Character Sketches #1, Sailor Mercury - Part I, "Mizuno the Senshi"
Chapter 5: In which events deteriorate, and a conference ic called.

TOKYO (AP)-Officials today urged calm in Tokyo as the number of terrorist attacks in the city has risen. The attacks have thus far injured hundreds, and have frightened many Japanese to a state not seen since W.W.II.

Many citizens report witnessing attacks by strange, bizarre-looking humans, often with odd numbers of limbs, hair color, or grotesque bodies.

Terrorist experts here are at a loss to explain the attacks. No group has claimed responsibility, and all attempts to stop them by both police and the Japanese self-defense force (JSDF) have failed. Indeed, only the recently found Sailor Scouts have been able to hold back the tide of violence, but even they seem to have met their breaking point. They have recently ceased all communications with the media, and refuse to comment on the situation.

The opposition party, furious with Prime Minister Michosaki's lack of control over the situation, is now calling for him to consult the Scouts on the matter. Many insiders say that that is his only chance for re-election next year, to say nothing of his party's holding their majority in the Diet.

"But I just don't understand why!" Ami was not pleased, neither with her school work lately, nor with her mother.

"She's always been understanding before, no harsh words for being out late for sailor business, nothing about hanging around Usagi, even though she could have said things about her being a bad influence-"

"Which would have been true," supplied Rei. The two were at her temple, fretting over youma attacks, media attacks, and homework attacks (being known superheros hadn't lessened their schoolwork one whit).

"But even then...ever since my father left, she's always been there for me, and...."

"Here," murmured Rei inaudibly, "is something we've never found out about." Aloud, she said, "Um, not to pry or anything, but-"

"What happened to my dad? Well, I don't know too much, actually." She paused to turn off another radio news report on the havoc being wreaked in Tokyo. One could only take so much depressing news at a time, and talking about her father satisfied Ami's appetite. "I think he was a foreigner studying here. Apparently, he met my mother while they were at school, got married, had me...then, when I was four, they split up. I still don't know why. But it had to be a good reason: my mother always thinks things through."

"Like an older you with black hair, you mean?"

This elicited a smile from Ami. Rei was glad, she'd been trying for days to get her out of her funk. "Kind of. And that's what I don't understand. She always considers every option and alternative like that. That's one of the reasons she's such a good doctor. She just *wouldn't* throw me out like that. It's almost as if she's possessed or something."

Rei was alarmed. For rock-steady Ami to be talking like this, things must be getting really bad. "Well, I could do a fire-reading if you think it will help...."

"Would you? Gomen! I think I'll go over there today, too, just to try and talk to her. You have no idea how much this helps, what with Urawa away and all..." She trailed off, looking strangely at the window. Something was there that definitely shouldn't be. "Um, Rei, don't look now, but I think-"

Rei had looked over at the window at the last few words, and what she saw wasn't exactly pleasing to her eyes. In the small crack afforded by the split of the curtain, one could see the top of a head and the lens of a 35mm camera.

"Ami, is there any reason why I shouldn't Fire Soul the hell out of this character?"

Ami decided that this was a rhetorical question. Or rather, she hoped that this was so. It was too late to wonder, though. Rei was already rolling up her sleeves and racing out the door. Ami decided to wait around; she could hear through the thin temple walls quite easily.

"Ah, Rei-sama! Could you answer-"

"Look, pal, I've had it up to *here* with your camera crap! You have exactly one second to get the hell out of here!"

"Um."

"Time's up! Take this you no good, blood sucking media leech! Take pictures of me in my home, will ya? "

"Ohhhh."

"Sayonara, baka."

"Buh."

A few seconds after that exchange, Rei, smiling brightly, walked back into her room, dusting her hands off.

And a few seconds after that, the last straw broke.

It broke at 5:43pm local time, in the heart of Tokyo's financial district. A standard three meter tall blue-furred youma materialized out of nowhere and commenced wreaking havoc upon a nearby multinational bank. The guards, some of the best-armed people in Japan, were rendered helpless, and all seemed lost. A bystander, busily racing from the scene, reflected that the Sailor Senshi should have some sort of hotline for this sort of thing.

And a few seconds after that, both Ami's and Rei's communicators beeped.

"I'll get it," said Ami. "Mako-chan! What's going on?"

Jupiter seemed out of breath. "Youma, and it's a bad one this time--right in the bank area. People are panicking, and we need to get things--oomph--under control fast!"

The sounds of an unintelligible shout and crackling electricity followed.

"OK, we'll be there right away." She punched a few buttons on the communicator and began to get Usagi and Minako on the line.

"Um, exactly how are we going to get there?" asked Rei. "That part of the city's kilometers away. It'll take us forever!"

Ami eyed Grandpa's ancient, beat up green army jeep, left over from occupation days. It had been laying around for years since he had won it in some giveaway. "Not quite."

"So, where'd you learn to drive one of these things?"

"Oh, I picked up some things here and there. Isn't that hard, really. Oh, hold on!"

Sailors Mercury and Mars bounced in the air as the jeep took a particular bump rather badly. They had raced from Juuban at a breakneck pace, ignoring all traffic laws. So far, they had had near misses with three mailboxes, a cat, twelve cars, and a pedestrian who appeared to be some kind of music teacher--his dark eyes had looked angrily at them as his papers flew about him.

"It wasn't a compliment, Mercury. LOOK OUT!"

They narrowly avoided another car, and then, before Mercury could hit anything else, they were there. They wasted no time at all to get out and go to work.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Burning Mandala!"

The youma, baked on one side and frozen on the other, writhed in pain. He never saw the tandem that followed, and perhaps it was better that way.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

"Crescent Beam!"

At this point the beast was ready to yield. It would not get the chance.

"Moon Princess Halation!"

And with that, it was over.

"Um, these guys are getting way too easy," said Venus. "Mercury, did you have a clock on that?"

"Hai, and it's not good. From our arrival, it took 34.3 seconds to defeat him."

"Isn't that a good thing?" The new voice took the senshi by surprise; even the press had opted out of covering this battle. They turned to see a black-haired man in a suit, carrying a briefcase. He retrieved a notebook from a pocket and consulted it before continuing.

"I'm Kenji Haruna, and I'm from the...is something wrong?"

It was impossible. In a city with so many people, it couldn't be possible, and yet they had to ask.

"Um," said Jupiter tentatively, "do you know a Sakurada Haruna? Not to pry, but-"

"I do," he said sharply. Are you...no, that's...could you...?"

"Be her students?"

"Well..."

"Yes. Myself, and Sailor Moon."

"She's my ex-wife, and I'd rather not talk about it anymore. The real reason that I am here is because the Prime Minister would like to speak to you."

"NANI?!?"

He seemed unperturbed by their reaction. "I represent Michosaki-san, and he has requested a meeting with you at the earliest possible convenience. I've already arranged for transportation to his residence, so-"

"Hold on a minute," said Mars, her disgust barely concealed. "Exactly how do we know you're not the one behind all this?"

"Well, um-"

"He isn't." Everyone looked at Mercury with surprise. "I'm not reading anything bad off him," she continued, peering through her visor at him and the attache in turn. "He could probably use a shower, but-"

"Right this way!" said Haruna, trying desperately to turn the tide of the conversation. The senshi, faced with the prospects of the PM or the rapidly synthesizing media mob, made a quick decision.

"Does the limousine have a bar?"