Disclaimer: I didn't come up with Duncan MacLeod or the Sailor Scouts, and I have no right to use them. I just did. Robyn, Override (AKA Aetolus Endymionson) and Talon (the guy with the Nintendo) belong to some friends and I, them being us. Please do not use them without asking. There are two languages besides English spoken in this story, Japanese, which will be in Italics, and Atlantean, which will be underlined. Just so you don't get confused, this-> :right here.: means someone is thinking to themself. I also use Italics sometimes to emphasize words. Prologue: Seacouver The soothing sounds of the Pacific Ocean washed over the eight figures as they strolled down the beautiful Seacouver beach. The cool sea breeze whipped around them and, as the glow of the sunset bathed them in its golden-red light, they thought how refreshing a change it was from the action they had encountered in Colorado. The sun dropped below the horizon, and as it began to grow colder on the seashore, couples up and down the beach could be seen moving surreptitiously closer together. Ami and Override were no exception, as they strolled hand-in-hand down the beach next to Usagi and Mamoru. Mamoru had his arm around Usagi, and she was leaning into him for warmth as they came to a bonfire on the beach. There was no one nearby, and the group decided to warm themselves for a while. When they approached, Rei fell to her knees just at the perimeter of the fire's light, her eyes locked on the flames. "Rei, what's wrong?" Minako asked as she bent to help Rei to her feet. "Old hate. Old secrets. New love, Old hearts. Beware the enemy you think you know, for he is not what he seems," Rei's voice was not her own, as the future poured from her lips, "Remember, everyone has their secrets." Rei collapsed onto the sand, and her friends ran towards her. "What's wrong?? What happened?? Are you okay??" They chorused worriedly. "I-I don't know, everything just went blank. Did I say anything?" She asked as they propped her up near the fire. "Yeah, you said something about hate, and love and secrets and nothing being as it seems." "Wow, I've never had a vision just take over like that, but I've seen it happen to Grandpa. When a vision is that strong, it's usually very important, but I can't see why I had it now. We don't seem to be in any trouble." Rei was starting to regain her strength. "We should probably go back to our hotel and let you get some rest Rei," Override said from across the fire next to Ami. The air was getting chilly, and Ami stepped closer to Override and began to shiver. He noticed and put his arm around her, wrapping her in the folds of his coat. The group walked slowly back towards their hotel, looking in shop windows, and taking in the nighttime sights of the US as they went. Arriving back at their hotel, Minako looked at the bulletin board in the lobby. "Hey Ami," she said, "There's going to be a lecture on medieval history at the University tomorrow. Didn't you say you wanted to learn more about that type of stuff?" "Really? What time? I could go to that while you guys go shopping tomorrow." Ami exclaimed. "I'll go with you Ami, I enjoyed Medieval History when I was younger." Override said. "Could we come along?" Mamoru indicated himself and Usagi, "I'd really like to learn about those 'Knights in Shining Armour', and Western History and stuff." "Sure," Ami and Override chimed simultaneously, "we'd love to have you along." "Umm, I'm gonna pass guys," Robyn said, "I enjoyed medieval history, really, but I heard about this really neat antique shop over by the beach, and I'd like to check it out." "Ooh, shopping," Minako said, sounding a bit like Tim Taylor with a new electric drill. "Can I come?" "Sure, I hate going shopping alone. Hmm, let's see," Robyn leaned in and looked at the ad, "The lecture is about two hours long, so Minako and I could hit that store, and the mall, and pick you up at the University when the lecture is over." "Sounds like a plan," they got into the elevator, and headed for their rooms. Chapter One: Duncan A beautiful clear day dawned over the Pacific Ocean, as the group woke up for their first full day in Seacouver. The friends met in the lobby at about ten, and had a wonderful five-course brunch courtesy of the United States Government. Their meal was filling, and the group almost decided to sit by the hotel's indoor pool all day instead, but Override and Ami were adamant. "Well, we're going to the lecture. C'mon, don't you want to come Makoto?" Override asked, "There's supposed to be a lot of cute guys at the Seacouver University campus." "Cute guys? I'm there!" "Minako, are you still going shopping with me? The Orca mall is having a special sale. Every store is giving 50% off for their grand opening." "Sure," Minako said, practically drooling as she turned to the others, "Hey Rei, wanna come with us?" "Cool, I've always wanted to buy American fashions first hand." After breakfast, they all climbed into their black rental van, and headed towards the University. Robyn was at the wheel