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Stormwalker <stormwalker@airmail.net> presents...

     Morning came, and while I remembered the previous night's events
clearly, they seemed distant, like a dream that hovers at the edge of
your memory.  Even so, I found myself paying a lot more attention to the
Sailor Moon paraphenalia.  The manga, the anime... anything I could find
that might tell me more, I was snapping up from the tables.  I spent the
rest of my con money buying everything in sight and I planned my
schedule around when Sailor Moon was on in the anime rooms.  It's
amazing how powerful of a motivator raw panic can be.

     I'm sure it must have seemed unusual, because I got more than my
share of funny looks when walking around with a big bag full of Sailor
Moon stuff.  Thankfully, none of my good friends saw me... I don't have
the slightest idea how I would have explained that away.  Finally, I got
sick of the stares and took it all out to the car.  It was there that I
bumped into Sharon again.

     "Hi, Jon!" she called out, running across the parking lot to meet
me.  She seemed her usual cheerful self, and I wondered why that would
surprise me... after all, she'd gotten what she'd always wanted, hadn't
she?  When she got a little closer, though, I could see that there was
something else in her eyes... concern... maybe fear?  Once she was close
enough for discreet conversation, she lowered her voice and asked, "How
are you holding up?"

     "Fine," I answered, giving a weak smile.  At that, she hugged me
suddenly, catching me off-guard.  I froze for a moment in surprise, then
recovered myself and hugged her back, whispering, "I'm fine, really.  It
just... well... I'm trying not to think about it, y'know?"

     She smiled gently, pulling back a little.  "Yeah... did you bring
it with you?"

     I nodded, patting my jacket where the wand was resting in an inside
pocket.  It was a little hot for a jacket, really... but I had needed a
good place to conceal the wand, and at an anime convention who was going
to notice someone being dressed a little funny?  "Yeah, I brought it.
Don't ask me why... but I don't feel quite right if I leave it behind."

     "Me, too," she agreed.  She paused, considering that for a moment,
and added, "I've got a funny feeling about this, though..."

     I shook my head.  "Let's try not to think about that.  I've got a
funny feeling, too, but it's just telling me I need to get some food.
Come on... one of my friends has some snacks in his room.  Let's go."

************************************************************************

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Gemini

A work of fanfiction by Douglas A. Reeves

Episode Two - Pandora's Box

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

If you haven't read the first episode of this story, email me at
<stormwalker@airmail.net> for a copy or check out my website at:

http://web2.airmail.net/a0011387/fanfic/

As always, comments are appreciated...

************************************************************************

     Once we'd dropped in and snagged something to eat, we headed back
down to the dealers' room again.  There was still more Sailor Moon
merchandise I wanted to look at, and the search was welcome distraction
from more pressing thoughts.  Something was still tugging at the back of
my mind, leaving me ill at ease, and I couldn't quite place it.  It
would come to me eventually, I decided... probably right after I needed
it.

     Sharon seemed a little uneasy as well, but when I asked her about
it she just shrugged and went back to her browsing.  She was being
unusually quiet; usually she was a very energetic, animated girl, but
she'd hardly said a word since we'd met that morning... that told me
more than anything she might say.  Somehow I had this premonition that
Murphy was about to strike.  I was, of course, right.

     We'd been in the dealers' room for most of an hour when the
screaming started.  There were people yelling, too, a stream of
profanity and something about a monster.  A loud crash followed, then
another, the sounds coming from the art show room next door.  My
thoughts reeled as I tried to process what was happening... this
couldn't be real... it couldn't be!  Another scream tore through the
now-silent room as everyone turned in horror.  That one was definitely
female... and young, I thought--and the sheer terror of the sound chilled
me to the bone.

     Sharon and I glanced at each other, needing no words to communicate
our shared thought, and started to work our way through the crowd to the
exits.  I wasn't thinking then... I didn't have time to think, I just
acted on instinct.  Ducking into a side room, we closed the door behind
us.  I took a deep breath then, and I pulled the wand out of my pocket.

