Author's Note
In all seriousness I don't own Sailor Moon or Fullmetal Alchemist, yet the concept is mine. Please don't take it without my consent… PLEASE…
It's gonna be hard to follow up after last chapter, but I made this one extra long! And we are going through some more of that "serious" stuff, but I guarantee the next chapter will be fun! Enjoy!
Sailor Moon and the Philosopher's Stone
Chapter 8: The Time Has Come (another semi-serious timespan)
After about two hours of the fog, Ed had given up hope of relocating Sailor Mercury so that he could kill her for confusing him with a GIRL! How dare she confuse him with a blond girl in this low visibility environment!
"Hey Edna, you probably should stop screaming just in case a demon decides to be brave and come in here," Sailor Mars said, giggling some. Truth be told, the three-minute silence from Edward Elric was a little disturbing, and she was worried that he was actually in trouble.
"EDNA?" Ed roared over the mists. Sailor Mars sighed a sigh of relief.
"Oh! That's a cute name for Fullmetal Mars!" Sailor Moon giggled. "We'll just call him Edna from now on!"
"Now guys," Sailor Mercury whimpered. Apparently she was still shaken from the near-death experience.
"Brother, don't be angry," Al whimpered as well. Sailor Venus shivered, knowing what was coming too.
"Ed," Winry shouted. "I don't think she meant it!"
"Yes I did!" Sailor Moon replied, as the group crashed into the ground. Roy was the first to recover.
"Quit making fun of my officer or I'll have you all arrested," Roy said sternly. Sailor Mars sighed.
"That's not what I intended Meatball Head," she said sharply. "I was just making sure he was all right. I was worried because he wasn't screaming and whining about anything!"
There was a collective gasp.
"Mars is turning into me!" Sailor Venus squealed, frightened. "Please don't turn me into a short-tempered man-hater next. PLEASE."
She looked to the sky as she pleaded, as Al sweat-dropped.
"It's physically impossible for us to switch personalities, but everyone does have their moments," Sailor Mercury replied. "Does anyone see an end to the black fog yet?"
"I think I do," Winry announced, as suddenly the fog was gone.
"NOW YOU'RE MINE!" Ed screeched at Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.
"Brother! No! Wait!" Al shouted, as he grabbed Ed, and the two scouts hid behind Sailor Mars, terrified. Profanities and other rude remarks came from the struggling boy in red.
"Alpha, Beta, Paige, Leaflet, and Binder," Sailor Jupiter whispered.
"What's wrong?" Winrey asked her.
"I can't help but think that these people we are facing are personifications of the different aspects of the Book of Doom," Sailor Jupiter said.
"None of their powers seem to have any relation to a book thus far," Sailor Venus said simply. "They are that in name only if anything."
"And I can't help but wonder what the next test will be like," Sailor Mars said gruffly.
"He did say observation had to do with the next test, but I thought they were all different," Roy noted.
"They are Flame Alchemist," a voice hissed. The group stopped arguing as a cloud of smoke rose up and a half man, half snake creature appeared before them. "You must now take my test, a test of faith. If you are asked to do something, will you follow through without fail, regardless of circumstance?"
"Ugh, who are you?" Sailor Moon asked, shivering some at his appearance.
"I am Binder."
"You're the one that made the rules for these trials," Ed pointed out.
"Yes," the snake man replied. "So are you ready?"
"We are!" Sailor Moon announced. "You can have faith in us!"
"Good. Your task is simple. Kill him," Binder replied, pointing to the figure in the shadows. Sailor Mars shivered.
"I'm getting a strange vibe," she said to the others. A rose came out, and nearly struck Sailor Moon, as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars pulled her out of the way. Sailor Moon was speechless, as were the others.
"Okay you rose-throwing freak, get out here," Ed shouted, as he clapped his hands. The Sailor Scouts all turned to Ed.
"NO FULLMETAL!" they cried, as he gave them a strange look. The man stepped out of the shadows. The girls gasped, as those of FMA were wondering: who was this man in tuxedo, and a mask upon his face, covering his eyes?
"It can't be," Sailor Moon whimpered. "Tuxedo Mask?"
"Even his name is corny," Ed muttered under his breath.
