[ ] Act 3 - Rei / Sailor Mars Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, April 1992. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 2.01, 4.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen Beryl stands in the palace hall next to her black crystal ball. "Jadeite, this is twice you've failed," she says. "You had better be prepared." "Yes," he says. "I apologize." A man with long, red hair stands behind Jadeite, sipping a drink. "Your soldiers are dolls of soil," says the man. "So they're fragile. Queen Beryl, let me, the North American command officer, Nephrite, do this! I will gather energy efficiently to devote to our great ruler. I will surely get the Mystical Silver Crystal!" Another man, with long, blond hair tied back, stands next to him. "The sailor-suited soldiers..." he says. "Could they be after the Mystical Silver Crystal too?" "Queen Beryl," says Nephrite. "Let us hear of it. What is this Mystical Silver Crystal...?" "The Mystical Silver Crystal," says Queen Beryl, "is the source of immeasurable energy. I have heard the stone carries infinite power, and the one who obtains it can become ruler of all space. Who are these people getting in the way of our Dark Kingdom. They will not be pardoned. Far Eastern command officer, Jadeite! For now, the search for the Mystical Silver Crystal is postponed! I am giving you one last chance, Jadeite." "Understood," says Jadeite. "I will eliminate the troublesome sailor-suited soldiers myself!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A girl with long dark hair sits before a fire. "Coming... Something coming... Something unbelievable is going to happen..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two kids run out of the shrine. "Oh, the bus is here!" one calls. She turns and waves. "Bye-bye, Rei-chan!" The girl with long dark hair sweeps outside the shrine. "Goodbye, Mii-chan," she says. "Be careful." The bus drives away, with Jadeite at the wheel. He looks back at the shrine. Rei looks at her watch. "Six o'clock..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- At school, the students are talking. "Hey, hey, have you heard about the evil six o'clock bus?" "I know! Isn't it the one that goes by Sendaizakaue?" "What, really?" "If you get on the bus at the top of Sendaizakaue, at just six o'clock, it's the end. They say you'll go missing! "They say Death drives that bus!" "It's destination could be hell!" Usagi dozes on her desk. Luna sits next to her. "Girls really like rumors," says Luna. "Usagi-chan! After school today, we're having a conference with Ami-chan about our strategy from here on." "Huh? I wanted to go home early today and goof off, Luna." "Five o'clock at the game center." Usagi jumps up, excited. "Roger!" Haruna enters the classroom. "Sorry, sorry, I'm late. Let's start first period." Luna jumps down onto her head. "Yeouch! Who brought a cat into the classroom?" "Sorry, Haruda," says Usagi. "That's my cat. She'll be leaving now." "Tsukino-san! You again!?" I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm an eighth grader who loves sleeping and the game center. Actually, thanks to my talking cat Luna, I've become a soldier of justice. And that's not all! Ami watches Usagi at the game center with the man who works there. "You're getting better, Usagi-chan," says the man. "Hehe!" says Usagi. "I have a great teacher by the name of Ami-chan." This is the genius from class 5, Ami-chan. She's a chosen soldier of justice, like me. She's Sailor Mercury! I don't believe I've found an ally so quickly. "Ami-chan," says Usagi. "You're really good at such a difficult game! This level isn't like one I've ever played. Does this game have patterns?" "I still don't believe this," says Ami. "We're soldiers of justice, with wondrous powers..." "It's because you've just awakened," says Luna. "You'll come to understand." "Luna," says Ami, "What kind of people are our enemies? What is their goal? What are we supposed to do now...?" "We have to protect the princess and the Mystical Silver Crystal," says Luna. "The Mystical Silver Crystal?" "All right!" calls Usagi. "I cleared two levels!" Luna glances at the machine. A package pops out. "Wow! Something came out of the game machine again!" She picks it up. "It's a wristwatch. Look, there's one for Ami-chan, too." "Oh, these are just right!" says Luna. "With some remodeling, we can use these as communicators." "Luna," says Ami. "Did you just do something to the game machine...?" Luna winks at her. "Ami-chan, it's already 5 o'clock! Is that okay?" "Oh no! I've got English class today!" "Ami-chan," says Usagi. "If you leave, this will be boring." "Then, will you go over there