He was in a sea of flames. A sea of fire that burned brightly, threatening to burn him.
He whipped his head around, trying to see where he was or what was going on.
Then he heard the sound of evil laughter that echoed through the flames.
"Who's there?!" he yelled. "Show yourself!"
He turned around and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock and horror.
A burning castle stood, one he recognized as The Moon Kingdom from the Silver Millennium. Not only that, but bodies were lying around everywhere. The bodies of which he recognized as all of his friends and loved ones. The Inner Guardians, Luna, Artemis, and his sister, Usagi.
"No... everyone. they're - they're all..."
"That's right, they're all dead!" said an evil voice. "And it's all your fault."
The boy then turned around to see someone standing before him, making his blood boil. It was none other than Queen Beryl.
As soon as he saw her, the boy whipped out his sword and let out a loud yell of rage, eager to make the evil queen pay.
He thrust his sword with all of his strength, feeling the sword pierce right through her with a sickening, slicing sound. He then looked up, eager to look at the queen's face before she died, but then his eyes went wide as saucers.
Instead of stabbing Queen Beryl, the boy was shocked to see that someone else had taken Queen Beryl's place. Someone that he didn't expect to see.
Nephrite.
"No... Nephrite! W-why are you...?"
"Why...?" Nephrite choked out. "Why... would you do this to me? I thought - that you were - my friend? How - could you kill me?"
Nephite then fell to the ground, his blood oozing out from his body, creating a puddle. The boy took a couple of steps back, reeling from horror.
"No... NO! What have I done?!"
He then heard Queen Beryl's voice that seemed to speak directly into his ear.
"That's right. You killed Nephrite. It's your fault that he's dead," she spoke with sadistic malice. "You so desperately wanted to be friends with him and even protect him, only have him dead because of you! If you hadn't interfered in his life, he never would have died!"
"No! That's not true!" yelled the boy. "It's not true! It's not true!"
Then the corpses of the boy's friends and family slowly began to rise like zombies. When they got to their feet, they all glared at the boy speaking in one unanimous voice.
"It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault."
The boy desperately covered his ears, trying to block out the sound, but the chanting rang in his ears loud and clear.
"Stop it! Stop it!" he yelled.
But they didn't stop while repeating three words. The boy then sank to his knees, fresh tears streaming down his face as he began to fall into despair while Queen Beryl continued to cackle all the while.
All this made the boy sink deeper and deeper into despair, and this kept going on and on until the boy let out a bellowing scream. His sword began to glow in bright light at that moment, blinding everyone in the area.
The boy looked down, wondering what was going on.
The sword continued to glow until a strange symbol appeared at its hilt. At first, it was a crescent moon mark, but then it changed into one that he couldn't quite make out as the light overtook his vision.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Harusuke shot up, waking up with a fright, his eyes wide and his body drenched in sweat. His chest felt tight as he breathed like he ran a marathon, and his heart was rapidly beating. Then, after breathing deeply for a few minutes, he calmed down.
"What was that?" he wondered aloud. "What a horrible dream."
He then looked at the clock to see that it was currently three am. He then got out of bed, wiped the sweat off of his brow, and went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. When he finished brushing his teeth, he began to shower, hoping that the warm water would ease his stress.
However, as he showered, he couldn't help but recall the nightmare he had just had. Every part of it still scared him and, at the very same time, made him think about Nephrite. He could still remember how he died as he played it over in his mind. Not only that, but he could still hear Queen Beryl and the corpses of his friends saying those three words in his mind.
"It's your fault."
Harusuke clenched his fist and punched the shower wall while biting his cheek. He felt upset, he felt primarily angry at himself, but most of all, he felt regret.
Regret not being strong enough, not saving Nephrite, and most of all, for failing and letting Nephrite down.
"Damn it all," he quietly cursed as he continued to stand in the shower letting the water rain down, hoping that it would wash away his agony.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Soon enough, it was morning, and Harusuke was coming down the stairs to eat some breakfast when he heard the TV in the living room. He peeked inside to see that Usagi, Minako, Luna, and Artemis were all in there watching a couple skating across an ice rink elegantly and gracefully.
The couple comprised a man with wavy blonde hair wearing an outfit of a white button-down with black pants and a belt and a young girl with hair that was a mixture of blonde and pink while wearing a skating skirt that was a beautiful pale color with blue trims and a corset.
Usagi and Minako's eyes were especially glued to the screen as they gasped with wonder and delight.
"Oh wow... How wonderful!" gushed Usagi.
"Every move is so smooth and flawless," agreed Minako. "No wonder Janelyn and Misha are true Olympic gold medalists!"
On TV, Janelyn and Misha both jumped into the air, twirling and landing safely on the ground without making a single mistake. Usagi felt so amazed that she got up and spun around on her foot only to fall right on top of Luna and Artemis. Harusuke then came in.
"Looks like you guys are having fun," he said with a slight smile.
"Oh, hey, Harusuke," smiled Minako. "Hope you don't mind, but I wanted to come over and introduce Usagi to figure skating."
"So it would appear," chuckled Harusuke. "Truth be told, I've never seen Usagi this excited about something other than food."
"Hey! I can be excited about other things, too!" grumped Usagi. "Is it wrong to be excited about figure skating?!"
