{Ack! It's those NEW Ninx's world brackets again!} Hello! Hola! How be ya'll? Good, I hope. *grins* Well, enough of the formality, now its time to get down to business, right? After all, I just recovered my authority.. *tosses a glare toward Zoi and Kunz, who suddenly form large sweat drops that dwarf most of their face* ...so I'm going to exercise it by *pause, authority sound effect hooked up on the mike* ADDING A STORY TO THE LINE! Whew! That was fun! *grins again* Okay, okay, I'm done showing off. What this story is isn't what you think it is. It's actually a form of Author's Notes for "Air On a Cosmic String" (abbreviation: AOaCS), because I'm trying to avoid any irate mail. DISCLAIMERS: A) I don't own Sailor Moon. It belongs to Naoko, DiC, and a bunch of other people I can NEVER remember, or, worse, can't spell to save my life. B) These events may or may not have happened in the author's den. You never know--dem Senshi can be sneaky. C) These probably should be treated as exotic Author's Notes. D) Or a story, depending on your point of view. E) Anyways, it shouldn't be long. Send all comments/complaints/flames *cringe* to jkc1984@niia.net. If you want to find me and flame me on ICQ, here's my nickname: Lady Ariae. *smile* Or is it Rachel Katz? Hmmm...only those with constructive criticism may inquire. Onto it then! THE FOUR LOVERS CAST MEETING I slammed my fist down on the table, and turned away as the opening theme for Sailor Stars crooned at me from the speakers. I thought as I stared contemptuously at the screen. I'd gotten my bit of author's stuff up, as well as the lyric to begin part one--AOaCS HAD to be written in parts, 'cause it wouldn't work any other way--but beyond that...nada. my mind gently reminded me, and was rewarded with an open sneer. I thundered back, then sighed. "Problems, Ninx?" I swiveled in the chair and gaped. "Sailor...Sets...PLUTO!" "Yes?" asked the Senshi. She resealed the hole in the closet she'd made, set the Time Key against the bookshelf, and sat down in the chair across from her. For a moment, I continued to gape, then I reached out and gave her a massive hug. "It's been way too long between visits, Madam Time Senshi," I said with a huge smile. "And what are you doing here anyways!?" "I thought I'd drop in and see how you were doing," she said. "After all, you're on 'Air..' now, and I happen to know that..." "SHUSH!" I cut her off. "I have a feeling you were going to give away a Spoiler, and you never know what fans are lurking about." I glanced around furtively to underline my point. "You have FANS lurking about?" Sailor Pluto asked pointedly, flipping her hair back and forth. "Let me braid that." "You have a tie?" "As always." As the woman swiveled around and I began to partition her hair, I replied, "Well, I don't know about them lurking about--but they are resourceful. Especially since most of them are writers, and can punch into this universe." (Jade and Kismet, who are hiding in the corner, silently retreat.) "Que si hablamos en espa~ol?" "No, no. Tengo aficionados que pueden hablar espa~ol." (Hola Connie, Alys! Lo siento sobre mi mala gramatica!) "So, how are you doing on 'Air..'," Sets asked. "Ummm...you don't want to know." "That bad, eh?" I let out a sigh in reply, frustrated. "I just can't get it off the ground! A voice in my head keeps yelling at me about how dark it's going to be, and how people are going to right me long letters about how much of a pervert I am, and Lianne's going to hit me with her...am I rambling?" My fingers instinctively tightened the braiding. "Yes." I grinned. "I'm allowed, am I not? The point is, I don't know what to do." "So why not hold a Cast Meeting?" I stopped, and peered around the braid to try and catch Pluto's eye. "Are you serious?" "You have me right here, and I can fetch anyone you want," she replied simply, still facing ahead. "Really," I muttered, going back to braiding her hair. I was beginning to run out. "Wouldn't that interfere with that whole continuum/time line thing that you're obsessed with protecting?" "Not at all," she replied with a chuckle. I tied off her braid and let her loose, and she turned back and began to tick off reasons on her slim, anime style fingers. "First off, you're just introducing character traits and such, which the characters will automatically have, so no biggee. Second off, the only problems would be caused by Usagi and Mamoru..." "Darien and Serena," I interrupted. "You just like to mix it up, don't you?" she tossed back. "You said you LIKED the partial crossover, Setsuna. But I can always take that..." and she stopped me. "Conniving little thing, aren't you?" she said, and I nodded. "All right. So you separate," here she swallowed, "Darien and Serena. The rest should probably be at LEAST introduced, considering what your going to do to them." "How'd you find out the plot?" She grinned. "I found your outline on the dresser. You shouldn't leave those things lying around