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Chapter 2- Let me Save You

Usagi's mind surfaced horror images of the crystal in the hands of the Black Moon sisters. Their laughs had never stopped ringing in her ears and she imagined it would soon materialize if they finally got their hands on the crystal along with their prize- Chibi-Usa.

Usagi had run past Crown Arcade and was headed towards the bridge. She could no longer see Chibi-Usa's pink head zipping up front but the bridge would clear her sight- it didn't. There was no sign of the little monster. Her communicator beeped that very second and she stopped to take a breath to scan the area while answering.

"I haven't found her guys. I am at the bridge; she must've gone this way though." Usagi saw Minako's worried face.

"We're splitting up to cover more ground. If anyone finds her, grab her and report back." Minako's leadership was exemplary. Usagi heard unison of "yes" and with a new resolve she was back on the pursuit. She ran past the bridge over the canal, then past the park, and running on the sidewalk of a residential area. This was the route to Chibi-Usa's school; Usagi was sure that she was on the right path. It was hard not to feel angered by the girl. In the end though, it was her own fault. All of them knew Chibi-Usa's main motive was to get her hands on the crystal and after last night, she must have figured the puzzle out. Why hadn't Usagi been more vigilant?

The thought wasn't even complete when she collided with a lamppost. The impact sent her on her back on the cement sidewalk. A sharp pain shot through her body and a ringing had developed in her ears. She hadn't noticed that her eyes were closed until a strong arm grabbed her arm and she immediately realized that the lamppost was a person.

"I'm so sor-" She began while standing upwards, as the ringing disappeared. She froze. This had happened many times before yet this time, the situation was not the same. He looked her up and down; his forehead creased. His hair was much longer, he seemed slightly thinner to her. Mamoru- his eyes were phased the most; she couldn't tell what it was. Was it that his midnight blue eyes were darker? If he would just look into her eyes, she would know.

It was hard to match his eyes with hers. There would be so much sorrow in them; all caused by him. He was sure he'd see accusation and pain, which would break him. He saw her delicate body and the blood on her knee and his heart jumped and his eyes caught hold of her face. The pain he was expecting was not there, though, she seemed to be in a trance. Her sight was aimed at his eyes, never leaving. She seemed almost at peace, if that was possible. Maybe Usagi had changed.

"Are you okay?" Mamoru didn't want to interrupt this moment of closeness but he knew, above all, he wanted to protect her.

His voice seemed to send a whiplash. With a sharp intake of air, she blinked herself out of the trance and looked everywhere but him. Now she could breathe again.

"Usa-" It was hard not to call her Usako. "Usagi, are you okay?"

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and this shocked his soul- she smiled while exhaling, then nodded, starring right into his eyes.

"Okay." His returned smile was much weaker. "This is new. You would usually cry."

"Huh?" Her voice was faint. Mamoru pointed to the blood on her right knee. She stared as if it was the first time she had seen a scrape. Clear confusion marked her face then she did a three sixty. Looking at him from the corner of her eyes, her lips furled and suddenly a tear trickled down her cheek. She covered her face and sobbed.

Mamoru was taken back; he had no idea what he was supposed to do. One thing he was sure of though, she was suffering.

"Usagi, you don't need to pretend with me." He put his arm on her shoulder and she automatically flinched but her crying simmered. There had been tears though.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Usagi." He caressed her hair but she moved back.

Using her sleeves to wipe her tears, she finally looked at him. Here were those pain-filled accusing eyes, piercing his soul. "Which time?"

"For everything. It's okay if you don't forgive me but I do hope you can go back to normal." His voice was softer and controlled.

He thought he saw her roll her eyes, just like Rei. "Don't worry, I will."

She took out her communicator but just then, it beeped. "There's trouble near the bakery near Forty-Second Street, after the park." Luna's voice was urgent.

"I'm about two blocks from there, I'm on it." Usagi heard Minako speak, then the other girls. Panic emerged in her heart. Without her broach, she couldn't transform and help her friends.

"Usagi, go back to the Control Room." Minako's face appeared on screen.

"No." Usagi didn't have a plan, but she was sure she was going to be alongside her friends. "I'm coming."

"Don't be foolish. You can't transform so it's not safe." Suddenly Usagi was speaking to Sailor Venus.

"You can't stop me." Usagi disconnected.

Mamoru grabbed her arm sharply and received the extent of her furious glare. "Let me go." She ordered in clenched teeth.

"It's not safe. Their job is to protect you. Listen to them." In his heart, Mamoru knew that no force could keep Usagi away from her friends when they were in danger.

"I'm going. Leave me, Mamoru!" She yelled at him and before she could struggle against his grip, he let go. He followed her to the battle.

-[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][[[[[[[[[[[[[[][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]-

"It's not so easy, is it now?" Cooan aimed her violet fire against Sailor Mars' crimson fire. The sisters were incredibly strong; Mars looked around for help as exhaustion was writhing in her bones. All the girls were matched up though. Mercury was holding her own against Beruche, Venus and Karaberas were in a tug-of-war with Venus' love chain against Karaberas whip, and Jupiter was fighting thunder with thunder against Petz.

Suddenly, a solid cat-shaped ball hit Karaberas against the head giving Venus advantage. The love chain cut her face and she fell halting the fight momentary. All of their sights looked for Chibi-Usa as her Luna P hovered near Sailor Venus.

