[FFML] [FanFic][SM][NETTG] Terra in Tokyo Ch. 11 (of 27) "Then it Falls Over, Screaming."

[Benjamin A. Oliver]

Heya!  Gotta keep stuff rolling on the FFML.  Wouldn't be proper if we didn't!

Disclaimer:
This story is based loosely on Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon by Naoko
Takeuchi. This is a non-profit fan work created as a tribute, and no
infringement is intended. All rights to the characters, settings, and
situations of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belong to Naoko Takeuchi,
Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC. ArbyFish belong to
Daniel Oliver and are used with permission.  Gotta have ArbyFish.
Wouldn't be proper if we didn't.  Dunno if there's actually any
ArbyFish in this chapter.  So that must mean it's not a proper
chapter.  A perfectly proper impropriety, y'see.

The plot thickened, then it jibbered a bit, and now in this chapter...

Nuke 'Em 'Till They Glow!!
Terra in Tokyo
Final Mix

---Chapter 11:  Then it Falls Over, Screaming.

	Tuxedo Kamen fought like mad to keep the angry demon squirrels from
rending the flesh from his bones.  For a long series of seconds that
felt like minutes, he deflected countless numbers of missile-like
rodents from all directions with his spinning extendable cane.

	"Where are they all coming from!?" the man shouted in confusion.

	The cat on his shoulder opened her mouth to suggest a possible
explanation, but stopped and gasped when her eyes fell upon the source
of the sciurid maelstrom.  "It's a mystic solid holographic projection
generator!"

	"A WHAT?!" exclaimed Tuxedo Kamen.

	Luna glanced at the shining shape that was the source of their
distress, then looked at him and clarified her statement in simpler
terms, "It's an enchanted stone ball that makes fake things seem
real."

	"How do I stop it?"

	"If you damage it, the magic should fall right apart!"

	"Right."  The masked man took out a long-stemmed red rose and flung
it at supersonic speeds at the glowing rock sphere.  In a flash, the
stem jammed deeply into the polished surface.  A series of cracks
extended from the point of entry while sparkling smoke poured out of
the device.

	Soon, the smoke faded, and the assorted furballs disappeared.

	"That's very strange," said Luna as she hopped off the man's shoulder
and padded over to examine the projector.  "I thought all of these had
been destroyed."

	"We made a few new ones," said a voice from the shadows.

	"Who's there?" asked Tuxedo Kamen as he himself retreated into a
shady corner of the street.

	General Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom stepped into the light, an
almost regal figure in his uniform and long brown hair.  His lightly
scarred jaw hardly showed any signs that it had been shattered just a
few days before.  "You came here very quickly," he noted.

	Tuxedo Kamen scowled.  "You're after the Rainbow Crystals, the
fragments of the Silver Ginzuishou Crystal, aren't you?"

	Nephrite nodded.  "We don't like losing, so we decided we ought to
step things up a bit.  So, you've come here to find the next one, have
you?"

	"I'll stop you," insisted the masked man.  "I have my reasons to get
them as well."

	The general shook his head, smiling as if he were speaking to a child
who totally missed the point.  "You're too late."  He held up a green
gem.

	Tuxedo Kamen clutched his cane and prepared to rush forward.

	A woman stepped out of the shadows beside Nephrite.  She had long
dark hair, a pink robe, and white angelic wings.  However, the sickly
hue of her skin drove home the point that she was a youma--a sort of
demon monster of the Dark Kingdom.

	"I present the newly-revived Great Youma," said Nephrite proudly.
"Say hello, Bina."

	The angelic youma nodded pleasantly, and held out her hand.  Dozens
of feathers--quill pens--appeared and started sketching in the air.
Drawings of knives became real projectiles speeding towards both Luna
and Tuxedo Kamen.  The man grabbed Luna and rolled out of the way of
the sharp objects.

	"Oh no!" cried Luna.  "We have to get out of here!"

	"I'm not leaving without my crystal," Tuxedo Kamen replied through
clenched teeth.  He placed Luna in the bushes and motioned for her to
stay put.  He spun his cane quickly in the air to knock aside the
newest volley of knives.

	The man took four roses in his fist and hurled them at Nephrite.
Before the general could react, he took thorny stems in the wrist,
shoulder, and in the foot.  Nephrite staggered and dropped the crystal
he held.

