The Gravity of Love
Disclaimer: The characters of this story belong to Naoko Takeuchi, but the main plot is my property including any OC found here.
I would like to state that no profit is made out of this, therefore do not sue.
A/N: To those who know everything about the complete series, and I mean EVERYTHING, please bear with me if there are any mistakes with names, time-lines or evenhenshin and Senshi attacks. I am open to any corrections and suggestions for the plot any time through my e-mail address, which will be posted below or through reviews, which I love receiving.
On with the effing story!
Please note: all names, places and Senshi attacks will be in their original Japanese form, and any Japanese word/name will be explained at the end of this chapter.
Chapter one:
LE LACRIME DELL'ETERNITA
Drip.
Splash.
Sigh.
Whoosh.
It was bothersome.
Though it was but a slight breeze, it was a cold, persistent one that would not leave her alone.
She was sitting in front of the window, curtains dancing in the breeze that swept past through the gap left by the open window, gold pigtails following a dance of their own, now fluttering then swinging.
The day had dawned cold and grey as was wont in this time of the year, and the streets of Tokyo certainly followed this rule.
Recently swept of their stray rubbish and now polished by the last hour's driving rain, they gleamed with a will of their own, but no pedestrian was tempted to disturb the calm that surrounded their houses.
Especially since the recent attacks in some houses that yes, were districts away from here, but still in Tokyo nonetheless.
And the people of Japan thought it most unwise to tempt their luck, however slight their actions might seem.
Weather reports on the radio and news rounds on television and papers were the only constant these days, the only things that came about with regularity and preciseness.
The only thing that still created a false sense of safety and relief for the people of Tokyo, itwas also the thing that could at times scare them witless and huddle in their defenceless homes, waiting, hoping, praying that today they would not be the new target.
For the new threats had increased their attacks and were now aiming at civilians in general, not just the Senshi as was usually wont to do.
Tokyo had just suffered a great loss.
The Inner Senshis were dead.
Slaughtered by the new enemy.
No one would have thought it possible but the first to go was Sailor Jupiter.
Strong, bold, courageous Senshi of thunder.
The dream team were shocked and cried in grief for their friend. How could it have happened? She was the strong one, the one who would laugh in the face of diversity, the independent one; the girl who always looked for a fight.
Relished them, in fact.
Tokyo should have seen it coming then, when Sailor Iron Mouse delivered the blow that took the thunder Senshi away.
News of her death spread almost instantly of course.
Fans prowled the streets for days on end to search for a funeral, a church mass or some place where they could go on, if only for a limited time, to worship Sailor Jupiter.
It was found three days after her death.
A small funeral at the Hikawa Temple, where the only attendants where the remaining Inners, the Outers minus Sailor Pluto and of course, the ever shadowing Sailor Stars.No civilians were allowed in until the ceremony was over, and even then, there wasn't much room to do anything, as the graveyard was a very small one, reserved for special people close to the priests of the temple.
There were a couple of minor skirmishes following Jupiter's death; the Inners seemed discouraged and depressed, but Tokyo had already forgotten about Sailor Jupiter.
For that is the nature of people.
They will worship heroes well enough, but when those same stars pass away someone new will take their place in the people's hearts, forgetting and disowning those they had until recently built shrines for. As long as there was still a Senshi left to defend Tokyo and its inhabitants, very few people cared if one died.
The next to follow in line could have been no other than Sailor Mercury.
Her precious computer failed to deliver some answers that one time, and its owner left the world, struck again by the enemy.
The Inners were deeply struck by sorrow.
There was lots of anger too. And guilt, some reliable sources add. There was lots of guilt and most of it came from their leader.
No one knew who the 'Princess' they kept mentioning was, but the Inners' leader was not doing her usual best anymore.
Few blamed her of course; two of her comrades died and Tuxedo Kamen seemed to have completely deserted the scene. He hadn't been seen around for more than a month now.
Sailor Mercury's funeral greatly puzzled the city. There wasn't a funeral at all. Reliable sources spread the news that a new burial took place at the Hikawa Temple, but no Senshis were around. The girl's mother and a few friends surrounded the coffin that was lowered and buried in the ground.
Nothing extraordinary, or even worth of a Senshi, some noted.
Therefore nobody paid attention to it, and just like last, got on with their lives, oblivious and ignorant to anything but themselves.
The Senshi hid well.
There was yet to bean avid fan or photographer who had discovered the Sailors' true identity.
Of course they were now and again caught on camera or TV, but their true identities remained a mystery, albeit a popular, coveted one.
Now that only three Inners were left, things were definitely looking down for Tokyo's pretty-suited soldiers. The Outers returned to their full numbers: Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn had come back. The Stars were still intact, and Tokyo's beloved golden Senshi of justice was alive.
