"Transformation Sequence" Chapter 4: The Outcast By Alan [Pre-Notes: #1... Unlike the last three chapters, I wrote nearly all of this on *paper* first. That will hopefully turn this story from total crap to minor excrement. #2... This chapter is dedicated to Nightbreak of SVAM fame. I wish that the two of us could agree on issues, but until that time, I must be the bearer of insults. #3... If you missed the past three chapters, you can find them on my website, . You're not missing much, though.] Jadeite knelt on the ice-cold ground, his eyes closed, his hands pressing against the dry stone, and his ears echoing with the sound of nothing. A mere three meters away from him sat Queen Beryl, staring at her blue fingers, saying not a word, but merely biding time. The ruler of the Negaverse cast a momentary glance at the two crystal fragments lying beside her throne, then lazily turned her eyes towards her general. "Jadeite," she said dryly, "you have lost me another monster... and you allowed another Sailor to return to life. That was sloppy work, General. We have five more pieces to collect. As you continue your search, you will find a way to lure and trap them." The queen paused for a moment. Still training her eyes on Jadeite, she nodded in approval, for he did not move. "Now... your next mission shall be to infiltrate a small locale in Tokyo called Cherry Hill Temple. There is a person who will soon visit this Shinto institution, and I believe they may bear another fragment of the Imperium Silver Crystal. You will find them, kill them on identification, and bring the piece back to me. Now, Jadeite, I give you permission to leave my presence." Breathing out, she set her two feet down on the floor. Standing up with a start, Jadeite teleported himself, even as his head was bowed in shame. *** Serena counted the cracks in the sidewalk as she stepped over them. Her cat Luna was by her side, but the young woman's mind was elsewhere. Her eyes fixated on the endless path of gray pavement, she told herself, As the young woman's face clenched into a grimace, she stopped in her tracks. Someone was watching her - and worse yet, the person was Amy. Slowly lifting her head, Serena faced the young woman, and said, "You have defeated me, Anderson. Feel free to take my life, and do whatever you wish with me." Serena's arms lay relaxed and free of motion, and her legs were locked together at the ankles. Amy's left hand was wrapped around the damp steel pole of a bus stop post, but she placed her right hand to her chin. she thought. Looking back into Serena's blank, dilated eyes, Amy said, "If you're curious, all I'm doing is waiting for a bus. Really, as much as I'd like to play God with you, I've got classes at cram school to worry about. My parents would rather appreciate that I keep going there, in spite of all the construction they've had to do in the last week or so." Luna thought, all the while staring at Amy's perfectly white tennis shoes, As Serena uneasily shifted her weight to her right foot, she heard a siren go off in the distance. Stepping cautiously over Luna, she put her right hand to her forehead and stared as far as she could down the street. "Looks like a police car's coming," she said nonchalantly. Letting go off the bus stop post, Amy replied, "I've been here for five minutes, and that car will the third one to come by. Something odd is going on... and if I know my directions, they're all turning at the street that leads to Cherry Hill Temple." Shifting her gaze back to the street, she did not cover her ears as the vehicle blazed by. *** Leaning with her right palm against the wall, Raye Hino peered through the window to the world outside of Cherry Hill Temple, the world outside her prison. She saw the young, blond-haired man standing on the steps of the shrine - the latest person that her grandfather had "hired." As a frown creased her face, she averted her gaze from the window. Without a word, Raye turned her back on the view outside, pulled her frail wooden chair away from the black desk that faced a white wall, and sat down. For a second, the young woman paused. Then she lifted the chair up from under her, and pulled herself close to the desk. Her shoulders tilted forward as she opened the first drawer, the one that was only two centimeters below the top of the desk. Pulling it out by the copper hinge, Raye slowly breathed the dusty, dry air. Ignoring the eyes she felt watching her, she reached into the open drawer and grabbed the thick black-covered book that lay inside. She set the book on the desk, and hastily shut the desk drawer, igniting an explosion of dust. Clenching her teeth, she read the title, imprinted