Youma Blues
Jadeite Days 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 despite 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 taught 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 in between 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.  
Ami never smiled while humming.
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@airmail.net
Gamlain, transuniversal courier & Hero for rent
Sorcerer to the three great Anime demonesses: Ryoko, Marller, and Ifruita 
"So then I shot a goon and I cut the head man's throat, and after that
things got violent." - Tarnkep Protree
Of course, my homepage is at
Http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/8762/index.html