Title: Usagi is Dead II Dead is Usagi Part 5
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com
Fic Rating: R
SIU - The Sailor Investigation Unit: A Series In Desperate Need Of
Comments. ^_^;;
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=770955
--------------------------------------------------------------------
USAGI IS DEAD II DEAD IS USAGI
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. If
you vaguely know anything about Sailormoon, you'll spot them a mile
off. "Ahoy there, Cap'n, I sees me an original character."
"Steer clear of them, helmsman. They can be nasty when the weather
turns bad."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
S T A R T
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Empirical Encyclopedia of Populated Worlds....
WYCCFAER (pr. Wish-Fair)
From the ancient Homeworlder tongue, meaning "World of the
Spirits".... The planet Wyccfaer was initially catalogued by
Homeworlder explorers in the early days of the empire (101-107ccd),
at the edge of a fringe star system (BT3-1018), encircling a small
dwarf star (RTV-07 "Lachesis"). The planet has an equatorial
diameter of 45,227 Colems, making it roughly three times the size of
the average habitable terrestial world, yet with a gravitational
pull only slightly higher than that of the Homeworld (1.03g).
The planet was found to be already populated by an assortment
of alien races, including Homeworlders, Mausians, Petaraines and
even Mherrians. No explanation has ever been given for this. Since
there are no surviving early records of interplanetary colonisation,
from any of the planets with races discovered on Wyccfaer, it is
likely that those found on the planet were the product of wandering
colonials or refugee armadas.
The culture of the "native" Wyccfaerie is hard to define, as
there is no single definable culture to be found. Society on the
planet works almost by accident, as attempts by the local population
to set up some form of government has always met with apathy. The
Council of Representatives, set up by the Homeworld within
Wyccfaer's unofficial capital Shy (pr. Sa-hee) has only succeeded in
giving structure to the intrinsically unkempt nature of the
population....
----o
Usagi stared at herself in the school bathroom mirror after
applying some makeup.
"Not bad if I do say so, myself." After brushing down her
school uniform, she winked at her reflection and smiled, putting her
hands on her hips. She was getting better, of recent, in applying
makeup, thanks to Minako's efforts. Although the girl had been
rather busy of late, always fobbing Usagi off for one reason or
another, Usagi had been practicing on her own.
"Just wait 'til Mamo-chan sees me." She put her hands up to
her mouth and giggled, then quickly packed the makeup away in her
schoolbag before a teacher walked in, making a check on the toilets.
She had to hurry. She had told Ami, Makoto and Naru that she
would only be a couple of minutes. They'd been acting strange, all
day, and seemed pleased to let her go. She was sure both Makoto and
Naru had been sweating.... Profusely, in fact. And it wasn't even
warm, or anything. Usagi wondered if they were sick.
Before she could open the bathroom door, there was a flash
behind her, from one of the cubicles. She turned and frowned. The
light glimmered a couple of times, then dissipated. Curious, she
made her way to the cubicle.
It was empty. She scratched her head for a moment. Maybe it
was Hanako-san, or something like that.... The infamous ghost of
the school toilet. She shivered, not liking to think about such
things. Well, whatever the case, there was nothing there now. She
turned to continue on her way.
She felt a hand jam a moist cloth across her nose and mouth.
She tried to protest, but instantly felt faint, the liquid on the
cloth carrying a strange, sharp aroma.... It was the last thing she
sensed before she fell to the floor, her face a white as a sheet.
From the cubicle stepped Usagi, dressed in a singlet and
shorts, her white hair hanging loose. She flung the cloth into the
toilet bowl behind her and stepped over to the washbasins, cleaning
the chemical from her hands.
She looked up into the mirror with tired eyes, then glanced at
her double's reflection.
"I'm sorry. Even if I had let you go, you would not have seen
the day out, let alone our dearest Mamo-chan...." Tears came to her
eyes, and she collapsed over the basin, half-sobbing, half-laughing.
They both vanished into nothingness.
----o
Part Five
Stream of Conciousness
----o
"So, would you be so kind as to explain just what events took
place here?" Naiad gestured expansively, staring at the two young
women who had introduced themselves as a Kino Makoto and Tomoe
Hotaru. Naiad knew them both as different people, however, and
found their attitudinal differences a bit hard to swallow.
"Yes, I might be so kind as to explain." Makoto mocked
Naiad's overformal Milleniumite tone. Hotaru nudged her.
"Stop that."
"Stop what?" Makoto glanced at her.
"Taking the piss out of Umi.... I mean Naiad."
"I'm not taking the piss out of her."
"Yeah right, and what was with the accent?"
"Well I just couldn't help myself, okay? Jeez, you're so
sensitive in your old age."
"Who are you calling old?"
"Technically speaking, you're a couple of years older than
me." Makoto prodded Hotaru's chest.
"Only because of a freak event that disrupted the doorways
of the dead. It wasn't my fault."
Naiad gritted her teeth. "Ano.... Excuse me. Would you like
to partake in the answering of my inquiry?" She smiled through
those teeth.
