08-13-2020, 07:38 AM
"Before we get started tonight," Doug-sensei said once she'd
peeled off her track suit and stepped to the center of the room,
"I have a little something for you."
"You do?" Usagi asked. "What is it?" She wished Luna was here,
if only to share a curious look, but she was working a shift at
the arcade.
Doug-sensei slipped a hand into his pocket and drew out a small,
flat case similar to the one her papa kept his business cards in.
"I made this for you last night because after the last couple
operations, I think you deserve it." He held it out to her in
both hands, bowing slightly, just like Papa did when offering his
business card. She bowed back and took it from him. Her breath
caught as she realized she had seen something like this once
before.
She looked up at him. "Is this...?"
Doug-sensei smiled. "Open it."
She gripped the edges of one side of the case with her fingertips,
and copying what sensei had done the night she'd met him, flipped
it open with a little twist of her wrist. There was a tiny hum,
and suddenly a glowing block of kanji and romaji appeared in the
air before her face and parallel to the floor while a transparent
three-dimensional image of herself as Sailor Moon hung
horizontally in front of her hand, slowly turning as if on a spit.
"Whoops," she giggled, and changed her grip on the case to right
it.
"So, in the unlikely event you couldn't guess," Sensei said, "I'm
deputizing you into the Warriors, specifically Alpha team. But
before you actually *become* a member of the Warriors, even just
a deputy member, there's an oath that you have to swear," he
added solemnly. "It's a promise that will define your life, and
guide everything you do with your metatalents."
She bit her lip. This was something more than just getting a new
toy. Sensei was being *very* serious, and he was almost never
completely serious, even about serious subjects. She stood up
straighter and clasped her hands behind her back, folding up her
new ID and holding it between them. "What's the promise,
sensei?"
"You swear on your life and honor to uphold just laws and to
oppose unjust ones," he said. "To defend those who have no
defenders. To protect those who are exploited and oppressed, or
who suffer the worst losses of unjust war. You promise to
champion basic human rights, and to thwart those who would deny
them to others. You vow to enact justice upon those who would
wage unjust war. And most importantly, you promise to make and
*keep* the peace." He studied her for a long moment, then added,
"It's not always an easy promise to keep, teishi, and if you
don't want to make it, I'll understand."
She looked at him blankly. "Not make it? Isn't it all what I'm
already *doing*?"
Sensei chewed his lip. "Not really, not all of it. And what you
*are* doing, you're doing against magical creatures which for all
practical purposes are demons. But someday you might have to
take that kind of action against other humans, other *people*.
That's not an easy or happy thing, teishi. Power of the kind you
and I wield has a responsibility that goes with it. Once you
defeat your Enemy, your power isn't going to just go away, so you
need to think about how you're going to use it after."
Usagi fixed him with a gimlet eye. "It almost sounds like you
don't *want* me to promise, sensei."
"No," he shook his head. "I just want you to think about what it
really means before you do."
She opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. Now she *really*
wished Luna was here to talk to about this. Could she really do
it if she had to? All of it? Against other people? If there
was no other way?
Yes. If it were an innocent person on one side, and a criminal,
or an enemy soldier, or... or... some other kind of bad person on
the other, yes. She could do it. But she would do her best to
find another way, a *better* way, first. She nodded to herself,
then looked up at Doug-sensei. "I'm sure, sensei. I'll make
that promise, and do what it takes *not* to have to hurt other
people, but I'll do it if it's the only way to save someone."
She straightened up again, having found that she'd started to
slouch while thinking. "This do I swear on my life and honor!"
she declared confidently.
Sensei reached out and cupped her chin with his hand, then smiled
at her. It was a proud smile, she thought, but a little sad at
the same time, and that confused her. "My student is growing
up," he said. "In that case, teishi, welcome to the Warriors.
You now have a provisional brevet rank of Captain." He drew back
his hand and snapped a salute at her. "Congratulations, Tsukino-
ichii."
