Ah, here we go. Youma blues 1-6 for your reading enjoyment. Even
spell checked (whatever that means with Works for windows..)
I'm currently working on a home page, so it may be available there when I
get it set up (don't hold your breath..)
Heh. Have fun ^_^
Youma blues 1:
How to land a job.
I came to under the branches of cherry trees, watching soft flower
petals float down on me from above. The air was cold enough that I felt
chilled, or perhaps I'd just been laying there for a long time, and the air
was far
more moist than I remember it being at home, so it was a good bet that I'd not
dreamt the whole sequence.
It took me a few minutes to gather enough coherence to take stock of
the area, but I did manage.
I was lying on my back in some kind of park, a softly wooded area studded
with cherry trees. It was night, although there was enough light to see fairly
clearly by because of the full moon, and the neon glow of a big city around me.
I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, or fallen completely off the face of
reality and landed in a Japanese garden.
Given my surroundings the latter was probably true.
Getting up off the ground proved to be something of a pain, but I was
relieved to find no bones were broken. On the other hand every cubic inch of
me felt bruised and blistered, though there was no physical evidence to support
that hypothesis. Which was a pity. If I'd looked as bad as I felt I
could have
given some poor person a real nightmare.
The garden was enclosed by a high stone wall, and mostly consisted of
cherry trees, benches, and a large rock and water garden that was unbelievably
tranquil in the moonlight. Beyond that lay a city that was almost certainly
Tokyo, or rather a Tokyo commonly seen in anime and manga. The Neon
lights and Japanese street signs were my first clue.
The youma/megalomaniac menacing (draining?) the general populous at
the end of the street the garden faced was my second clue. Recognizing a
fictional megalomainaical psychopath on the street does wonders for ones state
of mind/being, and while Jadeite is not the worst possible thing that I
could have
recognized from the Sailor Moon series, I decided that avoiding him all the
same would be a good idea.
Provided I could get out at all, that is. The front gate was a nifty affair
of intricately twisted iron bars that spiraled into a impossibly confused
tangle. It
was also locked and electrified. Unfortunately my japanese isn't good enough
to read signs posed on the outside of walls I happen to be inside, so I didn't
notice the electricity until I tried to open the gate with the intention of
getting as
far away from the first of the dark kingdoms generals as humanly possible.
To be short, I saw flashing lights for about ten minutes thereafter. I also
swore a lot, in Japanese as that's a habit I try to cultivate, so as to
increase my
competence in the language.
When I finally stopped having muscle spasms, I tried climbing one of the
trees that over hung the wall instead. That worked much better, except now I
was faced with the prospect of a two story drop to pavement from the top of
the wall.
I never got the chance to work up enough courage to jump; Someone
blasted the wall out from under me first. Someone named Jadeite.
Landing hard when you weren't wanting to jump hurts. Of course
there are worse things, such as waking up after such landings to look directly
into the face of the person you had wanted to run away from.
Jadeite is, I suppose, not a fantastically ugly man. Actually, since then
I've heard a lot of girls say he's rather cute elegant and handsome, but I
didn't
see it at the time. Probably it was the expression of superhuman cruelty he had
on his face.
"So, you were going to go precicesly where from the top of that wall?"
He had a really nasty speaking voice too.
I was leaning (well lying) against the wall, or rather, the remains of the
wall, and he was standing about two feet from me, watching me try to move
with the same look I've seen on little kids as they pull the legs off bugs.
I
remember thinking it was to bad he was out of kick range before I started
saying really stupid things.
"As far away from psychopathic Dark Kingdom Generals as this city
allows, baka." I've more than a few occasions since to regret that line.
Jadeite
didn't take my insolence well at all. In fact he was quite uncivil about it: he
decided that a little shock blasting was in order.
I never saw the lightning, though Naru-chan assures me it was quite
Spectacular. He just raised one hand, and then I felt like every nerve in my
body had exploded. I think I screamed in agony, and I know I went into
convulsions, it felt like I had been dipped into a vat of molten steel. I
couldn't
see or hear past the white fire that seemed to be crawling through my veins and
my mind. I thought I was going to die, I was certain I was dying, and then, It
just stopped.
It took several instants for my vision to clear, and my breathing to
stabilize as I gasped for air.
When I could see again I wished I couldn't. Jadeite had something in
his hand, an eggshaped chunk of stone. Recognizing it as what it probably
was took a moment, while pain began receding.
"Demon egg, yes. Part of my private stock, and far cheaper to import
than another youma. How do you know what it is boy? And how do you
know where I come from, humm?" It took me a moment to realize I must have
said it out loud. That or Jadeite was reading my thoughts, which was probably
not beyond him.
I don't remember the next hour or so, except for the sound of Jadeites
voice asking question after question, and the white, blinding pain I felt
when he
blasted me for giving an answer he didn't like. I remember that he didn't
believe my explanations, and that he seemed amazed that I was surviving as well
as I did.
I guess he must have decided I was tough or something, because the
next thing he did I've had quite a bit of reason to regret.
First he cut himself, and poured a bit of his own blood down my throat.
Then he rammed the demon-egg thing deep into my chest.
It would be redundant to say that hurt.
(just maybe) to be continued..
Youma blues
A different kind of self insertion..
Youma blues 2
Pay and benefits
Let me be perfectly clear here: I don't at all like being flunky #1 to
whom-ever-is-in-charge-right-now amongst the generals. It's a dirty, vile,
disgusting job that entails me being forced to help Beryl try to take over the
world. (does anyone *else* feel the urge to sing the Pinky and the Brain theme
when she's around?)
I do have to admit, though, that the job does have its perks. The neat
powers are really nice. I mean, potential immortality, magic, instant
fitness-and-
beyond, all the money you could ever want....you'd have to be crazy to turn
down a job like this.
(Un)fortunate?ly for me, I was drafted, and, well, you have to take the
good with the bad.
