Magical Girl Pretty Ruri
Episode Two: Reflections
By Tailkinker and Kitsy
tailkinker@home.com, kitsy@home.com
*DISCLAIMER* Warning: Java compilation error. Insufficient coffee. Due to this, none of the characters, situations and sites belong to the authors of this story. They are currently just used to explore the effects of sleep deprivation. "When I woke up yesterday, everything was different. Suddenly, I had a home, and parents. I was a student, going to middle school. Everything was just as I always wanted it to be. Normal. "Why do things never stay normal for me?" Tail Kinker and Kitsy present *Magical Girl Pretty Ruri* Episode Two: Reflections "Ruri! Wake up! Time for school." Ruri blinked. ~No incredibly irritating alarm clock this morning?~ She tried to focus on the Hello Kitty alarm clock. ~Right...I unplugged it last night. Ruri no baka.~ "Ruri, hurry up. You're late again!" Ruri struggled to her feet, then grabbed a school uniform from the closet. She ran for the bathroom - she had spent some time the previous night figuring out where everything was in her new home. She wasn't going to be unwashed for school today...although it probably meant missing breakfast. "Aren't you forgetting something?" "Huh?" She looked over. ~Oh, yeah...I have a cat now.~ The cat batted at a dresser drawer. "Underwear?" "Hentai." "Hey, I'm just reminding you. I think you should wear these ones." The cat had dragged out a pair of Hello Kitty panties. Ruri reminded herself that she wasn't a violent person. "First off, Cat, don't go through my drawers again. Especially not my underwear drawer. Second, I would not be caught dead wearing those." She grabbed a different pair and made a break for the bathroom. The cat shrugged. "At least she's flat-chested enough that a brassiere isn't an issue--" *SFLANG* "Ite!" Megumi was already at the door when Ruri came down the stairs. "We've got ten minutes to get to school! You should buy an alarm clock." "I have an alarm clock." "Why didn't you use it?" "I forgot that I had unplugged it..." Megumi rolled her eyes. "Let's go!" The two girls began their mad dash for school. Ruri's mother waved to her as they ran. "Ruri, you forgot your bento..." * * * * * "At least we'll be on time today, Ruri. As long as you hurry." Both girls were running short on wind. Ruri was slightly in the lead. As she rounded the corner, she smacked head- first into a gentleman's chest. She sprawled to the ground, dazed by the impact. "I'm sorry, I'm running late--" She looked up, and her eyes widened in shock. "Tenkawa-san!" "I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Tenkawa Akito, Aestivalis pilot and cook aboard the Nadesico, reached down and helped Ruri to her feet. "Tenkawa-san...it's me. Ruri." "You look familiar...Oh, yeah! The little girl from the ice cream parlor!" Akito scratched his head. "Shouldn't you be in school?" Megumi grabbed her arm. "Come on, Ruri! We don't have time!" "But--" It was no use. Megumi's grip was like a vise, and Ruri was dragged off down the street. * * * * * Bucket brigade again. "This is all your fault, Ruri." Ruri looked down. "Akito..." she murmured. "Huh?" Megumi looked closer at Ruri. "Don't tell me...The guy that's had you distracted this while was Akito?" Ruri looked up at Megumi in surprise. "You remember Akito?" "Duh! Of course I do! He's that cute guy that works down at the ice cream parlor. Of course, he's too old for either of us...but he kind of reminds me of my old boyfriend." Ruri twitched. Of course, Akito and Megumi had broken up months before...but still... Her stomach growled. Megumi snickered. "Is there ever a time you're not hungry, Ruri?" "I didn't have time for breakfast." "And why not?" Ruri sighed. "Because I slept in..." "Well, that's a no-brainer. You always sleep in. Of course, I don't really blame you. Thinking about Akito would keep me up nights, too!" Ruri managed to avoid saying, ~Actually, I slept in because I was up late saving your butt...~ "Baka." * * * * * "Really?" "Stare...Stare...Stare...You're kidding." "No, I'm serious! It was a real Sailor Senshi. Right down to the ondangos." Ruri was studying her book very intently. Trying very hard to ignore the conversation. ~Ondangos?~ "Blink...but I thought the Sailor Senshi were in Juuban, not here in Nerima." "That's only in the manga, silly." ~Baka.~ "Yeah, the one who saved my life was right here in Nerima." "Maybe she was only visiting." "HELLO! They're fictional!" "The one I saw sure wasn't! She was just like Sailor Moon." ~Baka bakka.~ "Right down to fantastic command word speeches, and a cutesy costume." "Do Sailor Senshi normally use ray guns?" "Right. What's next, breaking out a bow and love arrows?" ~Minna baka.