BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON
~MIRAI~
PART XIV: A DAY IN THE LIFE
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, etcera.
Chie, Hikaru, Yasha and the other original characters that belong to
me.
Note: Since I've thrown in three new Senshi in part 11 and part 13,
some of you may find the Senshi confusing. Originally I planned to
only have Usagi and the six original Shin Senshi in the story but it
didn't quite turn out that way. So, to write more about the
characters, this part will have no battle.
Some Japanese words I use:
hime-sama = princess
hentai = pervert
* * * *
"I can't thank you enough for letting me move in here,"
Sachiko said while carrying a box into her new room. "I've always been
used to living with many people and when I was stranded here on Earth,
living on my own wasn't exactly fun."
"Oh, it's nothing," Chie replied, entering the room with a
smaller box in her hands. "I'm just glad to have my friends close to
me. I don't like being alone either."
Sachiko put down the box on the floor and watched Chie when she did
the same thing. The older woman smiled vaguely towards the younger
one.
"You remind me so much of your mother," Sachiko told. "She
valued friendship just as high as you did."
Chie smiled in return, but then the smile faded away and was replaced
by a more sad look. "I'm just glad that there is something within me
that resembles my mother." She looked at Sachiko again. "Diana told me
that my mother was the leader of the Victory Team. And that she knew
Tomo's mother Natsu too. But she didn't tell me anything besides that.
Neither Tomo nor I know how our mothers knew each other. Or when.
Diana promised Tomo's mother not to tell."
Sachiko put her hand on Chie's shoulder in a reassuring way. "I can't
tell you what Diana couldn't," she answered softly. "She must have had
her reasons for not telling you and it would be unfair of me to tell
you."
Chie was silent for a while, but nodded. Then her normal, cheerful
attitude returned.
"Do you remember those who saved Yasha and Hikaru, Jun and
Mai?" she wondered. "Or perhaps you remember them as Lucius and
Lilith."
"Yeah, I remember them."
"They're coming for dinner tonight," Chie told while she was
on her way to the door. "They know a little more about the enemy than
we do and a Senshi meeting will be held tonight."
Sachiko smiled again. "I've missed taking part in regular Senshi
meetings," she told and then joined Chie.
* * * *
Misao hesitated when she reached the front door of Chie's house.
Normally she would just ring the doorbell or check the garden to see
if there was anyone out there. But today was different. The last few
days had been different.
Misao lowered her gaze and looked like the personification of
sadness. Akira was the source of her problems. She used to think that
she had been chosen to be a Senshi and that Akira was just being mean
to her for some reason. But she had been wrong. She had been chosen
because the former Triton had wished to be reunited with Hermes
Knight. That was the only reason why Misao was a Senshi.
[I'm not the real Triton...] she thought sadly. [I am the
Senshi, I have the powers, but the memories aren't mine and I am not
the Triton who existed in the Silver Millennium. That is why Akira
doesn't like me.]
Misao turned to her left when she thought that she heard someone
coming. But it turned out to be some leaves rustling. She relaxed a
little and returned to her pondering.
[I wonder how he feels about this now... about me. He's sure
not happy that Hikaru told me about it. But I haven't spoken to Akira
ever since the last battle. I don't know how he feels anymore. I'm not
the person he was been looking for, he must have been really
disappointed when he found out.]
She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open. She hoped that
it wouldn't be Akira because she didn't want to face him yet. The door
was opened and to Misao's relief it was Yasha who opened. Yasha smiled
friendly towards Misao and stepped aside so that she could come in.
"Misao-san, come in," she invited. "I haven't seen you the
last few days."
"I've been a little busy," Misao lied and entered the house.
But the truth was that she had stayed away from the Shin Senshi for a
while. She had needed time to rest and to think. Yasha closed the door
after Misao.
"Tomo went to the grocery store with Kenji and Hikaru," she
told. "But you know where to find Usagi."
"Actually..." Misao began. "I wanted to speak to you about
something."
Yasha looked puzzled. "What is it?" she wondered. Misao hesitated,
should she really tell Yasha about it? Yasha seemed to have been
feeling so well since the kidnapping. Misao had never seen her this
happy before. But still, she had to talk to someone. Yasha seemed to
be the right person to talk to.
"Yasha-san, did you ever regret... not leaving Crystal Tokyo
with your parents when you had the chance to?"
Yasha just shook her head like it was nothing special. "No, I don't,"
she answered. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm... thinking about leaving the Shin Senshi."
Misao looked downwards to avoid Yasha's gaze. She knew what Yasha was
thinking. She was wondering why she wanted to quit when she had only
been a Senshi for a few months. She was wondering if Misao feared for
her life or something else.
"It's not about fear," Misao mumbled. "I don't want to stay
here if it means that I'm a painful reminder. Akira-san will never see
the Triton he searched for because of me. And because I forced the
truth out from Hikaru, Akira will never forgive him. It's just better
if I leave."
"What makes you believe that everything will be alright if you
leave?" Yasha asked. "Trust me, Hikaru and Akira will settle things
sooner or later..."
"What about Triton then?" Misao questioned and turned away
from Yasha so that she couldn't see her tears. "She's dead but she
still exists inside my head because I have her power. I've spent so
many hours just thinking about why it had to be me. Why did I have to
get her powers? Why can't she just be reborn and leave me alone? And I
suddenly realized that Akira is probably thinking the same thing. But
what I want can't happen."
Yasha sighed and wished that she could say something to make Misao
feel better. But the truth was that what Misao was saying made very
much sense.
[I would have probably felt the same way if it was me,] Yasha
thought. [Poor girl...]
"Izukawa-san, may I speak to you?" a male voice suddenly
asked. Both Yasha and Misao looked to their sides to see Akira
standing in the doorway. Despite that he had heard what Misao had
said, his face remained calm and normal. Misao lowered her gaze and
said nothing. Yasha looked at Akira first, then at Misao. This was
something that needed to be discussed in privacy.
