Sorry about the format of this story—For some reason, won't show the indentions, is double spacing in some places where it doesn't need to...and argh, I am just getting annoyed with this weird editing thing! It has not been cooperating with me.
Disclaimer: Don't own
...Sometimes you need to run...
...Let it all out...
Her legs felt as if they could collapse any minute now, but she didn't care...It didn't matter, nothing mattered...not the burning sensation in her legs, the pleading of her lungs for the sweet taste of air, nor the voices that ran through her head, colliding with one another in a devastating flow of accidents.
...Forget who you are...
...Forget what you stand for...
The thoughts refused to stop, the pleadings, the chastising, the memories—oh, so many of them! They all surrounded her, a new message or memory—be they imagined or not—joining the rest at any given time. They haunted her dreams, plaguing her with unimaginable headaches and agitation...They were everywhere, refusing to allow her the rest she so badly craved and needed, the peace of mind she could no longer even dream of...they were constant reminders of the weight she bore.
...Just run and be free...
...Race with the wind and dance with the sea...
She was running at a speed even she had not known she could accomplish. The wind blew her hair behind her, tangling it into large knots she knew she would complain of later, but she didn't care...No, right now, she needed it, this false sense of freedom she could almost delude herself into believing she held. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the setting sun and allowing the wind to soothe her tensed shoulders.
...Fight with fire and soothe with ice...
...Strike with lightning and seal with love...
Her lungs were desperate now and judging from the lightheadedness that threatened to take over her, she could either stop or collapse at that moment. She did both, stopping only seconds before she keeled over, rolling onto her back and staring above at the passing clouds of the sky...
Oh to be free...
She could hear them, even now...their messages for her burning a searing pain deep into her mind and heart, into her very being in a way even she could not comprehend. She stared unseeingly above her and concentrated on nothing else save for taking in the chilled air to appease her suffering lungs. She could hear her heart beat, its rhythm only intensifying the messages they all sent her from wherever they were, creating such a thudding pain from within that she opened her mouth and let loose a scream.
'Usagi-chan, you're going to be a big sister..."
'Serenity, be careful!'
'Usagi-chan, meet your new baby brother...'
'Serenity, this is Endymion...''
'Don't be afraid of the kids at school, Usagi-chan...'
'Serenity, stop scaring them...'
'Endymion, help me!...'
'Find me....'
'Where are you...'
'Usagi...'
'Serenity...'
'Sailor Moon, if you could...'
'Sailor Moon...'
'Please....'
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" She clutched at her head, shaking it furiously from side to side, pulling at her hair and ripping strands from its place within her tender scalp. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Leave me alone!" Her voice was shrill, desperate in its longing, unrecognizable even to her own ears.
...Forget who you are...
...Forget what you stand for...
'When I grow up, will I be a queen like you mommy...'
'Usagi-chan, when will you learn...'
'Sailor Moon...help me...'
'Please...'
'Endymion, can you hear me?'
'Serenity...one day, all of this will be yours...'
'You're supposed to protect us...'
'Usagi-chan, you're supposed to set a good example...'
'Serenity, when you are queen, you must rule wisely...'
'Endymion, please...'
'Why aren't you here right now...'
"Leave me alone, please!" She clutched at her head, her nails grooving indents into her scalp and drawing blood, but she took no notice. She was numb to all but the voices ringing in her head, relentless in its pain. "Go away, please....stop talking to me, leave me alone! I just want to be left alone!"
...Time will heal fragile wounds...
...Death to follow life, life to heal death...
"Odango?" The voice was quiet, surprised and fearful in it's tone.
Usagi ignored the voice, concentrating on separating the voices that meld together to form a churning sea of agony within her mind.
"Odango?" But the voice was soothing, soft in its pitch, yet strong in its essence. She sat up slowly as she felt a worried arm surround her. "Odango, you okay?"
"Mamoru-baka?" She should have been surprised, but she could not bring herself to be. It was only right that he be there in her time of need—she didn't know why or how she knew this, but she did. Perhaps it was because when he was near, the voices began to quiet down, taking the pain with it.
"Mamoru-baka," she breathed, her eyes gazing unseeingly into his face.
"Odango?" He sounded concerned, she mused. "You okay, Odango?"
"I'm fine....I have to be.....fine...." She murmured, beginning to shake back and forth from her position in his arms. Feeling his arms tighten around her, she buried her face into his chest, her hands clutching his shirt desperately.
"Why don't they leave me alone?" She cried, "How come only when you're around....What is it about me that makes them think...What are they talking about, I don't understand!"
"Easy, Odango," His arms were still wrapped around her, his legs spread so that she sat between them. "What's going on, Odango...I'm worried about you....."
"I'm fine, Mamoru-san..." Her voice was small, her eyes blank. "Perfectly fine....well, except for them...."
