“I’m gonna be late!” Usagi yelled as she ran full speed to school.
“Here we go again,” Luna muttered, running beside her. “Every morning, it’s the same thing.”
Usagi was running so hard that she almost failed to notice someone else running up behind her. As soon as the person ran up beside her, she noticed that it was Naru.
“Morning, Naru-chan,” she greeted, slightly breathless from running.
“Morning, Usagi-chan,” Naru answered, just as breathless.
“So, you slept in, too?”
“Come on, I’m not like you. I was trying to finish all the homework that was due today.”
Usagi blinked in surprise for a moment. “Homework? We had homework?”
“A ton,” Naru replied. “Science, math, social studies, English, and stitching for home ec.”
Usagi stopped and sighed in helplessness. “I’m toast….”
Suddenly, a limousine passed by them and stopped just a short distance in front of them. Naru stopped as well and watched next to Usagi as a man in a suit exited from the front of the car. He walked over to the rear door and opened it, standing aside as three girls in fancy school uniforms exited. They walked past the man and through the gates, into the large manor house beyond.
“What’s that?” Usagi said aloud, gazing at the large manor.
“Don’t you know?” Naru asked with a little surprise.
“No,” she replied, turning back to Naru.
“Those girls are attending the Princess Seminar at the Rose Manor.”
“Rose Manor, as in the home of Countess Rose who came from England just recently?”
Naru nodded. “I heard she’s holding the Princess Seminar for the daughters of high-class folks.”
“Princess Seminar?” Usagi repeated thoughtfully, glancing back to the manor.
“Yeah, it’s like a finishing school,” Naru added. “It’s supposed to make them elegant and refined, like princesses.”
A bell ringing in the distance snapped both girls out of their thoughts. “Aaah! Now we’ll really be late!” both girls exclaimed, and continued their dash to school.
Beryl glanced from Endymion to Kunzite with some slight irritation. Neither one seemed to be comfortable in the other’s presence. In fact, they seemed quite hostile.
“Endymion,” she began fixing a stern glare at him. “You will assist Kunzite in defeating Sailor Moon and regaining possession of the Silver Crystal.”
“I refuse,” Endymion replied, glancing obliquely at Kunzite. “I will cooperate with no one. I will do as I please.”
“I will also,” Kunzite added, returning his glance.
At this time, Beryl was beyond caring anymore, just as long as one of them did the job to her satisfaction. “Very well,” she replied. “Just bring me the Silver Crystal and Sailor Moon’s dead, lifeless body.”
“That has already been arranged,” Kunzite mentioned, bowing.
“Good.”
As midnight approached, Luna found herself at the entrance to the Crown Video Arcade. Right on time, the gate and doors opened, allowing her small, feline form to enter. Quickly, she headed over to the row of Sailor V arcade machines and hopped onto the stool of the one she always used for communication purposes. The moment she leaped onto the stool, the screen flickered to life.
“Welcome,” greeted the usual monotone voice. “Please give your new password for voice analysis.”
Luna was beginning to grow quite weary of these trite, inane snippets of nonsense she had to recite for voice analysis. “Oh, cut the nonsense!” she snapped, slightly irritated. “You can analyze my voice just fine without all this tripe you make me recite.”
“Voice analysis confirmed,” came the reply. Luna imagined that there was a slight hint of contrition in his voice, which made her smile a little. “What seems to be the problem, Luna?”
“What do I do with Usagi-chan?” she sighed in futility. “She doesn’t seem to be aware enough of her duty and destiny as the Moon Princess.”
“That is a very difficult question,” the voice replied. “I… oops…” The moment the voice said “oops”, the screen began to break up as it gave off a fizzling noise. A few seconds later, the screen displayed a very embarrassed Artemis, wearing a headset and sitting in front of a transceiver.
“Artemis!” Luna exclaimed. I should’ve known. Only he would have me recite such rubbish.…
“Um, hi, Luna,” he stammered in chagrin, laughing nervously. “I guess you figured it out. The transceiver doesn’t seem to be working well today….”
“You’ve been bossing me all this times?” she asked, growing even more irritated.
“Actually… um… yes,” he replied contritely.
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?!?” she demanded.
“You never asked,” he answered, then laughed nervously again. “Sorry….”
Countess Rose watched patiently as all of the girls were involved in their own little private conversations. She held a small book in her lamp, open to a certain page.
