Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
"Digital Moon" (Part One)
written by Mike Koos


[OP: Moonlight Densetsu]

     Usagi was dreaming again.
     It was one of the relatively few pleasures she had these days;
what with all the responsibilities she needed to face up to.  Not
every girl could claim she was a Princess... or one of the Sailor
Senshi.  Few people aside from the Senshi themselves knew Usagi's
secret, and chief among those people was Mamoru Chiba - "Mamo-chan,"
as Usagi affectionately put it.
     She was dreaming about herself and Mamoru again.  This time,
as themselves, not as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, Princess
Serenity and Endymion.  She'd hoped they would stay together against
all odds.  Even if their relationship experienced a few bumps along
the way... They had both received a clue to their futures in the form
of Chibi-Usa, though any of that could always change, Ami had warned.
Playing with time was always dangerous, and knowing your own future
might be one of the biggest dangers of all.
     Mamoru turned to her and spoke the words Usagi always wanted to
hear: "We will always be together."  But as he spoke those words, a
jagged wall of pure rock rose up to drive itself between them.  What
could it mean?  Usagi raised her hand to transform into Sailor Moon...
"Moon Cosmic Power, make up!!"  Nothing happened.  She looked down at
her seifuku and realized her transformation brooch was no longer
there...

     Luna bleared awake on the floor of Usagi's bedroom.  She didn't
sleep on the bed that often, being the victim of those times when
Usagi slept restlessly.  Morning, already?  she asked herself.  A
quick look at the clock perched on Usagi's nightstand told her that it
was one second to...

     RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

     Usagi sat up, rubbed the haze out of her eyes and took a good
look at the alarm clock.  One eye, then the other.  Three, two,
one... Luna counted, bracing herself. 
     "WAAAAH!!  I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!"  shouted Usagi, bolting out
of the room like her namesake.  Luna sighed, as she did often now.    
     It was the beginning of another average day.

*  *  *  *  *

     As usual, Haruna had become quite upset with Usagi.  "It's not
going to do any good to place you out in the hall again, Tsukino-san!
All that does is make you miss even more of the class."  Haruna
sighed.  "Take your seat.  And I hope that this time, you've actually
remembered to do your homework."
     "Yes, I have!"  Usagi petulantly dropped into place behind her
desk.
     Naru blinked.  "You have?"
     Usagi's only answer was an abrupt nod.  No one ever expected her
to have her homework ready by the time class began... often, she'd be
sneaking in answers - right or wrong, mostly guesses - right up to
the point when her teachers asked for it.  If she had remembered to
bring it with her.
     "You actually finished your homework on time?  Are you feeling
all right?"  Haruna asked, suddenly concerned.
     "I'm fine!" insisted Usagi.  "Fine!"
     Haruna's expression softened.  No sense in wearing herself out
arguing with Usagi Tsukino.  If only Tsukino would show an interest
in learning what she had to teach... If only Usagi would take an
example from her friend - Ami - and stop being so irresponsible and
childish, maybe teaching would be a little easier from that point on.
Was that too much to ask?
     From his seat, Umino glanced at Usagi, then at Naru.
     Haruna sighed again, and started the lesson.