...Fight with fire and soothe with ice...
...Strike with lightning and seal with love...
"Them?"
"They won't leave me alone...they all want me to find them...but I'm only one person..." Her voice cracked and she clutched her head again as the voices began to resurface, becoming louder and louder as each message came and went.
'Usagi-chan, I don't know where you are anymore!'
'Serenity, where have you been sneaking off to?'
'Sailor Moon, help me!'
'Endymion, I wish we didn't have to meet like this...'
'Where is the Usagi-chan I know?'
'Serenity...'
'Endymion, you're coming for me...'
'Usagi-chan....'
'Serenity....'
'Help me....free me....'
'Usagi-chan...'
'Help me....'
'Serenity...'
'Free me...'
"Stop it, stop it," she began to shake again, this time against her free will. "Make it stop, make it stop," Her body refused to stop.
"Usagi?!" Mamoru's voice was surprised, fearful of the convulsing girl before him.
"It won't stop...make it stop...help me!" Her voice was a broken desperation, raw and hoarse. Her hands went up, gripping and clawing at her head, tangling her already knotted hair as oceans of tears flowed rapidly from her tightly-shut eyes. "Make it stop!"
"Usagi, what's wrong?! Make what stop?!" Mamoru paused and caught Usagi as her body convulsed once more, giving one final shudder before it fell against him. Usagi's eyes opened half-way, and she craned her head up to look up at his concerned face.
...Forget who you are...
...Forget what you stand for...
"Who......" her voice was a low drawl, breathless yet heavy. "Am....I?"
"What?!" Mamoru's eyes widened in alarm, "You're Usagi," his eyes narrowed as a slow and heavy laugh escaped from the prisoning confines of the blonde's lips.
"Am....I?" She sighed, her eyes beginning to close, "Am I?"
Mamoru said nothing, a look of puzzlement shining clearly on his bronze face.
"Because," Her eyes slowly opened half-way, demurely, "Because they call me more."
...Just run and be free...
...Race with the wind and dance with the sea...
"Who?" His voice was quiet, a deep balm of calm that slowly wrapped itself around her in wistful strands, slowly warming her. Slowly, she turned her head to look down towards the ground, enjoying the cool relief his body offered her own as she rested her head against his chest. He was vaguely familiar—yet it wasn't to Usagi that he was familiar to. She inhaled his scent—a rosed-musk, refreshingly faint—and realized that a voice was missing and the thoughts didn't hurt as much anymore.
'Can we stay like this forever, Endymion...''I love you....'
'Tuxedo Mask...'
'Where are you....'
'Do you promise, Endy? Forever...'
'I love you...'
'They say you can't be trusted...but I know they're wrong...'
'Thank you for saving me again, Tuxedo Mask...'
'Married?! Oh Endy..."
'...I love you...'
"I'm yours, and you, mine...forever...'
'...I...'
'Yes, forever more...I'll marry you, Endy...'
'...Love...'
'We'll be together forever...'
'...You...'
'...I love you...'
'...Endymion...'
'...Tuxedo Mask...'
...'I love you...'
"They say I am more," Usagi repeated quietly, her voice muffled as her eyes slowly opened once more. "They call me more."
"Who?" He asked again, his voice comforting.
...Time will heal fragile wounds...
...Death to follow life, life to heal death...
"The Princess..." She breathed out an answer, unsurprised to hear his gasp, to feel his body stiffen as his heart's beat became irregular, "...The Savior...Me..."
"W..What?" His voice was strangled, a choked apprehension.
"Serenity...Sailor Moon...Usagi..." Her eyes began to slowly close and her breathing began to slow as her body continued to relax against the taller man. "Three incarnations...three lives...three deaths....three...."
'Serenity...''Sailor Moon...'
'Usagi-chan...'
'Serenity, don't!'
'Watch out, Sailor Moon!'
'Where were you last night, Usagi?'
'No, Endymion!...'
'Oh wow, what a pretty broach!
'I was in bed all night, really...'
'I won't live without you, Endymion...'
'This is your broach...just say the words...'
'No one can know your secret, Usagi-chan...'
'Wait for me, Endy...I'll be with you soon...'
'...Moon...'
'I love you.'
'...Prism...'
'I hate lying to everyone, Luna...it kills me a little bit more every time I do...'
'...Power...'
"Three lost souls..." Usagi whispered, before her eyes shut and her lips curved into a soft smile. "You made them quiet down...thank you...."
Mamoru merely held the now sleeping girl in his arms as he stared down at her, his concerned eyes contemplative.
...Forget who you are...
...Forget what you stand for...
My name is Tsukino Usagi, Serenity, and Sailor Moon.
Sometimes, I forget who I am and I run...
I run from them and from the voices...
But he finds me
And brings me back
...He always finds me...
And brings me back.