Well, it's only about 4.5 pages, but it's a start.  A lot of the plot is
transparentish, but that's to be expected in the earliest episodes of a
series.  I've got plenty of twists and turns to throw in there later.  

This arc is almost all Sailor Moon (there will be a couple very brief
scenes with Washuu and Mercury, but that's it from Tenchi). Jadeite will
probably run another two or maybe three episodes before he's out of the
picture.  Then we've got the other 3 to play with ^_^ 

Oh, if you're looking for previous parts check out my lil' web page at 
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/twillia/  

it's been updated and enhanced since this morning, even! 

Disclaimer goes here (Sailor Moon)

Part 12 (begin arc 2)

 	Serenity didn't have a very good time at school on Monday, which had
more than a little to do with the fact that she actually had to pay
attention instead of just keeping Usagi awake.
	At least her records had been complete.  Mercury did a thorough job
even if she had given her some rather low marks in mathematics. 
Serenity grumbled a bit but accepted it.  Her skills were more people
oriented than number driven.
	Over the course of the years, Serenity had often grown nostalgic for
the days when she was just a simple student without any real
responsibilities or worries.  Of course, by that point she had forgotten
what school had really been like.
	For one thing, there was waking up early.  Her mother had decided,
after a little persuasion from the Luna-P, to treat her as her own
daughter, which, in a sense, she was.  That meant tooth rattling wake up
calls.  Not that anything less would have worked, though.
	Then there were the uniforms.  They were so much like the Senshi
uniforms but also so much more boring.  Serenity contemplated doing a
little enchantment on hers to spice it up but rejected the idea as
frivolous.  She would just have to suffer through it, like everyone
else.
	At least, Juuban didn't have any restrictions governing jewelry,
minding that it wasn't too gaudy.  That meant that she could wear the
earring and choker devices that Mercury had provided.  One earring was a
receiver/transmitter with a directional speaker, the other would summon
up a visor display device reminiscent of the one that Sailor Mercury
had, though far less powerful.  The choker was a audio/video receiver
that was capable of picking up sub-vocalized commands.
	All in all, it was a nice bit of equipment.  Certainly more convenient
that the old communicator compacts that the Senshi had been stuck with
before.
	That was small compensation, however, for the next little problem.  The
other students.  
	Though she was in the body of a fourteen year old, Serenity was more
than one hundred times that age and the shock of finding everyone else
acting totally immature was a big one for her.
	Well, at least it wasn't as boring as palace life had been.  A single
alien invasion or monster attack every few hundred years just wasn't
enough to keep things from getting dull, but here, there was excitement
to be found in everything.  From who was asking who out to what the
latest new fad was going to be to which idol was the new favorite, there
was always something interesting going around.
	Provided, that is, that you could find such things interesting.
	Serenity tried, but most of the time found herself zoning out as the
gossip floated around.  
If Rei and the younger Senshi hadn't been there, she probably would have
given up and just gone home.  But, as it was, she needed to have a cover
for living here and this would do just as well or better than anything
else they had come up with.  So far, however, this wasn't looking like
it was going to be much fun.
	And that was all before class actually got started.  Things got worse
from there.
	After getting the class under control, Ms. Haruna went through the
usual announcements and then, much to Serenity's distaste, chose to
introduce the new students.
	"Class, we have two new students joining us today, Ms. Tsukino Serenity
and Ms. Hino Taika.  Please make them feel welcome here at Juuban." 
Bows were exchanged and some whispered comments made their way between
various students.  
	Serenity and "Taika" had the distinct feeling that they were being
sized up by the male population.  It was true that neither Rei or Usagi
had much luck with boys when they were in Junior High, and that was odd
considering how pretty both of them were.  Well, Rei's problems probably
stemmed more from the fact that she went to a Catholic girls school, but
that's beside the point.  Usagi's were mostly due to her generally
flighty behavior and clumsiness and preoccupation with Motoki.
	The thing was, Serenity and "Taika" were both about as good looking as
fourteen year old girls can manage and they virtually radiated maturity
and poise.  Somehow, the words "beating them off" and "with a stick"
floated into their minds.  They were contemplating using mallets
instead.
	Makoto and Minako were both more than a little envious of the glances
that the two newer new comers were getting.  Their welcome hadn't been
quite so... warm.
	Usagi, for her part, wasn't paying attention to the introductions and
was instead answering Naru's questions.
	"Who is she, anyway?  Relative of yours?  I mean, Tsukino isn't exactly
a common name."
	"Yes," Usagi nodded, "She's a distant cousin or something.  She just
moved back here from America and she's staying with us for a while."
	Naru nodded, satisfied.  "Yeah, she had to be a relative, you two look
a lot alike.  The same hairstyle, even."
	Usagi laughed nervously.  The hair had been a matter of contention only
briefly.  Both understood that the other wouldn't change and that was
that.  "Must run in the family."
	"I guess... So, what's she like?  And do you know anything about this
Taika girl?"
	"Serenity's nice, but she's a little bossy sometimes.  I saw Taika for
the first time yesterday, so I don't really know much about her."  It
was all true enough, in it's own way.

