Don't Touch Anything: Chapter 11

Don't Touch Anything
A Sailor Moon TG by JanusDaGuardian
                Chapter 11: A Change of Form Calls for a Change of Clothes.

*Disclaimer: I don't own the Sailor Moon franchise. Sailor Moon is owned Toei Animation and Naoko Takeuchi. Please support the official release.

The nightmare did not begin with images. There was only darkness at first, familiar sounds, familiar voices. Together, they were a tormenting symphony to Jason's resting mind.

Then, the images came, appearing in both streams and bursts, fluctuating like a poor television set with its audio connected by bad wiring.    

A card with a blond-haired maiden, wearing nothing but her skin, shifting into the image of a woman who looked slightly older than Ally. Hispanic heritage displayed with tan complexion, short black hair curled about her, hassle eyes glaring down at him, a 9mm Glock trained at his forehead. The sounds of water. The cold caressing of falling rain. Fog and nature in the surrounding.

The light of day breaking into the sides like the strokes of a pair of paint brushes. Smells of cooking food. Sounds of life. Tables of wood. People and creaking chairs. A deck of crimson/violet cards. The all-knowing look of a black-haired fortune-teller framed by long, black locks. A confident voice. Swift, shifting hands. Thousands of images streaming behind him, spiraling out of control.    

"So, fate has sent you a message-- of guidance? A mission? A calling perhaps? Opportunity to take action-- up to you..."


A beast with the body of a man, the head of a goat, and the black wings of a demon. This was the image that appeared next, consuming the space previously held by the thousands as the beast began to grow and the two horned, very-human demons started to cackle. The title was there, along with the numerals; "XV", "The Devil".

"At the center all of this... the situation you face... has set events in motion... contradict your best interests..."

The side of the cafe darkened as the Hispanic woman appeared once more, her weapon now lowered, the bag of spoils draped over her shoulders, rain falling about her, fog masking the trees.

"The world-- draped in the shadows-- the one who has been reborn-- combined might of the Princess of the Silver Millennium-- her protectors-- the entire world-- its wrath--
"Protect-- her highness-- utmost duty-- Guardian of Mercury..."

***

Jason awoke. Like the night prior, there was plenty of sweat to greet his rousing senses. The dream lingered in his mind, but he was too dazed worry about it.

The majority of lunch was spent listening to Kylie's "witty remarks" about Leon's Tarot spread. The focus remained on the "opportunity to act" and how it related to his current social life. Jason let Kylie have her fun knowing that any resistance would spawn another unwanted conversation. At least she didn't harp upon the rest of the reading. Naturally, she chose the one she could really stick him with without having to think very hard about it.

A creaking hinge prompted Jason to glance towards the doorway. Behind the widening crack that halted upon his inspection were the familiar pair of baby-blue eyes and messy blonde locks of his friend suffering from a horrible "chromosome disorder".

She waited at the crack, like a child caught spying through a crack, as if she were hoping Jason would simply lay right back down and fall asleep so that she could advance, her intentions as obvious as white bread versus pumpernickel. Jason just kept staring, waiting for his friend to retreat without him having to say anything. And so the silent staring game began.

It only lasted for a minute...

Kylie yelped in surprise as she was suddenly pulled from behind by a mysterious force, which identified itself a moment later with a tired hiss.

"That pillow trick only works the first time, Kylie! Get the hell back to bed before I slap you upside the head!"

When the door to Ally's bedroom closed with a light slam, Jason snorted and rubbed his forehead. "I told you she wouldn't let it happen again..."

       ***

Despite feeling incredibly tired, Jason found it rather difficult to fall back asleep. He took a dosage of ibuprofen to reduce the slight fever and headache he had awoken to, but he only managed a couple more hours, which were split between his frequent awakenings, the last one being around the time his mother left for work. Chances were, he had caught a summer cold after having weakened his immune system running around in the rain almost two days ago. If that was the case, he was in for a some nasty couple weeks or months.  

Jason got up and served himself a bowl of frosted wheat, which he sluggishly ate as the sun rose for another long, hot, humid, Californian summer day. Part-way through his breakfast, he glanced out of the dinning room windows, admiring how golden light fell upon their moist backyard and reflected off the collection of dew that carpeted the sections of green turf in their backyard. He began to wonder if the sun did that every morning.  

