Eternal
by Lady Tiger
Chapter 3
Rated R
*Sailor Moon is not my product. I am just using the characters in a fan fiction, I do not own them.
Chapter 3
I had drunk more than half the bottle of vodka before I started crying again. Would my beautiful Mamoru ever remember me? Rei and Minako said he would, but what if they were wrong?
"Deep in my soul
Love so strong
It takes control
Now we both know
The secrets bared
The feelings show
Driven far apart
I'll make a wish
On a shooting star
There will come a day
Somewhere far away
In your arms I'll stay
My only love
Even though you're gone
Love will still live on
The feeling is strong
My only love
There will come a day
Somewhere far away
In your arms I'll stay
My only love
You've reached the deepest part
Of the secret in my heart
I've known it from the start
My only love
My only
Love
My only love." My voice was shaky(from too much to drink), and my singing was interupted by sobs and hiccops. It was also interupted every once in a while when I stopped to take another drink.
"Do you always sing when you are drunk?"
The question catches me off guard. I spill the vodka all over my shirt and the bottle goes flying(now empty) into the fire. I try to stand up and don't quite make it. I don't know what happened but I was falling and suddenly I was in someone's arms. The second I felt his arms tighten around me, I knew it was my Mamoru. It just felt so normal, so right.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Mamoru whispered in my ear. Chills went down my spine. Oh if only he knew what just being held by him did to me. "You're shaking, you must be freezing." He took his arms from around me for a second and I started to whimper, but he was just moving us so we could sit by the fire. Once he had that all arranged he put his arm back around me. "That song you were singing. It was so full of sorrow."
What was I supposed to say to that? I just nodded. He was quiet for a little while, then he shook his head.
"This is weird, but I've been feeling as if something was missing for the past year. And now, here with you, " he whispered, pulling me closer,"I feel complete. How can one female affect a man so much?"
"I have felt like something was missing for the past year too," I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"But it must have been worse for you," Mamoru said,"For you knew what was missing. I was listening to you guys, and you have so much history! I remember now fighting against Queen Veril.....and I remember our past on the Moon Kingdom.... I remember how you fought for me with Queen Veril....but there is still so much that I don't remember. I just have a question...is all of our past so full of fighting?"
"Yes...the longest break of peace we've had is about a year," I said, my voice cracking, "Most of the time we are always looking for an enemy or putting together what we know about them. I haven't known peace, TRUE peace, no fear of a new or old enemy, since the night Luna gave me my first broach."
"Where are Luna and Artemis?" he asks.
"Artemis....he got badly injured during our first battle....we couldn't spare energy to heal him...so Luna took him to one of their 'secret kitty headquarters' and Setsuna froze him in time. Luna has been at the secret headquarters, waiting for one of us to contact her ever since then. We haven't had the time or the power though," I informed him.
"But now you have the power, you can heal Artemis, and you guys can be reunited!" Mamoru said excitedly.
"It's not that simple. If we bring them back now, they will just get injured again. Maybe this time they will be killed before we can reach them!" I shouted, "NO! They stay where they are until all this is over. I love them too much to put them in danger again. If they come, then I know they will contact Chibi-Usa, and I don't want her to be here!"
"Who is Chibi-Usa?" he asked curiously.
My heart stops. Stupid, stupid, stupid Usagi!!! Of course he doesn't know, he just remembers up to Veril. We didn't know about Chibi-Usa until much later. How do I tell him? I can't!
"A friend from the future," I lied,"I do not want the future getting involved." That atleast was true. "I am tired, I think I will sleep now." I stand up to go to my tent, then realize that Mamoru is in my tent. Oh crap, what do I do now?
Mamoru saw my hesitation and laughed. "If we are lovers, why do you hesitate to share a tent with me?"
My face is burning red, but I can not stand for Mamoru to laugh at me.
"Because you big oaf, I do not want to force you into something that you do not remember!! I will NOT be like the Locusts! I will wait until you remember everything, and then you will decide if it is still that way! I am not a brainwasher to just tell you what everything is like and how it will be from now on! I am not like the Locusts!!" I shout at him.
"No. You aren't like the Locusts. I am sorry I laughed Usa-ko. Please, I do not mind sharing a tent with you," he said quietly.
My breath caught. Usa-ko. He called me Usa-ko. Oh my Mamo-chan. I didn't answer him, I just went to the tent, grabbed a blanket and laid down to sleep. A few moments later Mamoru joins me in the tent.
"Usagi?" he whispers,"If Chibi-Usa is just a friend, why does she have the same name is you?"
I let out a huge snore, he laughs, turns over, and says something about the beautiful always having the loudest snore. I let out my breath and close my eyes. He will find out eventually, I know. But I do not wish him to freak out and feel I am forcing him into anything. He has been gone so long, I am so scared of him being frightened and running away.
I lay awake for a few hours, painfully aware of the man sleeping next to me. I hear him shifting around, unable to get comfterble. Gradually his breathing slows, then he turned around and put his arm around me, pulling me close.
"Butterfly," he murmers in his sleep. My head finds the old spot between his shoulder and his chest. And for the first time in 3 years, I fall asleep feeling safe and confident.
