See You Again
--+--
I wonder how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootie Pop?
It's the year AC 197, Hiiro Yui decides to live the life of a suburban teenager. Because thats normal, right? Duo was always going off about his life back in the orphanage, and the way he would talk about the adults made Hiiro a little jealous. Sure, he had had Odin, but what could he do if he was...not around?
Live by your emotions.
That was what he planned to do.
Let Act 01 begin.
--+--
"Hi, I'm Usagi Tsukino! What's your name?" Hiiro looked up, above him was a frighteningly blonde young lady. He vaguely remembered her staring him down at lunch the day before.
She never did let him finish...
"Did you just move here?" she pushed a long pigtail back, a useless habit, it merely swung forth and swept across his hand. "Would you like to sit with me and my friends at lunch? They're very nice!"
"Tsukino! The assistant principal wants to see you!"
With that she ran off, looking back and waving energetically--thus causing the impending crash.
"Oh! I'm sorry Ms. Haruna!"
"Tsukino!"
"I'll see you again!" she had called to him.
--+--
School was a difficult thing to handle. Hiiro had learned this the hard way.
On enrolling in Jūban Senior High, his records had been looked up. It wasn't like all those other times, these people realized he hadn't had official schooling since he was about 14. They put him back in middle school, forget about any placement tests. This was like, a punishment for being a gundam pilot.
There's gratitude for you.
He was now in the 9th grade. Jūban Junior High...those stupid administrators freaking suck.
What seventeen year old is still in the 9th grade!? It was insulting, degrading, and humiliating! Such debauchery would not go unpunished if he had anything to say about this! Who knows what little teenage girls would do to him!? The mocking by boys in locker rooms...the fact that he was far more good-looking, and past the zit stage of life would probably promote envy and jealousy!
It was definitely a plot against him. Maybe Zechs was involved, somehow. Unlikely, but Hiiro felt like going to someone to complain. Lucrezia was promising, she would unfailingly give her partner a nice earful.
--+--
"Moon Healing...Escalation!" Sailor Moon cried, the youma screeching as it became moondust.
"Ah-hah!" she snapped her fingers, the crescent moon wand disappearing. "Another one bites my dust!"
Sailor Moon looked around, the people around this large auditorium were slowly getting up, she figured this was a good time to promote her new celebrity-ness!
"I am Sailor Moon!" she cried out to her fellow high school students, "I fight in the name of The Moon and prevail over injustices! Do not worry, these youma will soon be history!"
Hiiro rubbed his eyes, watching as the mini-skirted warrior took off backstage. The principal scratched his head, shrugging as he made his way to the podium.
"Everyone! Are you all okay?" Ms. Haruna asked from behind him, worrying over her own students.
"I'm fine," he mumbled, wondering what power had sucked him of his energy. He needed a nap.
--+--
"That was probably the best assembly we ever had!" Naru chimed. She, Usagi, Umino, and their newest classmate Hiiro made their way to the roof for lunch.
Hiiro looked down at the somewhat short Umino, he couldn't help but wonder how this idiotic genius had rounded up these girls. The one with all the hair was really weird and the other one wouldn't shutup about that Sailor Moon girl.
"Hey, Hiiro?" Usagi moved beside her tall friend--he towered over her by like a foot or so. Didn't help that she wasn't even 5 feet tall. "This weekend everyone is gathering at my place to watch some movies. You think you could fit some room in your schedule?"
Hiiro was used to the way girls treated him now. They figured that because he was older he had some glamorous 'almost legal' life--maybe even a girlfriend--and no time for their prepubescent lives.
Now, this idea of going to her house was positively ludicrous. Duo had warned him about going to girls' houses. They were cunning creatures, who lured you into their bedrooms whilst pretending to be innocent and coy. Then--they locked you in and forced their imitation Maybelline products on you! That stuff wasn't even tested on animals, so there was no way to tell if that pink tube of mascara was safe--or if that fuschia lipstick would look good!
He also had to remember that while Duo's stories were doubtlessly true, he needed to keep in mind the fact that the girls Duo had dealt with were young. Maybe girls grew to be less scary in their later years.
"I'll think about it," he said coolly.
He'd have to get in touch with Duo or Quatre before giving her a definite answer.
--+--
"Should you go?" Duo asked, glancing at the small screen where Quatre's face was. Hiiro nodded, awaiting their verdict. "Well, a bunch of underage brats who will probably want to watch some Disney flick? It sounds so...juvenile." Duo went on.
"I don't think they're that bad," Quatre put in, rolling his eyes. "It could be fun. You never know until you try. I mean, I don't know if I would go, but it will be good for you to experience something like this at least once, Hiiro. I've got to get going though, I'll talk to you guys later, bye." And with that his face vanished into a little black square.
"He seemed to be in a rush," Duo chuckled. "But he's right, go if you want. Just play it cool, like you have something better to do than this. Even though we both know you don't. Later," his screen went black and Hiiro sighed.
"I guess I'll go, then,"
--+--
AC: 195
Hiiro flew, he flew high and fast. He ignored his fellow pilot's incoming transmission. He just had to get away from everything--the battles, the smell of death. It seemed to be too much for him, right now.
He was too young for this.
--+--
Hiiro paused at the door. What if he couldn't stand Usagi's uber-cheerfulness? What if it made him pass out and he woke up looking like Jigglypuff had attacked him while he slumbered!?
There was only one thing to do.
He glanced at his watch, it was a little past 6, and getting out around 9 seemed plausible. He raised his hand and knocked. There was no doorbell or intercom like most houses around here had. According to Naru, the one was removed because no one in this family was at all good with technology.
The door opened, and Hiiro felt quite clammy. A blue-haired woman smiled, and he noted that Usagi looked nothing like the woman he guessed was her mother.
"Come in dear, Umino is running late, and everyone seems to be a little impatient." she sighed, waving him into the normal-looking house. "Have you had dinner yet? I'd be happy to fix something up!" she continued to push him into the living room, where girls and boys sat around, and an older man glared up at him.
"You look much older than 14," he stated.
Hiiro almost gulped, pushing back his hair and brushing his blue polo smooth; maybe these people wouldn't want him hanging around their young daughter! Maybe he'd get lucky and they would have him expelled from school.
"He was held back due to malfunctions in the schoolboard's computers," Umino said from behind them, he seemed to have let himself in (and Hiiro wondered just how often he came to this house). "He's really smart, and only a few years older than us. Don't worry, Mr. Tsukino."
"Fine then, so what are we watching, kids?" Mr. Tsukino asked as Usagi groaned and motioned for the two newcomers to sit down. She rolled her eyes and made a face to her mom.
"Dear, why not let them have some time together, and you come help me get the snacks ready!" Ikuko masterfully ushered her husband out, winking back at everyone.
Everyone sighed with relief, including Hiiro, who sat inbetween Naru and the bookish Ami. Usagi leaned against the couch across from him, smiling at him. He could only wonder what she was thinking.
'She's probably fantasizing about some knight or something stupid,' he thought. 'Oh, my prince! I'm so glad you came! Look, Hiiro the Monster 9th grader came too! He's scary! What a bunch of crap,'
"Hiiro?" Umino asked, exchanging looks with Usagi. "We asked you if you'd rather watch a Meg Ryan movie or something with Tom Hanks?" Hiiro blinked, everyone stared at him. He had to make the decision?
"Both," he muttered cluelessly. Everyone's eyes widened.
"Great idea!"
"Oh, I love 'You've Got Mail'!"
