DARK ON THE OUTSIDE DISCLAIMERS: If you've read any Sailor Moon fanfic, you know what the disclaimers are. All characters in the Sailor Moon Series don't belong to me. But, there are some characters included in this series that I HAVE created and therefore I do lay claim to (e.g. one of the main characters, Owen). I have also borrowed some terms from Magic: The Gathering, and don't own those terms. Send any comments you may have to waspg0ld@aol.com (No flames, please.) =====CHAPTER 1: COMING TO JAPAN===== TEEI MANSION, NEW JERSEY, USA MAY 3, 1998 8:00 A.M., EASTERN TIME "Owen!" The voice of a 42-year-old woman called into Owen's room as the door creaked open. She stepped into the room to find Owen asleep. "Owen," She called out again, but Owen lay motionless in bed. She continues to approach until she's right next to the bed, looking down on her son. "Owen," she says again as she gently touches his face. Which is when his head snapped from being on his one cheek to straight forward. His eyes lit up bright. "Uhhh...what, what?" Owen says as he rubs his eyes. His vision clears up as he looks at who woke him up. His mom, Cindy Castell-Teei. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Today's the day!" she said in a sweet tone. Of course the day she was refering to was when he leaves for Ja- pan. Everyone was looking forward to it, especially Owen, who needed to get away from the nightmare that was the Degenerates. He was confi- dent that Ripple, Skeek and Jim Ruff would run the Achievers with the same dignity and honor that he did, but still.... "Breakfast ready?" he asked. "It is." Owen shook his head to get his hair out of his face. "Now hurry on downstairs." "Okay, just gimme a minute." Owen's mom left his bedroom, and he got out of bed. He quickly made it, and went to his bathroom for a quick shower. After that, as well as brushing his teeth, he put on boxers, jean shorts, and his "Americans RULE" shirt, followed by black Nike sandals. (His shoes were already packed along with all his good clothes and some personal things.) He grabbed his NY Yankees hat - black, the NY logo embroided in green on white - and headed out. Owen made his way through the well-decorated halls of the mans- ion, down one of the curved flights of stairs, and through another hallway into the dining hall. It was a large, rectangular room, with a long table in the middle, made out of oak. A white tablecloth was draped over it. On one of the longer walls, four tall windows let in the morning light. The other one had a large, comfortable fireplace, which was nice to read by during the winter. Hung above it was a painting of him when he was about 4 years old. Owen made a quick glance at it and sat down at the head of the table, opposite his 45- year-old dad, Robert Teei, and ate breakfast. * * * * * After what would be the last home-cooked meal he would have in a year, Owen went to the den to watch TV for a while. His flight would leave at 1:25, so that left him some time to kill. At about 8:30, he was summoned to the front entrance of the mansion. It was time to head over to the airport. It would take about an hour and a half to get to Philadelphia Airport, and quite a bit more time to get through securi- ty, baggace clearance, etc (especially because his mom +insisted+ he take his car: a silver Mercedes Benz). "Look, mom," Owen started. "Yes?" "If you want me to take the car, do you think that maybe some of my friends could come with us to the airport?" "How are we gonna do that?" "They can follow in my car. Don't worry, mom; they won't wreck it." Owen added the last part just as his mom was about to protest. After carefully thinking it over, Cindy handed him her cellular phone & allowed Owen to allow whoever he wanted. As Robert and Cindy watched 3 servants pack Owen's suitcases in the trunk of the limo, Owen quickly dialed up Ripple, Jim Ruff, Skeek, and three more friends of his, "Ray- ray," "Dead to the World Joe," and "Ricky Mick." They made their way over to Teei Mansion and packed into Owen's Benz, while the Teei Family entered the limo. As the two cars pulled out, Owen looked out the window at his home, which he would not see again until this time next year. * * * * * PHILADELPHIA INT'L AIRPORT GATE 115 1:15 P.M. Owen was busy talking in the waiting lounge with the six guys he invited to come with him. They had formed a ring over by the window that looked out onto the runway; very similar to what they used to do every day before school. As usual, no discussion session would be com- plete