Chapter 6
Mamoru's P.O.V.
After I came home and saw Chibi-Usa's face, I knew exactly what happened. She's not very good at keeping secrets, or promises apparently. But then again, I left her here with Usagi, so who knows what she was bribed with.
I didn't understand the things that were going through my head. Why would they disobey me, especially after all that's been happening? What did Seiya tell them? How has Usagi been getting sick? I didn't have time to ask questions, so I knocked on the door to my bathroom. Silence.
Usagi opened the door and smiled, trying to hide the fact that her face was deathly pale and she was shaking uncontrollably.
It is almost impossible to hide anything from me. I know both of my girls so well that I would know they were lying before they even opened their mouths.
I sent Chibi-Usa back to Usagi's to tell her mom that Usagi is studying with Ami, and she would call her when she could. Chubi-Usa agreed, wanting desperately to get out of my home before I could scold her. Usagi sat on my couch fidgeting. I looked over at the clock, it was only 2. Lethargy pulled at my eyelids, so I decided to make some coffee for the both of us.
"Mamoru?" Usagi said, poking her head above the couch. I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Um, why didn't you want me going to Seiya's?" Usagi asked, a stony look in her eyes. I couldn't tell if she was afraid of my answer, or if she just desperately wanted to know. I sighed and walked over to the couch where she was sitting.
"I didn't want to risk you going out there on your own," I said. Lie.
"Mamoru, we must be honest with each other," Usagi said, taking my hand in hers. I rubbed my thumb across her knuckles, biting my lip. The real reason was embarrassing, and I was afraid she would get angry with me if I told her.
But I knew she wouldn't give up. This is Usagi for crying out loud.
"I...I didn't want to risk losing you to him..." I said sadly. Her mouth dropped open in shock. My face turned red with shame and embarrassment. I can't believe I could be so selfish, but we've both lost each other enough times already. I can't bear with losing her, after everything we've been through.
I waited for her to start crying, or yell at me, or storm off, but she didn't. Instead, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her in surprise, supporting her. She buried her face in my neck, and I could smell her vanilla shampoo.
"Mamoru, I made you a promise the other day that I would never let anything come between us, and that I would always love you to infinity and beyond, do you remember that?" she said into my neck. I chuckled, remembering our little game we always played when we had to say good-bye to each other.
"I remember," I said. She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. I was locked on her cerulean gaze, unable to look away from the beauty who was mine.
"Good."
I smiled and kissed her gently on the lips, a kiss that said, "I love you, and I always will." The coffee machine started beeping, alerting me that my coffee was ready. "Want some?" I said with a laugh. She giggled and nodded. I could tell she was tired too. She was always tired.
I brought over her coffee and we sat on the couch together, her head in my lap as we watched her favorite cartoons. She was such a kid sometimes, but that's one of the many things I love about her. She doesn't care about what anyone else thinks.
The coffee didn't help much, because soon we both started to drift off into the land of our dreams.
Chibi-Usa's P.O.V.
I quickly left Mamoru's place, afraid of my punishment for breaking his promise. It killed me having to break it, but I wanted to make Usagi happy. I'm never going to forget the image of her crying last night. Sure, I've seen her cry plenty of times, but not like that.
I walked quickly down to Usagi's and came in the door, immediately taking in the smell of strawberry shortcake. Her mom must be making some more. I smiled contentedly and walked into the kitchen.
"Hi!" I said cheerfully. Usagi's mom turned around and smiled warmly, a smile that I missed getting from my mother in the future. I haven't seen her in forever.
"Hello dear. I just took out some shortcake, would you like some?" she said, holding out a plate. My hunger wouldn't let me resist, so I nodded and thanked her.
"Where's Usagi? She always comes running at the smell of shortcake," Her mom said. I cringed, feeling bad again. I was kind of hoping to avoid the subject until I finished my shortcake.
"She's, uh, at Ami's studying for an exam coming up. She said if they don't get done before dark, then she's going to go ahead and spend the night," I said quietly. I'm not a very good liar.
