Title: Split Souls
Author: Arialla Zarinth
Chapter Two: Puzzles
Email: crystalstarr89@yahoo.com
$$*3/21/03, Tokyo, an alley in Juuban*$$
Usagi and Mamoru gaped at one another, each pressed against the opposite wall of the alley from the other.
"Do you feel," Mamoru began, "different?"
"As if I were," Usagi paused, afraid Mamoru would laugh at her fancies, but continued, "someone else? Or had been?"
"In another world almost?" A rat scurried between the two, causing Usagi to jump and squeal. "This is not a good place for you, Princess." Mamoru said off-hand. Usagi nodded, but froze.
"Princess?" Without responding, Mamoru placed a hand on the small of her back and propelled the girl down the street.
$$--break--
*3/21/03, Tokyo, Osaka Naru's bedroom*$$
"Is this real, Luna?" Sailor Moon asked quietly.
"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
"Why me? Why did you choose me to be, to be a superhero?"
"There are more like you. We are sent to protect our Princess and, in doing so, fight the Enemy. That is all I can say."
"Do I not deserve know who the Enemy I must fight is? Or perhaps who this Princess I'm supposed to be guarding is?"
"Unfortunately, little is known. The Sailor Senshi have fought them before; it is an ancient Evil. It wants our Princess."
"Well, who, no! Where is the princess? Here? How old is she? What does she look like? What country is she the princess of? What about the queen or king of this country?"
"I do not know, yet. More is revealed to me at every step of the way. We will find her and protect her. Know this, Sailor Moon: the first attack is near. You must stay on your guard, and we must begin your training at once. If questions will not be asked, I would take residence with you. If not, there will be others."
"You can stay here. When Mama returns home, I'll straighten everything out. For now,"
"Do not forget to detransform." Luna admonished.
Sailor Moon powered down, and immediately Naru felt the loss. Her senses dulled to normal perception. The feelings of strength, leadership, confidence were all gone. Once more she was just another junior high student, relaxing in her room after school, preparing to do her homework.
Someone else noticed too. The insistant pounding pain at the base of Usagi's skull that had appeared when the memories did suddenly evaporated.
$$--break--
*3/23/03, Negaverse, Jadeite's chambers*$$
The cautious general studied maps he had procured of this Tokyo he was supposed to overtake. It was one of the very few places on Earth where raw magic power was great enough to make into the headquarters of the conquest. Their current base in the North Pole was good for its remoteness from all human contact, but it was weak and too isolated from their victims.
Jadeite decided to start in the "Juuban" district of Tokyo. There was a non-commercial area -- his mind said "public meditation garden", but the map said "park" -- to test the reliability of portals, youma control, and energy transfer.
He went over his plan once more, checking for loopholes. It even took precautions against Tokyo's magic reacting to Negaverse magic and against protective wards around the city, though all reports showed possibilities of protection to be very slim.
Jadeite summoned his first youma and began to lay out his plan, very slowly and precisely.
$$--break--
*3/24/03, Tokyo, Juuban Public Park*$$
Naru chewed on the end of her pen, staring at her English worksheet. Foriegn languages were not her particular forte, though at least she was better than Usagi.
"Monster!" A young boy's scream broke the peaceful hum of park life. Luna leaped up from her catnap, hissing in surprise. Naru abandoned her books in favor of a clump of brush.
"Moon Prism Power!"
$$--break--
*immediately preceding the attack, Tokyo, Chiba Mamoru's apartment*$$
Mamoru handed Usagi the cup of hot tea, settling in a chair across the slim glass-and-stainless-steel coffee table, facing her. She raised the cup to her lips, eyelids fluttering down over her sky-coloured eyes. Mamoru's own blue eyes narrowed, studying his guest.
