Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse - Chapter 9

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 9: Shattered Dreams

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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Sailor Chibi-Moon couldn't believe her own eyes, not after growing up hearing about the Ginzuishou's power, then using it herself once. As she stood by Sailor Moon, grasping her future mother's shoulders as she remained on her knees, shellshocked, Chibi-Moon saw Sailor Venus jump onto a nearby wire fence, then leap toward the roof of the building Eclipse scrambled onto. Venus Love-Me Chain let her latch onto the roof and pull herself up, while Cable nonchalantly used his telekinesis to levitate himself. Chibi-Moon glared at him as he ascended. There was more to this guy than just being one of the toughest mutants around, and she still aimed to find out what.

It wasn't long before Cable lowered himself back down. "No trace of her, not that I had any luck picking up thought patterns before," he grumbled, mostly to himself. Then he looked over to the Senshi, that left eye of his flashing. "Whatever that faux Infinity Gem was supposed to do, obviously it didn't work. Why did you think Eclipse could undergo this 'purification' or whatever? Mutants can't simply be cured of what they are!"

"Eclipse is no ordinary mutant, Cable," Venus spat, who had just jumped back down to ground level. "She got extra powers from one of our old enemies. We figure it's a good chance that lingering influence is making her flip out."

"The latter supposition appears incorrect, then," Colossus pointed out.

"Not like Cable could tell us otherwise," Uranus snarled. "He can twist a Sailor Senshi's mind inside-out, but this girl's unaffected by his powers."

"So… there's no way to calm Eclipse down," Sailor Moon muttered, still on her knees and gazing at the ground. "We're… really going to have to kill her?"

"No, Sailor Moon. Like I tried to tell your friends, we got places we can take mutants who… got an extreme lack of social graces," said Gambit.

"And we could've had Eclipse in custody and on her way to Muir Island, had you Sailor Senshi not interfered!" Cable cried, pointing at them with his good hand. "Now she's still on the loose, Tokyo's still at risk, and you Senshi are no closer to getting any answers!"

"No one asked for your help!" Neptune spat, pointing back at him.

"When it comes to mutants with a chip on their shoulder runnin' amok, best not to wait for paperwork t' be signed," said Gambit smoothly.

"Forget it, Remy. The Sailor Senshi have already proven they are unwilling to listen to reason," said Colossus.

"Agreed, Peter. There's no point sticking around here," said Cable.

"Not when we still need someone to take out our frustration on, now that Eclipse slipped away," said Uranus dangerously.

Cable actually facepalmed with his jerky, bionic hand. "And people say I'M too trigger-happy!" he snarled in frustration. "Look, Sailor Senshi, we have no desire to fight you, but we're not leaving Japan until this business with Eclipse is resolved. Get in our way again, and next time you'll force our hand. We won't hold back."

Chibi-Moon could sense Neptune and Uranus bristle at Cable's threat. A threat he could make good on, here and now. In contrast, she tried to keep calm. She wanted to believe Sailor Moon about how noble these X-Men were supposed to be, but now there was too much tension between their teams. Thanks mostly to how hotheaded Neptune and Uranus could be.

Furthermore, this notion that Cable was a fellow time-traveler still vexed her. Finally unable to contain herself, Chibi-Moon stepped forward. "Who are you anyway, Cable? Really? Were you reading my mind back in the park? You seemed to know… where I come from."

Cable just looked down at her, that eye still flashing. Meanwhile, Gambit and Colossus stepped up behind him, but Chibi-Moon paid them no notice. "Nothing too deep," Cable eventually said. "The professor encourages restraint for that sort of thing. Uranus and Neptune should consider themselves lucky that he does. But this future of yours I glimpsed… Believe me, you should cherish it."

"So you HAVE traveled through time! How!?" Chibi-Moon demanded. "Plu watches the Time Gate, and she's never mentioned anyone like you!"

Cable merely shrugged his shoulders. "I'm hardly the only X-Man who's hopped through time," he said simply. Suddenly, Colossus's metal skin reverted to flesh, and he shrank a little. Chibi-Moon could sense the other Senshi tensing, even though Colossus just made himself vulnerable. And soon it became apparent why. Cable began levitating all three of them telekinetically. It was a relatively slow ascent, but soon, they had reached as high as the roof Eclipse escaped over. Chibi-Moon just stood there looking up, questions still roiling in her mind.

"Why are we just watching them get away?" Artemis hissed. "Any one of you can wing them right now!"

Even from so high up, Artemis didn't go unnoticed. "Hey, her cat talks," Gambit said with a smile, pointing down. "Not like we can criticize, not when your ladyfriend's got Lockheed, Peter. Anyway girls, looks like more of your friends are comin', so best we be goin' now…"

Chibi-Moon turned around to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter finally running up. "Took you long enough," Artemis spat. "Hurry up and help us…"

"No, Artemis. We're letting them go," said Sailor Moon softly, but in a tone making it clear there would be no argument. "You want to bring MORE of them? There's more than three X-Men in Japan, don't forget. Besides, there's been enough fighting tonight, and it's gotten us nowhere."

"So you're actually buying their line that this would've all been wrapped up if we'd butted out, Sailor Moon?" Uranus cried in disbelief, looking back up. Chibi-Moon looked up too, seeing that the three mutants had gone over that rooftop, vanishing from view.

"I'm not sure," said Sailor Moon, finally standing up. "It sounds like the X-Men made an offer. Did you dismiss it out of hand?"

"They attacked us first!" Uranus protested vehemently. But when Sailor Moon leveled a withering glance at the Senshi of Wind, she admitted, "But… We did transform right in front of them, making it clear we wouldn't be bullied into standing aside."

"So on top of everything else, you went ahead and removed all doubt regarding who you two really are," said Luna incredulously. "This evening gets better and better."

"That's merely the tip of the iceberg," said Mercury. "I'm not sure what happened between all of you and the X-Men, but they weren't the only ones giving us trouble tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean, Mercury?" Chibi-Moon asked.

