Tainted Gestalt: Sailor Moon

’Twas a quiet morning on this particular street. Birds chirped. The sun shone down upon the ground as it is wont to do. The air was still, neither too warm nor too cold. Aside from a group of brats a little further down the way “playing” with a rather unfortunate feline, this was the very essence of calmness, tranquility and peace.

“I’m so late!”

Right up until about then, as a schoolgirl bolted down that very same street ranting and raving about how she would never make it on time. Even as sure as she might have been of this fact, and as certain as she was that she would dearly pay for trying to eat and run at the same time - well, that was the future her. The present her was late for class! No time to dilly, no time to dally, barely any time to run run run! She could ill afford to let anything distract her on this particular journey. Nothing at all!

“Hey, hold it still, I can feel its tongue!”

… Except wanton animal cruelty. She screeched to a halt and chased the brats away easily enough. Yeah, they better run! How’d they like it if someone bigger than them tried to feel their tongue? “Poor thing,” she cooed, scooping the cute little black kitty up in her arms. “Did the mean rotten k1ds hurt you? Hey! Is that a bandage? Of all the mean-spirited… Here, let me get that for you!”

The cat struggled in her arms as she tugged and pulled at it. To no avail. Sure, it would lose a little fur from this but much better to get rid of it now before it fell off naturally and the cat choked on it later on. Right?

Except… “Is that a crescent moon?” she wondered. It looked a lot like one. What was a crescent moon shape doing on a cat’s forehead? She didn’t get the chance to examine it properly. Not when the cat performed an admirable piece of gymnastics out of her arms, and - Didn’t she have something else to be doing right now? Something to do with school…

The train of thought was interrupted when something clattered on the street ahead of her, landing at her feet as if someone had just tossed it over. She picked it up, fascinated by the odd reflections and refractions of colour shining within. “Huh… What is this?” she wondered, but only for a moment as her memory decided that now was an ideal time to remind her of exactly what it was she had forgotten.

“Wah! I’m so late!” Usagi Tsukino yelped, not noticing how she clutched at the small cube in her hand while she ran towards school at full pelt….

• Written by Lumitiel