**********
No one's gonna read this. I'm bothering putting an author's note here… why?
Oh well.
**********
Part THREE
TWO WEEKS LATER
Katie opened her eyes to darkness. It was a warm darkness, not the cold, empty void that she had felt in her dream.
Was it a dream? It was so real.
She sat up, her hand automatically reaching for the lamp. It clicked on, the room now bathed in a soft rose.
Within the relatively small room (Katie had chosen the room herself; she liked small, dark places), she could see the T.V. sitting on the light blue carpet, the game console on top of that, and altogether reaching the height of Katie's waist.
Sliding to her feet, Katie opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. She could see the colours of the sunset splashing into the walls and carpet at the west window. Walking towards the window, she squinted her blue eyes in the glare, looking into the yard and seeing the mecha hangars away in the near distance.
Playing in the snowy yard was Emilee, Hammie the hamster, and the Hobbit Baby Of Death. Katie suspected that the pilots were in the hangar, and that Archibald, Marvin, and Arthur were either up in the piano room or down in the living room. She had no clue where Wolfwood or that weird bellbottoms guy might be...
"How long?" Katie mumbled, walking away from the window.
She headed downstairs, carefully avoiding the living room. In the laundry room, she grabbed a towel and a fresh change of clothes, then headed to the top floor for the bath.
Katie walked into the separate room that was closed off from both the hall and the actual bath and tugged off her clothes, dropping them into the hamper and pulling her robe loosely around her, leaving the belt untied.
She had barely placed her hand on the door when it slid open, and Katie found herself nose to chest with...
"THAT WEIRD BELLBOTTOMS GUY?!"
"KATIE?!"
He backed up, surprised.
"You... you're awake! Are you okay? Do..."
He stopped short, realizing that she didn't have her robe tied close, and that she was staring at his own naked chest (he had changed into his bellbottoms before opening the door). That weird bellbottoms guy turned red.
"What?" he asked softly, looking away.
Katie took a few steps closer, raising her hand. She brushed the scars and metal melded with warm flesh with her fingertips.
"How did this happen?" she asked.
That weird bellbottoms guy was startled. Her voice was more of innocent curiosity, and not the disgust he had been expecting. He was even more surprised by her hand resting on his chest, right over his racing heart.
"It's the price I pay for letting my opponents live."
She nodded, hand an eyes now moving to his artificial left arm.
"What about this?"
That weird bellbottoms guy lowered his gaze, forgetting his nervousness of being around a
half-naked girl, being without a shirt himself.
"My sister..."
"I see..."
She took another step closer, observing the marring marks on his chest and arms, and that weird
bellbottoms guy's nervousness returned almost immediately.
"It's not exactly something I like girls to see. They'd probably just run away." he said softly, smiling wryly.
"I won't run away." Katie said just as softly, then did something that scared, surprised, and put that weird bellbottoms guy into total bliss at the same time; she rested her head on his chest, slipping one arm around his back and pulling him against her, snuggling against him.
Oh God Oh God Oh God Oh Dear, sweet God, I'm gonna die I'm gonna die Oh God Oh God she likes me she likes me say something, no, wait, don't say anything, you'll make an ass of yourself, Oh, GOD...
That weird bellbottoms guy's heart hammered, praying that he'd live through this, and feeling as if he would die in her arms right then and there. Katie just smiled, listening to his rapid heart beat.
"You need to breathe SOME time today, weird bellbottoms guy,"
That weird bellbottoms guy realized that she was right; he had been holding his breath the entire time.
He exhaled loudly, inadvertably bringing Katie closer to him. She looked up and smiled, resting her other hand by his neck, pulling him down slightly.
That weird bellbottoms guy's eyes widened.
She's going to kiss me...
She did.
That weird bellbottoms guy felt his entire world melt away. He felt like he had died, gone to Heaven, then was reborn. It was wonderful.
Sighing, he closed his eyes, and let her kiss him, wrapping his arms tightly around round her.
When she finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard and clutching the other tightly.
"That weird bellbottoms guy?"
"Hm?"
She leaned closer, sliding her hand under the hem of his bellbottoms.
"Make love to me..."
(I had to! It was the bellbottoms!)
***
Arthur, Marvin, and Archibald looked up in surprise when Katie glided into the living room, falling sideways into a chair and swinging her legs over the arm, grinning.
"Katie!!" Arthur yelled, bounding over to "her" daughter over to "her" daughter and sweeping her up into a hug.
"Katie Katie Katie!!"