She then got up and attempted to twirl around gracefully again, but she ended up losing her balance and fell right on top of Luna and Artemis again. The cats glared at Usagi feeling a bit irritated, and Usagi embarrassingly laughed while bowing as an apology. Then Artemis had an idea.
"You know, maybe her interest in figure skating is a sign that she's serious becoming more princess-like?" he suggested.
"How so?" wondered Harusuke.
"Well, back in the Moon Kingdom, figure-skating was one of the most popular sports," explained Luna. "And the princess was especially good figure-skating."
"What?! Really?!" gasped Usagi excitedly. "I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones who happens to get blessed with an over-abundance of talents."
She laughed cheekily while everyone else looked at her, a bit annoyed.
"I hate to break it to you, Usagi," said Harusuke. "But the only over-abundance talent you have is the talent of being clumsy."
Usagi then glared. "Shut it, Harusuke!" she snapped.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Kunzite and Zoisite watched Janelyn and Misha skating in the Dark Kingdom and formulated their next plan.
"Figure skating, eh?" hummed Kunzite. "This could be a good idea. If we use the most popular sport in the Moon Kingdom for our plans..."
"We can entice Sailor Moon, and while she's busy participating in this sport, we can steal the Silver Crystal from her," finished Zoisite. "It's a brilliant plan, my love, but are you sure it will work?"
"I would stake my honor to Queen Beryl on it," smiled Kunzite proudly.
Then Endymion appeared. "Now very noble of you, Kunzite. Staking your honor on such a dirty plan to lure her out," he spoke snootily. "I'd expect nothing less of you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" demanded Kunzite.
"If you two had any pride as warriors, you should have the courage to challenge her head-on," said Endymion. "But instead of that, you two choose to let other people do your dirty work."
"That doesn't matter. Battles only have meaning if they're in victory," scoffed Zoisite. "Besides, if you hadn't interfered with the last few plans, we'd already had the Silver Crystal by now."
"Really? Is that what you think?" Endymion spoke, raising a mocking brow. "Somehow, I'm not too sure about that."
Kunzite and Zoisite glared, and the prince glared back, not backing down. Just then, Queen Beryl appeared. The three immediately bowed before her.
"That's enough fighting for now," she said. "Kunzite, I overheard this plan of yours, and I approve it, but I expect this plan to work."
"It will," Kunzite spoke, trying to hide his anger.
"Don't worry, Queen Beryl," reassured Zoisite. "Kunzite and I will make sure that this plan gets you the Silver Crystal."
Queen Beryl then looked at Zoisite. "Zoisite, you will not be coming along with him," she said. "I have a separate mission for you."
Zoisite was surprised, as was Kunzite.
"What kind of mission?" wondered Zoisite.
Queen Beryl smiled. "A mission that is of the utmost importance. A mission that will greatly help us get the Silver Crystal and protect the Dark Kingdom."
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Meanwhile, Janelyn and Misha were practicing their skating at the ice rink. But then, as Misha lifted Janelyn, the two began to stumble, and Janelyn fell onto the icy floor.
"Just what were you trying to do, Misha?!" Janelyn snapped crossly.
"Don't lay this on me! You're timing on that jump was completely off!" Misha snapped back.
"It was your fault!" Janelyn insisted.
"Damn it! I've finished for today!" Misha cursed as he turned on his heel, about to skate away.
Janelyn immediately jumped to her feet, now angrier than ever.
"Don't you walk out on me!" she yelled. "Come back here!"
"Janelyn, as an Olympic Gold Medalist pair, the world expects us to be the best of the best!" Misha spoke. "But that's not happening anymore with you. It's time for me to move on and find a new partner who can keep up with me."
"What a good idea," huffed Janelyn. "I was just thinking the same thing!"
"I won't allow you two to split up," said an ominous voice. "I forbid it."
Misha and Janelyn looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from until they finally saw Kunzite, who was hovering just above them.
"Congratulations, Janelyn and Misha," Kunzite went on. "You both have been chosen to become my minions to serve the Dark Kingdom."
The two figure skaters could only stare at Kunzite with fear and wonder as he smiled, his eyes gleaming white.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
A little later, Usagi and the gang were outside the new Juuban Ice Arena, where a large crowd of girls was waiting outside, eager to get in.
"Wow. Look at the size of this place," said Luna. "This skating rink is huge!"
"I'll say," agreed Artemis. "I've never even heard of this skating rink."
"That's because it's brand new!" explained Usagi excitedly. "And the best part is for its grand opening, the Olympic Gold Medalists, Janelyn and Misha, are gonna be giving coaching lessons!"
"Isn't that amazing or what?!" Minako added, who was just as eager.
"That' fine and all for you two," said Rei. "But why did you have to drag all of us along?"
"Yeah. I really should be at home right now, said Ami. "I need to study for the national practice exam tomorrow."
"Well, the thing is, they're offering free admission, but only to girls in groups of five," said Minako.
"Groups of five? I wonder why?" puzzled Makoko.
"Because it sounds suspicious," spoke Usagi brightly. "Don't you wanna check it out and see what's going on?"
"Yeah! Just ask, and get called in the order in which you ask!" chimed in Minako.
