Kino Makoto awoke with such alacrity that she found herself standing next to her bed before her eyes had completely opened. Breathing hard, she slowly came to full consciousness. With great deliberation she stood up straight, unclenched her fists and allowed the oath on her lips to die unspoken.
She put a hand to her forehead, feeling for fever, and closing her eyes against the images that assaulted her.
“What a bizarre dream!” she exclaimed, as she opened her eyes once again, looking around at her familiar surroundings. She began to giggle at the sheer absurdity of it. Imagine, she, Kino Makoto, a sailor-suited superhero! It was downright ridiculous. The laugh that followed sent the remnants of the surreal dream packing.
Feeling better, Makoto went and made her morning ablutions. Walking back into the living room, wrapping a towel around her wet hair, she set a pot of water to heat. Again, she smiled at the confused, now swiftly fading images of last night’s dream.
What would it be like, she wondered? To have superhuman power…she’d always been strong, and tall for her age, but in her dream for once it had not been a disadvantage. And her attack…
Drinking her tea, Makoto stared out the window. There had been a ponytailed bishounen. Zoisite? What a weird name. She shook her head at her own imagination. Been reading too many manga, obviously. And Sailor Moon was that girl Usagi? And the cat talked? Makoto began to laugh again at the ridiculous thought. I’m obviously stressed from changing schools again.
No time to dwell on that bizarre dream, anyway. Time to get ready for school. She retrieved her uniform from the closet and pulled on the blouse. She smoothed the skirt, frowning as her hand brushed something bulky in the pocket. The small frown fixed on her face as she reached into the pocket, pulling out a pen-sized green and gold object.
The color drained from her face, followed by a dark red rush of blood. “Oh my God!” she whispered hoarsely. This was the pen Luna had given her in her dream! “This can’t be real…it can’t. There are no superheroes.” Her voice was barely audible. What made her giggle as a dream was far too overwhelming as a reality.
“This has got to be some kind of joke,” she said to the pen. Shrugging, she stared at herself in the mirror over her vanity. “There’s only one way to find out…” Holding the pen aloft, she spoke the words as Luna had told her. “Jupiter Power Make Up!” Her voice grew in resonance, the final words echoing in some space that was not her small apartment.
With a thrill, Makoto could feel, once again, the change that overcame her. This was definitely not a dream. What happened yesterday was not a dream! This transformation, so new yesterday, now felt as if she had been doing it all her life. Her strength, always a part of her, was multiplied, and her body surged with a new kind of power. She remembered the words that had sprang unbidden to her lips, calling on her guardian planet, Jupiter, and the charge that built between her fingers. She stared as her hands began to glow and quickly, let the charge dissipate before she had to dispose of it in a more extreme manner. Supreme Thunder? Isn’t that what she had shouted?
My god! She looked at herself in the mirror. While she looked exactly the same, there was something different about her. She practically radiated energy and strength. She put a hand to her cheek and the reflection in the mirror did the same. She smiled at herself, and the reflection smiled back reassuringly.
Once again, Makoto began to laugh. This time it was accompanied by a exuberant dance of joy. A sailor-suited fighter for love and justice! She spun and landed in an exaggerated pose of defiance. Still laughing, she thought about detransforming, and like, well, like magic, there she stood, in her blouse, panties and socks, staring once again at herself in the mirror. She stuck the pen back in her pocket, slipped on her skirt and tied back her hair into its usual ponytail. The smile didn’t leave her face the entire time.
Just as she grabbed up her bookbag, and made ready to leave, the doorbell rang. Stopping suddenly, Makoto checked around, as if there might be some lingering sign that she was pretending to be, no, was Sailor Jupiter. Blushing slightly, Makoto answered the door.
Smiling happily, her blue eyes twinkling, Usagi stood facing the door, but talking over her shoulder to a blue-haired girl…Ami, Makoto recalled . Ami’s eyes were solemn but sweet, as she acknowledged the door opening. Usagi practically bounced out of her skin at the noise.
“Oh!” she cried and then laughed at herself. “Good morning, Mako-chan! I hope you don’t mind, but I thought you might like to walk to school with us this morning.”
Makoto met Ami’s eyes, and she nodded very slightly. So, this was Sailor Mercury. Then Sailor Mars must be that other girl, Rei. Looking down at Usagi, Makoto grinned broadly. This might just turn out to be the best thing that ever happened in her life. “I’d like that, thanks!” She stepped out of the apartment, shutting the door firmly behind her. The three humans and the cat launched into an intense discussion of their mission, overwhelming Makoto with the sheer magnitude of what she had fallen into.
“And don’t forget,” Luna added as they separated from her, “we’re meeting today after school at Rei’s shrine.” The girls nodded and turned towards the school.
At the door, Usagi stopped. Turning to Makoto, she squeezed the tall girl’s hand and began to skip off down the hall backwards. “See you at lunch, Mako-chan!” she yelled, just as she slammed into another student.
Ami laughed and caught Makoto’s eyes. “I have to go.” She gestured towards the now hysterical Usagi, “But I wanted you to know, we’re all glad you’re part of the group.” She waved a little, and strode quickly towards the screaming girl.
Makoto waved a little, then turned towards her own classroom, shaking her head slightly. At last she spoke, sotto voce. “What a bizarre dream.” And with a smile, took her books out for her first period class.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon © Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai Visual, Kodansha, etc.
Original situations and characters, E. Friedman, The background music is “Sailor Team no Theme” written by Takeuchi Naoko, Composed by Kosaka Akiko, arranged by Totsuka Osamu, performed by Asakawa Hiroko . Cute little tune – very insidious.