Name of the Storyline:  Kokua ka'u Kaikaina ("Help my Younger Sister" - Hina)(used hawaiian dictionary; probably terrible grammar)
Name of the Creator(s):  Sailor Uranus 
Forum: Tokyo City
Plot Summary:  After winning a crazy awesome sweepstakes, the girls are whisked away on a cruise to Hawai'i! When they got on the cruiseliner they were allowed to sign up for several shore excursions - different things to do off ship while it is at port - and their group split naturally by interest. Ami wanted to do something a little different with her time - she wanted to stay overnight on the island, just relaxing on shore, listening to the waves and enjoying the natural atmosphere. Luna, her official unofficial "therapy cat" (the only way they could bring Luna along was to register her as a helper animal) would go with her, of course. At first it looked like it would just be the two of them, but as they neared the islands other plans fell through, and Usagi (who originally signed up for surfing only to learn that she would actually have to try surfing) signed up to spend the night out there, too! And then Vesves shocked everyone by changing her plans from hanging with her friends to joining them on their excursion, having had a little 'disagreement' with Junjun and not liking the idea that she was always grouped up with her Amazoness sisters. 


On the appointed day at the appointed time, the four of them departed the ship, hopped into an open-topped Jeep, and were whisked away to a remote, picturesque bungalow. Their guide stayed to eat dinner with them, and then bid them good night, promising to return in the morning to take them back to their cruise ship. 
The roleplay starts here; there is a firepit outside the bungalow, the night is balmy with a cool breeze wafting off the ocean, whose water lapped peacefully to shore, the steady breaking of waves providing a calming backdrop to the night. Away from most civilization, the stars are vibrant overhead, and the moon, full and beautiful, peaks over a nearby volcano, casting the ground in a familiar silver glow...The girls try to relax, and get to know Vesves a little better, as this was one of the first times they had spent any one-on-one time with her.

Alternate/Continuing Plotline wrote:

As soon as the sphere of the Moon is free of the volcano's bulk, shining bright and full in the sky, they hear a young woman crying in the forest, and venture out to find her...
They come across a beautiful young woman, and find out her name is Lona, a goddess of the Moon. She had fallen in love with a mortal, 'Aikanaka, and had lived happily with him for such a long, long time, but he recently died of old age. She has been traveling, trying to find a way back to the Moon, where her sister, Hina, would accept her and she may live for forever in peace...
But someone is hunting Lona - Po'ele'ele, a force of darkness that wants Lona to be his wife. She has traveled far, and had hoped to climb the very mountain they saw before them, but she tripped and fell, and she cannot continue on alone!


Determined to help her, the girls help her up and help her climb the mountain, keeping an eye out for a man-shaped gathering of darkness...


When they reach the top, Lona lifts her arms to the sky, and Hina reaches down from the moon. She thanks them for helping her sister home, and Hina and Lona rise together into the moonlight, and disappear.

If the players wish to explore this plotline, they can use the linked OOC Thread to plan who will play Lona (or if she will be shared as an NPC) and whether they will run into Po'ele'ele, and, if they do, if they need to transform and fight him, or if they could trick him to going using reflected moonlight to scare him away.
You can design any obstacles the group would face - any crags in the inactive volcano they have to swing across, any streams they had to forge, any rockslides, etc.
Or you can choose it to be an uneventful stroll up a mountain with a minor moon goddess. All up to you!

This roleplay is named after a silent cry for their help from Hina, Lona's sister.

Details on any necessary information:  it's all up in there ^^


Restrictions: Only the players/characters below:
Ami Mizuno played by Aurae
Luna played by Princess Luna
VesVes (alternate civilian form) played by Empress Vesta

Usagi Tsukino played by Artemis


OOC Thread: Challenge Board Thread

Source: Sources linked in plot summary and name of storyline

Character to Member List: Please see "Restrictions" above

Link to Approved Storyline Thread: N/A; created for monthly challenge by Sailor Uranus

VesVes currently sat on a lounge chair, staring into the fire pit. She would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little disappointed that Jun wasn't here. If only they hadn't fought that one time. Ves really regretted saying some of the things she did. However, she did not allow herself to focus on what had happened in the past. This was Hawaii, the land of paradise. The land was beautiful, the waves calming, and the fire pit dancing outside made for a tranquil atmosphere. Plus, Usagi, Ami, and Luna made for good company. That was a bonus.
The redhead smiled, and watched the embers as they burned.

