I'm Here to Help
by Mark Doherty(mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au)

Chapter 1 (of ?)

Sailor Moon and associated characters/background were created by Naoko
Takeuchi. No disrespect is intended in their use.

The main character I made up(no need to guess who he's supposed to be, in
other words). So, as far as these things go, I guess he belongs to me.

To make life easier for the readers, "journal entries" (you should
understand pretty quickly) are marked with * * * at the start and
end.

I don't know, should I send this to alt.fan.sailor-moon ? I just found it
yesterday while I was going through the list of "new groups found since
the last check" in my newsreader. You're supposed to rate your stories
there or something, aren't you? What would this be by American rating
standards, PG-13?

Let's see just how many Sailor Moon readers there really are on the FFML,
eh? ^_^

+++++++++++++++++
                                * * *

Crystal Tokyo.

Crystalline structures, delicate spires of magic reaching to the heavens
like angel's wings.

People laughed, people smiled, people almost never cried. Why would they?
They lived in Utopia.

I hate it. I hate them. I hate her.

Serenity. 'Neo-Queen' Serenity.

They call her a goddess. The gods know she is worshipped as one in that
pristine, soulless hell.

I call her the devil. She is the culmination of everything I have ever
fought against: she is a tyrant. Oh, to be sure, she is a benevolent one.
Certainly, within the walls of her antiseptic little community, you'd never
hear a word of protest about their 'noble queen'.

I bet the trains run on time there too. Or whatever form of transport they
use these days. It has been a while since I've gone near this sterile pit,
after all.

I fought Mars a decade ago. That day cost me more in energy drain than
the previous three centuries. But it had been almost worth it, almost worth
it to be able to fight a senshi for as long as I did and not die... but
then she called me evil.

Evil? Evil was to live in a world of black and white, and to think you are
the white. Evil was to say 'You are evil, I am good.' Evil was to view the
world in absolutes. Evil was a lie.

And so was this city.

But what could I do? Power? I have power. Some of it's even mine. I've even
almost matched the senshi in my rare encounters with one or another of them.
But there is power, and then there is Serenity. Many a fool hasn't lived
long enough to learn that mistake.

But... but, but, but there is a way. I don't know if I can do it, I don't
know if I have the power, and I certainly don't know if I can get past the
legendary guardian, but it's worth a try.

Time is the key. With time, I can set things right. I can find peace.

I will do it. Perhaps I will die. Perhaps I will have never existed at all,
perhaps I shall be wiped from the time stream. Perhaps nothing at all will
happen. Somehow, I don't care. After over nine hundred years, I just don't
care.

Grant me an end to this. Grant me the death of the one who started it all.
Grant me Serenity.

And grant that my soul is long since gone, lest it be sent to hell for what
I have become.

And above all... allow me to dream those power dreams. Allow me to dream in
peace. Allow me the dream of my youth.

Because sometimes, dreams are all we have.

    - Last entry in a small diary that was found by scavengers near
      Crystal Tokyo, in the year 2911 AD. When this entry was written,
      and by whom remains unknown.

                                * * *
+++++++++++++++++

Nightime in Tokyo. Crowds thronged the city streets, most putting aside the
concerns of work for a small time to enjoy life. Groups of teenagers
congregated in malls and arcades, having fun and being together, eating and
going to movies and playing the games, like the new one based on that
supergirl over in England, Sailor V.

He staggered through the crowds, ignoring the looks and the way people were
crossing the street to avoid him. Must be the clothes.

Petty, discriminated humanity. One moment full of happiness and love, the
next full of anger and hate.

He smiled. He'd missed this Tokyo. Dirty, crowded, full of people who could
insult you while remaining unfailing polite to you... oh yes, he'd missed
this Tokyo. It was HUMAN, so unlike the brainwashed cattle that occupied
this city in the future.

He stumbled against a wall, before he edged into an nearby alleyway. He
needed rest, he needed food, he needed energy. He needed energy desperately.

