Hello Minna-san,

Here is part 4 of "The World Without" by Mike Chenoweth.  This one
should be of interest to the Ami-chan okatu.

If you need the previous parts, please Email me or it is available at
the SM Fanfics Archive (Canadian Site) at
http://log.on.ca/users/helm/anime/index.htm along with any of another
230+ fics.

There is also voting on this page for the SM Fanfics Archive Author of
the Month and Author of the Week. Please all you SM fanfic readers, go
to the above URL and vote.

Please comment if you can. We (Mike especially) loves to hear from you
what you think good or bad.

Part 5 is scheduled for release February 25.

Ja ne,

"Tuxedo" Will
Venus "love me" chain encircle!
Keeper of the SM Fanfics/Scripts Archives



Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within this
work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansya
and probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting. I am using
them without permission, but suing me because of it would be futile
as I have nothing. Feel free to distribute this work around (for no
profit, of course; I'm not making any...), as long the included text
is unmodified. If you publish or repost it somewhere, please let me
know.
  Comments, criticism, flames, etc. welcomed (and, in fact,
requested) at Ultrace@aol.com.


The World Without
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Mike Chenoweth [Ultrace@aol.com]
Co-Plotted by "Tuxedo Will" Wolfshohl [Wwolfshohl@logicon.com] and
     Nikki "Jet Wolf" Purvis [Jetwolf@ix.netcom.com]
Additional Editing by Novareinna [Novareinna@aol.com]

     Special Note: This part was conceived and written by Nikki Purvis,
with Mike Chenoweth and Will Wolfshohl as Co-Plotters.


Part 4:  Strong as the Weakest Link? Jadeite's Challenge!
February, 1997


     "Ami-chan, what's the matter?"
     Ami looked up at Luna's entrance, suddenly realizing that she'd
been staring at the same page in her book for the past fifteen minutes.
She sighed to herself, wondering if the cat would believe it if she were
told that Ami was merely concerned with her latest test results.
     "Oh Luna," the girl began, resting her head on her crossed arms, "I
don't know. I was just thinking about all that I've seen recently."
     The cat nodded in sympathetic understanding. It was difficult
enough for her to accept all that had gone on in her life sometimes, she
knew perfectly well how fast everything was moving and how confusing it
must all seem for Ami. It didn't help that Luna herself could only
remember bits and pieces of the past.
     "I just keep thinking back to all of the fights we've been in with
the Dark Kingdom... And how close some of them have been. If Minako-chan
hadn't already been found by Artemis, our mission would have been over
before it really began."
     Luna opened her mouth to protest Ami's statements and defend her
charge, but the sad smile that spread across Ami's face halted the cat's
speech.
     "I know, I know," Ami began, closing her eyes. "You're going to
tell me how important I am to the team and what a great job I'm doing
and...."  Ami's voice trailed off. With another sigh, she opened her
eyes and looked at Luna. "I know you mean well. But the point is, I'm
afraid. Not only for myself, but for you, Minako-chan, Artemis... For
the entire world. I can't afford to be weak, Luna.  But I don't know
what to do about it."

     He was not having a good day.
     In fact, Jadeite hadn't had a single good day since those blasted
Sailor Senshi appeared. Where he had once been Queen Beryl's favored
agent, he now had to fight every day to keep her from destroying him on
a whim or in a fit of anger. And while he hadn't ever failed completely,
he'd never really succeeded either.
     Queen Beryl was only willing to give so many chances. Jadeite knew
that he was running out of them.
     Conjuring up an image of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus, Jadeite
stared at the girls with undisguised hatred. THEY were the cause of his
downfall. If it weren't for them, he could've collected more than enough
energy by now!
     He pushed all those thoughts out of his head.  There was nothing to
be gained from placing blame or thinking about what might have been.
Jadeite had to deal with the here and now. The Sailor Senshi were
Earth's defenders, and they weren't just going to go away.
     He needed a plan.
     Jadeite continued to stare at the hovering image, mentally
reviewing all that he had managed to observe and learn about his young
opponents.

