Chapter Ten: Vulnerable Lightning, Part I
Her mind was fuzzy. The last thing she remembered…she couldn't even remember that. She couldn't remember what day it was, what she had at her last meal, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner; she couldn't remember the last time she was this thirsty. It even took her a long time to recognise the little black lump crying near her head. Or those dark eyes above calling for her, and she found herself calling back for them though she did not know why.
"Usagi," Luna sobbed, rubbing her head against her cheek.
She giggled—a hoarse giggle—at how her cat's whiskers tickled. Her hand was heavy; still, she brought it up to pet Luna's head tenderly.
"How are you feeling?" Luna asked worriedly.
She offered a smile. "I…I feel good. A little tired. And thirsty. But…I think I'm all right. What happened?"
"A Youma attacked."
"When?" She frowned, trying to get up on her elbows but failing, wincing at the pain around her ribcage. "I don't remember."
"Usagi, what day is it?
She startled; it was a male voice who asked that. Then she remembered that there was another pair of eyes looking at her when she had woken up. And there he was, stunning even amid the drying tears on his cheeks. Without thinking, she reached up, wanting to wipe the sadness away, but found that he was still holding onto her hand. She smiled, and lay back down. She didn't care that she was in her civilian form. "Friday, I think."
"Do you know where you are?"
She glanced around. "A playground?"
"Where were you heading before you got here?"
"School." It was slowly coming together. "I passed this place on the way. I…" She hesitated, thinking. "I heard a cry. There was a kid. A girl; long, black hair, about five years old. She was in that tube." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I can't remember anything else."
"That's okay." He nodded, looking relief. "That's okay. She was the Youma. She had some kind of hypnosis power. There's probably no brain damage. You're fine."
"Brain damage?" she asked loudly, her hoarse throat and sore ribs making it a wheeze instead.
He tenderly stroked her cheek. "Don't worry about it. You're all right."
"You saved me."
"It wasn't just me," he said, helping her get up. She groaned, clutching her sides. "Sorry."
She looked at him quizzically. Why was he apologising for saving her?
At her questioning gaze, he shifted uncomfortably. "Perhaps we should wait until you get better before we tell you the whole story. The cat can probably handle it, right?"
At their feet, Luna continued to stare at him. In the silence, Usagi was briefly side-tracked by the blood on her wrists and a new pain at her neck.
"Tuxedo Mask," Luna finally said remorsefully, "you saved Usagi. I thank you. You don't know how valuable she is, as a friend and a Guardian."
"I think I do." The familiar look he gave her made her heart thump longingly.
"Are you an ally?"
At that, he stepped away. She nearly fell at the loss of support.
"Will you work with us?" Luna continued.
He turned away. "I'm afraid that is not my mission."
"You're looking for the Silver Crystal."
"Yes."
"What do you want with it?"
"I'm not sure." He exhaled slowly. "I just need it."
"The Dark Kingdom is looking for it too."
"I am aware."
"So are we."
He started. He looked like he wanted to cry when he gazed back into her eyes. His eyes were full of sorrowful loneliness again. "Then we can't be allies," he said softly, taking a step back. "Be well, Usagi."
With a last look of regret, he ran off with the grace and speed not unlike that of a Guardian.
We'll see each other again.
She closed her eyes, took a deep albeit painful breath. She turned to Luna, her emotions controlled at present. "Is Ami here?"
"Ami and Rei. Rei!" Luna's eyes widened, and she scampered away. Usagi stumbled after her, her steps quickening when she spotted the two figures on the ground. Ami was currently leaning over the other girl who was laid on her side on the ground, one hand at the back of her head.
Rei glanced up at her with slightly unfocused eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.
She quickly wiped the tears that came, turning the potential sob into a smile for her friend. "I'm the one who should be asking you that. You look worse than me."
Rei tried to shrug, grimacing instead. "Ami won't let me up."
"You have a concussion," Ami said. Her response was a little slower than would be usual.
"How can you tell? I don't even feel nauseous or disorientated."
"Visor."
"Ah."
Usagi laughed. It turned into a horribly agonising cough. "God, why do I feel like I've been run over by a truck?"
Ami only replied after a short pause again, as if distracted or unfocussed. "He fractured a few ribs while performing CPR."
"CPR?" she cried. "Why the heck did I need CPR?"
"Not tonight, Usagi," Luna said softly, still looking shaken. "Please, let us have some rest first."
Rei scoffed. "I think we'll be resting here the whole night if Ami doesn't decide what she wants to do with me. She wants to take me to a hospital because it's bad; she doesn't want to because I'm supposed to be all healed up in a few hours."
Usagi chuckled, determined to avoid another racket of coughing if she had to laugh at Rei's abhorrence to being nursed. She slowly knelt down, tired.
"You're going to have a hard time getting up," Rei remarked.