*  *  *  *  *

     If there was one thing Usagi loved about school, it was
lunchtime!  Study period might figure in there somewhere... though
nothing beat sitting down to lunch.  No worrying about school work
for at least part of the day!  Goodness knew Usagi had enough to
worry about already.
     Usagi chewed happily away at her bento, humming to herself all
the while.  Naru gave her a concerned look and shrugged.  Vintage
Usagi, indeed.
     "Nee, Usagi," Naru started.  "Have you seen that new computer
game everyone's talking about?"
     "Computer game?"  Usagi drew out the words slowly, even more so
since she still had a mouthful of bento.  Ah, computer games were
something more along Ami's line than hers; she preferred the
traditional stand-alone video games like the consoles at the Crown
Game Center.  The Sailor V game, for one.  She'd thought about asking
her parents to buy a newer home console for her and Shingo... hadn't
they released a version of Sailor V for the Super Famicon?
     "It's a role-playing game.  It's a sword-and-sorcery-type game,
but you get to play as the Sailor Senshi."
     Sailor Senshi?  That caught Usagi's full attention.  She
pictured the Senshi with swords.  To her surprise her image of
Rei-chan fit the picture rather well.  "Huh?  I can't picture Sailor
Moon or the Sailor Senshi doing anything like that."
     "I couldn't, either, but the game is done so well.  It's a
shareware game done by some otaku in-"
     Umino chose that moment to pop up from behind them.  "You don't
want to get involved with that game.  There's something evil about
it."
     Speaking of otaku...
     Both girls instinctively threw him an angry glare.  "Can't
you approach us like a normal person?"
     Umino dismissed the look.  "Don't I?"
     Usagi sat up with a start.  If Umino thought there was
'something evil' about the game... "Evil!?  Like what?"
     "There's been reports of people disappearing while playing it,"
Umino sat at the table, glad that they were finally listening to him.
"Without a trace.  The guy who programmed and released the thing
claims he knows nothing about it.  But I'll bet he does..."
     "That's great, Umino-kun," Usagi said with mock enthusiasm.  "Why
don't you go warn everyone else about this, now?  Go on."  Naru tried
to keep from breaking into a smile.
     "But..."
     "We can't waste any time!  Just think, you could be doing the
Sailor Senshi a favor."  
     Umino's glasses took on a dull sparkle.  "You really think
so...?"
     "Yeah!"  Naru jumped in.  "They wouldn't want to have their name
connected to an evil game, would they?"
     "I guess not!"  Umino finally left of his own accord.
     "Whew!  I thought he'd NEVER leave!"  Naru exhaled.
     "It is getting harder to get rid of him," agreed Usagi.
     Naru rummaged around in her bookbag for a small blue disk. 
"Here.  I brought you a copy of the game."
     "How did you get a copy?"
     "My mom uses a computer in the shop, so I talked someone here at
school into getting me one.  My characters are almost at level 13." 
Naru beamed proudly.
     Usagi looked at the disk in her hand.  She'd been wondering how
she might find a copy... knowing Luna, who would likely want to
investigate this as soon as possible.  But all she really wanted to
do was play the game.  Fighting monsters on a computer screen had to
be more fun than fighting them in real life.
     She gave Naru one of her patented grins.  "Thanks!"

*  *  *  *  *

     Unfortunately, Usagi had forgotten the most important fact of
all: Her family didn't own a PC.  Ironic - like standing off to one
side and watching people play games at the Center, knowing you were
out of money.  
     Which, considering Usagi's grades, happened quite often.  She
already owed Naru a few hundred yen...
     Vaguely she felt the cars passing by her in the street on the
way home.  What did she care?  It wasn't like any one of those drivers
were about to stop and offer her a PC to try the game on.  She'd have
to ask Ami.  She let out an long, exaggerated sigh; Ami wasn't
exactly known for enjoying a computer game now and then.
     "Usagi!"  
     No, not computer games.  Maybe a game of chess now and then
though that was the only exception.  
     "...Usagi!"
     Ami would probably prefer an educational game.
     "USAGI-CHAN!!"
     Er, was someone calling her?  
     "Mako-chan?"  By far the tallest of the five main Senshi, Makoto
was also perhaps the most tomboyish in the true sense of the word. 
She still wore the uniform of her old school out of habit; her dress,
and her long brown ponytail fluttered slightly in the wind as she
strode up to Usagi.
     By contrast, Usagi's longer blond odango tails always liked to
stay where she left them.  She thought about this.  Would Mamo-chan
like her with a different hairstyle?  Minako nearly talked her into
changing it once before...
     Mako smiled.  "Earth to Usagi."
     Blushing, Usagi told her the reason her head was in the clouds. 
"Naru-chan gave me a copy of the new game everyone's talking about."
     "Isn't that the one that puts us in an RPG?"
     "Yeah, I guess so.  I don't have a computer to play it on,
though."  
     Mako could almost feel Usagi's spirits dropping.  "What about
Ami's?"
     "Are you kidding?  She'd never let us play the game on it.  You
know how paranoid she got about 'unknown disks' after the Dark
Kingdom tried to spread their own computer virus."
     "So what are you going to do?"
     Usagi thought about it.  Her response was clear and to the
point: "I don't know."
     "Couldn't Luna or Artemis get you a computer?"
     "Not one to play a game on, that's for sure."  Not only that,
but the two would be very upset with her if they found out the reason
why Usagi needed a system of her own.  Luna and Artemis were very
adamant about how Usagi should conduct herself, even after seeing how
Neo Queen Serenity had developed...
     "I guess you'll just have to hold on to it for a little bit,
Usagi.  We'll think of something."  
     "Hmph," Usagi contorted her face.  "You're just trying to
torture me."
     "Why should I?"  Mako asked innocently.  "Annoying you is Rei's
job."