too, Usagi-chan?" Ami goes outside. "Oh, at this time," she says, "if we get on the bus, we can see a really pretty girl. She gets on from time to time." They go to the bus stop, where a bus pulls up. "The Sendaizakaue bus?" says Usagi. "I think I've heard of it somewhere..." Umino pops up before them. "That's right! This is the same route as the evil six o'clock bus people are talking about. You shouldn't get on it, Usagi-san! You might go missing!" "Oh, isn't that a rumor?" Usagi gets on the bus with Ami. A girl with long black hair gets on and walks past them. "Look, Usagi-chan!" says Ami. "That girl has a T-A Girls School uniform!" Usagi stares at the girl. "Well, Usagi-chan," says Ami. "This is my stop, so I'll see you later." She gets off the bus. "Next stop, Sendaizakaue," says the driver, "in front of the Hikawa Shrine." Usagi gets off the bus. Luna pulls at her. "Usagi-chan! What are you doing following that girl and getting off the bus here!" "But she's so pretty!" Usagi looks around. "Oh no! She's gone! It's your fault, Luna. I lost her!" "Usagi-chan! Maybe she went to that shrine?" They walk over to the Hikawa Shrine. Two black crows swoop down and attack Usagi. "Hey, what're you doing!?" "Usagi-chan!?" says Luna. Rei sits inside, wearing a robe. "I feel something!" she thinks. "An incomparable evil spirit! A ghost!?" She runs outside and sees the crows swarming Usagi. "So it's finally come," she thinks. "These people are going to cause a catastrophe at this sacred shrine. I won't allow it!" She takes out strip of marked paper and throws it at Usagi. "Evil spirit begone!" The paper strikes Usagi between the eyes. "Oof!" She falls to the ground. "Wh- what?" says Rei, surprised. "It's a girl?" She bows as Usagi gets up. "I'm sorry! Umm... Usagi-san? I made a mistake. I felt an evil spirit." Usagi laughs nervously. The crows fly to Rei. "Phobos and Deimos don't usually attack people," she says. "That surprised me," thinks Usagi. "So she's a maiden at this shrine?" A woman rings the bell making an offering. "I wish that my Mii would come home," she says. Rei turns to her. "Miss? What happened to Mii-chan?" "Rei-chan," says the woman. "You might have heard it on the news already, but she's gone missing... All the kids are talking about an evil six o'clock bus, right? Mii got on a bus in front of this shrine, and this neighborhood used to be dangerous, so I thought she might have been kidnapped... I'm so worried... Oh, but I don't mean to say that your shrine is dangerous, Rei-chan." The woman walks off with another man. "What's with her? That maiden's face didn't change color at all." "Rei-chan of Hino-san's shrine is an eccentric. She makes strange prayers, and raises crows. It's like she's inspired." Luna looks at Rei. "Inspired!?" she thinks. "A cool-headed girl carrying wondrous power... Noble features... A flowing manner... A body able to be used by God... Could it be... The princess!?" "The Sendaizakaue is where five hills meet," says Rei. "It's an unusual place. But actually, since long ago, there have been reports of a phantom sixth hill. They say the evil six o'clock bus is sucked into that phantom sixth hill and vanishes. Do you know what that's called? It's called disappearance by act of God." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You're slacking on this, Jadeite," says Nephrite. "This is better to lure them out," says Jadeite. "The more hostages I have... Without absorbing their power, I will present them as sacrifices to our great ruler! Along with the heads of the sailor-suited soldiers." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Good morning!" says a girl as she enters the classroom. "Did you see the news? Some seventh graders have been missing for four days now!! They're all ones that take the bus to school!!" "I hear ten kids have disappeared around the Ichinohashi area!" "No way!" "Hey, it must be the evil six o'clock bus!" "They vanished on Sendaizakaue!" "Oh no! I'm scared!" Haruna stands at the front of the room. "Quiet down! Recently, lots of kids have gone missing, so you should all be really careful." "Disappearance by act of God...?" thinks Usagi. "Usagi-san!" says Umino. "I think this is in line with the actions of a new kidnapper!