Superstar Insanity
Things were not going well for Jadeite. Not only did he have to explain his most recent failure, but he had to recount how he was soundly defeated, not by Sailor Moon, but by a mere human. He then grudgingly relayed said humans message to his Queen. "You mean to tell me that you were beaten by a mere human, who didn't use any form of magic, and forced to retreat without retrieving the energy you gathered, and that this human even told the world of our existence with intent to bar us from collecting the energy needed for my return? I grow tired with your failures of late, Jadeite."
"Yes, my queen, I too am sickened by this recent development."
"In light of this development, we shall have to be more discreet, or find some way to discredit this human. From what you have told me, we know that this human is from a highly influential family with numerous ties. Discrediting them will be difficult, so for now continue with your current task. Now go, and do not fail me again."
"At once, Queen Beryl. I shall not disappoint you this time."
"See to it that you don't, Jadeite." Jadeite disappeared, leaving Beryl alone with her crystal ball, which was displaying a picture of Thedon Giscard. "This Thedon Giscard is fast becoming a thorn in my side, just like that blasted sun prince Solaris. But soon, the time will come when he cannot run, and then he shall fall, as will that wretched brat Sailor Moon."
"Rankyaku!" Thedon launched another storm leg at another training post, the fifth one in a row. Although he managed to use the basic forms of these abilities to great effect, he felt unsatisfied. So, he decided to train and create some more unique versions. He was training in a forest clearing located on his homes property, since he still had not told his parents about his double life. "Soru razor!" He took of in one direction, and then quickly changed direction. When he stopped, there was a V-shaped gash in the earth. He turned to a nearby tree and said, "Shigan drill!" thrusting his finger forward while twisting his hand. His attack bored clean through it, which caused it to fall in his direction. He placed both arms above his head and braced himself while thinking, "Tekkai!" His body gained a slight sheen as the tree fell, which instead of crushing him, broke in half upon impact with his forearms. Sadly, this particular tree was home to a bee hive, which shattered upon impact with the ground. The bees, furious at the destruction of their home, rounded upon Thedon, who immediately thought, "Kami-e!" His whole body suddenly went limp as he deftly dodged the swarm, although a few of the more zealous insects landed a lucky hit or just grazed him. He quickly grew tired of this and used a combination of Geppou and Soru to lose the hive.
After getting a bit of minor first aid for the stings, bruises, and cuts sustained from his morning workout, he decided to take a more scenic route to school. Using Geppou and Soru to scale the rooftops, he managed to get a bird's eye view of the Juuban district. He spied Serena staring at a poster advertising a new brand of vitamins, only to have Molly come up from behind her and smack on the back of the head. He stopped to have a quick chuckle before continuing on to Crossroads junior high school.
He arrived close to five minutes before Serena did, and took his seat. When she finally got there, she was surprised. "Thedon, how did you get here?"
"I walked." Serena sweat dropped at that response. "No, I mean how did you get here before me without me seeing you?"
"You could say I took a bit of a scenic route this morning." A few of the girls laughed at Serena's confused expression. Melvin interrupted with the same poster Serena was admiring, which launched the girls into discussions about what they would do with the amount of money the idol endorsing the product was paid, which steered into which of them were idol material. Melvin made his opinion known by saying that Serena was the most idol worthy among them. She started daydreaming when Thedon cut in.
"I can tell you right now, you don't want that kind of life. Paparazzi around every corner ready to snap a picture, reporters taking your every word and trying to phrase it to their advantage, rivals lurking in the shadows waiting for you to make a mistake which they can capitalize on, constantly having to look over your shoulder for the occasional stalker. I've experienced all this and more besides. It's enough to drive someone into madness." On that note, the teacher arrived and class began.
Meanwhile, a large group of girls were crowding around said idol, who went by the name Saffron. They were all clamoring for an autograph, which she was only too happy to provide. Unbeknownst to her or the crowd, Jadeite stood amongst some nearby shadows. He was wearing a high-collared trench coat to conceal himself from being seen by police, in response to the heightened city-wide security. 'This girl could be useful.'
School was let out and Thedon decided to perform a little neighborhood watch. He went to a nearby alley and performed Geppou to ascend to the rooftops. He spotted Serena and decided to follow her to find out where she lived. 'If I'm going to be so involved in this, I should at least know where she lives, if for nothing other then security.' He watched as she came to a two-story house with a red roof. 'Modest dwellings.' He watched as she and Molly entered. He spotted a balcony with a glass-sliding door. Overcome with curiosity, he touched down and hid out of sight. He then had to sit through what had to be the worst practice session in his fourteen years of life. 'Sweet blessed waters of Undine that is horrible. I am out of here.' He took off before his personal sense of honor forced him to intervene in what could be a front page scandal.