Hiiro rested his head on the back of the small couch, wanting to be anywhere but this place. Maybe he could fake a headache and leave. He watched as one girl pushed a DVD in. What, did they have every freaking movie known to man or something? He stared at the two large racks filled with child-appropriate movies, sitting innocently on either side of the television set.
Good thing these kids were young, curfews were bound to come in in a couple of hours.
--+--
He'd figured it out, or rather remembered what kind of people got stuck in lower grades year after year. Bullies. Those over-sized kids who grew facial hair before fourth grade and stole your lunch money. At least the stereotypical ones did. In real life, bullies gave you dirty looks and only ever really roughed you up on the weekend. As if you could really get away with beating up a student or cheating off some nerd's homework!
Still, thats how a lot of people treated him. The only three who did not address him as scary or anything but a 9th grade reject were Umino, Naru, and Usagi. It was just like him to get stuck with the weirdos.
Other girls looked at him oddly, pondering whether or not he had a girlfriend, some braving a love note to him anonymously. Boys disliked his athleticism, he could slam dunk a ball faster than they could blink, and their gym teacher once announced a game where everyone was against him. That was the only close game they ever had, and he finally let them win.
Ms. Haruna didn't treat him the way other faculty members did. She mothered him like all her other students, making sure he was helped or helping as he should. It was pretty obvious he, that Ami girl, and Umino were the brains of the school. The only time he wished she would just jump off a cliff (as he did with others) was when she paired Usagi and he together for an English assignment. She used him to sneak in an early lunch and even disappeared completely one morning when he needed her to look over their paper.
Usagi was one student he just didn't get. When he threatened to spill the beans on her gorging herself, she got to work on her part of the paper just fine. She didn't lack any real intelligence, she was just lazy. He even quizzed her during lunch on European history and she answered everything correctly. Incentive was her problem, and he thought of going to Haruna about it. Her marks were low, but she knew everything her level required, it was pure laziness that kept her from getting grades as good as Ami's.
It had been a month since he'd been enrolled and things weren't too bad. They could be worse, and the only real trouble he had from his fellow students were when the boys came to him (albeit reluctantly) on dating advice.
What was he supposed to do? Pretend to be some sort of love guru? He had never had a girlfriend, didn't intend to get himself one, and girls were as big a mystery to him as what was behind Umino's glasses.
--+--
Two months had passed now, and Hiiro had a lot more drama to deal with. Some Sailor V kept popping up in Europe for some time, and had made a few appearances in America.
There was also the question of the mysterious Sailor Moon, who now had another partner--Sailor Mercury. According to Usagi (some source!) the two weren't affiliated with her; this summer seemed to have brought a lot of news, aside from Sailor Moon's partner coming in.
Usagi had a new cat, Hiiro had once again gone to the Tsukino household for the movie night and met her. The thing had a weird bald spot, and some Moonie name or whatever. Umino and Naru had established a relationship (Hiiro wondered if couples their age ever got past the candy stage--candy being all the boy can afford) which Ken--Usagi's father--frowned upon. Usagi told him that her dad had wanted Umino to get with her.
Ami Mizuno was officially a part of their clique. She had opened a little since her first appearance. Usagi had experimented with her to begin with, sitting with her at lunch (Hiiro disdainfully hung with the lovey-dovey U:N) and Hiiro noticed their matching pens. Ami, while quiet and bookish, was pretty fun to hang with, so he didn't mind.
The youma that popped up seemed to get stronger and hard for the two senshi to beat, Hiiro wondered if he could be of help. Some tuxedoed figure was common when photographers would try to get in shots of the mysterious heroines. Their pictures were always blurred though, probably to keep their real identities from being found out. At least, he figured the two were alter-egos.
The summer was ending (Hiiro was sick of the hot weather and welcomed the leafless trees) and Usagi and Ami had found another person to befriend, apparently. Naru said it was common that when Usagi found someone new to drag in she would spend quality time with them and such. Hiiro realized that he had been the target before Ami.
--+--
Fall was nice. Usually anyway, today was much colder than it had been. Hiiro pulled his hoodie around tighter, glaring down at the oblivious Usagi who wore earmuffs and a red duffle coat.
Of all things, she was dragging him across town to meet a boy. Not a boyfriend, but some jerk who kept picking on her. She supposedly hated his guts, and made him come to back her up. The whole thing was stupid to him.
"Did you get all that?" she asked as they stopped in front of the Crown Game Center. He shrugged, she frowned. "This is important! You can't screw everything up!" He managed to not roll his eyes.
"I wasn't listening."
"Hiiro!" she stomped her foot. "The only reason I agreed to this is because Rei is dating him! And..." she looked away, "I didn't want to be a third wheel. So this is kind of a date." Hiiro twitched at the sign of her blushing.
"What about Umino?"
"As if that would impress him!" she huffed, "And Naru wouldn't like it. Plus...he's your age, only he's really smart."
Great, he was to be outdone by some idiot his age and here he was, the great Hiiro Yui, in 9th grade. Stupid school board.
He sighed, wondering just how far he had to go as her date.
"Is this holding hands, kiss on the cheek type date? I mean, I doubt I'll be very impressive because I'm your classmate."
"Well...I told him that you go to college on X18999 and are on break this semester..." she sort of sunk into the ground, scratching her neck nervously. He stepped into the building, heading for the stairway that would lead them to the Crown Fruit Parlor. "I'm sorry!" she cried as she caught up. "I just want to show this guy that I'm more! I'm not stupid or immature you know!"
Hiiro paused midstep and stared at her.
"I never thought you were," he said. He inwardly thought of how big a liar he was. "You're really smart when given incentive. I'll go along with your stupid plan, but you owe me." He offered her arm, unsure if boyfriends did this sort of thing.
She took it and smiled as they climbed the stairs and went inside the small restaurant. "Really?"
"Really,"
"Usagi!" Rei called from a table, a dark-haired young man sat next to her. The two made their way over and slid into the booth. Hiiro reached over and shook their hands. "So this is Hiiro!" (Hiiro winced, wondering how long Usagi had this planned) the raven-haired beauty exclaimed, "This is Chiba Mamoru," she said whilst putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Hiiro," he inclined his head slightly at Usagi, "Long time no see, Odango." Usagi glared at him, Hiiro grabbed a menu from the passing red-head and shoved it into her face before she could say anything.
"Oh! Sorry guys, I'll be with you in a sec!" the red-head said as she walked off.
"I wonder if their spagetthi is any good," Rei commented as she flipped through the cards on the table that featured several dishes. Mamoru glanced at them, then smiled at Hiiro.
"Well, you can ask Usagi, she's probably an expert on spagetthi."
Usagi dropped her menu, ready to throw knives, "Of course you would think that just because you cannot comprehend the beauty of a hairstyle such as mine!" she pushed a pigtail back with emphasis. Mamoru just laughed at her, looking up at the waitress that had come back.
Hiiro noticed this; Usagi had been right about him. He treated her in a way that Hiiro did not find amusing (he took in the fact that Rei had laughed quietly with the young man) and Hiiro guessed that on their first meeting he had judged her as a ditz. He made a mental note to ask Usagi later.
"I'm Unazuki!" the waitress said, grabbing a pad of paper from her apron's pocket. "What kinda drinks can I get you guys?" she stopped and stared at Rei. "Rei-san? Oh my! You're on a date, are you?"
Rei smiled modestly, "I am, I forgot you work here! I'll have an iced tea to start off."
Unazuki nodded, Mamoru looked between the two, "Thats right, you both go to that private girls' school. I'll have a black coffee."
Hiiro looked down at Usagi, who was trying to get into her menu. "We'll have two mango smoothies," he put in for her.
