Title: Painful Uncertainty
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Fergal.
Usagi settled into her seat and sighed. The other girls around her began to pull out their homework.
"Where is Rei?" Usagi asked and Makoto mumbled.
"It's really strange for her to miss school." Ami mumbled and Usagi nodded.
"Maybe she is sick." She mused and the other girls shrugged.
"Let's go by the temple and check it out after school." Minako said and the other girls nodded.
"Miss Tuskino. Would you like to come and do a the first problem in the homework on the board?" The teacher asked and Usagi's mouth dropped open.
"What?"
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Minako stepped inside the historic temple.
"Rei!" She called, the three other girls following behind after her. "I hate it that three of us live alone. I knew we should have all moved in here." Minako mumbled and Ami walked up beside her.
"I think you may be growing up the fastest amongst all of us." Ami smiled and Minako smiled slightly at her.
"I have rare moments." She mused.
"Yes and that's it." Usagi smirked walking up to them.
"Hey guys! Come check this out!" Mako's voice called from the other side of the temple. The girls hurried that way into the great fire room.
"Is this supposed to be out?" Makoto asked dropping a cold piece of burnt wood back into the hole.
"It's bad luck for the great flame to go out." Ami mumbled, her eyes roaming the room and the charcoaled remains.
"Rei isn't here." Usagi mumbled quietly. Minako walked over to her Princess and stood at her side. Before them stood a broken wall that had burn marks and imprints of struggle.
"She didn't have her powers." Minako mumbled.
"I want to know what's going on right now." Usagi suddenly growled and the other girls nodded..
"Get to the command center." Minako snapped and tears filled her eyes. "We'll find her."
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"She's been kidnapped?" Artemis asked staring at his chosen one.
"We do not know yet for certain." Minako mumbled and walked behind Ami. Beneath the surface of the Crown Royal Game Arcade sat a hidden chamber Artemis and Luna had rigged themselves as the command center for their Sailor Soldiers. Different from the ornate marble war room back on the Moon, this granite and cement room provided them a safe-haven to strategize and learn.
"I don't even know what I'm looking for." Ami growled as her fingers typed on the keys.
"Rei." Usagi mumbled quietly and Mako wrapped her arms around the small blonde.
"No worries. I'm sure Rei put up a hell of a fight." Makoto smirked.
"I know she is alive. That is all that matters." Minako mumbled gently and Ami turned to look at her.
"And how do you know that?" She questioned.
"I feel her." She mumbled quietly and Usagi nodded.
"I do too. We have to find her." She pleaded and Minako sighed.
"The problem is we don't even know where to start." She growled annoyed.
"I wish we could be of more help." Luna said softly and Minako shook her head.
"You are doing all you can. This will work out. We will find her."
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"Two days and she is definitely gone." Ami mumbled over the phone and Makoto sighed as she stirred eggs in a frying pan.
"Maybe she left." Makoto mused and Ami sighed.
"Doubtful. Mako what if they are coming after all of us?" She asked quietly and Mako sighed and scooped some eggs out of the pan onto a plate.
"If they are I'm not afraid... Bring them on." Makoto said anger coming to her at the thought of Rei.
"All right." A voice said and Makoto's eyes widened.
"What did you say?" Ami asked confused and Makoto shook her head.
"I didn't say anything." She said as her head slowly turned. "Oh my God!" She screamed and the phone dropped to the floor.
"Mako!" Ami cried as she heard the phone crash to the floor.
Inside of Mako's apartment stood herself. Mako gasped and backed away.
"Long time no see I'm sure." A smooth female voice mumbled as she towered at the same height as the young girl before her.
"This isn't possible!" Makoto screeched as she backed into her kitchen table.
"You think people would be happy to see their former selves but no... perhaps it's the evil glint in my eye that scares you away." Jupiter snapped.
"Makoto!" Ami screeched. "I can't hear what is going on!" She cried and she grabbed for her communicator. "Venus!" She yelled and the contraption fizzeled. "Oh fine! Be that way!" Ami screamed at it then hung up her phone and raced out of her room.
Makoto stared at the woman before her, she was tall and slender with a classic style fuku and a regal air about her. Long chestnut curls cascaded down her back from an emerald clip and the woman stood rigid, anger and pain etched on her features. Makoto grabbed onto a candle from the table and hurtled it at her escaping to the left. Jupiter ducked it and growled following after her. Makoto yelled out and then smacked into a frying pan.
