Enjoy
A brief note: I promise that all attacks used by the Senshi/Tuxedo Kamen are real attacks from the manga or the series. Some of them sound kind of silly, but they're Naoko Takeuchi's creation, not mine.
"No man shows greater love than when a man lays down his life for his beloved." ~Flyleaf
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Whispers filled the large room as everyone turned to look at Usagi. She gently squeezed Heero's hand under the table before she stood, her shoulders back, a soft smile on her face. She walked quickly toward the Emperor and the Prime Minister, looking neither left nor right.
"Ho-ly shit." Duo breathed, staring at her as she walked by. His earpiece crackled slightly.
"None of you knew?" Louis asked softly.
Wufei snorted. "Hell, no. Yuy doesn't look surprised, though. I bet he knew."
"Quiet." Ding ordered. "Time for that later. I'd suggest someone keep an eye on the gentleman at table three. He looks pretty pissed."
Duo craned his neck to stare at table three. A tall man, likely in his early thirties, glared at Usagi as she curtsied to the Emperor. One hand was clenched into the tablecloth, the other clutching a glass so hard Duo was surprised it hadn't broken yet. The Prime Minister gestured to the podium and Usagi stepped to it.
She paused for a moment and bowed slightly, smiling at everyone. "Good evening. Unfortunately, I learned of this the moment you did, so please excuse my poor speech." She took a deep breath. "When I was sixteen, I was contacted by the Kunaicho. At first, I was unsure if I was willing to be a candidate. However, I met with His Majesty and the former Prime Minister Tanaka, who shared with me their dream of a peaceful world."
"I am honored that His Majesty and the Prime Minister feel that I am the best candidate to achieve their dream. I will do my best to help maintain peace in Japan, and by cooperating with the ESUN, help ensure the wars of the past never return to haunt us. Over the next year, it will be my personal mission to learn as much as I can at His Majesty's side, and apply those lessons to ensure stability and peace for all. Thank you." Usagi bowed slightly again, smiling.
She stepped away from the podium, applause the only other noise in the ballroom. The Prime Minister briefly approached the podium to tell the press about a news conference he would host the next morning, then returned to the Emperor's side. The crowd gradually returned to chatting at their tables, shooting furtive glances Usagi's way.
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Ami Mizuno was enjoying a peaceful evening on the moon base when Sally Po ran into her lab, eyes alight with excitement. Not pausing to explain, she grasped Ami's wrist and dragged her to the communications room next door. Sally flung Ami into a chair and turned her to face the giant video screen.
Ami's eyes widened as she read the caption at the bottom of the screen: Japanese Prime Minister and Emperor announce the heir to the Imperial Throne of Japan, Usagi Yuy.
She turned to Sally, her mind blank as she took in the woman's expression. Before either could comment, the door was flung open and Lucrezia Noin entered.
"Ami we have a slight problem with one of the items we're archiving. Can you come with me?"
Ami nodded and stood quickly. "What's going on, Noin?"
"Do you remember the project to catalog all the books in the library?" At Ami's nod, she continued. "Yesterday, one of the scientists photo-cataloged an entire book. Today, she was inspecting a couple pages and realized that they'd changed."
"They what?" Sally sputtered, eyes widening.
"You can see it for yourselves, but yesterday there were only two paragraphs of text on the two pages, and today, there's more writing and a faint drawing."
"A drawing of what?" Ami asked quietly, closing her eyes. She had a feeling she knew exactly which book Noin was referring to.
"It looks like a woman, Dr. Mizuno." Lady Une gestured the trio into the room. "A blonde woman, an upturned crescent moon on her forehead, and a crown in her hair."
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Usagi didn't talk much as she followed the Prime Minister and the Emperor to their table. The Prime Minister dismissed her with a curt nod and a small smile. Usagi curtsied to them both and turned to make her way across the ballroom. Before she could get very far, Relena met her, wide-eyed. Usagi couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Relena's face. Her eyes sought out Heero's as he moved across the room to join her.
