Alone No More: Minako's Story by Jason C. Ulloa Chapter 4 "Wow!" Minako exclaimed excitedly. "It's the idol Pandora! She's debuting tonight on Channel 44!" She looked around at the posters on the wall. "At the opening of the shopping center. I want one of these posters! Pandora's so pretty!" She hurriedly glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. "Oh, I'll just take one. They have plenty of them!" She quickly pulled one of the posters off the wall, rolled it up, and stuck it into the basket in front of the bike she was riding... right next to Artemis. "Mina!" Artemis chided. "You don't have time for this while there is still no peace in the world." "Stupid!" she growled, covering his mouth as she noticed people coming their way. "Shh! Shh!" The people looked at them in surprise. "Hey, the cat talked! That's some trick!" Minako grinned and waved as she pedaled away. She waited until she was clear before turning back to Artemis. "Don't worry about the poster, Artemis." Artemis unrolled and read the poster. "Hmm...," he murmured to himself. "Pandora's 24-hour idol show starts on Channel 44." A boy suddenly stepped out in front of her. "Hey, Mina-san!" "Watch out!!" she shouted as she swerved and crashed her bike into the wall of a nearby building. "Oh no! My poster's in the gutter...," she lamented as she spotted the poster; soaking wet and completely ruined. "Hey, Mina-san," the boy said as he walked up to her. "I was looking for you." "Minako-san, are you okay?" Ryoku asked as he ran up to her. "I saw you crash into that wall." He then turned to the boy and frowned slightly. "You know, that wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, Amano-kun. I mean," he continued as he lifted the ruined posted out of the water by one corner, "look what happened to Minako-san's poster." "Amano!" Minako growled softly to herself as she watched Ryoku drop the poster back to where he picked it up. She often wished that nerd didn't have a crush on her. "Well, at any rate, come on! Let's go to cram school," Amano said undauntedly as he turned and headed off to cram school. "Amano, you baka!" Minako growled under her breath. "Mina!" Hikaru said urgently as she dashed past everyone. "Come on, hurry! School's going to start!" "Ara!" Ryoku muttered apprehensively. "Come on, Minako-san. We'd better go." Before he dashed off, he quickly righted her bike and handed her the handlebars. "Be careful next time. I don't want to see you crash into any more walls." He gave a small laugh. "Of course, all you have to do is avoid Amano-kun." He then turned and ran off, leaving her to stare at his retreating back. ********************************************** "Hey!" the teacher shouted as Minako entered the room. "Aino Minako! About time you got here!" "Well, at least I am here," she retorted. "I had to bring this poster with me from the shopping center!" As evidence, she brandished a rolled up poster in her right hand, identical to the one she got the first time... before Amano had a hand in ruining it. "The shopping center?!?" the teacher exclaimed. "So, that's why you're late! As punishment, you're going to have to do fifty extra English problems by yourself." "What!?" she shouted angrily. "But...!!" She irritably stomped over to her seat and furiously sat herself down in it, while taking out her English book. "Oh...," she moaned piteously. "How can I do all this...." She looked around, then pulled out her magic pen. "Hehe! With this pen, I can do English, math, anything!" She wrote down an English dialogue easily with the pen. "That was fast!" Ryoku noted as he bent over and examined her work. "And perfectly done, too. I'm impressed! And here I thought that you might want a little bit of help-" A mischevous smile crossed his face. "-without letting the teacher know, of course. Oh, well. Guess I was wrong. You don't need my help, after all. Well, I'll leave you to it, then," he said, then left. "Hey! Mina!" Artemis whispered after Ryoku left. "You're supposed to use that pen to bring peace to the world!" "World peace!?" the teacher repeated while walking up to them. "Nothing, teacher!" Minako quickly answered while quickly glancing pointedly at Artemis. 'This is a very, very important pen,' she thought as she contemplatively studied the pen. 