for characters to find, Ninx." I rolled my eyes. "Lastly, you live with the Generals. How would that disturb the plot?" "They hear me mumbling about it enough," I said with a faint blush. Yes, they lived with me; no, it was not one of those "situations." It was temporary, until I got rid of them in...ACK! Almost gave out another SPOILER! "And what about the villains?" "You need to brief the villains?" "Well, I just thought..." "Never mind. Go round up your Generals. I'll see to getting some Senshi." I nodded, then jogged out the door. Skillfully I navigated the corridors of the modestly huge house that I lived in (after all, it holds a UNIVERSE) until I got to the intercom. There, I paged the Generals with these words: "GENERALS ASSEMBLE, OR NINX WILL SERIOUSLY DELAY THE START OF ANY SENSHI RELATIONSHIP UNTIL, OH, THE LAST CHAPTER!" Within minutes they appeared near me, and I smiled cheerfully. "Sets and I have called a Cast Meeting for 'Air..'," I said. "S...S...Sailor Pluto?" Zoicite asked. "The one that's involved with..." started Nephrite, but immediately Kunzite and Jadeite SHUSHED him loudly so that he jumped and gave them angry looks. "Time's a wasting," I said, and zipped back towards the den, the four of them floating after me. When I arrived, Sets was leaning back in my chair, eyes closed. "Hey!" I said. "That's MY chair." She cracked an eye to say, "It's easier for me to concentrate here. The strength of your writer's aura is a great boost." The Generals and I exchanged incredulous looks. Sets is one of my favorite Senshi (and one of theirs, too--don't ask how I know), but that was a WAY lame excuse for stealing my chair. "While we're waiting," I said, sitting in the now unoccupied swivel not-so-comfortable chair, "I can drill you." The four looked keen on passing out; they knew what I meant by drilling. "AOaCS." "Air On a Cosmic String," they replied dutifully. "KiT." "Keep in Touch." "TMB." "The Mysterious Business." "ISC." "Illusive/Illusion/Imperial/Imperium Silver Crystal." "What are you doing to them?" Setsuna leaned over to ask. "Drilling them on acronyms that might end up in the story," I whispered back. "Setsuna, she's such a cruel taskmaster," whined Nephrite. "Silence!" I roared back. "CMK!" He started to reply, but then Kunzite politely interrupted with, "I don't think you want to give that away." "SPOILER, eh? Thank you, Kunzite," I said, smiling. "Feel free to sit out the rest." "Not fair!" came a chorus of voice, mostly led by the aforementioned Nephrite. Now, don't get me wrong; Nephie is one of my favorite Generals. However, he does have a tendency to act petulant... "You're playing favorites!" he protested. "Yea! You've always liked Kunzite best!" said Zoicite. "Probably because he listens, he's always polite, he never whines, and he usually cleans up after himself," I fired back. "Plus he's cute," Pluto said. "That too," I admitted. He beamed. "I still think you're..." but Pluto cut him off by saying, "I'm bringing them through." "Who?" Jadeite asked. "The Senshi." All four immediately went silent as the green portal where I once had a closet began to shimmer. Soon, figures appeared outlined, and I could hear intakes of breath from the four men. After a whole story of waiting, they'd get their first glimpse at their real live women. Well, not quite. Out of the portal stepped Haruka (in shades!) and Michiru, looking, respectively, spiffy and elegant as always. "Um, Pluto," I said, and she frowned. "I didn't mean to bring them through," she replied. "We know," Haruka said. "We heard about it, and decided to pay a visit." (S)He removed the shades, and eyed us coolly. "Good day, Haruka, Michiru," I said as politely as I could muster. "Good day, Ninx," Michiru replied. "Actually, we'd like to observe, perhaps to figure out why we've never shown up in your stories." "There's room over by the Generals," I started, then, "Hey! You do show up!" "Yea, in the last one," Haruka replied. "Isn't that a SPOILER?" Kunzite asked. "Nah," I replied. "Just as long as (s)he doesn't mention where (s)he shows up at." "How do you say that with the "s" in parenthesis?" Nephrite asked. "Nephie, you're really getting on my nerves." "Sorry, Ninx," he said sarcastically, and I growled. "NINX CHARACTER..." "No wait! I'll be good!" he said. "ELIMINATION!" I finished, sweeping around a glow of purple energy at him. A thin circle of purple appeared around him; then, a starburst washed in, and he disappeared. Immediately the house rocked. "Bring him back, Ninx," Pluto said. "That WILL disturb the time line, and you know how I feel about that." "NINX CHARACTER REINTEGRATION!" I said, and the power reversed itself, bringing back a semi-shaken Nephrite. "I'll be good!" he said. "All right, Nephie," I replied. Smiling, I added, "Can't live without you anyways." "Here they come!" Pluto announced, and again the green portal (where once was my closet door) appeared, figures shadowing it. Swiftly, four