Subject: [FFML] SM: Dark Jewel -- ch. 2
From: mkkelly@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us (Marie Kelly)
Date: 7/14/1996, 5:25 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

[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."