Ryoku was beginning to get a headache. Rei and Usagi were having yet another argument after stopping another youma attack at the new amusement park, Dreamland. It was the usual back and forth banter; Usagi would call Rei an obnoxious brat, and Rei would call Usagi a selfish pig or meatball-head, which really seemed to annoy her.
He looked over at Ami and Luna. Ami was stoically ignoring the feuding girls, while Luna looked like she was suffering as much as he was. Originally, this trip to the amusement park was supposed to be a way to try to have some fun while keeping those two from driving everyone else nuts. Unfortunately, the youma attack had taken some of the fun out of it, while Usagi and Rei’s constant arguing took the rest. Now, the amusement park wasn’t so amusing. All he wanted to do now was go home.
“Look,” he said tiredly to Ami and Luna, who was lying in Ami’s arms at the moment, “I think I’ve had about enough of those two for today. I’m going home. Sorry to leave you two with them, but I’m not about to stay and listen to them argue any longer.”
“I don’t blame you,” Luna said just as tiredly. “Sometimes I wonder if those two are even supposed to be on the same team.”
“I’ll see you two tomorrow,” he replied with a small nod.
“Bye, Ryo-kun,” Luna and Ami both called out as he left.
As soon as he got home, he went straight for the roof. Once there, he brought out his swords from where he always hid them on himself, and began a slow, deliberate routine, usually performed for learning balance. Right now, all he wanted was some quiet and this was the best place to get it. Practicing on the roof was always peaceful and afterwards he could just sit and admire the view.
The sun would be setting in a couple of hours. Sunsets were always something he enjoyed to watch, though nowadays he preferred to watch it alone. The red-gold skyscapes always brought to mind certain memories which he cared to forget, but never could. He paused in his slow routine and sighed. I’ve gotta learn to stop depressing myself all the time. Shaking his head, he put his swords away, climbed off the roof and went inside.
Jadeite was fuming over his latest in a long string of defeats and failures. Since the failure at the amusement park a few days ago, Beryl’s faith in him had hit an extreme low. If that General wannabe, Quartzite, was still around, Beryl would probably be treating him better than he was being treated. Considering that she was always slightly contemptuous of that fool, that would be saying quite a lot. He needed a foolproof plan to restore himself in Beryl’s eyes.
He was watching a small projected recording of some of the last few battles he had had with the Sailor Scouts, especially Sailor Moon. Just thinking about how that little brat had constantly ruined his best plans….
“Those cursed brats…,” he growled at the projection, clenching a fist in anger.
Suddenly, he heard amused laughter coming from behind him. He turned around to see a column of water suddenly appear. The column of water then formed itself into a familiar black-haired woman.
“Of all the people, Jadeite-sama has his hands full with such a little girl?” she said teasingly.
“What brings you here, Titus?” Jadeite asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“I’m very honored that you remembered me,” Titus said, amused.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded coldly. “You are also under the direct command of Queen Beryl, are you not?”
Her amused smile never wavered. “You haven’t changed at all. No matter how hard I devote myself to you, you still treat me coldly.”
“I have no time for your idiocy,” he said contemptuously. “Quit wasting my time.”
“At least listen,” she said entreatingly. “I have come up with a very efficient way of extracting energy.”
“What?” he said in surprise.
Her grin grew wider at his sudden interest. “Finally, I have your attention,” she said, laughing. “I call it ‘Romantic Cruise Plan’.”
As she explained her plan, he considered it thoughtfully. A cruise would be the perfect way to isolate him from those Sailor Scouts. It definitely seemed like the foolproof plan he’d been hoping for. “It sounds perfect, Titus. Let’s get started.”
Usagi and Naru were staring at a cruise ad Usagi had brought with her to school. She had seen the same ad for the Sunset Romance Cruise on TV just yesterday. Now, she was pining over the ad on her desk.
“Don’t you wish you could board one of these?” Usagi said wistfully.
“But it’s booked all the way to next month,” Naru replied.
“The Sunset Romance Cruise?” Umino said as he walked up to them and glanced down at the flyer on Usagi’s desk. “Isn’t that wonderful? Carries up to six hundred passengers.” He picked up the flyer and looked it over. “Cruising from Tokyo to Yokohama aboard this, anybody would be in love…,” he said, adjusting his glasses.