     An unexpected leg sweep sent Sailor Mercury crashing to the ground.
She grunted in pain as all the air was knocked out of her and she found
it difficult to move immediately. She blinked several times, trying to
clear her vision and almost missing the foot that was aimed for her
head. Instinctively, she rolled to safety, feeling the rushing air of
the incoming blow as it impacted with the very spot where she had been
only moments before.
     Ami's heart was pounding in her ears, the thought of her close call
threatening to make her pass out. But her attacker wouldn't allow such
luxuries, already tensing and preparing to try again. She didn't know
what to do. Her computer had been knocked out of her hand earlier and
was lying several meters away, too far to try and reach. And if she DID
manage to get a hold of it, what good would it do her?
     The battle had taken its toll on Ami. Her arms and legs were
bruised and scratched, and her ankle was beginning to swell from where
she had taken a bad fall. She felt drained and exhausted and completely
powerless. The area was already beginning to clear up from her latest
Shabon Spray, which had proved to be as ineffective as every one before
it.
     Ami laid her head back down on the ground and closed her eyes.
`Just let it happen quickly,' she thought to herself.
     A minute or so later, when Ami noticed that she was still
breathing, she opened her eyes to see Sailor Venus peering down, her
face a mixture of anger and concern.
     "Oh good, you're awake. Did you stay up too late studying last
night or something?"  Venus' voice was laced with just enough humor to
take the sting out of the words, but not enough to cover up how upset
she was. Grasping the other girl's hand, Venus hauled Mercury to her
feet, supporting her friend when she stumbled slightly on her raw ankle.
     "Now then," Minako began as the two transformed out of their fukus
and headed for a nearby bench, "do you want to tell me what just
happened?"
     Ami winced a little as she sat down, grateful for the chance to get
her breath back and tend to her injury. "You're just too good for me,
Minako-chan," she said with a slight smile that did nothing to hide the
sadness in her eyes.

     Minako flashed a quick V-for-victory from across the park where she
was retrieving the compact computer, but her heart wasn't in the
gesture. While it was true that Ami wasn't anywhere near to Minako's
athletic level, she HAD improved since they'd begun their workouts.
     A week or so ago, Ami would never have been able to dodge Minako's
kick. She was progressively learning how to make herself more flexible
in combat, being able to use both her fantastic mind and her body to
their best advantage. Ami still had a long way to go, and would probably
never be on quite the same level as her trainer, but Minako was still
impressed with what she had seen.
     To see Ami simply giving up disturbed the blonde greatly.
     Still, she put on a big smile as she brought the computer back to
her friend. Ami took it and began to scan her ankle. Minako sat down and
looked over Ami's shoulder at the readout, even though she could never
really make heads or tails out of the information it spat out.
     "Just a minor sprain," Ami reported. "I'll soak it tonight. It
should be as good as new tomorrow morning."
     "Great!"
     An uncomfortable silence laid heavily between the two as Ami shut
down the computer and put it away, staring down at her feet.  Finally,
Minako cleared her throat. "Ami-chan--"
     "I'm sorry."
     The voice was so low that Minako wasn't even sure if she'd heard it
at all. "What?"
     Ami's head came up, but she stared straight ahead, tears filling
her eyes. She blinked, sending them cascading down her cheeks. "I'm
sorry," she repeated.
     Minako felt herself wanting to cry as well at the sound of such
despair in Ami's voice, but she forced herself to smile instead to try
and lighten the moment. "Sorry? What for? I was having a great time
tonight. You were really giving me quite a workout and--"
     "STOP IT!" Ami cried, whirling on Minako, her face showing an anger
that the blonde wasn't even aware her friend possessed, causing Minako
to reflexively slide down the length of the bench to put a safer
distance between them. "I don't want to hear any more speeches about how
much I've improved and what an asset I am to the team!"
     Minako opened her mouth and reached out a hand to try and calm Ami,
but the girl smacked it away.
     "You don't get it, do you?! Look at me, Minako-chan! Look at you!
You're faster than me, you're stronger than me, your powers are more
destructive than mine. In a fight, I'm a liability, a hindrance! I'm
USELESS!!"  With that, Ami surged to her feet and began to run from the
park where they'd been training, but before she could go two steps her
ankle gave out on her. Ami found herself again on the ground.
     In an instant, Minako was there, drawing the smaller girl close to
her in a comforting hug. Ami tried desperately to pull away, but Minako
held fast. Finally, Ami stopped struggling and instead sobbed into her
friend's shoulder while Minako gently rocked back and forth, whispering
words of comfort.