*~*~*
I wake up alone, with the sun in my face. In the background I hear everyone chattering and laughing. I open my eyes and see that the front of the tent is open. I sit up and rub at my eyes.
"Ah, sleepie head is finally awake I see!" laughs Haruka, "It's 2 in the afternoon Usagi!"
"Leave her be, none of us have gotten real sleep for the past 3 years, she deserves atleast one night of sleep," admonished Michiru. As I climbed out of the tent, I see that only Haruka and Michiru are here. Everyone else is no where to be seen.
"Where is everyone?" I demand.
"They have gone shopping," Haruka informed me, "We decided that not all of us should go in case the Locusts attack again. Don't worry, they will also be looking for a house that can fit all of us in it. Ami says her mom has been sending her $1000 a week, so after this 3 years, with everyone else's money we should have enough to buy a medium sized house, some new clothes and furniture."
"I feel so bad, I have no parents sending money to help chip in," Michiru said sadly,"But I told Ami the password to Harkua and mine's account. So she should be able to get to the money we have in there. Which is considerable. We've been saving every penny for about 10 years."
"A house...." My imagination wanders off. A house of our own. A place to rest inbetween attacks. Which reminds me, "Mamo-chan never told us about his year with the Locusts!"
"I don't think you should push Usagi," Haruka warns.
"Why?"
"Because he needs time to deal with what he has done because of the Locusts," Michiru exclaimed, "Think about what we've often stopped the Locusts from doing and what we've often been to late to stop. As their 'prince' he would most likely be required to accompany and help out with their attacks. It will be a long time before he is able to talk about what he's done with the Locusts. Just like you must give him time to remember everything, you must give him time to forget or atleast move on."
"It's not fair!" I cry, "Why can't something just go my way for once?"
Before either Haruka or Michiru can answer that, a scream shatters the air around us. The three of us turn and run towards the sound. We find ourselves immersed in the forest and at a loss at which way to go from there. Then another scream sounds and we continue on the chase. My pants and shirt are getting caught and ripped on branches, as are the clothes Haruka and Michiru have on. Before what was hardly recognizable as clothes, is now not recognizable as clothes at all. We run into a clearing and before us is a whole army of Locusts chasing two men and one woman. It is the woman who is screaming as if they have already caught her. The woman runs right into me, almost knocking me down. She stares at me for a second then starts screaming again. The men just stop and stare at us. Haruka reaches over to the woman and smacks her across the face.
"Shut up woman! We will help you, but only if you SHUT UP!!" Haruka shouts.
The woman nods her head to show she understands and grabs the hand of one of the men. Haruka and Michiru look at me and we nod our heads at eachother. This will not be easy. Oh well.
"Eternal Moon Goddess.....MAKE UP!!!"
"Eternal Uranus Goddess....MAKE UP!!!"
"Eternal Neptune Goddess....MAKE UP!!!"
We are all surrounded by light then appear as Eternal Sailor Scouts. The three people stare at us in awe and shock.
Uranus throws her hands up and the winds start up. The staff suddenly appears in her hands and it's glowing bright yellow."URANUS..." She throws it up in the sky and it seems to fuse with the sun..."HEAT"....then comes falling back down to her hands..."WAVE!!!!!"..and Uranus slams it into the ground. From the tip of her staff waves of hot energy flow. Every Locust they touch falls to the ground, dead in less than a second.
Neptune laughs and flips her hair over her shoulder. Her staff appears in her hand as she shouts "NEPTUNE..." Her staff starts to glow an aqua green...."POISEN"...the clouds around her turn black and begin to rumble..."WATER!!!!!!!" She throws her staff up and it floats above the Locusts. Then the clouds above the staff just drop water. Whatever the water touches immediately dissolves. Locusts try to get out of the rainfall, but seconds after the water touches them they are dissolved into dust.
I will my pink, white, and blue staff into my hand then start twirling it around. I throw it in the air..."YOU".....and it falls back into my hand..."ARE"....then I twirl it to face the huge Locusts...."MOON DUST". Bolts of pink energy fly out of the staff and cut into the remaining Locusts. They are dead within a second.
I turn towards the three strangers and stop dead in my tracks. The hugest locust I have ever seen is standing over them, one of the men in his hands. He throws the lifeless body of the man to the ground and steps towards the other two.
"STOP!" my shout surprises the Locust. Evidently he thought we would be kept busy by his friends. His face shows shock and fright as he turns around and sees us standing in the midst of thousands of Locust bodies.
"Who the hell are you three?" the Locust demands.
"I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am Sailor Moon," I shout,"Goddess of the Moon!"
"I am the soldier born from the waves, I am Sailor Neptune," Neptune informs him,"Goddess of Neptune."
"I am the soldier born from the winds, I am Sailor Uranus, Goddess of Uranus," Uranus adds.
"Now you know who we are, who the hell are you?" I demand. While we were saying our introductions, I was keeping an eye on the strangers. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets as they listened to us. They also didn't seem to realize that they should run and hide now that we were dealing with the Locust.