The tall form of Ally Ford walked into the kitchen, still dressed in a pair purple pajama pants and white tank-top, her hair tied in a messy pony-tail, which was how she always did it just before taking her morning shower.  

"'Morning, Jason."

"'Morning, Ally."

"Did you sleep okay last night?"

"I slept okay, at first, but I couldn't really fall back asleep after Kyle tried to sneak into my room again."

Ally shook her head. "Honestly. It's like he's suddenly afraid to sleep in a girl's room after having probably intimately touched every girl he's dated up till this point."

Jason chuckled. "Yeah... All except for one."

"For the last time, J, she wasn't my girlfriend!"

Kylie walk into the kitchen. Her hair is a mess, the two buns on top having become undone. She wore the same pink nightgown, and her eyes were as red as her face.

"Wow... and I thought I looked tired," Jason said.

"Yeah. Last night wasn't exactly gin and Gomez, if you know what I mean," Kylie said.  

Ally was searching through the refrigerator, so neither of them could see her face, but Jason could swear he sensed her eyes rolling.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Is your new bed really that uncomfortable?"

Kylie shook her head. "It's not the bed. It's the sleeping arrangements."

Jason laughed. "I take it you're giving up on her then?"

Kylie glanced up and down Ally's body, pausing a split-second on some of the more "noticeable" curves, like the ones sticking out when she bent over to search the lower shelves. "Not yet..."  

Ally turned around, a carton of eggs in one hand, a quart of Tropicana orange juice in the other. "Giving up on who?"

Kylie grinned. "Nothing..."    

Ally shook her head and cracked a couple eggs onto a frying pan, adding one more than usual to the pan afterwards. She set the pan on the stove in preparation for her sunny-sides as she hovered to the fridge to grab some wheat bread for the toaster oven. It was about then that Ally ended the silence again.

"Oh, that's right. Hey, Jason? I'm going to the mall with Kylie after breakfast to get her some new clothes. Since we're gonna be gone most of the day, I figured I should ask if you were interested."

"Kyle can't fit in any more of your clothes?" Jason asked.  

Ally smiled. "Unfortunately, no. She's a little too short for most of my jeans, and the rest of her body is rather small and, dare I say, dainty...?" Ally giggled. "Quite a change from the "male-bravado" I almost kicked out of the house several times..." Kylie tsked and looked away. "Besides, I don't really want her to wear my clothes anyway."

"Like I'd wanna wear your clothes anyway," Kyle said.

"And my other options are...?" Jason asked/

"Staying home, which will make you alone until well-after two o'clock."

"Which means I'd be wasting away here until five-after-four then," Jason insinuated.

Ally chuckled. "Well, I certainly hope not. I'd rather not be caught-up in rush hour..."

Kylie shook her head. "Wait a second. 'Five-after' what?"  

"Ally likes to take her time while shopping for new clothes, and since she'll be shopping for your anime-gal proportions as well, she'll probably take... a little longer than usual," Jason smirked.

"Dough~! How long is that? Six hours?"

"Seven..."

"Double dough!"

"So, you wanna come or not...?" Ally asked.  

Jason walked his empty bowl and spoon to the sink, where he then rinsed off the milk residue and bits of wheat in preparation for the dish washer.

"The last few days have been pretty hectic for you two, and I think it's only fair that you go do something to get your mind off of everything. Besides..." Ally smiled again, "you could probably use some new clothes yourself."

Kylie gave off a suppressed snicker that both Fords could easily hear.

"Come to think of it, I might need someone else to help keep a leash on dickhead-in-girl's-clothing here..."

"Hey!"

Strangely enough, Kylie looked pretty cute while flustered...

"Come on, Jason..."

Jason glanced between his sister and his best friend. He couldn't remember the last time he went to the mall. It did sound like fun, and what Ally said about Kylie was worth taking note, especially since she had the hots for his sister. After several more moments of thought, Jason straightened out his blue t-shirt and said, "Okay. I'll go."

