Tokyo
by Richan
Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon. Don't own much of anything else, either.
Warnings: slight yuri, but not between who you think. Don't worry about it. Very dark, especially for a Sailor Moon story.
"Usagi..."
The soft voice drifted off as a hand was held against the sinking sun.
"Please, Haruka. Please, don't say anything." Crystal blue eyes turned to look into the deeper ones that were hidden under shaggy blond bangs. Tears seemed to hover in the paler ones for a moment before they turned away.
Haruka stood there for a minute watching her princess refuse to cry. The motion was unnatural for a girl who seemed prone to cry at the littlest things and not at one of the biggest events in her life. Even now she could see what had happened in the last few days if she closed her eyes. The scenes ran in a never-ending loop against her eyelids, never giving her a chance to think of what she could have done to help the others.
Shaking herself from her reverie, she looked out as dusk began to settle on the land far below them. Tokyo lay in ruins as the beginning of the end of the world played out around them. The Sailor Senshi had been no match for the Earth itself, and nature had taken its toll for the battle. Now, only Sailor Moon and herself were left, even Tuxedo Kamen having been unable to hold out under the pressure. He had been the last to fall and was lost somewhere in the ice that the fading sun glinted off of.
She just hoped that Michiru was safe in whatever place she had gone to. The thought of never looking into the eyes that mirrored the ocean stopped her heart for a second, breaking it as the realization that she would never see them again in this life. Haruka's mind couldn't seem to get past that thought. It was too painful to go forward, for it still was so fresh in her mind.
The senshis of water and ice had decided to fight like for like, giving the others time to regroup their strength. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Mercury had never come back from the fight they had headed off to. Those two had been just the beginning of the fallen, and almost seemed as if it was a former battle playing itself again. Neherenia, Galaxia; the battles were running over and over in her mind, blending together until she couldn't tell which was which or even the one that was presently playing out.
"Haruka..."
Usagi's voice brought her out of her depressing thoughts. She almost didn't catch the way Usagi didn't add "-san" to her name. Never before had the younger girl done such a thing, the only one of the senshi that she ever did that too was Rei.
Haruka looked down into Usagi's eyes and saw that the tears had begun to spill over. Pulling the shorter girl into her arms, she held her close as sobs began to wrack the thin body next to hers.
"Kowaii." It was just a whisper, but it let Haruka know that she needed to keep her attention on Usagi, instead of trying to swallow her grief in her own thoughts, blocking out the present.
"Hush, neko-chan," she whisper soothingly. "We'll see them again." Haruka hugged Usagi tighter. "We will."
******
Usagi sat up quickly. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she tried to make out what she had heard in the black darkness of the night. Throwing the scratchy blanket off her, she shivered as the cool air brushed along her sweaty skin, the result of the nightmare she had just woken from. The sound came again as she wrapped her thin arms around her knees, huddling on the ground as the night seemed to close in around her.
"Neko-chan."
She jumped at the sound of Haruka's voice next to her, squeaking in surprise as she fell back to the soft grass beneath her.
"Haruka?"
A soft golden glow cast an eerie shadow over Haruka's face as she lay the match to the pile in front of her. Soon, sparks flew through the dry grass on the top, slowly making its way to the twigs that lay below.
Minutes later, Usagi hunched next to the small fire as it crackled happily in the silence that surrounded it. Her mind, though, was far from the scene in front of her. Instead, it was far in the past, where an ominous cloud had hung over the sky was the end of the Moon Kingdom. The nightmare that had woken her had had the same feeling running through it.
A drop of water on her hand startled her, and she noticed that she was crying again. It was all her fault that her friends and lover had fallen; she hadn't been strong enough to keep the trigger from being pulled. Pictures raced through her mind of all the happy times that they had enjoyed followed by the awful destruction that had ripped them apart, away from her.
An arm around her shoulder offered comfort she didn't feel worthy of. Michiru had been the first to fall. It would be better if Haruka would yell at her for not helping the other senshi in the battle, not giving the strength that Usagi didn't have. Overwhelming sadness swept over her as tears became rivers down her cheeks. As she sobbed herself to sleep, the last thing she felt was as if she were wrapped in a safe coccoon.
Waking once more, Usagi blinked against the sun as it peaked into the sky. An arm lay protectively on her waist, Haruka's body warm against her back. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment as she thought of how much the older girl had been forced to put up with last night.
This morning, though, the dark feelings that had run rampant in her dreams had disappated. The last dream that she had was ripe with unfulfilled promises, ones that she knew would come true if she had enough faith in herself and Haruka. Together they would be able to give the push the world needed if the future was to come out the way it should. A small thought ran through Usagi's mind that sometimes Setsuna didn't corner the market on being able to see the future.