~ "Lean...Hey, Ruri!" The book landed somewhere behind her, and a few minutes later, she was able to swallow her heart. "Klutz." "Leave me alone, Yukina...I was up late last night." Megumi leaned over. "Reading manga again?" "No. I was actually trying to study." "Manga." "No. Math." "That's great. We have an astronomy test today." ~Astronomy...I can ace that, even without Omoikane.~ * * * * * Somewhere, a cat sneezed. * * * * * "Class, the marks for the tests were fairly high for the most part. With the exception of one student...as usual." The teacher was passing the tests back. Ruri gaped at the large red F on her sheet. ~What on earth...~ She flipped through the test. The teacher stopped in front of Ruri. "Perhaps if you studied astronomy, rather than manga, your mark would have been higher. Utopia Lagrange Colony does not exist. Neither does Lunar Colony or Mars Colony. And what is this 'Great Barrier' you mention? Lastly, there is no such thing as spatial navigation buoys. And even if there was, they would not belong on an astronomy test." Ruri thumped her head off the desk. "Lean...I told you." "So you *were* reading manga last night, ne?" "I was *not* reading manga." "You know, you're mom's gonna flip when she sees that." * * * * * Ruri discovered, to her pleasure, that she had about 1000 yen in her jacket pocket. Since she didn't have a bento, and had skipped breakfast, she decided to go out for lunch. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to go. She grabbed a phone book and thumbed through the business directory. "Restaurants...restaurants...hmmm...best okonomiyaki in town...nah. Ramen...nah." "Whatcha doing, Ruri?" Megumi looked over her shoulder. "Restaurants? Let's just go to the ice cream parlor." "Ice cream for lunch?" "You would think that! No, we can grab a slice of pizza." Ruri shuddered. "No thanks." "Or a burger. Or whatever." "Fine." She snapped the phone book shut and picked up her bookbag. "Let's go." * * * * * ~It's times like this that I could get used to this.~ Ruri had always been somewhat of a loner. After all, the sterile 'environment' she'd been raised in didn't do a lot for a person's social skills. Nor did spending six years plugged into a battle computer. Her only real friends aboard Nadesico had been Yurika and Akito...and perhaps Minato and Megumi. At least among the humans; there had also been Omoikane, the ship's computer. But the small crowd that accompanied her to the ice cream parlor...Well, she knew all of them, from the Nadesico. But here, they were all her age. Aboard Nadesico, few of them would have talked to her. Here, they all seemed to share a few common interests, and seemed to want to try to get along. Except for Izumi. ~I guess no matter where you go, that girl is weird.~ Being surrounded by friends was, for her, a new experience. One that she found she rather liked. With her were Megumi, Ryoko, Yukina, Hikaru, Izumi and one other girl she didn't recognize. She hoped that the ice cream parlor had room for all of them. As it turned out, the parlor could seat three times that number, without strain. They commandeered two booths, enough room that they didn't have to squeeze. Of course, talking over one's shoulder could become a pain...but sacrifices had to be made. The girl she didn't recognize - a small, red-haired girl - jumped up. "Woohoo! They have fighting kanji!" "Huh?" She looked over at the videogame console. "I thought that wasn't put out until 2003..." She realized that the other girls were looking at her oddly. Megumi sighed. "Ruri...you can be such an airhead at times." Ruri winced - then saw Akito. She jumped up and ran over to him. "Tenkawa-san!" "Hello, again! Would you like to order something?" "Tenkawa-san, can't you remember? We served together on the Nadesico!" "...Huh? I think you have me confused with someone else." Ruri paused, remembering. "You have problems with your memory, don't you?" "...Yeah. How did you know that?" "You suffer from partial amnesia, right?" "Yeah. How--Oh, I know. I must have told you, then forgotten I'd told you. Right?" Ruri deflated. "Never mind..." She moped back to her seat and sat down. "Nudge." She glanced up, irritated. "What is it, Yukina." "That's him, right?" "That depends. What do you mean?" Megumi leaned forward. "That's the guy she's been mooning over." "At least he's cute." "But he's awfully old..." "Yeah, I hear he's a college student." "Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink." "What's he in college for?" "So she likes older men." "He's learning to be a chef." "I didn't think she was the type..." Ruri hopped up from her seat. "I'll be back in a minute..." She turn and practically ran for the bathroom, the door slamming behind her. She leaned up against the back wall, studying herself in the mirror. ~It's times like this that I really hate this.