“Ladies,” Rose said, getting everyone’s attention, “today we shall read a poem by Francis Heinech. ‘Golden arrows that reach me is the message from my beloved one. I am captive of love, dazed by the arrow tip.’“
“Nice poem,” Usagi commented quietly from her seat outside the window and on the tree branch level to the room. As her eyes wandered around the room, they quickly fixed on something of more interest… at least to her.
“What is it?” Luna asked curiously, sitting beside her.
“They’re having cheesecake!” Usagi exclaimed excitedly. Luna just sighed in exasperation.
Usagi leaned forward to get a better look and quickly lost her balance. She tumbled out of the tree, taking Luna with her.
“Ow…,” Usagi moaned painfully. Luna meowed her agreement.
“Excuse me, Miss,” a man in a suit said as he walked up to her, “but if you have any business, please enter through the front door. May I help you?” he asked when Usagi got to her feet.
“Yes, I’d like to sign up for the Princess Seminar,” she told him.
“I’m sorry, but you must be referred by one of the members in order to join,” he informed her.
“Reference?” she repeated thoughtfully, looking down at Luna. “Well…,” she continued, picking her up, “why don’t you ask her? She’ll be my reference.”
“I don’t think a reference from a cat would be sufficient,” he replied dryly.
“She is a most humorous young lady,” the Countess commented as she walked up to them. “Perhaps just this once we’ll take the reference from her feline friend.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It would be nice to have such an interesting and vivacious young lady such as her. But,” she added, turning to Usagi, “there is one condition.”
“Condition?” Usagi repeated. “Um, okay, as long is it isn’t performing tea ceremonies, or flower arranging, or cooking, or sewing, or putting on a kimono, or anything else including homework,” she added, rubbing the back of her head in chagrin.
Countess Rose laughed quietly. “My, the list of deficiencies is so long it’s impressive. Edward,” she said, turning to the man, “bring me the discus.” Edward bowed and left, then returned handing her a discus. “Here you go,” she said, handing Usagi the discus.
Usagi looked at the discus with some bewilderment. “The Countess loves discus throwing,” Edward explained to her. “So, the Countess requires all applicants for the seminar to be proficient at it.”
Usagi grinned and spun the discus on her right index finger. “No problem. I’m an expert at this,” she said and tossed the discus. Countess Rose watched as the discus flew up through the air and curved into the window of the room she had left when she had heard Usagi fall out of the tree. The discus emerged from the window a few seconds later, curved again and flew straight to Usagi’s waiting hand.
“That is very well done,” Countess Rose stated while clapping. “Welcome to the Princess Seminar.”
“All right!” Usagi exclaimed, leaping happily into the air.
“So, Usagi-chan went to Rose Manor to enroll in the Princess Seminar?” Rei said as soon as Luna finished telling the others about what happened earlier. “I bet she’ll come back crying in a minute or two.” The others all glanced at her from their positions around the porch of the main shrine building, giving her disapproving looks. Ryoku was seated up on the roof, though he didn’t give a reason why he sat up there when they asked him.
“But I’m impressed that she’s trying to become a princess by herself,” Makoto remarked.
“I hope she learns to become a proper princess,” Artemis commented.
“What do you mean, ‘proper’ princess?” Minako asked, glancing at Artemis. “Can’t she stay the way she is?”
“Of course not,” he replied. “She has to be plainly obvious to anyone that she’s a princess.”
“Why is that?” Ami asked.
“Otherwise, the Silver Crystal won’t release its full power.”
“Doesn’t sound very fair to me,” Ryoku commented from his seat on the roof. He then pushed off the roof and landed in front of the others. “The Silver Crystal should work regardless of whether she acts like a princess or not, as long as she has the skill and knowledge to use it. But, of course, that’s just my opinion.”
The others glanced at each other for a moment, thinking about Ryoku’s comment.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Minako said suddenly. “Why don’t we go join Usagi-chan?”
“All right!” all four girls agreed in unison, leaving an exasperated Luna, Artemis and Ryoku to glance at them in chagrin.
“Oh, brother…,” Artemis muttered in exasperation.
“Don’t worry,” Ryoku replied to the two cats. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to be enough,” Luna muttered dryly.
Usagi, now dressed in a new uniform complete with white gloves, stood at the end of one row of girls opposite of another row of girls. They were tossing a discus back and forth between them.
“This’s a breeze,” Usagi said to herself. “If this is all I have to do to become a princess, then I’ll be a princess in no time!”
