Chapter Text
Makoto Kino knew she couldn’t let her focus waver for even a moment if she was to have any chance of victory. All the confidence and bluster from the start of the battle was long gone as she was pushing everything she had to continuously keep her attack on target. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and she felt her knees threatening to buckle under her. Then, when the doubts and worries of her opponent overwhelming her started to creep in, she was finally greeted with the bright flash of light that signaled the end.
“And we have a winner in The Water Gun Showdown! Congratulations to contestant number 3, you win the prize!”
“Yes, I did it!” Makoto let out a large cheer that was probably heard throughout the entire midway, followed by a large groan from one of the other competitors.
“That didn’t count,” a slightly damp blonde highlighted redhead complained. “My water gun kept backfiring on me!”
“Hey, remember the rules. No complaining.” Makoto had a big grin on her face as she accepted a small stuffed rabbit from the carnival worker. “I totally had you beat there, Ranma.”
Makoto’s competitive rival for the day crossed her arms and let out a small huff. “Yeah, well, the next game is the basketball toss. I’ll get you on that one.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, short stuff. After all, I was the star player in my previous school.” The smile on Makoto’s face dropped slightly as they walked over to the next game. “At least until they kicked me out for getting into fights.”
“They what?” Ranma looked over at her in surprise. “Did you, like, knock down the whole school or something?”
“No, nothing like that,” Makoto responded with a chuckle. “Just taught a few lessons to some annoying guys that kept picking on the girls.”
“You got kicked out for that ?” Ranma asked with incredulity in her voice. “Akane used to fight like half the boys at school and none of the teachers said anything. Not to mention we both still kick Kuno’s ass at least twice a week, and he’s the principal’s son. Heck, I kick pineapple head’s ass at least once a week, and he never tried to kick me out of school. All he did was bring in an annoying teacher that can drain our energy and stuff.”
“Wait, your teacher did what?” Makoto managed to just barely avoid face planting on the ground. “You mean your teacher was a youma?” She didn’t remember ever fighting anyone at Ranma and Akane’s school over in Nerima, but maybe it was something that happened before she awakened and joined the team.
“Nah, she can act like a gremlin, but she’s just a martial artist that got taught by a total pervert.” Ranma let out a little laugh before a look of contemplation appeared on her face. “Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if the old creep turned out to be an actual demon. Hey, ain’t there supposed to be a bunch of girls in Minato that use magic to fight demons or something?”
“Oh, you’ve heard of the Sailor Senshi?” Makoto managed to hold back the majority of her gloating urges and simply gave a little smirk.
Ranma just gave a shrug in return. “Eh, I kinda heard some stuff on the news. Mostly I just remember something about a magic gem cause Nabiki wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks.”
“Well, from what I’ve heard, they’re super awesome fighters that kick all sorts of ass and save the day a lot,” Makoto said with enthusiasm as she pumped a fist up in the air.
“Huh, know if they ever do recruitment drives?” Ranma casually asked as they approached the basketball toss booth, complete with a regulation height hoop.
“Don’t think it works that way,” Makoto admitted, thinking about what she could admit without giving too much away. “Uh, I think I remember them saying once that it was a predestiny thing. “Why? Where you actually thinking about becoming a magical girl yourself?”
“Well, if you think about it, I’m already a magical girl, at least some of the time.” Ranma gestured to herself. “Plus, with the way my destiny’s been constantly screwing me over, I figured I’m owed something pretty soon.” She then look down, deep in thought. “If I had that kind of power, I could always make sure that the people I…that I could always help other people from getting hurt, ya know?” The girl’s dour mood seemed to suddenly pop like a balloon as she flashed a big grin to Makoto. “For now, I guess I can just settle for completely crushing you at basketball. Right, beanpole?”
Makoto looked at the redhead for a moment before flashing a grin right back. “That’s some big talk there, short stuff. Time to see just how well you can stack up.”
“Well, Usagi, at the very least you were able to make it slightly more than halfway through this haunted house ride,” Ami not so helpfully noted.
