Senshi Anime Night

So the inexplicable and unforeseen happened: Mamoru Chiba, mysterious and hard to read, kind of a jerk but not really that bad all told, definitely not Nephrite, and according to the Sacred Fire probably the Moon Princess' reincarnated boyfriend...

...asked Makoto if she and her friends would like to come over to his place to help him suffer through an anime another friend of his got him, and that other friend might also come, and he'd provide pizza, curry, or curry pizza, depending on preferences (which may actually mean Mako threw up her hands in despair and actually brought real food, but fast food might also be acceptable, WHO KNOWS).

He specifically named the civilian names of her friend group, not the Senshi, to boot. His bizarre half-flirting half-teasing relationship with Usagi has at this point gotten them both varying degrees of flak, and he's been friends with Ami for a comparatively long time, and he knows they're all associated, so it's honestly not weird at all.

His apartment's at the top of a luxury high-rise, the spacious and strikingly empty penthouse, with a wide balcony outside and a lovely view of Tokyo and the harbor; the doorman let them all in as guests expected ahead of time, and the elevator led up to a private lobby with only one apartment door, which is standing partway open.

Should anyone knock, there's a 'come in!' but it's otherwise quiet, and the joint can probably be cased. There are extra guest slippers piled by the door.

One pair is, in fact, bunny slippers.

Her closest friends, food, Mamoru-kun, /and/ a luxury highrise? It took approximately .00002 seconds to convince Usagi to go, and even that tiniest of pauses was caused by severe lack of milkshake.

Which is good, as the girl might have bent space-time for them all to be there immediately otherwise.

She's dressed in jeans and a cute pink blouse, knocking on the door as she arrives. There's something in her arms.

It smells like 'food'. Lord help them all.

Off go her shoes, on go the bunny shoes! There's a squeal of delight, and then she's into the room with all of her lack of tact! She's so happy, that should Mamoru make an appearance after, she'll run up and hug him without any reservations. Right in front of everyone.

"Mamoruuuu-kuuuuun! Thank you so much, this is going to be great!" Then she's turning around, to try to physically drag everyone else in! This is not difficult to stop. Unless maybe you're Ami.

"Come ooon come oooon!" There are hugs passed out liberally in this process, twintails bouncing.

Makoto is bringing up the rear of this little crowd, mostly because - although Mamoru provided directions and she's the one nominally responsible for bringing the other three along - she has not actually been to Mamoru's apartment before.

That, and it's easier for her to see over her friends than it is for them to see past her, most of the time.

So Mako hangs back a little to let Usagi urge Rei and Ami in ahead of her before she steps in through the door herself. She's carrying a picnic basket and wearing a warm if slightly bemused smile as she steps out of her shoes and into a pair of slippers. "As promised," she tells Mamoru, bright-eyed with humor. "Thanks for inviting us. Where should I put the snacks?"

'This place has a doorman?!' Rei wonders to herself. I mean, sure she's been here before but uh... usually she enters via the balcony. Actually entering the normal, civilian way is strange and confusing, and she gets confused a couple of times.

Not that she'd ever admit it! If she gets lost it's clearly Usagi's fault!

Wait... Usagi doesn't seem to have much trouble finding her way...

...

Rei is dressed casually, black skirt with a white shirt. She sweatdrops as Usagi drags her inside, saying, "Usagi geeze you're so hyper!" When she gets inside she pulls free of Usagi's grip long enough to change into conveniently-placed guest slippers.

She walks towards the living room proper, calling out, "Thanks for inviting us over, Chiba-san."

At least now she's in a place she remembers.

    Ami is a little shy and is probably JUST in front of Makoto as Usagi 'Bull in china shoppe's' her way into Mamoru's apartment. Ami lightly giggles into her hand as she looks up to Makoto and....snags one of the snacks as Makoto passes by. "Yes, Thank you for having us over Chiba-san." She's not quite as loud as Rei, but then Ami's usually the softspoken one of the group. She doesn't mind the doorman too horribly much as much as the expensive apartment.

Minako Aino arrives fashionably late (also through the appropriate venue, not the balcony) and with a squeal. "Ahnyeaaaaaa! You have the best taste in friends!" she exclaims once she comes in without knocking and notices just who else showed up.

"Ahhyeeee! You have the best taste in slippers. Ohmigod, they're so girly!" she squeals, in the highest of spirits, intentionally taking a mismatched pair as she jumps inot the room with the same exuberance and energy as a sailor senshi making the scene. Possibly even louder.