"Excuse me." Jupiter hissed and a woman smiled holding up a frying pan. "She was mine to get." Jupiter snapped and the ice queen before her shrugged.
"She makes great eggs." Mercury mused.
"I would hope so." Jupiter growled and then both of them vanished, taking the unconscious Makoto with them.
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Ami rammed into Makoto's door making it fly open. She cried out in pain and looked around her.
"Makoto!" She screamed into the empty apartment. She gasped seeing the cordless phone on the kitchen floor surrounded by eggs. She walked into the living room to see a frying pan on the floor and Ami let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face as sobs tore through her.
"Makoto!" She screamed again.
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Usagi burst into his apartment, Minako, Ami and two cats following after her.
"Mamoru!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. He rushed from his sitting position and she hurtled herself into his arms. "They are being taken!" She cried and he clutched to her as he searched the other girls' faces for answers.
"They have taken Mars and Jupiter." Minako said quietly and he stared at them, the small blonde in his arm clutching to his clothing. Sobs tore through her as she cried out in disbelief at the situation. "We've contacted the outer senshi... they are on their way but..." Minako trailed off. Mamoru's eyes drifted to the small blue haired genius. Visible tear tracks lined her face and she held up a piece of paper.
"I'm next." Ami ground out and he stared at the scrap of paper. Written in perfect black letters was each of the planets. Mars. Jupiter. Mercury. Venus and the Moon. A red check was next to Mars as was a green check next to Jupiter. The ink was high quality and showed the documents almost perfection. Circled in bright blue was Mercury.
"This is like some psycho horror flick." He whispered and then grabbed Usagi by her bum and she wrapped her legs around him, clutching to him like a child.
"This is why we lost our powers... so they could pick us off one by one." Minako growled and tossed the sheet to the ground.
"We can't split up and leave anyone unguarded." Mamoru said as he sat down, holding his Princess lovingly in his arms.
"I'm going to stay with Ami. I have to trust that you will guard Usagi with your life." Minako said, her eyes bearing into the young twenty something doctor.
"You have my word Minako." He replied steadily and Usagi gasped and looked up at them both.
"Great. We are leaving her here." Ami mumbled and dropped a bag on the floor.
"No!" Usagi cried and jumped up. "I am not useless! Some frail Princess to be protected! I will not abandon you."
"This is not a question of abandonment. It's a question of survival." Minako shot back and tears streamed down Usagi's face.
"We can't afford your death." Ami whispered quietly and Usagi gasped horrified.
"You think they are dead?" She gasped and Ami looked away.
"You girls can't think like this!" Mamoru yelled getting to his feet. "You are scaring Usagi and over nothing. We still have no idea what is going on!" He growled.
"We can't take anymore chances." Minako whispered.
"Luna." Mamoru said looking at the small black cat, hoping she at least could bring reason into this situation.
"I will remain with Usagi." She stated and Artemis nodded.
"As will I. These precautions are the most sensible act as of this moment." He said quietly and Usagi gasped.
"What am I going to tell my family?" She asked confused and Ami picked up a phone and dialed her number.
"Tell her you are staying with me." She said and Usagi took the phone and walked to the other side of the apartment.
"I think it best if we all stay together." Mamoru said looking at the two girls. Minako walked away from the conversation and back into the hallway. She returned with two bags and dropped them next to Usagi's.
"So do we."
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Deep blue lights danced across the floor and ceiling through the draped balcony doors. Usagi snuggled closer to Ami as Minako snuggled closer to her in the queen size bed.
"This I believe is the worst nightmare I've ever had to live through." Usagi cried sadly and Ami nodded.
"We've been captured before Usagi. Everything turned out all right then." She whispered and Ami looked at her.
"We were killed!" She cried and Minako gasped.
"But we came back to life! Geez." Minako hissed and Ami rolled her eyes.
"We knew what we were fighting then. We have no clue now. It just seems like this is all my fault." Usagi sighed and Minako snuggled to her.
"I love you Usagi... and not to be really mean but almost everything happens because of you." She smirked and Usagi gasped and hit her playfully. The three girls began to giggle and snuggled closer to each other for warmth.
"At least we still have our sense of humor." Ami mumbled with a sigh.
"Well, someone has to do it. Rei isn't here." Usagi smiled and the other two girls giggled.
"I can't wait to beat the crap out of this person and get our friends back." Minako smirked.
"And I can't wait till you girls shut up and go to sleep." Artemis grinned, his small lithe form wrapped together at the end of their bed. Usagi smirked and kicked him off of the bed. He let out a loud growl and jumped back on, fangs bared.
