1860/Jimono Lurking: Rise of Jukata Act 1

Jimono Lurking: Rise of Jukata Act 1
Date of Scene:	13 August 2024
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	It's the Azabujuuban Noryo Matsuri, a summer celebration starting the last day of Obon, and something new (but old), evil (and yet, almost cute?) lurks. That's right: JUKATA RISES. Can Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, Lunar Knight, Tuxedo Kamen, and Jadeite save the day (and fashion)?
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Makoto Kino, Naru Osaka, Mamoru Chiba, Jadeite

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
August in Juuban Ward means one thing - well, it means many things, actually, but in this case it means one thing in particular - the Azabujuuban Noryo Matsuri!

Hosted by the Azabujuuban Shopping Arcade T this time of year for 58 years running, this summer festival might have started today, but it will spread out over the next two weekends. Situated along the main path between the Azabujuuban and Roppongi Hills stations, the matsuri path is lined with local shops as well as traditional markets from all over Japan coming together with booths, hawking wares and inviting sales.

All around are the sounds of people, the chime of traditional bells and windchimes, the music of nearby performers, participating in traditional summer comedy shows. Lining the street are stalls selling traditional crafts, stalls selling masks and keychains with anime characters, not to mention plenty of food stalls, with everything from shaved ice to yakitori. Alongside these stalls are stands featuring games for everyone to enjoy!

The Azabujuuban Noryo Matsuri has one other key feature - it always takes place near the end of Obon, giving an opportunity for people both local and foreign to come together in sending on the honored dead and enjoying the peace of summer. That's one reason the majority of people are wearing yukata - and it's also one reason that most people are prepared for the obon-odori dance that will take place surrounding a large stage, erected for performances, and, to facilitate the dance.

While most people will dance beside the stage, local miko and festival organizers will lead the dance atop it! Won't that be fun?

Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong on this warm summer evening.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino has been coming to the Azabujuuban Noryo Matsuri for basically her entire life, but that's a given - she grew up here in Juuban. Last summer had been a hectic time of new experiences - she'd been a brand new magical girl, after all! But this year, everything is different, and yet, the Noryo Matsuri is the same comfortable scene as ever.

It's nice to know that some things never change, that there are some experiences that are just... sacred, even. It seems like practically everyone in Juuban has gathered to celebrate, to share in snacks and festival games, to just walk around and enjoy the summer breeze. She's certainly happy to be here with her friends.

"Let's get shaved ice, ooh, and tanghulu too, look, the stalls are right next to each other!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Obon is always full of heavy memories for Makoto. This year, though... this year has been better. This year, she has a nice new yukata with a camellia pattern in leaf greens and deep and pale pinks, thanks to Ikuko Tsukino's insistence, and she has friends who are determined to make sure she has a good time instead of holing up somewhere to wallow in her memories alone.

So Makoto is smiling as she keeps pace with Usagi, taking in the festival atmosphere. "Tanghulu first," she suggests, "and then shaved ice, so it doesn't have quite as long to melt?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
This year, Naru is the new magical girl, sort of, but she seems comfortable enough strolling around the festival with the rest. She's in a pretty floral print of peach on a green background for her yukata, cool and comfortable even in the summer heat.

"Tanghulu first." Naru agrees with Makoto with a nod. "Oooh, those are pretty." Of course there's a stationary shop with wares out on tables to catch Naru's attention and pull her away from the prospect of sweets.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru's in a deep blue lightweight yukata spangled with a starfield, the color of the evening sky. He's wearing birkenstocks instead of traditional geta, because princes do what they want. He also has pockets hidden somewhere, because see above.

He doesn't have any particular memories associated with Obon, though he'd been on a group trip to this very Matsuri once-- long enough ago to feel like it was in another life. And it sort of was. This is very different.

This is much better, and he'll be able to construct new memories to fit this holiday-- "Get me some?" Mamoru asks over his shoulder, "I want to buy a mask, I'll be right there."

He has, in fact, stalled right next to a stand that's got a kitsune mask hanging right at head-height to him, and he's already taking it down to do business with the shopkeeper.