"That's okay. It's a perfect night for an open air playground sleepover." She gasped. "Shoot, I was gone the whole day! My mom's going to kill me."
Luna groaned at her choice of words.
"I called your mother earlier to say that you had fallen asleep after a study session," Ami said. "I said you could stay over and she was agreeable."
"And she believed you?" She narrowed her eyes. "About the studying part?"
Rei burst into a short laughter, ending it with a painful groan as she squeezed her eyes shut. Ami frowned, removed the bloody cloth she held at the back of Rei's head and checked the wound. "Apparently, she had heard of me from your friend Umino-san. She seemed thrilled."
She snorted. "I bet." Then she grew solemn. Ami was acting very strange. "Ami, are you all right?"
Again, a slow response. "Reasonably, so far."
"Really? You look like you were mauled by a lion."
"By what I remember seeing of that demon, you're not far off," Rei answered. "But Usagi's right, Ami. I thought you'd be better now that she's safe."
Better? What happened before? She would keep those questions to herself for now. Everyone, including herself, desperately needed a break. Ami looked the worst, both physically and mentally, though her wounds were not as deep.
"So, I guess I'll be staying over at your place tonight?" she asked Ami.
Ami shook her head. "My mother will be home tonight." At her questioning look, she added, "She can't see me like this."
"Rei?"
"My grandfather is pretty good at giving me my privacy. I think I can hide you guys in my room for a couple of days."
"Awesome. Sleepover at a shrine."
"You make it sound as excitable as doing something forbidden."
"For us common folk, shrines are for New Years. No one thinks of sleeping over or risk incurring the wrath of gods. Or angry mikos. Except for drunkards, by which we'll be seeing plenty of angry mikos."
Rei sighed dejectedly. "I'm truly saddened by the loss of appreciation for tradition in this modern world."
"I bet old souls like you have a hard time adjusting," she joked.
Before long, Ami finally deemed Rei well enough to move. As she helped her up, Rei tilted her head. "Hey, do you hear that?" She quickly shook her head at Ami's glare. "No, I'm not hearing bells. There are people in the houses around us, right? There was a loud scream before I got knocked out. No one heard?"
Ami looked around, her visor displaying information that only she could interpret. She turned to Luna. "How did you find us?"
"I heard the shrieks," Luna replied. She was now in a predatory crouch, the furs on her back standing.
Usagi swallowed; she was in no condition to be fighting another enemy. Neither were the others. But even as they waited, no attack came.
"Maybe we got lucky and they passed it off as a neighbour's television?" she suggested. "Or another ally used magic to somehow block the screams?"
"Maybe," Rei said unconvincingly. "But allies don't hide."
"Well, there aren't any enemies nearby," Ami said, lifting Rei into her arms despite the latter's objections. "We should leave while we can."
Usagi gave the area one last, careful glance before transforming and bounding after Ami.
"Aren't we going to attack them?"
Nephrite scowled, ignoring his shadow that was beginning to take a three-dimensional shape, protruding up from the rooftop next to him.
"Hey, hey, Master. Let's do it. Let's attack them now." The shadow trembled with elated giggles. "You take the Sailor Guardian and I'll have the human girls. We'll share the cat."
"Not today," he said.
"Why? Why not? Why why why why why?"
"I don't want to involve civilians in the battle against the Guardians."
"Don't be stupid, Master!" The shadow hissed and rose to twice his height, swaying threateningly. He ignored it until it shrunk back down. "Think about it, Master. She's weak, and the human girls will be added distraction. We can win easily. It's an easy win, Master. Win win!"
He rubbed his temples, sighing. It was not the first time he was annoyed by his shadow's idiosyncratic speech and constant pestering. Yet he attempted a different approach from the yelling Jadeite had always suggested. It was his shadow after all, even if it had its own consciousness. "One, I am Shitennou first. I won't face my enemy in such shameful manner. Two, killing humans without first draining their energy is just wasteful. We will not be able to drain energies while fighting off a Guardian. Three, the humans have just lost most of their energy from the demon bat's attack. It's more efficient to wait until they recuperate. Four, that one Guardian defeated the bat all by herself. Are you aware of her prominence in the Dark Kingdom? We fight them after we've come up with a plan. As we always have."
"You sound like Kunzite." The shadow growled. "What if the human girls are also Guardians? Huh? What if, what if?"
"We have no evidence of such."
"The Guardian transformed from a human girl. We saw her transform into Sailor Mercury. Her friends could also transform. One of them Sailor Moon. Three Sailor Guardians? Yeah, yeah. That sounds right, doesn't it, Master? Three Sailor Guardians. One, two, three."
"Four," he said distractedly, watching the three girls continue to interact below him. "Jadeite mentioned there was another possible one, famous among the humans. Sailor V. Her description is all over the town. She, and Sailor Moon, look nothing like those humans."
