Mizu: Oh joy! Another chapter is weaved into
the fabric of my story! J (That didn't make
much sense, did it?) *a bunch of readers shake
their heads* I tried. *shrugs*
Anyway, the customary notes before we begin:
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko
Takeuchi. I don't own it.
Chapter 3: Not a clue for a title yet…
All was quiet, except for the crickets.
Underneath a star-speckled sky, a single figure
fiddled with the fixtures on a fairly large
telescope, his other hand, holding a clip board
of his findings.
Periodically, he would peer into the
telescope for long moments. He would briefly
pause now and then to scratch on the clipboard
with a pen and mutter out numbers.
He had been at this for hours, although he
was quite used to it. A large cup of coffee
rested beside his telescope, emitting out a
fragrant aroma. Absent-mindedly, he reached for
the warm cup and took a sizable gulp from the
cup. His other hand brushed away a lock of
golden hair.
"Gyokuren," A voice called to him.
Without turning, the young astronomer recognized
the voice immediately.
"Professor," Gyokuren replied, taking
another sip of the strong, black liquid. He
began fiddling with his telescope again.
"Have you got the coordinates I asked
for?" The professor's asked patiently. His
voice cracked with age.
"Finishing up the report right now,"
Gyokuren muttered more to himself rather than to
the aged professor. Quickly scribbling the last
fragments of information on the report, he
turned to face the professor.
The professor reached out a hand for the
paper, gruffly taking the report from his pupil.
Taking the flashlight that Gyokuren handed him
along with the report, he switched it on with an
audible click. The flashlight quickly abolished
all the surrounding darkness, illuminating the
paper.
Turning the paper over with roughened
hands, the elderly man scanned the information
that Gyokuren had so methodically recorded the
last few hours. Like clockwork, the professor's
eyes glanced from one end of the page to the
other, not missing a single word or number. His
light green blue eyes reading with ease from
long years of methodical practice. However,
within those aquamarine depths held great
quantities of aged wisdom and knowledge. The
professor was probably capable of reciting great
quantities of information. He was like multiple
libraries, all compressed into a little old man.
A few moments later, he gazed directly at
Gyokuren with those eyes that bore a wealth of
knowledge. The hand that held the report
dropped to his side.
"So, it's moved, hasn't it?" The
professor asked, glancing back at the report.
Gyokuren nodded.
"You're sure this is accurate?" The
professor persisted, shaking the report
slightly. The sound of rattling paper seemed to
echo across the field.
Again, Gyokuren nodded.
"The star's axis changed again. It's now
pointing nor north west," Gyokuren replied,
brushing back that stubborn lock of golden hair
that kept getting into his eyes. Sighing, he
leaned backwards in his sitting position on the
field, bracing himself with one, strong arm.
However, his hand met his clipboard, leaving
patterned reliefs in his palm. He shifted into
another position.
"That's odd. But it's expected of her."
The professor glanced up at the sky pinpointing
the star that Gyokuren was monitoring.
"It would be something that she'd do,"
Gyokuren replied, glancing up at the star as
well. In ordinary sight, that specific star
looked identical to any other star, however, in
Gyokuren and the professor's vision, it looked
slightly different.
"The edges are still tinged with that
shade," commented Gyokuren casually. The
professor nodded.
"It always has been," responded the
elderly man. In his eyes, the star was tinged
an unusual viridian green on the edges where
it's "points" were. "We can't do anything about
it, yet anyway." The professor glanced at the
green tinged star one last time before turning
to leave. Slowly, he trudged across the field
and up the hill to the lone observatory.
Gyokuren turned back at his telescope,
once again fiddling with it's fixtures. Turning
a few knobs, he focused on that one star, out of
many. The greenish tinge on it's edge was still
there. He shrugged, shifting his position on
the field once more. His hand met his
clipboard, and he reached a hand to look for his
pen before he inadvertently sat on it. He knew
how much *that* would hurt.
The professor had taken his flashlight and
not forgotten to return it back to him.
Gyokuren sighed and continued looking for the
mini flashlight.
"Why do they make them in black?"
Gyokuren muttered to himself, still fiddling
around for the flashlight.
Eventually, his fingers came upon an
object. It didn't feel like the flashlight.