"I am the Prince of the Locusts," the Locust pulls himself up to his full height, and he towers above even Sailor Uranus,"Leader of the Locust Armies, one of which you just decimated. You look like the ones we've been fighting the past 3 years. Where did you suddenly get all this power? If you had it before, why didn't you use it?"
"That's for us to know, and for you to not know!" Uranus quips, a broad smile on her face. She puts an arm around Neptune and pulls her close. Neptune turns to push Uranus away, but Uranus whispered something in her ear. Neptune freezes and nods. I see her eyes go quickly to the right, then she catches herself and looks back at the Locust. I look quickly to the right and see Pluto and Saturn standing there. The Locust doesn't see them.
Pluto throws her staff into the air. "PLUTO..." She jumps into the air and grabs the staff..."TIME....." Then she slams the staff into the back of the Locust's head..."FREEZE!!!"
"A captured Locust!" Pluto exclaims, "And if he is as important as he was implying, we have ourself a bargaining chip!!"
"And if he isn't as important as he was implying, we have ourselves a source of vast information," I say quietly.
"What do you mean?" Uranus inquires.
"Endymion should be able to tell us if he is as important as he says," I say, "And if he isn't, than we can simply use him for information."
"Again, what do you mean 'use him for information'? I doubt he will willingly give us information," Uranus says exasperated.
"She means torture Uranus," Saturn whispers.
"Torture? We can't do that Sailor Moon!!" Neptune protests.
"No you can't do that. I wasn't asking you to. I am going to do it." It's a fact, a statement, a command, all wrapped up in one. But for once, they don't follow my command.
"NO Serenity. You will not sink to that level. I remember once when I said that any means necessary was the means I would use to accomplish my goal. Remember that? And a certain blonde haired girl with pig tails told me that if one single innocent life is lost, than the cause is ruined," Uranus protested.
"Exactly, if an innocent life is lost," I shouted,"Is this Locust innocent? You heard him, he is commander of their armies. He has probably seen the destruction of thousands of planets, and he is trying to destroy OUR planet! I would hardly say he is innocent!!!"
I can feel his precense before I see or hear him. I always can.
"Someone once told me that everyone is innocent. Sometimes they've just become twisted or victims of circumstance. Do you remember that day Usa-ko? I do. I am remembering more every hour. I don't like you this way Usa-ko. I like you the way you are in my memories. Stubborn and determined to save the world with out anyone dying. You tried to save everyone, even our enemies. What happened Usa-ko? Was it my disappearance? I'm back now Usa-ko. Remember what you said? 'Together we can do anything, because our love will support us.' Does our love no longer support us? Or do you no longer love me?" Endymion stands behind me, his cape flowing in the wind. He's in that sexy outfit with the armor again. "Usa-ko, I know that I've been gone for a long time, and you haven't had rest in even longer, but let's not become like them. Please Usa-ko."
"You don't understand Endymion, I saw them take you, I heard your screams! You have no idea what it was like living day to day not knowing if you lived or not!" Tears were running down my face unheeded by me. I turned to face him. "I've missed you so much Mamo-chan, and I can't live like this anymore. I became so dependent on our love, and then you were gone. Now you are back, but you don't remember our love all the way! My whole future has been changed by these damn Locusts, and all I want is to kill them. I want to kill all of them. And I want to do it with my bare hands. I want to feel the life running out of them, and I want to smell their blood. I want them dead."
"Usa-ko, you are a Goddess now, you can not be controlled by your feelings. You must be controlled by logic. You have the power to destroy whole Universes, you must be controlled by logic not feeling," whispered Endymion. At this time I only have the will power to simply nod my head. He puts his arm around me, and then his staff appears, it's totally brown, except on top is a blue circle. "We will settle this matter, and we will settle it with honor." As his staff began to glow, my staff appeared again. Our staffs touched and a flash of light blinded us.
When we could see again, both of our staffs were changed. My pink staff was was now silver and on the top it had a blue circle with a white crescent moon. Endymion's staff was now black with a blue circle and a white crescent moon on it. As I held up my staff, I saw my arm. Where was my glove? I looked down and saw that I was no longer in Sailor Uniform, I was Neo-Queen Serenity. I looked over at Endymion and he was in a dark black suit.
The Scouts came before us and kneeled. They all swore allegiance to us, to protect us and to protect the Universe. The strangers were clinging to eachother, their eyes wild with fear and awe. They slowly came forward and also kneeled before us.
The woman spoke first: "I am Notaru. Please accept my allegiance and that of my husband, Machino. We swear to honor and protect you. Please, we need something to believe in right now."
"Do you both swear to me, of your own free will?" I pointedly looked at Machino, looking for some resistance. But he looked me in the eyes and nodded his head.
"Now we have to take care of the Locust. We should do it together Usa- ko." His quiet statement told me that he was with me no matter what happened. With my left hand, I sought out his right hand. With my right hand, I held up my staff, and used my power to break the time spell on the Locust. It took a second for his eyes to focus. And when they were done focusing, he turned pale. For it was not the tired and dirty scouts of the past week he saw. It was the King and Queen of the Goddesses and all their followers.
