Act 16 - Black Moon Petz / Sailor Jupiter

Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, June 1993.
Written by Takeuchi Naoko.
Translated by Kurozuki (manga@kurozuki.com). Version 2.0, 10.98.

Do not link directly to this page. Do not redistribute this translation in any form, such as by posting it on another web site.

"Mars!! Mercury!! Noooo!!"

Usagi sits up in bed, tears in her eyes.

Chibi-Usa peers through the door to her room.

"Even in my dreams I never imagined something like this could happen," thinks Usagi. "Mars, and even Mercury, taken away in an instant, right before my eyes. The Black Moon... Who are they!? What are they after!?"

She turns around.

"Who's there?"

Chibi-Usa's black ball bounces outside her door.

Usagi stares at it.

Water gushes out of the ball's eyes.

"Don't cry, lady," says the ball. "Don't cry, lady."

Usagi jumps up, raising her pillow over her head.

"What!? It talked!?"

"Don't smash Luna-P!!"

"Chibi-Usa!?" says Usagi.

Chibi-Usa stands by the door.

Usagi looks at the ball.

"So, Luna-P is... this!?" she says. "I bet it got its name from Luna, right?"

Chibi-Usa stands silently. She shows Usagi her puppet.

"Here," she says. "You can borrow this. Just for a little while."

"What!?" says Usagi. "A Tuxedo Kamen doll!? How did you get this!?"

"I got it from Mamo-chan."

"Ma- Mamo-chan?!" she yells. "Since when do you call him that!? He never gave me anything like this! How cruel, Mamo-chan, just giving one to Chibi-Usa!"

"What..." says Chibi-Usa. "Since you were crying, I thought you weren't feeling well..."

She leans against the wall, hanging her head.

"What?" thinks Usagi. "Could she have been... trying to cheer me up...?"

Usagi runs into the Crown Game Center.

"Mamo-chan!"

"Hey, Usako," says Mamoru. "The others aren't here yet. That's unusual. Did you two come here together?"

"Huh!?" says Usagi.

She turns around and sees Chibi-Usa next to her.

"Chibi-Usa!? Did you follow me!?"

-

The crane moves around in the UFO catcher at the arcade.

"Damnit!" says Usagi. "Oh, I can't get it..."

"You're a total klutz," says Chibi-Usa.

"You have no right to say that!" yells Usagi. "Damn!"

"Usagi-chan! Chibi-Usa-chan!" says Motoki.

He holds out two Sailor V dolls.

"Here. They're just for you."

"Wow!" they say together. "Sailor V dolls! All right!"

Chibi-Usa sees the Sailor V video game.

She starts playing it.

"Chibi-Usa?" says Usagi.

Minako's pen lights up and beeps.

"Mina!" says Artemis.

"This alarm...!" she says. "The Sailor V game!?"

They run to the game center.

"Usagi!?"

"V-chan!" says Usagi. "Chibi-Usa's...!"

Chibi-Usa sits at the game machine, playing.

"She's racking up the highest score in history on the Sailor V game!" says Motoki.

"Chibi-Usa!?" says Usagi.

She grabs her.

Chibi-Usa looks up at Usagi.

"This game's fun!" she says.

Everyone stares at her.

Chibi-Usa looks at another crane game.

"What's this?"

"This is a game where you move candies and sweets little by little to get them," says Motoki. "I can't really get any..."

Chibi-Usa presses her face against the glass.

"Hmm..."

The door to the game center opens.

"Feels like a shower's coming," says Makoto. She coughs.

"Mako-chan!"

Mamoru sees Chibi-Usa holding an armful of candy.

"What the-!? Chibi-Usa-chan!? What happened!?"

"Wow!" she says. "I got all the candy out!"

He pulls her back.

"What kind of trick did you pull, come on!" he says.

The Luna-P ball sits on the game machine, beeping.

"Luna-P!?" he thinks. "Did she use this toy!? Could it be, it moved the crane at will!?"

Minako looks at Chibi-Usa.

Mamoru pats her on the head.

