Umino Acts Wierd! Part 2
Lunaryon
Dual Aurora Wave
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X][Magic] Moon Tiara Stardust
[X][Magic] Sonic Barrage
[X][Magic] Sonic Barrage
Standing there, Sailor Moon slowly looks up to the sky. "That night..." She starts to say, "When I first got my powers, that Youma had the ability to control the people who it stole energy from. Do you think that other Youma are going to be able to do that as well?"
Luna doesn't answer for a moment, "That... is a very good question." She answers after a moment. "I can barely remember the fall of the Silver Millennium, but I don't remember any of the Youma there controlling people... But... I don't exactly remember any of the Youma leaving any survivors either." she admits. "However, that Youma didn't seem interested in killing the women affected by its scheme. That behavior is quite strange to what I know of Youma... There may have been someone stopping it from gorging itself on the life energy... But I don't know for certain. It is entirely possible that Youma from here on out may end up... Killing people."
"But if they aren't?" Usagi asks, words slow and carefully chosen. "Do you think there is any kind of magic that I might be able to do that could stop that, that could protect people... or cure them of being controlled?"
"From what I know about the Sailor Senshi, it is never a question of what you Can do, but simply a question of what you want to do." The cat says, staring directly as Sailor Moon. Hearing that statement, Usagi takes a deep breath through her nose, before she nods.
"Not what I can do, but what I want to do." Usagi says the words, almost more lika a Mantra than instructions.
Slowly, the Sailor Senshi closes her eyes, reaching a hand up to her tiara, and drawing it down from her head. "I don't want to hurt anyone..." Sailor Moon whispers, feeling the energy building in her hands as her tiara begins to spin, faster and faster and faster, until it becomes nothing more than a blur, spinning so fast that it makes a whirring noise as it cuts through the air, even as it floats there above the girl's hand. "I want to help people..."
But there is something... not quite right. Something that seems to be amiss. Slowly, the tiara floating over Sailor Moon's hand starts to wobble, listing from side to side, but with each passing moment the effect seems to accelerate, even as the light that the tiara gives off starts to deepen, turning from a bright white to an almost reddish orange.
With a yelp, Usagi throws her hand out, allowing the altered spell loose. The whirling dervish of energy shoots out nearly ten feet, before there is a thundering BOOM!
The spell explodes, scattering a shimmering glitter like light over every surface. Fascinatingly, it seems that the glitter is doing... something. Slowly, dust and pebbles seem to skitter along the grounds towards the shattered stone footprints next to the Excavator, and near where Usagi first jumped.
Somehow, despite how... extra the spell seems to be, the core concept of healing and helping holds firm.
"That..." Luna says after a moment, "Isn't exactly what I had hoped would happen, but look!" She points to the recovering stone. "You almost got it!" It sounds like the cat can't believe her eyes, "On your first try..."
The second and the third tries aren't much better, with the spell barely managing to fire off before exploding again. Still, it is worth noting that even in it's explosive state, the spell is still able to heal and repair your surroundings.
The fourth try... Also doesn't work, but it is a distinctly different type of failure. Instead of the spell exploding when Usagi tries to cast it, instead, there is a moment of what had to have been sheer madness. The spell nearly bursts of Sailor Moon's hands, only for the girl's other hand to suddenly snap out, both hands grabbing hold of the circle of light.
The spell is twisted, and instead of exploding, it is a near beam of blasting glitter that erupts from the hoop of light. Yet, there is something about that particular spell - Something that catches Usagi's eye.
"I'm trying too hard." She says in wonder, laughing at the metal pillar that now gleams like sliver. "I can't hold all the glitter... or whatever that stuff is inside of the Moon Tiara. It just won't stay there."
Then, Sailor Moon takes a step back, pulling her Tiara from her head with a poise and a grace that she normally lacks. "Moon." Her hand lays flat, even as the Tiara begins to lift up, off of her palm, "Tiara." Faster and faster the Tiara begins to spin, only now... Instead of the tiara glowing with inner light, the entire surface begins to glimmer with the same glittery stardust like appearance. "Stardust." Sailor Moon twirls, throwing the tiara like a discus, the ring of light zooms outwards, arcing out and around before returning to her, all the while glittering light practically rains off of the ring. The spell, in this new form is still clearly not perfect - First and foremost for the fact that the returning tiara hit Usagi in the head, but this... This is a functional spell.
A spell that requires work in the future, but a spell none the less.
"Owww..." Usagi complains as she rubs the spot on her head where the Tiara struck her. Thanks to all the experimental spells she has been casting in quick succession, the tiara hitting her was enough to knock her out of her transformed state. And for the moment, it doesn't look like she has the energy to return to her powered state either. "I'm just..." Usagi says, dropping down into a crouch before sitting on the ground. "Sit here for a moment, is that okay with you, Luna?" The blonde's words are interrupted by how hard she is breathing. "This whole being a magical girl thing is really hard work. But... But I did a thing. I chose to do a thing, and I did the thing. I made a new spell thing."
