Author's note: This story is dedicated to my sister, with whom I played out this idea. (It might be a little different from when you last read it; I smoothed a couple of things out and all that.)
In any case, enjoy!
My name is Chiba Mamoru. If you're reading this, you already know who I am and what I look like, and probably a lot of things about me that I would be far more comfortable with you not knowing. And so, without wasting time on lengthy descriptions, I will introduce to my problem. Problems, to be more precise.
The night of the youma attack is a good enough place to start. A 'youma', for those not fluent or currently studying Japanese, is a monster; one of the many I have assisted in battling. This one stood tall, well over seven feet, and possessed two sets of clawed arms, one of which emerged from its waist at right angles. Its face was a mockery of a man's, twisted and snarling with feral malice.
"Sparkling wide pressure!" Sailor Jupiter hurls her electric knuckleball at the beast, who disappears, leaving the attack to shear the limbs from a bystanding maple. The sleeves of my tuxedo are loose and unrestricting as I survey the scene, all my senses alert for signs of the monster. The wind rustles through the leaves, whispering its warnings to us. Water trickles down the statue in the middle of the park fountain behind me. The youma reveals itself in a flicker of movement behind Sailor Mercury. I leap from my stance at the edge of the park fountain and send a rose slicing through the air. It slashes across the youma's distorted face, leaving a trail of crimson.
"Now, Sailor Moon!" I call, and grit my teeth as the youma shakes off my attack. Mercury dives clear as Sailor Moon brandishes the moon wand, complete with the magnificent silver crystal. She holds it high, only to have it stricken from her hands by the beast. The four-armed youma rears over her, howling in triumph. I throw myself into a flying kick, knocking it away from the girl. It crashes into the fountain, demolishing the water-spouting swan. As I help her up, I see that the other sailors have the beast surrounded. Sailor Mars' hands are alight with flames, thunder crackles over Jupiter, Venus has her chain in hand, and Mercury stands back, visor flickering with readings as she finishes analyzing the creature.
But something is wrong.
The youma glows an unearthly purple color as it rises, dripping, from the fountain. A prickle runs down my spine as its face screws into a semblance of a grin. "Senshi…" I whisper under my breath.
"Look out!" Sailor Moon cries, racing toward our companions as the youma howls again.
"Fire soul!" Flames erupt from Sailor Mars, leaping at the beast. The creature dodges easily - much too easily – and lunges for her. Claws closed over her wrists, cutting off the flame. Sailor Venus's chain encircles its neck. The youma roars and yanks the chain, pulling her into its grasp. A third clawed hand takes Jupiter by the waist, and the fourth, Mercury around the throat.
"Bubble spray!" The smallest of the senshi cries, sending a torrent of bubbles into the youma's face. Mist quickly fills the park as they burst. The youma howls again, and the senshi's strangled screams ring in the air.
"Mars! Mercury! Venus! Jupiter!" Sailor moon and I run into the mist, I brandish my cane. She screams again. "Sailor Mars! Sailor Mercury!"
"Shh." I lay a firm hand on her shoulder. All is quiet. Sailor Moon's breath is loud and fast in the mist. The air shifts to our left, and a snarl echoes in the mist. The blonde senshi shrinks against me. I feel a whisper of movement behind us, and whip backwards with my cane, connecting with the outstretched claws of the youma. With my free arm, I shove Sailor moon out of the way and grasp the other end of my cane as the youma forces me back. It's a push-of-war, and my wiry human body is nothing compared to the monster. The cane snaps in half, and I'm forced to the ground, the youma snarling in triumph atop my chest, its breath rotten and warm in my face.
Suddenly, a silver light pierces the mist, eradicating its concealing tendrils. The youma growls and squints up at the source of the light: the legendary silver crystal.
Sailor Moon raises the wand above high above her head, blue eyes all determination. The traces of fear are lost in her desire to protect her friends: me and her fellow senshi. The light is blinding, nearly unbearable. I relax, despite the youma pinning me, and let it wash over me like a cleansing stream. The youma shrinks from it, backing across the clearing and finally snarling and running for the cover of the bushes. I hear it crash away and disappear. The light fades, and I get quickly to my feet just as Sailor Moon collapses.
"Sailor Moon," I try to support her with my arms. "Are you okay?"
She nods. Her eyes are clouded with fatigue as she looks around. "Are the others…?"
I look up from her and scan the park area. Dread stabs at my chest when I don't see them. Then I notice a small bundle of clothes and hair beneath a small oak. Sailor Moon sees it too, and does her best to walk with me to investigate. Halfway there, her transformation shimmers and disappears, her Sailor uniform replaced with her school clothes. She clutches the sleeve of my tuxedo as we near the bundle and inhales sharply. My mouth opens, but no words come.
"No way…" Sailor Moon, or should I say Usagi Tsukino, drops to her knees beside what we could now see was a small pile of unconscious children. "No way." She disentangles a small, blue-haired girl, and holds her in her lap. As if the touch was a signal of some sort, the girl wakes. She looks up at me, then at Usagi, with frightened aquamarine eyes, and begins to cry. Usagi holds her tighter and looks up at me helplessly. "Mamoru... is she?"
My mouth is dry. I cast a glance over the other three children, all girls. One with long, blonde hair, one with straight, raven-black, and one with curly brunette. I look back to the little blue-haired girl. Not one of them can be over four years old, except perhaps the brunette. There's no mistaking them, and yet… it's impossible.
Oh, but when a youma is involved, it's only too possible, as I have often discovered. I swallow and kneel beside Usagi and the tiny, crying senshi of Mercury clinging to her sleeve. Twisting the remains of my cane in my palm, I murmur in disbelief. "It turned them into children."
Author's note: The next chapter will be along shortly. Reviews are welcome!