Power Transcendent
Sailormoon Fanfiction by Jessica
(None of the characters of Sailormoon belong to me, nor do I receive any
profit by using them. So there.)
------------------
Chapter 2
Ami rang the bell on Minako's front door and waited patiently. A second
or so later, Artemis jumped from the balcony above, landing lightly on
her shoulders and twining around her neck before hopping into the
proffered crook of her arm.
"Good morning Artemis!" Ami said, smiling. "How is she?"
"On time, believe it or not!" The white cat replied. "She'll be down in
a second. I gotta wonder what you did to her. I mean, this is the second
day in a row she's woken up on her own...that's a first for this year!"
A ball of paper sailed out from the balcony above and astoundingly
connected with Artemis' skull. "I heard that!" Minako said indignantly.
She leaned out over the balcony, smiling and waving. "I'll be right
there, Ami-chan!" Ami nodded and waved back.
It had been three days since Minako had agreed to help Ami study. On the
first day, Ami had suggested that since they lived fairly close she
wouldn't mind going a little out of her way to meet her in the morning.
That way, they could walk to school together, and decide what they would
do that day. Minako smiled ruefully at her reflection in the mirror.
When she had agreed to help her friend, she didn't know it would be a
daily event.
She normally found studying to be such a chore, so the happiness with
which she skipped downstairs was a little surprising to her. She did
have to admit, helping Ami study was a lot more interesting that she
thought it was going to be. She found herself in awe of the speed with
which Ami processed information, stored it and came back with questions
that sometimes Minako, the supposed expert, had no answers to. How was
she supposed to know what syntax was?
They were helping each other learn, Minako had finally realized. She
knew how to speak English, but now she was even learning how the
language *worked.* Again, a lot more interesting than she would have
guessed. So there was that. But that wasn't all of it...
She opened the door and her smile widened as she saw Ami standing there.
"Good morning Ami-chan!"
"Good morning Minako-chan." She replied. "Ready?"
"You betcha." Artemis hopped out of Ami's arm and began to walk inside.
"Wait a second Artemis." Minako said coldly. The cat stopped, not
looking back. "Since you're so impressed with my lack of laziness, why
don't you go over to Usagi's house and help Luna think up some ideas
about how to deal with the enemy?"
Artemis began to groan but Minako cut him off. "Go, cat! A rolling
stone's worth two in the bush, remember?"
Grumbling, Artemis hopped out of the yard in the vague direction of
Usagi's house. Minako grinned and winked at Ami, who giggled softly in
return.
The two of them set out for school. Minako really enjoyed this
development. Her home was just a little out of the way of all of the
others, so more often than not she found herself walking to high school
alone, at least for part of the way. It was a nice feeling to start out
with a companion for a change.
"So, Ami-chan..." She said after they'd been walking for a little while.
"Yes?"
"You don't have cram school today, so I was thinking that you and I
could head to the park after school and study there."
Ami smiled broadly and nodded. "That's a wonderful idea! It's such a
beautiful day today." She looked over at Minako curiously. "Did what I
showed you last night help with your math homework, by the way?"
"Of course!" Minako waved her hand. "How could you have any doubts?
You're a great teacher, Ami-chan." Ami smiled and turned her eyes back
to the street.
"How do you think Rei's doing?" The Senshi of Water asked after a
moment.
"She looked so tired yesterday."
Minako made a small humming sound. "I don't know...I hope she slept
tonight." Rei had met with little success in trying to find out
something about their new enemy through the sacred fire, and it was
beginning to tell. She was staying up all night, trying to find out
something, anything that could help them. And, as with Setsuna, beyond a
few half-seen images and sensations, she was getting nothing.
"Anyway, I'm not going to try to tell her to rest." Minako continued.
"She nearly killed Usagi yesterday...I think I'll wait until she's too
tired to fight back."
