Christmas is fast approaching, and Tokyo has become chilly and bright. There are holiday lights everywhere, and the whole city is full of cheer. Well, almost the whole city. Ami Mizuno is normally the kind to adore Christmas, but this year she's been too busy trying to help her friends save the world.
Today, Ami has asked her friends to join her at Rei's shrine. There is so much to discuss, and the bluenette is getting worried. She's shown up, herself, dressed for the season. A knee-length colared dress and a white sweater, two-tone shoes and knee socks. She looks warm, if not entirely happy, as she settles in on the couch with a mug of cocoa and the Mercury computer.
Minako Aino also shows up! Loudly! Singing Christmas songs and traditional Shinto chants in harmony. She's not dressed for the season, either, with short skirts and shivers - but she does wear nice long sleeves to cover up bandages up and down her arms.
"Ami-chan! What's popping, Moocury? I haven't seen you since you abandoned me on my date to go off with your other date!"
Makoto has spent almost every spare minute of the past few days baking, and she's brought some of the spoils with her - a plate of assorted cookies, chocolate chip and gingersnaps and sugar cookies sprinkled with colored sugar. Officially they're her rejects, the ones that came out a bit funny-shaped or in some other way not quite right enough to be gifted to the orphanage. In practice, her friends probably mostly won't be able to tell the difference. They're still delicious, either way.
She might possibly have pulled an all-nighter last night to get it all done. She's looking slightly glassy-eyed over her own mug of cocoa.
It is serious meeting time, where serious matters are being discussed seriously. Which means that this meeting is probably not going to end with someone turning into a girl or forming a huge cuddlepile.
Who are we kidding? #SenshisLyfe
Rei Hino is here, with Ami. She's made some hot cocoa and there's plenty to go around. There's even a few extra cups incase someone decides to drink more than they probably should.
Minako arrives and starts talking about dates in a way that makes Rei's head spin. "Ummm... hi, Mina-p!" is all she manages to respond with.
Usagi bounces up the steps of the shrine, this time with only a single bag of snacks.
She's in a puffy coat, of course, pink, and a green oversized sweater under that and for once she's actually wearing pants. Her toes are a bit chilled, though.
But how she managed to find small enough hats for her odangos the world may never know.
Luna, who's been perched on her shoulder, jumps down to curl beside Ami when Usagi enters the place and calls out her greeting.
"Hi, Ami-chan!" She plops on the other side, curling around her friend.
On the outside, it's a hug. But Usagi may or may not be trying to syphon bodyheat from Ami because brrrr.
Ami blinks in confusion at Minako, but there's no time for her to address the confusion because suddenly there's a cat and a bunny cuddled up next to her! One of these is warm and fuzzy, and the other is, "Cold!" Ami squirms to try and get out of Usagi's cuddles, but only a little. "Good grief, girlfriend, have you been out skinny-dipping in a snowmelt river, or something? Your hands are like icecubes!"
"Girlfriend? Let's not be so hasty after one date!" she chirps out, before apologizing to Rei in response to confused-faces and greetings. Apologies, followed by promises of dates for her, too. It's very nice and sweet, so she doesn't get in trouble for peering over shoulders at computers or throwing herself out and laying down, taking up all the prime sitting areas.
Artemis is also taking up all the catspace near Ami if not brushed away. The V-Squad is taking up all the good areas.
Usagi shivers! "I forgot my gloves...And maybe fell and they landed in a puddle..."
There's a Mako-chan next to her, so toes are wiggled beneath a tall girl thigh as she shifts, hands reaching over to Minako to place ice cube fingers on her face so she doesn't feel left out. Pretty soon she feels like a ball of warmth!
Her noes catches a scent on the air. "Mako-Cookies?! Where?!"
Another scent! "Rei-Cocoa!"
Another! "Grampa's having curry?"
She shrugs. "Rei-chan, if you want to sit right there, I'd be a perfect ball of warmth!"
"Usagi-chan," says Rei, "your hats are way too cute."
She reaches reaches for and eats a Makoto-baked cookie, and is in mid-bite she hears that Usagi landed in a puddle?!
She stands up and says, "Geeze why didn't you say so?!"
Rei rushes out of the room, is gone for a short while, and then comes back in with a towel and a blanket just in time to hear Usagi tell her where to sit. "Or you could dry yourself off and warm up like a normal person!"
Rei frowns at Usagi and just dumps both towel and blanket on the bunny. Then she sits in a place that is almost somewhat close to where Usagi said, but only somewhat because ugh!
