The Skill of Shazam!

    Adriane Talent woke up and experienced a quick sense of disorientation before she remembered where she was. Everyone at the sleepover had drifted off during the last movie. In her case, she'd fallen asleep on the Strong's couch. Zandi was on the other side of the couch, Dawn and Makoto were on the floor, Hilary was in a beanbag chair, and Melissa was in the big recliner. The other girls were also starting to wake up, stretching and groaning as they did so.
    Hilary's cat Shazam was gingerly walking around the party debris. Adriane grinned, remembering the popcorn fight during Benny and Joon. Shazam leapt onto the open middle cushion on the couch and promptly fell asleep.
    Around noon, people finally began to leave. Zandi had to meet her friend Hayaino Chikyuu for track practice later and Melissa wanted to get in a few extra hours at the library before a big test she had in one of her advanced classes.
    Adriane was the next-to-last to leave the Strong house. Mako-chan and Hilary were planning to work out together, so Adriane said her goodbyes and headed for home. She decided to try a different route and found herself walking by a Shinto shrine. A girl about her age was sweeping the stairs while an old man was hawking small charms.
    "Come, buy a love charm!" the man was calling out. "Love charms, guaranteed to work! Come, pretty girls!"
    Adriane smiled, walking over to the old man. She was interested to see what his love charms were. Adriane's grandmother was an Inuit medicine woman; her love charms were packets of sweet-smelling herbs for a girl to place under her pillow.
    "Ah, interested in a love charm?" the old man asked as Adriane approached. She looked at the charms, strips of rice paper with kanji, while trying not to notice the sweeping girl staring at Adriane oddly.
    "There's something about her," Adriane thought, "something almost...familiar. Creepy." The girl approached Adriane and the old man.
    "Grandpa, let me," the girl said. "I'd like to do a reading for you," she said, looking into Adriane's deep brown eyes.
    Adriane was taken aback by the similarities in appearance between her and the temple girl. They both had long, dark hair, but the temple girl's was so black it seemed to have a violet sheen to it. "What type of reading?" Adriane asked.
    "A fire reading." The girl took Adriane's hand. "It won't take long, please."
    Adriane agreed and was led off by the girl. "My name is Rei," the girl told her.
    "I'm Adriane. What exactly is a fire reading, and why do you want to do one?"
    Rei turned to face Adriane. "I sensed something about you earlier. I was hoping maybe the fire could tell me what it was." Adriane unconsciously clutched the amulet she wore around her neck. Rei noticed the gesture. "What's that?" she asked, interested.
    "Oh, it's nothing. My grandmother gave it to me before I left Alaska." Adriane moved her hand so Rei could see the design on the amulet better.
    "It's beautiful. What's it of?"
    "The design represents Alignak and Tarquiup Inua, two Inuit moon spirits. She gave it to me for luck, and so I don't forget my heritage."
    Rei smiled. "I understand. My grandfather keeps telling me that I'll never be a proper Shinto priestess if I keep rushing off to play video games and read manga."
    Adriane smiled back. She was still getting the strange vibe from Rei, but despite herself, found herself beginning to like the temple girl.

    Shazam shifted in her sleep, trying to stay in the path of the sunbeam. She shifted a little too hard and fell off the windowsill. "Mrow-ouch!" she exclaimed, getting up. Glaring at the windowsill, she muttered, quietly, "Whoever said cats landed on their feet must've been a dog."
    Suddenly, a cold shiver shook the tiny cat. A cloud passed across the sun. "Not now..." Shazam whispered.

    Trona watched the two girls at the temple as they gazed into the fire. A low, sultry laugh escaped. "They'll never know what hit them," she murmured, plucking another pebble from the air. "Augite, demon of fire, arise!"
    A puff of crimson smoke appeared, and the smooth, reddish demon bowed low before the villainess. "Yes, my queen?" he spoke in a fiery voice.
    "One of the unawakened Marvelous Senshi is below with one of the Inner Senshi. Destroy them both."
    "As you wish," he bowed again, disappearing in a column of flames.

    Rei gazed into the flames, searching for an answer. "O sacred fire," she chanted, "tell me what is special about this girl that I have such unusual feelings from her." The flames jumped and crackled, finally revealing an image to the young priestess.
    The night was dark, the terrain barren. Six lone warriors stood, calling out their challenge. "Trona!" the leader called out. "We have come to fight for the Moon Kingdom!"
    "Fools!" the woman called back. "You shall never defeat my Stone Warriors!"
    "We have to try!" one of that warriors, clad in a purple mask, fuku, and cape, called back. "We're not just going to hand over the Moon Kingdom to the likes of you!"
    "Ariadne, always so optimistic," Trona sneered. "I'll enjoy sending your bloody, broken body back to the worm-infested desert you so love. Queen Aries always does so enjoy a funeral."
    The scene faded away, and all Rei saw was Adriane's expectant face. "What did you see?" Adriane asked.
    "I'm not sure," Rei replied. The two girls looked at each other, both sure that the other was hiding something.
    The tenuous silence was broken by a scream. "Rei!" her grandfather called out. "Get out here, quick!"
    The girls raced out of the shrine to see a red-skinned demon riding on an oriental dragon setting the buildings on fire. "Adriane! Run!" Rei called out, reaching in her pocket for her henshin wand.
    Adriane stood, transfixed by the sight of the demon and dragon. A tongue of fire landed beside her, breaking the trance. She ran behind one of the buildings.
    Rei ducked behind a tree. "Mars Crystal Power!" she exclaimed, transforming into Super Sailor Mars. She pulled her communicator out. "Luna, Ami, anyone, come in! We've got a problem at the temple!"