"We got held up by one of those robots always sent to kill the X-Men," replied Jupiter.

"Wait a minute. Mutant-hunting robot…" Sailor Moon muttered. Suddenly, her eyes widened in panic. "Don't tell me… A SENTINEL came after you two!?"

"You know about the Sentinels, Sailor Moon? How… No wait, of course you do," said Mercury. "Yes, it was most definitely a Sentinel, but a design no one's ever seen before. It seemed designed to counter Sailor Senshi, however. And the suspicious timing behind the attack leads one to believe Eclipse sent it, to hold us up and prevent us from using ice and lightning on her."

"Lovely. Eclipse has her own army of killer robots, on top of everything else," Venus grumbled.

"Then at least we learned one valuable thing tonight," said Uranus. "My suspicion about who Eclipse really is was just confirmed."

"'Suspicions?'" Mercury repeated dubiously. "You mean you've had a good idea who Eclipse really is? Since when!?"

"Since I saw that flyer of yours, Mercury," said Uranus. "That woman, the roboticist, Erina Kizachi… Doesn't she look familiar? Long black hair, dark glasses, rather short?" Chibi-Moon saw the light of realization slowly shine in Mercury's eyes, and it clearly tore at her. Erina Kizachi must've been another scientific genius she looked up to. Now it looked like it wasn't just her heroes among the X-Men that Mercury would be butting heads with. "Isn't it funny how a killer robot suddenly comes out of nowhere, to hold up the two Sailor Senshi with the power to bring Eclipse to her knees?"

"This could be another reason the X-Men are in Japan," Neptune pointed out. "If there's a new line of these Sentinels out there, they won't stand idly by."

"So on top of Eclipse, we have to worry about Sentinels too," said Sailor Moon. "And after tonight, there's no asking the X-Men for help with any of it. No way they'll trust any of us now." Chibi-Moon recoiled from the hurt, the feelings of disappointment and betrayal, in the voice of her future mother.

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Usagi's hands gripped the bathroom counter as she craned her head up to look into her reflection, still in her pajamas. It had been a restless night, trying to get to sleep after clashing with Eclipse, X-Men and now Sentinels. The following day had proven even more difficult. Not only had the rift between the Outers and the rest of the Senshi grown somewhat wider, there was disagreement about how to proceed. Should they try to patch things up with the X-Men? Do they ready themselves for another clash?

Technically, as their princess, whatever she said goes, but now Usagi's confidence was shaken more than ever. Usagi NEEDED the X-Men. There was little hope in truly helping Naru without them. It was such a sadistic dilemma, her loyalty to the Sailor Senshi clashing with her need for the X-Men's help. It was practically a prayer answered, the X-Men showing up in Japan. Only Usagi realized it too late, and before she could fix that mistake, the Senshi-on-mutant brawling had begun.

The only thing the Senshi could all agree on was that Ami's chemical concoction was more important than ever. So as Ami, Michiru and Mamoru labored on, someone else always stood watch with Rei. Usagi's shift had been late last night. Of course, Rei berated her for reading while on official Senshi business. Even if it was more of Xavier's book, rather than Rei's manga. Why? Was it because they had to view Charles Xavier as their enemy now?

Usagi grit her teeth as she looked into her teary-eyed reflection, remembering how Rei's verbal abuse stung worse than usual. Rei had ranted as if Usagi had forgotten which side she was on.

Usagi knew what had to be done. Ami's weapon was vital, now that they knew the Ginzuishou couldn't help. Usagi still couldn't believe it. Was Eclipse corrupted that much? The Ginzuishou had failed before, such as the second time she had tried to purge the darkness from Mamoru's mind. Was it the same case here? If Haruka was right about Eclipse being Erina Kizachi, then the corruption had spread right to her pure heart.

That seems to be happening to everyone, Usagi pondered sorrowfully. Kizachi's husband, spreading all those lies about mutants, and she's building Sentinels… Why? She's a mutant, too! Is she spreading hate and destruction just for the sake of it? Why!?

Usagi looked down as more tears flowed, but a soft cackle made her head snap back up. Sorrow turned to shock and horror as she saw Queen Beryl's face smirking back at her in the mirror.

"What did I tell you before, princess?" Beryl jeered. "This world is rotten to the core. Oh, you vanquished me, and all those that came after me. And for what? The people of your country to turn on themselves, over fear of what's different!?"

Usagi could only stare slack-jawed at her old nemesis. She didn't need THIS on top of everything else! "T-T-T-This is impossible!" she shrilled, not caring who in the house heard. "You're dead! You're gone! We searched D-Point for half a day and found no trace of you!"

"Oh, you need not worry yourself over me, princess," said Beryl with mocking sweetness. "Looks like you've got more than enough to concern yourself with at the moment."

Before Usagi could ask what Beryl meant, a hand shot out from her left, clamping down on her throat. The next thing Usagi knew, she was thrown through the bathroom window, tumbling down painfully a good few meters onto her front yard.

Ugh, how come a Sailor Senshi's durability can't bleed over when we're not transformed? Usagi wondered, every joint screaming as she struggled to sit up.

Once she finally had, she was greeted with the sight of Naru jumping down after her. But there was something different about her. Now she wore a strange blue jumpsuit with a red V over her torso, along with golden pauldrons and some golden headband with communications equipment worked in. It looked like what was worn by…

"Oh no no no, that's an Acolyte uniform!" Usagi cried out in horror. "You've joined up with Magneto!?"

"What else was there for me, Usagi!?" Naru demanded as she walked closer. With how Usagi ached all over, she could only crawl backwards a little, nowhere near fast enough. "The whole country's turned against my kind! But I trusted you, Usagi. Trusted in Sailor Moon. But when I needed you most, you weren't there!" Now angry tears flowed down Naru's cheeks. "This whole country needed you! All of Japan's mutants needed you, but you've done nothing! Now I see the truth… You're just like all the other Homo sapiens, Usagi! Useless!"

