(gekiganwing@lycos.com)
My first *fanfic* in over six months! I'm glad to be back.
#########################################################
A Fool in the Eyes of God, episode 1
Uncut version
Crossover: Cardcaptor (Sakura), Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, and more
Written by Alan
#########################################################
First, some disclaimers...
1. This is an alternative-universe story. Some elements of
the Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, and Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura
storylines have been used, but the overall story is quite
different.
2. This story will *not* set up crossover relationships!
3. Some people may recognize part of the first episode
from another story. It was posted on fanfiction.net over
six months ago, under a different name. However, I plan to
*continue* this story. If I don't, feel free to harrass me!
4. Since the various dubs of the series are quite popular, I
have decided to create an "edited" version of this story. As
of August 10, 2000, it will be ready in a few weeks--hopefully
at the same time chapter 2 will be available. The "uncut" version
uses the Japanese Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura names. The
"edited" version will use the names from the Nelvana
dub and the Mixx version of the Sailor Moon comics.
Now, on with the story.
-- Episode 1: To Top It Off, Stormie! Nonchalant Preludes. --
December 29, 1998.
Narita Airport, Tokyo.
Midnight.
Quatre Winner stared down at the baggage carousel. He stood in an
empty, plaster-coated terminal. He tapped his feet two, three
times.
So this, he thought, is waiting. I should've known it would
be this dull.
No music played on the intercom. The walls of the hall had been
painted white. The few people left in the airport made their
way straight to the outside world--if they had any business left
in this place, they wanted to finish it quickly.
"I wonder if my luggage will ever arrive?" Quatre muttered. He
checked again, but the black doors that covered the ends of the
moving carousel were still closed.
As he stood there, a young woman approached him from behind. She
carried a detergent-yellow suitcase and two stuffed shopping bags.
"Good evening, sir!" she cheerfully said to him, "Mind if I ask
what you're doing here at this hour."
With cautious motions, Quatre turned around. He bowed to her.
Despite his haze of sleep, he said, "Don't you worry about me. I
arrived only an hour ago, so my luggage is bound to be late. By
the way, I'm called Quatre Winner. What's your name?"
The young woman set her items on the floor. "I'm Minako Aino.
Because of the time differences between here and Great Britain, I'm
a few hours behind... um, that is a few hours forward..." She
paused a second, struggling to remember the exact term. "Oh,
whatever. You know what I mean!"
"Well, Aino-san," Quatre said to her, "It's good to meet someone
willing to talk to me. After all, I don't see the boxes arriving
any time soon." After a long yawn, he sat down on the metal
rail on the side of the carousel.
Suddenly, Minako blinked. She pulled a cellular phone out of
her shopping bag. "Just a moment, Winner-san," she quietly said,
"First, I must make a call. Sorry about this..."
He smiled and shrugged. "I don't mind," he replied. Quatre
continud to look toward the closed door. He let his mind wander
as she punched in the numbers.
***
December 30, 1998.
The balcony of Tokyo Tower.
Ten in the morning.
The light pulsed and glowed. It hovered above the steel
structure, encircling it like an artificial sun.
An instant later, the light gave off a distinct "pop!" It
fell to the balcony. As the tourists and staff watched, the
light faded, and turned to a young-looking elven girl.
"What're you looking at?" she shouted at them, "It's not
as if I'm naked or something."
Indeed, she was not. She breathed in deeply on finding this out.
Not a single person moved. However, the girl did. She stood
up and walked military-style toward the elevator.
"Oh, and one more thing," she told the crowd, "Call me Stormie.
Because I will be the one who brings a change in the
metaphysical weather!"
With both hands on her hips, she laughed maniacally. Then she
looked back at the people. They were staring back.
"I should've known," Stormie muttered. She took the elevator down.
***
December 30, 1998.
Narita Airport.
Twelve-thirty in the morning.
"Ah, I see he's right on time," Minako cheerfully said. She
took three bags in hand and stepped toward the door. Before
she began walking, she motioned to Quatre. "It's time to wake
up, Winner-san. This is your nine o'clock alarm call."
