The Road Less Travelled
Black Beyond
black_beyond@hotmail.com
PG13
~'~
"How... this... argh!" Ami muttered. They were on
their way to get Minako. It had only taken three words:
"Someone found out," and Ami realized immediatly.
"We'll explain later." Makoto said, as the boy
explained quickly to the disgruntled gym teacher that
Minako was needed urgently. Minako was even more
reluctant to leave in the middle of the game, but once
she saw Usagi, her face immediatly turned to a mask.
She told her teacher cheerfully that it was a family
emergency and she wouldn't be back in class after a few
moments of conversing with the other senshi.
"Listen," Usagi said, after they had ditched the
boy and headed for the front doors. "You can't go home.
Well, Makoto can, but I wouldn't advise it. They know
where you live. I'd suggest you hit the outs and lay
low. Go home just long enough to change into something
inconpicuous."
"Like what?"
"Oh. Well, you'd better come with me, Ami. You
probably don't have anything like that. Mako? Minako?"
"I've got it covered." Makoto nodded.
"You know me, Usagi." Minako grinned morosely.
"Ready for anything."
Usagi nodded. "Meet me at the outers' place.
Minako, you can show Mako the way." Usagi said,
grabbing Ami's arm and leading her left, explaining
what the 'outs' was and how you acted, etc...
Ami wasn't very good at acting, it turned out.
Finally, Usagi gave up.
"Just say what's necessary. Stay back a little.
I'll dress you up right--" Usagi nodded. "Yup. You'll
make a terrific loner, Ami. And this will kind of let
you in on why Goverments never last forever. They
underestimate the anarchists and the lowlife."
"A great term paper." Ami agreed. Usagi laughed.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ami, you're about to go to a place where you'll
get your head blown apart if you so much as look at a
person wrong and all you can think about is what a
great term paper it'll make?" Usagi pulled Ami inside
the mansion. "Hotaru! Haruka! Michiru?"
"I'm here." Hotaru said quietly, stepping around
a corner
"Good. Someone snitched on us, Taru. Remember
that place I staked? We're going to have to stay there.
I've got to get Ami fixed up."
Hotaru nodded. "Alright. I'll have it stocked
up." She grabbed a jacket and headed out the still open
door, shutting it behind her.
"Don't ask." Usagi said, leading Ami up the
stairs. "It's a kind of thing we have going on. We're
prepared for everything."
"Including the takeover of the goverment by rabid
monkeys?" Ami asked, just because she felt like asking
something stupid as Usagi pushed her into a room
recorated in sharp, clashing tones of black and red.
"There's a place in Aspen with mile-high electric
barb-fences and a security system that puts Fort Knox
to shame, including Haruka's collection of guns in the
left wing, that's for hostal animal attacks." Usagi
grinned flippantly, throwing open a closet door. "We
actually sat down and named every stupid and not thing
that could possibly happen. Setsuna came up with a good
few herself." She pushed hangers full of clothes apart
until she came out with something.
"Here." She said, throwing it at Ami. "It's too
little for me now but it should fit you. Bathroom's
over there." She pointed to another door and resumed
pushing hangers apart.
Ami accepted the clothing and locked herself in
the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Ami looked at herself in the
mirror.
"I'm not going ANYWHERE in this!" She said
loudly.
"You will if you don't want arrested. We have to
stay low until we figure what's going on." Usagi called
back, a little too cheerfully for Ami's mind. "Now,
come out and let's see you. Is it too tight?"
"Not really..." Ami pulled down on the hem and
then up at the neckline. "It's not cutting off my
circulation or anything, but I..." She blushed so
brightly that she thought she would blow up.
"You what?"
"Couldn'twearanythingunderit."
"Oh. Of course, Ami. That's why it's called...
oh, never mind." Usagi said. "Come on out! I've got to
give you something."
Ami muttered a few less than polite words she
must have learned from Usagi and opened the door. She
was surprised to see the girl had changed into a pair
of cutoffs and a tight silver tanktop with a crescent
on it and glared.
"How come you get to wear THAT and I get to wear
THIS?"
"Oh. I just wanted to see how you'd look in that.