Naru had finally closed the gap. With her strength, she effortlessly hoisted a crying, screaming Usagi over her head.

"Good-bye, Sailor Moon," Naru spat with utter contempt. And then Naru brought Usagi down, shattering her spine against her raised knee.

And with that, Usagi awoke, sitting up in her bed with a deafening shriek. Something Luna wasn't shy about railing against after getting knocked off the bed yet again.

"Ugh, sleeping in the same room as you is becoming an occupational hazard, Usagi!" Luna hissed as she climbed back up. "What was this nightmare about? Something to do with the Ginzuishou not working?"

It took a moment for Usagi to calm down, letting it sink in that it was just a bad dream. It had to be. After all, Naru would never actually go bad and join Magneto, right?

"No, Luna. It's… something else I haven't been able to do," said Usagi softly. She glanced out the window. The rays of the morning sun gently shone through. Usagi figured she might as well face the day.

"Usagi, what is it that…" Luna began, but Usagi threw off her covers and shuffled into the bathroom.

Soon enough, she had thrown on a dress and shuffled down the stairs to get some breakfast. Perhaps her nightmare hadn't woken her as early as she had thought, for her mother had already cooked breakfast for everyone. Leftover waffles were still on a plate by the oven, and thankfully, they were still warm.

Usagi ate by herself, so she could be alone with her thoughts. Of all the nightmares she had since becoming Sailor Moon, this one might be the absolute worst. Naru turning evil? She wasn't as strong as Colossus, or a trained fighter like Gambit and Cable, but she was still the last mutant Usagi wanted to fight. The other night brought enough pointless fighting with mutants, anyway.

And it seemed that fate wouldn't let her forget about it. She heard Shingo cry out in excitement from the living room. "Wow, I don't think anyone's gotten video footage of the Sailor Senshi like this before!"

Usagi had been about to take another bite, but her fork clattered back onto her plate as she sat there, frozen from shock. It took a few moments to work up the courage to see what Shingo was blathering about. As she walked in to the living room, Shingo was sitting on the floor, while Ikuko sat on the couch. And there, on the television, was video footage of the Sailor Senshi's fight with the X-Men. Usagi winced as she saw, once again, Cable incapacitate Sailor Uranus with his telepathy, only to be stopped by her blazing tiara.

"Awesome!" cried Shingo. "Sailor Moon sure showed that big mutant bully who's boss!" Usagi never wanted to slap Shingo around so hard than she did just then.

"Shhhh, Shingo. I want to hear what they're saying," chided Ikuko. "I missed most of this when it was on the news last night."

"This video footage was provided anonymously to our station yesterday evening, showing the Sailor Senshi encountering the mutant team from overseas, known as the X-Men, and fighting them to a standstill," said the news anchor. "Details are sketchy at this point, but it is believed that the Sailor Senshi were trying to apprehend the mutant criminal dubbed Eclipse, while the X-Men sought to take her as part of some unknown agenda."

"Aw great, those stupid X-Men ruined a perfect opportunity to get Eclipse off the streets!" Shingo snarled. "Leave it to those freaks to stick together. We've got enough trouble with mutants here in Tokyo without these yahoos from America thrown into the mix."

"I agree, Shingo. The way Eclipse has been viciously assaulting people… It's clear we can't really trust mutants," said Ikuko.

Hearing those words pass her mother's lips stung worse than anything Shingo could splutter. She was MARRIED to the man who was there when the X-Men first saved the world, and even SHE was spewing this bile!?

"Mama, I can't believe you," Usagi muttered softly, alerting her mother to her presence at last.

Ikuko turned to see Usagi standing there. "Oh, good morning Usagi. I didn't expect you to wake up so…"

"I don't believe this, Mama! Even you have this attitude about mutants!? YOU!? Didn't Papa tell you ANYTHING about what the X-Men do for us!?" Usagi cried. How could her mother feel this way when Haruna Sakurada was the complete opposite!? "What if I was born… different, Mama!? Or maybe Shingo!? What then!? What would be your feelings about mutants then!?"

For a moment, Ikuko just sat there, nonplussed, stunned by her daughter's outburst. "U-U-Usagi, what's gotten… I mean…"

"And YOU, Shingo!" Usagi roared, rounding on him. "Tell me something: Why are the X-Men the freaky weirdos while the Sailor Senshi get a pass!? What do YOU know about the Sailor Senshi!? What do ANY of us know!? Maybe they were born with their powers, too! Maybe they're even mutants themselves! What would you say about THAT, huh!?" Shingo just stared back, nonplussed as well.

It took some time for Ikuko to find her voice again. "Usagi, what's… gotten into you?" she pleaded. "Why the sudden…"

Usagi didn't bother to stay and listen. She stormed off, fighting back tears. Usagi always wondered if she could safely share her secret with her family someday. Luna, of course, would strenuously object, but Usagi always took solace with the notion that they could be trusted. Now that comforting notion was shattered forever.

As Usagi passed the stairs, Luna bounded down them. "Usagi, I heard you yelling. Is everything…"

Usagi said nothing at first, roughly hoisting Luna up by the scruff of her neck, eliciting a hiss of protest from her. "Come on, Luna, we're outta here. Let's head to the shrine," Usagi said gruffly.

"Usagi, what's going on!?" Luna demanded as Usagi cradled her in her arms, kicking open the front door. "How much plainer can it be that there's something bugging you and you SIMPLY WON'T TELL ANYONE!?"

"Keep it down while we're outside, Luna," Usagi whispered nonchalantly. "Besides, shouldn't you be happy? Getting to the shrine right away on official Senshi business, instead of loafing around." That shut Luna up for the moment, but Usagi knew that the cat wouldn't let this drop so easily.

