Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S
A New Quest
Part One
written by Mike Koos
"Look, I don't care WHO you think you are, I must have that map!"
Makoto banged her fist against the dining-room table in
frustration. Darn it! All this homework was making it difficult for
her to watch television!
She buried her fingers in strands of permed, dark-brown hair and
sighed. Maybe the plants needed watering... no, wait - she'd done
that already.
It was her own fault, really, due to all this business with
daimon-chasing, plus Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and maybe Sailor
Pluto along with Sailor Chibi-Moon thrown in for good measure, not to
mention the Talismen... Makoto had fallen behind on some of her
schoolwork. And today was the day she had designated to finally sit
down and catch up, distractions or no distractions!
Okay, so there was a big difference between saying it and ever
really doing it. Who better to know that than Kino Makoto? She had
spent enough of her life trying to run away from schoolwork to
become... well, more like Ami-chan, now. No offense to Ami, of
course. Makoto just couldn't view herself in a more scholarly light.
Even though - as everyone would have her believe - she became
such a person while suffering from a case of traumatic amnesia. She
had trouble remembering it all, but the marks on her papers from that
time would seem to verify that theory... or had her teachers simply
been sympathetic to a girl with no memories and a bandage wrapped
around her forehead?
Makoto shot a glance at the clock hanging on the closest wall.
"Four minutes!?" she thought aloud. All that mental meandering had
only wasted four minutes? Aaargh...
She was even starting to think that any excuse to go out as
Sailor Jupiter would be much more fun than this.
Makoto let her head fall upon her open book. Last time she'd
done that was during an afternoon study session at Usagi's place with
Usagi and Ami-chan. Usagi had made some silly comment about learning
by absorbing the material in the book through her facial skin.
Makoto recalled Ami saying something to the extent that it wasn't
possible to learn through osmosis... at least not that way.
"Osmosis?" Usagi exclaimed, pretending to be taken aback for
the sake of her two friends. "Oh, no... you mean I actually
learned something?"
Both Luna and Ami, it seemed, were in a rush to admonish her for
that one. Makoto wasn't sure who had won that honor; that was about
the time she had fallen asleep.
It wasn't going to happen now, of course.
In fact, the longer she kept her face buried in her book the
more it felt as though the words themselves were going to burn their
way through her cheeks.
Makoto pushed herself away from the table. Now what?
The phone. Yeah, the phone!
With an all-new energy backing her motions, she got to her feet
- almost tipping over her chair in the process, but so what? It
was her house, after all... if she wanted to leave part of it messy
for a while, that was her choice!
Actually, Minako and Usagi tended to leave behind more of a mess
than she did. Makoto had a habit of keeping her entire house clean.
Her mother and father had passed the task of maintaining the house to
her, in a sense, and by keeping things proper she believed she was
helping maintain the memory of her parents.
She leaned over the counter, took hold of the cordless phone's
receiver. Her index finger tapped the numbers that made up Minako's
phone number.
Minako answered the phone with a cheerful "Hello!"
"Mina-chan?" asked Makoto. "It's me... Mako."
"Oh, hi, Mako-chan. What's up?"
"Umm... I was just kinda wondering if you wanted to go out
and... well, do something."
Minako asked the one question Makoto had been dreading in
anticipation. "Did you get your homework done?"
"......Yeah."
"Mako-chan? Tell the truth." Leave it to her to try to slip a
lie past Sailor V...
"Okay, I'm not finished yet! What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is, you told us it was important that you get it
done! You said we weren't supposed to let you put it off any longer!"
"I know that!"
"So come on, get to it! Do that homework!"
Makoto frowned. "You already did all your homework, didn't you?"
"Oh..." Minako let out a reserved laugh. "Is it that obvious?"
"Mina......"
"What?"
"Do me a favor and go triple-check your homework, okay? Last
time I call you for help with any work..."
"Really?" Minako was openly surprised Makoto would ask her a
question concerning homework before Ami, and she said as much.
Unless... she couldn't reach Ami?
"I haven't tried to call Ami-chan," admitted Makoto. "You're
the first person I've called."
"Gee, thanks for the honor. So what is it you need help on?"
"...I'm thinking..."
"Don't take too long."
Makoto ignored the comment. "You know anything about algebra?"
"What d'ya wanna know?" She wasn't Ami, but Minako liked to
believe she did fairly well in school. If anything, Rei was probably
next in the academic line, then her, running somewhat of a parallel
with Makoto, then Usagi. Even though no one had bothered to see
exactly where they stood on that sort of thing. There were the
Juuban records, but those only covered Ami, Makoto and Usagi. As for
Rei? For some strange reason the Shinto priestess-in-training
refused to let anyone know what her grades were.
What did Makoto want to know? "If you can do it for me."
"Mako-chan!" Minako exclaimed, and hung up.
Makoto snorted. Well, that had gone well. Not too bad on
wasting time, either.
She figured that, yes, she should give Ami-chan a call. Wasting
time was okay... except that she was supposed to be getting things
done.
If anyone asked, Physics was her weakest subject, followed by
Math. Oh, well, it didn't matter... given the choice, she was
willing to bet she'd toss all her books out in favor of something
more fun.
The doorbell chimed.
Now who could that be? All of her friends knew she wanted to
catch up on her work today, so they most likely wouldn't be dropping
by. Her relatives? Maybe... but Makoto wasn't aware of any
unplanned visits - they always called in advance to tell her they
were coming.
Only one way to find out. She walked over to the door and
opened it. "Yes?"
Before her stood a deliveryman in full uniform on her front
porch, trying to push a couple of medium-sized cardboard boxes as
close to the door as he could manage. The clouds in the afternoon
sky looked gray enough to loose a few good inches of rain, and he
seemed not to want to take a chance with either of the packages. "I
have a delivery here for a Miss Kino Makoto?" the man said, casting
the prerequisite nervous glances up at the sky.
Makoto winced at the use of the title 'Miss' alongside her name.
To her it made her sound older than she actually was. "I'm Makoto."
The man handed her a clipboard. "Sign on the line at the
bottom, please."
She checked the receipt. According to the return addresses both
boxes came from her nearest uncle and aunt. Present time! "Uh... I
don't have a pen."
The deliveryman pulled a pen from his chest pocket and gave it
to her. Makoto absently signed the receipt and returned the pen and
clipboard to him. "Any idea what's in these?"
"Sorry... all I know is that they're marked fragile and
'electronic equipment.' They don't pay me to know what's inside
packages." And with that the deliveryman left for his truck at the
end of the walkway, leaving Makoto to carry in both boxes by herself.
Sheesh, you think he'd be a gentleman and offer to help, she
thought bitterly. Oh, well, I don't need his help. She lumped
both boxes together, hugged them to her chest and brought them
inside. Another triumph for extra strength...
Now then, Makoto closed the door behind her after setting the
packages down in the foyer. What did you send me, Uncle Masato?
She ripped the top from one of the boxes as though it were a box of
breakfast cereal. Was that a fair comparison?
Her hands didn't have far to go into an assortment of styrofoam
peanuts - geez, did Uncle Masato know what this stuff meant for the
environment? - before she found a folded piece of paper. Here we go
- a letter!
"To our dear little Makoto-chan..." Makoto read, settling
against the wall next to the boxes. They'd all called her 'little
Makoto-chan' even after her growth spurt. "Because we know how hard
it must be to worry about your schoolwork and maintaining a household
at the same time, your Aunt Yoshiko and I thought it would be a good
idea to send you a computer to help with all your work."
They what!? They sent me a computer? I don't believe it!
"We know you will put this computer to good use," You bet!
"and not turn it into another one of those game machines. Ha ha ha."
Written-in laughing... the worst thing to include in a letter.
"We hope all is well with you, little Makoto-chan, and hope to
hear from you soon."
For a gift like this? She would be sending Uncle Masato and
Aunt Yoshiko thank-you cards for a long time to come. There was no
way Makoto could think of to pay them back... I'll bet it's one of
those cheap, low-powered computers, though. Oh, well, I don't need
one of those expensive ones to play games on, do I? A grin that in
all likelihood would have made Minako jealous crossed her lips; she
began to pull whatever styrofoam peanuts her hands could wrap around
out of the box with a mischievous bent.
Keyboard, monitor... a mouse, the tower, a couple shrink-wrapped
disks and an incredibly varied supply of cables... plus a few other
things she couldn't immediately recognize. It all looked like it had
arrived in one piece, though the only way to make sure of that was to
get the computer up and running, right?
Makoto set each of the components up onto her dining room table
without bothering to clean away her dreaded homework first. I've
never set up a computer before! She didn't want to try following
the directions and risk a mistake that would fry the whole thing -
Uncle Masato and Aunt Yoshiko would never forgive her! So, why not
call in an expert to put the system together?
Her eyes traveled to the cordless phone's handset, also on the
table where she'd left it. Now who did she know who was talented
enough to help set up a computer the right way?