*** ***

The Smithfield mall was an impressive cross-sectioned complex with three floors of stores, a fourth for the cinema, and the bottom connecting to the underground parking lot. The three lower levels were probably three or four football fields long, with the average stores occupying around 32 by 50 sq. ft. each. The cinema took the whole fourth floor, but it's size was restricted to about one football field with only one and a partial section with the theaters on one side and the box office on the other. In the center, on the lowest level, was a large water fountain with several extra jets pointed and placed circularly around the bronze, glittering basin in the center. During the nighttime, the colored lights under the water's surface would illuminate the entire fountain as the jets slowly circled the sparkling basin. Since the inside of the mall always got darker before the outside did, and since the fountain produce a pretty moody atmosphere, it was a spot many couples frequented during their mall dates. Though he never saw anyone actually kissing beside it, Jason's mom told Ally and he that was the place she and his father, Peter Ford, shared their first kiss. As romantic as that may have sounded to Ally, Jason didn't like the idea of kissing someone in public.

Ally wore a regular pair of denim jeans, a white tank-top, a red blouse, a pair of brown sandals. Her small, black handbag was draped over her shoulder. Her hair had been brushed and was now hanging like a soft, wavy brown mane atop her shoulders and against her shoulder blades.  

Part of Kylie's long blonde hair was now done into two, horizontal, Chinese-style buns tied with red ribbons on each side of her head with the extra length draped all the way to her legs. She wore a pair of white capris and a small, pink T-shirt. On her feet were a pair of white sandals similar to Ally's but with a noticeably smaller heel. Her face had pink eye-shadow and her eyelashes looked obviously straightened. There were probably several other things Ally did to Kyile, but Jason didn't notice them.

As for Jason, he wore a pair of wrinkly tan, dress khakis secured by a worn, brown belt that was locked at the second-to-last hole. The blue t-shirt that he wore was almost outgrown, a fact proven every time he lifted his arms. On his feet were a pair of black-and-white suede Pumas, who's underside was down to its last layer of tread.  

Out of the three of them, Kylie drew the most attention, mostly for her unique hairstyle, but there was plenty to say about her small, thin body and her rather cute face. Jason kept his distance, looking the other way to avoid Kylie's gaze for fear she might spy a flurry of blush that leapt onto his face.  

Jason told Ally that he would head for Borders to browse their selection, leaving Ally and Kylie alone to go clothes shopping. Ally agreed with the exception that they would go clothes shopping together after they returned to the food court for lunch.  

Upon entering Abercrombie & Fitch, Kylie was bombarded by rock music which neither suited his taste nor the atmosphere of the store. Crop-tops over here, short-shorts over there, and skirts the color and lengths of which made him keep his distance. By the time they neared the service counter, Kylie knew he hated this place, especially when he beheld three full racks of clothing far worse than what was mentioned prior.

The person at the counter was a surprisingly tanned girl with brown eyes and black hair, who gave-off an excited squeal once she spotted Ally.

"Oh my god, Ally! What are you doing here? I thought today was your day off!"

"It is. How are you today, Salome?"

"Oh, you won't believe it, Ally! I just had a walk-in just a twenty minutes ago who tried on, like, thirty-pairs of those Gilly Hicks we have, and she came back here and demanded I find a brassiere in her size. The bitch must've weighed over two-hundred pounds, too. It's not like she'd look good in those even if I found one her size."

"Salome, fat girls have feelings, too. Remember, there's a skinny girl inside every fat one trying to get out, and we shouldn't make their lives any harder for them than they already are."

Salome sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I suppose... So, are you here just to say hi?"

"No, actually I'm here for some new clothes. I've got a friend here who desperately needs some, right, Kylie?"

When no immediate response came, Ally turned her head to see Kylie staring wide-eyed at a rack full of colorful, provocative undergarments.

"Kylie!"

"Huh?" Kyle turned to see Ally giving her an irritated gaze. "Oh. Yeah..."

"What's this?" Salome ducked out of the service desk and skittered across the floor until she was nearly eye-to-eye with the Chinese-styled blonde, with the exception of a good four inches. "Oh my god... You're so tiny..."

Kylie cocked her brow in slight confusion, not use to such a word describing any part of her body. "Uh... thank you...?"