in the thin leather cover with gold inlay, to reassure herself: "New Testament..." Closing her eyes, Raye lowered her head. Her arms now propped up on the desktop, she whispered, "God help me... I'm all alone, even though I know I'm not. They've surrounded me, and now I'm afraid that they want to take my life." She did not open her eyes for a full minute. *** Jadeite set his broom on the ground. It fell to the stone floor with a quiet crash. Peering to his right and left, he saw that no one was watching him, that no one cared for his life. It was time for him to go to work. Leaving his broom and pan, he cautiously walked over to a small altar that was set just inside the shrine. The general smiled at what he saw - a young woman, by herself, in deep contemplation. Jadeite thought, placing his two cold hands together, For a few seconds, he simply looked at the motionless woman. he reminded himself. With a simple shake of his right hand, the young woman fell to the floor, already dead. Jadeite then lifted the same hand towards the sky, and the Imperium Silver Crystal's third fragment flew out of her chest and towards his outstretched arm. "Now," he whispered, glowering down at the body, "I should clean up this mess." *** "Greetings, Melvin," Amy said to the young man as she saw him walking beside her, "If I may ask... why precisely are you going this way?" She smiled wryly, for he looked a bit short of breath. Melvin, after casting a long glance at Serena - whose face was set straight ahead - told Amy, "I had some activities to finish up. If you didn't know, I'm in my school's cooking club, and we had to--" Stopping in her tracks, Amy turned forty-five degrees and looked right into Melvin's eyes. Slowly, abruptly, she said, "The *cooking* club? I... I never would have thought!" She pressed her front teeth together - for to say more might compromise her social status. "Anyway..." Melvin said, laughing and scratching his head, "Let's keep on walking. As I was going to say: just as I got out of school, someone told me about the situation at Cherry Hill Temple. He said the police are heading there because a tour bus disappeared right outside it... and this apparently isn't the first time that such an incident's happened. The person's name was Shields, I think - take it or leave it." He raised his voice with the last few words, for another police car had passed by. Amy, already tiring of this conversation, looked at Serena, and asked her politely, "If you don't mind telling us... what club or clubs are you in, Serena?" Deftly stepping over one of the sidewalk's many cracks, Serena lifted up her head and looked towards Amy and Melvin. "Since you asked," she said hoarsely, "I'm in the fan-drawn comics club, and I'm involved with the literature club." Sighing, she tightened her jaw and asked, "Miss Anderson... would you care to say if Greg is in a club?" The young woman placed her arms by her sides, and let them hang down like bars of iron. Amy paused for a moment to take the new information in. Now that Serena had confessed her interest in doujinshi, perhaps she could make something of that, should their relationship come to push-and-shove. Glancing first at Serena, then at Melvin, she stated, "Greg, sadly, does not attend Crossroads. However, he is active in a club at my old school - to be exact, the HTML club." "Interesting!" Melvin replied. "By the way, Amy," he asked, "could you give me his website's URL?" The young man slowed down his pace as he sighted the steps of Cherry Hill Temple. After another brief pause, Amy said, "Maybe later, Melvin. In any case, we're here... so perhaps we should worry more about what's going on at this place." She gave a long, pronounced sigh, and walked towards the steep stone staircase. *** Darien stood alone by the bus stop. He looked to his right and then to his left, but saw nothing except for the road, the cars, and the random people - no one cared for his life. The young man stared at the ground in front of him. Today, the pavement was damp - apparently, rain had fallen while he had slept. To his surprise, a bus suddenly pulled up to the curb. he thought, tapping his right foot, Stepping inside the vehicle, he looked up at the driver, hoping to catch the person's glance. "Excuse me, good customer," the driver said, slowly turning her body towards Darien, "Do you have--" Quickly walking up the steps, Darien pulled the lever that controlled the door. Looking down at the unconscious driver, he whispered, "I must do this... for the fulfillment of my destiny." *** Serena, leading the pack of three, was the first to see the short man standing by the top of the staircase. "Greetings," she said