, laughing nervously. "It's just that this topic is a bit ordinary to present at the school festival..." "Not at all!" says Kotono. "There are still tons of things to study! As a matter of fact, there are lots of stories about having seen UFOs in this area!" She shows Rei a picture of a depression in a field. "Look! This is said to be a UFO impact crater! This picture was taken right around here. Maybe people are being taken away. There are plenty of reports of that in other countries. Or maybe aliens who were on the UFO are among us..." "Enemies," says Rei. "Invaders... Perhaps they're sneaking in unnoticed..." Kotono looks at her adoringly. "Oh my, Hino-san! You're as mysterious as they say! I really want you to be part of our group!" She rushes to a poster hanging on the wall. The poster reads, "Spontaneous combustion: Mysterious incidents of burning to death." "We'll have your fortunetelling, Hino-san, and these UFO pictures I got specially from the newspaper company! And my great work! With this report on human spontaneous combustion, at the school festival this year again, our group will draw the most people!" "Spontaneous combustion?" says Rei. "That's an incident in which humans suddenly catch fire for no known reason, and get charred black," says Kotono. "But there are no signs of burning at all in the surrounding area! There were many cases of this in places like Europe. But recently it's been happening a lot in Japan as well. Can you believe humans suddenly burn up? It's true!" "Chief Kotono!" says another girl, looking through a notebook. "Fortunetelling, UFOs... And spontaneous combustion! There's a group at the school festival whose presentation content is exactly the same as ours! We've got rivals!" "What did you say!?" says Kotono. "I didn't hear about that!" She looks at the notebook. "The supernatural phenomena club, Black Moon?" The door to the room opens. "Is this the supernatural studies room? A girl with long, dark hair tied in two pointed balls enters. "I came to introduce myself," she says. "We're doing the same display at the school festival. I'm the head of the group, Kurozuki Cooan." [kuro - black + zuki (tsuki) - moon] She shakes hands with Kotono. "A cold hand..." thinks Kotono. "Cold eyes... I didn't know there was such a person in our school." A light appears in the sky outside. "Hey!" says a boy. Outside, the boys from Moto Azabu are looking up at it. "What is that! Look! Asanuma! The camera!" Asanuma raises his camera and takes a picture of the saucer-shaped object in the sky. "A UFO!?" "I got it!" says Asanuma. "What a scoop!" "Wow!" says a girl. "It's the first time I've seen one!" Rei stares out the window at the object. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A circular glowing light hovers close over the ground at night. Five figures stand before it, among them a woman with pointed balls of hair and a frilly tutu. A young girl peers out at them from behind a tree. The woman sticks out her hand, and a bolt of light shoots at the girl. The girl catches on fire and burns. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rei jumps out of bed, her eyes wide. She holds her head and sighs. "A bad premonition..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi glares at Chibi-Usa as they eat breakfast. "Oh, Usagi," says her mom. "Are you going somewhere dressed up like that?" "Rei-chan's school festival!" says Usagi. "School festival?" says Chibi-Usa. "What about you, Luna?" whispers Usagi. "I'll be here watching Chibi-Usa, of course," says Luna. "Well then," says Usagi's mom. "Would you like to go shopping with me, Chibi-Usa-chan?" "As always, I'll contact you if something happens," says Luna. "Right," says Usagi. She looks up, and sees Chibi-Usa sticking her tongue out at her. "Chibi-Usa!" she says. "I'm still don't trust you!" "Usagi, what are you bullying her for," says her mom. "Goodbye!" says Usagi as she runs out the door. Luna watches Chibi-Usa eat a piece of toast. "She looks completely at ease," she thinks. "Who is she really?" Luna casually walks toward the black ball on the floor. Chibi-Usa snatches the ball away. "I wonder if it's because she has the same hairstyle as Usagi-chan," thinks Luna. "She's emitting some kind of power..." "Luna-chan, milk!" says Usagi's mom. She sets down a saucer of milk. Luna meows. Usagi's mom looks around at the empty room. "What? Chibi-Usa-chan? Where'd you go?" "What!?" thinks Luna. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi looks around the T*A Girls School 35th Annual May Festival. "Now... Where's Rei-chan and everyone?" she thinks. "Maybe it was bad of me to leave Luna alone. Oh well, I'll be back soon." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Girls gather around a booth at the festival. "Wow! Wow!" "No way!" "Chief Kotono! Hino-san! This is terrible!" Kotono and Rei approach the booth and see a woman in a white cloak sitting behind a crystal ball. "In nineteen years," the woman says to the girl before her, "you will die from overwork. Next person, please." Another girl steps up. "Oh, you have a weak heart," says the woman. "Such a pity. You won't be able to live more than six more years." "No way...!" says the girl. "No! It can't be!" "Next person, please." "She can hit the mark perfectly on your family situation and your past," a girl tells Kotono. "But she's even pronouncing your future time of death! It's causing an uproar!" Cooan looks out from under the cloak, a jewel and upside-down black crescent moon on her forehead. "It's all right everyone, don't be sad," she says. "Everybody dies. You can't change fate, but I'll promise you a peaceful death. So become allies of us, the Black Moon. Have a seat, Hino-san. I'll tell your fortune." "I wouldn't call this fortunetelling!" says Rei. "Fine, Death." Chibi-Usa watches from a distance, holding her black ball. "Hino-san!" says Kotono. "Let's tell the sisters, before this starts a panic!" Rei turns and runs, and bumps into a woman in a habit. "Sister!?" she says. The woman looks at her. An upside-down black crescent moon adorns her forehead. "If you don't watch where you're going," says the woman, "you'll get into an accident." Rei looks around. "The sisters!?" she thinks. "Those black crescent moon marks on their foreheads..." "Hino-san!" says Kotono. "Something smells burnt... Over where those sisters were walking." She and Rei run back. "This smell..." thinks Rei. Kotono screams as they come upon the burnt body of one of the nuns. "Hino-san!" she says. "This is it! Human spontaneous combustion...! It can't be...!!" "A charred corpse, and the clothes of a sister...!" thinks Rei. "Chief Kotono!" she says. "Please! Don't tell anyone what we saw until I say it's all right!" Kotono falls backward. "Chief Kotono!?" says Rei. "Enemies...!" Ami runs toward them. "Rei-chan!!" she says. "I had a bad premonition," says Rei. "They could already be sneaking in among us...!" Ami opens her communicator. "Usagi-chan!" "Ami-chan!?" says Usagi. Rei takes out her transformation pen. "The restored Moon Castle has endowed these pens with a stronger power," said Luna. "Shout this!" "Mars Star Power, Make Up!" Rei transforms. "I'm filling with power!!" she thinks. Five figures appear with black crescent moons on their foreheads. "You've shown your form!" says Rei. She raises her arms. "Burning Mandala!!" The attack blasts the figures. "You're strong!" says Cooan. She throws off her cloak. "But I wonder if you can beat me, the radical and youngest of the four Ayakashi sisters, Cooan! For prophecies, a battle of prophecies, and for fire, a battle of fire!" Flames burst forth from her hands, burning Rei. Usagi runs toward them. "Rei-chan!!" She grasps the brooch on her chest. Chibi-Usa peers out from behind a bush. "That brooch!?" "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!!" Usagi transforms. "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" She takes off her tiara, revealing the golden crescent moon on her forehead. "Moon Frisbee!" She throws the tiara at Cooan, but it bounces back off Cooan's hand. "Look out!" A cane sticks in front of Usagi, knocking the tiara aside. Mamoru pulls Usagi out of the way. "Tuxedo Kamen!" she says. Ami holds out her arms. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" "Mercury!" Water blasts at the enemy figures. Rei screams as the fire burns around her. "Mars!!" "I can't allow this...!" says Usagi. "Using fire to toy with people's lives!" She grasps Mamoru's hand. A light appears between them. "Sailor Moon!?" says Luna. - Prince Diamaund watches on a monitor. "That's...!" - A scepter appears between Usagi's and Mamoru's hands. "That's the princess's..." thinks Luna. "No! Queen Selenity's rod!?" Diamaund and Rubeus stare at it. Chibi-Usa watches. Usagi takes the rod in her hand. "Born from our strength, this is...!" she thinks. "The moon rod! My rod! I understand! So what should I shout!" She holds the rod out. "Moon Princess Halation!!" Cooan is blasted away in a burst of light. A man approaches them. "Blowing away the rather strong Cooan..." he says. "Who are you!?" He smiles. "I am the crimson Rubeus, of the Black Moon." Rei is lifted off the ground, surrounded in fire. "But even if you eliminate Cooan," says Rubeus, "the field of fire cannot be destroyed by anyone." "Rubeus," says Diamaund. "Take her. Bring Sailor Mars to our planet alive!" "Mars!!" says Usagi. "Roger, Prince Diamaund," says Rubeus. "If you say so. I'll be certain to send Sailor Mars to you." The flames lift Rei into the sky. "Mars!?" calls Usagi. Rubeus disappears with Rei in a flash of light. "Sailor Mars!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1993 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Translations | Sailor Moon Volume 4