Ami laughed softly. "You're terrible, Minako-chan." Minako made a semi-
ferocious growling sound in return, making Ami laugh even harder. It
occured to Minako that Ami didn't really laugh all that often, and that
was a shame. It was such a sweet-sounding laugh. "Anyway," The blue
haired girl continued, "Even if we can't make her rest, we can still
show her some support, right? Maybe we could visit her after we're done
studying in the part? The Shrine is right near there."
"That's not a bad idea." Minako agreed. "Rei gets a little obsessive
sometimes."
The two parted ways when they got to school, as they had a different
homeroom. School seemed to drag on particularly slowly for Minako
today...she was far too eager to meet Ami and head for the park. She
chewed her eraser and gazed out the window, the voice of her math
teacher fading into a distant hum. Minako was quietly amazed at how well
she and Ami were getting along. Out of all of the Senshi, it had seemed
to her that they would have the least in common.
But that wasn't true...yes, they had very different interests, and Ami
was obviously far, far more intelligent than her blonde friend, but that
was just one tiny part of each of their personalities. Ami was sweet and
kind and brave...and she really had kind of a devilish sense of humor
once she began to open up.
The memory of their dinner together three nights ago popped back into
her head, and Minako giggled gently, wondering if the waiting staff
there still talked about the two of them. "Aino-san." The teacher's
sharp tone cut through her daydream and made her jump. She looked up.
"Since you're finding my lesson so amusing, perhaps *you* could come up
here and solve this equation."
Minako stood and looked at what he had written on the blackboard. -Isn't
math supposed to have more numbers than letters?- She thought with a
sense of dread that grew with each step she took towards it. -This can't
end well.-
------------------
Rather late, the Goddess of Love passed through the school doors with a
groan. She cast around desperately, finally spotting Ami leaning against
the school gates, a gloomy expression on her face. Minako quickly
stepped over to her and slung an arm around her shoulder, grinning. "Why
so gloomy?"
Ami looked up at her, startled, but then gave her a small smile.
"Minako-chan!" She said, sounding relieved. "I was starting to
think...you had ditched me."
Minako felt a little hurt by that and tilted her head. "Of course not
Ami-chan...the teacher kept me after for a little while." She smiled and
rubbed the back of her head. "I guess I was sort of daydreaming during
math class."
"Oh..." Ami smiled a bit more genuinely. "What about?"
"Um...nothing important..." Minako said, feeling a blush climbing into
her cheeks. -That's weird...why am I so embarrassed?- She thought.
"Anyway..." She continued hurriedly. "We'd better head to the park if
we're going to study and still have time to visit Rei-chan."
Ami checked her watch and her eyes widened. "You're right!" She
immediately started down the sidewalk at a brisk pace, and Minako
scrambled to keep up. When they reached the park, Ami walked towards the
nearest bench, but Minako lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know a better place." Minako led her towards the lake. There was a
small spot, a little wedge-shaped piece of land that lay between two
hills right on the shore, so it was hard to find unless you knew it was
there. The bottom was covered in thick grass, but the sides of the hills
were dotted with patches of daisies and irises.
Ami looked out at the lake and took a deep breath, breathing in the
scent. She turned to Minako and smiled, and Minako was struck by how
pretty her friend was, framed by the purple and white flowers behind
her. "You're right...this is a better place." Ami agreed. They both
knelt down and got out their books.
A while later, once they were finished, Minako laid back and rested her
head on her open English book. Ami was sitting close by, her knees
folded under her chin as she looked out at the water. "Ami-chan..." Ami
turned her head to look at her. "Why did you think I ditched you?" She
asked softly. Ami turned her head back out to the water. It was quiet
for a long moment.
"It's not your fault." Ami finally said. "I just start thinking that
way, sometimes."
"Why?"
"I just...remember what it was like, before I became a Sailor Senshi. I
didn't have any friends my own age, none at all. I was way too shy...and
nobody wanted to be friends with a stuck-up bookworm like me." She
tossed a small pebble into the water with a 'plip.' "At least, that's
why I heard all the other kids saying about me."