Jadeite has posed:
He's here with Mamoru and Usagi and Naru and Makoto and it's a beautiful night.

The last festival he remembers going to, he was visiting his father's family, and he'd been young enough to flip between glee at getting to run around a festival and shyness at being so obviously an outsider compared to the others there. Now, in his ice blue yukata decorated with morning glories (delivered from his mother and paternal grandparents, to wear, send pictures or else), he looks at the stalls with new eyes - though he rarely strays from the others.

"Do they sell sweet corn here? I've heard some festivals do. oH, not that there's something wrong with tanghulu and shaved ice!"

He peers at the masks over Mamoru's shoulder, wondering what he'll take...and if it'd be worth it to buy Usagi a matching mask, to tease her a little. For fun, you know?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi's in a pale pink yukata, patterned with hot pink and deep blue sakura flowers, depicted blowing as if in the wind. Her dark blue obi matches it perfectly, and her odango are wrapped in pink ribbons, with silver-white sakura blossom clips.

"I'll get you some," she promises to Mamoru, as he splits off from the group, smiling with the others. "Tanghulu first, then shaved ice, that's a good idea Mako-chan! And we'll look for corn too, I'm pretty positive they have some - though, no corn syrup in the tanghulu."

This is said with a teasing grin tossed Tamaki's way.

The stall Naru is looking at has plenty of stationary, with patterns, with textures, varying thicknesses, and the stallkeeper is happy to answer any questions Naru has.

Likewise, the mask salesman is happy to talk about the different masks on sale, and why the kitsune mask that Mamoru has picked up is truly remarkable and worth a great price.

There's a summer breeze, carrying all the scents of food on the wind, and there's plenty of joy to be had, as everyone enjoys the festival...

But something sinister lurks. Months ago, a certain item was made, born of a bet and curiosity. It was loathed, that creation, for it was an abomination! But it lived, regardless, and Dark Energy seeped through the air, making it real, making it alive. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon heroically rescued those who had been captured by the monster, but despite their best efforts, unknown to them... it survived.

You see, under the happiness and joy that is this festival.... that being still lurks.

Only now, with Summer deepened to it's full might, with the sun so often bright and hot, with the days so long and the nights so short, that being has evolved. It is no longer Jimono... no.

Now, it is JUKATA, SON OF JIMONO.

And silently, it moves through the crowd, it's jobi (jean obi) silently lashing out, capturing the vulnerable in ties of denim, their muffled cries drowned out by the festival noise!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru is absolutely down with whatever price the mask salesman names, because he's rich and he doesn't want someone else to eat the tanghulu Usagi said she'd get him. He ruffles Tamaki's hair because it's fluffy and he's handy, and as the salesman hands him his change, he sleight-of-hands the mask into nowhere and smiles at the guy.

Magic trick like that...

"Probably," he answers Tamaki even though Usagi already did, and then he waits for Tamaki to buy something or not before starting to slide back to the group.

Starting to.

Mamoru frowns, then right in the middle of everything he stops again and slips a foot out of its sandal to touch the ground, and he closes his eyes. Then they're open and he looks like he's got mixed feelings about this. "Trouble," he tells Tamaki, and then with his foot back in its sandal, he jogs closer to the girls. "Trouble," he repeats, steals some tenghulu out of Usagi's hand and eats it off the stick, then breezes past to find someplace to henshin.

Behind the stalls is good.

They can hear him calling out, "Earth Prism Power, Make Up!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Sweet corn would be delicious." Naru agrees with Tamaki as she looks up from her examination of pretty papers. A girl can never have too much fancy paper, or oooh.. a new notebook. She considers a few options and then picks up some origami paper. A duck and a weave away from her usual!

Ignorance is bliss about the approaching fashion doom, and regular doom. One is bad enough, but both? The horror!

At least until Mamoru ruins the ignorance and Naru turns towards the trouble and /sighs/. "I didn't even get a snack yet!"