"Well, yeah, sure.... If you can follow what we're saying. I
mean, I know you're a psycho with an inferiority complex, completely
unaware of your previous existence as a minor goddess, but hey, I'm
sure you'll be able to understand." Hotaru whapped Makoto over the
head for that.
"I'm sorry, Naiad-sama. I'm afraid she hasn't taken her
medication, this morning. She's like this when she leaves it behind
in Crystal Towers." Hotaru did her best to smile, sweetly.
"Crystal Towers?" Naiad raised an eyebrow. "What is this
Crystal Towers that you speak of?"
"Our home, on Earth. You know, that big blue thing that hangs
over the Moon like a foot over an ant. Squishy squishy...." Makoto
chuckled as Hotaru put a hand to her face, sighing with
embarrassment. Naiad rubbed her chin, thoughtfully.
"Perhaps you might like to explain to me the current status of
the Moon Kingdom?"
"We can't do that.... You might try to stop it happening.."
Hotaru slapped a hand over her mouth. Makoto rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, great one, Einstein. Give everything away." Hotaru
shot her a look.
"YOU can complain."
"S... Stop what happening?" Naiad asked, softly. She was
ignored by the pair.
"Yes, I'm complaining. You've been pretty good at it up to
now." Makoto put her hands behind her head and looked away,
whistling. Hotaru took a breath and tapped Makoto over the head
with the flat of the Glaive.
"You're cruisin' for a bruisin', you know that?"
"At least I'm capable of giving one out. Better than someone
who needs a stick to whack people about."
"Stop what happening?" Naiad asked, louder, and was still
ignored.
"What did you say?" Hotaru growled. Makoto turned back to
her, smiling.
"Hmm? Did I say something? Hmm? Eh?"
"Stop what happening?!?!?" Naiad shouted, at the top of her
voice. Makoto and Hotaru stared at her, blinking, as she panted
with exasperation.
"Look, Naiad... Umi... Millenia... Whatever you want to
call yourself...." Makoto started.
"You will address me.... as the Lady.... Naiad Keth Drutein."
Naiad said, between pants. Makoto shrugged.
"Yeah, whatever. You can't be told about the current state of
the Moon Kingdom cos that might mean you'll try to change certain
events. And you have the power within you to do so. On top of
that, we're already trying to stop an idiot from changing the
timelines. Look... Look at this." Makoto gestured to the dead
bodies of the young Sailormoon, Sailormercury and Sailormars, as
well as that of Jadeite.
"Yes? And what of it?" Naiad stood tall and stared at her,
archly, attempting her best regal pose.
"The stupid idiot caused these three to get run over by an
aircraft. They're not supposed to get run over by an aircraft.
They were supposed to be able to defeat this moron, here...." She
pointed to Jadeite.
"What is an 'aircraft'?" Naiad queried. Makoto pointed past
her.
"That is."
Naiad turned and almost jumped. Sitting nearby was a large
metal object with wings. "Ah, I see. An aerial conveyance."
Makoto snorted. "Yeah, that
Hotaru continued. "They were to be aided by a man, named
Chiba Mamoru, who goes by the pseudonym Tuxedo Kamen. You know him
better as Prince Endymion."
"Endymion...." Naiad took a breath. "And is he dead, too?"
"Yeah, at the bottom of that stretch of water over there,
feeding the fishies." Makoto pointed. Naiad gave it a cursory
glance.
"I take it that wasn't supposed to happen, either?" Naiad
had come to the conclusion that this pair would have been certified
had they existed within the Moon Kingdom. Actually, they DID exist
in the Moon Kingdom, but that was beside the point.... She wondered
what possible form of existence could have lead to them turning out
the way they were now....
"Neither was my killing of Jadeite." Hotaru turned up her
nose. "But then, so much was screwed up, already, it wouldn't have
mattered much had he lived. And besides, it was cathartic."
Naiad closed her eyes. Yes, indeed. This pair would have
been nicely certified, straight jacket and all.
"Well, who is this individual who dares to change the lines of
time? Is this the same individual who has forced and left open the
doors to the worlds of the dead?"
Hotaru shrugged. "I'm not sure if she did that.... But,
considering her powers, it was possible. Although I dare suspect
that there was some.... external involvement."
"What? You mean you think there is more than one person doing
this?" Makoto looked at Hotaru in surprise.
"Yes, well, I've had my suspicions ever since we left
Wyccfaer. I don't think she could have opened ALL the doors ALL at
once. I mean, those nearest to Wyccfaer, yes, but all of them?"
"Wyccfaer...." Naiad rolled the name across her tongue. It
sounded, curiously, like wish-fair. Naiad had heard the name
before, and tried her best to remember just what it was.
"Well, she could have. I mean, she isn't Galaxia, but hey,
who would want to be, eh?" Hotaru chuckled.
Makoto shrugged. "Maybe it's Galaxia who opened the doors. I
wouldn't put it beyond her."
"I don't think she would get involved in a caper like this.
Do you?" Hotaru frowned.
"What do you mean? This is precisely the kind of thing she
likes to do in her spare time. And, let's face it, she's had a lot
of spare time in her life. You can't live for next to forever and
not have a lot of spare time."
"Galaxia...." Naiad whispered. She paused in her musings and
looked up at them. "What about Galaxia?"