     That night, Aino Minako had a difficult time getting to sleep, her
friend's words echoing in her mind as she tried to think of a way to
show Ami that Sailor Mercury was anything but a useless liability.
     Mizuno Ami, exhausted from her emotional outburst, fell unconscious
almost as soon as she was in bed. Her sleep was riddled with dreams. In
each one, she watched, helpless, as her friends were defeated and the
Earth destroyed. Again and again.
     Elsewhere, the being known only as Jadeite finally smiled for the
first time since retreating to his chambers, as the path to his victory
suddenly became perfectly clear.

                            ------------------

     Ami walked to school steadily but slowly, deeply lost in thought.
It had been several days since her breakdown in the park. Minako, Luna
and Artemis had been nothing but caring, reassuring and supportive, but
nothing they said could really change how Ami felt.  They had tried, but
she still didn't feel any more secure in her abilities or position as a
Sailor Senshi. The fact remained that no matter how hard she tried or
how much she improved, she would never compare to Sailor Venus.
     "Shabon Spray!"
     She was so engrossed in her own ponderings that Ami almost didn't
quite comprehend the words she had just heard. She didn't remember
actually getting there, but she was now at the front gates of her
school, and her head jerked up toward where she had heard the voice.
She saw someone running in her direction, another person close in
pursuit. Both were laughing like they were four years old and without a
care in the world, despite the fact that they were at least Ami's age.
The two students flew by at break-neck pace. So fast, in fact, that Ami
almost wasn't able to see them at all. But she did catch one interesting
detail.
     The pursuer was wearing what appeared to be a blue visor.
     `That's strange,' Ami thought to herself as she opened the door to
the main building and stepped inside. Her classmates running around in
the school's front yard were nothing compared to the scene that awaited
her in the hallways.
     Almost the entire student body was either wearing a blue visor or
carrying a compact computer. Or both, in some cases. Her classmates were
running around, up and down the stairs and through the halls, ducking
behind open doors and "shooting" at each other with cries of "Shabon
Spray!" or by spouting out some impressive (yet meaningless) technical
jargon while pounding furiously on their hand-held computers.
     Ami walked toward her first class feeling as though she must still
be asleep and dreaming, she just didn't know it yet. Two boys tore by,
nearly bowling her over in their excitement. Ami decided that this was
even more bizarre than a talking cat.
     She finally reached her classroom and stood outside, just randomly
watching the action going on around her before a nearby conversation
drew her attention.
     "Wheeee, look at meeeeee! I'm Sailor Mercury!"
     "Usagi, you look ridiculous."
     "No I don't Naru-chan, I look COOL."
     Naru gave a weary sigh. "Whatever, Usagi."
     "And look! Lookit my cool computer!"
     "Usagi, it's a piece of hinged plastic with a shiny `Mercury
symbol' sticker on it and an even CHEAPER looking sticker on the inside
that's drawn to look like a computer. At least I think that's what it's
supposed to look like. It's so awful that I can't be sure."
     But Usagi was undaunted by Naru's lack of enthusiasm. She began to
animatedly talk about all the stuff she could do with her computer, how
she was going to program it with the answers to the test next week, and
get at LEAST a forty. Naru rolled her eyes and looked like she wished
she were somewhere--ANYWHERE--else.
     "Ooo, guess what I can see with my VISOR!"
     "Absolutely nothing because it's a cheap piece of--"
     "I can see .... Haruna-sensei! She's on the phone! Oo, she doesn't
look happy, I wonder if someone else just backed out on a date?"
     Naru looked in the direction that her deranged friend was staring.
"Usagi, you're just looking through the window in the door!"
     "This is just the coolest!"
     "It's a piece of clear blue plastic with some red flashing lights
attached to either side!"
     Usagi ignored Naru's comments while she tried to use her computer
to pick up Haruna's phone conversation.
     "Usagi, you're even more childlike than usual today. How much did
you pay for that stuff, anyway?"  Naru waited a few moments, but when it
became clear that Usagi was too deeply engrossed in "using" the visor to
examine the contents of a nearby trashcan to answer, she forcibly
grabbed the girl's shoulders and faced her. "Usagi! How much?"
     The blonde gave a nonchalant shrug. "My allowance."
     Naru's response was anything but nonchalant. "Your WHOLE
allowance?! Every bit of it for this week?!"
     "And next week's, too."
     "Two week's allowance for THIS?!"
     Usagi nodded and then frowned. "If Papa hadn't been so cheap, I
could've gotten the deluxe editions."
     Ami continued to listen to the conversation (which consisted of a
lot of shouting on Naru's part) with only one ear, her mind mulling over
Usagi's strange behavior... And why it was that everyone was pretending
to be Sailor Mercury.