Actually, it was quite pointy and rigid, with
smooth, thin sides. Grasping the object with
his fingers, he lifted it gingerly to his face.
There, within his grasp, was a paper crane
that he had picked up earlier that day. He
gazed at it with smoky blue eyes. It was
perfectly folded and the parts proportioned. He
had found it shortly after his encounter with
that beautiful blond girl. He had assumed that
it was hers, since it was left in the vicinity
of where she was standing. Well, if she
accepted his invitation to the observatory
tomorrow, he should see then and perhaps return
her paper creation back to her.
He placed it back on his clipboard, where
one of it's wings dipped to one side. The
moonlight spilled upon the small figure,
tingeing it's light violet wings with silver
light.
***
Mamoru groaned and banged his head on his
desk repeatedly.
"baka *thump* baka *thump*…"
When he retrieved himself from his self-
torture session, a fading red mark had made it's
way to his forehead. He cradled his wounded
forehead.
Tiredly, he placed his fingers on the
keyboard and fervently typed out complex
commands. He bit his lip, fingers typing faster
with every passing moment.
Suddenly, the glowing computer screen
began to flicker. Mamoru froze.
Error…Error… The computer screen read.
Slumping in his chair, Mamoru groaned and
rubbed his eyes. He didn't really feel like
banging his head on the hard, cold desk again.
One massive headache was just enough for him.
After rubbing his eyes and thoroughly scrubbing
his face with his hands, he looked at his watch,
which read, 11:00. It wasn't late for him,
however, he had begun working early in the
morning.
"Oh bother," he grumbled, getting up from
his cramped position and making his way into the
kitchen. There, he managed to find the cupboard
and began rummaging in the dark for any source
of nourishment. His hand came across something
smooth, that felt much like an instant cup of
ramen noodles. He placed the cup to his
sensitive nose.
It felt like ramen noodles, it smelled
like ramen noodles. Therefore, it *must* be
ramen noodles.
With ramen noodles cradled in one hand, he
began to fiddle for the light switch with his
other hand.
A click sounded and the light switched on,
illuminating the kitchen tiles. Quickly, he put
a kettle on the stove and hungrily opened the
cup of instant ramen noodles.
"Hmm…a sizable chunk of noodle, powdered
soup base and dehydrated vegetables…" Mamoru
lifted an eyebrow as he analyzed his dinner.
"Everything's there," he shrugged.
After what seemed like hours, the kettle
finally began to whistle. A trail of steam rose
from it's opening and dissipated into the air.
Mamoru poured the boiling water into the
little cup, a faint aroma rising from it.
Stabbing his chopsticks into the cup, he
managed to fish out a large portion of the
noodles. Just as he was about to place the
contents of the noodle cup in his mouth, he
noticed a small stamp that seemed to have been
absorbed by the artificial material of the cup.
Looking more closely, he noticed that
those random numbers on the cup were actually a
date. He gazed at the stamp imprint for a long
time before he dropped his ramen noodles onto
the counter.
He gazed longingly at the cup, a look of
despair in his eyes.
The noodles had expired, two *years* ago.
He slumped against the wall. He wondered why
the label looked a little different than the
ones plastered on their products now.
Running back to the cupboard, he tried
looking for another cup of ramen noodles,
however, nothing was to be found. He had
exhausted his supply of instant food.
Closing the cupboard like a disappointed
child, he bowed his head, turned off the light.
Eventually, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and
he stopped walking into furniture.
Reaching the foot of his bed, he slumped
into the inviting blankets. He closed his eyes
and drifted off slowly into a deep slumber.
***
It was dark and dank in the sewers.
However, a figure deeper than the deepest of
nights trailed into bars, restaurants, parks,
everywhere that people were at this time of
night. A thick shadow would drift silently into
those popular meeting places and would cover up
entire crowds in just seconds. It would begin
with someone coughing and eventually, everyone
would faint simultaneously. A thick, black mist
would engulf the fallen bodies. When the mist
dissipated, no one was left in sight. Countless
bars and restaurants were left like that, on
that night.
Eventually, the dark shadow had cleared
all the boisterous public places in the
district.
"Time to visit those who slumber…" A
tenor voice declared, before drifting toward the
residential district.