"W-w-who are y-you?" he stammered.
"I am the soldier born from thunder and lightening, I am the Goddess of Jupiter, I am Sailor Jupiter!!"
"I am the soldier born from fire, I am the Goddess of Mars, Sailor Mars!!"
"I am the soldier born from the waters, I am the Goddess of Mercury, Sailor Mercury!!"
"I am the soldier born from love, I am the Goddess of Venus, Sailor Venus!!"
"I am the soldier born from waves, I am the Goddess of Neptune, Sailor Neptune!!"
"I am the soldier born from the winds, I am the Goddess of Uranus, Sailor Uranus!!"
"I am the soldier born from time, I am the Goddess of Pluto, Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto!!"
"I am the soldier born from Death, I am the Goddess of Saturn, Sailor Saturn!!"
"I am the soldier born from Earth, I am the God of Earth, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, I am King Endymion!!"
"I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am the Goddess of the Moon, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, Queen Serenity!!" I shout at him, "You will be spared this time. Go home and tell your elders to leave this Universe. If they are not gone by tomorrow morning, they will have to contend with us."
"Oh, and what can a bunch of females and one male do?" he sneered.
"Well, it appears that just three of us wiped out one of your biggest armies," Saturn whispered,"You are the only survivor, if you haven't noticed. Now leave, before we decide to give your leaders the message personally."
He looked at all of us, then spat in our general direction. Jupiter frowned and a bolt of thunder came down. It would have killed the Locust, but Endymion put out a hand and the bolt of thunder came down next to him. The thunder still sent him flying about fifty feet. Jupiter started to protest, but Endymion silenced her with a look of command.
"We've warned you, now go before you try even my patience," he snarled at the Locust. Evidently, having had enough insult and injury in one day, the Locust ran to disappear in the forest.
*What are you going to do about these two mortals, my love?* I sent to Endymion on our private link.
*They can tell the world of us. Ambassadors of a sort.* he smiled at *Notaru and Machino can give the humans our orders.*
*Will everyone accept us? What if they don't want to be ruled by us?* my face creased with worry. I turned to Endymion and put my hand on his shoulder.
Notaru and Machino stared at us. They didn't understand that we were conversing privately. The Scouts did though, and they all stayed quiet and still.
"Notaru, do you think you could get word to the leaders of the world?" I ask her.
She looked at Machine and he nodded. Notaru took a deep breath and then stood up. She was about the same height as me so we were eye to eye.
"How much do you know of our world?" Notaru asked me.
"Until three years ago I was living in Japan, getting ready to apply at a few colleges." I answered. I liked this Notaru, she was straight forward and bold.
"Than you know nothing of our world. Only of the past", she said quietly, head down. Machino looked at her in horror and than he looked at us. At first I was confused by their reactions, then I looked at Endymion and his face held disgust. I realized then that they both expected us to lash out in punishment for her words to me. Quickly I grabbed Notaru's hands in mine and forced her to look up at me with my other hand.
"I will never lash out at you in anger. You are to be my eyes and ears. If you know something I don't, than you shall tell me. Never fear of retaliation for what you might tell me. I realize that we have been out of touch, but for the past three years we have been fighting the Locusts practically twenty-four hours a day." the warm smile on my face doesn't waver during the whole sentence. It is best that they don't know Mamo-chan was once on the Locust's side. They might not trust him if they do. I look quickly at him, ready to send him a warning not to say anything on our personal link. He is already looking at me, approval in his eyes.
Mamo-chan then went to Machino and motioned for him to stand up. Machino came up to about an inch above Mamo-chan's shoulders. It is the first time I really looked at him. He is about average height for a man, and he has a shaved head. His clothes look expensive despite the wear and tear from the horror he has been through. Green eyes stare out at me from skin tanned a nice light brown. I looked over at Notaru. She was my height, and she had the same beautiful green eyes as Machino. Her hair was a soft brown and was cut shoulder length. She looked like she lay out on the same beach as Machino, her skin the same tan color.
"I understand", she replied, a tenative smile on her lips. When I smiled back, her smile grew. "As I said, you know nothing of our current political situation. Given what you have been through in the past three years, that is understandable."
Notaru looked back at Machino and he came up and took her hand. While Notaru was definately the speaker, Machino seemed to be the brain.
"The world was torn to pieces by the Locust's attack", Machino informed them,"We were plunged into a long period of darkness. Then we started to fight back. There are only a few million people left on Earth. The North and South American continents have been completely destroyed. They no longer exist, the population blown to smitherens along with the continents."
"After that attack we were all scared that the enemy would do the same to us. We still don't understand why they haven't. The remaining countries came together for a discussion. Presidents, Kings, Queens, Generals, and Sultans came together and decided that the world needed to become one nation. To survive the enemy they thought that one nation would stand better than a bunch of nations. So they melded into 'Earth', as no silly new name was needed. Machino and I were chosen to lead this new nation", Notaru continued, "So when we pledged outselves to you, we pledged our nation as well. Please help us save our nation, our planet, our people."
by Lady Tiger
Chapter 3
Rated R
*Sailor Moon is not my product. I am just using the characters in a fan fiction, I do not own them.