Usagi's mom's face fell, and I felt guilty for lying to her. "Oh, alright then...well, at least she's working harder at school," she said. I nodded and looked down at my plate, suddenly losing my appetite. I forced myself to finish the rest of the shortcake, just so Usagi's mom wouldn't feel bad.
"I can bring Usagi a piece if you'd like," I said with a smile. She nodded and handed me a plate wrapped in plastic wrap for Usagi.
"Thank you. And tell I said I miss her and love her, and to come back soon, okay?"
I nodded and left the house before I cracked and told her the truth. I knew that Mamoru would make sure to ground me when I got home. :P
I started walking back to Mamoru's when I saw familiar raven hair slip into the arcade down the street. I would be able to pick that hair out from anywhere. Rei.
I silently followed her into the arcade, slipping into a booth behind her. Rei sat across from Ami, Minako, and Makoto. I could tell by the looks on their faces that whatever they were meeting about was serious. I sank down in the seat, hiding my pink hair from thier view.
"I've been getting lots of weird vibes lately," Rei said quietly. It was hard for me to hear.
"Has Usagi gotten any better?" Makoto asked, obviously worried about her friend. I bit my lip. thinking about how much Serena pressured herself earlier.
"Minako and I were planning on going to Mamoru's later to check up on her. Poor girl, she must be so confused...and she doesn't even know about the girl..." Ami said sadly. My ears perked up at hearing this.
"It's so weird...I wonder why she appeared. Did she really drop from the sky?" Rei said, turning to Minako. Minako nodded.
"Yeah, landed right on me. It's funny because I was walking through the same clearing Serena was attacked in, trying to find some clues as to who that monster was," Minako said, shaking her head in bewilderment. I was curious as to what in the world they were talking about. Who was this girl they were talking about? The fact that he dropped out of the sky reminded me of the time when I first came here...right out of the sky...
Usagi's P.O.V.
I felt something stir beneath me, and I groggily opened my eyes. I groaned, feeling the ache return to my legs. The movement beneath me destroyed my comfortable position, which caused me to whine.
"I'm just going to go get some fresh air for a minute, I'll be right back. Okay?" Mamoru said, gently lifting my head off of his chest. I nodded and buried my head into the couch, desperately trying to replace Mamoru's warmth. He slid open the glass door that led out to the balcony, and I closed my eyes again.
A few minutes later, Mamoru slid open the glass door, rather urgently. I heard faint screams coming from outside, and my eyes snapped open. "What's going on?" I said, groggy. Darien quickly put on his shoes and headed for the door. "Nothing, don't worry about it. I'll be back soon. Please, just stay here, okay?" Mamoru said with pleading eyes. I didn't respond, just layed there on the couch, still.
I heard the door open and close, and there was complete silence. I snapped up, feeling a little dizzy, but I was going to be fine. I quickly put on my tennis shoes and headed out the door, following Mamoru from afar. Whatever was going on, I was going to find out.
I got outside, and was immediately overpowered by a mob of screaming individuals. I was pushed and shoved by panicking people, all running the opposite direction. Mamoru's black shirt disappeared within the crowd, and I knew I would have to push harder than the other people. I used all of my strength to take a step forward in the opposite direction. People hit my shoulders and pushed my back, but I kept going. The crowd started to thin, and the screams started to fade in the distance. Mamoru was gone. I'm going to guess that these people are running from a monster, and Mamoruturned into Tuxedo Mask and started leaping over roofs. Dangit.
I turned into an alleyway and pulled out my Eternal brooch and shouted, "MOON ETERNAL POWER!"
I transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon, and I felt stronger. My legs didn't ache as much, and my head didn't hurt. I landed on the ground and opened the wings that formed on my back, sailing into the air. I landed on a roof and started to run across. I followed my instincts, letting my heart lead me towards Darien. I leaped across an office building, landing on top of a bakery. I heard commotion coming from down the street, so I leaped off of the roof, landing shakily on my feet.
"Gosh, I haven't done that in a while," I said, winded. I started running down the street, towards the battle that was taking place. I needed to make an entrance, so I jumped back on the roof and leaped across once more, landing on an abandoned warehouse. I peered over the edge to see all of my friends as Sailor Scouts fighting a lion-like enemy. It was golden with evil red eyes, and razor sharp claws. I gulped. The last time I faced a monster like this, it defeated me. Tuxedo Mask saved me, but even he couldn't stop it. The strange thing was, the lion was created using the power of the stars...
