Notes before reading:
This is only my second Sailormoon fanfiction ever, so I would appreciate any
comments at birdluver05@yahoo.com. No offense is intended to Spanish people.
I'm just making fun of the Spanish language and pop music. This fic takes place
after Nehellania is defeated, and is mostly manga based. If you're SM astute,
you'll notice several references to the SMR movie. I've included translations
for all the non-English words used, but I'm assuming that everyone is familiar
with Japanese name suffixes.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me while I was writing this, including Joe,
Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Ray, Lindsay (who I credit for some of the crazy ideas
in this fic), Beth, Jan, Matt (sorry, no Spice Mice ^_^), and anyone else I
didn't mention but is still important to me.
If you'd like to know more about me, visit my personal site Golden Rhapsodies
at http://grhapsodies.envy.nu, and if you'd like to know more about my favorite
SM character, Sailorvenus, visit my Sailorvenus shrine Crescent Light at
http://crescent_light.tripod.com.
Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and characters are copyright to
Takeuchi/Toei Animation/and other companies. Characters used without
permission.
Dance in Winter
A Sailormoon fanfiction by Love Princess
Rated PG for blood and violence
* * *
A large ball of snow was bouncing down the steep hill, growing as it
rolled. As it reached the bottom of the hill, a blonde with long pigtails
slowly walked across the yard, her thoughts distracted away from the scene. The
snowball rolled under her feet, causing her to trip and land on the freezing
ground.
"Chibiusa-chan!" the girl shrieked.
"Nani*!" a little girl with pink pigtails shouted back from the top of the
hill.
"You just rolled a snowball down the hill!"
"Hai**, I did!"
"Well, I TRIPPED OVER IT!"
The snowball began to shake the ground, and it crumbled to reveal a tiny
girl with short, dark pink pigtails. She shook her head, letting the snow fall
to the ground from her hair. Two little curls of hair popped out from behind
her ears.
Usagi, the blonde, stared at the little girl in disbelief, then proceeded
to collapse on the snow.
* * *
*=Nani means "what"
**=Hai means "yes"
* * *
Far away, in a cavern deep underground, three large rat creatures were
talking together. They were dressed in black bull-fighting outfits.
"Como estas*?" asked one, who called himself Baberato.
"Muy bien**," answered another, named Duosrato.
"Stop your chatter," ordered the leader, Unorato. "It is time to begin
our takeover of Earth. We shall start in a city they call Tokyo.
"Ooh! Ooh!" exclaimed Baberato. "Will this require the institution of
our latest dance?" Dance music suddenly burst through the dark cavern, the
three rats grooved to the Macarana.
* * *
*=Como estas means "How are you?" in Spanish.
**=Muy bien means "Very good" in Spanish.
* * *
Back at the snow-covered hill, Usagi was dreaming about Chiba Mamoru.
* * *
The mist swirled and limited Usagi's sight distance. "Mamo-chan? Mamo-
chan, where are you?" she called anxiously through the mist. As she walked
ahead, she noticed splashes of blood on the snow-covered ground. "Mamo-chan!"
She looked down at her hands, which were dripping with blood.
* * *
Chibiusa and her friend, Tomoe Hotaru, peered down at Usagi. She hadn't
moved since her fall, so Chibiusa kicked her in an effort to wake her up.
"Usagi? Get up, your skirt's getting wet. Are you ok?" Her voice tightened.
"Usagi?!"
Time passed. Still Usagi made no sign of waking, while the little girl
from the snowball became surrounded by an aura of pink.
"Maybe I can use my healing power to wake her up," Hotaru suggested. She
started to bend down to Usagi's place on the snow, but the tiny snow girl
stopped her with her hand.
"Who are you?" Chibiusa asked.
The tiny girl was silent.
"Maybe she can't talk yet," Hotaru guessed. "She only looks about two
years old."
The tiny girl gave Hotaru a piercing stare. "Chibi Chibi," she said,
kneeling down by Usagi. Upon placing her hand on Usagi's head, Usagi blinked
her eyes open.
"Nani?" Usagi asked.
"Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa and Hotaru shouted. "What was that about?!"
Chibiusa asked.
"Nani?" Usagi asked again. She stood and examined her surroundings. The
same house, the same hill, the same three girls. Where was Mamoru? He was at
that new dance class (for his karate class only, Usagi sniffed). All seemed to
be well.
* * *
At Hikawa Jinja, Hino Rei attempted a fire reading as Aino Minako danced
ballerina-style around the room.
"Minako-chan, would you *please* stop, Rei-chan's trying to concentrate,"
Mizuno Ami reprimanded.
The blonde reddened. "Gomen*. I was just practicing for the audition on
Saturday."
"You got scouted again?!" Kino Makoto asked excitedly.
"No, actually it's--"
Minako was abruptly cut off. "SHUT UP!!!" Rei screamed. "I CAN'T
CONCENTRATE!!!"
"Oops, I think she's mad," Minako giggled nervously. She and Makoto
quickly darted out of the room.
* * *
*=Gomen means "Sorry"
* * *
Concerned for Mamoru's safety, Usagi had met him after his dance class and
they went out to dinner. She told him about the nightmare as he listened
attentively. As Usagi finished, Mamoru placed his hand gently on top of
Usagi's. "Don't worry about me," he said firmly. "I am more concerned for your
safety. Who knows what enemies lie ahead?"
She gazed into his eyes and her heart suddenly settled down. The couple
left the restaurant as it began to snow again. They arrived at Juuban Park,
which was deserted on this chilly night. Mamoru pulled Usagi close and hugged
her tight to still her shivering. "Cold?" he asked.
"H-h-hai," she stammered.
"I'll take care of that," Mamoru replied with a gentle smile. Usagi
closed her eyes, and Mamoru leaned in for a kiss. Usagi slowly pulled away and
she said quietly, "Mamo-chan..."
"Hai?" he asked.
"I understand our future... in Crystal Tokyo... but..."
"Hai?" he prodded.
"Oh Mamo-chan!" she suddenly sobbed and buried her face in his chest.
"I'm so afraid of losing you!"
"Usako..." he whispered, playing with her hair, "I promise nothing will
happen to us."
They walked back to Usagi's house in silence, hand in hand. "I love you,"
Usagi said tearfully as Mamoru walked away.
"I love you too, Usako."
* * *
One of the Macarana-dancing rats surveyed the building. "Here the humans
have a dancing class. I shall take it over and show the humans real dancing!"
he thought to himself. Mamoru came out of the building at that moment, gym bag
slung over his shoulder. The rat quickly teleported away before his presence
was noticed.
A chill ran down Mamoru's spine. "Evil has been here. I must find
Usako..."
* * *
Usagi skipped down the sidewalk, humming as she went. Playing video games
at Crown had been invigorating, and now she was on her way to see Mamoru. She
pictured his soft black hair and gentle blue eyes, while a smile played on her
lips. Usagi turned a corner, still daydreaming about Mamoru, only to run right
into Minako. The two blondes slammed onto the ground.
"Gomen, Minako-chan!"
"Usagi-chan!" Minako exclaimed at the same time.
They got up off the ground and giggled together. "I've been looking for
you, Usagi-chan," Minako grinned. "Come with me!" She grabbed Usagi's arm and
pulled her to a bench in Juuban Park. The snow had begun to melt, while the sun
blazed overhead. "Sit here while I show you my dance, and tell me how I do."
"Hold on, Minako-chan," Usagi said, confused. "What dance?"
"Gomen! I forgot you weren't at Rei-chan's house when I told everyone.
I'm going to an idol audition. Dancing is part of it, and I'm afraid of messing
it up," Minako explained.
Usagi smiled brightly. "I know you'll do fine. Let me see you dance."
Minako began to sing "Route Venus" as she danced on the damp grass. Usagi
winced at the complicated pirouettes, fearing Minako would slip on the melting
snow, but the dance went smoothly. As she finished, the two girls noticed
clapping from behind them.
Mamoru creeped up from behind Usagi and kissed her right cheek lightly.
"Hi, Usako. Hello, Minako-chan. Nice dance. I enjoyed it."
"You saw the whole thing?!" Minako exclaimed, blushing furiously.
"You watch girls dancing?!" Usagi shouted, angry.
"Calm down, Usako. Minako is a friend. Besides, I came to see you."
They smiled at each other.
"I think I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Minako, the goddess of love,
grinned. Usagi and Mamoru barely noticed her departure. He sat down on the
bench beside Usagi and they kissed passionately.
* * *
A Dark Rat laughed evilly with triumph, watching preparations for the idol
audition. "It was so easy to enslave these humans in charge of that stupid idol
audition. Not only will I have them, but those idol wannabes as well! What
luck!" He laughed again. "Earth will be far easier to take over than
previously thought." The idol in charge of the competition walked briskly past.
"Stop, Kumeki-kun," the rat commanded. The tall blonde male froze. "I'm
leaving you in charge. Intruders are to be disposed of. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Kumeki said dazedly, for he was hypnotized.
The rat then teleported away.
* * *
Mamoru was doing his cool-down stretches at the end of his dance class.
His thoughts wandered to Usagi as he massaged his aching muscles. Her endless
blue eyes seemed to dance before his own...
"Mamoru-san!"
"Hai? Hai?" Mamoru looked up guiltily.
"Gomen, Mamoru-san," his instructor said apologetically. "You seemed...
out of it."
Mamoru smiled. "Just a little distracted, that's all," he explained.
"About Usako," he added to himself. Mamoru pulled on his athletic pants and
jacket, and left the gym.
* * *
The next day, an icy chill swept through the town of Juuban as the rats
continued their work. More and more humans began to fall under their control.
Soon the Macarana music was bursting from every radio station.
