Eclipse (e-mail at cp96au@badger.ac.brocku.ca) Fervent Juxtaposition - Part 4 "You can sleep in this room. All the guest rooms are basically the same, but this one is my favourite for it has a cherry tree almost poking into the window." Raye says as she leads me into a small room. A single bed is snuggled in the far corner under the window which does, in fact, has a cherry tree branch growing in to the room. There is a small dresser with a mirror and a large painted fan hanging on the wall, but that is all. It is quite minimalist. The others have left for their respective homes. Amy has not had any luck with her computer search and she promised to stay up all night until she finds something. Darien seemed a bit reluctant to leave me at the temple. He may have felt uneasy about leaving me alone with people I don't really know, or perhaps he enjoyed our past few nights together and was sad to see it end. It only took a tiny nudge from me, though, to send him on his way to drop Serena off at her house. "I like it too. Almost like sleeping under the tree itself." "The bathroom is just down the hall to the right." Raye continues. She avoids looking directly into my eyes. "My room is the one across the hall from yours... in case you need anything." Chad comes strutting into the room carrying fresh bed sheets and towels. "There's no need to wake Raye if you need something. My room is beside the bathroom. I'm a light sleeper, so you won't bother me." Raye folds her arms and rolls her eyes. "You're not a light sleeper, Chad. A tornado could pass right by the temple and you would never know." I smirk at her snarky attitude towards her friend. He doesn't seem to take anything she says like that personally, and perhaps that is why they get along. "Just put those things on the bed and then go to sleep yourself. Haley is a guest of the temple and it is my duty to see to her." "I work here too, Raye. It's my duty to help also." Chad retorts as he places the load on the bed. He raises his head triumphantly sporting a silly grin. "Yeah, whatever." Raye shakes her head at the minor annoyance. Her hair flowing elegantly over her shoulders. "You've brought the sheets and towels. You've done your duty. Now please let us be and go to bed." Chad bows mockingly. "Yes, your highness. Whatever ever you say, your highness." He flashes a quick grin at me. "Good night, ladies." If he only knew he was bowing to true royalty. It is amazing how Raye acts the role of a Princess even though she is living the life of a high school student right now. All the Scouts seem to have kept that `first class' look about them. Perhaps it is just because I see them that way, in a majestic light. I am merely of the lower class; a wandering vagabond seeking answers to infinite questions. Raye turns to me after Chad leaves the room and is out of hearing range. "I'm sorry about Chad. I sometimes wonder why Grandpa let him stay here in the first place." She knows why the young rock singer is there. I can see in her eyes that she knows and even enjoys his presence. "He's fine. A strong, young man eager to please. No one could ask for anything more." Raye blushes a little but she manages to hide her amusement at my words fairly well. "Yeah, well, I guess he's okay sometimes." There is silence for about thirty seconds. I am taking in her mystical beauty. My eyes running over each exquisite feature of this warrior goddess. She looks shyly away and then makes eye contact. We breathe in unison. Our hearts beat in unison. Can I know that? My acute hearing can only hear one rhythm. "I....." "Did y......" We both speak at once and laugh at the coincidence. "Go ahead." "I was going to ask if you needed anything else. Perhaps something to drink or eat before you go to sleep. I like to have green tea before bedtime." Raye offers. A perfect hostess. "That would be wonderful, thank you." "If you would like, I could serve it on the table in my room." Raye motioned with her hand to her door. "It will only take me a few minutes to prepare." An invitation I certainly could not refuse! As she goes off to make the tea, I settle down on the floor of her room. It is bigger than the one I am to sleep in and made more personal by her own things. There is a bookcase full of schoolbooks and spiritual writings most of which I recognize. Comic books lay on the floor near it. Her single bed is made neatly and dresser sits at the end of it freshly polished. There is a desk with papers piled in an order she herself devised. Beside it, there is an electric piano - a synthesizer I believe it is called. Ah, this young woman has many talents! Raye enters the room with two cups of green tea placing one carefully down in front of me. "I hope you