It was only her recently-improved reflexes which saved her from
fumbling her new ID card as she returned the salute. "Thank you,
Sangnoir-taisa!"
peeled off her track suit and stepped to the center of the room,
"I have a little something for you."
"You do?" Usagi asked. "What is it?" She wished Luna was here,
if only to share a curious look, but she was working a shift at
the arcade.
Doug-sensei slipped a hand into his pocket and drew out a small,
flat case similar to the one her papa kept his business cards in.
"I made this for you last night because after the last couple
operations, I think you deserve it." He held it out to her in
both hands, bowing slightly, just like Papa did when offering his
business card. She bowed back and took it from him. Her breath
caught as she realized she had seen something like this once
before.
She looked up at him. "Is this...?"
Doug-sensei smiled. "Open it."
She gripped the edges of one side of the case with her fingertips,
and copying what sensei had done the night she'd met him, flipped
it open with a little twist of her wrist. There was a tiny hum,
and suddenly a glowing block of kanji and romaji appeared in the
air before her face and parallel to the floor while a transparent
three-dimensional image of herself as Sailor Moon hung
horizontally in front of her hand, slowly turning as if on a spit.
"Whoops," she giggled, and changed her grip on the case to right
it.
"So, in the unlikely event you couldn't guess," Sensei said, "I'm
deputizing you into the Warriors, specifically Alpha team. But
before you actually *become* a member of the Warriors, even just
a deputy member, there's an oath that you have to swear," he
added solemnly. "It's a promise that will define your life, and
guide everything you do with your metatalents."
She bit her lip. This was something more than just getting a new
toy. Sensei was being *very* serious, and he was almost never
completely serious, even about serious subjects. She stood up
straighter and clasped her hands behind her back, folding up her
new ID and holding it between them. "What's the promise,
sensei?"
"You swear on your life and honor to uphold just laws and to
oppose unjust ones," he said. "To defend those who have no
defenders. To protect those who are exploited and oppressed, or
who suffer the worst losses of unjust war. You promise to
champion basic human rights, and to thwart those who would deny
them to others. You vow to enact justice upon those who would
wage unjust war. And most importantly, you promise to make and
*keep* the peace." He studied her for a long moment, then added,
"It's not always an easy promise to keep, teishi, and if you
don't want to make it, I'll understand."
She looked at him blankly. "Not make it? Isn't it all what I'm
already *doing*?"
Sensei chewed his lip. "Not really, not all of it. And what you
*are* doing, you're doing against magical creatures which for all
practical purposes are demons. But someday you might have to
take that kind of action against other humans, other *people*.
That's not an easy or happy thing, teishi. Power of the kind you
and I wield has a responsibility that goes with it. Once you
defeat your Enemy, your power isn't going to just go away, so you
need to think about how you're going to use it after."
Usagi fixed him with a gimlet eye. "It almost sounds like you
don't *want* me to promise, sensei."
"No," he shook his head. "I just want you to think about what it
really means before you do."
She opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. Now she *really*
wished Luna was here to talk to about this. Could she really do
it if she had to? All of it? Against other people? If there
was no other way?
Yes. If it were an innocent person on one side, and a criminal,
or an enemy soldier, or... or... some other kind of bad person on
the other, yes. She could do it. But she would do her best to
find another way, a *better* way, first. She nodded to herself,
then looked up at Doug-sensei. "I'm sure, sensei. I'll make
that promise, and do what it takes *not* to have to hurt other
people, but I'll do it if it's the only way to save someone."
She straightened up again, having found that she'd started to
slouch while thinking. "This do I swear on my life and honor!"
she declared confidently.
Sensei reached out and cupped her chin with his hand, then smiled
at her. It was a proud smile, she thought, but a little sad at
the same time, and that confused her. "My student is growing
up," he said. "In that case, teishi, welcome to the Warriors.
You now have a provisional brevet rank of Captain." He drew back
his hand and snapped a salute at her. "Congratulations, Tsukino-
ichii."
It was only her recently-improved reflexes which saved her from
fumbling her new ID card as she returned the salute. "Thank you,
Sangnoir-taisa!"