Ami was almost all the way out the front door of her apartment
when the phone rang. She sprinted to the nearest phone. "Hello,
Mizuno residence," Ami spoke out of habit, her voice affecting the
same gentle lilt as always. Hopefully, the person on the other end
of the line wasn't Usagi asking for more so-called 'help' with her
math homework again. Usagi was not going to learn anything if she
had Ami do most of her work for her. Then where would Usagi's
promise to her future self to do better be?
"Hey, Ami-chan..."
"Hello, Mako-chan. I wasn't expecting to hear from you today.
How are you doing with your homework?"
Leave it to Ami-chan to not forget. "Fine," she told Ami a
half-truth. "That's not why I'm calling, though. I was wondering if
you might be able to come over and--"
"Now, Mako-chan, you know you shouldn't try to create any
distractions," interrupted Ami. "It was you who said--"
"It's not a distraction! My relatives just sent me a computer
and I was wondering if you could help me set it up. You know more
about computers than I do and I don't wanna blow the thing up."
"Oh," Ami bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry. But you shouldn't put
yourself down like that. Computers are easy to set up and use once
you get the hang of it."
She could almost see Makoto's pained expression during her brief
pause. "If you say so. I'd still feel a lot better if you were the
one setting it up instead of me." Another pause. "Ah, I didn't mean
that the way it sounded! I mean, I'd do it myself if I knew how
to..."
Ami laughed. "You don't have to explain. I'll be over shortly."
"Thanks, Ami-chan! Really! Sorry to trouble you..."
"No problem. Oops... I almost forgot. What kind of computer is
it?"
"I'm not sure."
"Okay, here goes nothing!"
Ami pushed the main power rocker switch on the tower to the 'on'
position.
The monitor flared to life, bringing a grateful and relieved
cheer from Makoto... who had managed to finish more of her homework
while watching Ami set up the computer.
"I have it working from the regular power outlets on the walls,"
Ami's short-cropped, bluish-black hair bounced slightly about as she
turned her head to indicate each of the outlets she'd had to use in
turn. "But I suggest that as soon as possible you buy a surge
protector and plug all those electrical cables into it. It's best to
keep a computer safe from any power surges or the like which might
damage it." As she spoke the last few words she watched for Makoto's
reaction. The taller girl merely blinked.
As it turned out Makoto's uncle and aunt had spent more money on
an up-to-date system for her than she had previously assumed - and
she was all the more grateful for it.
She was almost afraid to use the computer for fear of breaking
it... but that was silly, Makoto told herself. She knew how to use
a computer well enough. None of those computers they'd let her use
throughout her years in school had ever self-destructed on her, had
they? No. And given what the 'power users' called a GUI, this
system was easier to approach and use than the school computers.
If they said so...
Long since a pro at using a computer, Ami's fingers flew over
the keyboard and moved a tiny white arrow around the screen to find
what she was searching for. The light from the monitor provided a
soft glow from below to her elfin features. "It looks like you've
got a decent amount of applications all ready to run, Mako-chan.
And... a handful of games, too. I hope you're not going to use this
computer merely for games."
"I'm hurt that you would think that." Makoto pretended to be
hurt. "Who do you think I am? Usagi?"
"Mako-chan!" scolded Ami.
Makoto cradled the back of her head with a hand and laughed.
Despite the reassurances Makoto had given Ami, over the course
of a few weeks that was precisely what her computer became: a game
machine. A decade ago - more or less - the big pitch to get everyone
to buy a home computer was that it would make one's work
significantly easier. Balance the budget, make those bland school
reports fresh and interesting... No matter how much anyone avoided
the issue, though, a PC could only do all the work up to a point.
Since her system couldn't wash dishes, water her plants, make her bed
or vacuum the floors in the house, there wasn't much else she could
do with the thing but play games. And even then that novelty had
mostly worn off after a little while.
But not for Usagi; Makoto was the only person who let Usagi play
video games on her computer, so the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo had
come to visit a lot more of late.
Makoto had even briefly considered getting her own NiftyServe
account... but just as quickly dismissed the idea. What would she do
with a NiftyServe account? Spend all her time in e-mail
conversations with Ami?
This afternoon was an exception to the rule, because Makoto had
planned a date. She walked all the way from her house to her
boyfriend's third-floor apartment with a song on her mind and his
name on her heart... or was that the other way around?
She'd met Shouichi at school, at a time when all things romantic
weren't faring that well for the middle-school crew. Makoto had
given serious thought to trying to sneak into a club. If she carried
herself well enough, she could get away with acting a little older
than she truly was. At least, that was what her friends would have
her believe. Not that any one of them would lie to her... Then
Shouichi had come along. He was unassuming, somewhat shy and
innocently charming in a way that reminded her greatly of
Shinozaki-kun, her own guardian angel, long-time friend. Shouichi
didn't look at all like Shinozaki... every time the thought of her
having a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Shinozaki surfaced
she quickly buried it again. She didn't want to lose him as he was
now, wherever he was.
211, 212, 213, 214, 215...... Makoto let her thoughts dwell on
each tiny door numberplate as she passed them.
The last time she had dropped by Shouichi-kun's apartment,
nearly a week ago, she had caught him in the middle of trying to get
through the fifth level of a shooter-type game he'd just bought for
his PC. Frankly, sitting by and watching someone else play video
games had gotten to be fairly boring. Minako and Usagi-chan spent
quite a lot of their allowances at the Crown Game Center, leaving the
rest of the team to sit around and do nothing. Makoto, by contrast,
didn't play as many coin-operated games as she would have liked -
having to keep an entire household running had slowly turned her
conservative with her money.
So, after half an hour of watching her boyfriend blast ships
that pretty much all looked the same with the same tired weapons and
background music and sound effects, she began looking for something
else to preoccupy her.
Eventually she discovered his box of shareware and freeware PC
games and convinced Shouichi to make a few copies of them for her so
she would have more of a reason to use her computer... she still had
yet to figure out why the powers that be insisted on including a game
of Solitaire with most every system.
But that, she had to admit, wasn't the only reason she'd talked
him into making copies of a few freeware and shareware games. While
paging through the disks she had been startled to find that Shouichi
actually had a copy of a shareware game she had almost intentionally
forgotten - a role-playing adventure named 'The Adventures of Ondyre.'
Ondyre.
Several weeks ago, a demon had come to the house of the man who
created the game to corrupt the game for her purposes. The game,
which placed players in control of a party of Sailor Senshi, then
teleported anyone whose characters happened to reach experience Level
13 to the world of Ondyre - a world that really did exist, but
because of the demon's tampering with the game the abductees were
forced to make their way through it as if it were still just a
regular role-playing video game.
When Naru became another victim of the game, Usagi, Ami, Rei,
Makoto and Minako followed her into the world of Ondyre to save her
and all the others trapped inside the game, using a copy of the game
Naru had given Usagi before being abducted.
Surprisingly enough, it had been Naru who had set things right
again... an amulet mentioned in legends gave her the power to become
a Sailor Senshi and defeat the demon, returning everyone to their
proper worlds.
Most people, though changed in ways by the experience, hid the
memories away somewhere and tried to go back to a normal life.
Besides, how easy was it to tell someone you had been zapped to
another dimension and back, then discuss it seriously with someone
who hadn't been there?
Makoto didn't know whether or not copies of the game could still
teleport people to Ondyre, what had happened to Hirokazu, the
programmer, since they had all come back, and whether or not Ami and
Usagi still had the copy of the disk Usagi had received from Naru.
It made sense to have an extra copy of the game around in case
it was ever needed. Once she had the copy, she took it home,
carefully and cleanly labeled it, ultimately storing it in the very
rear of her disk box. Even if it no longer worked as it did before,
it would nonetheless make an interesting memento.
Her mind drifted back to the present. This time - this surprise
visit - Shouichi-kun didn't have any new computer games to lose
himself in... figuratively speaking, of course. Maybe they could go
out for a burger or something...
His apartment was around the next corner. Just as Makoto was
about to round the corner she heard a voice that made her come to a
stop.
"I mean it! I don't want you going out with that Kino girl,
Shouichi! She's bad news!"
What!?
Makoto edged up against the wall and peered around the corner.
Good thing there was a tall plant there to hide her face... almost a
television sitcom cliche, but she was grateful to have it there.
Shouichi-kun was standing in his doorway, talking to a girl she
failed to recognize. She clenched a fist. Restraint, Mako.
Restraint! Remember what happened last time?
Who in the world was this girl that had the nerve to bad-mouth
her in front of her Shouichi-kun?
While Makoto studied the girl, trying to remember if she had
seen her anywhere else, Shouichi had his 'defense' ready. "Don't
worry. My relationship with her is nothing. In fact, I've been
leading her on for weeks."
"You have? Guess you're not as naive as I thought."