The Dark Rat sauntered into the tall building. On the tenth floor,
Mamoru's dance class was being held. No one seemed to notice the creature as it
disappeared into the elevator and reappeared on the tenth floor. He opened the
door of the dance classroom and walked briskly over to the boom box.
Mamoru's dance teacher faced the rat. "Excuse me, what do you think you
are doing? This is a private dance class," not noticing the odd appearance of
the creature.
The rat showed his yellow teeth. "You need a change of music," he
proclaimed, removing the dance CD and replacing it with a black one. New dance
music filled the room, and the dance students began to do the Macarana.
Mamoru, however, remained motionless, holding his hand to his head. "I
feel evil here," he moaned. "Must... find... Usako," he gasped, attempting to
resist the evil penetrating the room.
* * *
Minako arrived at the idol audition, breathless.
"Look! It's him! Kumeki's so cute!" several girls were shrieking.
Minako looked around at the growing crowd. Her eyes fell on the blond idol. He
seemed to be staring right through her. A chill ran down Minako's spine.
"Minako-chan!"
She turned around to see Rei, Ami, and Makoto. "Minna*! You came!"
"We have to be able to say we supported you when you're rich and famous,"
Makoto grinned.
Minako smiled brightly at her friends, and her face glowed with pleasure.
"You're the best."
"Ladies, may I have your attention please," the loudspeaker boomed. "The
auditions are about to begin. Please line up to receive a number."
Minako swiftly walked up to the nearest table and took her number, 8.
While pinning it to her blouse, she walked over to the stage and stopped to wait
for instructions. Ami, Rei, and Makoto joined the audience.
After about five minutes, the blond idol appeared on stage. "Please line
up in rows of ten. We are about to do the dance part of the audition."
"*Dance* part?!" thought Minako in shock. "I thought we were doing
solos!"
Once the contestants were lined up, the idol pressed play on the large
stereo. The Macarana music started up, as the contestants and their audience
began to dance. However, Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ami remained still, watching
their peers in horror.
"Minako-chan!" Ami's voice came urgently over the communicator.
Minako flipped it open. "Hai!"
"The music is emitting evil wavelengths. Henshin yo**!"
"Okay!" She closed the communicator and ran out of the dance line, and
behind a Port-a-Potty. "Venus Crystal Power, make UP!" After a shower of
golden lights, Supersailorvenus appeared in Minako's place.
Back in the audience, Ami, Rei, and Makoto ran behind a trailer and
transformed.
"Mercury Crystal Power..."
"Mars Crystal Power..."
"Jupiter Crystal Power..."
"MAKE UP!"
* * *
*=Minna means "everyone"
**=Henshin yo means "Transform"
* * *
Usagi moaned loudly as the GAME OVER screen flashed on the Sailor V game.
"I'm dead, I'm dead," she wailed. Just then a chill ran down her spine. Evil
was near, she could feel it. Her face lost its game-raptured expression as she
frowned. A beeping came from her pocket, and she ducked outside to pull out her
communicator.
"Usagi-chan, this is Supersailormercury. Do you copy?"
"Yeah, yeah, cut the formalities, is Mamo-chan with you?" Usagi asked
quickly.
"No, I'm sure he's fine. But we've got trouble here at Minako's idol
audition. We need you right away," Mercury instructed. She added sternly, "You
should already be here."
"Well, as usual I'll be fashionably late!" she chirped, closing the
communicator. Running down the sidewalk, she neared the tall building where
Mamoru's dance class was being held. The faint sound of Macarana music filtered
through the air as pedestrians began to do the Macarana. Usagi stopped dead in
her tracks. "There's evil here too... Mamo-chan, you're in trouble!"
* * *
Mamoru faced the evil mouse-rat, his beautiful blue eyes flashing with
anger. "Take your evil spell off of my classmates!"
"Now *why* would I want to do that?" the creature mocked. He pumped his
paw, and the Spanish music grew louder. Mamoru gritted his teeth, still
successfully warding off the evil wavelengths. Then his classmates, still doing
the Macarana, began walking slowly toward him, hypnotized. Mamoru frantically
looked around for an escape and his eyes locked on a box of costumes. He
quickly jumped in and slammed the lid shut.
* * *
The Sailor Senshi ran out from their hiding places, eyes fixed on the
Macarana dancers, who began to jump toward them.
"Akuryo... TAISAN!" Supersailormars used a batch of anti-evil scrolls on
the contestants, who fell to the ground unconscious.
"Phew," Supersailorvenus sighed.
"Not over yet!" shouted Supersailorjupiter. "The source of the evil is
still around here somewhere. Come on out, coward! Show your face and fight
us!"
"Jupiter-chan!" Mercury stage-whispered. "At least let me do a scan
first!"
"Whatever that is, it won't be necessary," came a new voice - the voice of
the mouse-rat. He appeared on the stage, next to the fallen idol. "I am
Baberato, a member of the Spanish Dark Rat Federation. Not even you Sailor
Senshi can stop us from taking over your planet Earth."
"Wanna bet?!" Jupiter challenged, taking a fighting stance.
"Jupiter!" Mercury admonished again.
Meanwhile, Venus struck a pose. "We are the Sailor Senshi, sworn to
defend love and justice! Attacking our lovely planet Earth will not be
tolerated. In the name of Venus..."
"And Jupiter..."
"And Mars..."
"And Mercury..."
"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!"
* * *
Usagi stomped up the stairs, panting. "Of *all* times the elevator had to
break down!" she complained. Reaching the tenth floor, she threw open the door
of the dance room. Her eyes bugged out at the sight. All of the people in the
room were doing the Macarana around a large box. The Dark Rat stood to the
side, cackling. "Stop right there!" she shouted.
The dancers froze momentarily, and the door locked behind her. The Dark
Rat flung his paw to the right, and the people began to jump around Usagi.
"Nani?!" she squealed, terrified. Trying to run away, she tripped over a
shoe, landing on the box. Usagi flung the lid open and leaped in.
"Hello," came a deep voice.
She found herself in a lap, staring right into Mamoru's eyes.
* * *
"Jupiter! Oak... Evolution!"
Baberato the Dark Rat quickly dodged Jupiter's lightening attack, and
laughed. "How lame."
"Venus! Love and Beauty... SHOCK!" Venus threw a kiss at the creature.
"Ah, love for me? I am honored," Baberato said sarcastically. "*Not*."
He deflected the attack back at Venus, who immediately ducked. "Jeez, he's
good," she complained.
Mercury was quickly typing into her mini supercomputer. "Mars-chan, could
you hold him off while I scan him?"
"Sure thing! Mars! Flame... Sniper!" The soldier of fire shot her arrow
at the villain, who deflected it. "There's no way you can beat me," Baberato
said proudly, "I am invincible."
"That's it!" Mercury shouted suddenly.
"Nani?" the three other Sailor Senshi asked.
"His weakness is his ego. We'll have to wound it."
"How are we going to do that? He seems so sure of himself," Jupiter
wondered as Mars and Venus reddened slightly.
"Come here," Mercury beckoned and they whispered in a group huddle.
At the end of their discussion, Venus worried: "But how will we hold him
off while powering up?"
"Leave it to us!"
"Nani?!" the Sailor Senshi and Baberato the mouse-rat said in surprise.
"The pretty sailor-suited senshi in training, Supersailorchibimoon!"
"The senshi of destruction, Supersailorsaturn!"
"In place of the future moon..."
"WE'LL PUNISH YOU!"
Supersailorchibimoon and Supersailorsaturn had arrived.
"Aw, how cute! Little kids think they can stop me too," Baberato said
sarcastically.
"Mercury!"
"Mars!"
"Jupiter!"
"Venus!"
"Aqua... Rhapsody!"
"Flame... Sniper!"
"Oak... Evolution!"
"Love and Beauty... Shock!"
Four attacks exploded in front of the rat, who scrambled to get out of the
way as he deflected the energy. The Inner Sailor Senshi flew backwards into a
trailer.
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Chibimoon yelled. Tiny little pink hearts of
energy flew at the rat, who deflected them back. Saturn immediately protected
Chibimoon with her Silent Wall. The older Sailor Senshi assembled behind Saturn
and joined hands.
"Mercury Crystal Power!" Mercury's aura shone blue.
"Mars Crystal Power!" Mars's aura shone red.
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" Jupiter's aura shone green.
"Venus Crystal Power!" Venus's aura shone yellow.
"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" As Saturn took down her Silent Wall, the auras
combined into a white ball of energy and engulfed the mouse-rat. He screamed in
horror as he turned to dust.
* * *
Three tall figures dressed in sailor suits ran down the deserted sidewalk.
"We must hurry. The Prince and Princess are in trouble."
"The ocean is very stormy."
"We'll get there in time. We must."
* * *
As Chibimoon and Saturn grinned at their victorious comrades, Mars
remained motionless with her eyes closed.
"What's wrong, Mars-chan?" Venus asked worriedly.
She opened her eyes. "Usagi should have been here by now. There's still
evil in Juuban, I can feel it. Usagi's in trouble!" Mars exclaimed suddenly.
Jupiter punched her fist. "Then we have no time to waste."
"I'll scan the city for energy similar to this creature's," Mercury added.
She pulled out her computer and began to type.
Chibimoon gazed at the blue sky, her eyes now serious. "Usagi..."
Saturn put her hand on Chibimoon's shoulder. "Don't worry. Setsuna-mama,
Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama will save her."
Chibimoon smiled and nodded.
* * *
The noise of Spanish singing thickened the air like a fog. Usagi
frantically looked around her, at the walls of the box. "Mamo-chan... we're
trapped..." Her voice began to crack.