*  *  *  *  *

     That evening, Naru loaded the game into her mother's computer. 
Sure, she had to put up with no sound, only the base amount of memory
and a monochrome monitor, but going from sixteen colors to two didn't
hurt the graphics.  Much.
     It didn't matter at any rate; she was on her way to having Level
13 characters.  Five hundred more experience points and her five
Senshi learned an entire new range of abilities.  She was grateful to
have Sailor Moon's Moon Spiral Heart Attack, but wished she could do
a lot more... Even the air around her seemed a bit charged with the
excitement that ran through her.
     The game was asking for it, too.  It was almost as if it were
helping her gain a level, by throwing all of those weak monsters
against her party.  Another youma met its end.  She smiled... only
110 more points to go.
     A youma blundered into one of Sailor Venus' attacks.  95 more
points to go.
     Sailor Mercury blinded a monster with the Shabon Spray and
Jupiter finished it off.  65 points.
     "Fire Soul!!"  read the text in the small window on the bottom of
the screen.  Sailor Mars succeeded with a Level 1 attack.  Weak
monsters, indeed, Naru thought.  
     She had few points to go, so she ran her characters around in
circles trying to attract the monsters' attention.  If she had known
more about the actual program itself, she would have tried something
else.  
     One more attacker bit the dust.  That's it!  The tinny little
fanfare coming from her computer's speaker told her she'd made it to
Level 13!  Quite a thrill this was; for some reason getting to Level
13 was a lot more exciting than she had thought it would be.  
     And the part of that excitement that charged the air around
her was still there.
     
     Literally.

     Naru realized in shock that she wasn't imagining the lively
blue-white energy arcing around her and her computer, in between both
and everywhere at once.  Pulling her... but to where?  I-into the
screen?  Impossible... but the image on the monitor suddenly DID
appear more colorful and animated than it had when she was crossing
it a moment ago.
     More lifelike, more inviting.  She couldn't decline the
invitation, not now!  She tried to scream but fainted before she had
the chance.

*  *  *  *  *

     Naru awoke facedown in the middle of a dirt road.  A dirt
road?  she asked herself.  There weren't that many dirt roads she
knew of.  Certainly none with a grassy field that extended - at least
as far as she could tell - into the horizon.  The sun was setting
into the nondescript mountain range in the far distance.
     She was alone.  For now.
     The game!  I'm INSIDE the game!  it came to Naru slowly.  A
quick glance told her she was defenseless, with only a faded and worn
light blue peasant frock for protection.  No weapons, no armor, no
food... not even a piece of gold with which to buy such things.
     In no time at all it would be dark.  That was the way many RPG's
worked; the rising and setting of the sun happened considerably
faster in game time than it did in real-time.  She would be in even
worse trouble in the dark.  Sticking to the dirt road in the game was
one way to keep from getting attacked, though how the heck was she
supposed to do that in the dark?
     She noticed a thick piece of dry wood next to the road.  Perfect
for a torch, if she could only find a way to light it.  Maybe... 
     She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated.  
     For a moment nothing happened, though she didn't know it.  Then
all at once her torch lit with a bright magical flame.  Naru felt the
heat from the flame and opened one eye.  It... worked!?
     At least now she had a light to travel by.  And she wasn't
completely defenseless: she did have some 'magic' to work with.  But
in RPG's, magic was almost always limited.  Best to conserve her
magical strength for when she truly needed it - and that would be
soon.

     How long would the torch last?

                  NARU:  HP (150)  MP (85)  LEVEL: 1
                        LOCATION: Open Plains

*  *  *  *  *

     Usagi awoke to the sound of her mother's voice.  "Usagi?  Wake
up, dear."
     Usagi took a sidelong squint at her clock.  It wasn't even
eight o'clock yet.  What, Mom had actually decided to wake her up
early?  Something must be wrong.  "What - what is it?  What's going
on?"
     Mrs. Tsukino tried to hide the note of concern in her voice. 
"Naru's mother just called.  She wants to know if we've seen Naru..."
     That snapped Usagi's mind into the present.  "Naru-chan...?" 
Neat trick, Luna watched from the sidelines.  Even she couldn't get
Usagi to wake up that fast.
     "...She hasn't seen Naru since yesterday, in the afternoon,"
Mrs. Tsukino finishes.  "Do you know where she might be?  I told Mrs.
Osaka we'd call if-"
     Usagi felt herself gripping the edge of her pillow a little too
tightly and let go.  "No.  I don't know..."
     "Okay," Mrs. Tsukino said, heading for the doorway.  "I hope
Naru hasn't become another one of those people disappearing all over
Tokyo."
     What she didn't see, was that Usagi never heard those words;
Usagi had already dropped back to sleep.

     Luna frowned, in as much as a cat could.  She was going to have
to call a meeting of the Sailor Senshi.

