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AR Sailor Moon RPG: Nowhere to Go But Up Part II Started by: Sailor Amazonia December 12, 2000 Characters: Sailor Amazonia, Dark Bug, Sailor Jurei-Jurei, Illusional Knight, Ureshii ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PeaceKeeper kept from sliding around the corner, meeting up with the other senshi. "Where is he?" she asked. ~Blake..just...go down three blocks and listen for the screaming~ she said to him. If he couldn't find the senhsi maybe it would be for the better. "He's up there on top of the Nihon building, last I checked," Dura said. "I know there's a fire escape we can climb up. Don't know if we can take the elevator inside to the roof." Dura looked at the two. "Look, guys, I don't think this is a trap. Wouldn't we be covered with scorpions or ticks now if it was?" Jurei-Jurei gave Dura a determined look. "Doesn't mean we won't get a surprise attack of moths or maggots in a second. You need to be on guard, Dura-chan! Shouldn't you transform?" she asked the raven-haired girl, pulling another plunger from seemingly nowhere and placing it in her gun. ~Screams?!~ sent Blake. ~So help me, if that damn bug lays a hand on you, Michiru...~ Outwardly, Jurei-Jurei suddenly scowled. ~Geez, that's nice, but if the cockroach ravages me or Dura, you're fine with that.~ ~No, I... dammit, Jaku-baka, you know what I meant!!~ ~Sure, Blake.~ came a sarcastic wave. ~Don't hurt yourself when you come to the rescue.~ was Jurei-Jurei's reply as she began walking towards the side of the building. "There's gotta be a fire escape," she said to no one in particular. "Good idea," Dura said to Jurei-Jurei. "I'll approach from the inside." And she headed on in. Around the corner of the building, the clown princess did see a fire escape. But from the height of all those stories, it looked like it would take most of the night to climb all the steps. Then she heard a ding from nearby. From the side, a worker pushed some steamer trunk-sized boxes on a dolly into a service elevator. There was a stack of some more on a nearby pallet. Dura headed on inside, acting like she had business there, and went to the elevator. Stepping in, she saw there was no button to take her to the roof. Shrugging, she tapped the one for the highest floor there was. (OOC:?Yo, SC-san, how'd it get night so fast? ^^;;;;;;;) Jurei-Jurei sighed, and fixed Sailor PeaceKeeper with a bright green stare. "If Laughing Boy ever shows up, tell him we're heading for the roof." With a quick swing of the toy, the Staff was back in Jurei-Jurei's hands as she advanced up the black railing ladders to the second floor... and then the third... and the fourth... Sailor PeaceKeeper tried to stop her. "Wait a minute." she said and stomped her foot. "I was going to go up there with you," she muttered to herself. ~We're alright, Blake. I said screaming because what do you think a woman is going to do if she sees this large bug on her roof top.. she's going to scream.~ she explained. ~Or what the Dark Bug might do if Jaku-baka gets ahold him first~ sent back Blake, pulling out his sapphire pocket-watch. ~"Almost near you"~ he said quietly, trying to find his way via the planets. Jurei-Jurei wasn't too far away to hear Sailor PeaceKeeper; truth was she ignored her.?Let Blake and Michiru make out while she did the dirty work. Only fair, right??Maybe she should see if Jonas was single... "Nah, he's too old," she griped as she swung herself upwards. ((OOC: Huh??I thought it was the dinner hour onward all along, Jaku!)) The elevator doors slid open and Dura stepped out on the observation deck's floor. Scanning around, she searched for a machinery floor, maintenance entrance, anything that might get her to the roof. Remembering a trick, she stepped back in the elevator car and hit the button to go down. After it closed, she hit the emergency stop button. It braked between floors. After some quick breaths, her hands grabbed the car doors and pulled and pushed hard. They parted with some effort. Then she reached and pushed the outer doors. They held. More pushing. More resistance. More persistence. Most smaller persons would have given up. The ones that didn't would've failed. Even the original, unmagical, five-inches-smaller Dura Materyo of months ago would've still been