"But you're not a stuck-up bookworm, Ami-chan." Minako said softly, but
seriously, turning to lay on her side, her head propped up on her elbow.
"You know that...and you know that I...that none of us...would ever
treat you like that."
Ami didn't turn, but Minako could sort of feel the sad little smile that
was on her face. "I know. But it's very hard to let yourself really,
really open up when you've been closed for so long. I know you and the
others are my true friends...but sometimes, when it's quiet and I'm all
alone, the old walls start coming back up. I hate it, because it makes
me feel guilty for even thinking that you would act that way."
Minako shifted position, seating herself just a few inches away from
Ami, sitting in a way that mirrored the other senshi's. She felt very
protective of her friend, suddenly, and had the sudden urge to wrap her
arms around her, but she knew that would just embarrass the reserved
girl. "I know exactly how you feel." She said, instead. She wasn't sure
why, but she decided it was best not to explain.
The Senshi of Water glanced over at her and studied Minako's face for a
moment. Ami smiled and nodded, then turned back to the lake, a small
pink flush on her cheeks. "I'm glad." She said simply. The two girls
stayed that way for several minutes, not a word passing between them as
they enjoyed the other's presence.
It was only when Ami noticed how pink the water was becoming that she
finally broke the silence. "We should go see Rei." She finally said.
Minako nodded and stood, straightening her skirt. "Yeah." She agreed.
The two left their little nook, still not saying anything. Minako felt
that words would spoil what had happened, even though she felt an
excitement building inside of her. Something had changed just now, but
she wasn't at all sure what it was. She wondered if Ami felt it as well.
------------------
Twilight had fallen as Minako and Ami climbed the stairs up to the
Hikawa Shrine. Yuichirou and Rei's grandfather were sweeping the
courtyard, and they both looked up and smiled as they saw the girls
approach.
"Hi you two!" Rei's grandfather beamed as he waved. Minako waved back.
"We've come to see Rei, how is she?"
"Oh, she's home sick today...she's been spending way too much time in
front of the fire again." The tiny old man made a sour face. "And like
always, she won't confide in her own grandfather what's bothering her."
"Rei-san's resting in her room now." Yuichirou added. "Usagi and Makoto
came by earlier, but I'm sure she won't mind seeing the two of you as
well."
Ami smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you...we won't keep her long."
When they knocked lightly on the entrance to Rei's room, she replied
with a very irritated "What?" They opened the screen to find the miko
tossing about restlessly in bed. A bowl of soup stood at a table near
her, quite cold and obviously untouched.
"How are you Rei-chan?" Ami asked politely.
"I'm *FINE*." Rei said sharply. "Despite what Ojii-chan says, I'm
absolutely fine." Her haggard appearance and the black circles under her
violet eyes told another story, however.
"You don't look fine at all." Ami told her crisply. "Have you gotten any
sleep at all lately?"
"I took a nap this morning..." Rei muttered evasively.
"Did you take a nap, or did you pass out?" Ami returned. She was often
the only one not intimidated by the Fire Senshi when she was in a bad
mood, a trait which never failed to impress Minako.
Rei sighed crossly. "I passed out, alright? But that's not important...I
need to get back to the fire."
Minako tilted her head. "Did you find something out?" She asked.
Rei took a deep breath, and then let it out. "No..." She finally
admitted. "Nothing useful. A few little flashes, but absolutely nothing
we could use." She grumbled. "I've been talking to Setsuna, and she's
seen the same things I have...but I didn't see anything at all last
night. I think whoever's doing this is getting even better at hiding."
"What have the two of you seen?" Ami inquired, sitting at the foot of
Rei's bed. Rei sighed again, passing a hand over her forehead, as if
just trying to remember gave her a headache.
"A gold demon, covered in fire. Three red pillars tied together with red
light. We each saw those once. But one thing we've both seen several
times, whenever we try to get some hint of the future, is a little
girl's face, laughing." She shook her head and pounded the sheet in
frustration. "I know there's more! I just can't see any of it." She
growled. Her eyes unfocused for a moment and she fell back against the
bed.