*  *  *  *  *

     Naru never came to fill her chair at school that morning, either.
     "Osaka Naru?"  Haruna called.  She repeated the name.
     No answer.
     Usagi caught Umino giving Naru's empty desk a solemn stare.  She
knew he had a good idea of what had happened to Naru.  
     The disk was still buried in her bookbag.  An exact copy of the
one Naru possessed, if she read computers right.  Usagi wished she'd
listened a bit closer to Ami's explanations of computer processes. 
Instead, she'd wanted to get to the games...!  And now a game may
have taken a good friend from her...
     Naru-chan?  she vowed.  Wherever you are, we're coming to
help!  I promise!

*  *  *  *  *

     Naru froze in her tracks.  For an instant, it sounded like she
could hear Usagi saying something.  Usagi!?  Here?
     No.  Couldn't be.
     It was completely dark now.  Or more correctly, it had been for
far too long.  The whole thing was probably just a trick of the wind
or her imagination.  Neither were helping her right about now.  
     The monsters sure were real enough.  The first that ambushed her
on the road nearly took her head off before she blasted it with a
fireball - a weak fireball.  Oddly enough, the thing ran away nursing
its wounds and crying like some sort of frightened child.
     She was no Sailor Senshi, but she was starting to get the feel
of the game.  By the fifth ambush, she had already gone up two levels
and held a book of spells one of the monsters dropped.   With a purse
half full of gold pieces, more spells under her cap and a small sword
tucked within her belt, she didn't feel so defenseless any longer.
     A sign along the road told her she was thirty-two kilometers
from a town named Traldone.  Kilometers?  She couldn't remember how
far one kilometer was, let alone thirty-two.
     It better not be too far.  Even though she was making good
progress, she knew better than to stay out in the open all night.

*  *  *  *  *

     Later that afternoon, at the Hikawa Shrine, Ami, Minako, Makoto
and Rei patiently waited in the courtyard for Usagi and Luna.  Artemis
cast a futile glance at the front gate.
     "We'd better start without her," Rei told the others impatiently.
     "Rei-chan!"  Ami scolded.  "Don't worry, she'll be here."
     "Luna'll see to that," Mako smirked.
     "Ah, who are you kidding?  She's probably off at the Center
again."  Rei knew Usagi had a tendency to get wrapped up in a video
game, even when the Senshi had something important to do.  Usagi had
even once done so when Luna was off on her own trying to protect one
of the holders of the nijizuishou from Zoisite...and it was Rei who had come to Luna's 'rescue.'  "I'm tired of waiting for her all the time."
     Whoever had said Usagi and Rei were more alike than either were
willing to admit?
     The sound of footsteps clattering up the shrine's steps came
echoing to them.  "Sorry I'm late," Usagi apologized, trying to
catch her breath.  "Mom was asking me a bunch of questions about
Naru-chan."
     Rei turned her attention to Luna.  "I'll vouch for that," Luna
shifted in Usagi's arms, aware of what Rei was about to ask.  Usagi
let Luna climb down.
     Luna faced the five Senshi.  "As you may have heard, people have
been disappearing from all over Tokyo.  Naru-chan is apparently the
latest person to disappear."  Luna's whiskers twitched.  "Does anyone
have an idea what might be going on?"
     "Umino said that that new computer RPG was behind it all," Usagi
said all of a sudden.  "And I'll bet Naru-chan was playing it the
night she vanished."
     Mako gave her a curious look.  "The shareware RPG?"  Ami asked. 
"I've heard about it."
     "Yeah, something like that," Usagi confirmed.  
     Luna sniffed.  "Hmm... if only we could get a copy of that game
and--"
     "Usagi has a copy," Mako pointed out, matter-of-factly.
     Ami's eyes widened.  "You do?"
     "Why am I not surprised?"  Rei snorted, her raven-black hair
falling across her robe as she turned her head. 
     Usagi pulled the disk from her pocket.  She had a feeling she'd
be needing it.  "Naru-chan gave it to me at lunch yesterday."
     "So what good is this supposed to do us?"  Minako interjected.
She was understandably upset; she'd had to cancel a chance to go
autograph-hunting to come to the meeting.  Idols waited for no
Senshi. 
     "I guess whatever's going on is happening to people who play the
game," Usagi said, almost happily.  "The only way we're going to find
out is if we play the game."
     Rei snorted again.  "Notice how this plan of action
conveniently requires you to play a video game."
     "It's a computer game."  Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei.
     "Yeah, whatever."  Rei shot back.
     Mako, who knew better than to step in between Usagi and Rei when
they were arguing, figured she'd ask the next question: "Ami?  Can
we use your computer to look at the disk?"
     Ami shook her head in a negative.  "I'm afraid we can't.  My
system is in the shop being repaired.  I had to buy a new CPU and
motherboard."
     "Why?  Your old one not fast enough for you?"  Minako smirked.
     "You might say that," Ami spoke in her usual gentle manner.  "It
burned out trying to keep up with my calculations."
     That brought an ear-to-ear grin to Minako's face.  "Ami-chan,"
she said in an almost singsong tone of voice, "we've got to get you
out more often."
     Ami blushed.
     "So what are we going to do?  If we can't use Ami's computer,
then whose...?" Mako's voice trailed off.
     Usagi giggled.  "I know whose computer we can use."
     One look at her told the others exactly who she was thinking of.
     "Mamoru?"

