Chinisetea@aol.com Ladies And Gentlemen of the Jury by Adrian Hello!! Hope you like this one, it's taken a lot of time. Longest darn thing I've written yet!! Aren't you proud? (I am) Anyway, sorry I haven?t posted in quite some time. That darn thing called "Real Life" keeps getting in my way!! AGGGHHH!!! Not only that, but I get seven billion ideas at once!! (or none at all) Anyway, I'll babble on after this story is done, I'm sure you'd rather read it than listen to me. Please forgive any minor spelling errors. I get worse grades in spelling than Serena does in math. Wait, was that.... it was!!! American Dub Names!!! * sobbing * I'm so terribly sorry, I can't help being an American!!!! * Bangs head on table * I promise, I'm trying to learn the real names! If only I lived in a big city, where they had subtitled versions of the episodes on tape! But NO, I have to live in a place where people respond to my eternal question, "Have you got any Sailor Moon merchandise?" with "What?" or "Sailor Moon? That's pass颭- That last one made me REALLY MAD!!!! I shouted "The wrath of Jupiter will be upon you, negatrash!," and was about to hurl a 'supreme thunderbolt' at the insolent store clerk, when I realized people were looking at me funny. Needless to say, I sweatdropped, grabbed my little 'sister' and left, muttering "don't listen to him, Chibi-Adrian." well, maybe it wasn't exactly like that... oh dear, I'm babbling again! ON WITH THE STORY! WAIT!! An Important Note! I have been unable to see any Sailor Moon past "R". *sniff * Therefore, I refuse to write anything that happens after "R". I?d mess up. But this story happens when the Scouts are older. SO pretend that there are no Stars, Outers, ect. Or maybe they are all on vacation. Whatever. But I have to use "R" attacks and stuff. That?s all I know. Sorry. *PS- *** between sections means a POV change. _____________________________________________________________________ It's two o'clock in the morning. All 'Normal' people are in bed. But me? I'm in a dark alley fighting an eight foot tall yoma that wants nothing more than to see me and my friends dead. Just another day in the life of a Sailor Scout. I'm sixteen years old, and I've seen things that would put a physicartrist in therapy. I've even died. This yoma ought to be a piece of cake, right? I take a deep breath and begin to summon the fire within me. I'm floating in space, dancing in flames. I reach out, feeling the power of my planet. In another second, it will burst from my fingertips, turning anything in it's path to ash... "VENUS!!" Sailor Moon's cry startles me out of my near trance. The blaze fades into embers, forgotten. I gasp as I realize what caused Serena to cry out like that. The yoma stands above Mina- who is once again wearing jeans and a sweater. He drops a lead pipe onto her stomach and laughs. I feel fear grip my heart. Mina must be unconscious. I can only see red, my rage roars out of control. And it's not a good idea to make me mad. Play with fire and you?re gonna get burned. Dimly I'm aware of Jupiter dragging our sister into the shadows and out of my way. The power rushing through my blood is incredible. "Mars Firestorm" I whisper, and suddenly the yoma is immersed in a raging inferno. After a few moments, the flames die away to reveal the monster, it's scales glowing with the heat of my attack. WHAT??!!! How can it still be standing... ...it's scales glowing ... scales glowing ... ...Scales... IT'S FIREPROOF!!!! %#@@&&*$!!!! this is NOT my night! "Mercury Ice Bubbles..." I hear Amy chanting beside me, and I wonder why she isn't using a stronger attack. "FREEZE!!!!!" The Ice melts instantly as it comes into contact with the creature, and I hear a deafening CRACK as the scales split, shattered by the two heat extremes. Amy, you genius, it's helpless now! Apparently, I'm not the only one who realizes this. The yoma turns and runs, climbing a nearby fire escape two rungs at a time. I hear Jupiter growl, a low, inhuman sound in the back of her throat. Glaring with a fury in her eyes that puts her thunder to shame, she hurls the pipe with amazing strength. The yoma barely misses it. Before it realizes what's happening, Jupiter is after it, a blur of green flowed closely by our leader. They race up the escape, Serena already holding her scepter. I begin to follow, but Mercury places a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Raye, they can take care of it. We have to help Mina." We walk over to where she is lying, her blond hair fanning out on the damp ground. Jupiter's gloves, folded into a thick pad, are pressed against her head. They have already a deep scarlet. I see a flash of pale blue light as Amy powers down. "Raye, call an ambulance. Fast." Yes, I can see that speed is important. I run to the nearest pay phone and dial 911. Please, let them