like it. It is my own special blend." I take a sip. It is a fine herbal mixture. "It is the best green tea I have tasted in centuries." The dark-haired belle drinks her own tea acting quite modestly in my barrage of flattery. What was she thinking now? To even be in her head for an instant would be unlike any heaven a human could describe. I want to know everything she is thinking. "If you don't mind my asking, but I'm curious as to how you came together with the other Scouts. You're quite different from the rest of them." "Oh, I'm not that different." Raye replies unobtrusively. She goes on to describe how Cherry Hill Temple was made part of a Negaverse plot when she was fourteen. Busloads of schoolgirls were being taken to the Negaverse for their energy. That is when she discovered she was Sailor Mars. At that point in time, Luna had only revived Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. Sailor Venus was at work in France and was to arrive after Sailor Jupiter came onto the scene. I am enthralled by her telling the tale of her memories resurfacing. I inquire into how she felt and what she thought about everything. Raye opens up to me and seems almost relieved to be able to talk to someone about this at such a depth. I can tell she is a very private person. Not unlike myself. I learn more about the other Scouts and Darien through her too. She was seeing Darien before their memories resurfaced? I can see him liking such a mystical and determined girl. I hear about the defeat of Queen Beryl and her minions: Jedite, Malachite, Zoisite, and Neflite. Neflite. . . . memories there. . . . . . When she is done her stories, it is very dark outside. Neither of us seem to notice as we lay sprawled out side by side on the floor. So comfortable and natural with each other. "I would like to hear what you remember about the Silvermoon Millennium. I have jumbled memories and most revolve around the Moon Kingdom itself. I want to know what it was like through someone else's eyes. Tell me what you experienced before, during and after the Negaverse destroyed everything." I rely to her the long account of my life. I try to give her as much information as possible. She has the same passion for detail as I do! She hangs on my every word. There were so many things she did not know about the Silvermoon Millennium. She admits that she feels as almost an ignorant spectator to life there instead of a participant. Royal life does keep one restricted in many ways. She did not know what exactly happened on Earth when the Negaverse attacked for it all happened in just over a week and the higher class had continued on with their lives as the battled raged below them. I can not cover my life after the destruction of the Moon Kingdom in one sitting for centuries take centuries to describe. I tell her of some of the highlights of my eternal life. She is filled with a thousand questions but feels guilty when she interrupts me to ask something. I console her conscious through my own eagerness to answer what she asks. I rarely have a conversation as I am having now with Raye. Darien and I can chat for hours, but we reminise a lot. Two old friends together having a good time. But Raye and I are new to each other. We are exploring each others' minds and personalities through talking. It is like two young adolescents feeling out their new found sexuality with one another. Our bodies are very close together. There is a heat between us. A heat I fully recognize, but experience it from a new level. It is a level from what my mind is in control of my libido and won't let it interfere in this mental ecstasy. Why am I letting myself feel this way?! Nothing can ever come of it except for hurt. I leap up suddenly making Raye jump in surprise. "It is so late, Raye. I shouldn't have kept talking for so long. We really should get some sleep." She looks disappointed, but glances at her alarm clock. "It is past four. We should at least catch a few hours before the others arrive." "I'm sorry to have kept you up so long." "Don't apologize, Haley. I was talking too." Raye's dark eyes lock on with mine. "And I was having such a great time that it didn't matter how late it was." I smiled, happy that she thought our conversation was as grand as I did. "I forgot all about time also." Raye looks at the clock again and sighs. "I suppose we should get some sleep though. We're going to need to be totally alert tomorrow." We pause, neither of us wanting to go. I use all my will power to make the first move to go heading into my room. "Good night, Raye. I'll see you in the morning." She watches me go in as she slowly closes her door. "Good night, Haley." I close my door behind me, but not before we take one last