*  *  *  *  *

     Naru arrived in Traldone around the mid-morning hours.  She was
tired, weary from walking and fighting countless monsters with just
her rapidly depleting magic energy and a larger sword she'd picked up
from a defeated monster to replace the smaller sword she never even
bothered to use.  The fact that she would never look at an RPG the
same way again was the least concern on her mind at the moment; she
wanted nothing more than to collapse on a bed at the local Inn. 
*Then* she would worry about stocking up or equipping or whatever
the heck it was she needed to do.
     One look at the town told her she'd come to the right place. 
Traldone was a town designed specifically for the weary traveler,
albeit those in horse-drawn carriages or what-not... Naru really
didn't care at this point.  Passers-by started talking about the
stranger in a motley attire built of items she'd won from fights
layered over her simple peasant frock, making her way toward the inn.
Naru shrugged these comments off as well and went inside.
     "Good morning, miss-" the lady behind the counter began
reflexively.  "My goodness!  You look terrible!  Have you been
walking the roads alone?"
     "All night," came Naru's response.
     "Why on earth would you want to do a thing so foolish?"
     Earth - the irony of that statement brought a snort to Naru's
mind.  She dismissed it as quickly as it came.  "I had no choice.  I
was..." 
     Was what?  she wondered, mind racing.
     "Someone magically transported me into the wilderness.  I was
just trying to make my way back to civilization."
     "You were extremely lucky to make it back, then.  You're one of
the first people I have seen to attempt walking the wilderness roads
alone, much less at night, and return a survivor."  The lady studies
Naru's 'attire.'  "It looks like you are no ordinary traveler."
     "I don't know about that," Naru sighed.  "I'd like to get a room
so I can get some sleep, clean up and take a good look at myself."
     "As well you should," the lady chuckled.  She hands Naru a key
from the rack.  "Here you go.  That will be 120 gold pieces for one
night."
     120 gold pieces?  Petty cash, after all Naru had been through. 
She pulled out the coins and laid them neatly on the counter.  "If
it's possible, can I ask that I not be disturbed?"  

*  *  *  *  *

     "What's the meaning of all this?"  Mamoru asked as he looked
over the five girls and two cats standing outside the door to his
apartment.  Which wasn't to say he was blind to what everyone
gathering in one place meant; he merely liked to stay informed.  Or
try to.
      "We need to use your computer," Luna hopped out of Usagi's arms,
saving Usagi the trouble of tripping over her own explanation.  "We
think that the game everyone's playing may be behind these odd
disappearances."
     Mamoru's brow furrowed.  "Mmm... yes, I've heard about them.  So
you're sure there might be a connection?"
     "Naru-chan was the last to disappear," replied Usagi.  "And she
was very excited about getting to level 13 on the game."
     "Level 13?" Luna and Artemis echo.
     Usagi waved the thought away.  "Yeah.  Why do you ask?"
     "Some people consider thirteen to be an unlucky number.  In the
United States, there are hotels that don't even have a thirteenth
floor.  A Friday that falls on the thirteenth of the month is
considered to be a very unlucky day."
     Minako's eyes narrowed.  "Exactly what are you getting at,
Artemis?"
     "I see," Luna breathed.  "You think that getting to Level 13 in
the game might be a triggering point for something to happen."
     "Well, yes, though it's just a suspicion."
     Luna drew her gaze up to Mamoru and the Senshi.  "Still, it's
worth checking into.  Ami, Mamoru?  Would you do the honors?"

*  *  *  *  *

     Within five minutes Ami and Mamoru had the computer running and
were scanning the disk for computer viruses.  "You're going to have
to tell Naru to get her computer checked," Ami told Usagi.  "This
disk has a weak strain of the Stoned virus on it."
     "The game, Ami? What about the game!?"
     If Ami had been wearing glasses, she might have pushed them
further up onto her nose to indicate her indifference.  "I'm getting
to that.  I simply thought you would like to have a computer that
wouldn't self-destruct on you while you're trying to play the game." 
She purged every last trace of the virus from the disk.
     Ami checked herself.  It looked as if Naru had copied Usagi's
disk straight from her own, virus and all... so maybe, just maybe...
She found what she was looking for with a mere directory search. 
     A file named NARU.SAV, dated two days ago.