***
Usagi awoke with a soft startle. The
senshi communicator beside her pillow began to
beep excitedly. Suddenly energized, Usagi
flipped open her pink communicator and looked at
the small face that appeared within.
"Usagi!" Ami cried, "There's a youma
where I live!"
"Ami-chan?" Usagi questioned, shaking off
the last traces of fatigue. Her blue eyes
widened in concern. "Hold on Ami-chan! I'll be
there!"
Snapping her communicator shut, she
grabbed her brooch and transformed.
Pink bands of glittering translucent
ribbon wrapped around her slim form, enclosing
around her. With one last glimmer, Sailor Moon
appeared, complete in her blue, white and red
senshi suit. Without hesitation, she jumped out
of her lace-draped window and ran toward the
Mizuno's residence.
***
The dark shadow held the limp figure of
her mother before she disappeared into it's
depths, much like the other victims in the city.
"I need more power!" boomed the voice of
the shadow. It's size had increased
considerably and it's voice had dropped to a low
baritone. It turned to stare at Ami, who was
fully transformed into senshi mode.
"You plan to beat me, little girl?" the
baritone voice mocked, stressing the words,
"little" and "girl".
Ami dismissed the insult. She wasn't
about to be hurt by a dark shadow, of all
things…
"Shabon spray!" Mercury cried, releasing
a jet of bubbles and thick mist. She wanted to
scan the shadow before she confronted it.
However, it penetrated her thick fog and loomed
above her dangerously.
"No…" Mercury whispered, before she too
was engulfed with black mist. Her form
shimmered momentarily before disappearing.
The shadow laughed, basking in the
strength that this "little girl" had just
provided for him. However, his humor was cut
short by a blast to his side. Turning in pain,
he spotted a girl with long, blond hair.
"I am the sailor moon!" The senshi began.
She then proceeded to look around for Mercury.
"Ami, where are you? Ami?!" Sailor Moon
cried out, exasperated. She searched the room
for her blue-haired friend, but she was no where
to be found.
"That *little girl*" The shadow boomed.
"She's gone! But not to worry, you'll join her
soon enough!" With that last threat, he raised
a shadowy limb and hurled Sailor Moon at the
wall.
***
Mamoru awoke, once again, sweat beaded
down his forehead. His knuckles were an icy
white and he breathed haggardly. That dream
came to him again, however, there seemed to be
more urgency within it.
There was also this *tugging* within him.
Something that seemed to tell him that there was
someone who needed him. He had felt this before
and almost immediately, a single red rose
appeared in his hand.
The phone began to ring. Mamoru reached
to pick it up.
"Yes?" He asked, a little impatiently.
"Mamoru? Are you awake? It's Ryoko." A
feminine voice came through the receiver. A
smile spread across Mamoru's face.
That tugging sensation began to fade as he
talked with Ryoko. Eventually, it shrank enough
for Mamoru to disregard.
"Odd," Mamoru muttered to himself. "I
guess it's okay."
"What's okay?" Ryoko asked across the
phone line.
Mamoru smiled affectionately.
"Nothing, talking to you is just fine…"
***
Sailor Moon awoke from her unconscious
state. The shadow loomed over her, almost as if
he was waiting for her to wake up.
"Ah, you're awake I see. I tend to
receive more power when I consume humans who are
*awake*." The voice began to laugh mercilessly.
"Where are you, Tuxedo Kamen?" Sailor
Moon uttered, before slumping into the wall once
more.
***
comments? Flames? (constructive flames
please!) Questions? E-mail to:
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/tokiya_ensui
Mizu: Yay! I'm finished!
Antigone: What *have* you done to Mamoru now?
How *could* you?
Mizu: *scuffing foot on floor* well…
Antigone: well? *taps floor expectantly*
Mizu: I see only one way to get out of this
situation.
Antigone: And how is that? *rolls sleeves up*
Mizu: *mizu bolts, a trail of left behind*
Antigone: Get back here!
Mamoru: *sweatdrops* Why do you make me
suffer? First the ramen noodles, then the
furniture in the dark! *begins to chase Mizu as
well*
Mizu: Now now, Mamoru, I'm the author here!