"Yes, Okaa-san?" she asked calmly, still smiling, her eyes half-closed in what seemed like bliss.
Just then, The Hobbit Baby Of Death, Hammie, and Emilee filed in, and Arthur and Marvin completely forgot about Katie and the fact that she had been unconscious for about two weeks.
Katie's expression turned stony as she watched them coo and aah over the child, then stood and left, Archibald the only one noticing her retreat.
He stood and walked to the doorway, silently watching the teen disappear down a dark hallway, a sad look on his face.
"Katie..."
***
Wolfwood watched in mild interest as that weird bellbottoms guy came staggering into their shared room, a stupid, happy look of rapture on his face. "Hi," That weird bellbottoms guy waved weakly, then flopped onto his bed, asleep and giggling into his pillow.
Wolfwood raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the window.
"I don't wanna know."
***
As Katie walked, she barely notice that it was continually getting darker, and that she was in a
corridor never seen in the Weiner Mansion before.
The only thing she did notice was the double doors at the very end of the corridor, and it was that on which she focused on. Each step brought her closer, until finally she stood before it.
The doors were a dark white, but they didn't look gray, and they were elaborately carved, with strange and frightening symbols set into the wood.
Katie raised a hand; she knew without touching it that the wood was cold, more like empty glass and ice instead. Wood held a sense of living in it. These doors did not.
She gently touched the surface of the door with her fingertip, and the silver star on her forehead turned a dark violet, twisting into a leopard spot.
The light began to throb and pulse, the glow reaching from her hand to the wood. It pooled outward from her touch, like a dropping leaf into a still pool.
When the purple had completely washed over the door, they slowly swung open. Katie lowered her hand and calmly walked into the awaiting darkness.
Upon stepping into the darkness' threshold, the ground fell away to emptiness, leaving Katie floating in midair.
She felt herself being pulled forward, and she was in front of the purple light and the black figure inside.
You're back so soon? What happened? the figure asked.
Katie shivered. Though the voice was kind, it had a biting chill to it, freezing her to the soul, and the heavy pressure returned.
"Please, stop!" she yelled, clutching her arms over her chest, then stopped, surprised to hear her own voice in such a quiet world; it didn't seem right, almost sacrilegious, even.
{Please,} she repeated, this time mentally. {Stop, I'm
getting frightened.}
The pressure left her body, as did a bit of the cold, but some of the same presence remained.
Have I done something unacceptable?
Katie shook her head. {No, I'm sorry if I have upset you.}
The form's hand reached out, a black fog swirling around it, and touched the girl's cheek, sending
chills through her body.
You feel my power?
Katie nodded, blue eyes wide.
Do you want this power?
Katie felt a heavy pressure on her chest, making it hard to breathe. And as she tried to bring more air into her lungs, the pressure increased even more.
The figure brought his/her face close to hers, then whispered, "With my power, everything will be yours, even..."
"Oi, Katie!" a voice called out behind them.
Katie twisted her head around, eyes wide in surprise. There stood that weird bellbottoms guy, smiling at her.
"My little Katie-hime, why so glum? Your life should be filled with Love and Peace!"
He made his trademark grin and "peace" sign with his hand, then faded from sight.
"You, you mean..."
"Everything..."
The pressure continued to build in Katie's chest, until finally it seemed her heart would stop.
{I... I will accept your power...}
Good girl...
He/she pulled her into the purple light, into his/her arms. He/she tilted her head up.
"Everything... is yours..."
He/she kissed her, and the pressure in Katie's chest lightened; no, it spread throughout her entire body, filling every part of herself with a strange heaviness. The white dress she had been wearing seemed to dissolve where the feeling entered in that part of her body.
Finally, he/she pulled away, leaving Katie gasping for air. He/she looked over her for a second, frowning.
Now, you shall have attire suitable for your position.
He/she reached out his/her hands, brushing her bare throat, then ran his/her fingers down her shoulders, arms, to the tips of her hands.
Almost immediately, the black smoke and violet light shimmered and swirled down his arms onto Katie's, wrapping and twisting itself around her body, finally forming into a long, black velvet dress split on both sides up to her hips, knee-length violet boots peeking from under the hem of the long, flowing skirt.
It looked very much like Black Lady's dress, only the pink under the skirt was purple, and the dark pink gauze on her chest and arms was black velvet.
Her silver star became replaced by a violet leopard spot once again, and her physical form of an adult fully matured.