    In the Strong's basement, Makoto's communicator beeped. She looked up to see if Hilary had heard it.
    "You have a pager?" Hilary asked.
    "Um, yes. Do you mind if I answer it?"
    "Go ahead. There's a phone in the next room." As Makoto slipped out to answer the communicator, Shazam slipped into the room.
    "Hilary!" she hissed.
    "Shazam? Oh yeah, I forgot. What is it?" Hilary asked, fingering her earrings.
    "Remember Pikite from last night? Well, his buddy Augite just appeared at the Fire River Shrine. You've gotta go."
    "Fine, just let me tell Mako-chan that I'm leaving." As Hilary said that, Makoto came back into the room.
    "Hilary-chan? It's an emergency. My friend Usagi-chan is having a crisis. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" she asked brightly.
    "That's fine. It seems I have to leave, too."
    "I'll see you, then. Bye." Makoto picked up her overnight bag and left. As she turned the corner, she pulled out her henshin wand and transformed.
    In the basement, Hilary extended her hand. "Hippolyta Shazam!" she called out. The dark green lightning ripped through the air, transforming her. "Let's split, Shaz!"

    The Inner Senshi converged on the temple. "What took you so long?" Mars railed at them. "The temple is almost totally destroyed!"
    "Well, excuse us!" Jupiter replied. "We got here as fast as we could!" They all ducked as a stream of fire erupted just over their heads.
    "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury called out, blasting the dragon full in the mouth. Steam erupted from its mouth as the dragon plummeted to the ground, suffocated.
    "Crushing Strength!" the Senshi heard from behind them. A wall of pressure blasted Augite.
    "Who're you?" Mars asked the figure in the green fuku, mask and cape.
    "I'm Sailor Hippolyta, Marvelous Senshi of Strength. Now let's get Augite!"
    From behind the building, Adriane watched the battle. Augite sensed where she was. "I have no quarrel with you, Inner Senshi!" he called in his fiery voice. "Give me the Marvelous Senshi!"
    Hippolyta stood forward. "You'll have to come and get me, Augite!" she called, sword appearing in hand.
    Adriane felt the amulet around her neck growing warmer. She stood out from behind the building. She began a chant, calling on the power of Sila, the Inuit divine ruler. As she chanted, a symbol appeared on her forehead. Shazam saw the glowing outline of the maze and whispered, "Sailor Ariadne!"
    The calico raced to Adriane. "Adriane! Realize your destiny!" she called out. "Extend your hand and call 'Ariadne Shazam!'"
    Adriane didn't even take the time to think on the ridiculousness of a talking cat, she just did as she was told. "Ariadne Shazam!" she called out. A bolt of dark purple lightning ripped through the air, bringing Adriane's transformation and memories from the past. She was soon clad in a fuku similar to Hippolyta's, but dark purple, with ankle boots.
    "Thank-you, Shaz," she said before racing into the fray.
    "Ah, another one!" Augite squealed in glee. "More for me to destroy!"
    "Think again, Augite!" Ariadne exclaimed. "Ariadne Bola!" The weapon appeared in her hand and she hurled it accurately, binding his arms and legs to his body.
    "Ariadne!" Hippolyta exclaimed. "Good to see you again!"
    "Let's finish him off! You two can have your reunion later!" Mars exclaimed. "Mars Flame Sniper!"
    "Blazing Missile!" Ariadne exclaimed, loosing her chi attack. The two fire attacks hit Augite square on, igniting his body until all that was left was his pebble form, which slowly dissolved into dust.
    The Senshi rejoiced in the defeat until they all saw the expression on Mars's face. "The temple is nearly gone," she said sadly. "We don't have the money to rebuild."
    Hippolyta and Ariadne exchanged a glance. "We can help," Hippolyta said.
    "That's right." The two Marvelous Senshi joined hands, closing their eyes. A purple-green glow emanated from them, expanding in a sphere until it engulfed the whole temple, thrumming in its increasing power. Before the Inner Senshi's eyes, the temple was reformed to exactly how it was before the attack, almost as if the Marvelous Senshi's energy was healing the temple.
    The sphere dissolved, and the two Marvelous Senshi disappeared. The Inner Senshi reverted to their normal forms, looking at the temple in wonder.

    "Welcome back," Hilary told Adriane.
    "I can't believe we didn't remember all this," Adriane replied, stroking Shazam. "Where are the others?"
    "They'll reveal themselves in time," Shazam murmured, purring.