"That human girl didn't look like the blue Guardian before she transformed. Not one bit. Nope. It only makes sense after you've seen them transform, see? See, Master?"
"Glamour magic?" he muttered. It made sense. It was a simple spell any magical child or item could create; very strong, but once broken, it lost its hold over the eyes of the one who overcame it.
"Yes, yes! Glamour magic. Annoying little pest, it is. Yes, indeed."
"An empty battleground; we'll send the humans away." He nodded, a basic plan forming in his mind.
His shadow quickly picked up. "Or, or we bring in the others. They can help attack the Guardians. Then, then if the Guardians lose them, they can attack the humans instead of chasing futilely."
"We'll see. As Kunzite has said, we don't want the humans to know about us. Besides, the Guardians have had incredible success rates against Youma. It may be best to keep this just between us to minimise casualties on our side."
The shadow cackled. "More for us!" It swayed giddily. "Or, we invite Jadeite's strays. Yeah, Jadeite's strays that haven't joined the other Shitennou battalions. They're not loyal to us, but they can die for us. Yes, yes, that sounds good! Doesn't it sound good, Master?"
Nephrite grinned, matching the unseen one on his shadow. He turned his back on the girls still crouched in the playground, stepping back into his workplace within the Dark Kingdom centre.
"Come," he said to his shadow, "we have a wonderful plan to prepare."
"Don't you ever slow down, Rei?" Usagi grumped at the door, watching as Rei slid on her shoes. "Aren't you, like, in three after school clubs, and you work here in the shrine the rest of your waking hours?"
"Two clubs," Rei corrected, picking up a long black bag that held her recurve bow and arrows. "The student council isn't a club."
"Same difference. You're always so busy." Usagi pouted. "The three of us are together. We won another round with the Dark Kingdom. We should hang out."
Rei eyed her. "You can barely stand straight and Ami still has cuts on her face. Neither of you are in any condition to be walking around town."
"You're still hurt too," she retorted.
"True. But I don't need my head to draw strings."
"Rei," she whined. "I have nothing to do here. You have nothing a young teenage girl can play with."
Rei sighed. "Usagi, I have a big competition come summer holiday. There are not many weeks left for me to practice. Besides, you have homework, don't you?"
"Since when did you become my mom?"
Rei grinned. "Well, if you really want something to do, I'm sure Grandpa would love the help. I have to warn you though, he's a little bit of a flirt."
"Flirty grandpa?" She began to peer toward the shrine grounds. "That I have to see."
"You have been warned." Rei began to walk off, then she called over her shoulder. "If you're good, I might come back with a little treat."
"I like chocolates!" she promptly shouted. "And strawberries!"
Rei waved.
Usagi stayed out a while longer. By the time they had reached Rei's house last night, they had pretty much collapsed into a deep sleep after a quick clean-up. So it was easy for her to get up this early in the morning, considering she wasn't up playing games with Shingo till late as she always did on a Friday night. Rei's place up in the hill among lush trees with the woods behind was so different compared to her house. It was more peaceful, far away enough from the din of traffic and people, and it was incredibly refreshing.
She returned to Rei's room, finding Ami in one corner talking on her phone.
"Yes, mother, that is the one," Ami was saying. "Tomorrow." She listened. "I am not certain at the moment." A pause. "Define reasonable." Another pause. "I can do that. Yes. Yes. Goodbye."
"Everything all right?" she asked.
"Yes. Have you called your family?"
"I thought you said you called them last night."
"I did. But I never said anything about when you would return."
She waved her hand. "As long as I let my mother know I'll be back for dinner before she starts cooking, it's good."
Ami tilted her head. "So, you haven't checked your phone?"
"No. Why?"
"I think you should."
She complied, and nearly toppled over the chair she was sitting on from the number of missed calls. "They're all from Naru!"
"You did miss school yesterday," Ami reminded.
She pressed the 'Return Call' button, then quickly ended it before it connected. "Oh my god, I don't have a reason. What do I say?"
Ami shrugged.
"Thank you," she said sarcatiscally, hitting redial. It took long time for Naru to stopped shouting. It took even longer for her to console her friend until she had stopped being hysterical. For some reason or other, Naru had gotten it into her head that Usagi had been in some serious trouble. She tried to play it off, but when she hesitated to explain her disappearance, Naru got upset again. It was nearly an hour later, after promising that they would hang out the next day—she grudgingly accepted Umino's participation if Rei, Ami and Makoto could join their group as well—that Naru reluctantly let her go. Usagi promised herself that she would have to call Naru every day from then on.
The whole time, Ami had been sitting perfectly straight in her corner, her legs crossed, staring into nothing, though her mouth worked silently.
"Ami?" Usagi slid off her chair, crawling over. The other girl took a long time to react to her.