"Aw, now ya done it." Minako cried and then all three girls screamed.
"Artemis!!" Minako yelled.
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"Goodness..." Minako gasped as they escaped into the indoor pool that was housed in Mamoru's apartment complex.
"I can't take anymore of their bickering." Ami growled as she sat her towel on the small chair next to the pool, a soft blue bathing suit hugging her form.
"You think with that much sexual tension they would be jumping each other by now. They gave me a headache." Minako gasped and collapsed into one of the chairs.
"Yeah, but whenever they get close it's like Usagi draws away cause she's in pain... like physical pain. It makes no sense if you think about it. That's why I'm glad we could have escaped here. I'm in desperate need of a swim." Ami sighed as she placed her swimming goggles on her head.
"You go swim and have fun. I'm going to try and relax." Minako mumbled with a sigh as she settled in.
"Don't mind if I do." Ami smiled and jumped into the room temperature water. The area was large and closed in, operating as one of the basements for the apartment complex. Fake plants littered here in there with doors that led to locker rooms or storage areas. Minako sighed. Two days of hearing those two bickering would drive anyone mad. She blamed it all on Usagi. She didn't understand why the girl didn't like Mamoru. He was gorgeous. She looked up to see Ami doing laps in complete rhapsody. Maybe Ami was onto something... Usagi looked uncomfortable when Mamoru would do something loving towards her and she would always grasp her chest. It made no sense. She blinked, suddenly remembering quite a few times when Usagi would grasp her chest in pain after being near or kissing Mamoru... what did that mean? She sighed and tried to put in on a back burner, she was getting stressed. She needed to calm down. A few minutes passed uneventful and Minako began to relax.
Suddenly a loud noise made her jump up. She looked around the empty pool area and her eyes caught a light in a storage room at the end of the room. She jumped to her feet and began to walk towards it. Another noise crashed inside and she balled her hands into a fist. She was paranoid. So what.
"Ami!" She called but the swimmer didn't hear her under water. She glanced cautiously inside the steel room. Inside were towels and pool cleaning chemicals and equipment. Gently Minako opened the door more. Suddenly a hand pushed her forward forcefully. She flew forward and landed inside of the room. "No!" She screamed as the large door slammed shut. She ran into it and the person on the other end smirked.
"Easier then I thought." The woman smiled and held up a pale delicate hand to the door. In seconds a large four-inch thick ice barrier three feet wide appeared over the door barricading it in place.
"AMI!!" Minako screamed, her lungs giving all she was worth. Ami slowed and poked her head out of the water.
"Minako?" She cried and heard her friends' screams once more. She started swimming towards the end of the pool, her heartbeat accelerating.
"Hello Ami." A gentle voice called and Ami stopped in her tracks. She tossed her glasses off her head and let out a shuttered breath.
"Hi..." She gasped staring at a taller version of herself. Her hair was longer and curled at her shoulders. Ami's mouth hung open as she took in the Princess before her. She stared at the ice block that held Minako captive. The two girls ice blue eyes locked. Ami set her jaw and then began to swim as fast as she could to the side of the pool. Mercury took a step forward into the pool and the entire thing froze over. Ami let out a scream and fell underneath the water, the whole pool turning into a giant ice cube. Minako screamed more and banged on the door, tears streaming down her face as she began to panic. Mercury smirked and lifted her hand in the air, the chunk of ice that held Ami being lifted into the air. The frozen Sailor Scout looked helpless. Suddenly ice shattered and Ami fell to the ground, ice shards around her and on her as she stared at the woman before her. Cold air emitted from Ami's body and she had a blue tint to her coloring.
"What do you want?!" Ami cried out and Mercury stepped towards her.
"You." She mused and lifted a hand. Ice wrapped around the small girl from head to tow as if in a vine and Ami let out a scream.
"NO!" Minako cried and banged on the door more. She collapsed to the ground and screamed till her breath could give no more. Her forehead began to grow hot and she let out a last desperate scream and a light shot from a symbol upon her flesh.
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Usagi walked quietly into the kitchen when something threw her to the ground.
She cried out in pain and Mamoru jumped to his feet.
"Mercury! Venus... we have to get them!" She cried and Mamoru pulled her to her feet and they ran out of the room.
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The door to the indoor pool was thrown open and they ran inside. Usagi gasped and slipped on some ice falling to the cement floor. Her eyes looked horrified at the icy remains of the pool before them. Mamoru ran past her to the other end where crying was being heard.