"Everyone! You're all gonna looove this. Mams-chan picked out the best anime. He has the best taste," she says. There are multiple fibs in that sentence.

Mamoru's on his way over to the door from the balcony doors when the girls start coming in and Usagi literally barrels into him like a wrecking ball. --this is something he's actually used to, even if it's from months of getting rammed into almost every morning on his way to school, so though he laughs suddenly with ill-concealed delight, he doesn't actually get knocked over.

No: he braces one foot back and rocks onto it a little, catching Usagi's hug and giving her a brief squeeze in return. "Don't get the wrong idea," he laughs, despite all evidence to the contrary, "you're all here to keep this from being hideously embarrassing if the anime's terrible." The words are, in fact, teasing, and despite not actually wanting to let Usagi go, he does. There's an absurdly affectionate smile, and it's extended to all of them as they come in.

"If they should be cold, the freezer's in the kitchen-- pretty much everything's in the kitchen, except if you want to set in right away, the coffee table's fine, Mako-chan. The pizza should be here in about ten minutes, too..."

With all of them here, he looks so much warmer than usual, less tired than he has of late, more lively than he does in general. There's none of the tension or the pinched worry Makoto and Rei may have seen on him recently, either. "Of course, Hino-san, Ami-chan-- I'm very glad to have you all over--"

And then there is yelling through the door and a tornado, and Mamoru is absolutely and under all scrutiny visibly cringing at the squealing, and then he gives Minako a stink-face as she calls him Mams-chan. SUCH A STINK-FACE. "And everyone, this is Mina-P. She's the one who brought the anime. AND PICKED IT. I have no idea what it's like, she wouldn't tell me what it's called. But make yourselves at home! Bathroom's that way," he points, "and tea's on, and there's also soda and some juice and coffee in the refrigerator..."

He's started looking slightly overwhelmed, but he's keeping a handle on it. He wanted this. The book on the kitchen table, accidentally left out, proves this. It's titled 'How to Host an Informal Gathering of Friends'.

Usagi spin around, and puts her hands on her hips! Pout!

"We're here to have fun, Rei-chan! So you should get excited! Don't be a stick in the mud!" She complains to her friend, before she smiles to Ami and Mako!

"Hi Ami-chan! You should come to the arcade more! You spend too much time in books!" She encourages! Gotta get some /fun/ into that girl!

"Oooh, did you bring food, Mako-chan?" She's leaning over that basket like a predator stalking its prey. There's a grumbly bunny tummy, and then she's wiggling her fingers as if she's about to pounce!

Meanwhile, her 'brownies' are on the most convenient table. They look like little more than black squares. It might take a blowtorch to cut through them.

And in barrels Minako! Usagi smiles brightly, her own hyper enthuasiasm mirrored by this wonderful blonde-haired girl! She's over, and then she's hugging Minako like she's just found a friend from long, long ago.

"Hi! I'm Usagi Tsukino! I'm glad you're here! Oh, your hair's so pretty, can you tell me what you use? Oh, oh, what did Mamo-kun get? Wait, no, surprise me!"

That absurdly affectionate smile is met with sudden flurry of pink and shoujo bubbles and warm, bunny-like innocent smiles. The very fabric of time catches as their gaze catches.

And then like anyenergetic bunny, she's away!

"Yay! Pizza!" Simple pleasures.

"This was really nice of you, Mamo-kun!" She gets to meet a new /friend/! It's a gift better than anything else that could be offered tonight.

Then, after it all, she's over to the couch and starting to gab with Mina.

"Tonight is going to be perfect! Nothing could possibly stop such a wonderful day!"

    Ami manages to open her mouth for a reply with in barrels Minako, and scares Ami half to death. Not only is she leaning away from the explosion of happiness charged blonde girl, but she's also holding her hands as if to ward off evil spirits! In the next second, she's behind Makoto and peering from under her arm until Usagi makes a new friends. Only the heart bubbles and pink aura of them brings Ami out from behind Makoto. Even in her reservations, Ami shakes her head with a smile and.....

Looks the brownies over.

She picks up the entire.....brick, it might as well be called and looks to Mako-chan....holding it up while making a face like 'EESH!' Then the corner she has snaps off and the entire brownie 'brick' falls back onto the table....

....And promptly snaps it right down the middle, collapsing the table.

Rei frowns slightly at Usagi and Mamoru's hug when she thinks nobody's looking at her. Doesn't the term 'forbidden love' mean anything to them?! Geeze! They couldn't stay away from each other if their lives depended on it!

'Oh but they're just friends blah blah' yeah Rei's not buying that so don't bother selling. Ugh ugh she's getting so grumpy right now.