"Okay, Chibi-Usa," he says. "Are you satisfied from playing all these? Shall we be heading back?"

He lifts her up in his arms.

"Usako and the others have things to do now. And I have to go to prep school, so..."

Mamoru rubs Chibi-Usa's head.

"See you later, Chibi-Usa," he says as he waves. "Your new uniform is cute."

Chibi-Usa goes inside.

Usagi's mom is talking on the phone.

"Oh, Dad?" she says. "What time will you be home tonight? I've got your favorite, shabu-shabu."

[_Shabu-shabu_ is beef slices soaked in hot broth.]
[The word "Dad" here refers to Usagi's dad, as that is his role in the family, not the father of Usagi's mom.]

"I was startled by Chibi-Usa," says Artemis.

"But she didn't get an idea of the location of the command center?" says Luna.

"I think it's all right," says Artemis. "The game has strong protection."

"I'm sorry," says Usagi. "It's my fault, since I brought Chibi-Usa here."

"Usagi-chan," says Luna. "The one who made you cheer up so much was Chibi-Usa. Shouldn't you be thankful for now?"

"Now, as for the whereabouts of those two..." says Artemis. "As usual, there's no communication or response of any kind. And there is the possibility they're in a place quite far away..."

"I wonder if they're safe," says Minako. "The Black Moon... What is their objective? Are they after the Mystical Silver Crystal? It's too bad we can't read their movements at all. Such an occurrence..."

"At last I've found her," said Berthier. "She's here, isn't she? That brat, the Rabbit."

"That brat, the Rabbit."

"There is one goal that the enemies have made clear," says Makoto. "Berthier from the Black Moon... The 'Rabbit' she mentioned, it might be... Chibi-Usa, don't you think?"

"The Black Moon was searching for Chibi-Usa!?"

"Chibi-Usa might be holding the key to all the mysteries," says Makoto. "A girl who looks just like Usagi, suddenly falling from the sky. I wonder where she came from."

"Hand over the Mystical Silver Crystal!"

"She didn't come to attack us. She was carrying something that looked like the Mystical Silver Crystal. Is she an enemy, or an ally? Can we believe in that girl? At least now it's clear, for both us and the enemies, Chibi-Usa is an important piece in the game. Until we unlock this mystery, we can't hand her over to them."

She coughs.

"Mako-chan, have a cold?" says Usagi.

A news broadcast plays on the monitors before them.

"We're quickly entering the rainy season, and the passing showers are increasing in strength. We'll be having more of these chilly days."

"Indeed."

"A strange cold is going around, so be careful."

"Now, for our next topic. Do you know about the mystery circles? They appear suddenly in wheat fields in places such as England, and have become a major subject. They seem to be strange circular shapes."

"Actually, starting a few days ago, these mystery circles have suddenly appeared here in Tokyo."

Makoto watches the broadcast.

"Scary," she says. "I get the feeling the Black Moon is quietly moving in deeper. I really don't know what's going to happen next."

"Oh... Chibi-Usa-chan?"

Usagi's mom looks around.

"I got the feeling she was coming back, but maybe she went out again."

"It's like we're being enchanted by some magic spell," says Makoto.

Chibi-Usa looks up as rain starts to fall.

She bounces the Luna-P ball on the ground, and it changes into an umbrella.

A young girl stares at her, her mouth hanging open.

"Abracadabra!" says Chibi-Usa. "Poof!!"

She pops open the umbrella, and a flock of birds flies out from it.

The girl runs to her mother.

"Mommy! Did you see that!? Doves flew out from that girl's umbrella! It was an amazing trick!!"

"Oh, really?" says her mother. "Well, it's getting cold, so let's go home now."

Mamoru sees Chibi-Usa.

"Oh, Chibi-Usa?"

Chibi-Usa looks down.

"Abracadabra," she says. "Abracadabra... Poof."

"That is the charm that will bring fun to you, Small Lady," says the woman in the sailor suit, with long dark hair falling on her dark skin.

Chibi-Usa holds the key hanging from her necklace.

A bolt of lightning strikes in the distance.

Mamoru approaches her.

"Chibi-Usa?"