Hotaru looked from Naiad to Makoto. "Uh-oh.... We mentioned
the G word."
"Bugger. Forgot about her Galaxia obsession." Makoto slapped
her forehead. "Now she's going to drag us through a million fantasy
realms of the mind...."
"Would you two stop this mindless babble and explain to me,
clearly, how it is that you came to be here?" Naiad's face went
red. Makoto shrugged.
"Oh, very well. You see, we were in this town, guarding the
Princess whilst she was visiting a community hospital...."
----o
"Well, that was effective...." Said Makoto, as she crawled
away from the anti-Usagi extremists after receiving the biggest
walloping of her career as a senshi. Of course, she'd been killed
several times, but they hardly classified as a walloping. More like
a smiting. She could taste blood.... There certainly was plenty of
it running from her nose and mouth. That'll teach her, in the
future, not to charge in like a rampant idiot, to another bunch of
macho thugs.
Hotaru had to run in and help her. The girl was going to hold
that over for months, she could see it now. if she lived, of
course. She sighed, wincing painfully and another nerve went twang
like a guitar string.
She was pulled aside by a couple of people who had been
watching the events in the street outside the hospital.
"Sailorjupiter, are you alright?" Said one, a young woman
dressed in a shorter skirt than Makoto had ever worn, even under
full henshin.
"Do I look like I'm alright?"
"I was only asking." The young woman looked hurt.
"Sorry...." Makoto softened her expression, hard to do when
your face feels like a burst dam.
"That's.... okay." The girl helped Makoto to her feet.
Makoto glanced back and winced as Hotaru skewered another of the
thugs on her glaive. Good thing she managed to bring the weapon out
of the little dimensional pocket she kept it before the head thug
used the Rubicon on them.
"Quick, get behind the crowd.... They won't see you then."
The young woman started to drag Makoto through the people. Makoto
tried to resist, but found she was now no longer strong enough to
resist.
"I can't leave Hotaru behind."
"Yes you can, cos she's about to be saved by someone else."
Makoto looked at the young woman, and noticed for the first
time that her face bore a remarkable resemblance to....
"You.... You're an Usagi clone."
"Nice for you to notice." The young woman smiled.
"I didn't recognise it at first. You've got dark-green hair.
And.... And...." Makoto stared at the two, large feline ears that
wiggled on top of the girl's head. "You're part cat...." Makoto
boggled.
The girl didn't say anything, just pointed to the top of the
building opposite the hospital. Makoto looked up and spotted a
figure. A small, round figure, with long bunny ears and....
odangos....
"LOOK! UP THERE!" Someone shouted.
"It's the KAWAII SENSHI SAILOR PUPUPU!" Shouted another. In
an instant, a spotlight hit the small figure, and Makoto facefauted.
On top of the building sat a small, white bunny-thing, with
little smiling eyes and mouth. The bunny had a small tuft of yellow
hair on top of its head, from which the odangos and ponytails fell.
And around its middle, it wore a small sailorsenshi fuku.
"PUUUUUUUU!" It said, dramatically. Both Hotaru and the
remaining three thugs stared at it in disbelief. The head thug
turned to his two partners.
"It's just another Usagi. It's powers will be removed with
this." He held up the rubicon, a small box-like object that emitted
a pulse every three seconds. At this close range, each pulse felt
painful to Hotaru, like it was tearing through her soul.
The head thug laughed, hands on hips. It was the last thing
he did before Sailor PuPuPu leapt from the top of the building.
"PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU................." The small
bunny shouted as it plowed into the head thug, knocking him into the
side of the hospital. He remained there, buried in the wall, as
Sailor PuPuPu turned to his two partners. "PUUU!"
Hotaru watched all of this with disbelief. Then she noticed
something skittering across the ground, having fallen from the head
thug's hand.
She lifted up her glaive and smashed the rubicon into a
thousand fragments. Instantly, she felt all of her power return to
her.
In the crowd, Makoto's injuries started to heal like they'd
never been caused. The cat-girl watched with surprise as the blood
flow slowed and ceased. She smiled.
"See, I told you you'd be saved." The girl continued dabbing
the blood from Makoto's face.
"Who the hell was that? What the hell is it?"
"The Kawaii Senshi Sailor PuPuPu, of course." The cat girl
smiled sweetly. Makoto frowned at her.
"How did you know it was going to be there, anyway?"
"There are benefits to being part-cat. By the way, the name's
Sasahara Natsagi. I'm a local police officer." She pointed to the
official patch on the shoulder of her jacket, smiling.
"Uh-huh...." Makoto's head started to spin.
----o
Michiru had all kinds of strange dreams. In one, she was
riding on a giant orange, in a flowing pink dress, towards a framed
portrait of Winston Churchill.
She woke up when she hit it.
"Yarg!" She sat up on the small sleeper-cabin bunk. She
stared around the room, blearily, trying to remember just where it
was she was, so to speak.
The cabin door was shut, and she could feel herself being
moved about by the motion of the train. It was then that she
remembered having boarded the train at that remote station....
Wherever both she and the station had found themselves.