It's still new, that Naru has to consider how and where to go to henshin. She has to henshin! It's worth following Mmaoru around behind the stalls.

Jadeite has posed:
Tamaki listens to the mask salesman go on and on about the masks, about why the kitsune is an excellent choice, and quietly picks out a kitsune mask with a much pinker color scheme, which he buys at a relative steal compared. He floats on over to Usagi and offers her the mask. "Here. It's fun when foxes come in pairs."

- And then. Mamoru tells him there's trouble, and he chases after him behind the stalls, dragging his costume out of the jade stone on his ear - "

And Jadeite is already preparing a Snow Thimble for whatever trouble is going to ruin! His! Nice! Festival! Experience!

Makoto Kino has posed:
"There's sure to be grilled corn," Makoto answers Tamaki. "I don't know about sweet corn, but we can definitely look."

She's only just obtained her own tanghulu skewer when Mamoru warns of incoming trouble and promptly vanishes to henshin. She looks with some dismay from the candied fruit, down at her nice new yukata, up at the others, and back at the tanghulu again. "Why is it always the worst timing...?"

She nomfs it down hastily - barely even getting a chance to taste it - and pushes her way through the festival crowd until she can find a sheltered spot to hunt out her henshin pen.

"Jupiter Power - Make Up!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi has three sticks of tanghulu in her hand - two for her and one for Mamoru - when he comes up behind her, warning of trouble and stealing right out of her hand.

"Hey! I was going to give it to you!"

Treachery! Super familiar treachery, actually, because Darien always stole things out of her hand because they were evil - huh. The thought has Usagi carefully considering her sugar-coated fruit, before she bites into it anyway, crunching the candy-coated grapes to get the delicious cool sweetness deep inside. "I would just like it to be known, we still weren't on a date!!!"

Why is this so reminiscent of another joyful summer event ruined? The thought percolates, as Usagi runs for a place to henshin, but, it can't be... right?

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

Their voices ring out, and the lights of their varying transformations add to the festive environment. None of them have a barrier, and the festival is still going on around them, with plenty of people taking note of the heroes when they go running around. Cosplayers! How cool! What a wonderful addition to the festival - AAAAAAAAAA!

Screams ring out, mostly of horror and disgust, as those trapped in jobi begin to wriggle themselves free, revealing a horror of unspeakable proportions: their clothes, be they ordinary t-shirts and jeans or fine yukata, have been transformed into ... new yukatas. Made of denim. Varying shades of denim, even, with dark blue obis, pale blue at the collar, and a standard blue for the majority of the body. They were even embroidered, with patterns of waves or flowers...

They were jean yukata, and their maker was a malevolent figure, a 'head' and 'limbs' made of dark mists, flowing in and around a body that was simply -

JUKATA.

"WHY DO YOU SCREAM?" The abomination calls out, "I AM SHARING WITH YOU THE NATURE OF ART, OF INNOVATION! JOIN ME IN CELEBRATION OF THE 'NEW'!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"No way." The protest blurts right out of Sailor Jupiter's mouth before she has any chance to think about it. She's stopped flat-footed, too busy staring wide-eyed at the plague of jukata to remember that she'd been hurrying to confront the threat to the peace of the festival.

"But we got rid of you!" She hesitates, glancing a bit guiltily towards Sailor Moon. Oh. Right. They... agreed not to mention that, didn't they?

Oops.

"...Didn't we?"

Jadeite has posed:
The horror of new yukatas being created -

The horror, specifically, of knowing if the yukata his mother and grandparents had sent to him got altered in any way,shape or form, overwhelms Jadeite. Both sides of his family are rich as sin and could buy him a new yukata, but could he buy his way out of explaining to his grandparents and mother? After he'd spent three years ghosting them while evil?

"You fought this thing that steals your clothing and didn't tell us??" he asks Jupiter and Moon, aghast.

He jabs a finger at Jukata, furious. "How can I celebrate the new when you've damned dozens to accusation of destroying perfectly good clothing by their parents? In the name of the clothing budget, I will punish you! SNOW THIMBLE!!