The long walk to the shrine helped Usagi clear her head somewhat. She only hoped there was good news once she reached it. Ami had hinted during Usagi's shift last night that today, finally, their anti-Eclipse weapon would be ready. So all they had to do was lure Eclipse out and use it, and hope the X-Men wouldn't butt in again. The fact that Cerebro and telepathy couldn't track Eclipse didn't matter, though. Cerebro COULD track the Senshi. That left a sickening pit in Usagi's stomach, knowing there was a good chance the two teams would clash again.

Usagi tried to remain hopeful as she ascended the stone steps, Luna following close behind. Once she did, Usagi noticed Makoto was out on the grounds outside, in her training gi, going through her forms.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with nothing better to do than come here well before her shift," Usagi called out to her friend.

Makoto stopped with her forms. "Oh, hi Usagi. Yeah, I figured I'd get back to some serious training. I figured it'd really stick in Haruka's craw if I can pelt a certain card-flinging Cajun when she couldn't," Makoto said slyly. "Though I wouldn't know what to do about the metal guy, except maybe zap him. And it's not like this sort of prep would help much if more of those… things show."

"I know what you mean," said Usagi glumly. "Sentinels, actual Sentinels… I think we'll be nostalgic for the good old days of Daimon ripping out hearts and Lemures stealing dreams soon enough."

"That's just it," said Makoto. "How have things gotten so bad, so fast, that we're wishing we could go back to that insanity?"

"I… don't really know, Makoto," said Usagi. "Let's just hope Ami's weapon finally ends this." She didn't bother mentioning the drastic measures Michiru insisted they take if it didn't.

Usagi approached the shrine's front door, noticing Rei sweeping the cobblestones. She looked surprised to see Usagi there so early, but said nothing. Once inside, Usagi peeked into the makeshift laboratory.

Ami, Mamoru and Michiru were still hard at work, but Chibiusa was there too, clinging to Mamoru. Naturally, a little envy welled up, but Usagi found it easier to quell than usual. There was just so much going on right now…

"Odango, you're here pretty early," Haruka called out from behind her. Usagi turned to see Haruka standing there, alongside Minako and Artemis. "That's… good. We need to talk."

"I don't want to hear anything about being too soft, Haruka," Usagi warned. After hearing her own mother spout such vile prejudice, Usagi wasn't in the mood and made it known. What good was being leader, their princess, if you couldn't lay down the law once in a while?

"It's not about any of that, Usagi," said Haruka quickly. "Well, it IS about our Eclipse situation, and there's something else we'll need your help for."

"With the Ginzuishou turning out to be useless, I don't see what else I can do," said Usagi darkly.

"It's... complicated, Odango. It'll take a while to explain, so I'll let Minako say her piece first," said Haruka. "You see, her Interpol contacts finally got back to her."

Usagi didn't see how Interpol could gather anything useful on Eclipse, even if she was really Erina Kizachi. But as Minako relayed her intel, it suddenly got a little clearer. "It turns out the yakuza have been buying up a lot of tech stuff these last few days. Stuff that can be used for big-league robotics projects. That warehouse by the river where you first fought Eclipse, there's a chance a good chunk of it came in through there. Now, as of the other night, what super-secret robotics venture were we made privy to?"

Usagi still hadn't woken up completely yet, despite the long walk, so it took a moment or two before Minako's question became clear. "The Sentinels," she said at length. "You think Kizachi was using the yakuza to smuggle in all the stuff she needed to build Sentinels."

"And then there's how Eclipse suddenly decides to wreck any yakuza she can find in a fifty kilometer radius," Artemis added. "It's as if she's covering her tracks, disposing of the yakuza outfits that helped get her the needed components and begin production."

"There's another angle to her yakuza connections, and Minako's contacts corroborated it," said Haruka. She held up a file full of printed papers. "I did a little more digging on our dumpy roboticist. Turns out she has a nephew who was in with the yakuza and did some time, even screwed up and got his pinky chopped off. From what I've been digging up, it sounds like Kizachi grew really exasperated with the yakuza over how they lured her nephew in and mistreated him. This could just be payback as well, pure and simple."

"And that's not the only connection we found," said Minako. "Both Haruka and I thought we should check the financial records of Erina Kizachi's company." Haruka pulled out a paper from that file and handed it to Usagi. As Usagi tried to make sense of the jumble of words and numbers, Minako went on. "Turns out Kizachi's robotics firm got a significant contribution some time ago from a shell company. One set up by Masato Sanjoin. I'm sure you remember THAT name."

Usagi looked up from the paper, eyes widening, then looked back down and saw the name of Masato Sanjoin, plain as day. Alongside an astronomical sum of yen.

Luna chimed in, pointing out the obvious. "So this is it. The connection to the Dark Kingdom we've been looking for, however tenuous."

"It could just be a coincidence. From what I understand, Nephrite worked hard to set up his Masato Sanjoin façade," said Haruka. "But in light of what we found out about Kizachi and the yakuza, and these Sentinels… Usagi, it fits. Everything fits."

Some instinct still told Usagi it couldn't be so simple. Yet, the connections were there, though there were still unanswered questions. "But why build Sentinels in the first place? Just to get at the Sailor Senshi? And what about how her husband's helping spread anti-mutant paranoia?"

Haruka shook her head. "No way to tell at this point. Perhaps Nephrite aimed to have Kizachi build Sentinels for just that reason, or maybe gain an edge over the rest of the Shitennou. And when you finished Queen Beryl, she carried on on her own. Perhaps it's irrelevant at this point. Now that we know Erina Kizachi is Eclipse, it'll make taking her down easier once the weapon is done. Minako's contacts let us know there's probably another shipment of robotics equipment coming in late tonight. There's a good chance Eclipse will want to claim it herself and polish off more connected yakuza. We catch her in the act, take her down, and maybe everyone will calm down when it comes to mutants. But before that, maybe you can help us with more of this puzzle."

It looked like everything was finally coming together. Still, that nagging notion that puzzle pieces were missing remained. "Me? How?" asked Usagi.