Overall, the people were not as worried as they should have been, or even wary of what would come next.
Sailor Venus of course.
Killed by Aluminium Siren whom proceeded to laugh out in victory and disappear.
Killed right after her chain snapped. Defending Sailor Chibi Chibi.No one found out where her funeral took place, just like Sailor Mercury's.
But a new grave was dug yet again at the Hikawa Temple.
Some avid fans were getting suspicious about it all, because they were sure it could not be a coincidence.
Three dead Senshis, one buried at the temple. The other two were not so obvious but their funeral's times coincided exactly with the Senshis' deaths. Most peculiar.
Tokyo was now buzzing with rumours and fear.
Fear; the city was ripe with it.
Only two Inner Senshi's were left, together with Sailor Chibi Chibi, the Outers and the Stars.
Some people panicked and thought the remaining Senshis were all going to be killed one at a time, and leave the streets of Tokyo defenceless.
Others were angry and hurt that their favourite heroes were dying so easily and that Tuxedo Kamen wasn't doing a good job anymore, that the dirty coward was too scared to show his masked face nowadays.
Three weeks after Sailor Venus' death, Tokyo was rocked once more to the core.
Sailor Mars was killed during a particularly intense fight where Sailor Chibi Chibi was frozen in place by a gooey green substance. Eternal Sailor Moon was trying to get the Senshi's feet off the ground, when Lead Crow targeted them, her black wings spread out and quivering with malice.
Sailor Mars died protecting Eternal Sailor Moon.
The cry of despair that shook the streets was never forgotten.
The people were scared; now that all the Inners save one were dead, what would become of the city? Could Sailor Moon hold against the enemy on her own?
But as it turned out, Sailor Moon did not fight on her own: the Stars and the Outers were at by her side and at her back. Tranquillity settled once more in the heart of every Tokyo home and its inhabitants.
But not for long. She did not know where this feeling came from, or why it was only herself that seemed to feel it.
But she knew that sometime soon the enemy would strike hard where it would cause the rest of them to crumble.
Like her friends.
Like her family.
And useless Sailor Moon had done nothing to save them, except for wail that she was scared and klutz about. She hated her with all her being.
Tears were all she knew these days, after she was left alone.
They had let her move in with them since her family was dead and her friends were also ruthlessly killed, but Chibi Chibi was all she had.
The telltale prickle made her eyes scrounge up against them, as everything around her became a white and grey haze through a thick film of tears she was too exhausted to fight against.
A sob made its way up her chest but her throat seemed to be clogged up with something the size of a tennis ball and nothing but a muffled, choked sound escaped her lips.
She wound her arms around her knees and began rocking backwards and forwards in an attempt to find some small shred of comfort or warmth.
There were tear tracks on her face when a woman walked in, momentarily startled to see the girl in such grief, but not surprised.
She watched her with a sad, fearful frown but made no attempts to comfort the broken girl whom was retreating in her shell more with each passing day until she became a stranger to them.
When a second woman joined the first, she put her hand on the woman's arm, but that seemed to be of little comfort to the three of them, whilst the girl, unaware of anything around her, continued sobbing.
She shook so hard her joints ached, but nothing seemed to stop the deluge, like a tsunami that had but begun to beat tirelessly against the coast.
She cried and cried and cried until it seemed that an eternity separated her from that fateful day, until she felt void and wrung out to muster up the strength to do anything but slump against the window, where a mock image of herself stared blankly ahead, unseeing and uncaring.
The women left her alone once more and walked to the kitchen, where the green-haired one stated quietly that she would fix them a cup of tea.
"Setsuna-san?"
A slight pause where the woman turned from the kettle to stare silently at the woman sitting at the table, fiddling for the first time with the table cloth as if trying to pull the answers off the cotton threads.
"Do you think it possible that – " she stopped abruptly and sighed, frowning fiercely into Setsuna's face for a time.
Setsuna didn't receive the end of the question, nor did she expect one, because she understood exactly what it was Michiru was talking about.
It was a horrific thing to witness eternity's tears.
And this time, she thought, they might not go away.
A/N: here is the first chapter of The Gravity of Love.
I have the plot all set in my head, and I have wanted to write it for quite a while. Here it is at last. Hopefully I will be able to finish this within a couple of months.
RR, you know every writer loves them!
Also I am looking for a beta, someone who could perhaps help me finish this story (it would be a first!) so contact me at: if you are interested. Please write 'beta for Lady Zee' as subject otherwise I will not read it. Once again I apologize for any mistakes in Japanese culture, names and speech, but I am trying my best – any corrections or criticism is accepted.
By the way, 'Le lacrime dell'eternita' means Eternity's tears in Italian. All chapters will be written in Italian and their meaning will be written in my author's notes. I have said enough for now, and once again let me remind you to RR!
Lady Zee