“Not with you, I bet,” Usagi muttered in annoyance.
“Usagi-san, by any chance, did you want to go on this?” he asked. “I see…. Too bad,” he said, shrugging.
Both Usagi and Naru gave him speculative looks. “Umino, don’t tell me that…,” Usagi exclaimed in surprise, jumping out of her seat.
“…you had a ticket?” Naru finished, equally surprised.
“Sure, but I gave it to a lady in my neighborhood,” he explained.
“How could you waste your ticket like that?” Usagi asked, shocked.
“We’re still junior high students,” he replied, shrugging. “We mustn’t be out playing around late at night.”
“Why does he have to be morally correct at such a time?” Naru muttered flatly.
“You might be able to win your own, though. The newsstand downtown’s got a lottery going and the first place prize is two free tickets.”
As soon as Umino finished that sentence, Usagi’s expression brightened as she immediately dashed out of the room, bowling over many other students who were unfortunate enough to be in her way. She shouted a belated “Get out of my way!” as she ran full speed for the downtown newsstand. Naru and Umino just looked at the now vacant spot where she was sitting seconds ago and sweatdropped, thankful that they weren’t standing between her and the door.
Usagi had just paid her money and was now hoping fervently for the gold marble to come out of the box. “This time for sure…,” she said, mentally urging it to come out as she turned the crank. As a red marble came out, she began to wonder if her aim was a little off. “Not again!”
“Oh, well,” the proprietor said. “Better luck next time.”
She slowly pushed her way through the crowd of people, excusing herself so she could leave. As she made her way out, Rei happened to walk by.
“Usagi-chan!” she said in greeting.
“Hey, Rei-chan!” Usagi greeted back. “I tried ten times to get the first prize,” she told her as she pointed toward where the lottery was being held.
Rei looked at the poster she was pointing to. “A cruise for a couple?” she asked. “You’re trying to win that?”
“Aren’t you interested?” Usagi asked.
“Of course not,” she replied dryly. “We have no time to be concerned with things like that.” She indignantly walked past Usagi and headed straight to the newsstand. She handed her money over to the contest’s proprietor. “May I?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Hey!” Usagi objected. “I thought you weren’t interested!”
Rei ignored her and concentrated her energy into her hands. She grasped the handle of the crank, transferring her energy into it, and turned the crank quickly. When she stopped turning the crank, a gold marble fell out of the box’s spout.
The proprietor looked at the marble for a moment. “Congratulations! First prize!” he declared loudly.
Rei began to jump up and down excitedly. “All right!”
“Aren’t you doing exactly the opposite of what you were saying?” Usagi grumbled angrily.
Later at the park, Luna yawned as she sat on a nearby bench, watching Usagi try to convince Rei to take her on the cruise with her. From the looks of it, she wasn’t having very much luck.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested?” she asked.
“And why should I give them to you?” Rei asked irritably.
“How about we go together? It’s gonna be romantic.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be for couples?”
“But, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Shut up!”
“See? You don’t have one!”
“I have several guys who like me… unlike you.”
“Oh, boy, here it goes,” Luna muttered in exasperation. “Now, it’s going to get ugly.”
“Luna, what’s going on?” Ami asked, walking up to Luna.
She sighed. “Same old, same old with those two.”
“It’s a good thing I brought some aspirin with me, then,” Ryoku remarked as he also walked up to them. “Any idea what’s with those two now?”
“Ami-chan, Ryo-kun, Rei-chan’s so cruel!” Usagi shouted, turning towards them.
Rei noticed that both Ami and Ryoku had arrived. Either one would be better than taking Usagi with her, but since she didn’t have a date….
“Ami-chan, Ryo-kun, good to see you two,” she said, pushing Usagi aside. “Hey, Ryo-kun, come here, okay?”
“I’m not mediating any arguments between you two,” he stated, folding his arms.
“Just come with me.”
“Well, all right,” he relented and walked up to her. “What is it?”
“I’ve got some good news. Come on!” she told him as she pulled him after her.
“Hey! Wait a minute!” he shouted as he was being dragged along. “What’re you doing? Quit dragging me!”
“Hey! Our talk isn’t over yet!” Usagi yelled to Rei as she dragged Ryoku behind her.
“It already is!” she shot back before dragging Ryoku away with her.