stuck. But not this one. SCREAANUCH! The mechanisms finally buckled and gave way, and the doors slid open. With that, she crawled up and slid onto the deck's floor, climbed on top of the car, and made her way up the shaft to the hatch to the roof. Working the doors open there with less effort, she saw the Dark Bug turn about to see who came topside. Ignoring her, he went back to what he was doing: duct taping his wings flatly against his body shell. PeaceKeeper waited impatiently on the ground for Illusionary. "Come on." she muttered, wanting very desperately to get on the roof herself and make sure her team mates weren't in danger. Jurei-Jurei took a breather in-between floors, thanking the fates that she didn't have a phobia of heights. As the memory of the airport came into her head, though, she winced and sweatdropped. Yup, no phobias unless her LIFE was involved. With a sigh, she stood up and began advancing up the last black metal ladder to the roof. A few moments later, Illusional Knight ran up behind PeaceKeeper and pounded her hard on the back. "Gaaaah!.... *cough* I'm all.... *hack cough* outta breath!!!... how *cough* are you doing?" he panted, removing his hands and bending over, resting them on his knees. PeaceKeeper grabbed Illusionary Knight by the shoulders. "Come on, we have to get up there," she said dragging him towards the fire escape. Dura cautiously approached the Dark Bug a few steps, watching him tape down his wings. "Melvin?" she asked tenatively. He sighed, not looking at her. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been called that?" Dura wasn't sure what to say next, except the first thing on her mind. "What's up with the tape?" "Countermeasure against autonomic self-preservatory reactions," he said drily. "Oh," replied Dura, as she silently grasped for the next thing to ask. Wheezing behind PeaceKeeper, Illusionary Knight griped on his third ladder, "Dammit! *huff, puff* Why THIS way?! Why *pant pant* couldn't we *huff, puff* have taken the elevator?!" Jurei-Jurei dropped quietly over the encasement, and crouched down low. Seems Bug Boy and Dura were having a conversation. Good. Dura could keep him occupied as she readied to fire. They wouldn't lose him this time! This thought in mind, she slowly raised her plunger gun and rested it on the air-conditioning vent. Closing one eye, she began to aim. Dura fidgeted a little with a button on her blouse. "Uh, someone showed me a tape of that live... uh, Terry Singer, Cherry Stinger... I can't remember, where you told everyone about the Dark Kingdom. I thought that took a lot of guts." The Dark Bug shook his head. "I just didn't have anything left to lose." He tugged at the tape, and tried to budge his wings. He couldn't. "Good. In a few minutes, those sailor girls won't have to worry about me again. Ever." And he made his way to the ledge. "Det... what the... heck!!" spluttered Jurei-Jurei as the Bug walked out of her eyesight. ~Dura! Can't you keep that bug STILL!! Don't let him get away!!!~ she sent as she pulled her gun back, flustered at the timing. Dura followed the bug, keeping the same distance. ~Relax, willya? Can't you see he's taped his wings down? He's not gonna fly away. If he jumps, he's got--~ Then finally she figured it out. "Self-preservation...?!" she whispered. Then she trotted over more quickly. "Melvin! Stop! Don't do anything we'll all regret!" Melvin glared at her as he stepped back. His voice broke: "Stay away, Queen Kong, or I swear I'll haul you over with me." Even Jurei-Jurei could hear the sudden desperation in the quiet voices as she stood, both Dura and the Dark Bug out of her sight. It was something that made her catch her breath as adreneline rushed through her body. Tense steps of white boots crossed the dirty roof building as the jester tried to find a better position as to target the bug. Illusionary Knight huffed as he dragged himself over the ledge and glared at PeaceKeeper. "From now on, we will always take the elevator. You're almost a leader; couldn't you make it a rule?" he cracked sarcastically. The lunch group now gone, it was quiet in Tudo's. With her father going to the docks to pick up a few deliveries, Ureshii quietly sat on a stool at the counter, pressing her lips together to form a thin line as work-calloused hands rested in her lap. 