Suddenly an orange beam of energy shot from the left and into Mamoru's form. Usagi screamed watching him fly across the room into a wall.
"I have no more patience." A woman hissed and Usagi tried to get to her feet, slipping on the ice under her.
"Mamoru..." She cried trying to get towards him. Usagi looked horrified at the four women who stood at the other end of the room. "Oh my God..." She breathed. "It's the Alliance..." She whispered and four sets of eyes darted towards her.
"At least she isn't as dumb as we thought..." Mars hissed pressing her hand against Mercury's ice block that held Ami captive. A tall regal figure walked towards the door, her orange shoes clicking as her fuku hugged tightly to her. Jupiter tugged the unconscious Mamoru to his feet and Mercury grabbed his other arm. Usagi jumped to her feet and raced towards them. Venus opened the door and Minako shot out.
"Fool." Venus hissed and grabbed her by her collar slamming her body back into the metal door knocking her unconscious. Usagi let out a scream and slid to a stop before them. "Princess." Venus turned her golden eyes towards her and Usagi began to cry.
"Stop this! What are you doing?!" She cried and strong hands grabbed onto her arms.
"How dare you take the role of Serenity... you are nothing but a spoiled brat... where is our Princess!" Mars screamed shaking Usagi's form roughly.
"I am Serenity!" She cried and Mars threw her to the ground. Usagi hit the metal hard, her head bouncing off and she felt everything around her go black.
"Let's go." Mercury snapped and Usagi blinked and tried to get back to her feet. Her impact finally hit back upon her and her body collapsed on the cement, darkness enfolding around her.
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Usagi gasped as a foot interacted with her side making her roll three feet. The rattle of chains filled her ears and Usagi opened her eyes pain surging through her body.
"Get up." A voice choked out and Usagi pushed her hair out of her face, she stared at the marble on the ground and tried to push herself to her feet. A foot interacted with her stomach and she coughed falling onto her back. A hand reached down and grabbed her hair yanking her lithe form to her knees. She let out a scream of pain her hands going to her head. Four women loomed before the young princess, pain and anger on their faces. She looked up at them, tears filling her eyes and they looked back at her. Suddenly lights flooded onto the walls and Usagi blinked staring in their direction. Her face shifted into horror as she spied her dearest friends strung along the walls in chains.
"No!" She cried and got to her feet trying to rush to them. She fell into Mars arms and sobs racked through her system. "Why!?" She screamed and pushed the soldier away from her. Her form collapsed back to her bum and she let out a piercing scream. "How can you betray us?!" She cried.
"How could you betray us!" Venus screamed at her and Usagi gulped looking into her pain stricken eyes. "For years you have lived our lives... you have trapped us to this hell watching our loves suffer and you live in oblivion!!" She screamed and pushed the Princess down.
"Now it is time for our revenge." Mercury hissed a tear slipping down her face.
"The Silver Millennium is gone." Usagi cried and Mars growled. "You have to accept that!"
"How can we accept that when all we see is your leadership?! There is something dark in you that is tearing you apart and you don't even know it..." Jupiter yelled and a shock went throughout the room.
"Enough!" A voice boomed and the women took steps backwards slowly vanishing into the darkness. Usagi gasped as fear gripped her, the male voice had turned her heart cold. Slowly she watched as a slim man walked out of the darkness towards her. His garments were lined in silver as his eyes burned a blazing red. Usagi's lungs constricted and her heart stopped as she stared at the tall imposing form before her. It suddenly felt like time stood still as he appeared before her.
"Papa?" She breathed and the man stood fifty paces from her. A tear slid down his cheek. "Papa..." Usagi repeated, tears filling her eyes.
"Serenity." He said and Usagi slowly crawled to her knees. "My beautiful daughter... how did it come to this?" He asked and Usagi let out a sob. "For me to return to find our galaxy destroyed... my wife and child stripped from me... all I had were haunting spirits crying from the pits of hell..." He hissed and slowly the faces of the Alliance began to materialize around her. Slowly he stepped towards her. "Trapped for centuries... watching... waiting... knowing my wife's dying ember had saved our child..." Usagi stood frozen transfixed by him. "To watch you live this life that is in such stark contrast to the one you had died for..." He said with a shake of his head.
"It was you that hit me at the lake..." She breathed out.
"It is evident she will not fulfill the prophesy... let us end this and wipe out the alliance." Mars stated loudly and Usagi let out a cry.
