Subject: [FFML] [SM] [fic] The Rebound Effect part 14
From: Tim Williams
Date: 4/12/1998, 10:27 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com
Reply-to:
twillia4@utk.edu

Remember how I keep saying that I'm going to have to slow down then
turning out a story the very next day?  Well, I might actually have to
slow down for half a week (I've got 3 major exams on Wed. but I wrote a
paper while I was writing this ^_^ so it's out of the way).  Part 15 is
already started, though, and it looks like our friend Nephrite will run
through part 18 or 19.  I hope to get through with him by next weekend,
but you know how it is.  

Hey, if you read this, drop me a note.  I'd like to know what you think
about where it's going and where it's been.  That, and I'd like to know
if there are actually more than 2 people still paying attention to me
after all of this...

Disclaimer goes here (Sailor Moon).

Part 14
	
	Taika had almost forgotten about her evening with Jadeite when she ran
into him again on the street.  The date had been on Tuesday, it was now
Friday.  
	"Ah, Hino-san, how nice to see you again."  He smiled broadly.  "I've
been trying to find you ever since we were interrupted.  I really must
make it up to you."
	"Now, Fujii-san," Taika replied happily.  She had taken a lot of time
to think over the last few days and decided that she wanted to see for
herself what the whiteness in the center of Jadeite's soul was.  "You
don't have to do that!  I had a wonderful time, and I perfectly
understand that you had other things to attend to."
	"But, I insist!" he proclaimed.  "There is a romantic cruise this
weekend, and I've been asked to fill in for the regular captain.  I
insist that you come and join us.  It'll be lots of fun."
	Memories flashed through Taika's mind.  If this time line was mimicking
her own, then this would be Jadeite's last gambit.  That meant that it
would be her only chance to do what needed to be done.  "Oh, Fujii-san,
I just can't say no to an offer like that, can I?"
	He produced a ticket and pressed it into her hand.  "Boarding starts at
seven Saturday night, but if you show up early, I'll give you a tour of
the ship."
	"I'd like that," she said.

***

	Serenity had seen Taika a few seconds after Jadeite.  She had been on
her way to say hello when she noticed the blond man Taika was talking
to.  Quickly, she got out of sight and watched the meeting transpire.  	
	Frustrated at having chosen a hiding place that was too far away to
hear anything, she worked a sight clarifying spell so she could at least
see him better.  It worked and she soon had a clear view of a handsome
man apparently in his twenties.  The spell also had the side effect of
piercing his illusion.  She recognized him almost immediately.
	//What's Rei doing meeting with Jadeite.  And what's she so happy
about?  This is probably another one of his traps, though why he would
target her, I don't know.//
	This needed an explanation.  
	She waited for the two to go their separate ways and then followed
Taika for a block or so before making her presence known.  
	"So, have a hot date?"
	"Umm..." Taika stammered, surprised that Serenity had been able to
sneak up on her.  "What are you talking about."
	"That blond man you were just talking to... you do know that he's
Jadeite, don't you?"
	"Yeah," Taika frowned.  "I know... I know that I shouldn't be letting
him get near me, but there's something strange about him.  His soul
seems trapped by darkness and I need to know why."
	Serenity sighed.  "Listen, Rei-chan, there is something that Endymion
and I never told you girls...  When Endymion was being controlled by
Beryl, he kept having these flashes of memory about the Generals.  They
were part of the Silver Millennium, too.  But we think that they were
corrupted by Beryl's power.  Just as Endymion was.  He said that once he
saw Kunzite almost break through her control, but she snapped it back
immediately."
	"The Silver Millennium?  But who were they?  I don't remember..." but
she did.  Something vague about Jadeite and her.  It was like so many of
the other memories that had never come back to her, vague and fleeting
unless you knew exactly what to look for.  She focused in on the image
she had of Jadeite and found an image of the two of them, walking
through a park, arm in arm.  "I... I think we were in love."
	Serenity embraced her friend gently.  "I'm so sorry that we couldn't
save them before."
	"That's... okay," Taika said sadly.  "We can save them now."