'Senshi, I know you can't hear me', she thought. 'Jaku-chan, please... give it a chance. Give him a chance. Do you hear me? Jaku-chan... oh, please make the right decision, Senshi!' Easing back, Dura rubbed her thought crystal. ~Guys, ease up and be extremely careful! Melvin's suicidal!~ "Mel, take a deep breath. Relax. I know you're hurting, but--" "You don't know squat!" Melvin snapped. "You don't know what it's like, being stuck as a freak! You don't know what it's like, being hated by both sides! Being left for dead by your old 'buddy!'" The all-too-human tears flowed readily. "You don't know what it's like to be chased out of your house, and nearly get killed, by your own mother." He sobbed. "I never got a chance to explain... she doesn't even know this is me! She thinks I'm still missing!" After a few seconds, he finally looked up. "Why couldn't I have been like you, Dura? Why couldn't I have been big, and strong, and nice-looking... and likable?" He let out a very long sigh. "Ah well. At least my mom still thinks I'm human." And he stepped to the ledge and looked down to the traffic, sidewalk, and planters down below. ~Melvin? Who's that? That name doesn't ring any bells with me!~ sent back Jurei-Jurei, who finally found a good position. With a side-long glance at the cars and concrete sidewalk below, she nervously exhaled and sat down on the stone-covered ledge. The angle would cause her to tilt a bit to the left as she placed one foot on the roof and the other hunched underneath her checkered skirt, as the wind began to blow a bit harder. Raising the plunger gun again she closed an eye behind the red mask, trying to target his back. ~Suicidal?! WTF!? STALL him, Dura!!!~ shouted Illusionary Knight as he grabbed PeaceKeeper by the arm. "We gotta hurry!" PeaceKeeper pulled her arm away from the Illusionary Knight. "What are you, nuts? This is a way to easily get rid of him. That's one less Dark Kingdom member we have to worry about. And who's to say this isn't one of their ploys to play on our hearts?" she asked. ((OOC: ?_? Doesn't anyone remember Melvin's "outing" himself on Jerry Jerry Jerry! ? ... uh, bad choice of words, I mean revealing his ID? ( though Jaku might have been too stoned to take note... but what about Pandora, Part 1 or 2??)) Dura sent back, ~Melvin's a nickname for him, he's a supersmart geek type... name of Gumio, Urio, Gurio... can't remember right off.~ She slowly, gently drew nearer. "What do you mean, nice-looking? I'm not exactly normal myself! My size scares other people! I've never been on a date, either! I doubt I'll ever get married, either, since a normal groom beside me would look like the cake figurine!" She sighed. "Look, it's very sweet of you to complement me like that. That says reams about what you're REALLY like." Melvin looked at her dead on. "Would you go on a date with me right now?" Silence for three seconds. "Ha. That's what I thought." And he looked over the street and stuck out his hands like he was ready to dive into the pool. (OOC: Jaku has always associated him with the name Ace, period. Blake remembers him cheifly for the Jerry show, and a bit from the skirmish when Blake first went to Juuban. [the old person playing Blake].) "No, dude, you don't understand... hell, alright, maybe I don't understand it all because I was really cracked..." he waved his hands in front of his mask, a sweatdrop going down his face. "Hang on a sec, I'll back up... Do ya remember when some of us senshi were at that smut show a while back?" (OOC:2 I think this would be a good idea when we're HTMLING this story that if a visitor hasn't read Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!, they could skip to it now by clicking a link aka < A HREF=http://thestoryhere.html"> that smut show Cool idea or naw???) "Well, anyway," Illusional Knight continued, "The Dark Bug turned against the Dark Kingdom then. And as for Melvin... well, even if his mom named him something stupid he doesn't deserve to kill himself because others have screwed up his life! I mean, look at me, PeaceKeeper!" he said, standing tall and holding his arms out wide and to the side. "I'm a marijuana-smokin' sophmore at Juuban High School with no parents to back me up and no friends save the senshi. With me either whoopin' youma ass or gettin' my ass whooped four to five times a week, it's hard to keep a job or school in line while I'm strugglin' to pay food and rent!! Do you think I should really leap out a window??" "Alright, buggy, time to fly away home," whispered Jurei-Jurei, adjusting the plunger a bit. ~The rope attached to the gun's interior should make it that he's stuck like a fly on ... well, hee-hee! Here goes nothing!