Time was the key. But energy was the lock. It had taken all the power he had
to make it here. Back, back so long ago. Back to when the senshi were merely
girls with interesting powers in silly suits. As opposed, of course, to
women with horrifically intense powers... in silly suits.

He edged back into the shadows. The last thing he needed was to be seen by
some police officer or another. He didn't drain himself of centuries of
gathered energy to get here, only to be arrested for vagrancy.

Not that it would matter. Time, apparently, was on his side. He had made it.
He was as weak as a babe, certainly, but he had made it. He had walked the
halls of time, he had done the unthinkable, he had travelled almost a
thousand years without Pluto's aid.

He winced, gently grasping a throng necklace and pulling it out of his
clothes.

"We did it, my friend. We can try for a better world."

He smiled. Only one thing worried him about his journey.

Where had been the Guardian of Time?

+++++++++++++++++

She looked down at him from the roof of the building he leaned against.

To see the lines of time, to see the strings of fate, of destiny, to have to
observe... was it any wonder that her office had not changed hands every
century or so, like the other senshi had in the Silver Millenium? The
chances of finding a girl every century willing to do what she had to do
was slim. Finding one every millenium was a small chance, for that matter.

He was as much an enemy to her queen as the worst of others. He hated her
ruler more than any other she had ever seen, even Beryl. He would, she had
no doubt, destroy all of time to see Serenity die.

She almost pitied him. He was more trapped by time's whim than she.

Pluto blinked. And then she was gone.

+++++++++++++++++
                                * * *

I was human once. Grew up all over the place. Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka, some time
in Hong Kong... all sorts of places. Hard to remember them all, I have
covered the world a thousand times since, and nine hundred years of memories
tend to run together after a while.

I was born... how embarassing, I cannot remember the name I was given when
I was born. After so many centuries, I somehow don't think a name really
matters. I am me. And that is all that matters.

One day I acquired power. How and when, I need not write. I only put down
that which I may forget, and I will never forget my 'rebirth'. Still, even
with the power I had gained, I managed to live a normal life for a while.

It couldn't last. 'Monster' attacks just got worse and worse as the years
progressed. Eventually, what little family I had left was threatened. I
chose to fight. I did okay for myself, I only got almost killed three or
four times.

I didn't have my... problems with the Senshi back then. We even fought in
a couple of battles together. They were always distant, I noticed. Mars
never liked me, and Jupiter wasn't much better. I remember wondering why at
the time, but they never gave me a reason for their attitude. I remember
being quite cocky, perhaps I rubbed them the wrong way. Still, there was
no true animosity between us.

That came later. After Sailor Moon's death. After Serenity emerged from
whatever hiding hole she had been in. After the ice.

Dear gods, why did it have to be ice?

    - Discovered written in the margins of a tattered physics book in
      an abandoned lean-to, in what was Los Angeles, 2873.

                                * * *
+++++++++++++++++

Finally, the crowds thinned. He had taken the time to compose himself. He
grunted, pushing himself up into a standing position against the wall. After
a three second count, he stepped out of the alley.

One step, one step at a time. He drew the ambient energy in. The breeze
whistling past, pulling at his light brown, tattered, knee-length wraparound
cloak. A pause at a fountain, to breath in the water-vapoured air, and to
wash out his goggles, which were covered in dirt and sand. The electricity
from overhead lines, the heat from nearby shop heaters, each and every
element that he could, he drew from. It wasn't much, but until he found
something a lot better, it would do.

He looked around, noting again how people avoided him. He looked down at
himself. Maybe it was the long pants, or the soft boots. Maybe wearing the
hood of the cloak in public was a bit much. Maybe he shouldn't have put the
goggles back on. He had a profound thought. Maybe he looked like an idiot.

He lifted the goggles and rubbed at his eyes. He needed clothes. He needed
money for clothes. And he'd kill for a beer.

Well, moderately maim anyway.