From a second story room overlooking the girls, Countess Rose watched as the numerous discuses flew back and forth. “Is this what you wanted, Kunzite-sama?” she asked, turning around to face her visitor.
Kunzite stepped out of the shadow and into the light. “Sailor Moon’s move, ‘Moon Tiara Action’, is similar to the game that those girls are playing. Not only that, she is extremely clumsy.”
“So, in other words,” she added, “the one who is extremely proficient in the discus throw and is inept enough to fail the seminar is Sailor Moon.” She turned back to glance outside the window at the girls. “But, would Sailor Moon fall for your trap?”
“She will. That’s how Sailor Moon is.”
Why does this thing have to be so tight? Usagi wondered, squirming in her seat at the dinner table. The dress she was wearing threatened to cut off her blood circulation around her waist. I can hardly breathe!
“Finally!” she muttered as one of the waiters poured a ladle of soup into the bowl in front of her.
“Now, everyone,” Countess Rose said, seated at the head of the table, “let us enjoy our meal.”
“I’m starving,” Usagi said as she grabbed her spoon and began to eat her soup. Or, rather… slurp her soup. Everyone paused to glance at Usagi in chagrin and sweatdrop.
“You mustn’t slurp,” Edward whispered to Usagi.
“Oh, sorry,” Usagi apologized and tried again.
Slurp.
“Try again!”
Slurp.
“Try again without making any noise!”
Usagi sighed. “I can’t believe a meal can be this torturous!”
“Manner in language is very important for princesses,” Countess Rose explained. She glanced around the room to all of the young girls seated around the room. “The most important aspect is the use of honorifics. You must be able to use refined manner correctly.”
Usagi yawned. “This’s no different from school,” she muttered to herself.
Countess Rose turned to Usagi. “How do you offer coffee to a guest?”
“Um… err…. Would you… like to… may acquire… a cup of honorable coffee?” Usagi replied uncertainly. As the other girls giggled at her response, Usagi just laughed nervously.
“You do not have to apply an honorific to coffee,” Countess Rose replied, shaking her head in amusement. “‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ should be sufficient.”
“Whatever you say,” Usagi replied.
“Dance gracefully,” Countess Rose instructed as she watched the girls dance a waltz around the dance floor. “Un, deux, trois. Follow the music.” Each girl was paired with a young man and was waltzing gracefully around the floor, except for Usagi, who was having a little bit of trouble following the music.
“This is the final lesson in the Princess Seminar. Those of you who I tap on the shoulder shall graduate.”
Usagi tried her best to dance gracefully, but managed to stomp on her partner’s foot on accident.
“Ow! You’re on my foot!” he yelled in pain.
“Sorry,” Usagi replied apologetically.
“There you are, Usagi-chan,” a familiar voice said behind her. Makoto’s voice? She turned around and saw that everyone was there. Each girl was dressed in a similar lavender dress to hers with long gloves that reached their elbows. An even bigger surprise was that Ryoku was there, too. He was dressed in the same suit that the other young men wore. She noticed that he kept his ponytail tucked into the back of his dress coat, out of sight. He had the appearance of having short hair like the rest of the young men.
“Everyone’s here?” Usagi said in surprise.
“You can’t enjoy this by yourself,” Makoto said, grinning.
“Exactly,” Minako added. “Consider this a group outing.”
“You, too, Ryo-kun?” Usagi asked, noticing that he was paired with Ami.
Ryoku gave a half-grin and shrugged. “Why not? This was their idea, not mine. I just went with the majority.”
“It’s just as well, or else I would’ve dragged him down here,” Makoto joked.
Ryoku just smirked in response. “Let’s just dance, shall we?” he suggested wryly.
Rei became bored with the slow tempo of the music and tried speeding up her dance steps. Her partner, however, wasn’t ready for her change of pace and was swung around the floor in complete surprise.
Minako didn’t know how to waltz so she ended up trying to make up her own dance steps. Her partner tried his best to follow, but his attempts were futile, since her dancing was too random to follow.
Usagi tried her best to follow the music, but she just couldn’t get the rhythm down right.
Coincidently, all three ended up stomping on their partners’ feet at the same time. “Sorry,” they all said in unison, “I guess we don’t know how to dance well.”
Makoto’s partner was shorter than she was, but she didn’t seem to care. Her steps were light and graceful, which surprised her partner, since he was expecting her steps to be heavier and more deliberate. He also found it a bit daunting to see that the top of his head only came up to her eyes.