Take their thoughts on free will: Please take them. Your will is free
right up to
the moment you try to weasel out of what they want you to do. Then it's torture
time, or (if it's Jadeite or Kunzite) Mind control time.
Of course, if you go along with what they want and actually succeed,
there are perks. *big* perks.
Like my first day....
A moment should probably be spent on what the demon-egg thing did
to me.
1. It hurt.
2. It turned me into a youma. This didn't accomplish a whole lot in my case,
appearance wise - but then, I've never been especially standoutish appearance
wise. Hair somewhere between blond and brown, blue eyes, slightly below
average height, slim - I was a wimp, what do you expect! Here in juban I was
probably something of a rarity, but not to much so - I'm not much taller than
most Japanese, and I blend in easily with a crowd anywhere. The super-
strength is nice. And the instant dental plan - though the fangs took some
getting used to. Teleporting is a blast, and magic is simply wonderful - except
for the needing to steal energy bit.
Energy-pangs are a bitch - Youma have to eat the same way humans
do, but their powers require energy that can't come from food. And when you
run out...'hungry' doesn't describe it.
Jadeite let me get used to the idea of being a Youma for, oh, about a
second or so - which still amazes me, I must have impressed him somehow.
Then he ordered me to my feet - I complied by reflex and out of no little
fear.
He told me that I would now serve the dark kingdom or die.
I readily agreed.
Hey, pride and heroism are one thing, survival another. I like being
alive.
He then asked me a question that caused me to sweat more than a little.
He asked me what I knew about the Sailor Senshi.
I replied truthfully ( I realized that trying to disobey a mind reader was
rather pointless..). He laughed at me, commended me for imagination, and then
sent me to gather energy.
About this time a thought struck me.
I'm cannon fodder. Oh joy.
Now, my first encounter with a Sailor Senshi was rather painless for
both of us - I bumped into miss Mizuno's more outgoing form just as I was
abandoning all the people in the main library, and apologized by reflex.
I guess apologizing is out of character for youma, because I was
halfway out the door before she scanned me. The appearance of a Sailor -
even a primarily defensive one - so early in my career had, by that time,
totally
unnerved me, so when she shouted and came after me, I used up around half
the energy I'd stolen and teleported by reflex. It rather startled me,
actually - I
wound up several blocks away, with bunches of energy left over and a delivery
to make.
I didn't think Jadeite would be forgiving when it comes to tardiness, so I
didn't dwell on the encounter - except to note that my transformation had
greatly enhanced my Japanese skills.
After turning the gem containing the energy over to Jadeite, I asked
what we would be doing next, and he said he needed to speak with his queen,
gave me a thick wad of bills and told me to have fun until he got back for the
next mission.
Then he vanished.
I used around half the money to buy myself a new Ferrari.
Perks, remember?
Youma blues 3:
Down time
The next week or so, I sweated. Jadeite hadn't yet returned, and I was
getting
antsy - seeing Sailors around every corner, that sort of thing.
Of course the experimentation I was doing with my powers probably
didn't help - it used up lots of energy - energy I had to replace regularly.
Endurance, I just didn't have. But I did find out a few things that in
retrospect,
make more sense than they did at the time.
Youma, you see, universally posses the capability to become mages.
Most,
however, don't. Because there are always a few magical talents that come
easily to you - things you can do instinctively, without resorting to spells
- and
Youma are really low on the 'personal effort' thing, for the most part.
They always want the easy way out, and never put in the time and study
necessary
to learn spellcasting.
I don't know how it is for Senshi, but I'd assume it's the same. Then
again, maybe not...
With me it was teleporting and sensing that came easily. I quickly found
out that I could sense energy (most youma can, but I'm exceptionally good at it
- I can even sense energy in empty space if I go into a meditative trance), and
that I could teleport quite well. I just needed to have a vague idea where
I was
going, and enough energy - though it takes a *lot* of energy - believe me
people like the Generals and the Sailors - who teleport at the drop of a hat
- are
the exception, not the rule.
I also had an energy bolt - more or less a concussion blast like Largo's
but not
nearly as strong. I could get the same result out of just hitting something
- it
wasn't real useful.
But I was fast. Really really fast.
That saved my life when I tried to move to Singapore...
Now, you're probably thinking, as I was, that Minako, Aka Sailor V,
was in London at about this time. After all, that's all the place the Dic
series
says she went, but, well, Dic conveniently forgets to mention she was in Italy
and Hawaii as well. And she spent a couple of very *eventfull* nights in
Singapore. (something about a late flight and missing her transfer..)
I know, I was there for one of them.
I'd just had a particularly close call involving two sailor suited heroines
and a black, youma sensing cat, and decided that a week on the run and a
thoroughly destroyed Ferrari were quite enough excitement for one month.
I needed to move a less hostile clime, and flights to Singapore were
cheap. (hey, have you seen the prices for rent in Tokyo lately? I was getting
short on cash!)
So I figured, 'what the ****, they couldn't possibly follow me, what
could go wrong?' and flew the coop.
And of course, by this time I'm almost totally tapped out, so by the time
the plane touched down I was in serious want of some power. So following
well honed instincts (or not so well honed, considering what happened..) I
decided to go to a rock concert I'd seen advertised, and glut myself.
I figured that if I could take in enough power in one sitting I could go
underground and not have to worry about being spotted anymore. And
besides, it was a goth concert - The shadow song, or some such band.
Everyone there wanted to be terminally depressed anyway, so if I kept my
draining low level, who would notice?
Famous last words...
So I get there, but of course I had to walk, so I'm late. And of course
the Shadow Cabinet is the band in concert, and of course, they're all youma on
assignment.
And *of course* Sailor V has shown up to defeat their 'nefarious plot.
(Which it
was, anyone who would sing *that* drivel in front of an audience deserves to
be shot)
Some days you just can't win.