He shook his head. Money could wait. Energy could not. He needed something
better than the ambient energy he was drawing. He turned his head, looking
one way, then another. Finally, he smiled, turned, and walked down a street.

One step at a time.

+++++++++++++++++

The youma shut the door to her small apartment. She was one of the few
entrusted by General Jadeite for long term deployment on the Earth. While
other youma got the short, flashy, quick energy drain jobs, it was hers and
others jobs to stay amongst the humans, keeping a small and slight energy
drain on the poor sheep, so slight a drain that they probably never even
noticed. It was the job of her and her kind to be a backup for the General,
giving him a small but almost constant flow of energy.

It was her particular job to act as one of Japan Rail's train operators.
The overcrowded trains, full of gropers, pickpockets, the tired and
irritable, the overworked, the overstressed, the claustrophobic... with the
average resentment, anger and fear generated energy from a typical rush hour
ride, you could light a youma city for a month.

By youma standards, things were looking good for her. She was in a safe but
important position, visible to her General, but on another planet from her
fellow back-stabbing youma. Important enough to gain status, not important
enough to require going through a draining teleport back to the Kingdom
after every day, she was enjoying a pseudo-independance that she found was
actually... pleasureable.

"Greetings." The cloaked and hooded man stepped out of the shadows of the
small closet that stood near the door. "Help me in my cause."

The youma blinked. "Huh? What are you doing in here? You've really made a
stupid mistake if you think you can rob me."

"Give me your energy, unnatural one. I promise to make the ending quick."

Her eyes widened. "What? How did..." Her eyes narrowed. Some human had found
out about the Dark Kingdom. The instructions on what to do about information
leaks were explicit. The youma dropped her glamour, rising to her full seven
foot height. "Now you die, foolish..." Something was wrong. Something was
seriously wrong, and had been since she stepped into her small apartment.
Why did she feel so lethargic?

"Too late for a fight, little one." His brown cloth-gloved hands, glowing
slightly with green energy, struck forward, once, twice, pulverizing the
bones in her arms. She didn't even have time to start a scream of pain
before his hands shot out again, clutching at her throat.

She struggled. She tried to bring her arms up, to fire off one of her
energy attacks, but her arms were broken, useless. And she felt so
lethargic... surely she wasn't running out of breath this quickly?

"I promised I would make it quick. You will not suffer overlong."

"You... will die. The Dark Kingdom *gasp* shall reclaim the Earth." The
youma opened her mouth, trying to say more. The light in her eyes dimmed,
flickered, died. She glowed, turning to dust as death ravaged her system.

"I am sorry." He whispered, glowing all over in a slight emerald hue.

The dusted remains of the youma slid between his fingers.

"I am so sorry."

+++++++++++++++++
                                * * *

I killed it. A creature, youma, demon, call it what you will.

Did it have dreams, aspirations, hopes? Did it wish for its life, to be
hunted and killed? Did it want to be left alone?

I make no claims to killing the poor thing for moralistic rights, or from
some need to protect those who lived nearby. This beast had done nothing
more than kill a couple of farm animals, and drain non-fatal amounts of
energy from some people. I am ashamed to admit, I killed it for its energy.

I am constantly drawing on the elemental powers of the world to energise
myself. But it is a slow, very slow process. If I am to one day take on
Serenity, I must increase my energy reserves at a far quicker pace. One of
the few ways I can do that is to drain the mana and life force of... the
unnatural creatures. The youma, the daemons, the cardians, the Senshi...
the creatures with unnaturally high life force and magical reserves. From
them, I can gain power.

I am not proud of what I do. I am, to all intents, a vampire. A leach. I
have sent many a monster to hell, all for a few precious jolts of energy.

Sooner or later, I shall join them on their journey.

I remember reading a poem once. It went on and on, a typical bunch of
flowery tripe. I have long since forgotten most of it. But this little
bit I do recall:

   We live, we die,
   We wonder why.
   That is what it is
   To be human.

I wonder. Can I die?

