The Other Side
by Goz
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, I would've made them wear more clothes.
Warning: This is a Sailor Moon fanfic concerning various new Sailor Scouts of my own creation. It also contains liberal mixing of the Japanese version with the dub. Caveat emptor.
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Part 15
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*Will the movie industry ever get sick of the Sailor Scouts?* Ariane wondered, fidgeting in her seat. *There's another movie about Sailor V playing across the theater, and a comedy about the Starlights coming out next month...* On the 3D screen, Sailor Moon stood over the unmoving body of a woman who bore a passing resemblance to Ariane, the other eight scouts ranged behind her. Sailor Moon took one step backward, and the walls shimmered gold for a moment as nine voices were heard saying, "You need us not now. But we shall return."
Ariane held her breath as the nine scouts faded into the night, while the rational part of her mind reminded her that it hadn't been anything like that. They'd just walked home, leaving apologetic letters saying goodbye to their stunned families and friends. Sailor Uranus's scornful mention of "that crazy Cally girl" had puzzled historians ever since, but Ariane knew now that she'd been talking about Connelly -
Ariane felt a shiver go down her spine, this time for good reason. Everyone loved the Sailor Scouts and hated the Negaverse; it was elementary, but where did it leave Ariane, in a world where no one ever seemed to know the whole truth? Would she someday be portrayed in a movie like this one? Would she be seen as friend or foe?
Just one tangle in the knot that she had gotten caught up in... less than a month ago? And yesterday Andrea and another girl had been attacked by another sister, who had somehow been killed, leaving the girl too bewildered to say more than, "It was the Negaverse and a Sailor Scout!" and Andrea...
Andrea spoke quietly, always in small words, and agreed with everything anyone said. She said she was tired and hid in her room, and couldn't look anyone in the eye. She must be in shock, Connelly had told Ariane, with a strange, knowing expression on her face.
*Had Andrea killed their sister?* Yes, she clearly had. Ariane swallowed hard on the tears that always accompanied that thought, despite her inability to recall even the dead girl's name -
- *She was Isadora, Sailor Megaera, the one who was so good at sculpting? Remember?* Connelly had told them, sobbing helplessly, and Ariane had cried without remembering, but Andrea had just looked away, and muttered the name once and stopped talking - and Connelly wouldn't say any more about her later -
- What was Ariane supposed to *think*? And what was *Andrea* thinking?
Ariane swallowed on tears. *How can I save the world - accomplish *anything* - if I'm always trying to figure this stuff *out*? The people we don't know, but do, the memories - how did Sailor Moon *do* it?*
The movie was almost over, at least - the police investigators were studying the fictional note written in blood. Ariane wished she they'd gone to see some other movie instead - Connelly had clearly been misinformed when Mrs. Martin had told her this thing was historically accurate. Ariane had just gotten more and more depressed as the movie progressed - not a single positive Negaverse character...
The screen finally faded to black, and the end credits began to roll past. Ariane let out a sigh. She and Andrea stood up and followed a muttering Connelly (she couldn't think of her any other way) to the exits in the back of the theater. Connelly glanced back at them and made a face at the screen, and Ariane nodded, sighing. Andrea just watched her feet.
"What the - the door's locked!" yelled an irate man who was trying to turn the handle. He started banging on it. "Hey! Open the door!" A laugh swelled up in the back of the crowd. Ariane remembered something, involuntarily clenching a fist to hold onto the memory as she turned with the rest to the source of the hysterical giggling.
A young woman dressed all in black leather stood there. She had red hair and violet eyes.
"Oh, shit," whispered Ariane and Connelly simultaneously. The woman looked directly at them, and winked. Then she laughed again. Ariane's hand went for her wand, feverishly trying to decide if it was possible for her to hide her transformation. "What's wrong with you?!" demanded the man at the door. "Did you lock the door?"
The woman stopped laughing, but didn't stop smiling, as she dramatically produced a wand from her jacket pocket. She slowly raised the wand to between her closed eyes with both hands. "*On the flash*," Connelly hissed into Ariane's ear. "It'll be long - she's a showoff -" Ariane spared half a moment to look for Andrea, but she seemed to have disappeared.