A huge bell shaped ice attack probably isn't going to do TOO much damage to an entity made of cloth, but Jadeite is giving his all anyway!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"So open a stall and sell them like a *normal person*!" Mamoru yells out, and... Kitsune Kamen is on the scene! "Don't," he calls stridently, jumping up on top of one of the stalls and pointing the empty tenghulu stick at Jukata, "change people's clothing without consent! That's rude!"

Tuxedo Fox-mask looks to Sailor Jupiter then, half-staggering back a step (gracefully enough that he doesn't even wobble the stall he's on) and laying his hand over his heart. "You fought--" he starts to say the same thing as Tamaki, then just points to him aggrievedly instead.

He sort of flinches when Jadeite pulls up Snow Thimble in this crowd, then thinks for a second. Then, a rose is flying through the air, aimed for the place the jobi is going to be once the rose reaches it, trying to pin it to the ground. Maybe they can get this done fast enough...

"I'll buy you new tanghulu!" he assures Usagi.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Seriously?" The Lunar Knight eyes the Jukata. "No consent. Seriously rude. People are welcome to wear whatever they way. You dont get to inflict it on them, even if it is kinda cute?" She considers the denim and then shakes her head, as if to clear it of the temptation. She gestures to Tuxedo Kamen. "What he said!"

Naru is stomping her way closer, not yet having drawn her sword.. not in this crowd at least not yet. "Now stop it!" Because THAT is clearly going to fix everything.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon returns Sailor Jupiter's guilty stare, looking just as horrified. "She's right! We burned you! We set the world free from your horrors!"

Jadeite is looking aghast, horrified, and so is Tuxedo Foxmen, and Sailor Moon cringes a little, "Look, we destroyed it! We burned it to scraps! We didn't think anyone had to know about the jimono-"

"FOOLS! YOU CANNOT STOP THE FUTURE! I AM NO LONGER JIMONO... I AM JUKATA!" And the abomination throws out it's arms, dark energy blasting through the empty arm holes. Too late, the festival-goers begin to run, realizing that this isn't actually some kind of show. Those closest scream as their clothing transform.

The crash of ice doesn't do much to the Jukata - besides smash it flat, that is. It wriggles under the bell-shaped chunk, slithering mostly free as only something flesh-less can.

"THERE IS NO NEED FOR OTHER CLOTHING! THERE IS ONLY JUKA-ACK?!"

This, as the rose pierces a sleeve, pinning it's length to the ground. It writhes, but can't quite manage to free itself.

"YOU WRETCHES! DENIM IS AN INCREDIBLY STRONG, DURABLE MATERIAL, BUT YOU'VE MANAGED TO TEAR IT!"

It's horrified, and furious, but then - then it gets a second wind, because a compliment is paid, a tentative whisper of temptation, and Jukata lunges for the moment, enwrapping Lunar Knight in a bubble of dark energy. When it fades?

The Lunar Knight wears a well-fitted jukata of pale blue denim, with white embroidered stars dancing across the surface. Her armored skirt has a protective layer of denim too, and even the sheathe and grip of her sword have been given a healthy layer of the stuff.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Don't worry!" Tuxedo Kamen says, taking off the fox mask to reveal... his usual mask... and then vanishing the fox mask away again. "Your henshin will be back to normal after you drop it and pick it back up! Saves loads on... of? laundry--"

He hauls back and throws another rose, aiming for another point of contact with the ground. "Come on, Jukata, give up! You're going down today. Whether you're wearable after purification is up to you!"

He pauses and looks half-impressed with himself, half horrified. What a threat. "Too far?" he asks Tamaki.

Jadeite has posed:
"Not too far. My mother would kill me if I came home in a jukata after she spent over 200,000 yen on a nice yukata," Jadeite says, glancing over to him with a pale face. "If a jukata MUST attack, it should be at a political gathering or perhaps a farm, since the people there can either afford to replace their outfits or could use a well made denim outfit. Right now, all it's doing is alienating dozens of children from its denim brethren after earning them a scolding for ruining their good festival clothing."

