Notes at the bottom, as usual. The majority of characters in this story are owned and/or copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, Disney, Bandai, Toei Animation, Seagull Entertainment, Graz Entertainment, Sunrise, Mixxzine, Saban, Playmates, and probably a half dozen other corporations which I've neglected to mention. I should add for the benefit of their respective legal departments that I make no claim to the characters which the previously listed or referred to companies have copyrighted, and I am not making any money from the distribution of these stories (if I were, do you think I'd still be working at McDonald's?) The characters which do not appear in either the Sailor Moon or Ronin Warriors shows are mine. Touch them and die. Now that that's out of the way... Crystal Scouts #3 "Real Estate Blues" The girl lay quietly in her bed, fast asleep. Her face was so peaceful one might have wondered what dreams she was having. Nobody would have wanted to disturb her serenity to ask her, however... Nobody but the shadowed figure slowly opening her door. Stealthily the intruder crept toward the girl's bed. A dark hand reached out for her shoulder... The figure spoke in an urgent voice, shaking the girl awake. "Tori...Tori..." The girl sat bolt upright. "Huh--wha--" The figure switched on the bedside lamp. "Tori, it's just me, Merry. Time to get up or we'll be late." Tori sank back to the plush pillows. "Not fair--shouldn't start a new semester day after final exams..." "Hurry up and get dressed," Merry said as she walked toward the door. "I've got breakfast ready." "Breakfast--" "Yeah, breakfast. You know, food? Better hurry, too. Pop-Tarts don't taste too good when they're cold." Merry barely dodged the pillow Tori threw at her. In another part of San Francisco, another girl was just waking up as well. This neighborhood, however, was far from Tori and Merry's, both in distance and in sophistication. Thirty years ago, it would have been referred to as the wrong side of the tracks (that is, back when trains were in style). None of this made any difference to the girl. This was her alley, her neighborhood, no matter what. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home... The girl wore fading blue jeans and a dark blue windbreaker, both with a few holes in them, like most things in the nieghborhood. Her most striking feature was her hair--a shade of dark blue. Most people who asked if it was natural wound up checking their teeth. The girl blinked her eyes open--and kept blinking. A dark blue crystal had embedded itself in the pavement near her head. The crystal, unblinking, gazed back at her. Had this crystal been here last night, when she lay down here to sleep? She couldn't remember--it had been too dark to see much of anything anyway. Finally, she reached out to touch it, to prove that it was real. Her grimy hand met with the crystal instead of passing through it, as she thought it would. As she picked up the crystal, the wind seemed to pick up a little too. The girl unconsciously pulled her windbreaker a little tighter around herself. The wind didn't seem to bother her anymore. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the crystal. Tori sat in the front row of the classroom, with Merry on her right. Ordinarily Tori would have chosen a seat near the back, but this was her favorite class and her favorite teacher. Honors Literature with Mr. Murphy. Tori loved reading the stories of years gone by (even though she hated history, something Merry had never exactly figured out). Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the King Arthur legends, Shakespeare's tragedies--Tori loved them all. She loved Mr. Murphy, too (his teaching style, that is). Instead of sitting at his desk, he taught on his feet, occasionally walking around the room, but more often standing possessively by his Jane Fonda swimsuit calendar and emphasizing important points by smacking the chalkboard with a yardstick. He didn't spend all his time lecturing the class, either. Ordinarily, after introducing a work, talking about it, then giving everyone the evening to read it, he'd open the floor to the class for discussion. If the debate seemed a little off-track, he'd casually mention something to return to the topic. Then again, sometimes he'd stray slightly from the subject matter to illustrate a point by telling a story. Tori's favorite was the one about the golden retriever, simply because of its grisly and unexpected ending. All in all, Tori thought, it only made sense to start a new semester with Mr. Murphy's class--one she'd gladly get up early for. Tori stretched and smiled contentedly as the door opened, fully expecting Mr. Murphy to jauntily walk in. Her smile froze as the assistant principal strode over to her. "Miss Brand, Miss Rivers," she said. "I would like to see you in my office right now." "Yes, Miss Lawrence," they responded automatically. As they followed her out the door, the two exchanged surprised glances. Miss Lawrence's room was deliberately designed for intimidation. Her desk lay bare except for a telephone and the relevant paperwork, while the only other furnishings in the spartan room were hardback chairs--very uncomfortable, especially during interrogation. Out of the three chairs in front of Miss Lawrence's desk, two were empty. The third was occupied by an orange-haired girl who quickly arose to greet Tori and Merry when they entered. "Hello," the girl said. "I'm Roxanne Grant." "Nice to meet you," Tori replied. "I'm Tori Brand and this is Mered--" a sharp elbow made her change