"Taking a rest is perfectly fine, Usagi." Luna confirms, sitting next to Usagi. "You've already managed to do more than I expected for the day, so if you want to quit now..."
"I..." Usagi goes quiet, before slowly shaking her head. "I'm scared. I don't want to fight. I don't like getting hurt. But if I get stronger here, then I won't get hurt when the monsters come."
[PROGRESS: 1 Event of 5 to Automatically Overcome Lazy]
Taking a few moments more. Usagi slowly sits up, groaning in discomfort, but there is something like a ghost of a smile on her face. "I also have a feeling that the other spell I want to learn is going to be a lot easier."
Another incantation and Sailor Moon stands tall again. She takes a moment, looking around the construction site, before jogging to one end. "Luna, you might... want to be behind me?" There is something of a question in the girl's tone. "Well, if this works, then you'll want to be behind me. If it doesn't, then being behind me won't matter." Luna quickly complies, getting behind the girl, not sure what she is planning.
Usagi takes a deep breath, her chest rising as her lungs fill with air. Then, the girl's hands rise up, and one after the other, she taps the crimson caps that her transformation has added to her buns, treating them almost the way one that one does a Microphone while testing to see if they are on.
Then, Sailor Moon takes a step forward, and SCREAMS! She lets loose a high keening wail that starts low, but builds higher and higher in both pitch and volume. For a moment, that seems to be all that she achieves, but as the cry crosses some unknown barrier, the volume doubles, and double again, turning from a scream to an almost solid wall of noise that picks up stones and dirt, flinging them with impressive force away from the girl.
But it seems that casting yet another spell is once more more than the transformation can take, and Usagi drops to her knees, her Sailor Power disintegrating as she pants and gasps, trying to get her strength back. "Okay..." The girl says, her voice creaking a little. "That's it. That's enough for today. Wanna go home and sleep now."
Thus the two, Girl and Cat make their way out of the unfinished construction yard, heading back to their home.
Neither Luna nor Usagi stop to think about the mess that they have left behind - Two separate pairs of shoe prints carved into solid stone, the crater in the ground nearly the size and shape of a human head, and most notably of all, the Excavator moved nearly six inches from where it originally sat, and that has a pair of hand prints impressed into the metal.
The next morning, there were many a question to be had, but no answers to be found.
Monday Morning, April 6th 1992
Usagi slowly opens her eyes, blearily looking at the ceiling. With a soft groan, the girl rolls over in bed, taking a long look at the clock on her bedside table.
6:00
...
"Nope." The girl whispers before rolling back over, allowing herself to drift back into the realm of dreams. It is nearly an hour later, when the process begins all over again.
...
Again, the girl's eyes slowly start to open. Usagi stares up at the ceiling for a long moment, before rolling to one side, glancing over to the clock on her bedside table.
7:05
...
[ROLL: 76]
[OVERLY EMOTIONAL DOES NOT ACTIVATE]
[OVERLY EMOTIONAL DOES NOT ACTIVATE]
Stumbling out of bed, the girl trails over to her closet, gathering up her school clothes. From there, the girl shuffles out of her room and to the bathroom.
Once Usagi has had a shower, the girl is far more awake, heading down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Morning Mom! Morning Dad!" She says, even as she rubs at an eye with the back of her hand. "Morning Shingo. How are you all this morning?"
"You're awake?" Shingo asks, surprised. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"
"Oh, Har-de-har-har." Usagi snips back, "I'm me. Who else would I have been?" Dropping into a chair, the girl yawns, dropping her head onto the table with a thunk. "I'm just getting up earlier, and it sucks."
Her brother's only response is to snicker, leading the girl to pout. At the head of the table, Kenji shakes his head as he reads the newspaper, but there is a smile on his face. The Tsukino household has always been a busy and loud home, but to be honest, that is how the head of the house prefers it.
Once everyone has eaten Breakfast, Usagi finds herself getting out of the house and heading to school. "Usagi!" Luna calls from one of the walls along the side of the street. "Have a good day at school!"
Arriving at the Junior High School, Usagi comes to a stop at the front shoe lockers, opening the Locker and pulling out her Calculator.
Usagi didn't have any money on Friday, when she stopped by the Arcade on her way home.
Why didn't she have any money?
She has an allowance... So she should have had money, where did her money go?
So she gets 2000 yen a week from her parents.
[ROLL: 4 + 4= 8]
[CHECK FAILED]
[CHECK FAILED]
uhh...
Usagi looks down at the Calculator, trying to figure out just how much money she spent last week on her candy...
Well, she bought...
A lot?
But she couldn't have spent enough to have no money. After all, she managed to go to the Arcade on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday.
The girl continues to stare down at her calculator, a pout on her face as she slowly starts to realize that she doesn't have any of the information that she needs to figure out what is happening to her money.