Rei dragged Ryoku all the way to a nearby coffee shop. She ordered tea for the both of them and proceeded to tell him about the contest and her prize.
“You won tickets for a cruise?” he asked, surprised.
“There!” she said, showing him the tickets.
“I see,” he said glancing at the tickets.
“What I wanted to ask you is… well, I don’t have a date for the cruise… and since you don’t have a girlfriend… I thought you’d like to go with me.”
He was quiet for a moment. As he stared down into his tea, Rei thought that he was beginning to look… sad for some reason. “What’s wrong, Ryo-kun? Is there something the matter?”
He blinked and looked back up. “It’s… nothing. I’m flattered that you would want to ask me on a date,” he said quietly, “but I don’t date anymore. It’s sort of a personal thing; please don’t ask me why.”
“You don’t date anymore?” she asked curiously.
“No. But hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t go just as friends, right?” he said, forcing a half-smile.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said, slightly disappointed. I wonder why he doesn’t date anymore. He certainly wouldn’t have any problems getting a date. Maybe something happened.…
Ryoku picked up one of the tickets and examined it closely. “By the way, I don’t think I’ll be needing that ticket.” He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table next to her tickets.
It was another ticket, identical to the first two.
Rei looked at the third ticket in surprise. “How come you didn’t tell me you already had a ticket?!?” she asked almost accusingly.
“Well, you were the one dragging me over here to ask me out on a date,” he replied. “Besides, I didn’t know you had the same tickets I had until now.”
“Where did you get yours?” she asked.
“From my downstairs neighbor. She got sick and couldn’t go, so she gave it to me.” He picked up his ticket and put it away. “So, are you gonna invite Ami-chan, or should I?”
“Huh?” she said, surprised at his change of subject.
“I know you’re not gonna invite Usagi-chan,” he said. “In fact, I’d bet that’s the argument that we walked in on. Am I right?”
“Yeah, she was begging me to take her as soon as I won the tickets,” she said. “She wouldn’t fit into the romantic mood.”
“And you think I’d be more romantic?” he asked jokingly.
“Well, I thought being on a date with a cute guy would be romantic. Besides, I didn’t know about you no longer dating until right now.”
Ryoku almost blushed at the ‘cute guy’ comment, but he quickly composed himself. “So, like I asked before, are you gonna invite Ami, or should I?”
“Well, since they’re my tickets, I’ll invite her,” she said.
“Okay, then,” he said, getting up, “I’ll see you two then.”
“This’ll be fun,” she said cheerfully, getting up as well. “We’ll bring back a nice souvenir for Usagi-chan.”
From behind the bushes, Usagi was peeking through, watching the two as they left. If she thinks I’m giving up, she’s got another thing coming!
Next to her, Luna sat wondering why these things always have to happen to her. If only she’d be this determined about being a Sailor Scout.
The sun had just set when Rei, Ami and Ryoku all met at the harbor, each dressed up for the occasion. Rei was dressed in a short red dress with white gloves, and a necklace. Ami was wearing a long greenish-yellow dress with a cream yellow long sleeve coat. Ryoku wore an open light gray dress coat with a white shirt, midnight blue necktie and dark gray slacks. He had politely complimented each girl’s outfit and received similar compliments in return. They all got in line and waited to board the ship.
Meanwhile, Usagi and Luna watched from between a couple of warehouses. “Here we go!” Usagi said determinedly.
“How are you going to sneak onboard?” Luna inquired.
“You gave me this for times like this, didn’t you?” Usagi said as she pulled out the Disguise Pen.
Luna’s eyes opened wide in shock. “Not that, Usagi-chan!” she pleaded. “You’re supposed to use that for works of justice!”
“Take it easy,” Usagi said as she held the Disguise Pen in the air. “Moon power, turn me into a… sporty-looking photographer!” Instantly, the pen gave her a photographer’s outfit and equipment. She was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, green pants, blue shoes and an orange jacket. Her hair was done in a short boyish haircut.
She bent down and opened her camera box. “Now, Luna, get in there,” she said, picking up Luna and putting her struggling in the box. It was big enough so that she fit very easily.
“Don’t!” she shouted as Usagi closed the lid.
As Ami, Rei and Ryoku ascended the gangplank to board the ship, the disguised Usagi sneaked over to the ship’s loading area.