"Maybe I don't want a mango smoothie, Hiiro," Usagi mumbled as Unazuki walked off, she glared up at him. Rei and Mamoru started talking about school for the both of them, not noticing this lovers' feud.
"I think you do," he looked away and smirked slightly. He'd never had one of them before.
"So, Hiiro...how are your classes?"
Crap.
--+--
Hiiro held the door open for about 15 students before he finally had a chance to step in. He rolled his eyes at his luck. This is what he got for trying to help an elderly man. Mr. Ichigoi--a Japanese History teacher on the second floor--took his time doing everything, and Hiiro could have sworn he heard about eighteen joints crack as he shuffled along.
'Watch the speed limit, gramps,' he thought sourly as he came into class late. Haruna rose her eyebrows--he was never late.
"Long story," he muttered as he went to his seat. She nodded, bending over her desk to mark him tardy. She went back to the markerboard, writing sentences in her crisp handwriting.
"Open your notebooks and fix the grammatical errors in these sentences, everyone."
Hiiro did as he was told--and finished all of it in about two minutes. He leaned back and watched the fresh snow fall; Usagi watched it too. He rolled his eyes at the student next to him, glancing over to Haruna whose back was turned (she was writing about an upcoming field trip, whatever that was) and tossed his pencil onto her desk. The blonde jumped slightly, looking around as he blended in. She shook her head and lifted the pencil, and Hiiro guessed she was going to draw pictures of her cat or something.
"A few more minutes," Haruna called out.
This was the highlight of his days now. Going to school--whilst already knowing everything--hanging out with his friends, or rather, a bunch of idiots. It was like his life was some sort of joke. He had nothing to fight for, nothing to fight. His gundam was dust...moondust.
'Moondust?' he thought, his thoughts crawling towards the sailor-suited heroine, Sailor Moon. 'She has something to fight.' When she would first show up, he figured it was all some hoax. The media had rigged all of it up for merchandising. But then that attack during the school assembly...
He had felt whatever it was. That monster had sapped everything he had. He slept that whole weekend, too tired to eat or do his homework. Either the media was behind it and scheming against the country, or things from wherever really came. Sailor Moon seemed to be the only one who could fight them, then Mercury came along.
Research sounded really good right about now.
--+--
Hiiro scrolled through page after page. The only other sightings of these youma were in England--where that Sailor V was. Perhaps there were many of these female soldiers. They could be stationed all over the planet (and the colonies?) ready to take out the youma if they popped up close enough. This group of women seemed well prepared for these creatures.
The pictures of V were blurred too. He wondered who they really were, if they were a rebel group or faction. He found websites that promoted Sailor V's games and movies. He rolled his eyes, thinking that if he hadn't seen that monster when he had he would still believe that all of this was fake. Or maybe Sailor V was just imitating Moon and Mercury to get money?
Sailor V had record of helping a police station, too. She was noted for taking care of many jewel thieves as well. Hiiro wondered if the other pilots would be willing to interrogate her--she should cooperate if she was a part of the police force.
The only thing Hiiro did not understand were the outfits. Were the miniskirts aerodynamically sound or something? The high heels didn't seem helpful either, though Sailor V was pretty good at kicking with them.
Hiiro was skeptical, but he didn't believe in knowing everything. So what if magic was real? It wasn't a big shock or anything, it could be an annoyance if they pulled a holier than thou act, but it wasn't the big deal newspapers and tabloids made it out to be.
Tuxedo Kamen was a masked figure that would appear once in a while as well, but was he friend or foe? It was hard to tell. Maybe the others would have some idea. Until then...Hiiro switched off the computer and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.
--+--
Hiiro stared. This was new. Was Mamoru around or something?
Usagi held a boxed lunch in front of him, she bowed low. He took it slowly, balancing it with his tray.
"I'm really sorry for this past weekend!"
She lifted her body up slowly, smiling apologetically. He imagined snubbing her and making her cry. Not a pretty sight, so he nodded and shrugged. The date hadn't been that bad, really. It was kind of fun making up all that crap about college. He knew he was smarter than Chiba so discussing all of it was easy. Usagi just sort of went along with everything.
The two sat under a rather dead tree in the cold. It was nice. The food was hot, and Ami was on her way across the field. Usagi sighed, opening her own lunchbox.
"Mama made the extra one, I had to convince her that it wasn't for me." she said rather sadly. Hiiro knew she was drooling over it, the girl ate quite a lot for her size--and he hadn't known before their date. She ordered 3 times more than he did. Chiba offered to pay, joking that Hiiro couldn't afford Usagi. Well, Hiiro had his pride and they arm wrestled to see who would get the tab. While they busied themselves, Usagi took the liberty of snatching Hiiro's credit card and the bill, ceremoniously handing the two to Unazuki. Rei stopped their little competition ("Men should not engage in such acts of frivolity!" she had said).
He would have won anyway.
Ami had reached them, her own box tied up neatly in a green cloth. She smiled shyly as Usagi squealed in delight at the other small box she held.
"You didn't!"
"I did," Ami said as she opened the box, inside 5 small cakes sat.
"I love cake and I love Ami!" Usagi squealed again, rather loudly. Hiiro merely rose his eyebrows at Ami.
"Not until you finish your firsts," Hiiro joked. The two stared at him.
"Was that a joke, Hiiro?" Usagi asked.
"No." he said sternly, pushing the cake-box away from the petite blonde. She moaned and picked up her chopsticks as Ami began to laugh.
"I don't think it matters whether or not he was joking!" she said between laughs, "That was still really funny!"
"What was?" Umino asked as he popped up, holding a large box covered in hearts and shrimp. Naru stood next to him, rubbing her hands together.
"Oh, nothing!" Ami said as she patted the ground. The two sat and everyone began to eat.
Hiiro offered plenty of his food to Usagi, who now had to decide between his onigiri and eating the cake. She gave in to his temptations and ate the school food. Her mom was really good at cooking, he had learned when going to her house and eating from the bento box. The question of the sailor senshi and the masked man crossed his mind again.
"Do you think that Tuxedo man is on the good side or bad side?" he asked his friends. They all looked at him with quizzical expressions.
"Well..." Naru started,
"Good!" Usagi exclaimed, "Of course he is! He's saved Sailor Moon a lot of times!"
"It could be a cover," Ami added, looking at Usagi.
"He is very mysterious, not out and about like Sailor Moon or Sailor Mercury, he could be good. But he could be bad too," Naru stated as she lifted a piece of fried shrimp from her love-box.
"I don't see why people think he is," Usagi huffed, "Someone that handsome and dreamy is bound to be on the side of good!"
"He's a jewel thief," Hiiro said. Usagi glared at him.
"He has his reasons for doing things! You shouldn't be so quick to judge, Hiiro!"
"Same to you. Don't assume he's good just because he saved your hero's life." he grumbled, lifting one of the small cakes.
"Let's say he's neutral before this gets ugly," Ami said, sweatdropping. "You two can have some too!" she offered the box to the couple. Umino shook his head as Naru took her share.
"Can't, my mom has been watching my calories like a hawk. She thinks I'll get muscle if I lose enough weight or something." everyone laughed as he said this and Usagi graciously accepted his piece.
Hiiro looked around, this was his life now. It was...blonde. Very blonde.
--+--
"You guys!" Usagi practically screamed as she ran into the classroom. It had been four days since their date. "Sailor V is in Japan! Its in all the papers and this is just so exciting! I can't believe she came here!"
"Maybe she'll help Sailor Moon," Umino said, pulling books from his bag.
Usagi sat down in her usual seat next to Hiiro, who wanted to roll his eyes. The bell rung as Usagi started to go off again.