***

	At lunch the next day, Umino Gurio was staring at the two tickets to
the romantic cruise he had won in a raffle, trying to figure out how he
was going to get Taika to go with him.  If his one-sided relationship
with Usagi had taught him anything, it was how NOT to go about it.  That
didn't leave many other options.
	He was still thinking when Serenity sat down beside him.  "What do you
have there?  Oh, tickets to tonight's romantic cruise."
	"Yeah, so?"
	"You're thinking about asking Taika, aren't you?"
	"Well, so what if I am?  It's none of your business."
	"Come on, I'm your friend, and I happen to know that Taika's already
got a date.  But I don't think she really wants to be with him,
Umino-san."
	"Oh, and who would do you think she would rather be with?"
	"You."
	"Really?"
	"Yes, she just doesn't know about it yet.  Why don't you just take me
tonight and I'll see what I can do."

***

	Usagi still hadn't managed to find tickets by that night.  Rei and Ami
were going with a pair that Ami's mother had given her in a vain attempt
to get the girl to ask someone out.  Makoto and Minako had managed to
worm their way into dates, even if they didn't really like they guys
they were with.
	That just left Usagi and Luna standing on the pier watching everyone
else go past.  "Luna, are you sure there isn't some way to sneak on
board?  I've got to get in there."
	Luna seemed lost in thought for a few minutes then suddenly perked up. 
"Yes, the Lunar Disguise Pen."  Luna did a backflip and the pen popped
into being.
	"That's great..." Usagi began.  "But how do I use it?"
	"Just hold it up and say "disguise power make me a" and whatever you
want to look like."
	"Ah," she whipped the pen up above her head.  "Disguise Power! Make me
a cute camera girl."  Nothing seemed to happen.  "Did that work?"
	"Yes, it certainly did.  Take a look at yourself."
	Usagi looked down at herself and found that her clothing had changed
and she now had a camera around her neck.  "Neat!"  She picked up Luna
and placed her gently into her camera bag and went to find a way
onboard.

***


	Taika had shown up early as requested, hoping to get a chance to free
Jadeite before things went too far.  Her hopes, however, were dashed
when she found that he was too busy making preparations for the
evening's festivities to give her the tour he had promised.
	It was a disappointment, but nothing that she couldn't live with.  She
would get her chance later.
	She spent most of the extra time that she found herself with wandering
the ship and marveling at the strength of the illusions that Jadeite had
created around the old barge.  It took a fair amount of effort for even
her practiced eyes to pierce them.
	Finally, other people started to wander on board, but that didn't help
her mood much.  Seeing people happy together was never one of her
favorite things, when her life was filled with so much loneliness.
	She sighed deeply and rested against the railing, watching the sun
gently set over the bay.  
	She was brought out of the near trance that she had fallen into by a
bouquet of red roses that was being held a half foot in front of her
face.  With a broad smile, she turned to give Jadeite a hug but found,
instead, Umino to be holding the roses.
	Her smile faded a good bit.  "Oh, hello, Umino."
	"Hello, Taika, these are for you.  You looked so lonely..."
	She sighed and accepted the roses.  "That's very sweet of you, but you
shouldn't have.  Aren't you here with someone?"
	"Usagi's cousin, Serenity, but she disappeared right after we got on
board."
	Briefly, Taika thought of getting rid of him, but that wouldn't really
improve her mood any.  He was, after all, at least some kind of person
to talk to.  Kind of sweet, even if he was a bit too nerdy for her
tastes.
	"Shall we walk for a while?" she asked him.  "There isn't anything else
to do."  
	As if hearing her statement, the PA suddenly blared into life and
announced the start of the "romantic show" in the reception hall.
	"We could go see that romantic thingie."
	Taika sighed.  "No, romance just doesn't seem to be my thing tonight."
	Together, they walked the deck for a while, watching the full moon war
for dominance with the lights of Tokyo.  For Taika, the cool sea breeze
seemed to wash away the disappointments and the stress of they day. 
Even if she was with Umino out here.  
	Actually, when he just kept quiet for a while, he wasn't bad company.
	Of course, she knew it couldn't last forever.  Jadeite showed up, still
wearing his captain's illusion and asked her to come see something very
special he had prepared just for her.
	She knew it had been coming.  It didn't take much effort to realize
that this whole thing had been a trap, but some part of her had held out
hope.
	With a final sigh, she turned to Umino.  "I'm going to go with him,"
she said.  Then leaned closer and added, "Please, stay here, where it's
safe." 
	Umino, as well, had know that the beautiful time he was having wasn't
meant to last.  Nothing like that ever really happened to him.  Now she
was going off with the captain of the ship no less.  But she wanted him
to stay there, so he would.
	"Yes, Taika-san.  I'll wait for you here."
	Taika smiled and turned to go with Jadeite.  Before they were out of
sight, however, the implications of her use of the word "safe" sunk in
and Umino decided that he needed to follow them.  To see what would make
this place safer than any other.