"I think the phrase is 'ask and it will be given to you," corrected Ami.
Minako and Usagi gulped.
"Uh... you sure about that, Ami?" wondered Minako.
"It doesn't matter which it is!" insisted Usagi. "Let's go ask!"
"Now, hold on just a minute," spoke Harusuke raising his hand. "Usagi, Minako, are you sure that you two aren't just here to catch a glimpse at Misha?"
Usagi and Minako flinched as they pretended they didn't hear him.
"Sorry! We didn't hear you!" they both said as they pushed their friends along. "Let's just go skate!"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Numerous girls surrounded the rink wearing their unitards with skirts inside the building. Among them, the gang was wearing skating dresses too.
Ami's was sky blue with teal unitard, Rei's skirt was light yellow with the bow and the trim of her skirt red, Minako's was orange trimmed blue ribbon with blue bows on the shoulders, the hips and the ends of her sleeves, and Makoto's was a solid green color. As they put on their skates, they all looked around at the number of girls surrounding the rink.
"Wow... look at the number of girls that who showed up for this," spoke Ami with amazement.
"Well, you can't blame them; they're all curious," said Rei. "Not only that, but it's also their chance to skate with gold medalists."
"The last time we remember being in a rink was ages ago," said Artemis.
"I know, right?" agreed Luna. Then she noticed two members of their party weren't there. "Hey, where's Usagi and Harusuke?"
"Hold on, everyone! Wait for me!" said a voice.
At that moment, Usagi came hopping out wearing a white skating dress that was trimmed red at the skirt and a red bow in the back, struggling to put her skates on. But being the clumsy girl that she always is, her foot slipped, causing her to fall flat on her face and burst into tears.
"That hurts!" she wailed.
"Usagi, are you OK?!" gasped Ami.
"Honestly, she's so embarrassing!" groaned Rei.
"Same thing as always," sighed Luna.
"Well, at least she's consistent," agreed Artemis.
"Good grief, Usagi. That's why I told you to wait to put on your skates," said a familiar voice. "I understand that you wanna get out there as soon as possible, but you could at least try to be patient."
Everyone looked and saw Harusuke. He was now wearing a tight dark yellow t-shirt with a pair of blue pants with a black belt.
"Wow! Looking good, Harusuke," said Rei. "Those clothes suit you."
"Thank you very much, Rei, but I can't help feeling a bit embarrassed," smiled Harusuke scratching his cheek. "These clothes do feel a little bit tight on me."
Just then, they heard the girls cry out, squealing with glee surrounding the rink. Usagi's group looked towards the rink and what they saw made Minako's cheeks flush and shriek as much as the other girls.
"It's them! It's Janelyn and Misha!" she cried.
Usagi immediately stopped crying and scrambled her way to Minako, furiously looking around.
"Where?! Where?! Where are they?!" she cried.
Sure enough, Janelyn and Misha entered the rink, zipping and sliding around the ice showing off their moves. The girls, along with Usagi and Minako, all squealed even louder, amazed by their skills and gushing over Misha. Even Harusuke and the others were impressed. They had never seen such a fantastic display.
As Janelyn and Misha continued to skate, Makoto couldn't help but stare at Misha. To her, he looked so handsome, and just staring at him alone made her heart pound in her chest.
"He looks just like him..." she thought to herself. "The guy that broke my heart."
Then with a jump, a spin, and a bow, Janelyn and Misha finished their demonstration, and the girls wildly cheered as they applauded and swooned.
"Hello and welcome everyone!" Janelyn called out. "Thank you for coming here and your enthusiastic reception. Now, let's have some fun and skate together. But first, all figure skaters must start with the basics. Step one is getting used to the ice. Who wants to go first?"
All the girls cheered wildly, raising their hands. Minako and Usagi were especially cheering loud, waving their hands wildly.
Janelyn then saw them and smiled. "You two seem very eager. How about you and your group be the first to try out the new rink?"
"W-wait! Hold on! I don't have my skates on yet!" yelped Usagi as she desperately tried to get her other skate on.
"Good grief, you're so hopeless, Usagi!" sighed Rei.
After a few minutes, Usagi had her skate on, and she and the others were ready to skate on the ice. Rei went onto the ice first, then Ami, and then Minako. Makoto was about to follow on, but she saw Usagi and Harusuke. Harusuke was putting on his skates while Usagi desperately tried to stay on her feet while holding onto the rail, her knees wobbling like a deer's.
"Hey, Usagi, is this your first time skating?" asked Makoto.
"I-I'm gonna be just fine," reassured Usagi shakily. "I was a master skater in my previous life as the Moon Princess, so this will be a breeze."
"Well, I'll give her points for confidence," said Harusuke. "We'll see how long that'll last."
"What about you, Harusuke?" asked Makoto. "Aren't you gonna get on the ice?"
"I will in a minute," replied Harusuke. "Just let me get my skates on."
"Alright then. Just don't take too long," smiled Makoto as she too got onto the ice.
As the four girls skated onto the ice, Minako, Ami, and Rei made sure to go slow to get used to the ice. On the other hand, Makoto slid gracefully in front of them, even going as far as to skate backward.
"Whoa... look at Mako," said Ami.