The train, itself, bore all the signs of being abandoned. A
ghost train. She had tried to investigate the engine compartment,
and found it.... empty. Devoid of people. The train was being run
by a computer. A completely automated railway system.
It was then that someone approached her from behind. She
remembered someone saying something to her, and placing a hand on
her shoulder. And then she passed out.
She punched her fists down on the bunk. Ever since arriving
in this.... world, she had lost all sense of decorum. What was she,
a Sailorsenshi, fainting for? What did she have to feel afraid of?
She very well knew the answer to that question. Haruka wasn't
here. Without Haruka here, she was emotionally naked. When both
she and Haruka had been together, they had been each others' set of
eyes, always keeping a look out for one another when an unfamiliar
situation popped up.
She couldn't have found herself in any more unfamiliar a
situation than to be stuck on a train on another world. Why did
they even bother with trains on other worlds? Hadn't they found a
better system of transport?
She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat for a few
moments, regaining her sense of place. Then there was a knock on
the door. She shot a look at the door and bit her lip. Should she
answer? Silly.... Of course she should answer. What did she have
to be afraid of, for Kami's sake?
"Hai...." She said, with undeliberate softness. The door
opened briskly, and a young man in a black uniform, with silver
buttons and braids, stepped in.
"Ah, so you're awake, ma'am. Very good. Very good indeed."
"Ano...." She blinked. "If I wasn't awake, I wouldn't have
answered, would I?"
The young man blinked at her, then chuckled. "Ah yes, quite
amusing, I'm sure." He stepped up to her and put a hand to her
forehead. Michiru stared at him.
"What are you..." She started. He silenced her with a hush.
"Yes, it appears the temperature has gone down." He took his
hand away, smiling. "Travelling in a light dress like that is just
asking to catch your death of a cold on Wyccfaer, ma'am."
"Wishfair?" Michiru frowned. "Is that where I am?" She
didn't know what, or where, this Wishfair was, but it was a good
start.
"Hmm?" The young man looked puzzled. "Of course you're on
Wyccfaer. You don't get here by accident."
"I'm sorry...." Michiru smiled. "It must be the aftereffects
of fainting like that. I'm a little disoriented at the moment."
He smiled and nodded. "Understandable. By the way, what were
you doing up in the engine?"
Michiru thought quickly for a reply. "Ano.... The train
looked empty, and I was trying to find someone to talk to. I
thought there might be someone in the engine...."
"Not any more, dear. They automated the engines on this line
about five years back. But then, with the length of the run between
Bandaferos and Shy, they needed to. Takes close to three weeks to
get from one city to the next." He chuckled. "Anyway, you must
have got on at Lotus Crossing."
"Er.... I think so." She hadn't seen a sign to name the
station, but Lotus Crossing sounded as good as any she could come up
with.
"Hmm.... What were you doing out there? Not many people get
on the train at Lotus Crossing."
"Ano.... I was dropped off there. You know, the highway...."
"Ah, yes. Well, not a lot of traffic there. Except the
trucks and such. Lotus Crossing tends to be not much more than
farmland."
"Looked like it, too."
The young man sniffed. "Well, as you have probably guessed,
I'm the train's conductor. At least until we reach Tobur. And as
you're one of three passengers at this point, I hope you have a long
repertoir of stories to tell me, cos it's a long way to the next
station, and there's jack all to see out the window. Except low
lying hills and grassy fields."
"Why?"
"This is Wyccfaer. All terrestial worlds this size tend to be
fairly flat and bland. Not that a lot of people get to walk on
them. Wyccfaer is a freak of a planet. Over forty-thousand
clicks around the equator, with a density level of 2.24. In short,
it's big without much substance. A fun place to be if you're
looking for perpetual boredom." He shrugged. "My family moved here
seventeen years ago when there was a big population drive. At least
Shy isn't too bad a place to live. I'm from Shy, by the way."
Michiru nodded, completely nonplussed. "Um, I'm not big on
astronavigation, but where is Wyccfaer, exactly?"
"Hmm, somewhere in the Beleres region, I think. Lot of small
dwarf stars around here. Pathetically stable. Hasn't been a good
supernova for at least four trillion years."
That helped, Michiru thought. Not much.
"Ah, so.... Do I have to present you with a ticket, or
something?" She flashed her eyes at him, in the hope he would say
no. He looked at her as if she was strange.
"What would you need a ticket for?"
"Well, every other rail service I've used has them."
He chuckled. "No fear of that on this rail line. It's paid
for by the corporate structures that run the planet." He smiled.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I think I can hear Kysu-Myryche calling
for me in the next cabin."
"Kysu-Myryche...." Michiru's head was spinning. The
conductor merely smiled and stepped out of the cabin, shutting the
door behind him.
She rubbed her face with her hands and took a few deep
breaths. Information overload was starting to set in. She stood
and stared out of the window.
He had been right. There was nothing but small hills and
grass plains out there. For as far as the eye could see.
She only realised, just then, that the conductor had had a
tail, sticking out the rear end of his uniform.
"Cute." Was all she could say before she lay down on the bunk
and threw the pillow over her head.