Thedon woke up the next morning in a bit of a foul mood. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go completely wrong. He also noticed that his five senses were becoming stronger. His vision was sharper, his hearing more acute, and his nose more sensitive to certain smells. He put such thoughts out of his head and got ready for another day. He walked along until he came upon a large crowd. He didn't want to get mixed up in whatever was happening, so he used Soru to speed past the crowd, making a seconds long eye contact with a disguised Jadeite. He came to a stop several yards from the crowd. 'I don't like this. This little gathering has Negaverse written all over it. Probably best to wait for now. I can't risk exposing myself. Lord and all great spirits forgive me for this decision.'
Thedon felt himself on edge, he just knew that something was wrong yet he couldn't figure out when to act. On top of that, weird things were happening. The entire class was practicing for some talent show, which itself wasn't strange if you overlook the fact that no such thing had been announced until today. His senses were ringing like mad. Everyone was outside, him included, where Melvin and Molly were apparently giving a premature acceptance speech, which degenerated into a shouting match. He sidled up next to Serena, "I'll be glad when this whole thing's over."
"You and me both. The last time something like this happened, it took six separate therapists', a pharmacy of drugs, and two hypnotists before I could sleep soundly again. And I still sometimes have nightmares about it to this day." Serena looked at him in confusion and disbelief. "Believe me, such an experience is best left in the dark, yet the scars left behind continue to bleed. But enough of my brooding, I'd better sort this out before blood is shed." He left and came back with a hose. "What good is that going to be?" Serena asked, "Elementary, Serena, nothing sobers up a crowd better then a cold shower. Care to assist? It'll be good for a laugh." Serena simply shrugged and walked towards the water nozzle. "Luna, you might want to make yourself scarce if you don't want a cold bath." He turned back to Serena, "Okay, on three, turn it on full blast, got it?" Serena nodded, "Alright, here we go, one, two, and THREE!" A great deluge of freezing cold water surged towards the crowd and SPLASH, made contact. He held it there for five seconds before saying, "Alright, cease fire, cease fire!" Serena got the message and cut of the flow of water. The whole class stood sputtering and shivering while some shot nasty looks in the direction the water came from. Thedon just stood there with the hose in his hand and a smirk on his face. "Another job well done." He started laughing, then showed a hand to Serena with the 3, 2, 1 gesture, which she took to mean "on three, run for your life." He dropped the hose, made a bugling sound and said, "And they're off!" which prompted Serena to start running.
It was a few hours later that they stopped running to catch their breaths. "Now that is what I call crowd control. A good laugh, a bit of exercise, let simmer and watch the time fly, eh Serena? Serena?" He turned around and saw her looking at what looked like a theater. "What seems to have caught your attention?"
"That building, I thought it was closed down months ago."
"Now that you mention it, this looks exactly like a building described to my mother while she was discussing potential areas for a new office complex. Seems rather active for being condemned." They both decided to investigate. They heard music coming from the main theatre and looked inside. They saw the entire class performing as if in front of an audience, but the seats were all empty. "Okay, I know overexertion can make you a bit loopy but this is ridicules."
"What do you think is happening?"
"I haven't the slightest idea." Then they noticed the only person facing away from them turning her head until it was a full 180 degrees, showing a monstrous face with blue skin. "Can I help you, my dears?" it asked in a malice filled voice. "Shit, Serena, get out of here and find help."
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me, now go!" He shoved Serena out into the hallway and shut the door. 'Sorry Serena, but now isn't the time to reveal my skills to you.' "Just as I suspected; more Negaverse trash."
"You dare to call me trash, human?"
"I dare, because that's what you are, pieces of trash that rolled out of a dump in a vain attempt to avoid the incinerator. Well sorry to disappoint you, but the fire is all-consuming, and none are immune to the burn." He used Soru to get closer in an attempt to minimize collateral damage. "Shigan Hornet Swarm!" A large number of rapid-fire Shigans were launched at the monster, inflicting some damage but not dealing a fatal blow as he hoped. The monster countered by shooting some sort of ice-based webbing from her mouth in an attempt to trap him. "Not bad, but not good enough. Soru Razor!" He charged forward leaving a gash in the floor behind him and tackled the monster which forced her back. She fired more ice webs, which he avoided using Geppou.
Serena quickly found herself in the girls' bathroom, scared out of her mind. Luna was with her, trying to coax her out. "Serena, are you alright? It's time to become Sailor Moon."
"But I'm too scared."
"But your friends are in great danger, especially Thedon. Are you simply going to leave him there to die and let his sacrifice be for nothing?"
"Okay, if I really have to, MOON PRYSM POWER!"
