Wednesday, August 2, 2006

   CHAPTER

Author’s Note

ImperialGuardian: All right! Enough with the suspense! And no more ruined blouses! Raye, you can tell everyone about your problem! Just leave me and my clothes out of it!

Raye: (smirk) Glad you could finally see things my way. So everyone, I must tell you that I—

ImperialGuardian: Now you must know that I don’t own Sailor Moon or Tales of Symphonia. Let the chapter do the talking Raye! Enjoy!

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LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING
Chapter 7: Exposed

Shopping was much stranger than she thought it would be. Serena watched the shop owner pull out a list, as Lloyd ran down it.

“Palma Potion 1000x1. Are you sure? … Bought Palma Potion.”

She looked around trying to figure out where the voice came from, but the group was quickly leaving, so she was forced to chase after them.

“Can I see it?” Serena asked, as Raine sighed and handed her the bottle.

“You’ve never seen Palma Potion before?” Raine asked, amused, as Serena nodded.

“So we finally got Palma Potion,” Serena said, holding the bottle as she looked at its lilac contents. “You know, it looks kinda like grape juice.”

“Huh?” Lloyd asked, as Serena smiled, handing it to him.

“Have no clue why they’d sell it at a winery though!” Serena said brightly. “Anyhow, where is that group of—oh, they haven’t moved?”

“It looks like they were going to ambush us if we attempted to leave without repaying them,” Kratos noted.

“It’s not like we were going to. What reason do they have to be so suspicious?” Raine asked.

“Someone once told me that a guilty conscience suspects everything,” Serena recited, as the group stared at her. “What?”

“That was oddly intelligent, considering your most recent behavior,” Kratos said.

“Yes, I agree,” Raine noted.

“Why are you two ganging up on me?” Serena whined. “I can be smart when I wanna!”

“That was over fast,” Genis said.

The group walked up to the group of four, as Lloyd handed them the Palma Potion.

“Gave them Palma Potion.”

“That voice again,” Serena thought.

“Thanks for wasting our time,” the man with the swords proclaimed, as the Creepy Four, as I will dub them, went on their way.

“You’re welcome!” Colette called after them. The group looked back at her.

“Colette, he was being rude,” Raine explained.

“I’m sorry!” Colette said. “I’ll try to listen more carefully next time.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that,” Lloyd said to her.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Colette replied, as Serena couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s all right Colette. So now that we’ve paid back the creeps, what’s next?”

“We were here to get a book from the Church of Martel that will show us the location of the next seal,” Genis explained.

“I’m guessing the church is that building over there with the steeple on it,” Serena said, pointing.

“Must be! Let’s go!” Lloyd said, as the group started to move back across the bridge and back towards a town square (that looked way more like a circle) up ahead.

“So Serena, did you have churches in your world?” Colette asked. Serena smiled.

“Yeah, we had plenty of them in some places, and in other places there are temples, and even in other places they don’t have anything at all!”

“Wow,” Colette said.

“Some churches were so big that they could cover the size of two ships!” Serena explained.

“Are you sure you’re not exaggerating?” Kratos asked.

“I might be, but not by much!” Serena replied…

---

It could only be described as enormous, this city known as Meltokio. There was everything that Darien could imagine there to be. It was amazing. Ahead of him Zelos was walking up a grand stairwell that seemed to lead further into the city. Not too interested in being left behind, Darien began to follow. But as he followed, he noticed that even though there were people, all of them seemed—unrealistic. They didn’t talk to one another, and they all seemed to move around in circles.

“Where am I?” Darien wondered.

“Meltokio my man!” Zelos replied with a smirk. Darien noted that Zelos was the ONLY one who seemed to move and act normally. What was going on? “Hello my sweet hunnies!”

But instead of rushing to Zelos, they ran to the man who was still ascending the stairs.

“Hey there!” one said.

“Are you new here?”

“He’s pretty hot too.”

“What’s your name?”

“My hunnies,” Zelos whimpered. Darien sighed.