He groaned quietly. Having slept on a bench for only fifteen
minutes, the young man was caught between exhaustion and
incoherence. "Not again..." he muttered.
Minako knocked him on the head with a shopping back. "We're
going," she said in a louder voice.
"You're so cruel, Aino-san," he whispered. Taking her four
remaining bags in hand, he walked toward the door.
As the two stepped into the chilled, snow-ridden night, they
shuddered from the sudden change in temperature. "It's a
bit nippy," Minako said. She set her bags in the now-open
back end of the van.
"I won't argue with you there," Quatre replied. He set down
the luggage, and then looked about. "Who's driving this
thing?" he asked.
At that fateful moment, Minako smiled--almost deviously. "Oh,
it's an old acquaintence of mine. His name's Seishirou
Sakurazuka. He's a very good driver!"
Despite the lethal air, Quatre sweatdropped. Like a condemned
prisoner, he entered the van.
***
December 30, 1998.
Early afternoon... about 1 PM.
A forest north of Tokyo.
Mamoru, as a man, rose. His love was within arm's reach at last,
and no one was nearby to cause a fuss. He looked
Usagi in the eye, and sighed. All about the couple, the dusty
cloud of snow floated across the forest floor.
"Excuse me!" shouted a familiar voice. Stomping her way across the
nature-made bed, Rei Hino glared down at the couple. Her hands were
planted on her hips. Rei's gaze struck right at Mamoru, missing
Usagi by several kilometers.
Blushing, Mamoru got on his feet. "I'm very sorry, Hino-san," he hastily
said, "There's no excuse for my actions. I know you must be offended.
You must know what this is like."
By this time, Usagi was also on her feet. However, Rei paid her no
heed. "Hate to say this, Mamoru-san," she told him, "but this is not a
good time for your smooth talk. Lady Serenity has an urgent message
for us. Besides, you-know-who asked where you were. He's back at the
tent, waiting for you with a 'special surprise.'" As she said the
last two words, Rei winked at Mamoru.
He groaned when he heard this. However, Mamoru did not say a word.
He took a few steps in the direction of the camp, walking away from
the two women.
"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," Usagi said as she followed him, "I won't
let anything happen that would bother you. Yes, I'll be right behind
you!"
A wavering smile crossed his face. "That's a good thought, Usako,"
he said quietly. Hanging his head low, Mamoru walked toward the
green tent. He said nothing more to her.
***
December 30, 1998.
Shinjuku district, Tokyo.
The same time. More or less.
As he ran, Heero glanced backwards. He stayed silent. Each of
his quick footsteps made a small thud on the frost-coated
pavement. The midwinter scene, except for his running, remained
perfectly still. But for all he knew, the enemy agents could be
right behind him.
"Paranoia," he whispered. He felt the hand of paranoia on his
back. It was cold and wet.
"The hell?!" Heero shouted. In the middle of the street, he turned
around. There was a cold, wet hand on him. A cold, wet, mummified
hand. A cold, wet mummified hand of something not human. A cold,
wet, mummified hand of something not human--held by a young girl!
Heero drew his gun on her. "How dare you put cold, wet mummfied,
inhuman hands on my back!" he exclaimed. He pressed his thumb close
to the trigger.
"Oh, relax," the young woman replied, "I was just taking it to the
trash. My cat, Buto, wasn't willing to eat it." With that, she
casually walked away.
Heero stared into the dark alley. The gun fell from his hand. "This
is... most disturbing," he whispered.
***
Same time.
Somewhere else. To be specific, Sakura Kinomoto's house.
He could have been a demon in hell. He could have taken an
exclusive tour of the river Styx.
At the moment, he was playing Go. He had no opponent. And he
was losing.
"I can't believe my luck," Cerberus said to himself. "I just
can't believe my rotten, bad luck."
He looked up, to see the light flicker. Quite suddenly,
his mind was no longer on the game.
Cerberus said to himself, "It is like the sound of a million
voices screaming at once, and then all suddenly silenced.
Could it be the audience?"
Wary, he looked through the blinds. The traffic continued
to go by on the murky road. Only three clouds blocked the
sun.
"No way. There's no audience."