"Claustrophobic?" Mamoru smiled slightly. "I'm so glad you're here,
Usako. We're trapped, yes... but together..." He put his arms around her waist,
and pulled her close.
"Mamo-chan..." She sighed uneasily and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I suppose all we can do is wait for a chance to escape..."
The loud Macarana music continued as Usagi and Mamoru closed their eyes,
trying to block out the noise as they rested in each other's arms.
* * *
"It's here." Supersailoruranus came to a dead stop in front of the tall
office building.
"Isn't this Mamoru-san's dance class?" Supersailorneptune asked.
Supersailorpluto raised an eyebrow. "Endymion-sama dances? That's news
to me." A slight smile drifted on her face, picturing King Endymion of the
future doing modern dance moves.
"Ahem!" Uranus coughed.
Pluto snapped to attention. "Tenth floor," she pointed upward.
The three Sailor Senshi ran into the building.
* * *
"I found it! Shimatta*!"
"What's wrong?" Jupiter asked Mercury.
"It's Mamoru-san's dance class. Usagi-chan *and* Mamoru-san are in
trouble!"
"Usagi!" Mars shouted.
"Mamoru-san!" added Jupiter and Venus.
Chibimoon blinked away sudden tears. "Let's go, minna!"
"HAI!" they all shouted.
* * *
*=Shimatta means "Oh no"
* * *
The door of the dance class exploded open with a burst of yellow energy.
"Invaders!" said one dancer.
"Let's show 'em the style of the Spanish federation!" said another.
"SI*!!!" they all shouted.
The fog in the room dissipated to reveal the Outer Senshi. Uranus looked
very peeved. "Dance music. I *hate* pop music." Neptune gave her a look, and
Uranus became silent.
"Where is Endymion-sama?" asked Pluto.
Uranus coughed again. "You mean Mamoru-san."
* * *
*=Si means "yes" in Spanish
* * *
Mamoru peeked through the crack of the box, unseen by the Senshi. "The
Outer Senshi are here. I guess this means we can relax a little."
Usagi nuzzled Mamoru's chin, still sitting in his lap. "We're safe, Mamo-
chan... I'm so relieved."
* * *
Neptune blasted the stereo with her Deep Submerge attack and the Spanish
music stopped. The dancers froze and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Pluto spied the rat and after running over to it, grabbed its collar.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?!?"
The rat sputtered, struggling against her grip. "Done with who?" he
gasped.
"YOU MUST KNOW! Then again... perhaps not." Pluto released him and he
dropped to the floor with the dancers. The rat's eyes glowed red and the
dancers got up from the floor, hypnotized. They began to encircle the Senshi,
as they sang the Macarana song.
"Mars! Flame... Sniper!"
A flaming arrow struck the mouse-rat, and the dancers flopped on the floor
once more.
"It's the Inner Senshi," noted Neptune.
"The Outers!" exclaimed Jupiter.
"Puu!" shouted Chibimoon happily and she ran to Pluto, Saturn trailing
behind.
By this point, the wounded rat was dragging himself over to the broken
stereo.
"There he goes!"
"GET HIM!!!"
An explosion of attacks struck the defenseless rat. When the smoke
cleared, only a pile of dust remained of him.
"Usagi-chan!" Mars exclaimed once she was sure the enemy was gone. "Where
is she?!" Her dark purple eyes fell on the costume box, and she quickly swung
the lid open.
Usagi and Mamoru were wrapped in each other's embrace, kissing
passionately.
"USAGI!!!" Mars screamed in frustration.
"Mamoru-san," added Mercury sternly, "Just what do you two think you are
doing?"
The two lovebirds snapped to attention and jumped out of the box. "N-n-
nothing," Mamoru stammered.
"Just... passing time," Usagi added, blushing furiously. "Thanks for
dusting that creepy rat."
"Don't mention it," Uranus muttered. She received two glares, from
Neptune and Pluto.
"There was another rat at my audition," Venus mentioned, "but we took care
of it, with help from Saturn and Chibimoon."
As Chibimoon beamed at Usagi, Mars mumbled, "Usagi was *supposed* to come
to the audition too."
Ignoring Mars, Usagi said, "Well, now that Tokyo is safe again, I move we
go out for dumplings to celebrate."
"Why am I not surprised?" asked Jupiter. She began to de-transform, when
a dark figure appeared in front of her. The third Dark Rat struck her down and
she fell to the floor with a cry. The Sailor Senshi quickly sprang into attack
poses, while Usagi and Mamoru transformed to Eternal Sailormoon and Tuxedo
Kamen.
"I must thank you for destroying my minions," the newcomer drawled, as
Jupiter struggled up from the floor. "As your previous foes have learned, it is
impossible for a group to rule the Earth successfully. Now there is no one in
my way."
Eternal Sailormoon's eyes narrowed. "Our previous foes have all been
defeated, because love and justice will always prevail. I am Sailormoon, the
pretty sailor-suited Senshi of justice! In the name of the Moon..."
"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!" all of the Senshi finished.
The new Dark Rat snorted. "Please, save it. I am Unorato, the leader of
the Spanish Dark Rat Federation. Now I just need to decide which one of you
will rule the world by my side." He first studied Supersailoruranus.
"World... Shaking!"
"Nope, too tough." The Dark Rat collected the energy from the attack and
shot it back at Uranus, who fell unconscious against the wall.
"Uranus!" Neptune cried. "Deep... Submerge!"
"Too elegant." Her attack was also deflected back and she fell to the
ground by Uranus's side.
"YOU!!!" Pluto screamed. She dove at him with the Time Staff, but he
dodged and froze her in time, her mouth hanging open. "Too dangerous," remarked
the mouse-rat. "As are you," he said, motioning to Saturn.
"Death Reb--" She was cut off by a storm of black ribbons, which tied her
up as she fell to the floor. The remaining Senshi looked on in horror; Eternal
Sailormoon's knees knocking. Tuxedo Kamen stood in front of her protectively.
"Let me see," Unorato mused, as he stroked his furry chin. "Not you. You
are also too tough." He blasted Jupiter with lightning, and she fell by Eternal
Sailormoon's feet. "Or you. Too passionate." Mars was burned by fire and
landed across the room.
Venus and Mercury looked at each other, then at Tuxedo Kamen, who had
wrapped Chibimoon and Sailormoon in his cape.
After a long pause, Unorato spoke again. "Not you either. Too cold." He
encased Mercury in ice.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!" Venus screamed in agony. "Crescent Beam SHOWER!!!"
The rat was engulfed by a shower of lights, only to deflect them back at Venus.
She fell on Mars's motionless body.
"I've made my decision," Unorato smiled. "You." Tuxedo Kamen glowed
eerily, and he materialized in the air by the rat, struggling against invisible
restraints.
"MAMO-CHAN!!! NOOOOO!!! This is *not* a time for you to be popular with
men!!" Eternal Sailormoon ran over to the pair, only to be blasted against the
wall. Tuxedo Kamen and the mouse-rat disappeared.
Chibimoon's figure began to flicker. "Usagi... I trust you..."
"NOOO!" Eternal Sailormoon screamed, lunging at the little girl and
hugging her close. "Hang on... onegai*..." Chibimoon disappeared. Eternal
Sailormoon screamed again.
"Usagi... stop crying for a minute..." Mars's voice came weakly.
"Rei-chan!" Eternal Sailormoon knelt by her side.
"Trust... in a little girl... who looks like you..."
"Rei-chan, what are you saying?"
"Onegai... heed my words. Another... pink-haired girl..." Mars's voice
faded away.
"NOOO! REI-CHAN!!!"
* * *
*=Onegai means "Please"
* * *
The rat and Tuxedo Kamen reappeared in a cave somewhere near the origins
of the Macarana. "Return me to Tokyo!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted at Unorato.
"*No.* You are going to rule the world with me," the rat said stubbornly.
"You are also going to enjoy it."
"Our enemies have tried it before. It doesn't work... you can't turn me
against my planet Earth."
"Watch me." The rat's eyes glowed red, and Tuxedo Kamen's eyes glowed red
also. Eerie red light filled the room, and subsided to reveal Endymion dressed
in a bullfighter's uniform.
"Now, Endymion, do you accept my request to rule the world by my side?"
"Si, master."
* * *
Eternal Sailormoon blinked her tear-filled eyes open to see the little
girl from the snow, Chibi Chibi.
"Not you again! I can't take this now... matte*." Chibi Chibi blinked
innocently at her. "Rei-chan said to trust you. She must've seen a vision.
So... I will trust you. For Rei-chan's sake. Can you help me save Mamo-chan?"
"Chibi Chibi," the little girl said, and nodded.
"Right! Like a two-year-old even knows who Mamo-chan is!"
Chibi Chibi pantomined throwing a rose. Eternal Sailormoon reddened.
"Ne, you do know who he is."
The two odango**-haired girls glowed with pink light and disappeared.
* * *
*=Matte means "wait"
**=Odango means "dumpling"
* * *
The dark cave flooded with pink light, and Eternal Sailormoon and Chibi
Chibi appeared in front of Endymion and the mouse-rat.
"Mamo-chan?!" Why are you dressed like that?!" Eternal Sailormoon
exclaimed to Endymion, seeing the bull-fighting costume.
"He will rule the world with me dressed like that," the mouse-rat said
cockily.
"No, he won't!"
"Watch me," Endymion said coldly.
"Destroy her," the Dark Rat commanded Endymion.
"Si." Endymion gathered a ball of dark energy in his palm, and blasted it
at Eternal Sailormoon and Chibi Chibi. They jumped out of the way just as the
energy hit the cave wall, causing a great explosion.