"I'll leave you two alone," Yasha replied and then quickly
left the hallway. But even when Yasha was gone Misao didn't speak. It
was Akira who spoke first.
"Why are you feeling troubled, Izukawa-san? Hikaru-san has
already apologized to me and I plan on forgiving him soon."
"It's not just that," Misao murmured without looking at him.
"Then what is it?"
His voice was so normal and carefree, like there was nothing troubling
him. Misao looked at him and found him looking as carefree as he
sounded.
"Haven't you realized it?" she wondered. "I am Sailotriton.
That means that the Triton you knew in Silver Millenium wasn't reborn
and that you'll never see her again. Doesn't that bother or at least
upset you?"
Akira's face turned a little more serious but his voice basically
remained the same, which annoyed Misao very much.
"There is nothing I can do about it. So why bother?"
Misao's eyes narrowed in anger. How could he be so calm and normal? He
was supposed be upset about this. This was someone important who Akira
could have died for... someone he had died for in his past life. How
could he be so damn calm?
"I'm leaving the Shin Senshi," Misao annouced hoping to make
Akira feel *something*. But he didn't. That calm expression remained
on his face.
[He doesn't care...] Misao slowly realized and felt weaker as
each moment passed by. [Because I'm not the Triton he cares about...
He doesn't give a damn if I stay or not.]
"It's your decision," Akira replied. Misao just nodded. There
was no use in staying here and letting him see her tears.
"Tell Chie-san and the others that I'm sorry," she whispered,
then turned around and walked out the door. As soon as the door was
closed behind her, she started to run as fast as she could. She didn't
run to the nearest busstop but to the other way. She didn't want to
risk anyone seeing her. As soon as the house was out of sight, Misao
stopped running and began to walk instead. She wanted to cry, but for
some reason the tears didn't come.
* * * *
"I don't know if this supposed to be good or bad news, but
it's news alright."
Kenji put down a bunch of different newspaper on the kitchen table
right in front of Sachiko and Chie. Chie looked at the headlines of
one and then passed the newspaper on to Usagi. She shook her head.
Usagi picked it up and read the headlines quietly yet everyone in the
kitchen could hear what she was saying.
"Princess Lady Serenity officially declared dead," she
whispered and then looked at Kenji. "What... is this?"
"You have been declared dead," Kenji said and then pulled out
some more newspapers and magazines from a large paper bag. "They all
write it differently, but the information is basically the same. A
fisherman claims that he found your body washing up on the shore and
either everyone believes it or the government and NSS could just be
covering it up."
"To shatter the hopes of the supporters of Neo-Queen
Serenity," Sachiko finished calmly as she began reading one of the
magazines. "They will begin to think that there is no hope for Senshi
nor the Moon Kingdom. I don't even want to think about how Her Majesty
must feel at this moment."
Chie agreed with a nod. She looked at Usagi, who was still staring at
the news paper in her hands. There was a picture of her, taken many
years ago at a ball she had attended. That felt like eternities ago,
but the truth was that it had been taken two years ago.
That ball... what had they been celebrating? Yes, they had
been celebrating a wedding. Was it between Sailormercury's
granddaughter and...? she couldn't remember who it was. Now when she
looked at the picture, she wasn't even sure of which wedding it was.
A few months ago she would have known right away.
[I've been staying here for so long,] Usagi thought. [There
are so many things that I've forgotten about... mother... She must be
devestated. First she lost father and now I've been declared dead...
What a naive life I lead back then. I didn't have to worry about
anything... I wonder how everyone is doing now. The Sailor Senshi,
mother, all my friends... I have to go back.]
"We'll find a way to use the Sailor Teleport," Sachiko
suddenly said as if she had read Usagi's mind. "We'll discuss it when
Jun and Mai come here. I'm sure that they'll know what to do. We
mustn't loose faith."
Usagi finished reading through the article quickly and then put the
newspaper away. "You're right..." she murmured and bravely tried to
smile. "If anyone anyone needs me, I'll be out in the garden."
Chie wanted to ask if Usagi was okay but Usagi had already left the
kitchen. The blonde sighed quietly to herself as she looked at the
pile of magazines that Kenji and Tomo had bought at the store.
"I'd be pretty upset if I was her," she told. "But on the
other hand, this could be something good. Now that people think that
Usagi is dead, it will be safer for her to leave this house."
"Perhaps we should take her some place where we all can
relax," Tomo suggested while walking into the kitchen with a bag of
food. "Like the amusement park."
Kenji smiled to himself. "Can you imagine all of us going to the
amusement park?" he wondered. "It would look pretty strange if you ask
me. None of us look related and we all look very different from each
other. Besides..." His face turned a little more serious. "There are
other things that I must take care of."
Chie, Sachiko and Tomo didn't ask him about it. Kenji hadn't been home
very often recently, but they knew why. The Zealots were important to
Kenji and it wouldn't be right of them to ask him to choose.
"There's more in the car," Kenji told on his way out. "Chie,
will you give me a hand?"
"Sure," Chie answered and followed Kenji. Those who were left
in the kitchen were Sachiko and Tomo. Sachiko was still reading the
news paper while Tomo was putting some things inside the refrigerator.
The younger one was trying to decide if she should ask or if she
shouldn't. When she realized that Chie and Kenji would return any
moment, she decided to ask.
"Sachiko-sama?"
Sachiko glanced up. She looked a little puzzled, no one used to call
her 'Sachiko-sama' anymore. Not since the time when Neo-Queen Serenity
still lived in Crystal Tokyo.
"Yes?"
"You knew my name because of my mother, didn't you?" Tomo
asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Sachiko nodded.
"Yeah. I was able to track you down but it took some time."