The instant I walk in the door I notice the crowd (in a frenzy), The band
(glowing with dark power and practically *shouting* 'we're youma'), and Sailor
V (throwing crescent beams all over the place and making me very nervous.)
So I mutter something highly uncomplimentary and turn to leave - so it's
then that I notice the force field on the door that's keeping the fans from
leaving.
And I don't have enough power to break out.
By this time I'm in a really bad mood. So when this true died-in-the-
black goth
bumps into me and asks who I am, I snapped.
"I'm from the department of energy - and I'm taking yours." I said, and I
did. Didn't bother to be subtle either, which was a mistake. Instead I just
hauled off and drained as many people into unconsciousness as quickly as
possible, filling every containment gem I'd been able to make. (I copied them
from the one Jadeite made me. The fact that I didn't know what I was doing
didn't especially distress me..amazing what one can do when one doesn't know
what one can't do....)
So at this point the Shadow Cabinet has vamoosed, and Sailor V
notices me.
I got lucky the first time: I'd missed sensing the Crescent Beam building
up but
tripped over an unconscious concert goer and kissed dirt. But the second and
third bolts I legitimately dodged. By that time Mina was getting mighty annoyed
and I'd forgotten something about our heroine(maybe because I was staring at
those legs...).
Out comes the gun, and blam, blam, blam. She obviously doesn't
want me here.. I obliged her by teleporting like a scalded cat. Where does she
hide that thing anyway?
I only got to the edge of the shield.
I immediately realized that while that thing was up, I wasn't going
anywhere. I
found out later that it was a parting gift from the Shadow Cabinet, for
moving in
on their turf.
Unfortunately this leaves me in a coliseum with half a million
unconscious people and a pissed off senshi who has obviously had her concert
going plans for tonight ruined. I decided instantly that standing still
was a bad
idea, and jumped up to the ceiling braces (good move). Then I decided to see
if I could talk my way out of this (bad move).
"Hey! Um, Sailor V?" Don't make her panic by using Minako, gotta
remember not to do that.."Could you not shoot at me, please?" I assayed in my
best 'I'm just a worker youma' voice. This immediately required more
dodging...blam, blam, Crescent beam, blam yada yada..so obviously not.
"You've deprived innocent concert goers of their well deserved fun!
Your friends may have fled but you'll not escape the wrath of Sailor V!" Ouch.
She must *really* have wanted to go to this concert.
"They're no friends of mine! They trapped me here! Uh, I'm sorry
about the, you
know, the other fans. I sorta panicked." Ohshitonmeteleportnow. That
Crescent Boomerang move isn't nice at all, especially when she uses the
Crescent slender beam to lead it. It cut down most of the lights and
rigging I'd
been hiding behind..
"There is no excuse for such evil actions!" By this time the inside of the
place is starting to look like an observatory..holes everywhere..She's obviously
very pissed. And moving to take better aim. My time to rabbit..again.
"Um, they'll be all right in the mourning. They're just tired." Ah HA! A
door to the roof! I slammed myself into it.
"You loose." I bounced. Damn forcefeild. Unfortunately Mina had me
dead-bang:
I'd fallen from the second floor catwalk onto the stage - no cover in sight.
I did the only thing I could: Return fire.
Her turn to dodge while I headed for cover and my force bolts took
chips out of the floor. At this rate even the hoard of energy I took isn't
going to
last long...I needed a way out...I hid. Then I tried to sense the force field -
successfully as it happens.
It had a very interesting flaw: It didn't extend underground - it cut off at
ground level and only blocked teleports from that direction, not bodies. I
guess
they figured the ground would do that.
I headed for the sewer. I'd sensed a manhole just inside the field - it
had been built over, but a really over powered force bolt took care of that
problem.
Unfortunately Mina followed me.
Fortunately I was able to loose her by hiding underwater.
Unfortunately she somehow managed to find me again as I hit street
level.
Oh well. At least now I could run. I did.
It was fun until the we ran into the ninja hit squad. They were just
getting off a job, and climbing down some apartment building I'd decided to
climb up (it had neat ledges that made great cover).
We were witnesses. Witnesses are overhead.
Things got ugly.
Now, some hour and a half later, between the two of us, there are
twenty or so less ninja in the world. Supernatural powers go a long way in
these situations.
Of course by that time we were both exhausted out of our minds. She,
after all, had already done the four-on-one drive off youma thing once tonight
before starting this whole chase thing.
I had problems enough just keeping ahead of her. I still had two
charged gems left, but using that energy takes something out of you to.
So as the last ninja falls, I half collapse against a water tower that
dominates the roof of the skyscraper we ended up on, and groan, She manages
to sit up and point that gun at me. I manage to lurch to my feet and it goes
'click', and she gets this comical expression.
I managed to find my voice on the third try.
"Truce? Please? At least until we can get off this building?" She just
nodded, and panted. After a minute, she said "I'll get you tomorrow." and
lurched over to the edge - then she sank back from edge of the building in
exasperation.
"Problem?" I managed to croak out.
"It's..to bloody..far down. " I laughed, she glared at me.
I staggered over to her and offered her a hand, which she looked at
uncertainly.
"Here, I'll give you a ride down." Caution warred with exhaustion for a
bit, but she eventually took it.
Just to make a point I half drained another gem to teleport us both. It
apparently isn't a comfy ride for others - she looked ill afterwards. It
wasn't
fun for me either - I was tired, and teleporting two is *hard*.
I took her over to a bench to sit down, smiled at the cat, muttered, 'nice
legs' and tried to vanish into the crowd.
From the sound of things I don't think she'd noticed the condition of her
skirt until then.
That's how I met Sailor V.
I figure someday I'm going to pay for my parting words.
Youma blues 4:
Promotion and the second interview.
Checking myself into a hotel after my Sailor V adventure I did the only
logical thing: I slept. For about twenty hours.