WHAT?!? Why that lying, dirty...... And he'd said it as if
he'd meant it, too!
"So, you've just been leading me on?" Makoto stepped out of
hiding. Both her hands were formed into fists at her side as she
stood there, glaring at the pair. Was she going to hit someone?
Shouichi? The girl? Both? The thought did cross her mind, though
she was going to refrain from punching anyone... for the moment.
"Well, guess I know better now, huh?"
She ran. Not caring which hallway she took, or how many people
opened their apartment doors to find out why a girl who was unusually
tall for her age was running past those doors on the verge of tears...
Shouichi took a step in the direction Makoto had run.
"Mako-chan............"
The girl smiled and folded her arms. Her plan had worked better
than she thought it would.
Why?
Why?
Why didn't I see it?
Everyone's always saying I'm too blind with love to see the
obvious. Well, I'll never let THAT happen again, no way!
The phone rang.
Makoto lifted her face away from her pillow in time to hear the
answering machine answer the call. Good - she really didn't feel
like talking to anyone right about now.
Her eyes were regrettably puffy and red. She had started crying
before she left the floor Shouichi lived on and hadn't stopped until
this very minute.
Why did she let herself play the hopeless romantic?
I'm always falling for the losers. Every time. She sniffled.
I fall deeply in love with them, and then I find out they're just
using me or wanna walk all over me. Or they just want to 'be
friends.' To Makoto, no pain she could receive by fighting, whether
with her fists or her Sailor Senshi powers, hurt her as much as a
wounded heart.
It was becoming a routine. Find boy. Fall in love with boy.
Get dumped by boy. Insist that she would never let it happen again,
then go back to step one.
I should have seen it earlier. What's wrong with me? Weren't
there any signs?
She couldn't remember; she had been too busy letting love lead
her around to look for signs.
You've let it happen to you AGAIN, Mako! she growled in
anger... an anger which was directed more at herself than anyone
else. When are you gonna learn that all these relationships of
yours are doomed from the start? Well?
Usagi-chan had it so simple... she knew who her destined love
was, what happened between them in years to come and by no means was
going to let her Mamo-chan slip away from her.
She tried too hard in matters of love. Not like Minako, who
occasionally lived up to her names and played matchmaker for the
others. In her own eyes Kino Makoto was simply, utterly, hopeless.
Those same eyes caught sight of the computer station near the
foot of her bed. Ah, she couldn't lie here feeling sorry for herself
forever! Usagi, Mina and... Shouichi had nothing on her when it
came to losing oneself in a video game... as she'd explained to Ami,
she had been doing exactly that for a while now; using role-playing
or adventure video-games to help work through her pain and problems.
Especially the pain of having been... having been dumped...
And she occasionally had a lot of that type of problem to work
through.
Makoto placed herself in front of the computer and called up the
first game in her disk box.
The game took a small while to load up. It was one of the first
few of those first-person corridor games that gave you truckloads of
weapons and ammunition and expected you to use as much of it as
inhumanly possible. Before all of the numerous clones, that was.
Well... it wasn't what she usually preferred in a game, but what the
heck - she wasn't in the mood to be picky.
She supposed there was something to be said for several rounds
of mindless blasting when she was sincerely angry at her
ex-boyfriend... and herself, for allowing him to get away with it.
The phone rang again. This time, she knew she didn't have to
worry about it.
Within a couple of hours she had gone through nearly the entire
box of disks. The problem? She needed an adventure, and there
weren't that many adventure games in freeware or shareware-land. She
had paid a visit to the nearest software store she could find to
browse through the games, but hadn't bought anything more expensive
than a gamepad-type controller for her library yet.
Actually, there was one RPG in the disk box.
The very last game.
'The Adventures of Ondyre.'
How ironic. If there was an RPG she wanted to lose herself in,
this would literally be the one. Or maybe not - without Chelise's
influence, did the game work that way any longer?
Only one way to find out: the acid test. Play the game, and if
she disappeared, then that was that. Right now, a visit to Ondyre
sounded like a good idea. At least there she had no boyfriends to
betray her trust.
Ex-boyfriends, she corrected.
Within an hour and a half she reached experience level
thirteen... and disappeared in a crackling surge of blue electricity.
The image on her monitor slowly faded to black.
".........Osaka... Naru........."
Naru stirred briefly - only to turn over in bed, away from the
purple-hued interdimensional vortex swirling into shape upon the wall
next to her closet. "Mmmm......" She was exhausted after contending
with a full day of school and one of her mother's infrequent sales in
the jewelry store.
It was Mrs. Osaka's best tactic for getting people to come into
the store: put up signs that read 'Sale!'.
That didn't make running the store any easier. Mrs. Osaka was
practically the entire staff, save for the times when her daughter
was able to offer some help.
Yes, as they said, good help definitely was hard to find. They
had caught the first employee they'd hired trying to pocket both
profits and merchandise. The second quit; the third turned out to be
a youma agent from the Dark Kingdom that had ultimately locked Mrs.
Osaka in the basement and taken her place to steal whatever energy
she could from unsuspecting people. Since that time Mrs. Osaka had
been understandably reluctant to hire anyone else.
The call repeated... vague and formless, yet clearly feminine.
"......Osaka Naru...... please... you must... awaken... Please."
Naru's eyes fluttered open. She pulled her weary body out from
under her covers and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the vortex.
Or rather, looking straight through it with glassy eyes.
"Osaka Naru," the ethereal voice called her name again.
An entranced Naru answered. "Yes...?"
"You must come. Your services are needed once more."
Naru nodded slowly. "I understand."
"Very well. I shall give you what you need and time to prepare."
A warm yellow glow quickly enveloped Naru's body. Within
seconds her pajamas were transmuted into the exact clothes, armor and
possessions she had when she visited the world of Ondyre.
Staff in hand, Naru walked through the vortex. It silently
sealed shut behind her.
Makoto awoke, coming to the realization that she was hidden in a
field of tall grass only a few feet from the side of a dirt road.
Well, I guess that answers THAT question. Chelise may be
gone, though her influence continued to affect the game she had, in
effect, created. Or was it in fact humanly possible to write a
computer program that could actually alter time and space? One of
these days, figured Makoto, she'd have to ask Ami about it.
The sound of footsteps close by, and four bandits stood over
her, surrounding her from each side. North, south, west and east.
She would ask Ami, provided she ever returned to her world.
"It's a shame such a beautiful young wench like you has to be
stranded in the middle of nowhere like this," said the leader of the
bandits, a bearded man who was clearly approaching middle-age.
Makoto felt his leer crossing over every part of her form. She
fought back the urge to shudder. "Why don't you allow us to escort
you back to Mirinis?"
Mirinis must be the nearest town, Makoto surmised. In that
case, if Mirinis was her new destination she was determined to travel
alone. These four probably wouldn't let her go anywhere near town.
Another leer. No, they had much more disgusting ideas in mind.
"Why do you bother? She is obviously a poor wench. An orphan, or an
outcast. Look at the clothes she wears! Would any rational person
wear clothing like that?" asked one of the head bandit's comrades.
"Who cares what she's wearing? It will matter little where she
is headed," offered the fourth. "If she is an orphan or outcast,
that only means she won't be missed."
Makoto smirked. So it was true... did these guys ever have
anything else on their minds when looking at a girl? "I'll have
you know these clothes cost a lot of money where I come from!" she
retorted. No way was she going to let these four do anything to
her... the way she felt about guys right now, she knew she was most
likely about to do something extremely rash.
Kino Makoto was a self-taught fighter, had been ever since her
youth, to cope with the occasional schoolyard fight. Some of her
classmates thought she was a freak - taller than anyone her age
should have been, by all rights, and much stronger than a normal
person, too... the latter being the reason why few risked challenging
her.
It was also one of the factors behind Makoto's tomboyish streak.
The girl who inherited the power of Jupiter threw herself upward
into a defensive crouch. Before the bandits understood what purpose
she had in mind, she extended one leg and executed a 360-degree sweep
to bring all four bandits crashing to the ground. That done, Makoto
leapt out of the circle. No more fighting in close quarters.
Now then... "Jupiter Star Power..." she raised her hand to the
sky. "...make up!!"
Swarms of colored lights flew about her body to obscure most of
it from view. Those same lights took her street clothes away and
replaced them with her Sailor Senshi uniform, piece by piece. For a
Sailor Senshi uniform was more than just clothing; it was also
armor in itself, strong yet thankfully flexible enough for someone
like Sailor Jupiter who depended on her physical abilities as well as
her Senshi powers.
The head bandit rubbed his eyes to clear them. The wench had
changed clothes? What advantage could such a revealing outfit serve
but to entice him and his crew further?
Sailor Jupiter noted their renewed leers. "You guys are
disgusting, you know that? Ever think of treating a girl with
respect?"