    - Words scrawled into the dirt of a cave where some form of beast had
      been lairing, 300 kilometres from the former Germany/Poland border,
      2632.
                                * * *
+++++++++++++++++

The Dark Kingdom.

He used the small apartment's sink to wash the remaining youma dust off his
gloves. The youma had mentioned the Dark Kingdom. This was interesting. He'd
thought the Kingdom to be a myth, told to him as a legend of the early days
of the Senshi. Apparently, he was wrong.

Oh yes, this was very interesting.

He searched around the small apartment. It didn't amount to much, a thin
and dirty futon, the small closet, a small sink. What need a youma of
anything more? He shook his head at the sparsity as he opened the closet.

Nothing. Well, it made sense. The youma's work clothes were part of a
glamour spell, what would the creature need with real clothes? He looked
down to the floor of the closet. His eyes widened slightly.

Tossed on the closet floor, like it was garbage or something, was a fairly
decent amount of yen.

"Of course. What need a youma of money either? Some small amount spent on
food, and still she would have plenty left over from the pay cheque of
whatever job she was at. What was she doing working, anyway?" He shrugged,
knelt, and started picking up the yen bills. The previous owner had no
use for them now, after all.

+++++++++++++++++

He sat cross-legged on the youma's futon, his eyes half-closed, his hands
cupped on his lap. In his hands was a leather throng necklace, which had
a small green crystal tied to it with several leather strips.

His hood was drawn back, his goggles lay by his side. The man looked young,
around seventeen or so, his shoulder length emerald coloured hair serving
to soften the grim set of his face.

He fully opened his eyes, relaxing his posture. There was no white to his
eyes, instead they started out light green, working to darker shades closer
to the pupils. They were slightly unnerving to look at.

"Well, well, my friend." he addressed the crystal in his hands. "This city
is a stinkhole of youma activity. Much more fun than the future version. I
could really grow to like it here."

He cocked his head, acting as if he was listening, before he nodded. "I
agree. Energy is the priority. Serenity is out there somewhere, and I need
power to destroy her."

There was another long pause.

"You're right, I can't see any alternative either, to get energy. Tomorrow,
we go youma hunting."

+++++++++++++++++

"I need a room for the night." He stared at the hotel manager. He had left
his hood drawn back, but he was still wearing the goggles. He had thought
about just sleeping at the youma's apartment, but he was a survivor. And
survivors didn't sleep in a room of someone they had just killed when they
didn't know whether or not the dead person entertained late night guests or
not. So, he had found the nearest hotel (actually, more of an inn) instead.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we have any rooms avail--"

"Check again." He smiled, took his goggles off, and stared at the man.

The manager looked into the green haired man's eyes, and started to sweat.
"Aheh. Of course, silly me. I forgot that the uh... Watanabes, yes, the
Watanabes cancelled their reservation. Here, here." The manager handed the
man a set of keys.

"You're too kind." The man smiled again, placing some money on the
reception desk. "You forgot to ask for a deposit."

+++++++++++++++++

"Oh, I must say you look a lot better in these clothes than the ones you
walked in with."

He smiled a fake smile, ignored the implied insult to his old clothes,
payed the store clerk, and left. He'd bought what he could; a loose white
shirt, black trousers, and a decent but cheap pair of shoes. He had a cloth
bag slung over his shoulder, in which he had put his old clothes. He wore
the leather neacklace around his neck, the crystal was under the shirt.

After the night in the hotel, some food for breakfast, a trip to the public
baths, and now the clothes, he couldn't afford much more. He'd have to get
more money soon.

+++++++++++++++++

He was puzzled. He'd gone to the trouble and expense of dressing like a
normal person, and still people were looking at him as if he had a second
head or something. For pity's sake, they were crossing the street when they
made eye contact with him!

Wait. Eye contact.

He cursed, turned, and walked back to the stores. A few minutes later, he
was out of the shops again, wearing a pair of cheap but effective dark
glasses.

Down to 500 yen. He really needed to get more money soon.