END OF PART 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------
S T O P
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com
29th Apr 1998
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com
Fic Rating: R
SIU - The Sailor Investigation Unit: A Series In Desperate Need Of
Comments. ^_^;;
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=770955
--------------------------------------------------------------------
USAGI IS DEAD II DEAD IS USAGI
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. If
you vaguely know anything about Sailormoon, you'll spot them a mile
off. "Ahoy there, Cap'n, I sees me an original character."
"Steer clear of them, helmsman. They can be nasty when the weather
turns bad."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
S T A R T
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Empirical Encyclopedia of Populated Worlds....
WYCCFAER (pr. Wish-Fair)
From the ancient Homeworlder tongue, meaning "World of the
Spirits".... The planet Wyccfaer was initially catalogued by
Homeworlder explorers in the early days of the empire (101-107ccd),
at the edge of a fringe star system (BT3-1018), encircling a small
dwarf star (RTV-07 "Lachesis"). The planet has an equatorial
diameter of 45,227 Colems, making it roughly three times the size of
the average habitable terrestial world, yet with a gravitational
pull only slightly higher than that of the Homeworld (1.03g).
The planet was found to be already populated by an assortment
of alien races, including Homeworlders, Mausians, Petaraines and
even Mherrians. No explanation has ever been given for this. Since
there are no surviving early records of interplanetary colonisation,
from any of the planets with races discovered on Wyccfaer, it is
likely that those found on the planet were the product of wandering
colonials or refugee armadas.
The culture of the "native" Wyccfaerie is hard to define, as
there is no single definable culture to be found. Society on the
planet works almost by accident, as attempts by the local population
to set up some form of government has always met with apathy. The
Council of Representatives, set up by the Homeworld within
Wyccfaer's unofficial capital Shy (pr. Sa-hee) has only succeeded in
giving structure to the intrinsically unkempt nature of the
population....
----o
Usagi stared at herself in the school bathroom mirror after
applying some makeup.
"Not bad if I do say so, myself." After brushing down her
school uniform, she winked at her reflection and smiled, putting her
hands on her hips. She was getting better, of recent, in applying
makeup, thanks to Minako's efforts. Although the girl had been
rather busy of late, always fobbing Usagi off for one reason or
another, Usagi had been practicing on her own.
"Just wait 'til Mamo-chan sees me." She put her hands up to
her mouth and giggled, then quickly packed the makeup away in her
schoolbag before a teacher walked in, making a check on the toilets.
She had to hurry. She had told Ami, Makoto and Naru that she
would only be a couple of minutes. They'd been acting strange, all
day, and seemed pleased to let her go. She was sure both Makoto and
Naru had been sweating.... Profusely, in fact. And it wasn't even
warm, or anything. Usagi wondered if they were sick.
Before she could open the bathroom door, there was a flash
behind her, from one of the cubicles. She turned and frowned. The
light glimmered a couple of times, then dissipated. Curious, she
made her way to the cubicle.
It was empty. She scratched her head for a moment. Maybe it
was Hanako-san, or something like that.... The infamous ghost of
the school toilet. She shivered, not liking to think about such
things. Well, whatever the case, there was nothing there now. She
turned to continue on her way.
She felt a hand jam a moist cloth across her nose and mouth.
She tried to protest, but instantly felt faint, the liquid on the
cloth carrying a strange, sharp aroma.... It was the last thing she
sensed before she fell to the floor, her face a white as a sheet.
From the cubicle stepped Usagi, dressed in a singlet and
shorts, her white hair hanging loose. She flung the cloth into the
toilet bowl behind her and stepped over to the washbasins, cleaning
the chemical from her hands.
She looked up into the mirror with tired eyes, then glanced at
her double's reflection.
"I'm sorry. Even if I had let you go, you would not have seen
the day out, let alone our dearest Mamo-chan...." Tears came to her
eyes, and she collapsed over the basin, half-sobbing, half-laughing.
They both vanished into nothingness.
----o
Part Five
Stream of Conciousness
----o
"So, would you be so kind as to explain just what events took
place here?" Naiad gestured expansively, staring at the two young
women who had introduced themselves as a Kino Makoto and Tomoe
Hotaru. Naiad knew them both as different people, however, and
found their attitudinal differences a bit hard to swallow.
"Yes, I might be so kind as to explain." Makoto mocked
Naiad's overformal Milleniumite tone. Hotaru nudged her.
"Stop that."
"Stop what?" Makoto glanced at her.
"Taking the piss out of Umi.... I mean Naiad."
"I'm not taking the piss out of her."
"Yeah right, and what was with the accent?"
"Well I just couldn't help myself, okay? Jeez, you're so
sensitive in your old age."
"Who are you calling old?"
"Technically speaking, you're a couple of years older than
me." Makoto prodded Hotaru's chest.
"Only because of a freak event that disrupted the doorways
of the dead. It wasn't my fault."
Naiad gritted her teeth. "Ano.... Excuse me. Would you like
to partake in the answering of my inquiry?" She smiled through
those teeth.
"Well, yeah, sure.... If you can follow what we're saying. I
mean, I know you're a psycho with an inferiority complex, completely
unaware of your previous existence as a minor goddess, but hey, I'm
sure you'll be able to understand." Hotaru whapped Makoto over the
head for that.