"She's so good!" agreed Minako.
Usagi couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "Not bad, but watch me!" she spoke, brimming with confidence. "I'm going to make a spectacular debut! So get ready to applaud!"
Then she took a giant leap and went onto the ice expecting it to be easy. However, she couldn't have been more wrong as her feet slipped and slid on the ice, causing her to stumble. The twin-tailed blonde desperately tried to stay standing, but it was no use as she fell on the ice flat on her bum.
"Oh my goodness!" gasped Ami.
"Why aren't I surprised?" muttered Rei.
Usagi tried again, trying her best to stand up, but she ended up falling flat on her back again. She tried again and again and again, but every time she stood up, she slipped and fell flat on her back. Harusuke groaned as he, Luna, Artemis, and the other girls watched.
"This... is painful to watch," Artemis spoke to Luna.
"I didn't expect much from Usagi on ice, but this is worse than I thought," agreed Luna.
Harusuke felt sorry and embarrassed for his sister, but then he took notice of Makoto and everyone else. She was skating beautifully around the rink as she posed in a spread eagle and jumped into the air while spinning. Everyone couldn't help but gaze at Makoto with wonder and amazement.
"Come to think of it, Sailor Jupiter was a skating pro, every bit as good as the princess," said Artemis.
Harusuke couldn't help but watch Makoto as well, and he thought that Makoto looked terrific and beautiful dancing around the ice like she was a snow fairy.
"Wow. Makoto's incredible," he thought to himself. "She's as good as Janelyn and Misha. Maybe even better!"
Makoto gracefully landed back on the ice and spun around and around, entering in a Bielman pose before stopping. When she finished, everyone couldn't help but applaud. Makoto couldn't help but blush as she gave a slight bow. Then she caught sight of Misha, who was also impressed with her skills, making her blush even redder.
Janelyn saw that Misha was looking at Makoto, which made her glare. Misha saw Janelyn, and he turned away in a huff paying no attention. Janelyn then turned away, too, as she smiled, masking her anger.
"That was very impressive!" she said to Makoto as she turned to the others. "Everybody, get on the ice! Let's skate!"
Ami, Minako, and Rei tried their best to help Usagi stand as her knees trembled as everyone else got on the ice.
"You can do it!" said Minako.
"You're almost there," encouraged Ami.
But sadly, it was no use as once again, Usagi fell, taking all the others with her.
"Oh, man... So much for my spectacular debut..." Usagi groaned.
As all the girls skated around, Harusuke, who managed to get his skates on, couldn't help but stand on the edge of the ice gripping the railing and feeling a bit nervous.
Luna and Artemis noticed this and went up to him while ensuring no one had seen or heard them.
"Is something the matter, Harusuke?" asked Luna. "Aren't you gonna go skate?"
"Well... yes. I was, but, uh, now - I'm not sure if I should," Harusuke spoke with a hint of worry.
"Don't tell me you don't know how to skate either," spoke Artemis.
Harusuke chuckled embarrassedly. "Yup. Hit the nail on the head there, Artemis. I'm kinda scared that I'll make a fool of myself."
"You couldn't be worse than Usagi," pointed out Artemis. "Just go out there and try."
"Artemis, come on! It's one thing for Usagi to fall, but I'm a guy," pouted Harusuke. "And a guy has his pride and stuff."
"Come on, Harusuke. Stop being like Usagi and buck up," said Luna. "If you fall, take it like a grown-up and move on. You can't be as bad as Usagi."
Harusuke then looked back on the rink and gulped. "OK then. Here I go."
He took a deep breath and stepped onto the ice, making sure to keep his balance. At first, he seemed fine, but then he felt his feet beginning to slip, causing him to stumble. Then one foot went in one direction, and the other went another direction making Harusuke almost do a split. Harusuke scrunched his face as he pulled his legs back together while trying to stay upright. He was still unbalanced, but he kept going.
"Atta boy, Harusuke!" called out Minako. "You're doing great!"
"At least he's not falling like Usagi is," said Rei.
"I wouldn't be so sure," said Ami.
Harusuke desperately tried to keep himself upright, but he couldn't as he felt himself beginning to fall backward. At that moment, someone came whizzing by and managed to catch Harusuke before he fell. Harusuke looked up and was surprised to see that his catcher was Makoto.
"M-Makoto!" he gasped. "You..."
"That was a close one," smiled Makoto. "You doing alright, Harusuke?"
"If by fine, you mean almost falling on my butt and being as graceful as an elephant, then yeah. I suppose so," said Harusuke. "Thanks for catching me, by the way."
"Anytime," said Makoto as she helped Harusuke upright.
Harusuke tried to remain straightened, but he started to stumble again, and he ended up falling flat on his butt, making him yelp in pain.
"Ow! That hurt!" he exclaimed while rubbing his butt.
"Geez, you're almost as clumsy as Usagi is," she chuckled. "I'm a bit surprised that you're don't know how to skate, considering that you're a good skier."
"Skiing is one thing, but this is a different ball game for me," said Harusuke. "Man... I feel so silly being the only guy here that doesn't know how to skate. Not to mention that I'm wobbling around like I'm a stack of blocks waiting to topple."
"You just need to learn and get better, is all," reassured Makoto. "I can teach you if you want."