+++++++++++++++++

He looked at the salon, one hand looped through his bag's handles, the
other resting on his hip.

"A salon? Why a salon?" He shook, his head. He felt energy in there.
Pretty powerful energy. Someone with a decent amount of Dark Kingdom
power and...

"My, my." And a Senshi.

He looked around. "Ah ha." He walked around into a sidestreet until he
reached an employee's entrance. He tested the door. Locked. After looking
around, he shrugged and drove his fist through the door, shearing the lock
off the door. He stepped inside, into an empty hallway, closing the door
behind him.

"Death and destruction calls." And so it would be best to make sure he
couldn't be indentified by witnesses. Being chased by the police would
make his mission a lot harder. Well, a lot more annoying anyway.

He pulled his bag in front of him, opened it, and pulled out his cloak.

Luckily a long life had put him in the habit of wearing clothes that hid
his face. "I always was most comfortable in these."

+++++++++++++++++

Sailor Moon shut the door, breathing hard. She'd just freed some of the
salon's instructors from Jadeite's control, ruining one of his energy
collection plans in the process. She'd won another battle. Luna had scooted
off outside while she found this quiet place to change out of her Sailor
Moon form.

All she needed to do now was change back to Usagi, go find Naru-chan, and
then they could go get some ice creams. After all, she'd just sweated off
the pounds fighting the bad guys, she deserved to give herself some sort
of treat...

She looked around. Satisfied that she was alone, she started to concentrate
on detransforming.

"Sailor Moon?" A cloaked and hooded man stepped out of the shadows. The
hood shadowed most of his face, and a set of goggles did well to mask the
man's distinguishing features. "Well, this is a surprise. How nice to see
you hale and hearty."

"Who... who are you?" Sailor Moon stuttered, stepping back, her hand
straying towards her tiara, trying to seek comfort from having her weapon
close at hand. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. Where had this guy
come from?

"Just an interested party. I'm no friend of the Dark Kingdom, if that's
your worry."

"What do you want?"

"Me? I'm here to help. Remember me, I'll be around." He nodded, stepped
back into the shadows, and faded from sight.

+++++++++++++++++
                                * * *

Sailor Moon. She was the third Senshi I met. I think she was about seventeen
or eighteen at the time. I had become whatever it is that I am a year
before; we met in one of the increasingly frequent youma attacks. Or was
it a daemon? Oni? Well, whatever. Death is not biased, it will gladly
embrace you no matter what you are and after we were threw with the beast,
it was certainly dead.

I wonder what Death thinks of people like me and the Senshi, the ones who
have quite possibly gained immortality. I don't know. Did Death dance when
Sailor Moon died, denied the long life her teammates gained?

And I wonder, do the Senshi ever think of their fallen comrade? I find that
I do. She was the most paradoxical of all the Senshi. One moment, a
slightly flighty and clumsy girl. The next, a calm, powerful warrior with
a presence that few could match. I found myself wondering how she could be
the Senshi's leader, and wondering how anyone else could think to replace
her, all in the same thought. She was like that.

In a way, it is good that she died before Serenity appeared. Otherwise, we
might eventually have faced each other as enemies. That would have felt
wrong. Like beating a puppy dog, perhaps. She had that affect on people too.

She was too innocent for this world. Whatever afterlife has to offer you,
Moon warrior, innocent child, I hope it finds you well. Find peace in death,
Sailor Moon.

I am glad that I was not the one to kill you.

    - One of a series of notes attached to a threat analysis of the various
      Senshi and their allies, dated from the time of the rebellion that
      led to the founding of the Dark Moon clan. This particular analysis
      was labelled under THREATS - DECEASED.

                                * * *
+++++++++++++++++

"A strange man?" Luna looked up at her young charge.

"Yeah, in that room where I went to change back." Usagi looked around as
she and the cat walked down a sidewalk.

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know. He was dressed real weird. Kinda creepy, he almost looked
like some sort of vagabond. And he disappeared after saying he was here to
help me."

