[author's notes: This uses the NA first names, yet ALL the Japanese
last names. And that includes Amy. It's set in the first series,
and there's no Metallia/Negaforce. Just Beryl. Everything up to
"Sailor V Makes the Scene" is true, just so long as it didn't
deal with the Negaforce. Beryl wants the energy for herself. After
that episode, the story takes place. Chances are, future episodes'll
have scenes from future eps (of the show) in them. Chances are, they
won't.]
SAILOR MOON: DARK JEWEL
CHAPTER 2
A cold pale, hand grasped the brass knob, and twisted. Slowly...
slowly...the door slid open, the lack of any squeak showing how
well the hinges were oiled, how new and modern it was.
"New....modern..." a slight chuckle rose in the girl's
throat, and she smiled wickedly. "The new becomes the old, and
the old the dead--" she pushed the door open some more. "Yet the
timeless...that is *forever*." Standing just outside her bedroom
door, she peered in, fixated at the sight...the wondrous site she
had created!
"Nephlyte." There was no emotion in Molly's voice, only a
strange tone...unplacable, and unnoticable unless you knew you were
to look for it.
{Molly,} thought Nephlyte, unable to talk, his spirit glued
to his body. How long ago was it she was the sweet girl that had
fallen in love with him? Now...now O'T'Shan had her.
"They killed you, darling," she whispered, softly. "The
Sailor Scouts...you owe your deaths to them." Gently she walked up
to his corpse, and drew her fingers over his lips slowly...softly...
gently. "But, sweetheart, you will have your revenge. I will kill
them for you."
{No....Molly...don't do it! Fight him, please...} His
thoughts fell to empty ears, as Molly stood back. "They will die."
Her voice was cold, and determined. She looked to the floor. "All I
have to do is find out who they are. That should not be difficult.
After all, I have the Dark Jewel."
On the floor was a pentagram, with a different colored
candle at each point. One candle was white, one was yellow, one
was green, one was blue, and one was red. The pentagram was covered
with strange runes, archaic. It seemed to have been carved into the
ground.
Molly grasped the Dark Jewel firmly in her left hand,
and took a rod made out of willow in her right. Stepping inside
the pentagram, she drew a perfect circle outside the pentagram,
then chanted some words that seemed to be of bastardized Latin.
The circle, which before had been invisible, flamed up, and soon
yet another scorch mark decorated Molly's floor.
Perfect. None should destroy this. She faced the white
candle, and pointed the Dark Jewel at it. "Oh, Dark Jewel. Sailor
Moon is mine enemy. I may not have the power to destroy her as a
Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I
may destroy her!" The Dark Jewel began glowing, and the glow hit
the wick. A perfect white flame leapt up, and inside the candle's
flame
Molly saw visions.
Sailor Moon, dressed in her Sailor fuku and tiara
appeared. "Reveal thyself!" she screamed, and in the candles
flames, Sailor Moon's tiara slowly dissipiated, her red hair
buttons vanished, and her fuku reworked itself into a school
uniform.
Molly's eyes widened, and she stared, uncomprehending,
at the sight before her. "Serena? Serena Tsukino? *She's* Sailor
Moon....?" She narrowed her eyes, and an undeniably pleasurable
expression crossed her face. "I was growing weary of Serena.
It will be good to kill two birds with one stone."
She giggled, and would have enjoyed her little joke
further, had she not had more pressing business to complete.
She turned towards the yellow candle, and held the Dark Jewel
out to it. "Oh, Dark Jewel. Sailor Venus is mine enemy. She is
strange, and new. I may not have the power to defeat her as a
Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that
I may destroy her!" The Dark Jewel glowed, as before, and the
red candle lit, a perfect red flame. In the flame, Molly saw the
sight of Sailor Venus. "Reveal thyself!" she screamed and, once
again, the power of the Dark Jewel worked. Sailor Venus's tiara
vanished, and her orange fuku faded to a sort of non-color, and
started growing on her. Her front bow reworked itself into an ascot,
and her uniform gained the colors of red and white.
Molly frowned. She did not know this girl's name. "Never
mind...." she whispered. "I know what she looks like. That is all
that matters. I shall find out who she is soon enough."
She turned towards the green flame, giddy with her success.