     At lunch, Ami sat in her usual spot, an area nicely secluded to the
side of the main building underneath a cherry tree that provided
excellent shade there. Ami would sit and eat her sandwiches while either
doing classwork or reading a book.
     Today, however, her bento sat next to her unopened, her fingers
busily clacking away on the keys of her compact computer. `At least the
sudden outbreak of Mercury paraphernalia doesn't make my own computer
stand out,' she thought to herself while inputting the data.
     Her morning classes had reminded Ami of her first years of school
all over again, only more so. Her teachers had tried to conduct class,
but all their efforts had either been completely ignored or led the
students to "attack".
     Ami was trying to see if she could pinpoint the trouble. Then she
and Venus could--
     `What was that??' The computer had started to emit a low shriek as
an alarm went off and an alert began to flash in the corner of the
display. Ami called up the menu and saw that the energy levels of
students had just shot off the scale before dropping dangerously low.
That could only mean one thing.
     Ami tore around the corner of the school and stopped short at what
she saw. The front grounds were littered with the fallen bodies of her
classmates, each still clutching their plastic computers and wearing the
visors, lights continuing to blink steadily.
     Pulling out the computer, Ami ran a scan over a nearby body. As she
suspected, it had been drained of energy. She started to turn away when
the lights on the visor changed their flashing pattern.  The girl stared
at the red bulbs for a few moments. While they might seem to be blinking
at randomly at a first glance, it soon became clear to Ami that it was a
definite repeating pattern, even if it was one that she didn't
recognize. Ami brought the computer close to the body again and set it
to scan the lights.
     The computer whirred while it processed the information it was
receiving and Ami took a look around while she waited. Alarmed cries
were beginning to come from the building where teachers and those few
students who hadn't bought the toys were all beginning to notice what
had happened. No doubt the school would be crawling with police and
hospital personnel in minutes. Ami mentally urged her computer to go
faster.
     Finally it finished collecting the data and a message flashed up on
the screen:

         Sailor Mercury,
            The energy of this student, as well as that of hundreds
         of others, is being held by me. I have left them with just
         enough energy to survive.
            I challenge you. If you do not meet my challenge by
         2 PM this afternoon, I will claim every bit of remaining
         energy from these children. I can be found at the Yowaiwa
         Toy Shop. Come alone.

     Ami looked worriedly at the address on the screen. The challenge
was obviously a trap, a way to lure her into a situation where she would
be forced to fight on her own. Looking at her watch she saw that it was
already 1:30. Half an hour.
     She suddenly felt very cold.

                            ------------------

     The building remained completely lifeless.
     Sailor Mercury was standing on a rooftop directly across from the
new toy store, scanning it with her computer and looking for a hint of
the danger that waited for her inside. But neither the machine nor her
own senses could reveal anything.
     1:50. Ten minutes before she would have to go in there. Still
plenty of time for Sailor Mercury to get to Minako's nearby school and
for both of the Senshi to return to meet the challenge.
     But Ami knew that wasn't a real option. She had considered the same
thing while still at her own school. She had, in fact, been about to
leave to find Minako when she heard the crying.
     Paramedics were loading the still form of Usagi into the ambulance
while Naru stood at her side, holding her hand and begging her friend to
get better.
     The scene had convinced Ami to change her plan. She couldn't risk
the lives of all these people by bringing Venus with her. For better or
worse, Sailor Mercury would have to go alone.