"You vouched for our presence even though you haven't asked us yet?"
Usagi started; she didn't think Ami had been listening. "Um, yeah," she said sheepishly. "Do you want to come? There's Naru, who you've seen, Umino—you've heard of him a few times—Yumiko and Kuri. They're all really nice people. Even Umino. In fact, he'll get a lot more hum—nicer with you around."
See how he likes it when there's someone smarter than him hanging with us.
"Whether I go out or not will depend on how well I heal by tomorrow," Ami said. "However, I will pass."
"Do you have something to do?"
"Not particularly."
Her gaze dropped. "I would really like you to come, Ami."
"Why?"
"You're my friend, that's why. And I'm yours. And…" She brought her knees to her chest, leaning her shoulder onto the wall. She closed her eyes, shuddering at what Luna had told her earlier. "And I really want to celebrate that I made it to fourteen. I've never been so glad to have another birthday in my life."
Silence followed her confession. But she expected that. Ami didn't seem the type to be moved by emotive reasons. It surprised her when Ami groaned softly, clutching her head with a fierce look on her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Usagi clambered to her knees, ignoring the sharp throb at her sides. "Ami, what's wrong?"
"I'm just…" Ami struggled to find words. "I am not in a good frame of mind, right now. I…"
"Was it the Youma?"
"No. It's…" She buried her face behind her knees, her voice muffled. "It is something I have to work out on my own. I have to get it under control."
"Get what under control?"
"I'm sorry, Usagi. Please, just give me some time."
When Rei had returned from the archery range later that afternoon, Usagi had dragged her to a secluded corner of the shrine's back garden and had begun a worrying tirade about Ami's meltdown. Rei listened carefully, making Usagi repeat herself if she thought the other girl was exaggerating. It didn't sound too bad, and she told Usagi as such, only to be opposed by another shaky exclamation.
"She was worse yesterday," she slowly admitted. Usagi started, blinking. And she continued. "Ami seemed really upset when she came to me before we went out to find you. But…she didn't seem upset in the usual way, like how we would cry and scream and do all sorts of stupid things. She just looked…withdrawn, is what I would say. Blank. It's only because of my, you know,"—she wiggled her fingers around her head—"that I could tell she was upset."
Usagi pressed her hands to her face, then looked skyward and growled loudly, and stamped her feet. The epitome of upset, Rei thought wryly.
"So this is my fault?" Usagi exclaimed tearily.
"No, of course not."
"You don't know that."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "I have a feeling that this is something that goes back a long way for Ami. It's not something recent, I can tell that at least."
Usagi let out a loud, exasperated breath. "Why won't she tell me—us?"
"There are things people can't easily reveal to others, Usagi," she said gently. "Trust me, I know."
Usagi looked at her with firm eyes. "I don't think you need to hide your psychic abilities, Rei. Especially not from me. I won't ever judge you for that, I promise."
She offered a knowing smile. "That's not it, Usagi. But thank you."
Usagi shared the smile. Then she suddenly gave a loud yell, pointing at her in mock indignation. "Meanie! You're hiding something from me too. Aren't you, Rei?"
Rei smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."
She dropped the charade. "I trust you, Rei. And I'll trust Ami. But you have to trust me too."
Makoto paced anxiously along the pathway in front of a bridal store, having arrived at the meeting point early. She was desperately regretting her agreement to Usagi's birthday outing now. What on earth made her say 'yes' to everything that came out of Usagi's mouth when she had called her yesterday? She blamed her state of mind then: so blank and confused. She wasn't particularly good at trying to understand things, yet she tried so hard to make sense of them being vigilantes against monsters that her mind exploded and Usagi caught her then.
Well, she was saner now. Rather than pacing the concrete off the sidewalk and annoying the few passers-by around, she should just call Usagi and make up a random excuse. If she had to, she would promise a homemade cake to give her the next day at school, and then run off immediately. Yes, she would do that.
"Makoto-san." She was too late. Rei came up to her; next to her, Ami trudged along, wearing a plain black cap, her head kept down.
Makoto had to force herself not to stare. "Um, hey. Rei, right?"
"Hino Rei."
She nodded. "Mizuno," she greeted, faking a cheerful tune.
"Hello, Kino-san," Ami replied softly, still not looking at her.
Makoto raised an eyebrow at Rei, who shrugged apologetically. "I dragged her out against her will."
"All for Usagi, huh?" she noted, ironically including herself. "Funny how it turned out that way for one little girl."
"Indeed," Rei said agreeably. "Usagi is different from the rest of us. Special."
"Well, I wouldn't put it exactly that way."
Rei chuckled. And the conversation stalled at that point. Makoto was fine with that. While the other two busied themselves with staring at nothing—Ami blankly at the ground, Rei up at the rooftops with a serious look—she found herself inching back, her eyes flicking to the back of Rei's head. As she had thought, there was no sign of a head wound. Well, maybe there was a slight bump; an unevenness to her straight hair.