He had always seen her trip, misstep, spill, drop, throw, and generally klutz out, yet... Her twin ponytails pooled on either side of her on the couch, beckoning him to run his hands through them. Funny how he had never really noticed how liquid those golden tresses were when they were in that long braid. Her lips normally spat insults before turning down in an adorable -- annoying, he corrected hurriedly, wondering what he was thinking, he had decided she was obnoxious, right? -- pout. Now they parted slightly in a satisfied "ah" as she swallowed the herb tea.
Her innocence shown from her school girl outfit to her wide trusting eyes, but now she was more composed, a little more regal somehow. She raised her chin a bit higher, made eye contact a little stronger, held her shoulders straighter, and crossed her ankles lightly beneath the seat.
"Ooo" She whimpered, raising her head. "Just like before..."
Three days before -- when the memories came -- Mamoru had escorted her home with instructions to drop by when she was ready to talk. Now she was in his apartment, and that pounding had returned.
"What's just like before, Usagi-san?"
"When the memories, or whatever they are, came the other day, my head began to hurt. It stopped when we were heading towards my house. Now...it just came back."
"Do you think its connected? To the memories, I mean."
"I would think so--ARG!" Usagi gasped in pain, muscles going rigid. The tea cup shattered on the floor. Mamoru scrambled over the coffee table to cradle Usagi in his arms as she began to fall forward towards the broken china.
$$--break--
*immediately following the attack, Tokyo, Juuban Public Park*$$
Sailor Moon shook wildly, staring at the pile of ash before her. The sight of the creature had turned her legs to jelly; she had been too frightened to move, that is, until Luna came, shouting encouragement at her, the same training drills they had been doing after school. The mere memory of the horror terrified her.
It had been almost twice her height with greasy matted black hair and crumpled dusty skin barely covering roughly-hewn bones.
"Who are you?" An imperious voice demanded, bringing Sailor Moon's attention to a blonde-haired man standing a few yards away. A black hole floated behind him in the air, widening even as she watched to an opening large enough for the man to walk through.
"I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice, Defender of Innocents, and Protector of Tokyo!" She firmed her stance, staring down the man in front of her.
"It won't be so easy next time, little girl. A light show and some angry speech won't be enough to save you." With a sneer he stepped through the black gash in the air. It closed seamlessly behind him.
"You fought well, Sailor Moon, just like we practiced. You were not in true danger a single time." Luna commended her ward.
Sailor Moon sighed, eyes returning glumly to the ashes once more. The breeze ruffled her short red hair as it brough her the sounds of gradually quieting panic. The sailor fuku she wore was white in the torso with a shockingly short blue skrit and a wide red bow on the chest with her brooch in the center, much like the way she wore it on her school uniform. In fact, the whole fuku seemed to be a parody on her uniform...almost a crime fighter/Playboy bunny parody. The sleeves were bare caps of material that covered her shoulders; the wide square blue collar threatened to obscure them from view. Her red boots with white accents came up to her knees. Matching crecents dangled from her ears. A gold tiara with a red stone rested cold on her forehead -- its magic had destroyed the youma.
She destransformed, cuddling the feline Lunarian that jumped into her arms.
$$--break--
*3\24\03, Negaverse, Throne Room*$$
Jadeite trembled, kneeling before the great black skull throne.
The woman before him should have been gorgeous. She was pale as if she had never seen sunlight, with fire red hair crackling down her back. Piercing green eyes radiated power and ice. A slinky purple dress molded to her figure before puddling at her feet. The purple fabric ended slightly more than halfway up her breasts, where two black upside down crescents topped her full chest, black lace joining the black and purple. A tiara of cold black onyx, much like Sailor Moon's, symbolized her dark power.
That same power had twisted her body. A small hooked horn ripped through her arm at the shoullder. Her hands were rough and kinked with long pointed blook-red metal nails. Those talons didn't make even a whisper of sound as they pased one another over the seeing sphere.
Beryl's seeing sphere was mounted on a smooth black staff, ending in a twisted dragon's claw that grasped the magic ball, continually filled with a dark churning grey fog.
