Today was just one of those days where you feel like going back to bed and starting the day all over again. Of course, considering that Serenity was lying on her back, staring up into the star-filled sky as the life slowly drained from her body, this was perhaps the largest understatement of her soon-to-be-extinguished life. However, the Queen of the now-dead Moon Kingdom could at least take some solace in the fact that she had managed to seal away her kingdom's enemies with the power of the Ginzuishou. Ah. The Ginzuishou. Yes. Since the battle was over, it was now time to recover what could be saved. Her kingdom was dead, but their souls would live on. For her last act as the Queen, she would make sure of it. With the last of her strength, she held the Ginzuishou before her and invoked the silver crystal's power. The crystal shimmered to life, draining the queen's life energy as it granted her wish. As the crystal worked, Serenity found her vision beginning to fail. She gritted her teeth as the world blurred and faded around her. She could feel her concentration beginning to slip as the Ginzuishou relentlessly drained her of whatever vital energy she had left. Desperate, she rushed the last part of her wish, hoping to close the invocation before she expired, lest she leave the wish open-ended and vulnerable to tampering. As she felt the final part of the wish close off on itself, she heaved a deep sigh of relief and passed on, content that she had done all she could for her daughter and her people. Obviously, she would have wanted to take the time to complete the wish properly, but that was time she didn't have. Besides, she was confident that she had done well enough. So she had skipped a couple of small, unimportant parameters here and there. What was the worst that could happen? ---------- 50 Ways Serenity Screwed Up ...Or, 50 Ways How NOT to Reincarnate the Moon Kingdom by Jason C. Ulloa Screw-up #1: Those Meddling Kids "Seriously, Ryoku, you need to get a new car," Rei complained. Underneath the van, Ryoku grumbled an unintelligible reply. "This has been the sixth time this month that this thing broke down," she went on. "'Mystery Machine,'" she huffed. "It's a mystery how you keep this thing running." "But I like my Mystery Machine...," Ryoku muttered to himself as he labored away at his repairs. "How long do you think it'll take before those three get back, Ami?" Rei asked the bespectacled girl sitting in the van, reading a small paperback. "They'll probably be back soon," she replied, glancing away from the book for a moment. "Usagi and Minako were complaining about being hungry before they left, and you know how they get when they're hungry." Rei grimaced. "Don't remind me. At least Makoto's there to keep their mind on the task at hand." She glanced down at Ryoku's feet sticking out from underneath the van and sighed. "Look, just give it up already!" "NEVER!" "Stubborn jackass...," she grumbled under her breath, trailing off as she spotted a tow truck driving up the road. "Well, look who's back." "Hey, you'll never guess what I heard while we were coming back!" Makoto said with an eager grin, jumping out of the truck as the driver hitched up the Mystery Machine to the back. "This guy told us that there's talk of some ghost or something haunting the old Dew Drop Inn at the edge of town. It's driving customers away and pushing the owner to the edge of bankruptcy!" "And that place's supposed to serve the best breakfast in town!" Usagi added with a pout. "Really?" Ryoku added as he walked up to the group after the van was hitched up. "Was this in the same town we were planning on stopping for the night?" Three nods answered his question. "I see," he said solemnly. "Well then, I guess we have a mystery on our hands." "What?" Minako protested. "Why? There are other hotels in town! Ones that aren't haunted!" "I say we go for it!" Makoto said, rubbing her hands together and grinning. "If any ghosts or other beasties show up, I'll SPLAT 'em!" Rei rolled her eyes. "Decaf, Makoto. Decaf." "Either way, we're stuck there until the Mystery Machine gets fixed," Ami pointed out, putting her book away. "We might as well check it out." "Besides, if we solve this mystery, the owner might cut us some slack on the room rates," Ryoku added. Rei gave Ryoku a couple of affectionate slaps on the cheek. "I knew there was a reason we kept you around," she said with a cheery smile. "You mean, besides manual labor?" he retorted dryly. "Exactly!" she replied, tapping him playfully on the nose. "Now, let's get going before the driver decides to leave us behind." ---------- Talking the owner of the Dew Drop Inn into allowing them to take on the case was simple enough; no one else was willing to do it, after all. Talking the owner into giving them discount rates was much more difficult; the owner was still running a business and couldn't really afford to grant discounts. Still, he did agree that if the kids proved successful, then a special rate would be in order. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. "If only you were more successful at fixing the Mystery Machine." "Oh, shut up." Rei shook her head and left Ryoku to fixing the van as she rejoined Ami and Makoto at the entrance. "Where're the other two?" Makoto rolled her eyes. "Where else?" The raven-haired girl sighed and shook her head. "Dinnertime. Right." Minako was bad enough, but with the amount of food Usagi put away, she was surprised that the girl didn't weigh over 500 pounds! "Anyway, this place is supposed to be haunted by the ghost of some girl who was murdered in her room last week," Ami began. "Last week?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a rule that says only ancient ghosts can haunt places?" Makoto asked. "Not that I know of," she replied. "But, I'm just surprised that this place can be pushed to near bankruptcy in a week." "Don't worry about it," Ami quickly cut in. "At any rate, that room's been closed off ever since." "So, we should probably search that room first," Rei suggested. Ryoku slid out from underneath the Mystery Machine and glanced at the girls. "We'll probably need to keep an eye out for the ghost, too, in case she shows up again tonight." "Just leave it to me!" Makoto declared, then turned toward the hotel's entrance. "I'll get that ghost! If she dares to try anything, I'll SPLAT 'er! Just let me grab Minako and Usagi and we'll be on our way!" "Please tell me we can do something about her excess of energy," Rei complained to Ami, face in palm, as soon as the girl was out of sight. The blue-haired girl shrugged while Ryoku slid back underneath the Mystery Machine. "Sometimes I think she's beyond help." *CLANK!* "Ow! ....stupid wrench." ---------- "So, tell me what we're doing again?" Minako asked as she crept down the dimly lit hallway with Usagi and Makoto. "We're searching for the ghost!" Makoto proclaimed as she strode onward, watching the doors and windows. "We are?" Usagi whimpered. "Can't we just to go our rooms for the night? I'm sleepy!" "No can do," Makoto refused. "We're here to solve a mystery and that's what we're gonna do. Don't tell me you're chicken?" Makoto turned around and blinked as Minako and Usagi somehow managed to not only pull out a pair of chicken costumes from nowhere, but had also managed to put them on and break into a rendition of The Chicken Dance. She had no idea where the accompanying music was coming from, nor did she want to know. "Ha, ha. Very funny, you two," she replied in a droll voice as she glanced patiently up toward the ceiling. "Now, quit acting like a couple of fraidy cats." Makoto stared and blinked again after returning her gaze to the twin blondes and finding both of them dressed up like catgirls, complete with cat ears and tails. "Nobody here but us fraidy cats!" they both chimed in unison. "That's enough, you two," Makoto growled as she stomped over and grabbed the two girls' tails and started dragging them behind her. "We seriously have to find this ghost if we wanna solve this mystery." "But we don't wanna!" Usagi and Minako mewled piteously. "Tough!" ---------- "Did we have to leave Ryoku behind?" Ami asked as Rei opened the door to the haunted room. "Right now, his job is to fix that clunker of his," Rei stated. "Again. Once it's fixed, then he can come play Mystery with us." She reached over and flicked on the switch, bathing the room in light. "Now, let's see what we can find." The room didn't seem that much different from their own room, as far as they could see. The single king-size bed sat against the wall, neatly made as if no one had ever slept in it. The nightstand next to the right side of the bed had a single lamp and an alarm clock displaying the current time. The nightstand on the left side had a single lamp as well, but also had a notepad with the hotel's name and a pen resting on the pad. On the other side of the room was a dresser with a mirror resting against the wall behind it. Next to the dresser was a cabinet that held the TV. A remote control sat on the dresser pointing toward the cabinet. An empty table with two chairs sat in the corner of the room. "Huh," Rei said, hands on her hips. "And here I thought we'd find something." Ami reached down and picked up the notepad, examining it. "Jinkies!" she exclaimed as she blinked. "Look at this, Rei!" "What?" she said as she hurried over to Ami's side and peered down at the notepad. "Wait. I don't see anything." The bespectacled girl shook her head. "No, look closer." She then tapped the middle of the notepad. "There are indentations here." "So you think this might be a clue?" "Only one way to check," she said as she opened the nightstand drawer. "Oh, good. There's a pencil here." She picked up the pencil and started rubbing it over the pad. "Hey, we're getting something!" Rei exclaimed. "Hmm... 'Professor... Plum... Conservatory... Candlestick....'" She paused for a moment. "This is a clue?" "There's more," Ami stated as she shaded lower. "Hmm... 'Sorry... but... our... Princess... is... in... another... castle....'" "This is just a waste of time!" the raven-haired girl exclaimed as she started to storm out of the room. "I'm gonna go see if Ryoku's fixed that damn van yet." "Wait!" Ami shouted urgently as she held out the pad. "Here's something! 