Katie raised her hands, looking at them with a blank expression. A faint purple glow formed around them. She looked up, and was surprised to find that she could see the man/woman's face; he/she was startlingly familiar: his/her light eyes, the colour and short, bobbed cut of his/her hair, the build of his/her chest and face...
"Who are you?" Katie whispered, growing frightened again as she knew who he/she was right as the question left her mouth.
"Transsexual Audrey."
***
Inside that weird bellbottoms guy's mind, something snapped.
Wolfwood, Archibald, Arthur, Marvin, Hammie, Emilee, and The Hobbit Baby Of Death all watched with mild confusion and alarm as that weird bellbottoms guy stood up in a flash, then collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and crying out in pain.
"Something's happening! Something's wrong!" that weird bellbottoms guy yelled, convulsing as if an unseen hand had suddenly seized his chest and began to unmercifully squeeze the life out of him.
The three Outer Senshi were standing, just now sensing the imbalance of power.
"Where is it?" Archibald cried, gripping her wand tightly.
Arthur held up his sandwich blade.
"God of the Sandwich, Guardian Star Don't Panic, show us where this negative force is!"
The polished surface of the knife flashed black, then there was a horrible screeching, and the metal cracked and shattered, the silver shards flying outward and into the air, disappearing.
"The... the sandwich blade!" Hammie cried in horror, clasping his hands over his mouth.
"It shattered!" Emilee cried.
"How can it be? The sandwich blade is a divine object, a manifestation of a Pure and True heart, not at all subject to destruction!" Marvin shuddered.
"It must be a horrible, evil power to have destroyed the sandwich blade."
The Hobbit Baby Of Death cried and ran over to Wolfwood, burying her face in his jacket in fear.
That weird bellbottoms guy watched the child, eyes half-closed and breathing hard. "The young one is right," he whispered.
"What?" The Senshi and Wolfwood turned to look at the hippie.
"She's right." That weird bellbottoms guy stood, still clutching the front of his red jacket with his gloved hand.
"Who's right? The Hobbit Baby Of Death?! She's just a baby, how can you --" Arthur was cut off by the hippie's next harsh words.
"She can sense things that you would never be able to perceive, not even on the physical or mental level. She and I.. we know who is this dark power."
"Who?" Archibald asked, dark eyes flashing.
"... it's... it's Katie... and... my brother/sister."
***
Audrey's head snapped up, icy eyes narrowed.
Katie looked to her, a vaguely interested look on her face. "What's wrong, Audrey?"
She looked over at her and smiled.
"We're going to have company."
***
"DON'T PANIC PLANET POWER..."
"ASPARAGUS PLANET POWER..."
"MARVIN PLANET POWER..."
"WOOD CHIPS PLANET POWER..."
"SPORK POWER..."
"MAKE UP!!"
The five transformed, each holding their talisman, and Spork her spork.
"Take me with you."
Marvin, Don't Panic, and Asparagus turned, surprised.
"What?"
That weird bellbottoms guy stood, breathing hard and forehead covered with sweat, but otherwise fine. "I said," he repeated, "take me with you."
"But," Marvin held up his staff, "how can you help? You have no Senshi or Knight powers."
"It's my brother/sister. I have to go."
The other two Senshi adults sighed.
"All right, then. You win. Come here."
That weird bellbottoms guy complied, standing in front of Asparagus. His tiara disappeared, replaced by a glowing gold symbol.
Pulling his face close to that weird bellbottoms guy's, Asparagus pressed his forehead against his. When he moved away, his tiara reappeared, and a glowing gold symbol was on that weird bellbottoms guy's forehead. The gold flashed to silver, and the symbol transformed into a filled circle.
Wolfwood and The Hobbit Baby Of Death watched as the Senshi formed into a circle, linking hands as that weird bellbottoms guy stood in the center.
The Senshi's tiaras vanished, replaced by their symbols, and everyone's hair and clothing began to wave as if in a wind that was only around the circle of Senshi and the hippie.
"Everyone, concentrate on Katie, and on the darkness!" Marvin yelled.
"Sailor... TELEPORT!!"
There was a flash, and they were gone.
The Hobbit Baby Of Death looked at the spot where they had been standing, then up at the awestruck Wolfwood.
Wolfwood set The Hobbit Baby Of Death on the couch and stumbled to the back door, mumbling, "I need a smoke,"
***
That weird bellbottoms guy felt a fast moving sensation -- it was like a carnival ride on the fritz--, and his stomach and his body went two different ways, and that didn't help the dizziness throbbing in his skull.