The frown slowly turns into a smile as Mamoru glances her way, if only for a moment.

Rei blinks as Usagi scolds her, and she responds defensively, "I'm not a stick in the mud!"

She sighs deeply for a moment before putting on a smile. She did come here to have fun, right? Probably best not to worry too much about budding romance and how the very important Moon Princess might respond to it.

The force of nature known as 'Mina-P' enters, and Rei is flabbergasted by the whirlwind of energy. After taking a moment to regain her bearings she lets out a (slightly forced) giggle and says, "Hi, Mina-P-san. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Rei takes a seat and starts looking between Mamoru and Minako. "Sooo neither one of you will claim responsibility for this anime, huh?" There's a bit of teasing in her voice. "That's promising."

The brownie brick breaks the table, and Rei blinks at it. "Uhh... wow. Um. You all saw that, right?"

"Of course I brought food! Who do you think you're talking to?" Makoto laughs, shooing Usagi's grabby hands away from her basket with a quick grin flashed towards Ami. "Come on, at least let me put it out first, then everyone can have some."

At Mamoru's direction, she hauls the basket over to the coffee table. Minako's entrance distracts her for a few moments. She shoots Mamoru a curious and somewhat teasingly skeptical look - silently mouthing 'Mams-chan?' - before turning a friendly smile toward the latest arrival. "Nice to meet you," she says easily, then pauses. "You look kind of familiar. Have we run into each other someplace?"

Catching Ami's look at the edge of her vision, she turns her head toward her friend, shoulders rising in a shrug - just in time to see the brownie drop and split the table right in front of her eyes. "Um..."

Automatically, her eyes find Mamoru's, half appalled and half apologetic and a little guilty even though she - for once! - had no part in the breakage. "Ah... I'll, um..." What to do? "...I'll put the food on the kitchen table, okay? It's not as convenient, but I brought some paper plates, we'll make it buffet-style."

Without waiting for an answer, she hurriedly relocates herself and her basket to the kitchen, where at least she can feel like she's not contributing to the chaos. Much.

MASS CHAOS but it's okay-- it's okay-- Mamoru doesn't notice Rei's growing disapproval because he's caught between moments by very, very blue eyes, looking at him like that; he's briefly frozen as the hubbub fades to indistinguishable background noise, and the tiny little smile, just for Usagi, is left lingering on his face as the spell's broken.

Rei gets a laugh. "Once you get to know Mina-P, you'll find out how very her fault it has to be. I don't even know what it's called!"

The doorbell rings, and there is indeed pizza! "I've got it," he calls over the cheerful chattering, and heads doorward to go pay the pizza guy.

It's while he's over doing that that there's a tremendous smashing CRACK of splintering wood, because in a picture-perfect magazine-spread rich-people's modern apartment, leather couches and classy coffee tables are a thing. His shoulders freeze up in a full-body flinch, and magically, he manages to finish paying for the pizza with nothing more than apologetic look at the deliverator.

He turns around, fixed smile on his face, and calls over to Makoto, "Sounds perfect."

There are four pizzas. Four. He half suspects Usagi can eat a whole one on her own with room to spare. He brings them into the kitchen as well, and he calls out the door, "If someone can move that out of the way, that's probably best, I'll deal with it later. Mina-chan, do you want to put the disc in?"

He starts making tea.

To Rei? Usagi gives a cutting, clever remark.

"Pbbbtttttttt!" Cue raspberry! You so /are/ Rei-chan :|

Then she looks over to the results of her brownies. She slowly, slowly smiles nervously.

"Ah..hah hah hah hah the recipie must have been a little wrong!" It totally wasn't her. Totally.

Sadly, the better food has been shooed by Mako! Usagi smiles as Mako, squeezes her shoulder, and to the couch she goes!

For all of five seconds, before she's over to the pizza. A plate, a napkin, and then she's like some kind of wood chipper. Nom nom nom.

"Mmmph imf mim!" (Put it in!) She bounces excitedly.

    The look on Ami's face is priceless as the table is destroyed by the brownies. It's obvious she didn't mean to, but....the damage was done. Ami sighs and goes to find herself a seat, after taking a couple of slices of pizza.

Minako Aino physically restrains herself from shouting 'that's what she said'. Instead, she keeps her witty retorts to answers like 'Keratin!' in response to Usagi's 'Can you tell me what you use in your hair?' question. Maybe with some hugs and swinging around.