Making a decision on the actions she wanted to take, she rolled over carefully and faced Haruka. Her face reposed in sleep, the older girl looked much younger. Eyelids fluttered softly against smooth cheeks, giving the impression of a youth untouched by pain and sadness.
Usagi found her hand brushing those cheeks, wanting Haruka to wake up so she could tell her what they needed to do next. The skin under her fingertips seemed like fine silk, though, drawing her attention from her thoughts to the physical sensations of the other girl's face.
Haruka felt a loving touch across her face, the soft touches imploring her to wake. These fingers were different than the ones that usually carressed her face, the pads uncalloused as they brushed over an ear before turning back to her cheek. A picture of golden hair formed behind her eyelids, shooting her back to reality as she opened her eyes to find Usagi watching her.
"Neko-chan." Her voice was husky from sleep and the remnants of cool, night air, but it sounded different than how she wanted it to be. Haruka heard a pleading tone in the nickname, a whispered entreaty to her princess to make everything all right. It also cried to the younger girl to never stop the loving touch that held both of them to the life they had thought torn away by their losses.
Reaching over, she pressed her hand alongside Usagi's cheeks, feeling the warm skin under her fingertips. Her palm cupped the soft skin as she looked into baby-blue eyes that held so many emotions, too many to give name to. As she watched, they warmed even further as hope shone clearly as it was rightfully restored to the face across from hers.
A bird called overhead, breaking the feelings that flowed between the two. Alerted to the world around them, Haruka found herself watching the sun rise higher in the sky, its path unaltered even as the land it traced lay beneath a thick sheet of ice. Shaking her head to clear the last bits of sleep that still lingered, she rose to tend to the fire again.
******
Haruka laughed as Usagi gave a wide grin, her teeth a bright white against the soot that stained her cheeks. A cave offered shelter from the rain that now poured outside, and they had spent the last few hours cleaning it up. Her laughter stopped soon enough as the rain continued. It seemed as if the world had decided that ice was enough so it added the rain to wash away what wouldn't freeze.
She was also frustrated, since Usagi would only tell her to remain calm in the face of such adversity. It was one thing to face a foe that she could battle against, but her inability to do anything to protect her princess was slowly driving her out of her mind. The serene look on the younger girl's face didn't seem to help, either.
"Haruka?" Usagi was standing next to her, tugging on an arm. "Let's clean up, ne?"
Not waiting for an answer, she ran out into the rain, twirling around as it washed the grime from her face. Haruka watched as the golden hair darkened and began to cling to the skin that regained its youthful looks. She stood for a moment, mesmerized, by the pure joy that seemed to radiate around Usagi before she, too, went into the rain.
She stood still and raised her face, feeling the cool water fall into her hair and cleaning her skin. It was almost as if the rain was purifying her as the water seeped into her clothes. She didn't feel the chill as she stood there, eyes closed against the rain, listening to the gleeful laughter that seemed to trip off Usagi's lips.
A sudden movement next to her made her open her eyes to see the other girl grinning happily as she spun around, her body moving faster as it spun towards Haruka. Trying to move out of the way, she collided with Usagi and they fell to the wet ground in a tangle of legs and arms, wet, golden hair spread around them.
"H--Haruka..." Usagi giggled again before she lifted her head off the other girl's shoulder where it landed when they fell. She fell silent at the darkened blue eyes that met hers.
Haruka felt the soft body against hers, the wet clothes acting as if they weren't there. Usagi lifted her head and she felt pinned by the soft, pale blue eyes. Raising a hand, she brushed it over a damp cheek before lifting the other one. She slowly raised her head, still looking steadily in Usagi's, and brushed her lips against the ones she so suddenly needed to touch.
Pulling back, she kept her eyes on the other girl's as they widened slightly before closing. As she waited for her to open her eyes again, Haruka noticed the chill in the air as a wind blew through the wet clothes that clung to her.
Usagi's mind whirled at the sensations that flew through her. She never noticed when Haruka carried her into the cave until she felt the warmth of the fire against her arms. Goosebumps formed on her skin, shivers creeping down her spine. Her emotions were mixed as she thought about what had happened outside, the love she felt for her friend changing to one she couldn't quite define. She looked over at Haruka and found her staring morosely at the fire, half-heartedly poking at it with a long stick.
Standing, she walked over to where the other girl crouched before sitting.
Haruka held her breath as Usagi sat next to her. She was just waiting for her to yell or get angry. Anything would appease the guilt that had spread like wildfire through her heart.