    It was then, staring at this innocent-looking little trinket that
the shock effect of hearing those screams abruptly died.  My mind raced;
if I did this, it meant that I was accepting what it made me... that I
was choosing it willingly.  Could I do this?  Could I open Pandora's Box
and take on this curse in exchange for the hope of power?  Could I be
what it asked... no demanded that I be?

     Another terrified scream sliced throgh my thoughts, melting my
resistance like wax under a particle beam.  There were *lives* on the
line, and whether I could do it or not was irrelevant.  There was no
choice... only fate.  Lifting the wand up over my head, I whispered the
words that bound me to my destiny.

     "Gemini Star Power, Make Up!"

     Warm light washed over me as the magic took hold, working its will
on me.  If the change had seemed instantaneous before, this time that
moment seemed to drag out into an eternity.  I could *see* myself change
this time, my body fading, turning translucent as it shifted into its
new form.  I could *feel* myself growing shorter, feel hard angles
becoming soft curves, feel my chest expand, and other things shrink and
disappear.  It was both pleasant and sickening, this feeling, and no
words I can give you could describe it fully.  Then, finally, it was
done, and an involuntary shudder passed through me.  Forcing down a
sudden wave of nausea, I took a few breaths to collect myself before
glancing at Sharon.

     "You ok, Jon?" she asked anxiously, resting a hand on my shoulder.

     I shook my head, trying to clear it, then whispered, "No... but
there's no time for that.  Let's get this over with."  She nodded, and
we ran for the art show room.  The situation when we arrived was total
chaos.  The double doors had been torn off their hinges, and part of the
wall around them was buckled as well... whatever had done this was
strong.  There were people out in the hall... a couple of girls huddled
up in a corner, scared out of their wits, some guy dressed up as a
Dragonball character standing there babbling about hentai demons.  I
stepped past them into the doorway... and stopped dead in my tracks.

     I won't even try to describe the... thing that I saw there, except
to say that it was straight out of the worst of tentacle anime.  It was
making a wreck out of the art show, smashing displays and the like, but
that was the least of our concerns.  It had taken two girls--one of them
couldn't be older than sixteen--and was terrorizing them, toying with
them.  Its intentions were obvious... their clothes were shredded,
hanging in tatters and not realy covering anything anymore.  We had
arrived just in time... the monster was still playing games, but it
looked like it was about to get serious.

     I didn't think; I just acted.  Words, spoken in my voice, echoed
through the room as I called upon the power given to me.  How I knew
them, and where they came from, I may never know... but the moment I
remember very clearly.

     "Gemini Division Blade!" I called out, extending my hands to
unleash a spinning blade of solid air.  Guided by my subconscious will,
it slashed through the air, neatly slicing off the most offending of the
beast's appendages before dissipating.  The monster recoiled with a
hideous roar, black blood spilling from the severed tentacles  Then,
dropping its playthings in a heap, it turned to stare at me...

     ...and suddenly, in that single, terrifying instant, I realized
that I didn't have the slightest clue how my powers worked.  I shot a
quick glance at Sharon, sho shrugged back at me, and I felt a chill run
down my spine as the monster started to advance on me.  If I didn't
think of something quick, I was going to end up like those other two
girls... and so would Sharon.  I couldn't let that happen.  I had to
stall it somehow... had to remember what little I knew about Sailor
Moon.

     "Sorry, ugly," I said as it moved toward me.  "But I just can't let
you do that.  No means no, after all."  I was fighting not to tremble,
but a spark of anger had been lit in my soul, and I was not about to
back down.  I narrowed my eyes, dropping into a fighting stance, and a
feral grin displaced the anxiety on my face.  I could do this.  After
all... it was my power. My weak girl-voice changed as I spoke again,
finding an edge I didn't know it could have.  "Unfortunately for both of
us," I said threateningly, feeling a surge of confidence with the words,
"I'm the lovely soldier Sailor Gemini... and for making me wear this
ridiculous costume, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
     
     It paused, evidently as surprised by the sudden change in my tone
as I was.  Where the boldness had come from, I still don't know.  Maybe
it was the anger.  Maybe it was some force, like the powers, that I'll
never understand.  Maybe it was that I just couldn't stand there and let
something like what I'd just seen go unpunished.  Whatever it was, the
beast seemed to respect it, granting me a few precious seconds before it
decided to charge.