Makoto yelps a little when cold toes wriggle under her leg, but - a true friend - then she laughs a little, scoots over a smidge for proper foot-warming, and slides the plate of cookies invitingly within reach. "Ami's Hansuke-san had me make a ton for the orphanage," she explains, with a quick flash of a slightly tired, mostly playful grin Ami's way. "These are the extras. Hurry up and have some cocoa and warm up, Usagi-chan, your toes are like little ice cubes."
With the help of all the other girls, Ami is less inclined to lean away from Usagi. Instead, she wraps her arms around the blonde and hugs her tight, trying to rub some heat back into her friend. "Silly Usagi-chan," she says with a faint smile.
That brief illusion of happiness is shattered by Makoto's playful grin, and Ami gives her a shy, deer-in-the-headlights look. "I-i-it's not like that!" she protests. "We're just friends, Mako-chan!" Nevertheless, Ami reaches for cookies to go with her cocoa.
"Anyways, tomorrow is going to be super-dangerous. I thought it would be helpful if we all share what we know so far, just in case, and then come up with some basic strategy ideas."
Minako Aino doesn't react to ice-cold fingers with a exaggerated jolts or complaints, silently suffering the indignation of inappropriate face-touching. She stays still, quiets down, and pretends it's pounds and pounds of affection so she isn't so lonely.
"Orphanages. What's Ami's new just (boy) friend making for orphanages? What's going on with orphanages? Gimme the rundown. I'm a little unlooped when it comes to that subject."
Usagi grins at Rei, very pleased. "Thank you! I found them online. I think they're for dolls, but they were too cute!"
She is piled under blankets and a towel. She wiggles out of her coat, dabs the towel along her still damp knees before wiggling under blankets. She happily hums as her toes wiggle under Makoto and Rei's close enough and Ami is hugging her and Minako and soon she forgets she's a block of ice!
She rolls down the sleeves of her large sweater (muahaha, Mamo-chan has a nice supply of them!) and wraps her hands around a mug of cocoa and she sips and is all happy hums. And of course, Mako-cookies!
Then her hums turn thoughtful. "I think everyone knows what I know. Unless there's something you don't."
She blinks at Minako. "I...think the Dark Kingdom is targeting it. Or will. Or may. Plus, you know, kids and cookies!"
She looks at Mako-chan. "And you look sleepy! I make a comfy pillow if you find yourself dozing."
Tomorrow. Right. Rei sips a bit of her cocoa while considering what to say.
"Well, we know that Mamoru-kun volunteers there, and they're targeting it because of him. We also know he's being well hidden, by us, so this might be an effort to force him out of hiding."
She rests the cocoa down on a coaster on her table. "Either way, this seems like a desperate move. They're really after him now. I guess we were right to think he was important."
"Mmm, desperate or very calculated," Ami replies quietly. "We still don't know where the Princess is, or the crystal that Mamochan was seeking." She sighs and rubs her nose. "Meanwhile, the Dark Kingdom seems to hold all the cards."
Ami nibbles on one of Makoto's rejected cookies, then explains, "They seem to remember more than we do about the time that came before. But I have been able to put together a number of clues to reach certain innevitable conclusions. For example, I am now not just suspicious that Mamoru was the prince, but certain of it. He and I shared a vision experience--Usagi saw it as well--and among the visions I had from him are several that confirm his place in the higherarchy.
"More importantly," Ami continues, "I am also relatively confident that the dark generals we are fighting against were his friends, once upon a time. I believe someone has been duping them, and I believe that someone is that lady in red whom we fought: her name is Beryl. This I cannot confirm, but it's the only logical explanation I can come to. In his visions, Beryl killed the Prince while he was trying to protect the princess."
Makoto has been listening, listing slightly to the side like she might very well end up tesing Usagi's claims about how well she serves as a pillow. At Ami's comments, however, she rouses a little. "That reminds me..." she says, speaking slowly and a little hesitantly. "I had a weird dream a few nights ago."
She pauses there for a moment, looking around at the others. "It might not mean anything... I'm not psychic like Rei-chan. But it could've been a memory leaking through. It kind of felt like something important."
Minako Aino gets her 'hard' face on, pulling away from face-touching and happy-piles to get distant again and steel herself up. She's obviously about to say something, but takes a long time to actually get around to saying it, as if contemplating just letting it drop.
"Maybe a desperation move. Maybe an attempt to get him. Or.. maybe a trick to draw you guys out. Because -of course- it'll draw you out. How do we KNOW they're targeting orphanages? Or Mamoru-kun? Who said 'why' they were targeting those? Was it too 'easy' to figure out?"