*help!*
the fabric of my story! J (That didn't make
much sense, did it?) *a bunch of readers shake
their heads* I tried. *shrugs*
Anyway, the customary notes before we begin:
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko
Takeuchi. I don't own it.
Chapter 3: Not a clue for a title yet…
All was quiet, except for the crickets.
Underneath a star-speckled sky, a single figure
fiddled with the fixtures on a fairly large
telescope, his other hand, holding a clip board
of his findings.
Periodically, he would peer into the
telescope for long moments. He would briefly
pause now and then to scratch on the clipboard
with a pen and mutter out numbers.
He had been at this for hours, although he
was quite used to it. A large cup of coffee
rested beside his telescope, emitting out a
fragrant aroma. Absent-mindedly, he reached for
the warm cup and took a sizable gulp from the
cup. His other hand brushed away a lock of
golden hair.
"Gyokuren," A voice called to him.
Without turning, the young astronomer recognized
the voice immediately.
"Professor," Gyokuren replied, taking
another sip of the strong, black liquid. He
began fiddling with his telescope again.
"Have you got the coordinates I asked
for?" The professor's asked patiently. His
voice cracked with age.
"Finishing up the report right now,"
Gyokuren muttered more to himself rather than to
the aged professor. Quickly scribbling the last
fragments of information on the report, he
turned to face the professor.
The professor reached out a hand for the
paper, gruffly taking the report from his pupil.
Taking the flashlight that Gyokuren handed him
along with the report, he switched it on with an
audible click. The flashlight quickly abolished
all the surrounding darkness, illuminating the
paper.
Turning the paper over with roughened
hands, the elderly man scanned the information
that Gyokuren had so methodically recorded the
last few hours. Like clockwork, the professor's
eyes glanced from one end of the page to the
other, not missing a single word or number. His
light green blue eyes reading with ease from
long years of methodical practice. However,
within those aquamarine depths held great
quantities of aged wisdom and knowledge. The
professor was probably capable of reciting great
quantities of information. He was like multiple
libraries, all compressed into a little old man.
A few moments later, he gazed directly at
Gyokuren with those eyes that bore a wealth of
knowledge. The hand that held the report
dropped to his side.
"So, it's moved, hasn't it?" The
professor asked, glancing back at the report.
Gyokuren nodded.
"You're sure this is accurate?" The
professor persisted, shaking the report
slightly. The sound of rattling paper seemed to
echo across the field.
Again, Gyokuren nodded.
"The star's axis changed again. It's now
pointing nor north west," Gyokuren replied,
brushing back that stubborn lock of golden hair
that kept getting into his eyes. Sighing, he
leaned backwards in his sitting position on the
field, bracing himself with one, strong arm.
However, his hand met his clipboard, leaving
patterned reliefs in his palm. He shifted into
another position.
"That's odd. But it's expected of her."
The professor glanced up at the sky pinpointing
the star that Gyokuren was monitoring.
"It would be something that she'd do,"
Gyokuren replied, glancing up at the star as
well. In ordinary sight, that specific star
looked identical to any other star, however, in
Gyokuren and the professor's vision, it looked
slightly different.
"The edges are still tinged with that
shade," commented Gyokuren casually. The
professor nodded.
"It always has been," responded the
elderly man. In his eyes, the star was tinged
an unusual viridian green on the edges where
it's "points" were. "We can't do anything about
it, yet anyway." The professor glanced at the
green tinged star one last time before turning
to leave. Slowly, he trudged across the field
and up the hill to the lone observatory.
Gyokuren turned back at his telescope,
once again fiddling with it's fixtures. Turning
a few knobs, he focused on that one star, out of
many. The greenish tinge on it's edge was still
there. He shrugged, shifting his position on
the field once more. His hand met his
clipboard, and he reached a hand to look for his
pen before he inadvertently sat on it. He knew
how much *that* would hurt.
The professor had taken his flashlight and
not forgotten to return it back to him.
Gyokuren sighed and continued looking for the
mini flashlight.
"Why do they make them in black?"
Gyokuren muttered to himself, still fiddling
around for the flashlight.
Eventually, his fingers came upon an
object. It didn't feel like the flashlight.
