Sailor Moon; Avalon Part 3- Love's Bond by Justin Anderson Saturday, February 27th, 1999. 8:41 PM Jacob opened his eyes. "Are you all right?" Usagi asked. "You're- you're Sailor Moon, right?" he asked. "Yes, I am. You fell down." "Right... I used up too much energy blasting that second one. If I'd kept going, I'd have been fine," he explained. "Why didn't you?" Mars asked. He said, "because I'm not going to stand by and watch others get hurt." Mercury checked his pulse again. His heart was beating fast. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I dropped my bag, though, I need to find it." "Where?" Mars asked. "In the alley back there." She ran to find it. "I went to the store, saw you fighting those things. After I ran, I saw the third and turned around." Rei returned with the grocery bag. "Thank you..." he said. "I guess you want an explanation?" "Yes, but... it can wait. You look tired," Moon replied. "You know where the Hikawa Shrine is?" He nodded. "You can tell us about it tomorrow. Meet us there tomorrow morning, you can explain it then." Picking up his groceries, he walked away. "He must be powerful to use such an attack," Mercury commented. "But what do we tell Mako-chan?" 9:05 PM 'Stupid, stupid, STUPID!' Jacob stood on the balcony. 'I knew better... not to get involved, not to fall in love... and I did both. Am I really nothing more than a warrior?' he thought. Closing the balcony door, he reached under the desk, removing the small key. Unlocking the center drawer, he removed a small device. 'I could go back right now... if I'm going to fight these wars for the rest of my life, maybe I should finish what I started...' He tossed it back in the drawer, locking it. 'But Mako-chan... what about her?' The idea of one of the creatures hurting her made him want to stay behind. And, he had a desire to know what was going on. Sunday, February 28th. 9:14 AM Jacob ascended the steps, carrying a small bag. The shrine was quiet. Usagi was waiting for him. "Jacob-san! Over here!" "You're... Usagi-san?" he asked. "Yes. The others are waiting," she replied. She led him inside. He took notice of each one. As his eyes met hers, he ignored the voice in his head telling him to run. "It's all right, Jacob, they told me," she said. "I'm sorry," he said. Makoto took his hand. "I understand. Please, just tell us whatever you can." he unzipped the bag, removing a small device. "All right... I'm from another reality. Another Earth. I found this device and left. It opens dimensional gateways," he explained. Mamoru took the device, examining it. "How does it work?" Jacob pointed to the buttons. "From what I understand, it's a six digit code. The first four digits select a general range, for example, similar realities. The final two select a specific dimension. But how it chooses the exact location to open... I haven't figured that out yet. I was in New York, early morning, when I used it. When I came out, it was on a rooftop here, at night." "What can you tell us about this new enemy?" Rei asked. "Did they follow you?" "I don't think so," he replied. "At least, if they did, they're no one I've ever heard of. The only ones I know of even capable of following would have probably attacked the entire planet in full force from the start. I've never seen anything like them, either." A small black cat paced before him. "I'm Luna." Jacob stared down. "You don't seem frightened," Ami said. "A little surprised, but someone of my experience would probably consider this quite reasonable, actually... you have that crescent moon spot, like the white cat. Can he talk too?" Jacob asked. "I can," Artemis replied. "And you're name is?" "Artemis," he replied. "If you don't object, I'd like to scan your mind, to see if you're telling the truth," Luna said. "All right, but don't go too far." Luna projected her mind into his. "He's telling the truth." Walking to Usagi, she said, "he has strong mental blocks... he kept me out of his most painful memories, but he is telling us the truth." "But why did you run? Why didn't you tell us who you were if you wanted to help us?" Usagi asked. "I didn't come here to fight a war," he replied. "I came here to get away from constant wars... I didn't know what had happened when the first attacked. The second one, I was walking through the city and saw it happen. I went hunting for the third... that last one was another coincidence." He pulled something out of the bag. It was a suit. "This is a bulletproof battle uniform. It's a kevlar-rubber compound mixed with various metals. I used it when I was with my friends, back home. I brought it in case I needed it... I guess I just can't let it go." Mamoru took it. The suit was rather heavy, black with a few blue markings. "I brought a few books and music CDs with me, too, but I disposed of them. I kept two pictures, nothing more," he said. "We'd like to know how you attacked them, too," Minako said. He sighed. Pulling up his shirt, the cannon swung out of his right shoulder, expanding. He quickly retracted it. "My right lung and left arm are also artificial... I don't even know how much of my body