"The World Without" Author's Notes [with help from Nikki :) ] "The World Without" is a fanfic series that I thought up in the process of writing "Dream World." I'd already made some changes to the Sailor Moon timeline in both that story and "Time Twister," but I wanted to go out on a limb with a new storyline and try to make some of the biggest changes possible while still maintaining something believable. I mentioned this to Tuxedo Will, and he commented that he'd had a similar [though very different] idea, and thus a lot of discussion ensued on the matter, to the point where I eventually just decided to make him a co-plotter. Along the way, I felt I needed additional input, and as I always value her opinions, Nikki (Jet Wolf) Purvis also got dragged in, despite having at least a dozen other projects on hand at any given time. And so here we are. How long will this be? I plan to take this universe throughout the first season of Sailor Moon. Due to both time and interest reasons, however, I won't actually be covering every single episode from the first season. What I'll be doing is trying to hit the key ones whose plots I feel would still be viable in this time line, while throwing in a couple of additional supporting episodes. I don't feel that one can recreate the season without the debut of some Senshi and some major villains, but one can, for instance, go without the episode where Usagi's family visits the hot springs. Just an example. Also along the way, I plan to create some "new" episodes, since, especially later on, major changes will make entire episodes invalid. An important thing to remember here is that these Senshi are fighting for love and justice even when you can't see them. Several "real" episodes could pass between some of "my" episodes. I'll try to make this apparent in the story, and hopefully it won't be too confusing and everyone can catch onto the swing of the story before too long. We've given this as much thought as possible as to how this universe can and will go. Part of the fun is seeing how the characters that we know and love are different from the way they are in the anime. I make no promises that you'll like everything, but I hope that you'll find it all interesting. A final word of warning: the anime series known as Sailor Moon is rife with coincidence; most episodes are a matter of someone just happening to be in the right place at the right time. Please bear this in mind as you read... My current plan is to hopefully release subsequent episodes about every week, probably on Sunday mornings, to my web site, http://members.aol.com/ultrace/darkside/darkside.htm and 2 days later to a.f.s-m and RAAC. I hope to avoid any delays, but unlike my previous works, this one is still in-progress as of the initial release, so if I get tied up on something, the story could hang for a little while. Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within this work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansya and probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting. I am using them without permission, but suing me because of it would be futile as I have nothing. Feel free to distribute this work around (for no profit, of course; I'm not making any...), as long the included text is unmodified. If you publish or repost it somewhere, please let me know. Comments, criticism, flames, etc. welcomed (and, in fact, requested) at Ultrace@aol.com. Rating: PG The World Without A Sailor Moon fanfic by Mike Chenoweth [Ultrace@aol.com] Co-Plotted by "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl [Wwolfshohl@logicon.com] and Nikki "Jet Wolf" Purvis [Jetwolf@ix.netcom.com] Additional editing by Novareinna [Novareinna@aol.com] January-April, 1997 Part 1: A Magnificent Transformation! The First Sailor Senshi Arrives! Somewhere, a voice was calling out and falling upon deaf ears. "Eight o'clock!" Sleepily, the girl rolled over in bed, turning her back toward the sunlight coming in through her windows. "Did you hear me, Usagi? I said it's already eight o'clock!" As though the voice was part of some dream best-forgotten, Usagi slowly opened her eyes and focused them on her clock, a tiny bird telling her it was indeed ten minutes after eight. "Usagi--" the voice began. "AHHH! I'm late!" One minute later, Usagi dashed down the stairs while simultaneously getting dressed, gathering her school supplies, and brushing her teeth, an amazing feat of dexterity. "Why didn't you try to wake me up earlier?" she asked her mother. "I've been trying all morning," came the reply. "I do it every time you ask me to..." Usagi was already halfway to the door when her mother called her back. "Don't you want your lunch?" Sheepishly, Usagi accepted the meal and then wasted no further time in getting out of the house and on her way to school. She ran the entire way, taking every shortcut she could think of, but unfortunately, fate conspired to make her even more late than she already was. Whatever agility Usagi had possessed earlier disappeared, and when she stepped the wrong way on a rock, she found herself flying through the air for a brief period of time before coming to rest rather painfully on the ground. For a few moments, she lay there, face buried in a now-crushed bento box, before miserably getting up and once again heading for school at breakneck pace. She barely overheard the three young boys as she ran by them. "I told ya to hold it still!" "I didn't think it was gonna bite me!" "Ow ow ow..." She didn't have time to think about the reasoning behind the words, and they were soon forgotten in the mad rush to get to school on time. In the end, she was late, made to stand in the hall, and told she had failed a test. Usagi sighed to herself. It was a day just like every other... ------------------ Ami was completely lost in thought as she stepped out of juku, trying to decide whether she wanted to do her studying that day at home