Somewhat Lost In The Translation
By Slim Gohan and Keiya Tenpouin
Series – Sailor Moon/Hellsing
Rating – PG-13
Romantic Parings? - …….. NO.
Then who are the major characters? – Sailor Mercury and Paladin Alexander Anderson.
Disclaimers – We don't own either series, or the basis of the story (based on Lost In Translation).
We also don't own any of the songs sung at any point during the story.
Summary – Paladin Alexander Anderson is sent to Tokyo to help subdue the FREAK threat there. He runs into Ami Mizuno, who is finding herself adrift in life. Maybe together, they can find the companionship they are both looking for….. (Loosely based on Lost In Translation)
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Part II – The Song in Between
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It had been a LONG day of waiting for Ami Mizuno.
She had gotten up early, and has had a fun filled day of nothingness.
"I should have asked to meet him earlier……" she sighed, as she sat on her couch watching the television mindlessly. "What's done is done."
At this moment, the clock read "12:16 P.M.". Seeing as there was nothing on television except reruns of One Piece, she decided that the grand pastime of shopping might do her some good.
She turned off the television, which was filled with the craziness of Monkey D. Luffy and his Pirate Crew, to do something else. She walked over to the door while grabbing her sky blue coat on the chair near her. She put the coat on, and checked the pockets for her house key. Feeling it there along with her wallet, she slipped on her shoes and turned out the light. She then opened the door, and walked out shutting the door behind her. She stopped one moment to lock it, and then walked toward the city.
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Once she made it to the city, she began her shopping almost immediately.
She walked into some sort of mystical jewelry shop first, for no apparent reason other than it was there.
As soon as she opened the door, she was bombarded with the scents of the shop. For some reason, it smelled like cinnamon mixed with oranges.
"Smells like they're covering up some of their scents…." She mumbled to herself, out of range from the mystical cashier behind the counter.
"Welcome to my psychedelic shop, young one… do you need help with anything?"
"No, I'm just looking."
"Far out. If you need anything, I'll be in the back. The bell is there." The hippie then went into the back room, leaving Ami alone in the store.
While looking at some of the jewelry, she kept having a reoccurring thought.
"This place must get robbed an awful lot…."
After looking a few moments, and seeing nothing catch her eye, Ami then started to walk out.
Then something caught her eye.
She looked towards the counter on the right to find a pendant. It was of the emblem of Mercury, complete in silver with a silver chain to go along with it. It wasn't often she came across something such as this often………and she wanted it.
Besides, no one could put two and two together unless they knew who her other persona.
She quickly rang the bell to catch the attention.
The hippie came out higher than ever, to say the least.
"Something you need?"
"How much is that Mercury pendant?"
"I'm selling it for 4500 yen…."
Her eyes widened a bit with surprise, and she was prepared to walk away sadly. The hippie though, was not finished talking.
"But, since we have a sale this week, I'll sell it for….how about 900 yen?"
"I'll take it!"
Ami quickly reached for her wallet, and pulled out the 900 yen needed for the sale. The cashier rang up the sale, and handed Ami the pendant. Ami refused the bag, wanting to wear it immediately.
The hippie wished her a good day, and went back into the backroom to go back on her trip.
Ami walked out of the shop, with her silver Mercury pendant on, shining in the sun.
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"Why didn't I bother to call a cab? I would have been a hell of a lot easier than this…."
And with that statement, it became official.
Father Alexander Anderson was lost in downtown Tokyo.
"Well, I'll keep walking, and maybe I'll find something familiar…", he said to himself once again. With his hardened resolve and famous last words, he trekked onwards.
Little did he realize, he was being watched…..and they were about to strike.
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Walking a few blocks down, the Paladin still found himself completely lost. All he knew was that he was in front of some sort of building with neon lights illuminating words in Japanese.
Ready to continue his search for Kagura's, the lass, or both, he checked his watch under the glove that read "SPEAK WITH THE DEAD", and it read 2:37. He still had a little less than an hour and a half to find the place……..but Tokyo was a big city.