     When finally it did attack, I was ready.  The knowledge (or was it
memory?) of how to use my powers was coming back to me, and I knew what
I had to do.  The monster rushed straight at me, surprisingly quick for
a creature of its size, but in this body I was faster and stronger than
I had ever thought possible.  Leaping upward, I flipped over its "head"
and kicked it hard from behind.  It pitched forward, slamming into the
wall where it had sought to pin me, and I slipped back out of its grasp
as it turned.

     This time it shot a mass of tentacles at me, trying to ensnare me
in the typical H-monster fashion.  I dodged, scarcely managing to evade
the slimy appendages, and kicked it hard again.  This time, though, it
reacted more quickly, capturing my ankle and pulling me off my feet.  I
hit the floor with a thud, scrambling to escape as it started to pull me
in.

     "Soul Shield!" I heard Sharon's voice call out, seemingly distant,
and a gold aura momentarily flickered to life around me.  Two more of
the monster's tentacles reached for me, only to be stopped short by the
energy shield, and finally I was able to kick free of the one which
grasped my ankle.  I stumbled backwards, leaning on a wrecked table to
get back to my feet.

     A shudder of revulsion passed through me as the monster laughed and
advanced on me again.  After all, I was a girl now, too... and based on
what I'd already seen, I had a pretty good guess what this... this...
*thing* had in mind.  "Not today," I whispered, meeting its devilish
gaze.  I knew now... it had all come back to me.  Raising my arms above
my head, I called out, "TWIN IMAGE!"

     Time seemed to stop, as somehow I had known it would.  Warm light
flooded my surroundings, as it had with the change.  Numbness first,
followed by a strange tingling, seemed to wash over my body, until every
nerve was afire with the sensation.  I looked down to see myself divide,
splitting into two exact and identical copies.  The lights started to
fade, and feeling came back to me... and to me.  It was an odd sensation
being in two places, in two bodies at once.  I saw through two sets of
eyes, heard through two sets of ears... the amount of information I was
taking in was staggering, and my mind automatically devoted a section of
my thoughts to managing the input.

     Suddenly I was aware of both Sharon and the monster staring at me.
The shock didn't last very long, though, and soon the creature was upon
me again.  My double and I dove in opposite directions as the monster
smashed through the partition behind us, crashing in a heap on the other
side.  A chorus of screams quickly followed from that room, and I shot a
quick glance at Sharon.

     "The dealers' room," Sharon breathed, her eyes widening.

     "We've got trouble," I answered.  "Try to protect the bystanders;
I'll..." I glanced at my double and smiled.  "I mean *we'll* take it
out."  She nodded, and the two of me leapt through the wrecked partition
and back into the fray.

     Evidently these monsters have short memories, because it had
forgotten about us already.  The trail of destruction it left behind
stretched halfway across the room, and it had managed to capture yet
another girl in its slimy clutches.  "Division Blade!" i called out,
this time forming a knife in my hands and slashing my way through to the
demon's body.  My double, following my subconscious wish, grabbed the
would-be victim as I cut her free, pulling her away while I struggled to
finish the fight.

     The monster lashed out with everything it had left, catching my
right wrist and left ankle and lifting me into the air.  I grimaced in
pain as it started to pull, my shoulder and hip screaming in painful
protest as a third tentacle wrapped itself around my thigh.  I shuddered
violently with disgust, knowing what would come next, and gripped the
air-knife tightly in my left hand.  I would have only one shot at this.
It lifted me up toward its mouth, thinking me helpless, and I drove the
blade into its head.  The beast roared hideously in pain, then seemed
to flicker... and suddenly vanished, dropping me in a heap on the floor.
Where it had been, there now lay only an unconscious otaku in a red
baseball cap.  I let the knife dissipate, pulling myself up to one knee
to look him over... he seemed all right, no hint of wounds... what the
hell had happened?  Whatever it was, it was over now.  I shivered once,
then closed my eyes, willing my double image to rejoin.