without the mammoth Ricky Mick - who at 6'5" 345, was 3" and 100 lbs. bigger than Owen - "reviving" Dead to the World Joe with a huge chop of his massive forearm on his scrawny, 5'7" 150 lb. frame. Usual- ly, it was only done whenever anyone said something +really+ stupid. "You're gone!" Ricky bellowed as he delivered a chop to Joe. He hit him so hard that he slammed into the glass window, which made the other five bust out laughing. Had he chopped him any harder, he would've knocked him out the window. Their laughing and good feelings vanished as the P.A. system made an announcement. "First Class section of TWA flight 2564, Philadelphia to Tokyo, now boarding." Everyone turned to Owen. "Well guys..." Owen started, sadness clear in his voice. "This is it..." "We're gonna miss ya, Overtime," Rayray started. After that, they exchanged one last round of high-fives. Owen grabbed his carry-on bags and said "See ya next year." After that, he went to say goodbye to his parents. As he approached them, his mom hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her eyes. "Goodbye..." Owen's mom managed to say. "I'll...miss you." "I'll miss you too, mom." "Make us proud, son," Robert said, hugging him as well. "I will. Bye." With that, he showed his ticket to the gate tenant, and with one last look back, Owen strolled into the tunnel onto the plane. His friends cheered as the plane flew away about a half hour after he boarded. "Hope he'll be alright," Ripple said. "Wha...?" Joe said in his rather slow tone. At that, Ricky forearm chopped Joe again...right through the window and on to the run- way 30 ft. below. Everyone gathered at the broken window pane and looked down at the sprawled body of Dead to the World Joe. "He probably didn't even feel a thing," Ricky said. As they turned to walk away, they managed to pick up a faint "Wha...?" from Dead to the World Joe. * * * * * TWA FLIGHT 2564, PHILADELPHIA TO TOKYO SOMEWHERE OVER ILLINOIS 45 MINUTES LATER "Is there anything I can get you, sir?" a stewardess asked Owen as he looked out the window. He quickly spun his chair around to her, a startled look covered his face. She just giggled at this. "Um, just a Sprite, for now, thanks," he answered. With that, she turned around to the front of the plane and later came out with a 20 oz. bottle of Sprite, and a glass with ice in it. "Thanks," he an- swered. He placed the two items on the tray table and turned his chair back to the window. The sight of the clouds and whatever land that he could make out below was very relaxing to him. He could feel his mind easing up slightly. So peaceful, so calm. Not removing his gaze from the window, he reached for the soda bottle. As he twisted the cap, it let out a hiss and he took a sip. As Owen looked around the plane, and a little bored at that, he reached down into his right pocket and pulled out a letter. It was from who he was to stay with for the time he was staying in Japan. It read: Dear Owen, Hi. It's so nice to hear from you again. Everyone here's looking forward to your visit. Based on what you've told me about yourself so far, and the picture you sent me, you look and sound like a really nice person. I can't wait to meet you! Enclosed is a picture of me and my four best friends. On the far left with the ponytail is Lita. Next to her is Raye. In the mid- dle is Meatball Head - er, Serena. That's just something we call her. Anyway, next to her is Mina. And finally, on the far right is me. I can't wait for you to get here. We'll help you out if you need any. See ya then. Amy Anderson Just like the several times he read the letter before, he thought to himself, they don't even know me, yet they feel like my best friends. Maybe Japan won't be as bad as I thought. With that, he put his hat on his lap, settled back in his chair, and went to sleep. With stops in St. Paul, Seattle and Honolulu, it would be a long trip. And he figured there wouldn't be a better time to catch up on some sleep he missed. * * * * * TOKYO AIRPORT GATE 12 THE NEXT DAY 3:00 P.M., TOKYO TIME Three women pushed their way through the airport that day. It was 3 and they wanted to make sure they would be there on time to pick up the new foreign exchange student. "What gate was his flight coming in at?" one of the girls with a most unusual hairstyle asked. "Gate Twelve, Serena," the blue-haired girl said. "Let's see, that's four times, now?" "Sor-ry, Amy. Jeez!" Serena, Amy, and Mrs. Anderson made it to Gate 12 and sat down in the waiting area. As they waited for the plane to come