"Does that mean that you knew her really good?" Tomo wondered
and turned around. Perhaps she sounded a little too anxious because
Sachiko smiled.
"I knew her just as well as anyone else did," Sachiko replied.
She looked out through the window and saw Usagi sitting on a bench
with a depressed look on her face. "I think we should go out and
check on Usagi."
Tomo looked up and saw the same thing as Sachiko. She nodded and they
left the kitchen.
* * * *
"Akira!" Yasha called when she saw Akira coming up the stairs.
Akira slowly turned to her, recognizing her presence. Yasha got up
from the chair and walked over to him.
"Where is Misao?" she asked. "Did you manage to talk her out
of leaving?"
"It was her own choice," Akira answered. "I don't see the
point of convincing her to stay if she wanted to leave the group."
Yasha stared at him, shocked. She didn't say anything, just stared at
him. Disappointment was written all across her face. Whether she was
disappointed at him for not talking Misao into staying or for not
caring Akira didn't know. Nor did he care.
"What did you say to her?" Yasha asked. She was getting angry
with Akira. Not only Misao was their friend and comrade, she was
someone who had made a decision Yasha had regretted.
"The same thing I told you. It's her own choice."
Yasha's eyes narrowed. "You bastard," she hissed and then ran past him
and down the stairs. Akira didn't even turn around to see what she was
going to do. He simply walked back into his room to continue to do the
work he had been doing before.
* * * *
Tomo pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear as she and Sachiko
slowly approached Usagi. Usagi was sitting on the bench with her fists
clenched. But her face revealed no emotions and she appeared to be
staring at something that didn't visually exist. Her hair out of it's
usual ponytail and fell over her shoulders and back. Tomo and Sachiko
exchanged a look and then Tomo went to sit down next to Usagi.
"Usagi-chan... are you alright?" she asked quietly. Usagi
nodded.
"I'm okay..." she answered. "As okay as you can be when you
have just been declared dead."
Sachiko frowned. She hadn't been around Usagi that long but the way
Usagi spoke didn't sound like she was okay.
"I'll just spend some time here in this garden..." Usagi went
on, clenching her fists even more. "I'll probably never get back to
the Moon Kingdom anyway, I'll never see my mother or the other Senshi
again... Hell, I won't even be able to go and see my father's grave.
That is if he has one."
Although Tomo didn't know what to say, she opened her mouth to try to
calm Usagi down. But before she could Usagi stood up, walked a few
steps with her hands covering her face.
"I don't understand..." Usagi murmured. "Why does this have to
happen to me? Because I'm the heir to the Moon Kingdom? Because there
are people who hate Sailor Senshi and me for no particular reason?
It's not fair!"
Her voice had been raised so suddenly that Tomo was startled. Sachiko
remained calm and listened to Usagi's outburst.
"If I am the so powerful princess of the Moon Kingdom, why
can't I teleport back there then?! Why can't I go back home and fix
things?! Then there would be no more Senshi hunts and no more demons
attacking people. But no, I just have to be a Sailormoon without any
real useful powers!"
"Usagi, look out!" Tomo suddenly cried, pointing. Usagi turned
around as she felt something touching her shoulder. She looked and saw
the kind of demons she, Sachiko and Tomo had encountered at their last
battle. Skeletons with dark wings on their back. Both Sachiko and Tomo
were about to turn into their Senshi form. Normally Usagi would have
panicked or run away. But the anger was still left inside her and
something inside her head told her not to have mercy on the demon.
"Get off me!" she yelled furiously. Though she didn't expect
something to happen, the demon suddenly exploded into millions of
pieces. This time Sachiko, Tomo and Usagi were startled. Usagi let out
a cry and backed. She looked at the dust the demon had become with
fear and panic in her eyes.
"W..w...what just happened?!" she asked no one in particular.
Tomo pointed at the dust.
"It...it... blew up," she stammered. "The demon just blew up!"
Sachiko was quiet and tried to think of what had just happened. Her
mind replayed the scene several times before she came up with
anything. Usagi had began to panic when Sachiko calmly picked up a pot
and placed it on the ground in front of Usagi.
"Sachiko-sama, what are you doing?" Tomo questioned. Sachiko
didn't answer the question, instead she turned to Usagi.
"Hime-sama, I want you to try something," she told. Usagi
turned her gaze to Sachiko even tried to calm herself. Her heart was
still pounding fast in fear. She nodded towards Sachiko.
"Look at the pot," Sachiko ordered. "Try to imagine that it is
the demon before it exploded."
Usagi looked at the pot, but all she could think of was that this was
the pot that Chie's brother had sent from America. Without thinking,
Usagi slowly raised her hand at the pot. The silence in the garden was
broken with the sound of an explosion and pieces of the pot flying
towards all directions. Usagi backed again, the pounding of her heart
sped up as she looked at her hands.
"What did I do?!" she exclaimed. Tomo had been so frightened
by the explosion that she had more or less hidden herself behind
Sachiko. Sachiko, on the other hand, never lost the cool and calm
expression on her face.
"Sachiko-sama, what just happened?" Tomo asked. Sachiko bent
down and picked up a piece of the pot. She examined it for a few
seconds and then stood up.
"So I was right," she said. "The explosion was caused by
Usagi. I think this is some kind of new power that you have acquired."
"A new power?" Usagi repeated and looked at her hands. "Why...
would I suddenly gain the power to blow things up? I mean... my mother
never had this kind of power."
"That's what puzzles me," Sachiko replied. "If you acquired a
new power, you'd think that it would have something to do with the
ones you already have, like healing of some kind. How strange."
Sachiko suddenly tossed the piece of the pot at Usagi. Instinctively,
Usagi reached out her hand to catch it. The pot piece exploded in mid
air. Smaller pieces of the pot fell to the ground and Sachiko sighed.
"It seems like you'll need some time to get used to this. So,
in the mean time, keep your hands down."