The woman opened her eyes and screamed, with the edge of hysteria, "Alecto Star Power!"
"Moon Reversal Power!" yelled Connelly into the hellish glare.
"Cassiopeia Constellation Power!" Ariane joined in, running after the sound of Connelly's voice.
As the glow died, Neo Queen Beryl and Sailor Cassiopeia stood in the aisle, facing a grinning woman in a black leotard with a deep ochre skirt and gloves, and a cream-colored bow on her chest.
"Sailor scouts," breathed the crowd in one voice.
"It's Queen Beryl!" yelled someone as though he'd made an independent discovery.
Sailor Alecto let out a feral growl. "Alecto Solar Pull! *Come to me!*" she wailed. As a heavy yellow light formed around the crowd, silencing the panicked, Sailor Cassiopeia felt herself being drawn toward the woman - she began walking, step by halting step. Behind her, she felt Neo Queen Beryl was doing the same.
*Hurricane Eye Calm! Nullify it!* Ket's voice snapped in Sailor Cassiopeia's mind. *Crazy woman likes her targets to be *arranged* -* Sailor Cassiopeia, with the distinct feeling that she was pushing against the tide, forced her hands upward and managed to cry, "Hurricane Eye Calm!" to the throng of people now walking towards the woman, their eyes glazed.
The crowd shook off the spell all at once and, needed no direction to flee towards the corner of the theater opposite Sailor Alecto.
*Good,* growled Ket, *She hates a clear playing field -*
*Shut up,* returned Sailor Cassiopeia, who was watching to follow whatever attack Connelly was preparing with those weaving motions.
"I am Sailor Alecto, and in the name of the Negaverse, I will drain your energy!" announced Sailor Alecto, apparently deciding the situation warranted yelling.
Sailor Cassiopeia rolled her eyes - Neo Queen Beryl was doing the same. "Not if we have anything to say about it!" yelled Neo Queen Beryl, then, frustratedly as she lowered her hands, "Please, Belinda, don't *do* this!" Sailor Alecto smiled in fierce amusement, beginning to raise a hand for an attack.
Sailor Cassiopeia didn't wait for her mother's apparently aborted attack - she held up an unnecessary fist and shouted, "Cassiopeia Calling Wind!" Sailor Alecto stumbled against the wind, her yell almost inaudible against the sound of the theater seats ripping out of the floor and being hurled at her. The crowd screamed under the storm of debris and grime the wind whipped up. Sailor Cassiopeia thought irrelevantly, *We might have to pay damages -*
As the wind died away, Sailor Alecto triumphantly stumbled her way out from a pile of seats, limping slightly but otherwise uninjured. *Damn. How'd I miss...?* "Neo-Nega Final Scream!" cried Neo Queen Beryl.
A cold draft whipped past Sailor Cassiopeia's ear, carrying an wisp of the deep blue fog the was moving in from all around to surround Alecto. Sailor Alecto was attempting to bat the fog away, apparently unsure what it was, but abruptly covered her ears, yelping in pain. A slight, high-pitched wailing was all Sailor Cassiopeia could hear, but the sound was painful enough to make Alecto double over, whimpering. Sailor Cassiopeia began, "Cassiopeia Hurric-"
"Alecto Circle *Streams*!" Sailor Alecto shrieked, holding out one hand as she charged off blindly, trying to escape the cloud. A deep red loop of light unfolded slowly began to unfold in the center of the theater, looping around faster and faster as it grew. A man made the mistake of trying to push it away as it neared him, and jerked away his burnt arm with a scream of pain. Ket snapped, *Quick! It's gone if you break the loop -*
"Oh, no, you don't!" growled Andrea's voice behind them. Neo Queen Beryl and Sailor Cassiopeia turned to see Sailor Hydra brandishing her wand and fiercely yelling, "Hydra Venom Fangs!"
*Good. I was afraid she was going to freeze up again -* thought Sailor Cassiopeia.
*No -* said Ket, sounding as though she were gritting her teeth. *Hurricane Eye Calm! Quick! She's switched sides!*
*Switched *sides* -*
The attack hit.
by Goz
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, I would've made them wear more clothes.