~ * * * * * "I win!" "Blink...I must have done that last move wrong." "Hey, do you feel that?" Yukina steadied herself. "Feels like an earthquake..." Everyone paused, listening intently, but all that was heard was the traffic outside. "Must have imagined it." Another tremor struck the ice cream parlor. Dishes fell from shelves, and the customers were pitched about. A large circular pattern of cracks formed on the floor. "Ah, guys...Maybe we should leave." The floor exploded outward, and shards flew throught the air, ripping through the vinyl seat covers. One girl fell, gasping in pain, a shard projecting from her leg. A massive rust-red beetle pushed itself through the newly-formed hole. It had a large horn protruding from the top of its head, and massive mandibles clicking like scissors. It stood at an incline, four arms ready to strike. Panic struck almost instantly. "ACK! What is that!?" "Outta my way!" "It's blocking the door!" Slowly, the creature turned towards the assembled girls. It grabbed Megumi, lifting her up. In a guttural voice, it hissed, "Ki!" Its horn glowed a silvery-white, and visible waves of energy flowed from Megumi to the beast. It tossed Megumi's limp body across the parlor, then turned to the next victim. In the bathroom, Ruri heard the noise and commotion. She looked out through the window, to see the beetle attacking her friends. "Great. Just when I was almost having fun, along comes a golem to wreck it for me." She dug through her pockets, finally locating the Henshin stick. "Mars Guardian, Make-UP!" This time, she could see the effect, thanks to the large mirror over the bathroom counter. The light seared her eyes, all blue and gold. The air around her rippled, and she felt waves of incredible heat pounding her. Her clothes shredded and re-formed into a very short skirt, tight- fitting bodysuit and long boots and gloves. She was very glad that no-one could see the transformation effect; there were moments when she was...less than decent. She glanced over at her reflection in the mirror - and shuddered. She had known about all the accessories - the tiara, the ribbons, the pompoms. What she had not known about was the fact that her hair got a lot longer, and changed style. Still two ponytails - but topped with small ondangos. ~Kami-sama, I look stupid.~ She readied her staff, burst through the door, and came face-to-face with the golem. Said golem did not even hesitate before backhanding her through the plate glass windows. She hit the pavement hard, rolled a few times, dust clouds forming in her wake, and finally came to rest in a self-made dent in the side of a nearby car. ~That hurt. This one's faster and stronger than the other.~ She staggered to her feet and turned to face the golem. The golem, for its part, was maneuvering on her. It sprouted large wings from beneath its carapace and jumped through the window, widening the hole she'd made on her trip out. It landed ten feet away, its claws digging long furrows in the asphalt. The golem hunkered down on all six legs, its horn glowing red. Ruri's eyes widened, and she quickly spun the staff in front of her. "Distortion Field!" The effect formed not a moment too soon; the beast launched a devastating beam of heat from its horn. She ducked involuntarily as the flame-wave impacted against the Distortion Field, searing her slightly even through the effect. Her hair whipped wildly in the wind caused by the heat. The flame billowed outward, buckling and melting the asphalt around the Field and blowing the car behind her down the street. Ruri watched the car tumble. "Nothing a little duct tape won't fix..." She pulled out the plasma pistol, took careful aim at the beast, and pulled the trigger. The shot bounced harmlessly off the golem's carapace. "Baka." The golem started to advance, and Ruri was forced to fall back; she had little doubt that another flame-wave, at close range, would crush the Distortion Field. She fired another shot from the pistol, but the golem simply dropped down, again deflecting the shot with its carapace. "What am I gonna do? The plasma pistol won't hurt this thing, it's too well armoured..." The cat bounded up. "What's going on?" Ruri pointed at the golem. "My pistol isn't working! It's too well armoured." "Kind of like a tank's armour?" Her eyes widened. "The tanks...when we attacked Nanafusi. It's weakest on the underside!" She deactivated the Distortion Field and ran forward. The golem promptly smacked her again, sending her flying into a brick wall. She staggered to her feet, gasping for air. "I can't get close enough..." There was a sudden sound, like someone dropping down beside her, and she looked over to see Tuxedo Ken crouched on the ground. He straightened up and drew his sword. "We'll have to work together. If I can draw its fire high, you can attack it low." "But you don't have a Distortion Field to protect you..." "Wanna bet?" He ran towards the golem, and leapt into the air. "Armour of Nergal!" Shimmering planes of blue and pink energy surrounded Tuxedo Ken, and solidified into a massive suit of plate