"Leave me alone, will you!" a male voice suddenly called out.
Usagi, Sachiko and Tomo turned around to see Akira coming out with
Yasha following him. Akira already looked annoyed when he came out and
when he saw the three others he looked even more annoyed.
"Great," he muttered and turned around to walk back into the
house. But Yasha placed herself in front of him, blocking his way.
"I'm not done with you!" she said. "Misao's parents called
asking where is!"
"How the hell am I supposed to know where she went?" Akira
hissed and tried to push Yasha out of the way. Yasha's eyes narrowed
but she refused to move.
"What's going on?" Tomo asked, walking over to Akira. "Why are
you two so mad?"
"Misao has quit and it's his fault!" Yasha answered angrily.
"My fault?!" Akira yelled back. "I'm not responsible for her.
If she wants to leave, fine! I don't care anyway!"
Tomo exchanged confused glances with both Sachiko and Usagi. Neither
Yasha nor Akira explained anything else. They continued to argue about
Misao while the others watched them. Usagi was so busy watching and
listening to Yasha and Akira that she didn't notice Chie coming
through the garage and into the garden. She carried a bag full of
groceries with her both arms. When she walked up next to Usagi, Usagi
still hadn't noticed her.
"What's going on?" Chie asked casually. But Usagi was startled
by Chie's sudden appearance and backed off. A moment later the bag
Chie carried exploded and all kinds of ingridients flew right into
Chie's face and at the others. Usagi was the only one who was clean.
She backed a little further.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't see you!"
Chie wiped some yoghurt off her face with the back of her hand. Not
that it helped, the back of her hands was already covered with butter.
Kenji came out from the garage, also carrying a bag of groceries.
Following him were Jun and Mai. Kenji and Jun looked at the others
with surprised looks but Mai seemed happy.
"Food fight!" she exclaimed and ran towards the others.
"Now Mai, wait a..." he began but didn't finish the sentence.
By using her telekinetic powers, Mai managed to make a slice of bread
mixed with yoghurt and marmelade fly up in the air and right into
Yasha's face. The bread then fell on the ground but the yoghurt and
the marmelade remained. Yasha nearly dropped her jaw in shock. But
shock turned to rage as her hair began to grow quickly. Before Mai
could prevent it, Yasha's hair had wrapped itself around her and
accidently tossed her right on Chie. Both Mai and Chie fell, but Mai
recovered quickly as she picked up a watermelon and aimed for Yasha.
Akira and Yasha stepped aside and both evaded the incoming
watermelon. Tomo transformed herself into Archangel faster than ever
and flew away fast. The watermelon was smashed into the wall. Mai
simply picked up the next item and tossed it, which happened to be a
carton of eggs. Yasha ducked and the carton flew towards Usagi. Usagi
gasped and raised her hands at the carton without thinking. The carton
exploded, sending what was left of the eggs right at Kenji and Jun,
who had done nothing but watched the whole spectacle.
The garden was shrouded in silence. Everyone stared at each
other. Tomo descended to the ground and reverted back to her human
form. Her clean Sailor fuku turned into her stained blue dress. Usagi
sat down on the bench, not knowing what to say. Suddenly they heard
footsteps. Everyone turned around to see Hikaru coming out from the
house. He took one look at everyone and then at Yasha. Her white shirt
was soaked because of a milk carton that Usagi had blown up. Hikaru
whistled at Yasha, who's shirt was more or less transparent.
"Nice shirt, Yasha."
"Oh, shut up, hentai," Yasha spat, glaring at him. Mai smiled,
knowing what Yasha would like what she had in mind. Mai used
telekinesis to send a piece of watermelon at Hikaru. Then, all hell
broke loose.
* * * *
Nearly one hour and lots of curses later, the Shin Senshi sat gathered
around the dining table. Each one held a cup of tea and in the middle
of the table was a plate with cookies. Apparently the cookies had been
the only things that had been saved from Usagi's new powers and the
food fight.
"So let me get this straight..." Chie began, breaking the
silence in the dining room. "Misao has left us, Akira doesn't care, a
demon showed up in my backyard, Usagi can now blow things up whether
she wants it or not, Yasha's mad at Akira, Misao's parents doesn't
know where Misao is and my favorite pot has been blown up."
"You forgot one thing," Tomo quietly said. Everyone turned
their eyes to her. "We don't have anything to eat tonight."
Although they sighed, Yasha, Kenji, Hikaru and Akira were happy that
they didn't have to eat Chie's cooking. Chie was slightly annoyed that
she wouldn't be able to try out a new recipe.
"We have some problems in this group and we need to solve them
now," Chie declared. "First, about Misao. When and why did she leave?"
"She left before you and Kenji came back from shopping," Yasha
answered. "She doesn't want to be a part of the Shin Senshi because
she feels that she reminds Akira of the past and she thinks that it's
her fault that Akira and Hikaru aren't the best of friends anymore."
"I called her parents," Tomo told. "It seems that she is at
home but she didn't want to talk to me."
Chie nodded and then looked at Akira. Akira for once didn't look cold
and uncaring. But rather than listening to what everyone had to say,
it seemed like he was in deep thought. Hikaru sat next to Akira and
seemed to be equally distant.
[Those two...] Chie thought. [They still haven't made up. I
always figured that Kenji would act as a peacemaker but lately he was
been with the Zealots so often. But Akira have to stop being mad at
Hikaru. We haven't had a fight against demons for a while but when the
time comes... I'd feel a lot better if they could just be friends
again.]
"Akira."
Akira looked towards Chie across the table. "What is it?" he asked.
Chie sipped at her tea and then spoke again.
"Be honest. Why are you still mad at Hikaru?"
Akira lowered his gaze, not wanting to look into Chie's eyes. "I'm not
mad," he replied. "I plan on forgiving him but... not just yet."