or the library. Only a stroke of luck kept her from crushing the cat's tail with her foot. The cat, in turn, looked up, peering curiously at Ami, who stood there, frozen on one leg. It was a strange looking cat: jet black with no collar, only a pair of crossed Band-Aids on its forehead to mark it. What struck Ami as strange, though, were the eyes. When those eyes looked at her, she felt like every detail about her was being scrutinized. The cat remained still as Ami knelt down to pick it up. "Are you hurt? Whoever took care of you didn't do a very good job..." She reached down for the Band-Aids on its forehead. Pulling them off seemed to have an electrifying effect on the cat. It appeared to backflip out of Ami's arms to a safe distance, but didn't take up any threatening posture. Ami noticed that beneath the Band-Aids lay a very odd mark, which looked much like a crescent moon. She felt sympathy for the cat--which she now realized must be a stray--as it just stood there, looking at her. Who knows how long it had been roaming the streets or what it had been through. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. Come here," she coaxed. Slowly it responded, walking over to her and allowing itself to be picked up. But its eyes never wavered from Ami. "I guess that settles that," Ami said to the cat, as though it could actually understand her. "Home it is." Despite complete silence and isolation, Ami's studies were not going smoothly--she kept wondering about the cat that was, at that moment, drinking some milk in the next room. It was a very cute cat. When Ami had carried it home, something about having the animal in her arms felt right. Unfortunately, neither she nor her mother had time to take care of a pet right now. She didn't want to call the animal shelter, but... Her train of thought was broken as Ami looked at the doorway and watched the cat walk into the room, jump onto the bed, and then from the bed to her desk. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Ami could have sworn that the cat raised its paw and politely cleared its throat. "My name is Luna," the cat told her. "I have been looking for you, Mizuno Ami." Ami blinked. "By the way, thank you for removing those Band-Aids... It was a very annoying prank--with them on, I wasn't able to talk or use my special senses." Ami continued to stare, expressionlessly. It wasn't quite the reaction Luna had been expecting. Shock, surprise, fear--she was ready for any of those, but not for this total apathy. "Ami-chan?" Luna suddenly found herself being lifted, then gently poked, prodded and examined, as though Ami were searching for a switch to turn the cat off. "Ami-chan!" Luna yelled, indignantly. "This is no trick!" "Cats aren't capable of speaking Japanese," Ami said, seemingly unaware that she was having a conversation with one. "I'm not an ordinary cat," Luna protested. "And you are no ordinary girl. Put me down and I will prove it to you." Rather sheepishly, Ami did so, and watched in amazement as Luna did another backflip through the air. At the peak of her flip, there was a flash of light and two objects fell onto the desk with a clatter. "What's this?" Ami asked, looking at the desk. "Strange incidents have been happening," Luna said, not really answering the question. "There is an enemy among us that the police are unable to handle, so you have been chosen to be a warrior, Mizuno Ami." Ami pondered for a moment and then, convinced that this was some kind of trick after all, again reached for Luna, but the cat backed away. "I said I would prove it to you. Take that pen and shout, `Mercury Power, Make-Up!' I guarantee you will believe me." "You mean this?" Ami asked, as she picked up the odd-looking stick. The other object that had fallen looked like a compact. She gripped the pen lightly and followed Luna's instruction. "Mercury Power, Make-Up!" Ami immediately felt a tingling sensation that began in her hand and quickly spread throughout her body, accompanied by a glow that persisted for a few brief seconds. When it had ended, she knew instantly that a change had taken place. Her hand, still holding the pen, was now gloved. She was wearing knee-high boots, and she felt... Different. "What happened?" she asked as she went to the mirror to examine herself. "You became Sailor Mercury, Ami-chan. You've been given the power to fight this enemy that we face. That's your duty, and it's my duty to guide you on that task. We have another responsibility as well--as we fight this enemy, we must search for your companions and our missing Princess." Ami looked at herself in the mirror. She WAS different. In addition to boots and gloves, her uniform had altered itself in shape and color, and she was wearing some sort of metal headband. It was a incredible amount of new information to process, even for someone as intelligent as her. She began to feel a little light-headed as she turned around and leaned her back against the mirror's countertop. "Now do you believe me?" Luna asked. Ami, though still skeptical, nodded, and held up the pen. "If this is what I use to turn into... Sailor Mercury, then this," she said, walking over to the desk and picking up the compact, "is what I use to change back?" Opening the compact, she noticed that it, like the pen, bore the symbol of Mercury. "No, that's your computer," Luna told her. "You'll use that to track the enemy and to help find the Princess." "It's beeping." "It is?" Luna asked, surprised. She leapt up to the desk and took a look. A faint beep was indeed coming from the computer, and there was a blinking red light on its screen. "It's the enemy's energy signature!" she exclaimed. "The computer has already managed to detect them in the city. We have to hurry, Ami-chan!" "What?" Ami asked. "Many people have been injured by the enemy so far. We have to stop them before they can hurt anyone else! We can use the computer to find