“I really thought I had it this time!” Usagi calmly stated and definitely didn’t whine out. She had to admit it was a little silly, though. She’d fought against so many horrible things, including an evil spirit the size of a planet in the far future, and yet something as simple as people dressed as ghosts and cardboard monsters still managed to make her a complete crybaby. Her big strategy this time was to go with Akane, who was so cool she would obviously help her get through it. Unfortunately, that ended up backfiring on her.
You know, I’m just amazed that there’s someone that can scream even louder than you,” Minako said while rubbing her ears. “It surprised me so much I completely forgot to get scared.”
“Sorry about that, everyone,” Akane muttered out as she clung onto Usagi’s arm, still trembling slightly. “I’ve fought so many dangerous things and managed to get through so much, and I still can’t handle a simple ghost ride at an amusement park.”
“No, it’s perfectly understandable,” Ami stated while adjusting her glasses. “When you were fighting to save your sister, that urge would have helped to push aside any fears you were feeling at the time. Quite ironically, the almost complete safety of an amusement park ride also allows your terror to fully manifest unabated.”
“Thanks for the attempt, Ami, but it still doesn’t make me feel better,” Akane muttered out. “I mean, that one didn’t even have any real spirits.”
“Huh?” Usagi blinked and looked over at the slightly taller girl. “What do you mean by-”
“Hey, girls!” Makoto waved to the group as she ran up to meet them. “How have things been going for you?”
“Oh, we’ve definitely been holding onto dynamite all over the place, well for the most part at least,” Minako cheerfully said. “How’d your little contest with the firebug go?”
Makoto gave a sigh and put her hands on her hips. “I really thought I had her with the go kart race since she’d never done it before. I swear, I’ve never seen anyone take to something so fast.”
“Hey, don’t forget our rules,” Ranma said while sauntering up with a big grin on her face. “No complaining about the clear fact that I’m the best!” Her smile then immediately dropped and her brow furled upon seeing the girl that was still clinging onto Usagi. “Are you serious?!”
“Uh, this isn’t what it looks like,” Usagi started to blurt out, but Ranma seemed to ignore her completely.
“You tried to go through a haunted house ride, didn’t you?” the blondish redhead chastised to the aquamarine highlighted girl. “Honestly, Akane, what were you thinking?”
“Hey, I just wanted to help out Usagi, okay?” Akane grumbled. She then sighed and leaned in a little close to Usagi as she turned her gaze to the ground. “Guess it didn’t really work out too well, though.”
Usagi and the others looked on as Ranma tilted her head and a worrying look grew on her face. She seemed to be lost in thought for a few seconds, then gave a deep breath and casually looked up to the sky. “Yeah,” she drawled out, “I guess the bunhead shoulda known better than to rely on a crybaby tomboy.”
In the blink of an eye, Akane shot over to Ranma with what almost looked like a burning aura surrounding her. “Hey, take that back right now! I’m not a crybaby, you jerk!”
Ranma slowly turned to look at her and gave a smug grin. “Oh yeah? I bet you can’t even handle a full lap on the go kart track.”
“Ha! Lead the way, Miss First Timer.” Akane gave a grin of her own. “I’ll show you what I can do.”
“Yeah, that’s the Akane I know and l-” Ranma gave a quick glance to the other girls. “-really like spending time with. Okay, get ready to eat my dust, tomboy!”
“Yeah right, dummy. I’ll be making you eat those words!” Akane called out as she chased after the retreating Ranma.
As Usagi watched the two leave while trading insults that were admittedly a lot friendlier than most of the watching bystanders would realize, one very distinct thought entered her mind.
“I really wish Rei could have joined us.”
“No kidding,” Makoto agreed. “She can’t really be that busy at the temple, can she? This would have been a great early birthday celebration for her.”
“Wait, didn’t you hear?” Minako looked between all of them. “Rei’s gone up to the mountains. She said she wanted to do a purifying ritual for her 15th birthday.”
“Oh, that’s actually a really good idea,” Ami noted. “A chance to clear one’s mind before getting ready for the high school entrance exams. Maybe we should try that ourselves.”
“Yeah right.” Usagi gave a sigh at the reminder of the hell that would be 3rd year middle school. “Rei doesn’t even have to worry about that since she goes to a private school and will move up anyway.”