She's more worried about the uncomfortable amount of confessions of forgeting who she is, with 'uncomfortable amount' being 'more than zero'! She calls Usagi a silly but it seems nobody has heard the legend of Minako.

"Ahhh! You've met me before, even if always brief and in passing. Don't forget me. I'm like a ghost - if I'm forgotten about, I'll fade awaaay." Realizing that she's so forgetable causes her to think deeply about the implications and, after a few moment's thought, decides to stop being the quiet, passive Minako-chan she sees herself as and instead become louder and more memorable!

She *throws* herself onto the couch after collecting up lots of snacks and a drink (no coaster). Then comes the loud chatting and gabbing, with targeted bits of exaggerated character assassination. "Gasp. GASP! Chiba-san does not take responsibility. How disappointing! But less disappoting is the Mamoru in Mamoru-kun ni Megami no Shukufuku o! (Mamoru to Venus)."

Mako unpacks her stuff quickly and efficiently, and in short order the pizzas are joined by an array of snack foods: rice balls with filling and without, apple slices cut with bunny ears and a dish of some kind of sweet cream cheese dip to go with them, popcorn balls, chocolate cookies dusted with powdered sugar. It's possible that Mako didn't have a lot of faith in Mamoru's ability to adequately feed this crowd.

Judging by how quickly the pizza's going, she may have been right.

Mercifully, she doesn't call attention to the book on the table, just puts a cookie on a paper napkin and sets it down on top of the book on the counter next to where Mamoru is making tea.

Then she goes back into the other room to start moving the pieces of table out of the way. "So what's it about, anyway?" she wonders. "Has anybody here actually seen any of it, or are we all going in blind?"

Rei responds to Usagi's cutting remark with her own brand of wit! By sticking out her tongue and raspberrying right back at Usagi! It's pretty uncouth of her but uuuuugh USAGI!

Rei is distracted from Usagi's antics by the sound of the pizza man appearing. She's admittedly just a little worried since, you know, the last time she saw a delivery guy here it was actually a youma. Once she's sure it's okay she turns her attention to other things.

Notably she starts helping Makoto move the table pieces. "I've never heard of that title, honestly. I have no idea what it's about."

Mina-P at least seemed to know the title. Well, maybe it's her suggestion after all?

Suddenly, from within Mamoru's wall safe, there's a pulse of energy. A trap, set recently, has been unleashed! From within the walls of the safe, a mutated Grief Seed has shattered the protective case it was placed in (preventing anyone from sensing it before now!).

The feeling of despair - of dread - of HORROR - practically floods the room, polluting it, corrupting it.

The safe bursts open, and for just a moment, anyone who turns in time can see a hand made of shadows, with long, dark claws, tearing its way out of the safe - the hand is coming out of a grief seed, but the seed itself has grown large and twisted - it nearly fills the safe now.

Then there's a shuddering of reality, a burst of dark colors; the world shifts as the witches' powerful Labrynth pulls everyone in the vicinity in forcefully.

The world they arrive in is one of black darkness and malevolence; the floor itself feels soft and squishy, the grass that makes up the ground looking long dead. Occasionally, a washed out grey line can be seen running through the grass, but it seems to twist and bend in nonsensical ways - in fact, even for a Labrynth, this one has found a way to seem more off than normal.

It's with a cookie in his mouth and a book quickly and quietly hidden away under and behind something in the kitchen that Mamoru's suddenly staggered by the flooding of malevolent, foreign emotion-- and his eyes are wide and horrified as he staggers out the kitchen door, gripping its frame.

(The cookie's swallowed quick enough for him to choke out) "Kuso--! WITCH!" and then cough because crumbs in his throat. The stagger's repeated as the doorframe vanishes and his feet squish into the nasty ground instead of soft carpeting, and he looks a combination of so betrayed and so completely bewildered. "Don't let it-- don't let it overwhelm you! This isn't your feelings; keep hold of your hearts!"

He's desperate to keep them calm; to keep them levelheaded. He hopes to god Makoto and Rei and V have the guts to henshin in front of each other; he's afraid for Ami, he's afraid for Usagi, he can't henshin in front of them-- he may have to; this isn't like any other witch he's seen, not at all, and it's all he can do to keep from panicking for a second.

But then he looks toward where he saw Usagi last, and his heart clenches and his mind clears. He squishes as fast as he can toward the odango'd blonde, and calls back toward Mina and Rei and Mako -- the only ones he know can transform -- "Henshin yo! This is no regular Witch, there's something wrong with it-- give it all you've got--!"

Rei's magical senses, for once, fail her. They can't detect a signal that's being blocked, after all. The Labyrinth expands around her, and the feeling of horror washes over her. "What is this place?! Is this one of those..."