He had barely closed his eyes when everything stopped; well, it SEEMED to have stopped, but that weird bellbottoms guy's vision and body were spinning so badly that he couldn't tell.
That weird bellbottoms guy felt a hand on his arm, and the floor (or was it the wall?) stopped trying to smack him in the face.
"You okay?" a voice asked.
That weird bellbottoms guy blinked numerous times, then turned to face the origin of the voice.
He saw a wall.
Turning the other way, now facing Marvin, he nodded, saying, "Except for the fact that the walls, ceiling, and floor are trying to kill me, I'm fine."
Everyone laughed, then they took account of their surroundings. They stood in a long hallway --
corridor, actually; it was fairly narrow, but it could accommodate all of them quite comfortably -- , the ends to the front and back were completely dark.
The area would have been pitch black if the Senshi's tiaras and bow jewels and the circle on that weird bellbottoms guy's forehead weren't illuminated.
"Well," Spork asked, "Which way?"
They turned to that weird bellbottoms guy, who backed up an involuntary step.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that? Stop!"
"Weird bellbottoms guy,"
Don't Panic took a step towards the hippie. Everyone, but mostly that weird bellbottoms guy, were surprised to see tears in "her" eyes. "She" clutched the shattered sandwich blade in "her" gloved hands, the jagged edges still stuck inside the handle a dull black.
"Weird bellbottoms guy, your... brother/sister, has my daughter in his power. He has also most possibly infected her with some of his power. I... I think it's time that I told you, all of you, something.
"Katie... Katie Dentist Krelborn. That's her full name. No, she's not married," Don't Panic told that weird bellbottoms guy, who looked like he was about to say something indignant on her double surname.
"Katie doesn't share my last name, which means she isn't Don't Panic. Her parents are Seymour Krelborn and the Dentist, a dark general of Prince Zaphod of Spork."
"But, Katie is older than Seymour, and the Dentist is dead! How --" Don't Panic raised a hand, cutting off Hammie. She continued.
"Katie, the heiress to both the Jupiter throne and the Fondue throne, was conceived during the Silver Millennium, but the Dentist was filled with Chaotic Darkness during the time, so..."
"... So Katie is filled with both negative and positive energy..." Marvin said.
Don't Panic nodded. "There's more."
"The only reason Katie is considered my daughter is that she was never born during the Silver Millennium. Princess of Jupiter was killed by the Dentist before she had borne Katie, so she became a wandering spirit. Queen Serenity sent her to the future, but not to the same parents. Somehow, I gave birth to Katie, but her true parentage lies in Seymour Krelborn and the Dentist,
a.k.a. Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. She chose to keep her real parents' last names herself, she and I just never told the rest of you." Don't Panic smiled wryly, but it was obvious that this was painful for "her" to talk about.
"So, since Katie's energy is in balance between good and evil, she would be susceptible to both forces." Asparagus thought aloud.
"Yes," Don't Panic nodded. "But even more so to evil, because during the Silver Millennium, when she was conceived, Chaotic Darkness was at the highest peak of it's power, and it was much stronger than good at that time."
"Even though," Don't Panic said, sorrow and tears filling her throat and voice, "I'm not her real
mother, I still love her as much as one of my own."
A young Katie wearing a light summer dress watches a field. She turns, smiling. "Arthur," she yells happily, waving.
Don't Panic turned to that weird bellbottoms guy and the others.
"I'm sorry I've kept this from you, all of you. If you had known sooner, than this probably would have never happened."
"No, it's not your fault,"
Don't Panic looked up, surprised.
That weird bellbottoms guy nodded. "It's not your fault." he repeated.
"My brother/sister is extremely strong, it couldn't be helped. Don't you dare blame yourself for this. Now," he smiled. "Let's go get our KatieO back."
***
Wolfwood and The Hobbit Baby Of Death both looked up as the mecha pilots came barreling in.
"What's happening?! Where are the girls?" GP and Rick both demanded at the same time.
"WHERE'S MY SISTER??" Kronk wailed when the priest told them that the girls and that weird bellbottoms guy had all disappeared in a flash of light.
Kronk sat down where he was standing and started crying like a little chibi. The wall patted his back.
"I'm sure Katie is fine."
"WHY CAN'T I HAVE SUPER POWERS, TOO??"
GP looked frightened. "You mean, you want to run around in a super short skirt and wave
a wand around, too?!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!! I want a cape with the skirt..."
"AAAAAHHH!!"
"Chibi Chibi Chibi!!"
"Moo..."
**********
That's scary stuff.
Oh yeah.
Do the kind thing. Review.