"But... I wouldn't want you to waste your time on me," said Harusuke. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather skate with someone more advanced?"
"I don't mind at all," said Makoto smiling. "Besides, I think it's more fun when you skate with friends." She then held out her hand to Harusuke. "Now come on, I'll get started in teaching you the basics. When I've finished, you'll be skating like me in no time."
Harusuke looked at Makoto, then her hand, and back to Makoto. Then he gave her a slight smile as he grabbed her hand.
"Alright then. I'm in your hands, teacher," he said as Makoto pulled him up and began teaching him how to skate.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Meanwhile, Janelyn looked at several monitors in a dark room that showed many skating girls. She also used a computer to scan them to see if any of the girls were one of the Guardians. So far, none of the girls have checked out. Then she was suddenly interrupted. All the screens went blank, and Kunzite's face appeared on every one of them.
"Master Kunzite!" she gasped.
"How is your progress?" asked Kunzite. "Did you find Sailor Moon or the other guardians yet?"
"No. Not yet," replied Janelyn.
"Remember, you're looking for a girl that has the agility and athletic skills to find Sailor Moon," said Kunzite. "As a Gold Medalist yourself, you should be able to find her in no time at all."
"I understand, Master Kunzite," said Janelyn. "Don't worry. I'll find her without fail."
"Good, but make sure that you don't underestimate the Guardians," added Kunzite. "Stay alert, and don't fail me."
And with that, Kunzite's face disappeared from the screens returning them to normal. Janelyn then resumed her search, scanning every girl in the rink while looking at the monitors. Then she caught sight of Usagi, who was still trying to stay on her feet while Ami and Minako helped her. She couldn't help but chuckle.
"There's no way that this could be Sailor Moon," she snickered. "I heard she was a bit clumsy, but this one's out of the question!"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Back in the rink, Harusuke and Makoto were having a good time skating together. Harusuke was still a bit shaky, and a couple fell a couple of times, but Makoto was there to help him and taught him some things to help improve his skating. After that, Harusuke didn't even care about being embarrassed anymore. All he cared about was having fun with his friend. Soon enough, Harusuke was now skating with no more wobbles enjoying himself.
"This is so much fun!" he said as he skated. "Way better than falling on your butt!"
"You're doing great!" Makoto said. "You've gotten way better than before."
"Thanks to your teaching," smiled Harusuke. "Now I feel a lot more confident."
"But don't go too crazy. You're still somewhat of a beginner," added Makoto. "Remember to keep your balance and make sure that you fall if you're about
"Don't worry, Makoto. Thanks to your tips and your coaching, I feel I can skate like a pro!" spoke Harusuke, brimming with confidence. "Check this out! I'm going to go for a jump!"
Harusuke then sped up and jumped up into the air, but he should have heeded Makoto's warning. But when Harusuke tried to land, he felt his foot slip, and before he could stop himself, he fell backward, landing hard on his bottom.
"See? I told you so," said Makoto.
"Ow... I guess I should've listened," Harusuke winced. "Darn... I was trying too hard to be like you."
Harusuke then laughed, and Makoto couldn't help but laugh too as she helped Harusuke to his feet.
"Don't worry. You'll get better," said Makoto. "Just try not to do that again until you get better. But if you wanna get good at jumping, keep your back straight, make sure to coil your leg, spring up with that leg, and land with the right skate first."
"Got it," nodded Harusuke.
Rei then came over. "You two seem to be having fun," she said with a smile.
"Oh yeah. Makoto was just teaching me how to skate," said Harusuke. "She's a great teacher."
"It's no big deal," said Makoto. "Just keep practicing, and I'm sure that you'll get it. Maybe I can teach you some more tricks once you master jumping."
"I'd like that very much," smiled Harusuke.
"Maybe you should teach Usagi a couple of things," said Rei. "At least that way, she won't look like such a klutz."
Just then, they took notice of someone skating toward them: someone that three did not expect, Misha.
"Oh my gosh! It's Misha!" gasped Rei, whose cheeks were bright pink.
"I wonder what he's coming over here for?" asked Harusuke.
Makoto didn't answer. She just blushed as Misha came closer and closer until he stopped just in front of them, looking especially at Makoto.
"Excuse me, Miss," he said in a gentle and smooth voice. "I was wondering if a talented and beautiful girl like yourself would be willing to skate with me."
"Hey um, Misha. I'm a good skater, too," said Rei. "And I'd love to be your partner."
But Misha ignored Rei, and feeling smitten, Makoto took his hand and skated away with him. Harusuke couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
"Aww, man. I wanted to skate with Makoto a bit longer," he said. "Oh well, I suppose I'll have to practice my jumping."
As Makoto continued to skate with Misha, she couldn't help but admire his handsome face and feel giddy from his charm and the fact that he reminded her of her guy that broke her heart. Then Misha pulled Makoto closer to him, making the girl's heart skip a beat.
"Um, coach? Is this the free coaching?" asked Makoto.
Misha didn't answer as he continued to skate while holding Makoto's hands observing her. "She's outstanding," he thought himself. "Could she be Sailor Moon?"
"Alright. Here we go," Misha said softly to Makoto.
