This is the third Act of the manga that started the "Sailor Moon" phenomenon. Naoko-san wrote this part of the story differently for the anime, so pay attention! Any notes that I make based on the text will be in this colour; these notes are just for clarification and speculation. Enjoy!
Introduction from Naoko
Here we go! You guys ready for another chapter of [a picture of a bunny] ? I hope everyone likes this story so far.
My friends at Mixx told me that many of you know Sailor Moon from TV. Did you guys know that this is the original story - the first one?! Even before the TV show! I really wanted to write a story with a sexy girl [another picture of a bunny], a good-looking guy, some romance, video games, and cute school uniforms. Of course Bunny is strong, too...We’ve got to be strong for our boys, right girls!
end of Introduction
In the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl is angry with Jadeite. "Jadeite, You have failed twice. Are you prepared for your fate?" she asks. Jadeite says "I...I’m truly sorry...". A man with dark, long wavy hair stands nearby. He says to Jadeite, "Your soldiers are lame. They can’t fight. Queen Beryl, leave it to me, warrior Nephrite! I will gather enough energy for our master...and capture the Silver Imperium Crystal!" Another man with light wavy hair says, "Those Sailor Scouts...Could they also be after the Imperium Crystal...? Queen Beryl, please tell us! What is the Silver Imperium Crystal...?" Queen Beryl replies, "The Imperium Crystal is the source of all energy...a stone with endless power! The one who controls it will rule the Universe! No one must get in the was of the Dark Kingdom! Warrior Jadeite! Set aside your search for now...You have one more chance to redeem yourself!" Jadeite vows to destroy the Sailor Scouts.
Near a fire, a girl with long dark hair is meditating. She thinks, "It’s upon us...I can feel it...Something evil is about to happen..." The girl is at Sendai Hill. She waves goodbye to her young friend Mimi, who calls the dark-haired girl "Raye". Mimi takes the six o’clock bus, and the driver is actually Jadeite.
Back at Crossroads Junior High (Bunny’s school), students are gossiping.
Girl 1: Hey! Ever heard of the ‘Phantom Bus’?
Girl 2: I have! You mean the Sendai Hill bus, right?
Girl 3: Is it true?!
Girl 1: They say that if you ride the 6:00 bus at Sendai Hill, you never come back! The driver’s a phantom!
Girl 2: Maybe it’s the devil’s bus!
Bunny is sleeping at her desk, with Luna beside her. Luna wakes Bunny up, and tells her that they have to have a strategy meeting with Amy after school. Bunny says she has to go take a nap after school. However, when Luna says that the meeting is at the arcade, Bunny quickly agrees to the meeting. Miss H comes into the room, and Luna jumps on her head. Miss H gets mad at Bunny for bringing at cat to school.
Bunny introduces herself: "My name is Bunny. I’m in 8th grade, and I love video games and sleeping. Recently I met Luna, this talking cat. So now I have to fight against evil." The scene cuts to Bunny and Amy in the arcade. "But! Amy, the Girl Genius at my school...She was also chosen to be a Sailor Scout... Now she’s Sailor Mercury! I’m psyched I’m not the only one anymore..."
Then Amy thinks, "I still can’t believe it...We’re Sailor Scouts"! We’ve got special powers. It still feels so new. I’m sure it will all make sense...soon." Amy then asks Luna, "Who is the ‘enemy?’ What is their motive? What’s next...?" Luna says, "We need to protect the princess and Silver Imperium Crystal." Luna stops talking and there’s a ‘twinkle twinkle’. Bunny, who’s not paying attention and is playing a video game, suddenly wins 2 prizes from the machine. The prizes are two watches. Luna snatches the watches from Bunny. Amy says, "Luna...Did you adjust the game machine...?" Luna only winks.
Amy then leaves the arcade because she has to go to cram school. Bunny takes the bus with her, after Amy tells Bunny about this beautiful priestess who also rides the bus. Amy points out Raye to Bunny, who is starstruck. Bunny follows Raye off the bus into the Sendai Temple. Suddenly, two crows begin attacking Bunny. Raye turns around, sensing an evil presence. She thinks, "I feel it! I sense an evil spirit...Is it a demon?!". She spies two crows attacking Bunny. "Where are you?! I won’t let you invade this sacred temple! Get out!" Raye hurls her sacred parchment at Bunny, saying "Akuryo Taisan!" [Note from the text]: Akuryo Taisan means "Evil Spirit, Begone!" The phrase is used to exorcise demons. The characters on the parchment say the same thing.] The parchment hits Bunny, who faints. Raye realizes her mistake and says, "I’m so sorry...Uh...Bunny? I made a mistake. I felt an evil spirit, but..." Raye begins to pet her crows. She says, "These crows normally don’t attack people..."