"I'm sorry, Naiad-sama. I'm afraid she hasn't taken her
medication, this morning. She's like this when she leaves it behind
in Crystal Towers." Hotaru did her best to smile, sweetly.
"Crystal Towers?" Naiad raised an eyebrow. "What is this
Crystal Towers that you speak of?"
"Our home, on Earth. You know, that big blue thing that hangs
over the Moon like a foot over an ant. Squishy squishy...." Makoto
chuckled as Hotaru put a hand to her face, sighing with
embarrassment. Naiad rubbed her chin, thoughtfully.
"Perhaps you might like to explain to me the current status of
the Moon Kingdom?"
"We can't do that.... You might try to stop it happening.."
Hotaru slapped a hand over her mouth. Makoto rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, great one, Einstein. Give everything away." Hotaru
shot her a look.
"YOU can complain."
"S... Stop what happening?" Naiad asked, softly. She was
ignored by the pair.
"Yes, I'm complaining. You've been pretty good at it up to
now." Makoto put her hands behind her head and looked away,
whistling. Hotaru took a breath and tapped Makoto over the head
with the flat of the Glaive.
"You're cruisin' for a bruisin', you know that?"
"At least I'm capable of giving one out. Better than someone
who needs a stick to whack people about."
"Stop what happening?" Naiad asked, louder, and was still
ignored.
"What did you say?" Hotaru growled. Makoto turned back to
her, smiling.
"Hmm? Did I say something? Hmm? Eh?"
"Stop what happening?!?!?" Naiad shouted, at the top of her
voice. Makoto and Hotaru stared at her, blinking, as she panted
with exasperation.
"Look, Naiad... Umi... Millenia... Whatever you want to
call yourself...." Makoto started.
"You will address me.... as the Lady.... Naiad Keth Drutein."
Naiad said, between pants. Makoto shrugged.
"Yeah, whatever. You can't be told about the current state of
the Moon Kingdom cos that might mean you'll try to change certain
events. And you have the power within you to do so. On top of
that, we're already trying to stop an idiot from changing the
timelines. Look... Look at this." Makoto gestured to the dead
bodies of the young Sailormoon, Sailormercury and Sailormars, as
well as that of Jadeite.
"Yes? And what of it?" Naiad stood tall and stared at her,
archly, attempting her best regal pose.
"The stupid idiot caused these three to get run over by an
aircraft. They're not supposed to get run over by an aircraft.
They were supposed to be able to defeat this moron, here...." She
pointed to Jadeite.
"What is an 'aircraft'?" Naiad queried. Makoto pointed past
her.
"That is."
Naiad turned and almost jumped. Sitting nearby was a large
metal object with wings. "Ah, I see. An aerial conveyance."
Makoto snorted. "Yeah, that
Hotaru continued. "They were to be aided by a man, named
Chiba Mamoru, who goes by the pseudonym Tuxedo Kamen. You know him
better as Prince Endymion."
"Endymion...." Naiad took a breath. "And is he dead, too?"
"Yeah, at the bottom of that stretch of water over there,
feeding the fishies." Makoto pointed. Naiad gave it a cursory
glance.
"I take it that wasn't supposed to happen, either?" Naiad
had come to the conclusion that this pair would have been certified
had they existed within the Moon Kingdom. Actually, they DID exist
in the Moon Kingdom, but that was beside the point.... She wondered
what possible form of existence could have lead to them turning out
the way they were now....
"Neither was my killing of Jadeite." Hotaru turned up her
nose. "But then, so much was screwed up, already, it wouldn't have
mattered much had he lived. And besides, it was cathartic."
Naiad closed her eyes. Yes, indeed. This pair would have
been nicely certified, straight jacket and all.
"Well, who is this individual who dares to change the lines of
time? Is this the same individual who has forced and left open the
doors to the worlds of the dead?"
Hotaru shrugged. "I'm not sure if she did that.... But,
considering her powers, it was possible. Although I dare suspect
that there was some.... external involvement."
"What? You mean you think there is more than one person doing
this?" Makoto looked at Hotaru in surprise.
"Yes, well, I've had my suspicions ever since we left
Wyccfaer. I don't think she could have opened ALL the doors ALL at
once. I mean, those nearest to Wyccfaer, yes, but all of them?"
"Wyccfaer...." Naiad rolled the name across her tongue. It
sounded, curiously, like wish-fair. Naiad had heard the name
before, and tried her best to remember just what it was.
"Well, she could have. I mean, she isn't Galaxia, but hey,
who would want to be, eh?" Hotaru chuckled.
Makoto shrugged. "Maybe it's Galaxia who opened the doors. I
wouldn't put it beyond her."
"I don't think she would get involved in a caper like this.
Do you?" Hotaru frowned.
"What do you mean? This is precisely the kind of thing she
likes to do in her spare time. And, let's face it, she's had a lot
of spare time in her life. You can't live for next to forever and
not have a lot of spare time."
"Galaxia...." Naiad whispered. She paused in her musings and
looked up at them. "What about Galaxia?"