“You dance very well,” Ami commented, as she and Ryoku danced near the middle of the dance floor. Some of the girls who had already been tapped by Countess Rose had stopped to watch them dance.
“Thank you,” Ryoku replied as he twirled her around him.
“You must’ve had a lot of practice.”
“Not really. For some reason, dancing has always come naturally to me. Almost like my music.” He gave Ami a half-grin. “Of course, having a partner who is also a good dancer helps.”
“Thank you, Ryo-kun,” Ami replied with a shy smile.
Countess Rose walked over to them, tapping both Makoto’s shoulder and then Ami’s shoulder.
“Not that I’m surprised,” he commented casually. “I’ve always known that you and Mako-chan were perfect ladies. Well, Mako-chan might not act like it all the time, but as her brother, I know better.”
Ami smiled and laughed at that remark. “You don’t mind if I tell her what you said, do you?”
“Go ahead. She’s heard it enough from me anyway.”
“You have graduated,” Countess Rose announced as she tapped the last shoulder. “Congratulations.” All of the young men began to applaud the graduating young ladies. “I’d like all of the graduating young ladies to go into the next room. I’ll present each of you with a certificate there.”
Almost all of the girls went into the next room, including Makoto and Ami. “See ya,” Makoto said waiving to the only three who hadn’t graduated: Minako, Rei, and Usagi.
“We blew it,” all three muttered simultaneously and sighed.
“Sorry to hear that,” Ryoku told them. He was the only one of the young men who had stayed behind after the dancing session had ended. “Maybe you can try again next time.”
“Shut up, Ryo-kun,” all three muttered simultaneously again. He merely shrugged undauntedly.
All of the girls walked through the dark chamber looking for any sign of Countess rose. Most of the girls were staying in small, nervous groups. Ami and Makoto, who were used to weird things, were out in front.
“This looks so eerie,” Makoto commented, glancing at the numerous wax figures standing around them. All of them looked like young girls who seemed to be frightened of something.
“They seem so real,” Ami added.
“You’re right,” a voice said from within the darkness. “They are all real ladies.”
“What?” Ami gasped in shock.
“Youma?” Makoto exclaimed.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the monster said as she emerged from the shadows. “I am the youma Shakokai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended both of her hands forward and opened them. Each hand had a clamshell for a palm which, upon opening, sprayed wax upon all of the girls turning them all, including Makoto and Ami, instantly into wax figures.
In the ballroom, the screams of the girls were heard by the others.
“Did you hear that?” Usagi asked the others.
“Screaming,” Ryoku said, his eyes narrowing in concern.
“Something must’ve happened to the others,” Minako added.
“Let’s go,” Rei told them. Before they could start for the room, Shakokai emerged from the room.
“It’s a monster!” one of the servants exclaimed in fright and tried to run, the others following suit. Shakokai calmly sprayed them, turning them into wax figures in mid-step. As she turned to the others, Ryoku placed himself protectively in front of them.
“I’m sorry you failed the Princess Seminar,” she told them. “I believe one of you is Sailor Moon. Would you be so kind as to identify yourself?”
“What makes you say that?” Usagi demanded.
“Because there is no way that a blundering Sailor Moon could ever pass the Princess Seminar,” she told them.
“I see,” Minako said, nodding.
“You got that right,” Rei added.
“Hey! You don’t have to agree with her!” Usagi exclaimed.
Ryoku looked back at the girls and sighed in exasperation. Of all the times to start an argument.…
“Would you mind being wax dolls?” Shakokai asked, dodging around Ryoku and firing her wax spray at Usagi.
“Watch out!” Ryoku shouted and jumped in front of the stream of wax. The spray hit him and instantly turned him into a wax figure.
“Ryo-kun!” all three girls exclaimed at once. Shakokai fired her wax spray again, which all three girls dodged. She fired another shot, which missed all of them, but managed to shatter the window behind them.
“Let’s get outta here!” Rei shouted and leaped out the window, with Minako and Usagi quickly following. Luckily, the fall was a short one, despite the fact that due to their Sailor Scout powers they could land from a fall almost one and a half times that height and not get hurt.
“All right, let’s do it,” Usagi shouted and raised her hand into the air. “Moon prism power, make up!”
“Mars power, make up!”
“Venus power, make up!”
“Now, where did those three go…?” Shakokai said as she leaped out the window as well.