"You look like I just ran over your puppy." Usagi teased.
"You may as well have." Relena grumbled good-naturedly. "I had no idea I was speaking to potential royalty all night."
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Would it have really made that much of a difference?"
Relena shook her head thoughtfully. "No, I guess it wouldn't have."
Usagi looked around the room. Setsuna smiled brightly at her from her table. Haruka was glaring in the direction of another table, Michiru's hand on her shoulder, when Usagi felt it. She shivered slightly, body going rigid. In the same moment her eyes met Mamoru's horror-struck eyes from halfway across the room, the middle of the room shimmered slightly and an inhuman roar rattled all the glasses in the room.
The partygoers fell silent, staring in shock at the three creatures that slowly solidified in the middle of the ballroom. The first one to solidify flicked its tail, gazed at Relena with a hungry expression on its face, and launched itself across the room, roaring,
"ENERGY!"
Heero didn't stop to think. He pushed Usagi and Relena out of the way, and the youma slammed into him so hard he couldn't catch his breath. Its hands (if they could be called that) wrapped around his throat and shoved him against the wall. He felt energy beginning to drain from his limbs even as he struggled vainly against the ugly creature. A roaring sound began to fill his ears as his vision became fuzzy. Before he could completely lose consciousness, he heard an angry, masculine voice shout,
"Tuxedo the Smoking Bomber!"
The youma was blasted away from him. Heero felt himself falling, but before he could hit the ground, gentle hands caught and supported him. Tuxedo Kamen leapt several meters back, ignoring the youma for the moment. His face was hard and angry as he passed Heero over to Quatre.
"Keep him safe." He snarled, whirling around to throw roses at the other youma before he leapt back into the fray.
"Heero?" Quatre's low, calm voice drew his attention. He knelt down behind the table, feeling his pulse. "Are you all right?"
"So cold." Heero gasped, shivering. His lips trembled, slightly blue.
Quatre frowned, slipping out of his tuxedo jacket and placing it over Heero. When his shivering didn't abate, Quatre drew Wufei's attention. The Chinese man stepped over to them, his eyes on the battle as he removed his jacket and gingerly placed it over Heero. Usagi arrived at that moment, a wide-eyed Relena in tow.
"Heero," she gasped, placing a hand on his chest. The man's color began to improve immediately, and his breathing came easier.
"No." Heero grasped her hand and pushed it away. "You don't have the energy."
"I have enough energy for this." Usagi insisted, attempting to put her hand on Heero's chest again, only to be pushed away.
She huffed and glared at him. Before she could continue, she heard gunfire from directly behind her. She turned, and couldn't help but stare as Wufei calmly discharged his weapon at one of the monsters.
"Wufei," she tugged at the back of his shirt nervously. "That won't do any good. It'll only draw their attention here."
Wufei shrugged her off, grunting. "Maybe those soldiers need some help, woman."
A quick glance at the battle told Usagi that Wufei was right. Sailor Pluto and Tuxedo Kamen were fighting one monster, and Sailor Uranus was attempting to hold another at bay. Usagi watched, horrified, as the third monster struck Sailor Neptune and she flew across the room like a rag doll. As she crashed back to the floor, the monster landed on top of her, pausing to lick its lips.
Usagi clenched her fists. 'Where's Rei?' She quickly stretched out her senses and found her friend's warm, red energy near another pocket of dark energy. Usagi quickly realized that Rei would never make it in time, and that her friends would die if she didn't do something. She stepped slightly away from Wufei as she jerked on the delicate chain around her neck. It snapped and she raised it above her head, the crystal glittering slightly in the ballroom. The monster pinning Sailor Neptune down began to lengthen its claws, preparing to kill her.
Ignoring Heero's whispered "no," she glanced at him briefly, her eyes impassive.
"Moon Eternal, MAKE-UP!"