"Sailor Jupiter in mine enemy! She is tough and strong! I may not
have have the power to defeat her as a Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee,
show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" The glow hit the
wick of the green candle, and the green candle, like the others,
leapt up in green flame. In the flame, Molly saw Sailor Jupiter.
"Reveal thyself!" she screamed.
"Lita Kino?" Molly stared at the picture that had revealed
itself in the flame. The green and pink of her fuku had faded to brown
and white, as her tiara had slid off her forehead. Her fuku reworked
itself into a brown uniform, with lacing up the top. "So, the amazon
is Sailor Jupiter? Creatures that like to fight so are destined to die
young...."
Only two more. She could not fail. She turned towards the
blue candle. "Sailor Mercury is mine enemy! She is weak of offense,
yet strong of defense! I may not be able to destroy her as a Sailor
Senshi. I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy
her!"
It was the same for Mercury as it had been for the others.
A glow of the jewel, a flash of blue light, the screaming of "Reveal
thyself!" and the fuku melting into the school uniform of the genius
girl with the 300 IQ, Amy Mizuno.
"Amy...Amy Mizuno. So, She's Sailor Mercury. She doesn't
seem to be a warrior...yet their personalities are so similar. I
should have seen it sooner.
The final one. Sailor Mars. Facing the red candle, Molly
held the dark jewel out to it. "Sailor Mars is mine enemy. She is
spiritual, and firey. I may not be able to destroy her as a Sailor
Senshi. I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may
destroy her!" The Dark Jewel's glow struck the red candle, and a red
flame burst up.
Raye Hino's eyes opened wide, and she sat up on her
futon, breathing heavily. She sensed evil...such *intense* evil.
Where was it? She grabbed her ofuda, trying to sense out the
location of the evil.
Molly glared at the red candle. "Something is...amiss," she
whispered. She held the Dark Jewel out to it, and let the energy of
the glowing gem enter the candle's flame.
Raye clutched her chest, as the evil washed over her. Perhaps
....was she the evil? It seemed to be coming from outside of her, yet
it was also a part of her, invading her.
NO! She couldn't let it! Raye drew the ofuda up to her face,
and closed her eyes.
In the flame, the form of Sailor Mars appeared.
"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen." The chant
was slow at first, the words barely breathed, yet gained in speed and
volume as it continued.
"REVEAL THYSELF!"
"ARKUYOU TAISAN!" Raye threw the charged ofuda on herself.
In the flame the fuku of Mars dissipiated, and formed itself
into a white gi, and vermillion hakima. It was only there for but a
second, before the flame was snuffed out, and the picture with it.
It was enough, though. "That girl at the temple. Serena's friend...
Raye Hino."
Raye peeled the ofuda off her forehead, breathing heavily.
The evil....it was gone.
But it wasn't. Raye sensed the evil still existed, and it
filled her with fear. She had never been the type to feel such fear
....Jadeite, Nephlyte, Zoisite, and that new man, Malachite, were not
able to fill her with fear such as this. This was a new evil, a pure
evil.
Raye Hino stood up. She knew she would not get any sleep.
****************************
The fire burned constantly, its bright orange flame
leaping majestically towards the sky, yet never quite touching,
the flame wild, free, yet contained.
It could not truly be contained, she knew. Physically, it
could--the boundaries were easily defined. Spiritually, the fire
was free to roam as it pleased, never being tamed, yet giving
guidance to those who seeked it.
The raven tressed maiden, clothed in her gi and kakima
of white and red, pure colors, stood alone in the room, staring
at the fire. "Such evil..." she whispered. "I must find out what
it is."
She had never done a fire reading in the middle of the night.
She preferred to sleep, and always, before, she had been able to
wait if she sensed something in the middle of the night.
This evil, however, though it no longer possessed her,
still existed. She could not wait. She *had* to find out what
it was.
Her fingers were placed together, as she knelt before
the fire. Under her breath, the Shinto Shrine Maiden chanted.
Molly stared at the extinguished red candle. "No...this
is not good," she whispered, and knelt down next to it, touching
the Dark Jewel to the wick. "She was able to extinguish my flame."
Molly closed her eyes, and the red flame lit up again.
Deep within her chant, Raye sensed the intrusion of the evil
once again.