look at each other. I would love to be able to sleep in her arms. I shut off the light with her resplendent face still an image before my eyes. I start to take off my clothes and then stop. I have yet to get my duffle bag that I left in a locker at the Tokyo train station. I carry a few changes of clothing with me and I would think it would make a better impression to wear my own things than this shirt that Darien lent me. One less reminder of something that the Scouts would surely like to forget. I slip out into the darkness through the window. The cherry blossoms caress me sensuously and trigger a need for fleshly contact within. I could retrieve my bag and then return Darien's shirt to him. . . . . The idea is extremely appealing. Yet I think a nice sprint to the train station and back will do everyone better in the long run. * * * I didn't get much sleep but I slept well. I stretch out my body as a cat would after taking a nap. My mind drifts to Luna and Artemis, and I wonder if they behave more like humans than felines. Did they chase mice and swipe at loose strings? Did they chase imaginary prey and leap upon shadows? Surely they have hunting instincts; they are warriors themselves. Darien told me that the guardians train the Scouts. Cats teaching humans..... there is much to learn. I look out the window and it is another beautiful day in Tokyo. It is deceiving considering what the day holds for everyone. It is quite possible that there could no longer be a Tokyo by evening. I sympathize with the madman's plea but not with his methods. The destruction of innocents is not on the path to justice. Though thousands of years of human society show that people still do not know this. I pick up a towel from the dresser which I placed it last night. A quick shower will freshen me up for the trying day ahead. I open my door and the first thing I notice is that Raye's door is closed. She must still be dreaming the dreams of a princess. I continue down the hall to the bathroom to find that door closed also. Someone is showering within. Chad rounds the corner almost running right into me. "Good morn....... ning, uh, Haley." His eyes seem to pop out of his head as he stutters over the words. Quickly he turns his head away. I realize he is being a polite gentleman for I am only wearing my underclothes. I am not use to sharing a dwelling with other people and thus I have simply strolled into the hall without covering myself up. I am hardly modest, but I don't wish to show any disrespect to my hosts. Though I do enjoy his eyes on me and also his courteous manner. "Good morning, Chad. I'm just waiting for the bathroom to be free. Lovely day, isn't it?" I non-chalantly head back towards my room not bothering to hide myself behind the towel. I glance at him wearing little other than a sly smile. His face is nearly hidden by his wild long hair. I think thay he may be blushing under there. "Yeah, great day. Um, I just came to tell you and Raye that breakfast is ready if you want any." "Thank you, but I usually don't eat much in the mornings. Tea would be perfectly wonderful." "Tea's all made. I've got to go see to the muffins I'm baking." Chad mumbles out the last part and backs away to the kitchen. His honest simplicity is nicely contrasted with Raye's mysterious intelligence. The makings for a well-rounded couple. I return to my room and stare out my window with the cherry blossoms filling all my senses with the purity of nature. I hear the bathroom door open but her footsteps are so light I do not hear her padding down to her bedroom. I know when she stops though. I turn to see her standing in my open door with a large red towel wrapped around her body and her hair up in a smaller white one. Her skin seems to glow from the pampering she just gave it. "Hi. I hope you slept well." "Yes, thank you. And you?" "I slept fine." Raye answers and notices the duffel bag in the farthest corner of the room. She looks confused. I will clear her head. "I forgot it the other day and took a run out to get it. I can't be wearing other people's clothes all the time." I smile and walk forward. I am still in my underclothes. I am aware of that now, but perhaps unconsciously I want to remain like this so she can admire my body. She smells clean but not dosed in a bottle of perfume. Divine. "Chad said that breakfast was ready." "Glad to see someone is on the ball. I need to get ready before the others arrive. You're free to use the bathroom if you wish." Raye actually walks backwards into her door. Does she not want to stop looking at me? The jolt was enough to loosen the towel on her head and her shiny wet black locks fell in front of her eyes. She tries to fix it. I reach over and gently