OOC:

Ami was looking forward to this overnight stay. She would have been fine with just her and Luna, but having some of her friends and comrades along only improved this trip. This was a wonderful opportunity to get to know VesVes better--surely she'd have to work together with the Amazones Quartetto in the future someday.

The evening was every bit as beautiful and peaceful as she had hoped. The ocean lapped against the shore. The clear and bright sky looked a different shade of blue than that of Tokyo, lacking the glare of light pollution. The flames of the fire pit flickered and danced. The group enjoyed warm weather with only the gentlest of breezes. No wonder Hawai'i earned such a reputation for being a paradise.

She wanted to encourage interaction--right now the peacefulness, although lovely, was somewhat interfering. Well, Ami had considered this and came prepared.

The blue-haired girl reached into her tote bag and pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and a few chocolate bars. With a polite smile, she offered these to the group.

"Shall we make s'mores? VesVes, do you like these?" she asked.

Usagi was laying on a longue chair by the fire, soaking up its warmth, Hawaii was everything she dreamed of. It was a beautiful tropical paradise, she would have to come back to Hawaii again someday, but with Mamoru. She missed him, but was glad to be with Ami-chan, Luna and VesVes, she hoped she could get to know the girl, in the past things were left on a sour note, but Usagi knew that she was good and that if they talked they would become the best of friends.

When she heard Ami mention smores, she shot up with excitement, "ooh I do I do Ami-chan, lets make smores together." She said now sitting on the edge of her seat.

VesVes immediately sat straight up at the mention of smores. "Ooohh, yes, I love those! Ya know, they are best when the marshmallow becomes crispy--although don't leave 'em in the fire too long. I did that once. The marshmallow melted right off. Hey..." With a grin, she pointed at the volcano. "Wouldn't it be funny if we roasted marshmallows over that? I saw a video once of these guys roasting steak over molten lava and ever since I've really wanted to do that."

The redhead was glad for the distraction. She didn't really want to keep her mind on the spat she had earlier. Besides, she was already starting to feel comfortable around these girls. They were actually pretty cool, despite having been enemies in the past.

Ami was glad to see her s'mores idea was a good one. She knew Usagi would love it, of course, but she took a gamble as far as VesVes was concerned. As the red-head talked, Ami passed out skewers for roasting the marshmallows and made sure the ingredients were easily in reach for everyone. She very carefully inserted her own onto the prongs of the stick and held it at a very specific angle over the fire; she knew that with the heat being generated, she could get a perfect and even golden brown coating if she followed certain steps.

"We should probably stick to the fire pit for now," she replied, giggling, when VesVes suggested they roast over lava. That seemed like something better in theory than in practice.

Luna was having a relaxing time with Ami, Usagi, and VesVes. She was enjoying the wonderful sun and hoping they would all have a great time together and Luna hoped she'd get to know VesVes more. It would be important to make friends with the Amazon Quartet. 

Then Ami asked about smores. Luna smiled, "I'd love some smores!" Luna was sure the others would agree, especially Usagi. Luna chuckled at VesVes's comment about using the volcano. "I agree with Ami on that one." Luna said, "It'd be unsafe for us to try and use a volcano just to make smores."

Usagi smiled at the girls as she grabbed a marshmallow. She plopped down next to Ami, she looked at her friend with big eyes, hoping she could get Ami to tell her how to get the marshmallow to be a perfect gooey delight.

"Am-chan, won't you please tell me your marshmallow secret, anytime I try roasting a marshmallow, I either burn it, or myself, I want to enjoy my smores for once."