"Good morning everyone!" Haruna said cheerfully (successfully stopping Usagi) as she stepped in.
Naru giggled from Usagi's left, "She must have a pretty nice date planned tonight!" Haruna was almost notorious for husband-hunting.
"I have wonderful news!" she continued, "Last night on a date with this really cute guy, a youma attacked us at that little Italian restaurant by the bay! It was so scary, and Kris--my date--tried to protect me! It was so heroic of him! But he got thrown out a window and into the ocean!" she said dramatically. Hiiro couldn't believe she found this good news. "So I ran outside to help him! Apparently he can't swim, so I had to rescue him and then Sailor Moon came and moondusted that monster!
"Everyone, she has a new senshi to help her! Her name is Sailor Mars and boy did she kick butt!" Haruna said, "I asked for their autographs!" she held up a small book, "And tonight I have a second date with Kris! So no homework or detention for anyone today!"
The class cheered, especially Usagi, and Haruna set down her briefcase.
"Now, there is also the field trip. To everyone going, you need your parent or guardian to sign a permission slip. I'm sorry, but if you don't have it signed then you can't go." Hiiro wondered who could sign for him. He also wanted to ask Ms. Haruna what this trip was, but decided not to act like a total idiot.
"As some of you already know, we're going to the Hamarikyu Gardens in a two weeks. So everyone pass around a permission slip and we'll get to work on English."
So field trips were where your class went to different places, Hiiro noted in his agenda, it had all the rules and activities the school had inside. This would be fun, now all he needed was to forge some signature.
--+--
The new target was Makoto Kino. Usagi was once again running around with this new girl. She wore her old uniform because theirs didn't fit due to her height. Hiiro found the appearance of this girl quite refreshing. She was almost as tall as he was. Usagi had come to him about her being really nice, but people were afraid of her because of her size. He could understand that, so he began to sit with them at lunch.
The field trip was in two days and Makoto was excited about the trip, saying that she thought Japanese gardens were beautiful. Hiiro had never seen them himself--he'd been in a few imitation ones in Europe on visits to Relena but according to Usagi, the authenticity made it all the more amazing.
"There is a teahouse in the middle of all of it too," Makoto gushed, "We should definitely go watch the tea ceremonies!"
"Yeah!" Usagi agreed, swallowing a large chunk of rice. That was another thing...
Makoto was quite the expert chef, and Hiiro knew that it drew Usagi to her all the more. She really liked cute, girly things as well. This didn't impress Hiiro, but her brute strength did. It was pretty funny when she took out a bunch of clowns in gym.
The bell rang, and the three got up and headed for their biology class.
--+--
Haruna's class wandered the gardens, they were beautiful! Hiiro admired the ponds and thought how odd it was to have all these skyscrapers around and this bit of green in the midst of it. The park was almost out of place, but it was still nice. For lunch they would eat their bento and stay until dinner--they chose to go to Hokori Street, popular with students because it had many sweet shops and vendors selling other delicious Japanese foods.
"Everything is just so pretty!" Usagi chimed, she and Makoto skipped in front of their group merrily. Hiiro wondered if the plants and flowers were real, it was late in the year, and some of the students were already talking about Halloween parties and costumes.
"I think the colonies help keep the flowers going year-round," Umino said, "If thats true, then this is truely a scientific breakthrough! To manipulate the Earth like the colonies!" he said, answering Hiiro's thoughts.
Makoto snorted, "Nature is perfect the way it is, its sad that people perceive it otherwise."
The morning went by fairly quickly, with the girls rowboating into the seawater and admiring the plum tree grove. If they were in season, Usagi would have taken a few for herself. Hiiro wondered if that would be some sort of federal offense.
Lunch was interesting, mainly because Makoto insisted on bringing everyone's bento boxes. She unloaded them from the bus they all went on, giving each the chance to pick the one they wanted. All of them were different, and Usagi handed Hiiro one with a furoshiki covered in small, yellow chicks; she commented on how they suited him. Everyone laughed and sat down to eat in the grass.
Lunchtime was over and the afternoon went by quickly as well. Dinner time: Hiiro took the bag of food from the vendor, thanking him. He gathered around the other students, looking for his friends. Umino and Naru stood off, eating their own botchan dango.
"Have you seen the others?" he asked them, the two shook their heads, then Umino pushed up his glasses.
"Actually, I think they're all still in the gardens, they said they wanted a few pictures or something. Ami said that they'll meet up with us in a bit," he said. Hiiro nodded, walking off so as the two could have their lover time. He wondered why the three didn't invite them; he wondered if the couple were at all put out by it.
He sat on a bench, watching all of his classmates. Many were grouped together, and he realized something. If Usagi never targeted the newcomers, where would they go? Where would he go? They were like outcasts, misfits. He knew the lot of students pretty well, and he guessed they knew him fine, but that didn't make them close. He was close with his friends, but they didn't really know him. None of them ever asked him why he was in their grade. The girls probably came up with their own reasons; Umino had guessed it was a flaw in the computers.
He should be grateful to Usagi, and she unceremoniously took him on his first real date. Who knows what else she would do for (or to) him in the future? He smiled to himself, it would be entertaining to experience all of the strange things.
He looked down at the bag of food, it was quite a bit. He bought a lot of different things to pay Makoto and Usagi back for making (in Usagi's case, getting) him lunch. No doubt that Usagi would love the custard-filled taiyaki and the small flask of konpeito would spark her interest. That girl loved everything sweet, and he considered buying some cake as well. There was also anpan and curry bread, and if they wanted anything else he would be happy to get it for them.
He owed these people so much.
It would be nice to eat in the gardens again, and this particularily busy street wasn't at all peaceful. So Hiiro got up and headed for the entrance, deciding to surprise the girls.
He wandered the paths alone, the sun was setting and he wasn't completely sure where they were. They really liked the teahouse, saying it looked cute and the people who worked there were even cuter. He took off towards the small building, figuring it was a good place to start.
"Ah!" he heard the scream from a little ways off. In the distance two people ran his way, yelling for him to turn around.
"Its one of those youma!" the man cried as they passed, "Run, kid!" the woman that was with him stumbled along, hiking up her kimono in a rather un-ladylike fashion.
Hiiro set his bag against a tree and ran towards the teahouse. The girls could be in trouble!
"Watch out, Mako-chan!" he heard a girl's voice cry in pain. He stopped short, there stood the three sailor senshi, and Makoto in a hideous monster's claws.
"Help!" she shouted to them.
The monster itself was wearing a kimono, though awkwardly because it was so large. It sounded male as well, though the print on its outfit was very feminine. It lifted Makoto high in the air and through it at the red and blue-suited senshi.
"You'll pay for that!" Sailor Moon shouted, running forward with a kick, the monster just laughed and swatted her away. Moon cried out again as she smacked into the concrete path.
This was bad, but what could he do? This was magic stuff, and if they couldn't handle them, then who could?
Makoto and Mars rushed forward and the monster went for Mars first, Makoto took her chance to lift the monster up and throw it in the same fashion it had thrown Sailor Moon.
"Thats what you get, you ugly...thing!" she sort of laughed out as it landed in a bush. Hiiro sweatdropped at his friend's antics. He looked around, realizing that Usagi and Ami were no-where to be seen. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with us girls!" she shouted again. Lightning cackled and Hiiro heard Makoto say something about Jupiter.
The light stopped and in her place stood a similarily dressed senshi, only with a green theme.
"Mako-chan is one of us!?" Moon exclaimed, almost sounding happy and confused at the same time.