coldly, looking down on his wrinkled face, "Are you connected to the operation of Cherry Hill Temple?" From behind her, she heard the footsteps of her companions, as they finished their ascent. The elderly man smiled broadly. "Indeed. I am the chief priest. Call me Mr. Hikawa if you want - or call me just about anything else you want! Now that you're all here," he said loudly as the trio gathered together, "We're looking for... some new employees here. Would either of you young women care to sign up?" Just as Amy put her right hand halfway up, a young woman, dressed in a blue sweater and jeans, walked towards the old man from behind him. She knocked him upside the head with both of her hands. Coughing sharply, she looked at the visitors, and said, "Excuse us. This is my grandfather, and he is searching for someone to take my place, for I have adopted a new system of beliefs. In any event, I am Raye Hino, assistant janitor of Cherry Hill Temple. Greetings, friends." Raye then bowed, letting her eyes fall shut. Luna thought, even as she breathed hard, Trying to look inconspicuous, she purred. Keeping her face set in stone, Serena replied, "Greetings to you, Miss Hino. But allow us to cut to the point: our objective here is to find out why several tour buses have vanished. Since you are connected to the temple, we figured that you might know something of these incidents." Raye, looking just as somber and sober as Serena, clenched her right hand into a fist, and said, "I know nothing. In fact... I wouldn't be surprised if *you* had something to do with this, Grandpa," she continued, raising her voice to a shrill level, "Yes, I believe you may have two horns hidden atop your head. Your mischief has gone just a tad too far. Should I touch your horns? Would that help? Or do you deny your connection to these events?" she asked, all but yelling at the small man. "Enough!" yelled Melvin, stepping in front of Serena. Pointing in Raye and Mr. Hikawa's direction with his left hand, he said, "Just tell us what you know. We didn't come to stir up hostilities, only to get information. Now, Mr. Hikawa, can you help us?" Having said this, the young man took a quick glance towards Serena. She was far enough away that he was not stepping on her toes, but he feared stepping on her ego. After a moment's glare at Raye, the aged man said, "This has been going on for two days. I don't know what to make of it. Let's see..." He paused, scratched his bald head, and added, "We got ourselves a new employee here a few days ago. He cleans the premises and works as the cashier for our charm shop. I guess it might be important 'cause he's a bit odd." Ignoring a muttered comment from Raye, he continued, "Calls himself Jay Daito. Doesn't say much... indeed, he seems lost in his thoughts most of the time." Luna then stood up straight. she asked herself, Bristling, she walked up to Serena. With a loud sigh, Raye said, "I'm afraid that I really don't know anything about these happenings... though I would be willing to help in your investigation." Looking at her shoes, she quietly asked, "But if you wouldn't mind too much, would you mind if I looked at your cat?" Suspiciously, she half-looked at Serena. "Go ahead," Serena replied, not letting a drop of emotion leak out, "Melvin, Miss Anderson, I'm going to check out this charm shop. If you have any pity, wait for me." As she walked towards the hole-in-the-wall shop, her arms shook as if she were freezing. she thought. Amy watched as Raye knelt down beside Luna. She slowly nodded as Raye patted the cat on top of the animal's head. A wry, guilty smile creased Amy's face as Mr. Hikawa walked away without a word. Now was the time to act. "Excuse me," she said to Raye, bowing politely, "I don't believe we've revealed our names yet. So, if you'll forgive our rudeness... Call me Amy Anderson. The cat's Luna - she belongs to that young person who just left for the charm shop a moment ago. Her name is Serena Tsukino. And, finally..." Melvin laughed quietly. "Yeah, I'm last," he said, casting a moment's glance at Amy, "My name's Melvin Gurio. Sorry about earlier. And I am pleased to meet you, Raye Hino." Unable to come up with any other encouraging words, he shrugged his shoulders. After cautiously picking Luna up in her arms, Raye carried the cat two steps closer to Melvin and Amy. "Thanks... it's awful hard to get apologies from others these days," Raye said, stuttering, and emphasizing every other syllable, "I should say this to you, up and front, just so you can say you were warned... I'm a Christian. Out of place, yeah, I know. You see, I was raised Shinto, like any good Japanese girl who's born to be a priestess. But