Usagi couldn't help but laugh at VesVes' idea to roast marshmallows over lava, that was a bit risky, but she admired VesVes for suggesting such an idea. Usagi smiled at Luna as they continued to roast smores.

Ami smiled at Usagi's plea for s'mores assistance. It reminded her of the countless times her blonde friend had begged for homework and studying advice. She could never resist Usagi.

"Hold it like this," she instructed, guiding the other girl's hands. "And then tilt it like so, and gently rotate as you watch the colour change."

In no time she was enjoying her own s'more, the chocolate just melted enough by the heat of the golden-brown marshmallow. The sun set serenely over the ocean, lighting it up with fiery tones that twinkled on the distant surface. Shadows lengthened as dusk set in, but the mild Hawai'i weather remained relatively stable despite the increasing lack of sunlight. Ami watched it as the group chattered and clustered around the firepit, relaxed and happy.

At first, she wasn't sure she heard a noise at all.

Then it echoed again.

It was faint, almost lost under the lapping of the waves against the beach.

"Does anyone else hear that?" she asked, tilting her head to hear it more clearly.

"Ahhh, but burning it is what makes it so delicious," Ves replied with a grin, skewering a marshmallow on a stick and sticking it directly into the fire pit. "Just don't let it melt completely." With that, she pulled the marshmallow out. It was completely on fire, though she easily put it out with an expert twirl of her hand.

Just as Ves put together her smore, she heard a small noise echoing from around the camp.

"Yeah, heard that," she grunted, her red eyes narrowing as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. "Don't suppose that was an animal."

Luna sat and watched the other girls cook smores. She took a moment to put a marshmallow on a stick and start roasting. She liked her marshmallows to be just gooey enough that you could peel the top layer of the marshmallow off of itself. When her marshmallow was properly cooked to her standards Luna put together her smore. She smiled at the other girls and started to eat. 

Luna thought she heard a noise when suddenly, Ami asked if anyone heard what she heard. "Yes I thought I heard something." Luna said to her blue haired friend, "What do you guys think that was?" Luna started to feel worried that their relaxing vacation was going to be far from relaxing.

Usagi was making her marshmallow, enjoying the ooey gooey goodness she would eat when she heard Ami asked if they heard anything.

She had heard it and so had the others, she pulled her marshmallow off and ate her smore before responding. "I heard it too, should we go check it out, what if someone is hurt?" Usagi asked with a hint of sadness in her voice, she just wanted to go on a vacation and now she had to leave her relaxing spot, but if someone was hurt she would help them, there wasn't a time when Usagi refused or ignored someone when they needed help or were in danger.

As they mused over the noise, the sun continued to set, ushering in the nighttime. In Hawai'i the stars shimmered brightly over the ocean and the island--they seemed to have multiplied intensely compared to what was typically seen in Tokyo. They would have been left with only the flicker of the fire pit, but the full moon rose up and cast a soft warm glow over the evening. It climbed higher in the sky, hovering above the outline of a nearby volcano.

This time the noise was more distinct--a young woman, crying. Her pitiful sobs echoed softly, gently swept up in the rush of the ocean's waves.

As the sounds registered more clearly to Ami, she nodded in agreement to Usagi's suggestion.

"Perhaps someone is hurt," she said. "It sounds like a woman, coming from that direction."

The blue-haired teenager gestured towards the looming volcano. In the moonlight, it seemed mysterious and enchanting rather than ominous.

Luna heard the noise more clearly. It sounded like a woman who seemed to be crying. "I think we should go check it out." Luna said, "It sounds like someone's in trouble." Luna finished her smore and got up. She started to slowly walk towards the sound. It was closer to the volcano than she'd have liked, but she knew they should check it out. She turned around and motioned for her friends to follow. "Are you guys coming?" Luna asked. She was anxious about going towards the sound by herself. If her friends were there she'd feel a lot safer.

Lona couldn't help it. The more she thought about her predicament, the more tears fell from her face.It was as though they would never stop. 

Oh, how she longed to hear his voice again.