"MAMO-CHAN, DON'T!!!" Sailormoon screamed through the smoke. She closed
her eyes and remembered her vision with terror. Blood... Mamo-chan... her own
hands stained with his blood...
"Get them," the rat growled as the smoke cleared. "How hard is it to
destroy little girls?"
Endymion tensed up, as if he remembered, but promptly summoned a storm of
roses that pinned Sailormoon and Chibi Chibi to the ground. The thorns grazed
their skin, and Sailormoon watched wide-eyed as her blood trickled to the cave
floor. "Onegai... don't do this, Mamo-chan..." Sailormoon pleaded, unwilling to
fight him. He jumped across the cave and held his sword next to her throat.
"I will kill you now," he said without emotion. The sword swung, but
Endymion froze in mid-swing. The Dark Rat stood motionless as well.
Chibi Chibi now hovered in midair, emanating with white light.
"Sailormoon..."
Sailormoon looked at her wide-eyed. "Chibi Chibi..."
The little girl presented her with a crystal sword. "Use this sword to
protect the world, Sailormoon..." Eternal Sailormoon stood with uncertainty, as
the two males unfroze and sprang into attack positions.
"KILL HER!!" the rat shouted at Endymion, who dove at Eternal Sailormoon,
his sword extended. She gripped the sword hastily and blocked his blow. The
swords clanged loudly together in the darkness.
"Onegai... Mamo-chan... don't make me hurt you," Etenal Sailormoon
pleaded. Endymion shoved harder with his sword, as Sailormoon strained from the
force. Her previous wounds opened and began to bleed again. She closed her
eyes. Blood... her own blood... mixing with Endymion's... red blood...
Sailormoon remembered Chibimoon's last words.
Keeping her eyes closed, Sailormoon quickly stabbed with the sword. Endymion
yelled in pain. Her eyes flew open to see his arm gushing with blood.
Sailormoon screamed in terror. "Mamo-chan, Mamo-chan! Nooooo!" He gritted his
teeth in pain as he held his arm to stop the bleeding. Light exploded from the
yellow crescent moon on Eternal Sailormoon's forehead. After the light
subsided, Prince Endymion stood in his normal prince armor, the wound gone.
Princess Serenity ran to him and buried her face in his chest.
"Mamo-chan," she sobbed. "You're all right now... but I hurt you...
please forgive me!" She embraced him tightly.
Endymion wore a look of bewilderment and happiness on his face.
"Serenity..." He fondled her hair. "You saved me again."
Unorato cleared his throat. Serenity and Endymion turned to look at him.
"Excuse me, you lovebirds," he said tersely, "can we get on with fighting now?"
"You monster!" cried Serenity. "You hurt my friends, and turned Endymion
against me. In place of the moon, I'll punish you!"
"The rose of the Earth will not forgive you either!" added Endymion.
"You fools!" roared the Dark Rat. "Soon I will rule the world and you,
Endymion, shall bow down before me once more!"
Endymion quickly pulled his sword out of its sheath and held it by the
rat's throat, just as he had done to Sailormoon moments before. "Evil will
*never* rule the world. Repent and I might spare you."
The rat knocked the sword to the ground with his tail. "I have nothing to
repent. Die!" He blasted Serenity and Endymion with dark energy. The two fell
back against the wall.
Endymion got up almost immediately, as he hadn't been too injured by the
blast. Serenity was lying unconscious on the floor, and she powered down to
Sailormoon. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, "Usako, Usako!!!" A
lone tear ran down his face, and he remembered what he had told her.
I promise nothing will happen to us.
"It's all my fault, Usako," he sobbed. "Please wake up! I can't fight
him without you. I can't *survive* without you! Usako!" He dropped to his
knees in defeat, his eyes lost.
The Dark Rat laughed evilly. "Now you have *nothing.* A lone soldier
fighting for the forgotten ideals of love and justice. Won't you join me,
Endymion? I am all you have left on this pathetic planet."
"No." Surprisingly, Endymion's voice was full of intensity. He stood
slowly and faced the Unorato, the tears dried on his face. "I will protect this
planet. For Usako. And for everyone who risked their lives to protect it." He
assumed battle stance and gripped his sword. "I won't give up. Never again
will I let Usako down. I am the protector of Earth! And on behalf of everyone
living here, I'll punish you!"
"DIE!!!" The Dark Rat blasted him with dark energy, but Endymion stood
his ground against it. Blue eyes glared at red ones, but all Endymion could
think of was Serenity. "I'll defeat you yet!" the rat shouted.
Endymion finally managed to deflect the energy away, and he grabbed his
sword and started swinging at the rat. "This is for the outer senshi, who
taught me about sacrifice!" SLASH. "For the Senshi Guardians, who are my
friends!" SLASH. "For Chibiusa-chan, the future of this world!" SLASH. His
star seed flashed a brilliant gold as he shouted, "For Usako, the *eternal*
light!!!" SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.
The rat staggered back, gravely wounded. "Mercy... mercy..." he pleaded.
At this sudden voice of submissiveness, Endymion dropped his guard and the rat's
eyes glowed red. The rat concentrated his energy on Endymion's heart, filling
his being with evil energy. The golden star seed flashed intermittently in alarm,
as Endymion screamed in pain, his eyes turning white.
Chibi Chibi was praying, her pink aura glowing. The star seed continued
to flash, trying to expel the dark energy. Endymion's screams reached a new
octave, as the energies of the star seed and Chibi Chibi heightened, and the
dark energy was expelled. He collapsed with exhaustion, his eyes dull. The rat
was frozed from his failed brainwashing attempt. Chibi Chibi walked over to
Endymion and placed her hand on his forehead. He slowly regained his strength
and blinked in confusion. "Usako?"
"Please," Chibi Chibi said. "The Golden Crystal."
Endymion put a hand over his heart. "My Golden Crystal..." He looked
uncertain, knowing that he had little energy left and the use of the crystal
required much energy.
"Save the world. For Serenity and your daughter," Chibi Chibi said. She
smiled. "It will all be all right."
Endymion smiled at the little girl. "All right," he said, mimicing her
childish tone. Then he faced the evil Dark Rat and activated the Golden
Crystal. The rat screamed and died, and the world went white.
* * *
Chibi Chibi held Sailormoon's hand as they reappeared at Mamoru's dance
class. The students had long since left and the Sailor Senshi were coming to.
"Rei-chan!" Sailormoon ran to her and embraced her. She smiled at the
sleepy raven-haired beauty and Sailormars said, "Good, you're all right."
Sailormoon's eyes were glassy as she looked around at her friends. She suddenly
remembered where she had been and she whispered, "Doko ni... iru no Mamo-chan?"
On the verge of a sob, Sailormars quickly hugged her tightly. "Usagi."
"Demo... demo... Chibiusa-chan..." Each Senshi took a turn hugging the
emotionally exhausted Sailormoon. Chibimoon was noticably absent. Everyone's
faces were gravely serious.
"Sailormoon," Mercury asked slowly, "what happened to the rat?"
Sailormoon looked at the floor. "It blasted me into a wall, and I was
knocked out... I don't know what happpened after that. Chibi Chibi-chan and I
were wrapped in light, and she brought me here." Sailormoon turned to Chibi
Chibi, who had disappeared. "M-masaka*..."
"Who was she?" Jupiter asked.
"I don't know," Sailormoon admitted. "But she's one powerful little
girl."
Mars had been concentrating, and she now opened her eyes. "If it's any
consolation," she said, "the evil is gone. The Dark Rat is dead."
"Well, we're no longer needed," Uranus spoke up. The Outer Senshi headed
for the door. "See you around, Usagi-tachi," Pluto said as they left.
"Mars-chan," Sailormoon said quietly. "Can you find out where Mamo-chan
is?"
Mars closed her eyes only for a moment, then opened them, her eyes
bewildered. "H-h-he's just outside the door..."
"Nani?!" Sailormoon squealed. Just then Mamoru walked in, carrying
Chibiusa. He looked somewhat sheepish as the other girls made noises of shock.
Sailormoon threw herself at him, and he put Chibiusa down just in time. "Where
on *earth* have you been?! You had me so worried!" She squeezed him in a tight
hug, and he moaned.
"Usako... be gentle, I still have some bruises..."
She dropped him like a hot potato. "Gomen!" She and the other girls
detransformed.
"Mamoru-san, did you defeat the Dark Rat *all* by yourself?" Minako asked.
Mamoru looked at the ceiling, and then at Usagi. "When she was knocked
out... I couldn't take it... but Chibi Chibi gave me the inspiration to defeat
the Dark Rat." He shook his head in disbelief. "She's one powerful little
girl." He looked at Usagi squarely in the eyes. "I made a promise after you
were knocked out," he said, looking at the floor.
Usagi put her hands on his shoulders and stared at his eyes. "What was
it?"
He looked up again, a little teary-eyed but a determined look on his face.
"I won't let you down ever again. Ever."
The other girls looked confused and Usagi said softly, "But you've *never*
let me down. Not on purpose."
"But Usako... I *let* that Dark Rat take control of me! And then I hurt
you! Making your vision come true." Mamoru was obviously in emotional pain.
The girls looked more confused than ever.
"Mamo-chan." Usagi gazed at him lovingly. "You *saved* the world. You
risked your life to protect me. Not just this time, but many times before.
Every day I see how much you love me, and wonder if turtle Usagi really deserves
this wonderful man." Everyone smiled at this remark. "I can only hope to live
up to the wonderful things you've done for me. Those things will always
outweigh the times you've 'let me down.' Which you haven't. I love you, Mamo-
chan."
"I love you too, Usako." The two kissed as the others wiped their eyes of
happy tears.