"Good Morning, Usagi!" Naru calls out, as she approaches the lockers herself. "How are you doing this morning?"
"I'm tired... but doing alright. Had a busy day yesterday." Usagi replies, replacing her calculator back in her shoe locker.
"...Why do you keep a calculator in there?" Naru asks, a little baffled.
"Where else would I put my calculator?" The blonde asks back, an answer that leaves Naru speechless for a moment.
Shaking her head, the girl puts on a sly smile, "Soooo..." She starts, "Has Umino said anything yet?"
Usagi's head tilts to one side, a completely lost look on her face. "Said something? About what?"
Naru can't help but giggle, popping up to her feet. "About how he likes you! Like, likes you likes you."
Usagi openly boggles at the news, "Whaa?" She asks, trying to understand what her best friend is saying. He said Saturday that he was just too shy to tel-"
"Why Hello There~" Umino's voice calls out, entering the school.
Umino isn't wearing the school uniform. Usagi doesn't think she has ever seen Umino wear anything other than the school uniform, even on those rare weekends where she has seen him out of school. Instead... Instead he's wearing some kind of blazer...
And pleated pants.
"Usagi." It takes everything that Usagi has not to shiver at the oily, slimy tone to Umino's voice. "You. Me. Let's go out on a date, alright?"
"Umino..." Naru starts quietly, her tone more than a little worried. "What are you doing? What are you wearing?"
"Re~lax." The boy says, "I'm just living my life to the fullest, doing what I want to do and living how I want to live."
Naru's brow furrows, "That doesn't answer my question, and what are you planning on doing when-" Both Naru and Usagi's faces pale a little, even as Naru's words cut off.
"Mister Umino." Miss Haruna's words are clipped and short, as the Teacher stands behind Umino. "Is there a reason that you aren't wearing the school uniform?"
Turning, Umino laughs in the teacher's face, reaching up behind his glasses - Pulling down an eye lid and sticking his tongue out at her. "Mister Umin-"
Umino isn't paying any attention to the teacher, instead walking right on past her, even as a hand snaps out, flipping up the teacher's skirt.
Usagi and Naru stares, minds blown as they try and parse what they just saw.
Miss Haruna is still for a moment, her face pallid in shock, before she slumps down, dropping to her knees, even as she starts to cry.
The rest of the day continues to be absolutely insane. Umino isn't acting anything like himself. He is loud and brash, but even more than that, even worse than that...
Something has happened to the soft spoken nerd, turning him cruel and callous. All through the day's classes he sits at his desk, feet kicked up to rest on his desk as he reads some kind of Manga openly through the day. He laughs and he giggles without the slightest bit of subtlety, completely ignoring the teachers and doing everything he can to disrupt the classroom.
As if that wasn't enough, Umino isn't the only person acting out. Umino isn't even the only student in her class that has completely abandoned good sense. There is another boy and a girl who have both ignored the school uniform.
After a very frustrating day, Lunch eventually rolls around. Usagi is glad that classes are out for the moment, because with everyone out of the classrooms there really isn't anything that those crazy kids can do to screw with anyth-
Crash!
Usagi nearly groans, head dropping into her hands. "Come on!" She complains, "I just want something today to not be completely crazy! What is going on!"
Popping up to her feet Usagi leans around the edge of the building, nearly dropping her bento box at what she sees.
There, around the building is Umino. He's standing there, casually tossing a rock into the air before catching it. And there, in front of him is a shattered window.
Umino wouldn't even break a window. Then again, nothing about how Umino is acting today is how Usagi used to think he would act.
"Hey..." Naru says quietly, causing Usagi to jump before she whirls around to face the source of the sound. Naru was approaching the girl from the other direction of Umino and the slowly gathering crowd of cackling boys and girls. "Hey, Usagi... I think I might have screwed up."
"What?" Usagi has no idea what Naru could mean by that.
"Saturday, when Umino mentioned to me that he had feelings for you..." Naru starts to explain, "I suggested that he go to a Fortune Teller to try and figure out the best way to talk to you." The girl looks very nervous. "I suggested that he go to the new House of Fortune that opened up last Thursday."
Usagi isn't quite sure what Naru is getting at. "Okay?"
"Umino went to the House of Fortune, and is acting like this now. So did Malei, and Ito, and Saito." Naru explains a little more. "Everyone who has gone to the House of Fortune is acting completely different from how they were acting before."
...And just like that, the light bulb goes on in the dusty attic of Usagi's mind. "They're acting like all those women did when they saw the Sale that Youma that replaced your Mom set up."
Naru nods slowly at that, a not particularly enthused look on her face. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
Usagi looks at her best friend, and shakes her head with a smile on her face. "No. Naru, this is the monster's fault. Not yours. But the House of Mysteries..."
"Sailor Moon is going to have to go and take a look later tonight."
[To be Continued in House of Mystery]