"Don't you remember? Naru was close to Nephrite for a little while," Luna pointed out. "Maybe he told her something about his plans as Masato Sanjoin. It'd be good to know if he did. In case Eclipse gets away again, or she refuses to talk before we hand her over to the authorities, we might at least get answers that way."

Usagi looked down at Luna with a dubious look, then back at the paper. Naru's first love, so cruelly taken from her. With everything else Naru was going through, Usagi didn't want to reopen that old wound.

Sensing her reluctance, Haruka said, "Look, Odango… I know you still must be mad about the other night. I admit it, Michiru and I lost our heads, and things turned out lousy for everyone. That's why we have to move quickly, before the X-Men do. If we can avoid them until this whole Eclipse mess is over…"

"What about the Sentinels? Did that not sink in? GIANT ROBOTS armed with machine guns and missiles, gunning for US," Usagi cut in. Plus, they were originally conceived as mutant-hunting robots… Usagi doubted Naru's toughness would keep her from getting ripped to shreds by a minigun. "I bet the X-Men are here for them, too. I don't think there's any avoiding the X-Men now. We may not need them for Eclipse, but Sentinels are a different story."

There was an awkward pause before Haruka replied. "One thing at a time, Odango. Besides, if we capture Eclipse tonight, that may mean the end for these Sentinels. Cut off the head, the body will wither. No one to maintain Sentinels and build more. Still, it would pay if your friend remembers anything important, but if you're afraid of ripping open old wounds…"

"No, I'll go do it," said Usagi suddenly, surprising herself. Haruka was right about finding out more about these new Sentinels. But as usual, furthering the Sailor Senshi's goals meant Naru getting caught in the crossfire in some fashion. It was as if fate kept playing cruel games with her old friend. "It looks like I've got nothing better to do until tonight. I mean, as far as my own research goes, I finished the rest of that book last night…"

In an eyeblink, Haruka's mood went from serious and somber, to utterly shellshocked. Minako, likewise, looked crestfallen. "Y-Y-You… You finished it? Professor Xavier's book? The WHOLE book!?" Minako asked dubiously.

Usagi could only nod dully, not sure why they had this reaction. Haruka and Minako kept looking like deer caught in the headlights on an incoming semi, even after Rei poked her head inside, jeering at them. "Ooooooh, did I hear Usagi wound up finishing Xavier's book after all?"

Minako was the first of the two to find her voice. "Well, urrr, t-t-t-that is…"

Grinning like a madwoman, Rei rushed back outside, but Usagi could hear her yell, "Hey Makoto, guess who finished Xavier's book!" A howl of frustration erupted from Makoto, while Rei rushed past Usagi to stick her head into her shrine's makeshift laboratory. "Guess who finished Xavier's book, everybody!" Everyone inside grumbled loudly as they threw down whatever they were working on.

"I don't get it," said Usagi. Looking down to Luna, she demanded, "Luna, what's going on? What's the big deal about this book all of a sudden?"

"As Americans say, I plead the fifth," said Luna flatly.

Meanwhile, Rei had made her way back over to Haruka and Minako, while Makoto had stormed inside with her duffel bag, wearing an exasperated expression. As Haruka dug out her wallet to retrieve some money, Makoto dug inside her bag to do the same. Minako pulled out some bills too, and the three began handing over money to Rei, their irritation radiating off them in waves. In stark contrast to Rei, who was beaming at them all, wearing an insufferable grin.

"Yeah Usagi, it's not like everyone started a betting pool for when you'd throw down that book in frustration," Artemis said suddenly.

Minako hoisted Artemis up by the scruff of his neck. "Artemis, what did we recently talk about, regarding KEEPING YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH SHUT!?" she bellowed right into his face.

Usagi had been feeling down before coming here. Now she was downright mortified. Her friends were running bets upon her predicted failure, so certain she would quit!? Then the four in the laboratory shuffled out with handfuls of yen to fork over. "Let's hope your chemical weapon works better than your idea for a betting pool, Ami," Michiru hissed into Ami's ear. Ami just glowered back at her.

Usagi still heard Michiru, and couldn't contain her frustration. "Ami, this was YOUR idea!?" Then Usagi saw both Mamoru AND Chibiusa hand over money. "Mamo-chan, Chibiusa… You made bets too!?" Usagi demanded incredulously. "TRAITORS!"

"Yes, betting against one's true love. Shame shame shame, Mamoru," Rei taunted as she greedily snatched up all their money. "Think on that while I count all this and decide how to spend it!"

Usagi was ready to follow up with a tirade against Mamoru of her own, but Rei's taunt made her realize something. "Wait a minute, Rei… If the bet was for when I'd quit reading, how come YOU won the pool!?"

"Because, you meatball-head, I'm the only one who bet that you'd FINISH Xavier's book!" cried Rei, still giddy over her haul.

"B-B-B-But… Last night, you yelled at me for reading it!" Usagi reminded her.

"Ever hear of reverse-psychology?" beamed Rei with a grin.

"And why make such a crazy bet?" Usagi demanded. "There's no way I'D ever make that bet on myself!"

"I'm also curious as to what possessed you to make that bet, Rei," Ami added.

"Three reasons," said Rei, holding up three fingers. "First, the bet was about you simply finishing the book, Usagi. Nothing was said about any of Xavier's teachings getting through that thick skull." Usagi glowered at her. She was certainly more receptive for what the X-Men could teach than anyone else here! "Second, I've known you long enough to tell the subtle difference between the 'having a whim that'll fade with the setting sun' Usagi and the 'super-determined, full-speed ahead and damn the torpedoes' Usagi," Rei went on.

"And the third thing?" Luna asked.

"The thing I can't believe no one's managed to learn except me," said Rei snidely. "No matter how much the odds look to be in your favor, NEVER bet against Sailor Moon."

It was strange to hear that coming from Rei, but it did help mollify her a little. But only a little.