***

	That afternoon at lunch, "Taika" was far too dignified to run, unlike
the others, and found herself walking outside alone.  It was because of
this that she heard the angry conversation taking place between Umino
and a few of the school bullies.
	Now, normally, the bullies left Umino alone out of a kind of pity or
sympathy, but every once in a while they decided that he was too
annoying or lucky or intelligent for his own good.  This was one of
those times.
	Taika heaved a sigh and turned from her intended path and entered the
side hallway where the altercation was going on.  They had him cornered
up against a bank of lockers and were making menacing gestures with
clenched fists and the like.
	"Come on, guys, I don't have any money today, and I already gave you my
lunch!  Why don't you just leave me alone?" he asked as calmly as he
could manage.
	"We tole you already.  There's a tax around here and you gots to pay
just like everyone else.  Now, you can-" the leader broke off when he
heard someone clear their throat loudly behind him.  The boys all
whipped around, ready to bolt, but relaxed when they saw that it wasn't
a teacher.  "What do you want?"
	"I'm just wondering why it takes four of you to harass one little guy. 
I mean, are you that weak?  Really, it's quite pathetic."
	The leader growled and clenched his fists tightly.  "You're lucky that
I don't hit girls or you'd be in for a world of hurt right now, babe. 
Now why don't yous just move along before I have to break my own
standards?"
	"Oh, like you scare me.  Now, why don't you nice little fellows just go
on and play before I do something that you're going to regret."
	The leader, not one to back down from what he believed to be an easy
fight, began to stalk toward her.  "Listen, girlie, I don't think yous
should be talkin' like that to a man."  He poked his finger into his
chest with the last.  Burly as he was for a young teenager, he wasn't
really that impressive.
	"Yes, but talking that way to little boys like you is perfectly
acceptable."
	The other gang members had moved up behind their leader who was now
fuming in rage.  Umino had a perfect chance to escape, but he was far to
fascinated with this new student who was taking it upon herself to
defend him.  Him, of all people.  A girl.  A pretty girl, at that.  His
eyes were just about as heart shaped as they could get.
	The leader of the boys stepped forward and swung clumsily at Taika's
head.  She just took a half step backward and the fist whizzed past her
with no effect.  "Oh, come on.  If you're really THAT bad a fighter,
you're going to get hurt no matter how easy I go on you."
	"Shut up and fight!" he spat out between clenched teeth.
	"Alright then, but don't say that I didn't warn you."  
	While it was true that elder Rei, now calling herself Taika, always
dreamed of an international business woman's life, it wasn't really
meant to be.  She'd tried it for a few hundred years, but eventually the
stress got to be too much for her and she had returned to the life she
had known as a teen, the life of a shrine maiden.
	Also, it might be noted that she spent a good deal of her time
practicing any and all martial arts that anyone would teach her and even
a few that she had to reconstruct from aging scrolls.  Drawing upon the
abilities granted to her by Mars, she was able to develop a unique style
that incorporated the speed and quickness of a flickering flame while
including the devastation and force of a raging inferno.
	Of course, in this fight she was making a direct effort to keep from
manifesting the mantle of flame she usually allowed to flow around and
through her while she was fighting, but that didn't give the boys any
more of a chance.
	She snapped two quick punches into the leader's stomach, totally
ignoring his amateurish efforts to guard himself.  A snap kick to the
thigh dropped the boy on her left and the two on the right went down in
quick succession to her second round of attacks.  
	Casually, she stepped over their groaning bodies and walked over to
Umino who was still staring at her through his incredibly thick glasses.
	"You really shouldn't have let them corner you like that.  Why don't
you run along to lunch, I need to talk to these lads for a little
while.  We've got some things to discuss."
	Umino, for his part, just stared at her dreamily.  Well, that is until
he noticed the leader staggering to his feet behind her.  He snapped out
of his stupor to point at the bully.
	Taika turned, slightly surprised that the boy was up again so quickly.  
	"Bitch!" he cast at her through a grimace of pain.  "You're going to
pay for that."  He pulled a knife from his pocket.
	"Oh, come on, I thought this school system was supposed to be safe! 
What are you doing with that thing?" Taika frowned.  Most of the easy
methods for disarming a knife wielder had the potential to cause serious
damage to a normal human.  "Just put it away before I really hurt you."
	She decided to play it safe and just channel a little heat into the
blade.  There was a faint sizzling sound and the boy screamed and
dropped the knife.  Perhaps that had been a bit too much heat.  Either
way, the boy decided that he'd had enough of this and began to warily
back away.
	"Oh," Taika called after them, "and if you mention this to anyone, I'll
make sure and tell them that it was Umino that saved me."  The boys
blanched.  If anyone actually believed that, they would be ridiculed
until they had to change schools or move.  Possibly to another country.
	She turned to ask Umino if he was alright and caught the look he was
giving her.  Uh-oh.