	Tuxedo Kamen used the building's large metal fire escape to block
another series of projectiles--this time large one-ton boulders--and
delivered a firm kick to Bina's larynx.  The resulting crack probably
created more noise than damage, but the youma was still stunned from
the impact.

	"Careful!" hollered Luna.  "She's a human being that's been turned
into a youma!"

	"Tell it to someone who cares," muttered Tuxedo Kamen as he snatched
the green Rainbow Crystal, cartwheeled around Nephrite's enraged
energy blasts, grabbed Luna, and sped away down the street.

	After about five minutes' sprint, they found what looked like a
quiet, secluded spot and took stock of their situation.

	"Is this the real thing?" Tuxedo Kamen inquired, holding the gem up
so that Luna could see it.

	The cat stared at it, blinked, sniffed it, then closed her eyes.  The
crescent mark on her forehead glowed momentarily.  "Yes," she replied.
 "It's a Rainbow Crystal."

	The man breathed a sigh of relief.  "Good."

	"But the Dark Kingdom still kidnapped that poor woman.  And that
means they have another one of their Great Youma to send against us!"

	"Shh," Tuxedo Kamen hushed, as he held a hand to his forehead in
concentration.  "The images in my head are showing me something."

	From the look in his eyes, what was once a mire of murky
misconceptions seemed to become a fountain of pure clarity.

	"Ah-ha!  I knew it!" the masked man proclaimed.  "I AM Tuxedo Kamen!"

	Luna stared at him.  "Well, yes.  I thought we had been over this."

	"No, no.  You don't understand," Tuxedo Kamen amended.  "I also know
who I really am.  Before, it's been just like a series of scattered
dreams.  Now it's all clear.  My memories are coming back to me, and
having this crystal here is helping me sort it out."  He held up the
gem to demonstrate it again to Luna.

	Then a sparking energy blast struck his hand, knocking the crystal
away.  A feather quill drew a baseball catcher's mitt in the air,
which grabbed the shard and flew in a semicircle around the man and
the cat, back to Nephrite and the newest addition to the
Negamafoozles.

	"Good work, Bina," Nephrite whispered.

	"GIVE THAT BACK!" hollered Tuxedo Kamen as he clutched in pain his
moderately burned hand.

	The Second General grinned and said, "I'd love to stay and chat about
old times, but I've got a delivery to make.  Here, play with Leo
instead."

	"Leo?" whispered Luna.

	Nephrite held his hands together and an arena of stars appeared
behind him.  A series of lines connected a constellation, which was
soon overlaid by the glowing form of a lion.  Then he laughed, turned
around with Bina in tow, and vanished.

	Roaring, Leo leapt high into the air with claws slashing down towards
Tuxedo Kamen.

---

	It had taken some effort, but Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury had
managed to track down one of the Rainbow Crystal carriers.  Ami's
computer had led them to a laboratory deep within Tokyo University.
Security was light; apparently, no one in charge was very concerned
with rumors they might have heard about the Dark Kingdom's attacks.

	Seeming to drive home the casual atmosphere, the lab's heavy metal
keycard-access door was propped open with a chair.

	"It's so hot in here," a woman in a lab coat moaned, loosening her
collar while she examined the progress of the chemical experiment
going on in front of her.

	A large blue dot flashed on the visor over Sailor Mercury's eyes.
"It's locked on," Ami said.  "She has one of the crystals."

	Sailor Mars nodded and took out an inscribed paper ward--not that
different from the ones decorating the Hikawa Shrine.  "We need the
crystal, but I don't want any more people taken by the Dark Kingdom."

	"Can you remove it without it turning her into a youma?"

	"I hope so."

	The scientist looked up and noticed them.  Her eyes went wide and she
started towards them urgently.  "Err!  Excuse me, but you can't be in
here right now."  She glanced at their outfits.  "Especially not
without goggles and lab coats.  We have some VERY volatile experiments
going on."

	Rei came forward and held up a hand.  "I know this may seem strange,
but we have to talk to you."

	"I mean, really," the crystal carrier continued to herself, "who do
these cheerleaders think they are, barging in like that?  Not hardly
proper."

	Mars saw the woman's nametag.  "Look, Reika.  There's something very
important we have to do."