With a burst of power, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon. Not pausing to make a speech, she leapt across the room and kicked the monster pinning Sailor Neptune down. It flew several meters across the room and struck the monster that Sailor Uranus was battling. Sailor Moon quickly knelt beside Sailor Neptune, a silver flash traveling from her fingers into Neptune. The aqua-haired woman quickly regained her feet and touched Sailor Moon's shoulder briefly, smiling as she leapt across the room to join Sailor Uranus.
The monster that she'd kicked glared at her, its body tensing to charge. Sailor Moon quickly raised her hand above her head and pulled her staff to her.
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
Barely pausing to confirm that the monster turned to dust, Sailor Moon also leapt the distance of the room to join the others. The five of them made quick work of the other two monsters. In a matter of moments, the battle was over. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Moon exchanged a quick look. Sailor Pluto nodded gravely to the smaller woman and stepped back with a minute bow.
Sailor Moon knelt, the tips of her fingers brushing the floor of the ballroom. She placed her right hand over her broach, closing her eyes. Those who remained in the ballroom, with the exception of the sailor senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, were forced to shield their eyes as she began glowing brighter.
"Moon Cosmic Power!" Sailor Moon cried out, the energy exploding from her.
Wufei carefully opened his eyes as the glow began to recede, and noticed Ding swaying across the room. His eyes were oddly blank as they closed and the man fell to the floor. Wufei observed that except for the former Gundam pilots, Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, and the sailor senshi, no one else was conscious.
Duo whistled softly, his thoughts echoing Wufei's. The braided man sauntered over to Sailor Moon, eyes mischievous.
"Cool light show, babe. Why aren't we zonked out like everyone else?"
"Impertinent." Sailor Uranus snorted, glaring at Duo and opening her mouth angrily.
"You already knew about us, thanks to Heero." Sailor Moon replied, cutting smoothly across Sailor Uranus. "There's no point in hiding ourselves from you."
"But I didn't know about you. I only knew about Mamoru." Relena countered, staring intently at Tuxedo Kamen as he shimmered slightly and became Mamoru once more.
Sailor Moon shrugged. "We trust you, Relena. There's no reason for you to be kept in the dark."
As though that closed the matter, she turned slightly to Heero. The man's energy had been fully restored, and he glared at Sailor Moon as she shimmered slightly and transformed back to Usagi. As her legs gave out under her, she felt herself caught in Heero's arms and clutched to his chest.
"Usagi-chan!" The three senshi cried as one, Sailor Pluto swooping down to check her.
"I'm fine." Usagi replied calmly, shivering slightly.
"No, you aren't." Haruka snapped as she de-transformed. "What were you thinking, transforming like that? You don't have the energy to be doing—"
"I fully appreciated the risk, Haruka." Usagi cut across the older woman, her eyes flashing. "I knew, and I took the risk anyway. What's done is done, and there's no point in arguing about it."
Haruka stared at Usagi for a moment, a pole-axed expression on her face. Then, in a move that shocked the others, she gracefully fell to a knee and bowed her head.
"I apologize, Princess. I overstepped my bounds."
Usagi nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you, Haruka, but there's no need to apologize."
The sandy-haired woman simply bowed her head once more before she stood. A slight laugh from across the room drew their attention. Sailor Mars approached the group, her hair windswept. Her eyes were full of mirth.
"It's great to see everyone getting along."
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Two hours later, an exhausted Usagi was helped into a car by Heero. She smiled briefly at Michiru as the woman waved and leaned into Heero's side. As the car started back toward Hereford, Usagi buried her face in Heero's chest and fought a laugh as she listened to Ding's excited conversation with Duo. The man had no memory of the fight.
She allowed herself to relax and quickly fell asleep. Heero tightened his arm around her shoulder, and couldn't help but remember the night when Usagi had told him of her past.
*Flashback*
They lay in bed, Heero running his hands through her hair. He knew Usagi wasn't sleeping because she occasionally reached up to intertwine her fingers with his. He heard her sigh in the darkness.