Chapter 3
I had drunk more than half the bottle of vodka before I started crying again. Would my beautiful Mamoru ever remember me? Rei and Minako said he would, but what if they were wrong?
"Deep in my soul
Love so strong
It takes control
Now we both know
The secrets bared
The feelings show
Driven far apart
I'll make a wish
On a shooting star
There will come a day
Somewhere far away
In your arms I'll stay
My only love
Even though you're gone
Love will still live on
The feeling is strong
My only love
There will come a day
Somewhere far away
In your arms I'll stay
My only love
You've reached the deepest part
Of the secret in my heart
I've known it from the start
My only love
My only
Love
My only love." My voice was shaky(from too much to drink), and my singing was interupted by sobs and hiccops. It was also interupted every once in a while when I stopped to take another drink.
"Do you always sing when you are drunk?"
The question catches me off guard. I spill the vodka all over my shirt and the bottle goes flying(now empty) into the fire. I try to stand up and don't quite make it. I don't know what happened but I was falling and suddenly I was in someone's arms. The second I felt his arms tighten around me, I knew it was my Mamoru. It just felt so normal, so right.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Mamoru whispered in my ear. Chills went down my spine. Oh if only he knew what just being held by him did to me. "You're shaking, you must be freezing." He took his arms from around me for a second and I started to whimper, but he was just moving us so we could sit by the fire. Once he had that all arranged he put his arm back around me. "That song you were singing. It was so full of sorrow."
What was I supposed to say to that? I just nodded. He was quiet for a little while, then he shook his head.
"This is weird, but I've been feeling as if something was missing for the past year. And now, here with you, " he whispered, pulling me closer,"I feel complete. How can one female affect a man so much?"
"I have felt like something was missing for the past year too," I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"But it must have been worse for you," Mamoru said,"For you knew what was missing. I was listening to you guys, and you have so much history! I remember now fighting against Queen Veril.....and I remember our past on the Moon Kingdom.... I remember how you fought for me with Queen Veril....but there is still so much that I don't remember. I just have a question...is all of our past so full of fighting?"
"Yes...the longest break of peace we've had is about a year," I said, my voice cracking, "Most of the time we are always looking for an enemy or putting together what we know about them. I haven't known peace, TRUE peace, no fear of a new or old enemy, since the night Luna gave me my first broach."
"Where are Luna and Artemis?" he asks.
"Artemis....he got badly injured during our first battle....we couldn't spare energy to heal him...so Luna took him to one of their 'secret kitty headquarters' and Setsuna froze him in time. Luna has been at the secret headquarters, waiting for one of us to contact her ever since then. We haven't had the time or the power though," I informed him.
"But now you have the power, you can heal Artemis, and you guys can be reunited!" Mamoru said excitedly.
"It's not that simple. If we bring them back now, they will just get injured again. Maybe this time they will be killed before we can reach them!" I shouted, "NO! They stay where they are until all this is over. I love them too much to put them in danger again. If they come, then I know they will contact Chibi-Usa, and I don't want her to be here!"
"Who is Chibi-Usa?" he asked curiously.
My heart stops. Stupid, stupid, stupid Usagi!!! Of course he doesn't know, he just remembers up to Veril. We didn't know about Chibi-Usa until much later. How do I tell him? I can't!
"A friend from the future," I lied,"I do not want the future getting involved." That atleast was true. "I am tired, I think I will sleep now." I stand up to go to my tent, then realize that Mamoru is in my tent. Oh crap, what do I do now?
Mamoru saw my hesitation and laughed. "If we are lovers, why do you hesitate to share a tent with me?"
My face is burning red, but I can not stand for Mamoru to laugh at me.
"Because you big oaf, I do not want to force you into something that you do not remember!! I will NOT be like the Locusts! I will wait until you remember everything, and then you will decide if it is still that way! I am not a brainwasher to just tell you what everything is like and how it will be from now on! I am not like the Locusts!!" I shout at him.
"No. You aren't like the Locusts. I am sorry I laughed Usa-ko. Please, I do not mind sharing a tent with you," he said quietly.
My breath caught. Usa-ko. He called me Usa-ko. Oh my Mamo-chan. I didn't answer him, I just went to the tent, grabbed a blanket and laid down to sleep. A few moments later Mamoru joins me in the tent.
"Usagi?" he whispers,"If Chibi-Usa is just a friend, why does she have the same name is you?"
I let out a huge snore, he laughs, turns over, and says something about the beautiful always having the loudest snore. I let out my breath and close my eyes. He will find out eventually, I know. But I do not wish him to freak out and feel I am forcing him into anything. He has been gone so long, I am so scared of him being frightened and running away.
I lay awake for a few hours, painfully aware of the man sleeping next to me. I hear him shifting around, unable to get comfterble. Gradually his breathing slows, then he turned around and put his arm around me, pulling me close.
"Butterfly," he murmers in his sleep. My head finds the old spot between his shoulder and his chest. And for the first time in 3 years, I fall asleep feeling safe and confident.