***

	The reception hall was filled with crumpled bodies by the time Usagi
finally got there.  It was also about half full of Sailor Senshi.
	Quickly, Usagi put down Luna, transformed, and took up the point
position.  She used a quick speech to cover her entrance and buy her a
couple seconds to assess the foe.  
	Water.  That's the best way to sum up Youma Tetis.  
	As the speech ended, she called out, "Red!  Green!  Attack!"
	Sailors Mars and Jupiter began to build up attacks and Youma Tetis
screamed for youma to attack.  A couple of what had once been the crew
of the ship changed into vicious black things and leaped forward to
attack.  Tetis used the distraction to begin building up an enormous
ball of water in the palm of her hand.
	Mars and Jupiter loosed their attacks, but targeted the new youma
instead of Tetis.  The weaker creatures were vaporized almost instantly
and Usagi called out "Orange!  Attack!"
	Sailor Venus launched a Crescent Beam that destroyed most of Tetis's
right hand and caused the attack she had been building up to splatter
uselessly on the floor.  
	"Please surrender!" Sailor Moon pleaded, dreading the inevitable
answer.
	"NEVER!" Tetis screamed and launched a swarm of water darts at her.
	Usagi dove to the side and called out another order.  "Blue!  Disable!"
	Sailor Mercury quickly summoned forth the Shabon Spray to wrap around
Tetis and disrupt her concentration before she could try anything else. 
Sailor Moon got to her feet as quickly as she could manage and took off
her tiara.
	"Moon Tiara Action!" 
	The glowing disc vaporized the trapped youma and the Senshi breathed
sighs of relief.  They had managed to pull off the new team drills
without too much trouble.
	A single person began applauding and they turned to find Serenity
standing in the door watching them.  "Very nice, but it might be a good
idea if you hurry on up to the deck and help Taika.  She's probably
fighting Jadeite by now."
	The Senshi exchanged glances and bolted out the door in search of the
elder Mars.

***

	Jadeite didn't waste much time.  He lead her straight to a slightly
hidden area of the deck a bit fore of the place where he had found her
and Umino.  
	Taika, for her part, followed along a few paced behind him trying to
build up her courage for what she was going to have to do.  She ran out
of time more quickly than she had hoped.
	Jadeite spun around and let his illusion drop.  "Make this easy on
yourself and just surrender.  I promise that I'll make your death
quick."
	"What?  No long speech about how your going to rule the world after I'm
dead?"
	"How about: After I kill you, your little friends will be next and then
Queen Beryl will be free to take over the world!  Good enough?  I just
know that Queen Beryl wants you dead and what Queen Beryl wants, she
gets."
	"Don't I get an explanation of why, at least?"
	"Have it your way.  You're the moon princess.  You oppose the Dark
Kingdom.  You must die.  That good enough?"
	"Well, I've been a lot of things in my time, but I've never been a moon
princess."
	"At this point, I don't really care.  Bringing her your head will buy
me some time, at least.  Tetis has gone and gotten herself killed and
I'm not exactly going to get a warm welcome when I get back if I don't
have SOMEONE's head."
	Taika decided that she'd had enough banter and transformed.  Not the
way the younger Senshi transform, by calling out the activation phrases
that would start a transformation sequence programed into their Senshi
identities thousands of years before.  She transformed by simply using
her fire powers to alter her clothing.
	To the observer, it looked like her clothing caught on fire around the
edges and burned, leaving behind a sailor fuku.
	"Well, one of the Sailor Senshi.  I had a feeling that you would prove
to be someone useful.
	"Jadeite, the power of Mars lies within the cleansing flame.  Know also
that that power extends to truth."  She flipped the specially prepared
ward into her hand and charged it with her power.  "Know the truth." 
She leapt toward him, but he dodged back and countered with an energy
bolt.  
	She formed a shield of flame in front of her and the bolt glanced off
it to blast a whole in the deck a short distance away.  
	"Stand still," she gritted out between clenched teeth.
	Jadeite refused to comply and dodged her second charge and then her
third.
	"Alight then, I'll just have to slow you down."  She stopped her
charge.  "Burning Mandala!"  
	Jadeite dodged most of the attack but took a few powerful hits.  He
feel to the deck flat on his back gasping in pain.  Taika wasted no time
in slapping the ward on his forehead.
	As his body went rigid, she refocused her vision and saw the blackness
that was surrounding his soul begin to be overtaken by first grey then
the white that had been his innermost self.  His uniform flickered from
the dull grey of the Dark Kingdom to the black armor embossed with
silver that the Kingdom of Earth had so favored in the Silver
Millennium.
	It was at that point that the other Senshi arrived on the scene and the
illusion that had cloaked the ship fell away, leaving it an old wreck. 
Serenity stood back, knowing what was coming.
	"Jadeite!" Rei shouted and pushed Taika aside in her rush to get to
him.  She gently cradled his head in her arms and stared into his eyes.
	Taika could only gape.  Slowly, mechanically, she got up and moved over
to Serenity.
	"You knew."  She said it flatly, but the note of accusation was clear
in her voice.
	Serenity nodded solemnly.  "Yes.  We restored ALL their memories,
remember?  That had to be one of them."
	Taika let the tears that she felt building flow silently down her
face.  "Why didn't you tell me?"
	"You had to be the one to do it.  Would you have gone through with it
if you had know?"
	"No.  But that doesn't make it right."
	Serenity sighed deeply.  "I know.  But I've learned that the hard
choices rarely end up being right for everyone.  Please, try to
understand."
	"I... I'll try."  She turned away.  "I just want to be alone right
now."
	Serenity made no move to stop her as she wandered off across the ruined
deck.  "Please, understand," she whispered at her friend's retreating
form.  Then turned quickly when she heard the startled cries of the
others.  
	Jadeite was fading out of view.  
	Quickly, she latched onto him with an anchoring spell and attached
something rather nasty to the spell that had been seeking to summon him
away.  Someone would be in for a big surprise.
	