again simply because she was the only one with a driver's license that was valid in the US. They arrived with time to spare, and Robyn leaned out the window as Override, Ami, Usagi, Mamoru, and Makoto headed for the doors, "Override, if you get out early, call me on the cell phone, and I'll come and pick you up." "No problem Robyn, see you guys in a couple of hours." Override watched as Robyn, Minako and Rei drove off on their shopping spree, until the plain black van was out of sight. He turned to Ami, and took her hand as they walked into the crowded University. The campus was huge, and it took the group some time to find the lecture hall. When they finally did, all of them were afraid they had missed the beginning. Once they sat down however, they realised that the lecturer had not yet begun to speak. The lecturer was sitting cross-legged on the podium. When the last people had taken their seats, he stood. He was about thirty-five and fairly tall, with an athletic build, and long black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He was dressed simply, wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather vest. He scanned the room as he spoke, "I am Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, and I will be your teacher today. "Today I will be discussing the Crusades, and the problems that faced both sides. Feel free to ask questions any time, and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability." Makoto leaned back into her chair and whispered, "Wow, he is so much cuter than my last boyfriend," causing the others to groan. ~*~ The black van moved away from the University, merging with the traffic on the street. The three girls inside were trying to decide where to go first, "Well, let's flip a coin, okay?" Robyn said. "All right," Minako said, "Heads we go to the antique store, and tails we hit the mall." "Right, here," Rei said. Pulling a quarter out of her pocket, she tossed it into the air, and watched as flipped end over end. Rei held her hand out, and the coin landed in the exact center of her palm. "Well, what is it?" Robyn asked, never taking her eyes of the road. "It's...heads." was Minako's reply. Their vehicle pulled up outside of a small, grey building overlooking the ocean, and the three girls piled out. Rei looked up and read the name painted on the awning, " 'Bounty of the Highlands' What's a highland?" she asked, looking at Robyn. "They're in Scotland... umm, it's a place up in the mountains that has a lot of farmers and sheepherds. They're warriors too." "How good are they," Rei asked. "Well, the Romans thought they were pretty good fighters. They didn't even try to take it over, they just stopped their invasion at the edge of Scottish lands, and built a really big wall." "I thought that was in China." Minako asked innocently. Robyn looked at her sideways, "C'mon, let's go in and see what they've got." They entered to the sound of bells attached to the door. Rei had an all body shiver as she walked in, and Robyn looked over, "What's wrong?" "I do not know. Perhaps it was just a breeze, or... what is the Western saying?" "Someone walked over your grave?" Robyn was incredulous. "Yes, or..." she thought for a moment, "the uh... hebejebees, yes?" "Uh, okay." The store was filled with all sorts of beautiful and amazing pieces of ancient artwork. This was no hole-in-the-wall antique store, filled with everything from toaster-ovens to gingham tablecloths. The girls split up as soon as they walked in the door. Rei headed straight for a rack of rare weapons, Minako went for the Roman statuettes of Venus, and Robyn gravitated towards the jewellery case. "Hi, I'm Andrew. Can I help you?" asked a young surfer-type standing behind the counter. He had long, platinum blonde hair, that actually somehow managed to look natural. "No, I don't think so," Robyn said, looking at her two friends, as they wandered carefully through the store, looking at things that might have been made before their homeland on the moon was destroyed, "We're just looking around. She leaned on the case, and stared at the Egyptian burial necklaces, and the Incan jade earrings. They were amazing pieces, but her eyes were pulled to an exquisite example of Celtic silver work. It seemed to be a barrette, carved in a series of abstract geometric shapes. An astonishing pattern of loops and whorls surrounded the central figure of a simple, Celtic cross, carved so small as to be almost invisible to the naked eye. "It's beautiful," she breathed, "I've never seen anything like it. How much?" The two Senshi had come to peer over her shoulder, and were almost as awe-struck by the delicately carved barrette as Robyn was. "Umm, I'm sorry, but that piece isn't for sale." Andrew was apologetic, "It's part of the owner's private collection, and it's only here as part of the display. I'm not allowed to sell it. Perhaps I could interest you in a Ming vase instead?" "No thanks," Robyn's mind was made up, "I'd like to speak to the owner, and discuss it." "Uh, well, he's not here right now, but um, if