No one's gonna read this. I'm bothering putting an author's note here… why?
Oh well.
**********
Part THREE
TWO WEEKS LATER
Katie opened her eyes to darkness. It was a warm darkness, not the cold, empty void that she had felt in her dream.
Was it a dream? It was so real.
She sat up, her hand automatically reaching for the lamp. It clicked on, the room now bathed in a soft rose.
Within the relatively small room (Katie had chosen the room herself; she liked small, dark places), she could see the T.V. sitting on the light blue carpet, the game console on top of that, and altogether reaching the height of Katie's waist.
Sliding to her feet, Katie opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. She could see the colours of the sunset splashing into the walls and carpet at the west window. Walking towards the window, she squinted her blue eyes in the glare, looking into the yard and seeing the mecha hangars away in the near distance.
Playing in the snowy yard was Emilee, Hammie the hamster, and the Hobbit Baby Of Death. Katie suspected that the pilots were in the hangar, and that Archibald, Marvin, and Arthur were either up in the piano room or down in the living room. She had no clue where Wolfwood or that weird bellbottoms guy might be...
"How long?" Katie mumbled, walking away from the window.
She headed downstairs, carefully avoiding the living room. In the laundry room, she grabbed a towel and a fresh change of clothes, then headed to the top floor for the bath.
Katie walked into the separate room that was closed off from both the hall and the actual bath and tugged off her clothes, dropping them into the hamper and pulling her robe loosely around her, leaving the belt untied.
She had barely placed her hand on the door when it slid open, and Katie found herself nose to chest with...
"THAT WEIRD BELLBOTTOMS GUY?!"
"KATIE?!"
He backed up, surprised.
"You... you're awake! Are you okay? Do..."
He stopped short, realizing that she didn't have her robe tied close, and that she was staring at his own naked chest (he had changed into his bellbottoms before opening the door). That weird bellbottoms guy turned red.
"What?" he asked softly, looking away.
Katie took a few steps closer, raising her hand. She brushed the scars and metal melded with warm flesh with her fingertips.
"How did this happen?" she asked.
That weird bellbottoms guy was startled. Her voice was more of innocent curiosity, and not the disgust he had been expecting. He was even more surprised by her hand resting on his chest, right over his racing heart.
"It's the price I pay for letting my opponents live."
She nodded, hand an eyes now moving to his artificial left arm.
"What about this?"
That weird bellbottoms guy lowered his gaze, forgetting his nervousness of being around a
half-naked girl, being without a shirt himself.
"My sister..."
"I see..."
She took another step closer, observing the marring marks on his chest and arms, and that weird
bellbottoms guy's nervousness returned almost immediately.
"It's not exactly something I like girls to see. They'd probably just run away." he said softly, smiling wryly.
"I won't run away." Katie said just as softly, then did something that scared, surprised, and put that weird bellbottoms guy into total bliss at the same time; she rested her head on his chest, slipping one arm around his back and pulling him against her, snuggling against him.
Oh God Oh God Oh God Oh Dear, sweet God, I'm gonna die I'm gonna die Oh God Oh God she likes me she likes me say something, no, wait, don't say anything, you'll make an ass of yourself, Oh, GOD...
That weird bellbottoms guy's heart hammered, praying that he'd live through this, and feeling as if he would die in her arms right then and there. Katie just smiled, listening to his rapid heart beat.
"You need to breathe SOME time today, weird bellbottoms guy,"
That weird bellbottoms guy realized that she was right; he had been holding his breath the entire time.
He exhaled loudly, inadvertably bringing Katie closer to him. She looked up and smiled, resting her other hand by his neck, pulling him down slightly.
That weird bellbottoms guy's eyes widened.
She's going to kiss me...
She did.
That weird bellbottoms guy felt his entire world melt away. He felt like he had died, gone to Heaven, then was reborn. It was wonderful.
Sighing, he closed his eyes, and let her kiss him, wrapping his arms tightly around round her.
When she finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard and clutching the other tightly.
"That weird bellbottoms guy?"
"Hm?"
She leaned closer, sliding her hand under the hem of his bellbottoms.
"Make love to me..."
(I had to! It was the bellbottoms!)
***
Arthur, Marvin, and Archibald looked up in surprise when Katie glided into the living room, falling sideways into a chair and swinging her legs over the arm, grinning.
"Katie!!" Arthur yelled, bounding over to "her" daughter over to "her" daughter and sweeping her up into a hug.
"Katie Katie Katie!!"