*  *  *  *  *

     The loud banging on Naru's door jolted her awake.  For a second,
she almost forgot where she was.  "......M-mom?"
     Then reality came barging into her mind.  This wasn't home, and
her mother probably wasn't on the other side of that door.  She
rolled out of the bed - almost stabbing herself with the point of her
sword in the process, though she still wasn't awake enough to notice
- and stumbled over to the door incredibly much like a sleepy bear.  
     She stopped.  Her clothes were a mess.  All she had done was
collapse onto her bed the moment she reached her room, so now she
looked even more ruffled than before.  Naru did her best to make
herself look presentable before opening the door.
     Whoever was there was either impatient or wanted to see her
badly, Naru thought as the banging came again.  They might even want
to hurt her... 
     That's right.  She had let her defenses down for a moment,
hadn't she?  Yet who would attack her here?  Naru hadn't seen many
RPG's before this, and she figured no one would dare attack while the
players were in a town, much less the Inn...
     Naru waited for the next knock and forcefully swung the door
open.  A young girl with hair the color of jade, looking for all the
world almost as ragged as Naru pictured herself to be, fell flat on
her face.      
     "Ah!  I'm sorry!"  started Naru.
     The girl stood up and brushed herself off.  "That's okay.  I
should've seen that coming.  I'm just glad I didn't fall onto my
sword."  She studied Naru intensely.  "You're Naru Osaka, aren't you?"
     "Eh!?"  If Naru hadn't been fully awake before, she was now. 
She made a quick scan of the hallways and then closed the door
behind them.  "How do you know my name?"
     "I heard you were coming," the girl blinked.  "Word had it you
would come to help free our lands from the curse of the demon."     
     "Me?  But how... why?  I'm no warrior.  I'm just a girl... from
another world."  At that she subconsciously looked down at herself. 
She certainly didn't look the part.  "Who are you, anyway?"
     "All I know is that the legends said you would come," the girl,
who introduced herself as Liana, stated.  "I never heard nothing
about you coming from another world."
     "'Never heard anything,'" Naru corrected her.  "'Never heard
nothing' is bad grammar."
     "Big deal," spat Liana.  "What are you, some kind of scholar?"
     "Sorry," Naru grinned.  "Old reflex."  To which Liana sighed.
"So why are you here, then?"
     Liana planted herself on the edge of Naru's bed.  "I want to
help."
     "Help?"
     "Why do you echo everything I say?"  Liana's eyes studied her
again.  This Naru Osaka must be telling the truth when she says she's
from another world, decided Liana.  "I want to join up with you.
I'm sure you could use the help."
     "I might," the other began, suspiciously.  "What's in it for
you?  Why are you doing this?"
     "Why,"  Liana repeated, "do you keep asking me so many
questions?"  She put a hand on the hilt of her sword.  "I'm doing
this because I'm an adventurer, just like you.  Don't look a gift
ogre in the mouth."
     "Gift horse."  
     "Whatever."  Come to think of it, that did sound a bit more
sensible to Liana.
     Naru was about to tell Liana that she wasn't an adventurer, but
she thought it over: she had played a dedicated game.  Once in it,
too, she felt a certain desire to continue on, to see what was out
there...
     "Okay, I guess you're in," she told Liana.  The young
adventurer took on a ridiculous enough grin that reminded Naru of
Usagi; that she wasn't home.
     "Can you use magic?  Or are you only a fighter?"
     "Not as well as you can," Liana gestured to some of Naru's
'clothing.'  "Some of the opponents you've obviously faced can only
be defeated by magic, and strong magic at that."
     Naru felt a bit surprised.  "Really?  All I had once I got here
was magic.  I picked up a sword or two, but I never used them."
     "You are a bit of an innocent, aren't you?"
     "Not anymore," Naru Osaka put up a lopsided grin to match
Liana's.