“Darien, but,” Darien started.

“OOHH!” they squealed. “He’s got a cute name too!”

“Hi handsome, my name’s Lulu!” one girl proclaimed, as they started to smother him.

“I’m Maria!”

“Leanne!”

“Ladies!” Darien cried. “I’m engaged!”

“Aww,” they whined. “Can’t you call it off?”

“No,” Darien said, moving away from them. He stepped to Zelos. “You can have them.”

“Harsh,” Zelos said quietly. “If this girl is worth the wait, she must be one voluptuous—”

Zelos didn’t get a chance to finish as Darien pulled him close.

“Don’t you DARE mock Serena.”

“Touchy,” Zelos said, moving back. “Apparently, she IS worth the wait. Don’t worry man, I’ll leave her be. Who couldn’t with so many gorgeous hunnies around?”

“Oh Master Zelos!” the girls swooned.

“I’m in hell,” Darien whispered. “Who IS this guy…?”

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Two transformed Sailor Scouts were in their cell, plotting mani—I mean, attempting an escape.

“All right,” Sailor Mercury said, looking at cell bars with her visor and mini-computer. “There must be a weak point somewhere in this barrier.”

“Let me try shooting first,” Sailor Venus said brightly.

“VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!”

The attack struck the edge of the cell, as the number 100 suddenly appeared on Sailor Mercury’s visor.

“What the?” she wondered. The cell did nothing in response. “Do it again Venus.”

“All right,” Sailor Venus said, as another Love and Beauty Shock crashed into the cell wall. The same number showed up on Sailor Mercury’s visor. Suddenly, her computer beeped, as two numbers showed up on it.

“199800/200000?” Sailor Mercury wondered. “Do it one more time.”

“This is the last one,” Sailor Venus announced.

“VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!”

There was a 100 on her visor, and the first number on her computer changed.

“199,700 of 200,000!” Sailor Mercury exclaimed, understanding. “It’s like a video game, when you hit something and it loses life points!”

“Hold on, you mean like we’re INSIDE of a video game?” Sailor Venus asked.

“Yes,” Sailor Mercury replied. Then it hit her, what she was saying. Horror crossed her face.

“You wondered why you couldn’t hack into the computer system. Maybe there is nothing to hack,” Sailor Venus replied, sitting down. “And the reason you can’t get a signal is because we are bound inside of a game cartridge or something, and the signal can’t travel beyond the game.”

“That can’t be right. How did someone digitize us without us knowing?” Sailor Mercury said, slumping to the floor.

“I don’t know,” Sailor Venus replied, as they once again looked out at the world beyond the cell…

---

Raye wore a scarf as she stepped outside into the sunny weather.

“Raye!” a voice called. She turned to see Rini and Hotaru coming her way.

“Raye!” Hotaru shouted and waved. Raye waved back, but then felt the presence. Her body went stiff, her eyes went fierce, and she looked like she wanted to kill. Rini and Hotaru halted as a blue-haired man emerged from the shadows before Raye.

“Yu—” Raye started, but was cut off by the man pulling her dangerously close.

“How did you like my present Ms. Hino? I’m sure you’ve noticed it by now.”

“Bastard, what did you do to me?” Raye scowled, as Rini and Hotaru pulled closer, trying to listen in.

“It’ll become more present with time. I’d rather not spoil the fun. However, if I had a say in your fate, I would have avoided this.”

“What do you mean if you had a say?” Raye whispered, enraged that he so easily held her hands down.

“You shall find out in time. I would advise that you take a long trip, and I don’t mean with your friends,” the blue-haired man said, pulling himself away, taking her scarf with him. “Until the next time Ms. Hino.”

Raye was dumbstruck as the blue-haired man vanished, and Rini and Hotaru ran to her side.

“Raye, who was th—” Rini started.

“Raye! What’s that around your neck?” Hotaru cried, pointing to the giant red crystal adorned at the line where chest and neck meet...

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Look at me! I can twirl a cane! WHEE!
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