“Here’s our chance!” Usagi said, looking around to see if anyone had spotted her. Seeing that no one did, she quickly entered the ship.
While the rest of the passengers boarded the ship, Jadeite, disguised as the captain, and Titus, disguised as the first mate, watched from the top deck.
“Captain Jadeite, the prey is coming aboard,” she reported amusedly.
“You’ve done well, Titus,” Jadeite said. “I’m impressed. It’s hard to believe that this ship is really a ghost ship powered by your sea water magic.”
One of the ship’s crewmen approached the two and saluted. “Captain, the ship is ready to sail at your command,” the crewman stated.
“Very well,” Jadeite said, turning towards the crewman. “Prepare to sail.”
As the ship set sail, the red-golds of sunset slowly gave way to the deep purples, dark blues and starry blacks of full night. A cool breeze picked up and blew over the decks of the ship, gently stroking the faces of couples enjoying their time together. Some stared out into the star-studded sky and the gently rolling waves that crashed and broke against the ship, admiring the view, while others were content just to hold each other very close.
The ship tended to rock back and forth a little harder than normal, most likely due to the timing of the waves crashing against the ship, or so either Ami or Ryoku would have thought. Rei however didn’t care about that, as she, Ami and Ryoku tried to keep their balance.
“How can they look like they’re having fun with this much roll?” Rei complained as she bumped against Ami, to her left.
“Maybe you need to work on your balance,” Ryoku commented from her right. She didn’t bother to answer that. He was having very little difficulty keeping his balance, unlike the two girls.
“So, have you noticed?” Ami asked after they had regained their balance again. “I’ve been looking around, but we’re the only ones without dates. Where’re all the guys?”
“What’re you asking me for?” Ryoku replied in a feigned hurt tone. “How should I know? I’m only a guy.”
“Oh, um, sorry, Ryo-kun,” Ami said meekly. “I meant the other guys.”
“It’s all right,” he replied quietly.
“They called this a Love Boat, but I never thought it was literal,” Rei commented.
Ami smiled and gave a small laugh. “No chance of getting a date for you tonight.”
Ryoku gave one of his half-smiles. “The hazards of truth in advertising.”
Usagi quietly opened the door to the engine room, entered and shut it behind her just as quietly. So far, she had managed to remain undetected. She gently put down the box she was carrying and opened the lid. Luna immediately popped her head out.
“It’s about time!” Luna complained. “Where are we?”
“Engine room, I guess,” Usagi replied.
“No way,” Luna said, frowning. “An engine room wouldn’t be this quiet.” She jumped out of the box and climbed up onto a nearby crate.
Usagi pulled out her camera and looked around through it, as if to take pictures. “Then, the ship must’ve stopped,” she reasoned.
“That’s strange,” Luna said, turning away from the porthole she was looking out of. “We’re moving at full speed.”
“You worry too much. They must have the latest model engine, or something,” Usagi said casually. She laughed a little as she turned the camera towards the stairway. “But still, where could Rei-chan, Ami-chan and Ryo-kun be?” Suddenly, someone came out from underneath. It was a man in what was most likely a captain’s uniform.
“What are you doing here?” the captain demanded. Usagi jumped in surprise, while Luna leaped for the box. The box closed behind her.
“Are you with the media? This area is off-limits,” the captain continued. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t come this far into the ship.”
Gazing upon the captain’s dark hair and handsome features, Usagi became instantly infatuated with him. What a handsome man.…
Meanwhile, Luna had just realized what she had done. “Oh no! Not this stupid box again!” she quietly grumbled to herself. She stopped grumbling as she suddenly felt a strong wave of power wash over her. What is this strong aura…?
“It is dangerous to stay here,” he stated, not as sternly as before.
Usagi thought for a second. “I got… separated from my friends and I… took a wrong turn,” she said a little nervously.
“I see. You must be troubled,” he said thoughtfully.
“Please,” she asked sweetly and innocently, “will you help me look for them?”
“Certainly,” he agreed. What is it about this woman that I find so… troublesome?
Usagi grinned happily to herself. Look who I found right off the bat, she thought smugly to herself.
At the stern of the ship, Rei, Ami and Ryoku were leaning on the railing and staring out onto the water. Ryoku was between the two girls with Ami to his left and Rei to his right. He stared into the water, letting its soothing effects flow into him. He was enjoying the peace of the ocean and the company of his friends.