"Sounds like another one like Tuxedo Kamen." Luna sighed. "I don't like
this, where are these men coming from? What do they want?"

"Oh well. What does it matter, Luna? If this guy's not on the Dark Kingdom's
side, that's all we have to worry about, right? Now come on, I'm going to
go invite Naru-chan to get some ice cream and go to the arcade."

"Don't you have some homework to do?"

"Homework? After that workout? Are you kidding? I need food first. I'm a
growing girl after all."

"Growing into a fat slob, you mean." The cat muttered, her ears drooped in
disappointment at Usagi's cavalier attitude.

+++++++++++++++++

Jadeite wrinkled his nose at the musty air of the small apartment. One of
his youma had not sent her daily alotment of energy to him, and even after
the relative success of his salon scheme, he couldn't afford to ignore
something like this.

So he had teleported to the youma's dingy little apartment. It hadn't taken
more than a few moments to realise that the pile of dust on the floor was
the youma's remains. It puzzled him.

Who had killed the thing? Sailor Moon? If that was so, how did that silly
little girl manage to kill his servant without causing any damage to the
apartment?

He didn't know if he liked this turn of events at all.

+++++++++++++++++

"Just a coffee, thank you."

He smiled at the waitress as she nodded. The smile dropped as soon as she
walked off. He was back in his new clothes, sitting in a small cafe.

What a waste of time that trip to the salon had been. He had sensed the
person with Dark Kingdom energy teleporting out before he'd even managed
to get his second boot on. Still, seeing Sailor Moon again after so many
centuries had been interesting.

He glanced down at the table, noticing a box full of paper napkins. Another
smile, genuine this time, touched his lips as he reached into a pocket,
drawing out a pen.

He reached for the dispenser, drawing out a few of the folded paper wipes.
He tapped the pen against his lips a few times before he began to write on
the napkins.

+++++++++++++++++
                                * * *

I'm here to help. I just told that to Sailor Moon.

And it's true, I am here to help.

I'm just not here to help the Senshi.

I am here to help the world. In the future, our choices came down to this:
accept Serenity, or leave Earth. I cannot let that happen again. I will not
let that happen again. Humanity deserves better than to be treated like a
herd of mindless sheep, we all deserve to make our own choices, not limited
by 'good' or 'evil'. We ALL have the right to decide what is right and
wrong.

Serenity took away that choice. She whitewashed society. Was it any wonder
that so many of the others chose to flee the Earth rather than submit?

Oh yes, I am here to help. I am here to help make sure Crystal Tokyo is
never, ever created.

And nothing: not the youma, or their leaders, or the Senshi themselves are
going to stop me.

I will stop Serenity. Even... ESPECIALLY if it means her death.

I could have killed Sailor Moon, I am sure of it. She is not yet the warrior
she will be. But I am not here for the Senshi, I am here for Serenity. They
do not know me here, they do not know my intent. I will not kill the Senshi,
for one simple reason. They will lead me to their Queen. And then... and
then finally, it will end.

It will end for the better. I swear it.

                                * * *
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I must say, it's enjoyable to write a story that centers on a 'bad guy' for
once. Actually, to tell the truth, I don't think he's bad. I just think he's
on the other side. Well, his own side anyway. Sometimes, right, wrong, good,
evil is all a matter of perspective. And I just know some people aren't
going to agree with me here. Great! That's what life is all about, differing
opinions.

Hmm... I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh, that's right. I haven't
given him a name, not even a "superhero"(villain) name. I'll give him one
sooner or later, I felt it would be better not to for the moment.

Oh, and in case you didn't spot it, the "salon" stuff mentioned occured in
episode 4 of the first season.

Till next time.

************  
Mark Doherty  -  mdoherty@mailbox.uq.edu.au
The Weekly FFML Synopses Lists are at:
http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzhdoher

My fanfics will be back on the web sooner or later.

"Time grows short, but I remain tall."