you leave your phone number, I'll get him to call you. Are you sure you wouldn't like to look at some Ming vases?" "Don't listen to him," Rei whispered to Robyn in Japanese, "He'll just loose the number, and not tell his boss about it, I can tell. I bet he's on commission." Robyn nodded to Rei, and then spoke to the clerk, "Yes, I'm sure. Does the owner come in very often? I'd like to talk to him face-to-face." Andrew shook his head. Robyn turned back to the others, "Well, it looks to me like he's trying to rip off the boss by selling fakes, because the guy who told me about this place said the owner doesn't sell anything but the real stuff." She spoke in Japanese as well, attempting to improve her pronunciation. "Some of these are fakes?" Rei asked. "Yeah, those Ming vases certainly aren't Ming vases, and the spears over there are newer than Andrew's shirt." Robyn replied. "How can you tell?" "Will he be around any time this week?" She asked, turning back to the attentive Andrew. "It's possible he might be in this afternoon, but I'm not sure, my shift ends at noon." "Could I get his name and phone number then?" "I'm not allowed to give you his phone number, but his name is Duncan MacLeod." He was beginning to wonder what they were talking about. "All right," Robyn sighed, "Thank-you anyway Andrew. We'll try back this afternoon." The three girls turned and walked out of the store. Climbing back into the van, Robyn put it in gear, and the girls headed to the mall to get down to some serious shopping. The next two hours were every bit as hectic as their trip off planet only days ago. Rei walked through every clothing store in the entire mall, trying on a few dresses and outfits. Minako wandered into whatever stores caught her fancy, and Robyn just sort of followed along. She managed to deek into a bookstore and a music store while the others were trying on clothes, and came out of each with a couple of things. By the time they had to leave the mall, the two Senshi had a cartload of packages each, and Robyn was extremely glad they had a van to put it all in. Some of their stuff was tourist junk, and souvenirs for their friends back home, but the rest of it was clothes and American made products that were scarce in Japan. ~*~ The black van pulled up in front of the University just as the others were coming out the front doors, "Nice timing Robyn!" Override called as he got into the van. "Just lucky I guess," she said, laughing. They headed back towards their hotel, telling each other about their day: "...and the Moors had mares and..." "...and it was the only red one, and it fit perfectly..." "...then he showed us exactly how heavy the armour was..." "...I found the CD, and it's great! It's got Pipe Dreamz and Elwood and..." "...Mamoru asked him how long the war lasted..." All in all, everyone seemed to have enjoyed their morning immensely, but their new dilemma was what to do to fill their afternoon. There weren't very many suggestions, until Robyn was hit with an inspiration, "Let's go rollerblading!" The others agreed, and they all went to their rooms to change into more suitable clothing. When they met again in the lobby, Usagi was wearing her favourite pink and yellow T-shirt, and a pair of shorts. Rei and Minako were wearing clothes they had bought on their American shopping spree, Rei her new red skirt, and Minako a pair of plaid flannel pants and a white blouse. Makoto was wearing a green skating dress, and Ami had on a pair of blue-Jean cut-offs, and a blue T-shirt. Robyn was the only one to pay any attention to the shirt tied around her waist, one she could have sworn Override had been wearing just a couple of days ago. Override and Mamoru were both in jeans and T-shirts, and Robyn was wearing a green plaid kilt, and a green T-shirt. They found a place just across the street from their hotel that rented rollerblades, and they all helped each other tie up their skates. Makoto was, of course, a natural and took to rollerblading almost as well as she did to skating. Usagi fared a little better than she had at skating, and began to improve quickly. The rest had various luck, but eventually everyone got the hang of it. The group skated down the cement trail, built for just that reason, and had a wonderful time weaving their way between the other skaters. The two couples in the bunch made their way hand in hand, Mamoru helping Usagi when she stumbled, and Ami doing the same for Override. The three unattached girls skated back and forth, between the couples, and around the other skaters in their path. As they went down the sidewalk, Minako pointed, "Isn't that the little shop we went to this morning?" "Yeah," Rei said, "Robyn, isn't the owner supposed to be there about now?" "Hey," Robyn said, "Yeah, I think I'll go in and see. Maybe I can charm that barrette out of him." and with that, she rollerbladed into the door of the shop, followed closely by a curious Override. The others sat down on a bench outside, and bought ice-cream cones from a guy on the beach. ~*~ Duncan heard the soft