***
Same day.
Ten minutes later, in a wood cabin.
In the presence of Queen Serenity, Fioret bowed. "Greetings, great
Lady," he said, "I presume you have called us for a reason." There,
inside the cabin, the air was still. The flickering picture of the
queen glowed on the mirror. Looking up toward the table where it was
placed, Fioret could see her every reaction.
"I always call for a reason. Remember, I gave you a reason for
life," she said in a low tone.
Half-grinning, Fioret sweatdropped. "Very amusing," he whispered.
Serenity, smirking at the alien man, continued, "Before I give
you information on the mission, I must know where the others are."
Slowly, Fioret touched a hand to his chin. "Ah," he said, "I am not
sure. Hino-san was here only a few minutes back. Surely all three
will return in but a little time."
While the alien laughed nervously, Serenity looked to the door
of the tent. Through the mirror, she saw the silhouettes of her other
chosen ones. "It seems they have arrived."
"Good, good," the man muttered. He turned to watch his traveling
companions. Mamoru and Usagi were walking side by side. Rei, smiling
broadly, nudged the friends forward. Fioret took the moment to present
his special surprise. "Oh, Mamoru-kun!" he exclaimed, "You've come
back. I always knew you'd come back." He threw himself at Mamoru.
While her love gagged and squirmed in Fioret's arms, Usagi approached
Serenity. She bowed before the mirror, and said, "You've made us
into quite the team. All we need now is a woman drooling over me."
Rei, standing off to the side, groaned quietly. "They're all idiots,"
she muttered.
Usagi, unaware of the insult, focused her attention on Serenity's
image. She asked, "What mission have you chosen to give us?"
Serenity raised her voice, so to be heard by all four friends. "You
will find a man in town. He will be selling scrap metal," she said.
"Oh, I'm sure of that," Mamoru told her. As he squeezed out of Fioret's
embrace, he asked her, "How likely is it that this man will be selling
metal at any hour of the day? This isn't a PlayStation RPG. Real people
actually move around, and do things that don't follow strict
characterization."
Serenity's serious expression showed that she understood the question.
She told Mamoru, "Precisely. Mind you, this may seem shocking, but
I know where he will be because... because that's his job." As she
finished the statement, she smiled deviously.
For a moment, Mamoru looked at Rei. "You were right, Hino-san," he
whispered to her, "We're all idiots."
Unfazed by their running dialogue, Serenity kept looking at the
group. She said, "The young man may be an enemy, or perhaps an ally
in our struggle. When you find evidence pointing in either direction,
return to me. Then, and only then, I will give you the command to
kill or to help. And that's all I have to say."
As silence overcame the room, Serenity's image vanished from the
mirror's surface. Rei stopped glaring at Fioret. Mamoru
took a step away from Fioret. Lacking something to help keep his
balance, Fioret fell to the floor, and landed on his face.
Usagi turned to her three companions. "Mamo-chan...?" she whispered.
"No! *My* Mamo-chan!" Rei yelled at her. Just as Fioret had done, she
threw her arms around Mamoru and said, "Oh, Mamo, Mamo, Mamo..."
From the floor, Fioret whispered, "Help me."
***
December 30, etc.
Around 3 PM.
"Pardon me, sir," Usagi said to the street vendor, "What exactly
is involved in the business of selling scrap metal? I'd care to know,
because home repair has always been a fascination of mine. Actually,
that's more because I tend to destroy a lot of things. Forgive me if
I sound a little ignorant or awkward, but that's just how I am..." She
continued to talk this way for a minute or two.
Duo Maxwell, the street vendor and innocent bystander, watched her
with wide eyes. "Um... hello? Excuse me?" he asked.
From behind a row of bushes, the other three allies watched and heard
the conversation. All sat patiently, waiting, for Usagi to stop
babbling. As the seconds crawled by, Rei clenched her teeth. "Just
think, Fioret-san," she whispered, "Only a few weeks ago, you wondered
why I call her odango-atama. If she'd learn to be quiet, we would have
a much easier time at this."
"Perhaps we should run an interference," Fioret replied, "It would
break up their casual chatter, and get us right to the necessary
exposition."
