Disclaimers: I don't own the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, any legal titles to Black Cat or any other manga/anime title mentioned in this fanfiction story.
Note: The sequence of battles is being determined by the order of the planets, starting with the closest to the sun, unless otherwise stated. This is to alleviate how the story flows and so the cliffs aren't so extreme. And yes, I am aware that there might be a different order for the Sailor Scouts.
The League of Extra-Sexy Gentlemen
Part 3: Sven's Premonition
Despite the fact that they were hopping dimensions and worlds, Sanji and Fai were at their next destination within moments. The glows emitted from their gemstone pendants soon died down and seeing that the other was safe, the two traveling friends took their first bold steps on a new world.
In a way, it was somewhat similar to the Hanshin Republic, but only in the sense that both had buildings; the similarities ended there. On this world, the structures didn't tower over the land like mountains, but rather, most only rose to about four or five stories at the highest. Although there were some tall buildings, most of the structures wielded signs for cafés, hotels, shops, and the like. There was not much plant life, only miles of cement and metal in every direction. In fact, Sanji could go as far to say that this reminded him a bit of Water Arc 7.
As they walked around the town to take the surroundings in, Fai nudged his partner and pointed to Sanji's pocket. From the depths of his hidden suit pocket, a dim green glow leaked through the fabric and was steadily growing brighter as they walked on. Sanji fished around in his pocket and retrieved a chain that held a five-pointed star with an emerald set in the middle. As he shifted the position of his arm, the glow slightly intensified when it pointed to their left. Fai gave Sanji an assuring nod, and together they started their sprint across the maze of alleys.
All Sven could do was wait patiently. His partner Train had gone down to the Sweeper's office to check on whether there were any bounty updates. The only reason Sven didn't join him was due to the fact that he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. It was weird. He had a dream that seemed so real, almost as if he was somehow using his "right eye" in his sleep, for something told him that it was bound to happen. However, Sven only remembered fragments rather than the big picture. He recalled dreaming that two strange men had visited him, then a female bandit tried to take someone away, and finally, for some reason, Eve was crying.
With this thought, Sven, lying casually on the hotel room sofa, turned to face the girl who was silently reading a book about pirate legends. Eve meant the world to him, and he didn't want to ever spend a day separated from his blond princess. Sven had almost died for her, risking his life to save the very same bioweapon that was ordered to kill him. A huge knife to the stomach was a small price to pay in exchange for this thinking, feeling girl to experience freedom. Sensing that she was being watched, Eve turned to Sven and smiled. His heart melted as he returned the gesture.
"You're going to be leaving us, aren't you Sven?" she asked calmly. The sweeper gaped at her in pure shock. Not only from what Eve had just said, but also from an eerie tingling that brushed against his cheek.
Sanji ascended the stairs quickly, Fai following close behind. The glow had led them to a vintage-looking hotel, and when they had asked the receptionist for the room number to a "Train Heartnet", she gave them an awkward look and granted them the information they needed. Now the two travelers were racing up the numerous flights of stairs that would lead them to the sixth floor. At last, they arrived at a door spray-painted with a bold "6". Taking caution, Sanji carefully opened the door and slinked into the empty hallway, with Fai following suit.
"I remember the lady saying the room number was 623…here's 609." Fai pointed to a brass number plate as he spoke. "How close are we?"
"Very," replied Sanji, who now let the emerald star lie flat in his palm. Its light was shining relentlessly, making it seem like a green spotlight lit the hallway. The magician and the cook once again sped down the hallway, with Fai checking the numbers as they whizzed by.
"617…619…621…623! This is it!" Both Fai and Sanji came to a screeching halt in front of the door before they could pass it up. Trying to be as silent as he could, Fai put his ear to the door and heard a young girl talking.
"… leaving us again, aren't you Sven?" Fai continued listening. This time, a smooth, gentlemanly voice spoke. "No, Eve," the voice replied, almost sounding scared. "And if I ever did, it would only be to save you, or Train…" By this time, Sanji was eavesdropping as well, star clutched in his hand. Then, the sound of a chair scraping the floor was heard.
"There's someone at the door, Sven," the girl's voice bluntly stated. "Two people actually." Both Sanji and Fai froze in their spots. They would have run had they not heard a metallic click from behind the door. Sanji recognized it instantly; the cocking of a gun.