“I have a great idea!” Rei suddenly announced, looking over at Ami.
“What is it?” Ami asked, interested.
“Yeah, let’s hear it,” Ryoku added.
“With all these couples, I bet there’d be some that’ll end up breaking up,” Rei said to Ami.
“So?” Ami asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why don’t we try to scoop up some of those men?” Rei suggested, smiling.
Both Ami and Ryoku sweatdropped and sighed in exasperation. “I should’ve been studying at home,” Ami said ruefully.
“It could be worse,” Ryoku replied.
“Ooh, better yet, let’s flirt with some of these crew guys and have Ryo-kun take our picture with them! We can show them to Usagi-chan when we get back and make her totally jealous!” Rei said, grinning devilishly. “It’ll be great!”
“Was this what you meant about things could be worse?” Ami asked in a deadpan tone.
“That’ll just about do it,” he agreed, sighing.
Usagi clung happily onto the captain’s arm as he led her out of the ship’s engine room and closed the door behind them.
“I could call for the rest of your party through the PA, but that might disrupt the romantic mood of the other passengers,” he told her.
“You’re absolutely right,” she said dreamily. I’m definitely satisfied with him.
The captain looked down at Usagi with a puzzled expression on his face. Why am I getting this strange feeling? How could I be feeling so wary about a girl like this?
Just then, the first mate approached them. “Captain, it’s almost time.”
“I see,” the captain replied. He gave a small salute to Usagi, who was still holding onto his arm. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
Usagi let go of the captain’s arm reluctantly. “I see,” she said disappointedly. The captain and the first mate both left. “Damn it! Just when I’m having such a great time!” she said after they were both out of sight.
Luna popped out of the box Usagi was carrying. “Usagi-chan, this could be trouble. This ship is filled with an evil presence,” she said urgently.
“What?” Usagi said, looking in the direction the captain left with his first mate. He was so nice, too.…
“What are you waiting for, Usagi-chan?” Luna said. “We have to go see what he’s up to!”
“All right, Luna, I’m going,” she said and headed after them.
Jadeite and Titus entered the captain’s room, where a glowing blue sphere was sitting in the middle of the room. They both walked up to the blue sphere and looked closely at it.
“At last,” Jadeite said with a small grin on his face.
“The energy of love will peak soon,” Titus explained. “When it does, I’ll extract the energy of all six hundred passengers. What do you think of my plan?”
“If you succeed, I will commend you for that.”
“There is a ninety-nine percent chance of success,” she said, laughing. “We’re not going to fail. Will you pay more attention to me when we succeed?”
“I’ll think about it.”
From outside, Usagi and Luna watched them through one of the windows. “Could you hear anything?” Usagi asked, turning to her companion.
“No,” Luna replied, “but I know those people are up to no good.”
“But, he was so nice to me…,” Usagi said. “And he’s so handsome….”
“Usagi-chan, you…,” Luna began irately.
They both turned to look back through the window. Although their attention was turned away from the window for only a few seconds, they were both gone, as if they were never there.
“What?” Usagi gasped. “They disappeared!”
“They’re up to no good again!” Luna exclaimed. “We have to find out what those two are up to.”
To that, Usagi could only nod in agreement.
After a fruitless search for any cute crewmen for Rei to flirt with, the three decided to head for the dining room to get something to eat. After a short time, people were beginning to stare at Rei’s… unusual appetite.
“Shouldn’t you eat a little quieter?” Ami asked, embarrassed. She and Ryoku were trying to make themselves look inconspicuous, while Rei devoured yet another steak.
“Rei-chan, slow down!” Ryoku said, just as embarrassed. “You’ve eaten more than both of us combined!”
“Who cares?” she remarked indifferently. “If I can’t find romance, then I’ll go for food. I’ll eat all I can.”
“People are staring!” Ami said.
“They’ve been staring all day…,” she paused to take another bite, “…just because we’re single.”
“No, they’re staring because you’re stuffing your face,” Ryoku remarked flatly. “I just hope you don’t choke on something.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, please come to the reception hall,” a voice announced over the PA system. “We’ll be holding a wonderful show and later on there’ll be dancing.”
“I’ll be too full to dance!” Rei exclaimed in dismay.