***

	Serenity would have been concerned about the fact that "Taika" hadn't
shown up for lunch yet, but she was rather busy fending off various
other students.  The first group had been the boys but she made it clear
to them that she already had a boyfriend.  They didn't seem very happy
about it, many questioning how she'd managed that after being in the
country for only a few days, but they seemed to accept it and left her
alone after that.  
	Then came the girls wanting to know things about her, why she had moved
to Juuban, who she was dating, and the like.  She managed to avoid any
major slips but it wasn't easy.
	Her story was that she was a distant cousin of Usagi's who had been
living in California until her parents died in some mysterious accident
that she refused to give details on.  Then her only other relative in
the country, an uncle, had decided that he was unable to care for her
and found a relative back in Japan that would look after her for a
while.
	That relative was Usagi's mother.  
	It was a decent cover, at least, and she didn't have too much trouble
getting them to believe it. Especially considering that her accent went
a long way to back it up.  
	Acting skills could really pay off in situations like this.
	Eventually, the girls seemed satisfied and went off into their own
little cliques again, leaving Serenity alone with the younger Senshi and
Naru.  Soon thereafter, Taika came out of the building with Umino
following closely behind her.  She didn't look very happy, either.
	Taika came over and sat with them, and Umino, noticing the group to be
composed solely of girls, decided that it was wise to go and find his
own friends instead.  
	Serenity turned to her.  "What's with Umino?  And why do you look so
sad?"
	"I saved him from some thugs and now he's following me around like a
lost puppy."  She drew in a deep breath and sighed.  "I wish I knew how
to get rid of him without feeling like a total heel."
	"I've known him a long time, and he doesn't give up easily."  Naru
chimed in.  "The only way he'll leave you alone is if you've already got
a boyfriend.  He's persistent, but he's really a nice guy and won't mess
with a relationship."
	Usagi nodded in a agreement.  "That means that we'll just have to find
you a boyfriend!  See anyone around here that you like?"
	"Around here?  Yeah right, these guys are all so... young."  She
shivered.
	"Well," Minako said.  "You haven't got many other options."  She, for
one, was enjoying seeing Taika with a problem she couldn't solve.  

***

	Elsewhere, General Jadeite of the Dark Kingdom was reviewing
reconnaissance reports from the drone youma he had sent out to monitor
anything interesting that was happening around Juuban area schools.  
	The Senshi certainly looked young enough to be attending either high
school or possibly junior high.  Perhaps something would turn up.
	For the first time since being released from the stasis that the Dark
Kingdom had languished in for so many centuries, one of his plans was
actually bearing fruit.  Right now one of the small, batlike drones was
relating an event that had transpired in Juuban just that moment.
	"Then lady says," the youma's voice crackled and suddenly changed into
a precise imitation of Ms. Haruna's.  "Class, we have two new students
joining us today, Ms. Tsukino Serenity and Ms. Hino Taika.  Please make
them feel welcome here at Juuban."
	Jadeite smiled widely.  "Tsuki no Serenity.  How stupid does she think
I am?  Princess Serenity is here, it seems.  I'll just handle her and
then the Sailor Senshi won't be a problem at all."  He again addressed
the youma.  "Do you have a visual image of this girl?"  
	The youma's small, scaled head bobbed quickly up and down.  "Well,
then, produce it for me."  In a flash of light, it produced a
rectangular piece of hide with an image embedded in it.  
	"So, Ms. Serenity of the moon, we shall soon see exactly what you are
made of."  He broke out into a bout of maniacal laughter, but perhaps he
would not had he know the truth.
	The picture that he was holding was not of the one who called herself
Tsukino Serenity but of Hino Taika.

END

A quick note for those who don't know.  "Tsuki no Usagi" translates to
"Rabbit of the moon" so I'm just making a word change and hoping that it
still works the same way.  It probably doesn't, but I'll pretend that it
does for a while.
-- 
Tim Williams
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/twillia/ 

"This time, we're leaving nothing to the imagination.  We tried that
last time, and, in our opinion, it didn't work." -- Henry Rollins,
"Driveby Shooting"