her choice of words--"Merry Rivers." "Now that introductions are finished, have a seat, ladies," Miss Lawrence said. She clasped her hands on the desk in front of her. "Miss Brand, Miss Rivers," Miss Lawrence began, "you know that I usually do not ask for favors--but this is an unusual situation. Miss Grant is a new student here at Sutter Academy. She and her parents were to move here from New York, but the sale of their house there as well as their purchase of one here both fell through. I'm afraid that, for the time being, Miss Grant needs a place to stay." She paused awkwardly. "Would-- would you be willing to let Miss Grant stay with you until this problem is solved?" "Gee, it's--it's not really my call," Tori said, carefully judging Roxanne's reaction--downcast, as she'd expected. "I mean, it's Merry's family that owns the house..." She trailed off, staring at Merry. Merry glanced at Roxanne's bowed head. "Of course she can stay with us," she said, watching as Roxanne's face immediately brightened. "Like my dad says, the more the merrier." Merry had started to giggle before she realized where she was. Amazingly, there was a hint of a smile on Miss Lawrence's face too. "Very well then," Miss Lawrence said. "I've arranged Miss Grant's schedule so that she is always with one of you--so that you may 'show her the ropes', so to speak." She checked her watch. "Which means that you should all be returning to Honors Literature by now. Good day." The three fled from Miss Lawrence's office. The girl in the windbreaker strode confidently toward her destination. Nothing was going to stop her now... Except the three punks with hair colored more strangely than hers who stepped out of an alley in front of her. "Well, well," said the leader. "What's this?" "More of a fighter than you'll ever be," she replied, backhanding him and sending him to the pavement. The other two jumped at her simultaneously. She took a quick step backwards and brought her hands together, catching their heads in between. "I've gotta couple minutes ta kill," she said, walking up to the leader and lifting him by the shirtfront. "Mind if I stick around here?" "No," he choked. "Please-please go away." She dropped him and wordlessly walked away. "I-I don't know what to say," Roxanne stammered. "Hmm...how about 'thanks'? Or maybe 'we're going to have a lot of fun together'? Nah, too trite..." Merry clamped her hand over Tori's mouth. "You'll have to excuse her. She can be...exasperating at times." Tori broke free. "I am not! Besides, you're my _best_ friend--and you've never said anything until _now_? In front of someone we've just met?" Roxanne blushed. "You two _are_ just joking, right? Just to break the ice?" "Guilty as charged," Tori admitted. "So, what do you thing of San Francisco so far?" "I haven't seen enough of it yet," Roxanne replied. "But I know one thing--I'm going to like this school a _lot_ more than my old one. The people are _definitely_ more friendly here." "Just most of the students, not the teachers." "Tori!" "What?" "Let her make her own decisions. I'm sure she'll find something to hate here before the day is out." All three laughed at that statement. The girl stared forlornly at the CLOSED sign in Joey's window. Joey supposedly ran a pawnshop, but everyone on the street knew he was really a fence--a merchant in stolen goods. The girl had figured he was her best bet to sell the crystal--but now... The rest of the school day passed uneventfully. Tori and Merry escorted Roxanne to the cherry-red Camaro. "Wow, a ninety-seven!" Roxanne said admiringly. Tori spun the keys on her finger. "Everybody ready?" "Buckle up tight, Roxanne," Merry said in a stage whisper. "I've got a small favor to ask first," Roxanne said quietly. Tori stopped revving the engine. "What's that?" "Can we go shopping?" "Huh?" "You see, all my clothes are in storage. All I've got to wear is this uniform and one other outfit..." Tori was already on the road before Roxanne could finish. "Next stop, the mall!" she announced. Tori skidded into the last close parking spot a split second before a white-haired old lady could. Roxanne tottered unsteadily from the Camaro. "I-I guess that takes some getting used to..." "Great," Tori joked. "Now there's two of them." Merry shrugged off Tori's insult. "Where exactly did you want to go?" "I just planned on checking from store to store," Roxanne answered. "Okay. After the food area, there's the restrooms, then a jewelry store and the Gap on the right. Sound all right to you?" "No problem!" The blue-haired girl cautiously surveyed everyone as she entered the mall. There was a woman with a baby in a stroller. An old man bought his grandson an ice-cream cone. Three girls in school uniforms passed by. The blue-haired girl was in luck--a jewelry store was up ahead. She had almost reached the store when it exploded. Roxanne had just picked up some clothes to try on in the fitting rooms when the explosion knocked the three girls down. "What the--" Tori began, from her facedown position on the floor. Merry reached Roxanne first. "Leave the store and turn right. There's an exit about a hundred yards down on the left." Roxanne nodded and disappeared. "Tori! You all right!" "This carpet doesn't taste too good..." "Let's go! It's Sailor time!" Roxanne stopped at the entrance of the store. No way was she going to desert her friends... "Blue Crystal Power!" "Red Crystal Power!" Roxanne saw a blue flash of light, followed by a red one. All she caught through the pyrotechnics and smoke was that those were Tori's and Merry's voices she'd heard...and