     Sharon walked up to me, moving with a weariness that belied her
seemingly small involvement in the fight.  "You ok, Gem?" she asked.  I
looked up, startled by the nickname, then nodded.  Of course... she
couldn't call me by my real name in this body.  She smiled at me, and
a flash of unreadable emotion flickered momentarily in her sapphire
eyes.  She placed a hand on my shoulder, whispering a single word.
"Lifestream."

     I was bathed in a soft light then, and I felt a little of my
energy return.  At the same time, though, Sharon seemed to weaken
slightly, leaning now on my shoulder.  "Are *you* all right?" I asked,
concerned.

     "I'm fine," she smiled weakly.  "My powers... seem to drain from my
own energy, and I had to help a few people who were hurt.  It'll
replenish itself in a while, though... it's just tiring."  Glancing down
at the young man laid out on the floor before us, she asked, "What do we
do about him?"

     I shook my head.  "No idea.  I don't think that monster was really
him, but..."

     Sharon... no, Sailor Cancer, I reminded myself--I had to start
thinking of her that way--sighed.  "At any rate, we should get him out
of here.  If he does go ballistic again, we can keep him under control.
If not, it'll save him some embarrassment when he wakes up."

    "Yeah, you're right," I agreed, leaning down to pick him up.  He
seemed surprisingly light, especially considering how tired I was; I
assumed that meant I was just stronger in my Senshi form... there was
irony... I turn into a girl and get tougher, stronger, and faster.  Just
what I always wanted.

*****

     It took some doing, but we managed to get him out of there.
Luckily for him, pretty much everyone had fled the scene.  Nobody but us
had seen him change back, so we just convinced anyone on the scene that
the monster was gone, and that the otaku in question was just an
innocent bystander that had been knocked out during the scuffle.  At any
rate, we finally got him up to my friend's room, where we laid him out
on the bed and sat down to decide what to do with him.

     Sailor Cancer slumped down into one of the chairs wearily, pushing
a few loose strands of her golden hair from her eyes.  The sapphire-blue
of those eyes shimmered with magic in her Senshi form, almost hiding the
weariness that lay behind them.  She really was beautiful, something in
the back of my mind told me, even as exhausted as she was, and I quietly
wondered for a few moments why I had never noticed it before.  Still,
this wasn't the time for such thoughts... there was too much else going
on.  I dropped into the other chair, gazing at her a few moments longer
before tearing my eyes away to glance at our unconscious guest.

     "So..." I asked.  "What do we do when he wakes up?"

     She shrugged.  "Maybe we should change back... if he was possessed,
he might not remember anything, and waking up to the two of us might be
a disturbing experience."

     I shook my head vehemently.  "Uh-uh.  He might not remember, but if
he does, he *might* figure out who we are, and I am *not* taking that
chance."  I saw the look on her face, and added, "Just because nobody
ever recognized the Senshi in the anime doesn't mean we can assume that
we have the same protection.  This is the real world... and people are
not that stupid."

     "True," she sighed, though the look in her eyes said she might be
inclined to challenge that last part.  "Besides, he might go nuts on us
again, and then we'd have to change right in front of him.  Better to
avoid that."

     "Right," I agreed, trying to think of something else to say.  A few
moments passed in silence, my thoughts running in circles.  There were
things to be said... plenty of them... but before I could put anything
into a coherent thought I was distracted by a soft groan from the bed.
"Sounds like he's coming around," I observed.

     He groaned again, then mumbled, "What a dream."  Stirring slightly,
he opened his eyes.  He slowly sat up, stretching a little as though
from a long nap... then he looked in our direction and nearly fell off
the bed.  "Oh, shit," he breathed, trembling violently at the sight of
us.  "Tell me I'm still dreaming..."

     "'Fraid not," I answered, shaking my head.  He shivered again at my
tone, and I almost... almost... felt sorry for him then.  But not quite.
"You weren't dreaming before, either."