“But, she’ll still want to do the exams, right? I mean, why wouldn’t she?” Ami asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Forget about that, we’re going to miss out on throwing her a party,” Makoto lamented. “I was all set to bake a cake and everything.”
Minako gave a shrug. “Well, there’s nothing we can really do about it now.”
“No way!” Makoto called out while slamming a fist into her palm. “A person only gets a 15th birthday once in their lifetime, and I won’t let her miss out on a celebration. Now, which mountain did she end up going to?”
Awaken.
The time has come.
Destruction is at hand.
Bring together…
…The Three Talismans!
Rei Hino’s eyes shot open, once more aware of the roaring noise of the waterfall that was no longer pounding down upon her as she slowly walked forward in the water and tried to comprehend the words that flashed into her mind just moments before.
Three talismans? What could those be? Is that what’s needed to awaken whatever it is in my visions? To bring destruction. Whose though? Could it be for our enemies, whomever they may be?
“Oh, there she is. YO, REI!”
Rei just barely managed to avoid stumbling into the water at the sound of the loud voice. Turning, she saw the cheerful face of a familiar ponytailed brunette walking up the path adjacent to the river sporting hiking gear and a large pack on her back.
“Makoto? What are…huh?” Rei halted her question as three more figures made it up the slope, although these ones did not look nearly as cheery.
“Please…please tell me we’re finally here,” Minako gasped out between breaths. “My whole…body feels like…it’s on fire.”
“Well…we did just hike up…a mountain after all,” Ami added, looking like she was about to pass out.
Usagi also looked completely miserable, which meant she was probably more cranky and bratty than normal. “Darnit, Rei,” she grumbled out. “Couldn’t you have done your meditation thing on a smaller mountain?”
Rei crossed her arms and gave a huff. “Yeah, well, I’m sure you’d be just fine if you didn’t gorge on sweets every chance you get, bunhead,” she pointed out, completely ignoring the other two that were just as worn out.
She couldn’t help but notice that Usagi gave a tiny smile at that. “Ah, there we go,” the blonde girl sighed out. “There’s the Rei that I know and really like spending time with.”
“Look,” Rei said with a sigh of exasperation, “what are you all doing up here anyway?”
“Happy fifteenth birthday, Rei!”
The party quickly got into full swing at the cabin that Rei was staying in. Makoto was very happy that the cake she baked for the occasion survived the trip up fully intact and everyone dug in as the other girls also presented their gifts. Minako with Rei’s favorite flowers, Ami giving some exam workbooks so the two could study together, and Usagi providing a ‘his and her’ tea cup set so Rei would have something when, as Usagi cheerfully said, “she’d finally get a boyfriend.”
Any chance of an argument breaking out was halted as Usagi then quickly followed up by apologizing that Akane and Ranma weren’t able to make it, as they were at the hospital visiting Akane’s sister, who was doing much better, but still had yet to wake up.
“Well, that might be for the best,” Rei cooly stated between bites of cake. “Now we finally have the chance to go over what we saw that night at Mugen Academy.”
Makoto’s eyes narrowed as she immediately caught onto what Rei was indicating. “You mean those two new Senshi, right?”
“Now, we can’t be certain that they were Sailor Senshi,” Ami pointed out. “It was dark and we only got a glimpse of them from far away.”
“Yeah, and they also ran away from us,” Usagi added. “If they really are fellow Guardians, why didn’t they try to meet up with us.”
“Hey, they might have their reasons.” Minako slammed a hand on the table. “I didn’t join up with you girls right away, if you remember. Plus, none of us were transformed at the time, so maybe they don’t know who we are either.”
“Right, maybe…” Usagi trailed off as she looked off to the side with a strangely contemplative look on her face.
“What is it?” Makoto asked with a raised eyebrow.
After a few seconds, the twin tailed blonde shook her head and turned back with a big smile. “Oh, nothing. I’m just being silly.”
“Well, I’m sure we will run in them again,” Minako said with determination. “Especially with these monsters that are tied to Mugen Academy. Speaking of, we also need to keep an eye on those two students.”