"Flower Hurricane!" the new senshi said as flowers flew towards the monster, it shouted in anger, seeming unharmed.
"My guardian, Jupiter!" Jupiter called, "Cause a storm! Rain down lightning!" More flashes of light came and a rush of electrical energy surged from above, effectively hitting the youma, "Jupiter Thunderbolt!"
The youma screeched as it was destroyed, becoming nothing more than dust.
Hiiro blinked, this was some new stuff.
"Makoto is Sailor Jupiter?" he asked himself, taking the time the girls talked to walk off quickly. "Then who are the others...?"
"I'm the leader..!?" he heard one girl say as he hurried off.
Things just got a bit more interesting.
--+--
Hiiro sat in the classroom, waiting for everyone to file in. The girls came in, chatting about whatever as usual. He noted Usagi being on time. She was late a lot, and Haruna was always giving her detention.
"Yeah, I'm only on time because I keep having these bad dreams," she said as she walked to her desk. She looked a bit upset, and he rose his eyebrows at her. "I met that Chiba guy again," she grumbled.
"He must be very smart to be going to that prep school though," Ami commented from behind her. "There is also the matter of the newspaper! That Tuxdeo Kamen told reporters about the Phantom Silver Crystal! This is serious!"
"What would be so serious about it?" Hiiro asked. Ami blushed, mumbling about it being nothing.
"The fact that he went to reporters, he admitted he is a jewel thief!" Makoto said. "There's a bad guy for you!"
"He is not!" Usagi huffed.
Hiiro tuned them out. All of this news about these people was so...big. Or rather, common. It was all he heard about all day, and things like this do get old. He would be glad when he could go home, to his comfy apartment.
It was like that for the rest of the month, and there was plenty of talk about the Phantom Silver Crystal on television, the radio, and in papers. November settled in and Hiiro welcomed it by going shopping for a few jackets. He was glad he skipped school to do it, otherwise the girls would find out and drag him all over the mall and pick out ugly...things.
He needed some male friends.
--+--
The following Friday after school Hiiro walked home in the cold. Today had been very odd, at the end of his last class he had walked out in complete silence, and even passed a couple sleeping under a tree. It was all so quiet and...calm, but in an eery sense.
Hiiro slumped against a wall, he was so tired. Again, it was happening, everyone's energy was being sapped from them, and people were beginning to look like zombies before they fell to the ground. Skin and bones, he couldn't be like that, he pushed himself up and walked forward as best and fast he could.
He meandered along, trying to find the source of this evil. Maybe Makoto was around and would henshin, but it wasn't like she would do it in front of him; the senshi made it clear that secrecy was one of their strong points.
He turned the corner and found more bodies here than anywhere else and in the middle of the street Usagi stood and that masked figure stood behind her. They appeared to be talking and he stumbled towards them slowly. He was so tired...but not too tired to know that what he saw was what he really saw.
"Moon Prism Power! Make up!" she shouted, lifting a hand in the air. Lights flashed and there stood Sailor Moon.
'Great,' he thought as he fell to the ground. He grunted as he fell, trying to watch what the two were doing. He closed his eyes, too exhausted to keep them open. More white light came, and spread over him and zoomed off, seemingly covering the entire planet. He felt awake and stronger, and he took the chance to lift himself up. Others were slowly awakening as well.
Sailor Moon lay in Tuxedo Kamen's arms, asleep or unconscious. Tuxedo Kamen stood up and took off on one street quickly and Hiiro ran after him as fast as he could. Unfortunately, the caped crusader lept up and onto the roof of a restaurant and Hiiro was no superhuman.
'Damn!' he thought.
That man had taken Usagi. Usagi was Sailor Moon. How had he not known that before? It was so obvious now! She always disappeared when youma were around, and called Makoto 'Mako-chan' like she always did. But what about the others? Did he know Mercury or Mars? Possibly, and he had every intention of finding out as he walked home.
--+--
Christmas was coming.
Time was going by so quickly, and nothing stopped it. Hiiro kept up with the whole Sailor Moon ordeal, seeing that all appearances of Sailor V had stopped after her coming to Japan, and youma still popped up. He witnessed the Rental Video Dark stores disappearing a week ago, no doubt run by one of the enemy's henchmen or something.
The video store was first brought up when Naru stated that Usagi was always busy, and Hiiro knew it too. It wasn't just being Sailor Moon, either. Usagi, Makoto, Ami, and Rei were always hanging out when they weren't busy. It seemed the group had branched off, of course due to the fact that the whole senshi thing was a secret.
Still, it was rather rude of them, he had thought they were all really good friends. Now the only time they talked was in class, and that wasn't much. They never hang out together and Naru always wanted to spend time with Umino. He...he was alone.
He was pathetic. Eating alone everyday, walking home alone everyday. He always walked, no matter how cold it was.
But there was also something that really irritated him.
Chiba Mamoru.
That guy seemed to be getting along pretty well with Usagi, and Hiiro knew how he always treated her. There was also the matter of her keeping it secret. He confronted her about it and she made him promise not to tell anyone. Anyone! Her own friends didn't know she had a boyfriend, and they wouldn't like it if they did. Their lives were deceitful and just so...it was all so stupid! What was the big deal about telling them he knew? He just didn't.
Probably because he knew what it was like. It wasn't like they knew about his past, and maybe when they told him he would tell them. That might work. They were his friends, he wanted to trust them, they should be honest and such. The went around talking about love and justice, so they should understand.
One day they would all know eachother's secrets. When they needed to know, when it really counted.
He would tell them everything.
--+--
Minako Aino, he had to force the name out of Usagi. This group was now five, and he had a feeling that she was another one of them. He had seen them all going to Rei's place and grew suspicious, and saw them several more times after that. She wore a different uniform, and like Rei went to another school. Umino and Naru didn't know her, and he didn't want to mention her and have them get more upset because Usagi had abandoned them.
Hiiro didn't go out at night much, but tonight it felt like something he should do, even though it was pretty freezing. December had reached them all and the weather unpredictable as it was, still was not very pleasant. He passed brightly lit buildings and shops, passing a park and hearing parents call their children inside. He had been walking for an hour when he decided to get on the subway, maybe go see some of the sights he never bothered to see.
Upon reaching the Tokyo Tower after a 30 minute ride and fifteen minute walk, Hiiro stopped to look, sitting on a bench. He had heard a lot of students talking about Shiba Park, it was popular for dating and such. Well, he didn't have a date, but he did have a camera to take pictures with.
The pathways around him were brightly lit with small lamps and some lights hung in trees. He could faintly see a couple making out, and this discouraged his staying there. So he stood and stretched, and blinked as everything became very dark. The buildings he could see in the distant had disappeared in what he guessed was a blackout. But...the tower itself was still brightly lit...
Hiiro's eyes adjusted to the dark and he made his way towards it, people all around were talking loudly, wondering what had happened. Hiiro stepped inside the tower, seeing an elevator as he passed and an entrance to an aquarium. Everything in here was lit.
It was like all of the electricity had gathered here. But how could that be?
He tried the elevators, they didn't work. Well there were staircases outside and the only thing stopping him was the cold. He shrugged and started for the stairway. There were a lot of steps to go, but he kept going until he reached the first observation deck. He looked around, it was completely empty and suddenly all the lights went out here as well. He looked over the railing; the bottom was completely out. He looked up to see light coming from the second deck.
"Protect Sailor Moon! Hurry!" he heard a voice shout as he ascended to the second deck. There they were, all of the senshi plus one. That tuxedo man was back as well, and he had slumped to the ground. Sailor Moon fell as well, holding him.