     "This isn't real," he insisted, stubbornly clinging to his denial.
"This is some sort of joke... maybe I'm hallucinating.  Yeah, that's
it."  He cast his eyes downward, unwilling to meet my gaze, laughing
nervously.  "I've been watching too much hentai."

     I leaned forward to glare at him, and that was when I realized
exactly where his gaze had traveled.  I was a guy, regardless of how I
might have looked at the moment... and sitting properly in a skirt was
something that nobody had ever bothered to teach me.  My cheeks burned
with embarrassment and rage as I abruptly snapped my legs together,
cutting off his view.  "You slime," I snarled.  "I'm just about ready
to believe that you did all that on purpose."

     His head shot back up, a look of abject terror in his eyes.  "Don't
hurt me!" he pleaded fearfully.  "I didn't know... I thought it was a
dream, really!"  He pushed himself backward across the bed, trying to
put some distance between us.  I stood up, still glaring at him, and
suddenly Sharon was on her feet, holding out her arm in front of me.

     "Don't, Gem," she whispered so that only I could hear her.  "He
didn't know.  I can tell."  I looked at her questioningly, and she
relaxed a little.  "I'll explain later.  Let him go... you've scared
him enough already, and he's not going to do any more harm."

     I paused a moment, then sighed, the anger draining away in the face
of Sharon's pleading gaze.  I couldn't refuse her when she was like
that... all compassion and convicton and certainty about what was right.
"All right, I trust you."  I said softly. Not bothering to look at our
perverted guest, I raised my voice again and said, "You can go now, but
if I catch you looking at me that way again I'll kick your ass twice as
hard as last time.  Clear?"

     "C-clear," he stammered, and I heard him stumble his way to the
door.  It opened, then slammed loudly, and I looked to be sure he was
gone.

     "Damn him," I muttered, turning back to Sharon.  She pulled me into
a hug, and while I didn't return it I felt the last of my anger drain
away.  For a few moments she held me there, leaving me wondering how it
was that she could have such an affect on me, and when she finally
released me she stepped back to meet my gaze.

     "Thank you for trusting me," she said quietly.

     I sighed, dropping back into my chair.  "If I don't trust you, who
can I trust?"  Not wanting to seem like a total pushover, I asked,
"Now... you were going to explain?"

     She found her own chair, and clasped her hands in her lap.  "Yeah,
I don't know how... but I can sense things about people in this form...
like I can see into their souls or something.  What I sensed in him...
he's sick, no doubt there... but he wasn't *evil* like that thing we
fought with."

     I looked at her doubtfully, but found that I couldn't disbelieve
her.  "Ok... I'll take your word for it.  You think he was possessed,
then?"

     "I guess so, yeah," she answered.  For a few moments, neither of
us spoke, and I leaned back wearily in my chair.  The events of the last
hour had left me stunned... I guess I should have known that where there
were Senshi there would be monsters... but I hadn't really had that much
time to think about it.  Now I did... and the thought was disturbing.

     "We're going to have to train."

     She nodded.  "And look for others.  In the anime, there's a Senshi
for each planet... do we have one for each sign?  And if we do, how will
we find them?"

     I shook my head, trying not to let it all overwhelm me.  Monsters,
other Senshi... I really was stuck with this, wasn't I?  "I don't know,"
I answered quietly, more to my own question than hers.  "I really don't
know."

*****

     Regardless of the insanity that my life was quickly becoming, there
were certain priorities that remained unchanged.  One of those was, of
course, food.  Whether or not McDonalds technically qualified, it was
close to the hotel and I didn't feel like driving very far, so that was
where we went.  At any rate, I had a funny feeling from the moment I
walked in the door.

     I glanced at Sharon, and when she did not seem to notice anything
unusual I decided it was probably just paranoia, and said nothing.
Still, I kept my eyes open, and it was after we had gotten our food that
I noticed the two girls sitting in a corner booth.  One was a redhead,
and even when she was seated I could tell she was tall.  Her green eyes
were dark and serious, and while her manner of dress was a bit on the
provocative side, her expression was all business.