armour. Technological armour; she could see jump jets on the back and circuitry in the joints. The armour plates were a metallic blue, except for the breastplate and head, which were pink. He fired the jump jets and raised the sword to attack. The beetle reared up, and loosed a heat-wave attack, striking the armour dead-center, enveloping it. Ruri ran forward, threw herself under the creature, and raised the plasma pistol, aiming directly between two massive underbelly plates. She fired three shots in rapid succession. The creature howled in pain. Ruri rolled out from under it, as it crashed to the pavement. It struggled to rise, then collapsed, slowly crumbling to dust. She stood up, holstering the pistol, and looked around for the armoured Knight. "Hello?" Only the sound of sirens greeted her. "Tuxedo Ken?" The cat walked up to her. "Best make yourself scarce. The authorities are en route." "Right." She leapt up onto the roof of the ice cream parlor, and from there to the top of a nearby apartment building. This golem had definitely been tougher than the last one; she was badly winded, and gasping for air. "Nicely done." An evil chuckle. She stopped, and turned to face the voice. It was a tall, rather slender man, with unruly black hair. In fact, the man was a dead ringer for Shiratori Tsukuma, the Jovian Ambassador. But she had seen Tsukuma's body, rushed to the Nadesico's sickbay. Had attended his funeral. Had helped his sister and his fiancee cope with their grief. Tsukuma took a step toward her. "I can see you're going to be a major thorn in my side." "You...but...you're dead!" "I got better." "...baka." She shook her head. "A reflection, just like Megumi, and Yukina, and Akito." "That's hardly important." He held out his hand. "Give me the crystal." "What crystal?" He thrust his hand at her, and an energy wave slammed into her, driving her to her knees. She raised the staff, and called up the Distortion Field. Tsukuma sneered. "Please! I've defeated that Field more times than I can count!" "You'll be fighting two of us!" Tsukuma and Ruri turned, to see Tuxedo Ken perched on top of the elevator service compartment. The armour was gone, but his sword was drawn and ready. Tsukuma lowered his hand. "I think...perhaps another time." His body shimmered, a black sphere formed around him, and he disappeared. Tuxedo Ken jumped down next to Ruri. "Are you injured, Princess?" "No." She shuddered. "Just very tired." "Best go rest, then. This is only the beginning." He turned, cape flaring in a newly formed breeze, and stepped off the edge of the building. "No!" She ran forward, and looked down, but he was gone. * * * * * "Hey, Ruri! You'll never guess what you missed!" Megumi was sitting up weakly. The paramedics had gone over her, and determined that the only thing wrong with her was low blood sugar. It wasn't difficult to fix, in an ice cream parlor. "What did I miss?" "Well, there was this monster that popped up out of the ground. It attacked us, but it was beaten off by that Sailor Senshi wannabe I told you about. Houmei's having a fit, because her ice cream parlor was wrecked, and her insurance doesn't cover youma attacks." "Here, in Nerima? How could it not?" "Anyway, the paramedics called the school, and all of us have the rest of the day off. Maybe you should spend it catching up on lost sleep." "Lean. Or studying." "And no manga!" * * * * * "Tadaima!" Ruri took off her shoes and slipped on her indoor shoes. She was halfway up the stairs when her mother walked into the family room. "Mom! What are you doing home early?" "I might ask you the same thing." Ruri handed her mother a slip of paper, given to her by the paramedics. Her mother read it, then looked up skeptically. "Do you really expect me to believe that you were given a half day off due to a youma attack?" "All I can say is...call the school." "I will. If you're lying to me, I'll be very disappointed in you." Ruri looked at her mother, blinking back tears. "H- hai..." She turned and ran upstairs, through her door, and threw herself on her bed. ~My 'real' mother would never have said anything like that...~ She smiled. ~Because my 'real' mother was just a shadow, a computer program, something that didn't care about me...just a reflection of someone's idea of the perfect parent.~ She gazed balefully at the Hello Kitty alarm clock. ~That thing has to go.~ She stood up, went over to the computer, and connected to the Internet. ~I have this computer sitting here, I might as well get some use out of it.~ She connected to the Microsoft home page and downloaded Microsoft Alarm Clock. ~I am not gonna sleep in tomorrow.~ * * * * * Author's Notes: Bets she's gonna sleep in tomorrow? :) This chapter led us slightly astray from the outline, but we managed to sledgehammer it back on course. Comments and Criticism can be sent to tailkinker@home.com or to kitsy@home.com. Enjoy! (?)