But it seemed that somebody didn't love me at all, because as I was
buisily stacking Z's and going for thirty, I was awakened to the tune of forty
thousand volts and a pissed youma general.
All things considered, I prefer birdsong. The altercation went something
like this:
I was, as previously mentioned, sleeping and not at all intending on
awakening anytime soon. Then Jadeite shows up in my room, having already
searched all of Japan for my 'lazy disloyal &*!&!' as he later put it, and
hits me
with more lightning . I screamed - something to the tune of 'ARGH!', jumped
out of bed (I'd fallen asleep still clothed) and threw my luggage at him.
"I'm sleeping! Come back later!" I yelled (big mistake).
Then I lay back down to sleep some more. (bigger mistake, but I was -tired-)
This elicited more lightning, more screaming and (finally) me half awake
sans benefit of strong coffee (the *first* thing I took the liberty of
importing to
the dark kingdom).
"What are you doing here, my servant? Running from me, perhaps?
And with such a stock of energy to - I might think you were trying to betray
your calling, youma." Jadeite positively *delights* in being snide around
me..beats me why, though. But I wasn't in the mood to play along, so I was
frank.
"Hiding from Sailors - and not very successfully, either. I spent almost
all of -" I looked at the clock and did fast calculations -"The day before
yesterday dodging one. I'd have more energy for you, but I had to use most of
it fighting off Sailor V."
Jadeite just raised an eyebrow. "You are the mystery Youma who was
moving in on the Dark Ministry's territory? A very industrious servant
indeed..I
see I shall have to keep a better eye on you. In the mean time -" He grabbed
both gems, and pocketed them, and then gestured, teleporting us both back to
japan. " In the meantime we have work to do. I am going to begin gathering
energy in earnest. If I can move a large enough number of people into a
subspace I can drain them at my leisure, with out the interference of those
brats.
You, however, have an Appointment with the queen. She wants to meet my
oh so successful servant."
I sighed. I knew this was going to be a bad day, I just knew it.
Now it's time for Dark Kingdom Geography 101. Three things:
1. There is no sun. The only light is what you bring with you or make
yourself.
It turned out to be a *very good* thing I see clearly in the dark.
2. The entire place is somewhat dimensionally messed up. It makes maps
mostly useless, and teleportation a good survival skill.
3. There is no native flora, and the native fauna is all carnivorous. The youma
still come out as being the top of the food chain - But only just.
Frankly, I have
no trouble seeing why Beryl & co want to conquer earth - It would be a much
better place to live. Well, that and the main food is mushrooms...
Jadeite, of course, gives me the express teleport treatment while he
goes into his next scheme.
Of course, this means I reappear in the center of the Dark kingdom
party circuit - the only part, in fact, of the dark kingdom party circuit:
Beryl's
audience chamber.
Beryl. God I dispise her.
"Gathered Youma, Servants of the glory of Mettila hear me!" Her voice
is the first thing that reaches my ears and I just *know* I'm about to be thrown
to the wolves.
I'm right.
"The being that stands before you serves my greatest general! Jadeite
has brought him into our ranks and made him of your kind! And in the service
of my general he has achieved a level of success unprecedented amongst you!" I
checked: Blazing red hair, spiky shoulders, insane megalomaniacal smile, gown
showing off more cleavage than baywatch, yep, thats Beryl all right. (Her
words, by the way, were my first clue that I'm a bit more efficient with the
energy drain thing than your average youma - of course, most of those don't
come back, either...)
"But now he must be tested!" Damn, I don't like the sound of that.
"Youma, you may stand!" That was directed towards me - I only then
realized I'd been kneeling. Of course, I stood - in the Dark Kingdom, when
Beryl says you can do something, you *DO IT*. No question.
It was Zoicyte who spoke next, saying, "You who would serve in the
armies of Atlantis, for the next day you are marked as prey for any who seek to
take your position. " His words were stilted, formalized, and had the
tapings of
ritual about them - I later found out that it was a ritual, albeit a very
bastardized
one.
"Give me your name." Oh damn. I don't like the sound of -that- not
one bit. The marked as prey thing I expected - this was Psycho-babe's court,
after all. But the 'give me your name' thing, in a magical society - that
sounded
like name based magic. Give them my name, and they'd be able to do what
they wanted to me, if anything I'd read in the fantasy novels I used to love
were
true. So I lied. Good thing Jadeite had never bother to ask for my full
name.
"Sheldon James." Of course, any answer at all was bad enough.
Nephrite stepped forward from the crowd of youma who circled the
chamber. "You have give your name truly." There was a knowing twinkle in his
eye as he turned to Beryl and bowed. I guess there was a bit of rebellion
in him
even them - or perhaps, through the stars, he knew just how much of a
mockery the ceremony was, or maybe he was just bored, and wanted to see
how far my daring would carry me. With Nephrite it's hard to tell.
Then Kunzite stepped forwards. "His name has been given. He has no
name- yet the youma are not nameless, and the nameless do not live. He must
claim one." He too bowed. Now I really didn't like the sound of this. Then
Beryl spoke.
"His old name is destroyed; It was given into my hands. If he stands
before me upon the dying of this fire -" And at her words a tall, twisted candle
appeared and blazed with flame - "He may choose a name in my service. " Her
lips turned into a bloodthirsty smile. "Should he live. Should he fall I
will accept
a name from any who dare to stand before me at the fire's dying - and they shall
have his place at my general's side." She was obviously going to enjoy watching
the scuffle, too.
"I have spoken."
That was obviously a dismissal, given the way the youma were surging
greedily towards me; I didn't stick around to find out how promotion worked in
the dark kingdom (actually I had a pretty good idea). Instead I took a big
gamble and teleported blind.