"Can you put your differences aside for the time being?" Chie
went on. "I want you two to be friends, but if that can't happen in
the nearest time, then at least be civil to each other."
Both Hikaru and Akira nodded quietly. None of them said anything. Chie
went on to the next problem. She looked at Usagi. Usagi had kept her
hands down the table ever since the food fight had stopped.
"Usagi," Chie began. "When did you get this new power? And
what did you do to my favorite pot?"
"About an hour ago," Usagi answered, slightly embarrased. "I
was so upset about what I had read in the newspaper and all of the
sudden a demon just appeared behind me. I would have transformed, but
I was so angry that I didn't even think of it. And then the demon just
exploded."
"We don't really know where this new power comes from,"
Sachiko told. "My guess is that this power isn't something that Usagi
inherted unlike her Sailor Senshi powers. This power seems to be
triggered whenever Usagi is angry or panicking. But she can't control
it yet, which is why I have advised her to keep her hands down and
where they can't do any harm."
Mai couldn't help laughing. "That is one power that I wouldn't mind
having," she said. "That look on your face, Chie-san, with all the
food in your face was priceless!"
Jun nudged his sister with his elbow but neither he or the others
could help smiling at the memory of Chie being covered in food. Chie
cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Ahem! Now we got that covered... let's move on to what we
all came here for... to talk about the enemy. Jun-san, you said that
you had some information about the enemy. Tell us about it."
Jun nodded and his face expression became serious. "Mai and I have
been doing to research for some time. Because demons appear randomly,
people has always assumed that they come from another world or
something. This has proven to be wrong. In reality, the demons come
from Crystal Tokyo."
"No wonder..." Kenji said. "Why didn't anyone think of it
before? Crystal Tokyo has always been a target for demons."
"And Senshi," Yasha added. "When I found out that I was a
Senshi I wanted to leave home as quickly as possible and go to Crystal
Tokyo. Akira and Hikaru also grew up in other countries but came here.
But where in Crystal Tokyo do the demons come from?"
"When encountering Senshi many demons are defeated and what
remains of them is dust," Jun informed. "Somehow, the dust always
manages to disappear after the battle. That is why no one has been
able to take the dust to a laboratory and examine it. Demons that do
survive vanish. But some that are injured doesn't have the power to
teleport back. So what choice is left? To walk. Not many demons do
that but I have seen it happen. I followed a demon and it lead me to
where our last battle took place, the Crystal Palace."
"Impossible!" Sachiko called out. "The Crystal Palace has been
used by politicians and governments ever since Neo-Queen Serenity and
King Endymion left. How can demons possibly come from there?"
All the others wondered the same thing. It was common knowledge that
the Crystal Palace was the center of the government. But Jun shook his
head.
"Some parts of the Crystal Palace, yes," he replied. "But the
ones deepest inside, no. They haven't been used for years. I had Mai
use her powers to steal some documents once..."
"Please..." Mai cut off. "You make me sound like I'm your
subordinate."
"...and it turned out that the last time any part of the inner
Crystal Palace was used was while Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion
were still on Earth. After they left those parts of the palace
remained unused. As we all know, demons didn't appear until Neo-Queen
Serenity and King Endymion were gone."
"So that means...." Chie said. "The enemy has been here from
the beginning."
Finally! It took me SEVEN months to finish this chapter! Seven months!
At first I didn't know what to write, but once I sat down I wrote half
of the chapter in just three hours. I didn't intend to let Usagi blow
things up at first. But I felt that there wasn't enough Usagi in this
story. It was always demon attack there and demon attack here and
never Usagi feeling really frustrated. Another thing I didn't plan for
was Misao's leave. I wanted her to interact more with Akira but then I
realized that Misao leaving was for the best. So, sayonara Misao-san!
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
23 February, 2002
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part XV: The visitor
Sachiko and Jun sense that someone has teleported from the Moon
Kingdom and to the Earth. She isn't the only one who does. Hecate
feels that something is going on and goes out to look for whoever
arrived on Earth. Who will find this person first? Hecate or the Shin
Senshi?
~MIRAI~
PART XIV: A DAY IN THE LIFE
by: Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
Disclaimer: Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko and Kodansha, etcera.
Chie, Hikaru, Yasha and the other original characters that belong to
me.
Note: Since I've thrown in three new Senshi in part 11 and part 13,
some of you may find the Senshi confusing. Originally I planned to
only have Usagi and the six original Shin Senshi in the story but it
didn't quite turn out that way. So, to write more about the
characters, this part will have no battle.
Some Japanese words I use:
hime-sama = princess
hentai = pervert
* * * *
"I can't thank you enough for letting me move in here,"
Sachiko said while carrying a box into her new room. "I've always been
used to living with many people and when I was stranded here on Earth,
living on my own wasn't exactly fun."
"Oh, it's nothing," Chie replied, entering the room with a
smaller box in her hands. "I'm just glad to have my friends close to
me. I don't like being alone either."
Sachiko put down the box on the floor and watched Chie when she did
the same thing. The older woman smiled vaguely towards the younger
one.
"You remind me so much of your mother," Sachiko told. "She
valued friendship just as high as you did."
Chie smiled in return, but then the smile faded away and was replaced
by a more sad look. "I'm just glad that there is something within me
that resembles my mother." She looked at Sachiko again. "Diana told me
that my mother was the leader of the Victory Team. And that she knew
Tomo's mother Natsu too. But she didn't tell me anything besides that.
Neither Tomo nor I know how our mothers knew each other. Or when.
Diana promised Tomo's mother not to tell."
Sachiko put her hand on Chie's shoulder in a reassuring way. "I can't
tell you what Diana couldn't," she answered softly. "She must have had
her reasons for not telling you and it would be unfair of me to tell
you."
Chie was silent for a while, but nodded. Then her normal, cheerful
attitude returned.