'Delivery on Monday at 8.' The date is the day of the murder!" "So, maybe the murder had something to do with that delivery, hmm?" Rei supposed. "It seems likely," Ami agreed. "We should go ask the concierge if he remembers getting a package at that time and who received it." ---------- *CLANK!* "Ow! ....stupid wrench." ---------- "Look, we're not gonna find any ghost just walking around like this, so why don't we just go back to our rooms?" Usagi complained. "No way!" Makoto said adamantly. "We said we'd take care of this mystery, so we're going to take care of this mystery!" "Usagi's right, Makoto," Minako added. "Just wandering aimlessly isn't going to help us any. I mean, just what are the odds of us just running into the ghost, anyway?" "I think they're pretty good," a semi-transparent teenage girl said as she stood in front of them, smiling. "Really? You think so?" Minako asked. "Oh, yes," she nodded. "Very good odds, I'd say." "Even though we've been wandering aimlessly in random directions for a couple hours?" Usagi added. "Yes," the girl nodded again. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she happened to appear in front of you any minute now." "I could only wish," Makoto sighed. "All this walking is making me tired." The girl's eyebrow twitched slightly as her smile faltered. "Well, I think the ghost might even appear in front of you, unexpectedly," she said, giving them a pointed look for emphasis. A slight pause. "Any minute now." Makoto sighed. "Look, we haven't got all night, so if you'll excuse us, we have a ghost to find." "I *AM* THE DAMN GHOST, YOU MORONS!" A collective blink. "...you are?" Usagi asked hesitantly. "YES!" the girl all but screamed. Usagi nodded. "I see." Minako nodded as well. "In that case...." "RUN AWAY!" both shouted in unison as they fled. "Hey! Come back here!" Makoto shouted at the fleeing pair. "Oh, never mind!" she huffed as she settled into a loose boxing stance. "Put 'em up, ghost! I'm not afraid of you! I'll knock your block off! I'll-" Her boasting was cut off as both Usagi and Minako each grabbed a shoulder and hauled Makoto off with them. "Lemme go! I was gonna make her go SPLAT! Come on! You two NEVER let me have any fun!" The girl sighed and shook her head wearily before giving chase. But not before turning on a nearby stereo system and playing some incidental chase music. There was convention to follow, after all. ---------- "I wonder where he went?" Rei wondered as she and Ami left the front desk. "It doesn't really matter now that we got the info we need," Ami remarked. "Good thing he left the logbook out in the open." "Now all that's left is to find the ghost," Rei said as she was almost barreled over by a fleeing Usagi and Minako, dragging Makoto between them. "What the-" Ami began, but was cut off when the trio returned. "No time!" Minako shouted, completely panicked. "Ghost chasing us! Gotta run!" Usagi added as the trio sped off again. "What? Already?" Rei exclaimed. "But, what about-?" Ami was cut off again as the ghost poked her head through the wall. "I'd start running if I were you," she suggested with an evil grin. "Ami?" "Yes, Rei?" "Think we should run?" "Well, considering that a ghost has actually passed through a wall and is addressing us directly, I'd say that it's a logical solution." Rei blinked. "Huh?" "She means 'run for it,'" the girl supplied helpfully. "Oh. Thanks." "You're welcome." "Well, if you'll excuse us, we must be off now. You know, fleeing in terror and all that." The girl nodded. "Oh, certainly. By all means, go right ahead." "Thanks," Rei replied and fled with Ami right behind her. "You know, this is more fun than I thought it would be," the girl said with a laugh as she addressed the fourth wall. "Still I wish we didn't have to compact the story like this. I'd love to have more time to chase them around." She sighed. "Oh, well. Time to wrap this up." ---------- It was a merry chase. For the ghost, that is. As for the meddling kids.... "Lemme go! I'll SPLAT 'er!" "For the last time, NO!" ...it wasn't quite as merry. But it *was* long. If one were to trace the path taken, one would find themselves going through the hallway, up the stairs to the roof, down the stairs to the lobby, back up the stairs to the third floor, into room 314, out of room 302 (which is odd, considering that the two rooms are on opposite ends of the hall), back down to the lobby, through the kitchen where Usagi and Minako paused long enough to make and eat a couple cheese sandwiches, around the front desk five times, across the lobby ceiling twice, out the front door, around the parking lot, through the Mystery Machine (coincidentally making said vehicle bounce enough to cause Ryoku to get whacked with the wrench yet again), up the street, around the corner, through a convenience store, across a street bridge to a park, into the park, around the park's lake, over the park's lake, *through* the park's lake, out of the park, through a movie theater (where, thankfully, no one got stuck), over the river, through the woods, past Grandmother's house- "Hey...," Usagi asked, breathing