Then he was blindsided….
"Hello sir! Please come into bar with me!"
He turned around to find a 20 something Japanese girl, dressed like a prostitute by the looks of her clothes, looking at him seductively.
"Can I help you?"
"Please come to bar with me?"
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm meeting someone…"
"No, no. You come to bar, right!"
"Err…no…"
She then began dragging him into the building he was standing in front of.
"What in the hell are you doing!?!?!?"
"Bring you to bar, have good time."
"WHAT????"
She didn't respond, as she pushed open the doors, and practically threw him in.
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Ami walked out of the store she was in, not finding anything worth buying there. She took a deep breath, taking in the sunlight brought about by the spring season. She then began walking when a familiar tall blond man caught her eye across the street.
A tall man being dragged into a strip club.
Knowing that this was a recipe for disaster, and possible mass-murder, she ran across the busy street and followed him inside.
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He looked around the interior of the place.
And all he saw were naked women dancing for drunken men.
Naked women dancing everywhere.
It finally hit the priest…………………………………He was in a strip club.
"BLOODY HEATHENS! IN THE NAME OF GOD, I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO THE BLACKEST DEPTHS OF HELL FOR YOUR SINFUL WAYS! DAMNED HEATHENS……..…"
The announcer of the club interrupted him over the intercom. He spoke in Japanese, which meant that Anderson had no idea of what they were saying…..
…..That is, until he said the words "Sailor Senshi".
…."The lass is here…stripping for money?….." His worst fears were realized when he heard the words "Sailor Mercury" come over the intercom.
She came prancing out her sailor fuku, ready to take it all off.
But something seemed off to Alexander.
"Wait….that can't be her…."
"You're right. My breasts aren't nearly that big, that's a hair dye job, and she has implants. Besides, our Sailor fuku are made of a better material…and not quite as easy to get off apparently…" she added as the Mercury stripper took off the top and revealed to the club the breasts God and a doctor bestowed onto her.
Anderson however, turned around to see the real Ami Mizuno standing behind him.
"Lass! You're not a heathen selling your body for money!"
"No…what made you think I was?"
"Err…I'm not sure…"
"Let's get out of here."
"In a moment." He smiled sadistically as he reached for one of his blessed knives…
"No, let's go. You can kill the heathens on your own time."
She then pulled him out of the club by his arm, causing some of the other patrons to feel guilty for him…. if their wives or girlfriends found them there….they'd be dead men…like that bloke.
But, Alexander would have the last word.
"I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU DAMNED HEATHENS! JUST YOU BLOODY WAIT….!"
Ami just laughed as she was dragging him on the way out.
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"Err…I'm sure you'd want to know how I ended up in there…" he said a little regretfully.
"I saw how you ended up there, Alex-san. It was against your will. Besides, I took no offense to it. All if forgiven."
"Thanks lass. I really appreciate your forgiveness."
She smiled, and they continued on their way together.
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"Where are we going lass? That place again?"
"How about we take the train to Yamanashi?"
"I don't see why not…but isn't that a little far away?"
"No, not really."
"See, I have no sense of direction in this bloody country. I don't know the language. All I know how to do is kill your vampires."
"Which isn't a bad thing. It makes up for the other two."
"You could say that lass. It certainly makes it easier for the rest of you."
"How about we catch the train at the station, Alex-san?"
Before he responded, she dragged him towards the subway with a giggle.
"Why is everyone dragging me today?!?!?"
Under his breath, he added, "I killed the last person who tried that before today…all were bloody vampires and heathens…"
"What was that Alex-san?"
"Oh…err…nothing."
They were there in less than five minutes. They each bought a ticket to Yamanashi, and stood up waiting for their train near their exit. There was a silence between the two, but it was not one of uneasiness. It was more silence of comfort.
It took about five minutes after buying the tickets, but the train made it on time.
They both got on the train, fielding the traffic getting off, and found a seat. They sat together.