The entire far wall of the chamber was black rock not seen on Earth. The throne grew out of it, as did the massive skull that topped the 'royal' seat, gaping in a scream of fear. More bones were seen in the rock, though all were of the same black stuff. The wall was smooth and unbroken, except for the skull throne. All was cold to the touch, a soul-chilling iciness.
"Jadeite, my lovely General Jadeite, like the youngest boy of four. Certainly you are the freshest." Her voice hissed silkily. "Perhaps you will join me one of these evenings."
"If it pleases the Queen, I would be honored." T'would be a dangerous thing, sharing her bed. More dangerous than being the lowest general. If any of the four could dream of having that priviledge with some power or dignity, it would be Kunzite.
"Perhaps. Tell me of your mission, how did it go?"
"The common humans flee at the sight of a youma or fall prone on the ground. The magic of Tokyo is hidden deep, deep down. It was not reactant."
"Where is the youma you took? It should be here with you, so I can inspect it. Call it."
"Forgive me, my Queen, I cannot."
"You said the humans were defenseless. Did it rebel and run? Why did you not catch it or punish it?"
"Alone, or in groups, the humans are. They have a lone madien warrior to protect them. She is scared and dauntless simultaneously, but her magic is strong. Not the magic of Tokyo, Highness, but a different source. She calls herself Sailor Moon."
"And the youma?"
"Ashes, my Queen."
"Cursed be this Sailor Moon, and curses on you! Go, now, before I kill you, useless boy!" Beryl raged, prompting Jadeite to scurry out quickly.
Beryl looked deep into the seeing sphere, searching for a clue about this new obstacle, but the grey was darker than she had ever seen it, very close a true black, obscuring vision completely. She cursed again, shoving the bauble aside. Her wretched hands snatched up her stave, a gnarled and warped thing as tall as she, a mite thicker than her arm. The dark queen followed long deserted runs of the great warren down, down, down, ever deeper...
(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)
Coming Soon...Chapter Three: The Royals
/\Usagi & Mamoru talk about their past & present/\
/\Beryl talks to the Great Leader/\
/\Mamoru makes an interesting request.../\
Author: Arialla Zarinth
Chapter Two: Puzzles
Email: crystalstarr89@yahoo.com
$$*3/21/03, Tokyo, an alley in Juuban*$$
Usagi and Mamoru gaped at one another, each pressed against the opposite wall of the alley from the other.
"Do you feel," Mamoru began, "different?"
"As if I were," Usagi paused, afraid Mamoru would laugh at her fancies, but continued, "someone else? Or had been?"
"In another world almost?" A rat scurried between the two, causing Usagi to jump and squeal. "This is not a good place for you, Princess." Mamoru said off-hand. Usagi nodded, but froze.
"Princess?" Without responding, Mamoru placed a hand on the small of her back and propelled the girl down the street.
$$--break--
*3/21/03, Tokyo, Osaka Naru's bedroom*$$
"Is this real, Luna?" Sailor Moon asked quietly.
"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
"Why me? Why did you choose me to be, to be a superhero?"
"There are more like you. We are sent to protect our Princess and, in doing so, fight the Enemy. That is all I can say."
"Do I not deserve know who the Enemy I must fight is? Or perhaps who this Princess I'm supposed to be guarding is?"
"Unfortunately, little is known. The Sailor Senshi have fought them before; it is an ancient Evil. It wants our Princess."
"Well, who, no! Where is the princess? Here? How old is she? What does she look like? What country is she the princess of? What about the queen or king of this country?"
"I do not know, yet. More is revealed to me at every step of the way. We will find her and protect her. Know this, Sailor Moon: the first attack is near. You must stay on your guard, and we must begin your training at once. If questions will not be asked, I would take residence with you. If not, there will be others."
"You can stay here. When Mama returns home, I'll straighten everything out. For now,"
"Do not forget to detransform." Luna admonished.
Sailor Moon powered down, and immediately Naru felt the loss. Her senses dulled to normal perception. The feelings of strength, leadership, confidence were all gone. Once more she was just another junior high student, relaxing in her room after school, preparing to do her homework.