	Reika froze.  "Who are you?  How do you know my name?  Did Doctor
Germahn send you?  I warn you--I know chemistry, entomology,
anthropology, and taxidermy.  Why are you working for him, anyway?
Shrink Soda, Femme Cola, and Furry Juice?  He's mad, I say.  Mad!"

	"He's not the only one," sighed Mercury, who stepped forward and
spoke up.  "Doctor... Reika...?"

	"I'm only a doctoral student, but I'm due to defend my thesis next
Thursday.  Now, if you'll--"

	"Yes, well," continued Ami, who took a deep breath, "your body
currently houses a crystal fragment of one of the most important
artifacts in the world.  The world, you see, is in danger from beings
called youma, from another dimension.  We need to extract it from you
so we can stop them and save the world.  Will you let us?"

	Reika folded her arms and stared at them.  "Pull the other one."

	"It's true," Mars insisted.

	The woman scientist chewed her lip for a moment, apparently deciding
whether or not to believe them.  Finally, she shrugged.  "Hmm.  You
must be telling the truth, because the cheerleaders' honor code
dictates that you must not lie, on penalty of humiliation by
ritualistic hazing.  I've attended one or two ceremonies, and I can
tell you it's not pretty.  Unless you're one of those creepy Emo Goth
bondage types.  Then you might actually enjoy it."  She cleared her
throat.  "Very well.  What shall I do?"

	"Just stand still," Rei said, lifting the ward, "and I'll do the rest."

	However, before Rei could apply her Mystic Shinto Voodoo Magic to
Reika, a beam of dark energy hit the woman from behind, ripped out a
blue gem, and engulfed her in a swirl of black smoke.

	"NO!" cried both Rei and Ami in unison.

	Kunzite came out of the shadows in the corner of the darkened
laboratory and pocketed the blue Rainbow Crystal.  "You're too slow,
Sailor SUSHI."  He gazed toward the green-skinned being that had
replaced Reika.  "Rikoukeidaa!  We're going back to the Dark Kingdom
to meet Queen Beryl.  But first, what do you say we dispose of these
annoying brats?"

	"With pleasure, General!" Rikoukeidaa replied gleefully, and took out
a pair of large beakers full of bubbling chemicals.  "Tell me, girls,
do you know what happens when you mix an acid with a base?"

	"SHABON SPRAY!"
	"FIRE SOUL!"

	"Wrong on both accounts," the youma said, quite full of herself and
oblivious of the combined incoming strikes.

	Kunzite stepped forward and blocked Mars' and Mercury's attacks.
"No, on second thought, let's just go back to see Beryl.  These two
look like they want to get tricky tonight."

	Sailor Mars had leapt towards them in a flying kick, glowing wards in
both hands, but by the time she reached their position, they had
disappeared into a fast-dissolving black vortex.  Instead, she slammed
knees-first into a chemical-laden table, sending flasks and beakers
high into the air.

	Drops sizzled on the floor as they rained down and both girls cursed
loudly as the rest of the noxious compounds flew towards them.

---

	The Star Light Knight impatiently tapped his foot while Usagi waved
the Crescent Moon Stick in hopes that it would show her the way
towards a Rainbow Crystal.

	"How DOES this thing work, anyway?" Sailor Moon wondered aloud.

	"Don't you know?"  S.L.K. grabbed the device.  "Here, let me show
you."  He shook it around, banged it on his armor, and stuck it out in
front of him.  "All right, Stick!  Time for you to get workin' and
earn your keep!  Which way to the crystal, huh?"

	Nothing happened, except that the man started to look pretty silly
holding up what appeared to be a crescent-shaped plastic wand.  After
a minute, he gave up and handed the wand back to Usagi.

	"Hmm, that didn't work," commented Usagi.

	"Yeah, this stinks," S.L.K. said.  "What we need here is, like, some
serious spiritual guidance."  He looked at the girl.  "Where would you
go for spiritual guidance if you needed some?"

	Sailor Moon thought about that.  "I don't know.  Maybe up on the top
of Mount Fuji to meditate where it's quiet?"

	S.L.K. nodded.  "Yeah, that's what I was gonna say too."

	A gem on the stick started blinking when a black-clad Christian
priest walked by and gave them a pleasant wave.

	Sailor Moon held up the wand and pointed it toward the priest.  The
device glowed brighter the more directly she aimed it.  "Starlight!  I
think we found it!"