*~*~*
I wake up alone, with the sun in my face. In the background I hear everyone chattering and laughing. I open my eyes and see that the front of the tent is open. I sit up and rub at my eyes.
"Ah, sleepie head is finally awake I see!" laughs Haruka, "It's 2 in the afternoon Usagi!"
"Leave her be, none of us have gotten real sleep for the past 3 years, she deserves atleast one night of sleep," admonished Michiru. As I climbed out of the tent, I see that only Haruka and Michiru are here. Everyone else is no where to be seen.
"Where is everyone?" I demand.
"They have gone shopping," Haruka informed me, "We decided that not all of us should go in case the Locusts attack again. Don't worry, they will also be looking for a house that can fit all of us in it. Ami says her mom has been sending her $1000 a week, so after this 3 years, with everyone else's money we should have enough to buy a medium sized house, some new clothes and furniture."
"I feel so bad, I have no parents sending money to help chip in," Michiru said sadly,"But I told Ami the password to Harkua and mine's account. So she should be able to get to the money we have in there. Which is considerable. We've been saving every penny for about 10 years."
"A house...." My imagination wanders off. A house of our own. A place to rest inbetween attacks. Which reminds me, "Mamo-chan never told us about his year with the Locusts!"
"I don't think you should push Usagi," Haruka warns.
"Why?"
"Because he needs time to deal with what he has done because of the Locusts," Michiru exclaimed, "Think about what we've often stopped the Locusts from doing and what we've often been to late to stop. As their 'prince' he would most likely be required to accompany and help out with their attacks. It will be a long time before he is able to talk about what he's done with the Locusts. Just like you must give him time to remember everything, you must give him time to forget or atleast move on."
"It's not fair!" I cry, "Why can't something just go my way for once?"
Before either Haruka or Michiru can answer that, a scream shatters the air around us. The three of us turn and run towards the sound. We find ourselves immersed in the forest and at a loss at which way to go from there. Then another scream sounds and we continue on the chase. My pants and shirt are getting caught and ripped on branches, as are the clothes Haruka and Michiru have on. Before what was hardly recognizable as clothes, is now not recognizable as clothes at all. We run into a clearing and before us is a whole army of Locusts chasing two men and one woman. It is the woman who is screaming as if they have already caught her. The woman runs right into me, almost knocking me down. She stares at me for a second then starts screaming again. The men just stop and stare at us. Haruka reaches over to the woman and smacks her across the face.
"Shut up woman! We will help you, but only if you SHUT UP!!" Haruka shouts.
The woman nods her head to show she understands and grabs the hand of one of the men. Haruka and Michiru look at me and we nod our heads at eachother. This will not be easy. Oh well.
"Eternal Moon Goddess.....MAKE UP!!!"
"Eternal Uranus Goddess....MAKE UP!!!"
"Eternal Neptune Goddess....MAKE UP!!!"
We are all surrounded by light then appear as Eternal Sailor Scouts. The three people stare at us in awe and shock.
Uranus throws her hands up and the winds start up. The staff suddenly appears in her hands and it's glowing bright yellow."URANUS..." She throws it up in the sky and it seems to fuse with the sun..."HEAT"....then comes falling back down to her hands..."WAVE!!!!!"..and Uranus slams it into the ground. From the tip of her staff waves of hot energy flow. Every Locust they touch falls to the ground, dead in less than a second.
Neptune laughs and flips her hair over her shoulder. Her staff appears in her hand as she shouts "NEPTUNE..." Her staff starts to glow an aqua green...."POISEN"...the clouds around her turn black and begin to rumble..."WATER!!!!!!!" She throws her staff up and it floats above the Locusts. Then the clouds above the staff just drop water. Whatever the water touches immediately dissolves. Locusts try to get out of the rainfall, but seconds after the water touches them they are dissolved into dust.
I will my pink, white, and blue staff into my hand then start twirling it around. I throw it in the air..."YOU".....and it falls back into my hand..."ARE"....then I twirl it to face the huge Locusts...."MOON DUST". Bolts of pink energy fly out of the staff and cut into the remaining Locusts. They are dead within a second.
I turn towards the three strangers and stop dead in my tracks. The hugest locust I have ever seen is standing over them, one of the men in his hands. He throws the lifeless body of the man to the ground and steps towards the other two.
"STOP!" my shout surprises the Locust. Evidently he thought we would be kept busy by his friends. His face shows shock and fright as he turns around and sees us standing in the midst of thousands of Locust bodies.
"Who the hell are you three?" the Locust demands.
"I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am Sailor Moon," I shout,"Goddess of the Moon!"
"I am the soldier born from the waves, I am Sailor Neptune," Neptune informs him,"Goddess of Neptune."
"I am the soldier born from the winds, I am Sailor Uranus, Goddess of Uranus," Uranus adds.
"Now you know who we are, who the hell are you?" I demand. While we were saying our introductions, I was keeping an eye on the strangers. Their eyes bulged out of their sockets as they listened to us. They also didn't seem to realize that they should run and hide now that we were dealing with the Locust.