"Well then, I guess I'd better get moving before everyone grumps at me for making their wallets lighter," Usagi growled as she walked out of the shrine. Off to make Naru relive a painful memory when she already had enough on her plate. Maybe Rei was right. Maybe Sailor Moon could clean up this mess soon enough after all. But there was still the nagging feeling that Naru, once again, would get the short end of the stick.

And while Usagi was preoccupied with Naru's plight, she didn't bother to look back. If she had, she might have noticed Luna watching her go, wearing a quizzical expression, before taking off after her.

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Some habits were hard to kick, especially those borne of one's instincts. And Luna's instincts were telling her she still needed to keep a close eye on Usagi. She had watched the girl for a long time, though it had often proven frustrating beyond belief. Luna fancied herself as Usagi's mentor as well as her guide, but often felt like guiding the girl was like smashing her face against a brick wall. Never able to focus, always obsessed with something trivial when the fate of the world was at stake, whining and crying about the littlest things…

Though Usagi had matured some since they had first met. In many ways, Luna was proud of her. It was quite a burden that had landed on Usagi's shoulders. Not many could have shouldered it without breaking, but this cheerful, carefree slip of a girl had managed it, many times over. Thinking back to those early days, Luna realized how grateful she should be. It didn't take nearly as much yelling and prodding to get her to take her duties as Sailor Moon seriously these days. Even with this Eclipse situation gnawing at her, Usagi did her part, despite her obvious reluctance.

But what was the root of this reluctance? It wasn't just about Eclipse, but mutants in general. Of course, it should have come as no surprise that Usagi's heart would bleed over what was happening in Japan. Others would scoff, call her soft-hearted and weak, but Luna knew it was perhaps Usagi's greatest strength.

Yet there was something going on that threatened to finally break Usagi, despite that subtle strength. Even worse, Usagi refused to open up about it, to anyone. And whatever it was that was eating at her, she seemed more willing to confide in these X-Men than her fellow Sailor Senshi! Her loyalty did not waver when the two teams clashed, but still…

And so, Luna found herself taking up her old habits. Namely, making sure Usagi didn't make any stupid slip-ups. Usagi had opted to make her way to the jewelry store on foot, foregoing the buses. Which was fortunate for Luna, as she could easily tail Usagi while keeping out of sight.

As she followed Usagi, Luna watched her body language. It practically screamed at Luna, betraying inner tumult, and a deep, maddening confusion. Whatever's troubling you, Usagi, it's time to open up to us, Luna mused, walking behind a row of bushes. Erina Kizachi, Eclipse… Whatever her deal is, I won't let her break you, not after everything else you've been through.

At last, Usagi reached the OSA-P, but Luna hadn't been able to cross the street. Considering how busy traffic was, it looked like it would be a while before a cat could safely cross. Still, Luna's gaze was more or less fixed on the jewelry store's front door, rather than watching for traffic to clear up.

Eventually, the doors slid open and Usagi walked out, looking crestfallen. Naru's mother, Mayuki Osaka, followed her out, wearing a look of concern. She spoke to Usagi, but it was hard to read her lips from across the street. However, if Luna had to hazard a guess, it looked like Naru wasn't home. Usagi muttered something to Mayuki, then turned to go, a hunch to her posture. When Usagi reached the front of the entrance to the alleyway beside the OSA-P, she nervously glanced around, right before ducking down it.

Fortunately, traffic had just let up enough for Luna to dart across the street. When she ran into the alley, Luna got there just in time to hear Usagi out, "Moon Crisis Makeup!"

There was a bright light from behind some cardboard boxes filled with garbage, and the sudden shock made Luna slide into one. Some empty bottles of laundry detergent rained down on Luna. Grumbling, she flung them aside, only to see Sailor Moon leap up to grab onto the fire escape on the building's second level, looking into the window.

Did Mayuki say that Naru was not home, and did Usagi suspect she was lying? Why would Naru's mother lie? Whatever the case, Sailor Moon sighed and shook her head, but instead of jumping back down to the alley, she bounded off the fire escape, rocketing toward the adjacent roof.

What's that girl up to now!? Luna wondered

, running down the alley. She had little chance of keeping up with her at ground level, not while she was transformed into Sailor Moon and bounding across rooftops. Still, by glancing at the rooftops above, Luna could at least guess Sailor Moon's general direction. At least I can be sure she's not doing anything frivolous. I drilled it into her head long ago that a Sailor Senshi's power isn't for personal games. Still, doing this in broad daylight… What's Usagi after?

Before Luna lost track of Sailor Moon, it became clear that she was heading toward a nearby part of town with a lot of abandoned factories and warehouses. Was she expecting to find Naru here? Why? She would have to claw the answers out of Sailor Moon, assuming she found her anytime soon. So Luna searched across all the decrepit, abandoned workplaces, keeping her ears pricked up for any telltale signs of Sailor Moon moving about.

Just as Luna started to lose hope she'd catch up with that capricious girl, she finally spotted her. There, on the slanted roof of some huge, wide, three-story warehouse, was Sailor Moon, forcing open a broken window. As Sailor Moon slipped through, trying to be stealthy, Luna spotted a nearby stack of crates. It was a simple matter to climb to the top with her claws, then leap to the rusty roof to follow Sailor Moon inside.

It was rather dark inside, and Luna found herself grateful for her sharp, feline vision. A long, steel beam stretched out before her, and Luna could spot Sailor Moon on the far end. She was squatting, looking down at the warehouse floor with a stony, expression. Luna didn't look down at first, concentrating more on balancing across the steel beam. But eventually, the noise from below coaxed Luna into looking down.

Soft grunting, almost drowned out by creaking metal. Gazing down, at first Luna only noticed an old semi truck, disconnected from any trailer. But something funny was going on. The semi truck… It was steadily rising and falling, due to some unknown force!