	The Star Light Knight slapped his face, shook his head, and moaned,
"Oh, give me a break!  Does HE look like Mount Fuji to you?"  He held
up his palm.  "Don't answer that.  Now c'mon, let's go!"  He took the
girl by the wrist and started to pull her away while she puzzled over
his logic.

	A few seconds later, the armored man stopped and sniffed the air.
"Hang on.  Do you smell something?"

	Sailor Moon also sniffed around.  "You're wearing cologne that smells
like thirty-weight motor oil?"

	"No!" S.L.K. shot back, then paused and amended, "Well yes.  But
that's not what I was talking about."

	"What did you smell?"

	"I smelled," S.L.K. replied, deep in thought, before going wild-eyed
and whipping out a sawed-off shotgun, "CHERRY BLOSSOMS!
GRRRAAAAHHHRRR!!!"

	The man whipped around and fired four shots in the priest's general
direction.  The holy man yelled out in fright and dove for cover while
a swirl of cherry petals appeared behind where he had stood.

	When Zoicite finally materialized, he staggered backward, his chest
riddled with little holes.  Green ichor poured out and pooled beneath
the fallen body.

	"Yeah, that's RIGHT!" S.L.K. yelled, stalking towards his victim.
"That's what'chew get!  Wait till I reload!  I'm gonna lay all your
buddies out right beside you!  Who's the man?!  WHO'S THE MAN?!"

	"Umm, Starlight?" Sailor Moon whispered urgently when she saw
something waver behind the man.

	In a bamph of smoke, Zoicite's body disappeared and was replaced with
a bucket of green slime.

	S.L.K. frowned, but a sudden jarring sensation notified him of
something amiss.  Looking down, he saw the giant rock shard protruding
from his now-broken breastplate.  The stone hissed and vanished,
leaving a huge gaping hole.

	Sailor Moon gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

	"Eh, don't worry, kid!" S.L.K. called back to her.  "I'm a
professional!  I do this all the time!"

	Usagi stared at him for a moment and apparently decided that since
the man wasn't bleeding and didn't seem to be in any pain, he was
probably okay, though, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out
how.  She glanced towards Zoicite.  "Starlight!" she cried.  "He's
taking the crystal!"

	"What?!"  S.L.K. turned around to see Zoicite with a black gem
pointed at the priest, who cowered on the ground.  A pillar of red and
black engulfed the minister, and he turned into a taller version of
himself with light-greenish skin, wearing athletic shorts and boxing
gloves.  "Hey!"

	"Good to have you back, Bokushi."  An orange gem flew from the former
priest's chest into Zoicite's grasp.  The general grinned cruelly at
S.L.K. and Sailor Moon.  "Oh no," he said, "it looks like your
boyfriend's dead now, Sailor Moon, doesn't it?"

	"Hey, Zoi," S.L.K. choked out, "I love what'cha did with your face.
Here, let me fix up the rest of you!"  He whipped out a Gauss rifle
and opened fire with heavy magnetically-accelerated shells.

	Despite the suddenness of the assault, Zoicite was able to raise a
shield and deflect most of the shots.  However, the first bullet had
knocked the Rainbow Crystal from his hand.  Then the knight pulled out
a grenade, ripped the pin out, and hurled towards the boxer youma, who
merely looked down as it bounced off of him.

	The resulting explosion flung Bokushi away into the bushes.

	"Yeah, take that, you boxing-gloves-wearing, green-skinned,
athletic-shorts freak!" S.L.K. shouted after the youma, taking aim
again with his gun.

	"But Starlight," Usagi coughed, "he's really just an innocent human being."

	The knight frowned.  "Oh yeah, I forgot about that.  Need to take out
the marginally-less-than-lethal stuff."  He put away the rifle,
reached into his pocket, and pulled out the mother of all Tasers.
Four feet long and covered with bizarre wiring, it didn't look like
something he could have easily concealed on his person.  "SAY HELLO TO
MY LITTLE FRIEND!!!"

	He pulled the trigger and the Taser started to hum.  In two seconds,
a one-meter-diameter ball of condensed lightning formed at the
device's tip.  The recoil from when it fired scooted S.L.K. back half
a meter on his feet.  When the blast impacted, the resulting shockwave
broke all the windows within a half-mile radius and sent an acrid
ozone-smelling wind blowing from the scene at thirty miles per hour.
A nearby building collapsed in a shower of debris.