"What the hell do you want?" demanded the gentleman from inside.
Sven wasn't going to take any chances. Two people either meant that Train had been stupid enough to bring a guest to their hideout, or that intruders were paying a visit. He went with the latter.
"I said what the hell do you want?" Sven repeated with less patience. His spare pistol was pointed at the door and ready for anything. Outside, two voices were debating in hushed tones.
"Is the door open, Sanji?…" "You idiot, if we go in, we'll get out heads blown up!…" "Do they have magic in this world?…" "I don't know, but we're dead meat all the same…" "Oh, lookie! The door's unlocked!…" "Fai! Whoever's in there has a…" The door swung open to reveal two blond men standing in the doorway. The one with the dark suit and curly eyebrow almost didn't have the courage to complete his sentence. "…gun!" He whispered to Fai, "Put your hands up; we have to show him we're not loaded." Fai copied Sanji as he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
With no hint of panic in his face, Fai took the opportunity to scrutinize the gentleman whose voice he had overheard. He was about six feet tall, with light green hair that was trimmed just above his jaw line, wearing a khaki colored suit and hat, with a navy blue dress shirt and red tie underneath. What really caught Fai's attention, though, was the eye patch covering this man's right eye.
"Tell me," Fai began to plea diplomatically. "What would you do if I told you that the fate of all that exists lies partly in the hands of me and my friend?" He pointed to Sanji then resumed his surrender posture. "More importantly, what would you do if I told you that you, Sven Vollfied, are one of the keys to the salvation of the universe as we know it?"
If shock came in bricks, Sven would have been as flat as a pancake. How in hell's name did this guy know who he was? Could they possibly be from Chronos? No, they would have asked for Train rather than himself, and had they been with the Apostles of the Stars, they would have gone tao crazy already. Then, the realization struck Sven like a real brick.
These are the exact same two guys that appeared in my dream last night! Part of Sven's dream seemed to be fulfilling itself; who was to say that the rest of it wouldn't follow? The pistol was lowered as hidden parts of his dream came flooding back to him. Yeah, these men came, and they brought me some sort of glowing necklace or something. Then, we ran into some girl criminal, and we fought…That was all he could recall at the moment. Then he noticed a bright green glow shimmering in the hand of the blond in the dark suit.
Sven had absolutely no idea how his next words popped out of his mouth.
"Are you going to give me my necklace, Sanji, or are you just going to stand there?" Now it was Sanji and Fai's turn to be surprised. They glanced at one another with wide eyes, and with a shrug, Sanji stepped towards Sven, relaxing his arms.
"Now we're talking the same language! Welcome to the crew, my man," greeted Sanji as he dropped the emerald star in Sven's outstretched hand. "But wait…"
Sven chose to finish the thought as he looped the chain around his neck. "How did I know you? Let's just say I had a 'vision' last night."
"Ah, a clairvoyant, aren't you?" Fai cheerfully assumed. "Yes, I sense something special about you…Oh my! How rude! We didn't even introduce ourselves!" he bowed humbly. "Fai D. Flowright, at your service! And this is Sanji, cook and pirate!" Sanji did a two-fingered salute.
Eve had been observing this spectacle in silent confusion. "I thought pirates wore ripped clothing with bandanas and golden jewelry and said 'Arr!'" she argued.
Before Sanji could protest, the door flew open and a young man with dark brown hair dashed into the room excitedly. He looked a bit unusual, with a little bell around his neck like a kitty and the Roman number XIII etched onto the skin of his chest.
"Hey, Svenny-baby! Hi, Princess! You're not gonna believe what I…Wah?" Train stopped short as he saw the two unexpected visitors. Hopefully they weren't here for him…
"It's alright, Train." Sven had to come up with a good lie, and fast. "These are the residential Sweepers of this area. They're new recruits." He could hear Sanji and Fai sigh in relief behind him.
"Ok then!" beamed Train, completely oblivious to the tension that still lingered from a few minutes ago. "We're gonna need all the help we can get. This is one slippery target. Have a look at his." Train whipped out a piece of paper and handed it to Sven, with the other two men and Eve peering over his shoulder. On the bulletin was a picture of a blond girl in an orange uniform and outrageously huge red glasses. "She goes by 'Sailor V', and she's been spotted in over five different cities. They say she randomly mugs men and takes whatever jewelry they may have on them. Watches, chains, cuff links, gold fillings, you name it! Fifty-three men have fallen victim to her in only six days! That's why she's our next target; just look at her bounty!"