* * *
*=Masaka means "No way" or "That's impossible"
This is only my second Sailormoon fanfiction ever, so I would appreciate any
comments at birdluver05@yahoo.com. No offense is intended to Spanish people.
I'm just making fun of the Spanish language and pop music. This fic takes place
after Nehellania is defeated, and is mostly manga based. If you're SM astute,
you'll notice several references to the SMR movie. I've included translations
for all the non-English words used, but I'm assuming that everyone is familiar
with Japanese name suffixes.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me while I was writing this, including Joe,
Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Ray, Lindsay (who I credit for some of the crazy ideas
in this fic), Beth, Jan, Matt (sorry, no Spice Mice ^_^), and anyone else I
didn't mention but is still important to me.
If you'd like to know more about me, visit my personal site Golden Rhapsodies
at http://grhapsodies.envy.nu, and if you'd like to know more about my favorite
SM character, Sailorvenus, visit my Sailorvenus shrine Crescent Light at
http://crescent_light.tripod.com.
Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and characters are copyright to
Takeuchi/Toei Animation/and other companies. Characters used without
permission.
Dance in Winter
A Sailormoon fanfiction by Love Princess
Rated PG for blood and violence
* * *
A large ball of snow was bouncing down the steep hill, growing as it
rolled. As it reached the bottom of the hill, a blonde with long pigtails
slowly walked across the yard, her thoughts distracted away from the scene. The
snowball rolled under her feet, causing her to trip and land on the freezing
ground.
"Chibiusa-chan!" the girl shrieked.
"Nani*!" a little girl with pink pigtails shouted back from the top of the
hill.
"You just rolled a snowball down the hill!"
"Hai**, I did!"
"Well, I TRIPPED OVER IT!"
The snowball began to shake the ground, and it crumbled to reveal a tiny
girl with short, dark pink pigtails. She shook her head, letting the snow fall
to the ground from her hair. Two little curls of hair popped out from behind
her ears.
Usagi, the blonde, stared at the little girl in disbelief, then proceeded
to collapse on the snow.
* * *
*=Nani means "what"
**=Hai means "yes"
* * *
Far away, in a cavern deep underground, three large rat creatures were
talking together. They were dressed in black bull-fighting outfits.
"Como estas*?" asked one, who called himself Baberato.
"Muy bien**," answered another, named Duosrato.
"Stop your chatter," ordered the leader, Unorato. "It is time to begin
our takeover of Earth. We shall start in a city they call Tokyo.
"Ooh! Ooh!" exclaimed Baberato. "Will this require the institution of
our latest dance?" Dance music suddenly burst through the dark cavern, the
three rats grooved to the Macarana.
* * *
*=Como estas means "How are you?" in Spanish.
**=Muy bien means "Very good" in Spanish.
* * *
Back at the snow-covered hill, Usagi was dreaming about Chiba Mamoru.
* * *
The mist swirled and limited Usagi's sight distance. "Mamo-chan? Mamo-
chan, where are you?" she called anxiously through the mist. As she walked
ahead, she noticed splashes of blood on the snow-covered ground. "Mamo-chan!"
She looked down at her hands, which were dripping with blood.
* * *
Chibiusa and her friend, Tomoe Hotaru, peered down at Usagi. She hadn't
moved since her fall, so Chibiusa kicked her in an effort to wake her up.
"Usagi? Get up, your skirt's getting wet. Are you ok?" Her voice tightened.
"Usagi?!"
Time passed. Still Usagi made no sign of waking, while the little girl
from the snowball became surrounded by an aura of pink.
"Maybe I can use my healing power to wake her up," Hotaru suggested. She
started to bend down to Usagi's place on the snow, but the tiny snow girl
stopped her with her hand.
"Who are you?" Chibiusa asked.
The tiny girl was silent.
"Maybe she can't talk yet," Hotaru guessed. "She only looks about two
years old."
The tiny girl gave Hotaru a piercing stare. "Chibi Chibi," she said,
kneeling down by Usagi. Upon placing her hand on Usagi's head, Usagi blinked
her eyes open.
"Nani?" Usagi asked.
"Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa and Hotaru shouted. "What was that about?!"
Chibiusa asked.
"Nani?" Usagi asked again. She stood and examined her surroundings. The
same house, the same hill, the same three girls. Where was Mamoru? He was at
that new dance class (for his karate class only, Usagi sniffed). All seemed to
be well.
* * *
At Hikawa Jinja, Hino Rei attempted a fire reading as Aino Minako danced
ballerina-style around the room.
"Minako-chan, would you *please* stop, Rei-chan's trying to concentrate,"
Mizuno Ami reprimanded.
The blonde reddened. "Gomen*. I was just practicing for the audition on
Saturday."
"You got scouted again?!" Kino Makoto asked excitedly.
"No, actually it's--"
Minako was abruptly cut off. "SHUT UP!!!" Rei screamed. "I CAN'T
CONCENTRATE!!!"
"Oops, I think she's mad," Minako giggled nervously. She and Makoto
quickly darted out of the room.
* * *
*=Gomen means "Sorry"
* * *
Concerned for Mamoru's safety, Usagi had met him after his dance class and
they went out to dinner. She told him about the nightmare as he listened
attentively. As Usagi finished, Mamoru placed his hand gently on top of
Usagi's. "Don't worry about me," he said firmly. "I am more concerned for your
safety. Who knows what enemies lie ahead?"
She gazed into his eyes and her heart suddenly settled down. The couple
left the restaurant as it began to snow again. They arrived at Juuban Park,
which was deserted on this chilly night. Mamoru pulled Usagi close and hugged
her tight to still her shivering. "Cold?" he asked.
"H-h-hai," she stammered.
"I'll take care of that," Mamoru replied with a gentle smile. Usagi
closed her eyes, and Mamoru leaned in for a kiss. Usagi slowly pulled away and
she said quietly, "Mamo-chan..."
"Hai?" he asked.
"I understand our future... in Crystal Tokyo... but..."
"Hai?" he prodded.
"Oh Mamo-chan!" she suddenly sobbed and buried her face in his chest.
"I'm so afraid of losing you!"
"Usako..." he whispered, playing with her hair, "I promise nothing will
happen to us."
They walked back to Usagi's house in silence, hand in hand. "I love you,"
Usagi said tearfully as Mamoru walked away.
"I love you too, Usako."
* * *
One of the Macarana-dancing rats surveyed the building. "Here the humans
have a dancing class. I shall take it over and show the humans real dancing!"
he thought to himself. Mamoru came out of the building at that moment, gym bag
slung over his shoulder. The rat quickly teleported away before his presence
was noticed.
A chill ran down Mamoru's spine. "Evil has been here. I must find
Usako..."
* * *
Usagi skipped down the sidewalk, humming as she went. Playing video games
at Crown had been invigorating, and now she was on her way to see Mamoru. She
pictured his soft black hair and gentle blue eyes, while a smile played on her
lips. Usagi turned a corner, still daydreaming about Mamoru, only to run right
into Minako. The two blondes slammed onto the ground.
"Gomen, Minako-chan!"
"Usagi-chan!" Minako exclaimed at the same time.
They got up off the ground and giggled together. "I've been looking for
you, Usagi-chan," Minako grinned. "Come with me!" She grabbed Usagi's arm and
pulled her to a bench in Juuban Park. The snow had begun to melt, while the sun
blazed overhead. "Sit here while I show you my dance, and tell me how I do."
"Hold on, Minako-chan," Usagi said, confused. "What dance?"
"Gomen! I forgot you weren't at Rei-chan's house when I told everyone.
I'm going to an idol audition. Dancing is part of it, and I'm afraid of messing
it up," Minako explained.
Usagi smiled brightly. "I know you'll do fine. Let me see you dance."
Minako began to sing "Route Venus" as she danced on the damp grass. Usagi
winced at the complicated pirouettes, fearing Minako would slip on the melting
snow, but the dance went smoothly. As she finished, the two girls noticed
clapping from behind them.
Mamoru creeped up from behind Usagi and kissed her right cheek lightly.
"Hi, Usako. Hello, Minako-chan. Nice dance. I enjoyed it."
"You saw the whole thing?!" Minako exclaimed, blushing furiously.
"You watch girls dancing?!" Usagi shouted, angry.
"Calm down, Usako. Minako is a friend. Besides, I came to see you."
They smiled at each other.
"I think I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Minako, the goddess of love,
grinned. Usagi and Mamoru barely noticed her departure. He sat down on the
bench beside Usagi and they kissed passionately.
* * *
A Dark Rat laughed evilly with triumph, watching preparations for the idol
audition. "It was so easy to enslave these humans in charge of that stupid idol
audition. Not only will I have them, but those idol wannabes as well! What
luck!" He laughed again. "Earth will be far easier to take over than
previously thought." The idol in charge of the competition walked briskly past.
"Stop, Kumeki-kun," the rat commanded. The tall blonde male froze. "I'm
leaving you in charge. Intruders are to be disposed of. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Kumeki said dazedly, for he was hypnotized.
The rat then teleported away.
* * *
Mamoru was doing his cool-down stretches at the end of his dance class.
His thoughts wandered to Usagi as he massaged his aching muscles. Her endless
blue eyes seemed to dance before his own...
"Mamoru-san!"
"Hai? Hai?" Mamoru looked up guiltily.
"Gomen, Mamoru-san," his instructor said apologetically. "You seemed...
out of it."
Mamoru smiled. "Just a little distracted, that's all," he explained.
"About Usako," he added to himself. Mamoru pulled on his athletic pants and
jacket, and left the gym.
* * *
The next day, an icy chill swept through the town of Juuban as the rats
continued their work. More and more humans began to fall under their control.
Soon the Macarana music was bursting from every radio station.