	"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" S.L.K. shouted in triumph.

	When the dust cleared, Zoicite stood firm in front of Bokushi,
seemingly amused by the attack.

	"What the freak is this?!" the knight shouted angrily.  "I shot you
fair and square!  You're supposed to be knocked silly and crispy from
that!"

	Zoicite ignored him, but rather stared at the gaping hole in his
chest.  "You're a machine, are you?"

	"You got a problem with that?!"

	"No, not really.  I was afraid you were actually going to be
dangerous.  Robots can't hurt me.  In fact, no non-magical weapons can
affect the barriers of a Dark Kingdom general."

	"Cheater," S.L.K. spat, and took out a .44 Magnum and a clip with
mystic symbols drawn on it.  Locking and loading, he muttered, "Guess
we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

	"Sorry, but I don't have time to mess with you, wires-for-brains,"
Zoicite said derisively as he picked up the fallen Rainbow Crystal.
"The Queen is so anxious to meet our old friend here."  He grabbed
Bokushi by the shoulder and prepared to teleport away.

	"Moon Tiara Action!"

	The glowing disc of Sailor Moon's charged tiara bit deeply into the
general's arm, once again forcing him to drop the crystal, and he had
already teleported back to the Dark Kingdom in a shower of cherry
blossoms before he could do anything about it.

	Sailor Moon hurried over and picked up the Orange Rainbow Crystal.
"All right!"  She jumped for joy.  "We got one of the crystals!"

	"Wa-hoo!" S.L.K. cheered enthusiastically, and held out his hand.
"Great job, kid.  Can I see it?"

	Usagi clasped the gem close, looking rather uncertain.  "Umm...."

	S.L.K. shrugged.  "Fine, I don't care."

	"Aw, I didn't mean it," Sailor Moon said hurriedly, and handed over
the Rainbow Crystal.  "You know you've still got a big hole in your
chest, right?"

	The man nodded while he examined the crystal very closely.  "Yeah,
I'll go find a machine shop somewhere and get it fixed up when we're
all done here tonight."  As if to emphasize his words, some of the
wires hanging down sparked a little.  "Happens all the time."  He
sighed when a tag labeled "HECHO EN MEXICO" fell onto the ground.
"Cheap foreign mechanical body replacements...."

	"So, Starlight," Usagi said in a forced cheerful tone, "you're really a robot?"

	"Kind of, but not really.  I'm just using something I had custom made
so I don't use up all my power.  I'm a psychically projected being
made of pure energy."

	"Pure energy?"

	"Well, maybe only ninety percent pure energy."

	"So what's the other ten percent?"

	"Chuck Norris!"  S.L.K. punched his fist through a wall for no
readily apparent reason, yanked it back out, then turned his face
upward in thought.  "Hey, if you want to get WAY specific, I'm really
the psychic projection of a reincarnated destroyer of worlds that had
to turn itself into royalty to survive.  Now how messed up is that?"

	Sailor Moon's eyes glazed momentarily while she sorted through some
of the words.  "You're royalty?"

	"Kind of."

	"Are you a prince?"

	"That's a stretch, but close enough."

	"A prince," Usagi whispered to herself in awe.  "Neat!"  Then she
looked nervous.  "Umm... can I ask you, ah, what's your real name?"

	"Oh, that's easy," S.L.K. said offhandedly.  "My real name is... the
Hydrogen-Fueled Fusion-Powered Razzle-Dazzle Jazzle-Matazzle Atomic
Star Light Knight!"  His voice seemed to echo dramatically when he
said his name.  "I slice, I dice, I blast things into smithereens...
and I can even make youma french fries in point oh-two seconds!  YEAH,
BABY!!!"

	"Huh?!"

	At the girl's confusion, he amended, "But there are some who might
call me... 'Tom, for short?"

	"'Tom?  That's... that's a handsome name."  Usagi's eyes went all
dreamy.  "I like it, it's foreign."

	"Yeah," 'Tom replied.  "Anyway, here's your crystal back--"

	Then at that moment, a red energy blade cut through the air in front
of the Star Light Knight, slicing cleanly through his wrist.  The hand
that held the Rainbow Crystal spiraled in the air for a moment before
it was snatched up in a flash by Kunzite, who stopped a short distance
away.

	Sailor Moon gasped and covered her mouth.  "You!"