"So," Molly looked at the flame. "Raye thinks to discover who
we are by a fire reading? The flames shall grasp her, and burn her to
a crisp. We'll like that, won't we?"
Nephlyte started. What--what did Molly say? Did she say "we?"
No...no, it couldn't be. He remembered, unwillingly...he remembered.
"Nephlyte," Queen Beryl had said, her claws scraping her
crystal ball. "My father enjoyed a good game. He would possess a
person, and take their minds. They would think for themselves, for a
bit, then would revert to we, as though they and my father were the
same. Then, they would refer to themselves as I, yet the I referred
to my father. He would leave them, then....and the weak soul would be
destroyed."
Nephlyte had bowed. "My Queen, why are you telling me this?"
"Your actions with Molly remind me of my father. Remember his
fate."
"Yes, my Queen."
It was! So soon! Nephlyte stared at Molly. O'T'Shan's
control over her...so strong, so powerful...had reached the "we" stage
already.
"Sailor Mars shall be the first to die. How apropos that the
Sailor of Fire dies by the flame."
NO! Nephlyte could not permit that! He did not care if
Sailor Mars...Raye Hino...lived or died. She was nothing more
than a Sailor Scout. However, he *loved* Molly, and would not
let O'T'Shan get her fully. She would not be destroyed because of
a *game*! Raye Hino had knowledge. Perhaps her fire readings could
alert the Sailor Scouts to the enemy, O'T'Shan, whom they could
destroy, and save Molly.
To save Raye, however, he would have to leave his body...
his shell.
Sweat dripped down Raye's face. Never had a vision been
this long in coming. There was also fear, yet she could not let
the fear intrude on her, it would only weaken her.
"Flame," whispered Molly. "Hear me. Grasp the girl,
and keep her in your fingers. Do not release her until SHE IS
DEAD!" Threads from the Dark Jewel entered the candle, and
began seeping around the Sacred Fire.
Such pain! Such agony! Nephlyte gasped, in horror.
His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he began shaking.
True, it was awful! "Molly," he whispered. "I must...be calm. I
must...I must...save Molly....."
The evil was closer, almost touching her. Raye continued
to chant, knowing that *something* must happen soon.
Molly glared. Strange, the flame should have obeyed the
Dark Jewel by now. This Hino girl certainly was strong...yet not
strong enough.
Nephlyte's spirit fled towards the Cherry Hill Temple,
knowing that Raye's life hung in the balance. If he could only
reach her in time...
The Dark Jewel touched upon the flames, and the flames
began reacting, drawing themselves towards the meditating girl.
A dark shape threw itself between Raye and the
flames, there was an explosion, and all was black.
*******************
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. A steady beeping sound
entered Raye's ears. Strange...this didn't feel like her
bed. Eyes still closed she tried to sit up.
"Rest, Miss Hino," said a strange voice, one that she
had never heard. Raye opened her eyes, and found herself in a
room with a dull green color scheme. An IV dripped into her left
arm, her chest was hooked up to a heart moniter, and tubes fed
oxygen to her nose.
"What...where am I?" She could deduce that she was in a
hospital, she only did not know *which* hospital.
"Tokyo General," the nurse replied.
"Why...why am I here? Can I have visitors?"
As if in answer to the latter question, her grandfather
burst in. "Raye!" he called.
"Ssshhh!" the nurse rebuked him.
"Grandpa," Raye smiled at the small, old man. She turned to
the nurse. "Would you mind leaving us alone?" Her granfather looked
serious, more serious than he usually looked.
Nodding grimly, the nurse left, closing the door.
"Grandpa, do you know why I'm here?"
Rather than answer her question, the old man replied
something seeminly unrelated. "I don't want you to do fire
readings any more."
Raye gasped. "Grandpa! You can't mean that!" {I have
to find out what the evil is.} "But....why?"
"You nearly died."
Died? Raye did not even bother to hide her surprise.
"How?" Her grandfather answered the question she did not
ask. "You were doing a fire reading, in the middle of the night."
Raye nodded. That much was true. "Chad woke up when he heard a
thump. He went to investigate and saw you, lying there, still as
death. He went up to you, and saw you were not breathing. He also
could not find a heartbeat. He knew CPR, and called an ambulance.