'If I lost it, I'd be in real trouble. When I found Artemis, he gave me this pen and the crescent moon compact. It reflects true forms. Such a fabulous compact.' She pulled out the compact and opened it, seeing her reflection with a mask over her eyes and a crescent moon on her forehead. Her reflection as Sailor V. "All right!" a girl shouted as soon as class ended and everybody started to leave. "Today's the day!" "Mina!" Hikaru shouted as she rushed up to her. Ryoku followed behind at a more leisurely pace. "What? What?" Minako replied, curious at her friend's behavior. "It starts tonight on Channel 44!" Hikaru exclaimed. "You gonna watch?" "Of course!" she said. "Look! I got a poster!" "So, you got a replacement for the one that was ruined earlier," Ryoku observed, glancing at the poster. A boy looked at the poster Minako was holding. "Pandora's only appearing on Channel 44. She's an idol? I've never seen an idol that pretty! She's an instant sensation." "Look!" another boy pointed out. "She's going to give signed CD's to all the boys who go to the studio to support her!" "Really?" Ryoku asked in a less than enthusiastic voice. Minako remembered him saying that he wasn't very interested in idols. Perhaps he'd be the only boy not going.... "I'm going!" one boy stated. "Me too! Me too!" another boy stated. "That's cool!" a third boy chimed in. "So what?" Ryoku murmured boredly almost to himself. "Channel 44 is broadcast on satellite," Hikaru told them. "Great! We just bought a BS tuner for our TV!" "What!?" Minako exclaimed. "Oh no! I don't have one! A tuner or an antenna!" "That's too bad," Amano said as he walked up. "Well, at the same time, Channel 44 is rebroadcast through the CS satellite. You can't watch it with a normal BS antenna." "Huh? What are you talking about?" "You can find some interesting stuff with computers," he continued. "It's none of my business, but...." "Hey, did you hear?" another boy shouted as he rushed up to the group. "Channel 44 has a commemorative service for the premiere! They've been handing out antennas around the city today. When you go home, you'll all see them." "Really!?" Minako asked. ********************************************** "Hurry, Dad, hurry!" Minako cried impaitently. "It's starting!" "Just a minute," he said. "Be patient. It's not connected. This antenna's wiring is tricky." He looked at the TV screen and frowned. "Oh no, it's not showing." "Come on, Dad!" Minako shouted. "Fix it!" "Mina!" her mom shouted disapprovingly. "Television, television. Stop whining! If you don't study, you'll be just like your dad, without success in life!" 'Ohh...,' thinks Minako. 'I'll have to hear what happens from Hikaru-chan.' She stared despondently at the poster taped to her wall. "Mom, call an electrician about the TV wiring," Minako said the next morning. "Okay, okay," she reassured her daughter. Minako nodded gratefully and left. Her mom picked up the newspaper and started to read. "Channel 44, huh?" She started to read an article related to the station Minako was trying to watch yesterday. 'Boys who came to the studio were presented with signed CD's!' "What!?" she exclaimed. "Only boys?" She read on. 'Ladies were given diamond rings!' Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, I didn't see that...." ********************************************** "Oh no!" Minako shouted as she darted through the hallway. "I'm late! I'm late!" She ran into the classroom, expecting to be berated for being late again. What she saw surprised her. It was empty, except for a few students. "Hey, Mina-san!" Amano called out as he waved to her. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked Ryoku as she sat down next to him. "Are these the only people here? Did everyone catch colds?" Ryoku shrugged. "Don't know. I'm just as surprised as you are." "Ryoku-san and I are the only boys who came!" Amano exclaimed. Minako looked at the girls who were there. "Hmm.... Everyone looks weird." "I know," Ryoku replied. "Mentally, they don't seem to be entirely there, if you know what I mean." Just then, the teacher entered the room. "Hey, teacher!" Minako shouted, trying to get the teacher's attention. "Class...," he said in a dull monotone, "...doesn't matter as long as you watch TV...." "Nan da?" Ryoku exclaimed, perplexed at the teacher's statement. 'TV!?' Minako thought to herself, then noticed the teacher's vacant look. 'He looks strange, too!' She glanced out the window and spotted a familiar someone. "Hey, that's... Hikaru-chan!?" she said as she ran outside. "Hikaru-san?" Ryoku repeated and followed Minako outside. "Hikaru-chan!" Minako shouted as she caught up with her. "What's wrong!?" "Are you all right?" Ryoku asked concernedly. "You don't have to study or work...," Hikaru said vacantly as she stared out at nothing. "Nani yo?!?" both Ryoku and Minako exclaimed in confusion. She tried to slip away but Ryoku managed to catch her by the arm before she got away. "Wait, Hikaru-san," he said urgently. "We want to know what's wrong with you. Hikaru-san!" "Let me go! I have to go home...," she said as she struggled in Ryoku's grip, "...to watch TV." "TV?!?" Ryoku exclaimed incredulously. "TV?" Minako mused aloud. "That's what the teacher said... Hikaru-chan!" In his surprise, Ryoku's grip relaxed enough to permit Hikaru to slip out of his grasp and run away. "Hikaru-san!" he shouted as he chased after the girl. "Hikaru-san, wait!" Seeing that Ryoku would take care of Hikaru, Minako decided to go back home. Maybe Artemis would have some advice for her. 