	"Ha-hah," said Kunzite cleanly, "so you see, there is nothing you
have that we cannot take away!"  He pulled the crystal from the grasp
of the mechanical fingers and was gone before the metallic mess hit
the ground.

	"Oh no!" Usagi whined.  "Now they've got another crystal!"

	"Egads," S.L.K. whispered in shock.  "Has the world gone mad?  Have
those generals finally learned proper TACTICS?!  THE FIENDS!"  He
looked at the blonde teen.  "Look, you go back to your friends.  I
need to head off."

	"But wait!  Where are you going, 'Tom?"

	S.L.K. pointed at his chest and waved with his still-glowing stump.
"Isn't it obvious?  The Negamapansies are gearing up for a big fight,
so I'm gonna have to go make some repairs and upgrades before going up
against them again."

	That seemed to make perfect sense to Usagi.  "Oh, right!  But wait a
second."  She rushed over and picked up the damaged bit of electronics
on the ground, then went back and handed it to the android.  "Here."

	"What's that?"

	"It's your hand."

	The knight looked down at the black-gloved metal bit, then back at
Usagi before finally shrugging.  He closed the girl's hand over the
device, patted it, and said, "Eh, keep it."

	"You don't need it?"

	"Nah, I'll make a better one."  He gave her a quick, sloppy salute
with his remaining hand.  "ROCK AND ROLL!  Anyway, see you later, and
be careful."

	"R-right," Sailor Moon stammered, and then the man was gone.

---

	Back at the Hikawa Shrine, it appeared that most of the group had
made it back.  Mercury and Mars were gingerly treating marginally
serious chemical burns and picking broken pieces of beaker marked
"Femme Cola" out of their hair while Tuxedo Kamen wrapped up his arms
in thick bandages.  He had claw marks over a lot of his body.

	Luna seemed particularly sorry.  "I'm sorry, Tuxedo Kamen.  If only
we'd gotten there sooner, we could have kept the crystal from them."

	"It's okay," sighed the masked man.  "At least now, I've got my
memories back.  Most of them, I think."

	Usagi walked in and took a seat.  "So," she said with feigned
cheerfulness, "did anyone manage to get a crystal?"

	"No," said Tuxedo Kamen.  "They came too fast."

	"We couldn't hardly do anything," muttered Mars.  "No crystal here,
either.  And no sign of Grandpa.  How about you, Sailor Moon?"

	Usagi fidgeted.  "Ah... Heh... Well... That is... Um... No."

	Everyone breathed a sad sigh of defeat.

	"Where's the Star Light Knight?" asked Luna.  "Did he run off?"

	"Um, the thing is, we were fighting really, really good for a while,"
Sailor Moon said, "but then Zoicite teamed up with Kunzite, and we
just couldn't win.  Starlight got... hurt, and he went off to 'fix'
himself up."

	"There's something really wrong about that guy," said Mars.

	"I agree," added Mercury.  "It's like he isn't human."

	"He's a robot," replied Usagi with resignation.  "Here, he gave me
this."  With a loud thunk, she dropped the heavy severed metal hand on
the table.  Everyone stared at it for a while with their mouths
hanging open.

	"A robot?"  Luna boggled at the concept.  "What in the world?!"

	Usagi waved as if she wanted to dispel any misconceptions.  "But a
good robot!  A robot that helps us win!"

	"He really gave you a hand there back there," punned Rei.  "Didn't he, Usagi?"

	Usagi laughed nervously.  "Yeah, I guess."

	Mercury got her computer out and started scanning the mechanical limb
fragment.  "But, if he's a robot, I don't see how this could work for
him.  There aren't any motors or things that could be used for
locomotion."

	"The thing is," Usagi said, "he said he was... well, I don't remember
exactly what he said.  He might be a prince or something, though.
Maybe."

	"Prince of the Tin Men, maybe," Rei jibed.

	"So, has anyone heard from Terra yet?" Sailor Moon asked.

	Mercury shook her head.  "No, nobody.  But at last count, this means
that the Dark Kingdom has six out of seven of the crystals, as well as
the Great Youma that came with them."

	Usagi sighed.  "I just hope Chibimoon and Sailor Jupiter have better
luck than we did."

	Wincing from his battle-inflicted wounds, Tuxedo Kamen whispered, "I
hope they're all right."

	Luna nodded her agreement.  Looking out the window at the stars, she
added, "Right now, they're our last hope."