Pretty good, too." Usagi couldn't stop herself from laughing
at Ami's expression as she gave the girl a
pair of leather shorts and a shirt similar o her own.
Ami returned to the bathroom.
"What?" Usagi called after her. "Haven't you ever
worn a leather minidress before?"
"NO!" Ami came out five minutes later and all but
threw the dress at Usagi, who laughed and threw it in
the closet. Usagi then fished something out of her
pocket and threw it to Ami, who caught it.
"Hit the switch."
"What switch?"
"No! Wait." Usagi leaned over and turned the
object right side up before hitting a hidden switch. A
six-inch blade flashed. Ami nearly dropped it.
"A switchblade?! These are illegal!" Ami yelped,
looked at it like it was a venomous snake ready to strike.
Usagi looked at her like she was insane. "Ami, of
course they're illegal. But you have to have something
in case you can't henshin. Aaammmiii, this isn't going
to be fun, or simple. I'd rather go to a safehouse but
the nearest one is miles away and we have to be in the
thick of things."
"But... but..."
"Would you rather a gun or something else?"
"NO!"
"Then rush. I never said you had to use it, did
I? I only said 'just in case'." She gave Ami an odd
smile the other girl couldn't read. "Now, come on.
Minako and Makoto should be there any moment, and
Hotaru's probably waiting for us."
"You're very frustrating."
"I'll accept that as a compliment and be glad I
do." Usagi grinned as she all but pushed Ami down the
stairs.
"But-- but--- but---"
"No more buts, Ami-chan, or else I'll hang a
really big sign on your chest that says 'I'm A Senshi'
and set you in front of the police station."
Usagi had a tone of seriousness mixed in with the
amusement that Ami had to shiver at. She had no doubt
that Usagi would actually do such a thing.
She didn't really have much time to ask, anyway.
At that exact second, the earth split in two.
~'~
Usagi let out a string of curses in various
languages that Ami was almost as startled at as the
shaking earth. She cursed herself for actually panicing
and thinking the earth was cracking.
"God damn it!" Usagi yelled. "Always at the worst
times, Shadica! Always! Can't you just take a fucking
loss and live with it?" She transformed and ran out the
door, into Makoto and Minako, and a confused and
startled Rei.
"Henshin yo!" She yelled at them. Quickly they
obeyed, wondering why they accepted the order so
quickly without question. "Prepare yourself." Sailor
Moon advised them, as the violent shaking became worse.
"She's kind of pissed."
"Who?" Mars asked irritably. "And someone please
explain to me what the FUCK is going on, because
obviously you guys know a lot more about EVERYTHING
than I do! And when did you become so comfortable with
the fact USAGI IS SAILOR MOON? Or all this?"
"Rei-san," Sailor Moon said, as respectully and
calmly as she could. "You're being a bitch. Sorry. Calm
down, kick some youma ass, and then you'll get the
story if any of us are alive."
Sailor Mars's face grew red as she threatened to
errupt, but thank the gods, she never had the chance.
A roar that shook the very heavens nearly
deafened the senshi as countless numbers of youma
suddenly poured over the street. Blood was splattered
over their mutated bodies, making only too clear that
many lives had already been taken in the youma's
attempts to find the senshi. Sailor Moon heard Mercury
gag as the smell-- the smell of a carcass that had set
in the summer sun for days, the too-sweet smell of
death, one that Moon was too used to-- rolled over them
like a wave of doom.
"Keep the fire down." She advised. "The black
will go up when it hits them. Youma are very flammable
and explosive."
Venus chuckled in spite of herself as she took
aim. "Venus Love Me Chain!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Shining Aqua Illusion!" The three attacked
arched and intertwined, Mars grumbling about Moon's
command of 'no fire', and slammed into the horde,
taking out a considerable number. Sailor Moon grinned
as this happened.
"Yes!" She cried. "Shadica, you moron. You've
sent fourth-grade youma... these will be easy! Mars,
what are you waiting for? Selene Crescent explosion."
"Make up your damn mind already! Burning
Mandala!" Mars fired her attack right as Venus shot off
her Crescent beam. The two made another portion
disappear, while Moon's attack took out all those
rushing forward. She kept it going as Jupiter began
firing one Supreme Thunder after another, and Mercury
cast a fog to obscure the youma's vision, shouting
instructions to the senshi on how to see through it.