"No! Don't kill them!" She screamed jumping to her feet. "Stop it! Stop it!" She screamed and Fergal looked upon her with pity. "Papa save us..." She cried turning to him, tears and dirt stained her face. He walked towards her and she stood deathly still. Gently his hand reached out and touched her golden locks. She sucked in a deep breath and waited.
"You have failed by so blatantly disregarding the life you were chosen to lead. How can you deny who you are?" He whispered sadly and suddenly a scream was heard around the room. Usagi's head darted in that direction to see a sword inserted into Rei's left arm.
"No!" Usagi screamed and she spun around and grasped onto her father, twisting him putting an arm around his neck. "Stop this!" She yelled applying pressure.
"You dare attack me?" He mumbled and she sobbed.
"Don't kill my council because of my failure... take my blood." She hissed and released him. His form straightened and he spun around to face her. He grasped onto her wrist as Mercury grasped onto her other pulling her across the room. He pushed her over the edge and she gasped seeing an endless drop before her. A vortex swirled and inside she heard cries of pain.
"Inside is my husband..." Mercury hissed inside of her ear. "You're warriors trapped him there..." She cried. Shackles began to clang as four bodies fell to the floor onto the marble surface. Cries of pain echoed throughout the room.
"Usagi!" Minako cried trying to crawl that way but someone stepped upon her leg making her cry out. Arms grabbed onto the four girls and dragged them towards the other side of the room where Usagi stood.
"Look what you have done to us!" Venus yelled leaning Minako over the side. A face solidified and stared at her and Minako let out a scream. Pain was etched on his face as white hair floated around him. "You've killed us..." She hissed and Minako gasped.
"How could you!" Mars screamed at Rei and Rei began to cry images flashing through her head from the Silver Millennium of her husband and then of her destroying him back in her time. "He was your life..."
"This is a nightmare..." Ami cried falling to the marble floor. They were all pulled away from the landing and thrown back into the middle. They stared at the haggard women before them whose broken souls and spirits spilled out. Mars walked across the room and pulled a black velvet curtain down. She pointed at the figure that hung limpless by his arms.
"No..." Usagi cried and Minako held her down. Fergal stepped over towards him and Mamoru slowly pushed himself back into consciousness. Suddenly a blade entered into his torso and blood spewed from his lips. His eyes opened wide to stare into blazing red orbs.
"I promised I would kill you if you hurt my daughter..." Fergal hissed at him and Mamoru sucked in a breath.
"So be it your highness..." He mumbled and Fergal pulled the sword out and Usagi let out a scream.
"My daughter and Prince Endymoun were lost among the dust... the only forms remaining were her court... you are my daughter and before you are impostors who represent your council." Fergal growled turning back to his precious daughter.
"No..." Usagi cried tears streaming down her face.
"We aren't impostors!" Minako cried out. He stepped towards her and pulled her to her feet.
"Serenity..." He whispered and she shook her head. "I am going to make you who you are... you will never again cry wanting to know..." He breathed, tears streaming down his face. "You're council will be restored to you as will your life..."
"No! We are her friends!" Rei screamed and a hand covered her mouth.
"A life without them is death..." Usagi whispered tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly a hand grabbed Usagi from her fathers' arms and dragged her back to the floating vortex.
"You must rescue our loves." Venus demanded and Usagi looked down with
uncertainty. "Rescue them and we will save your friends."
"You are Minako." Usagi hissed and Venus tightened her grip around Usagi's nape. "I do not have the power you need."
"Yes you do!" Venus cried pushing her further towards the vortex.
"Venus!" Fergal snapped and tears streamed down Venus's face. She sucked in a deep breath and threw Usagi back towards her Father's arms. Usagi clung to his frame and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"It is time for you to find your great adventure Serenity..." Fergal whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks for the years he had lost with his only child. Gently he kissed her forehead, a spark traveling through her system as her symbol began to glow gold. He put his hands to her head and she pulled away letting out a scream as energy surged through her. She fell away from him and to the floor. He looked at her uncertainly as he saw something glowing from her chest. He gently put his hand there and she let out a scream of pain and jerked away from him. She cradled her chest and the Alliance stared at her with blank faces, knowing well what was inside of her.
"Usagi!" Rei cried trying to crawl towards her. Usagi looked up at the man before her and tears filled her eyes. Slowly she pushed herself to her feet. He walked towards her and she backed up.
"I love you Papa." She whispered and his eyes filled with tears and he walked faster towards her.
"Serenity..." He began and she turned her form diving off into the vortex.
"NO!" Four screams echoed throughout the room and then everything went black.