in, they discussed what they think he would be like, what he would think of them, his interests, his attitude.... Just then they heard an anouncement. "ATTENTION: TWA FLIGHT 2564 PHILADELPHIA TO TOKYO NOW LANDING AT GATE 12." His flight had come in. They stood up to look for him. As the gate opened, they saw everybody file out of the plane. Amy scanned the crowd until she found who they were looking for. Owen put his hat on backwards and scratched his head. He ad- justed his grip on his carry-on bags and looked around. As he walked through the tunnel and into the airport, he scanned the area. Even though he spoke Japanese well, he felt he would have trouble fitting in. They look like ants next to me, he thought. As he stood in the waiting area, he locked eyes with a blue- eyed, blue-haired young woman. Glancing down at the picture he had, he knew who it was. He put the picture in his pocket and went over. "Amy?" he asked. "Amy Anderson?" "Yes. Are you Owen?" she asked. "I'm Owen Teei. Nice to meet you." Looking at Serena: "And you're Serena, right?" "Yeah," Serena said, hugging him. As her arms clamped down on his neck, he was reminded of that death-grip Amy told him about in a- nother letter. "Amy's told us so much about you." "I know." She let go of Owen. "Shall we get going?" They all agreed, and head off. Owen talked with Mrs. Anderson while Amy and Serena talked in the background. "Oh my _god_, Amy! You seen this guy? He's HOT! You gotta go after this guy," Serena said. "What makes you think someone like him would be interested in someone like me?" Amy asked. "Hey, ya never know." Serena was smiling when Amy turned to look at her. "But how do you know he won't be a magnet to women?" Owen eventually cleared customs, and got the bulk of his money converted to yen. At a 135-1 yen-to-dollar ratio, it barley fit in his wallet. But the real problem - to him, anyway - was the baggage claim. Not a minute after he got all his suitcases together, another anounce- ment was made. "Would the owner of a silver Mercedes Benz-" Owen cut off the anouncement. "Could you follow me, please?" * * * * * This is embarassing, Owen thought to himself. I should've ne- ver agreed to take it. Thoughts like this swam through his mind during the whole drive to his new home. He didn't want anyone to know he was too rich. He didn't want to be known as a snotty-nosed rich kid. He wanted to fit in, make some friends. Oh well. You've been handed the ball. It's your job to run it in for a touchdown. "Nice car," Serena called from the back seat. Owen had agreed to follow Mrs. Anderson home, while Serena and Amy decided to ride with him. "Thanks," Owen remarked. "My dad got it for me when I got my permit, and my mom +insisted+ I take it with me. I don't wanna look like a spoiled rich brat here; I hope to be able to live a normal life here in Japan." "Just calm down," Amy said, noticing tension in his voice. "So what does your father do?" "My father is a self-made broker, and set up his own business about three years ago. Ever hear of Overtime Inc.?" "That's your dad?" He nodded. "Not bad. I heard he's doing well." "Quite." "I think it's pretty cool having a celebrity in town," Serena said. "You think you'll like it here?" "Pretty cool so far," Owen said. He then pulled up in front of Amy's house, while Mrs. Anderson pulled into the driveway. After they helped him get his luggage out of his car, they went inside, and put his suitcases in the guest room. "Listen," he started, putting a suitcase on the bed. "If you ever need any help around here-" "Don't worry about that now, Owen," Amy started. "I mean, come _on_!" Serena cut in. "There's so much you gotta see here. "Later, we'll introduce you to Lita, Mina and Raye." "Can't wait," he said, smiling. With that, the two girls left Owen alone. After they left, he cleared his bed of the suitcases and laid down. He turned his head to look out the window. Later, Serena and Amy met at Raye's temple. "So what's he like?" Raye asked. "Well, he's..." Amy started. "He's hot, he's sweet, and he's loaded!" Serena said, cutting off Amy. "When are we gonna meet him?" Lita asked. "Later tonight." "I can't wait!" =====TO BE CONTINUED===== Today, we saw a different side of Owen. Unlike the proud, pow- erful and inginuitive leader of the Achievers, we learned he just wants to be a normal kid. Later, I will attempt to reveal other sides of Owen; from car- ing and sensitive, to down right evil and agressive. I may even touch on his religious side. Stay tuned for some surprises, too.