The Dark Rat sauntered into the tall building. On the tenth floor,
Mamoru's dance class was being held. No one seemed to notice the creature as it
disappeared into the elevator and reappeared on the tenth floor. He opened the
door of the dance classroom and walked briskly over to the boom box.
Mamoru's dance teacher faced the rat. "Excuse me, what do you think you
are doing? This is a private dance class," not noticing the odd appearance of
the creature.
The rat showed his yellow teeth. "You need a change of music," he
proclaimed, removing the dance CD and replacing it with a black one. New dance
music filled the room, and the dance students began to do the Macarana.
Mamoru, however, remained motionless, holding his hand to his head. "I
feel evil here," he moaned. "Must... find... Usako," he gasped, attempting to
resist the evil penetrating the room.
* * *
Minako arrived at the idol audition, breathless.
"Look! It's him! Kumeki's so cute!" several girls were shrieking.
Minako looked around at the growing crowd. Her eyes fell on the blond idol. He
seemed to be staring right through her. A chill ran down Minako's spine.
"Minako-chan!"
She turned around to see Rei, Ami, and Makoto. "Minna*! You came!"
"We have to be able to say we supported you when you're rich and famous,"
Makoto grinned.
Minako smiled brightly at her friends, and her face glowed with pleasure.
"You're the best."
"Ladies, may I have your attention please," the loudspeaker boomed. "The
auditions are about to begin. Please line up to receive a number."
Minako swiftly walked up to the nearest table and took her number, 8.
While pinning it to her blouse, she walked over to the stage and stopped to wait
for instructions. Ami, Rei, and Makoto joined the audience.
After about five minutes, the blond idol appeared on stage. "Please line
up in rows of ten. We are about to do the dance part of the audition."
"*Dance* part?!" thought Minako in shock. "I thought we were doing
solos!"
Once the contestants were lined up, the idol pressed play on the large
stereo. The Macarana music started up, as the contestants and their audience
began to dance. However, Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ami remained still, watching
their peers in horror.
"Minako-chan!" Ami's voice came urgently over the communicator.
Minako flipped it open. "Hai!"
"The music is emitting evil wavelengths. Henshin yo**!"
"Okay!" She closed the communicator and ran out of the dance line, and
behind a Port-a-Potty. "Venus Crystal Power, make UP!" After a shower of
golden lights, Supersailorvenus appeared in Minako's place.
Back in the audience, Ami, Rei, and Makoto ran behind a trailer and
transformed.
"Mercury Crystal Power..."
"Mars Crystal Power..."
"Jupiter Crystal Power..."
"MAKE UP!"
* * *
*=Minna means "everyone"
**=Henshin yo means "Transform"
* * *
Usagi moaned loudly as the GAME OVER screen flashed on the Sailor V game.
"I'm dead, I'm dead," she wailed. Just then a chill ran down her spine. Evil
was near, she could feel it. Her face lost its game-raptured expression as she
frowned. A beeping came from her pocket, and she ducked outside to pull out her
communicator.
"Usagi-chan, this is Supersailormercury. Do you copy?"
"Yeah, yeah, cut the formalities, is Mamo-chan with you?" Usagi asked
quickly.
"No, I'm sure he's fine. But we've got trouble here at Minako's idol
audition. We need you right away," Mercury instructed. She added sternly, "You
should already be here."
"Well, as usual I'll be fashionably late!" she chirped, closing the
communicator. Running down the sidewalk, she neared the tall building where
Mamoru's dance class was being held. The faint sound of Macarana music filtered
through the air as pedestrians began to do the Macarana. Usagi stopped dead in
her tracks. "There's evil here too... Mamo-chan, you're in trouble!"
* * *
Mamoru faced the evil mouse-rat, his beautiful blue eyes flashing with
anger. "Take your evil spell off of my classmates!"
"Now *why* would I want to do that?" the creature mocked. He pumped his
paw, and the Spanish music grew louder. Mamoru gritted his teeth, still
successfully warding off the evil wavelengths. Then his classmates, still doing
the Macarana, began walking slowly toward him, hypnotized. Mamoru frantically
looked around for an escape and his eyes locked on a box of costumes. He
quickly jumped in and slammed the lid shut.
* * *
The Sailor Senshi ran out from their hiding places, eyes fixed on the
Macarana dancers, who began to jump toward them.
"Akuryo... TAISAN!" Supersailormars used a batch of anti-evil scrolls on
the contestants, who fell to the ground unconscious.
"Phew," Supersailorvenus sighed.
"Not over yet!" shouted Supersailorjupiter. "The source of the evil is
still around here somewhere. Come on out, coward! Show your face and fight
us!"
"Jupiter-chan!" Mercury stage-whispered. "At least let me do a scan
first!"
"Whatever that is, it won't be necessary," came a new voice - the voice of
the mouse-rat. He appeared on the stage, next to the fallen idol. "I am
Baberato, a member of the Spanish Dark Rat Federation. Not even you Sailor
Senshi can stop us from taking over your planet Earth."
"Wanna bet?!" Jupiter challenged, taking a fighting stance.
"Jupiter!" Mercury admonished again.
Meanwhile, Venus struck a pose. "We are the Sailor Senshi, sworn to
defend love and justice! Attacking our lovely planet Earth will not be
tolerated. In the name of Venus..."
"And Jupiter..."
"And Mars..."
"And Mercury..."
"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!"
* * *
Usagi stomped up the stairs, panting. "Of *all* times the elevator had to
break down!" she complained. Reaching the tenth floor, she threw open the door
of the dance room. Her eyes bugged out at the sight. All of the people in the
room were doing the Macarana around a large box. The Dark Rat stood to the
side, cackling. "Stop right there!" she shouted.
The dancers froze momentarily, and the door locked behind her. The Dark
Rat flung his paw to the right, and the people began to jump around Usagi.
"Nani?!" she squealed, terrified. Trying to run away, she tripped over a
shoe, landing on the box. Usagi flung the lid open and leaped in.
"Hello," came a deep voice.
She found herself in a lap, staring right into Mamoru's eyes.
* * *
"Jupiter! Oak... Evolution!"
Baberato the Dark Rat quickly dodged Jupiter's lightening attack, and
laughed. "How lame."
"Venus! Love and Beauty... SHOCK!" Venus threw a kiss at the creature.
"Ah, love for me? I am honored," Baberato said sarcastically. "*Not*."
He deflected the attack back at Venus, who immediately ducked. "Jeez, he's
good," she complained.
Mercury was quickly typing into her mini supercomputer. "Mars-chan, could
you hold him off while I scan him?"
"Sure thing! Mars! Flame... Sniper!" The soldier of fire shot her arrow
at the villain, who deflected it. "There's no way you can beat me," Baberato
said proudly, "I am invincible."
"That's it!" Mercury shouted suddenly.
"Nani?" the three other Sailor Senshi asked.
"His weakness is his ego. We'll have to wound it."
"How are we going to do that? He seems so sure of himself," Jupiter
wondered as Mars and Venus reddened slightly.
"Come here," Mercury beckoned and they whispered in a group huddle.
At the end of their discussion, Venus worried: "But how will we hold him
off while powering up?"
"Leave it to us!"
"Nani?!" the Sailor Senshi and Baberato the mouse-rat said in surprise.
"The pretty sailor-suited senshi in training, Supersailorchibimoon!"
"The senshi of destruction, Supersailorsaturn!"
"In place of the future moon..."
"WE'LL PUNISH YOU!"
Supersailorchibimoon and Supersailorsaturn had arrived.
"Aw, how cute! Little kids think they can stop me too," Baberato said
sarcastically.
"Mercury!"
"Mars!"
"Jupiter!"
"Venus!"
"Aqua... Rhapsody!"
"Flame... Sniper!"
"Oak... Evolution!"
"Love and Beauty... Shock!"
Four attacks exploded in front of the rat, who scrambled to get out of the
way as he deflected the energy. The Inner Sailor Senshi flew backwards into a
trailer.
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Chibimoon yelled. Tiny little pink hearts of
energy flew at the rat, who deflected them back. Saturn immediately protected
Chibimoon with her Silent Wall. The older Sailor Senshi assembled behind Saturn
and joined hands.
"Mercury Crystal Power!" Mercury's aura shone blue.
"Mars Crystal Power!" Mars's aura shone red.
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" Jupiter's aura shone green.
"Venus Crystal Power!" Venus's aura shone yellow.
"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" As Saturn took down her Silent Wall, the auras
combined into a white ball of energy and engulfed the mouse-rat. He screamed in
horror as he turned to dust.
* * *
Three tall figures dressed in sailor suits ran down the deserted sidewalk.
"We must hurry. The Prince and Princess are in trouble."
"The ocean is very stormy."
"We'll get there in time. We must."
* * *
As Chibimoon and Saturn grinned at their victorious comrades, Mars
remained motionless with her eyes closed.
"What's wrong, Mars-chan?" Venus asked worriedly.
She opened her eyes. "Usagi should have been here by now. There's still
evil in Juuban, I can feel it. Usagi's in trouble!" Mars exclaimed suddenly.
Jupiter punched her fist. "Then we have no time to waste."
"I'll scan the city for energy similar to this creature's," Mercury added.
She pulled out her computer and began to type.
Chibimoon gazed at the blue sky, her eyes now serious. "Usagi..."
Saturn put her hand on Chibimoon's shoulder. "Don't worry. Setsuna-mama,
Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama will save her."
Chibimoon smiled and nodded.
* * *
The noise of Spanish singing thickened the air like a fog. Usagi
frantically looked around her, at the walls of the box. "Mamo-chan... we're
trapped..." Her voice began to crack.