"We do respect girls," one bandit said at last. "We respect the
way you look, and--"
"Oh, shut up!" Jupiter scowled. "I'm Sailor Jupiter, and I
think it's time someone taught you a lesson!" She wasn't really in
the mood to give a normal speech, hence the abbreviated version.
The bandits reached for their daggers and swords. "Go ahead and
try, if you believe you have what it takes! It will only make our
conquest far more enjoyable!"
"Not on your life," the lone Sailor Senshi adopted a tight
smile. "SUPREME..." Lightning surged down from the heavens through
Makoto and her miniature lightning rod. "...THUNDER!!"
No sense wasting far more powerful attacks on ordinary people
like these. Not unless a dose of her Supreme Thunder failed to
convince the bandits to keep their hormones to themselves... then she
would slowly work her way up in attack power until they did.
A moment after that she was almost too caught up in teaching the
bandits a lesson to notice a purple vortex swirling open off to one
side - and a vacant-eyed Naru walking through from who knew where,
looking the same as she had the last time she was in this world.
"Naru-chan!" Jupiter cried out in surprise.
The cry jolted Naru to her senses while the vortex vanished.
Blinking, she took a look first at the world around her and then at
herself. "Oh, no...... not again..."
Two of the bandits decided it would be much safer to take on a
staff-wielding girl wearing an odd arrangement of a faded peasant
frock and leather-plated armor than a girl in a bright costume
hurling lightning at them.
Okay, Naru. What's going on here? she asked herself,
readying her staff. Let's see: you've been sent to Ondyre again--
Short, forceful swings of the staff kept the bandits at bay.
--Sailor... Jupiter? ...is here, so what's going on? Wasn't I
sleeping just a minute ago? I know I threw away that game...
One of the bandits attacking her leapt over the staff toward
her. She sidestepped to dodge the attack and let the man fall flat
to the ground. Now why can't I do things like this in real life?
That's it... I bet this is all a dream. I'm really still
asleep. Only a dream.
The bandit still standing caught her staff in both hands and
wrenched it away from her.
She instinctively yelped. Then, the bandit caught one of her
wrists, threatening to yank that away as well. Nope, this wasn't a
dream; was it possible to feel this much pain in a dream?
Okay, if this isn't a dream and I really AM back in Ondyre --
think, Naru!
Familiar words crossed through her mind; she drew her free hand
back and mouthed the words as they came to her.
Both the man and his fallen friend broke out in a nervous sweat
as a rather uncomfortably large ball of writhing flames formed in
Naru's hand. "Better run," she advised them.
They did... faster than she'd ever seen a Human run in her life.
Now then, on to helping Sailor Jupiter.
Here - in this land - Naru was supposed to be a Sailor Senshi,
too. Sailor Ondyre, this land's champion. That experience... well,
she still did not know how to put it into words. Something about
becoming a Senshi and knowing that power was in her control felt
great, as much as the power felt as a part of her.
Her power, to use in the fight against all Evil in Ondyre.
Amazing what one could become in a fantasy realm. So - if she had
returned to Ondyre, maybe she could transform into Sailor Ondyre
again! That sure would make a difference when it came to all these
stupid ambushes... walk through the fields and have at least eight
monster attacks per square feet of land... sheesh.
She stopped to check her possessions. The Amulet of Ondyre was
the mystical item that had triggered her transformation. If
everything else she'd had at that time was with her now, then the
Amulet...
...wasn't among the items she carried. Of all the things to be
missing! Now she would have to rely only on her magic, plus her
negligible skill with a staff. A simple, nondescript shaft of wood,
taped with some kind of cloth adhesive in the middle to serve as a
grip for her hands... yet this was the very same staff that had also
transformed alongside her when she became Sailor Ondyre. Now, it was
an ordinary staff again. It would have to do.
Sailor Jupiter was at that very moment facing off against the
head bandit and his remaining friend, who stood side-by-side.
Neither of them had seen Naru scare the other two away - which was
just as well - it also meant they were too preoccupied with Makoto to
detect Naru's approach.
Naru rushed toward the pair in a dead run, holding her staff
level and centered so that it extended outward to each side. She's
gonna try to clothesline them! thought Makoto with a start. There
was no guarantee the move would work. Yet why not provide a little
help in case it did?
"C'mon, you two - what're you waiting for? Are you trying to
tell me you're afraid of a little girl?"
She was neither little nor defenseless. In this case she hoped
their pride would overpower their rational thinking.
"You're going to regret saying that, wench," hissed the
leader. Jupiter only shrugged.
As both bandits geared up to charge Makoto a wooden staff met
them in the small of their backs. They recoiled in pain; Naru in
surprise. She hadn't expected her tactic to work...
Makoto saw this and rushed to take care of the bandits before
they could turn on Naru. A punch to the face stunned the leader.
She followed using a sucker punch to the gut which dropped him... and
reflexively pulled her elbow back into the gut of the other man, who
had thought to attack her while her back was turned. Naru recovered
in time to disable him with a staff blow to the base of the neck.
Both men crumpled to the ground.
"Thanks, Naru-chan," Makoto said uneasily. "Er... you are
Naru, aren't you?"
The pair walked away from the scene of the fight. Naru looked
up into the taller girl's face questioningly. "Are you the real
Sailor Jupiter?"
"From Tokyo, yes."
"Then Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Senshi must be
here, right?" Hopefulness resurfaced in Naru's voice. She was
privately amazed by the fact that she'd been able to help one of her
heroes win a fight... without having to transform into a Sailor
Senshi! Maybe she could survive this time around after all.
Makoto shook her head. "I'm all there is. No one else is here."
"Oh." So much for that idea. Strength in numbers and all that.
What better numbers to count on than the Sailor Senshi? "So where do
we go from here? Uh... assuming you'll let me tag along with you."
"Fine with me. Actually, I could probably use someone to talk
to." Jupiter cast a look back at the fallen bandits. "I think
'Mirinis' is supposed to be the nearest town, but I'm not sure how to
get there. Those guys do, though." She gestured with a finger lined
with a fabric that felt like but was not silk. The fabric, the same
as was used in the majority of her bodysuit, also had qualities from
numerous other fabrics. In the future perhaps she could convince Ami
or a scientist to run a fabric analysis on it and tell her what in
the world it was supposed to be. None of her regular clothes were
this durable... it took quite a lot of force to damage a Senshi
uniform.
"Should we go back and ask them?"
"Nah," Makoto said after a brief pause. "We'll leave them
alone. They got what they deserved."
"Why? What did they do to you?"
Naru listened to the story with intent. An eerie feeling of
deja vu crept through her. She had never truly stood by the very
side of any of the Sailor Senshi. Now that she was walking alongside
Sailor Jupiter, why did she have the odd feeling that she recognized
the other girl from elsewhere?
"I don't like it at all, Ami-chan," Ami could hear Usagi's
concern over the phone. But then, Usagi did have a tendency to
overreact.
The reason? Naru and Makoto hadn't shown up for class today.
Slightly on edge from the last time Naru and several dozen
people had disappeared from Tokyo, Usagi wasted no time in checking
everything she could. "Naru's mother doesn't know where Naru-chan is
and I can't reach Mako-chan on the phone or her communicator!
Something's happened, I know it! It's not like them to skip school!"
"Now, Usagi, you're being paranoid. I'm sure nothing has
happened." Makoto was certainly more likely than Naru to skip
school... though she never did. Her grades weren't as bad as she
made them out to be. "What does Luna have to say about this?"
"Hmph," Usagi snorted. "She thinks I'm being paranoid, too.
But she is starting to get worried."
Ami closed her eyes. "In that case, I'll see what I can find
out. In the meantime, I suggest you do something to take your mind
away from worrying about them."
"But...... oh, okay. Let me know if you find out anything."
"I will."
Ami placed the phone's receiver back on its hook. Hmm... for
both Naru and Makoto to disappear around the same time was odd,
indeed. Although Naru felt more at ease now in Makoto's presence
than, say, Umino, she still kept her distance from the tomboyish girl.
Well, Usagi had already done the preliminary checking for Naru
and Makoto's whereabouts. Time for a more detailed search using
Ami's Senshi supercomputer. She ran to her room to retrieve the
pocketbook-sized computer - what looked to be one of those 'pocket
diaries' with the astrological symbol for Mercury embossed in gold on
the cover. The instant she lifted the cover to reveal the screen
everything flared to life. How, she didn't know - did the computer
run on batteries, and if so, what kind?
She tapped in the commands to perform a search on Makoto's
house, then Naru's. Her computer flashed its understanding. Ami
took the computer into her hands and sat on her bed to wait for the
results.
The results were nearly the same in either case: traces of
energies left over from interdimensional transfers. Recent, too -
both girls had likely disappeared within the last twenty-four hours.
A quick check revealed no trace of either Makoto or Naru in
Tokyo... a longer-range scan would take... well, considerably longer.