He then attempted to lift Makoto over his head as he did with Janelyn, but due to her size, Makoto was too heavy, forcing him to put her down.
"Sorry about that," said Makoto. "I'm probably too heavy for you. Let me make it up to you."
"It's alright," said Misha. "There's no need to -."
But before he could react, Makoto grabbed his hands and lifted Misha above her head in a fantastic display of strength.
Everyone watching this all gasped and applauded at this incredible sight; their mouths hung open and their eyes wide with wonder.
"Makoto can lift a man into the air while skating?!" gasped Minako.
"That's the first time any female has successfully done that!" said Ami in shock.
"I knew Makoto was awesome, but... not that awesome!" gawked Harusuke. "She's the most incredible and strongest girl I've ever seen!"
Even Misha himself couldn't believe what was happening. But, as he and Makoto continued to skate, he couldn't help but be smitten himself.
"Wonderful..." he murmured. "Absolutely wonderful..."
At that moment, an angry voice belonging to Janelyn erupted through the PA system.
"Attention everyone, the free coaching session is done for today!" she said. "Please gather up your belongings and leave the ring immediately!"
Everyone was surprised.
"But why?" wondered Usagi.
"How ridiculous and lame!" said Rei.
Makoto then shyly looked up at Misha, letting go of his hand.
"Well... I guess I better get going now," she said. "Thank you for the lesson."
She turned on her heel, about to skate away, but then Misha stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
"I'm sorry, but... I can't let you go," said Misha. "You're special, the partner that I've been searching for."
Makoto got taken aback as her heart soared in her chest. "R-Really? You mean it?" she asked.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Luna and Artemis were waiting outside as all the girls came out of the building. Soon enough, Ami, Rei, and Minako came up to them all dressed in their everyday clothing and somewhat disappointed.
"Well, it's about time you came out," smiled Artemis.
"Where are Usagi, Makoto, and Harusuke?" wondered Luna.
"Mako stayed behind to stay behind to get special lessons from Misha," grumped Minako. "I wish I was in her place."
"I know, right?" groaned Rei. "I'm so jealous!"
Ami then looked back. "As for Usagi and Harusuke, weren't they just behind us a second ago?"
"Well, Usagi's a slowpoke; there's no helping that," said Rei. "And knowing Harusuke, he most likely stayed behind for Usagi's sake."
Then suddenly, the glass doors slammed violently behind them, and several metal security doors came slamming down, preventing anyone from getting in.
"What the heck is this?!" cried Rei. "Doors like that don't just suddenly slam by themselves. Unless..."
"Unless this could be a trap set up by the Dark Kingdom?!" gasped Ami.
"Oh no, I hope not!" said Minako. "Because if that's true, then Makoto, Usagi, and Harusuke could be in danger!
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Janelyn was seething with fury and jealousy inside the computer room as she watched Misha and Makoto skating together.
"Misha! How could you leave me out?!" she hissed. "Were you serious about us breaking up?!"
She grew red with fury, and her hands balled into fists as she grew more and more jealous and angry.
"This girl may be graceful and may skate like she's done this her whole life, but she has no right to do that!"
She then punched one of the monitors with all of her strength, piercing straight through it and destroying the screen. She then shot out of her chair and stomped out of the room.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Usagi and Harusuke were making their way down the hallway to find their way to the ice skating rink. You see, what happened was as Harusuke was getting ready to leave when he heard Janelyn's announcement, he saw Usagi sneaking away by herself. So naturally, he followed her and tried to get her to go, but Usagi refused; the next thing he knew, the two were making their way down the hall, trying not to be seen.
"I can't believe how stubborn you're being right now, Usagi!" Harusuke spoke lowly and harshly. "We need to get out of here now!"
"No way I'm doing that!" said Usagi. "Not without my free lessons from Misha!"
She then tip-toed down the hall thinking that she was being so clever, but then suddenly, as she was about to pass a door, the door flew upon thanks to an irate Janelyn and slammed Usagi directly in her face. Usagi was dazed and bruised as she fell to the floor with a thud. Harusuke quickly rushed over to her.
"Usagi! Are you OK?!" he asked.
"That hurt..." groaned Usagi holding her face in pain.
At that moment, the Tsukino twins happened to look inside the room and saw the monitors. They saw a monitor showing Makoto skating with Misha and a diagram reminiscent of her as Sailor Jupiter flashing with bright letters that said match. It didn't take the siblings long to figure out what this room was.
"No way!" gasped Harusuke.
"It can't be!" cried Usagi.
Then the monitor that Janelyn punched began to spark brighter and brighter until it looked ready to explode. Harusuke immediately grabbed Usagi's hold and tackled her to the floor as the room exploded with a mighty boom. Smoke and flames billowed everywhere. Luckily, Usagi and Harusuke weren't hurt despite being covered in soot.
"Are you OK, Usagi?" coughed Harusuke.
"I'm fine," said Usagi. "But we gotta get to Mako! She's in trouble!"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Makoto and Misha were still skating at the ice rink, with Misha holding Makoto in a tender and loving embrace.
"Are you sure that this is your first-time figure skating?" asked Misha. "There's no way that could be possible. You must be hiding a secret. You can tell me the truth. Just trust me."
