June 14, 1999 After School/Location Unknown

[loveandwillpower]

The work of an agent of love is never done! You'd think that someone with Minako's grades wouldn't even be a Watson, much less the guy with the deerstalker cap, but what she lacks in academics she's always been able to compensate with drive and raw cunning. And now that drive has a little something extra.

The determination to protect a dear friend against a dangerous foe.

Comments

Late at night, following the ???

[loveandwillpower]

It sure was fun to hang around and chat with friends, but Minako's got business to attend to... nah, Minako has nothing planned. Venus, however... Clad in a mask and ceremonial robes pilfered from her mysterious hideout, she glides through the night, . They're elegant and flowing, suitable for any kind of respectable witch, but you know, these skirts, they're too long to fight in, she'd trip and get herself killed if she got into a real fight. Fortunately, she knows just the person who can help with that.

It would be polite to knock, but she's a witch right now, and witches don't knock, they appear in Maria's room via sketchy breaking and entering actual fucking magic because she's a magical witch from the stars.

Re: Late at night, following the ???

[happyhalloween]

Maria is writing a letter to Beatrice that night. Maria writes to Beatrice at least once or twice a month--sometimes more if she has a lot of news. Then she sneaks into Mama's at-home office when Mama is away on business and steals a stamp and posts it to Rokkenjima care of Kumasawa-san. Kumasawa-san is very nice about making sure Beatrice always gets her letters.

Someone told Alice about Sakutaro, so she made a friend for me. His name is Tomosuke and he's a turtle. When Mama takes me to Rokkenjima next will you use your magic on him like you did Sakutaro? Alice says one of her ancestors was a witch. Do you think Maria has any witch ancestors? Maya-oneesan's ancestor Ami Fey was maybe a witch. She knew Shigetsuna-sama, who I told you about before.

Hiroshi is still giving off a lot of anti-magic toxin I'm afraid but he's trying to be nicer. He took Maria and Osaka on a field trip yesterday and told us about moss and things. It was a lot more interesting than his usual lectures.

Maria didn't stay at school very late today. Alice took me home before the club meeting could start. She said there'd been an accident at the sch--

It's at this point that Maria's pen skitters and drops because there's someone coming through her window!

"Who are you?" she whispers, staring at the new person. "You better not do anything bad to Maria. Maria's a witch! Kihihihi."

[loveandwillpower]

"Didn't you send me a letter the other day? Sorry for dropping in, but I'm not the type who calls ahead!"

Minako vaults through the window and strikes a flashy pose, robes swirling around in a riot of color.

"Venus Cytherea, the guardian who watches from the night sky! I'm a good witch, so a good girl like you doesn't have to be scared! It's only the bad witches who need to watch out for me."

[happyhalloween]

"Uu-uu-uu!" Maria hops down from her chair and starts bouncing on the heels of her feet in glee. "Space Witch Venus! You got my letter! Minako told me all about you! You're just as beautiful and mysterious as she said!"

This is so neat. Maria's never met any witches from space before! Just island witches like Beatrice and Virgillia and other apprentice witches like ANGE (before she quit) and OSAKA (who Maria was training up.)

"Are we going to play together, Space Witch Venus? Only, we can't be too loud because Mama's home and she has a headache... but Maria and Space Witch Venus could probably sneak out together!"

[loveandwillpower]

Venus and Minako seem to be equally susceptible to flattery, just look at her preen. This Minako person is clearly very well informed.

"I'd like to, but... Being from space means I don't have as much time to play as Earth witches, I'm on a very important mission after all... But if you help me out, I'll grant you a wish, how about that?"

[happyhalloween]

She does act rather close to Minako... but surely that's a coincidence, right?

"Uu-uu! Maria will help! Help Space Witch Venus! Maria's very good at helping! Maria always helps Beatrice!"

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Really, Maria, you're going to aggravate Mama's headache.

[loveandwillpower]

"Then..."