~ she sent to the other senshi, and fired. (OOC3: Remember, Jurei-Jurei weighs about as much a twig ^^; so if you jump she's a-followin'. Actually, that'd be pretty funny! Jurei-Jurei: *demonic extra-large head* "NO IT WOULDN'T!!") At that same instant, Melvin leaped forward and down into the space below. "NOOOOO!" shrieked Dura. She dashed forward, grabbing only air. Then without a beat: "Amazon Earth Power Make-up!" After transforming, Sailor Amazonia saw the plunger and rope whip by down to the plummeting Dark Bug. Foop! The plunger's suction cup hit him squarely below the wings. Unfortunately, gravity played tug-of-war... "Ah ha! Got-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AH-OW-OW!! ITAIIII! Son of a -OWW!!" Jurei-Jurei had shot the bug and acquired her target, but was skidding forward on her rear against the rough stones and smashing into a few flower pots as well. Finally the gun tilted her body forward so that she was being dragged along on her left side, her cheek being dug into by dirt and rough edges. "What the (OW OW OW!!) heck is the matter (OW!) with this BUG?!" she shouted, coming up on Amazonia fast. "Dura, why didn't you-!!" The red-checkered senshi's tongue was stilled as suddenly underneath her body she felt air. Her heart leapt into her throat as her arms were yanked over the side, the rest following. ~"TASUKETEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"~ screamed Jurei-Jurei, realizing that she was so screwed. "Jurei-Jurei!!" yelled Illusionary Knight, leaving PeaceKeeper and running hell-mell to the giant sailor. "Jaku-baka!!" Sailor Amazonia hurled a big handful of Titan Soil onto a nearby ivy, and prayed she wasn't too late. As Melvin rolled skyward, he heard and saw Jurei-Jurei plummeting with him some stories overhead. "Jurei-Jurei!" he shouted. Furiously he ripped at all the tape, as the floors whipped by him at increasing speed. *Merciful Kami,* he prayed, *I don't care what happens to me, just spare Jaku!* Finally, he freed his wings. Flapping them furiously, he applied the air brakes, slowed, stopped, and rocketed up to catch her. Her momentum shoved him back down, but he pushed harder. At last, he steadily sailed up to the building's rooftop. "It's all right, it's all right," he repeated. "I got you." Once he hovered over the roof, he saw Illusionary Knight, and Sailor Amazonia down below. Then he focused on a very long ivy, entwined around Jaku's left boot, unfelt in all the panic. Melvin gasped, then glowered at Jurei-Jurei. "You miserable little witch!" He dumped her unceremoniously onto the roof. "You tricked me!" And he dove at her, only to get tackled by Amazonia. Jurei-Jurei laid sprawled out on the roof, twitching. "Da da daaaaaaa....." she babbled, eyes spinning as Illusionary Knight came up on the two. Pulling out his Dream Saber, he swung it over his head and missed their right sides by two inches, embedding the sword in the roof. "KNOCK IT OFF!!" he screamed. Melvin the Dark Bug shrieked like a banshee, lashing all four arms around as Sailor Amazonia grappled him from the back and clamped down. He raged in black, frustrated fury, wanting to hit someone, something, anything. But the earth senshi wouldn't let him hurt even himself. Finally, he stopped and broke down sobbing. After a minute, he croaked, "You guys want your pound of flesh. Is that it?" His head lowered. "Well, get it over with. Getting creamed by you guys is just as good as jumping. It's all one to me." Sailor Amazonia leaned her lips to where Melvin's left ear would have been. "Listen up, bug, and listen good," she hissed angrily. "Jurei-Jurei did NOT trick you. My ivy didn't come down fast enough. In fact, if you hadn't caught her, it would've missed her completely, and she'd be street pizza now." She took a deep breath. "Melvin, I'm sorry. I wish I had an answer to your problems, but I don't. I can't even fix mine. But you taught me something. For an instant, you