Minako picked up a cloth from a bowl of water on the floor and rung it
out, laying the cool, damp fabric on Rei's head. The fiery miko tried to
look irritated, then gave up and just gave her a grateful look. "If you
can't see anything more, stop trying." Minako admonished. "The enemy's
going to attack again, and we need you. You're not doing your duty to
the team by killing yourself like this."
Rei closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "You're right." She finally
muttered.
"Of course I am!" Minako said brightly. Behind her, Ami covered her
mouth to hide a giggle. Minako looked Rei over with a critical eye. "You
still look pretty bad Rei-chan...I think I'll come by tomorrow and take
care of you for a while."
Rei's eyes flew open. "No!" She almost shouted. "I mean...no...thank
you." She smiled bravely. "I really just need to get some sleep..." She
yawned dramatically. "I'll be fine."
Ami winked at Rei so Minako couldn't see and placed a hand on the blonde
senshi's shoulder. "I think Rei-chan is right, Minako-chan...she really
just needs some uninterrupted rest."
Minako smiled and nodded. "I think you're probably right." She stood and
stretched. "Well, we'll let you sleep Rei-chan. Take care, okay?" She
stepped lightly out of the room. Ami lingered for a moment.
"You'd better rest..." She whispered, with a light threat in her voice.
"If you don't, I'll personally make sure that you get Nurse Minako's
undivided attention."
Rei stuck her tongue out at her. "That's not fair." She said quietly,
then smiled wanly. "You two have been together a lot these last couple
of days, haven't you?"
Ami blushed softly, "Yes, I suppose we have."
"Any particular reason?"
"No...no...just...getting to know each other a little better." Ami
managed to stutter out. She made for the door. "Try to get better, okay
Rei-chan?"
"I will..." Minako closed the screen behind her, leaving a tired-looking
miko with a curious and rather calculating look on her face.
"I heard that last part." Minako said as the two walked down the steps
of the Shrine and down the street. "You really could tell all of them,
you know...nobody would think any less of you."
"I know..." Ami said with a sigh. She smiled self-consciously. "It
doesn't really have to do with that, though. I've never messed up my
schoolwork like this before. And it really hurts my pride." She
admitted. "So it's less about what they'll think of me, and more
about...I'm not sure...just not wanting to think about it at all, I
guess."
"I think I understand." Minako said, smiling.
"You always seem to understand." Ami said, lightly teasing. "Can't I be
mysterious at all with you around?"
Minako closed her eyes and shrugged helplessly, grinning. "What can I
say? As the Goddess of Love, I have an innate understanding of human
nature." She sighed dramatically. "It's a heavy burden to bear, but what
can I do?" She grinned. "Even if you lead a zebra to water, you'll never
change her spots!"
Ami closed her eyes and smiled. "No, I suppose you won't."
The two made their way home. Slowly, because the night was still young,
and neither one wanted to leave the other's company just yet.
------------------
Several miles away, in an opulent office on the top floor of a high-rise
office building, a daeva stood waiting. Her body was sleek and smooth
and utterly featureless, despite having the basic curvature of a female.
She shone like quicksilver, and indeed, her body almost seemed to ripple
like liquid as she moved. She had no hair, and her facial features
consisted solely of two black holes for eyes, and a slit for a mouth.
At long last, the air before her began to pucker inwards, finally
collapsing into a swirling black vortex. Gluon stepped through it, and
it closed up behind him. The daeva bowed slightly at the waist. "Master
Gluon." She said, her voice sounding vaguely musical, but also hollow,
as if heard from a great distance. "Everything is as you wished it. The
ten uppermost floors of this building belong to us, and the humans are
none the wiser. In time, we may be able to take the entire building for
our own."
Gluon toyed with the golden pendant around his neck as he surveyed his
surroundings. "Good, but let's not worry about that for now...as long as
the humans remain ignorant of our presence here, this should be a
sufficient base of operations." He sat gracefully, leaning back in the
leather chair resting his feet on the broad, polished surface of the
desk.