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"Dead Scream."
"Silent Glaive Surprise!"
The four outer senshi appeared on the scene at
the same time and took no time finishing off the last
of the youma with ease.
"Mercury, turn the fog OFF!" Sailor Moon yelled
almost immediatly. "She's sent Commanders!" She added a
word that made Mercury clear the fog instantly.
"Pluto, get Saturn out of here!" Sailor Moon
shouted. "Now! Only return if we need her to end the
war... permanently." She said the word with a meaning
that was unclear to the inner senshi but only too
obvious for the senshi of Destruction, who cursed
magnificently before disappearing into the portal Pluto
conjured.
"I promise nothing, Princess." Pluto said,
hesitiating. "You know that, right?"
"I dig it, Pluto. Now scam." Sailor Moon said
cheerfully, before sobering and turning to the outer
senshi duo. "Problem." She said sharply. "Usagi's been
found out. So's Makoto. We'll go into Plan 6 after
Shadica's over with, got it?" At their affirmative
nods, she continued.
"I need you six-- yes, Michiru, you're working
with the inners-- to take care of the Commander she
sent. I'll head her off-- yes, Haruka, I sense her,
she's on this realm-- and try to surprise her." She
made a quick motion to the just-now-appearing Athena,
who understood and took off. "Work like a team, damn
it."
She turned on her heel and began running. Mars
started after her but was stopped by Venus's firm grasp
on her shoulder.
"No. Venus said. "Let her go. She's got a score
to settle with that bitch-woman. Let's take care of Big
Bad and Burly over there." She pointed to the Commander
standing in the midst of the carnage.
"Fine." Mars readied her powes. "Alright, Ugly!
Time to dance! FIRE SOUL!"
~'~
The next part will be a while in coming, but even so, i
refuse to post it if this doesn't get at least ten reviews.
According to my stats a lot more than that are reading this
fic. If you've just taken the time to read it you can take the
time to write a couple of words in the box.
Black Beyond
black_beyond@hotmail.com
PG13
~'~
"How... this... argh!" Ami muttered. They were on
their way to get Minako. It had only taken three words:
"Someone found out," and Ami realized immediatly.
"We'll explain later." Makoto said, as the boy
explained quickly to the disgruntled gym teacher that
Minako was needed urgently. Minako was even more
reluctant to leave in the middle of the game, but once
she saw Usagi, her face immediatly turned to a mask.
She told her teacher cheerfully that it was a family
emergency and she wouldn't be back in class after a few
moments of conversing with the other senshi.
"Listen," Usagi said, after they had ditched the
boy and headed for the front doors. "You can't go home.
Well, Makoto can, but I wouldn't advise it. They know
where you live. I'd suggest you hit the outs and lay
low. Go home just long enough to change into something
inconpicuous."
"Like what?"
"Oh. Well, you'd better come with me, Ami. You
probably don't have anything like that. Mako? Minako?"
"I've got it covered." Makoto nodded.
"You know me, Usagi." Minako grinned morosely.
"Ready for anything."
Usagi nodded. "Meet me at the outers' place.
Minako, you can show Mako the way." Usagi said,
grabbing Ami's arm and leading her left, explaining
what the 'outs' was and how you acted, etc...
Ami wasn't very good at acting, it turned out.
Finally, Usagi gave up.
"Just say what's necessary. Stay back a little.
I'll dress you up right--" Usagi nodded. "Yup. You'll
make a terrific loner, Ami. And this will kind of let
you in on why Goverments never last forever. They
underestimate the anarchists and the lowlife."
"A great term paper." Ami agreed. Usagi laughed.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ami, you're about to go to a place where you'll
get your head blown apart if you so much as look at a
person wrong and all you can think about is what a
great term paper it'll make?" Usagi pulled Ami inside
the mansion. "Hotaru! Haruka! Michiru?"
"I'm here." Hotaru said quietly, stepping around
a corner
"Good. Someone snitched on us, Taru. Remember
that place I staked? We're going to have to stay there.