I watched in horror as it clawed at Makoto, and thankfully she dove out of the way. Mamoru, now as Tuxedo Mask, threw a line if roses at the lion. The petals landed right in the lion's eyes, and it roared in fury as it pawed at its face.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury shouted, forming a water-based harp. Water flew out of the harp, attacking the lion at jet-speed. The only thing that did was wash away the rose petals, leaving a very wet and very angry lion. It leaped into the air and disappeared from sight, leaving the scouts confused.
"Where did the stupid fleabag go?" Mars said, enraged. Suddenly, it appeared behind her. She spun around and screamed as the lion scratched her back. She fell to the ground, and I knew it was time to step in.
"How dare you threaten the lives of girls who are trying to maintain peace and prosperity on this beautiful planet? Pretty soldier in a sailor suit Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" I leaped off of the roof, landing smoothly next to Rei and helped her up, quickly getting away from the lion. The blood from the scratch got on my gloves, and I cringed, thinking of my last battle. I can do this.
They all stared at me in shock, but I shook it off, turning to the lion. I can do this. The lion gave out a fierce roar as it darted towards us. We all leaped in different directions, leaving the lion frazzled and confused.
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Venus shouted, aiming a string of razor sharp hearts at the lion. The lion demolished them all with a swipe of his tail, and I gulped. Something didn't feel right...
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
As before, the attack had no effect. We were getting tired of dodging attacks, and the fact that we couldn't land a hit was frustrating. Mars was weakening every second, so Tuxedo Mask said, "Sailor Moon, take Sailor Mars and put her somewhere safe!" I glared at him, knowing he was just trying to keep me out of the fight, but nodded and let Rei put her weight on me. I trembled under her weight, still a little weak, but persister through. I dragged her into the warehouse and set her down on an old, musty-smelling chair that was left behind. She groaned and put her head back.
"Stay here, we'll come for you as soon as it's over," I said gently, running back outside. Now Mercury was down with what looked like a dislocated shoulder. I felt tears fill my eyes at the sight of my injured friend. "I guess the only way to beat this thing is with physical force!" Jupiter said, charging. She started to throw punches, and when the lion tried to swat at her, she leaped into the air and spun, landing a hard kick on the lion's muzzle. It roared and spun, slamming Jupiter in mid-landing with it's thick body. She was flung back towards the warehouse, her body smashing through the glass window. My mouth dropped open."Jupiter!" I screamed. This monster was strong.
Venus was attending Mercury when she started to scream in pain. The lion was no where near her, but it was staring at her intently. She writhed in pain, her body shaking violently.
"Leave her alone!" I shrieked, tears falling down my cheeks. The lion's gaze tore away from her, and she was breathing heavily, motionless. It licked its lips hungrily as it stared at me.
Now it was only me and Tuxedo Mask.
"Sailor Moon, run!" he yelled, fear in his voice. I looked back from him to the lion, not knowing what to do. I had to stay and fight, I couldn't just leave him here. And there was no way I could outrun the lion in my condition.
"You go! Find Seiya!" I yelled back. He could help us. Tuxedo Mask shook his head vigorously. The lion, obviously tired of hearing us yell at each other, started to bend down, as if it was going to pounce. I drew back in disgust.
It started sprinting towards me, and I screamed. I couldn't jump out of the way, I wouldn't be fast enough.
Just in time, Tuxedo Mask dove towards me, grabbing me by the waist and pushing me sideways. We both landed a few yards away from the lion, who was angry he didn't make his mark. I yelled out in pain, for I landed on my now unwrapped arm. The stitches I'm guessing Amy put in them had ripped, and it was bleeding again.
We pulled each other up and held onto each other as we regained our balance. Tuxedo Mask threw a rose and it shocked the lion, who started to rub its face in the dirt. I took out my Eternal Tiel and shouted, "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
The waves of energy from the tiel hit the lion, but nothing happened. I stood there, shocked. Tuxedo Mask's mouth dropped open. It darted towards us again, and we were forced to leap in separate directions. I rolled and stood up again, shakily. I was shutting down. No, I can do this.