The others leaned in closer to examine the paper. "Holy Mother of God!" exclaimed Sanji after a minute. "$50 thousand for that four-eyed chick!" He pointed to the bottom of the bulletin, and Train saw Fai and Sven raise their eyebrows in unison. Eve remained calm and collected. "Her outfit…"Sanji continued, "that's kind of like the one that the Mercury gal wore, isn't it, Fai? Is this the 'Mina' girl we're looking for?"
"Ow!" winced Sven, clutching his chest. The emerald on his star pendant was glowing more intensely than before. "Crap! It burns like hell! DAMN! I can't even touch it!"
"Calm down, buddy," coaxed Sanji, who grabbed the gilded chain so that the star hung a few inches away from Sven's body. He then faced the window. "We might be collecting that bounty sooner than you think. Let's move!" Sanji raced out the door, unaware that he was dragging the disgruntled Sweeper behind him. Fai shrugged and turned to catch up, with Train and Eve right behind him.
"So tell me about this 'salvation of the universe' thing," requested Sven as he jogged beside Sanji to avoid being choked. "If by some chance I told you off right now and sent you and your friend Fai to the nut house, would that change anything?"
Sanji shook his head in remorse. "My man, if you don't come with me and Fai, you'd might as well kiss Train and that daughter of yours goodbye!"
"Eve is not my daughter!" corrected the Sweeper, then realized what he just heard. "You said Eve and Train are in danger?"
"Oh boy," grunted Sanji, "The whole freaking universe is in danger! See, these nine crazy girls are trying to capture sexy men from different worlds so they can corrupt them or something, and after they do that, from what we gathered, they're going to…uh…"
"Watch out for that…" Sven tried to warn before Sanji's head collided with a metal pole. "…streetlamp." The blond had knocked himself unconscious and crumpled to the ground. The other three caught up quickly, out of breath.
"Drag him into that alley," suggested Train, lightly nudging Sanji's limp body with his foot. Fai and Sven each grabbed onto an arm and tugged the comatose cook into a dark alleyway. When the group was out of public view, Sanji was dropped onto the ground unceremoniously. Sven fingered his pendant curiously.
"It's glowing like mad," he observed, "But the burning has stopped."
"That's because I found you, 'Snuggly Wuggly Sven'!" chimed a feminine voice. Those who could whirled around and discovered they were face to face with a girl a bit older than Eve in an orange sailor outfit and freakishly large red glasses. "And now, I'll take you back to the Crystal Palace so you can be my slave-uh…weapon of mass destruction!" She laughed menacingly.
Train aimed his gun Hades at the psycho dame. "Sailor V, you're under arrest for disturbing the-" A chain coiled around his leg and swept his foot from under him. Train fell on his head and, in his disorientation, tripped over Sanji and knocked his head again, making him out for the count.
Fai and Sven stared at each other in fear. Now it was up to them, and perhaps Eve, to stop the madness of this Sailor V. Just then, the bandit girl tossed her red glasses aside and shouted, "Venus Power Makeup!" Silence. Nothing had changed about her whatsoever. "Forget that, I'm already Sailor Venus! Venus Love Me Chain!" A string of metal soared towards Sven and Eve, who were pushed out of the way by Fai at the last second. The pursuit of the whip continued, and the three had to dodge it within the narrow alley. Fai signaled towards a dumpster, and with bird-like grace, he rebounded off the brick wall into the bin. The Sweeper and his sidekick hopped in after him.
"This lady isn't messing around," Sven pointed out as he peeked over the bin. "I would use my right eye, but I don't want to add to the pile of sitting ducks. We have to come up with a plan…I've got it!" As quietly as he could, he discussed his strategy with Fai and Eve.
Meanwhile, Sailor Venus was trying to lure her victims out of the dumpster. (The thought of her jumping in to get them out grossed her to the extreme.) "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she taunted. "If you get out of there, I'll buy you ice cream! I'll even get that daughter of yours a really cute dress!"
