Chapter 14: The Beat of a Different Drum

Deep in the secret hideout of the Deathbusters, a secret door marked "Witches 5" stood in the gloom. A phone rang and one of the Witches answered. "What?"

"I've read your report, Eudial. You will change the way we search for talismans," answered the ever familiar voice of Professor Chronos. "I'm leaving it all up to you."

"I know of a girl with a very pure soul who plays drums. She'll be our next target." Eudial clicked on a device.

Serena walked home with Mina, Lita, and Ami. "I want to go to the Juuban festival."

"Can we?" Mina piped in.

"It'll be so much fun," Lita put in.

They all turned to Ami, waiting for her permission not to go to the study session. "Alright," she relented. "It might be good to have a day off."

Lita asked, "I wonder where Rei is? She's skipping the study session."

A blur of a bicycle sped past them. It skidded to a halt, then crashed in front of a coffee shop. A girl stood up. It was Rei!

A devilish grin crossed Serena's face. "Let's spy on her."

They followed Rei into store and sat down at a table. Rei sat down at another table where a girl had already been sitting.

"Sorry I'm late," Rei apologized to the girl.

"Maybe she's going on a date," suggested Mina.

Lita added, "Maybe that's a guy dressed up as a girl."

"I don't think so, Lita," Ami added doubtfully.

"Argh! We're to far away to hear anything!" Serena moaned in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Rei continued her conversation, unaware of her spying friends. "Will you help me?"

Bringing coffee, the waitress said, "Here are your orders." Serena and company snuck up behind the waitress, attempting to listen to Rei's conversation.

Rei looked up at the waitress. "Something's wrong." She looked around suspiciously. The others tried desperately to stay behind the waitress while Rei looked around.

The waitress backed up and into Serena. She dropped the coffee on Rei's head. Rei saw Serena. "What do you think your doing?! This is all your fault!"

The girl stood up. "I accept your offer. I'll help out."

After she left, Serena asked, "Who was that, Rei?"

Rei told her story in a rather unthrilled voice. "I'm a member of the organization for making the Juuban festival fun. One of grandpa's friends asked me to help. The girl I was talking to is called Maya Touno, a really good drummer. I thought having her would make the festival exciting."

Serena smiled. "I want to be a drum player too."

"I could arrange that," Rei replied, a slight smile at the thought of revenge on her face.

Later that evening, Serena banged on a drum. It wasn't a big exciting drum, but a small one used to attract people to a goldfish catching game. "I don't want to work this booth. I'd rather play."

Mina laughed, "The drums fit you very well, Serena." She watched Ami and Lita help two boys catch goldfish. "This isn't very good business."

A little boy tugged on Mina's sleeve. "Grandma, we wanna play the game too."

Mina steamed at the boys calling her grandmother. As she pulled out the spoons used to catch goldfish, she deliberately weakened them. The kids failed at the game.

Serena left her drums to find Rei. She was sneaking around inside a building. "Rei," Serena complained. "How much longer do we have to work the goldfish booth?"

"Don't complain, Serena," Rei answered. "Maya's been practicing for the last three hours. Since she's doing it for free, I told her she didn't have to work so hard. But she said that she had to keep her energy high, or she wouldn't play well. When I saw her drums, I thought that the festival would be a success with her. But I was a little unfair. Even someone that talented has to work hard behind the scenes. I have to try too, to make the festival a success."

Eudial pulled into the festival grounds in her car. She used a loud speaker system to call out, "Maya Touno. Maya Touno, there is a call for you."

Maya exited the building to get her phone call. Eudial drove her car over to Maya. She hopped out of her car and pulled out a large device, resembling a gun. She fired at Maya. It struck home and Maya's soul crystal popped out.

Serena and Rei saw the action and transformed.

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Stop! One who goes after the soul of one who beats the Japanese drums is an enemy of the Japanese traditional arts. For love and justice, I am the pretty soldier Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you," Sailor Moon gave her infamous speech.

"For love and fire, I'm the beautiful girl soldier Sailor Mars. In the place of Mars, I'll punish you."

Eudial replied, "I'm one of the Witches 5, Eudial. Demon, come forth!"

A demon appeared. She shot firecrackers at Sailor Moon and Mars. The attack disabled them.

Sailor Neptune and Uranus appeared on the scene. The two took the soul crystal of Maya. "It's not the talisman," they concluded. Eudial, upon hearing this pronouncement, drove off in her car.

Neptune asked Uranus, "Aren't you going to help Sailor Moon?"

"If I helped them all the time, it would be too much of a service," Uranus replied.

The demon caught Sailor Moon and Mars in a drum skin. "I'll beat on these drum skins!"

Sailor Moon wailed. "Beat on Mars first!"

"Stop!" shouted a cute voice.

"Who is that?" Moon asked aloud.

"As expected," continued the cute voice, "you can't do anything without me. You should shape up!"

Horror flickered through Sailor Moon's mind. "That voice is..."

The pink Sailor Senshi announced, "For love and justice, I'm the pretty soldier, Sailor ChibiMoon. In the name of the future Moon, I'll punish you."

Sailor Moon screamed.

The demon turned on Sailor ChibiMoon. "Pink Sweet Heart Boom!" ChibiMoon used her only attack. Nothing happened. She tried again. "Pink Sweet Heart Boom!" A little ray of pink hearts flew out of ChibiMoon's stick. The demon was mildly annoyed.

While ChibiMoon had been distracting the demon, Moon and Mars escaped the drum skin. "Moon Spiral Heart Collision!" The demon was destroyed.

Later, Reenie rode on Serena's shoulders. Michelle smiled at them. "This little girl is very cute."

Erica smiled at the two. "Don't you look alike?"

Reenie and Serena said in unison, "No way!"

Serena asked Reenie, "Why did you come back?"

"My mother told me train in the 20th century."


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