"Do you remember those who saved Yasha and Hikaru, Jun and
Mai?" she wondered. "Or perhaps you remember them as Lucius and
Lilith."
"Yeah, I remember them."
"They're coming for dinner tonight," Chie told while she was
on her way to the door. "They know a little more about the enemy than
we do and a Senshi meeting will be held tonight."
Sachiko smiled again. "I've missed taking part in regular Senshi
meetings," she told and then joined Chie.
* * * *
Misao hesitated when she reached the front door of Chie's house.
Normally she would just ring the doorbell or check the garden to see
if there was anyone out there. But today was different. The last few
days had been different.
Misao lowered her gaze and looked like the personification of
sadness. Akira was the source of her problems. She used to think that
she had been chosen to be a Senshi and that Akira was just being mean
to her for some reason. But she had been wrong. She had been chosen
because the former Triton had wished to be reunited with Hermes
Knight. That was the only reason why Misao was a Senshi.
[I'm not the real Triton...] she thought sadly. [I am the
Senshi, I have the powers, but the memories aren't mine and I am not
the Triton who existed in the Silver Millennium. That is why Akira
doesn't like me.]
Misao turned to her left when she thought that she heard someone
coming. But it turned out to be some leaves rustling. She relaxed a
little and returned to her pondering.
[I wonder how he feels about this now... about me. He's sure
not happy that Hikaru told me about it. But I haven't spoken to Akira
ever since the last battle. I don't know how he feels anymore. I'm not
the person he was been looking for, he must have been really
disappointed when he found out.]
She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open. She hoped that
it wouldn't be Akira because she didn't want to face him yet. The door
was opened and to Misao's relief it was Yasha who opened. Yasha smiled
friendly towards Misao and stepped aside so that she could come in.
"Misao-san, come in," she invited. "I haven't seen you the
last few days."
"I've been a little busy," Misao lied and entered the house.
But the truth was that she had stayed away from the Shin Senshi for a
while. She had needed time to rest and to think. Yasha closed the door
after Misao.
"Tomo went to the grocery store with Kenji and Hikaru," she
told. "But you know where to find Usagi."
"Actually..." Misao began. "I wanted to speak to you about
something."
Yasha looked puzzled. "What is it?" she wondered. Misao hesitated,
should she really tell Yasha about it? Yasha seemed to have been
feeling so well since the kidnapping. Misao had never seen her this
happy before. But still, she had to talk to someone. Yasha seemed to
be the right person to talk to.
"Yasha-san, did you ever regret... not leaving Crystal Tokyo
with your parents when you had the chance to?"
Yasha just shook her head like it was nothing special. "No, I don't,"
she answered. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm... thinking about leaving the Shin Senshi."
Misao looked downwards to avoid Yasha's gaze. She knew what Yasha was
thinking. She was wondering why she wanted to quit when she had only
been a Senshi for a few months. She was wondering if Misao feared for
her life or something else.
"It's not about fear," Misao mumbled. "I don't want to stay
here if it means that I'm a painful reminder. Akira-san will never see
the Triton he searched for because of me. And because I forced the
truth out from Hikaru, Akira will never forgive him. It's just better
if I leave."
"What makes you believe that everything will be alright if you
leave?" Yasha asked. "Trust me, Hikaru and Akira will settle things
sooner or later..."
"What about Triton then?" Misao questioned and turned away
from Yasha so that she couldn't see her tears. "She's dead but she
still exists inside my head because I have her power. I've spent so
many hours just thinking about why it had to be me. Why did I have to
get her powers? Why can't she just be reborn and leave me alone? And I
suddenly realized that Akira is probably thinking the same thing. But
what I want can't happen."
Yasha sighed and wished that she could say something to make Misao
feel better. But the truth was that what Misao was saying made very
much sense.
[I would have probably felt the same way if it was me,] Yasha
thought. [Poor girl...]
"Izukawa-san, may I speak to you?" a male voice suddenly
asked. Both Yasha and Misao looked to their sides to see Akira
standing in the doorway. Despite that he had heard what Misao had
said, his face remained calm and normal. Misao lowered her gaze and
said nothing. Yasha looked at Akira first, then at Misao. This was
something that needed to be discussed in privacy.
"I'll leave you two alone," Yasha replied and then quickly
left the hallway. But even when Yasha was gone Misao didn't speak. It
was Akira who spoke first.
"Why are you feeling troubled, Izukawa-san? Hikaru-san has
already apologized to me and I plan on forgiving him soon."
"It's not just that," Misao murmured without looking at him.
"Then what is it?"
His voice was so normal and carefree, like there was nothing troubling
him. Misao looked at him and found him looking as carefree as he
sounded.
"Haven't you realized it?" she wondered. "I am Sailotriton.
That means that the Triton you knew in Silver Millenium wasn't reborn
and that you'll never see her again. Doesn't that bother or at least
upset you?"
Akira's face turned a little more serious but his voice basically
remained the same, which annoyed Misao very much.
"There is nothing I can do about it. So why bother?"
Misao's eyes narrowed in anger. How could he be so calm and normal? He
was supposed be upset about this. This was someone important who Akira
could have died for... someone he had died for in his past life. How
could he be so damn calm?
"I'm leaving the Shin Senshi," Misao annouced hoping to make
Akira feel *something*. But he didn't. That calm expression remained
on his face.
[He doesn't care...] Misao slowly realized and felt weaker as
each moment passed by. [Because I'm not the Triton he cares about...
He doesn't give a damn if I stay or not.]
"It's your decision," Akira replied. Misao just nodded. There
was no use in staying here and letting him see her tears.
"Tell Chie-san and the others that I'm sorry," she whispered,
then turned around and walked out the door. As soon as the door was
closed behind her, she started to run as fast as she could. She didn't
run to the nearest busstop but to the other way. She didn't want to
risk anyone seeing her. As soon as the house was out of sight, Misao
stopped running and began to walk instead. She wanted to cry, but for
some reason the tears didn't come.