She pretended to admire Rei's hair when the girl caught her staring. Then came an awkward conversation about the type of shampoo and conditioner they used, which sickened her to her core. Next, she was leaning forward as inconspicuously as she could, trying to get a good glimpse of Ami's face from under the shade of her cap's brim. They could barely be seen at a simple glance, but they were there nevertheless: fading scars so light one had to be searching for them to be able to see.
Her stomach churned. The world was so fucking sick.
"I don't like this, Master. I don't like this at all."
Nephrite cast a sidelong glance at his shadow. "Relax. It'll work out."
It bounced up and down, eating the sunlight that rested on it. "No, Master. No. If you wanted the test Guardians' powers, you should have sent Youma to attack, not to drive the humans away. It won't do for us to risk ourselves to test them. It won't do at all."
"The Youma fall much too easily at the hands of the Guardians," he said. "We need someone strong enough to force all Guardians to reveal themselves to us and be at their best."
"But what if there are more of them than we thought? What if we can't retreat before they kill us? Master… Master, master, master. So many contingencies."
"That's right, there are many contingencies in our plan," he reminded. "That is why we need to know more about the Guardians. It's better that we face the problems now with the intention to retreat, than to give our all later and still die for it."
"Oh, Master. I still don't like it. No, I don't." It leaned over the wall, hissing at the three figures below them. They seemed oblivious enough, though there was one, the black-haired one, who seemed to be searching the rooftops.
He spied the three strays which had answered his call at their coordinated positions, mingling innocently among the humans. "Are we ready?"
At the thought of the coming battle, his shadow lost all sense of precaution and cackled wildly. It stretched up into the air, glorious in its dark shape, prepared to lay down chaos and pain. This he knew because it mirrored his excitement exactly.
Naru listened absently as Usagi chatted happily to the other three with them, introducing the new people she had invited to join their outing. Naru had already met Ami, Rei and Makoto, so she wasn't too keen to hear about them again. Ah, how petty of her. She had nothing against them. Rei, in fact, was absolutely pleasant when she had first met her; Makoto was just as friendly, although a bit rough; and Ami, she must be something with the way Usagi often ran off to meet her.
She felt guilty that she was discrediting them in her mind just because they had become friends with Usagi. Sure, Usagi was her oldest friend, her best friend. She was protective of her, but that was to be expected with Usagi's knack of falling over herself. And she never had any problems with the others they had made friends with. Nevertheless, she knew Ami, Rei and Makoto were different from the others. It was like they had a stronger, unbreakable connection with Usagi, and she didn't like being pushed aside for practically strangers. At least, not until she was sure her replacement was good for Usagi, and so far, none held much potential.
"Naru?" She blinked at the hand being waved in front of her face. Usagi was looking at her with concern. "Naru, you okay?"
She faked a carefree laugh. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Well, there was yesterday, Usagi's eyes seemed to tell her. "Well, you were totally spaced out earlier. I mean, Umino just confessed to you and you pretty much ignored him."
She flushed. And she wasn't the only one; Umino sputtered his objections with Yumiko and Kuri giggling behind him. "Aw, Usagi. Don't joke like that. Look at the poor boy."
"Please." Usagi rolled her eyes. "Why do you think he's the only guy in a girls' outing?"
Before anyone could object further to Usagi's teasing, someone came up to their group, startling them with her foreign speech. Naru studied the foreign girl as she tried to talk to Usagi. She looked to be around the same age, with long dark blond hair and blue eyes, very pretty. There was a rather professional-looking camera hanging around her neck, in contrast to her young, fashionable attire.
"Umino!" Usagi shoved the boy in front of her. "She's speaking English. Time to impress Naru."
Not long after, Umino came back to them with an embarrassed slump of his shoulders. "She's too fast," he lamented.
Click.
She frowned when she caught the girl taking a picture of Usagi, who was baring a triumphant look on her face. For the life of her, she could not understand why Usagi had it in for him. The girl took another picture, this time of the whole group, before approaching Usagi again.
The poor girl just looked terrified. "Naru," she pleaded, only to be rejected, and rejected again by both Yumiko and Kuri. With a snap of her fingers, a thought must have come to her and she gestured for the foreign girl to stop. She tapped furiously on her phone, waiting impatiently for the person on the other line to pick up. "Damn it, Ami. Don't you ever pick—Ami! Hey. I have a present for you. Enjoy practicing your English."
Usagi handed the phone over to the foreign girl, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when it looked like a two-way conversation had finally emerged. When the girl was done, she returned the phone gratefully, then left with a suspiciously accentless 'Thank you', for a foreigner.