Hotaru looked from Naiad to Makoto. "Uh-oh.... We mentioned
the G word."
"Bugger. Forgot about her Galaxia obsession." Makoto slapped
her forehead. "Now she's going to drag us through a million fantasy
realms of the mind...."
"Would you two stop this mindless babble and explain to me,
clearly, how it is that you came to be here?" Naiad's face went
red. Makoto shrugged.
"Oh, very well. You see, we were in this town, guarding the
Princess whilst she was visiting a community hospital...."
----o
"Well, that was effective...." Said Makoto, as she crawled
away from the anti-Usagi extremists after receiving the biggest
walloping of her career as a senshi. Of course, she'd been killed
several times, but they hardly classified as a walloping. More like
a smiting. She could taste blood.... There certainly was plenty of
it running from her nose and mouth. That'll teach her, in the
future, not to charge in like a rampant idiot, to another bunch of
macho thugs.
Hotaru had to run in and help her. The girl was going to hold
that over for months, she could see it now. if she lived, of
course. She sighed, wincing painfully and another nerve went twang
like a guitar string.
She was pulled aside by a couple of people who had been
watching the events in the street outside the hospital.
"Sailorjupiter, are you alright?" Said one, a young woman
dressed in a shorter skirt than Makoto had ever worn, even under
full henshin.
"Do I look like I'm alright?"
"I was only asking." The young woman looked hurt.
"Sorry...." Makoto softened her expression, hard to do when
your face feels like a burst dam.
"That's.... okay." The girl helped Makoto to her feet.
Makoto glanced back and winced as Hotaru skewered another of the
thugs on her glaive. Good thing she managed to bring the weapon out
of the little dimensional pocket she kept it before the head thug
used the Rubicon on them.
"Quick, get behind the crowd.... They won't see you then."
The young woman started to drag Makoto through the people. Makoto
tried to resist, but found she was now no longer strong enough to
resist.
"I can't leave Hotaru behind."
"Yes you can, cos she's about to be saved by someone else."
Makoto looked at the young woman, and noticed for the first
time that her face bore a remarkable resemblance to....
"You.... You're an Usagi clone."
"Nice for you to notice." The young woman smiled.
"I didn't recognise it at first. You've got dark-green hair.
And.... And...." Makoto stared at the two, large feline ears that
wiggled on top of the girl's head. "You're part cat...." Makoto
boggled.
The girl didn't say anything, just pointed to the top of the
building opposite the hospital. Makoto looked up and spotted a
figure. A small, round figure, with long bunny ears and....
odangos....
"LOOK! UP THERE!" Someone shouted.
"It's the KAWAII SENSHI SAILOR PUPUPU!" Shouted another. In
an instant, a spotlight hit the small figure, and Makoto facefauted.
On top of the building sat a small, white bunny-thing, with
little smiling eyes and mouth. The bunny had a small tuft of yellow
hair on top of its head, from which the odangos and ponytails fell.
And around its middle, it wore a small sailorsenshi fuku.
"PUUUUUUUU!" It said, dramatically. Both Hotaru and the
remaining three thugs stared at it in disbelief. The head thug
turned to his two partners.
"It's just another Usagi. It's powers will be removed with
this." He held up the rubicon, a small box-like object that emitted
a pulse every three seconds. At this close range, each pulse felt
painful to Hotaru, like it was tearing through her soul.
The head thug laughed, hands on hips. It was the last thing
he did before Sailor PuPuPu leapt from the top of the building.
"PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU................." The small
bunny shouted as it plowed into the head thug, knocking him into the
side of the hospital. He remained there, buried in the wall, as
Sailor PuPuPu turned to his two partners. "PUUU!"
Hotaru watched all of this with disbelief. Then she noticed
something skittering across the ground, having fallen from the head
thug's hand.
She lifted up her glaive and smashed the rubicon into a
thousand fragments. Instantly, she felt all of her power return to
her.
In the crowd, Makoto's injuries started to heal like they'd
never been caused. The cat-girl watched with surprise as the blood
flow slowed and ceased. She smiled.
"See, I told you you'd be saved." The girl continued dabbing
the blood from Makoto's face.
"Who the hell was that? What the hell is it?"
"The Kawaii Senshi Sailor PuPuPu, of course." The cat girl
smiled sweetly. Makoto frowned at her.
"How did you know it was going to be there, anyway?"
"There are benefits to being part-cat. By the way, the name's
Sasahara Natsagi. I'm a local police officer." She pointed to the
official patch on the shoulder of her jacket, smiling.
"Uh-huh...." Makoto's head started to spin.
----o
Michiru had all kinds of strange dreams. In one, she was
riding on a giant orange, in a flowing pink dress, towards a framed
portrait of Winston Churchill.
She woke up when she hit it.
"Yarg!" She sat up on the small sleeper-cabin bunk. She
stared around the room, blearily, trying to remember just where it
was she was, so to speak.
The cabin door was shut, and she could feel herself being
moved about by the motion of the train. It was then that she
remembered having boarded the train at that remote station....
Wherever both she and the station had found themselves.