She's all ready to listen, but suggests that sometimes, mundane and boring solutions like 'call in a bomb threat' or 'report a gas leak' or other obnoxious things that get lots of attention might be, at the very least, ideas to consider, based on the way the Dark Kingdom works.
She definitely wants to hear about dreams and more talk and more details, though. Especially Mako-dreams.
"Considering how powerful that woman is," says Rei, "I'm not surprised that she could kill the prince. It's more surprising that we managed to get away... but, there's a point I want to make here, and I think Usagi-chan already knows what I'm talking about."
Another sip of her cocoa, and Rei continues, "Kyouko-san is a friend of Mamoru-kun. I know some of you have met her. She was brainwashed and turned into Apatite, and worked for the Dark Kingdom. This went on until Usagi-chan purified her."
Rei leans back, sprawled mostly on Usagi but some of her long hair is probably spread all over the other senshi. "So basically, there's strong reason to think that the other Generals are also being magically brainwashed. I guess I'm just backing up Ami-chan's claims here."
Makoto mentions a dream, and Rei says, "Uh-uh. You thought it was important enough to bring up. You must've had a reason for thinking that. Don't shy out of it now. A lot of people come to me with meaningful dreams, you know. They aren't necesarily psychic."
Mina brings up a tactical point, and Mars says, "Draw us out? ... either to the orphanage, or away from something else?"
Minako Aino mumbles something like, 'you've been running through my dreams all day.'
Ami sets her cocoa down on the table, then turns to regard Makoto. She is briefly distracted by Minako being weird again, but it's Minako, and she is slowly starting to be used to the weird. "What is it, Mako-chan?" asks gently.
She opens her mouth to say of course Mamo-chan's important before she closes it as Ami talks about the visions.
She shivers at the memory of the prince dying, and decides to focus on something else. "Whoever the princess is, Past-Life-Ami seemed to have loved her." She nods. And wonders how she can compete with this. And also wonders if she'll be replaced when they do find the princess.
This, of course, makes her sad.
She blinks at Mako-chan. "What kind of dream?"
Usagi nods at Rei's recounting of Kyouko. "That makes sense. Because Kyouko-chan had like...little slips of memory. For the most part she forgot who she was before. But I think she always felt drawn to Sayaka-chan."
And then, what! "Draw us out?" She hums in thought. "If they wanted to do that they could just do as they have been, attacking at random. But lately the target has been either Mamo-chan or somehow related to him."
Rei blushes furiously at Minako's comment. She has to be kidding when she says that, right?
Mako cracks a lopsided grin at the half-heard quip from Minako, before looking down into her cocoa. "I don't remember much very clearly," she says, her tone apologetic. "It was a dream, and all. But it was weird because in the dream, I was me, but it also felt like I was someone else. You know?"
A pause for a sip of cocoa, and then Makoto puts the mug down and looks up at her gathered friends again. "I was looking for the princess, and I was walking with a guy who knew where she was. Not the prince. He didn't look like anyone I know, although the dream-me knew him. He had light-colored hair."
Absently and without thinking, she reaches up to tuck a stray wisp of her own hair behind her ear. "Mostly we were talking about loyalty, and duty, and oaths. I don't really remember exactly, but--" She raises her hand, two fingers extended, and draws the symbol in the air in front of her: a circle, and then a slice of her fingertips making a vertical line through the center, and then another straight across horizontally to make the cross.
"That," Makoto says quietly. "Like in Rei-chan's vision. The me in the dream asked the shape of his loyalty, and he drew that symbol in the air."
Ami considers Makoto's dream for a long moment. "We saw that symbol recently," she notes after a few moments of thought. "Although I still don't entirely know what it means. I do, however, know why we are certian the Orphanage will be targetted," she turns to regard Minako.
So she explains, "When we fought the Cats the other day, I managed to pinpoint the source of their power. A boy was being used as a vessel for one of the generals--I'm not sure which, although I have my suspicions. Mercury and Tuxedo Mask managed to corner him, and through him we talked to the puppet-master, who was outright told us that he was going to target the children of the Orphanage, next. I am absolutely certain it is a trap. I've been developing contingency plans all week. I still don't think we're ready for it, but we have no alternative. If we don't show up, those children won't survive. Even if we call in the police or whatever ... they'll just wind up victims, too."