"Oh my god," Usagi said, leaning on Naru, "that was totally random." She placed the phone to her ear. "Hey, Ami, what was that about?"
Usagi nodded as Ami replied, and after a short while, hung up. "The others are already waiting," she said to Naru and the others. "We should hurry."
Naru noted with ashamed bitterness at how Usagi's gait turned lighter.
They had barely turned the corner when terrified screams sounded from seemingly everywhere, and people began to rush toward them with desperate looks on their faces. Uncharacteristically for Usagi, the girl immediately jumped in front of Naru, pressing her against the wall to guard against the stampeding crowd. She was stunned speechless, her mind running through in lightning speed how this was the least likely action Usagi would have taken not too long ago, instead of worrying why people were in such panic.
"Usagi," Umino yelled above the cries of the crowd, himself being chivalrous for Yumiko and Kuri, "can you see what's going on?"
Yumiko shouted behind him. "I think the better idea is to run with the crowd rather than being nosy!"
She snapped out of her reverie. "Yumiko's right. Let's go, Usagi."
But Usagi wasn't listening. Rather, she had a fierce expression on her face and she looked ready to bolt in the wrong direction.
"Usagi!" She pulled at her friend's sleeves to get her attention.
Usagi's eyes widened. "I see Makoto!"
Sure enough, there was Makoto manipulating her way through the crowd, her tall, broad figure paving the way for Rei to follow easily behind her. Naru noted a certain amount of grimness in Rei that was so different from the other panicked people.
"What happened?" Usagi asked when the two had reached them.
"Fucking madmen running around with machetes!" Makoto answered. She looked behind her, and grew anxious. "Where's Mizuno?"
Rei shared a look with Usagi, who then ran off, saying, "I'll go find her!"
"Usagi! Are you crazy?" Naru tried to run after her, but was held back by a strong grip on her arm. Rei began shoving them ahead of her, yelling that it was too dangerous for them to stay. Naru whirled upon her, furious that they would just leave Usagi alone. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you stop her?"
"She can take care of herself," Rei said, too calmly. "Come on, it's not safe."
An explosion sounded to prove her point, loud rumbling accompanied it as if a building had just been torn down. The screams grew louder and even more terrified.
"Let's go!"
"No, we can't leave Usagi!"
"I'll get her."
"Makoto, no!" Rei forgot the rest of them and attempted to chase the tall girl, her demeanour so different from when Usagi had done the same just seconds ago. "Damn it!"
"Girls, come on!" Umino took the lead this time, guiding the girls, including Rei, away from the source of the commotion. Naru was forced between Kuri and Rei, unable to fight her way out. She couldn't help the tears that began to flow; the danger to herself had not settled, but the unknown prospect of Usagi's safety distressed her.
Somehow she had managed to pass the monster—no matter how she had phrased it to the others, she knew without a doubt that the 'madman' was inhuman, given that that side of the world was now revealed to her—unnoticed, and was now in a very abandoned area. Makoto crept along the cars parked to the side of the street, keeping an eye out for the other two monsters. From what she could tell, they were not interested in hurting people, though if any did get in the way of their swinging blades for hands, the monsters were unperturbed.
She noted unnervingly that the monsters' appearance had some kind of strategic goal of keeping this area empty. Indeed, they covered most entrances and drove away people who happened their way. They forced shopkeepers who were too scared to run to pull down metal rolling shutters, isolating themselves from the outside world. It was becoming apparent their interest was not to harm, but to create an undisturbed area.
A battleground for warriors, devoid of the distractions of civilians.
There was another explosion; part of the wall of the empty bridal store collapsed and the Sailor something she recognised to be Ami rolled away, following up with a magnificent leap up to the rooftops to engage a black mass of nothing. Another one came to view above, coordinating Ami's distractive efforts with attacks that the black shadow seemed to be wary off.
Makoto rose higher than she should to peer above the bonnet of the car she was hiding next to. The other one looked nothing like Usagi, her blond hair, dextrous moves and determined expression a far cry from how she'd been associating the tiny girl. Yet with the fact that Usagi in normal clothing was nowhere to be seen, she became absolutely certain that the blonde one must be Usagi. The two worked too well for her to be some random associate of Ami's.
She blinked. Suddenly, she was seeing Usagi in the blonde one as if the disassociation between the two had just been a trick of the mind. Facial features, hairstyle and physique that she earlier saw as...someone...faded away to form a recognisable face. Usagi's.
"Hey! Hey, you!"
She turned to see a man crouched beside a car not far from her. He had the passenger door open and was beckoning fiercely. "Get in. Quickly. I'll drive us out of here."
He had the best of intentions, she knew; a Good Samaritan that was trying to bring another victim with him in his escape. But she didn't want to run away. She wanted to see. She wanted to make sure her friends—that was it, she just didn't want to be afraid of them any longer; it was ridiculous, they were still normal girls—would come out of this situation alive.