Raye turns around and sees Mimi’s mother praying. Raye learns that Mimi had been missing. She had taken the 6:00 Phantom bus, and never came back. Mimi’s mother’s friends begin to whisper about Raye. "That priestess isn’t even surprised! Well, Raye’s whole family is strange. They pray with weird chants and keep crows as pets! Some say they have ESP."
Luna thinks, "What a strangely powerful yet calm girl...Her elegant face...flowing movements...and a priestess...Could she be the...princess?!"
Raye begins to tell Bunny about the Phantom Bus. She says, "Sendai Hill is the top, where five roads meet. It’s a pretty unique place. But legend has it that there was one more phantom road...They say the 6:00 phantom bus disappears down that phantom sixth road...You know what that’s called? A Hell Heist. That’s what they call it now."
Back in the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite is capturing many girls who ride the bus. He plans to use them as bait to capture the Sailor Scouts, and also plans to offer the girls to the great master.
At Bunny’s school, the girls are gossiping again.
Girl 1 : Hey! Did you see the news? Another girl disappeared riding home on the bus!
Girl 2: That’s like the tenth one from First Jr. High missing!
Girl 1: It’s gotta be the 6:00 Phantom Bus!
Girl 3: They all vanished at Sendai Hill!
Girl 2: Are you serious? That’s too spooky!
Miss H interrupts the gossip. She says "Quiet! Lately there have been incidents of missing persons. You must all be very cautious."
Luna tells Bunny that they have to visit the Sendai Hill temple again and visit Raye. Bunny says, "It makes me think...Maybe Raye’s also a Sailor Scout. Or maybe she’s with the enemy..." Luna replies, "Wow, You sound like a true Scout!"
After school, Bunny and Luna are waiting for the bus. Bunny is freaked out. She says "If there’s trouble, it’s your fault, Luna!" Luna replies, "Don’t worry, it’s only 5:00. And I’ve got the remote to contact Amy." All of a sudden, Luna notices something. She begins to squirm in Bunny’s lap, and meowing. Bunny is confused, and says, "What?! Luna, what are you trying to say?!"
The guy who Bunny hit in the face with her test (in the previous Acts) is seated next to her. He’s wearing a suit and tie (his school uniform) and reading glasses. He’s staring at Bunny, and says "Yeah, Luna, go ahead an say it." [The picture is really really funny, with Bunny shocked, and Luna with a sweatdrop on her head.]
Bunny says, "Aggghhh! It’s you again!" The guy squints at her, saying, "Stop shrieking, Miss Pig-tails!" Bunny asks him why he’s on the bus, and the guy replies that he takes the bus to school. Bunny is kind of shocked that he’s a student. The guy shows him her Student ID. It says:
| Darien Shields |
| Azabu High School |
| 11th grade |
Bunny then asks him about the Phantom Bus. Darien turn to take off his reading glasses. Bunny notices his Darien’s profile, and her heart starts to beat. She thinks, "He looks just like my protector, Tuxedo Mask...". Bunny blushes, and turns away. Darien sees her profile, and in his imagination, sees Sailor Moon’s profile as well. Darien murmurs, "Champion of Justice." Bunny and Luna hear him, and are shocked. "WHAT?!" Bunny says. "Uh...nothing..." says Darien, turning away. Bunny and Luna get off the bus. Darien is still on the bus, and he has a flashback (from the previous Acts). He remembers how Luna said "I’ve got the remote to contact Amy", and also how the computer from Act 2 was trying to brainwash the students of Crystal Academy.
At Raye’s temple, Mimi’s mother is asking Raye to use her ESP to help find Mimi. Raye says "I can’t always controle when my ESP works...It’s better to leave it to the police." Mimi’s mother gets angry, and says, "Why don’t you be a sweet girl for once?! After all, we donate to this temple! With all those weird prayers you do, I wouldn’t be surprised if you made Mimi disappear!" Raye gets angry, and yells, "Go...Go home!"
Raye turns around, and sees Bunny and Luna watching her. Raye leaves. Bunny says to Luna, "Poor Raye...it’s not her fault...I don’t understand the enemy’s goal. If this is the enemy, why aren’t they searching for the Silver Imperium Crystal? The enemy also wants the Silver Imperium Crystal?" Luna says, "That’s right."
Raye is at the fire. She has a vision of Jadeite fighting with Bunny. The scene cuts back to Bunny. She hears a voice, but doesn’t see the owner. It says, "Bunny, don’t forget! You must never let the enemy get the Silver Imperium Crystal." The voice belongs to Tuxedo Mask, hidden behind a wall.
The scene cuts to Raye, who is thinking, "I’ve got a bad feeling...Bunny’s in danger!" Raye then heads off, looking for Bunny. She sees the 6:00 bus, and sees that the driver was the guy in her vision (Jadeite). Suddenly, Raye’s climbs the bus. She thinks "The bus driver...I saw him through ESP...My feet...are going on their own..." Jadeite says "Come on...Get on the bus! This bus will take you to our castle..."