got your eyes off yourself, and helped someone else. That's a sign your soul is still human. Something-- no, sorry, someONE good. And no one is going to snuff that out, Mel. Not me. Not Jurei. Not IK. Not Peacekeeper." She leaned in closer, as if to kiss his ear area. "And not even, and especially, you." Illusionary Knight left his Saber in the roof as he passed the two and dropped to one knee next to the jester. "Jakurin??" he said in a hopeful tone, raising her head to place it against his chest. "You're alive! That's a good thing, right?" he nervously chuckled, then snapped his fingers in front of her face. "C'mon, Jaku-baka, snap out of it..." Melvin scowled sourly. "So I saved her life. Hiphip hooray, three cheers and a tiger for me. What have I got to live for?! I can't go home like this. I can't go to school. I can't be seen in public without someone spraying Hot Shot my way." Then his voice hardened. "And I WILL kill myself before going back to Argocite or his butthole cronies. You have my word on that." Then he looked down to Jurei. "Jurei? Jurei... for the good it does... I'm sorry I didn't stand up to him when I had the chance... I was too weak." "Yeah, well, doesn't seem like she cares too much about that, buddy!" snapped Illusionary Knight, pushing Jurei-Jurei off his lap and flat on the rooftop as he leaned over her. "Jurei-Jurei! Jaku-baka!! Get your ass up!" he shouted, smacking her hard across the face. The crack resonated as Jurei's head violently turned to face the pile of Amazonia and Dark Bug. As her small and infinite mind registered what happened, she breathed in deeply... ...and screamed until she ran out of air, finally passing out altogether. A sweatdrop went down Illusionary Knight's head. "Ano... I don't think you should talk about being weak, Umino..." (OOC: If you've seen Galaxy Quest, think of Guy's scream when he lands on the space-port. Classic and KICKS @$$!!) (OOC: I love that movie! One of my all time favorites!) PeaceKeeper walked over beside Jurei and picked her up. "I'll take her to my apartment where she can wake up. I still say we waste the bug, but apparently I'm out numbered in that vote," she said and walked off. (OOC: Jurei if you didn't want to leave I can re-write for you.) (OOC/SC: Haven't seen Galaxy Quest... yet. And Jurei, do you need a Cc for a particular reason?)) "You still got a chance," muttered Melvin self-piteously. "Go for a head-shot. If you can hit a jar of pickles, you can -- gllpf!" "No more talk like that," said Sailor Amazonia, covering his mouth/proboscis region. She glared a bit at PeaceKeeper's back as Jurei was toted off. *The girl probably had it in for him before he was Argo's lackey. And probably would if he got turned back into Ricky Martin. And SHE's leading the good guys?* (OOC: Nah, it's all good Jurei can be toted off. IK on the other hand. *ahem*) Illusionary Knight's eyes narrowed at Sailor Amazonia. "Yeah, so what if she is? I don't see you leading us to a victory," he retorted, tapping on his own communicator crystal before kneeling down to look the Dark Bug in the face. Shaking his head, he placed a hand on his chrome-plated mask. "Damn, you're in a fix... but there's gotta be a way we could fix you... and uh... not that it makes a difference but sorry for beating your ass on my first day of school. If I had known you could have done this, I think I would have steered clear," he cracked sarcastically. "You wrecked my face up pretty good though... for a nerd." (OOC2: I do a cc or a bcc so I always have a copy of what I posted. I throw away that copy when the story comes around to me again. Keeps my e-mail space free.) "Thmks, M gmmss," mumbled Melvin. Amazonia let go of his proboscis. "I said, Thanks, I guess," he repeated. Amazonia glared at the Knight. "Not leading us to victory? Stomping Zoisite's two imposter youma was NOT a victory? Finding Jurei-Jurei and taking on Argo and Pandora was NOT a victory? Keeping Ureshii away from the Generals and Guardian was NOT a victory?" A big sigh. "Sure. Whatever." She looked down at the Dark Bug. "Well, actually, you were a big help saving her and beating off Pandora. I'd be bacon bits if it weren't for you." Carrying him to the fire escape, she wondered aloud, "Where are we going to take him? I doubt PeaceKeeper's gonna want him as a