Ami takes a deep breath, then explains, "I have also been doing what research I can on the generals themselves. We know Nephrite, Jadeite, and Kunzite for certain. Knowing their powers seems important, to me, but it's hard to pin down. Nephrite is likely able to possess others, and spread that possession like a plague. Jadeite seems likely to be creative and adaptive. I'm not sure what that will mean. Kunzite, meanwhile, I suspect can drain our energy. The longer we prolong a fight against him, the more he will grow in power."
Rei watches as Makoto makes the circle-and-cross symbol with her hands. "The symbol for Earth, if I remember what Mamoru-kun said. All of us have an associated planet, or some other celestial body like the Moon. I wonder what the significance of Earth was, back then."
The more Rei thinks about it, the more confusing it all gets.
"But a dream like that is consistent with everything else we've seen."
Rei listens as she goes over the different generals and their strengths. "Honestly, with the strength difference, we should be the ones luring them out one by one."
Minako Aino straightens herself up and looks contemplative. "I agree with Rei-san. That's all good intel. Here's some more - Kunzite doesn't just drain energy. He can bounce it back. Last time I found him, I nearly eliminated him but he managed to escape," she summarizes.
"They're not invincible. They're mortal. They bleed and melt. And they don't want a fair fight. They want to get the fights on their terms. That's why we have to not go into obvious traps," she expresses, being intentionally vague.
"We have to be willing to take risks, even big risks, but the opposite of risks are sacrifices and we have to consider that, too. We *need* to take this seriously and not just react here or we're gonna lose," she says, scratching at her arms.
Usagi wants to cry, because why would anyone target children? And also because even now Makoto was dreaming of the princess.
(A small part of her that she hates, because it's so selfish, hopes they never find the princess. If they do, she can so easily see herself replaced...Because after all, not once has she heard of or seen a Sailor Moon in these flashbacks.)
She looks up at Minako. "Well, yes. But...I can't just sit by when children are being targeted. Even if it's a trap, if there's even a small chance we can save them. Especially these children. They've been through enough, went through too much for it to just end tomorrow."
She shivers and brushes away a stray tear.
Then she's chewing on a Mako-Cookie because they are the best comfort food.
"Maybe if we...I mean, I managed to get Kyouko back? Maybe there's a way to get the Generals on our side?"
Rei frowns. "Yeah... but... even knowing that it's a trap..."
Rei doesn't finish that sentence, because Usagi finishes it for her. She's in too dire a mood to really be worried about the fact that she was agreeing with Usagi.
"If we can't back out, but we also know that it's a trap, then there must be something we can do to tip the scales in our favor. It would be one thing if we were so powerful that a trap wouldn't matter, but that's the exact opposite of our situation, isn't it?"
"We need to take momentum back, and soon, because otherwise things are going south in a hurry. We did something good with Kyouko-san, we might be able to repeat it... but also keep in mind that the other Generals have been at this much longer than Apatite was, and the grip on them might be tighter. We shouldn't get overconfident just because we had one victory."
The more she thinks about it, the more what V-chan says makes sense... though it's a bit strange. Hearing Minako talk like this... isn't like the Minako she's come to know.
No, but it's about how she'd expect a veteran like Sailor V to think.
"The way I see it, there are only a handful of possiblities for tomorrow. One, they do as expected and send a youma. Two, they send a youma and a general. Three, they send several Generals, or mabye even Beryl, to overwhelm us during a fight that we wont want to retreat from. Four, they just send a bomb, wait for us all to show up, and take us out that way. Five, nothing happens, and we're all gathered around there while something big happens somewhere else."
"If they really aren't interested in a fair fight, then... well, we ought to at least consider those as possibliities."
Minako Aino tenses up her fingers until they curl into little balls. A flash of frustration at Usagi! But it disappears quickly enough to pretend it was a winter-time shiver.
"No, Usagi-san. No. We 'maybe' can sit back. Generals -cannot- come back to our side!" she stresses.
"I mean, maybe they can come back. Maybe. And yeah, we definitely should default to helping baby orphans," she says, trying to phrase her words extra carefully out of respect for all assembled. "But we have to be *very* careful. We only have so much time. And blood. And life," she says with a heavy sort of breathy sound slipping out of her mouth.
"I'm trying to say... we can either brainstorm to help generals or help the children. No middle ground. At all. Commit to ONE plan. One plan."
"Because the generals will kill you. They nearly killed me. I nearly killed one of them." She hesitates a moment, but then punctuates her point by slipping one sleeve up off her hand to show off some dirty bandages, but doesn't pull them up any further.