Someone else noticed too. The insistant pounding pain at the base of Usagi's skull that had appeared when the memories did suddenly evaporated.
$$--break--
*3/23/03, Negaverse, Jadeite's chambers*$$
The cautious general studied maps he had procured of this Tokyo he was supposed to overtake. It was one of the very few places on Earth where raw magic power was great enough to make into the headquarters of the conquest. Their current base in the North Pole was good for its remoteness from all human contact, but it was weak and too isolated from their victims.
Jadeite decided to start in the "Juuban" district of Tokyo. There was a non-commercial area -- his mind said "public meditation garden", but the map said "park" -- to test the reliability of portals, youma control, and energy transfer.
He went over his plan once more, checking for loopholes. It even took precautions against Tokyo's magic reacting to Negaverse magic and against protective wards around the city, though all reports showed possibilities of protection to be very slim.
Jadeite summoned his first youma and began to lay out his plan, very slowly and precisely.
$$--break--
*3/24/03, Tokyo, Juuban Public Park*$$
Naru chewed on the end of her pen, staring at her English worksheet. Foriegn languages were not her particular forte, though at least she was better than Usagi.
"Monster!" A young boy's scream broke the peaceful hum of park life. Luna leaped up from her catnap, hissing in surprise. Naru abandoned her books in favor of a clump of brush.
"Moon Prism Power!"
$$--break--
*immediately preceding the attack, Tokyo, Chiba Mamoru's apartment*$$
Mamoru handed Usagi the cup of hot tea, settling in a chair across the slim glass-and-stainless-steel coffee table, facing her. She raised the cup to her lips, eyelids fluttering down over her sky-coloured eyes. Mamoru's own blue eyes narrowed, studying his guest.
He had always seen her trip, misstep, spill, drop, throw, and generally klutz out, yet... Her twin ponytails pooled on either side of her on the couch, beckoning him to run his hands through them. Funny how he had never really noticed how liquid those golden tresses were when they were in that long braid. Her lips normally spat insults before turning down in an adorable -- annoying, he corrected hurriedly, wondering what he was thinking, he had decided she was obnoxious, right? -- pout. Now they parted slightly in a satisfied "ah" as she swallowed the herb tea.
Her innocence shown from her school girl outfit to her wide trusting eyes, but now she was more composed, a little more regal somehow. She raised her chin a bit higher, made eye contact a little stronger, held her shoulders straighter, and crossed her ankles lightly beneath the seat.
"Ooo" She whimpered, raising her head. "Just like before..."
Three days before -- when the memories came -- Mamoru had escorted her home with instructions to drop by when she was ready to talk. Now she was in his apartment, and that pounding had returned.
"What's just like before, Usagi-san?"
"When the memories, or whatever they are, came the other day, my head began to hurt. It stopped when we were heading towards my house. Now...it just came back."
"Do you think its connected? To the memories, I mean."
"I would think so--ARG!" Usagi gasped in pain, muscles going rigid. The tea cup shattered on the floor. Mamoru scrambled over the coffee table to cradle Usagi in his arms as she began to fall forward towards the broken china.
$$--break--
*immediately following the attack, Tokyo, Juuban Public Park*$$
Sailor Moon shook wildly, staring at the pile of ash before her. The sight of the creature had turned her legs to jelly; she had been too frightened to move, that is, until Luna came, shouting encouragement at her, the same training drills they had been doing after school. The mere memory of the horror terrified her.
It had been almost twice her height with greasy matted black hair and crumpled dusty skin barely covering roughly-hewn bones.
"Who are you?" An imperious voice demanded, bringing Sailor Moon's attention to a blonde-haired man standing a few yards away. A black hole floated behind him in the air, widening even as she watched to an opening large enough for the man to walk through.
"I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice, Defender of Innocents, and Protector of Tokyo!" She firmed her stance, staring down the man in front of her.
"It won't be so easy next time, little girl. A light show and some angry speech won't be enough to save you." With a sneer he stepped through the black gash in the air. It closed seamlessly behind him.