     "Here I am!"
     There was no change in the toy store. It was still dark and
deserted.
     Mercury activated her visor and looked around. The walls were
covered with images of the two Sailor Senshi, although she was clearly
the dominant figure. The store itself contained racks and racks of
Sailor Mercury merchandise. The visors and computers that her classmates
had owned were there, as well as books, dolls, T-shirts, cooking sets,
trading cards, toothbrushes, pens, shoes...  Anything that could
possibly contain an image of Sailor Mercury had one slapped on it, along
with a price tag. An outrageous price tag, Ami noted.
     "You're very marketable," a deep voice echoed from the darkness.
     Ami gasped and took a step back as a figure coalesced in front of
her.
     "Jadeite! Why are you doing this? Why did you challenge me?"
     Jadeite chuckled to himself as a grabbed a nearby package
containing the Sailor Mercury visor and computer toys. "I just ran a
few...special television ads, you know, and then suddenly I could hardly
keep these in stock."  He smiled again, not an altogether pleasant look,
and replaced the package on the rack.
     "Why?" he repeated, facing Sailor Mercury, who took another
reflexive step backwards. "Because it's obvious that YOU are the weak
link, Mercury. If I can defeat you, not only will it reaffirm my worth
to Queen Beryl, but it will also strike a savage blow to the morale of
Sailor Venus, one from which she might not be able to recover."
     Ami felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. To hear Jadeite
vocalizing her own fears, to be, in fact, COUNTING on her
inadequacies... It was almost more than she could bear to hear.
     "Allow me introduce Electra," Jadeite said as another figure
stepped out of the shadows to stand by his side.
     The youma looked less human than any Ami had seen thus far, except
perhaps for the lizard-like creature she and Minako had fought in the
pet store. Her skin looked almost like smooth, polished plastic, molded
into the proper shapes and made to be flexible. Her eyes and short
fingernails gleamed like steel, and when she smiled, a pair of
formidable-looking fangs were clearly visible.
     "Have fun, ladies."
     Ami had been lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall behind
her before she'd even had a chance to register the youma's movement.
Spots were dancing before her eyes from the blow, and her thoughts were
racing, desperately trying to think of some way to break the youma's
grip. Her hand struck upon a Sailor Mercury lamp and she grabbed it,
raising it high in the air and bringing it down on the youma's head with
all her might.
     The youma howled in pain and Mercury found herself sprawled on the
floor. She shook her head to clear it and instinctively swept Electra's
legs out from underneath her. Another howl pierced the air, although
this one was more from surprise than pain -- until the youma's head
cracked against the side of a nearby display case.
     Ami scrambled to her feet and looked around, trying to find
something that she could use as a weapon and take advantage of the
situation. She reached out to grab a handful of Sailor Mercury pins to
throw when another hand restrained her wrist. Her head jerked up and she
gasped as Jadeite loomed over her, a smile on his face. He shook his
head slowly at her struggles to break free. "I don't think so, little
girl."
     "Crescent Beam!"
     The bolt of golden light struck Jadeite in his arm, and he released
his grip on Mercury with a startled cry. Ami looked over towards the
entrance to see Minako, Luna and Artemis. "Sailor Venus!"
     Wincing with pain, Jadeite waved his hand towards the new arrivals,
and a huge metal cage crashed down around them, trapping them inside.
"You're later than I thought you'd be," Jadeite spat at Venus through
gritted teeth. Minako opened her mouth to retort, but noticed the youma
beginning to charge at Ami and called out a warning instead. Ami
immediately threw herself to the side, and Electra's foot crashed
through the counter.
     Ami lay on the floor of the toy shop, watching Jadeite yell at the
youma who was busy trying to dislodge her foot.
     "C'mon, Mercury, don't give up! You can do it!" Venus cried from
inside the cage.
     Ami turned to look at her friends, all counting on her to defeat
both the youma and Jadeite. Images of her classmates came to mind,
especially of Naru crying over Usagi.
     She had no choice. There was nobody else left to help them but her.
Sailor Mercury.
     Electra finally managed to yank her foot out of the counter and she
ran to the center of the shop. She couldn't immediately see Mercury, but
she knew that the Senshi was still there. This girl had made a mockery
of her. Mercury was the weakest of the Senshi and should have been an
easy kill. Electra wasn't about to be made to look any worse in front of
Jadeite.
     She spread her arms wide and began to channel in the energy that
they'd absorbed from the students. The toys had all been modified to
where they would automatically raise their owners' energy levels to
those of young children, so the haul had been quite profitable.  There
was more than enough energy available to reduce Sailor Mercury to ashes.
     The area in front of Electra began to glow, and a visible ball of
crackling energy appeared, growing bigger and bigger by the moment. A
thick fog suddenly blanketed the interior of the store, indicating that
Mercury had launched her attack, but Electra wasn't concerned. In a
moment, she would easily be able to detect where Mercury was hiding, and
then no amount of fog in the world would be enough to save her.
     There! She had siphoned out practically every bit of energy that
she and Jadeite had collected that afternoon. Her senses were buzzing
with the power that flowed through and around her, and she focused them
all on finding Sailor Mercury. Almost immediately Electra found the
girl, standing almost completely motionless back behind the youma. With
a murderous cry, the youma flung the immense ball of energy in that
direction.
     Ami's own senses were also going out of control. Her sense of sight
was almost completely obscured by the readings that the visor was giving
her, and her sense of self-preservation was screaming at her to run. But
knowing that she was only going to have one chance at this, Ami held her
ground until the youma released all the energy she had gathered.
     Hoping that her positioning was correct, Ami once again threw
herself to one side, leaving a half-blind Jadeite standing behind the
counter and behind Sailor Mercury.
     The sudden movement caught Jadeite's eye and he strained to make
out what was going on through the fog. He couldn't see a thing...  Until
the energy bolt was almost right on top of him. He managed to throw up a
shield just in time, but the force of the blast was so intense that he
was driven backwards several feet and slammed into the opposite wall,
just as Mercury had been earlier. His uniform was smoldering as he
hauled himself to his feet, noticing that Electra was almost completely
unconscious from the effort she'd put into the blow.
     Jadeite swore under his breath. Sailor Mercury was working to get
the cage off Sailor Venus and had almost succeeded. His own energy
reserves were nearly depleted from the amount he'd had to channel into
his shield. There was no way he'd be able to defeat both of them in this
condition -- he doubted that he could even beat one of them like this.
With another wave of his hand, both he and Electra disappeared, Jadeite
cursing again as he tried to think of what he was going to tell Queen
Beryl.
     Both girls were grunting from the strain, but eventually Minako and
Ami together managed to lift the cage. They surveyed the damage and
figured it was best to leave before any authorities showed up.