Mamoru glared at him. "I think someone needs a lesson on storytelling,"
he muttered. He then stood up and told his friends, "I'll do it...
my way." Without another word, he left the bushes, and approached
his chattering companion.
"He's smooth. Very smooth," Rei whispered. She glanced at Fioret. To
no-one's surprise, he was drooling. "You annoy me," she told him,
right as she pounded his head.
As Fioret staggered about, Rei focused on the young vendor. To her,
Duo appeared to be a foreigner. From the few words he had said, she
found his American accent to be minimal. He had just attempted to
say "As I was about to say," but Usagi had just cut him off again.
"You'd better hurry, Mamo," Rei said quietly, "or else she'll put
you to sleep."
***
Around 3:30 PM.
The same day, of course.
The four friends looked at the restaurant booth. Duo stood half a
meter behind them, sweatdropping. A holy fear overcame him.
Before anyone else could move, Usagi took one side of of the booth,
and dragged Mamoru next to her. She gave Fioret a big, helpless smile.
Rei sighed. She brightly said, "Fioret-san, would you care to sit next
to me?"
"I don't mind," he replied. With no discernable expression on his
face, he followed Rei into the booth.
With as little emotion as he could hope to muster, Duo asked, "May I
join you now?"
"Good idea!" Usagi exclaimed, "Now let's see... do you think they
have any high chairs?"
***
In a tree somewhere...
He sat in the tree, watching.
"Hmm... this is a most disturbing development. Wouldn't you say
so, Trowa?"
The other young man didn't reply. He stared down at the green field.
A bit weary of Trowa's notorious silent, brooding nature, Wufei
groaned. He repeated his question: "Wouldn't you say this is a
most disturbing development, Trowa?"
He kept still and silent.
"I really shouldn't bother," Wufei muttered.
Without a sound, Trowa glanced at Wufei. His stare was dead
on target.
A minute later, Wufei noticed it. "Why are you staring at
me?" he asked.
It took a while for Trowa to reply. "You said 'I really
shouldn't bother.' I wondered what you were talking about,"
he said. The expression on his face stayed grim.
"The lack of communication between us," Wufei said, not
bothering to add in tact.
"Oh."
With that said, Trowa turned away. He resumed his usual
task of glaring down at the green fields.
"And no, it didn't have anything to do with Heero," he
said a minute later. Wufei's mind, filled with the
memories of recent days, always returned to his least
favorite subject. "Besides... Heero's lost. He may be
lost for quite a while."
Trowa remained stone-faced as Wufei laughed long
and loud.
***
Speaking of which...
"My escape plan is not going as well as I expected," Heero
said to himself. He sat in the middle of a cold, sunless,
damp alley. He was alone. And he was in fact lost.
Pulling a map from his right pocket, Heero checked it
once again. "I should be close to Tokyo Tower now. After
all, the mission I chose to undertake was--"
In mid-sentence, a pair of feet landed on his back.
"Excuse me! Pardon me!" shouted a woman's voice. Stormie
leaped off Heero's back, and disappeared into an
office window.
"Stupid mission..."
--
In conclusion...
As you can tell, this story is still in a prototype stage. The
various elements do not yet work together. However, I plan to
continue and revise it in the next few weeks. In that time, I
hope to find a better unifying theme.
I *occasionally* read my mail. E-mail me at gekiganwing@lycos.com
for any reason, and I might actually look at the e-mail!
Finally, "Sailor Moon" is copyright 1992-2000 Naoko Takeuchi and
*all* those who have licensed it. "Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura"
is copyright 1996-2000 Clamp, Nelvana, Pioneer, and others. "Gundam
Wing" is copyright 1995-2000 Bandai, TV Asahi, Sunrise, and others.
My thanks go out to all of them.
-Gekiganwing (better known as Alan)
August 10, 2000
e-mail: gekiganwing@lycos.com
Nega-Hell: fanficoutlet.tripod.com/negahell
Elfquest spoofs: eq_addiction.tripod.com
Setting a bad example for fellow Christians since 1993.
"Time to get a new hobby. Time to get outside!"