"Tekkai Bombardier!" Thedon dropped down, trying to crush his opponent to no avail. A tingling went of in the back of his head. "As much fan as this has been, the main event is about to begin, and so I must take my leave, for now." He used Soru to speed out of sight, and the Youma resumed her human disguise just as the last bit of energy was drained from her victims. Thedon hid behind a pillar, waiting for the proper moment to join the fray as the Masked Star. The curtains drew closed as the last person dropped. "The curtain is closed on this bogus talent show. Now give these people back their energy."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sailor Moon, the champion of justice, and on behalf of the moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you." The Youma took her true form in response to her declaration. "You don't scare me one little bit." The monster tried to freeze her, which she dodged just barely. She crawled along the seats, hoping to surprise her, only to be ambushed and slowly frozen. Her cries for help triggered a reaction with Thedon, and he sprang into action. "How dare you hurt her? RISE O HEART OF THE SUN AND CLEANSE THE SHADOW BEFORE THEE!" In a flash, Thedon stood there in his blood-red Spartan armor with his 8" staff. "Rankyaku Mantis Strike!" A blade of air shaped like a mantis claw struck the monster and freed Serena. "What's that, who dares?"
"The light in the darkness, the eye of the storm, the oasis in the desert. I am the Heart of the sun that burns hotter then any fire. I am the Masked Star and you will not touch her again."
"Masked Star, have you seen my friend?"
"Don't worry about him, Sailor Moon. He is alright and in safe hands. Now, let's finish off this foul tempered popsicle."
"Right, MOON TIARA MAGIC!" "SUN JAVALIN SCOURE!" The two powerful attacks destroyed the monster and the container of stolen energy. "Another job well done, now I think it best that we leave."
"Why do you say that?"
"Staying could bring up unwanted questions. Plus I'm sure they can find their own ways home." And they were both gone. They both went their separate ways and undid their transformations when out of sight of each other. Feeling exhausted, Serena decided to head home. Thedon decided on the same thing, hoping that Serena wasn't too worried about him.
Today was Sunday so there wasn't any school. Serena decided to visit Thedon to see if he was alright. Luna decided to tag along as well. They both soon found themselves at the front doors of the Giscard mansion. Serena rang the bell and waited. An elderly gentleman answered the door. "Can I help you miss?"
"Is Thedon home?"
"Why yes, the young master is out back. Shall I get him for you miss…?"
"Serena, my name is Serena Tsukino."
"Very well Miss Serena, I'm Sheldon, head butler of this estate. Would you like to wait for him?"
"No thanks; I'll come back another time."
"You could try to find him yourself. He's taken a liking to the forest in the back of the property. Simply follow the dirt trail and you'll find a clearing. He tends to practice there."
"Alright, thank you."
"Of course."
She took Sheldon's advice and she and Luna walked along the dirt path. They got to the clearing but couldn't find him. Serena looked around, noting the various logs set up like training posts. Then she heard a sound, almost like someone was singing. She looked to the treetops and found Thedon, reclining on a branch seemingly unaware of his surroundings. She and Luna remained quiet, not wanting to disturb him and listened to his song.
"I remember sitting with you
Underneath the tree of life
And listened to every fainted cry
Of the creatures there on the day the world began
Looking at everything that I've lost
And almost everything that I've loved
I'll hold them all tightly in my arms
Wondering where I am
Please tell me where to go
All of the answers you seek lie hidden in the sun
If I hadn't met you my life would have been in the darkness forever
Within my wings lie the powers of immortality
But by meeting you my whole life has changed
You give light to me hope to me strength into my life
All this time these twelve thousand years
I know I aishiterou
Eight thousand years since the time that I met you
My love is strong as ever before
Words can't say of this time I've been waiting
To share my love with you
I'd give my life I would give you the world
To see you smiling every day
One hundred million and two thousands from now
I know I aishiterou
I want you to know since you came in my life every day
Every night you bring light into the darkest skies
All these twelve thousand years
I've been loving you"
He finished his song and both Serena and Luna had tears in their eyes. "I take it you enjoyed the song?" They both jumped at the question. "I somehow find it relates to me on some primal level, and has ever since I was five, when the dreams started."
"What do you mean by that?" Thedon jumped from his branch and landed with the grace of a cat.
"When I was five, I started having these really vivid dreams. They didn't bother me at first, but night after night they would continue. Eventually I was so consumed by these dreams that I started seeing hallucinations during my every day life. I was also passing out at random intervals. My parents took me to see numerous psychiatrists and psychologists, but still they continued. I became restless and feared going to sleep. Two months ago I had the most vivid one yet, and became obsessed with Sailor V."
"What happened then?" Serena was enthralled by his story.
"My most recent psychologist suggested that my subconscious might be telling me something important, and they all somehow pointed here, to Juuban in Tokyo. I can only hope that by staying here as long as need be, I can finally find some closure. Not that the entire experience has been bad. I think I can see myself staying here for a long time, for the right reasons."