about three years ago, I was introduced to my current faith by a young woman named Dania, and... well... I guess that's pretty much my story in capsule form." Shyly smiling, she looked at Amy and Melvin, but stood stiff as a martyr waiting for the ocean tide. Unknown to Raye, Luna's eyes opened wide. she thought, "I see," Amy flatly replied, gazing at her left wrist, which had no watch on it, "Well, Serena's finally done. Shall we be off?" she asked of the others. Nodding in agreement, Melvin walked up to the rapidly approaching Serena. Looking at her face, rather than the small trinket in her closed right hand, he asked, "So, Serena, what do you think? How are we gonna carry out our investigation?" As was her custom, Serena mechanically turned her head towards the young man, and replied, "I shall go on the bus." Her thoughts stated, she turned her eyes back towards the pavement beneath her feet. Carefully stepping unto the staircase, Raye stared at the young cynic. She told her, "Serena - if I may call you that - do you think that's really necessary? If there's anyone here who should take such a burden, then it's me. I've come to accept the role of being a punching bag - let me do this task for you." The young woman clenched her jaw. If she were to stand a chance of being accepted by them, she would have to show them her strengths. "No," Serena stiffly replied, pressing her teeth together, "I will not be deterred from this." She stood as a wooden board, even taking each step on the staircase with artificial, puppet-like motion. Amy figured, looking out towards the car- packed road only a few meters away, She smirked, and then turned towards Melvin, who wore a puzzled, worried expression on his face. "Melvin," Amy said in a calm voice, "Let's stick together for now, so that we're prepared... should anything happen to Serena." Just then a thought crossed Luna's mind. She wondered, she asked herself, The cat let a tear fall. Putting her right hand to her forehead, Raye scanned the curbside for an available bus. "The blue one over there," she said to the others, "It matches the descriptions that the police have been giving us. Let's hurry before it departs!" Walking off the stone staircase, she touched down on the pavement and began running. Serena, Amy, and Melvin all looked in each others' directions for a second. Then, with only a hint of urgency in her voice, Amy said, "Let's follow her." Thus, the four ran towards the still-parked bus. Above them, the midday sun stalled behind a white cloud. *** "Mr. Daito?" called Mr. Hikawa, as he walked up to the charm shop, which had no line of people waiting at the moment, "How are sales going?" He strained his neck to see the general peering down at him from the counter. Keeping his right hand pressed against the ki-gathering jewel, which rested below his side of the counter, Jadeite replied, "I'm pleased to report that my sales are better than ever. Not only that, the customers have been reporting that they are quite pleased with the charms. Good Mr. Hikawa, I strongly suggest that you try one for yourself." The chosen of Queen Beryl faked a bow. The priest of Cherry Hill Temple smiled broadly. "I guess I should do that," he said, talking a bit too loudly, "but would I have to pay you with *money*?" He nearly fell over from laughing at his own remark. Trying to keep his cool, Jadeite turned around, as if searching for a charm. he thought, compressing his fists. *** The four young people stood a meter away from the door of the tour bus. A short line had formed, but all the people in it were dead silent, and blankly staring forward. Luna, still in Raye's arms, thought, Without a mumbled word, Serena stepped forward. Nodding her head, she boarded the bus. Thirty seconds later, the door closed, for all the passengers were on board, and the vehicle shifted its gears. Raye, Amy, and Melvin watched the bus leave, and all three had their mouths hanging open. Then the Negaverse struck. In front of the bus there appeared a round whirlpool of rapidly cycling black energy. The obstacle was practically upon the bus' radiator, and yet it only covered that lane of traffic. But seconds later, the entire bus had driven into the hole. The three companions cringed, fearing that other cars would enter the evil whirlpool, but it immediately dissipated as soon as the bus was completely gone. "Unbelievable," Raye said, almost under her breath, "I really gotta get back to Cherry Hill--my grandpa must know about this. Hope to see the two of you very soon, so that we can get this wrapped up..." She set Luna on the ground, and as her words trailed off, she ran back up the long staircase. Melvin's gaze was