houseguest again." Then Amazonia remembered something. She knew someone who walked a mile in Melvin's boots. She remembered someone who had been in the same kawaii mess he was. The only question was whether or not she'd help a stranger who looked stranger still. Amazonia decided she'd jump off that bridge when she got to it. "Hey, PeaceKeeper?" she said. "I gotta phone Ureshii." ((OOC: Hellooooo? Hellooooooooo?)) (OOC: Gomen! Storm Emily put me out for quite a while!) Ureshii was still in her position when the phone rang. Praying for the best, she rose from her seat and went into the kitchen. "Moshi moshi?" "Hello, Ureshii?" Amazonia asked as she craned her head to the pay phone's mike while grappling Melvin at the same time. "This is, uh, your big friend. We're back from the Nihon building. And I got someone who needs to talk to you." And she lowered the receiver to Melvin's proboscis. Melvin shook his head. "No, she doesn't! She remembers the crystal incident! The bargain!" Searching around, Amazonia hoped nobody would spot them. "The what??" came the confused reply on the other end. "And... um.. sure, Dura. If you need to drop anyone off here, you know where Jakurin sleeps, and how to get in... um... anything I can do for you?" Sailor Amazonia winced at being called her civilian name in her fuku. But at least it was on the phone, and not in public. Melvin slowly stared up. "Huh? Dura?" he whispered. "YOU're...?" So much for that. "Sshh," whispered Amazonia. "For a braniac, you sure are slow on the uptake." But she realized that Melvin was too mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained to speak over the phone. "Just one major favor," she said to Ureshii. "Whatever you do, do NOT freak when he comes in. Be there in a few." She hung up and turned to Illusionary Knight. "Now comes the acid test." And hanging on to Melvin, she jogged the blocks back to behind Tudo's. PeaceKeeper stood there in silence. She would have rather seen the bug jump, but Dura and her big heart decided otherwise. "Guys, I really think this is a bad idea." she muttered. Crisis-wearied Amazonia stroked her crystal. ~And what's a better one? Leave him for the Dark Kingdom? With a crystal?! Or let him plummet with Jurei and have two splotches to mop up? Are you this stupid and heartless naturally, or do you practice two hours a day?~ ((OOC: A bit harsh, I know... oh, and I'm assuming she learned about Melvin and the crystal in a power lunch discussion or something w/Michi... that reasonable?)) "Hey, wait!! Why do we have to jog?!?!" whined Illusionary Knight, trying to keep up with the mammoth and bug. His lungs decided for him as he fell to one knee, gasping for air. "Alright... I'll... catch up... go on... without me...I'll... be fine...yeah," he said to the already disappearing back of Amazonia. Ureshii hurried about as her father came down the stairs, all dressed up in a brown suit. "Uri-chan??" "Oyaji!" came the startled reply as the waitress balanced a pillow and three blankets in one arm. The man eyed her, then the bed attire, then here. "I'm sure Jakurin can change her own sheets." Ureshii gave her father a blank look, then it clicked. "Oh! Oh, you mean- yes, she can... um, just doing it as a favor, she worked an extra shift for me," she said timidly, lowering her gaze. Tudo arched an eyebrow. He had taught his daughter well, but for her to fib she had to have a good reason. "I'm going to a meeting at the bank so I can manage the finances better. Buisness hasn't been as booming as I hoped it would be this time of year. And when I get back, you'll explain what you're really doing, I hope." Ureshii nodded her head. "Hai, Oyaji." With a parting glance and bushy smile, Tudo left out the front door, causing Ureshii to exhale a sigh of relief. Jurei-Jurei stirred and opened her eyes half-way. Her eyes widened as she saw a bit more than she wanted down the front of PeaceKeeper's fuku. "Aiyah!!" she cried, leeting go as her upper half bent backwards. Before she could smash her head onto the pavement, she caught herself with her hands, her legs still being held by the green senshi. It wasn't exactly the best position to be in, but oh well. An embarrassed Jurei-Jurei gave a tight grin to the up-side down city of Tokyo. "Allllllllllllrighty then, I think I can walk, ne?"

Part III