*  *  *  *  *

     Liana insisted on having Naru enter the weapons and armor shop
first.  Not that it made much of a difference to Naru; she naively
figured Liana wanted her to experience everything without another
body in the way.
     Inside, the shop smelled of strange oils and polished, grinded
metals.  Naru had never known these odors, so she stood there for a
moment, absorbing the scene.  Even the fact that her traveling
companion seemed to be hiding behind her.
     And with good reason.  "YOU!!"  a booming voice startled them
both.  "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU I NEVER WANTED TO SEE YOUR FACE IN HERE
AGAIN!"  The angry shopkeeper strode up to them... or was he only
concerned with Liana, who actually seemed to be cowering?
     "What's this all about?"  Naru put on the best adamant look she
could muster, remembering where she was.  
     "This girl is a thief.  She stole several of my fine daggers!"
     Naru turned to her new friend.  "Is this true?"
     "Umm... well... uh......," she fidgeted.  "Yeah.  ...But I had no
choice!  I had to find money to eat somehow..."
     "Couldn't you have gone out into the fields and fought a few
monsters for gold?"  To Naru, the question made sense.
     To the shopkeeper, it sounded ludicrous.  "I couldn't afford to
take the risk," Liana pointed to her rogue-style clothing.  "You've
seen how strong the monsters are in the fields.  And I'm not even
equipped to take on one, let alone several!  They tend to like to
gang up on you."
     Naru had found that out the hard way.  "Okay, okay, I see your
point."  To the shopkeeper, she brought her bag of gold into view. 
"I'll pay for what she took.  I'm here to buy some armor and weapons,
if that's possible."
     The shopkeeper saw Naru in a new light.  "You may stay," he
spoke slowly, "but the thief must stay outside."
     "I am NOT a thief!!"  insisted Liana.  "A rogue, maybe.  But no
thief!"  She glared at the shopkeeper, who glared right back.
     Naru exhaled.  "She's with me," she wondered if she was trying
to convince herself.  "Can she stay as long as she promises not to
take anything and keep her distance from your merchandise?"
     "Hey!" protested Liana, until a quick look from Naru silenced
her.
     "Well... I suppose so."
     
*  *  *  *  *
     
     Mako gave Ami a quick tour of the game's displays and options. 
"...These numbers show how much you can get hit before you lose. 
Those... are your magic points, then your experience points.  Down
here is how much gold you have."
     Ami really didn't need the guided tour; she'd guessed at all
the labels on screen and was no stranger to a pull-down or key-access
menu... Mako's heart was in this, though.  Ami decided not to spoil
her friend's fun.
     She was disappointed that this was only another basic 
'hack-and-slash' role-playing game with the images of the Senshi
pasted in place of generic adventurers.  Then again, she never really
played RPG's; she always preferred chess to swordplay.  One person who
wasn't disappointed, however, was Usagi.  Her eyes widened as she
watched Ami start her paces at the game.  Rei and Minako, each having
a different reason to pretend not to watch, watched from a couple of
feet away.  Mako sat next to Ami, offering advice and encouragement.
     Mamoru looked upon the scene with puzzlement.  "Uh,  ...if
nobody minds, I think I'll get us all something to drink."  
     No one replied. 
     He sighed heavily and left the room.
     
     If Ami deduced everything correctly, Naru had about 500 points
remaining before her characters reached level thirteen in her save
position.  Ami felt a moment's nervous pause blanket her like a
shroud.  She shook it off and set her determination to play the game
- Naru's life could very well be at stake, after all!
     
     Luna suddenly decided she wanted to leave the room as well. 
"Luna?"  Artemis drew his head up.  "What's the matter?"
     "Oh, ...nothing," she replied.  "I thought I would see what
Mamoru is up to."
     "Can I come?"
     Luna looked back at the Senshi.  "Minna?  You won't mind if
Artemis and I go to the kitchen for a little bit, would you?"
     No one gave them a second thought.  "Sure."  "Go ahead."
     
     Once out in the hallway, Luna let out a deep sigh.  "I never
thought we would have to play a video game to save someone."
     "Come on - you mean to tell me you never saw this coming?"
     "Well... no.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  As Humankind
makes its own advances, they open up more ways for Darkness to entice
and trap them."
     Artemis frowned.  "Don't let Usagi hear you.  You know how she
acts when you talk like that."
     Luna gave him a puzzled look.  "It has to be said.  The Senshi
are far from realizing the grand scheme on their own."
     "I've told you before, you can't expect them to realize that all
at once - not yet, anyway!  There are far too many distractions in
the present... and besides, doesn't everything turn out well in the
future?"
     "Now who's the one making assumptions, Artemis?"  Luna
scoffed.  "Remember, that's only a possible future."
     "Maybe,"  said Artemis, "but if that future were so volatile,
wouldn't Chibi-Usa risk disappearing from our time at any moment?"
     Luna didn't have an answer for that question.
     "I'd rather not think about it," a new voice entered into the
conversation.  It was Mamoru.  
     "Mamo-chan..." the more dominant of the two cats withdrew.
     "What are you discussing?  The fate of the Senshi, again?"
     "Something like that," minced Artemis.  "I suppose Luna is
simply anxious to see the Senshi regain the status they once had."
     "They will.  But nothing can make it happen immediately.  I
think it's best to allow Usako and the others to develop on their
own time, not a rushed schedule."
     From the other room, they heard the sound of Mako's cheering and
another of Usagi and Rei's... well, 'heated debates.'
     "That's what I said," Artemis walked over to Mamoru's side.
     The doorbell chimed before Luna had a chance to reply.
     