"And what about the rest of our preparations, Gylax?"
"The portal system is acceptably stable...we can begin bringing in other
daeva whenever you desire. We have selected several key sites in which
to begin opening a permanent portal between this world and ours, and one
device to do so is already here." Gylax concluded her report, leaving a
pregnant pause behind.
"Was there something else?" Gluon asked, his hands folded behind his
head and his eyes closed.
Gylax looked as nervous as her featureless face would allow. "Master
Gluon...Muon is here as well." Gluon slammed his feet on the ground and
his palms on the desk simultaneously as he sprang to his feet. Gylax
cringed backwards a few steps. "He arrived several hours ago...he didn't
speak to anyone. He...he's taken a suite of offices three floors down
and barricaded himself inside."
Gluon turned and faced out. The windowed wall provided a breathtaking
view of the nightscape of Tokyo. "Master Gluon?" Gylax finally asked
hesitantly. "What should be done about Muon?"
Gluon sighed deeply, his fists clenched as he swallowed his anger.
"Nothing...he has carte blanche from Lord Hadron, so there's nothing we
can do." He turned back, a smug smile on his face. "Besides, this way I
can keep an eye on him."
"Master?"
"I don't trust him...and I don't like him. If I can prove his
unworthiness to Lord Hadron, my reward will be great indeed." He nodded.
"Let him continue his 'research' but keep him under as close watch as
you can without being obvious."
"Yes Master Gluon. And if he does discover something useful?"
Gluon laughed. "Then we'll take advantage of it first, and take the
credit, of course. Either way, I win." He returned to the desk and
leaned over, tenting his fingers below his chin. "Now...I assume you
have a map of the areas you mentioned."
Gylax extended her hand and a three dimensional map of Tokyo appeared on
the surface of the desk, a handful of sites shining red. The barrier
between worlds was very thin in this city of Tokyo, making it the key
location to Lord Hadron's conquest of this planet. Faultlines in the
dimensional barrier could be identified, and devices could be set in
place that would permanently join Earth with Hadron's other worlds. This
had been done many times, long before Gluon had pledged himself to Lord
Hadron. This pathetic blue orb would be no different.
"We make the first strike tomorrow." He said decisively.
"Tomorrow Master Gluon?" Gylax was surprised. "We have only the one
device...if something should happen it would be days before..." Gluon
cut her off with a chopping motion.
"You heard about Spinne." He said flatly. Gylax made no denial. "Spinne
was weak, and Muon *is* a fool. As long as we move quickly, we can have
the device in place before the Sailor Senshi even arrive. With Tachyon
blocking us from scrying, they'll never be able to predict our attack.
And you know as well as I that once one of those things are placed and
activated, no force in existence can destroy or deactivate them."
He smiled cruelly. "As long as we move carefully and quickly, we may be
able to open the portal before the Senshi truly understand what has
happened to them." He smirked, speaking mostly to himself. "Though I
hope one or two manage to show up...it's been too long since I've dealt
with such attractive prey."
"Master?"
"Never mind." He surveyed the map, trying to decide which fault to
attack first. One site in particular caught his eye. As he looked at it,
a sense of...destiny...came over him. The more he looked at it, the more
sure he was. Somehow, this location was *meant* to be attacked. "Here."
He said, pointing. "We strike here, tomorrow." He looked up at his
second. "Summon two daeva, and choose carefully. I don't want to take
chances on our success."
Gylax bowed deeply, her liquid form twisting slightly as she did so.
"Yes, my Master." Without another word, she collapsed into a silver
puddle and streaked out of the room through the crack beneath the door.
Gluon remained, looking at the map and the building he had just doomed
to destruction. His cheek rested in one hand and he lightly stroked the
shimmering image with the other. "Osa-P Jewelry..." He mused. "You now
belong to Lord Hadron."
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