Warning: This is a Sailor Moon fanfic concerning various new Sailor Scouts of my own creation. It also contains liberal mixing of the Japanese version with the dub. Caveat emptor.
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Part 15
-
*Will the movie industry ever get sick of the Sailor Scouts?* Ariane wondered, fidgeting in her seat. *There's another movie about Sailor V playing across the theater, and a comedy about the Starlights coming out next month...* On the 3D screen, Sailor Moon stood over the unmoving body of a woman who bore a passing resemblance to Ariane, the other eight scouts ranged behind her. Sailor Moon took one step backward, and the walls shimmered gold for a moment as nine voices were heard saying, "You need us not now. But we shall return."
Ariane held her breath as the nine scouts faded into the night, while the rational part of her mind reminded her that it hadn't been anything like that. They'd just walked home, leaving apologetic letters saying goodbye to their stunned families and friends. Sailor Uranus's scornful mention of "that crazy Cally girl" had puzzled historians ever since, but Ariane knew now that she'd been talking about Connelly -
Ariane felt a shiver go down her spine, this time for good reason. Everyone loved the Sailor Scouts and hated the Negaverse; it was elementary, but where did it leave Ariane, in a world where no one ever seemed to know the whole truth? Would she someday be portrayed in a movie like this one? Would she be seen as friend or foe?
Just one tangle in the knot that she had gotten caught up in... less than a month ago? And yesterday Andrea and another girl had been attacked by another sister, who had somehow been killed, leaving the girl too bewildered to say more than, "It was the Negaverse and a Sailor Scout!" and Andrea...
Andrea spoke quietly, always in small words, and agreed with everything anyone said. She said she was tired and hid in her room, and couldn't look anyone in the eye. She must be in shock, Connelly had told Ariane, with a strange, knowing expression on her face.
*Had Andrea killed their sister?* Yes, she clearly had. Ariane swallowed hard on the tears that always accompanied that thought, despite her inability to recall even the dead girl's name -
- *She was Isadora, Sailor Megaera, the one who was so good at sculpting? Remember?* Connelly had told them, sobbing helplessly, and Ariane had cried without remembering, but Andrea had just looked away, and muttered the name once and stopped talking - and Connelly wouldn't say any more about her later -
- What was Ariane supposed to *think*? And what was *Andrea* thinking?
Ariane swallowed on tears. *How can I save the world - accomplish *anything* - if I'm always trying to figure this stuff *out*? The people we don't know, but do, the memories - how did Sailor Moon *do* it?*
The movie was almost over, at least - the police investigators were studying the fictional note written in blood. Ariane wished she they'd gone to see some other movie instead - Connelly had clearly been misinformed when Mrs. Martin had told her this thing was historically accurate. Ariane had just gotten more and more depressed as the movie progressed - not a single positive Negaverse character...
The screen finally faded to black, and the end credits began to roll past. Ariane let out a sigh. She and Andrea stood up and followed a muttering Connelly (she couldn't think of her any other way) to the exits in the back of the theater. Connelly glanced back at them and made a face at the screen, and Ariane nodded, sighing. Andrea just watched her feet.
"What the - the door's locked!" yelled an irate man who was trying to turn the handle. He started banging on it. "Hey! Open the door!" A laugh swelled up in the back of the crowd. Ariane remembered something, involuntarily clenching a fist to hold onto the memory as she turned with the rest to the source of the hysterical giggling.
A young woman dressed all in black leather stood there. She had red hair and violet eyes.
"Oh, shit," whispered Ariane and Connelly simultaneously. The woman looked directly at them, and winked. Then she laughed again. Ariane's hand went for her wand, feverishly trying to decide if it was possible for her to hide her transformation. "What's wrong with you?!" demanded the man at the door. "Did you lock the door?"
The woman stopped laughing, but didn't stop smiling, as she dramatically produced a wand from her jacket pocket. She slowly raised the wand to between her closed eyes with both hands. "*On the flash*," Connelly hissed into Ariane's ear. "It'll be long - she's a showoff -" Ariane spared half a moment to look for Andrea, but she seemed to have disappeared.