She's heard stories of this kind of thing before, though she's never seen it. Until today. Mamoru's words confirm it.

She looks over to Mamoru and Minako, stepping in front of them and holding up her hands. "I think you two should find a place to hide. This feels... really dangerous." Minako actually has a bit more experience than Rei does... but Rei couldn't possibly know that.

Rei takes in the area around her. The atmosphere is wrong, dangerously so. She can't just not fight today, but... but there's at least one person here who doesn't and shouldn't know what her secret identity is! (Again, as far as Rei knows.)

In the end, dealing with the sudden and immediate danger becomes more important than keeping her secret identity safe. With a frown, she pulls out her henshin pen. Looking back at Minako, Rei says with a wink, "Hey, you can keep a secret, right?"

She holds up her pen and shouts, "MARS POWER! MAKE UP!" and her transformation begins.

The world changes. It's frightening. She wants to henshin with her friends, but her heart is frozen in pure terror. She's overwhelmed. She wants to curl up into a ball, give up in life, and die.

That pure, wide-eyed terror melts to surprise as Mamoru grabs her, the girl carrier into his arms!

And then her friends are transforming. It's the only thing that keeps her from fainting on the spot.

"G...gooo everyone!" She calls out, frighte in her voice.

    Even Ami's computer fails her when the safe explodes and plunges the all into the black morass of an alternate dimension. mars has the right idea: Dealing with the danger is more important than her secret identity. Pulling out her pen, she looks to Usagi, but she's more worried about Minako and Mamoru. it's that thought that compels her to raise her pen above her.

Mercury Power! Make-Up!

Minako Aino stares at Rei and has time for a brief little tease. "No. No, I can't keep a secret. I'll blab it to everyone," she states, casual and calm and serious as if this is how she always is. A little tisk and calling her reckless, too!

She drags herself to her feet from the couch and stretches her arms out. "Urrg, Mamo-chan. There's something wrong with -all- witches!" she says, matter-of-factly and annoyed. "None of them ever just come over for a sip of tea or cheese and crackers," she mutters, drawing her little compact out from its hidden place and turning into Sailor V in a snap.

"Let's do this thaaang. Form up, get to the heart, burn it with fire, and be back before my pizza is cold."

"Wh--!" Makoto's voice breaks off into an inarticulate yelp of surprised and alarm as the world twists around them and becomes something dark and wrong. Half a table drops from her hands, landing with a soft, squishy sound against the oddly spongy ground; Mako's first instinct is to look wildly around her for her friends, the others, but finding them all here and in one piece is not much of a relief when 'here' is dangerous and there's no way out, no safe place to hide. The senshi are one thing, but Mamoru is a non-combatant, and for all she knows Minako is a civilian--

No. Wait. Mamoru said the other person was a magical girl.

In any case, there's no time to dither. A heartbeat after Rei, almost in time with Ami, Makoto digs out her transformation pen. "Can't be helped, my cover's pretty much shot anyway - JUPITER POWER, MAKE UP!"

Electricity leaps from the pen as though it had only been waiting to be called.

The colors and magical strength of everyone's henshins have drawn attention. In the distance, the ground itself roils and shakes. And then suddenly, shadowy figures burst from the ground! Their faces have indeterminate features, but they all look to be roughly child-sized; they each rear their legs back and kick hard! As they do, small orbs of dark energy generate in front of them, which then recieve the kick, sending a barrage of dark orbs downrange! Even as this is happening, a small netted goal appears behind Usagi - also erupting from the ground - and begins to twist horribly, already so close to wrapping around her and preventing her from escaping that barrage!

Several more of the familiars begin to run down towards them - but many of them stumble or falter midstep, and erupt into a black, greasy-looking substance that is reabsorbed by the twisted terrain below. The ones that do make it move in for Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter - drawn by the magic of their henshins - striking out with clawed hands and cleated shoes!

In the far distance, the sound of a crowd booing and jeering grows so loud that it nearly drowns out other noises.

And the 'non-combatant' in the room's the one who's caught Usagi up in his arms -- and Mamoru's hanging on tightly to Usagi for all of two seconds before he sees that deadly net explode up in front of him, behind her, all the while the dark energy's throwing balls around, whipping them through the air.

He doesn't even think.

He twists himself around to put his back at the net and lets her go, pushing her hard to the side, toward Sailor Jupiter. "USAKO, RUN!" he demands, and then

Mamoru is the goalie, apparently

because

the Prince that the Moon Princess has been begging for help, that the Moon Princess protected from a friend gone mad with dark magic and power-lust just a couple of nights ago, that just called the Senshi's leader 'Usako'

takes the hit.