Now we can all start to worry, thought Ami. It's time I
did a little detective work.
Naru and Makoto arrived in the town of Mirinis by nightfall.
They looked an odd sight... one in a Sailor Senshi uniform layered
over with an assortment of armor and a sword taken from defeated
enemies, and a companion who dressed only slightly better, except she
wore a powder-blue frock under her armor and carried a staff.
They had wandered the countryside for a while to find the town,
through thirty-four monster attacks - Naru had counted - and were
exhausted from the effort. Naru wasn't sure how she knew, but any
energy she had left over for magical attacks was almost gone. Time
to do what neither of them had done on their last visit.
Go to an Inn, clean themselves up and actually get some sleep.
Mirinis was a fairly modern town. The streets, homes and
buildings were illuminated by electric-powered lights... probably
hydroelectric power, Naru assumed. Mirinis bordered on a fairly
large river, from the look and sound of it.
Naturally, such advances meant that the town was quite popular
among businesses and homeowners alike, turning Mirinis into a large,
important town, perhaps an important port.
Naru walked ahead to see if she could happen across anyone out
on the streets in the evening hours. The longer she stayed in
Ondyre, the more and more she found things to be amazed by. Like
Mirinis, for example. Naru had been expecting a town more along the
lines of Traldone. Had Ondyre changed... or developed
significantly after she left? If that was the case this world had
come awful far in the span of a handful of weeks... in real-time, not
game time.
Makoto caught up as Naru attempted to make out two distant
shapes in the pale light of a street lamp. "There's a couple of
people over there!" she said, cupping a hand over her eyes to see
better.
The Senshi took a look - and then pulled Naru into a nearby
alley. "What's wrong?" Naru asked, lowering her voice.
"I don't know. But something really feels weird here, and I
don't like it."
"Are you sure you're not being paranoid?" They were in a
town, after all. What could happen in a town in an adventure game?
"In our case paranoia can be a good thing. Trust me."
"Oh - okay." If Naru couldn't trust a Sailor Senshi, who
could she trust? Certainly not a certain green-haired individual
who had to be somewhere on this world...
The people Naru had seen strolled past the mouth of the alley.
Naru clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her own scream.
For what she thought were people weren't people, but monsters!
There were monsters walking the streets of Mirinis! A glance out
into the streets revealed that there were many more.
"Just great," hissed Makoto.
"What do we do now? Run or fight?"
"Let's check things out, first. I'll bet the whole town's still
around here somewhere. This place is too intact to have had any
major fights... and I think I saw some people moving around in some
of those windows. They didn't just leave."
In response Naru's eyes traveled up toward the second-story
windows. Where? Jupiter was right, though - they needed a break
before taking on any more monsters. Running would only deliver them
into different fights with different monsters.
"Where do you suggest we go? We're stuck in an alley and there
are hundreds of monsters on these streets!" Well, maybe not that
many, Naru amended. But close enough.
The Sailor Senshi didn't respond.
"Well?"
Jupiter smirked. "I'll let you know when I think of something."
"Psst! Over here!"
"Did you say that?" Jupiter turned back to Naru.
"No." Naru pointed to an area farther back in the alley. A man
stood in a barely-lit doorway - so as not to attract attention from
the monsters in the street - urging them to come with him. "He did."
Makoto shrugged. "I guess we oughta see what the guy wants."
It was either that or go back to fighting. She hoped they weren't
about to do just that indoors instead of outdoors.
The two adventurers soon found themselves in the lobby of an
Inn. "What's going on here?" Makoto didn't wait for the man to
finish barricading the door they had come through seconds earlier to
begin asking her list of questions. Not all of which were
well thought-out. "What's with all those monsters out there?"
The man sighed, casting a glance at the front door to make sure
it, too, was barricaded. "It's our fault." He dropped reluctantly
into one of the lobby's plush chairs. "About a month ago a demon
named Lemnias came to town disguised as a merchant and set up shop.
He gained power without our knowing it. Last week, he revealed his
true nature and then declared that he was the ultimate power over
this town. Ever since then only monsters and bandits walk our
streets at night."
Guess that explains the guys who attacked me, Jupiter
understood.
"Now Hana's gone to fight him, and no one knows what has
happened to her."
"Hana?" Naru asked gently.
"Ah... Hana was an orphan. We found her abandoned in the town
square when she was an infant. No one stepped forward to claim her,
so I and the town 'adopted' her and raised her. However, she has
grown up with a love of adventure in her heart. She wants to be a
fighter... I suppose trying to get rid of Lemnias is her way of
proving herself, but..." His voice and expression grew distant
briefly, then came back with an intensity. "I found the note on her
bed when I returned from buying supplies this afternoon. I could
never forgive myself if she is killed as a result of her foolishness!"
The man rose from his chair with hope. "You're fighters, right?
Please, I beg you - save Hana?"
Makoto and Naru looked at each other. "Well, I don't know..."
Naru found her voice. When had they become adventurers for hire?
"We were kind of hoping to get some rest. We've been out fighting
monsters all evening and we're worn out, to tell you the truth."
"Hmmmm......" The man moved behind the Inn's counter. He pulled
two small glass bottles from within the counter to give to them.
"Here, take these."
Makoto, more familiar with the nature of adventure games than
Naru, peered closely at the liquid inside the bottle, then pulled out
the cork. She waved the open bottle under her nose. "What are
these?"
"Elixirs," the man answered. "To temporarily restore your
strength and vigor."
"Sounds like a drug," Naru whispered to Makoto.
"It is a drug," her teammate corrected. But not a harmful one,
as far as anyone could tell... elixirs were quite common in adventure
games, though expensive. Whoever Hana was, she must mean quite a lot
to this man for him to give elixirs away to two adventurers he barely
even knew.
The medicine was an acquired taste - reminiscent of a home-brewn
herbal cold remedy with a few other ingredients thrown in to hide or
dilute the odd taste. Naru tried to keep from gagging and forced
herself to swallow. It tasted about as good as it looked... why
couldn't anyone ever make medicine that tasted good?
Then she felt an incredible change taking place... her hit
points and magic points were returning! Not quite the same as a
complete night's rest, but it would have to do for now.
"Thank you." Naru offered the man her empty bottle. Makoto did
the same. "At least let us give you some gold for the elixirs."
The man shook his head. "Consider them paid for. Does this
mean you'll help Hana?"
Makoto nodded. "We'll do what we can."
"Oh, thank you! May the gods protect you!"
"Umm... yeah." Considering that they would most likely wind up
fighting Lemnias himself - what were heroes for? - they were going to
need a lot of good fortune. "Where is this Lemnias holed up?"
After storing some of their spare possessions behind the Inn's
counter with Ranel the innkeeper's reassurance that the items would
remain safe there, the unlikely pair of would-be heroes chanced
sneaking out the front door of the Inn and over the necessary streets
to get to the temple where the demon had made his home. It made
sense, after all, to save their energy for the task of making their
way through the temple... Ranel had also generously supplied them
with a map, though that only meant they could tell where they were
going to be attacked in advance. There was also no way of knowing
for sure whether or not the layout of everything inside the temple
had changed since the new tenant moved in.
Between them they had amassed a small stockpile of armor and
weaponry before coming to Mirinis, most of which was now tucked
safely behind the Inn's counter. Ever the sensible RPG gamer, Makoto
intended to sell that stash for money to buy better things. Hey, if
it worked last time, why not this time?
But she had to admit that by this time, she was beginning to
worry. In the beginning she had assumed that if she was sent here,
that she would have the same strengths as before and would easily be
able to go anywhere or do anything she wanted. That guess had turned
out to be only half right... Makoto still had all she had gained, but
the game had since grown progressively harder. Serves me right, I
suppose. I really should've expected it. The longer she remained
in Ondyre the harder it became to think of all of this as anything
other than an honest-to-goodness real world.
Something to do with how she could get wrapped up in an RPG if
the characters and story were well-defined enough? Maybe, though she
didn't think so.
Naru was taking everything better than her partner thought she
would. Only Naru knew what she had endured before the Sailor Senshi
made their appearance at the Temple of Alliene, in detail. She'd
told Usagi a rather abbreviated version of the story, trying to
convince herself it had only been a dream.
Now both of them had returned to Ondyre and were headed for
another temple.
"Wish there was something we could do about those lights,"
Sailor Jupiter heard Naru whisper, referring to the overhead street
lamps.
"I'd rather have the light than the darkness."
"But you're used to fighting monsters at night!"
Sailor Jupiter paused. "That's beside the point. Wouldn't you
rather see where they are than have them hiding in shadows waiting to
jump out at you?"
The other girl remained silent.
They were still a few blocks from their goal. Oh, if only the
other Senshi were here! Last time, the Senshi had merely used the
Sailor Teleport to get to where they were ultimately headed.