Oh, how she longed to see her precious sister.

Oh, how she wanted to go home. 

Lona's head jerked back, startled by a sudden darkness that loomed below her. She stood up with a start, forgetting her injuries, and the darkness grew longer beneath her.She clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears. Had he found her already!? Standing up was a mistake, as was shutting her eyes. Her legs wobbled and buckled as she fell, emitting a small cry. She opened her eyes and noticed the darkness below her was smaller now-about her height, and she could make out features.

It was her shadow, it's presence visible by the light of the moon. Realizing her irrational mistake, she felt the tears that had stopped temporarily well up again. How foolish could she be, jumping at her own shadow? Lona tried to stand up again, but to no avail. Her recent panic had drained the rest of her strength. 

She could only cry harder.

Usagi quickly finished her marshmallow before she rose to follow Luna. If someone was in trouble, Usagi would help them. "We have to stay together. The last thing we need is to get lost. Ami-chan, is there any way you can figure out where the crying is coming from. The sooner we get to the source of the crying, the sooner they could help the person in danger." Usagi said as she walked, following Luna and the others.

Within seconds of Usagi's comment, Ami's fingers were flying across the keyboard of her Mini Supercomputer. Indications of information gathering and data analysis flickered across the small screen as the palm-sized machine performed its tasks. It marked its conclusion with a final beep and a gently pulsing icon on the map now shown on the screen.

"It's definitely this way," Ami replied. She gestured towards the moonlit volcano nearby.

"As we keep walking, this map will indicate when we're closer to the source of the noise."

She tilted her head, listening.

"That voice... She sounds so unhappy."

Ami glanced back at Vesta and Luna.

"I don't detect any evil energy at the moment," Ami reassured them. "Let's head that way together and see what we find."

Lona could hear footsteps and voices in the distance. She tried to muffle her sobs by clasping both hands over her mouth. She tried to stand again-this time, she stayed on her feet a bit longer before teetering off balance. 

It still wasn't enough to have her escape these unseen pursuers, however. All Lona could do was crawl slowly and hope they would give up their search. And pray to the moon that they wouldn't find her. 

Swallowing back her tears, Lona began to do just that. She began to claw desperately at the ground, dragging her body slowly. Lona grew frustrated and scared, she wasn't going anywhere! She tried to stand up again to break into a run, but-of course-fell. Maybe if she could get herself to a tree?

Luna listened as the others spoke. She let Ami lead when she pulled up her computer. Ami was saying that she was using the computer to follow the sound. There was a map ready for them as they got closer. When Ami said she detected noting evil from the person Luna thought the sound was getting quieter. "I think the crying is getting quieter." Luna said to her friends. She stopped moving and looked at her friends. "Is she moving maybe? Or do you think she hears us coming?" Luna hoped that when they went up to this girl they didn't scare her to death.

Usagi followed Ami and the others. Usagi clasped her hands together, hoping the person they heard was okay. Usagi hated to see anyone sad. She and the others were going to find this person and help them, no matter the cost. 

Usagi would not be happy unless everyone was happy. When Luna asked if the girl is moving, Usagi turned to face Luna. "You may be right, we need to pick up our pace, what if she is hurt? The sooner we get there, the better." Usagi said as she quickened her pace.

Luna saw and heard Usagi react to her question. Usagi seemed to have gotten more authoritative and ready to help this girl at all costs. She heard Usagi wonder if the girl was hurt or something and they should move faster. Luna picked up the pace and was now following Usagi. "Come on girls, hurry up!" Luna called to the girls behind her. "If this girl is hurt or something we are going to probably need all of us there to help." Luna turned her attention back to her blonde haired friend. Hopefully they'd find this girl soon.

Lona's ears strained. She could here them. At this point, she simply laid there in the grass. She hugged her knees to her stomach and shut her eyes. 

"Please..." She whispered. "Please go away." 

She buried her face, hoping her hair would hide her tears and the shadow from the volcano would conceal her. 

"Please." She repeated her plea, as if it were a mantra. "Please don't let them find me."