get here in time. *** This thing is going down. You better run, Negatrash, Because the fury of Jupiter is behind you. Run, Run for shelter before the storm breaks. I can feel the electricity burning through me. It's as if every cell in my body is conducting, charging, doubling the power that passes through it. It runs, tingling up and down my spine, pooling in my fingers. We come to the roof of the building, the cool night breeze blowing my hair frantically. I stride slowly across the roof, my anger growing with each step I take. I struggle to contain it, to let the energy build. The yoma gazes into my eyes, paralyzed by what it sees. In my mind I can picture Mina falling, her hair caked by her own blood. In my ears I can hear her scream, breaking my heart and shattering my soul. This monster isn't going to take her from me. I am Jupiter, and it will pay. I can't hold it in any longer. I begin to intone my attack, screaming the words into the silent night. "Mighty Jupiter, I call upon the Power of the Storm, the Might of the Emperor Planet; send to my aid The Lightening of Olympus, The Waters of The Deep, and The Wind of the Plains. SUPREME THUNDERHEAD" I reach out my hand, placing one finger lightly between its eyes, and whisper the final word. "Strike." The yoma cries out in pain as it is struck by the hurricane of my wrath, and it is no more. I stand, watching the breeze blow away the dust, when I sense Serena standing behind me. I turn, and she looks at me through frightened eyes. How could I forget, she's afraid of thunder. "We need to go back." I think more than my storm is scaring her. This has been a tough night for us all. "Are you all right?" She sighs. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Come on." We walk back to the alley, The battle seeming surreal in the blue light of the police cars. Dimly I hear one of the blue clad officers talking to an old woman in a bathrobe, her hair in curlers. "I was woken by commotion in the ally at about two- oh- five. I saw a young woman crouching over that poor girl. She was nearly six feet tall, dark hair, wearing a short skirt. I saw her look up, and begin to run off as two people girls came up to her. That's all." "Thank you very much, Mam'm" Serena puts a hand on my shoulder. "Lita, this is bad." "I know" I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but it does no good. *** Darkness. I wonder where I am. Suddenly I can see a bright light above me. Am I dead? My heart beats faster at the thought. Hey, my heart's beating. Good sign. I'm breathing too. Man, I was scared for a minute. If I died, I couldn't... What? What's so important that I would die to accomplish it? something... Well, I'll remember. I hope. Now, where am I? There's light above me, shining through closed eyelids. A Lamp. There's something beneath me -bed- and warm, soft, ...blankets? above me. There's also a crushing pressure in my right hand, but it doesn't hurt too badly. I can hear a voice near me. "Mina, please, come back to us." Suddenly I'm filled with relief. She's OK. But why would I be so worried? "Mina, please." I struggle to open my eyes. "Look! Darien! She's waking up!" I smile and look into two pairs of blue eyes, then gasp in pain. Oh, man, a migraine has nothing on this. "Mina? Are you OK?" I groan. "What Happened?" My question takes them both by surprise. "Don't you remember? You..." "were attacked ." Serena glares at Darien, and he shrugs. But his eyes say something else. I don?t know. Maybe It's just my imagination, I do seem to be seeing things. After all, they don't allow cats into hospitals. *** "How is she?" I can feel Serena flinch from Amy's question. She intently studies the linoleum as she answers. "She's OK. Won't have to stay for too much longer. But... She asked me what happened. She doesn't remember. It's like..." She glances at me quickly, then looks away, ashamed of what she had implied. Like me. After Beryl. When everybody got their memories back, their powers back, and I, I still lived in darkness, knowing that part of me was missing, but unable to find it or even know what it was. I squeeze her hand, and she looks back into my eyes. The best thing about the bond we share, and I mean all the scouts, not just me and Serena, is that we can say more with our eyes than with words. If we had to, we could sit for two hours and not make a sound. That's really useful sometimes. Now, for instance. Two liquid pools of summer blue beg apology for bringing bad news. Two flashing emeralds express forgiveness. A pair of sapphires ask what happens next, while violet chasms reply "Trouble". Luna's ruby eyes speak of difficult battles, Artimis shows more optimism. Serena shakes her head, agreeing that the scouts depend on each other more than on themselves. "Who would think that our great strength and our great