     Only 255 more points to go.  Ami narrowed her eyes.
     "Are these mosters supposed to be this easy to defeat?"  she
asked Mako.
     Mako watched Ami's party defeat another group of monsters and
add 150 experience points to her credit.  "Er... no.  Not unless...
the game's making it easy for us by throwing weak monsters at us.  Or
giving us a lot of points."
     "That's a possibility," Ami thought it over.
     Rei grinned.  "Or maybe Ami's a better role-playing gamer than
she thinks.  Right, Ami-chan?"  Minako nodded her agreement, the
little red ribbon in her hair bobbing eagerly up and down.
     "I still don't see what all of you find so interesting about
this type of game."  Ami shouldered her way through a battle with few
problems - the damage her party sustained was quite superficial.  "I
mean, sure, there's something to be said for playing a part in a
fantasy adventure, but-"
     "Oh, geez, Ami, don't try to over-analyze it," Minako cut in. 
As a dedicated video gamer in her own right, Minako wasn't about to
let Ami take the fun out of this game.  Even if it was a front for
an evil plan to kidnap people.
     Mako had to laugh.  With any luck, they were all about to embark
on another real-life adventure of their very own.

     The doorbell chimed again.  Mamoru manuevered around the two
cats to get to the door.  "I'm coming!"  He opened the door... and
found Chibi-Usa waiting impatiently on the other side.
     "Mamo-chan!"
     "Yes?"  Somehow, staring up into that face defused all of
Chibi-Usa's anger.  She tried to pretend it was still there.
     "Is Usagi here?  Mama Ikuko told me I should try to find her. 
She wants to know where Usagi is..."
     "She's in there with the others," Mamoru pointed toward the room
without thinking.  "They're playing a game that-"
     "A GAME!?"  Chibi-Usa's anger returned.  "I'm out looking all
over town for baka-Usagi and she's here playing a GAME?"  She started
to storm toward the room, intending to give the older Usagi a piece
of her mind.
     "Uh, wait!"  Trying to salvage the situation, Mamoru placed
himself between Chibi-Usa and the door.  "You didn't let me finish. 
That game might be the cause of all those disappearances around-"
     This time, it was a scream that interrupted Mamoru.  
     Usagi's scream.  And those of the four others in the room with
her.
     Mamoru threw open the door.  "Usako!!"  
     But they had not come in time.  The last sparks of animate
blue-white energy disappeared into the computer with the ones it had
come to take away.  Mamoru gripped the keyboard, trying to see if he
could provoke something to happen.  Anything.

     Nothing.

     He set the keyboard down, and his head as well. 
"Usako..........!"
 
(...to be continued...)


Well, I hope you've enjoyed part 1 of this story.  Feel free to
direct any comments and suggestions to my mailbox below.  :)

I know parts of this story may contradict information in the Sailor
Moon universe, but with only 48 episodes from Sailor Moon, SMR, SMS
and SM Super S, plus 4 volumes of the manga and any text I could FTP
as source material, I've got to fill in a lot of blanks... 
The idea for this particular story has been gathering dust here in my
desk drawer for a while.  Some inspiration was later added after
reading a similar story in the early GS Mikami manga installments, and
the Piers Anthony book, "Demons Don't Dream."  Though, I'll admit, the
original story had a small connection to Record of Lodoss Wars. ^_^
Now, it's become a Sailor Moon story, partly because there aren't
that many out there (at least of late) and because I thought I'd get
in a storyline or three before SM hits the airwaves here in the
States. :)

Oh, well.  Be sure to be here for part two... where we'll find out
what happens to the Sailor Senshi.  And Naru; can't forget about
her... 


CREDITS:

Writer: Mike Koos
Prereaders: Johnny Dentino
            David Wills
Guy who had absolutely nothing to do with this story, but will be
mentioned anyway: Ed Little

Special thanks to: Dave Wills, providing inspiration for all the
hentai hopefuls out there; Drew Hurlstone, Ed Little, John Boomgarn,
Tom Kinnen, Tom Williams and anyone else whose name I might have left
off.  Also, a special note of thanks to the nonexistent
spell-checking and grammar programs I'm going to blame wholeheartedly
if someone points out an error in my stories... ^_^

Sincere apologies to everyone who is a part of the Sailor Moon series
in Japan, manga or anime, especially Takeuchi Naoko.