The hits, plural.

The first wicked ball of dark energy hits him right in the chest and sends him shooting back into the net, and then the rest of the balls headed for the goal start to pummel the ensnared high-schooler.

Sailor Mars's firey transformation plays out. Rings of fire close in around her to form clothes. Her nails turn red, earrings appear on her ears, and a touch of pink is added to her lips. The sailor guardian of Fire and Passion, Sailor Mars, is here!

"Mina-P is Sailor V?!" says Mars, out loud. Then, with a smile she adds, "Well then we have met, haven't we?"

Mars notices that Usagi isn't transforming. She decides not to comment on it. Her attention is focused on the child-like familiars, the dark orbs come flying at her and Rei starts dodging quickly around them. Orbs woosh by her as jumps and leans around them. "So these are... what... Familiars?" she asks out loud.

Not waiting for an answer, Mars begins to gather fire in her hands. The fire rages in her hands and the flames seem to push against her palms as she puts her hands together. "Fire... SOUL!"

Holding her palms open in front of her, she unleashes the gathered flames, scorching a path along the ground and attempting to destroy, or at least slow down, the child-like creatures coming at them.

Rei mentally files away the 'Usako' bit. Now is not the time to yell about that!

Especially since the guy just took a hit. "Chiba-san! Watch out!"

With the senshi at work, and being ushered about by Mamoru, he throws her aside to Jupiter! Her eyes go wide as everything goes slow motion in her head. That big ball of dark magic slams into this wonderful, jerkish, brave man.

Her heart breaks, and she openly cries.

He called her Usako. Tears stream down her cheeks.

"MAMO-CHAN!"

He falls.

It's all too much. Mamoru is down. Minako is Sailor V! She grits her teeth. Identieis go out the window.

"Moon prism power, make-up!"

One henshin later, and she's trying to punch that web out from the young man and the creatues around him!

    "MERCURY AQUA JET!"
    Mercury yells out as a torrent of water fires from her hands to try and keep back the 'children' coming at her, Mars and Sailor V.
    Sailor V!? Wait a minute! So maybe she's not an incompetent cosplayer after all. Thank goodness!

She does see Mamoru go down, and Usagi finally transform. She was beginning to think she wouldn't transform.

Minako Aino/Sailor V sings out the surprisingly catchy phrase: "Mina-P is Sailor V! We have met! I'm sorta' a big thing," she confesses, with the mannerism of shy humility.

She quickly falls into deep concentration, eyes unfocused, as she tries to see everything without letting her attention converge on any one point. She moves with an economy of motion, a step to either direction out of the way of any dark orbs going by her followed by swift laser-beam retaliation at the little creatures.

In any other setting, it would look like a terrible bully beating/beaming up the younger children.

All they were supposed to do this evening was watch some terrible anime. Eat some food. Tease Mamoru and probably each other to distraction.

Why did it have to go so wrong?

"Usagi-chan--!" Sailor Jupiter calls out, but she's too far from her friend to help, can't do more than watch as Mamoru pushes Usagi toward her and takes the hit to shield her. "Damn it!"

On some level she registers Minako's transformation into Sailor V, that this is where she recognized the other girl from, but this is no time to let the knowledge distract her and she pushes it aside. She'll parse it later. Instead, as Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon and her fellow senshi unleash their power onto the Familiars, Makoto throws out her hands, bright thin lances of lighting flashing from her fingertips to shock the creatures that threaten to mob her.

There's a roar from the crowd as the soccer balls made of dark energy pelt the defenseless Mamoru - then the boos begin again as the henshin-boosted strength of Sailor Moon tears Mamoru free of the net!

Meanwhile, the 'players' themselves get stopped just before they can claw or kick their way into the other senshi - holes punched right through them by the Aqua Jet and Crescent Beams, burned up by Sailor Mars, and given electroshock therapy by Sailor Jupiter. Their fallen forms melt back into the ground like those that fell ahead of time. Then the crowd begins to chant - in a foreign language that might not even be real words, or might simply be a lost tounge of demons.

There's a form in the distance, as that same disgusting, grease-like liquid begins to collect there. It finally all seems to get into one place (and the ground is much more stable now) - a simple soccer player like the others. Or so it seems.

Then, when it reaches back its hand and slams it down, suddenly the very ground beneath you rumbles and tears itself back, a giant hand of slick, wet grassy earth and vile liquid, towering over everyone, and then coming down to smash everyone (and probably everything for a few yards).