Besides, she wasn't about to admit it to her traveling companion, but
Makoto would have felt a lot better knowing her friends were nearby
to back her up.
Stop griping, Mako! "Y'know, maybe we should've asked what
this Lemnias guy is capable of doing."
Naru's lips compressed into a frown. "I'm sure we're going to
find out."
"Yeah."
It was another moment before Naru said anything else. "We're
gonna have to fight our way in from the front door on, aren't we?"
"Probably. That's why we're sneaking around. If you want to
turn back......"
"We'll never get anywhere if we run from everything."
"That's the spirit," said Makoto half-heartedly. "We're almost
there. Ready?"
"Of course not." If Naru had been Sailor Ondyre at the time,
she might have believed differently.
"Good." The taller girl grit her teeth. At the far end of the
street they had come to from an adjoining street was the temple.
Needless to say, they were relieved to see that this ornate
stone-carved temple with its hints of Grecian columns and carvings
was nowhere near as large as the Temple of Alliene. Nonetheless,
such a smaller temple was far easier to guard. Lemnias wanted to
prove that fact from the outside in. "I'd better lead. You're the
one with the powerful magic here, but you're not used to fighting."
She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Hope I gain a few levels from
this."
That was true. While Naru could easily overwhelm monsters with
her magic she had precious little skill in physical fighting.
Jupiter had far more experience with that than her. Hitting those
two bandits with her staff had only been luck. "Okay. If you say
so. When do we make our--"
Her question was cut short as she noticed Makoto had already
leaped out to confront the two human guards at the door. Guess that
was that...
Jupiter opted for a small show of force, lobbing a Sparkling
Wide Pressure between the guards. The sooner they made it past the
greeting committee the less they would have to worry about
reinforcements arriving to strike at their backs.
While Makoto's attack did succeed in scaring the guards, it
wasn't enough to drive them away.
Naru stepped forward. Uttering the lines of another remembered
spell she aimed her outstretched hands at the guards... who were
promptly encased in solid blocks of ice.
Makoto walked up to one block and rested her hand against it.
The guard inside did not - could not - move. Definitely frozen
solid, all right. If that was the case, then maybe... She stood
between the blocks, pushed outward. The blocks slid into the gutters
on both sides of the street and tipped onto their sides.
"That's original," said Naru, giving the frozen guards a curious
look.
"Yeah," was all Makoto could think to say in reply. It was
original, wasn't it? Certainly not an attack one would usually
expect to see in an adventure game.
She'd had her doubts before. Now, though, was a different
story. If this world did only exist in the realm of video games,
it was far more sophisticated and defined than anything she had ever
seen. More so than most shareware games she'd seen... had Hirokazu
gone back on his word and developed the game further?
Oh, well. She shelved her concerns for later. I'm about to
lead a charge into a temple full of bad guys and I'm letting myself
get sidetracked? Sheesh...
Making up her mind to walk through the Temple's open doors
Makoto motioned for Naru to follow. "You know," Naru wondered, "if
we're gonna be a team and stuck in this game for a while, maybe it
wouldn't hurt to know a little more about each other. So we can work
better as a team..."
"Nice try," Jupiter coolly cut her off. "But you know I can't
tell you who I really am. Knowing that'd just put you at a lot of
risk."
Oh, right. Like Naru didn't have risk or weirdness in her life
to begin with.
Take now, for instance. About a month ago she'd fought her way
through the corridors of a similar - albeit darker - temple under
vaguely similar circumstances alongside another capable fighter.
Naru gave in to a fleeting impulse to wonder what had happened
to Liana since they parted company. Had Liana honestly deserved the
harsh treatment? Absolutely, thought Naru. The rogue had led her on
through an elaborate scheme to earn the Amulet of Ondyre for Liana's
personal profit! If there was any justice in this world Liana would
be trapped in a jail cell far, far away.
At least Sailor Jupiter wasn't going to betray her trust in a
similar manner.
There was just enough light in the temple halls that Naru
wouldn't have to waste precious magic energy on lighting a torch.
Carrying a torch would only take away a hand that could be used for
better purposes... such as casting magic. Naru hadn't gotten the
hang yet of keeping her magic as powerful when she cast it with one
hand instead of two.
Of course, she was willing to bet the difficulties were all in
her head. Her belief that strange things always happened to her?
Well... the jury was still out on that one.
Jupiter closed the entrance doors behind them to slow down any
reinforcements for the bad guys, and soon the second fight began.
I rang the doorbell one final time. I knew no one was going to
answer, but I went ahead and pushed the button anyway.
Why not? Everyone always assumes that individuals like me base
all of our decisions on proven, scientific fact. That we leave
absolutely nothing to chance or luck.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Perhaps if I had not become a Sailor Senshi I would think that
way. What I have learned about the Universe, its laws and those who
live within it from my time as Sailor Mercury does seem to make
Humankind's current technology pale in comparison. What I haven't
established a definite answer for, is if we Senshi... the clothes we
wear, the items we use... are examples of the technology and power
the people of the Solar System possessed during the era only a few
remember today - the Silver Millenium... why were all of these
advancements and histories lost so easily? As far as I know, Earth
was as advanced as any of the other worlds in the system - those
worlds that could support life.
Apparently, our job as Sailor Senshi is not only to protect the
Princess and all that is Good, but to help prepare our Solar System
for a new era. What I have seen of the Future seems to support my
guess.
I do still want to become a doctor, of course, but with all the
support I will have I will be able to help more people than I
originally imagined. I used to daydream about flying to various
places in the world, as in those stories I hear about volunteers in
the Peace Corps every once in a while, to provide medical help to
anyone who needs it.
If the Future remains intact I may have to rewrite that dream.
I wonder... what would Mother think of this potential?
Ah, but I shouldn't let my self be sidetracked so. Occasionally
I let my mind wander or allow my imagination to take over, because it
isn't a good idea to always be one-hundred percent serious every
waking moment of your life. That's why everyone always tells me that
I should 'loosen up.' I do, though in my own way.
I had come to Mako-chan's house to see if I could find a clue as
to where she had gone. A few scans with my computer tell me there
are no signs of human life inside the house.
I know better than to rely on my scans alone.
Walking over to the window over the kitchen sink, I stood on the
very tips of my toes to peer in. No immediate sign of our missing
friend. There were, however, a few dirty dishes in the sink.
That's odd... Plus, the blinking green LED on her answering machine
indicates she hasn't listened to at least nine or ten messages. I
can make out the shape of a ceiling fan left to run by itself in an
adjoining room if I squint enough.
I walked back to the front porch. It's unlike Mako-chan to
disappear without telling anyone. Even if she has to leave because
of an emergency she usually tries to tidy things up before leaving.
According to my readouts, there's a light on in her bedroom. I
can't go to that side of the house to check - a fence is in the way -
so I have to depend on other indications, such as the traces of heat
given off by a lightbulb.
There are times I wonder if I would make a good detective,
although I doubt it.
I've also found fading traces of a dimensional disturbance next
to the computer, which she had recently relegated to her bedroom.
Wait... a dimensional disturbance, near her computer? That
sounds somewhat like...
No... it couldn't be that. Or could it?
Before I jump to conclusions, I'd better ask around and see if
anyone else knows what might have happened to Mako-chan.
Who to ask? There's Makoto's classmate and friend, Akemi.
Motoki, who occasionally acts as a big brother to her for her
benefit. Was she dating anyone at the moment?
Oh, yes... Mina-chan had been saying something about it just the
other day. Every once in a while Minako and Makoto have opposing
views when it comes to matters of love; I had hoped this wouldn't
turn out to be another one of those instances. Thank goodness that
it did not. Having Usagi and Rei-chan always at odds can be bad
enough at times...
I guess it's time to bring Mina-chan in on the search, as they
say.
"Are you SURE this is the right way?"
"No," Naru answered. "But according to the map we're going in
the right direction." As if her point needed proving she held the
worn piece of paper up for Makoto's inspection.
Makoto barely acknowledged the map. "It'll have to do. C'mon!
We really don't have any time to lose!" It was a line that sounded
like it could have been lifted verbatim from any number of television
shows or movies... except in this case Makoto couldn't think of
anything better or more relevant to say. They were almost to the
main chamber of the Temple. Where Lemnias would be, if the map still
accounted for anything. It did, for the most part; what worried the
two girls more were the hordes of monsters they had dodged every
other minute since entering the structure.
Or that Lemnias would decide to come to them instead of the
opposite.
Naru kept a nervous watch to their rear - while her partner took
care of their advance. She wondered who truly had more power here...
Sailor Jupiter, or her, with her crude yet surprisingly powerful
magic? Jupiter, probably. Naru figured she would be closer to the
Senshi's level as a Senshi, herself.
But in this world magical power and ability meant quite a lot.