“You don’t really think they could be enemies, do you?” Usagi asked with concern in her voice.
“Perhaps,” Ami said, giving a contemplative and worried expression. “The way that Haruka kept looking at me back at Mugen Academy. There was this sense of…familiarity behind his eyes, like he knew me more than he should.”
“There was also that feeling that we were being watched right before he showed up,” Rei added. “And of course they were at the arcade shortly before that monster appeared. We can’t dismiss the possibility that they’ve been spying on us.”
“Maybe it’s something else,” Usagi countered. “I mean Michiru, she…” The leader of the Sailor Scouts looked away with a conflicted expression on her face.
Makoto’s eyes narrowed at this. “Usagi? Did something happen at Mugen Academy that you haven’t told us yet?”
Usagi quickly shook her head. “No, no, it’s just…I don’t know,” she finished with a sigh.” An awkward silence hung in the air for a few seconds, but before anyone could come up with a response, she turned back to the group with a big smile and a clap of her hands. “Okay, that’s enough serious stuff for today. It’s Rei’s birthday, and as your princess I declare that now is the time to relax and have fun!”
“Oh, I have the perfect idea,” Ami said, smiling as she held up one of her gifts to Rei. “We can have a study party to really get a leg up on our upcoming high school exams.”
Usagi’s smile instantly dropped, and Minako proceeded to slam her head down on the table. “Come on, we went up to the mountains to get away from that stuff,” the Senshi of Love grumbled.
As Ami started to argue her point to the two blondes, Makoto noticed that Rei had left the table and was staring out the window on the other side of the room. She got up and went over, looking over Rei’s shoulder to see the view of the mountainside area, including a large cabin and campsite in the distance that she just so happened to read about in the paper the other day.
“So I take it you know that the new Mugen Academy students are having some kind of training camp over there,” she quietly said.
Rei didn’t turn around, instead simply giving a small nod. “Yes, it’s actually part of the reason I came up here in the first place.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything before? Why did you come up here alone?”
There were a few beats of silence before Rei gave a sigh. “I also ended up getting a really bad omen about this trip, so I hoped to keep you all out of this, especially Usagi. Part of our duty is to protect her, and I believe we can help do that by making sure she’s out of danger.”
“Hey, what are you two talking about?”
Makoto jumped to the side and nearly out of her skin as she and Rei turned to see Usagi standing behind them with an innocent smile on her face. “Oh, we were just…uh…admiring the view, that’s all,” the ponytailed brunette managed to stammer out.
“Really?” Usagi bounced forward to take a look for herself. “Oh wow, it’s amazing!”
“I know, right?” Rei said with a sigh of relief.
Usagi grinned and continued with her same chipper voice. “Yeah, you can even see the camp where all the Mugen Academy students are staying.”
“W-what, you heard about that?” Makoto said, taken aback slightly.
“Uh-huh,” Usagi responded with a nod. “I’ve been making sure to research and find out everything I can about that place.” At the incredulous look from Rei, she crossed her arms and gave a small pout. “Okay, Luna’s been doing most of the research, but that still counts! So are we going to check out that place already or what?”
“Uh, hold on, weren’t you just talking about wanting to have a party for my birthday?” Rei pointed out. “Besides, you already used your ‘royal decree’ for us to relax and have fun.”
“Well…” Usagi glanced over to the table where Ami was somehow managing to pull out even more study books. “I think this will also be fun. Besides, I really want to go and see…uh…what they’re all up to. Oh, I know. Hey, Mina-chan! Do you wanna check out the Mugen camp?”
The blonde at the table stopped slowly scooting away from Ami and looked over with a questioning expression. “Are there going to be any hot guys there?”
“Oh yeah, that’s pretty much a guarantee.”
“Then I’m in!” Minako enthusiastically cheered while leaping to her feet.
“That’s the spirit,” Usagi said with a grin. “How about you, Ami?”
The blue haired genius looked to ponder the question for a few moments. “Hmmm, I suppose the students there would be working on more advanced studying techniques. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to investigate.”
“Perfect!” Usagi clapped her hands, then turned to Rei with a big grin. “See? It’s a vote so it’s different now, and 3 to 2 means we’re all going to check that place out, so let’s get going!