A spin and a twirl and she's removed her robes with a flourish. Under it... those clothes look kind of exactly like Nui's, you can't wear street clothes if you're going to play the part of a witch, those sure are a lot of ruffles and bows and is that a chain looped around her waist like a belt?

"You can hem this up, right? I'm used to using magic in outer space, where there aren't any people around who don't believe in it. Here on earth... well, you know how it works, you're a witch yourself."

Maria, sad to say, is probably a much better seamstress than Minako. A pirate with hooks for both hands would be a better seamstress than Minako.

[happyhalloween]

Maria cheers as Space Witch Venus shows off her witch's outfit. It's really pretty and ruffly, like something Mama or Nui would make. Maria is very impressed.

"Maria can hem! Mama hems better, but Maria can do it. And Maria understands completely. It's really hard to do magic when Hiroshi is around spreading his anti-magic toxin everywhere, even if he is getting a little better."

Maria looks the robe up and down. "Maria doesn't have the right thread," she admits, sadly. "It needs to be the same color or one that looks really good with the robes." But then she brightens. "Mama probably has the right thread! ... only, she has a headache. If we go now we might wake up the Black Witch."

[loveandwillpower]

That's the wisdom of experience speaking! She might be older and stronger than Maria, but she's only been tapped into her destiny for about a day. Say, maybe that's why she hasn't been able to use her powers, because she's been too close to Hiroshi? Should she get rid of him?

"Is that the only problem? Humans are one thing, but if it comes down to a fight between witches, Venus won't lose! As long as I have love and beauty on my side, I'm invincible!"

...Nah, she draws her powers from love, of course, killing Hiroshi wouldn't help at all. And she should be focusing on getting rid of the real problems around here.

prof, we may want you now or very soon

[happyhalloween]

"Space Witch Venus is very beautiful," Maria reassures her. "I'm sure you'll be able to right wrongs and triumph over evil! And Hiroshi isn't here, is he? So his anti-magic toxin won't mess anything up."

Of course, there's always the chance that Mama might mess things up with anti-magic toxin or her own, but that's a risk Maria and Space Witch Venus will have to take.

"Let's go to Mama's room," Maria says decisively. "If the Black Witch shows up, I'm sure Space Witch Venus will keep us safe."

[BGM]

[loveandwillpower]

"You bet! If she shows up, I'll make her leave forever! Your real mom's the one with all the love, so we'll be able to gang up on her from both sides."

She means it. Maria's a sweet kid, and if she's in danger from some kind of lurking monster, the power of protective love will just have to tear that monster apart!

[happyhalloween]

"Uu-uu! Make the Black Witch leave!" Maria is definitely in favor of this plan. "Okay. Maria will show Space Witch Venus the way to Mama's room. Be quiet so we don't aggravate her headache."

So with catlike tread... well, no, more quietly than that, Maria starts tiptoeing her way to Mama's room, motioning to Space Witch Venus to follow.

[numberonemom]

Mama's sewing supplies are in the closet. Getting at them, especially as a nine-year-old, isn't going to be easy without making a little noise.

Around the time Maria finds the thread she needs, a shadow falls over her.

"What are you doing, Maria?"

[happyhalloween]

A chill runs down Maria's spine as the shadow falls over her. It might be Mama... but it might be the Black Witch.

Maria could lie about what she's doing... but that will only make things worse, won't it? And Space Witch Venus is with her.

"Getting thread," Maria replies in a thin little quavery voice. "For Space Witch Venus. She needs Maria to hem her robes."

[numberonemom]

"Space... witch..."

The other person in the room hasn't even registered for Rosa yet. One hand lashes out, grabbing Maria by the scalp and pulling up, hard enough to force her onto the tips of her toes.