The phantom crowd is cheering again.

Freed! But out cold, pale as a ghost. Mamoru slumps into the mucky squishy pitch, not dead, but having taken an awful lot of magical damage for a civilian -- or even for a henshin hero in base form. The best bet for everyone involved is definitely going to be taking this monstrosity out as quickly as possible.

A veritable tsunami of sludge erupts all over everything as the hand that's made out of it slams down, and if he lives through this, Mamoru's going to have to hire a steam cleaner for the carpeting they're all going to be tracking glop on once the labyrinth is gone.

'I invited the Senshi for anime night and all I got was this astronomical repair bill.'

Now, Sailor Moon is quick to act as the webbing is broken, the senshi are elmental-ing out Familiars, and then they all coalesce into one giant evil creature! As the being raises its fist, and breaks the very ground into odd liquids, she goes to pick up Mamoru and leap out of danger just in time, her legs slashed up from the impact!

Holding Mamoru to her chest, she sniffles, but her gaze is full of resolve.

"We're going to get through this, Mamoru-chan. And we're getting /you/ through this."

She sets him down out of harms way, and then she rushes over to the others.

"Everyone! We...we need to destroy this thing! Sailor V! Lend us your power! Everyone together!"

She takes off her now shining tiara! She gives it a hard fling, right for the things' 'head'!

"Moooon....Tiaaarrraaa....Action!"

Mars keeps her eye on the enemy waves as she and the others tear them down. The massive amounts of points scored on Mamoru's face causes her worry, but at least now Usagi has transformed.

Well, at least that's five of them here, now.

More fire dances around Rei's hands, and she flings fireball after fireball at the childlike familiars, not stopping until the new soccer player shows up.

"What's up with that guy?" she wonders out loud. The ground is punched, Rei stumbles to keep her footing as the earth shakes, and a giant hand comes out of the ground. The unstable ground causes Rei to fall backwards, and immediately she spider-walks away from that giant vile hand. "Eww really?!" That thing looks really horrible.

Getting back up on her feet, she looks over at the distant soccer player. "That one might be the leader."

Putting her theory to the test, Rei holds up another fireball and slings it forward, as if she were throwing a baseball at the soccer player.

    Ami's almost immediately knocked off balance by the sudden ground quake, and lands smack on her butt. She remains there as the hand reaches up out of the ground and goes to smack the ground, with her being on the ground. She manages to barely get out of the way as the hand smacks the ground with impresive force, and she sees the lone soccer player that mars indicates. "Good idea, Mars." mercury yells as she sends a flurry of bubbles in the direction of the soccer player.

For a moment, it almost looks like they're making headway... until that giant hand slams down. Sailor Jupiter only just manages to keep from being smashed by diving bodily out of the way, and goes tumbling over the unpleasantly yielding turf.

She's back on her feet in a moment, the lightning rod in her tiara sparking as Sailor Moon calls for them to act. "Right behind you! SUPREME THUNDER!"

Electricity roars again, no slim thread of energy this time but a blast of pure raw voltage bright enough to dazzle the eye in this darkness. It rushes out from Jupiter's hands, following the glittering path of Sailor Moon's tiara and overtaking it to meet the spinning disc of power and wreathe it in crackling energy.

There's a pause in V's actions, riding out the earthquake and taking a little time to observe the enemy and the way the fight has developed. "Actually, Sailor Moon, that's not a bad idea," she says in response to her 'everyone together' insistences.

She lets her teammates's and their more coordinated violence take up all the attention - there's another little flash of light and there's Sailor Venus!

"We don't have time for this, because we got anime to watch!" She neglects to mention how the Mamoru-goalee being so skilled at stopping every single glowing ball from getting past him is actually a bad thing in this instance and instead just motions to him with her chin before flinging herself up front. "If you *really* want to 'hit it all together', let's do a Planet Attack," she says.

She takes her time, her friends' attacks giving her the freedom to make sure she gets it right. In lieu of an explanation, one which words fail her, she makes little gestures to the senshi, circular motions with her finger, and so on.... but she points it right at the 'leader' target on the off-chance anybody doesn't know where to direct it. "We all should be able to do it!"

The small soccer-playing witch? familiar? youma? and his massive hand slam down - but miraculously, everyone seems to get out of the giant handsmash without horrible injuries! The creature raises its hand again - and the massive hand above continues to react, like an evil vodoo puppet! But before it can make another slam, a sparkle of light comes - it's a tiara - alight with fire, crackling with lightning, and emitting cold frost, all wreathed together! There's no defense that the creature could put up against it - and the Tiara slams into the side of it, cutting right through it!