Makoto is looking anxious now, eyes darting from Minako to Ami to Rei and back to Minako again as she follows the line of discussion from one point to the next. She feels like she should say something - there should be something that she should say - but she's tried and a little scattered and she can't pull the words together well enough to articulate it.
So instead, for the moment, she reaches toward Usagi to give her friend's shoulder an encouraging little squeeze. Usagi's probably not the only person in the room who needs one right now, but she's the one who Mako can reach.
Usagi's cheeks burn at Minako's chastising. The weight of Makoto's hand on her shoulder made her feel a little better, though.
"I didn't mean tomorrow. I meant if the opportunity presents itself."
She sighs and takes the tiny hats off her odangos, suddenly feeling ridiculous with them on. She wants to panic. But then, Mako-hand. "I don't remember--" She sighs again. "I don't have memories of fighting like everyone else does. I mean, I know I was there, but I don't remember anything about being Sailor Moon. So I know I can't fight as well as you guys. Heck, after what happened with White, I've been taking kick-boxing lessons from Hannah-chan, and I still suck at fighting. All I know how to do is hope. Hope that we win, hope that things will one day be okay." She looks at Minako, all sad eyes, too sad to realize she hadn't exactly told them about her recent kick-boxing habit until now... "If I can't have hope, what use am I?"
"So what you're saying is," says Rei, to Minako, "That we have to decide what our top priority is, and focus on that to the exclusion of anything else. Also, even if it's physically, technically possible to purify them... practically speaking, we might not be able to pull it off. We might even die trying."
Rei pauses for a moment to consider. Is this what being a soldier means? To make sacrifices and take risks? This isn't just some common, everyday youma here.
She doesn't like to think about it, but no, Minako is right. They need to show resolve in the face of danger, and when the time comes to make a hard choice, they need to have already made that choice.
"I guess... if I had to choose, one or the other... I'd want to protect the innocent first. If it came down to it, I'd feel better about myself if that was my priority. After that, if we have an opening to take out a general, well sure, it's an option. ... but not if it means sacrificing a kid... or one of us."
Usagi shares her insecurities, and Rei frowns at her. She reaches up to Usagi's face and knocks her on the forehead.
"You're being dumb again! We've seen you fight, Usagi-chan, so don't even try to act like you can't! You're one of us, and your powers are amazing. I don't care how little you remember!"
Rei settles back down. "Besides... it's not like we even remember who our Moon Princess is. Or who we really are, aside from bits and pieces. We shouldn't jump to conclusions like that just because we don't remember something!"
Ami remains silent for several moments as the girls debate, then takes a deep breath. "I think Minako is correct, and all of my plans have been to that end. While I would like to save the generals if possible, I believe attempting to accomplish both objectives will result in neither being accomplished well enough."
She reaches for her cocoa again, then continues, "I have plans for tomorrow. I think I know who will be there to help us put them into effect. But what's important is that we all stay focused on the goal. Protect the children. Protect each other. Survive. Tomorrow is not our time to take the offensive. If we get through tomorrow, then we can start talking about how to turn the tides in our favor again."
Minako Aino claims that she KNOWS Minako is correct. She also puts away her icky bandagey arms.
"I like that, Ami-san. Give us details. And a plan. I'm a caboose - I'll be behind you all the way!"
"Oof." Her forehead is knocked by Rei, and until Rei pulls away, Usagi leans against the hand. Even as she smiles, she doesn't say anything. (After all, they all seemed to take to be Sailor Senshi like a second skin. Her graft is apparently not taking as well.)
She studies Minako for a moment. Despite having just been chastised, or because of it, she adores the girl.
Part of her wonders if Minako's goofy ways are so she doesn't have to be Venus all the time. A striving to remember she's more than a costume. (After all, she's been at this longer than they all have. Probably combined.)
"Are they feeling better, Minako-chan?" She also hates that her friend is hurting.
And then Ami-chan is being Planny! "Who else is going to be there?"
Rei looks up at Usagi, waiting until she's convinced that Usagi isn't going to just sink deeper into despair. She's never fully convinced, but there isn't much she can say about it.
She turns towards Ami, saying, "Yeah, I'd like to hear this plan, too."
The caboose comment makes her smile for a moment, but the smile doesn't last. She does want to take this seriously.
Ami smirks at Minako, and then realises that all eyes have been turned to her. There is a brief moment where Ami looks a little bit nervous. But these are her friends, and her friends are trusting her to understand things. Ami takes a deep breath, straightens her back, then begins to explain, "So here's what we're going to do ..."