Tuxedo Mask yelled in pain, and I saw he rolled his ankle when he leaped. I gasped, as the lion turned towards me once more, licking it's disgusting lips. Tuxedo Mask was incapable of getting up, and I knew I was on my own. I braced myself for impact as the lion ran towards me. It's heavy claws hit my shoulders and I was pushed to the ground, the lion on top of me. Its claws dug into my skin and I bit my lip hard, desperately trying not to scream.
The lion roared loudly, causing me to feel like my head was splitting open.
The lion opened it's huge mouth and leaned towards me. I could feel the heat of its breath hitting my face.
"USAGI!" Mamoruyelled. I managed to turn my head and look at him for what I thought was the last time.
"MOMMY!" I heard an unfamiliar voice yell. I expected the person to be Chibi-Usa, but the voice was more high-pitched.
"Ch...Chibi-Usa?" I said shakily, turning my head the other way. Suddenly a beam of light soared towards me at lightning speed, hitting the lion. It flew backwards and landed with a huge thud, a large smoking hole formed in the middle of its body. I was struggling to catch my breath as I tried to process what just happened. The lion faded away, leaving just black smoke rising into the atmosphere.
I slowly sat up, breathing rapidly. Oh my God.
A little girl with long, wavy black hair that reached her butt ran up to me. Her eyes were cerulean, the color of mine. She looked familiar to me, but I just couldn't think of who she reminded me of. Her eyes were filled with worry as she approached me. "Mommy, are you okay?" she said, taking my hands in her tiny ones. She looked to be about six, but she seemed mature for her age. The strange thing was her attire. She was wearing an ankle-length white dress, that resembled Reni's when she was in her princess form...
"W-who are you?" I said, slowly standing up. The little girl looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I'm Kaliya, you're daughter! Don't you know me?" she said, as if I was the crazy one. I stared at her in disbelief. I only had one daughter.
I started remembeing Mamoru and the other scouts. I started jogging towards Mamoru, who was sitting on the ground in shock. "What-what just happened?" he said, blinking in disbelief. I shook my head and kneeled next to him. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him, grateful that he was alive. He placed one hand behind my neck and pulled away. "Why did you come? You almost died," he said, looking at my shoulders. I rolled my eyes and crawled over to his ankle, which was now swollen and purple. I gasped at the sight of it.
"It may be broken..." I said quietly. The little girl approached us and put her hand on Mamoru's ankle, causing him to wince. A white light surrounded her hand, and the swelling in Darien's ankle started to die down and it returned to its original color. He started moving it in circles, checking its mobility.
"There you go, mister!" the girl said. Darien stared at her in shock.
"How did you do that?" he said, starting to stand. He held out his hand for me and pulled me up, pulling me into his embrace. I hugged him tightly and pulled away.
"It's a gift I guess," the girl said, embarrassed.
"We'd better go check on the scouts," I said, pulling Mamoru with me.
"Wait," he said, gently grabbing my arm.
"What's wrong?" I said, staring at him questioningly.
He gently pulled the girl over and she touched my shoulders. I winced, but realized that she was healing me as well.
"Come on," I said, picking her up and carrying her into the warehouse. Rei and Makoto were both passed out, so the girl attended to them too. Her powers were amazing. They slightly reminded me of Hotaru's powers.
She attended to Ami and Minako next, and soon everyone was good as new and standing together.
"We didn't want to tell you..."
"We wanted you to get better first."
"And we're still trying to figure things out too."
"Please don't be upset."
The girls all started talking at once, causing my head to spin.
"Woah, what's going on?" I said, my temper rising. Mamoru put a hand on my shoulder, calming me.
The little girl, who reminded me again that her name was Kaliya, wrapped her frail little arms around my leg. I looked down at her and she smiled at me. Her smile reminded me of someone...
"Why don't we go over to the arcade? We can talk about this there, once we all get some rest. Tomorrow?" Ami said, always the reasonable one. I sighed and nodded.
"What about the kid? Where are her parents?" I said. Kaliya began to giggle, for a reason I'm unsure of.