weakness would be the same thing?" she seems to ask. And so the discussion continues, while doctors and nurses, students and patients, strangers and acquaintances pass by, so intent on their own thoughts that they never realize what's going on not two feet away. It's amazing what people can miss sometimes. As time passes, we grow more and more depressed. Venus is the symbol of love and beauty, and our lives will all be darker until she returns. We are all shocked out of our trance like daze by the commotion of several police officers coming down the hallway. Both Lita and Serena' s eyes are suddenly filled with fear. What did they not tell us? Before they have a chance to reply, the officer answers for me. "Lita Kino?" She looks straight into his eyes, and answers with a steady voice. "Yes" "You'll have to come with us." Serena grips my arm tighter as he finishes his statement. "You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Mina Anio." What? That's ridiculous. Anybody should know better... Looking around, I see that Amy is nearly crying, Lita?s trembling very slightly, and Serena is once again fascinated with the floor. Raye, however... Raye is smoldering. I have a bad feeling that the infamous temper of Mars is about to make yet another cameo appearance. "WHAT?!!" I was right. "Lita would NEVER harm anybody! You are mistaken badly, and I think that... She's cut off by a pleading look from Lita, who says softly, "Please, Raye, don't make this any worse." (personally, I think her whisper?s having a much greater influence than Raye's banshee screaming) Raye looks stunned for about fifteen seconds, then hurt, and she slumps back into her chair and stares off into space. Serena starts to cry silently as they place Lita's hands in cuffs behind her back. I'm the only one who is able to watch as she walks off down the hallway, her head held high. *** Finally. Man, I never want to go through that again. Diner was awful, the bed was hard, and breakfast wasn?t any better. A noise at my window causes me to snap out of my dazed self pity. What I see makes me smile for the first time in two days. It's Luna. I walk across the room and reach my fingers through the bars, scratching between her ears. "Lita, how are you?" I think for a moment before answering. "Miserable. I'm used to living on my own and being able to go where I needed when I wanted. Now I'm stuck in here. And the food stinks. Literally. Other than my loss of freedom and my loss of a kitchen, I'm fine. How about you guys?" "Artimis is extremely depressed. Mina is coming home next Friday, but she still doesn't remember that she's Venus. Raye went back to the temple and has been sitting in front of the sacred fire for the past five hours trying to figure out how to get you and Mina back, while Amy's been running scenarios through her computer. Darien tried to cheer Serena up, and he did a pretty good job, but when he took her home they found out the hard way her dad had gotten off work early." I can see Luna trying not to laugh. "What did he do this time" I ask, grinning. "Well Darien walked Serena up to her door and gave her a sweet little goodbye kiss, harmless, you know what I mean." Yeah, I've seen enough 'sweet little goodbye kisses' from those two to last me an eternity. "Anyway, all was going well... until her father opened the door and saw them standing there. Daddy on a rampage. He 'separated' them before promptly chasing Darien off his property with an umbrella. Poor Darien, everybody keeps stabbing his shoulder... Sammy was laughing histairacly, while both Serena and her mother were horrified. Ilene likes Darien and she's ashamed that Ken acts the way he does. When he came back, he had to face her. Needless to say, he slept on the couch last night. After everybody went in, Serena looked at me and said 'Our relationship has seen the fall of the Silver Millennium, and survived. After ten thousand years apart, it was stronger than ever. We faced Beryl and won. We defeated the Black Moon. We've managed to put down the greatest threats to this world, and we?ve been through everything from amnesia to prophetic nightmares. Now we have to face my overprotective father.' I almost died laughing." "I wonder what he?d do if he found out just how serious those two are." Luna giggled. "There?s no telling." I scratch her chin and listen to her purringfill the small cell. *** "What are you doing?" I grin as Lita jumps into the air, completely startled. "Ummmm, I was just looking outside, officer. Is there a problem?" she asks hesitantly. I decide to play this through all the way. It?s just too much fun to pass up. "Yes, there is. I thought I heard you talking to that cat. I don?t want to deal with an insane prisoner here." She walks across the room and looks deep into my eyes. I struggle to keep a straight face. It wouldn?t