"What is it?" he murmured softly.
Even though he couldn't see it, he sensed that Usagi was chewing on her lower lip, a nervous habit of hers. She blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs and wafted across his face.
"It's nothing." Usagi replied in a small voice.
Heero grunted and pulled her closer. As curious as he was, he couldn't force her to tell him. He resumed running his hands through her hair, a deep silence falling about the pair once more. Usagi broke it without warning. Hands clenching into his tank top, she murmured,
"I was a soldier once."
Heero's breath caught, certain he hadn't heard her correctly. "What?"
Usagi slid back far enough that Heero could see her eyes in the dim moonlight filtering through her window. "I was a soldier once, Heero."
Heero internally cried out in denial, but he couldn't fight the truth of it in her eyes. "How? Why are you telling me this?"
Usagi slid closer to Heero, and he numbly put his arms around her shoulders. "I wanted to tell you before you decided to come to Japan with me. I didn't want you to be with me, then find out years down the road." She breathed.
Heero clenched his hands in the back of her shirt. "I don't know…" he trailed off uncertainly. "How?" he repeated numbly.
Usagi shook her head and buried it in Heero's shoulder. "It was a long time ago. I just wanted you to know."
Heero shook his head, eyes darkening. "You couldn't have been a soldier. You were even younger than I was during the war."
"I'm not talking about your wars." Usagi whispered so quietly Heero almost didn't hear her. "My war started more than 1,000 years ago..."
Usagi had told him about the Silver Millenium's rise and fall, about her rebirth as Usagi Tsukino, and the war she'd fought at the tender age of fourteen. Battle after battle, she and her friends persevered against the darkness, and defended the human race. Heero didn't want to believe her. He made a small noise of disbelief in the back of his throat. Usagi correctly interpreted the sound.
"How can I make you believe?" She asked softly, gently brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
Heero closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth. "I don't know, Usa. I just don't know what to do with this."
Usagi rolled her eyes and slid away from him. Standing in front of him, she raised her brooch over her head and shouted,
"Moon Eternal, MAKE-UP!"
Heero shielded his eyes from the light. When the light faded, he looked at Usagi, and found he couldn't focus on her face. He could only focus on a crescent moon glowing dimly on her forehead, and the expression of trepidation in her eyes. The breath rushed out of his lungs in a deep sigh as he slowly stood next to her.
His hand trembled slightly as he reached up and lightly traced the crescent moon on her forehead. He realized with a start that Usagi was crying. Heero grunted and brushed her tears away with the pads of his fingers, searching for a response.
"It doesn't matter to me who you are or what you look like. I love you, Usagi. I'm not going anywhere."
*End Flashback*
Heero tightened his arm around Usagi's shoulders. That moment was seared in his memory. He'd meant every word he said, and he intended to stay with Usagi through whatever trials laid ahead. He glanced to the left, and noticed that Duo was staring at him from the other side of the car.
"What?"
Duo shrugged. "It's just a lot of responsibility you're both taking on. Any idea how she came to be nominated?"
Ding and Peter Covington turned their heads slightly, interested in his answer. The silence stretched between the group for a long moment. Heero turned to look out the window, and replied quietly,
"My understanding is that she was in her second year of high school, and was approached by a member of the Kunaicho who interviewed her briefly. The rest is history."
Duo nodded thoughtfully. "I'm surprised they didn't assign a more formal guard to her after the announcement."
Ding coughed lightly. "Actually, Duo, we've been temporarily assigned as her guard because she's staying on base."
Duo could only nod again. "That makes sense. What sort of duties are we looking at?"
Heero grunted. "Over the next few days, she'll be going to and from London frequently. Minimum of two guards at all times. If anything happens to her, I'm holding you personally responsible, Mr. Chavez and Mr. Covington."