It didn’t take too long for the five of them to make their way to the campsite and sneak up to the main building, where loud sounds of combat could be heard. “What’s going on in there?” Usagi asked.
It only took a few seconds for Makoto to fully recognize the noises. “Pretty sure that’s martial arts sparring,” she stated, making sure to keep the excitement out of her voice as much as possible.
Apparently it didn’t work very well as Usagi nudged her in the side. “Ah, see? Aren’t you glad we decided to come here after all?” she said with a smug grin.
“Eh, it’s not that big of a deal,” Makoto casually said, “but, we should probably check it out anyway.” She very nonchalantly rushed through the hallway to a door where the sounds were coming from, the other girls arriving close behind. They all took a peek inside, finding a large gymnasium-like area with a bunch of Mugen Academy students in white gis. And right in the center were two students having a judo match. One of whom, right in the process of throwing the other over his shoulder, was very familiar.
“Oh crap, it’s Haruka,” Minako whispered. “Darn it, the one hottie I didn’t want to run into.”
“Right, we should get out of here before he spots us,” Ami said, a noticeable bit of nervousness leaking through her voice.
“Why do we need to do that?” Usagi innocently asked. “Hey, if he’s here, does that also mean…” She leaned in more and whipped her head around checking the entire room.
“Usagi, we need to go!” Rei hissed out. “Hey Makoto, what are you doing, come on!”
The brunette wasn’t really listening though. She was too focused on watching the blond’s fighting techniques. Something about them sparked an itch of familiarity in her mind. She also couldn’t help but notice how the bright fluorescent lights gave the boy’s hair a slight reddish sheen. It was a minor detail, but for some reason, she felt like it was important somehow. Why did-
“Enjoying the show, ladies?”
With several yelps of surprise, all five of them found themselves collapsed in a pile right in the doorway. Looking up, Makoto saw the aquamarine haired Michiru standing in the hallway wearing a cream colored gi of her own and looking down on them with an amused expression on her face.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Haruka called out.
Michiru hummed and responded in a slightly sing-song tone. “Oh, nothing much. Just some hikers that seemed to have wandered their way in.”
“What? Oh, bunhead!” Haruka had a look on his face as though he suddenly remembered something, although it quickly shifted to his own amused expression. “So you girls are doing some camping, huh? Or did you decide to hike all the way up here to check out my awesome training skills?”
Makoto growled and scrambled to her feet. “For your information, we’re doing some training of our own on this mountain!”
A cocky smirk grew on the boy’s face. “Oh, well in that case how ‘bout a nice little judo spar. That is, if you think you’re actually up for it, short stuff.”
“Short stuff?!” Makoto’s eye began to twitch. How dare this jerk, just because he happened to be a little bit taller than her. She was well above average height for a girl her age, even more so when she chose to ignore certain countries in the world. Stupid Sweden. “Yeah, I’m totally up for kicking your scrawny little car driving butt. Bring it on!”
It only took a few minutes for Makoto to get ready, changed into a gi and standing opposite the smug jerk. Even after the call to begin was made, Haruka just stood in place with an expectant look on his face, which only pissed her off even more. Alright, time to show pretty boy just what a Sailor Senshi can do. In a flash, she rushed inside his defenses and got a hard grip on his gi. Ha! This is too-
Makoto blinked and looked up at the ceiling, her mind still processing just how fast she was countered and hip tossed onto the lightly padded mats. Before she could react, Minako and Ami were at her side and slowly helping her up.
“What is wrong with you?” Minako yelled at Haruka. “She could have been really injured. How dare you treat a girl so harshly”
“If she can’t handle a simple throw like that, then it’s her problem,” Haruka shot back, a scowl on his face. “It has nothing to do with being a guy or a girl. If you really are strong enough, then none of that should matter.”
Makoto growled as she shook her friends off and got to her feet, taking a couple of seconds to steady herself. “Oh yeah? Try me again and I’ll show you just how strong I am!”
Haruka was about to step forward again when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Now, now,” Michiru said in a sweet, almost chastising tone, “I do believe that it’s my turn now.”