Gasping, Luna backtracked to near the window, then looked back down. From her new angle, Luna could see someone was actually supporting the semi truck's weight on his back! Squinting for a better look, Luna gasped again. Not a he, but a she. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt and jogging pants, her face screwed up in concentration as she did squats while holding up the truck.

Luna then recognized who it was: Naru Osaka! Nearby, Umino was doing a similar exercise, doing squats while holding onto dumbbells. Naturally, that was unremarkable next to his girlfriend supporting several metric tons of metal as if it were nothing!

How could… Naru Osaka, benching SEMI TRUCKS!? Luna's mind screamed, nearly going blank. Meanwhile, Naru continued her workout that shamed every bodybuilder in the country. What in… NO ONE in Japan is THAT strong! Well, except maybe…

Then it finally clicked. The only other one she ever saw with such strength was Colossus. A mutant. Luna looked back over to Sailor Moon, and it hit her. This was the reason she was so worked up about mutants. Her old friend was one, and she had no idea what to do about it during a rising tide of anti-mutant resentment.

Luna sympathized with Sailor Moon's plight, but at the same time, she was incensed. Why did she have to keep this a secret for so long!? Luna dashed across the beam. Sailor Moon still had no idea she had been found out. Not even when Luna was right next to her, so Luna hissed, "Sailor Moon! When were you planning on telling us!?"

Shocked, Sailor Moon let out a yelp, almost teetering off the beam. She flailed her arms about in a vain attempt to keep her balance. Thankfully, she grabbed onto the beam as she toppled over, and hoisted herself back up. She stared sheepishly back at the cat. "Oh, uh, hey Luna!" said Sailor Moon, trying to sound innocent. "Ummm, why did you follow me?"

"I was hoping to find out what's been bugging you since this Eclipse mess began, and it looks like I struck gold," Luna snarled. "So this is why you're so preoccupied with mutants. You found out Naru's one of them."

"Is that a crime, being a mutant?" Sailor Moon scoffed.

"Of course not!" Luna shot back. "But you could have told us, Usagi! We would've understood where you were coming from! I mean, how long have you known!?"

"Since soon after Tiger's-Eye went after her. That must've triggered her X-gene. She saved me from Fish-Eye with her powers one night, when Chibiusa wasn't around. She stopped a runaway fire engine set to flatten me, then lifted the whole thing to flatten a Lemure," Sailor Moon explained.

Hearing Naru Osaka was THAT deadly in battle was shocking enough, but Luna was more preoccupied not with the what, but the when. "Wait… THAT'S what stressed her out enough? Tiger's-Eye putting the moves on her!?" Luna spat in disbelief.

"Why so skeptical?" Sailor Moon demanded.

"Because with everything the Dark Kingdom put her through, you'd think her mutant genes would've been turned on sooner! Would've saved us a lot of trouble if she could've fended off their youma herself!" Luna barked. "Oh, you are so lucky Naru's mutant powers are a recent thing. If she had these powers back when Queen Beryl was around and you kept it from me, I WOULD be pissed! Not to diminish Sailor Jupiter or anything, but we sure could've used that sort of muscle back then! I would've been like, 'OK, normally to be a Sailor Senshi, you have to be a reincarnated princess and possess a planet's Star Seed. In light of your insane strength level, however, that requirement is officially waived. You are SO hired. Welcome to the Sailor Senshi, Naru Osaka. Hope you survive the experience.'"

To both Luna's delight and frustration, Sailor Moon actually smiled. "I… think Naru would've liked to have heard that, at one time," she said, before looking back down at Naru and Umino. "But nowadays, I don't think she'd fancy the job…"

"Never mind that for now," Luna hissed. "How'd you even know Naru was here to begin with?"

"I didn't," said Sailor Moon. "But Naru's mom said she had this excuse of helping Umino salvage parts or whatever in places like this, so I figured I might as well do some searching. Actually, I'm not really surprised to see Naru practicing like this. I saw her earlier this week, and used this excuse of doing this workout with Umino to skip off. Looks like she wasn't lying."

Looking back down to the ground level, Luna watched as Naru carefully set the semi truck down. It was still mind-boggling, watching the girl Sailor Moon had to rescue time and again possess such strength. Which had saved Sailor Moon in turn.

"If she's gotten even stronger since that night, maybe we SHOULD bring her onto the team," Luna suggested. "If Ami's chemical fails, we're out of options. Let's have a mutant of our own ready to take on Eclipse."

"I… d-d-don't think that's a good idea," said Sailor Moon nervously. Meanwhile, Umino had ceased with his weightlifting workout, and the pair walked over to where an old pickup truck lay on its side, bolted to the floor. Umino stood by the front end, while Naru positioned herself in front of its underside.

Luna heard Umino say something to Naru, who simply nodded, and then she raised her fists. She launched a bone-crushing punch into the truck's underbelly, and the whole warehouse echoed with the sound of steel giving way. Then Naru threw another punch, and then another and another. Each punch left a deep impression in the truck's underside, and Naru just kept throwing more. Now glass was shattering as Naru kept up the barrage, and some parts flew free of the truck's underside.

"Are you sure, Usagi?" Luna protested. "Not only would she be handy in a fight against Eclipse, but the X-Men too. At least that Colossus guy would be covered…"

"She doesn't want the job anymore," said Sailor Moon darkly. "Luna, I think she suspects who Sailor Moon really is, and Naru's not too fond of Usagi Tsukino these days. She feels like I've been ignoring her after I grew closer to the other Senshi, and frankly, I can't really blame her."

More of the puzzle pieces fell into place. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about you being exposed. Both of you know a secret about the other." Sailor Moon just glared at Luna for being so coldly practical. Getting the hint, Luna added, "Still, I see what you mean about not wanting to drag her into a fight with Eclipse…"

"Or the X-Men," said Sailor Moon quickly. "I need them, Luna. They'll know what to do about Naru. I read Xavier's entire book and I'm still clueless. But for now, I better go do what I came here to do. You stay here Luna."