gather her hair wrapping it into the towel for her. Our bodies touch. I feel electric chills! Oh, to have her totally nude against me now! Yet I would not want to do this to her. Why am I saying that to myself? She is not an innocent babe in the jungle of humanity. I can easily tell she has experience derived from sexual exploits. I flip and flop, back and forth. It is my sign: Libra. I am always trying to balance two sides. I do want this woman. There's no question there. I haven't been so enraptured by anyone for the longest time. Raye is more than just a night of passion though. Her mind excites me as much as her body. I don't want to lose sight of that great personality by exploring her externally. The scales must rest somewhere. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and then I'll meet you at the breakfast table." * * * What a most entertaining old man! Raye's grandfather is the most lively elderly person I have come across since my batalo manush of the gypsy commune I lived with my mother. He is so witty, and teases Chad and Raye to no end! They both take the jesting in stride because of their obvious love for the man. He does not demand to know who I am or why I am here, but enjoys my company and that of the others just as it is. He must have a beautiful philosophy of life to be content in the moment. Upon his insistence, I eat one of the muffins that Chad has brought out fresh from the oven. The odor is scrumptuous and the taste of blueberries so sweet. I am almost tempted to have a second when I hear the sound of someone running up the gravel path to the entrance of the temple. Amy calls out for Raye. Raye delivers an excuse about meeting the other girls to go shopping and quickly motions to me to make an exit with her. Amy is waiting anxiously on the front steps for us. Her blue eyes ablaze with new knowledge. Her delicate hands clutching her micro-computer. "What is it, Amy? Did you find something?" Raye asks excitedly. "I think I've located one of the bombs! I can't be absolutely certain, but it is an alloy that is so out of place in the building, that it is worth investigating!" Amy blurts out the news. "We'll wait for the others and then check it out." I am amazed with what modern technology can accomplish. Amy is a much more wondrous achievement though. Computers are grand, but the human brain can never be duplicated. "Where is it located? Is it easily accessible?" "It's in the underground parking garage of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. There should be no problem getting in there and pin-pointing the bomb's position." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mina and Lita approaching. The roar of Darien's motorcycle is getting nearer. "The only problem we have is getting there before the bomb goes off." * * * We are all lost in our own thoughts as Raye drives towards the building. I suppose they are all wondering when the bomb is set to go off. What would happen if all the Sailor Scouts were killed in one explosion? Who would protect the world from the Negaverse then? My life would be cut short of infinity also. I wonder if it would have been wise to contact the police and leave the searching to them based on the data Amy collected. There would be no way to explain how she had gathered the information though. And an anonymous phone call would be much too suspicious. I believe the Scouts are like me. I cannot just sit around and wait for someone else to solve the problem. I need to do something. My soul is proactive and would not be able to rest if all my actions were reactive. Nothing looks out of the ordinary as we arrive at the Ministry building. Darien, with Serena on the back of his motorcycle, follows Raye's jeep down into the parking garage. The building in its entirety reminds me of a concrete termite hill. Humans are more primative than they will care to admit. Amy instructs Raye to drive to the lowest level - five below ground level. Her computer has detected the bomb in the rear of the garage, but as to the specific spot, we must find with our own eyes. The vehicles are parked at the opposite end. Luna and Artemis jump out of the jeep to survey the area. They bark out their instructions. I almost find it amusing to think of felines barking, but my mind is distracted by other matters at the moment. "Everyone form a line along the width of the garage and walk slowly, in pace with each other, to the other end looking carefully for the bomb." "Watch for any triggering devices." I am at the left end while Darien is at the far right with the girls in-between us. He looks over at me nervously as we begin to move forward. I feel the tension. No mistakes are allowed. "What's it suppose to look