"Claustrophobic?" Mamoru smiled slightly. "I'm so glad you're here,
Usako. We're trapped, yes... but together..." He put his arms around her waist,
and pulled her close.
"Mamo-chan..." She sighed uneasily and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I suppose all we can do is wait for a chance to escape..."
The loud Macarana music continued as Usagi and Mamoru closed their eyes,
trying to block out the noise as they rested in each other's arms.
* * *
"It's here." Supersailoruranus came to a dead stop in front of the tall
office building.
"Isn't this Mamoru-san's dance class?" Supersailorneptune asked.
Supersailorpluto raised an eyebrow. "Endymion-sama dances? That's news
to me." A slight smile drifted on her face, picturing King Endymion of the
future doing modern dance moves.
"Ahem!" Uranus coughed.
Pluto snapped to attention. "Tenth floor," she pointed upward.
The three Sailor Senshi ran into the building.
* * *
"I found it! Shimatta*!"
"What's wrong?" Jupiter asked Mercury.
"It's Mamoru-san's dance class. Usagi-chan *and* Mamoru-san are in
trouble!"
"Usagi!" Mars shouted.
"Mamoru-san!" added Jupiter and Venus.
Chibimoon blinked away sudden tears. "Let's go, minna!"
"HAI!" they all shouted.
* * *
*=Shimatta means "Oh no"
* * *
The door of the dance class exploded open with a burst of yellow energy.
"Invaders!" said one dancer.
"Let's show 'em the style of the Spanish federation!" said another.
"SI*!!!" they all shouted.
The fog in the room dissipated to reveal the Outer Senshi. Uranus looked
very peeved. "Dance music. I *hate* pop music." Neptune gave her a look, and
Uranus became silent.
"Where is Endymion-sama?" asked Pluto.
Uranus coughed again. "You mean Mamoru-san."
* * *
*=Si means "yes" in Spanish
* * *
Mamoru peeked through the crack of the box, unseen by the Senshi. "The
Outer Senshi are here. I guess this means we can relax a little."
Usagi nuzzled Mamoru's chin, still sitting in his lap. "We're safe, Mamo-
chan... I'm so relieved."
* * *
Neptune blasted the stereo with her Deep Submerge attack and the Spanish
music stopped. The dancers froze and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Pluto spied the rat and after running over to it, grabbed its collar.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?!?"
The rat sputtered, struggling against her grip. "Done with who?" he
gasped.
"YOU MUST KNOW! Then again... perhaps not." Pluto released him and he
dropped to the floor with the dancers. The rat's eyes glowed red and the
dancers got up from the floor, hypnotized. They began to encircle the Senshi,
as they sang the Macarana song.
"Mars! Flame... Sniper!"
A flaming arrow struck the mouse-rat, and the dancers flopped on the floor
once more.
"It's the Inner Senshi," noted Neptune.
"The Outers!" exclaimed Jupiter.
"Puu!" shouted Chibimoon happily and she ran to Pluto, Saturn trailing
behind.
By this point, the wounded rat was dragging himself over to the broken
stereo.
"There he goes!"
"GET HIM!!!"
An explosion of attacks struck the defenseless rat. When the smoke
cleared, only a pile of dust remained of him.
"Usagi-chan!" Mars exclaimed once she was sure the enemy was gone. "Where
is she?!" Her dark purple eyes fell on the costume box, and she quickly swung
the lid open.
Usagi and Mamoru were wrapped in each other's embrace, kissing
passionately.
"USAGI!!!" Mars screamed in frustration.
"Mamoru-san," added Mercury sternly, "Just what do you two think you are
doing?"
The two lovebirds snapped to attention and jumped out of the box. "N-n-
nothing," Mamoru stammered.
"Just... passing time," Usagi added, blushing furiously. "Thanks for
dusting that creepy rat."
"Don't mention it," Uranus muttered. She received two glares, from
Neptune and Pluto.
"There was another rat at my audition," Venus mentioned, "but we took care
of it, with help from Saturn and Chibimoon."
As Chibimoon beamed at Usagi, Mars mumbled, "Usagi was *supposed* to come
to the audition too."
Ignoring Mars, Usagi said, "Well, now that Tokyo is safe again, I move we
go out for dumplings to celebrate."
"Why am I not surprised?" asked Jupiter. She began to de-transform, when
a dark figure appeared in front of her. The third Dark Rat struck her down and
she fell to the floor with a cry. The Sailor Senshi quickly sprang into attack
poses, while Usagi and Mamoru transformed to Eternal Sailormoon and Tuxedo
Kamen.
"I must thank you for destroying my minions," the newcomer drawled, as
Jupiter struggled up from the floor. "As your previous foes have learned, it is
impossible for a group to rule the Earth successfully. Now there is no one in
my way."
Eternal Sailormoon's eyes narrowed. "Our previous foes have all been
defeated, because love and justice will always prevail. I am Sailormoon, the
pretty sailor-suited Senshi of justice! In the name of the Moon..."
"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!" all of the Senshi finished.
The new Dark Rat snorted. "Please, save it. I am Unorato, the leader of
the Spanish Dark Rat Federation. Now I just need to decide which one of you
will rule the world by my side." He first studied Supersailoruranus.
"World... Shaking!"
"Nope, too tough." The Dark Rat collected the energy from the attack and
shot it back at Uranus, who fell unconscious against the wall.
"Uranus!" Neptune cried. "Deep... Submerge!"
"Too elegant." Her attack was also deflected back and she fell to the
ground by Uranus's side.
"YOU!!!" Pluto screamed. She dove at him with the Time Staff, but he
dodged and froze her in time, her mouth hanging open. "Too dangerous," remarked
the mouse-rat. "As are you," he said, motioning to Saturn.
"Death Reb--" She was cut off by a storm of black ribbons, which tied her
up as she fell to the floor. The remaining Senshi looked on in horror; Eternal
Sailormoon's knees knocking. Tuxedo Kamen stood in front of her protectively.
"Let me see," Unorato mused, as he stroked his furry chin. "Not you. You
are also too tough." He blasted Jupiter with lightning, and she fell by Eternal
Sailormoon's feet. "Or you. Too passionate." Mars was burned by fire and
landed across the room.
Venus and Mercury looked at each other, then at Tuxedo Kamen, who had
wrapped Chibimoon and Sailormoon in his cape.
After a long pause, Unorato spoke again. "Not you either. Too cold." He
encased Mercury in ice.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!" Venus screamed in agony. "Crescent Beam SHOWER!!!"
The rat was engulfed by a shower of lights, only to deflect them back at Venus.
She fell on Mars's motionless body.
"I've made my decision," Unorato smiled. "You." Tuxedo Kamen glowed
eerily, and he materialized in the air by the rat, struggling against invisible
restraints.
"MAMO-CHAN!!! NOOOOO!!! This is *not* a time for you to be popular with
men!!" Eternal Sailormoon ran over to the pair, only to be blasted against the
wall. Tuxedo Kamen and the mouse-rat disappeared.
Chibimoon's figure began to flicker. "Usagi... I trust you..."
"NOOO!" Eternal Sailormoon screamed, lunging at the little girl and
hugging her close. "Hang on... onegai*..." Chibimoon disappeared. Eternal
Sailormoon screamed again.
"Usagi... stop crying for a minute..." Mars's voice came weakly.
"Rei-chan!" Eternal Sailormoon knelt by her side.
"Trust... in a little girl... who looks like you..."
"Rei-chan, what are you saying?"
"Onegai... heed my words. Another... pink-haired girl..." Mars's voice
faded away.
"NOOO! REI-CHAN!!!"
* * *
*=Onegai means "Please"
* * *
The rat and Tuxedo Kamen reappeared in a cave somewhere near the origins
of the Macarana. "Return me to Tokyo!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted at Unorato.
"*No.* You are going to rule the world with me," the rat said stubbornly.
"You are also going to enjoy it."
"Our enemies have tried it before. It doesn't work... you can't turn me
against my planet Earth."
"Watch me." The rat's eyes glowed red, and Tuxedo Kamen's eyes glowed red
also. Eerie red light filled the room, and subsided to reveal Endymion dressed
in a bullfighter's uniform.
"Now, Endymion, do you accept my request to rule the world by my side?"
"Si, master."
* * *
Eternal Sailormoon blinked her tear-filled eyes open to see the little
girl from the snow, Chibi Chibi.
"Not you again! I can't take this now... matte*." Chibi Chibi blinked
innocently at her. "Rei-chan said to trust you. She must've seen a vision.
So... I will trust you. For Rei-chan's sake. Can you help me save Mamo-chan?"
"Chibi Chibi," the little girl said, and nodded.
"Right! Like a two-year-old even knows who Mamo-chan is!"
Chibi Chibi pantomined throwing a rose. Eternal Sailormoon reddened.
"Ne, you do know who he is."
The two odango**-haired girls glowed with pink light and disappeared.
* * *
*=Matte means "wait"
**=Odango means "dumpling"
* * *
The dark cave flooded with pink light, and Eternal Sailormoon and Chibi
Chibi appeared in front of Endymion and the mouse-rat.
"Mamo-chan?!" Why are you dressed like that?!" Eternal Sailormoon
exclaimed to Endymion, seeing the bull-fighting costume.
"He will rule the world with me dressed like that," the mouse-rat said
cockily.
"No, he won't!"
"Watch me," Endymion said coldly.
"Destroy her," the Dark Rat commanded Endymion.
"Si." Endymion gathered a ball of dark energy in his palm, and blasted it
at Eternal Sailormoon and Chibi Chibi. They jumped out of the way just as the
energy hit the cave wall, causing a great explosion.