"Yes, Okaa-san?" she asked calmly, still smiling, her eyes half-closed in what seemed like bliss.
Just then, The Hobbit Baby Of Death, Hammie, and Emilee filed in, and Arthur and Marvin completely forgot about Katie and the fact that she had been unconscious for about two weeks.
Katie's expression turned stony as she watched them coo and aah over the child, then stood and left, Archibald the only one noticing her retreat.
He stood and walked to the doorway, silently watching the teen disappear down a dark hallway, a sad look on his face.
"Katie..."
***
Wolfwood watched in mild interest as that weird bellbottoms guy came staggering into their shared room, a stupid, happy look of rapture on his face. "Hi," That weird bellbottoms guy waved weakly, then flopped onto his bed, asleep and giggling into his pillow.
Wolfwood raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the window.
"I don't wanna know."
***
As Katie walked, she barely notice that it was continually getting darker, and that she was in a
corridor never seen in the Weiner Mansion before.
The only thing she did notice was the double doors at the very end of the corridor, and it was that on which she focused on. Each step brought her closer, until finally she stood before it.
The doors were a dark white, but they didn't look gray, and they were elaborately carved, with strange and frightening symbols set into the wood.
Katie raised a hand; she knew without touching it that the wood was cold, more like empty glass and ice instead. Wood held a sense of living in it. These doors did not.
She gently touched the surface of the door with her fingertip, and the silver star on her forehead turned a dark violet, twisting into a leopard spot.
The light began to throb and pulse, the glow reaching from her hand to the wood. It pooled outward from her touch, like a dropping leaf into a still pool.
When the purple had completely washed over the door, they slowly swung open. Katie lowered her hand and calmly walked into the awaiting darkness.
Upon stepping into the darkness' threshold, the ground fell away to emptiness, leaving Katie floating in midair.
She felt herself being pulled forward, and she was in front of the purple light and the black figure inside.
You're back so soon? What happened? the figure asked.
Katie shivered. Though the voice was kind, it had a biting chill to it, freezing her to the soul, and the heavy pressure returned.
"Please, stop!" she yelled, clutching her arms over her chest, then stopped, surprised to hear her own voice in such a quiet world; it didn't seem right, almost sacrilegious, even.
{Please,} she repeated, this time mentally. {Stop, I'm
getting frightened.}
The pressure left her body, as did a bit of the cold, but some of the same presence remained.
Have I done something unacceptable?
Katie shook her head. {No, I'm sorry if I have upset you.}
The form's hand reached out, a black fog swirling around it, and touched the girl's cheek, sending
chills through her body.
You feel my power?
Katie nodded, blue eyes wide.
Do you want this power?
Katie felt a heavy pressure on her chest, making it hard to breathe. And as she tried to bring more air into her lungs, the pressure increased even more.
The figure brought his/her face close to hers, then whispered, "With my power, everything will be yours, even..."
"Oi, Katie!" a voice called out behind them.
Katie twisted her head around, eyes wide in surprise. There stood that weird bellbottoms guy, smiling at her.
"My little Katie-hime, why so glum? Your life should be filled with Love and Peace!"
He made his trademark grin and "peace" sign with his hand, then faded from sight.
"You, you mean..."
"Everything..."
The pressure continued to build in Katie's chest, until finally it seemed her heart would stop.
{I... I will accept your power...}
Good girl...
He/she pulled her into the purple light, into his/her arms. He/she tilted her head up.
"Everything... is yours..."
He/she kissed her, and the pressure in Katie's chest lightened; no, it spread throughout her entire body, filling every part of herself with a strange heaviness. The white dress she had been wearing seemed to dissolve where the feeling entered in that part of her body.
Finally, he/she pulled away, leaving Katie gasping for air. He/she looked over her for a second, frowning.
Now, you shall have attire suitable for your position.
He/she reached out his/her hands, brushing her bare throat, then ran his/her fingers down her shoulders, arms, to the tips of her hands.
Almost immediately, the black smoke and violet light shimmered and swirled down his arms onto Katie's, wrapping and twisting itself around her body, finally forming into a long, black velvet dress split on both sides up to her hips, knee-length violet boots peeking from under the hem of the long, flowing skirt.
It looked very much like Black Lady's dress, only the pink under the skirt was purple, and the dark pink gauze on her chest and arms was black velvet.
Her silver star became replaced by a violet leopard spot once again, and her physical form of an adult fully matured.