***

	Taika wandered off, looking for some place where she could just sit and
cry for a while.  
	Once again, she'd forgotten that her other self already had claims on
the things that had truly mattered to her in her previous life.  It
wasn't fair.  Rei got grandpa, Rei got Yuuchiro, Rei got Jadeite.  What
did Taika get?  Nothing.
	She got to be alone.  Like always.
	She found her way over to a sturdy looking patch of railing and leaned
against it.  Looking out across the moonlit waters served to calm her a
bit.
	"Taika?" she heard someone ask from behind her.  It was Umino.  
	"Oh, hi, Umino," she sniffled and kept her gaze directed out to sea.
	"Taika... are you alright?"
	"Me?  I'm fine!  Never better!" she tried her best to sound convinced,
but there was a definite quiver in her voice.  "Don't worry about me."
	"Umm... here," she heard some rustling cloth behind her and then felt a
jacket being set onto her shoulders.  "It's a little cold out here, and
that thing doesn't look very warn."
	For the first time since their conversation had started, Taika realized
that she hadn't remembered to change back.  And now Umino knew her real
identity.  What else could go wrong.
	She sighed deeply, "So I guess you know."
	"Yeah, I followed you and the captain..." he sat down beside her, "you
sounded like you were going to do something dangerous and I didn't... I
didn't want you to get hurt."
	She willed her clothing to regain it's normal form and put her arm
around his shoulders lightly.  "You know, you're really a sweet guy. 
You just talk too much."
	"I know."  He looked despondent for a second or two.  "But don't worry,
I won't tell anyone about this.  I do know when to keep my mouth shut."
	Taika smiled weakly.  "Yeah, I guess you do."
	"So...Umm... Taika..." Umino's voice was really shaky.  "Would you
l-like to... um... go out on... a d-d-date or s-something next weekend? 
I mean, you don't have to... but I'd really like to..."
	Taika turned to him and gave him a small smile.  "I guess it's time I
try for something of my own, isn't it?"
	Umino just looked at her, puzzled.  Taika giggled.  "That was a yes."

END

Hey, does anyone know what Kunzite's job is?  I've gathered that Jadeite
was originally in charge of Earth and energy gathering, Nephrite was
probably engaged in research, and Zoicite was seeking the Silver
Crystal, but Kunzite... I don't know.
-- Tim Williams http://www.angelfire.com/tn/twillia/ "This time, we're leaving nothing to the imagination. We tried that last time, and, in our opinion, it didn't work." -- Henry Rollins, "Driveby Shooting"