"MAMO-CHAN, DON'T!!!" Sailormoon screamed through the smoke. She closed
her eyes and remembered her vision with terror. Blood... Mamo-chan... her own
hands stained with his blood...
"Get them," the rat growled as the smoke cleared. "How hard is it to
destroy little girls?"
Endymion tensed up, as if he remembered, but promptly summoned a storm of
roses that pinned Sailormoon and Chibi Chibi to the ground. The thorns grazed
their skin, and Sailormoon watched wide-eyed as her blood trickled to the cave
floor. "Onegai... don't do this, Mamo-chan..." Sailormoon pleaded, unwilling to
fight him. He jumped across the cave and held his sword next to her throat.
"I will kill you now," he said without emotion. The sword swung, but
Endymion froze in mid-swing. The Dark Rat stood motionless as well.
Chibi Chibi now hovered in midair, emanating with white light.
"Sailormoon..."
Sailormoon looked at her wide-eyed. "Chibi Chibi..."
The little girl presented her with a crystal sword. "Use this sword to
protect the world, Sailormoon..." Eternal Sailormoon stood with uncertainty, as
the two males unfroze and sprang into attack positions.
"KILL HER!!" the rat shouted at Endymion, who dove at Eternal Sailormoon,
his sword extended. She gripped the sword hastily and blocked his blow. The
swords clanged loudly together in the darkness.
"Onegai... Mamo-chan... don't make me hurt you," Etenal Sailormoon
pleaded. Endymion shoved harder with his sword, as Sailormoon strained from the
force. Her previous wounds opened and began to bleed again. She closed her
eyes. Blood... her own blood... mixing with Endymion's... red blood...
Sailormoon remembered Chibimoon's last words.
Keeping her eyes closed, Sailormoon quickly stabbed with the sword. Endymion
yelled in pain. Her eyes flew open to see his arm gushing with blood.
Sailormoon screamed in terror. "Mamo-chan, Mamo-chan! Nooooo!" He gritted his
teeth in pain as he held his arm to stop the bleeding. Light exploded from the
yellow crescent moon on Eternal Sailormoon's forehead. After the light
subsided, Prince Endymion stood in his normal prince armor, the wound gone.
Princess Serenity ran to him and buried her face in his chest.
"Mamo-chan," she sobbed. "You're all right now... but I hurt you...
please forgive me!" She embraced him tightly.
Endymion wore a look of bewilderment and happiness on his face.
"Serenity..." He fondled her hair. "You saved me again."
Unorato cleared his throat. Serenity and Endymion turned to look at him.
"Excuse me, you lovebirds," he said tersely, "can we get on with fighting now?"
"You monster!" cried Serenity. "You hurt my friends, and turned Endymion
against me. In place of the moon, I'll punish you!"
"The rose of the Earth will not forgive you either!" added Endymion.
"You fools!" roared the Dark Rat. "Soon I will rule the world and you,
Endymion, shall bow down before me once more!"
Endymion quickly pulled his sword out of its sheath and held it by the
rat's throat, just as he had done to Sailormoon moments before. "Evil will
*never* rule the world. Repent and I might spare you."
The rat knocked the sword to the ground with his tail. "I have nothing to
repent. Die!" He blasted Serenity and Endymion with dark energy. The two fell
back against the wall.
Endymion got up almost immediately, as he hadn't been too injured by the
blast. Serenity was lying unconscious on the floor, and she powered down to
Sailormoon. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, "Usako, Usako!!!" A
lone tear ran down his face, and he remembered what he had told her.
I promise nothing will happen to us.
"It's all my fault, Usako," he sobbed. "Please wake up! I can't fight
him without you. I can't *survive* without you! Usako!" He dropped to his
knees in defeat, his eyes lost.
The Dark Rat laughed evilly. "Now you have *nothing.* A lone soldier
fighting for the forgotten ideals of love and justice. Won't you join me,
Endymion? I am all you have left on this pathetic planet."
"No." Surprisingly, Endymion's voice was full of intensity. He stood
slowly and faced the Unorato, the tears dried on his face. "I will protect this
planet. For Usako. And for everyone who risked their lives to protect it." He
assumed battle stance and gripped his sword. "I won't give up. Never again
will I let Usako down. I am the protector of Earth! And on behalf of everyone
living here, I'll punish you!"
"DIE!!!" The Dark Rat blasted him with dark energy, but Endymion stood
his ground against it. Blue eyes glared at red ones, but all Endymion could
think of was Serenity. "I'll defeat you yet!" the rat shouted.
Endymion finally managed to deflect the energy away, and he grabbed his
sword and started swinging at the rat. "This is for the outer senshi, who
taught me about sacrifice!" SLASH. "For the Senshi Guardians, who are my
friends!" SLASH. "For Chibiusa-chan, the future of this world!" SLASH. His
star seed flashed a brilliant gold as he shouted, "For Usako, the *eternal*
light!!!" SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.
The rat staggered back, gravely wounded. "Mercy... mercy..." he pleaded.
At this sudden voice of submissiveness, Endymion dropped his guard and the rat's
eyes glowed red. The rat concentrated his energy on Endymion's heart, filling
his being with evil energy. The golden star seed flashed intermittently in alarm,
as Endymion screamed in pain, his eyes turning white.
Chibi Chibi was praying, her pink aura glowing. The star seed continued
to flash, trying to expel the dark energy. Endymion's screams reached a new
octave, as the energies of the star seed and Chibi Chibi heightened, and the
dark energy was expelled. He collapsed with exhaustion, his eyes dull. The rat
was frozed from his failed brainwashing attempt. Chibi Chibi walked over to
Endymion and placed her hand on his forehead. He slowly regained his strength
and blinked in confusion. "Usako?"
"Please," Chibi Chibi said. "The Golden Crystal."
Endymion put a hand over his heart. "My Golden Crystal..." He looked
uncertain, knowing that he had little energy left and the use of the crystal
required much energy.
"Save the world. For Serenity and your daughter," Chibi Chibi said. She
smiled. "It will all be all right."
Endymion smiled at the little girl. "All right," he said, mimicing her
childish tone. Then he faced the evil Dark Rat and activated the Golden
Crystal. The rat screamed and died, and the world went white.
* * *
Chibi Chibi held Sailormoon's hand as they reappeared at Mamoru's dance
class. The students had long since left and the Sailor Senshi were coming to.
"Rei-chan!" Sailormoon ran to her and embraced her. She smiled at the
sleepy raven-haired beauty and Sailormars said, "Good, you're all right."
Sailormoon's eyes were glassy as she looked around at her friends. She suddenly
remembered where she had been and she whispered, "Doko ni... iru no Mamo-chan?"
On the verge of a sob, Sailormars quickly hugged her tightly. "Usagi."
"Demo... demo... Chibiusa-chan..." Each Senshi took a turn hugging the
emotionally exhausted Sailormoon. Chibimoon was noticably absent. Everyone's
faces were gravely serious.
"Sailormoon," Mercury asked slowly, "what happened to the rat?"
Sailormoon looked at the floor. "It blasted me into a wall, and I was
knocked out... I don't know what happpened after that. Chibi Chibi-chan and I
were wrapped in light, and she brought me here." Sailormoon turned to Chibi
Chibi, who had disappeared. "M-masaka*..."
"Who was she?" Jupiter asked.
"I don't know," Sailormoon admitted. "But she's one powerful little
girl."
Mars had been concentrating, and she now opened her eyes. "If it's any
consolation," she said, "the evil is gone. The Dark Rat is dead."
"Well, we're no longer needed," Uranus spoke up. The Outer Senshi headed
for the door. "See you around, Usagi-tachi," Pluto said as they left.
"Mars-chan," Sailormoon said quietly. "Can you find out where Mamo-chan
is?"
Mars closed her eyes only for a moment, then opened them, her eyes
bewildered. "H-h-he's just outside the door..."
"Nani?!" Sailormoon squealed. Just then Mamoru walked in, carrying
Chibiusa. He looked somewhat sheepish as the other girls made noises of shock.
Sailormoon threw herself at him, and he put Chibiusa down just in time. "Where
on *earth* have you been?! You had me so worried!" She squeezed him in a tight
hug, and he moaned.
"Usako... be gentle, I still have some bruises..."
She dropped him like a hot potato. "Gomen!" She and the other girls
detransformed.
"Mamoru-san, did you defeat the Dark Rat *all* by yourself?" Minako asked.
Mamoru looked at the ceiling, and then at Usagi. "When she was knocked
out... I couldn't take it... but Chibi Chibi gave me the inspiration to defeat
the Dark Rat." He shook his head in disbelief. "She's one powerful little
girl." He looked at Usagi squarely in the eyes. "I made a promise after you
were knocked out," he said, looking at the floor.
Usagi put her hands on his shoulders and stared at his eyes. "What was
it?"
He looked up again, a little teary-eyed but a determined look on his face.
"I won't let you down ever again. Ever."
The other girls looked confused and Usagi said softly, "But you've *never*
let me down. Not on purpose."
"But Usako... I *let* that Dark Rat take control of me! And then I hurt
you! Making your vision come true." Mamoru was obviously in emotional pain.
The girls looked more confused than ever.
"Mamo-chan." Usagi gazed at him lovingly. "You *saved* the world. You
risked your life to protect me. Not just this time, but many times before.
Every day I see how much you love me, and wonder if turtle Usagi really deserves
this wonderful man." Everyone smiled at this remark. "I can only hope to live
up to the wonderful things you've done for me. Those things will always
outweigh the times you've 'let me down.' Which you haven't. I love you, Mamo-
chan."
"I love you too, Usako." The two kissed as the others wiped their eyes of
happy tears.
* * *
*=Masaka means "No way" or "That's impossible"