them... Please, Ami-chan." Ami examined the screen for a moment longer, then looked up. Maybe this was real after all. "Let's go." Naru knew something was wrong when the customers inside her mother's store all began to collapse and pass out, but even that shock was nothing compared to what she felt when her mother suddenly turned and attacked her. "Someone help me..." she gasped, trying to break free from her mother, but the grip was like steel. "Stop it, Mama..." Morga laughed and let her disguise melt away, revealing her true face... That of a horrific demon-woman. "I'm not your `Mama.' She's locked up in the basement... And after I kill you, she'll be joining you in the afterlife!" Naru blacked out just as the voice boomed. "Stop it!" Morga released her grip on Naru--who slumped to the floor--and turned to the intruder. "Who are you?" she snarled. "I am Sailor Mercury!" Ami replied after a slight pause, not sounding at all comfortable with the title. "And I am going to stop you," she added, in an attempt to disguise the fear that she felt. The creature looked absolutely hideous. More importantly, it looked dangerous. "Sailor Mercury? Never heard of her," Morga said, then raised her voice. "Arise, all you who have given your energy to Our Great Leader. You are my slaves!" The fallen people in the store, except for Naru, all got up. Ami turned to her cat. "Luna...?" "Yell `Shabon Spray' and throw your arms outward!" Luna said, rearing back and preparing to slash any of the humans who got too close. Ami did as Luna commanded, and was as surprised as the humans and Morga at the shrouding fog that appeared, so thick that it obscured everything from sight. "Tap your earring, and a visor will appear that will allow you to see," Luna said. "What about you?" Ami asked, bringing her hand to her ear. She noted that Luna's voice had come from somewhere other than behind her, which was where Luna had been only a few moments earlier. The cat was moving through the cloud. "Don't worry, I can sense the enemy much like I sensed you," Luna said. "That will keep me safe." As the visor came up, Ami could once again see normally--almost. The forms displayed through the visor were indistinct and colorless, but compared to what she saw through the fog otherwise, they were crystal clear. The people that had been walking toward her before were now mostly standing in a daze. The few that weren't simply standing were instead wandering off in random directions. The monster that led them was some distance off, and remaining in place. There was no telling how long the fog would last, so Ami quickly made her way around the people and toward Morga. She wasn't sure exactly how she was going to fight the monster--there weren't any items on hand that would be suitable as a weapon, and Ami's experience in fighting was nil. She decided that her advantage of being the only one able to see would have to be enough. It wasn't. Ami made the first hit, knocking Morga across the jaw as hard as she could with the flat of her palm, and for a moment, Morga was actually stunned--but from the surprise of being hit, not the force of the attack. She swung at the now-revealed Ami and grabbed her by the throat. "My turn, brat. I'm going to kill you!" She started to tighten her grip and Ami struggled to breathe. There was a sudden blur of movement and Ami was released, moments before the monster could crush her throat. "Get off of me!" Morga screamed, flinging Luna to one side. The cat landed against the far wall and slumped to the floor. Ami took every advantage of the distraction caused by the cat, running up and catching Morga by surprise for a second time with her elbow. A jolt of pain ran up her arm as she struck home with the bony edge, and a tingling numbness instantly encompassed the limb. Morga staggered back, taken completely off-guard. This little girl's attack had actually hurt... The monster raised her arms in anger, and bolts of power crackled between her hands as she prepared to reduce the insect to ashes. But she didn't. Jadeite would be furious if she wasted the energy gathered so far on this pathetic little pest. Better to return and let him decide how to deal with her... "You aren't worth the trouble it would be to get rid of you," Morga said, with a laugh. "The energy of these humans is ours now, and a little girl like you can't stand in our way!" Morga vanished, and Ami was left alone with the victims of the attack. She went to Luna and found the cat unconscious and somewhat battered, but otherwise alright. Ami herself had little more than some bruising around the neck, and her numbed and useless arm, to which the feeling was slowly returning. The people weren't quite so lucky. As the fog started to dissipate, Ami examined them. Each was in a near-comatose state, their energy having been drained. She could only hope they would recover with time. "I'm sorry, Luna," Ami said, as she bandaged up the cat's leg. "It doesn't look like I'm going to be much good against this enemy of ours." "That's not true," Luna said. "If not for us, that girl would be dead, and maybe those other people, too!" "Still, that creature got away with their energy. If I could have stopped her..." "We'll do better next time," Luna said, standing up unsteadily. Her front left leg had borne the brunt of her impact with the wall. "Don't let it worry you. It's starting to get late and you should try to get to your studying. You have a normal life to lead, too." Ami managed a smile. "And up until today, I actually thought my life was a little dull." Luna smiled as well. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that again." ------------------ Luna sat in the darkness, facing the screen. "We fared badly. Ami-chan is brave, but she's not strong enough to fight the enemy alone." She frowned. "I wanted longer to search for the Princess, but I think our time is up." "Yes," the screen answered. "We have no choice..."