There's a sickening, squishy sound as the creature detonates, spraying that liquid everywhere.

But horrifically, suddenly, the liquid begins to coalesce again. Not into another soccer player, though. Into a quadrapedal giant beast, towering over the Labrynth and the senshi - massive, hulking - and totally at odds with the general soccer theme, as it roars loud enough to drown out even the 'crowd noises' that have been a function of the Labrynth. It oozes negative energy - not the despair of a witch, but the same terrible strength the senshi feel and witness when fighting minions of the Dark Kingdom. It lowers its head, and two rings of massive, pronged horns, gleaming with needle tips, burst from its head - and then it charges like a bull towards the senshi (and mamoru!)

"A Planet Attack?" asks Mars. She hasn't done one before but... the words make sense to her. Must be another ability she didn't know about before.

The soccer player goes down, smashed by the combined might of the senshi's power... only to get back up again?!

Rei looks up as the huge monstrosity rises above her, dwarfing the senshi and the currently KO'd Mamoru. "You're kidding..." she mumbles.

"Right. So. Planet Attack! We totally want to use a Sailor Planet Attack on that." The size and strength of the creature has convinced her of the need, at least. Not to mention the sudden appearance of the Dark Kingdom's kind of energy... Did they set this up? Well, she doesn't have time to consider that right now.

Mars reaches out for the two nearest senshi, taking their hands and summoning her power for the combined attack. "Mars Power!" Her body glows red with firey magic.

Mercury is....baffled at the sugestion of a 'planet attack', despite the idea having only an inkling of familiarity. When Mars shouts the command though, Mercury is right behind her, putting her hands out for Mars and another nearby Senshi. "MERCURY POWER!"

It seems like victory is in sight! But no, the creature transforms! Into a bull.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!" Usagi reasons most rightly as she's suddenly scrambling backwards at the Massive Charging Youma Evil Bull!

A hand is out, and she's reaching for Rei! And Minako too, smiling warmly!

"Jupiter! Mars! Venus, Mercury! I believe in all of you!"

One more time!

"Moooooon Power!" She too flares up with energy, adding the light of the moon to the attack!

"Huh?" Sailor Jupiter does a double-take at Sailor V's suggestion - no, not Sailor V, Minako's transformation has changed, and the strange thing is that Mako barely finds it confusing at all. Another half-second and something in her might fill in the last blank.

Except she doesn't get the chance before the massive beast takes shape and begins to charge. No time for questions now, nothing to do but act on instinct. She picks up what her friends have already begun, catching Ami's hand on one side and Minako's on the other.

"Jupiter Power!" Energy surges up around her, fresh and clear and blazing in an aura of green light, joining with the others.

The circle closes like a circuit finally complete.

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus takes hands (Moon's and Jupiter's) and there's this very momentary desire to tickle palms. "Venus Power!" she says, pushing down immature urges and instead squeezing hands tightly in her fingers.

She keeps her eyes open, seeing and feeling all the little bits of energy around her, like a static charge in the air that makes the little hairs on her skin prickle and stand.

So much power! She focuses more on directing it than adding more to it, making sure that it is accurate.

"Let's score a bullseye!"

That bright orb of color forms up as the bull charges - the girls, using their teamwork, as the full team of Guardian Senshi, and meet the bull's charge head on! The Sailor Planet Attack bursts through the youma, blowing a giant hole right down the center of it - and then the purifying energy it leaves behind works through the remains of the creature, like bright white-and-pink veins of energy, before finally it doesn't explode this time... it evaporates entirely.

Soon, the Witch's Labrynth vanishes too, returning them all to the familiar scene of Mamoru's apartment.

That strange grief seed drops too... but then it cracks, half of the soccer-ball like top collapsing in on itself, the needle shatters, and what remains ejects a huge amount of negative energy into the air is the seed itself dissolves.

Mars watches as the Sailor Planet Attack takes out the giant monster, and the six of them are left in Mamoru's apartment. Mars looks over to Sailor V... who is also Mina-P. "Venus power?" she asks, with a small smile.

She walks over to Venus and says, "Haha... so that happened. Um. Well thanks for fighting with us." Mars dehenshins and looks back at Mamoru, scratching the back of her head. "Oh geeze. Well, at least we don't have to worry about dragging him home."

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus is more than willing to calm down, let Mamoru sleep off his concussion (so recommends Nurse Minako), eat pizza, and watch anime.