is a network of mechanical parts, and I don't want to know. I don't want to know what they did to me while I was unconscious." Ami checked his left wrist for a pulse. "Nothing... how much of your arm did you lose?" she asked. "The entire thing, I think. Possibly even into the joint. The skin over the arm and the plate on my back is artificial, designed to look and feel real." He wasn't looking at them anymore. He bagged his things. "I'm sorry, I have to leave now..." Grabbing the bag, he ran. Makoto went after him, but he was gone before she could reach the door. "We have to find him!" she shouted. "Should we?" Rei asked. "Of course we should! He's not a bad person," Usagi replied. "I'll check where the gateway opened, in case he might use it again," Artemis said. "Mako-chan, you should go back home, in case he goes back," Usagi said. "Don't worry, we'll find him." 7:06 PM Mamoru spotted him in a cafe, several miles across town. "Everyone's been looking for you." Jacob rose from his seat, leaving. Mamoru followed. "I'm going back, if I'm going to fight a war, I'll finish the one I was already fighting... at least then, no more innocent people will get hurt because of me," Jacob shouted. Mamoru grabbed his arm. "What about this world? What about Makoto-san?" "I don't know... it'd be better than having me as a burden," he said. "Then why did you come here?" Mamoru asked. "Because I got sick of it. I got sick of watching the same thing over and over. On my Earth, we were oppressed simply for the crime of being born different than those in charge. Religious persecution, race hatred, it never ends. When they stop hating one group, they find another to hate... every time we saved a city, they looked the other way and still called for our deaths. No matter what victory we achieved, we still lost. There was no way to win. Even those around me told me to get out of it before it killed me, and I knew it would. My world doesn't have man or woman, black or white, young or old, it's only gods and monsters... I was no god, but I wasn't going to become a monster." "Hmm... come with me, I have something to show you which you might find interesting." 7:21 PM Mamoru handed him a photo album, opened to a picture of a young girl. "Who's the little girl?" Jacob asked. "It's my daughter, Chibiusa. She visited us from the Thirtieth century." "What?" he asked. "A few years ago, she came back in time seeking our help. We traveled to the future with her. Not long from now, Usa-ko and I become king and queen of Earth, leading it into a new age of peace," Mamoru explained. "But... you mean, you know this? But what about these enemies that keep showing up?" "If we don't win, then that future will never happen," Mamoru explained. "I get it... right, it's an idea I heard a few months back, of possible futures. Knowing the future doesn't mean it will happen since you haven't reached that point yet," Jacob said. "Exactly. But we know it's possible," Mamoru replied. "Yes... you have a chance. This world has a chance, something you can fight for, and it's not a lost cause..." "I'd like to see this future happen. Please, help us achieve that future, help defeat this enemy, help save this planet!" "All right, you have my help. I should go talk to Mako-chan, she may not be too happy with me right now," Jacob said. "I don't know, she can be a forgiving person. I think she'd hate to lose you." 7:39 PM He dug for his keys. Opening the door, he could hear her standing behind him. "I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have... if you don't want to speak to me again, I'll leave now, and save us both any more trouble." "Please, don't go. You're a good person. Besides, I wasn't entirely honest with you... I'm Sailor Jupiter," she said. "Can we talk about this later? I need to take a bath and do a few other things." "Yes. Let me know when you want to talk about it," she said. 8:54 PM Makoto was brushing her hair when she heard the knock. She opened the door for him. "I've never seen your hair down before. It looks nice," he said. "Yes, I took a bath, myself. Are you feeling all right?" she asked. "A little better." "I can't begin to understand the world you come from, but you're welcome here. I know I've experienced battles I'd rather forget, heartbreaks and disappointments I try to ignore... I sometimes wish I hadn't grown so tall. I'm almost as tall as you. Boys don't want to date me because I'm so different, and I've only grown more over the past three years. "But we don't always get to choose what happens to us. I don't think you wanted all those horrible things done to you. I could see how ashamed you were to show us that weapon." "Being a weapon is never anything to be proud of," he said. "It hasn't been so bad after I had the artificial skin grafted, but it's still not the same. I can't feel anything, I can't replace it if its damaged, and it's just not the same..." He handed her a small key. "This is the key to my desk drawer. The device is locked inside, this should keep me from getting to it." "You're staying?" she asked. "Yes. Mamoro-san showed me some pictures of a