"Tuxedo Kamen...!?" she cried helplessly. "Wake up!" Hiiro crouched down as closely as he could without being noticed. He saw tears in his friend's eyes, threatening to spill.
"Sailor Moon!?" the girls said in unison as a light surrounded her, it was so...pure. There in her place was Usagi, only in a white gown. A calm washed over Hiiro, he saw the beautiful princess with a crescent moon on her forehead. It was so...overwhelming.
'The sad past is rapidly...playing back...'
"I remember...we..." Mars spoke, the others nodding.
"We're the guardians who protect Princess Serenity..." Jupiter, Makoto continued.
Mercury touched her forehead, "We were reborn to protect the princess, and restore the Moon Kingdom. And our true princess is..."
Moments passed, and Usagi appeared to be in a daze. Nobody said anything, and Hiiro sat in shock. Usagi...a princess!? All of this was so much bigger than he could have anticipated. It wasn't until now that he noticed the gray-suited man standing off a ways. He looked surprised and angry himself.
'The only man I love...'
A single tear fell from Usagi's eyes...it seemed to stop and glisten, illuminating the area. The man pulled away, covering his face with his cape, grunting as if in pain.
"It's dazzling! I can't see anything!? Such incredible power...I can't get near it...!!" the orange-suited senshi exclaimed in shock.
"I can see it! This light...! Usagi-chan's tear crystallized... and it's shining...!?" said Mercury.
"Could it be...The Phantom Silver Crystal." the orange-suited one stated, almost solemnly. Everyone gasped, even the strange man.
Hiiro thought quickly, none of them were really ready for this, judging by the looks on their faces. All seemed to go along with whatever happened, so he would too.
"It's no use!! The barrier won't hold any longer. Ugh...!!" the man yelled as the light kept shining, it spilled out of the tower and everything felt pure, as if this magic was covering the entire Earth. The lights in Tokyo came back as they were.
The light from the crystal stopped coming and it became a dim jewel floating in Usagi's hands. Hiiro wasn't completely sure, but he could've sworn he saw something from the crystal fall into Tuxedo Kamen's body.
Usagi continued to cry, "Tuxedo Kamen!"
"Princess!! It's no use! We're no match for him like this! Let's withdraw from here!" the orange one said as the girls grabbed her.
"No! Let go of me! Tuxedo Kamen is...!" she went on, not wishing to leave the man behind.
Hiiro figured it was time he left. There were more flashes of light as he retreated, but he did not turn back. Usagi's cries were ringing in his head, over and over. He knew it was right to come out, he had learned so much more and had been confused by so much more. This was getting bigger, and it was time he got around to seeing something else end.
--+--
A whole week passed, and Hiiro didn't see Usagi at school once. He knew better than asking Ami or Makoto about it though, they would shrug him off or make up an excuse. It must have something to do with her being a princess. Something to do with that young man...
It didn't help when he didn't have anything to go on, either. Maybe he could pay the other senshi a visit? Or...Usagi herself.
So after school Hiiro got on a bus and headed for the Tsukino residence once again.
Her mother came to the door, "Oh! Hiiro! Its nice to see you, its been a while!" she gushed, obviously fond of the boy. "You're here about Usagi, aren't you? Her other friends just went up with that crescent moon bald spot kitty!" Hiiro almost sweatdropped, she must mean Luna.
"I suppose you can go up and see her for a bit, it'll be safe since Ken won't be home for another couple of hours." she said as she ushered him in. Hiiro was grateful for Usagi's mother, she was one of those genuinely nice people. You could sucker them into anything without saying a word.
Ikuko took him up the stairs and left him at the door. He knocked, not getting an answer. He opened it slowly, finding nobody inside. He was sure it was her room, it was covered in pink and rabbits. He crept inside to look around.
(A/n: I decided to make them take the trip now.)
Her wastebasket was full of her blonde hair. What had she done to it? Chopped it all off? That would be sad, he liked her long hair.
He sat on her bed, grabbing a large white rabbit. It was wet. Had she been crying? He looked around, it had definitely been lived in the past week. What had she done? Drown her sorrows into this helpless stuffed animal? He set it down and looked around the room. He lifted a pink pen, with a red jewel glittering on top. He remembered Ami having a similar one, only blue...this was something...magical, he knew.
He stuffed it in his pocket, a good bargaining tool to use against them when he decided to confront them. Where had they gone? Ikuko didn't seem to realize they had left. So maybe they did some sort of ritual and went into another dimension or something.
There wasn't much more he could do...except clean the room. Her clothes were scattered everywhere, her covers halfway on the floor, the long blonde hair on a desk next to a pair of scissors. So he cleaned her room, it took a while because he didn't know where she usually kept things. He wondered how she would react when she found he had been in her room, had touched her things.
She'd probably get mad. She'd probably henshin and kick his...
Picture?
Hiiro lifted it up, it wasn't framed and the sides were curling slightly, but it was still in good condition. It was him. It was him and Usagi, eating lunch next to their tree. It must have been taken when he hadn't noticed, and it was from a high angle, so the person commited a snap and run type deal. Maybe Usagi recruited a spy to take it for her or something.
But why would she want a picture of him? They never talked anymore, they didn't seem to be close at all. Neither with Umino or Naru. Maybe she missed him. Wanted to talk to him and watch movies with him, but couldn't because the senshi wouldn't let her. She was a princess after all, and they kept her from helping the unconscious Tuxedo Kamen.
It didn't matter, but he set it carefully against her lamp anyway. Half an hour had passed when he finished, and they still weren't back. He shrugged, figuring the pen was a good enough souvenir. He walked out the door, un-noticed by anyone.
--+--
Christmas went by, Hiiro spent it alone, and things seemed to be almost normal these days. There was no hint or hair of Sailor Moon and her crew, or any bad guys or youma. The new year came in and January came and went as well. It was like time was on fast forward, and his only goal now was to finish the year out.
School was still easy, and everyone was talking about becoming tenth graders, they would be the top dogs in school. Wouldn't have to take gym unless they wanted. February flew in with a blizzard, and Valentine's Day became the next big thing.
The girls...Usagi hadn't cut her hair off after all, maybe it had just gotten really long or something, though Hiiro didn't see how that much could've been chopped off. The only times they talked was a quick good morning, and she was always off with those girls. But she was a lot more cheerful now, she seemed to be fine. That night on the Tokyo Tower she had been a different person, but here was his Usagi. She just didn't want anything to do with her old friends now.
Umino and Naru hardly bothered to talk to him either, they hurried to make new friends so they would know more people in their class the following term. He was still alone. Still ate alone, did everything alone. Duo had called him up the other day, asking if he could fly in.
That was a, uh, hell no.
He hadn't visited Relena in a while, and he knew it was a good idea, but the paranoia of something happening while he left kept him from doing so. Maybe when this thing was over. But for now, the days began and ended the same way.
One day, it was very cold. Then the day got colder and colder, until every time Hiiro looked outside, something new was covered in ice. Everything was literally packed in ice. What was going on?
He hugged his coat tighter, trying the door to get outside. It was frozen solid, he kicked it several times but it still wouldn't budge. Something magical was happening and he took this chance to find out if the girls were doing anything. He ran, sliding every once in a while on patches of ice.
He didn't stop until he found a person that was frozen, he knew this guy from gym! He had just frozen while reaching for a book in the library. Hiiro had to get away before he too froze!
There was nobody around he could talk to or get help from. Students were frozen in their desks, teachers at the chalkboards. The girls must have already left if they weren't frozen. He realized that if he kept moving, he wasn't as cold. Maybe running around the building would keep him from freezing! So he did that, keeping himself moving in this frozen prison.