"Who is he Sailor Moon?" Al asked, feeling a little left out at this point.
"In short, Sailor Moon's guardian and lover," Roy said simply, as the WHOLE group stared at him.
"How did you know about that?" the man, Tuxedo Mask, asked.
Roy gave a sly smirk.
"I can tell when a lovely young lady has clearly fallen for another man's charms," Roy replied, as the group crashed.
"Colonel can't you ever be serious?" Ed screamed at him.
"Would you shut up already?" Sailor Venus cried, as she caught herself. "NNNOOOOO!"
She fell to her knees.
"Are you okay?" Al asked.
"No I'm not okay!" Sailor Venus wailed. "I just yelled at a cute guy! I AM turning into Sailor Mars!"
The group sweatdropped at her obvious compliment, obvious insult, and incessant wailing.
"Oh can it Venus and cut the melodramatics!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Tuxedo Mask just threw A ROSE at HIS PRINCESS!"
"Princess?" Winry asked.
"My princess isn't here," Tuxedo Mask announced.
"Then you are clearly not Tuxedo Mask," Roy replied, snapping his fingers.
"HIT THE DECK!" Ed shouted, as Al dropped him and he and the girls all ducked to avoid the—
BOOM!
That. Anyhow, the dust cleared and the man still remained, however, he no longer looked like Tuxedo Mask. He looked like another, a man that made Roy, Al, Ed, and Winry all stop in their tracks.
"MAES?" they demanded.
"I got it!" Sailor Mercury squeaked from behind Sailor Mars. "He's a chameleon!"
"A what?" Sailor Moon asked.
"A shape-shifter?" Ed asked.
"Exactly. He changes his appearance to whoever we could never kill," Sailor Mercury replied.
"So all of you could never kill Tuxedo Mask? Why?"
"He and Sailor Moon are destined to be," Sailor Venus proclaimed. "We, especially not me, would ever destroy true love!"
"So who is this Maes guy?" Sailor Jupiter asked.
"He's a fellow officer," Roy started, his voice now distant.
"He's a good friend," Ed added.
"And he was murdered!" Winry sobbed. "Someone murdered him! So how could he be here?"
"It's because he isn't Winry," Al said soothingly. "He died, and this man is an imposter."
"OH REALLY?" the chameleon, who now had the voice of Maes, laughed. "That's a good one. I'll have you know Alicia is doing so well right now, I could almost eat her myself."
Winry seemed to be at a breaking point. She walked right up to the man, and raised her wrench.
"Winry?" the group asked, as she closed her eyes and swung with all her might.
"NO ONE PRETENDS TO BE MY FRIEND!" Winry cried. When the mallet struck Maes, he disintegrated into ashes.
"Well done," Binder said, coming back onto the scene.
"How dare you use our memories like that!" Sailor Moon screamed at him.
"There are no rules in love and war Sailor Moon. You should know this very well. In fact, this is why I come to you to let you know the next test will take more than the pure luck you've had in the past trials. Your next test, is a rescue mission. The captured are people that each of you could never live without. They may even be amongst yourselves. Due to the gravity of Version's test, I shall allow you two days rest here, where you may discuss strategies and whatever else you may feel the need to talk about. This is your final trial. If you pass, you will be allowed to see the book, and you will be allowed to return from whence you came."
And without another word, Binder was gone, leaving the group alone, with a magical appearance of a campsite. The group looked at one another.
"This has been luck up until now?" Winry asked through her tears. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Why did Winry's attack work and not Flame's?" Sailor Mars asked.
"Someone around here has something against fire-based superheroes," Sailor Venus replied. "I've noticed that nothing you two have done has worked since we started this trip."
"I noticed that too," Sailor Jupiter said softly. The group went to the campsite, to sit in the nearest and largest of the two tents. They sat around a circle.
"Okay," Sailor Mercury said, closing her laptop and giving the most serious face she could. "We need to discuss right now. Who are those most important to us?"
"My brother, Winry," Al replied softly.
"Maes, my family, my friends," Winry answered.
"You guys," Sailor Moon announced. "And everyone back home."
"Too many people," Sailor Mercury sighed. "It's almost like we'll all be separated from one another, and the rest of the world."