I've got to get Ami fixed up."
Hotaru nodded. "Alright. I'll have it stocked
up." She grabbed a jacket and headed out the still open
door, shutting it behind her.
"Don't ask." Usagi said, leading Ami up the
stairs. "It's a kind of thing we have going on. We're
prepared for everything."
"Including the takeover of the goverment by rabid
monkeys?" Ami asked, just because she felt like asking
something stupid as Usagi pushed her into a room
recorated in sharp, clashing tones of black and red.
"There's a place in Aspen with mile-high electric
barb-fences and a security system that puts Fort Knox
to shame, including Haruka's collection of guns in the
left wing, that's for hostal animal attacks." Usagi
grinned flippantly, throwing open a closet door. "We
actually sat down and named every stupid and not thing
that could possibly happen. Setsuna came up with a good
few herself." She pushed hangers full of clothes apart
until she came out with something.
"Here." She said, throwing it at Ami. "It's too
little for me now but it should fit you. Bathroom's
over there." She pointed to another door and resumed
pushing hangers apart.
Ami accepted the clothing and locked herself in
the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Ami looked at herself in the
mirror.
"I'm not going ANYWHERE in this!" She said
loudly.
"You will if you don't want arrested. We have to
stay low until we figure what's going on." Usagi called
back, a little too cheerfully for Ami's mind. "Now,
come out and let's see you. Is it too tight?"
"Not really..." Ami pulled down on the hem and
then up at the neckline. "It's not cutting off my
circulation or anything, but I..." She blushed so
brightly that she thought she would blow up.
"You what?"
"Couldn'twearanythingunderit."
"Oh. Of course, Ami. That's why it's called...
oh, never mind." Usagi said. "Come on out! I've got to
give you something."
Ami muttered a few less than polite words she
must have learned from Usagi and opened the door. She
was surprised to see the girl had changed into a pair
of cutoffs and a tight silver tanktop with a crescent
on it and glared.
"How come you get to wear THAT and I get to wear
THIS?"
"Oh. I just wanted to see how you'd look in that.
Pretty good, too." Usagi couldn't stop herself from laughing
at Ami's expression as she gave the girl a
pair of leather shorts and a shirt similar o her own.
Ami returned to the bathroom.
"What?" Usagi called after her. "Haven't you ever
worn a leather minidress before?"
"NO!" Ami came out five minutes later and all but
threw the dress at Usagi, who laughed and threw it in
the closet. Usagi then fished something out of her
pocket and threw it to Ami, who caught it.
"Hit the switch."
"What switch?"
"No! Wait." Usagi leaned over and turned the
object right side up before hitting a hidden switch. A
six-inch blade flashed. Ami nearly dropped it.
"A switchblade?! These are illegal!" Ami yelped,
looked at it like it was a venomous snake ready to strike.
Usagi looked at her like she was insane. "Ami, of
course they're illegal. But you have to have something
in case you can't henshin. Aaammmiii, this isn't going
to be fun, or simple. I'd rather go to a safehouse but
the nearest one is miles away and we have to be in the
thick of things."
"But... but..."
"Would you rather a gun or something else?"
"NO!"
"Then rush. I never said you had to use it, did
I? I only said 'just in case'." She gave Ami an odd
smile the other girl couldn't read. "Now, come on.
Minako and Makoto should be there any moment, and
Hotaru's probably waiting for us."
"You're very frustrating."
"I'll accept that as a compliment and be glad I
do." Usagi grinned as she all but pushed Ami down the
stairs.
"But-- but--- but---"
"No more buts, Ami-chan, or else I'll hang a
really big sign on your chest that says 'I'm A Senshi'
and set you in front of the police station."
Usagi had a tone of seriousness mixed in with the
amusement that Ami had to shiver at. She had no doubt
that Usagi would actually do such a thing.
She didn't really have much time to ask, anyway.
At that exact second, the earth split in two.
~'~
Usagi let out a string of curses in various
languages that Ami was almost as startled at as the
shaking earth. She cursed herself for actually panicing
and thinking the earth was cracking.
