~!*!~
Usagi opened her bloodshot eyes and peered
around the dark room. Everything was silent... all was still. A lone tear slid
down her bruised face. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized what had
happened. Mamoru lay on the floor about three feet from her. His hair was
all messed up as well as his clothing. Her eyes narrowed. He groaned and
rolled over. Frightened, she scooted back until she felt her back hit a
wall... and proceeded to cry.
'Oh Mamoru... ', she thought angrily,
' how could you do this to me?' Another tear ran down her face. 'I'm
sorry Mamoru... but for this... I can't forgive you.'
*flashback*
Usagi set the cake and plates down on the
table. She strung the sign and stood back to admire her handy work. 'well...
maybe not my handiwork... Mako-chan made the cake, Ami-chan made the banner on
her computer, Rei-chan let me borrow her good china, and Minako-chan helped me
decorate Ami-chan's sign... but it's the thought that counts, right?"
She only had seconds to ponder this as she
heard Mamoru fumbling with the keys. He cursed several times trying to find the
keyhole... words Usagi never even knew existed. As the door finally opened, he
stepped in and dropped the bags. "Usako," he whispered, looking around.
"I hope it's not too terrible
looking," she fiddled with her fingers. "I tried to make it perfect
Mamo-chan, I really did," she looked as if she were about to burst into tears
when she felt his arms slide around her.
"It's beautiful Usako. Arigatoo." he
slurred. She raised an eyebrow questionably.
"Mamo-chan... you sound different."
"I feel different," he said, swooping
down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Usagi almost immediately
recognized the foreign taste in her mouth. 'Alcohol' she thought.
His lips slid down to her neck, tilting
her head to the side. She took this opportunity to push him back. "Maybe I
should leave." His eyes grew stern.
"No Usako," he said simply before
beginning the kiss again and pushing her up against the wall. Her eyes widened
in surprise and she began to thrash around violently, trying to get out of his
grasp. He pulled away and slammed her against the wall, harder than before.
"Play nice," she vaguely heard him growl as she began to lose consciousness.
She held on as long as she could, enduring the stings and burns he was
inflicting upon her. Her arms had gone numb several minutes before... then
she blacked out.
Now she was feeling the beatings full-force.
She blinked away a few more stray tears
when a velvety material brushed against her arm. She followed it up over what
looked like a chair. She turned to look at Mamoru, who had now begun to snore
soundly and began to slowly pull it off. Wrapping it around herself as if to
ward off the fear surrounding her. Beneath it was a smooth piece of...
something. She moved closer, just to see her own reflection staring back at her.
The twin streams of golden hair had somewhat fallen and were sagging down by her
ears, hair falling out of them every-which-way.
~*~*~
Miaka concentrated on Yui's voice.
She could feel Hotohori's life-force, Tamahome's love and Nuriko's strength.
She could see her mother and her brother in her mind's eye... and Yui. 'I
have to get... back to my world.'
A bright light shone and Miaka returned
from the book, landing on one of the desks at her school. Yui's adventure
was to begin. A blue light enveloped her and she found her way inside the
book.
~*~*~
'Miko...' a voice seemed to whisper.
She looked throughout the room, finding no one, she went looked back into the
mirror... and to her surprise, a man with flaming red hair looked back at her
through the glass.
'Miko? I'm not a Miko. Tsuki
no Hime, yes, but...' the man seemed to read her mind.
'I made a mistake bringing the Yuuki girl
into the book. She has caused nothing but trouble and has even had the
audacity to go to Tai Itsukun and ask to go back to her world.'
'Yuuki... where have I heard that name
before?'
'I am very displeased with her.
Tsukino Usagi.' When he said her name it seemed to be full of importance.
'Would you accept the responsibility? You would be taken from your
world... possibly for a very long time.'
'Taken... from here... from Mamoru... I
would never have to see him again...' a smile lit up her face. 'But
the senshi...'
'The senshi will triumph as always.
Your powers and responsibilities as Sailor Moon will just be passed on to the
second in command. Senshi Venus will take over as the Queen of Crystal
Tokyo with the rest of the senshi as advisors to the crown.'
'Demo... how did you know...?'
'That's not important. Do you
accept?'
'...hai.'
'Very well.' The man closed his eyes
and Usagi felt an aura of warmth radiating around her. She closed her eyes
as she felt herself lift off the ground and move inside of the mirror. She
opened her eyes just in time to see a large red peacock fly past her and back
towards where she came from. The air became too light to breathe and she
passed out.
Outside the mirror, exactly where Usagi
had been sitting, a small red feather rested. It only sat for a few
seconds before igniting into flames and catching onto the sheet.