"Haruka?" Usagi's voice cut through the thick air like a knife. "Why did you kiss me?"
The blond girl almost fell, stunned by the curiousness in the question. She had expected the same words to be spat out, distaste hanging from each syllable. That she could have handled, but not the faint emotion threaded through the soft tone.
"Neko-chan..." She tried to force out more words, but they stuck in her throat. Haruka opened her mouth to speak again but found a finger pressed against her lips.
"Shh. Don't force it."
She looked over into pale blue eyes, a serene expression on the calm face. She relaxed and sat down on the floor, half turned towards Usagi. Some spark flared within, as if something cut her loose from the guilt that swirled through her mind. It grew rapidly in size, pushing Haruka's feelings out to the other girl. Acting on the emotion, she lowered her head and pressed her lips against hers once more. There they lingered for a couple of seconds as she tried to make herself pull back, to stop kissing Usagi, before the lips under hers began to move.
Encouraged by the movement, Haruka pressed harder, testing the seam of Usagi's lips. She touched her tongue lightly against the other's mouth before finding its way in. Sliding in over sharp teeth, she searched the sweet, hot cavern of the younger girl's mouth.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Haurka was wondering what was going on, but the sensations flowing through her in the present blocked them. These kisses were making her feel so *alive.*
A sharp crack of thunder startled the both of them. Jumping slightly back, Haruka looked down at Usagi. The younger girl had one hand pressed against her mouth, a slender finger tracing the swollen flesh of her lips. Then the realization of what she had done set in as she jumped up and headed towards the entrance of the cave.
"Haruka?"
Usagi voice stopped her, the husky tone pleading with her not to leave. Taking a deep breath, Haruka turned around, her eyes not meeting her princess' in an attempt to keep the guilt away.
"Arigato."
The word surprised her. Looking back up into the guileless pale blue eyes, Haruka found nothing but hope shining from them. Crooking her head in question, she slowly headed back to Usagi.
"Why, neko-chan?" The words were husky still, the passion of moments before drowning in the guilt that flowed through her veins. "Why are you thanking me?"
"For reminding me that I am still alive," Usagi answered. "For reminding me that our work is still not done in this time." She could still feel the hum of emotion swirling through her, but now it had a purpose. The kisses that she had shared with Haruka freed her from the mental block she had put up when the others were lost. Her dream/nightmare came back to her in a flash, reminding her that they couldn't die just yet.
"Usagi..." She looked up into Haruka's eyes and found them swamped with heavy emotions.
"Shh," she said again. This time she cupped a smooth cheek in her palm, a loving yet gentle reminder of the emotion they had shared a few minutes in the past. "We have to look to the future, not the past. While the past teaches many lessons, sometimes we have to figure things out for ourselves no matter how hard it is."
She saw the tall blond across from her give her a puzzled look, which changed to consternation. "Oops," she said giggling. "I think I'm starting to talk like Setsuna, aren't I?"
This finally made Haruka laugh, her eyes lightening a little.
'Good. I don't like seeing her sad,' Usagi thought. 'None of my friends should be sad.'
******
Usagi shivered in her sleep and Haruka pulled her closer. The one blanket they shared no longer gave the warmth they needed. The rain had stopped shortly before they lay down, but the wind had picked up dramatically. The shelter the cave offered gave only a small respite as the temperature dropped once more.
A strong gust of wind whipped through the cave, threatening the small fire that barely managed to keep going. The last foray Haruka had made to find some dry wood offered nothing. She had been able to find only small, wet twigs that made the fire smoke and sputter. Another shiver from the girl she was holding made her start. As she did, the fire gave up its fight against the wind and blew out, plunging the cave into darkness.
Haruka closed her eyes when they began to strain in the blackness, never noticing when sleep set in.
Cold. All Usagi could feel was a bitter cold that seeped through her skin to the very heart of her soul. Was this the way that it was supposed to end?
The dark thought seemed to grow in her mind, consuming everything in its path until a violent shiver wracked the body she was held next to. Haruka....
Usagi drew comfort from the slight warmth that wrapped around her. She realized that this was the way this life was to end, for the next one to begin. She had almost forgotten the dream she had woken to this morning. The hope that had flared then did so again in the present.
The life that was waiting for her lay before her, giving her the last bit of strength she needed to complete the final task of this one. Taking the brooch that lay nestled against her heart, she asked the Silver Crystal for one last duty.
A pure, white light lit the cave, sealing its inhabitants once and for all.
******
OWARI
I don't apologize for the abrupt ending. .