"Hey, girl. Don't be stupid. Come on!"
She vaguely felt herself gesturing for him to forget her, her eyes intent on the battle above her. Half the time, Usagi and Ami disappeared from view, hidden by the top of the parapet. And she held her breath all of those times. The shadow was always in view; a massive black thing shaped somewhat like a man, shooting destructive black appendages that tore into buildings. One of those appendages smashed into the part of the parapet Usagi was standing on, causing her to lose her footing, plummeting down to the street and landing flat on her back.
Makoto gasped, and would've run out if Usagi didn't immediately attempt to get up. She ducked back down, clamping her hand over her mouth, her heart thundering into her ears. That wasn't human!
She heard a curse and the slamming of a car door. In her peripheral vision, she saw the man scrambling over to the driver's seat, igniting the engine. She swore at her own indecisiveness. It was as if the gods were playing a game of table tennis with her emotions. One side told her to get the fuck out of there, this was too much for her, another upturn and she would surely break. The other side said to get over it, it made so much sense to be a part of this; this was her.
She peered around again, just the car pulled out of the parking space, its tires screeching. But Usagi was not as invincible as she had thought. The girl had only managed to climb to her knees, swaying in disorientation. There was blood flowing from her head.
"Usagi," Makoto breathed, a squeak. She didn't look like she had the strength to stay conscious much longer, much less avoid the oncoming car.
Move, damn you!
Her legs sprinted forward before she knew it. Her arms reached out to scoop up the other girl. She was rolling and tumbling away, hugging Usagi protectively, shielding as much as she could against the burn of the tar. She knew Usagi came away better, for her arms, shoulders and back were screaming from being battered and scraped across the ground.
Usagi lifted her head, pushing against the hand that protected it. "Makoto?"
She could only stare in stunned silence. What had she done?
"Watch out!" Usagi rolled her over, but her reaction had slowed from the impact on her head. Makoto watched with unparalleled dread as the black appendage shot into her chest.
But instead of piercing skin, it engulfed her whole. She disappeared. Another person was gone to Makoto in a blink of her eye.
"No!"
"Don't touch it!" Ami took her arm and pulled her away. Then, in contrast to her own warning, Ami thrust her left hand into the shadow. With a strangled cry, she yanked, and Usagi came out with her hand, unconscious but alive. But Ami's hand was now full of lacerations so bloody, it was as if it had been viciously mauled by a rabid dog.
Cold air swirled around them, and fog burst out of nowhere, obscuring all vision. Ami took her hand, pulling her along as they ran so fast even she struggled to keep up. They turned a corner—by then she had lost all sense of direction—and Ami let go of her, gently sliding Usagi down from her shoulder. There was a blue visor over her eyes now, and she was inspecting Usagi with expert care and speed.
Makoto's knees buckled, and she slumped to the ground, trembling so badly even her vision blurred. Or perhaps that was her crying. "Ami, what's going on?"
Ami looked taken aback, but she didn't comment on the fact that Makoto knew her name.
"I'll find you, Sailor Guardians!" A voice cackled demonically around them, and the fog lifted. "I'll find you and I'll eat you up. Tasty tasty!"
Ami scowled, tore the bow from her back and hastily wrapped it around her mangled hand. She stood. "Take care of Usagi. And try to wake her up."
"Are you fucking with me?" Makoto grabbed her uninjured hand. "You can't go out there!"
"If I don't go out, it will find us," Ami said, shaking off her hand. "You can't fight it; Usagi is still unconscious."
"But—"
"I am going to buy us time. You need to wake Usagi up. She is the one with the power to destroy it."
Without another word, fog surrounded them again. And when the demonic laughter cleared it, Ami was gone.
Damn it.
"Usagi?" She was tempted to lightly slap Usagi's cheek for added incentive for the girl to wake, but she didn't trust her shaking hand. It might cause more damage than she intended. She decided to shake her shoulders, but even that led to unintended rougher treatment. So, keeping her hands to herself, she knelt beside Usagi, pleading in a tone she had used not too long ago, during that unforgettable nightmare. "Usagi, wake up. Please, wake up."
She didn't know how much time had passed. She couldn't tell one minute from one hour in her state. She didn't even know when it was that a black cat had come up to them, nuzzling familiarly against Usagi's hand.
"Shoo, cat," she said absently. "It's not safe."
The cat gave her one long, intense look. She shuddered at the combination of a strange crescent moon mark and such focussed, human eyes. It crept toward her, a low purr in its throat.
"Luna, no." Makoto turned to see that Usagi had woken up, though her eyes were barely opened. A single tear flowed down. She coughed, groaned as she clutched her head. "Oh, my head. My freaking head."
"Usagi," Makoto said cautiously, slowly shuffling closer. "Are you all right?"