still on the street, which was now cluttered with cars honking at each other. "Serena - why?" he asked, whispering to the wind. Knowing that this was her chance, Luna leapt into the bushes behind the pavement. "Amy," she called from the foliage, "Just close your eyes and relax." Falling to her knees, Amy Anderson covered her face with her two hands. Silently sobbing, she covered her eyes-- Sailor Mercury stood up. "Oh, Luna," she quietly said, "Get out of there. We've got work to do." The Sailor drew out her portable computer and performed a quick calculation. Moving her gaze from the machine's screen, she told Luna, "Our quarry is definitely heading into the Negaverse. Now, the question remains - how are we going to get there?" Curious, Melvin turned around, and looked at the pair. "What...?" he exclaimed, "You're... not Amy." The young man blinked his eyes three times, but nothing changed. "No," Mercury calmly replied, "I'm called Sailor Mercury. My duty is to protect Sailor Moon in all her battles." The Sailor grinned proudly. *** Still sweating and breathing hard from her dash, Raye ran towards her grandfather. The elder was absently walking towards the staircase. His eyes were locked in place, and his walking was wooden. "Grandpa!" she yelled at him, kneeling down to his level, "What's happened to you?" As Mr. Hikawa walked onwards, muttering something about a bus, the pieces came together in Raye's mind. she thought. The young Christian approached the charm shop, where Jadeite still stood, safe and proud behind a short line of customers. "Excuse me, Mr. Daito," she said, spitting out her words as she pushed her way to the front of the line, "I have good reason to believe--" she began to say. The general raised his right hand. "I'm afraid that this shop is now closed," he said formally, and as his merchandise vanished, Jadeite continued, "If you're so concerned about the missing ones, why don't you join them?" With a snap of his fingers, Raye vanished from sight. A moment later, so did he. *** Clinging with both her hands to the railing by the bus door, Serena stared at the driver with both her eyes peeled wide open. The man was wearing a black tuxedo, a matching hat, and a white mask across his face - apparel eccentric for a cab driver, but even more so for one behind a tour bus. He was clearly in control of the vehicle, for his hands were all but locked unto the wheel. "Good grief," Serena said, spitting out each word for maximum sarcasm, "Aren't you just a little overdressed? Do you have any idea where you're going? A little messed-up, aren't we?" she asked loudly. Tuxedo Mask turned towards the young woman. Though his expression was blank, he said, "You'd better be careful what you say - just look at the other people on this bus. And I strongly suggest that you then close your eyes and calm down." The man then shifted his eyes back to the rough, unlit black road before him. Though she frowned for a second, Serena looked towards the back of the bus. All the others were comatose - their heads were either bent back or drooping forward, and their eyes were closed tight. she thought, Feeling sick, Serena closed her eyes, and put her burden of regret away-- "Tuxedo Mask," Sailor Moon said, loosening her grip on the pole, "Where have you been lately? You have been watching me, haven't you?" she inquired of him. The former prince of Earth looked back at his love. "I have tried," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on her, "but I am only human. Can you forgive me?" Tuxedo Mask asked calmly. Feeling the bus slow to a halt below her feet, Sailor Moon stood up, bowed, and said, "Yes. Let's walk out into the Negaverse together." Shyly, she turned around, and looked out towards the bleak landscape. Beyond the door there was solid ground, but on that gray material, not a single plant grew. The sky of the Negaverse had the same death-like pallor, but it was colored a dirty brown. Ready for the battle, Tuxedo Mask pulled the lever that opened the door. Though the bus was immediately inundated by a thick, choking smoke, he took Sailor Moon's left hand in his right. Silently, they got off the bus together. *** "Luna," Sailor Mercury said quietly, "Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask have entered the Negaverse, and so have two others... it looks like a young woman and Jadeite. What should we do?" She looked first to the cat, then to Melvin, who was also sitting next to her. The feline of the Moon Kingdom, knowing the risks in speaking in public, hastily typed out on the computer, %There's entire buses of people there. You should try to create a dimension gate just in case.