Bunny and Luna are near the temple. It’s 6 o’clock, and Bunny sees a bus driving down the street, with a blank sign. Bunny sees an unconscious Raye on the bus. She then sees the bus disappear through a wall. Bunny says, "That’s the Phantom Bus! I’ve gotta help Raye!" Bunny uses the transforming pen. "MOON POWER!" Bunny transforms into a bus attendant, common in Japan. She’s wearing a cute dark uniform, and her buns have lost their pigtails. Bunny jumps on the bus that is driving into an abyss, with Luna clinging on to her leg. Luna falls off, and is caught by Tuxedo Mask. They fade into the distance. Bunny is terrified because she’s all alone.
Back near Sendai Hill, Tuxedo Mask is thinking "She [Bunny] transformed before my very eyes! Who is she...?!" Luna jumps out of Tuxedo Mask’s grasp. Luna contacts Amy, and they try to locate Bunny (by the watch remote) from Amy’s computer. Bunny’s signal jumps off the computer screen [don’t know how that works...], indicating that Bunny is headed down. Amy tries to contact Bunny. She says, "Bunny?! Is that you?! Where are you?!" Bunny replies, "Amy?! Help! The bus warped...! There’s a stone castle...! I fell from the bus! Luna, what should I..." Bunny begins to sniff. Luna says, "Bunny, transform! You’ve got to help them!"
Jadeite is looking at the unconscious Raye. "How pretty. She’s something special...this girl," he says.
Amy then decides to warp to where Bunny is, using the energy when she transforms into Sailor Mercury. Luna hands her two transformation pens. Amy transforms, and so does Bunny. (Sailor Moon keeps her face mask on this time). Sailor Moon is overjoyed when Sailor Mercury appears.
Jadeite, holding Raye by the neck, sees them. Sailor Moon says, "Let Raye go! I won’t let you kidnap innocent kids!! On behalf of the moon, you’re punished!" Raye wakes up, and recognizes Sailor Moon’s voice. Mercury uses her fog, but Jadeite freezes it. Sailor Moon begins to cry, because she can’t beat the enemy. Luna, on the remote, warns her not to cry, otherwise her shrieks may disrupt the balance. Sailor Moon then uses the "Moon Frisbee", but Jadeite catches it. "What a joke!" he says. Then the Moon Frisbee surrounds him, and traps Jadeite. However, he still delivers a blast to Sailor Moon and Mercury. Raye is shocked. Luna says to Mercury over the computer, "Amy! Use the pen I gave you!" Mercury throws the pen to Raye.
A picture of Raye with the symbol of Mars on her forehead is shown. The pen begins to glow. Moon and Mercury are shocked. Raye’s crows [don’t know where they came from...] begin to flap their wings. "Raye?!" asks Sailor Moon.
Raye is wearing a sailor suit, with a jewel on her belt. "Get him, guys!" she says. She then hurls a fireball at Jadeite, saying "AKU RYO TAI SAN!!" The fireball dissolves Jadeite, and he is destroyed. Mercury and Moon are shocked. Luna, from the remote, says, "Oh no! The flames are causing a tremor! Get out! Bunny, gather everyone!" The scouts and all the missing girls leave the space. The missing girls wake up.
Raye is on the street. She says, "What are these clothes...?! Why am I...?" Luna comes up and says, "Raye! You use fire as your power...Protected by Mars...SAILOR MARS! You’re a Sailor Scout!" Sailor Mars says, "Me?!" Moon and Mercury welcome Raye to their team. Raye thinks, "I’m Sailor Mars...You mean my special powers...are because I’m a Scout?!"
In the Dark Kingdom, Nephrite vows revenge for Jadeite. He says, "On behalf of warrior Jadeite...I won’t let them get away with this!"
End of Act 3Notes from Naoko
This chapter of SM is all about a very special Scout, the beautiful Raye. Raye is a priestess and grew up in the temple at Sendai Hill. Since she’s a Japanese priestess, she knows lots of special chants and prayers. In Japanese, a young priestess like Raye is called a "Mika". One of the commands she uses is "Aku Ryo Tai San." In English, the command would mean "Retreat, Evil Spirit!" or something like that, but since Raye’s a priestess of course she chants in Japanese! By the way, did u know I wrote this chapter different for the anime TV show than for this motionless version? That’s right! See if u can figure out the differences...You’ll notice that I made a lot of things different between the two! My favorite part of Raye is her Sailor Mars high-heels! And I love this new intercom that Amy uses...isn’t she stylish?! [There's a picture of Mercury wearing a cute intercom.]
end of Notes from Naoko
| Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 | Act 4 | Act 5 | Act 6 | Act 7 | Act 8 | Act 9 | Act 10 | Act 11a | Act 11b | Act 12 |