Katie raised her hands, looking at them with a blank expression. A faint purple glow formed around them. She looked up, and was surprised to find that she could see the man/woman's face; he/she was startlingly familiar: his/her light eyes, the colour and short, bobbed cut of his/her hair, the build of his/her chest and face...
"Who are you?" Katie whispered, growing frightened again as she knew who he/she was right as the question left her mouth.
"Transsexual Audrey."
***
Inside that weird bellbottoms guy's mind, something snapped.
Wolfwood, Archibald, Arthur, Marvin, Hammie, Emilee, and The Hobbit Baby Of Death all watched with mild confusion and alarm as that weird bellbottoms guy stood up in a flash, then collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and crying out in pain.
"Something's happening! Something's wrong!" that weird bellbottoms guy yelled, convulsing as if an unseen hand had suddenly seized his chest and began to unmercifully squeeze the life out of him.
The three Outer Senshi were standing, just now sensing the imbalance of power.
"Where is it?" Archibald cried, gripping her wand tightly.
Arthur held up his sandwich blade.
"God of the Sandwich, Guardian Star Don't Panic, show us where this negative force is!"
The polished surface of the knife flashed black, then there was a horrible screeching, and the metal cracked and shattered, the silver shards flying outward and into the air, disappearing.
"The... the sandwich blade!" Hammie cried in horror, clasping his hands over his mouth.
"It shattered!" Emilee cried.
"How can it be? The sandwich blade is a divine object, a manifestation of a Pure and True heart, not at all subject to destruction!" Marvin shuddered.
"It must be a horrible, evil power to have destroyed the sandwich blade."
The Hobbit Baby Of Death cried and ran over to Wolfwood, burying her face in his jacket in fear.
That weird bellbottoms guy watched the child, eyes half-closed and breathing hard. "The young one is right," he whispered.
"What?" The Senshi and Wolfwood turned to look at the hippie.
"She's right." That weird bellbottoms guy stood, still clutching the front of his red jacket with his gloved hand.
"Who's right? The Hobbit Baby Of Death?! She's just a baby, how can you --" Arthur was cut off by the hippie's next harsh words.
"She can sense things that you would never be able to perceive, not even on the physical or mental level. She and I.. we know who is this dark power."
"Who?" Archibald asked, dark eyes flashing.
"... it's... it's Katie... and... my brother/sister."
***
Audrey's head snapped up, icy eyes narrowed.
Katie looked to her, a vaguely interested look on her face. "What's wrong, Audrey?"
She looked over at her and smiled.
"We're going to have company."
***
"DON'T PANIC PLANET POWER..."
"ASPARAGUS PLANET POWER..."
"MARVIN PLANET POWER..."
"WOOD CHIPS PLANET POWER..."
"SPORK POWER..."
"MAKE UP!!"
The five transformed, each holding their talisman, and Spork her spork.
"Take me with you."
Marvin, Don't Panic, and Asparagus turned, surprised.
"What?"
That weird bellbottoms guy stood, breathing hard and forehead covered with sweat, but otherwise fine. "I said," he repeated, "take me with you."
"But," Marvin held up his staff, "how can you help? You have no Senshi or Knight powers."
"It's my brother/sister. I have to go."
The other two Senshi adults sighed.
"All right, then. You win. Come here."
That weird bellbottoms guy complied, standing in front of Asparagus. His tiara disappeared, replaced by a glowing gold symbol.
Pulling his face close to that weird bellbottoms guy's, Asparagus pressed his forehead against his. When he moved away, his tiara reappeared, and a glowing gold symbol was on that weird bellbottoms guy's forehead. The gold flashed to silver, and the symbol transformed into a filled circle.
Wolfwood and The Hobbit Baby Of Death watched as the Senshi formed into a circle, linking hands as that weird bellbottoms guy stood in the center.
The Senshi's tiaras vanished, replaced by their symbols, and everyone's hair and clothing began to wave as if in a wind that was only around the circle of Senshi and the hippie.
"Everyone, concentrate on Katie, and on the darkness!" Marvin yelled.
"Sailor... TELEPORT!!"
There was a flash, and they were gone.
The Hobbit Baby Of Death looked at the spot where they had been standing, then up at the awestruck Wolfwood.
Wolfwood set The Hobbit Baby Of Death on the couch and stumbled to the back door, mumbling, "I need a smoke,"
***
That weird bellbottoms guy felt a fast moving sensation -- it was like a carnival ride on the fritz--, and his stomach and his body went two different ways, and that didn't help the dizziness throbbing in his skull.