'Weird....' she thought as she walked down the street. 'The shopping center's so quiet. Not a single person walking around.' A short time later, she arrived at her house. "Mom?" she called out as she entered. "Mom, you home?" Upon entering the living room, she noticed her mom watching static on the television. "What the?!?" Minako exclaimed as a fierce pounding suddenly started in her head. "My head hurts.... Mom, please, turn off the TV...." That's when she spotted the weird energy waves emanating from the antenna that she had recently brought home to watch Channel 44. "What...? These are like supersonic waves...." She stepped in front of the television, holding her head painfully. "Mom!" "Shut up!" her mom said as she knocked her away. "Don't bother me!!" She continued to stare at the TV, watching only the static. "Mom!!" Minako shouted, trying to pry her mother's attention from the TV. "What's happening?" She glanced over at the TV. "What's she watching?" she wondered as she observed nothing but snow on the screen. "I just see static!" "Mina!" Artemis shouted as he rushed up to her. "Emergency orders from the boss!" She was too preoccupied with her mother that she failed to note the faint beeping sound emanating from her pocket. She quickly took out the beeping pen and pulled out an antenna from the top. "Yes, this is Mina!" "Mina!" the female voice said. "This is a state of emergency! Right now, all the people in the city... no, all Japan is being brainwashed!" "Brainwashed!?" Minako exclaimed in shock. "The idol Pandora is just a guise," Boss continued. "She's an incarnate devil plotting world conquest! Mina! You must wipe out Pandora and eliminate Channel 44's brainwashing waves at once!" "Understood!" Minako replied. "Storm Channel 44!" Artemis shouted as they ran outside. "Mina-san!" Amano called out, waving. "Hey!" 'Huh!? Amano!!' she thinks. 'Oh! He was probably playing video games and didn't see the TV show, so he's safe! But if he follows me, he'll be a burden.' She quickly sped off, leaving Amano behind, chasing after her. What she failed to notice was that after turning one of the corners on her way to the Channel 44 studio, she quickly passed by Ryoku, who was at that moment looking for her. 'She didn't even see me,' he noted as he started after her. 'Where is she going in such a hurry?' ********************************************** "No way," the Channel 44 security guard replied as he stepped in front of the door. "They're broadcasting now! Nobody can enter but those who are involved." "But...!" Minako pleaded. "Damn," Artemis muttered. "After we came all the way here." Minako walked away, then darted behind a building and pulled out her compact. "Let's go!" she exclaimed as she opened it up. "Crescent Moon Power, Transform! Change me into a policewoman!!" She quickly appeared in a police uniform. "I'm here to patrol the building," she said as she walked back to the same guard. "Yes," the security guard complied as he stepped aside. "Please, enter." Minako went inside the building. "Hehe, it worked!" she laughed. "Now, this is the foyer. The studio must be that way." "Mina!" Amano called out as he walked past the door Minako entered, still searching for her. "Where are you!?" Ryoku stepped out from behind another building with a contemplative expression on his face. 'That was Artemis again, but this time with a policewoman,' he thought to himself. 'Hmm.... The last time I saw Artemis with another person besides Minako was when he was trailing behind Sailor V.... Could that policewoman be Sailor V in disguise?' He eyed the security guard warily. 'I have to find a way in.... There!' He quickly darted over to a window that was cracked open slightly. He opened the window, peered in cautiously, then climbed in, closing the window behind him. 'Why am I doing this, anyway?' he wondered to himself as he began searching for any sign of the policewoman and Artemis. 'I mean, why do I feel so... compelled to find Sailor V? And what will I do when I find her?' ********************************************** "Pandora's not here," Minako noted as she entered her dressing room. There was something about her room, though.... "Look, Artemis," she pointed out. "Strange," Artemis agreed, seeing the same thing she saw. "All the mirrors here have been taken down." Meanwhile, Amano was still outside, looking for a way in. "Mina-san has to be here somewhere," he said. Just then, an unguarded side door caught his eye. "Maybe in there," he said as he made his way to the door and slipped inside. Pandora stood on stage and sang to her enthralled audience. "You don't have to study or work. Nope, it's bad. Only listen to me, the prettiest in the world. Everyone, everyone, be my slaves." The group of boys stared at her, brainwashed by her siren's