My first *fanfic* in over six months! I'm glad to be back.
#########################################################
A Fool in the Eyes of God, episode 1
Uncut version
Crossover: Cardcaptor (Sakura), Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, and more
Written by Alan
#########################################################
First, some disclaimers...
1. This is an alternative-universe story. Some elements of
the Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, and Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura
storylines have been used, but the overall story is quite
different.
2. This story will *not* set up crossover relationships!
3. Some people may recognize part of the first episode
from another story. It was posted on fanfiction.net over
six months ago, under a different name. However, I plan to
*continue* this story. If I don't, feel free to harrass me!
4. Since the various dubs of the series are quite popular, I
have decided to create an "edited" version of this story. As
of August 10, 2000, it will be ready in a few weeks--hopefully
at the same time chapter 2 will be available. The "uncut" version
uses the Japanese Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura names. The
"edited" version will use the names from the Nelvana
dub and the Mixx version of the Sailor Moon comics.
Now, on with the story.
-- Episode 1: To Top It Off, Stormie! Nonchalant Preludes. --
December 29, 1998.
Narita Airport, Tokyo.
Midnight.
Quatre Winner stared down at the baggage carousel. He stood in an
empty, plaster-coated terminal. He tapped his feet two, three
times.
So this, he thought, is waiting. I should've known it would
be this dull.
No music played on the intercom. The walls of the hall had been
painted white. The few people left in the airport made their
way straight to the outside world--if they had any business left
in this place, they wanted to finish it quickly.
"I wonder if my luggage will ever arrive?" Quatre muttered. He
checked again, but the black doors that covered the ends of the
moving carousel were still closed.
As he stood there, a young woman approached him from behind. She
carried a detergent-yellow suitcase and two stuffed shopping bags.
"Good evening, sir!" she cheerfully said to him, "Mind if I ask
what you're doing here at this hour."
With cautious motions, Quatre turned around. He bowed to her.
Despite his haze of sleep, he said, "Don't you worry about me. I
arrived only an hour ago, so my luggage is bound to be late. By
the way, I'm called Quatre Winner. What's your name?"
The young woman set her items on the floor. "I'm Minako Aino.
Because of the time differences between here and Great Britain, I'm
a few hours behind... um, that is a few hours forward..." She
paused a second, struggling to remember the exact term. "Oh,
whatever. You know what I mean!"
"Well, Aino-san," Quatre said to her, "It's good to meet someone
willing to talk to me. After all, I don't see the boxes arriving
any time soon." After a long yawn, he sat down on the metal
rail on the side of the carousel.
Suddenly, Minako blinked. She pulled a cellular phone out of
her shopping bag. "Just a moment, Winner-san," she quietly said,
"First, I must make a call. Sorry about this..."
He smiled and shrugged. "I don't mind," he replied. Quatre
continud to look toward the closed door. He let his mind wander
as she punched in the numbers.
***
December 30, 1998.
The balcony of Tokyo Tower.
Ten in the morning.
The light pulsed and glowed. It hovered above the steel
structure, encircling it like an artificial sun.
An instant later, the light gave off a distinct "pop!" It
fell to the balcony. As the tourists and staff watched, the
light faded, and turned to a young-looking elven girl.
"What're you looking at?" she shouted at them, "It's not
as if I'm naked or something."
Indeed, she was not. She breathed in deeply on finding this out.
Not a single person moved. However, the girl did. She stood
up and walked military-style toward the elevator.
"Oh, and one more thing," she told the crowd, "Call me Stormie.
Because I will be the one who brings a change in the
metaphysical weather!"
With both hands on her hips, she laughed maniacally. Then she
looked back at the people. They were staring back.
"I should've known," Stormie muttered. She took the elevator down.
***
December 30, 1998.
Narita Airport.
Twelve-thirty in the morning.
"Ah, I see he's right on time," Minako cheerfully said. She
took three bags in hand and stepped toward the door. Before
she began walking, she motioned to Quatre. "It's time to wake
up, Winner-san. This is your nine o'clock alarm call."