He had barely closed his eyes when everything stopped; well, it SEEMED to have stopped, but that weird bellbottoms guy's vision and body were spinning so badly that he couldn't tell.
That weird bellbottoms guy felt a hand on his arm, and the floor (or was it the wall?) stopped trying to smack him in the face.
"You okay?" a voice asked.
That weird bellbottoms guy blinked numerous times, then turned to face the origin of the voice.
He saw a wall.
Turning the other way, now facing Marvin, he nodded, saying, "Except for the fact that the walls, ceiling, and floor are trying to kill me, I'm fine."
Everyone laughed, then they took account of their surroundings. They stood in a long hallway --
corridor, actually; it was fairly narrow, but it could accommodate all of them quite comfortably -- , the ends to the front and back were completely dark.
The area would have been pitch black if the Senshi's tiaras and bow jewels and the circle on that weird bellbottoms guy's forehead weren't illuminated.
"Well," Spork asked, "Which way?"
They turned to that weird bellbottoms guy, who backed up an involuntary step.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that? Stop!"
"Weird bellbottoms guy,"
Don't Panic took a step towards the hippie. Everyone, but mostly that weird bellbottoms guy, were surprised to see tears in "her" eyes. "She" clutched the shattered sandwich blade in "her" gloved hands, the jagged edges still stuck inside the handle a dull black.
"Weird bellbottoms guy, your... brother/sister, has my daughter in his power. He has also most possibly infected her with some of his power. I... I think it's time that I told you, all of you, something.
"Katie... Katie Dentist Krelborn. That's her full name. No, she's not married," Don't Panic told that weird bellbottoms guy, who looked like he was about to say something indignant on her double surname.
"Katie doesn't share my last name, which means she isn't Don't Panic. Her parents are Seymour Krelborn and the Dentist, a dark general of Prince Zaphod of Spork."
"But, Katie is older than Seymour, and the Dentist is dead! How --" Don't Panic raised a hand, cutting off Hammie. She continued.
"Katie, the heiress to both the Jupiter throne and the Fondue throne, was conceived during the Silver Millennium, but the Dentist was filled with Chaotic Darkness during the time, so..."
"... So Katie is filled with both negative and positive energy..." Marvin said.
Don't Panic nodded. "There's more."
"The only reason Katie is considered my daughter is that she was never born during the Silver Millennium. Princess of Jupiter was killed by the Dentist before she had borne Katie, so she became a wandering spirit. Queen Serenity sent her to the future, but not to the same parents. Somehow, I gave birth to Katie, but her true parentage lies in Seymour Krelborn and the Dentist,
a.k.a. Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. She chose to keep her real parents' last names herself, she and I just never told the rest of you." Don't Panic smiled wryly, but it was obvious that this was painful for "her" to talk about.
"So, since Katie's energy is in balance between good and evil, she would be susceptible to both forces." Asparagus thought aloud.
"Yes," Don't Panic nodded. "But even more so to evil, because during the Silver Millennium, when she was conceived, Chaotic Darkness was at the highest peak of it's power, and it was much stronger than good at that time."
"Even though," Don't Panic said, sorrow and tears filling her throat and voice, "I'm not her real
mother, I still love her as much as one of my own."
A young Katie wearing a light summer dress watches a field. She turns, smiling. "Arthur," she yells happily, waving.
Don't Panic turned to that weird bellbottoms guy and the others.
"I'm sorry I've kept this from you, all of you. If you had known sooner, than this probably would have never happened."
"No, it's not your fault,"
Don't Panic looked up, surprised.
That weird bellbottoms guy nodded. "It's not your fault." he repeated.
"My brother/sister is extremely strong, it couldn't be helped. Don't you dare blame yourself for this. Now," he smiled. "Let's go get our KatieO back."
***
Wolfwood and The Hobbit Baby Of Death both looked up as the mecha pilots came barreling in.
"What's happening?! Where are the girls?" GP and Rick both demanded at the same time.
"WHERE'S MY SISTER??" Kronk wailed when the priest told them that the girls and that weird bellbottoms guy had all disappeared in a flash of light.
Kronk sat down where he was standing and started crying like a little chibi. The wall patted his back.
"I'm sure Katie is fine."
"WHY CAN'T I HAVE SUPER POWERS, TOO??"
GP looked frightened. "You mean, you want to run around in a super short skirt and wave
a wand around, too?!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!! I want a cape with the skirt..."
"AAAAAHHH!!"
"Chibi Chibi Chibi!!"
"Moo..."
**********
That's scary stuff.
Oh yeah.
Do the kind thing. Review.