“I’m surprised you’re not already,” Ryoku remarked.
“Well, it should be better than being here,” Ami said.
“Where we would continue to be embarrassed by Rei-chan’s impersonation of a gastronomic black hole,” Ryoku commented drolly.
“Very funny,” Rei said dryly. “You coming, Ryo-kun? You can dance, right?”
“I think so,” he replied thoughtfully, looking down at the table. “I haven’t danced in years, though.” A shadow of depression flickered across his face, but neither girl noticed it. “I guess I can try,” he said, looking back up.
“Great!” she said, getting up. “Come on, you guys, let’s go!”
Usagi and Luna were running across the deck, when they heard the announcement. “They said reception hall,” she said as ran.
“They gotta be there,” Luna said.
“Right!” she agreed as they headed for the reception hall.
Meanwhile, everyone had already gathered for the announced event. The curtain rose, displaying the captain in his uniform and the first mate in a long black dress. “Welcome, everyone!” the first mate exclaimed enthusiastically. The ushers closed the ballroom doors quietly behind them and stood guard. “We present to you the most romantic show on Earth!” she said, raising her hands in front of her face with the fingers spread apart. Suddenly sparkles of red light flashed from her fingertips as she suddenly changed form. Her skin became a light blue, covered in a dark blue full body outfit. She had pure red eyes and no mouth. As she raised her arms into the air, energy began flowing out of everyone present, except Rei, Ami and Ryoku.
“Something’s wrong,” Ami said worriedly.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ryoku added, his expression turning serious.
“It’s a youma, no doubt about it,” Rei determined, her expression mirroring Ryoku’s.
“Where’s that reception hall?” Usagi complained indignantly, still rushing towards the reception hall.
“Dream on till you reach the kingdom to come,” Titus said as she laughingly drained everybody’s energy into the hanging ceiling ball. Suddenly, everyone but Rei, Ami and Ryoku collapsed.
“Excellent,” Jadeite said, discarding his disguise.
“You!” Ami shouted.
“Huh?” Titus exclaimed, puzzled after noticing that three people hadn’t collapsed. “Why haven’t they collapsed as well?”
“Now, that was a mistake,” Jadeite said. “What you took away was the energy of love. The magic is useless to those without love.”
“Why did you come by yourselves?” Titus asked them.
All three glowered at Titus in annoyance. “We’ve got our own problems!” Rei shouted angrily. Both Ami and Ryoku folded their arms and nodded their agreement.
“Little pests,” Titus said and pointed at them. “My servants, get them!”
Suddenly, the ushers changed into gel-like creatures and charged straight for them, while Rei and Ami screamed in fright and Ryoku drew his swords from behind his back.
Their initial fright over, Rei and Ami began to take action. Rei grabbed a chair and struck one of the creatures, slicing it in half diagonally. Ami shoved one creature into another and pushed them over one of the other chairs. Ryoku began slicing up a couple creatures into several pieces. Soon, all the creatures were down.
“Well, that’s it,” Ryoku said. As he said that, all of the gel-like creatures began got get back up. The ones that had been cut into pieces formed into several new creatures; one creature for each piece.
“Ryo-kun, Ami-chan, what’re we gonna do now?” Rei asked, backing away from a group of creatures.
“It’s useless,” Ami said, backing away from another group of creatures. “We can’t change now. They’ll know our identities.”
“Now, we’re in trouble,” Ryoku muttered, backing away from yet another group of creatures. The three were standing together, back to back and surrounded.
“Futile resistance,” Jadeite said contemptuously.
“There was a small exception, but we have gathered a large amount of energy,” Titus said. “I am sure Queen Beryl would be pleased.”
“True.”
Usagi ran down yet another hallway. I’m getting tired of all this running! This ship is bigger than what it looked like from the outside. She saw the sign at the end of the hallway, indicating that the ballroom was just ahead.
“There it is!” she exclaimed, relieved that she didn’t have to run anymore. “Moon prism power!” Within moments, she was transformed into Sailor Moon.
Inside the ballroom, Jadeite opened a small portal next to him and moved to enter.
“Hold it right there!”
Rei, Ami and Ryoku looked up to see who had spoken. “Sailor Moon!” Ami exclaimed in surprise and relief.
“I’m the Sailor Warrior fighting for love and justice, Sailor Moon!”