song. After her song, she walked off stage and grabbed a towel as she shed her illusionary image. "I'm taking a break. Heh... I will control this country. The beautiful Pandora." She turned and saw Amano behind her. He screamed in terror as he witnessed her hideous face. She smiled devilishly. "I... see... you...," she snarled as she grabbed him by the collar and began to brainwash him as well. "Help!" he cried out in fear. "Mina-san!" "You saw my true face...," Pandora murmured dangerously. "Help me!! Mina-saaan!!" "Amano-kun!!!" Ryoku shouted as he ran up to them. He skidded to a halt as he saw who had Amano by the collar. "Wha...! A monster!!" he exclaimed in shock. The momentary surprise lasted for a moment as he went into a offensive fighting crouch. "All right, you!" he shouted warningly. "Let him go!" Pandora glanced at Ryoku and smirked. "Another one has seen my true face...," she growled. "I will have to take care of you as well." "Like hell!" Ryoku yelled as he darted forward and leaped, kicking her in the face as he passed. "You!!!" she screamed, flinging Amano away like a doll. He flew across the room and hit the wall on the other side of the room. He slid down to the floor, unconscious. "You!!!" she screamed again, putting a hand to her face. "How DARE you touch my beautiful face! No one touches my beautiful face!!!" "Beautiful?" Ryoku scoffed. "Only a blind dog would find you beautiful!" he replied as he rushed at Pandora. "Now you insult me?!?" she growled as she swiped at Ryoku. He tried to duck under her attack, but she was too fast as she backhanded him, knocking him on his back a few feet away. She darted forward and grabbed him by his collar, putting him in the same position as Amano was moments before. "I should kill you, but instead I will make you my slave and have you beg me to spare your worthless life." She proceeded to attempt to put Ryoku under her influence. Ryoku gave every effort to resist, even though he was still dazed by her last attack. "Crescent Boomerang!" A boomerang hit the woman, stunning her. Minako then took out her gun and pointed it at her. "Take your hands off him, Pandora!" she yelled angrily. She couldn't believe what she had seen eariler: Ryoku was actually here, fighting the monster that she was supposed to be fighting! He had rescued Amano before she could reach him, and now he was the one who needed to be rescued. "Who're you!?" Pandora demanded angrily. 'Sailor V?' Ryoku wondered to himself, seeing the policewoman that he had originally set out to find. "Saying you don't have to study or work is outrageous! You sent out those brainwashing waves, but I won't let you do it anymore, Pandora!!" Minako stated. "Who are you!?" "Moon Power Transform!" Minako lifted her pen up and appeared in a sailor suit. "Codename: Sailor V! The soldier of justice, the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, I am Sailor Venus!" "Sailor V!" Ryoku exclaimed in relief. He quickly took advantage of Pandora's shock to kick free from her grasp. Now free from her hold, he made his way over to Sailor V and stood by her side. "What are you doing, Ryo-kun?" she whispered aside to him in an urgent tone. "Get out of here! I'll handle this." 'Ryo-kun?' he thought to himself. 'Only my friends call me Ryo-kun. I must know who Sailor V really is.... Wait. There's no way.... It can't be her!' "What!?" Pandora exclaimed. "You weren't affected?" She then looked Sailor V up and down. "The sailor-suited beautiful soldier?" she scoffed derisively. "Don't make me laugh! My slaves! Get her!" At Pandora's order, the group of brainwashed boys slowly began to approach Sailor V. 'What should I do? I can't kill everyone. I have to undo the brainwashing!' "Don't worry, Sailor V," he replied confidently. "I'll help you out." Both Ryoku and Sailor V started to kick the attacking boys, knocking them away. Undaunted, they stood back up and came at them again. "Artemis!" she called out worriedly. "They're like zombies! They won't stop!" "Heh, heh," Pandora laughed. "She's going to use all her energy before she gets to me, even with that boy's help." 'All the mirrors here have been taken down,' Artemis suddenly remembered. "A mirror!" he shouted. "Reflect her true form with the compact!" Sailor V quickly took out the compact and opened it, shining Pandora's hideous reflection back at her. "Ohh...." Pandora moaned, flinching as if in pain. "My reflection.... No... I'm the century's prettiest model! My gathered slaves.... My dream of world conquest...." "...is over," Ryoku stated as he shoved aside the last zombified boy and signaled to Sailor V. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, firing her attack. A burst of light blasted apart Pandora, causing goop to fall on the ground. "Eww..." Sailor V said, holding her nose. "That stinks.... That mush was the real Pandora?" "She's melted away," Artemis said. "It's over." Ryoku wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Thank goodness," he replied in a satisfied tone of voice. He then turned to Sailor V and frowned thoughtfully. "You know," he began, "I've finally realized who you remind me of." "Eh?" Sailor V asked. Artemis' eyes widened in shock as he realized that he had forgotten that he was there, falling into the role of advisor during the battle. Strange, though.... It seemed almost natural to have Ryoku fighting alongside Sailor V.... "Blonde hair," he began as he slowly walked up to her, "blue eyes, red hairbow. Then, there's Artemis." He glanced down at Artemis and grinned as the cat's eyes nearly popped out of his head at being recognized. "At first, it was only enough to make me suspect who you were, but when you called me 'Ryo-kun', I was certain. I know it's you, Aino Minako. You are Sailor V." Sailor V sighed as she spun around and returned to her ordinary clothes. "You found me out," Minako said despondently. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" He frowned thoughtfully again. "One condition." "What?" she asked. "You have a dangerous job being a solder of justice, Minako-san," he began. "What would happen if you get into a situation that you can't handle by yourself? You could get killed." "What are you trying to say, Ryo-kun?" Artemis asked curiously. "I don't want to worry about you getting killed, not while I can do something about it," he stated finally. "I want to help you, Minako-san... no, Sailor V. I can't explain it.... Somehow, I feel as though I have to do this." "You're crazy!" Minako shouted concernedly, accidentally dropping her compact in shock. "It's one thing for me to do this; I have special powers! But, you don't have any powers! You'd be the one getting yourself killed! I don't want you to put yourself in this kind of danger, Ryo-kun. Please, forget about this...." Artemis padded over to the compact. Seeing it open, he raised a paw to close it, but froze when he saw something in the reflection. As usual, Minako's reflection showed her as Sailor V. But, Ryoku's reflection.... "Oh! I dropped my compact!" Minako said as she reached down to pick it up, closing it in the process. "Now, as I was saying...." "I think we should let Ryo-kun help us, Mina," Artemis cut in gently. "Right," Minako continued, thinking that Artemis was agreeing with her and not really hearing what he had said. "I think we should let.... Nani yo?!?" "Arigatou gozaimasu, Artemis," Ryoku said, bowing politely. "You can't be serious, Artemis," Minako protested. "He'd get seriously hurt! Please reconsider, Ryo-kun. I...." Ryoku hushed Minako by placing a finger on her lips. "Trust me," he whispered softly. "Just trust me, Minako-chan." She stared at him with worried eyes for a moment longer before finally nodding. The boys slowly began to get up. "Uhh... Where are we...?" one boy asked groggily. "What happened?" another asked. "All right," Minako noticed. "Everyone's back to normal." She stopped for a moment, feeling as though she was forgetting something. "Everyone's back to normal...?" "Amano-kun!" Ryoku exclaimed. "I almost forgot about Amano-kun!" They ran over to Amano and knelt down at his side, lifting him up. "Amano!" Minako shouted, trying to wake him up. "Amano!! Wake up!" "Uhh...," Amano moaned as he came to. "Oh, Mina-san? Ryoku-san?" "You all right, Amano-kun?" Ryoku asked. "School!" he exclaimed suddenly. "We're late! He'll think we're skipping!!" Minako and Ryoku merely shared a look and sweatdropped as they gave an exasperated sigh in unison. ********************************************** "What have you been doing!?" the teacher demanded as the three students walked in. "You three get fifty extra math problems!" "What!?" Minako exploded, but calmed down as Ryoku put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it," Ryoku said calmly as he went to take his seat. "I'll help you out. Remember?" he added with a sly grin. Minako sat at her desk, fuming as she pulled out her math book and her pen. The moment she saw that it was her special pen that she pulled out, she grinned smugly. "Hehe! It's fine, it's fine. As long as I have this pen...." "Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "How so?" "With this pen," she confided to him, "I can do English, math, anything!" Artemis quickly grabbed it from her hand. "You're going to study for real," he said sternly. "Hmm...," Ryoku said thoughtfully. "Well, easy come, easy go, ne?" "Ohh...," Minako moaned sadly. He smiled apologetically as he opened his math book as well. "Let's get started, Minako-chan." ********************************************** Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else. Thank you. The Question and all stories included are: Copyright © July 6, 2001 Jason C. Ulloa. Manga translation by Alex Glover © 1996 All Rights Reserved.