He has gotten the 'you got mud on your Sunday clothing' too many times to not be wary!

"Jukata! Cursed entity of fashion! No one will accept your artistic stylings so long as they are forced upon them!" he says; since Snow Thimble barely did anything, he unsheathes his ice epee. "You are no summer treat!"

And when Jukata comes too near, he lunghes, making to at minimum seperate sleeve from body, if not cleave the garment in two.

Makoto Kino has posed:
The reactions from the others have Saior Jupiter turning a bit red in the face, though she recovers with haste - after all, there's still very much a monster on the loose. "Anyway!" she says, with a sharp gesture toward Jukata. "How were we even supposed to begin explaining something like this?"

Her indignance turns into something more like the expression of a punched muppet when Jukata does its dastardly work on Naru's henshin. Clearly, this has all gone too far.

"Yukata are supposed to be light and breathable! They don't need to be heavy and sturdy. You're ignoring the strengths of both the material and the garment, doing all this! Now hold still and let us purify you!"

With that last declaration, Jupiter spreads both hands wide in front of her, releasing a double handful of petals into the wind that suddenly kicks up to whirl around Jukata in a tight, confining spiral.

"Flower Hurricane!!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"AH!" Lunar Knight was wholly unprepared to have the hesitant compliment be taken quite THAT seriously. So seriously that she's not covered in denim! Her brand new henshin! Denim'd!

At least Tuxedo Kamen's assurances are reassuring that it won't be forever, but she's not about to unhenshin right here and right now. Not with the Jukata advancing.

There's a groan as Naru realizes that even her sword hilt is covered when she draws it. "Seriously? Is nothign sacred!?" it might be denim, but it's also coming for the sleep that Jadeite hasn't targeted.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Jukata howls as it's attacked, at both sleeves by shining blades, inches cut from both sides.

"HOW DARE YOU," it roars, "I WILL SWALLOW YOU WHOLE. I WILL MAKE OF YOU A NEW STATEMENT IN FASHION: DEATH TO THE OPPPOSITION!"

And the jobi, wound so innocently about it's waste, flies out, wrapping around Jadeite's sleeve, yanking him closer.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon is beginning to shake off her horror, clutching the Crescent Wand.

"How dare you do that to Lunar Knight?!?!" Sailor Moon is horrified at the sight of Naru, though admittedly the jukata print is actually cute and would be nice as a fall jean jacket - A wind picks up, carrying with it flowers, and the Jukata is torn free of Jadeite, wreathed and wrapped in power -

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Silver Light floods the area, burning away the darkness, but not Lunar Knight's Jukata. The horrid fashion statement writhes and screams, flailing about with it's shortened sleeves.

"I AM THE FUTURE, I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" R
The Dark Energy rebounds, building like an explosion, and she regrets thinking it was cute at all, because in the next moment, she and Jadeite are both wearing jukatas too.

The effort seems to have taken a lot out of the jukata, though, for it flutters weakly, barely alive.

"I... WILL... NOT... BE.... STOPPED!"

Again, the jobi lashes out, binding the Lunar Knight and her sword - bringing the denim of her outfit to life to capture as neatly as the others who were caught by jobi.

Jadeite has posed:
Jadeite slashes, taking off fabric, but not nearly enough - not enough to save Lunar Knight from the hideous fate of jukata, nor sparing himself or Sailor Moon from it's denimy wrath.

He goes pale, then colors. 500,000 yen of silk and embroidery....!

"My family bought me that yukata, you dick!" he howls, and lunges forward - attacking not with magic, but all the cutting force a teenage boy and 12,000 years of suddenly unbottled rate focused on cutting the jukata down in vengeance!

Makoto Kino has posed:
Sailor Jupiter kind of pauses for a beat at that, looking askance at Jadeite. "I think it's just your henshin, though..."

In the next moment she shakes off her distraction. Now Sailor Moon and Jadeite are ALSO cursed with jukata. This is definitely getting out of hand. "How dare you inflict your fashion crimes on my friends?!" she demands, as clouds boil out of nowhere to darken the starry sky overhead. "Sailor Jupiter, Guardian of Love and Thunder, will blast you to denim ashes!"