"You fought well, Sailor Moon, just like we practiced. You were not in true danger a single time." Luna commended her ward.
Sailor Moon sighed, eyes returning glumly to the ashes once more. The breeze ruffled her short red hair as it brough her the sounds of gradually quieting panic. The sailor fuku she wore was white in the torso with a shockingly short blue skrit and a wide red bow on the chest with her brooch in the center, much like the way she wore it on her school uniform. In fact, the whole fuku seemed to be a parody on her uniform...almost a crime fighter/Playboy bunny parody. The sleeves were bare caps of material that covered her shoulders; the wide square blue collar threatened to obscure them from view. Her red boots with white accents came up to her knees. Matching crecents dangled from her ears. A gold tiara with a red stone rested cold on her forehead -- its magic had destroyed the youma.
She destransformed, cuddling the feline Lunarian that jumped into her arms.
$$--break--
*3\24\03, Negaverse, Throne Room*$$
Jadeite trembled, kneeling before the great black skull throne.
The woman before him should have been gorgeous. She was pale as if she had never seen sunlight, with fire red hair crackling down her back. Piercing green eyes radiated power and ice. A slinky purple dress molded to her figure before puddling at her feet. The purple fabric ended slightly more than halfway up her breasts, where two black upside down crescents topped her full chest, black lace joining the black and purple. A tiara of cold black onyx, much like Sailor Moon's, symbolized her dark power.
That same power had twisted her body. A small hooked horn ripped through her arm at the shoullder. Her hands were rough and kinked with long pointed blook-red metal nails. Those talons didn't make even a whisper of sound as they pased one another over the seeing sphere.
Beryl's seeing sphere was mounted on a smooth black staff, ending in a twisted dragon's claw that grasped the magic ball, continually filled with a dark churning grey fog.
The entire far wall of the chamber was black rock not seen on Earth. The throne grew out of it, as did the massive skull that topped the 'royal' seat, gaping in a scream of fear. More bones were seen in the rock, though all were of the same black stuff. The wall was smooth and unbroken, except for the skull throne. All was cold to the touch, a soul-chilling iciness.
"Jadeite, my lovely General Jadeite, like the youngest boy of four. Certainly you are the freshest." Her voice hissed silkily. "Perhaps you will join me one of these evenings."
"If it pleases the Queen, I would be honored." T'would be a dangerous thing, sharing her bed. More dangerous than being the lowest general. If any of the four could dream of having that priviledge with some power or dignity, it would be Kunzite.
"Perhaps. Tell me of your mission, how did it go?"
"The common humans flee at the sight of a youma or fall prone on the ground. The magic of Tokyo is hidden deep, deep down. It was not reactant."
"Where is the youma you took? It should be here with you, so I can inspect it. Call it."
"Forgive me, my Queen, I cannot."
"You said the humans were defenseless. Did it rebel and run? Why did you not catch it or punish it?"
"Alone, or in groups, the humans are. They have a lone madien warrior to protect them. She is scared and dauntless simultaneously, but her magic is strong. Not the magic of Tokyo, Highness, but a different source. She calls herself Sailor Moon."
"And the youma?"
"Ashes, my Queen."
"Cursed be this Sailor Moon, and curses on you! Go, now, before I kill you, useless boy!" Beryl raged, prompting Jadeite to scurry out quickly.
Beryl looked deep into the seeing sphere, searching for a clue about this new obstacle, but the grey was darker than she had ever seen it, very close a true black, obscuring vision completely. She cursed again, shoving the bauble aside. Her wretched hands snatched up her stave, a gnarled and warped thing as tall as she, a mite thicker than her arm. The dark queen followed long deserted runs of the great warren down, down, down, ever deeper...
(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)
Coming Soon...Chapter Three: The Royals
/\Usagi & Mamoru talk about their past & present/\
/\Beryl talks to the Great Leader/\
/\Mamoru makes an interesting request.../\