     The girl sitting across from her, though, was the one who really
drew my attention.  Her medium-length brown hair fell loosely around her
shoulders, framing soft features that wore an anxious expression.  Her
attire was both expensive and suggestive, a tight, low-cut red silk
blouse and a black leather jacket and pants.  She was twirling something
nervously between her fingers, a small, pink cylindrical object that
looked vaguely familiar.  The tugging in the back of my mind
intensified...

     ...and my train of thought was abruptly derailed when Sharon's
elbow jabbed me in the ribs.  "That's a transformation wand!" she
hissed.  "Look!"

     "I see, I see," I answered under my breath.  "Are you sure, though?
I can't tell from here."

    She nodded to me.  "Pretty sure.  Only one way to find out,
though... let's go."  Not waiting for my response, she walked over
toward their table.  I started to protest, but it was too late to stop
her, so I just followed along behind.  When she reached the table, she
turned to the redhead and said, "There aren't any free tables... do you
mind if we sit here?"

     I sighed softly, trying not to let my embarrassment show as the
girl in the booth looked us over.  "I don't think that's a good idea,"
she said, seemingly irritated.  The brunette looked up at me as well,
and our gazes locked for a moment.  My eyes moved to her hand, which had
closed around the object, but enough of it stuck out for me to tell
clearly... it was, indeed, a transformation wand.

     Sharon evidently saw it as well, because she reached into her own
pocket.  "I think it is a good idea," she said softly, and yet her voice
held an air of command I had never heard in it before.  She drew the
hand out, holding her own transformation wans out for the others to see.
"I think we need to have a talk.  Senshi to Senshi."

     The redhead raised an eyebrow.  "All right," she answered quietly.
Her eyes moved to me then, and she added, "Why should he be here,
though?"

     I stiffened, irritated by her presumption.  She was pushing hard,
and she didn't have the right.  You didn't hear what happened this
afternoon, did you?"

     She turned to me, her eyes narrowing as she studied me for a
moment.  "No..." she answered, her tone almost threatening.  "I didn't."

     I smirked slightly, hoping my mask of confidence would hold up.
"There was a fight at the con today... in the dealers' room, no less.
I would have thought you would have heard of it.  Some kind of...
creature... went on a rampage.  It was brought down by a pair of girls
in sailor suits."

     "Meaning?" the redhead challenged.  "I assume that your friend
here was one of them... where is the other, and where do you come in?"

     I sighed and reached into the inside pocket of my jacket.  Drawing
out the wand, I laid it on the table, pressing it beneath my fingertips.
"Does this answer your question?" I asked coldly.

     The brunette's eyes went wide, and while she said nothing the shock
was clearly evident on her face.  For a moment, she simply stared at me,
before she realized she was gawking and looked away.  The redhead, on
the other hand, sighed deeply, leaning her forehead on her palm.  "No...
please tell me you're Tuxedo Kamen."

     I shook my head miserably, looking down at the floor for a moment
before I was able to meet her gaze.  "If only," I sighed.

     She groaned in dismay.  "You've got to be kidding... but you're
not, are you?  When I went out looking for other Senshi, this is NOT
what I expected to find."

     "I'm sure," I answered with a wry smile.  "But we don't always get
what we want, do we?  Believe me, I don't like it any more than you...
but the power chooses us, not the other way around."  I paused for a
moment, letting the words sink in.  "Now... I don't believe we've
introduced ourselves.  I'm Jonathan... Sailor Gemini, whether I like it
or not.  She's Sharon... Sailor Cancer.  You?"

     "Damn," she whispered.  "All right.  This is Cali," she indicated
her companion.  "She's Sailor Taurus.  I'm Sailor Aries... my name's
Ashley, but everyone calls me Ash."  She sighed, and shook her head.
"What a mess.  I think... I think we'd better go somewhere more private
to discuss this."  Slipping out of the booth, she said, "Come on...
let's go."

**********

End Chapter Two

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