"I don't want to rescue that many people. It would be impossible," Winry said simply.
"I sure hope not. I don't want to be alone!" Sailor Moon wailed.
"Me either!" Al replied.
"We should plan to be separated then?" Sailor Mars asked.
"Yeah," Sailor Mercury answered, as she started typing away. Silence reigned for several moments. "Uh—you guys, you might want to start training or something. I mean, unless there's something else you plan to do to prepare."
The group all stared at her, and then looked to one another. They then proceeded to leave the tent, and go their separate ways.
"So what are you doing?" Sailor Venus asked Ed and Al, who were sparring rigorously.
"We're sparring, what does it look like?" Ed roared at her.
"Brother, pay attention," Al replied simply, as Sailor Venus watched them fight a little more.
"You look really strong Ed. Why do you spar so much if you're world doesn't have demons? And how did you get into an army? And what happened to your arm?"
"Al," Ed said softly, as Al nodded, and the two stopped fighting. "Why all the questions Venus?"
"Because I'm curious. This whole time you've been here I've not had a single moment to ask you anything about you, and we've nearly been forced to explain everything about ourselves."
"What if I make a deal?" Ed said. "For every question I answer you have to answer one of mine."
"Okay, sounds fair," Sailor Venus said.
"First question, I spar because I am a member of the military. I need to stay in top shape all the time. Now for my question to you," Ed said, as Sailor Venus smiled some. "How in the world did you all get into the superhero business?"
"It's been my destiny since before I was born as the Scout of Love!" Sailor Venus replied, smiling.
"Second question, I am a genius, and I know alchemy better than most of the old men who run that place," Ed said. "So why are you the Scout of Love?"
"It's my destiny once again. I was born who I am," Sailor Venus said simply.
"I'm not answering that third one unless you answer mine first," Ed said sharply.
"Fair enough, you answered the first two," Sailor Venus said.
"Where is Sailor Moon a princess of?" Ed asked. Sailor Venus knew very well that telling that would get her final answer, but was it wise to explain to a human, especially Edward Elric, about the Silver Millenium. "I guess you aren't answering."
"It's a difficult subject."
"So is my arm."
"But Brother," Al started, as Ed gave him a sharp look. Ed watched the Sailor Scout look to the sky, and then back to the girls behind her who were all doing various things on their own. She couldn't seem to locate Sailor Mars or Roy, but she assumed they were in a tent somewhere, doing something. At least that was the vibe she got from Raye on the subject. Being the love scout had its perks.
"Okay, you remember when Sailor Moon said the flowers reminded her of the Moon?"
"She's a princess of the Moon? But how? No one can live on the Moon," Ed said, shocked.
"They can't anymore," Sailor Venus replied dimly. "Ever since the demon Queen Beryl, no one has ever lived on the moon. In fact, Sailor Moon is the last living Lunarian, just as we are of our own planets. Although alone, we are Sailor Scouts. We will not back down from any challenge, no matter the price. We have come back from the grave to protect Sailor Moon and this beautiful planet many times before, and we'll willingly do it again."
"You're insane."
"You owe me an answer."
"It's the result of what's called a human transmutation. Al and I were once fully human. Our mother died, and we vowed to bring her back. We played with God's law and this is what happened. He claimed my leg, and after I transmuted Al's soul to this armor, I lost my arm. Since then we've been hunting for the Philosopher's Stone so that we can have our bodies back."
Throughout his speech, Sailor Venus' face seemed to fill with tears, as she randomly hugged both of them.
"If you were only here!" she sobbed.
"There was nothing to be done," Ed said simply, looking down.
"But there should have been! You were left all alone!" Sailor Venus replied.
"We've always been alone," Ed pointed out. Sailor Venus gave him a bear hug.
"I'm so sorry we couldn't protect you—that I couldn't protect you," she whispered. Ed gave the blonde a funny look.
"What are you talking about?" Ed asked, as Al sat down, meditating. He figured he was out of the conversation the moment she hugged Ed.
"You've gone to Hell to bring your mother back. I can't be more sorry for being unable to watch over you and protect you from that journey. I am the scout of love after all."
"Why would you protect me?" Ed asked, as Sailor Venus backed up from him, and laughed some.