     "You were FANTASTIC Ami-chan!"
     "Yeah, you sure gave him the old A-B!!"
     "I think you mean `the old One-Two'."
     "Oh, whatever."
     Minako, Luna and Artemis were all sitting in Ami's room,
congratulating her on her performance as Sailor Mercury. She had already
explained why she was fighting Jadeite alone, and Minako had told Ami
that most of the students at her school had been acting in the same
manner as the ones that Ami had observed (Minako had also gone on at
length about how insulting it was that none of her classmates were
dressing up as Sailor Venus until Artemis reminded her that it really
had nothing to do with their discussion). It hadn't taken long for
Minako to round up the cats and track down the store where the trouble
had originated.
     The compliments continued to flow and Ami sat, embarrassed by all
the attention, but feeling somewhat proud of herself as well.

     "Wheeee, look at meeeeee! I'm Sailor Veeeeee!"
     Ami looked up from the book that she was reading in the park to see
Usagi and Naru walking close by, the former wearing a ridiculously huge
paper mask over her face. Naru was shaking her head, but she couldn't
help chuckling at Usagi's antics.
     "Sailor V? I thought you liked Sailor Mercury?"
     Ami had started reading her book again, trying not to eavesdrop,
though she couldn't help but be curious about Usagi's answer. She
glanced over at the blonde, who had stopped walking and was clearly
frowning underneath the mask.
     "Yeah. Sailor V's just so pretty and athletic... But Sailor Mercury
has all those neat gadgets and is sooo smart..."  The dilemma continued
to plague Usagi until her eyes widened and the answer hit her. She
reached into her pocket and dug out something blue and plastic bearing a
Mercury symbol sticker, raising it triumphantly over her head. "I can't
choose between them, so I'm....  Sailor Mercu-V!!"
     "Sailor WHAT?!"
     But Usagi wasn't listening. She'd already run off down the path,
crying how evil-doers had better beware the sailor-suited warrior of
love and justice.
     Ami's face broke into a happy smile and she returned to her book.