"I want to throw up."
"Are you hurt anywhere else? Can you feel your limbs? Can you move them?"
"Yeah."
Fuck, you are inhuman.
"Where's Ami?"
She glanced over behind, trying to pinpoint where the commotion was loudest. "Out there somewhere."
"All by herself?" Usagi cried, struggling to get to her feet. It took more than one try; it wasn't a good sign.
"Usagi, are you sure you can fight? Maybe I should get Rei."
Wait. Did the cat just talk?
"Just give me a second," Usagi said, closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths. When she opened them again, it was undeniable that she did look better. "Okay, I think I can do it. Any advice?"
"I saw a little of—"
"What the hell?" Makoto screamed, jumping away from the two. "Why is there a talking cat?"
Usagi looked sympathetic. "Makoto, I'm sorry. But explanations will have to wait—"
"And you!" She was a wreck now. "What's with this Sailor Guardian thing? How did you survive that fall? What the hell is that shadow? Oh, god, oh, god…" She broke down, hiding her face behind her hands. Her world had dissolved to chaos and the unknown, playing mercilessly with her once again.
"Makoto." Gently, Usagi peeled her hands away, cupping her face, forcing her to look into the smaller girl's eyes. Such strong, passionate eyes. "It will be all right," she whispered softly. "Everything will be all right."
And Makoto believed her. Just like that.
"Luna," Usagi said, letting her go, "what were you saying?"
"Don't underestimate the enemy, Usagi," the cat replied solemnly. "The shadow is incredibly powerful. But I believe your attack is strong enough to defeat it. Watch out for the appendages. It only smashes into non-human objects to distract you; it cannot physically pierce you, though it does have a physical presence. But its real power lies in swallowing you into its shadow. I don't know what happens then, though."
Her lips turned at a memory. "You don't want to be caught in its shadow."
The cat nodded. "Try to guess where the debris will fly from where the shadow has impaled. Take into account angles and—"
Usagi made a face. "Ugh. Maths."
"Follow Ami's lead. And be careful, Sailor Moon."
She smiled, and left, a lingering hand on Makoto's shoulder for strength.
Makoto fell to her knees, holding back a sob. The cat came up to her; it seemed to want to say something. It changed its mind, and gently bit on her hand, tugging her forward. When she stood, it bit on her jeans, and pulled. She numbly followed, slowly realising that the cat was leading her toward the barricade of police cars, away from the fray. She pulled away before any of the officers or bystanders saw them. In the distance elsewhere, she could still hear screaming and gunshots as other police faced the monsters.
"Can they win?" she asked the cat.
It didn't answer, tugging on her jeans again. She growled, picked it up and held it eye-to-eye. "Can they win?" she asked again.
Luna looked away. "What will you do if I answer unfavourably?"
"I…" Would she run off like a stupid knight being the most useless fool on the battlefield? Would she crawl into a secluded, dark space and grief until everyone died? She didn't know what she wanted to do.
Luna struggled out of her hold and climbed onto the lid of a dumpster. Something materialised in front of it.
"What's this?" She stared warily at the innocent-looking stick.
"This," Luna said, "is how you decide your destiny. The choice is all yours."
She picked it up. "Will it help them?"
"There are no guarantees."
She continued to stare at the pen, her legs moving as if drawn. She was dimly aware that Luna was following behind her, but her thoughts were on the pen. It was resonating so harmoniously within her, matching her heartbeat perfectly. She still didn't know what it was, but it was as if something lost so long ago had finally been returned.
"Makoto."
Why? Why did it feel so right?
"Makoto."
Why was she feeling whole; more complete, more certain than she had ever been?
"Makoto, stop!"
She jerked out of her reverie, and found herself at the edge of the open battlefield, in the middle of the street. In front of her, Ami was crouched on the ground, the shadow launching an arm toward her. In the last instant, Usagi swooped down from nowhere, pulling Ami out of the line of attack. At the same time, ice enveloped the black arm, trapping it to the ground it had pierced. Usagi shot a glowing attack.
The shadow howled angrily, barely avoiding the attack by sacrificing its arm. They gave it no time to recover, as ice began to encase its lower body, and Usagi prepared a final attack
"They're winning," she breathed, a smile forming. She turned to the cat. "Luna, they're winning."
The cat screamed. "Makoto, move!"
The last thing she saw was the shadowed arm coming straight for her.
A/N: Chapter One and Two have been edited as at around 24/8/2013. Very minor changes, mostly for consistency with how I'm going with the rest of this story. It's unnecessary for you to read them again and the changes shouldn't detract from the main plot. It's only if you happen to notice some inconsistencies between present and future chapters, and the first two, that you can be assured that they are most likely fixed.
So, thank you for reading and reviewing; hope you'll enjoy. Thanks again to those who reviewed!