The woman opened her eyes and screamed, with the edge of hysteria, "Alecto Star Power!"
"Moon Reversal Power!" yelled Connelly into the hellish glare.
"Cassiopeia Constellation Power!" Ariane joined in, running after the sound of Connelly's voice.
As the glow died, Neo Queen Beryl and Sailor Cassiopeia stood in the aisle, facing a grinning woman in a black leotard with a deep ochre skirt and gloves, and a cream-colored bow on her chest.
"Sailor scouts," breathed the crowd in one voice.
"It's Queen Beryl!" yelled someone as though he'd made an independent discovery.
Sailor Alecto let out a feral growl. "Alecto Solar Pull! *Come to me!*" she wailed. As a heavy yellow light formed around the crowd, silencing the panicked, Sailor Cassiopeia felt herself being drawn toward the woman - she began walking, step by halting step. Behind her, she felt Neo Queen Beryl was doing the same.
*Hurricane Eye Calm! Nullify it!* Ket's voice snapped in Sailor Cassiopeia's mind. *Crazy woman likes her targets to be *arranged* -* Sailor Cassiopeia, with the distinct feeling that she was pushing against the tide, forced her hands upward and managed to cry, "Hurricane Eye Calm!" to the throng of people now walking towards the woman, their eyes glazed.
The crowd shook off the spell all at once and, needed no direction to flee towards the corner of the theater opposite Sailor Alecto.
*Good,* growled Ket, *She hates a clear playing field -*
*Shut up,* returned Sailor Cassiopeia, who was watching to follow whatever attack Connelly was preparing with those weaving motions.
"I am Sailor Alecto, and in the name of the Negaverse, I will drain your energy!" announced Sailor Alecto, apparently deciding the situation warranted yelling.
Sailor Cassiopeia rolled her eyes - Neo Queen Beryl was doing the same. "Not if we have anything to say about it!" yelled Neo Queen Beryl, then, frustratedly as she lowered her hands, "Please, Belinda, don't *do* this!" Sailor Alecto smiled in fierce amusement, beginning to raise a hand for an attack.
Sailor Cassiopeia didn't wait for her mother's apparently aborted attack - she held up an unnecessary fist and shouted, "Cassiopeia Calling Wind!" Sailor Alecto stumbled against the wind, her yell almost inaudible against the sound of the theater seats ripping out of the floor and being hurled at her. The crowd screamed under the storm of debris and grime the wind whipped up. Sailor Cassiopeia thought irrelevantly, *We might have to pay damages -*
As the wind died away, Sailor Alecto triumphantly stumbled her way out from a pile of seats, limping slightly but otherwise uninjured. *Damn. How'd I miss...?* "Neo-Nega Final Scream!" cried Neo Queen Beryl.
A cold draft whipped past Sailor Cassiopeia's ear, carrying an wisp of the deep blue fog the was moving in from all around to surround Alecto. Sailor Alecto was attempting to bat the fog away, apparently unsure what it was, but abruptly covered her ears, yelping in pain. A slight, high-pitched wailing was all Sailor Cassiopeia could hear, but the sound was painful enough to make Alecto double over, whimpering. Sailor Cassiopeia began, "Cassiopeia Hurric-"
"Alecto Circle *Streams*!" Sailor Alecto shrieked, holding out one hand as she charged off blindly, trying to escape the cloud. A deep red loop of light unfolded slowly began to unfold in the center of the theater, looping around faster and faster as it grew. A man made the mistake of trying to push it away as it neared him, and jerked away his burnt arm with a scream of pain. Ket snapped, *Quick! It's gone if you break the loop -*
"Oh, no, you don't!" growled Andrea's voice behind them. Neo Queen Beryl and Sailor Cassiopeia turned to see Sailor Hydra brandishing her wand and fiercely yelling, "Hydra Venom Fangs!"
*Good. I was afraid she was going to freeze up again -* thought Sailor Cassiopeia.
*No -* said Ket, sounding as though she were gritting her teeth. *Hurricane Eye Calm! Quick! She's switched sides!*
*Switched *sides* -*
The attack hit.