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The car slid to a smooth stop in front of Duo and Wufei's house. Rei opened the front door, and headed toward the car, looking excited. Her face fell slightly when Heero emerged, carrying Usagi.
"How long has she been sleeping for?" Rei asked quietly.
"Since we got in the car." Duo remarked. "I think your interrogation will have to wait until tomorrow morning."
"Damn." Rei pouted.
Duo laughed quietly as they all entered the house.
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Halfway around the world, a man sat in his basement, glaring at the dimly glowing television screen. As the news announcement was broadcast once more, his grip tightened on his glass of whiskey. He took a deep breath and slowly relaxed his fingers, leering at the screen.
"I've finally found you. Serenity."
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Ami Mizuno was studying the book intently. Lady Une and the other researcher were correct. There was a noticeable difference between the pictures taken the day before and the book now. She carefully took a picture of the page and copied it into her computer's translation program.
Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin watched the process with baited breath. Ami ignored them—she knew full well what the translation would say, and prayed it would be garbled enough to prevent a positive identification of her friend. Several minutes passed in silence as the computer program worked. A slight beep drew her attention to the rough translation.
Turning the screen toward the two Preventers, she re-arranged the translation into a more understandable format as she read it aloud.
"During the Queen Serenity's reign, she bore one child, a daughter. The Princess Serenity grew up within the walls of the Moon Palace at Mare Serentitis. A curious child, she often snuck away to visit her people. On one occasion, the young princess found her way to Earth, where she met a prince of Earth, Endymion. Despite the forbidden nature of their relationship, they fell in love. A lady of Earth, Beryl, became jealous of Endymion's love for Serenity, and was possessed by the demon Metallia.
"War began on Earth. Metallia's servant infected the people's hearts and minds with sorrow and darkness. Only the Prince Endymion remained unaffected, protected by the Princess Serenity's love. Eventually, the war could not be contained on Earth, and came to the Moon Kingdom. The Prince's generals, formerly trusted as advisors and lovers to the Princesses of Serenity's Court, used that trust to gain admittance to the Moon Palace, and killed many warriors. The Prince Endymion fell at the hands of Beryl and Metallia when he defended Princess Serenity from the darkness. In her grief, the Princess took up his sword and killed herself. Queen Serenity's sorrow was so great, she called upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal and the Prayer Tower of the Moon Palace, and gave her life in exchange for those of her daughter and her daughter's court. She sealed the darkness away, and wished for her daughter and the court to be reborn when all would be strong enough to defeat Beryl and Metallia."
Ami paused in her reading. "That's what was on the page until this evening. Any questions?"
Sally and Noin both shook their heads, staring in fascination at the rest of the translation. Ami continued reading.
"In the age of men, the Princess Serenity and her court were reborn on Earth. The seals holding Beryl and Metallia had grown weak. When the princess was but fourteen, the seals broke, and the demons launched an offensive on Earth, concentrated in a land called Japan. The princess's court was gradually reawakened, their memories of their pasts returning. The princess was missing, but in her place, a sailor soldier known as Sailor Moon took her place. Joined by the four princesses of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, it was discovered that Sailor Moon was, in fact, the Princess Serenity when the Prince Endymion fell protecting her from an enemy's blade.
"Prince Endymion was captured by Metallia, his body used as a vessel. However, the Princess and her court were not deterred from the fight, and won the battle against Metallia and Beryl. Both were destroyed by the light. A time of peace ensued, but it did not last. Enemies came from the future and the far reaches of the galaxy to challenge the Princess and her court. None succeeded in claiming the earth as their own. The Princess gained in power, and was joined by her remaining four guardians: princesses of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
"The final battle of the Sailor Wars took place when Princess Serenity was sixteen. Her love and compassion triumphed over Chaos, and restored peace to this galaxy. It is prophesized that as the Princess grows in power and ability, the glory of the Moon Kingdom shall be restored, and an era of peace awaits."
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I hope you enjoyed this segment. As always, reviews are much appreciated.