She reaches out, grasps at the air. Thunder peals out from the darkened sky.

"Supreme..."

Lightning stabs down, illuminating the festival grounds as it strikes for Jukata.

"...Thunder!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"And I can't believe you're making us fight in this heat!" Tuxedo Kamen finishes, finally jumping down from that beleaguered festival market stall and ... sort of posturing, really. Or possibly gesticulating. Maybe both. "Rude and inconsiderate!"

His gaze whips to Jadeite to make sure the other boy's still in his uniform, eyes wide behind his mask for a second, and then he relaxes and goes back to hamming.

"Since you won't give up and won't hold still, you won't be a yukata at all in a minute! Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!"

KSHOOOOOOOOOOF!

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The jobi is wrapped tight around Lunar Knight, entangling her in fabric - and completely disconnected from the main body. This is important, because the main body gets absolutely fucking bodied.

First, Jadeite loses his mind in the heat of utter horror, lashing out with his epee, which isn't a very good cutting weapon, actually, but it's great for stabbing and being wielded with great force, and the Jukata is battered and some of it's torn seams ripped wide by the stabbings -

And then there's lightning and blasty beams, both striking at the same time - one from ground level, one from above, and the Jukata writhes as it burns and tears and goes up in blue flame because it's denim.

"THIS IS NOT THE END," Jukata roars out, and a shape appears in the flames - the shape of a pair of jeans, flailing as though filled with legs, dancing madly in the flames. "I AM AS LONG LASTING AS THE JEANS IN THE BACK OF YOUR CLOSET, PURCHASED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL YET LASTING THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOOOOOOOOL!"

In the spectacle, the jobi slips free of Lunar Knight, shooting away to slither under a shopping stall and off into the night.

The jukata remain, however.

Sailor Moon winces, twisting all around, looking at her jukata, which has replaced her sailor fuku entirely. It has little embroidered bunnies and moons in various stages patterned on the main body.

"Eww," she says with a groan. "I hate that it's kind of cute? But... we definitely got it, right?"

Jadeite has posed:
"We should set it on fire again. Just to be sure," Jadeite says, poking the twisted and ashen fabric with his epee. Making sure the damn thing's not alive.

...and while he's looking down, he uh. He does recall that he henshined and is in uniform. Since the crowd has, as it were, jan away without jeagrets, he de-henshins and makes sure his original yukata is in one piece and untransformed.

He relaxes, his hands on silken blue fabric. "Thank goodness. It's intact...."

Phew! He looks to the others, eyes huge. "What's say we get some shaved ice and watch this thing go up in the incinerator, everyone? It's not quite as exciting as sparklers, but it should be entertaining."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"...it's *really* cute actually," Mamoru says, eyeing Sailor Moon's jukata critically. "I'm not sure about the denim hair accessories though."

And yeah! Everyone's run away, and Mamoru doesn't want to be left in Western formalwear when everyone's going back to yukatas-- or jukatas-- so he dehenshins, too, and smoothes out the blue fabric. His isn't high-end, but it's comfortable and he doesn't have to feel guilty if he gets shaved ice on actual artwork.

"Think you got it, yeah. And that sounds like a great idea, ...Jamaki-kun."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It just feels bad, like, validating it with being kind of cute. I mean, it's wayyyy too hot right now, but there's room for this to be a look! Especially in America, I think?"

Truly, the worst of all things, for the monster to maybe be slightly right, in any way. "With everyone gone, and Mamoru and Tamaki having already de-henshined, Sailor Moon goes ahead and transforms back too, grateful that her jukata is replaced by her trusty yukata, a couple of years old but very well made and preserved.

"Thank goodness," she breathes out, "My mother would have totally killed me, Jamaki-kun was right about that."

Oh no, she's doing it too.

"Jamochan, Jakoto-chan, Jaru-chan, let's go and enjoy the jestival!"

And then she runs away, before her friends can kill her.