There was nothing to do but wait.
Hours passed, he slowed down every so often now, but kept himself at a brisk walk when he did. He had tried more doors, even windows, but nothing worked. It was times like this that he wished for explosives. Or his gundam. Either would do.
Maybe the school had emergency flares? He had to see, maybe they would work. Snow came down hard outside as he headed for the basement, any time he looked outside he couldn't see, and eventually it got dark. Had the power gone out again? Maybe it was just the storm, or night had fallen.
Down in the basement the lights would flicker on and off, and Hiiro could hear the roar of the blizzard outside. He looked through boxes quickly, the ones of metal or steel being frozen shut. He needed something to keep his hands warm, they were a bit stiff.
He looked through wooden boxes, he could barely pry them open, and several times the cold cut his fingers. They became blistered as he looked through everything, he himself was feeling a bit frigid. This worried him, what if he couldn't keep himself warm from this bitterness? He considered running again, but there were too many boxes to maneuver around. There was always the upstairs, but that would be colder because the wind would cut through the building faster than it would here, underground.
He wondered what time it was, his watch was frozen solid as well, he threw it off, not wanting the cold metal to make him worse. A patch of discolored skin was left when he did so, the metal had burned the cold into him. It hurt a bit. He rubbed his hands together and shoved them in his coat pockets. He heard the roar again, and something like rocks being dropped on the roof came. Hail.
Below freezing...it must be like 50. How was he not frozen? He could feel himself, his toes and fingers were slightly numb. He kept moving, going as fast as was safe. He tripped, landing hard. The small box read 'Emergency Equipment'. Of course they wouldn't have squat for emergencies.
He opened the wooden box, a few splinters cutting into his broken skin. The lights flickered even more now. He looked through until he found a small gun with a few flares and matches. Just what he needed.
--+--
Nighttime had fallen, and Hiiro had used the flare gun to bust the basement door open. Or rather, burn it down. He had to run quickly as the heat ate through and the door came down. He didn't mind the embers as he rushed through the stairs outside. He ran on top of the frozen ice and snow, probably 6 feet up or so. He shot another flare, maybe one of the senshi could see it from here.
It was dark, and the flare didn't go high before the wind pushed it down. He wanted to beat the gun, instead he chose to run as fast as he could to find somewhere safe and warm. Fat chance, but it was worth a shot and there was no way he was going to freeze to death.
He ran across the streets, with the wind howling in his ear, and statues stood in the streets. He put the last flare in, it was worth a shot, he turned the corner and faintly saw the Crown Game Center. He shot it, and this time the storm had slowed and quieted enough to hear it. He ran for the familiar building.
An explosion came from the arcade before he reached it. The girls ran out, all transformed as senshi. Well, then. He ran up to them and they turned, all looking in shock. The first he reached was Makoto, her green suit sticking out amidst the snow.
"My goodness!" she exclaimed, "You're alive!?" The girls looked at him, and he knew they recognized him.
"The storm should have stopped!" Mercury said, "Kunzite is dead! And his power should have went with him, right?"
"Hey, this is dangerous, you need to get somewhere safe!" Jupiter continued. "Go on!"
"My signal says they're in a polar region!" Mercury said to the senshi.
"Thats right," came a new voice. It was Luna! The cat was talking! "I've had my eye there...the Arctic Circle must be where they took Moon and Venus!"
"Who?" Hiiro asked, and they all seem to have realized he was there and heard her loud and clear. He rubbed his arms.
"This is dangerous," Mars stated, "You need to get out of here!"
"You have to go before its too late!" Luna shouted to them, "I'll guide you from the control room!"
"I'm going with you." Hiiro said before he realized it. He didn't know he wanted to go until now. He wanted--he had to be a part of this. He already knew a lot, so what was wrong with learning more?
"No you're not!" Mars snapped.
"I'm going with you." he repeated. The girls groaned in unison, which Hiiro found humorous, considering the situation they were in.
"Look, man. This is senshi only stuff, we'll give you a picture later or something, okay?" Rei sighed.
Hiiro lifted the strange pen from his pocket, "I'm going, or Usagi won't be getting this back." the girls gasped.
"What did you...!?"
"I knew it had magical capabilities," he said, tucking it away again. "If Usagi wants it back, then I'm going to go with you and give it to her myself."
"How do you...know...!?" Makoto started.
Luna gave a sort of growl, "You don't know what you're getting into boy! This is--"
"Shutup, you stupid cat! I know very well, and you're only wasting time!" he folded his arms. "Lets go."
--+--
Hiiro marched with them in the cold, not bothering to say anything. At least he had a coat. He considered loaning it to one of them, but his need to stay alive and conscious kept him from being so selfless.
"Its point D!" Luna said from Mercury's communicator. "I've got a response from them! Deep below the surface!"
"Then we're going below the surface!" Mercury shouted in the cold. White stretched out in all directions, and Hiiro was glad to leave it.
They went down, all leaping into a dark hole. They kept on, marching forward. It was much warmer down here and the girls were looking a bit more comfortable. It didn't take long to find Usagi, who stood as Sailor Moon in front of...
'Mamoru?' Hiiro thought. He had definitely missed something, but he was supposed to know these things and kept his mouth shut.
"Sailor Moon!! Sailor Venus!!" Mercury gasped as she saw the two.
"Princess, this power...It's you!? You can control it freely!? The power of the Phantom Silver Crystal.." Mamoru said coldly.
"Descendant of the Moon Kingdom." a new voice screeched, sending shivers down Hiiro's spine. "So you have come here, to the closed-off empire of the Dark Kingdom." A dark entity floated above Mamoru, seemingly a part of him.
"This is the great ruler Queen Metaria!? Our greatest enemy!?" Usagi spoked, her eyes wide.
"Sailor Moon!" Luna shouted from the communicator as they neared and Mercury let her know that they had found their leader. "He's this strong because of the power of the Phantom Silver Crystal inside his body. Listen closely. Written on the sword is the way to create the seal. To seal away that devil Queen Metaria, the complete form of the Phantom Silver Crystal is required. Using the power of Sailor Moon's heart, take the contents of the Phantom Silver Crystal absorbed into Tuxedo Mask, and return them to inside the crystal to complete it. Then using that as a switch, release its power."
Hiiro looked at the 'he'. Mamoru, dressed in a cape and armor, held what he guessed was the sword Luna spoke of. He looked...evil. Not like he had the first time they met. Something was going on and he had a feeling he would soon find out.
"Power, you say? The unlimited power of the Phantom Silver Crystal? Where is its source!? Hand it over to me!!" Metaria growled. "Shallow, weak, know-nothing princess. You think you can seal me away? Heh heh. Your corpse shall lie in the Dark Kingdom for eternity."
Mars rushed forward, shouting an attack at the new creature. It absorbed it with a laugh at her pathetic attempt. Hiiro wondered if a gun would harm it, he doubted it, and he didn't have a gun with him anyway.
"What can we do! The way things stand, we don't have a chance! How do we attack Tuxedo Kamen...!" Makoto groaned, everyone seemed to forget about Hiiro, who took the time to think of a plan or some way to kill the evil. Or separate the two.
"He's being reborn as somebody else now! He's the same as Queen Metaria! We must take back the Phantom Silver Crystal inside him! My planet of love, Venus! Give me the power of love!" Venus shouted, ready to attack.
"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried.
"Rolling Heart Vibration!"
Sailor Moon poised a moon stick as well, "Moon Healing Escalation!"
"Its no use, you can't beat me!" Mamoru laughed, unharmed by either.