Makoto, at this point, was giddy and breathless, never wanting this moment to end, but then suddenly -.
"Misha!"
A sharp female voice shattered the moment, and Makoto and Misha were surprised to see Janelyn standing before them, green with envy and eyes glowing red.
"Is this your way of telling me you're finished with me?!" demanded Janelyn. "I'd rather kill you right now than allow an amateur like her steal you!"
Her body then erupted in a malicious and hateful red aura. Makoto stood bravely to try and protect Misha, but the man simply grabbed her arm and coldly pulled her out of the way.
"Janelyn, calm down! It's not what you think!" Misha said. "I was only skating with her all day as a means of a test to see if she was Sailor Moon!"
"Liar!" snapped Janelyn. "I don't believe you!"
"It's true! She's a wonderful skater, but it takes years of hard to produce the perfect pair!" insisted Misha. "You're the only partner for me! You know that!"
Makoto felt her heart twinge with heartbreak. "But... that's what..."
But Janelyn wouldn't listen, her aura flaring and destroying her current attire revealing an entirely new one underneath. She now wore a tight but skimpy red top and bottom that resembled a swimsuit with a white cloth in front and back, pink skin, and had gleaming red eyes. She also had bands wrapped around her arms with spikes jutting out from the elbows, her hair turned a mixture of green and blue, and she had a strange headpiece that had was a red headband with green earpieces that covered her ears.
"She's a monster!" gasped Makoto.
"No! Janelyn!" cried Misha.
Janelyn then zoomed straight towards them, jumping up, performing a triple spin, and swung her leg, kicking Makoto sending her flying away from Misha onto the icy floor.
"Stay away from my Misha!" she barked at Makoto. Then she turned to Misha, her eyes flashing in a hypnotic glow as she held out her hand. "Come here, my Misha," she said. "We're partners forever and ever."
Misha looked at Janelyn falling under her spell. "Yes. That's right - we're the ultimate pair! Blended as one when we skate!"
He then took his partner's hand, and he began to change into a youma too. He was now wearing a suit with a long cape, had spikes jutting from his arms like Janelyn, his skin was white, and his blonde hair was now a pale green color.
Makoto was shocked as she got back on her feet. "No way! Misha was a monster too?!"
"That's right! We are amazing! The best pair of skaters in the world!" the two monsters said together. "Together, we are Zoilingeller! And now that you've seen our true forms, we can't allow you to live!"
"No! Wait!" cried Makoto hoping to reason with them. "You don't wanna do this!"
But Janelyn and Misha went on the attack jumping high into the air and attacking Makoto with their spikes. Makoto screamed in pain as her skirt ripped, and she got sent flying into the stand hard on the concrete floor. At that moment, Usagi and Harusuke arrived and saw the battered Makoto.
"Oh no! Mako's hurt!" gasped Harusuke.
"How dare they do this to her!" growled Usagi in anger. "Let's go, Harusuke!"
"Right!" agreed Harusuke.
The Tsukino twins then transformed.
"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi's body shone with rainbow-colored light as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it flashed pink and pink ribbons shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a collar that was blue with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms, and more pink ribbons wrap around them, turning into long white gloves. The pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a tiny gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead, and a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose as the moon shines behind her in the background.
Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Janelyn and Misha cackled with triumph as they closed in for the kill.
"I can finish her off," said Janelyn.
"Be my guest," said Misha.
Then they both heard a pair of voices.
"For making a weapon of the graceful sport of figure skating..."
"...and using to torment innocent girls is forgivable!"
The former gold medalists looked up and saw the shadowy shapes of two people revealing themselves to be Sailor Moon and Solaris.
"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon!" the Moon Guardian proclaimed. "And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
"And I'm the knight with the brilliance of the sun and the courage of a warrior, Solaris!" the sun guardian added. "And by the power of the sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"
"Sailor Moon, we've been waiting for you!" Janelyn and Misha said together. "And now that you're here, we'll crush both you and Solaris and take your Silver Crystal!"
"We'll see about that!" said Sailor Moon. "Solaris, you take care of Mako! I'll handle these goons!"
"Wait... what? Sailor Moon, wait!" cried Solaris.
But before he could stop her, Sailor Moon had taken a giant jump towards the rink with a pair of skates magically appearing under her boots. Unfortunately, no sooner than she hit the ice, Sailor Moon felt her feet slip, making her fall flat on her face. Janelyn and Misha laughed as Solaris rushed to the side of the rink.
"I don't understand! I still can't skate even if I transform!" she cried.
"Your transformation can't exactly give you skills that weren't there, to begin with, Sailor Moon!" called Solaris.
The monster pair went on the attack with Misha launching Janelyn straight at her with her spike aimed to kill. But then a familiar man in a tuxedo came skating from out of nowhere, whisking Sailor Moon out of harm's way just in time.
"Tuxedo Mask!" gasped Sailor Moon. "I'd knew you'd come to my rescue!"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask spoke. "We're still enemies, but there's no honor in defeating you by involving the innocent. So once I stop this monster's rampage, I'll be taking your Silver Crystal."
Sailor Moon's elation deflated a little, but she was still grateful that Tuxedo Mask was there to help her. Then she heard Solaris.