The crying had turned to whispering when the group finally saw someone in the distance. A beautiful young woman, curled up on the grass, shaking. She seemed to almost glow--it was more than being illuminated by the moonlight, but almost as though the light was contained within her. It highlighted her loveliness.

Ami's brows furrowed with concern. Luna and Usagi's worries that the crying might be from someone injured seemed likely, given what she was seeing.

The blue-haired woman closed the gap between herself and the unknown person, kneeling down. She kept her voice soft and gentle, and avoided making physical contact until she had begun to assess the situation.

"Excuse me," Ami said. "Are you in need of help? Are you hurt?"

When they finally came upon the girl Luna saw that she seemed to glow. The girl was beautiful. She was curled up on the ground and possibly injured as Luna and Usagi had thought. She looked at Ami as she approached the young girl. She hoped that the girl was okay or that they could help her at least. Ami had asked her if she was hurt or in need of help. Luna hoped the girl would answer and hopefully let them help her. They were strangers and she hoped that wouldn't keep her from letting them help. "My name's Luna. What's your name?" Luna talked to the girl quietly. She didn't want to scare the girl by bombarding her with questions, but she was concerned.

Usagi followed Ami until they came upon the girl. Usagi wanted to run to this girl. She wanted to help her, to make sure she was okay, but she could tell the girl was scared. Usagi bent down and spoke softly. "It's okay, we are here to help you. Are you hurt?" Usagi asked as she tried to get closer to the girl.

Lona flinched. She turned her head away, burying it in the ground and covering her face with her hands. 

Now a bunch of humans found her! What more humiliation should she suffer-to be found in such a condition? And they were offering her help? Did they have no idea who she was, why she was walking the earth-or worse-that she was being hunted?

She couldn't involve humans. This was not their path to walk. It was hers and hers alone. Lona refused to look at any of them. Humans have short lifespans, after all. They would tire from her lack of response and leave her soon.

Luna stared at the girl after Usagi, Ami and she asked their questions and spoke to her. Luna soon decided to sit on the ground near the girl. She was hoping that being on her level would be a comfort to the girl. After a little while the girl still hadn't spoken. Luna wasn't sure what to do at the moment. She didn't want to leave the girl when she seemed distressed.

The beautiful woman remained unresponsive, but she appeared to otherwise be breathing. It seemed to Ami that it wasn't that she couldn't answer as much as she was choosing not to. While that was not helpful, it wasn't a worst case scenario.

"Please," she tried again. "Are you hurt? We're here to help you. We heard crying--it was you, wasn't it?"

They were not going anywhere until they had discovered how they could assist. They were sailor soldiers, after all, and Ami herself had a strong dedication to helping those in need. How else could she be a truly compassionate doctor someday?

Lona flinched. These people seemed so kind! She shifted her head and met the gaze of a blue haired girl. There were others with her. Lona counted them-three girls, one blonde, this blue haired one, and one redhead. And a cat with a crescent shaped bald spot on its forehead. Crap. It was too late now, Lona had inadvertently made eye contact with each of them. She inhaled deeply.

"Yes." Her voice came out hollow with worry and strain. "Yes, that was me."

Ami could never leave someone in need. She was so thankful that the woman had finally responded to her questions. She hadn't quite figured out what she was going to do if this stranger had remained silent and unmoving, even though Ami had determined she was not obviously injured or lifeless. Hopefully they would be able to help her, now that she was responsive.

"We heard your crying, and it sounded like you needed help," she said. "We'd like to help. What is troubling you?"

Ami felt fairly confident speaking for the rest of the group. They generally shared her thoughts on this subject, especially as sailor soldiers. Helping others was an important part of protecting this world. Of course, she wasn't comfortable mentioning that right now. They didn't know enough about this strange person to reveal that kind of secret.

And yet... there was something uncomfortable in the air. Something that was slowly creeping up on them, although they didn't notice just yet. A faint miasma of darkness explored the mountain, searching for the bright Moon woman. Searching for its desired bride.