It took a few more minutes, and a few more passengers got on the train. There were some teenage schoolchildren on with their friends, a few businessmen, a mother with her two children, and a few other travelers.
But, among them all, they were the odd couple. A Catholic Priest and a blue haired schoolgirl are not a pairing that you'd see every day.
The silence between them kept up, until The Paladin noticed her new necklace.
"That's a nice necklace you have there lass? Sigil of Mercury?"
She looked at him, and nodded yes.
"New?"
"Yes. I bought it today in a mystical jewelry shop…they had a real hippie as well."
"I never got into the "live free" and "rebel authority" movements like those hippies. I'm sure you can understand why, since I'm a priest. Vampires were so easy to kill back then too…"
"Oh, why?"
"They were too stoned out of their bloody minds to notice, or even care." He paused for a moment to itch his nose, and continued. "There wasn't really any challenge from any of them until the late 80's."
"Why the late 80's?"
"In the early 80's, they were all on a new wave trip. They had the same amount of drugs though, and still where very easy to kill. But if I ever hear "Love is a Battlefield" again, I won't attempt to stop my sacred fury."
"Love is a Battlefield? The Pat Benetar song?"
"You don't want to know the story lass. Let's just say it involved 7 male and female vampires, that bloody song, and enough dancing to drive a man insane."
"You've lead a very interesting life."
"It has it's ups and downs, being a regenerator who has lived an awfully long time. But, that is a nice pendant. It suits you, lass."
"Thank you, I thought so too."
Their content silence took hold once more, as they made their train silently and stealthily made its way to their destination.
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They were at Yamanashi within the hour.
"Alex-san?"
"What lass?"
"Do you want to visit some of the other places in Japan…other than the city I mean."
"What do you mean, lass?"
"Such as visiting the shrines away from the city…"
"Shinto and Buddhist shrines?"
"Yeah…"
"That might not be the best of ideas lassie. I'm sort of a Catholic Priest here…not to mention a Paladin of the Catholic Church." He said that calmly to her, which was somewhat surprising to both of them.
"Well, you don't have to go for the religious experience. The scenery is very serene and peaceful…"
"Serenity?"
"Yes, I found it very peaceful when I used to visit it by myself on times when I was alone."
"Well, I'll take your word on it lass. I could use a little peace and quiet…. but I am NOT doing this for the religion…"
"No, I understand why you wouldn't. But these scenes are very peaceful…something that's worth sharing with someone."
"Alright lass, I'll go. Lead the way, since, as you know, I have no bloody idea where anything is in your country."
"I know, Alex-san." She smiled at him, and they started walking towards the exit of the station. Once they were there, Ami waved a cab over to them. Once they got in, Ami gave the driver their destination, and they were on their way.
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Their first destination was a Buddhist shrine in a somewhat quiet area. Once they were out of the cab, they noticed that it was filled with a little activity. There was a wedding ceremony going on, and it seemed they were doing it in an outside pavilion.
"That's romantic…"
"I'm not even going to comment."
"Why?…Oh, yes. Catholic Priest…"
"Got it in one lassie."
"Well, I think it's romantic."
"Well, that may be so. But we're not wedding guests."
"I know, we're here for the sights Alex-san. So, this can be considered a sight! You don't see this every day in Vatican City, do you Alex-san? Maybe it would be nice to observe it for a few minutes…"
"Only a few minutes…"
So, for a few minutes, the pair observed the Buddhist wedding ceremony. Alexander was somewhat in awe of the ceremony, but in his mind, his bias for his religion held strong without fail.
'But, I don't see this everyday. The lass was right…'
"Alex-san? Let's go see the other sights!"
"Yes…" He looked at the ceremony for another second, and turned toward her. "Let's go."
And so they went around the shrine, taking in the beauty of the shrine. Alexander expressed some of this to Ami, who retorted with a smile "I told you so.".