"Don't come out, Chibi-Usa!" Sailor Mercury shouted hoping Chibi-Usa would heed her words. The sisters had meanwhile gathered around Karaberas who was checking her wound with her compact mirror.

"You will pay for this!" Karaberas lifted her arms and produced a mime-type youma. "Find her and bring her here!" She bellowed and the youma lifted above their heads by using an imaginary rope and then pulled it to navigate itself.

"Do you see her?" Jupiter asked the scouts as she searched for any sign of the pink hair. Mars nodded as she felt her energy adjacent to the bakery wall. The sisters were at an advantage as the scouts were distracted, searching for the little rabbit and four individual attacks headed directly at the Sailor Scouts. Mercury dodged the pressurized water jet efficiently, Mars countered the attack, Jupiter jumped up but Petz' attack got her leg and she came crashing down, while Karaberas' whip lassoed around Venus.

Thinking fast, Mercury knew what to do. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" She ran by Jupiter to help her up while Venus untied herself. Just as the mist cleared, the youma found Chibi-Usa. The Scouts heard her shriek and then saw her frightened face in full view as she ran towards them, away from the youma. The Scouts surrounded her defensively as the pleased sisters hovered above them.

"We'll get her now!" Petz laughed in her deafening tone.

"Not so fast!" Everyone, including the youma turned to see the intruder just as Chibi-Usa found her security in Tuxedo Kamen's arms. Usagi stood behind him.

Karaberas continued Petz' laugh and shouted at Tuxedo Kamen "We brought this youma especially for you." She then looked up to the hovering mime. "Destroy him and that human; bring me back the little brat!"

"No!" Mars' powerful Fire Soul headed towards the mime but attack was met midway by Cooan. The battle between the Scouts and the sisters started once again. Their worry was the same; they had to protect Usagi. Venus knew that she'd come no matter what happened but without her powers, she was in trouble. The sisters noticed the scouts' doubled effort as each attack grew in magnitude ten folds.

"Stay back!" Tuxedo Kamen shielded Usagi and Chibi-Usa from the mime as it climbed down its imaginary rope with wild eyes.

"Give me back my broach." Usagi shrieked at Chibi-Usa who had tears in her eyes as she walked backwards until coming to a dead end against the glass window of the bakery.

"I don't have it." Chibi-Usa said softly. Up front, Tuxedo Kamen got ready to attack feeling confused as the mime continued its perplexing hand gestures.

"I know you took it, Chibi-Usa, just give it back!" Usagi felt tears streaming down her own face as she saw Mercury and Mars fighting on her right and Jupiter and Venus fighting on her left.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

Chibi-Usa shook her head as she continued to sob. "I don't have it!" She yelled back in frustration; she was shaking.

Usagi pleaded, "Please, I'll give it back to you if you can just let me help my friends, please, let me help them, Chibi-Usa."

"I ..." Chibi-Usa didn't know how to tell Usagi that she had lost it even before grabbing it.

Tuxedo Kamen jumped in the air suddenly battling two mimes and Usagi instinctively moved in front of Chibi-Usa's body. Usagi saw it pretend to swing a bat and the imaginary object collided with Tuxedo Kamen full force. The other mime saw its opportunity and swung its imaginary bat, aiming in their direction.

As Chibi-Usa sobbed louder, Usagi's brain worked out alternatives. The scouts were battling their hardest while Tuxedo Kamen was recovering. There was no option; before the attack hit them both, Usagi jumped towards Chibi-Usa covering her body with hers. The impact sent her soaring and she held on to Chibi-Usa tighter, trying to protect from the excruciating pain, which she was experiencing at that very moment.

Her eyes connected with Chibi-Usa's petrified ones and Usagi covered Chibi-Usa's head with her arms. Suddenly, it was like pins and needles as her body collided with the glass window. It shattered and the last thing Usagi saw was Tuxedo Kamen diving to kick the mime outside.

"Mamo-chan." There was more air than voice then her body went limp as silence surrounded her.

"Usagi!" Chibi-Usa shrieked trying to move out from under her body. "Wake up, Usagi!" She managed to escape and looked around for help. Everything was still except for Chibi-Usa who was shaking violently trying to shake Usagi's limp arm.

"Usagi, I'm scared. Please wake up." Chibi-Usa tried to roll her body on her back but couldn't. She moved Usagi's hair from the side of her face and moved away. There was blood on her forehead.

"Help! Somebody help me!" She yelled just as an explosion was heard from outside. She covered her ears and shut her eyes expecting the worse. There was no one to protect her. Sailor Moon was supposed to be invincible and now she lay still on the ground. She felt hands on either side of her body and she decided that she would not go down without a fight. Chibi-Usa started kicking every which way while yelling, crying, and shouting.

"Chibi-Usa, it's us. It's Sailor Venus. Chibi-Usa!" Sailor Venus carried her trying to calm her. Feeling completely worn, Chibi-Usa surrendered her will and accepted unawareness.

"Chibi-Usa, wake up!" Sailor Venus held on to her body tightly.

Sailor Mercury quickly examined her body, "She's worn out." Her voice shook. She hesitantly turned to look at the still body on the ground as the ground of the bakery stained red and continued with her calculations.

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