I won't go into what the next twenty or so hours were like, except to
point out that teleporting is much easier in the Dark Kingdom. I did learn that
you can - or at least, I can - drain energy from other youma. It's a lot harder
than with normals - but not the ludicrous impossibility it is with Senshi.
Suffice it to say that I learned a lot about myself and about (youma) life
in general in twenty hours, and that, when the flame guttered and died I was
still
standing, and, more importantly, I was standing in front of Beryl.
There was a look of...interest on her face, and a look of satisfaction on
Jadeite's, where he stood flanking her - slightly subdued satisfaction, but
satisfaction nevertheless.
Zoicyte looked like he'd swallowed a live frog, while Nephrite looked
smug. (I believe there was a bet involved).
Kunzite I could never read - he looked bored, but then Kunzite
*allways* looks bored. Except when he's fighting.
"The flame dies." Beryl. Damn she's scary when she focuses on
you...you get to see just how absolutely insane she really is..
"The one who stands before me is truly a youma amongst my armies;
How does it name itself?" In the past few hours I'd learned a bit about
this ritual
- including what happened to those who tried to take back their old names. (I
asked really nicely.) I'd even managed to put about twenty seconds into
thinking up a new one. Around the same time I'd picked up the sword, actually.
"Tenshino Aoi." I even managed to keep my voice even when I said it.
Well, perhaps not entirely even - there was just a bit of challenge there,
directed
at her, over my choice of names. I knew she'd pick up on it. But if she
wanted the ritual to be honored, she couldn't object - even if I named myself an
angel. If she didn't honor the ritual she just might have a mass rebellion
on her
hands - and while she could probably take all the youma, she also didn't want to
have to kill her own cannon-fodder. I'm afraid *some* of the traditions of
Atlantis survived, dispite her determined attempt to rout them out.
"So be it." Of course she could just kill me later, but I'd only just
thought of that.
"I make the servant to the generals, Aoi Tenshino; Under their hand
shall you be trained in our ways. Now take your insolent face from my court -
if you've not learned humility by the time I see you next, you will die. " She
somehow knows just what it take to warm my heart, I tell you...
Anyway, that's how I met Beryl.
My 'education' was of slightly more note...but that's for next time.
Youma blues 5:
On the job training
School is in session. Well, maybe.
When Beryl said that the generals would be 'training you in our ways' I
don't think a determined attempt to kill me was quite what she had in mind - or
maybe it was.
My schedule went something like this:
Mornings: Wake up. Two hour bout of swordplay with Kunzite & the other
Lieutenants (more on them in a moment). Breakfast (mushrooms and
unidentifiable thing pie)
Afternoon: Magic lessons with Nephrite (I stretched this out as far as
possible.
Neph is a *great* teacher, if a bit preachy about the stars thing. Besides,
I had
an interest.)
Evening: Freedom! My time to run away. If I had enough energy I tended to
teleport to Juban.
Late night: Head back to the dark kingdom, dragging Jadeites latest energy
package with me, and wishing I could stay in Juban.
Reason: You remember those other Lt's I mentioned? Well, there were about
ten of them (until last week it was twelve, but two of them didn't dodge Sailor
V's Crescent beams fast enough), and they called themselves the Dark Circle
(this week) And they'd decided that they didn't like me.
Something about my one upping them in Singapore.
I found out the hard way, too...
It was after my first 'lesson' with Kunzite (who said very little to me at
the time. Not a talkative guy when it came to the lower ranks, Kunzite. Damn
scary fighter, though.) that I noticed the first face I recognized, aside
from those
that I recognized as 'monsters to be avoided' - I was still somewhat naive in
those days.
It was a rather strikingly shojo - type human-like youma who had been
one of the last of the Shadow cabinet to teleport out.
The Shadow Cabinet, if you don't remember, was the utterly iane and
rather awful goth band put together by our friends in the Dark Circle, as a two
fold energy drain/lets get killed by Sailor V operation.
His name was Sinhalite, and aside from being Zoicite's understudy, he
was a right bastard.
Anyway, I recognized him as one of the gawkers who came to watch
me get my ass kicked by the best, and after practice he approached me.
"You. Wannabe." He announced his presence - and the desire to talk
- with the same attitude he does everything with: effeminate, refined,
arrogance.
Pissed me off immediately. Did I mention my temper had already gone
to beyond frayed?
"Get lost looser." I had to fight to keep my voice pitched to within 'non-
deadly insult' range, but I managed.
"Excuse me?" I'd never heard that phrase turned quite so handily into
an insult. Sinhalite carried it off with the ease of long standing, and an
implication that I had better not use that tone of voice around him. Of
course,
being a contrary sort, I used a worse one instead.
"Youma who cannot even manage to keep their whole party alive when
confronting a foe *four on one* have no place calling their savior a
'wannabe'.
If it wasn't for me your ashes would be floating on the breeze courtesy
Sailor V.
Therefore I suggest you put a bit more *respect* into your voice when you
speak to your betters." I really enjoyed saying that. I enjoyed the look
on his
face even more. In fact I enjoyed it so much I must say that I don't
regret the
consequences one bit. Besides, it was good propaganda- the unaffiliated
humaics and swordweilding monsters watching practice would carry the story
throughout the dark kingdom.
It almost got me backhanded across the room, though. Sinhalite
(henceforth dubbed 'Sinny') looked rather startled when I managed to get out of
the way; I found out later that he's supposedly the second fastest of the other
humanics and hence, used to connecting with what he swings at as a result.
To bad for Sinny I'm faster than anyone short of Kunzite. Maybe even
a little faster than Kunzite - I survived swordsmanship practice with suprising
ease
for some one with no experience.
In any event, I'm definitely faster than this refuge from the bad taste
club, and the fist he sent towards my face only came close to me.
"Dear me. I believe I hit a nerve." Truth? I find it really easy to get
wrapped up in my 'bad guy' routine. I certainly did this time - didn't even
notice
the rest of the gang of ten (soon to be the gang of six-the next few months
wouldn't be kind to them.) sneaking up to me.