Actually, it was quite pointy and rigid, with
smooth, thin sides. Grasping the object with
his fingers, he lifted it gingerly to his face.
There, within his grasp, was a paper crane
that he had picked up earlier that day. He
gazed at it with smoky blue eyes. It was
perfectly folded and the parts proportioned. He
had found it shortly after his encounter with
that beautiful blond girl. He had assumed that
it was hers, since it was left in the vicinity
of where she was standing. Well, if she
accepted his invitation to the observatory
tomorrow, he should see then and perhaps return
her paper creation back to her.
He placed it back on his clipboard, where
one of it's wings dipped to one side. The
moonlight spilled upon the small figure,
tingeing it's light violet wings with silver
light.
***
Mamoru groaned and banged his head on his
desk repeatedly.
"baka *thump* baka *thump*…"
When he retrieved himself from his self-
torture session, a fading red mark had made it's
way to his forehead. He cradled his wounded
forehead.
Tiredly, he placed his fingers on the
keyboard and fervently typed out complex
commands. He bit his lip, fingers typing faster
with every passing moment.
Suddenly, the glowing computer screen
began to flicker. Mamoru froze.
Error…Error… The computer screen read.
Slumping in his chair, Mamoru groaned and
rubbed his eyes. He didn't really feel like
banging his head on the hard, cold desk again.
One massive headache was just enough for him.
After rubbing his eyes and thoroughly scrubbing
his face with his hands, he looked at his watch,
which read, 11:00. It wasn't late for him,
however, he had begun working early in the
morning.
"Oh bother," he grumbled, getting up from
his cramped position and making his way into the
kitchen. There, he managed to find the cupboard
and began rummaging in the dark for any source
of nourishment. His hand came across something
smooth, that felt much like an instant cup of
ramen noodles. He placed the cup to his
sensitive nose.
It felt like ramen noodles, it smelled
like ramen noodles. Therefore, it *must* be
ramen noodles.
With ramen noodles cradled in one hand, he
began to fiddle for the light switch with his
other hand.
A click sounded and the light switched on,
illuminating the kitchen tiles. Quickly, he put
a kettle on the stove and hungrily opened the
cup of instant ramen noodles.
"Hmm…a sizable chunk of noodle, powdered
soup base and dehydrated vegetables…" Mamoru
lifted an eyebrow as he analyzed his dinner.
"Everything's there," he shrugged.
After what seemed like hours, the kettle
finally began to whistle. A trail of steam rose
from it's opening and dissipated into the air.
Mamoru poured the boiling water into the
little cup, a faint aroma rising from it.
Stabbing his chopsticks into the cup, he
managed to fish out a large portion of the
noodles. Just as he was about to place the
contents of the noodle cup in his mouth, he
noticed a small stamp that seemed to have been
absorbed by the artificial material of the cup.
Looking more closely, he noticed that
those random numbers on the cup were actually a
date. He gazed at the stamp imprint for a long
time before he dropped his ramen noodles onto
the counter.
He gazed longingly at the cup, a look of
despair in his eyes.
The noodles had expired, two *years* ago.
He slumped against the wall. He wondered why
the label looked a little different than the
ones plastered on their products now.
Running back to the cupboard, he tried
looking for another cup of ramen noodles,
however, nothing was to be found. He had
exhausted his supply of instant food.
Closing the cupboard like a disappointed
child, he bowed his head, turned off the light.
Eventually, his eyes adjusted to the dark, and
he stopped walking into furniture.
Reaching the foot of his bed, he slumped
into the inviting blankets. He closed his eyes
and drifted off slowly into a deep slumber.
***
It was dark and dank in the sewers.
However, a figure deeper than the deepest of
nights trailed into bars, restaurants, parks,
everywhere that people were at this time of
night. A thick shadow would drift silently into
those popular meeting places and would cover up
entire crowds in just seconds. It would begin
with someone coughing and eventually, everyone
would faint simultaneously. A thick, black mist
would engulf the fallen bodies. When the mist
dissipated, no one was left in sight. Countless
bars and restaurants were left like that, on
that night.
Eventually, the dark shadow had cleared
all the boisterous public places in the
district.
"Time to visit those who slumber…" A
tenor voice declared, before drifting toward the
residential district.