sounds of the wind chimes over the door as someone entered the shop. Putting down the book he had been reading, he headed for the front room, pausing on his way to check for the distinctive sensation of a nearby immortal. The feeling he was looking for wasn't there, but there was a slight tingling feeling at the base of his skull, unlike anything he had experienced in his 400 years. :If I didn't know any better,: he thought laughingly to himself, :I'd say my Spider-Sense was tingling.: Entering the front of the shop, he saw there were two people. A dark-haired young man slowly rollerbladed through the shop, looking intently at each of the displays. The other person was leaning against the display case. She wore a short plaid skirt, a T-shirt, and rollerblades. She was leaning down, looking intently at something in the display case. Because of how she stood, her auburn hair fell, covering her face. Duncan walked silently, until he stood behind the counter, and said, "Excuse me, can I help you?" She looked up, and he was shocked by the delicacy of her features. Looking at her, one would think her a model, or if he had met her in his youth, a fine lady. The way she held herself however, told him that she had no need of the chivalrous protection of any knight. As she stood, her hair fell back from her face, and revealed upswept ears, from which dangled several silver earrings, most of them Celtic in design. She wore dark glasses, and Duncan wondered what colour her eyes were behind the smokey glass. He didn't have to wait long to find out however, as she removed them and looked him in the eyes. "I'd like to speak to Duncan MacLeod," she said, and her companion turned around sharply. Duncan recognised him immediately as one of the people at the lecture earlier that morning. Looking at her, he discovered that her eyes were a deep forest green. He also noticed that there was something odd about them, but he couldn't quite figure it out. "I'm Duncan," he said. "Oh," she said, "I was expecting someone older. Traditional names like Duncan aren't all that popular anymore." She might have gone on to say more, but her male companion tapped her on the shoulder, and said something to her in a language he didn't recognise, which was unusual in itself. Chapter Two: Old Hate "Robyn, your eyes." Override said in Atlantean, snapping her back to reality. "What about them?" she asked, reluctantly severing eye contact with Duncan, he was so...intriguing. "They're normal." "So?" "Normal for you, not for a human." "Oh," she gasped, and Override watched as they blurred and changed, the pupils becoming round like a human's. "How did you know?" Override said nothing, and nodded his head at the security camera in the corner above her head. He thought to himself that he had never seen her loose control of her shape like that, except once, when someone had almost killed a friend of hers. She had been so angry that she had shifted back into her natural shape. Robyn stuck her tongue out at her friend, and then turned back to the man behind the counter and took a better look. His dark hair was pulled back into a half-ponytail, and his white T-shirt did little to hide the firm chest underneath. Attempting to pull herself back together and keep her eyes from wandering ever downwards, she pointed at the jewellery case and asked, "How much would you like for the Celtic barrette?" "I'm sorry, the barrette isn't for sale miss, it's been in my family for almost four hundred years, and I couldn't bear to part with it." "Are you sure? I've never seen anything like it in any other collection. The artist must have died a rich man." He laughed sadly, as though at some private pain. "No, he was very poor, and... alone." "Wow, I cannot believe it..." Robyn's voice slowed to a halt, as Duncan's eyes grew distant and unfocused. Reaching slowly for the black trenchcoat that hung behind the counter, he walked towards the door. As he reached the door, Robyn and Override heard the voices of the Senshi, calling out: "Moon Hiro Power" "Mercury Hiro Power" "Venus Hiro Power" "Jupiter Hiro Power" "Mars Hiro Power" Override was the closest to the door, and dashed out, concerned primarily for Ami's safety. The Senshi would not transform in the middle of the street without reason. When he got outside, he saw the Senshi facing off against a tall pale man he recognised as one of Endymion's bodyguards from the time of the Moon Kingdom. "Kunsite," he breathed, and was almost pushed off his feet by the shopkeeper pushing his way through. Between the counter and the door, he had donned his trench, and had a hand hidden underneath the folds of the jacket. Override stepped forward, allowing the others to exit the store, but when Duncan made as if to join the fight, he yelled towards the girls, "INNOCENT BYSTANDER!" Turning, Mercury saw the man approaching the fight, and told Sailor Moon that they were going to have to take the fight to somewhere less crowded. Override started to follow, and then remembered the man. Turning to Robyn, he nodded towards