CHAPTER 52
"Come here Axseon," Doctor Richter said as he stood in his darkened headquarters. A figure stepped out of the shadows. Formerly a private first class in the Self Defense Forces named Tom Daley. Now he was a warrior created from Richter's energy.
"What is your command Doctor?" Axseon asked.
"Doctor? Hmm..that doesn't sound like a dangerous name," Richter said. "Call me Warlord."
"Yes sir Warlord," Axseon said.
"That's better. I have a job for you," Doctor Richter said.
"Whatever you wish," Axseon said.
"Sacred fires, give me an answer," Raye said sitting in front of the burning flame in an almost trance like state. Visions began to fill her head of both Rick and Chad. What she saw disturbed her, Chad turning away from her in disgust and then Rick lying on the ground with her standing over him.
"Oh no," Raye said and widened her eyes. "I still don't have my answer, but does that mean that Chad is going to hurt Rick? I have to be careful."
She turned and stood up and walked to the door.
Minutes earlier, Rick and Chad had stood outside the door leaning against the posts that held the roof of the temple up.
"She's doing a fire reading to see which one of us she should choose you know?" Chad said.
"Really? I didn't think she needed mysticism to see the right choice is clear," Rick said.
"I agree," Chad said.
"I can only guess that your opinion on that choice is different from mine though."
"Oh, of course you're assertion is correct," Chad said.
"Why are we talking like a couple of late Victorians?"
"Don't know," Chad said.
"Yo," Rick said.
"Hey," Chad said.
"What's up?" Rick said.
"Solid," Chad said.
"There I think we broke out of it," Rick said.
"Good, she will be mine," Chad said.
"What makes you so sure?" Rick asked.
"I've got the charisma of a Frenchman," Chad said.
"Oh..right....that'll put you over the top for sure," Rick said and began laughing.
"Hmm....you know..we should just fight for her," Chad said.
"We've tried that," Rick said.
"So..what..we've got to keep going. You know it will be a matter of pure endurance, well go for hours if we have to," Chad said.
"I'm game," Rick said.
"The loser has to give her up."
"Right."
The two walked out to the front of the temple and stood battle ready.
"And it doesn't matter what Raye says. We'll keep going until one of us wins," Chad said.
"Yeah....we can't stop out battle for anything, even her wishes," Rick said.
The two eyes narrowed and they lined up their attacks.
"Hey! Stop that!" Raye said emerging from the fire room.
"Right!" Chad and Rick said and abruptly stopped glancing at each other.
"I go in to do one simple fire reading and this is what I find...when are you going to learn to live with each other," Raye said.
"The way we're going, we're going to have too..." Rick said.
"Yeah..we're looking at a case of bigamy here," Chad said.
"Ehh....will you two get out of here! I need time to think!" Raye said.
Chad and Rick bolted down the temple steps.
"I'd guess she's no closer to a decision," Rick said when they had reached the bottom.
"Yeah," Chad said.
"So...." Greg said as he and Amy were sitting across from each other at a restaurant.
"Uh...yeah..." Amy said.
"Hmmm...." Greg replied.
"Uh huh," Amy said.
"This conversation isn't getting us anywhere."
"I guess we haven't talked in a while and...we're still getting the hang of it," Amy said.
"Well..it's not like I have much experience with these things," Greg said.
"Neither have I," Amy said. "Say..Greg..." she said her eyes narrowing slightly. "You know I saw something strange a few days ago, before you got here...I was walking by Patterson's house and I noticed his uncle dumping a bunch of newspapers in the trash...you know what else...they all were of the same day," she said.
"Hmm...what's so strange about that?" Greg barely said with a straight face.
"Well....what was also strange was that there was a picture cut out of the real estate section..I just happened to notice it, and you know..I also realized that...it just happened to be in the exact place that....my neighbor's house had been listed," Amy said.
"You have um...a good memory," Greg said.
"Maybe, but I checked my own copy...hmm....isn't that odd...what would Patterson be doing with a bunch of pictures of my neighbor's house?"
"Possibly...sending them out to prospective buyers...heh heh..." Greg said.
"Especially ones in Osaka?" Amy asked.
"Uh...maybe," Greg said. The two glanced at each other and burst out laughing.
"So you found me out," Greg said envisioning the fifty or so envelopes he had received with the same picture of the house in is circled in red ink.
"Just wanted to know...now...let's get back to what we were saying before," Amy said.
"But we weren't saying anything before," Greg said.