What followed was an extended and highly painful forum on manners,
interrupted only by lord Nephrite coming to test my powers 'for the record'.
I might as well say a few words at this time, about my fellow youma.
Now, for obvious reasons, most of these observations don't apply well
to me - I'm a transformed individual like the generals themselves, and not a
descendant of the original Atlanteans - but in the main there are four types of
Youma's. (I'm one of the forth, and rarest, type, and something of an oddity
even amougnst my brothers and sisters. )
The most common type aren't really Youma in the way Beryl and the
generals mean it - really, they're just monsters - but the sailor crowd would
probably mistake them for members of the last Atlantean army, anyhow.
Honestly, I think they are the magic twisted descendants of the native
wildlife -
mostly because they're to dumb to be related to humans in any way. For the
most part they're either: A big, B dumb, and C really dangerous because they're
totally vicious and rabid, or A small, B smart, for animals, and C really
dangerous because they have minor magic powers and the nature of a stalking
predator. Both types are very bad news. The larger ones tend to travel in
packs, the smaller ones in pairs, and all of them eat other youmas.
Err - people too, I suppose. Don't try domesticating them. Bad idea.
The next step up are the common youma - these are the humanoid
monsters. They're human-smart, violent, and not (usually) educated, though
there is a suprising literacy rate - possibly because Beryl is as vain as
all hell,
and wants them to be able to read about her glories in those godawful books
she has written about the Silver Millenniums.
Most have minimal magic powers - things like illusion, minor shapeshifting or
disguise, sensing, and energy leaching that are standard youma tricks - but
some, like that gang of total psychopaths Zoicyte trained - I believe they
called
themselves the doom and gloom girls - are real ass kickers, with theme based
powers that can be used for a variety of stuff. Like the one of them that could
actually make plants grow in the dark kingdom (an impressive talent. Most of
our vegetation tends to be ferns or fungus because of the lighting problem).
Often they're not really that loyal to Beryl - more like afraid of her. Most of
them aren't even in the army, although the mortality rate amongst the ones that
aren't is astounding.
This is what the average citizen of the dark kingdom becomes when
they grow up - they're actually born human-like (uniformly so) and begin
changing around six years old -by the time they hit puberty (around ten) they
usually don't look very human. I've never met anyone dissatisfied with their
change, so there must be some psychological influences that determine what
you become.
The next level up is the tiny population of humanics, like the dark circle.
They're the exception that proves the rule, because while the other youma are
changing, they usually don't - or at least, don't change much. Many so called
'humanics' are actually pretty far from human, on a closer inspection, but,
if you
can pass a first glance test without glamour(what they called illusion-powers),
you get a very big advantage - automatic membership in Beryl's army and a
spiffy new mineral name.
All the humanics have fairly potent powers - usually three or more,
including basic teleporting, and unlike the lower -class youma, humanic's
powers often aren't unified by a common theme.
That said, humanics are usually the worst of the lot. 'Evil' comes closest
to describing their usual bent. I attribute this to the fact that there are
almost no
female humanics - strike that.
There are almost no *surviving* female humanics. Beryl gets jellous
very easily - and the punishment for threatening Beryl's position as 'most
beautiful/skilled/whatever' is usually death. Or at least horrible
disfigurement.
(One lady humanic I met - Cassiterite - escaped this fate in a
rather..unique(and
gruesome) way: she was possessed of a regeneration power, and, as a
precaution, tore off the left half of her face occasionally. The resultant
scarring
would last about a week, and kept Beryl from seeing her as a rival. Her
sisters,
however, were not so lucky-or perhaps, not so ruthless.)
Actually, humanics tend to be vicious because they are trained from
their identification as such to be the 'nobles' of the dark kingdom. Trained by
Beryl's private staff of tutors, Beryl, and the generals, that is. Of
course, such
'identification' is tricky - there are quite a few non-humanics who were
'picked'
but simply turned out to be late bloomers. (As, reportedly, the doom and
gloom girls were.)
The last type of youma are the transformed.
This is a vanishingly small category, and with one exception, consists
almost exclusively of millennia old immortal youma - Some of Beryl's original
troops who, upon the transformation that struck them when they were
imprisoned with Metilla's insenseate form, acquired some resistance to age. It
includes the generals, a few officers and bureaucrats who haven't tried Beryl's
patience yet, the child-like 'serisi' who police the lesser youma for Beryl,
Beryl
herself and me. All are Humanics - there are immortal monster-type youmas,
but no transformed had ever shown a 'monster form', until the rainbow crystal
incident - and that turned out to be temporary.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
After Nephrite turned my mind inside out testing me for powers, and
offered to teach me a few more tricks of magic, it was time for me to be given
my assignment.
Everybody had to be busy, we were in a war of sorts, after all.
Given that I was one of those rare youma who could teleport himself
out of the dark kingdom with no assistance, I was put to permanent Sailor-
watch, helping Jadeite.
Jadeite immediately told me to be on the lookout for the Senshi, and
warn him of their approach. Oh, and I'd be the one delivering energy to Beryl
for him.
It was obvious that he still didn't believe that I knew their identities,
which was fine by me; However, I figured that it would be best if I kept an eye
on them anyhow.
That being said my course of action was clear: I was going back to
highschool.
By myself in a school frequented by four of the most powerful creatures
on the planet, with no possibility of backup and a strong possibility that
at least
one of them could sense me.
Oh, this would be fun.
Not.
Youma Blues 6
Professional relationships.
Okay, I admit it. Arranging to enroll myself in Juban high wasn't the
brightest idea I've ever had.
Actually it ranks right up there with coming to moonieland as one of the
single dumbest ideas I've ever entertained.
But it was fun.