* * * *
"I don't know if this supposed to be good or bad news, but
it's news alright."
Kenji put down a bunch of different newspaper on the kitchen table
right in front of Sachiko and Chie. Chie looked at the headlines of
one and then passed the newspaper on to Usagi. She shook her head.
Usagi picked it up and read the headlines quietly yet everyone in the
kitchen could hear what she was saying.
"Princess Lady Serenity officially declared dead," she
whispered and then looked at Kenji. "What... is this?"
"You have been declared dead," Kenji said and then pulled out
some more newspapers and magazines from a large paper bag. "They all
write it differently, but the information is basically the same. A
fisherman claims that he found your body washing up on the shore and
either everyone believes it or the government and NSS could just be
covering it up."
"To shatter the hopes of the supporters of Neo-Queen
Serenity," Sachiko finished calmly as she began reading one of the
magazines. "They will begin to think that there is no hope for Senshi
nor the Moon Kingdom. I don't even want to think about how Her Majesty
must feel at this moment."
Chie agreed with a nod. She looked at Usagi, who was still staring at
the news paper in her hands. There was a picture of her, taken many
years ago at a ball she had attended. That felt like eternities ago,
but the truth was that it had been taken two years ago.
That ball... what had they been celebrating? Yes, they had
been celebrating a wedding. Was it between Sailormercury's
granddaughter and...? she couldn't remember who it was. Now when she
looked at the picture, she wasn't even sure of which wedding it was.
A few months ago she would have known right away.
[I've been staying here for so long,] Usagi thought. [There
are so many things that I've forgotten about... mother... She must be
devestated. First she lost father and now I've been declared dead...
What a naive life I lead back then. I didn't have to worry about
anything... I wonder how everyone is doing now. The Sailor Senshi,
mother, all my friends... I have to go back.]
"We'll find a way to use the Sailor Teleport," Sachiko
suddenly said as if she had read Usagi's mind. "We'll discuss it when
Jun and Mai come here. I'm sure that they'll know what to do. We
mustn't loose faith."
Usagi finished reading through the article quickly and then put the
newspaper away. "You're right..." she murmured and bravely tried to
smile. "If anyone anyone needs me, I'll be out in the garden."
Chie wanted to ask if Usagi was okay but Usagi had already left the
kitchen. The blonde sighed quietly to herself as she looked at the
pile of magazines that Kenji and Tomo had bought at the store.
"I'd be pretty upset if I was her," she told. "But on the
other hand, this could be something good. Now that people think that
Usagi is dead, it will be safer for her to leave this house."
"Perhaps we should take her some place where we all can
relax," Tomo suggested while walking into the kitchen with a bag of
food. "Like the amusement park."
Kenji smiled to himself. "Can you imagine all of us going to the
amusement park?" he wondered. "It would look pretty strange if you ask
me. None of us look related and we all look very different from each
other. Besides..." His face turned a little more serious. "There are
other things that I must take care of."
Chie, Sachiko and Tomo didn't ask him about it. Kenji hadn't been home
very often recently, but they knew why. The Zealots were important to
Kenji and it wouldn't be right of them to ask him to choose.
"There's more in the car," Kenji told on his way out. "Chie,
will you give me a hand?"
"Sure," Chie answered and followed Kenji. Those who were left
in the kitchen were Sachiko and Tomo. Sachiko was still reading the
news paper while Tomo was putting some things inside the refrigerator.
The younger one was trying to decide if she should ask or if she
shouldn't. When she realized that Chie and Kenji would return any
moment, she decided to ask.
"Sachiko-sama?"
Sachiko glanced up. She looked a little puzzled, no one used to call
her 'Sachiko-sama' anymore. Not since the time when Neo-Queen Serenity
still lived in Crystal Tokyo.
"Yes?"
"You knew my name because of my mother, didn't you?" Tomo
asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Sachiko nodded.
"Yeah. I was able to track you down but it took some time."
"Does that mean that you knew her really good?" Tomo wondered
and turned around. Perhaps she sounded a little too anxious because
Sachiko smiled.
"I knew her just as well as anyone else did," Sachiko replied.
She looked out through the window and saw Usagi sitting on a bench
with a depressed look on her face. "I think we should go out and
check on Usagi."
Tomo looked up and saw the same thing as Sachiko. She nodded and they
left the kitchen.
* * * *
"Akira!" Yasha called when she saw Akira coming up the stairs.
Akira slowly turned to her, recognizing her presence. Yasha got up
from the chair and walked over to him.
"Where is Misao?" she asked. "Did you manage to talk her out
of leaving?"
"It was her own choice," Akira answered. "I don't see the
point of convincing her to stay if she wanted to leave the group."
Yasha stared at him, shocked. She didn't say anything, just stared at
him. Disappointment was written all across her face. Whether she was
disappointed at him for not talking Misao into staying or for not
caring Akira didn't know. Nor did he care.
"What did you say to her?" Yasha asked. She was getting angry
with Akira. Not only Misao was their friend and comrade, she was
someone who had made a decision Yasha had regretted.
"The same thing I told you. It's her own choice."
Yasha's eyes narrowed. "You bastard," she hissed and then ran past him
and down the stairs. Akira didn't even turn around to see what she was
going to do. He simply walked back into his room to continue to do the
work he had been doing before.
* * * *
Tomo pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear as she and Sachiko
slowly approached Usagi. Usagi was sitting on the bench with her fists
clenched. But her face revealed no emotions and she appeared to be
staring at something that didn't visually exist. Her hair out of it's
usual ponytail and fell over her shoulders and back. Tomo and Sachiko
exchanged a look and then Tomo went to sit down next to Usagi.