"She's not my daughter, damn it!" yelled Sven from within the dumpster. Now was the time to act. He nodded to Fai, who lightly slashed at his own chest and cheek with a broken bottle, streaked the blood in random places, then clambered out of the dumpster weakly.
"H-Help me…" stammered Fai as he tried to crawl on his hands and knees towards Sailor Venus. The blond girl was obviously freaked out and thought this man was bleeding to death. Fai veered slightly to the left to where Train lay unconscious next to Sanji. "Pills…must take Train's pills…to stop the pain…" He reached into the limp Sweeper's pocket and found what he was looking for. Suddenly, in a strong voice, Fai chucked the item and yelled, "Catch!"
Sven leapt out of the dumpster and caught the Hades gun in midair. In the blink of an eye, he loaded the gun and fired at Sailor Venus. The bullet exploded in a cloud of gas right in her face, and once it cleared, she was frozen in her spot. Literally.
"What gives?" Sailor Venus hollered while trying to move any other part of her body besides her mouth. "I'm freaking stuck! My body won't move!" Then, in horror, she looked behind Fai, who was still crouched on his hands and knees, and saw Eve running full speed in her direction. In a matter of seconds, Eve vaulted off Fai's back, launching herself in the air.
"You leave Sven alone, you ditz!" declared Eve as she morphed her hand into a frying pan and whacked it hard on Sailor Venus's head. The latter sported a dazed look before stiffly tipping over onto the ground. The Sweeper and the magician high-fived at their victory and joined Eve as she stared at the lifeless scout. There was a great deal of complimenting going around when they heard shuffling behind them.
"Oh my God, Eve!" came a voice from behind. The three turned to see Sanji and Train hobble their way towards the group. Train rubbed his head and continued, "Did you, like, kill her or something, or is she just knocked out cold?"
As if responding, the female bandit on the ground grunted and regained her focus, although she was still helplessly paralyzed. "You haven't beaten me yet!" she threatened, "next time around, I won't be caught off guard, and you'll have to deal with 'Super Sailor Venus!'" Silence. "What? I can't even strike my super cool pose! This sucks! I'm telling Rei on you guys!" In a flicker of orange light, Sailor Venus vanished without a trace.
That very instant, Sven fell onto his knees, clutching his pendant until his knuckles turned white. He groaned in pain, and Eve knelt down beside him in worry. "Sven!" she screamed, touching him and trying to get him to open his eyes. After several anxious moments, she seemed to get through to him. Sven opened his eyes and made eye contact with Eve. It was then the young girl saw something that she had never seen her guardian do before; he was starting to cry.
"I'm so sorry, Eve," Sven sobbed, "You were right, I have to leave you…I'm not sure what happened to me, but I saw it…I saw the future! The universe was in pieces, and both you and Train were…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"Sven," Fai whispered softly, patting him on the back, "That means it's time to go."
Train was baffled. "Huh? You just decided to randomly take my partner away from me to 'save the universe'? Give me a break! I've heard Creed come up with better tall tales!" Sanji, who was offering Sven his handkerchief, gave the cocky Sweeper the stare of death. There were no further questions.
Eve, however, ran up to Sven and flung her arms around him. They tightly embraced each other for what felt like an eternity, then Sven held his little princess at an arm's length. The final part of the dream was fulfilled; Eve was in tears.
Sven wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I promise I'll come back, Eve," he reassured as confidently as he could. "Whatever happens, you have my word that we'll be together again. Here," he planted a kiss on Eve's cheek, "a little something to remember me by." Sven could see Eve holding back a sob as she tenderly touched her cheek. He looked back at Sanji and Fai, who nodded for him to come along. With a final glance at his special girl, Sven stood up, closed his eyes, and recited the inevitable oath.
"Protector of All That Is Charming, hear my plea. I, Sven Vollfied, bearer of the Emerald Star, accept my position as member of the League of Extra-Sexy Gentlemen, and I will dedicate myself to fight against those that selfishly want to use the handsome looks of me or my comrades for evil." His pendent reignited and joined the glowing of the opal and sapphire. "Now, with the power of the Time Space Witch, grant us passage to the world of the demon Eclipse!" Sven waved a final goodbye to Train and Eve before being enveloped in a flash of light.