little girl who, he said, was his future daughter. He told me about the Thirtieth century. If you're defeated before then, then this world has no hope. This world isn't like mine, we don't have to keep fighting with no end in sight, with no hope of ever gaining anything, with no hope of defeating our enemies. "I had nightmares for two weeks after I came here... then I say you in the hall, and they stopped. I didn't think about what I'd left behind. I thought about that nice girl across the hall. You took away the pain. I just... I knew that if I'd stayed behind, I'd have either gone insane, or worse. You can't imagine the evil on the Earth I come from. How such evil could even exist is a mystery. You saved me from those bad thoughts." "Let's not think about that right now," she said. "I cooked something in case you were hungry, do you want to sit down and eat?" "Yes. Yes, I do, actually," he replied. He walked towards the table. She stopped him, running her fingers through his hair. He got the message. Their lips pressed. They eased into it slowly, carefully, until the world vanished and only they remained. The seconds passed slowly, as if time had stopped. They wished time could stop so that it could last forever. "Are you glad you didn't leave?" she asked. "I am now..." "I thought so. We should eat before it gets cold." Monday, March 1st. 6:12 AM The pounding on the door awoke Makoto. 'That has to be Usagi-chan, only she'd knock that loud...' Climbing out of bed, she opened the door. "We couldn't find Jacob-san anywhere and- oh..." He was sitting on the couch. "He stayed here overnight," she explained. "He's staying with us." "Mamo-chan told me yesterday. Luna has something for him!" The cat jumped on the table in front of him, dropping a golden button from her mouth. He picked it up. It was small, a cross inside a circle. "What is this?" he asked. "This will help you, I think. You're not a Sailor Senshi, but you can become a knight with this. That's your planetary symbol on it," she explained. He turned it slightly. "Planetary symbol? Oh, no, that was just our team's logo on the other Earth." "You haven't noticed it yet, but I did when I scanned your mind. You blocked all the bad memories, but you didn't block anything else. Your body has been purifying itself since you arrived!" "What do you mean, Luna?" Makoto asked. "Well, it's hard to explain..." "Maybe I can," Jacob said. "It was only a basic theory, but the idea was that there may be slight differences in each universe on the atomic level... noticeable only under an electron microscope. No matter how similar the realities were." "Yes, that's it," Luna said. "Your body has been adjusting, and now, that change is complete. Other changes are going on too, thanks to the Ginzuishou's power." "The what?" he asked. Usagi opened her brooch, showing him the crystal. He could feel the power it held. "In your universe, certain things that exist here- pure hearts, star seeds- don't exist. But here, they do, and your body has changed to reflect that. You hold the star seed of your Earth, being the only one from your world here," Luna explained. "Actually, I think I have noticed it... I received limited gene therapy at one point, which gave me very limited control over certain energy fields. I haven't been able to do that for weeks," he said. "I also noticed an exceptional mental ability in you, since you managed to block me from seeing certain memories," Luna explained. "You must have had training from a powerful telepath to do that!" "But what does that have to do with this little button?" Jacob asked. "That's simple," Mamoru said. He was standing outside the door. "You can use it to change into a senshi, the way I can. Not a Sailor, but you'll have most of their powers." "Yes," Luna said. "You'll be stronger, faster, more resistant to extreme temperatures, and no one will be able to recognize you while you're a knight. Just concentrate, I'm sure you can do this!" He held it out, concentrating. His mind connected with it, enveloping his body. In seconds, he was dressed in a light blue uniform. "Well, this is interesting... how do I change back?" he asked. "Just concentrate again, will yourself back," Luna said. Jacob tossed his keys to Mamoru. "In my bedroom closet, you'll find my old battle uniform. There are boots and gloves with it. Can you bring them here?" "Yes." Mamoru returned with them quickly. Jacob inspected them for the final time. "Put these up. I won't need them right now." "I'll keep them at my apartment," Mamoru said. "In return for all you have done, I offer my loyal servitude to you, Sailor Moon, and the other Sailor Senshi, as well as to the future king," Jacob stated. "A mentor of mine had a dream of peace once. I wish to be an embodiment of that dream. Please call me Avalon." Copyrights: Sailor, Tuxedo Mask, other Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon characters, and settings are copyright Naoko Takeuchi/Toei/Kodansha, and are used without permission. Jacob Arden is my sole copyright. This site is not for profit and not intended to infringe on existing copyrights.