She stares ahead.

An explosion rips through the city of crystal.

Mamoru takes Chibi-Usa's hand.

His eyes widen.

Chibi-Usa screams and covers her ears.

"Mom!!" she cries.

She grabs onto Mamoru.

"Chibi-Usa!?" he says.

She looks up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Mamo-chan?"

"What is it?" he says. "Did the sound of thunder scare you? It will go away. It's just echoing from a distance."

"I'm sure I saw it now," he thinks. "Just as I grasped Chibi-Usa's hand, it streamed into me. The image of some explosion. What was that!? The explosion of an enormous city...!?"

Chibi-Usa holds onto him.

"Mom..." she says.

Luna-P bounces next to them, beeping.

"Wiseman," says Demand.

The cloaked figure appears.

The bodies of Ami and Rei float on their backs before them.

"These two are just like that queen," says Demand. "I wonder if they too will continue to live young like this, without aging. Borrowing the power of the Mystical Silver Crystal... The Mystical Silver Crystal. So that is the infinite power that promises eternity. I want to see that girl's face when I smash it to pieces with my own hand."

"Haste makes waste," says Wiseman. "Prince, calm yourself."

"Prince Demand," says Safir. "We should not look softly upon the sailor soldiers. We too are suffering unexpected losses. It would be best to proceed with the plan we've put such caution into. But brother, you always do as you please..."

"Safir," says Demand.

Glass shatters next to Safir, and a shard cuts his cheek.

"I am just saying we'll eliminate those who get in the way of our plan," says Demand. "I will not allow interference with my methods."

"Isn't this promising, our prince," says Rubeus.

"Prince Demand."

A woman steps forth from the shadows.

"My pretty sisters... I, Petz, shall take revenge for Kooan and Berthier. And let us proceed more boldly with the project! We will show them our power. Code: 003, Operation: Renew. We will reform the pieces, and make them all into pawns of the Black Moon! Hunting the Mystical Silver Crystal and the Rabbit..."

"Don't be in such a hurry," says Demand. "I wish to be alone. Leave this place."

He presses a button on a pad, and an image of Selenity dressed in a flowing white gown appears.

"I will have everything I want. Everything."

"That Chibi-Usa..." says Mamoru. "She even told me to repair it."

He sits in the Crown Fruit Parlor with Usagi and Luna.

The Luna-P ball sits on the table, beeping.

"What part exactly am I supposed to repair, and how? I want to take it apart and look inside, but it doesn't have any seams."

"Everyone's just talking about Chibi-Usa, Chibi-Usa, Chibi-Usa!" says Usagi. "She finally got put into school! I can't believe my mom."

"Didn't you decide to protect that girl?" says Mamoru. "It seems she's become somewhat attached to you lately, Usako."

"Mamo-chan..." says Usagi. "You're assuming that she's definitely not an enemy."

-

Asanuma enters the fruit parlor.

"Welcome!" says Unazuki.

He looks over.

"It's Mamoru-senpai," he thinks. "So he's on a date with his girlfriend..."

-

"I know it," says Mamoru. "Every time I touch Chibi-Usa, I don't know why, but I get a feeling in my hand. A feeling that she's frightened, that she's depending on me, that she's not an enemy. Is this my power?"

"So maybe Chibi-Usa was attacked by the enemies, and escaped to where we are," says Usagi.

"That time an image streamed into my hand..." says Mamoru. "It was a place I've never seen before."

"It could also be that place is the enemies' territory," says Usagi. "There is the possibility she knows the location Rei-chan and Ami-chan were taken away to."

Asanuma listens behind some foliage.

"Taken away!?" he thinks. "Enemies!?"

Luna stares at the Luna-P ball.

She nudges it with her paw.

The ball bounces and a cloud of smoke fills the air.

"Luna!" says Mamoru.

"Sorry!"

"What on earth are these people...!?" thinks Asanuma.

The three leave the fruit parlor.

Makoto walks inside, wearing a mask over her mouth and coughing.

"Makoto-senpai?" says Asanuma.