They came across a bench overlooking a pond with a few trees around it. The pond also contained stepping stones leading across it, and a birdbath on the right side. Once there, they took a break and sat on the bench.
"Lass…"
"Yes, Alex-san?"
"This is a nice place. You were right about the serenity here."
"Well…I told you so." She smiled at him.
He offered a smile back. "Yes, you did lass." He watched a bird land in the birdbath, and hop around in it. Ami then spoke up.
"What did you do last night, Alex-san?"
"Me? What I do best."
"Fought vampires?"
"A whole warehouse full of them…but to be fair, most of them were ghouls. Those vampires were only FREAKs anyway."
"I've been meaning to ask you, what is the difference between the two?"
"FREAK vampires became vampires through a chip made by a group called Millennium. Those bloody Nazis…anyway, the difference is that, although vampires, the FREAKs don't have even some of the real power those bloody Nosferatu have. True Vampires…especially No Life Kings and Queens put up a much harder fight…I should I know, I've killed a few in my time…"
"That clears up several mysteries I've had."
"I'm glad I can help."
Their silence fell between them once more. Anderson picked up the conversation again after a few moments.
"Hear from yer friends at all?"
"No. But I didn't expect to at all really. They're probably having a great time where they are. I don't envy them, since we all deserve rest after the battles we've gone through."
"Such as?"
"There was this person named Sailor Galaxia…"
"Ahh, say no more lass."
She looked at him in a little shock. "How you do…"
"We're Iscariot, remember? We know about the Galaxia incident. We were rooting for you, you know. We had our hands full with the Millennium Group and Hellsing, not to mention small random incidents that required our attention. The last thing we wanted was to get destroyed, so we supported you in spirit."
"Wow…"
"It's kind of hard to take in, I suppose…"
"…It was a war, Alex-san. To win, we give our lives…you know that. That was a hard experience…"
She rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her.
"I know lass. I know what that feels like…It's part of my job. But that's over with. You've got the rest of your life in front of you, and you have your friends to support you no matter what lass."
They stayed like that for a long time, with neither of them moving an inch. They just admired the beauty, and cherished the serenity of the scene, with the comforting fact that there was someone there to share it with.
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They left eventually, with the afternoon making it's journey into night.
"Alex-san?"
"Yes, lass?"
"Do you want to find somewhere to eat?"
"I suppose I do feel a bit famished…"
She smiled, and they walked out of the shrine with a new mission : find somewhere to eat.
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Instead of finding a restaurant for quality Japanese cuisine, they headed to a McDonalds.
"What lass? It's quick…It's…fast food!"
She could only stare at him in surprise until she then laughed at him. Ami ordered their meals, while Alexander paid for them. They took a seat inside the restaurant once they got their food and began eating immediately.
Ami ate her salad at a normal pace, while Alexander tore into his double-quarter pounder with cheese, and super-sized fries and drink.
Between bites, Ami could make out what he was saying.
"I haven't had this since they first came out!"
"The burger?"
"The restaurant."
"Then it certainly has been awhile for you, Alex-san."
"Tell me about it. I was just a lad about to enter the seminary back then. So I went with a few friends and we all had 10-cent cheeseburgers. They were good back then…I haven't really had fast food since."
"Well, I hope you enjoy it then. Afterward, what do you want to do?"
"I don't know lass. Kill Vampires?"
"Besides that, Alex-san."
"Oh…up to you?"
"No, it's your choice!"
"No lass, I insist!"
"No Alex-san, I insist!"
"Alright, I know how to settle this…"
"How…"
He pulled out a pen and drew a tic-tac-toe box on one of his napkins.
"It's your funeral, Alex-san."
"Oh, I think not lass. I've learned a few tricks in my time…"
Alexander went first, and drew and X in the center box. Ami countered with an O on the left of it.
And so the great tic-tac-toe war began.
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20 games later, They were still at it…until…
"Sweet victory!"
"Damn it lass…"
"Ha ha! Your choice!"