On my second day of training, after magic practice, I expended the
effort necessary to teleport back to juban to try a little experiment. (Dark
Kingdom time is about ten hours ahead of Japanese time- remember, Atlantis
was a Mediterranean island, and youma naturally tend to a nocturnal cycle.)
First I wanted to practice my Glamour skills - My transformation had
left me more than a little pale and gray haired, so I'd need a bit of magic
- not
much, but some.
Second, I wanted to arrange for some records for my new school - I
could fake being a senior, easy - I'm short, for an American(tall for a
Japanese,
but...), and age nicely. (which is to say, at twenty one I'm still mistaken for
sixteen occasionally.).
Most importantly, I wanted to check if the amount of energy I carried
around had any influence on how well the cat could sense me. It turned out to
be a great idea - I learned a lot about how sensitive moon cats and certain
senshi are - without actually tipping them off completely.
Though they were somewhat suspicious. Especially that Mars chick..
Not as suspicious as they'd eventually get, but still...
A day after that I returned, making sure to be at low ebb, energy wise,
before teleporting there. I'd be in real close quarters with them, and
didn't want
to raise any eyebrows...feline or otherwise.
Then I moved into my apartment (chosen as much for it's remote
location relative to senshi as the low rent), and enrolled in the school -
choosing
the name 'Sora Aoi' just for laughs. I even decided to add my new last name to
my youma name for kicks.
Calling myself Sky Blue Angel should get me into plenty of fights in the
dark kingdom. I liked that idea.
(I was every bit this antisocial in highschool the first time; Just not as
violent. This time around I planned on having fun...In one classroom or
another.)
Anyhow, after arranging all that, I went back to school.
The first day wasn't so bad; I only had to get a feel for the place,
dodge the clumsiest female being anywhere (tm), and try not to act to out of
place.
Really, it was going well until I ran into Mizumo Ami. Literally ran into,
that is. I didn't manage to *quite* convince her that my catching her from
falling
was within purely human strength...fortunately she's no good at hiding suspicion
in a crisis.
I put that down to lack of experience.
Any way, I was getting out of gym, and was probably going to be late
for my Japanese lit class, which was across from Sailor Moon's classroom for
the afternoon, so I was running fairly fast, when I managed to slam straight
into
Ami-san. If I hadn't caught her before she hit the lockers she might have been
hurt, which would definitely pointed suspicion at me.
Unfortunately this put me at exceedingly close range with her, and she
very nearly recognized me. (I hadn't changed my appearance that much with the
glamour; I couldn't, not and still be subtle)
"Gomen, Mizumo-chan, I should have watched where I was going.
You could have been hurt." I straightened and put her back on her feet as I
said that, and tried to look as 'normal' as possible.
"Oh. That's okay, Sora-sempai. I wasn't looking where I was going
either. Thank you for catching me. But you were going very fast." I should
probably note that Mercury is *very* meek in person. Introspective. Unless
she happens to be Senshi Mercury at the time...she likes to cut loose, but
doesn't want the consequences of being 'loud' attached to her.
Sort of like this guy I sometimes think I know.
"Hai..I was sprinting for my next class..I was only just able to catch you.
The Kempo lessons must finally be paying off..if you'll excuse me I'm
late.." I'd
almost made an escape when she pipes up from behind me to say, "Sempai, I
noticed you're in the fourth year math and computer classes, and I was
wondering - would you like to join my study group? I think it's closer to the
school than the one you go to." Great. School genius asks supposedly 'normal'
upperclassman if he 'wants' to join her study group. I bet Luna put her up to
this.
I'm gonna die.
"That would be great Mizumo-chan. I'll come by after school and ask
your group coordinator, but now I really have to go!" I fled. Partially
from her,
and partially from the part of me (small even then) that wanted to break down
and tell her my whole story, and beg protection from the Senshi.
If I'd had the same urge the next day I'd probably have acted on it, but
as things turned out, I was in for a big change of viewpoints on the dark
kingdom.
I know, because it has been pointed out to me, that I didn't notice that
She'd dropped the book she'd been reading.
She must have borrowed it from Usagi or Rei, because Ami is usually
interested in heavier fare than romances (or so I found).
Okay, I go to my first meeting with the cram school bunch, expecting
searching questions, Senshi inquisition, and all sorts of other bad
things(tm) for
youma. What does Senshi Mercury want to do?
Make eyes at the 'cute' upperclassman. She's good at that. Even if she
is only thirteen or fourteen. (I should have pegged it as out of character
for her,
but I had something on my mind..)
I had to keep repeating, "I do not need a relationship with a senshi, I do
not need a relationship with a senshi, I do not.." Throughout the whole meeting,
just to keep my cool. I didn't (at the time) think either of us got much
studying
done.
Actually, Mercury got lots of studying done, but she was studying
*me*.
When the review session was over, we both rushed off to important
meetings. She went to share her findings with the other Senshi, while I went to
pick up a delivery from Jadeite.
That delivery I made turned out to be somewhat fated. After going
back to my apartment for a recharge out of my personal stock of stored energy
(running around all day with only wisps of power is for the birds), I picked up
Jadeites latest shipment from the amusement park gambit, and ported it to
Beryl.
After depositing it at her feet with as much subservience as I could
manage, I headed off to crash; I was *exausted* and didn't have much sleep
time in my schedule to begin with.
Of course, that's when I met Catlinite.
Cat's a handful, I give her that. She's one of those rare youma who is
just on the edge of being humanic - physically, she stands out in her cat/elf
features, but the human features are obviously dominant - Although why she has
the ridiculous ears..- anyhow, she doesn't *quite* manage to look human
enough to get into the club. It's mostly the ears and the claws, but the
way her
ankles bend makes most people hurt by sympathy (not me, mind, but most
other youma and humans).