He groaned quietly. Having slept on a bench for only fifteen
minutes, the young man was caught between exhaustion and
incoherence. "Not again..." he muttered.
Minako knocked him on the head with a shopping back. "We're
going," she said in a louder voice.
"You're so cruel, Aino-san," he whispered. Taking her four
remaining bags in hand, he walked toward the door.
As the two stepped into the chilled, snow-ridden night, they
shuddered from the sudden change in temperature. "It's a
bit nippy," Minako said. She set her bags in the now-open
back end of the van.
"I won't argue with you there," Quatre replied. He set down
the luggage, and then looked about. "Who's driving this
thing?" he asked.
At that fateful moment, Minako smiled--almost deviously. "Oh,
it's an old acquaintence of mine. His name's Seishirou
Sakurazuka. He's a very good driver!"
Despite the lethal air, Quatre sweatdropped. Like a condemned
prisoner, he entered the van.
***
December 30, 1998.
Early afternoon... about 1 PM.
A forest north of Tokyo.
Mamoru, as a man, rose. His love was within arm's reach at last,
and no one was nearby to cause a fuss. He looked
Usagi in the eye, and sighed. All about the couple, the dusty
cloud of snow floated across the forest floor.
"Excuse me!" shouted a familiar voice. Stomping her way across the
nature-made bed, Rei Hino glared down at the couple. Her hands were
planted on her hips. Rei's gaze struck right at Mamoru, missing
Usagi by several kilometers.
Blushing, Mamoru got on his feet. "I'm very sorry, Hino-san," he hastily
said, "There's no excuse for my actions. I know you must be offended.
You must know what this is like."
By this time, Usagi was also on her feet. However, Rei paid her no
heed. "Hate to say this, Mamoru-san," she told him, "but this is not a
good time for your smooth talk. Lady Serenity has an urgent message
for us. Besides, you-know-who asked where you were. He's back at the
tent, waiting for you with a 'special surprise.'" As she said the
last two words, Rei winked at Mamoru.
He groaned when he heard this. However, Mamoru did not say a word.
He took a few steps in the direction of the camp, walking away from
the two women.
"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," Usagi said as she followed him, "I won't
let anything happen that would bother you. Yes, I'll be right behind
you!"
A wavering smile crossed his face. "That's a good thought, Usako,"
he said quietly. Hanging his head low, Mamoru walked toward the
green tent. He said nothing more to her.
***
December 30, 1998.
Shinjuku district, Tokyo.
The same time. More or less.
As he ran, Heero glanced backwards. He stayed silent. Each of
his quick footsteps made a small thud on the frost-coated
pavement. The midwinter scene, except for his running, remained
perfectly still. But for all he knew, the enemy agents could be
right behind him.
"Paranoia," he whispered. He felt the hand of paranoia on his
back. It was cold and wet.
"The hell?!" Heero shouted. In the middle of the street, he turned
around. There was a cold, wet hand on him. A cold, wet, mummified
hand. A cold, wet mummified hand of something not human. A cold,
wet, mummified hand of something not human--held by a young girl!
Heero drew his gun on her. "How dare you put cold, wet mummfied,
inhuman hands on my back!" he exclaimed. He pressed his thumb close
to the trigger.
"Oh, relax," the young woman replied, "I was just taking it to the
trash. My cat, Buto, wasn't willing to eat it." With that, she
casually walked away.
Heero stared into the dark alley. The gun fell from his hand. "This
is... most disturbing," he whispered.
***
Same time.
Somewhere else. To be specific, Sakura Kinomoto's house.
He could have been a demon in hell. He could have taken an
exclusive tour of the river Styx.
At the moment, he was playing Go. He had no opponent. And he
was losing.
"I can't believe my luck," Cerberus said to himself. "I just
can't believe my rotten, bad luck."
He looked up, to see the light flicker. Quite suddenly,
his mind was no longer on the game.
Cerberus said to himself, "It is like the sound of a million
voices screaming at once, and then all suddenly silenced.
Could it be the audience?"
Wary, he looked through the blinds. The traffic continued
to go by on the murky road. Only three clouds blocked the
sun.
"No way. There's no audience."
***
Same day.