young Senshi woman in their usual Senshi outfits appeared in the room, looking around. "Whoa," Jupiter said. "They're so DREAMY." "They look like...they're from the NEGAVERSE!" Mars shouted. "MARS FIRE..." "Hold, Mars!" I yelled, and I noticed each Outer revving up an attack to counteract Raye's. "Huh? Ninx? Hey, WHERE are we?" aborting the attack to stare blankly at me. Immediately Mercury's computer came out. "According to these readings," she replied, tapping at the tiny blue device, "we're inside another universe." "That would be the 'Ninx's World' one, dear," I said. "And it appears that we're in some kind of...den, I think, in a HUGE house," she added, playing with her visor. "I never knew how sexy computers could be," Zoicite whispered. "Stop drooling, Zoi," I whispered back, then said, "Yo! Senshi! Peace! Take me to your leader!" Venus appeared, the bright light shining upon her for a moment as she said, "I'm Sailor Venus, and if you're going to mess with my friends, you'd better beware!" "Whoa," Kunzite said. "Calm down," I whispered to all four of them. Then, to the Senshi, "Ladies, welcome to my...uh, dimension?" I checked with Sailor Pluto, and she nodded. "I've brought you to discuss some of the events that will be happening in 'Air.'" I gestured to the four young men, who all looked like they'd just experienced some kind of shock. I hid my grin as I announced, "Sailor Senshi, met Endymion's Generals." "Pleasure," Jupiter said, and Nephrite immediately stood. He took her hand, and smiled his most charming smile at her, then said, "The pleasure is mine." She turned sort of pale, with a red blush slashing at her upper cheek, and I sighed. Love filled the room, and it was a WONDERFUL thing. Well, except for the fact that I thought ANY second I was going to have a puddle of Lita on the floor (Neph's charm can do that sometimes), but otherwise...'twas bien. The other three Generals stood as well, and I noted that Kunzite was the first to introduce himself to all four of them. Then, to Venus, he said, "My lady, good to see you well." "Ummm...yes," she replied, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Oh, this is SO cute," Michiru said, leaning on Haruka. "Yea," Haruka breathed. "You know, you could cut this down a page or two if you cut out these introductions," Sailor Pluto whispered to me. "I know, I know. But I can't help it...it's so NICE to see people in love," I whispered back. "Besides, it's a recoup for Valentine's Day. I couldn't turn out a story to save my life about that." She nodded, and sat back to watch Jadeite and Raye come in contact with each other. He seemed so pale as about to faint, and we all knew Mars's confusion/anger...but as soon as they touched they turned to each other, and Raye went pale as color flooded his cheeks. They smiled at each other, gently, before moving on. Ami was still examining the room with her visor and computer when Zoi approached her. He hung back a minute, eyes bright but cheeks pale, before gently saying, "Sailor Mercury?" She looked up, and her visor disappeared. I swore she was going to drop her computer. "Lord Zoicite," she whispered back, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "It's nice to...see you...again, Lady." "You as well," she replied, voice quieter than still water. The scenes in the room were LOVELY, especially for me and my barren love life, but I felt it was time to get down to business. "All right, everyone, break it up!" I called. "Sit down and shutup--this has to be quick." The men turned reluctantly and curtly nodded at me, and the ladies dragged themselves to sit down. They still sat in clusters by type, but glances flew across the room. "All right, let's talk about changes," I said. "Inner Senshi first." I turned and fished out something, keeping it close to my hand. "Mina Aino, you're first." I tossed the something, and she reached out and caught it with ease. Opening it up, her eyes widened, and she said quietly, "I'm going to smoke?" "It fits," I said, avoiding her eyes. This had been something I'd wrestled with. "But...but that could influence young children! Or middle aged children! Ninx!" Kunzite cried out, indignant. "I know, I know. This is why you eight are going to, in unison, do a Sailor Moon Says." I paused. "Well, in spirit. Ready?" They all nodded, and I tapped the keys. "SMOKING IS BAD FOR YOU. IT CAUSES ARTERIAL AND LUNG DAMAGE, AND HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO CAUSE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS, EMPHYSEMA, CANCERS, AND VARIOUS OTHER NASTY DISEASES. SO DON'T DO IT! SAILOR MOON SAYS!" Raye even affected the ditzy giggle fairly well. "Everyone feel better?" I asked, and they nodded again, even Haruka and Michiru and Setsuna. "Good. Next thing on the agenda: you have no parents." She seemed confused. "Did I ever have parents?" she asked dryly. "According to several things I've read/seen, yes, you had at least a mother. Well, now