---

	At the local mall, Sailors Jupiter and Chibimoon were trying on
shoes.  As soon as the duo had left the shrine, Makoto began dutifully
following Terra around, as per Luna's instructions.  Unfortunately, as
it turned out, Terra didn't seem to have any intention of hunting down
youma or Rainbow Crystals.  The Irish girl made a beeline straight for
the nearest shopping center, and couldn't be easily distracted from
her unknown goal for a very long time.

	"I don't really like Rei's sneakers," Terra said while lacing up a
new pair of shoes, "and they don't go with my skirt.  Maybe I don't
like my fuku colors, but if I'm gonna have them anyway, I might as
well get something that matches."

	"Yeah, I guess so," commented Makoto uncertainly.

	Chibimoon chewed her lip for a moment, as if forcing herself to
change her mind about something.  "No, that's wrong.  Actually, I LOVE
my fuku colors.  They're very cute and adorable, and I LIKE looking
cute and adorable.  I LIKE jewelry, I LIKE shopping, and I LIKE
dressing up in cute outfits, too."  She pounded on her head a little,
then looked down at her feet.  "But I DON'T like these shoes, so I'm
not going to buy them."  She removed the current set of footwear and
put Rei's sneakers back on.

	Jupiter looked at her friend quizzically.  "Chibimoon, don't you
think we're taking this kind of, y'know, lightly?  This IS the end of
the world we're talking about here."

	"Sailor Jupiter, I'm surprised at you," Terra replied sternly with
her voice nearly cracking.  "How can you even THINK about talking
about the end of the world when I just missed out on the biggest
chance ever to spend some quality time with my boyfriend?"  She paused
in thought.  "Okay, I admit, my priorities may seem a bit screwed-up
right now, but still--"

	"No, no," Makoto replied with a peaceful hand gesture.  "I
understand.  Let's go shop some more."

	Terra nodded.  "Some other place now.  There's nothing I want here anyway."

---

	What's gotten into me? Terra asked herself as she walked through the
mall alongside Sailor Jupiter.  Real heroines aren't supposed to act
like this.

	But, she didn't really feel like being a heroine right now.  All she
wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed, and forget the last few
months ever happened.  She might feel differently in the morning, she
imagined, but as for right now, she'd had it with a lot of what was
going on, especially with Arby, the Rainbow Crystals, and the end of
the world.  Plus, her self-confidence was at an all-time low.

	A pair of young boys jumped up from a bench, gasped, and pointed at
her and Makoto.  "It's the Sailor Soldier girls!" they squealed.

	Chibimoon forced herself to smile.  It seemed that there were people
around who could appreciate her after all.  What's a heroine's job
without a bit of praise now and again?  It'd do her a lot of good, she
thought, to bask in some praise for a few minutes.  Then maybe she
could go look for whatever it was she was supposed to look for.

	"Sailor Jupiter," Chibimoon said in a relaxed, professional tone,
"we're going over there to talk to those two kids."

	"We are?" replied Jupiter in surprise.  "Is one of them a crystal carrier?"

	"Let's find out."

	Adopting a smooth military-like pace, Terra turned on her heel and
marched toward the boys.  As she came close, she gave them a smart
salute and said, "Good evening.  I understand you two know about the
Sailor Soldiers?"

	The younger of the two boys nodded emphatically.  "Uh-huh!  We hear
about you all the time, how you go out and whack evil stuff, save the
world, and all that good stuff."  He blinked at Terra and rubbed his
eyes.  "Sailor Chibimoon?!"

	Terra smiled keenly.  "Yes, that's me, young man."  She added a
mature edge to her voice and tried to adopt a little of her native
accent when she spoke to add a more fantasy-like flair to the
conversation.  "You've heard of me?"

	"Hoo-yeah, I have!  You're the best!  I'm one of your biggest fans!
I'm Timmy.  Can I have your autograph?"  The boy held up a white-paged
book.

	Terra signed "Sailor Chibimoon" in neat calligraphy.

	"Thanks!" Timmy said.

	"Your name is YOSHI, li'l bro," whispered the older boy impatiently.

	"Who's this?" Terra asked, pointing toward the older one of the two.
"A friend?"

	"Nah, that's just my brother, Steve."

	"My name is Yamato," corrected Steve.  "Excuse Yoshi.  He's a little
obsessed with American culture."