"I am the Prince of the Locusts," the Locust pulls himself up to his full height, and he towers above even Sailor Uranus,"Leader of the Locust Armies, one of which you just decimated. You look like the ones we've been fighting the past 3 years. Where did you suddenly get all this power? If you had it before, why didn't you use it?"
"That's for us to know, and for you to not know!" Uranus quips, a broad smile on her face. She puts an arm around Neptune and pulls her close. Neptune turns to push Uranus away, but Uranus whispered something in her ear. Neptune freezes and nods. I see her eyes go quickly to the right, then she catches herself and looks back at the Locust. I look quickly to the right and see Pluto and Saturn standing there. The Locust doesn't see them.
Pluto throws her staff into the air. "PLUTO..." She jumps into the air and grabs the staff..."TIME....." Then she slams the staff into the back of the Locust's head..."FREEZE!!!"
"A captured Locust!" Pluto exclaims, "And if he is as important as he was implying, we have ourself a bargaining chip!!"
"And if he isn't as important as he was implying, we have ourselves a source of vast information," I say quietly.
"What do you mean?" Uranus inquires.
"Endymion should be able to tell us if he is as important as he says," I say, "And if he isn't, than we can simply use him for information."
"Again, what do you mean 'use him for information'? I doubt he will willingly give us information," Uranus says exasperated.
"She means torture Uranus," Saturn whispers.
"Torture? We can't do that Sailor Moon!!" Neptune protests.
"No you can't do that. I wasn't asking you to. I am going to do it." It's a fact, a statement, a command, all wrapped up in one. But for once, they don't follow my command.
"NO Serenity. You will not sink to that level. I remember once when I said that any means necessary was the means I would use to accomplish my goal. Remember that? And a certain blonde haired girl with pig tails told me that if one single innocent life is lost, than the cause is ruined," Uranus protested.
"Exactly, if an innocent life is lost," I shouted,"Is this Locust innocent? You heard him, he is commander of their armies. He has probably seen the destruction of thousands of planets, and he is trying to destroy OUR planet! I would hardly say he is innocent!!!"
I can feel his precense before I see or hear him. I always can.
"Someone once told me that everyone is innocent. Sometimes they've just become twisted or victims of circumstance. Do you remember that day Usa-ko? I do. I am remembering more every hour. I don't like you this way Usa-ko. I like you the way you are in my memories. Stubborn and determined to save the world with out anyone dying. You tried to save everyone, even our enemies. What happened Usa-ko? Was it my disappearance? I'm back now Usa-ko. Remember what you said? 'Together we can do anything, because our love will support us.' Does our love no longer support us? Or do you no longer love me?" Endymion stands behind me, his cape flowing in the wind. He's in that sexy outfit with the armor again. "Usa-ko, I know that I've been gone for a long time, and you haven't had rest in even longer, but let's not become like them. Please Usa-ko."
"You don't understand Endymion, I saw them take you, I heard your screams! You have no idea what it was like living day to day not knowing if you lived or not!" Tears were running down my face unheeded by me. I turned to face him. "I've missed you so much Mamo-chan, and I can't live like this anymore. I became so dependent on our love, and then you were gone. Now you are back, but you don't remember our love all the way! My whole future has been changed by these damn Locusts, and all I want is to kill them. I want to kill all of them. And I want to do it with my bare hands. I want to feel the life running out of them, and I want to smell their blood. I want them dead."
"Usa-ko, you are a Goddess now, you can not be controlled by your feelings. You must be controlled by logic. You have the power to destroy whole Universes, you must be controlled by logic not feeling," whispered Endymion. At this time I only have the will power to simply nod my head. He puts his arm around me, and then his staff appears, it's totally brown, except on top is a blue circle. "We will settle this matter, and we will settle it with honor." As his staff began to glow, my staff appeared again. Our staffs touched and a flash of light blinded us.
When we could see again, both of our staffs were changed. My pink staff was was now silver and on the top it had a blue circle with a white crescent moon. Endymion's staff was now black with a blue circle and a white crescent moon on it. As I held up my staff, I saw my arm. Where was my glove? I looked down and saw that I was no longer in Sailor Uniform, I was Neo-Queen Serenity. I looked over at Endymion and he was in a dark black suit.
The Scouts came before us and kneeled. They all swore allegiance to us, to protect us and to protect the Universe. The strangers were clinging to eachother, their eyes wild with fear and awe. They slowly came forward and also kneeled before us.
The woman spoke first: "I am Notaru. Please accept my allegiance and that of my husband, Machino. We swear to honor and protect you. Please, we need something to believe in right now."
"Do you both swear to me, of your own free will?" I pointedly looked at Machino, looking for some resistance. But he looked me in the eyes and nodded his head.
"Now we have to take care of the Locust. We should do it together Usa- ko." His quiet statement told me that he was with me no matter what happened. With my left hand, I sought out his right hand. With my right hand, I held up my staff, and used my power to break the time spell on the Locust. It took a second for his eyes to focus. And when they were done focusing, he turned pale. For it was not the tired and dirty scouts of the past week he saw. It was the King and Queen of the Goddesses and all their followers.