"God damn it!" Usagi yelled. "Always at the worst
times, Shadica! Always! Can't you just take a fucking
loss and live with it?" She transformed and ran out the
door, into Makoto and Minako, and a confused and
startled Rei.
"Henshin yo!" She yelled at them. Quickly they
obeyed, wondering why they accepted the order so
quickly without question. "Prepare yourself." Sailor
Moon advised them, as the violent shaking became worse.
"She's kind of pissed."
"Who?" Mars asked irritably. "And someone please
explain to me what the FUCK is going on, because
obviously you guys know a lot more about EVERYTHING
than I do! And when did you become so comfortable with
the fact USAGI IS SAILOR MOON? Or all this?"
"Rei-san," Sailor Moon said, as respectully and
calmly as she could. "You're being a bitch. Sorry. Calm
down, kick some youma ass, and then you'll get the
story if any of us are alive."
Sailor Mars's face grew red as she threatened to
errupt, but thank the gods, she never had the chance.
A roar that shook the very heavens nearly
deafened the senshi as countless numbers of youma
suddenly poured over the street. Blood was splattered
over their mutated bodies, making only too clear that
many lives had already been taken in the youma's
attempts to find the senshi. Sailor Moon heard Mercury
gag as the smell-- the smell of a carcass that had set
in the summer sun for days, the too-sweet smell of
death, one that Moon was too used to-- rolled over them
like a wave of doom.
"Keep the fire down." She advised. "The black
will go up when it hits them. Youma are very flammable
and explosive."
Venus chuckled in spite of herself as she took
aim. "Venus Love Me Chain!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Shining Aqua Illusion!" The three attacked
arched and intertwined, Mars grumbling about Moon's
command of 'no fire', and slammed into the horde,
taking out a considerable number. Sailor Moon grinned
as this happened.
"Yes!" She cried. "Shadica, you moron. You've
sent fourth-grade youma... these will be easy! Mars,
what are you waiting for? Selene Crescent explosion."
"Make up your damn mind already! Burning
Mandala!" Mars fired her attack right as Venus shot off
her Crescent beam. The two made another portion
disappear, while Moon's attack took out all those
rushing forward. She kept it going as Jupiter began
firing one Supreme Thunder after another, and Mercury
cast a fog to obscure the youma's vision, shouting
instructions to the senshi on how to see through it.
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"Dead Scream."
"Silent Glaive Surprise!"
The four outer senshi appeared on the scene at
the same time and took no time finishing off the last
of the youma with ease.
"Mercury, turn the fog OFF!" Sailor Moon yelled
almost immediatly. "She's sent Commanders!" She added a
word that made Mercury clear the fog instantly.
"Pluto, get Saturn out of here!" Sailor Moon
shouted. "Now! Only return if we need her to end the
war... permanently." She said the word with a meaning
that was unclear to the inner senshi but only too
obvious for the senshi of Destruction, who cursed
magnificently before disappearing into the portal Pluto
conjured.
"I promise nothing, Princess." Pluto said,
hesitiating. "You know that, right?"
"I dig it, Pluto. Now scam." Sailor Moon said
cheerfully, before sobering and turning to the outer
senshi duo. "Problem." She said sharply. "Usagi's been
found out. So's Makoto. We'll go into Plan 6 after
Shadica's over with, got it?" At their affirmative
nods, she continued.
"I need you six-- yes, Michiru, you're working
with the inners-- to take care of the Commander she
sent. I'll head her off-- yes, Haruka, I sense her,
she's on this realm-- and try to surprise her." She
made a quick motion to the just-now-appearing Athena,
who understood and took off. "Work like a team, damn
it."
She turned on her heel and began running. Mars
started after her but was stopped by Venus's firm grasp
on her shoulder.
"No. Venus said. "Let her go. She's got a score
to settle with that bitch-woman. Let's take care of Big
Bad and Burly over there." She pointed to the Commander
standing in the midst of the carnage.
"Fine." Mars readied her powes. "Alright, Ugly!
Time to dance! FIRE SOUL!"
~'~
The next part will be a while in coming, but even so, i
refuse to post it if this doesn't get at least ten reviews.
According to my stats a lot more than that are reading this
fic. If you've just taken the time to read it you can take the
time to write a couple of words in the box.