like? Is it like dynamite or something?" Serena's voice is shaky as she peers under a red Volkswagon. Amy is searching a small car herself as she answers, "It's a plastic explosive. It will look like grey putty. It will most likely have a timing device stuck in it. The only way my computer discovered it here was because its chemical make-up is unlike anything else in this building. Other governmental buildings like the defense and research labs, which would be more likely targets for the bomber, contain various dangerous metal compounds of this nature." "Will you be able to deactivate it, Amy?" Mina asks hopefully. Her face is pale. No colour glows in her cheeks. The china doll looks more truly like porcelin now. "I don't know....." The intellect replies as we pass the half-way mark of the garage. "What will we do if you can't? Can it at least be removed safely?" Lita runs her hands along a vent in the ceiling. Finding nothing but dust, she wipes it off on her jeans. "I think we should just report finding it and leave it to the professionals." Darien says from the far end. His voice echoes against the wall at my side. He is surely thinking about the safety of the rest of us. He never lost the chilvary of the old world. "Hey guys! That van over there has one of those silly antenna balls! It's so big and so funny-looking!" Serena points the van out to all of us. It is a plain white van with a pink decorative ball on its antenna. As she nears the vehicle, a beeping comes from the ball. We all dive for cover. Serena screaming running towards Darien. The only bang to be heard is the sudden opening of the rear doors of the van. My heart seems to have stopped in the anticipation of an explosion and it jolts into motion again when I hear the whirring of machinery. If there is not a bomb, what is that sound? I slowly stand up to see what the noise is. The others are peering from their hiding places also. We look at each other in confusion and then turn our gazes towards the van. Two ramps have extended out and from the confines of the box a dozen small tanks are filing out. They appear to be large toys for children to play with, but appearances can be deceiving. The bomber had written about an army of metal. No doubt it is a defense system to make sure no one could get to the bomb to deactivate it. The tanks look nothing like anything I had seen in my dreams. They didn't seem to be sophistocated. If the bomb is in the van, it would be simple to draw the attention of the army while Amy saw to the explosive. None of us have fully exposed ourselves from the safety of our hiding spots, but we each watch the tanks quizzically. Luna and Artemis make their way towards us hopping along the rooftops of automobiles. "What's happening over here?" "I thought we were all toasted there for a second." The tanks closest to the felines turn their turrets to aim and fire. Lasers shoot forth. The guardians, lucky to be cats and have quick reflexes, leap out of the way onto the ground. The battalion moves in pursuit of its targets. The rest of us are down in our hiding spots again as Amy calls out. "They must use infra-red! Heat sensitive!" "I'll give them something hot to detect!" Raye spats and then holds out an odd red stick in her hand. "Mars... Star... Power!" She's transforming into Sailor Mars! The others follow her lead as I stay crouched behind a car transfixed. "Jupiter... Star... Power!" "Mercury... Star... Power!" "Venus... Star... Power!" "Moon... Crystal... Power!" I am agape. Their everyday human forms seem to fade away. Almost as if they're peeled off. Energy surrounds them. Each unique and beautiful. Mars by brilliant rings of fire. Jupiter by bolts of lightening. Mercury by rivers of clear ice crystals. Venus by a tirade of stars. And Sailor Moon emerges like an angel from a coccoon of soft pink mist. Their Sailor Scout uniforms materialize as if an invisible team of seamstresses are putting them together. Darien stands and metamorphoses in a different way. He says nothing but merely throws forth a single red rose which surrounds him in a burst of red energy. Tuxedo Mask appears from this red eruption. His cape flowing behind him as the rose returns to his hand. I am mesmorized by the transformations. My head feels light. Something tightens in my chest forcing me up. My body tingles. Am I feeling the energy from their changing? "Haley?!" Luna exclaims somewhere nearby. I can't turn to see where the feline is or ask why she is calling my name. I see each Scout transform. Their energies mingle before my eyes. A myriad of colours. My feet aren't touching the ground. Am I floating? What is happening to me? There's a gentle voice in my head. I don't recall it, but I recognize the