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi walks down the street, carrying Luna. "This is suspicious," says Luna. "It smells of enemies. Say, Usagi-chan. I want to investigate that bus, and the Sendaizakaue. Why don't we go meet with that girl, Rei-chan? I get a feeling from her... It's possible this Rei-chan could be an ally of ours." "I think she could also be an enemy," says Usagi. "Well, you're getting better at this," says Luna. She looks up. "The bus is here!" "Huh? Getting on the bus is scary, I don't want to!" They board the bus. "If anything happens, you take responsibility, Luna," says Usagi. "It's okay," says Luna. "It's only five o'clock. You should contact Ami-chan with the communicator." She stops abruptly. "Huh?" says Usagi. Luna meows. "What's wrong, Luna? You're slow about talking... Say something!" "Yeah, Luna," says a voice next to her. "Speak up!" Usagi looks up and sees the man with short black hair. "What!? You again!?" "Don't use such a shrill voice, odango atama," he says. "We seem to meet often." "What are you doing here!?" "I always take the bus from school," he says. "No way!" says Usagi. "You're a normal junior high student!?" "I'm obviously in high school," he says, holding out his student ID card. Usagi reads it. "'Chiba Mamoru, Moto Azabu High School, junior class.' Hmm... If you take this bus, then do you know about the evil six o'clock bus?" "I know of it," he says. "It's this route, right? Strange things are always happening around here." Usagi stares at Mamoru as he takes off his glasses. "Hey..." she thinks. "That profile... Like the Tuxedo Kamen I long for..." She turns her head. "Nah... Why is my heart pounding?" Mamoru looks at Usagi, imagining a mask over her eyes. "The soldier of justice..." "What!?" says Usagi. "No, nothing..." says Mamoru. "Next stop, Sendaizakaue," says the driver, "in front of the Hikawa Shrine." "Th- th- that startled me!" says Usagi. "That guy's pretty sharp..." says Luna, as they get off the bus. Mamoru looks back out the window as the bus drives away. "Contact her with the communicator," the cat said. "Gather data on the Mystical Silver Crystal!" said the computer disk. "Gather it!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So that's why," says the woman, at the shrine. "We just want you to use your special inspiration to predict where our daughters are, Rei-chan." "This maiden... She might know the whereabouts of the children." "But she's the inspired girl, right?" "Inspiration..." says Rei. "If you want to know their specific location for certain... I think you should leave it to the police, instead..." "Can't you be more agreeable in a time like this?" says the woman. "We came all the way to this shrine... You're doing strange prayers unexpectedly. Have you caused our daughters to disappear mysteriously!?" "Leave here!" says Rei. Usagi watches as the people leave. "Poor Rei-chan..." she says. "I can't read the enemies' intentions," says Luna. "If it is the enemies... They should be searching for the Mystical Silver Crystal, but these actions..." "Are the enemies searching for the Mystical Silver Crystal, too?" says Usagi. "That's right." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rei sits before a fire, holding up her hands. "Concentrate... What is going on? What's happening?" The face of Jadeite appears in the fire. "Who's that?" she says. She sees Jadeite grabbing Usagi. "Usagi-chan...?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "But, Usagi-chan..." says Luna. "Remember, the Mystical Silver Crystal must not fall into enemy hands." Tuxedo Kamen watches Usagi from a distance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I sense something foreboding..." says Rei. "Usagi-chan's in danger!?" She gets up and runs from the shrine. A bus passes by outside, driven by Jadeite. He sees Rei running and stops the bus. "That driver...!" thinks Rei. "He's the man foretold in my fire... My legs... They're moving..." Jadeite reaches out for her. "Now, come on the bus..." he says. "Our castle is connected to the surface. This bus travels via another dimension..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's getting to be six o'clock," says Usagi. "Usagi-chan," calls Luna. "It's the bus! Something's wrong. It's flashing red lights for it's destination!" As the bus drives by, they see Rei unconscious inside. "Rei-chan!?" A black portal appears in a wall in front of the bus. The bus drives through it. "No way!" cries Usagi. "The wall! The wall! A hole opened up!? This is the evil six o'clock bus!? I have to save Rei-chan!" She grabs her pen. "Here goes!" She throws it high into the air. "Moon Power! Transform me into a stewardess!" Usagi appears in a stewardess uniform. "Usagi-chan!?" says Luna. "Why a stewardess?" "Protecting the safety of the passengers and their comfortable trip is my mission!" she says. She jumps onto the bus as it rises into the sky. Luna tries to hold on to Usagi's leg, but loses her grip. She begins to fall. "Luna!?" Luna lands in the grasp of the masked man close below. "Tuxedo Kamen!?" He tries to reach the bus, but it disappears. "Oh no!" says Usagi. "Where am I going!? I'm scared... Luna... and Tuxedo Kamen... They can't help me now..