"No we weren't were we?" Amy asked.
"Amy..why don't we go for a walk?"
"Good idea," Amy said.
"I give you...a rocket....." Steve began as he stood in an open field.
"Boooo!" Mike said.
"Ahem..." Steve said.." A rocket, that was not built by me."
"Yea!" Mike shouted.
"But by an expert and given to me to launch," Steve said. "All I have to do is light the fuse."
"This is good, nothing could go wrong," Mike said. What am I saying? He thought.
Steve lit the fuse. The rocket shot up into the air.
"See?" Steve said before being hit on the head by the rocket.
"Hmm....ten feet off the ground...a new record," Mike muttered. "I think you could be on the Jamaican rocketry team."
"Ehh..." Steve said.
"I've gotta go..I'm meeting Mina for dinner tonight. I've gotta freshen up."
"Yeah...get outta here," Steve said. Mike walked off. I'm meeting Lita later.
I'd better get ready myself.
Minutes later Mike was walking down the sidewalk. He felt sort of giddy.
I feel like strutting. He thought and then began to do just that for the several blocks until he reached his house. He swung open his door.
"I'm home!" he shouted gleefully.
And as was expected with such a positive buildup, there was a surprise for Mike. Standing there was his sister.
"Look who's home Mike," his mother said.
"Uh....yeah....." Mike said in shock.
"What? Aren't you happy to see me?" his sister asked.
"Uh......" Mike said and feinted.
Minutes later.
"Are you okay Mike? You don't sound to good," Mina asked over the phone. "You can't go out tonight..something came up? All right..I'll talk to you later then," then she hung up.
"What could have come up?" she asked herself.
That evening.
"I know...our relationship hasn't been that romantic, but maybe if we watch this movie together..things will go better," Lita said as she and Steve stood in line outside the movie theater to see, the movie "The passionate spirit of romance."
I'm not going to enjoy this. Steve thought to himself. This experiment is already a failure.
They got their tickets and moved inside the theater. Soon the lights dimmed and the preview trailers began. The first was for "The Duke of Death VIII:The Eighth Movie." A well built man with no shirt on and a massive machine gun was shooting things.
"Yeah!" Steve shouted. Everyone in the theater. Young starry eyed girls, and their boyfriends turned and looked at him.
"Uh...sorry," he said.
Lita looked at the ground embarrassed. I like those movies too. She thought.
The movie finally began.
"Well..this is beautiful," Greg said as she and Amy stood on a scenic overlook starring out at the bay and the rippling waves and seagulls in the evening sky.
"I've always liked it, but it's better with you here," Amy said.
"I feel the same way," Greg said. "Ahem...I mean..reverse the roles..or something...like..that..."
"I know," Amy said and smiled.
"Aw..good," Greg said and smiled back.
"So...you have any plans this summer?" Amy asked.
"Aside..from getting a head start on high school like you...no," Greg said.
"I'm sure..studying won't take up all our time."
"No..probably not.." Greg said.
"We should probably do something else too," Amy said.
"Yeah," Greg said.
"Any idea what that is?"
"No."
"Hmm...."
"Here, we are..the geniuses, and we can't even figure this out," Greg said.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
"No...there probably isn't. After all..if it were easy...what would be the point of doing it?"
"That's been my motto," Amy said.
"Well..."
"Uh huh..."
"Maybe we should just enjoy the view," The two said in unison.
"Oh, Arthur..I love you," a woman on the movie screen said.
"Oh, Beatrice, I love you too," Arthur replied.
"Awwwww..." the girls in the audience said.
"Isn't that great?" Lita asked.
"Uh...right....go Packers," Steve muttered drowsily.
"Hey," Lita said.
"What?" Steve said.
"Looks like this failed too," Lita muttered.
"Oh...too..bad," Steve said.
"My sister's back..now what do I do?" Mike fretted. "She'll never let me near Mina...but how can I tell Mina about it? This is terrible..and now of all times...we were finally making things work. Now this...."
His door opened and his sister Lara stepped in.
"Well..hello Michael," She said with a sinister grin. "Word has it that you have a girl friend..." Lara said.
"Uh....heh heh..." Mike said.
"What did I tell you about that?" she said.
"Um...well I figured...that..I should..um...keep busy..while you were gone..."
"Oh..I see," his sister said. "Hmm...we'll see about that," she said and walked out.
Mike sighed in relief.
I thought she was going to beat me up again. But I've still got other
problems to deal with. He thought.