It was pretty intimidating for Kylie to have an attractive girl suddenly examining her so closely, especially since her red blouse was only buttoned part-way, and because her long, slender, skin-tight jean covered legs were not hiding behind a desk any more. There was also the factor that he didn't have nearly the degree of  musculature now that he was stuck in his feminine, flat-chested, 4'11" form, so this girl wasn't paying him the kind of attention he preferred whilst amongst members of the fairer sex, and this upset him very much.

"Oh my god, now this is something I can work with. If you'll come with me, please..." Salome took Kylie by the hand and whisked her towards the changing rooms, the sheer speed of her coworker's movements prompting Ally to blink in surprise. "No worries, Ally! I'm gonna give her the hook-up! When you see her again, she'll be the cutest blonde in California!"

Kylie gave Salome a wry smile, but anyone around her could tell just by looking that she didn't like where this shopping excursion was heading...

*** ***

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Jason Ford stood outside a now empty, two-story bookstore. From the looks of things, the store space had only recently became vacant, 5 weeks at best, and it was bad timing for Jason, too. "Honestly, out of all the stores that had to go out of business in here... For God's sake, do they want to turn us into horny drones?! Considering the Hooters is still in business, I'm guessing that statement might be true..."

Aside from one or two comic book stores, Borders was the only book-store that was in the Smithfield Mall. So, with an angry sigh, Jason started back. He thought about calling Ally to find out which store they were in, but the chances were that the two of them were still inside Abercrombie & Fitch, so he didn't bother. Not that it mattered; He didn't want to be around clothes any more than Kylie did, but he would need to go clothes shopping anyway since he'd made that deal with Ally.

A Starbucks coffee shop loomed off to the left, it's lady-shaped logo gazing at the semi-curly-blond as if to encourage him inside. Given his tired, restless, and agitated mood, he decided to accept the imaginary offer and treat himself to a sweet, caffeinated beverage.

Inside the Starbucks was a line of ten-to-fifteen people. The amount was what Jason would expect at the tail-end of the morning rush. Some of the people there wore business suits, whether they had a job they needed to go to or they simply wanted to dress sharply. Most of the others wore pretty casual clothes for the summer weather, such as blouses, t-shirts, and shorts of varying lengths and styles. Behind the line were a couple rows of lined wooden, black-cushion chairs with black marbled tables. The people outside of the line and at the tables held their receipts in hand while the people behind the counters took orders and served them. Being a Saturday, there were enough people working behind the counter to serve-up an order every twenty to thirty seconds.

Jason quickly took the next space in line. On Saturdays, crowds were generally unpredictable. On weekdays, there was usually predictable times for the morning rush, lunch rush, and rush-hour rushes, which were surround by sporadic amounts of singles and couples between and after the rushes. On weekends, it sometimes depended on weather, mood, and occasions, and today was quite nice in terms of weather. The rain from yesterday had all but been evaporated, and the breeze helped prevent stationary humidity. In the end though, businesses can never predict exactly how many customers they were going to receive or when since life was always unpredictable, something Jason and Kylie could already attest to.

Some of the people at the tables had laptops, others with the latest Smartphone or other internet-worthy gadgets, a common thing to see due to the shop having a powerful WiFi connection. At one of these tables in the corner was a blond-haired, somewhat overweight gentleman in his late twenties, who had a black Toshiba laptop and was typing faster than anyone Jason had ever seen. He wore casual clothes that seemed almost on par with his own, except he wore blue denim jeans, a red, numbered t-shirt, and a cotton, brown-plad cap. Aside from the silver, Bluetooth earbud attached to his left ear, he seemed like the kind of guy people might see in a gaming shop, perhaps even at an anime or comic book convention. However, the guy's conversation was quite unique and drew some of Jason's weary attention.

"Got you guys are covered. Just remember, I can only set loops inside the stores so... Right, exactly. There's too many people around right now, otherwise I'd loop them all... By the way, what happened to that staff-thing you wanted to sell...? Well, I hope last night's op went well for you guys..."

"Order 654!"

The blond-haired gentleman closed his laptop and went to the pickup counter to pay for his large Latte.

"Damn, that's terrible! Is he all right...? Well, that's good to hear... What? Me...? No, I'm leaving right now... Yeah, sure... Alright... Talk to you later... Bye."

 The blond-haired gentleman grabbed his drink and headed outside. The male server behind the counter shook his head and muttered, "MMO junkies...".