hard, as everyone, including the ghost, came to a slowing halt, "where... *are* we?" "That's... that's a... good question," Ami panted as everyone glanced around at their surroundings while trying to catch their breath after running such a ludicrously long distance. "You know..., we've had some long chase scenes before..., but I think we went overboard this time," Minako remarked. "You think?" the ghost said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, shut up, you!" Rei snapped. "Whose fault do you think this is, anyway?" "You were leading," the ghost remarked with a shrug. "Because you were chasing us!" the dark-haired girl shot back. Well, it *was* a merry chase for a while. After hitching a ride back to town on a passing Greyhound bus, the chase led back to the hotel, where the meddling kids finally found themselves cornered in the lobby. "Zoinks!" Minako yelped upon realizing that there was no way out. "How the hell did THIS happen?" Rei demanded of no one in particular. "Fun time's over," the ghost said as she drew closer to the group. "Now I'll-" *CLANK!* "Ow!" *THUD!* The group collectively blinked as the ghost suddenly flickered, then vanished. "Uhh... what just happened right now?" Minako asked no one in particular. "Hey, I fixed the Mystery Machine," Ryoku said as he walked into the room while dragging a more solid-looking version of the ghost alongside him. "Also found this person wailing and whatever in front of some projector-like thing. Seemed suspicious, so I whacked her on the head and dragged her in here. So, did I miss anything?" ---------- "So, this girl was pretending to be a ghost to keep people from finding out whatever it was that she was sent that day?" the sheriff summed up. "Not quite," Ami explained. "You see, that girl never got the package. According to the concierge's logbook, the package was supposed to be delivered to her room after it arrived. It was a short time after that when the girl was supposed to have been murdered." "Which she was," he pointed out. "We have a body and everything." "But no package, right?" He nodded. "That's right." "So, does that mean she's a *real* g-g-ghost?" Usagi asked, backing away a little bit. Beside her, Minako did the same, step for step. Rei sighed as she tried not to roll her eyes. "So, what happened to that package?" "She hid it," Ryoku cut in as he held up a small box. "I found it while you all were traipsing hither and yon with Miss Ghost over there." He cut off as five pairs of eyes glared at him. "Ahem. Anyway, as I was looking for you guys, I found that girl," he nodded toward the girl who was now also glaring at him, although for a different reason, "acting the part of our ghost in front of some type of projector thing." "So how does it work?" Makoto asked. "Let's not worry about unimportant details," Rei quickly cut in as Ami started to open her mouth. The bespectacled girl quickly closed her mouth and gave Rei a curt glare. Rei chose to ignore it. "What's important now is who this girl is. I mean, she's obviously not our murder victim." "It's quite obvious," Ami said, cutting in quickly before Rei could stop her. "There's only one person who knew about the package beside the victim. The one who first accepted the delivery to the hotel." She grabbed a handful of hair and pulled, taking off the girl's wig, revealing a young man in her place. Although how he managed to disguise his face with just the wig was a complete mystery, everyone involved chose to ignore it for the sake of advancing the story. "The concierge!" everyone except for Ami exclaimed in unison. "But, how did he know what was in the package?" the sheriff asked. "And why would he kill for it?" Makoto asked. "Simple," Ryoku said as he turned the package top-side forward and pointed to a small label on the top that read "Contents: One (1) MacGuffin." "Ah!" the sheriff nodded. "Now it makes perfect sense." He then turned to the concierge. "All right, you. Time to go." "I would've gotten away with it," he seethed as the sheriff dragged him away, "if it weren't for you meddling kids!" "That's what they all say!" Makoto shot back as the sheriff shoved him into the back of his patrol car, then drove away. "Well, that was fun," Ryoku said as he stretched. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm about ready for bed." "So, you fixed the Mystery Machine, Ryoku?" Rei asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, good as new," he replied as he turned to go back to the hotel. "Good, because if it breaks down again, we're trading it in for something that actually runs," she said as she walked past him and into the hotel. "Like an SUV." Ryoku blanched as the others went in as well. "An... SUV...." He glanced back toward the parking lot. "Maybe another quick check is in order, after all...." ---------- Quick Author's Note: By the way, even though these stories are numbered, they can be read in any order you wish. Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs to me, so I would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else. Thank you. Copyright © 2008 Jason C. Ulloa. All Rights Reserved.