	"I see," commented Terra.  "So, what do you think of me, Steve?"

	"He says you SUCK!" replied Timmy.

	Chibimoon's expression fell and she started to glare at the older
boy, who returned her gaze with equal intensity.  "Oh he does, does
he?"

	"Yeah, that's right," said Steve.  "But I think Sailor Jupiter ROCKS!"

	"She DOES rock," agreed Timmy.

	Jupiter folded her arms smugly.  "Yeah, that's right."

	"And aren't there five of you?" asked Steve.

	"Well yeah," Terra replied.  "But the rest are probably off saving
the world, thwarting villains, risking their lives and stuff, so they
couldn't be here."

	"And what are you doing here in the mall, Chibimoon?" inquired Steve.
 "What dire threat have you come to ward off?"

	"Me?" replied Terra, who shrugged.  "Just came to shop, blow off
steam, and maybe get some new shoes--"

	"Whoa, whoa, whoa," interrupted Timmy with frantic hand gestures.
"You mean to say that while all your friends are risking their lives
in defense of the planet, you're here moping around and shopping for
clothes?"

	"Well, yeah," said Terra weakly.

	Timmy looked at his brother.  "You were right.  She DOES suck."

	"Hey, I toldja," replied Steve, and the two walked off, pausing only
to bow and wave to Jupiter as they departed.

	Terra's mind found itself in a loop considering the words she had
just heard.  All that night, she could have been bravely scouring the
city for a crystal that she could have kept from falling into the
hands of the Negamafoozles.  Instead, she spent the evening moping and
feeling sorry for herself that she didn't get to spend the time with
Tuxedo Kamen.  That wasn't what real heroines did.  That's what
sniveling little cowards did.  Tears welled up in her eyes.  "It's so
true!  I do suck!"

	"Hey, Red, don't take it so hard," Jupiter comforted the girl.
"After all, you can't ALWAYS be going around half-killing yourself to
save the day."

	But it was too late.  The girl had already run off, sobbing like a
particularly loud baby.  "WA-HAAAAAAH!"

	"Chibimoon!" Makoto called after her and began pursuit.  "Wait up!
Sheesh, what's gotten into you?!"

	From the darkness between the cloth folds in the white underthings
section of a nearby department store, a pair of red eyes glowed.
"Yesssss, very good!  Go on, lead me right to him, you
sssssimple-minded foolsssss!"

---End of Chapter 11

And now it's time for... MIND YOUR MANNERS!!! with Sailor Nuke.

(Scene of the Star Light Knight powering up and firing the mother of all Tasers)

Sailor Nuke:  Today we learned that whenever you find out that lives
are in danger, it just means you need to use a bigger gun.

Sailor Kawaii(walks on stage, reading a book, and looks up):  Uh, what
are you talking about?

(Mars and Mercury combine attacks to combat Kunzite)

Sailor Nuke:  Little wussie pansy attacks like bubbles and fireballs
just don't cut it anymore.

Sailor Kawaii(protesting loudly):  Bubbles and little fireballs are CUTE!

(Sailor Moon slams Zoicite with her tiara and takes the crystal back)

Sailor Nuke:  Those tiny attacks may LOOK strategic, but they're
really just a waste of time.

Sailor Kawaii:  Are not!  Take that back!!!

(A grenade knocks the boxer-youma back into the bushes)

Sailor Nuke(ignores Kawaii):  So remember: don't bring a knife to a
bazooka fight.  Sailor Nuke sez.  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAA!!!

(Terra tries some new shoes on)

Sailor Kawaii(composes herself):  On the other hand, whatever gun you
use, you should always try to find a nice, cute outfit to wear, so you
can confuse your enemies until it's too late for them to react.

(Bruce eyes the girls from the shadows)

Sailor Kawaii:  Sailor Kawaii says!  Tee-hee!



Kind of a filler chapter, really.

Oh, hey, you're still here anyway!  Thanks for reading! ;)

-- 
Benjamin A Oliver
benjamin.a.oliver at gmail.com

Technical Writer / Translator
M3 Engineering & Technology

Master of Science in Management Information Systems
Eller College of Management
University of Arizona

Writings: Fan Fiction
http://boliver.florestica.com/

Webcomic: Nuke 'Em 'Till They Glow!! The Early Years
http://nettg.com