"Mako-chan!?" says Unazuki. "What's wrong!? That mask..."

"I have a bit of a cold..." says Makoto. She continues coughing.

"Oh no! Do you have a fever? You can't be here, you need sleep!"

"Hey, Unazuki!" says Motoki. "I came to get some tea! Mako-chan!?"

"Moto-kun!" says Unazuki. "Here, take us to the drugstore. She's going to collapse! Mako-chan!"

Unazuki and Makoto enter the Joker Drugstore.

The attractive clerk smiles at them.

"Lately this strange cold has been raging in fury," he says. "It seems quite malignant, so you should be careful. It may be a new strand, but in any case it's a strong virus."

"Hey, hey, Mako-chan," says Unazuki. "Isn't this pharmacy guy cute!"

"Well, I'm going home..." says Makoto.

"Wow, this is a serious illness," says Unazuki.

"Makoto-senpai!" says Asanuma. "I'll take you home!

Makoto leaves the drugstore.

She walks out in the rain, carrying an umbrella.

"What's wrong?" says Asanuma. "You're always in perfect health, Mako-chan."

"Nothing," says Makoto. "I just haven't been able to sleep much, and I've had things to investigate, and end up awake all night..."

"Why overexert yourself like that...?" says Asanuma

He reaches toward her, and cries out as he feels a shock.

"Oh, you shouldn't touch me now," says Makoto. She smiles weakly. "I have an electrically charged constitution, and it becomes obvious when I get sick. That now was static electricity."

She starts swaying back and forth.

"You see, since I manipulate thunder and lightning... Oh, I'm getting kind of dizzy..."

"M- Makoto-senpai!? Hold on!"

They enter room 201 of the apartment building.

"Wow!" says Asanuma. "The room is full of decorative plants!"

He picks up a framed photograph.

"Makoto-senpai, you've been living by yourself, right? Are these your parents?"

"Ah..." says Makoto. "They died a long time ago... They were in a plane crash together."

Asanuma looks at her.

"Here, some tea," she says.

Asanuma's heart pounds.

"What!" he says. "Please, go to sleep, senpai!"

He takes the cup.

"What is this?"

"My favorite, rose tea," says Makoto. "It's delicious."

She turns on the television.

"It seems Tokyo is now having strong rains like a storm," says the reporter. "Now, for the next piece of news! The current topic of conversation, the mystery circles that were discovered somewhere in the city!"

A picture of some crop circles is shown.

"These were discovered in empty land in Minato-ku. Witnesses have also appeared, saying they saw a body of light when the grass was flattened. It can be nothing other than supernatural forces working from the sky! There are also some rumors going around of UFO landing marks..."

"These news reports have increased," says Asanuma.

"Ah, so they have," says Makoto.

"Did you know these mystery circles were also discovered in the bushes of Arisugawa Park near here?" he says. "There's a succession of UFO witnesses in that area. And lately nothing but strange things have been happening around me... I heard it. A cat talking."

Makoto face fills with alarm.

"What do they mean Rei-san and Ami-san were taken away!? You have an electrically charged constitution, Makoto-senpai!? What is this power Mamoru-senpai has!? Are you all not human!?"

Makoto grimaces, then smiles calmly.

"You look like my best friend from long ago," she says. "Direct and honest. He cared for me with all his heart, but I didn't say a thing. I moved here. I wasn't able to treasure that child very much. I didn't yet have any objectives or things I wanted to do, and I didn't understand the importance of friends. I don't want to remember that time."

She turns to him.

"Mamoru's power is called psychometry. It's the ability to sense everything with the touch of his hand. He doesn't just emit aura power from his fingertips and sense, but he can also actively give others that power as healing or a shock. It is a power ordinary humans don't have, but he is human. As are we. We are destined to fight the enemies. And those who fight with the same destiny, Rei and Ami, we wish to save at any cost. We don't know how they're doing. Being able to meet these allies, for whom I had been searching for a long time, and understanding this... I think of those allies as the most precious things. I will press on for them. I've achieved my objective. I won't be scared by any danger."

She sits down on the floor.