"Alright, alright lass. I'll choose what we do next." He said after his defeat. "But no complaints."
"Alright, no complaints."
He thought for a moment, and thought some more. Finally, he came up with an idea.
"How about karaoke again?"
"It sounds fun, Alex-san. We'll sing together, alright?"
"Your choice, lass. I'll follow your lead."
And so they left, and headed towards a Yamanashi karaoke bar.
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Finding one didn't take long at all, luckily. It was a small club, by the looks of it.
So they went inside without any hesitation.
The karaoke bar wasn't too crowded. It was filled with the usual teenage couples on dates, businessmen free from work and drinking the night away, some men and women going through their midlife crises, and people just looking for love or a good time.
But none of them were singing…except for the bartender.
Singing "Love Is A Battlefield".
Suddenly, Alexander developed a slight twitch in his eye…
"Lass…"
"It's alright, Alex-san! The song's almost over…really….you can put away the swords…"
She literally was holding his arm, trying to keep his swords concealed from everyone.
"Please…choose…song…lass…" He was about to lose it…
"Alright, let's go do that Alex-san." She offered with a smile.
The smile, believe it or not, calmed down the feral Paladin…and made everyone in the club safe from death for another night.
Ami went up to the man at the bar, with Alexander behind her, and began trying to find a song they would sing. Since anything by Pat Benetar and apparently, Whitney Houston was out (I refuse to sing "I will always love you"! That song is the work of the devil!"), Ami chose another J-Pop song that she listened to on a regular basis.
Alexander, meanwhile, tried desperately to order a beer from the other bartender behind the bar. He had said the word "Beer" slowly in English, and then spelled it out several times for him. It was all for naught, until Alexander found a cardboard picture of a beer on the bartable, and pointed to it. He said "beer" to him while pointing. The bartender got the idea, and gave him what the priest desired.
"Ahh…Ice cold beer…"
It was then that Ami dragged him by the arm again, and brought him on stage. Ami shouted behind him to the bartender to save it for him in Japanese.
On the stage, she whispered to him "You'll do fine, Alex-san. Just try to sound out the words as best you can."
"Alright lass…"
The acoustic guitar on the track began, and Ami took the lead on the song…
(Lyrics in English…again…)
Transparency dyes the night sky, and I walk alone on the road that always leads home…
Singing to myself, I want to send these kinds of feelings to you in your sleep, oh, um...
Alexander joined in at the chorus, and they sang together for the rest of the song. Ami took the higher alto, while Alexander took a lower alto…they sounded good together…
I'm tangled up in something; I'm getting a little sick of myself -- tangled up in the feelings to convey to
those days that have been left behind...
The heart I've forgotten somewhere is starting to hurt a little.
I keep searching for you in a night lit by the stars that are bound to that time
I place my feelings on the receding clouds
on the road home, where I pause to stand.
You are already a part of my continuing dreams;
I know that (those feelings) can't possibly reach you from here.
The tears keep falling; jut by being able to be close to you,
I'm starting to want a smile, just a little...
Someone asks questions; I'm starting to want this to make more sense.
You cast those too-brilliant days into a fading shadow.
I'm tangled up in something; I'm getting a little sick of myself --
tangled up in the feelings to convey to those days that have been left behind...
The heart I've forgotten somewhere is starting to hurt a little.
I keep searching for you in a night lit by the stars that are bound to that time.
And the song ended there.
The two got a standing ovation from everyone in the club.
The grabbed each other's hands and took a bow together.
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After Alexander had his beer, and Ami had a soda, they walked out of the club and took the subway home. Between them, their silence filled with the feeling that there was someone else there and that was all they needed fell between them.
By the time they made it to Tokyo, it was past midnight.
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Thank you for reading part two! It may not be as long as part I, but we tried here…
The song sung by the two was "Anti-Nostalgic", sung by Kotani Kinya. It was featured in the anime "Gravitation", just in case you wanted to know.
Keep watch for Part III…most likely the last part…
Thank you for reading!