Was the power of a Sailor Senshi the same as magic? The powers were
generated from within, as a part of the individual Senshi. Strength
in mind, heart, spirit - these were the primary source of a Sailor
Senshi's power. A Sailor Senshi also drew strength from the domain
whose name she carried. Love, honor, friendship... Naru was better
equipped to make these types of assumptions since becoming a conduit
for the power herself.
"Large door ahead."
"Huh?" Makoto wasn't kidding. The wooden double-doors they
were approaching were huge! They easily dwarfed any of the 'large
doors' Naru had seen in her lifetime, such as those garage door-type
things some of the businesses near her mother's store had in the rear
for the purpose of unloading trucks.
This door was what, about fifteen feet tall and eight or so feet
wide, made of weathered, unvarnished wood, secured by metal hinges
and door handles that had originally been painted black. The metal,
too, showed signs of a great deal of age, for the Temple was
currently the oldest surviving structure in Mirinis.
"Anything coming from behind us?"
"No, and I don't like it. It's like they suddenly decided to
stay away from us."
Sailor Jupiter rested her hands on the simple door handles,
preparing to pull the doors open. "That could be a good sign, I
guess. Probably means we're getting closer to the boss of this
place."
She tugged on the handles. The door refused to move.
It figures. She tried again, this time with more force.
Finally, when that failed, she shoulder-rammed the door as a last
resort. That yielded no effect, either.
"It must be locked shut with magic," Jupiter conceded, rubbing
the circulation back into her shoulder.
Naru raised her hands. "I wonder if I can open it with a
fireball."
The other girl smirked. "When in doubt, blow the whole door
away. Let me give it a try first."
"Be my guest."
Jupiter wound up for her pitch. "SPARKLING... WIDE...
PRESSURE!" She aimed her attack for the center of the small crack
between both doors where the doors were bolted together. It hit a
few millimeters short of the spot she intended to strike.
Nonetheless, the doors blew open with an unexpected explosive
shock.
"I didn't know you did explosions." There was a hint of dry
humor in Naru's voice. "When you said 'blow the door open,' you
weren't kidding."
Makoto apologized. "I didn't mean to... I think there must've
been a trap set on the door in case anybody wouldn't give up trying
to open it."
The possibility of doors, treasure chests and other things being
protected by magical or physical traps hadn't occurred to Naru. She
withdrew a step. "You think it's safe to go in?"
"No. And I'm the one who's leading." Without waiting for a
reply from Naru, Makoto gathered herself and strode through the doors.
I think I'm going to have to start hating it when she does
that. Shrugging, Naru followed her partner into what she hoped
would be the last fight of the night. She was even too tired to
complain about the rhyme in her previous thought.
The first thing either of them noticed about the main altar room
was that Lemnias had converted it into his own morbid version of a
throne room... resembling a crypt more than anything of a royal
origin.
The throne itself, the oblivious centerpiece of the room, was an
ominous singularity of dark stone. There were no sharp corners or
edges for one's gaze to stumble over. Rather, the throne seemed to
draw most everything toward it; neither girl would have been able to
keep their eyes from repeatedly coming back to it were it not for the
individual sitting upon the chair.
They both knew who it was at once, but formality insisted they
politely ask to make sure. "You're Lemnias, aren't you?"
"What an interesting day this has been," Lemnias stood. "Three
beautiful young women come to pay me a visit. So go ahead... sit,
stay a while. My temple... is your temple." The two large torches
book-ending the throne cast an ominous glow across his face.
Makoto and Naru glanced at each other. "...Yeah. About that.
We're here to take Hana home. So just let us know where she is, and
the three of us'll leave without any further disturbances, okay?"
Jupiter offered in a no-nonsense tone and tried to look the part.
Lemnias laughed. In appearance he was more Human than demon,
more so than any of the evil beings Jupiter recalled facing since the
introduction of the daimon menace. More so than the daimons' unusual
masters and couriers. Chances were more than likely no one would even
recognize a trace of evil intent in Lemnias were they to pass him on
the street.
Had Ranel and the townspeople blown what Lemnias did and could do
out of proportion? As had been the pair's reluctant call to action
all evening long... there was only one way to find out.
"Hana, hm? Oh, you mean the other girl. She is... over there."
He lazily gestured to a dungeon-style door several yards behind them.
"Hana, my dear?" he called. "Wake up, please. You have guests."
It took almost a minute for the girl in question to shuffle over
to the door of her cell and poke whatever she could of her face and
dark brown hair through the bars of the door's small window.
"Hana? Ranel sent us. Are you okay?"
"You tell me," the youthful voice returned. "Do I look okay?
I'm locked in a dungeon!"
"Beggars can't be choosers," their host said, plainly.
"Who are you calling a beggar!?"
"Think about it, my dear. You are an orphan unlike any else
around here, whose parents did not want her."
Hana seethed. "You don't know that!"
"Do I?" smiled Lemnias. "Or are you so special that your mother
and father left you to develop among ordinary people?"
Special? Lemnias was implying that Hana wasn't a 'normal'
individual, somehow. Or was he only seeking to upset her?
Whatever the case, Hana was becoming quite peeved. "What do YOU
know of family, demon?" She did have a family - though she didn't
know who her birth parents were or live among her own people. Ranel
was her adoptive father and the townspeople of Mirinis her adoptive
family. No one treated her differently than anyone else in the
town... that she knew of. Visitors to the town were a different
story.
"Enough to tell that your parents didn't love you. Such a
pitiful shame, really. Why, I'll bet you were an illegitimate child."
Hana seemed ready to break the cell door down with her bare
hands. "You're lying! You don't know anything about me, my
parents OR my people!"
Lemnias had his answer ready in advance. "Neither do you."
"Enough!" interrupted Naru. "As we said, we've only come for
Hana. Let her go, and we'll leave. Okay?"
The demon laughed once more. "No. Not 'okay.' You have the
unmitigated nerve to enter my home, demand that I give you one of
my prized possessions and then expect to leave, especially without
facing me? I suggest you try to live in the real world instead of
living out your fantasies, ladies."
Jupiter and Naru again looked at each other in disbelief. Was he
suggesting that they actually had a choice? "You're the one living in
a fantasy world." Ah, to be a superhero and have the right to make
all kinds of speeches, cliched or not! "You may have this town scared
of you, but not us!" Jupiter stood with arms akimbo, feet apart.
"You take advantage of the innocent and powerless and call that power.
That isn't power! In the name of Jupiter, we will stop you!"
Oh, what the heck... "Yeah!" chimed Naru.
Lemnias clapped his hands together once, twice. "Great speech,
great speech. I take it this means you have accepted your fate?"
"I like to think our fates haven't been written yet," Jupiter
said brightly. "Yours might be a different story."
"Oh, good. I do so enjoy taking on delusioned opponents." The
demon, already standing, cocked his head to one side.
Naru and Makoto avoided the obvious responses.
"Please... by all means, do go first."
"Okay!" Naru stepped forward, making the motion of pulling
something up with her outstretched hands. Shards of ice solidified
from small puddles of water that materialized on the cold, damp stone
floor and rose upward into the air at Naru's urging. She cast her
hands forward. The shards followed her command, flying at top speed
toward Lemnias.
Lemnias pulled his cloak around him to act as a shield. Naru's
ice shards bounced away from the cloak, ultimately melting wherever
they landed. "You do have a small amount of power, hm? Next?"
"Supreme... Thunder... Dragon!!!"
The demon tried to shield himself again, but this time Makoto's
Dragon hit the cloak and refused to dissipate until it had engulfed
him in a raging globe of energy. He shook off the attack.
"Interesting. Come on, don't hold back!" Lemnias paused. "Oh,
right - it's my turn, isn't it? Very well..." He brought up a hand.
An extremely powerful gust of wind tossed both girls against the far
wall... on either side of the door to the cell Hana was imprisoned
within.
Naru tightened her facial features in pain. By all rights she
shouldn't have been able to survive a blow like that... but somehow,
she had! "Are you all right?" she asked her friend out of the corner
of her mouth.
"For now." The blow had shaven off a portion of her Hit Points.
Enough to let her know Lemnias was only 'warming up.'
Was this how it was going to be every time she visited Ondyre?
Go to a temple, fight a demon and be thrown into the farthest wall?
Naru took advantage of her surprising recovery. She sprinted to
where she originally stood, while focusing the magical power of flame
between her hands. As she skidded to a halt she forced her hands
outward. Fire shot forth from them in a continuous stream.
Lemnias didn't attempt to shield himself from the blast.
He welcomed it.
He allowed it to flow over and into him.
Naru willed the flame to stop. It obeyed her wish.
"Foolish child," laughed Lemnias. "My power originates from
the flame! Thank you! Now I have more power than I started with!"
"Great," Makoto exhaled. She ordered Naru to regroup.
"If this guy draws power from fire," she whispered, "we need to
hit him with the opposite. I probably have something like thunder
or lightning magic, and I know you've got fire and ice magic. Any
water spells?"