"DON'T USE SOME MADE-UP WITCH AS AN EXCUSE, THEN GO ROOTING AROUND IN MAMA'S THINGS! I'VE TOLD YOU OVER AND OVER TO NEVER GO IN HERE, BUT YOU NEVER LISTEN! ENOUGH WITH YOUR GODDAMN WITCHES! WHY WON'T YOU DO AS YOU'RE TOLD, JUST ONCE?!"

[happyhalloween]

Oh no, it really is the Black Witch!

"Uu-uu-uu-uu-uu!" Maria cries out, half from pain and half in a desperate attempt to invoke the charm. "But Space Witch Venus isn't made up! She flew up to Maria's window and appeared in Maria's room and she asked for Maria's help! Venus exists! SPACE WITCH VENUS EXISTS! And she's going to make you go away forever!"

[numberonemom]

"AND STOP MAKING THAT UU-UU NOISE!" Rosa lets go of her daughter's hair so that she can properly hit her, again and again. A child must be punished.

"There is no space witch. There is no Venus! IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE LIKE THIS THAT EVERYONE LOOKS DOWN ON US! IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE LIKE THIS THAT PAPA WON'T COME HOME!"

[loveandwillpower]

Aaaaugh, so this is what that anti-toxin feels like! For a moment, the rising panic that's associated with a voice laced with motherly disapproval makes Venus feel like a little girl playing dressup instead of the powerful witch that she is... And then Maria cries out. It's like a warm fire in her heart in the face of Rosa's raging blizzard. Keep it together, Venus. You're needed. You're a defender of love and innocence. Protect Maria. Protect the princess. Protect the world.

She tosses the excess fabric to the side. No sense in staining it. The clink of the chain as she winds it around her fist is drowned out by Rosa's fury. No, the Black Witch's fury. One of the seven, she has to be. She can see the evil aura rising up around her. Five left after this. This is good, this is right. She's the heroine.

"Venus... Love-Me Chain!" [[ BGM ]]

In her eyes, the heavy chain gleams gold as the end whirls through the air and cracks into Rosa's head.

[numberonemom]

The Black Witch staggers, all her rage immediately defused by pain and confusion. She slumps to the floor, looking up at Venus, not understanding what she's seeing, blood running down the side of her head.

"G... Get out of... my house..."

[loveandwillpower]

"You get out first! In the name of love, get out of Maria's mom!"

The chain whips down again, fueled by the righteous indignation of a friend and of a warrior.

[numberonemom]

Well, her spell works. There is no longer a Black Witch in Rosa's body.

There is no longer anything in Rosa's body.

[happyhalloween]

Maria had turned around as soon as the Black Witch had stopped hitting her, just in time to see Space Witch Venus hit the Black Witch with her Love-Me Chain a second time.

And then... then the Black Witch was gone for good.

Maria prods the body on the floor with her foot.

"... she's really gone," Maria says, quietly, looking back up at Space Witch Venus. "But... what about Mama?"

Mama and the Black Witch had shared a body sometimes, after all.

[loveandwillpower]

Another victory for the forces of good.

"She sacrificed herself to help bring down the Black Witch, because she loved Maria more than anything else! She was very brave..."

Wheels turn in Minako's head as she wipes away the blood and hair from her mystical weapon.

"I'm not powerful enough to bring her back alone, of course. Only the Moon Princess can do that."

[happyhalloween]

Of course. That makes sense. The kind Mama who loves Maria would do anything to protect her. Surely she'd be willing to lay down her life to help Space Witch Venus defeat the Black Witch.

Anything else would be inconceivable.

"... the Moon Princess? You mean like thethe story we learned at school, with Princess Kaguya in the bamboo?"

[loveandwillpower]

"Yeah, something like that! That's just the official version, though! It's right about her not knowing she's the real princess, since she was raised as a normal earth person, but she's got a soul with all the powers of the moon! It's my job to find her and protect her from all the bad witches until she wakes up!"

The Princess is the most important person in the world, of course. More important than Maria. More important than Hiroshi. More important than Minako.