The train, itself, bore all the signs of being abandoned. A
ghost train. She had tried to investigate the engine compartment,
and found it.... empty. Devoid of people. The train was being run
by a computer. A completely automated railway system.
It was then that someone approached her from behind. She
remembered someone saying something to her, and placing a hand on
her shoulder. And then she passed out.
She punched her fists down on the bunk. Ever since arriving
in this.... world, she had lost all sense of decorum. What was she,
a Sailorsenshi, fainting for? What did she have to feel afraid of?
She very well knew the answer to that question. Haruka wasn't
here. Without Haruka here, she was emotionally naked. When both
she and Haruka had been together, they had been each others' set of
eyes, always keeping a look out for one another when an unfamiliar
situation popped up.
She couldn't have found herself in any more unfamiliar a
situation than to be stuck on a train on another world. Why did
they even bother with trains on other worlds? Hadn't they found a
better system of transport?
She swung her legs over the side of the bunk and sat for a few
moments, regaining her sense of place. Then there was a knock on
the door. She shot a look at the door and bit her lip. Should she
answer? Silly.... Of course she should answer. What did she have
to be afraid of, for Kami's sake?
"Hai...." She said, with undeliberate softness. The door
opened briskly, and a young man in a black uniform, with silver
buttons and braids, stepped in.
"Ah, so you're awake, ma'am. Very good. Very good indeed."
"Ano...." She blinked. "If I wasn't awake, I wouldn't have
answered, would I?"
The young man blinked at her, then chuckled. "Ah yes, quite
amusing, I'm sure." He stepped up to her and put a hand to her
forehead. Michiru stared at him.
"What are you..." She started. He silenced her with a hush.
"Yes, it appears the temperature has gone down." He took his
hand away, smiling. "Travelling in a light dress like that is just
asking to catch your death of a cold on Wyccfaer, ma'am."
"Wishfair?" Michiru frowned. "Is that where I am?" She
didn't know what, or where, this Wishfair was, but it was a good
start.
"Hmm?" The young man looked puzzled. "Of course you're on
Wyccfaer. You don't get here by accident."
"I'm sorry...." Michiru smiled. "It must be the aftereffects
of fainting like that. I'm a little disoriented at the moment."
He smiled and nodded. "Understandable. By the way, what were
you doing up in the engine?"
Michiru thought quickly for a reply. "Ano.... The train
looked empty, and I was trying to find someone to talk to. I
thought there might be someone in the engine...."
"Not any more, dear. They automated the engines on this line
about five years back. But then, with the length of the run between
Bandaferos and Shy, they needed to. Takes close to three weeks to
get from one city to the next." He chuckled. "Anyway, you must
have got on at Lotus Crossing."
"Er.... I think so." She hadn't seen a sign to name the
station, but Lotus Crossing sounded as good as any she could come up
with.
"Hmm.... What were you doing out there? Not many people get
on the train at Lotus Crossing."
"Ano.... I was dropped off there. You know, the highway...."
"Ah, yes. Well, not a lot of traffic there. Except the
trucks and such. Lotus Crossing tends to be not much more than
farmland."
"Looked like it, too."
The young man sniffed. "Well, as you have probably guessed,
I'm the train's conductor. At least until we reach Tobur. And as
you're one of three passengers at this point, I hope you have a long
repertoir of stories to tell me, cos it's a long way to the next
station, and there's jack all to see out the window. Except low
lying hills and grassy fields."
"Why?"
"This is Wyccfaer. All terrestial worlds this size tend to be
fairly flat and bland. Not that a lot of people get to walk on
them. Wyccfaer is a freak of a planet. Over forty-thousand
clicks around the equator, with a density level of 2.24. In short,
it's big without much substance. A fun place to be if you're
looking for perpetual boredom." He shrugged. "My family moved here
seventeen years ago when there was a big population drive. At least
Shy isn't too bad a place to live. I'm from Shy, by the way."
Michiru nodded, completely nonplussed. "Um, I'm not big on
astronavigation, but where is Wyccfaer, exactly?"
"Hmm, somewhere in the Beleres region, I think. Lot of small
dwarf stars around here. Pathetically stable. Hasn't been a good
supernova for at least four trillion years."
That helped, Michiru thought. Not much.
"Ah, so.... Do I have to present you with a ticket, or
something?" She flashed her eyes at him, in the hope he would say
no. He looked at her as if she was strange.
"What would you need a ticket for?"
"Well, every other rail service I've used has them."
He chuckled. "No fear of that on this rail line. It's paid
for by the corporate structures that run the planet." He smiled.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I think I can hear Kysu-Myryche calling
for me in the next cabin."
"Kysu-Myryche...." Michiru's head was spinning. The
conductor merely smiled and stepped out of the cabin, shutting the
door behind him.
She rubbed her face with her hands and took a few deep
breaths. Information overload was starting to set in. She stood
and stared out of the window.
He had been right. There was nothing but small hills and
grass plains out there. For as far as the eye could see.
She only realised, just then, that the conductor had had a
tail, sticking out the rear end of his uniform.
"Cute." Was all she could say before she lay down on the bunk
and threw the pillow over her head.
END OF PART 5
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S T O P
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DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com
29th Apr 1998