softness of the tone. It's not my mother. Who does the voice belong to? I can't quite hear what it is saying. Haley... Haley, sweet child... say `Eternal... Eclipse... Transformation.........' My mouth opens to speak seemingly without command from my brain. "Eternal... Eclipse... Transformation!" A slight burning sensation in the center of my forehead. The myriad of colours are shadowed by a darkness. I am enveloped in this blackness. My body is numb for a second and next I feel straps being wond around my arms and legs. My jeans and t-shirt are gone. I am adorned in foreign attire. The light eclipses over me once again. I can see, but I see with a new intensity. With a new pair of eyes. My body feels so alive! It's as if I've been reborn. Power surges through my veins. My feet touch the ground. I was floating! I see my reflection in the windshield of a car. It's me, but it is like a perfected version. All my features are heightened. My pale skin almost looks as though it has a glow. My red hair is a fiery mane and my blue eyes vivid with colour. There is a strange symbol on my forehead. It is a moon being eclipsed with the sun's rays blazing behind it. My clothes are tight and black. Similar to the outfits worn by some gypsies in my commune when they performed. All eyes are on me. Searching for an explanation, but I have none myself. "Haley?" Tuxedo Mask yells my name across the garage. How can I explain this to my old friend? I don't know quite what has happened myself. Their energies may have mingled and had an affect on me.... but the voice in my head knew what was happening. She has the answers. Who is it? Is it a person or just my unconscious? No time to ponder what has happened. The army of tanks has moved down the center of the drive towards the Scouts. Four turn towards the right, four continue down the center and four turn left. Left towards Sailor Venus and I. The machines are tracking the heat that eminated from our transformations. They shoot randomly, but accurately. "Mercury... Bubbles... Blast!" Sailor Mercury creates an icy fog. My eyes can see fairly well, but she has obviously impaired the sensors on the tanks. Their turrets spin left and right firing on anything that may be a possible target. One laser hits a vehicle causing the gas tank to rupture and burst into flames. What if this sets off the bomb? "Mars... Fire... Ignite!" Sailor Mars sends a stream of fire at one one the tanks and it explodes. The other machines sensing the heat turn their attack onto the destroyed one. "Jupiter... Thunder... Crash!" Sailor Jupiter devastates the last three in the middle with a stunning assault with her lightening bolts. The metal bubbles as it fries. Everything happens all at once. Tuxedo Mask flings a rose into one of the tanks' cannons. It implodes. Sailor Moon waves a sceptre in the air. She gathers up the necessary concentration to deliver a mighty blow of energy. "Moon... Sceptre... Elimination!" While Sailor Moon is getting ready to use her sceptre, Sailor Venus stands up with her right arm high in the air. Before she can do anything though, one tank fires her way. She dodges the laser but trips and the ends of her fine blond hair is singed. Sailor Mercury's ice mist is dispersing. I have to do something. I had changed into.... into what? Am I a Scout? I had shouted `Eternal Eclipse Transformation.' I am eternal. I have eclipsed from my regular form to this being full of power. I am an eclipse in itself. Yet what could I do? I couldn't battle these machines as I would fight with humans. Frustration. All these hundreds of years of immortality.... all my wretched wanderings.... and I don't know who I am! The mental torture I have been through! I feel all this build up inside of me as it has assembled over the centuries. I am breathing it out. It has a form of its own. I need to take all what is pent-up and hurl it out of me! "Eclipse... Infinity... Torment!" My arms outstretch forwards. My palms turn up as blackened balls of energy jet out. As they exit my body, there is a great orgasmic relief. Something that has built up now spurts forth and it causes a tremendous zenith in its dispersal. The spheres shatter the remaining tanks. The battle is over. Sailor Mercury runs from the van waving her arms in a state of panic. "Everyone get out of here! I can't deactivate the bomb! And all the heat in here is going to cause it to blow in less than a minute!" We all sprint for Raye's jeep. Tuxedo Mask has no time to worry about his motorcycle. As we speed out the entrance to the parking garage above, we hear the explosion. Everything starts to shake. Only rumbling as the foundation of the Ministry building is destroyed and it falls in upon itself. * * *