Ten minutes later, in a wood cabin.
In the presence of Queen Serenity, Fioret bowed. "Greetings, great
Lady," he said, "I presume you have called us for a reason." There,
inside the cabin, the air was still. The flickering picture of the
queen glowed on the mirror. Looking up toward the table where it was
placed, Fioret could see her every reaction.
"I always call for a reason. Remember, I gave you a reason for
life," she said in a low tone.
Half-grinning, Fioret sweatdropped. "Very amusing," he whispered.
Serenity, smirking at the alien man, continued, "Before I give
you information on the mission, I must know where the others are."
Slowly, Fioret touched a hand to his chin. "Ah," he said, "I am not
sure. Hino-san was here only a few minutes back. Surely all three
will return in but a little time."
While the alien laughed nervously, Serenity looked to the door
of the tent. Through the mirror, she saw the silhouettes of her other
chosen ones. "It seems they have arrived."
"Good, good," the man muttered. He turned to watch his traveling
companions. Mamoru and Usagi were walking side by side. Rei, smiling
broadly, nudged the friends forward. Fioret took the moment to present
his special surprise. "Oh, Mamoru-kun!" he exclaimed, "You've come
back. I always knew you'd come back." He threw himself at Mamoru.
While her love gagged and squirmed in Fioret's arms, Usagi approached
Serenity. She bowed before the mirror, and said, "You've made us
into quite the team. All we need now is a woman drooling over me."
Rei, standing off to the side, groaned quietly. "They're all idiots,"
she muttered.
Usagi, unaware of the insult, focused her attention on Serenity's
image. She asked, "What mission have you chosen to give us?"
Serenity raised her voice, so to be heard by all four friends. "You
will find a man in town. He will be selling scrap metal," she said.
"Oh, I'm sure of that," Mamoru told her. As he squeezed out of Fioret's
embrace, he asked her, "How likely is it that this man will be selling
metal at any hour of the day? This isn't a PlayStation RPG. Real people
actually move around, and do things that don't follow strict
characterization."
Serenity's serious expression showed that she understood the question.
She told Mamoru, "Precisely. Mind you, this may seem shocking, but
I know where he will be because... because that's his job." As she
finished the statement, she smiled deviously.
For a moment, Mamoru looked at Rei. "You were right, Hino-san," he
whispered to her, "We're all idiots."
Unfazed by their running dialogue, Serenity kept looking at the
group. She said, "The young man may be an enemy, or perhaps an ally
in our struggle. When you find evidence pointing in either direction,
return to me. Then, and only then, I will give you the command to
kill or to help. And that's all I have to say."
As silence overcame the room, Serenity's image vanished from the
mirror's surface. Rei stopped glaring at Fioret. Mamoru
took a step away from Fioret. Lacking something to help keep his
balance, Fioret fell to the floor, and landed on his face.
Usagi turned to her three companions. "Mamo-chan...?" she whispered.
"No! *My* Mamo-chan!" Rei yelled at her. Just as Fioret had done, she
threw her arms around Mamoru and said, "Oh, Mamo, Mamo, Mamo..."
From the floor, Fioret whispered, "Help me."
***
December 30, etc.
Around 3 PM.
"Pardon me, sir," Usagi said to the street vendor, "What exactly
is involved in the business of selling scrap metal? I'd care to know,
because home repair has always been a fascination of mine. Actually,
that's more because I tend to destroy a lot of things. Forgive me if
I sound a little ignorant or awkward, but that's just how I am..." She
continued to talk this way for a minute or two.
Duo Maxwell, the street vendor and innocent bystander, watched her
with wide eyes. "Um... hello? Excuse me?" he asked.
From behind a row of bushes, the other three allies watched and heard
the conversation. All sat patiently, waiting, for Usagi to stop
babbling. As the seconds crawled by, Rei clenched her teeth. "Just
think, Fioret-san," she whispered, "Only a few weeks ago, you wondered
why I call her odango-atama. If she'd learn to be quiet, we would have
a much easier time at this."
"Perhaps we should run an interference," Fioret replied, "It would
break up their casual chatter, and get us right to the necessary
exposition."