"How come?" Luna demanded.

"Because Naru suspects I'm Sailor Moon, remember?" Sailor Moon said tersely. "You want Naru to see Sailor Moon with Usagi's cat and remove all doubt?"

With that, Sailor Moon dropped down from the beam, landing softly on the warehouse floor, dozens of meters away from where Naru was training. Luna couldn't help but fixate on that again. Such incredible strength… Luna still wanted that power on their side. But now knowing how resentful and frustrated Naru had grown, seeing her unleash that power made Luna a little anxious.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on, Naru! Harder! Show this truck who's boss! NOTHING can get in your way!" Umino shouted in encouragement as Naru unloaded more and more punches.

Naru obliged, punching the truck's underside again and again, harder than ever before. While holding onto the truck's front end, Umino could feel the sheer force of her blows vibrate through the metal. Even after all these months, Umino couldn't help but be in awe of Naru's strength. Naru, however, had been terrified of her own strength in the beginning, and still went through each day fearful that she would slip up. Expose herself as a mutant, accidentally hurting someone in the process.

That was the point of these training sessions with Naru. Learn to live with her super strength, while at the same time not being afraid of unleashing her full strength it if the time ever came.

No, not if, when. Umino tried not to dwell on it, but he knew one day, in a country growing distrustful of mutants, Naru's secret would be exposed. When that day came, Umino would stay beside her, consequences be damned. In the meantime, he would prepare Naru the best he could. That was why he bought that book by the specialist in mutation from overseas, Professor Charles Xavier. Ami was borrowing it, but that was fine. Umino already read it cover to cover and practically memorized the whole thing.

It had proven quite useful. During those first few days after that night Naru saved both him and Sailor Moon, Naru had grown distant. Not exactly pushing him away, but not really opening up either. That book had gone a long way toward getting Naru to come out of her shell, now that he knew her dark secret. It had required a lot of patience of his part, the way Naru kept him at arm's length at first, but that didn't matter to Umino. Love was supposed to be patient, love was supposed to be understanding. With each passing day, Naru grew more comfortable with her superpowers, more confident…

And it showed with the way Naru laid into this truck. Umino pitied the poor soul who ever got on the receiving end of his girlfriend's pulverizing blows. Naru howled as she punched and punched, leaving even deeper indentations. Umino instinctively knew she was about to cut loose like never before. He let go of the front end just in time. Naru unleashed a fierce uppercut, ripping the truck free from the beams holding it to the floor. It skidded across the floor, right through the warehouse's rusty walls.

Umino gaped at the hole in the wall. "Wow, good thing no one hardly ever comes around here," he muttered. "But at this rate, we'll soon run out of trucks for you to practice on…"

Meanwhile, Naru just stood there, staring at her handiwork. There was still a little fear in her eyes, but now, Umino saw it had largely been supplanted with resignation. That this was a power she was stuck with, for better or worse. Still, it made Umino feel a little anxious, seeing this resignation didn't exactly bring the relief that should come with acceptance.

He gently rested his hands on her shoulders. Massaging them would probably be useless, but the comforting gesture was important. "Still, this has been paying off. After all these months of weight training with trucks, I bet you're almost twice as strong as before."

Naru put a hand over his, as gently as she could. The gesture pressed his fingers down onto the muscle and bone in her shoulder quite firmly. Not hard enough to cause pain, but there was no way Umino could've pulled his hand away.

Still, it was an improvement over earlier days. He should have suspected something before that night's shocking revelations, when Naru would grab his wrist or his hand so hard, it actually hurt. And as Naru opened up, she would tell Umino of how at first her super strength was so troublesome, she couldn't hold a glass without shattering it, and ripped doors off their hinges back home.

"Oh it's not just me," Naru said softly, turning around to face him. She nudged ever closer, grabbing onto his upper arm. Again, not hard enough to inflict pain, but firmly enough to ensure Umino couldn't pull away. Of course, why would he want to? "You've beefed up too, Umino. Oh, you'll tell me it was to show solidarity, to show you're willing to push yourself just as hard, but… Let's be honest, there's been a change in you too."

With that, Naru actually slipped her other hand just under his shirt, brushing her fingertips against his belly. Just the shock of skin against skin sent shivers through Umino, but the way those fingers could press so deeply, despite the newly-developed muscle Naru mentioned…

"Uh, Naru, what're you doing?" Umino asked anxiously. Up until now, Naru had kept the physical contact to a minimum, due to lingering fear of hurting him.

"You have to ask? Rewarding hard work," Naru whispered seductively, pulling him closer so their lips crashed together. Naru's hand went from his stomach to the back of his head, pressing him closer. Her tongue easily forced his mouth open like a screwdriver. Even the muscles in Naru's tongue possessed insane power!

Well, you wanted Naru to be more comfortable with her strength. Here you go, Umino mused to himself, with the part of his brain that could still operate logically.

They stayed locked in that embrace for a few moments. Umino wasn't quite sure how long, only that Naru broke the kiss after they heard the sound of metal clanging nearby, followed by a nervous wail. Being lost in the bliss that was locking lips with Naru, it took a moment for normal cognition to reassert itself. When it did, he looked where Naru's gaze had drifted.

They had a guest, from the looks of it. At least it was someone who already knew Naru was a mutant, and obviously wouldn't betray that secret. "Well, uh, nice to know you two are taking this relationship somewhere!" said Sailor Moon with a nervous laugh. "I didn't mean to interrupt like this, but you know, clumsy ol' me…"

With Sailor Moon herself admitting to that, it became easier to swallow Naru's suspicions regarding who she really was. Could she really be Usagi Tsukino? Umino wondered. If so… I sure got a habit falling for girls who wind up having superpowers.

But with the way Naru was staring at her, something different on her mind. Naru had opened up about her frustration with Usagi, along with her theory that she was actually Sailor Moon. And that frustration looked to be bubbling up again.