you don't." I checked over my script again, then added, "Done with you. No, wait! Almost done. You're the Leader of the Senshi, and you LIKE it. Lita!" Sailor Jupiter eyed me, then asked, "Am I going to do illegal drugs?" "No, that's Ambrosia's market," I said, grinning. "I just have to review some stuff. You're name is Lita Kino, you're an orphan with your own apartment, you have a steady job that is steadily making you well known at a restaurant fanfic close to your home, and you and Mina are excellent friends. Got it?" "Well, everything except the fanfic close part," she admitted. I shrugged. "Only in fan fiction would this restaurant be close to your home." I checked the script. "Amy Mizuno!" "My last name is Anderson," she said. "Not with me, Lady Mercury," I replied steadily. "I'm trying to balance the dub with the anime with the manga here, and names help." "Oh," she said, understanding. "All right, what's changed about you....well, look at that! Nearly nothing, except your fighting style. More daring and dangerous." "That doesn't sound like me," she said. "Exactly why I'm mentioning it here," I replied. She blinked, then said, "I'm sorry, I'm slow today." I grinned. "No problem, chica. Happens to everyone. All right, Raye Hino, you're last." She stood, and glared at me defiantly. "So, what have you done to me?" "Nothing that will piss you off too much," I shot back. "Chad's gone." "Finally." "Not so fast, fuega! This affected you more than you let know. Also, although they went lax for awhile, your extra abilities are back with a vengeance. You and Amy are good friends, and both of you despise Darien. Lastly, Venus has kicked your butt one too many times for you to even think of being anything but second. Gotcha?" She looked like she about to try and kill me, but finally she murmured, "Gotcha." "All right then," I said. "Group warnings, of which there is one: Never give up." I shot a look at the Generals as well. "That applies to you four, too." "Time to go back," Setsuna said, as if reading my mind. The Time Staff flared, and the green portal re-opened. The four Senshi walked through it, and back to their lives; this would be nothing but a dream for them. my mind quipped. "Can we leave too, Ninx?" Jade asked, his face strangely settled. "In a minute," I said. "I need to know what ya'll want for dinner." It was my turn to cook, after all. "Surprise us," Kunzite replied, offering me a smile, and then the four of them flashed out. "Well, it's been a time, but we have to go," Haruka said as (s)he helped up Michiru. "Thank you for stopping by. Frankly, I'm flattered to have been able to entertain the three of you at all," I replied. "Now, don't flatter us," Michiru said, smiling softly. "Haruka?" Sets opened the hole once again, and the two of them daintily stepped through it. As soon as she closed it, she channeled another hole open, a purple one, and out stepped my villains, two females and two males. Three (the two women and one of the men) were quite underdressed, cleavage and buff chests showing for the world to see. "Nice clothes," I said dryly. "You like?" asked one. "No. This isn't a comic book," I replied, voice slightly harsh. "But in the cartoon, they always..." started the male, but I cut him off with shake of the head. "This is my show, you three. I'm glad I called you in here--if this had shown up in the story, I would've been severely pissed off," I said harshly. They nodded, and stood back. My last villain clapped softly, his smooth voice saying, "Very nice. Very controlling. Wonderful work, Ninx." "I have enough practice," I replied. "So, why are we here?" "Well, to go over some minor details. You three are darkforce users, and that needs a little explaining." "It's a substance that looks like tar that can be used to pull energy, transfer energy, and can be formed into various shapes," he spouted off, and Sets' eyebrows raised. "Correct," I said. "And besides that...and your clothes...I guess there's nothing more. Well, except for your story. Have you gotten all the details down?" They all nodded. "Dismissed, then." Once they were gone, I turned to Sets. She had unbraided her hair slightly, and I undid the rest of it. "You think Serena and Darien can manage on their own?" "I think all of them could've," she replied. I grinned. "Too bad you aren't writing this, then," I said softly. Her hair loose, she stood, and suddenly Sailor Pluto was back in my presence again. I stood and gave a slight bow, saying, "It's been a pleasure to see you again, Sailor Pluto." "The same here," she replied with a smile. "Take care of yourself, Ninx." "Always do," I replied, and she opened the last portal, and vanished. I sighed and turned back to the computer to begin type the opening words to AOaCS. "It struck without warning, without thought, unprovoked...." ---------------------------------------------- *grinning* I don't care if you thought it unnecessary, it works for me! See ya next week!