Other than that, she's one of the most gorgeous creatures I've ever
seen, if she's not covered in mud and grime(which she was at the time). A red-
orange-blond with black and white streaks in her hair, and skin a pale white
that's covered with a pattern of deep black tiger-stripes...a figure that
is, in my
opinion, perfect: round in all the right places but not overbuilt, slim, and
so l-o-
n-g, despite the fact that she's right at my height..
I think I'm getting side-tracked here. Just take my word for it: She's a
knockout. She has these gold eyes...um, maybe I should pick a different
subject.
She also fights dirty. Very, very dirty. Stab-in-the-back dirty tricks
galore type dirty. 'Fair' is also a four letter word, for her. (Me too,
come to
think of it.)
That's what she was doing when I ran into her.
You see, the dark cabinet had just lost another member - Florite had
just gotten his (its?) self killed, and Cat had made a play to be made a member
- She figured, I think, that they had to lower the looks barrier sometime. It
would have been a waste of her talents, if you ask me, but the Dark Agency
thought of it more like an insult.
Sinhalite and Variscite - that's Vivian to humans and Sailor V, one of
those oh-so-few Humanic females, and an all around well, I can't say what she
was in polite company, but she tries to imitate Beryl fairly successfully - had
decided to make Cat an object lesson.
Currently, Cassiterite(the girl with half a face) was down with her
stomach ripped open, Vivian was senseless beside the edge of the fight(I
believe that involved a rock..), and Sinhalite and Danburite were trying to keep
Cat from getting within arms reach.
Cat's main magical talent is deflection and illusion - she can keep most
attacks from actually hitting her full on, and hide herself *very well*.
Her other
magical talents are regeneration, speed, and ripping the ***** out of things,
using either her claws or anything edged and nasty-like. She's very good at
that.
Unfortunately she was also outnumbered. I watched for about ten
seconds, and decided that who-ever-it-was under all that muck, I liked their
style - rather than blasting about while standing there, they -moved- keeping to
two 'stand and zap' types off balance, and dispite not having much in the way of
'zap' themselves, they were obviously holding their own, despite the cuts and
burns they'd taken.
I wasn't about to let them waste such an obvious resource. Besides, I
still owed them for the broken bones they gave me somewhat earlier. (The first
spell Neph tought me was a regeneration magic that dealt with my ribs in a few
hours..good thing to.)
I tapped into my energies and, after a moments thought, decided to go
full humiliation; After all, I couldn't possibly piss them off more.
So I strode forward, concentrated hard, and gestured once, violently
ripping energy out of Sinhalite (if he hadn't been focused on someone else I'd
never have managed it, but as it was, he was wide open...).
Just for effect, I howled, "Enough!" at the top of my lungs, and used the
energy I'd drained to blast Danburite into a wall.
Then I smiled at a teetering Sinhalite - I hadn't managed to totally drain
him, but he was no longer a threat, and knew it.
"I am continually amused, Sinny, by your total disregard for the
resources you have that you could be using -" I never got to finish my speech.
Catlinite kicked him inbetween the legs. From behind. Hard. He folded
gratifyingly quickly.
I like people who show initive.
She also (that was the first time I'd noticed she was a she; With all the
mud on her uniform, it was hard to tell more than basic human shape) snarled at
me.
"Well. That was..apropriate for him." I smiled back, ferally. "I gleaned
from the crowd -" Said collection of lower-class youma had abruptly vanished,
"That you offered your services to theses...losers. Care to work for a more
successful branch of the army?"
She just spat (blood). Then she growled, "If we wait here all day you
moron, the reinforcements are going to show up. Want that?"
I looked over my shoulder at a rather violent energy disturbance,
spotted a number of humanics teleporting in, and murmured, "Quite so. They
seem to already be here. " Then I reach out to her, and she drew back, eyeing
me critically.
I snapped, "I can't teleport us both without flesh to flesh contact.",
grabbed again (she let me get her this time) and teleported us back to Juban.
Catlinite showed her gratitude by spreading mud all over my carpet as
she collapsed.
Honestly, I don't know how she stayed standing that long, considering
her wounds.
That, then, is how I met a leader in the youma underground. Of course,
I didn't know that yet, and it would be a week until I did, but our relationship
was already off to a great start: I rescued her, and she insulted me for it.
Elsewhere in Juban, some other people were having a more frustrating,
but not as eventful, night.
"So, Ami, what did you learn tonight?" Luna, guardian cat to the Sailor
Senshi, and primary advisor to Sailor Moon, was worried.
Unusually, she wasn't worried that nothing would be accomplished at
this sailor meeting because Rei and Usagi were fighting; They were fighting, of
course, and were currently locked in 'death glare' mode, but she wasn't worried
about it.
She was worried because Sailor Mercury was humming tunelessly as
she typed into her computer. Ami never hummed. The glazed look in her
eyes was also a bad sign.
"AMI!" Luna roared - well, tried to roar. Moon cats being small, she
didn't quite manage, but she did get Ami's attention.
"Oh! Sorry Luna, I was just -" Sailor mercury blushed as she hurriedly
did something Luna couldn't see on her computer, and, unfortunately for Luna's
peace of mind, Usagi took that moment to notice, and reenter the conversation.
"She was just lost in a pair of oh so blue eyes! It's so romantic! That
new Senior is a hunk! I think he likes you Ami, I really do. You should ask
him out tomorrow." Ami Mizuno blushed brilliant scarlet, and stammered, "N-
no, that's not it at all.." to which Rei responded, "Then you won't mind if
I ask
him?"
As the usual squabble was put aside to briefly draw the usually reticent
Ami into the subject of boys, Luna sighed.
As usual, Luna thought, there goes any hope of getting anything done...
"Why me?", She demanded of heaven.
Gamlain@pop.softhome.net
Gamlain, Transuniversal courier
Wildfire, teleport nonperil
Hero for rent.
"So then I shot a goon and I cut the head man's throat, and after that
things got violent." - Tarnkep Protree
"Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."-
Hickeys coralary.