"Someday if you have someone you can treasure that much, you'll understand. Those are your friends... The people you love..."

She coughs.

"Makoto-san!" says Asanuma. "You're strong. Amazingly strong. All of you are amazing... I want to be strong too. If I, a man, can't be of any help to you, Makoto-san...!"

Light glows between them as he takes her hand.

"If I had the power," he says, "I would protect you."

She kisses him on the forehead and smiles.

He looks at her.

"I won't tell anyone."

He walks outside into the pouring rain.

Makoto leans back.

"Oh no, my mind is getting hazy..."

"This is an official weather warning," says the announcer on television. "There is worry of being hit by a large typhoon."

The picture and sound fade into static.

"The TV!?" thinks Makoto. "Is there an electric field?"

She looks outside and sees a glowing saucer-shaped object.

"What's that!? That light...!? Could it be, a UFO!?"

She holds her head.

"It looks like that ball of fire that took away Mars and Mercury..."

She collapses on the ground.

Usagi looks out the window.

"What a storm!" she says. "I wonder what's causing this weather, since so many people have colds..."

"You're really in good health, Usagi-chan," says Luna. "Must be because you sleep so much."

Minako looks at the monitor in the command center.

"Usagi-chan?" she says into her headset. "Can you get out for a bit? I can't get in contact with Mako-chan."

Petz stands in front of the glowing disk, with a group of droids behind her.

"Letting loose on the wind the malignant virus from this saucer and infecting them," she says. "Soon the seizures should be reaching their peak as well."

She faces the droids.

"For everyone in this area, their life spans will not last much longer. The time has come for you to replace them. Go forth, droids! Infiltrate human society, and change this society to the society of the Black Moon!"

The droids assume the form of humans.

"Such pain... I can't breathe!? Ugh...!?"

Makoto opens her eyes and sees her duplicate standing over her, its hands gripping her neck.

"It's me!?"

She reaches for the communicator on the floor beside her.

"Usagi! Enemies...! Come quickly...!"

-

"Mako-chan!?" says Usagi.

-

Makoto throws the duplicate off.

"Jupiter Star Power!"

-

"Venus Star Power!"

"Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!!"

-

Makoto lifts the duplicate over her head.

"If you're going to become me, you'll have to be better than that!"

She throws it against the wall, and it reverts to the form of a droid.

She looks out the window at the flying saucer.

"That disk!!"

She runs outside.

"Oh, you failed to die?" says Petz. "How dare you kill my pretty sisters. I am the eldest of the four Ayakashi sisters, Petz, and I shall return it to you a hundredfold."

"Flower Hurricane!"

A storm of flowers surrounds her.

"A hurricane of that level?" says Petz. "I'll show you! The power of a tornado called by this earring of the Evil Black Crystal!"

Wind gushes toward Makoto.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she shouts.

Electricity shoots at Petz.

The wind surrounds Makoto, trapping her in the air.

"Jupiter!!" says Usagi.

A crowd of people attacks Usagi and Minako.

"The people are being manipulated!? Such power! That's not human power!!"

A man wraps his hands around Usagi's neck.

"The ones who attacked Mercury were like this, too!" she thinks. "At first humans came to attack, but they weren't humans! With my goggles..."

She puts her mask over her eyes, and sees the droids taking human form.

"I can see!! These things! The enemies... The Black Moon is changing into humans and trying to infiltrate us!?"

"Venus Love-Me Chain!!"

She attacks the droids, freeing herself and Usagi.

"Jupiter!?"

Makoto is still suspended in the air.

"How dare you!!" says Usagi.

"Heh heh," says Petz. "Ahahaha!"

Usagi holds out her rod.

"Moon Princess Halation!!"

Petz screams as the light destroys her.

Usagi looks up.

"Jupiter!? I can't see anything!! Where is she!?"

The glowing saucer rises into the sky.

"The light is going away! No, it can't be! Jupiter!?"

Rubeus looks down at her.

"That Sailor Moon looks so small," he says. "The prince, too, is one to play a cruel game."

Usagi screams as the saucer flies away.

"Jupiter!!"

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