"This flower park is so beautiful at night," Serena said. She and Darrien were in the midst of an outdoor arboretum filled with colorful flowers and lit by the moonlight falling on them.
"I like it here," Darrien said.
"Apparently a lot of people do," Serena said noticing the crowds of people wandering around admiring the flowers.
"You should see it during the day," Darrien said. "This place is packed."
"I guess admiring beautiful flowers will never go out of style," Serena said with a smile. She noticed Darrien was staring of into space again.
"What is it now?" Serena asked.
"Oh..nothing," Darrien said.
"You said that before."
"Uh...Serena..listen can I just be alone for a minute..."
"Whatever you want," Serena said.
"Thanks Serena," Darrien said. "I'll be back..I just want to go for a walk alone for a minute..okay?" he said.
"Sure..." Serena said and Darrien walked off. Serena watched him and then looked out at the flowers. Hmm..I like it here. She thought. But what is bugging him. As she turned away from the flowers she noticed something odd. A figure walked to the center of the path that lead through the patches of flowers. He looked devious.
"Who's he?" She said aloud noticing the military style dark uniform and the light battle armor. The figure threw his hands out from him. Light blue energy shot from him and hit several humans. They immediately collapsed.
"Oh no," Serena said and raced for the nearest piece of cover she could find. It turned out there was a greenhouse only a few feet away. She ducked behind the wall and did a quick to check to see she wasn't being watched.
"Moon Crystal Power!" she shouted and the transformation began.
"Humans and their stupid love of flowers," Axseon said and blasted another group of people.
"Neither love nor flowers are stupid!" came a female voice behind him. Axseon whirled around.
"Flowers make life beautiful, and I won't have you or anyone else ruin that," Sailor Moon said with her arms crossed in front of her and a determined looked on her face. "I am Sailor Moon," and she began her various motions. "I fight for love and justice, and on behalf of the moon I will punish you!"
"Well...it didn't take you long to show up did it?" Axseon muttered.
"Where trouble is, I am there!" Sailor Moon shouted. Hmm...that didn't sound exactly right. She thought.
"Ehh....are you going to attack me or what?" Axseon asked.
"Moon Sword!" Sailor Moon shouted. Her scepter appeared in her hand, the white shaft of light already in place.
"Hmm...a sword fight? Well..I'm up for that," her opponent said and a blue energy sword formed in his hand.
"I was hoping you didn't have a sword," Sailor Moon muttered.
"Scared?" Axseon asked.
"Hardly," Sailor Moon replied and lunged forward, swinging her sword at him. He swept her aside with a block. She tripped and stumbled into a bed of flowers.
"Hah! The great Sailor Moon! Where'd you get such a good reputation anyway?" Axseon said and laughed.
"I don't give up," Sailor Moon said and pulled herself up and swung at his knees. He stepped out of the way and swung his sword down. She met the blow quickly with her sword.
"Not bad," Axseon asked, and leapt backwards landing several feet away. Sailor Moon stood.
"Now...we'll fight to the death," he said.
"To the death? Only that? How lame?" Sailor Moon said.
What did I just say? She thought.
"What do you mean only to the death?" Axseon said also confused.
"Um...don't know..sorry..." Sailor Moon said.
"Uh..right..." Axseon said. "Prepare to die!"
A rose smashed into the ground in front of him.
"What?" Axseon said and looked to see Tuxedo Mask standing on top of a lamp post.
"How does he get up there?" Axseon muttered.
"How dare you attack this place of beauty," Tuxedo Mask said and leapt at Axseon, who stepped back and blocked a quick attack by Tuxedo Mask with his staff. The second blow did hit and the enemy soldier staggered backwards.
"Hmm...you may have done well today, but not tomorrow," Axseon said and promptly disappeared.
"Ehh...we were going to get him too," Sailor Moon muttered.
"Yeah...we were," Tuxedo Mask said.
"Oh well..I'm sure he'll be back," Sailor Moon said.
"Unfortunately," Tuxedo Mask said.
"So..you get you're thinking done yet?"
"Uh..sure," Tuxedo Mask lied. "But why don't we get something to eat."
"Sure," Sailor Moon said instantly becoming happier. Tuxedo Mask smiled. The
two then leapt off to find a place to change back to human form.
CHAPTER 51 CHAPTER 52 CHAPTER 53 CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55 CHAPTER 56 CHAPTER 57 CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59 CHAPTER 60 CHAPTER 61 CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63 CHAPTER 64 CHAPTER 65