Yawning hugely, Usagi blinked sleepily and rolled over to look at her alarm clock. “What?!?!?!” she screamed, jumping out of bed. Five minutes later, she ran around the corner, one shoe halfway on, a piece of toast in her mouth, and her book bag hanging open. “I’m gonna be late, I’m gonna be late, I’m gonna be late!!” wailed two voices at the same time. As Usagi reached the front of the school, a woman with long black hair pulled up in a half bun ran across the street, and straight into Usagi. With a loud thud, both hit the ground, scattering books and papers all over the place. Both bent to pick up their things. As Usagi grabbed at some of the papers that were floating away on a strong gust of wind, the woman gently grabbed her arm and sighed. “Don’t bother, honey.” She said dejectedly. “I don’t need those.” Suddenly, her other hand snapped out and grabbed a piece of paper as it flew past. “You, on the other hand, might need this.” She said, handing Usagi the homework that she had actually done. “Wow!” Usagi exclaimed. “Thanks!” The woman tilted her head to the side and smiled. Then she stood up, and offered Usagi a hand up. “My name is Ankoku Shizuka.” “And mine’s Tsukino Usagi, Ms. Ankoku.” Usagi said just as the bell rang. “Yipe!” Usagi shrieked. “Now I really am gonna be late! Miss Haruna’s gonna kill me!” The woman stared at her, then laughed. “I’m subbing for Miss Haruna today, so if you’ll show me to her room, then I’ll pretend that you showed up on time today, okay?” “Deal!” Usagi said immediately. They shook hands, and walked into the building together.
Later that day, at lunch, the students of Miss Haruna’s class sat around, discussing their substitute teacher. “I heard she was a model up until last year, when she got pregnant.” Molly said. “Yeah, I heard that, too.” Melvin said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Makoto laughed. “You don’t get muscles like that just modeling clothes.” She said. “I heard that she’s a professional fighter in the U.S. and decided to 6take up teaching a few years ago.” “With hair like that?” Minako asked incredulously. “Frankly, I think that she was just an ordinary teacher who decided to move to Japan. That’s definitely more believable than either of your stories.” All four students sat and ate in silence for several minutes. About four or five minutes later, a shadow fell over the group. They all looked up to see Miss Ankoku standing over them, a pleasant smile on her face. “Excuse me, Usagi,” she said, “but could you help me out? I’m a little on the lost side here.” “ Sure.” Usagi said, standing up. “And you too, Makoto?” She asked, smiling down at the tall brunette, even though both were standing up. Mako simply nodded and pushed off the wall she was leaning against. The three walked down the hall and into an empty classroom. Suddenly, Shizuka slammed the door shut, locked it, and turned to face the two teenagers. “Alright.” She said. “The jig’s up. I know who you are. You are Sailors Moon and Jupiter, and don’t you deny it. You both stick out like sore thumbs in this place. I left Venus out of this little meeting because she might have attacked me before hearing me out.” She paused for a breath before continuing. “I am Sailor Darknight. I came to Japan because I need your help. If you’re willing to hear my story, then I’ll tell it to you; if not, I’ll leave tomorrow to find someone who cares about this planet’s future.”