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "She transformed right before my eyes," says Tuxedo Kamen. "Who on earth is that girl...?" Luna jumps from his arms and runs away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ami looks up from her desk at school. "Luna!?" "Usagi-chan got on that bus!" says Luna. "I'm glad I gave her that communicator. We should be able to follow her location well." She types into Ami's computer. A small light appears. "Oh!" says Ami. "A sensor popped out of the monitor." It lowers to the floor. "Her destination is... below?" They hear Usagi's voice. "Come in, Luna! Luna!" "Usagi-chan!? Is that you!? Where are you!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi looks around as she stands in a large castle. "Ami-chan!? What should I do? After coming out of the hole, I was suddenly in this place like a stone castle... I lost sight of the bus. Luna! What should I do!?" "Usagi-chan," says Luna. "Transform! You have to save everyone!" "Right." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rei lies on the ground, unconscious. Jadeite kneels beside her, brushing her cheek with his hand. "So beautiful," he says. "I've wanted her since I first saw her. This girl..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Luna!" says Ami, "Transport me to where Usagi is! When I transform, if we use that power..." "All right," says Luna. "Here, take this." She hands Ami another pen. Ami takes it, then tosses her own pen into the air. "Mercury Power!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Moon Prism Power!" says Usagi. "Make Up!!" As she becomes Sailor Moon, she sees Ami transforming beside her. "Ami-chan!" "So you've come, Sailor Moon!" says Jadeite. "Usagi-chan, over there!" says Ami, pointing. "Right here!" says Jadeite, as he clutches Rei around the throat. "Let go of Rei-chan!" says Usagi. "I won't allow you to trap these innocent people here!! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" Rei looks up. "That voice..." Ami spreads a fog across the room. "Usagi-chan! Save Rei-chan while the fog's spread!" "How cute," says Jadeite. He holds out his arm, and crystals form in the air. "He's using the fog!" says Usagi. "He's making them into grains of ice. This won't help! I knew this wouldn't work, Luna!" "Don't cry!" says Luna through a headset, as she sits by the computer. "If you do that, you'll make your supersonic waves come again. That other world is unstable. You won't save everyone. Use the Moon Frisbee, Usagi-chan!" Usagi takes off her tiara, and it spins into a circle. She throws it hard. "Moon Frisbee!" It flies at Jadeite. He catches it. "Hmph, what's this," he says. "Got you!" says Luna. She strikes a key on her keyboard, and the tiara encircles Jadeite, locking around him. An icy glare flashes in his eyes, and Usagi and Ami are blown to the ground. Rei gets up, alarmed. "Ami-chan!" calls Luna. "The pen I gave you before! Everything's riding on it!" As Ami throws the pen, the mark of the planet Mars glows on Rei's forehead. Her two crows fly overhead. "Rei-chan!?" "Phobos! Deimos!" calls Rei, as she appears in a sailor suit. The crows circle above her. She holds her arms out, and a ball of energy glows before them. The energy shoots at the trapped Jadeite. "Evil spirit begone!" she shouts. Jadeite screams as he burns into a charred corpse. Usagi and Ami gasp. "Oh no!" says Luna. "The fire starting has caused a distortion in the dimension! You're in danger! Usagi-chan, gather everyone in one place!" Usagi, Ami, and Rei appear at the bus stop, along with the girls who had disappeared. "What? Where am I?" "Sendaizakaue? Didn't I get on the bus..." "What just happened...?" says Rei. "These clothes...!?" "Rei-chan," says Luna. "You can freely manipulate fire, and take the protection of the planet Mars. You are Sailor Mars! You're a chosen soldier!" "A soldier!?" says Rei. "You're our ally, Rei-chan!" says Usagi. "We've been searching for ally soldiers like you," says Ami. "I'm so happy we found you, Sailor Mars!" says Luna. "I'm Sailor Mars..." says Rei. "The reason I have powers different from others... was because I was a soldier?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nephrite watches the three girls through a crystal ball. The man with long blond hair looks on from behind. "Damn!" Nephrite says. "They defeated Jadeite, one of us, the chosen four generals...!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1992 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Translations | Sailor Moon Volume 1