Everyone stood in silence, with Sailor Moon looking at Mamoru, and Venus hurriedly figuring a way to defeat the monster. Nobody seemed to know what to do. Usagi was lost in her thoughts...
The Phantom Silver Crystal...its light shined from the moon stick, slowly enveloping Usagi.
"We can't let the Phantom Silver Crystal grow here now...!!" Mercury exclaimed.
"Ohh, such strong light. That mighty energy, that power filling this empire of darkness with white!!" Metaria sighed, its shadowy body moving. "With this, I can move completely freely. This time everything will be mine!!"
"Look out everyone!" Venus shouted, "They're being swallowed up by Queen Metaria!"
The light glowed dimly and when it stopped Usagi, Mamoru, and Metaria were gone.
"They're going to the surface!" Mars said, sensing the power rise. "We have to go after it!"
They went up, only when they reached the surface...a plain of stones replaced the snow. Large stones stood, making everything appear as a graveyard.
'Megaliths,' Hiiro thought, 'This is a graveyard.'
Metaria stood, and she was enormous. Her size had gone tenfold, and she laughed again.
"I was sealed away by the queen of that Moon Kingdom, and for a long time I hid myself deep in the bowels of the Earth. But I am resurrected. The power of the Phantom Silver Crystal is swelling up from inside me! Now everything on this planet is mine!!"
The girls ran forward and attacked, only to have their power absorbed again, with Metaria cackling about it being nothing more than food to her. Luna and a white cat disappeared, he faintly heard Venus say they went to the moon.
Queen Metaria grew larger and larger, with the girls crying in shock at their situation. Hiiro remained calm, though he was unsure of how to help them. He didn't know magic.
"Is it too late to stop it!?" Makoto proclaimed.
Venus motioned for them to come closer, and Hiiro followed--he didn't care if he wasn't really invited. "The Phantom Silver Crystal shouldn't be so easily absorbed by Metaria! We're waiting for the time to crush Queen Metaria! While protecting the princess and Prince Endymion! We don't have the power to contain Queen Metaria, but...We'll create the opportunity! Using our greatest holy power, all the metamorphosis power of our guardian planets!"
"Venus...!! Do you mean for us to sacrifice our pens...?" Mercury burst out.
"Sacrificing our pens is the same as sacrificing our lives. I'm ready." Venus stated solemnly. She held up the sword to them.
"What can I do?" Hiiro asked, rather stupidly. They all looked at him. He didn't have magic, he couldn't do anything. He was...useless here.
Venus rubbed her chin, then smiled. "You shall reach Serenity! We'll transport you inside Metaria!"
"But Venus...he could get killed!"
"He knows very well, otherwise he would not have come." she said.
"I'll do it." he replied, reaching for the sword. The others reluctantly followed, not liking this new plan.
"Venus Power!"
"Mercury Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Mars Power!" they all shouted one by one, with Hiiro wanting to say something too, but he didn't because there was nothing to say. He felt the warmth and his body lifted slowly until he saw nothing but darkness.
He saw her immediately in the darkness. Serenity lay, asleep. He ran to her, shouting her name. But what name? Usagi? Or Serenity? Well, he knew her as Usagi.
"Usagi! Wake up!" he called, he knelt down next to her body. "You're inside Queen Metaria! Wake up!"
He didn't expect it to work, but her eyes slowly opened and the crescent moon on her forehead twinkled slightly. She smiled, then frowned.
"You're not Endymion," Hiiro rolled his eyes.
"I don't care. We need to find Chiba and get out of here!" she sat up quickly.
"We're inside Metaria!? We've been taken into it!?"
"So you woke up!? Heir to the Moon Kingdom!! What life force! You're an impudent one!! But you're in my hands now. I will crush you!!" they heard Metaria's voice echo.
'We have to get out of here!' Serenity thought. "Phantom Silver Crystal! Find Endymion! Give me your power!"
Once again Hiiro felt himself lift and when he blinked, he was outside again, only with 'Endymion' or rather, Mamoru. This cleared a little bit up.
Endymion fell to his knees clutching at his heart. Serenity fell with him, steadying his body. Hiiro stepped away, feeling uncomfortable.
Endymion attempted to stand, "Listen, Sailor Moon! Metaria's weak point is its forehead! You must aim clearly for it there to seal it away! Find your usual cheer, don't cry! Have faith in yourself!" he finally stood, pulling her up. "I'll be your ally, as your senshi are not here. I'll always be by your side, Serenity."
"Endymion..." Serenity sighed.
Hiiro faced them, "I'm here too," he muttered, looking away.
Serenity turned to him. "You as well, make me stronger! I can feel the Phantom Silver Crystal building up inside of me! Its getting stronger and stronger!" she grabbed Mamoru's hand. She faced Metaria, who covered the sky with darkness.
"I am the sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon, and Princess Serenity." she stated loudly, grabbing Hiiro's hand as well.
"With the power of the moon, I will now seal you away!"
The crystal formed in front of Serenity's chest, and its light stretched forward and hit Metaria.
"Stronger! Power! Great power of the moon! Awaken! Put the strength of all my body and soul into that thing's forehead!"
'The moonlight is so white...' Hiiro thought, 'Am I really helping it?' He felt something strong inside of him, 'Maybe everyone has a little magic in them.'
"Ohh! This brilliance of the moon! This is it! The enormous power I've been searching for! I can't reach it!! What pressure!! My body...! It's being pushed away!!" Metaria groaned in pain.
The light flashed once more and vanished, Metaria's body was destroyed and Serenity fainted. Hiiro and Mamoru both caught her.
"Her body is cold..." Mamoru muttered.
"She used up all her strength," Hiiro said in a low voice, feeling very...quiet. "You can take it from here..." he stood, letting Endymion take Usagi.
Endymion bent over and kissed her.
"Endymion!" she exclaimed as her eyes opened once again. "We're together again. Metaria is gone...I love you."
Hiiro walked a ways away. It was odd, having seen that between the two. He guessed he was happy for them. He stumbled to the ground, realizing then that he was very tired. Maybe he used up his strength too...
--+--
Everyone was back to normal. Hiiro figured it was normal enough, at least.
The world was no longer covered in ice, and his hands healed up fine. He gave the pen back to Usagi, and told her he knew their identities. She made him promise not to tell.
"Luna might erase your memory," she said, "But I won't let her because I like being able to share my secret with someone." she held the pen up as if to cheer. "We're still best friends, right?"
"Yes," he said stoically as they climbed the stairs up to school. They were moving up to tenth grade in two weeks.
"Hiiro?" Usagi asked, stopping him. "Thank you for helping me. I probably couldn't have done it without you."
"Probably?" he teased.
"Well...Mamo-chan was there and he helped a lot too..." she mumbled, blushing.
"You're welcome." he said as he held the door open. "It doesn't matter if you girls try to hide things from me in the future, I'll figure it all out in the end."
"Good! Then now I don't have to fight with the girls about telling you everything!" Usagi giggled as she took off running.
Hiiro ran after her with a smile on his face.
--+--
Notes:
This story is Hiiro-centered! I don't care if you think Hiiro is OOC, I like him like this! R&R!
I'm doing a season per chapter! This took only a few days to write, and hopefully I'll keep up with the next four chapters!
I also know that the timing is off, and I'm trying to go by the manga. Hopefully by using a few of the same dialogue I'm not really plagiarisming...The scene with the city being frozen was switched, and comes after the part where Mamoru comes back, Hiiro just didn't know that because he never spends time with Usagi to see. So I made the place freeze to help lead the senshi to the Arctic Circle.
I do not own Sailormoon or Gundamwing or Pokemon.