Raye, if Chad hadn't been there you'd be dead!"
Raye soaked in all her grandfather told her. So, *that* was
why she was in the hospital. Yet, why had a fire reading done all
that? It was the evil.
"Raye, I want you to promise me you won't do any more fire
readings."
Raye looked at her grandfather. She hated to let him down,
yet....this evil was powerful, it had nearly killed her. She had to
find out what it was was.
"Grandpa," she whispered.
"Mr. Hino," at that moment, the nurse chose to
reenter the room. "Your granddaughter needs her rest."
Silently thanking the nurse for returning at that
moment, Raye closed her eyes. She was rather tired....
"Miss Hino, you have visitors." Raye sat up in bed.
She would be glad. A few hours earlier, she had been moved
to a regular ward, since it was clear that her life was
no longer in jeopardy. Still, she was not allowed to leave
the hospital yet.
Three girls entered the room...one had short blue
hair, and blue eyes; one was taller than the rest, with
green eyes and brown hair loosely done up in a ponytail.
One, however, could not be seen. She was hiding behind a
pink bunny rabbit. The girl put the bunny on Raye's bed,
revealing a sweet face, with blue-eyes and tails coming out of
"meatballs".
"Hi, guys," Raye said.
"Raye," Amy, the blue one, looked concerned.
"What happened?"
"I was doing a fire reading...there's a new evil."
"A new evil?" Serena looked scared, and she picked
up the bunny rabbit, and held it to her chest. "Don't we
have enough evils?"
"Maybe if you'd fight, instead of whine, we could
destroy this evil!" Raye instinctively snapped. She did not
hate Serena; in many ways, she was fond of the crybaby.
Still, somebody had to tell Serena how things were, without
sugarcoating it.
Serena's response was to be expected. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
You're so mean, Raye!"
"Hmmph..." Raye tilted her chin. "At least I'm not a meatball
head."
"Guys, chill." Though she was tough, and could easily beat
the others into submission, Lita chose to act as a peaceful
moderator. "We've got to find out what this new evil is."
"That's right," said a strange, young, female voice.
The others turned towards it, and saw a girl they did not
recognize in the door. She was dressed in a blue skirt, and white
top, with red ascot. Her hair was the same length as Mars, only it
was pulled back into a bright red bow.
"Who are you?" Lita asked suspiciously, her hands balled
into fists.
"I'm one of you. I'm Mina."
Mina? The others stared at her, and slowly, her features
became similiar. Serena was the first to speak.
"Sailor Venus!?" she squealed, causing Amy and Lita to
clap their hands over her mouth. Mina apparently didn't notice
this faux pas, for she simply flipped her hair. "That's me,"
she smiled proudly.
"Wow...so you're name is Mina?" Serena's voice was
quieter.
From the yards of blonde hair, came a voice. "That's
right. There is an evil. And you've got to stop it."
Everybody fell down, stiff, and quickly recovered.
(Execept Raye, who was lying flat on the bed, and Mina, who
seemed to expect it.)
A white cat with a cresent moon on his foread
climbed out of Mina's hair, and dropped to the ground. "The
Negaverse is getting stronger. You have to defeat it."
"This isn't the Negaverse," Raye whispered, just
as Serena said, "I thought they didn't allow cats in here."
"I...uh...snuck him him," Mina giggled.
Just then, they heard Raye's words. "What did you
say?" Amy inquired. "It's *not* the Negaverse?"
"No, it's a new evil. I sensed it. I could not
tell what it was from my fire reading. Grandpa wanted me
to promise to quit doing fire readings, but I can't. Not
until I find out what this evil is." She drew in her breath.
"I *must* find out what this evil is."
*************************
She was terribly dissappointed. She had failed. *Something*
had gotten in the way of the flames.
Molly's fingers rolled over the dart she had between her fingers.
She had chosen based on emotion, on whom she felt should die
first. That was not right. "The best way," she whispered, sitting up in
bed and closing her eyes, "is by CHANCE!" as she shouted "chance", she
flung the dart at the far wall.
On the far wall, there was a picture of all the Sailor Senshi.
The dart had lodged itself right between the eyes of one of them.
"Sailor Venus."