"She's uh...my cousin. She's staying with me," Rei said, pulling Kaliya off of me. She pouted, but stayed silent. This was all too weird.
That night, I called my mother and said I was staying at Makoto's, because she was teaching me a new recipe for home ec. What she didn't know was I haven't been to school all week, and I have been lying to her too. I felt terrible lying to my mother, who does nothing but try to make me happy, but I was keeping her safe.
Mamoru and I arrived back at his apartment, where Chibi-Usa was waiting on the couch.
"Chibi-Usa, how long have you been here?" I said, exhaustion tearing at my voice. Chibi-Usa shrugged.
"About an hour," she said. "But boy do I have lots to tell you!" she said. She finally noticed our tired demeanor and back down a little bit as Mamoru and I flopped down on the couch.
"Go on, tell us," I said, struggling to keep my eyes open.
"So...I was walking back here from your house, when I noticed the girls going into the arcade. I followed them and listened in on their conversation. They talked about you and how you were doing, then I heard Ami start talking about how you 'don't even know about the girl.' I never figured out who the girl was, because people started screaming and running outside. I wanted to go out and see what was going on, but Andrew caught me as I was going out the door and kept me inside, keeping me safe from whatever was out there. I'm guessing it was a monster, and you two fought it and won, right?"
She looked at us with pride in her eyes. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we were really saved by a six year old girl, so I just smiled and said, "We sure did! Moon-dusted," I said with a fake laugh. Chibi-Usa smiled at me and hugged the two of us. Mamoru was stone-still, not moving or speaking. I was going to get it...
"Melissa called, and I told her I could spend the night at her house. Can I pleaseeeee?" Chibi-Usa said, grabbing my shirt. I removed her hands and nodded. "Be back at my house before two tomorrow," I said, kissing her on the cheek. She squealed and ran out the door happily, saying good-bye as she went. I sighed at the limitless energy of my daughter and leaned back on the couch. I felt Mamoru move beside me, and I opened my formerly closd eyes.
"Mamoru?" I said, leaning forward and placing a hand on his back. He looked at me, betrayal in his eyes.
"Why didn't you stay here? I told you to stay, and yet you disobeyed me, again. You almost died out there Usagi. Those monsters are after you, not me, not the scouts, you. Do you have any idea how bad I would feel if I lost you? I would never be able to live with myself. I can't risk losing you to whatever that thing was, no matter what happens to me. It's my duty to protect and love you. You are the Princess and if you die, so does everyone else. I can't bear to see you die before my eyes like you almost did today."
I sat there, stunned. I was at a loss for words.
"I don't deserve you. I've hurt you too many times to count, and it haunts me every day. You are all I have. You're my family Serena, and I will not let my family get hurt," he said. He refused to look at me. My eyes started to fill, but I blinked the tears back.
"Mamoru, what happened in the past happened for good reason. I don't care about how many times you hurt me, because you only did it to protect me. But Mamoru...you're my family too. I can't let you go off into battle like that without me. There is no way I can just sit by and relax as you go out and fight monsters. Who knows what will happen? I love you, and I can't let you go out and risk your life for me. We need to start working together. We do best that way," I said, taking his hand. He sighed, and finally looked me in the eyes. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and I assumed mine were the same.
"We both need rest. It's been a long day," I said gently. He stood, and I followed as he walked to his bedroom and opened the door. It was only 6 a.m., but I was beat and ready to sleep forever. I went into his bathroom and changed into a light pink camisole and pink pajama pants with bunnies on them, my favorite. I let my hair down so it hung loosely down my back and shoulders. I was right, there were dark circles beneath my eyes.
I went back into the room, where Mamoru was taking off his shirt. I blushed and looked down, trying to hide the awkwardness. His chest was perfectly toned, and I could easily make out the muscles on his arms. I slid into the bed, Darien shortly following.
He caught my eyes and said, "You're so beautiful." I blushed and scooted closer to him, letting him encase me in his warm arms.
"Sweet dreams my Princess," he said into my hair. I smiled to myself at his regal tone of voice. It was a secret joke we had, because we were both royalty in our alter egos.
"And to you, my Prince."