“Really? You?” Makoto regretted the words the instant they left her lips. Dammit, sure the girl was a concert violinist, but she of all people understood that strength and femininity were not incompatible things.
Michiru’s serene mask cracked for just a moment. “Oh, is it really that much of a surprise?”
“No, of course not!” Makoto quickly realized just how much of a verbal landmine she just stepped on, and started to wave her hands in front of her in a warding gesture. “I’d love to have a spar, and I can definitely tell that you’re a martial artist too!”
Haruka started to snicker, but was quickly silenced by Michiru not so lightly elbowing him in the side, although his amused smile didn’t drop.
“Very well.” The calm expression was back on Michiru’s face as she tilted her head slightly as though a thought just occurred to her. “How about we try something other than judo this time?”
“Uh, sure,” Makoto hesitantly responded, put off guard by the aquamarine haired girl’s demeanor, but still determined to prove herself. “Do you know kempo?”
“Oh, a little.” Michiru flashed a ghost of a smile as she gave an unreadable look over to Haruka, who raised an eyebrow.
Makoto smiled and gave a nod. “Okay, then maybe I can teach you a few things.”
“Oh yes,” Michiru responded. “I’m very much looking forward to this lesson.”
In less than a minute, Makoto once more found herself in the middle of the gym facing off against her opponent. As she took up a basic ready stance, her brow furled at the fact the girl across from her was not taking any kind of martial arts stance, instead just standing casually with her arms behind her back. Just how little kempo does she know? “Alright, I’ll start off slow. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“If you say so,” Michiru casually responded with a slight tilt of her head.
Makoto rushed in and decided to start things out with a simple straight jab to the abdomen. As expected, the slightly taller girl was able to avoid the slow strike. Unexpectedly, she decided to do so by leaping straight up in the air, which Makoto noted with amusement as an obvious mistake as it left Michiru open to a follow up attack. This ain’t a kung fu flick, you know. She went to prove her point with a high kick, however the other girl somehow managed to twist her body midair and avoid the attack. Makoto blinked in surprise, then quickly prepared herself for Michiru’s counterattack. Oddly, that didn’t happen, as the girl simply lighted on the ground in that same casual stance as before.
“So, are you ready to start fighting yet?” Michiru asked with a slight smile.
“I’ll show you fighting!” Makoto called back, throwing a much faster punch that her opponent still managed to dodge by leaning to the side. The brunette started to go into a frenzy, going all out with a variety of strikes, attempted grapples, feints and sweeps. However, none of them were able to connect, the other girl effortlessly avoiding every attack, practically flowing around them like water, while still not contributing a single bit of offense of her own.
“Dammit, fight back already!” Matoko yelled in frustration.
“Why? Am I in danger?” The light tone in Michiru’s voice was offset by the new look in her eyes. One of complete and utter disgust, as though she was suddenly reminded of something she absolutely despised.
All of that together managed to piss off the Senshi of Jupiter even more and she pushed herself harder, unrelenting in her attacks. The sweat started to flow down her face as she made sure not to let herself waver in her focus for even a moment, waiting for her opponent to eventually make that one mistake. Finally, one of Michiru’s dodges caused her to go slightly off balance and leave her open. Makoto immediately took advantage of that opportunity and with a loud yell stepped forward and put everything she had into a single punch…
…which struck nothing but empty air as she then felt a light tap on the back of her head.
As Makoto blinked in surprise, too stunned to move, she felt hot breath on her ear as Michiru leaned forward to whisper to her.
“If that’s really the best you can do, how do you ever expect to protect the ones you love?”
Makoto could feel a chill run through her, as though she just had ice water poured down her spine. Slowly, she turned her head towards Usagi and the others, who were walking up to her with various expressions of concern on their faces. “I…I…”
“Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?”
The yelling from the older red haired woman standing at the entrance snapped her out of her stupor. Before the person who was most likely one of the Mugen Academy instructors could say anything else, the girls grabbed Makoto and her stuff and very quickly ran out of the gym through a side exit. During the entire trip back to Rei’s cabin, she couldn’t help but keep glancing over to Usagi with the same thought running through her mind.
Is she right?