Duncan, and said in Atlantean, "Keep him occupied." "Yes, my Liege," came the laughing but eager reply, and Override turned and followed after the Senshi, who were leading their opponent into an alleyway at the far end of the street. Duncan, still trying to follow, didn't make it very far however. ~*~ :I've got to help those girls,: Duncan thought to himself, :they have no idea what they're dealing with.: Setting out to follow them, he saw out of the corner of his eye, the woman that had been in his shop. She seemed to lose her balance, and she began to fall. :No matter how interesting she is, I can't stop to help her, those other girls are in trouble.: He was turning to chase after them when he was hit from behind as the woman fell and grabbed at him for support. The two fell and landed in a painful heap on the sidewalk. Still trying to intervene in the fight, he tried to extricate himself, but discovered that the wheels of her rollerblades had gotten caught up in the hem of his jacket. Duncan realised that he had no idea which way the group of fighters had gone; the outcome was out of his control. Shaking his head, he turned to the woman beside him, and saw that she was bleeding from a small cut over her eye. Looking down quickly, he discovered that his katana was just visible under his jacket, and he quickly rearranged it as he stood. He managed to liberate his jacket from her unruly inline skates, and once he was back on his feet, he held out a hand to the woman to help her up. "Just a sec," she said, and began untying her skates. When she finally did take his hand, she stood barefoot, with the skates in one hand. "C'mon, you'd better get back in your store, or you'll lose everything to looters." She indicated the open door of his antique shop. ~*~ "Kunsite!" Sailor Moon yelled as the chase entered a deserted back lot, "I don't know what your twisted plan is this time, but you won't get away with it Negatrash!" "AAARGHHH!!!!" Kunsite screamed incoherently from his place atop a streetlight, as an energy boomerang shot from his hands. "You won't stop me this time you stupid brats!" Sailor Moon barely managed to dodge the attack before another followed in its wake heading, not for her this time, but for her friends. Sailor Jupiter dodged and rolled, coming up on one knee as O'Neil had taught her. Kunsite's next boomerang passed harmlessly over her head, and from her kneeling position she launched an attack of her own. Her Jupiter Thunderclap Zap! was joined by Venus Love-Me Chain Encircle! The two attacks began to twist and meld, becoming one, double-teaming Kunsite. He however, knew how the Senshi worked, and already had an energy shield up, protecting him from the barrage and absorbing the energy. An energy beam shot out from Kunsite's hands, as he turned the girl's own power back on them. They dodged out of the way, but Sailor Venus was hit from behind by one of the returning boomerangs. Her arm hanging almost useless at her side, Venus was out of the fight for a while. Mercury took over for her, and keyed up her computer glasses, trying to find a chink in Kunsite's shield. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be one, but her glasses did pick up something. Running towards them full tilt, was Override in full armour. A message came up on her visor, 'Ami, all of you blast him at once. It might blow out his shield and give Sailor Moon a chance to dust him.' Changing the search parameters on her computer, she realised the message was right. All of the Senshi's powers together might cause Kunsite's shields to overload. Turning, Mercury saw that Mars had just finished a failed attack, and she yelled in English at her friends, hoping that their foe wouldn't understand. "All at once! It'll bring down his shield, and then we can dust him!" "1-2-3!" Jupiter Thunderclap Zap! Mars Celestial Fire Surround! Venus Love-Me Chain Encircle! Shine Aqua Illusion! The four Senshi, even the wounded Venus, managed to combine the full force of their power pouring it onto the dark sphere surrounding the smug nega-general. His smug expression was not to last long however, as the four attacks were absorbed by the shield. The shear amount of power caused the shield to heat up, and sweat poured from Kunsite's face, his eyes wide with fear and pain. The dark sphere erupted, causing energy to arc out from around Kunsite into the street-lamp he was standing on. The lamp exploded in a shower of glass and metal, and the arc shifted back to the now unprotected Kunsite. The absorbed power of the shield turned back on its captor in a magical feedback loop. He fell from his perch, landing heavily on his side. "Now Sailor Moon!" they all yelled, and sailor Moon pulled out her Moon Sceptre, preparing herself for the blast. "Moon Sceptre Halation!" she called, and blasted towards the fallen Kunsite. But the blast fell upon empty ground, for their fallen foe had taken their moment of preparation to disappear, running from the victorious Senshi. Next --> Main * Profiles * Fanfics * Creativity * Awards * Links/Rings