***
Usagi awoke with a soft startle. The
senshi communicator beside her pillow began to
beep excitedly. Suddenly energized, Usagi
flipped open her pink communicator and looked at
the small face that appeared within.
"Usagi!" Ami cried, "There's a youma
where I live!"
"Ami-chan?" Usagi questioned, shaking off
the last traces of fatigue. Her blue eyes
widened in concern. "Hold on Ami-chan! I'll be
there!"
Snapping her communicator shut, she
grabbed her brooch and transformed.
Pink bands of glittering translucent
ribbon wrapped around her slim form, enclosing
around her. With one last glimmer, Sailor Moon
appeared, complete in her blue, white and red
senshi suit. Without hesitation, she jumped out
of her lace-draped window and ran toward the
Mizuno's residence.
***
The dark shadow held the limp figure of
her mother before she disappeared into it's
depths, much like the other victims in the city.
"I need more power!" boomed the voice of
the shadow. It's size had increased
considerably and it's voice had dropped to a low
baritone. It turned to stare at Ami, who was
fully transformed into senshi mode.
"You plan to beat me, little girl?" the
baritone voice mocked, stressing the words,
"little" and "girl".
Ami dismissed the insult. She wasn't
about to be hurt by a dark shadow, of all
things…
"Shabon spray!" Mercury cried, releasing
a jet of bubbles and thick mist. She wanted to
scan the shadow before she confronted it.
However, it penetrated her thick fog and loomed
above her dangerously.
"No…" Mercury whispered, before she too
was engulfed with black mist. Her form
shimmered momentarily before disappearing.
The shadow laughed, basking in the
strength that this "little girl" had just
provided for him. However, his humor was cut
short by a blast to his side. Turning in pain,
he spotted a girl with long, blond hair.
"I am the sailor moon!" The senshi began.
She then proceeded to look around for Mercury.
"Ami, where are you? Ami?!" Sailor Moon
cried out, exasperated. She searched the room
for her blue-haired friend, but she was no where
to be found.
"That *little girl*" The shadow boomed.
"She's gone! But not to worry, you'll join her
soon enough!" With that last threat, he raised
a shadowy limb and hurled Sailor Moon at the
wall.
***
Mamoru awoke, once again, sweat beaded
down his forehead. His knuckles were an icy
white and he breathed haggardly. That dream
came to him again, however, there seemed to be
more urgency within it.
There was also this *tugging* within him.
Something that seemed to tell him that there was
someone who needed him. He had felt this before
and almost immediately, a single red rose
appeared in his hand.
The phone began to ring. Mamoru reached
to pick it up.
"Yes?" He asked, a little impatiently.
"Mamoru? Are you awake? It's Ryoko." A
feminine voice came through the receiver. A
smile spread across Mamoru's face.
That tugging sensation began to fade as he
talked with Ryoko. Eventually, it shrank enough
for Mamoru to disregard.
"Odd," Mamoru muttered to himself. "I
guess it's okay."
"What's okay?" Ryoko asked across the
phone line.
Mamoru smiled affectionately.
"Nothing, talking to you is just fine…"
***
Sailor Moon awoke from her unconscious
state. The shadow loomed over her, almost as if
he was waiting for her to wake up.
"Ah, you're awake I see. I tend to
receive more power when I consume humans who are
*awake*." The voice began to laugh mercilessly.
"Where are you, Tuxedo Kamen?" Sailor
Moon uttered, before slumping into the wall once
more.
***
comments? Flames? (constructive flames
please!) Questions? E-mail to:
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/tokiya_ensui
Mizu: Yay! I'm finished!
Antigone: What *have* you done to Mamoru now?
How *could* you?
Mizu: *scuffing foot on floor* well…
Antigone: well? *taps floor expectantly*
Mizu: I see only one way to get out of this
situation.
Antigone: And how is that? *rolls sleeves up*
Mizu: *mizu bolts, a trail of left behind*
Antigone: Get back here!
Mamoru: *sweatdrops* Why do you make me
suffer? First the ramen noodles, then the
furniture in the dark! *begins to chase Mizu as
well*
Mizu: Now now, Mamoru, I'm the author here!
*help!*