Mamoru glared at him. "I think someone needs a lesson on storytelling,"
he muttered. He then stood up and told his friends, "I'll do it...
my way." Without another word, he left the bushes, and approached
his chattering companion.
"He's smooth. Very smooth," Rei whispered. She glanced at Fioret. To
no-one's surprise, he was drooling. "You annoy me," she told him,
right as she pounded his head.
As Fioret staggered about, Rei focused on the young vendor. To her,
Duo appeared to be a foreigner. From the few words he had said, she
found his American accent to be minimal. He had just attempted to
say "As I was about to say," but Usagi had just cut him off again.
"You'd better hurry, Mamo," Rei said quietly, "or else she'll put
you to sleep."
***
Around 3:30 PM.
The same day, of course.
The four friends looked at the restaurant booth. Duo stood half a
meter behind them, sweatdropping. A holy fear overcame him.
Before anyone else could move, Usagi took one side of of the booth,
and dragged Mamoru next to her. She gave Fioret a big, helpless smile.
Rei sighed. She brightly said, "Fioret-san, would you care to sit next
to me?"
"I don't mind," he replied. With no discernable expression on his
face, he followed Rei into the booth.
With as little emotion as he could hope to muster, Duo asked, "May I
join you now?"
"Good idea!" Usagi exclaimed, "Now let's see... do you think they
have any high chairs?"
***
In a tree somewhere...
He sat in the tree, watching.
"Hmm... this is a most disturbing development. Wouldn't you say
so, Trowa?"
The other young man didn't reply. He stared down at the green field.
A bit weary of Trowa's notorious silent, brooding nature, Wufei
groaned. He repeated his question: "Wouldn't you say this is a
most disturbing development, Trowa?"
He kept still and silent.
"I really shouldn't bother," Wufei muttered.
Without a sound, Trowa glanced at Wufei. His stare was dead
on target.
A minute later, Wufei noticed it. "Why are you staring at
me?" he asked.
It took a while for Trowa to reply. "You said 'I really
shouldn't bother.' I wondered what you were talking about,"
he said. The expression on his face stayed grim.
"The lack of communication between us," Wufei said, not
bothering to add in tact.
"Oh."
With that said, Trowa turned away. He resumed his usual
task of glaring down at the green fields.
"And no, it didn't have anything to do with Heero," he
said a minute later. Wufei's mind, filled with the
memories of recent days, always returned to his least
favorite subject. "Besides... Heero's lost. He may be
lost for quite a while."
Trowa remained stone-faced as Wufei laughed long
and loud.
***
Speaking of which...
"My escape plan is not going as well as I expected," Heero
said to himself. He sat in the middle of a cold, sunless,
damp alley. He was alone. And he was in fact lost.
Pulling a map from his right pocket, Heero checked it
once again. "I should be close to Tokyo Tower now. After
all, the mission I chose to undertake was--"
In mid-sentence, a pair of feet landed on his back.
"Excuse me! Pardon me!" shouted a woman's voice. Stormie
leaped off Heero's back, and disappeared into an
office window.
"Stupid mission..."
--
In conclusion...
As you can tell, this story is still in a prototype stage. The
various elements do not yet work together. However, I plan to
continue and revise it in the next few weeks. In that time, I
hope to find a better unifying theme.
I *occasionally* read my mail. E-mail me at gekiganwing@lycos.com
for any reason, and I might actually look at the e-mail!
Finally, "Sailor Moon" is copyright 1992-2000 Naoko Takeuchi and
*all* those who have licensed it. "Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura"
is copyright 1996-2000 Clamp, Nelvana, Pioneer, and others. "Gundam
Wing" is copyright 1995-2000 Bandai, TV Asahi, Sunrise, and others.
My thanks go out to all of them.
-Gekiganwing (better known as Alan)
August 10, 2000
e-mail: gekiganwing@lycos.com
Nega-Hell: fanficoutlet.tripod.com/negahell
Elfquest spoofs: eq_addiction.tripod.com
Setting a bad example for fellow Christians since 1993.
"Time to get a new hobby. Time to get outside!"