"Silly me. I've gone and said too much," Sailor Venus giggled. She turned from them. "It's nothing really. I just feel this strange connection between you and me Ed. It's not anything strong, but there's something there, and I can't find it."
"What kind of connection?" Ed asked now. He wasn't sure if this girl was losing it or not. She seemed to be rambling now.
"Oh! Nothing!" she announced now, rushing off.
"What was that all about?" Ed asked himself.
"I think she likes you Brother," Al replied. Ed turned to him.
"Are you kidding me? She's probably looking for something to make fun of me for!" Ed said.
"She seemed like she didn't," Al said.
Meanwhile, Roy and Sailor Mars were sitting quietly in the smaller tent. They had seen the incident between Sailor Venus, Al, and Ed.
"What do you think that was about?" Roy asked Sailor Mars, who broke her meditation.
"No clue. However, Venus seems to like him. Can't see why. Stupid runt whines a lot."
"We agreed."
"Sorry, it slipped," Sailor Mars replied in a dry tone.
"The boy's had it rough. So rough in fact he thinks the world's against him," Roy said simply. "He's killed several men in his short life, and watched close family and friends die by the hands of the ruthless. He's not able to be a naïve little boy anymore."
"He is naïve," Sailor Mars corrected. "Otherwise he would see that whining gets him nothing. Silence is the best course."
"Is this from personal experience?" Roy asked.
"It's none of your concern where my opinion comes from," Sailor Mars said bluntly. Outside the tent, Sailor Jupiter listened intently.
"Why won't she admit she likes the guy? Sheesh!" Sailor Jupiter thought. She gave up, and walked over to the larger tent, to com into the conversation of Mercury and Winry.
"So you really think that alchemy is a pseudoscience?" Winry pressed.
"Here, it is," Sailor Mercury replied bluntly. "Just as magic does not exist in your home."
"Good point," Winry replied. She saw Sailor Jupiter. "Oh, Jupiter, right? Are Ed and Al sparring outside?"
"They are taking a break I think," Sailor Jupiter replied.
"I'll let you two talk," Winry said, getting up and walking out.
"You still aren't angry about that are you Ames?" Sailor Jupiter asked.
"No, it's just that boy. He struts around and acts like he knows everything."
"That boy is our age you know."
"That's not the point!" Sailor Mercury replied.
"Just give it time. He still doesn't understand our home, just as we don't get his."
"I guess you're right," Sailor Mercury said. "It's strange, you know? Hearing all this for the first time. It's like we've been living a giant lie."
"Well, we haven't," Sailor Jupiter said reassuringly. "We've lived according to our laws for centuries."
"You have a point."
Outside the tent, at the edge of the campsite, sat Sailor Moon.
"Can I be strong enough? No, I will not doubt myself. I will be strong enough. I will rescue you Darien, Rini. I know you'll be there in two days. I can feel it in my soul. I just hope you can hold out for me. I will rescue everyone, so that we can leave this place and recover the book."
She looked at her broach, the crystal shimmering within.
"We'll find out the truth about this crystal. I can't believe it was made in such a cruel fashion, but Ed did have a point. I want this answer myself. I can't believe that my ancestors were cold-blooded murderers."
She turned back to the campsite, and watched Winry come back with Ed and Al, as Sailor Jupiter came with Sailor Mercury bearing food for a meal. For once in her life, Sailor Moon had lost her appetite. She turned away from the group, and sat there, looking out into the nothingness that they had entered only a short while before. It was about two minutes before Sailor Venus sat beside her.
"We're eating right now Meatball Head, aren't you hungry?" she asked, smiling.
"I've lost my appetite," Sailor Moon replied distantly.
"You? Oh man, now I definitely know something is wrong with you!" Sailor Venus giggled, giving her a big hug. "Don't let what Ed said to you today bother you. It's not like he's going to be right. We both know that your ancestors could never be that cruel!"
"I know, but what if the Silver Imperium Crystal really is a Philosopher's Stone?"
"We would've found out!" Sailor Venus replied. "Come on! Let's go chow down tonight, and tomorrow you can get all mopey."
"Promise?"
"It's a date."
"Mina!"
"Just kidding Serena!" Sailor Venus said, as the two turned to rejoin the group…