that they were holding crystals up while shouting those words--crystals like the one in her pocket. Suddenly two girls in Sailor outifts came running toward her. They stopped in their tracks when they saw her. "Uhh...miss, it's not safe here," the one in blue said. "The exit is that way." "You're not fooling anybody, Merry," Roxanne said as the Sailors' jaws dropped. "Whatever you're doing, I'm going to help." "Roxanne, I don't think..." "Orange Crystal Power!" The blue-haired girl slowly pushed herself up from the ground. She had cuts all over her body, but that didn't matter...only getting herself to safety... From the smoke, three figures materialized. As she got closer to them, she saw that two were wearing sailor-style costumes, while the third seemed to be arguing with them... Until the third figure raised a crystal high and an orange flash blinded her. By the time she could see again, all three were wearing sailor suits. "Where did you--" "No time to explain. Let's go save some people!" "Wait!" the Blue Sailor commanded. "What's your power?" "Huh?" "What do you feel?" "Strong and tough, like rock...like earth." Her hand glowed orange, then faded. "Now, can we go?" "Sure thing, Orange Sailor." It was definitely a very weird idea. The blue-haired girl stared at the dark blue crystal in her hand... and raised it. "Blue Crystal Power!" Nothing happened. "Dark Blue Crystal Power!" Still nothing. The girl examined the crystal again. It was still the same dark blue crystal, but she still felt there was something else there... She began to think--something she hadn't really had to do for a while. One sailor in red, one in orange, and one in blue...what was the connection? Colors...colors of the rainbow? And in the rainbow, another name for dark blue was... "Indigo Crystal Power!" "Time to put this fire out, Blue Sailor," the Orange Sailor suggested. "No problem," the Blue Sailor replied. "Water--Stream!" The water cascading from her hands quenched the burning debris. It also revealed a monster standing amid the wreckage. It appeared to be inspired by a fire truck, with twin cannons on its arms. "Not bad, Sailor girl," it said before firing a stream back at her from its right arm. "I guess I'll have to dry this out again." The flames spurting from its left arm set some of the wreckage on fire again. "Fight fire with fire, I always say," the Red Sailor said. "Fire-- Flame!" Water shot from the monster's right arm cannon back at her, stopping her attack. "Looks like you're all washed up," the monster laughed. A bolt of blue suddenly tackled the monster from behind. Its punches were damaging the monster, until the monster caught its opponent in a headlock. "Friend of yours?" it asked. The three Sailors stared at the fourth. She was dressed in a dark blue uniform exactly like theirs...and she was in trouble. "Let her go!" the Orange Sailor ordered. "Make me." The Orange Sailor felt power building up inside her. "All right, you asked for it. Earth--Shake!" The ground beneath the monster trembled, cracked, and began to disappear. The monster dropped the fourth Sailor before falling into the earth. The crack closed up after it. The Red and Blue Sailors staggered to their feet. "Is it--" "Yeah, it's gone. Who's the other Sailor?" "I've never seen her before," the Blue Sailor answered. "Me either--hey, where'd she go?" the Red Sailor asked. "She didn't--" "No," the Orange Sailor said. "She broke free...but why would she run?" "I don't know," the Red Sailor replied. "But I think our problems are just beginning." Pearl punched the console in frustration. Not only had she failed in her unauthorized mission, but now there were _four_ crystals activated. At this rate, all seven crystals would be activated in enemy hands any time now... Roxanne yawned from the backseat of the Camaro. "Not bad for a first day in town," she said. "New school, new house, new friends..." "New superpowers?" Merry asked. "That too. By the way, you were right." "About what?" "That I'd find something to hate." "Those monsters?" "No, this blouse," Roxanne said, holding up a flowered shirt. "I really shouldn't have bought it." Merry and Tori groaned as Roxanne laughed. Hi, it's me again. Here are the notes... * My brother woke me up once like Merry did Tori. (He and Merry are wrong, too! Pop-Tarts taste _best_ when they're cold!) * Okay, the railroads were another reference to the past...locomotives were cool. * Here's your introduction to the great English guru, Murphy. He did do all that I've attributed to him, plus some others (like combing his hair once a month and accidentally spilling Sex Appeal perfume in his classroom, which stunk for two weeks. Ask sometime about the golden retriever story.) * I never got in enough trouble in high school to be in the assistant principal's office...so the decor is guesswork. * The sad thing is, I know a couple of girls who fight like the girl in the windbreaker...once when I was with one of them. (It made me feel a little worthless, too...then again, I'm mostly a pacifist anyway...) * I know a couple of girls who drive like Tori, too. * Yeah, so this chapter is shorter than the others. Oh well. I could have introduced on e of three characters here; I chose Roxanne. This way, it'll be like the original three Sailors living together: the slightly dippy leader, the school genius who can't seem to make a good impression on the leader, and the outsider introduced to new friends. And no, Roxanne won't choose the same way to fit in that Raye did: to bash the leader every chance she gets, in an effort to improve her.