"Sailor Moon! Just hang on!" he called out. "I'm coming to help you!"
"Don't worry about me! Everything's fine!" Sailor Moon called back. "Just make sure that Mako's safe!"
Solaris was worried, but he did as told and rushed over to Makoto. Both members of Zoilingeller were surprised and angry upon seeing Tuxedo Mask.
"Master Endymion! Do not interfere!" the two of them yelled. "We will show no mercy! Not even to you!"
"Do you think that you'll be able to beat me?" Tuxedo Mask smirked. "Go ahead and try."
"I... don't think you should be provoking them," said Sailor Moon nervously.
And she was right. The Zoilingeller pair then skated straight towards them, eager to take up Tuxedo Mask's challenge.
"How interesting that you think you can win!" they said. "Let's see if you can take on two gold medalists!"
They zoomed as they skated and then jumped into the air, diving straight towards them with their feet aimed and poised.
"See?! I told you!" squeaked Sailor Moon.
But Tuxedo Mask wasn't worried. "It's time to jump! Now!" he said.
And before Sailor Moon could react, Tuxedo Mask launched her into the air enabling both to dodge. Sailor Moon screamed as she fumbled about in the air as she grew close to the ground, but in an insane stroke of luck, the ordango guardian landed on the ice without falling, even managing a spread eagle as she moved.
"Hey! I did it!" she cried happily. "I'm skating!"
"Not for long!" The Zoilingeller pair cried as they chased her in hot pursuit with their spikes raised.
"Sailor Moon! Jump as high as you can!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.
"Easy for you to say!" whimpered Sailor Moon. "It's taking everything I have to stay upright!"
But as the Zoilingeller pair grew closer, Sailor Moon knew that this wasn't the time to be afraid.
"OK, it's do or die!" she said to herself. "Here goes!"
And just when she was about to be pierced, Sailor Moon launched herself into the air while spinning, dodging the incoming attacks also managing to land safely back onto the ice.
"I did it!" she cried in delight. "I jumped without falling all by myself! I'm truly amazing!"
"Nice jump, Sailor Moon!" congratulated Tuxedo Mask. "You did good!"
But their celebration was quickly cut short as the Zoilingeller went on the attack again. This time their attacks connected, sending Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask flying, slamming into the rink's boards. They then jumped up again, closing in for the kill, but then -.
"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"
A familiar blast of thunder shocked the pair stopping their incoming attack. At the same time, Solaris and the other guardians arrived on the scene.
"Everyone!" gasped Sailor Moon.
"Please, you have to stop this!" begged Sailor Jupiter. "Go back to your normal selves!"
Then suddenly, an evil cackle came, and Kunzite suddenly appeared from above.
"Well, what do you know? The gang's all here. Isn't this lovely?" he smirked. He looked down towards Tuxedo Mask. "How pathetic, Endymion. If hadn't interfered, you wouldn't have to share in their fate."
He waved his hand, and at his command, thanks to a device he planted, the vents turned on, unleashing a mighty and continuous blast of icy cold air down at the rink. The air was not only powerful, but it was also slowly freezing everything in sight, from the Guardians to the Zoilingeller pair.
"This is Absolute Zero Ice Hell!" cackled Kunzite. "Very soon, you'll all turn into beautiful ice statues. Then I'll simply return and recover the Silver Crystal."
"Damn you, Kunzite!" cursed Tuxedo Mask.
"It's so cold!" shivered Sailor Mars.
"I can't take much more of this!" cried Sailor Venus.
Tuxedo Mask then looked up, trying to see a way out of this icy trap. Then he saw the device Kunzite planted, which was controlling the vents. He immediately took out his cane and threw it with all of his might, making it pierce directly into the device, which caused it to explode with a mighty boom, immediately shutting off the vents. Everyone was relieved to be out of the ice trap, but they weren't out of the woods yet, for the Zoilingeller pair roared as they got back on their feet.
"Sailor Moon! Hurry and heal them!" cried Sailor Jupiter.
Sailor Moon did just that by taking out her Moon Stick and activating its healing powers.
"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"
"REFRESH!"
Janelyn and Misha were back to normal in a brilliant flash of light while somehow managing to skate gracefully.
Sailor Moon looked beside her wanting to thank Tuxedo Mask, but as he always did, he disappeared.
"Hey! Tuxedo Mask?! Where'd you go?!" she cried. "Aww, come on! Please come back!"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
A little later, while standing on the bridge under a streetlight, everyone couldn't help but notice that Makoto seemed to be a little glum due to having your heart shot down again.
"Hey, Mako. Are you OK?" asked Usagi uneasily.
"If you're feeling down about what happened, we're all here for you," said Minako.
Makoto then smiled. "It's alright, you guys," she said. "I'm fine. I'm not going to let being dumped by Misha bother me forever, but I do need to hurry up and find another guy."
At that moment, a young man came walking by them. As soon as she saw him, Makoto's cheeks immediately flushed red.
"How dreamy... " she swooned. "I just love the shape of that guy's nose! The guy who broke my heart has one that was just like that!"
Everyone immediately fell flat on their faces, blown over in disbelief.
"Oh, Makoto, give us a break, will you?!" groaned Usagi.
"Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen," sighed Harusuke. "But that's Makoto for you."