% Still suspicious, she looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching. Mercury put her chin in her right hand for a moment. "I believe I can manage that," she whispered. *** Queen Beryl's general of choice, Jadeite, looked at the young woman on the ground before him, then he turned towards Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. "So," he said gruffly, "you've come to rescue her... and the others? Well, you're going to get a fight first." The general stepped forward and sneered at the duo. "I know of his power, Tuxedo Mask," Sailor Moon said soberly, brushing her hands together, "He is able to destroy the both of us - even if it is only in body. I must awaken Sailor Mars if we are to win. This is the way that it is supposed to be. When the time comes for you to strike, I will yell a word..." After whispering the code word to him, she took a deep breath. Hardly even blinking, she strode towards Jadeite, all the while keeping her facial muscles taut. Seeing how his rival was coming towards him, Jadeite began to taunt her: "So you have to get close in order to hurt me? Or do you want to surrender, Sailor Moon?" he said, even as he anxiously watched Tuxedo Mask stand in place. Not letting his insults get to her head, the chosen of Luna told him, "You will not interfere with what I must do. Jadeite, *back off*!" Getting ready for her accomplice's attack, she knelt down in front of Raye. Obeying the verbal signal, Tuxedo Mask charged towards the general. He leapt over Sailor Moon, and thrust a barbed rose at Jadeite. As his opponent fell down, Tuxedo Mask came to the ground on his feet. Whispering into Raye's right ear, Sailor Moon said, "Young woman, wake up. You have a duty to accomplish - please, do not let us down." Looking over her scarred, pale facial features, the Sailor hoped that Raye was still conscious. "Hurry up!" exclaimed Tuxedo Mask. His opponent was still on the floor, but with a slight movement of his fingers, the general was still capable of striking them all down. Though her arms shook, Queen Serenity's daughter watched as Raye's eyes opened. "Close your eyes again," she said, holding back a laugh, "and concentrate. You shall get through this." A moment later, Sailor Moon stood up and took a step back. She grinned as Sailor Mars stood up and saluted. "Now that I'm back," Mars said brashly, "it's time for some cleanup." The Sailor of fire swiveled around, walked past Tuxedo Mask, and looked at the wounded, bleeding Jadeite. Not bothering to say a word, she shot a fireball at his face... But by the time the fireball hit the ground, Jadeite had teleported. "Almost," Tuxedo Mask, "Thanks for all the help." *** As perspiration formed on her forehead, Sailor Mercury pointed towards the sidewalk outside Cherry Hill Temple. "By the strength given me by Queen Serenity," she said boldly, hardly even conscious of her words, "I order a dimension hole to connect this world with that of the Negaverse!" For a second, even the wind was silent. Then a wisp of black mist appeared over the sidewalk. It began to swirl around as the last one had, but grew in size. "Very nice, Mercury!" Melvin said, adjusting his glasses to properly see the miracle occurring before him. Luna, standing in between them, nodded her head. -- Brief Notes: Three things I should mention... I hope the relative lack of profanity in this episode was a plus. I definitely overdid it in the last three, so I hope this doesn't swing too far in the opposite direction. Second, I used , which means life, instead of , which means blood. The Negaverse villains aren't vampires, after all. I'll try to correct this error in the previous chapters sometime in the future. Other than that, you may recognize the name "Jay Daito" from Hitoshi Doi's synopses. Yeah, I got the basic plot outline from that (I have a poor memory). I feel so dirty for using information from the Japanese series... Back in Chapter 3, I said the wait would just be a "couple weeks," and look what happened... Well, I'll be honest: I have vacation until January 10, 1999, and even then, I've got several other projects which I want to write. So, it'll probably be another six/seven weeks before Chapter 5 (working title: Blood on the Water). Disclaimers: "Sailor Moon," its characters, and all indicia thereof are copyrights of DiC Communications and various others. "Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon," its characters, and all indicia thereof are copyrights of Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha Comics Ltd., and various others. This fanfic was finished on December 17, 1998 by John Alan Riggs, commonly known as Alan or I.N.T.O. -Alan / I.N.T.O. (I'm Not The Otaking)