“You will not get away with making Sailor Moon a failure,” Sailor Moon declared from behind her. She turned around to see Sailor Moon, Mars, and Venus standing behind her. “I’m the Sailor Warrior fighting for love and justice, Sailor Moon!”
“Likewise, Sailor Mars!”
“And Sailor Venus!”
“On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
“So, one of the three was Sailor Moon after all,” Shakokai said undauntedly. “Please accept my humble attack!”
“I’ll burn them off!” Mars said, aiming for the pearls inside the clamshells. “Fire soul!”
“Crescent beam!”
Shakokai fired her wax spray at the two attacks, turning each one into a wax mess midair. The three Scouts watched as their powers thudded onto the ground in front of them.
“Crescent Beam and Fire Soul are useless?” Sailor Moon exclaimed in shock. “Then, my Moon Tiara Action wouldn’t work either.”
“I will have very nice wax dolls indeed,” Shakokai said, advancing toward Sailor Moon.
“Uh, no thanks,” Sailor Moon said, waving her hands in dismissal. “I like dolls, but I don’t wanna become one.”
Suddenly, a black rose flew through the air to land in front of the three Scouts.
“That rose…,” Sailor Moon said quietly. “Is that…?”
“Nicely done, Shakokai,” Tuxedo Kamen said walking up to her.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama, did you come to save us?” Sailor Moon asked hopefully.
“Sailor Moon,” he said, turning to her. “Hand me the Silver Crystal. In exchange, I’ll spare your life.”
“Wait!” Shakokai exclaimed in consternation. “That would contradict Kunzite-sama’s orders!”
“Well, Sailor Moon?” he asked, ignoring her.
“You can’t be doing this,” she said despondently.
“Wake up, Sailor Moon!” Venus shouted. “He’s not the Tuxedo Kamen you used to know.”
“Endymion. Stop interfering in my plans,” Kunzite told him as he appeared on Shakokai’s other side.
“What are you talking about?” Tuxedo Kamen asked, feigning ignorance.
“I am carrying out this plan,” Kunzite continued. “You are not a part of this.”
“The objective is to get the Silver Crystal,” Tuxedo Kamen countered. “That’s all.”
“What?” Shakokai said, thoroughly confused at her superiors’ conflicting wishes. “What should I…?”
“Finish off Sailor Moon!” Kunzite ordered.
“No, the Silver Crystal first!” Tuxedo Kamen commanded.
“Sailor Moon!”
“Silver Crystal!”
“Sailor Moon!”
“Silver Crystal!”
Shakokai sighed and shook her head. “From whom shall I take my orders?” she muttered tiredly.
“Oh, feeling tired? Would you like a cup of honorable coffee for a rest?” Sailor Moon asked, offering her a cup of coffee.
“Did I not tell you that coffee does not have to have an honorific?” Shakokai chided.
Sailor Moon grinned and brought out her Crescent Moon Wand. “Moon healing escalation!” she shouted, rotating the wand in a large circle in front of her, ending above her head. As she held the wand above her head, a white glow emanated from the wand and covered the monster, returning her to her normal form. She then collapsed onto the ground. Kunzite growled angrily and left.
“It was Countess Rose after all,” Sailor Moon said, then turned her wand toward Tuxedo Kamen. “Now, I’ll return Tuxedo Kamen-sama to the way he was.”
Tuxedo Kamen quickly stepped back from Sailor Moon. “Sailor Moon, you can keep the Silver Crystal until we meet again. Farewell.” He turned around and vanished.
The moment Shakokai had turned back into Countess Rose, all of the waxed victims returned to normal. Ryoku burst into the room where all of the young ladies were held as wax figures. He quickly rushed over to Ami and Makoto.
“Where’s the youma?” Makoto asked.
Ryoku half-grinned and pointed toward the window. Everyone looked to where he was pointing and saw the silhouette of Sailor Moon standing there, her long twin ponytails flapping in the wind. She remained there for a few moments then leaped away. Ryoku, Makoto and Ami all shared a knowing glance and led the other girls out of the room.
“There you go again!” Luna chided the next day. “What about all that Princess Seminar training you had?”
“I’ve made up my mind,” Usagi informed her.
“On what?” Luna asked.
“I’ve decided that I’ll be a princess in my own way,” Usagi told her. “See ya!” And with that she quickly dashed off to school, leaving Luna to stare after her in complete bewilderment.
“Does she even know what she’s talking about?” Luna wondered aloud as she watched her trip and fall a short distance away. She sighed to herself and walked back into the house.