"W-w-who are y-you?" he stammered.
"I am the soldier born from thunder and lightening, I am the Goddess of Jupiter, I am Sailor Jupiter!!"
"I am the soldier born from fire, I am the Goddess of Mars, Sailor Mars!!"
"I am the soldier born from the waters, I am the Goddess of Mercury, Sailor Mercury!!"
"I am the soldier born from love, I am the Goddess of Venus, Sailor Venus!!"
"I am the soldier born from waves, I am the Goddess of Neptune, Sailor Neptune!!"
"I am the soldier born from the winds, I am the Goddess of Uranus, Sailor Uranus!!"
"I am the soldier born from time, I am the Goddess of Pluto, Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto!!"
"I am the soldier born from Death, I am the Goddess of Saturn, Sailor Saturn!!"
"I am the soldier born from Earth, I am the God of Earth, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, I am King Endymion!!"
"I am the soldier born from the love of all, I am the Goddess of the Moon, Ruler of the Crystal Universe, Queen Serenity!!" I shout at him, "You will be spared this time. Go home and tell your elders to leave this Universe. If they are not gone by tomorrow morning, they will have to contend with us."
"Oh, and what can a bunch of females and one male do?" he sneered.
"Well, it appears that just three of us wiped out one of your biggest armies," Saturn whispered,"You are the only survivor, if you haven't noticed. Now leave, before we decide to give your leaders the message personally."
He looked at all of us, then spat in our general direction. Jupiter frowned and a bolt of thunder came down. It would have killed the Locust, but Endymion put out a hand and the bolt of thunder came down next to him. The thunder still sent him flying about fifty feet. Jupiter started to protest, but Endymion silenced her with a look of command.
"We've warned you, now go before you try even my patience," he snarled at the Locust. Evidently, having had enough insult and injury in one day, the Locust ran to disappear in the forest.
*What are you going to do about these two mortals, my love?* I sent to Endymion on our private link.
*They can tell the world of us. Ambassadors of a sort.* he smiled at *Notaru and Machino can give the humans our orders.*
*Will everyone accept us? What if they don't want to be ruled by us?* my face creased with worry. I turned to Endymion and put my hand on his shoulder.
Notaru and Machino stared at us. They didn't understand that we were conversing privately. The Scouts did though, and they all stayed quiet and still.
"Notaru, do you think you could get word to the leaders of the world?" I ask her.
She looked at Machine and he nodded. Notaru took a deep breath and then stood up. She was about the same height as me so we were eye to eye.
"How much do you know of our world?" Notaru asked me.
"Until three years ago I was living in Japan, getting ready to apply at a few colleges." I answered. I liked this Notaru, she was straight forward and bold.
"Than you know nothing of our world. Only of the past", she said quietly, head down. Machino looked at her in horror and than he looked at us. At first I was confused by their reactions, then I looked at Endymion and his face held disgust. I realized then that they both expected us to lash out in punishment for her words to me. Quickly I grabbed Notaru's hands in mine and forced her to look up at me with my other hand.
"I will never lash out at you in anger. You are to be my eyes and ears. If you know something I don't, than you shall tell me. Never fear of retaliation for what you might tell me. I realize that we have been out of touch, but for the past three years we have been fighting the Locusts practically twenty-four hours a day." the warm smile on my face doesn't waver during the whole sentence. It is best that they don't know Mamo-chan was once on the Locust's side. They might not trust him if they do. I look quickly at him, ready to send him a warning not to say anything on our personal link. He is already looking at me, approval in his eyes.
Mamo-chan then went to Machino and motioned for him to stand up. Machino came up to about an inch above Mamo-chan's shoulders. It is the first time I really looked at him. He is about average height for a man, and he has a shaved head. His clothes look expensive despite the wear and tear from the horror he has been through. Green eyes stare out at me from skin tanned a nice light brown. I looked over at Notaru. She was my height, and she had the same beautiful green eyes as Machino. Her hair was a soft brown and was cut shoulder length. She looked like she lay out on the same beach as Machino, her skin the same tan color.
"I understand", she replied, a tenative smile on her lips. When I smiled back, her smile grew. "As I said, you know nothing of our current political situation. Given what you have been through in the past three years, that is understandable."
Notaru looked back at Machino and he came up and took her hand. While Notaru was definately the speaker, Machino seemed to be the brain.
"The world was torn to pieces by the Locust's attack", Machino informed them,"We were plunged into a long period of darkness. Then we started to fight back. There are only a few million people left on Earth. The North and South American continents have been completely destroyed. They no longer exist, the population blown to smitherens along with the continents."
"After that attack we were all scared that the enemy would do the same to us. We still don't understand why they haven't. The remaining countries came together for a discussion. Presidents, Kings, Queens, Generals, and Sultans came together and decided that the world needed to become one nation. To survive the enemy they thought that one nation would stand better than a bunch of nations. So they melded into 'Earth', as no silly new name was needed. Machino and I were chosen to lead this new nation", Notaru continued, "So when we pledged outselves to you, we pledged our nation as well. Please help us save our nation, our planet, our people."