“Yeah, we’ve heard all that before,” Titus said indifferently.
“How dare you target lovers to rob them of their energy!” Sailor Moon said angrily. “Don’t you feel sorry for those two girls without boyfriends?”
“Hey!” Rei exclaimed angrily, while Ami grimaced.
“At least she didn’t say anything about me not having a girlfriend,” Ryoku remarked.
“On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
Titus leaped up towards Sailor Moon. “At last, Sailor Moon! I will deal with you!” she said, tackling her through the nearby window.
Sailor Moon landed on the deck near the stern of the ship. Titus landed next to the railing. She raised her arms, causing a large column of water to rise out of the ocean.
“Aaah!” Sailor Moon exclaimed.
“Watch out, Sailor Moon!” Luna shouted from nearby. “She’s a youma with the ability to control sea water!”
“Take this!” Titus shouted, sending a column of water shooting towards Sailor Moon and Luna. They both leaped away as the water hit the deck, ripping apart the floorboards and denting the metal.
From above, on the top deck, Jadeite watched the battle. “Keep it up, Titus,” he said, enjoying Sailor Moon’s predicament.
“Fire soul!”
A large fireball struck the last group of gel-like creatures, melting them into puddles. “That’s the last of them,” Sailor Knight said, replacing his swords behind his back.
“Hurry, Sailor Mars!” Mercury said urgently.
“Definitely,” Mars said. “I’ll return this humiliation a hundredfold.”
“You mean, the humiliation when both the youma and Sailor Moon commented on you not having a boyfriend?” Knight asked.
“Shut up, Knight.”
Outside, Sailor Moon was backed towards the wall, surrounded by holes in the ship. “Die!” Titus shouted as she prepared to finish off her victim.
“Shabon spray!” A thick mist rose into the air, reducing visibility.
“Hey! What’s happening?” Titus demanded.
“Earth thrust!”
“Fire soul!”
A flaming stone spike struck Titus, weakening her.
“Moon tiara action!”
“No!!!” Titus screamed as she was struck by the tiara. She began to grow unstable and reverted back into water. She fell back into the ocean where she had caused a giant column of water to come out of a whirlpool earlier. The four Scouts watched as the whirlpool calmed and ceased swirling.
Behind them, Jadeite leaped down from his vantage point at the top deck. “I have underestimated you as little girls,” he muttered as the Scouts turned to face Jadeite. “But, you have improved since I last saw you.”
“Who are you calling a little girl?” Knight growled fiercely.
“Prepare to meet your fate, Jadeite!” Sailor Moon shouted.
“I’m really mad about this!” Mars said angrily.
“Everyone, be careful,” Mercury warned.
“It is a waste of effort,” Jadeite said as a portal opened up next to him and disappeared as he jumped in.
“Where did he go?” Sailor Moon exclaimed.
“Did he escape?” Mars asked.
“Can’t be,” Mercury said, frowning.
“Unfortunately, it seems to be the case,” Sailor Knight said with a flat expression on his face. “Let’s go check on the others back in the reception hall.”
“Queen Beryl,” Jadeite stated as he appeared before his queen.
“You have used my precious youma, Titus, and let her die,” Beryl said angrily.
“That is not true,” he explained. “She carried out this plan.”
“I will hear your explanation later. Prepare for consequences if you cannot convince me.” Beryl turned and vanished.
Jadeite clenched his fist furiously. Curse you, Sailor Moon! I will make you pay for this!
With Titus gone, the illusion was lifted from the ship and it was revealed to the world as the rust bucket it really was. Since the ship was now dead in the water, rescue boats we now arriving to ferry the couples back to the harbor.
From the top deck of the rusty ship, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Ryoku and Luna all watched as the passengers climbed down into the rescue boats. “There goes the romantic cruise,” Usagi muttered dejectedly.
“I’m not going to give up!” Rei said determinedly. “Next time there’s a ship like this, I’ll be sure to come with a date!”
“I will do the same!” Usagi declared.
“Not a chance,” Rei countered.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah!”
“They never get tired, do they?” Luna commented tiredly.
Ami pulled out a book and began reading stoically. “It appears so,” she said simply. “I’d better get back to studying.”
“If they’re gonna keep that up, I’ll swim home,” Ryoku muttered.
To Chapter 14: Fight to the Finish