Naru placed a hand on the spellbook at her side and mentally ran
through her spells. "I... don't think so." Oh, no! If none of their
attacks made much of a difference now, what difference would their
most powerful attacks make?
If only... If only she could transform into Sailor Ondyre...
A sudden thought came to her. Not quite the one she had hoped
for, though it was irrational enough to do some good.
Jupiter, meanwhile, wasn't about to give in to doubt, leaping in
with a Sparkling Wide Pressure that impacted upon the demon's chest.
Lemnias fell back several steps. "That... hurt!" He reached
for the torch to the left of the throne and plunged his hand into the
fire.
Terrific. As long as he's got those torches, he'll be able to
outlast anything we hit him with!
She heard the tell-tale sound of flames being called into
existence behind her. Turning to look Naru's way, Makoto saw it was
true: Naru was indeed feeding flame into a new fireball. This one had
grown to the size of an overinflated basketball.
"What are you doing?" Jupiter hissed. "That won't work on him!"
Silently, Naru drew her hand back to catapult the fireball.
Makoto paled. With the amount of power Naru had put into her
fireball the demon would receive an unprecedented power burst! Highly
concentrated flame carried far more destructive... raw power than
ordinary, free-standing flames. If this particular fireball reached
its target...
She could now see the look of desire and interest in Lemnias'
face. Was Naru possessed somehow? Or had she succumbed to stress,
perhaps anguish?
At the last possible instant, Naru turned on her heels while
completing her throw, so that she faced the exact opposite direction.
"Hana! Stand back!"
Her intended target had been the cell door. Makoto was
impressed; Naru had hidden her true intent well.
The fireball left her hand and shot toward the door. It exploded
outward with the force of a hand grenade.
Naru, too, was impressed.
A tense moment later they could hear the noises that indicated
Hana was trying to pull herself free of the wreckage. Determined to
give her a fair chance, Sailor Jupiter skimmed another Sparkling Wide
Pressure at Lemnias, who dodged.
But at the very least the move had given Hana the time she
needed.
Her final obstacle was the remains of the thick wooden cell door.
Hana forcefully kicked the fragmented door out of her way, then moved
to stand behind Naru and Makoto for protection... partially arched
over from coughing and breathing hard.
Naru's first impression of the girl was that Hana had either been
on her way to a costume party or had an obsession with rabbits - for
in addition to her armor and clothing, the brown-haired girl seemed
to be wearing a brown-furred variant on those 'bunny girl' costumes
Naru had never liked. What other purpose did such costumes serve but
to have men leer at whoever wore them?
Other than that, the battered, weary Hana was around fourteen
years of age, assuming time was logged similarly in Ondyre, and an
inch or three shy of Naru's height. Her deep green eyes combined with
her dark brown hair as well as her youthful features to create an
exotic effect, one that not even her rabbit costume could deter.
Naru realized she was gaping. The personal questions could keep
until later. Hana didn't have any of the weapons she'd brought, so...
Not that Naru or Makoto had used their weapons. "Do you know any
magic spells, Hana?"
"A few. I'm still learning." Hana looked at Naru quizzically.
"You have a plan?"
"If you know any water spells, I do."
Hana watched Sailor Jupiter trade shots with Lemnias. Both of
her rescuers were considerably powerful... yet they needed her help?
She carefully brushed the dust from her. "I do."
Makoto instinctively stepped out of the way when Hana stepped
forward and took up a preparatory magic-casting stance, similar to the
ones Naru used.
"So, the little rabbit wishes to try magic, hm?"
It was Hana's turn to smirk. She raised both arms to the air and
let go with all the power she could muster.
To Lemnias' surprise, a tidal wave of pure water rose into view
between them. The water immediately overtook him.
When it dissipated Lemnias was left on his hands and knees in a
considerable puddle of water. He glanced back at his torches.
Every last one of the torches on his side of the room had been
extinguished by Hana's spell. There was no hope of reviving any of
them now; each was completely soaked. "My flames! Look at what you
did to my precious flames...!"
But Hana couldn't; she fainted, slumping onto a table behind her
before Naru could catch her. "Hana!"
"I am going to KILL all of you with the last of my power!"
Lemnias howled.
Makoto shook her head. Some demons never learned... especially
now, when both sides needed to be resourceful. And the Sailor Senshi
had one trick she wanted to try.
She aimed a Supreme Thunder Dragon at Lemnias, who understood her
intent all too late. The raw electricity jolted through his body on
its way into the wet ground.
Naru withdrew her breath in shock. The demon collapsed onto his
face... then crumbled into a humanoid-shaped pile of dust.
"Is it... is it over? Did we win?"
Makoto walked over to Hana in order to check on her. "I...
guess." She picked Hana up. The girl stirred for an instant, but
lapsed back into unconsciousness, her head resting against the
Senshi's shoulder.
Their Experience Points were rising, though that was the least of
their concerns. "We'd better get Hana to the Inn. She needs to
rest."
"Yeah," Naru headed for the door. "Poor kid. Be careful not to
mess up that costume of hers."
Makoto studied the girl she held. "What costume? She's not
wearing a costume."
"You know - that rabbit getup..."
"It's not a costume."
"What?"
"See for yourself," indicated Makoto. "Take a look at the fur on
her arm."
Naru approached, warily resting two fingers against Hana's wrist.
It felt warm to the touch - not the feel of her fingers against a
furred glove but the same warmth as a dog or cat's body might give to
the touch. She gave a small tuft of fur a tug; the skin underneath
tried to follow it. Peering even closer at the edge where the fur on
Hana's arm ended and regular human skin began - the fur was actually
rooted in her arm! Naru examined the other notable rabbit-like parts
of Hana's body.
"She really is a rabbit, isn't she?"
"Part rabbit," corrected Makoto. Indeed, certain parts of
Hana's body were those of a rabbit, her fur tinted a lighter shade of
brown than that of her hair. Hana had true rabbit's-feet, longer and
slightly wider than normal Human feet. The girl had wrapped tape
around the middle of both feet to protect them since she had no other
means. A powderpuff tail roughly the size and shape of a softball
emerged from inches below her waistline. Her ears were also true
rabbit's ears; Hana had no Human ears attached to the sides of her
head or buried within her hair.
Hana's hands were an exception to the rule. Each had five
fingers but were a bit oversized in comparison to the Human hand of a
girl Hana's age. Fur extended almost the entire length of her
forearms, making it appear as though she were wearing a strange pair
of gloves.
In every other aspect Hana appeared to be an ordinary girl.
"So this was what the guy meant when he said Hana was
'different.' I don't recall seeing anyone other than ordinary people
on our last visit to Ondyre," Naru chose her words. She didn't want
to be accused of being prejudiced or biased against Hana... or anyone
else, though it was hard to find the correct words.
"Well, it's not like we had an awful lot of time to look around
the last time we were all here."
"...Yeah," Naru paused. Any more words and Makoto might easily
recognize the pain in her voice.
Makoto shifted Hana in her arms. "We'll talk more about it once
we get her back to the Inn. If we're lucky getting rid of the demon
got rid of all the monsters in town. If not... you'd better lead this
time. I can't fight while holding her."
"Right...... Let's go."
Outside the Temple an occasional cheer could be heard throughout
the streets of Mirinis. It hadn't taken long for the townspeople to
notice the absence of the monsters that had patrolled their streets.
For once it would be a peaceful night free from fear.
[...to be continued...]
Credits:
Written by: Mike Koos
Prereaders: Artemis & Luna, Richard Beaubien, Tom Williams, David Wills
Special Thanks: All the readers of SM: Digital Moon, including the
newer Remix version.
Apologies to: Takeuchi Naoko and the others who brought us the manga
and animated versions of Sailor Moon.
Author's Notes:
It's true that I never really planned for a 'continuation' of the
events in Digital Moon while I wrote it, even though I left the
possibility open within the story. A New Quest didn't take shape
until recently, when I let myself imagine what would possibly come
next. I'd implied Naru would be back, someday, so what would happen
if she returned to Ondyre? This story, as far as I've planned, should
be longer than Digital Moon... in fact, this particular part was
supposed to be at least twice as large as it is now, but for the
sake of getting the story out sooner I split the first part in half.
As for Hana, she was inspired design-wise by characters like Charat
(Eternal Melody), the part-rabbit girl in Linkle River Story (I don't
know the character's name), Cynthia (Wizard's Harmony), Melody
(Yuukyuu Gensou Kyoku) and a character in another series I'm working
on. Hana was created to keep things from becoming too serious, at
least as far as the adventurers' attitudes are concerned. ^_^
All parts of this series available at the RAAC archives at
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works
or from my WWW pages at
http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/
Comments and questions welcome.
Mike 'Kino Makoto' Koos
email:
WWW: http://www.fanfic.net/~makoto/