do to spoil this too early. "Serena, you do know that the Lunar Disguise doesn?t affect us." Darn! It never works! "Well, you can?t blame me for trying." She smiles. "Serena, will you never grow up?" I grin back. "I hope not" "Great, a monarch who acts no better than her daughter." "Luna , did you say something?" I ask sweetly, shooting my beloved feline a look that could stop a yoma in it?s tracks. "Now what gives you that idea, oh mighty princess?" She replies innocently. I?ll have to remember to instate leash laws in Crystal Tokyo. Lita?s chuckling brings me back to the present. "I really appreciate you coming by." Well, what does she expect me to do? Leave her alone? "Lita, of course I?ll come. I?ll always be here if you need me." I can?t bare the thought of anyone I care about being in trouble. "I know." A wave of adrenaline suddenly rushes through my body, and I draw a deep breath. Lita watches helplessly as I pull out my communicator, even before it begins to beep. I see Amy, already transformed, crouching for a moment behind the shelter of a parked car. "Serena, yoma outside the theater. We need you fast." "I?ll be right there." I can hear Raye begin to intone her attack as I close the communicator and slip it back into my pocket. "Lita, I.." "Don?t worry about it. Just go." "Is there any way you can get out? What if we need you?" "It?ll be fine. You fought off monsters for months before I met you." "Yeah but,..." "Move it, meatball head. There isn?t time to argue." Still, I can?t help but feel guilty as I leave. I would go crazy if I had to stay behind when I might be needed. I know that she will. *** Mine is a thankless job. Long hours, low pay, and for what? Defending street punks and vagabonds who are guilty as charged. If only one of my clients was innocent, if I was able to help just one person... "Hey, Scott! I?ve got a new case for you." I take the files and flip through them . Nineteen year old Lita Kino, charged with the assault on Mina Anio. No criminal record, but she was expelled from several schools for fighting when she was younger. Lives alone. No alibi yet, and the DA has a good case coming along. Fingerprints, witnesses, the works. Poor girl won?t have a chance. Well, I might as well meet my client. I?ve got nothing better to do. She?s probably going to turn out as just another teen who slipped through the cracks. When I see her, however, I begin to think differently. Something about her makes me think that maybe, maybe, here is a girl who will be different. Six feet tall, not an ounce of fat on her lean frame. She looks like she works out, and can probably lift a lot more than her body weight. I sure wouldn?t want her to come after me in a dark alley, but I doubt she would unless I really deserved it. "Miss Kino, I?m Scott Alexander. I?ll be your attorney." "It?s nice to meet you, Mr. Alexander." Hmm, polite girl. She defiantly doesn?t strike me as the type to go off and attack someone. "Miss Kino.." "Please, call me Lita." "Lita, could you answer a few questions for me? I promise that everything we talk about will be absolutely confidential." "I?ll try." "Did you attack Mina Anio?" "No! Mina?s one of my best friends. We?re closer than sisters, and I would NEVER do anything to hurt her! I would rather die than see any of my friends hurt!" A bit melodramatic perhaps, but I sense that she?s telling the truth. "What were you doing the night she was attacked?" Suddenly the girl is silent. I wait as she seemingly struggles to answer my question. *** What was I doing when Mina was attacked? Oh, I was only hurling thunderbolts at a creature from another dimension, that?s all. Perfectly harmless. Same thing I do most nights. I can?t tell him that! I can?t tell him that I transform into an amizonian warrior who controls the storms of Jupiter, trained by a cat to protect the royal family of the Moon. Not only would I sound completely crazy, but it would endanger Serena and the others. No, I can?t tell the truth. I would rather die than hurt the princess, or any of my friends. Heck, I already have died twice to protect them. Living in this prison is no greater sacrifice. At least I?ll be able to know that they?re OK. No matter what it takes, I will never do anything to put the Sailor Scouts in danger. Even if I have to give up everything. To be continued... ____________________________________________________________ Ohhh......I wonder what's gonna happen? Wait, correction. I know what's gonna happen. YOU have to wait an ENTIRE WEEK to find out! he he he! I hope you liked it. The next part is written, but not proofread so I PROMISE it will be out next week. E-MAIL ME!!!!! I need inspiration! It comes in e-mail! You want more story, you gotta write too! Disclamer: Me no own Sailor Moon. Please no sue poor author. She "el broko" 'Till next time! --Adrian