"Usagi-chan... are you alright?" she asked quietly. Usagi
nodded.
"I'm okay..." she answered. "As okay as you can be when you
have just been declared dead."
Sachiko frowned. She hadn't been around Usagi that long but the way
Usagi spoke didn't sound like she was okay.
"I'll just spend some time here in this garden..." Usagi went
on, clenching her fists even more. "I'll probably never get back to
the Moon Kingdom anyway, I'll never see my mother or the other Senshi
again... Hell, I won't even be able to go and see my father's grave.
That is if he has one."
Although Tomo didn't know what to say, she opened her mouth to try to
calm Usagi down. But before she could Usagi stood up, walked a few
steps with her hands covering her face.
"I don't understand..." Usagi murmured. "Why does this have to
happen to me? Because I'm the heir to the Moon Kingdom? Because there
are people who hate Sailor Senshi and me for no particular reason?
It's not fair!"
Her voice had been raised so suddenly that Tomo was startled. Sachiko
remained calm and listened to Usagi's outburst.
"If I am the so powerful princess of the Moon Kingdom, why
can't I teleport back there then?! Why can't I go back home and fix
things?! Then there would be no more Senshi hunts and no more demons
attacking people. But no, I just have to be a Sailormoon without any
real useful powers!"
"Usagi, look out!" Tomo suddenly cried, pointing. Usagi turned
around as she felt something touching her shoulder. She looked and saw
the kind of demons she, Sachiko and Tomo had encountered at their last
battle. Skeletons with dark wings on their back. Both Sachiko and Tomo
were about to turn into their Senshi form. Normally Usagi would have
panicked or run away. But the anger was still left inside her and
something inside her head told her not to have mercy on the demon.
"Get off me!" she yelled furiously. Though she didn't expect
something to happen, the demon suddenly exploded into millions of
pieces. This time Sachiko, Tomo and Usagi were startled. Usagi let out
a cry and backed. She looked at the dust the demon had become with
fear and panic in her eyes.
"W..w...what just happened?!" she asked no one in particular.
Tomo pointed at the dust.
"It...it... blew up," she stammered. "The demon just blew up!"
Sachiko was quiet and tried to think of what had just happened. Her
mind replayed the scene several times before she came up with
anything. Usagi had began to panic when Sachiko calmly picked up a pot
and placed it on the ground in front of Usagi.
"Sachiko-sama, what are you doing?" Tomo questioned. Sachiko
didn't answer the question, instead she turned to Usagi.
"Hime-sama, I want you to try something," she told. Usagi
turned her gaze to Sachiko even tried to calm herself. Her heart was
still pounding fast in fear. She nodded towards Sachiko.
"Look at the pot," Sachiko ordered. "Try to imagine that it is
the demon before it exploded."
Usagi looked at the pot, but all she could think of was that this was
the pot that Chie's brother had sent from America. Without thinking,
Usagi slowly raised her hand at the pot. The silence in the garden was
broken with the sound of an explosion and pieces of the pot flying
towards all directions. Usagi backed again, the pounding of her heart
sped up as she looked at her hands.
"What did I do?!" she exclaimed. Tomo had been so frightened
by the explosion that she had more or less hidden herself behind
Sachiko. Sachiko, on the other hand, never lost the cool and calm
expression on her face.
"Sachiko-sama, what just happened?" Tomo asked. Sachiko bent
down and picked up a piece of the pot. She examined it for a few
seconds and then stood up.
"So I was right," she said. "The explosion was caused by
Usagi. I think this is some kind of new power that you have acquired."
"A new power?" Usagi repeated and looked at her hands. "Why...
would I suddenly gain the power to blow things up? I mean... my mother
never had this kind of power."
"That's what puzzles me," Sachiko replied. "If you acquired a
new power, you'd think that it would have something to do with the
ones you already have, like healing of some kind. How strange."
Sachiko suddenly tossed the piece of the pot at Usagi. Instinctively,
Usagi reached out her hand to catch it. The pot piece exploded in mid
air. Smaller pieces of the pot fell to the ground and Sachiko sighed.
"It seems like you'll need some time to get used to this. So,
in the mean time, keep your hands down."
"Leave me alone, will you!" a male voice suddenly called out.
Usagi, Sachiko and Tomo turned around to see Akira coming out with
Yasha following him. Akira already looked annoyed when he came out and
when he saw the three others he looked even more annoyed.
"Great," he muttered and turned around to walk back into the
house. But Yasha placed herself in front of him, blocking his way.
"I'm not done with you!" she said. "Misao's parents called
asking where is!"
"How the hell am I supposed to know where she went?" Akira
hissed and tried to push Yasha out of the way. Yasha's eyes narrowed
but she refused to move.
"What's going on?" Tomo asked, walking over to Akira. "Why are
you two so mad?"
"Misao has quit and it's his fault!" Yasha answered angrily.
"My fault?!" Akira yelled back. "I'm not responsible for her.
If she wants to leave, fine! I don't care anyway!"
Tomo exchanged confused glances with both Sachiko and Usagi. Neither
Yasha nor Akira explained anything else. They continued to argue about
Misao while the others watched them. Usagi was so busy watching and
listening to Yasha and Akira that she didn't notice Chie coming
through the garage and into the garden. She carried a bag full of
groceries with her both arms. When she walked up next to Usagi, Usagi
still hadn't noticed her.
"What's going on?" Chie asked casually. But Usagi was startled
by Chie's sudden appearance and backed off. A moment later the bag
Chie carried exploded and all kinds of ingridients flew right into
Chie's face and at the others. Usagi was the only one who was clean.
She backed a little further.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't see you!"
Chie wiped some yoghurt off her face with the back of her hand. Not
that it helped, the back of her hands was already covered with butter.
Kenji came out from the garage, also carrying a bag of groceries.
Following him were Jun and Mai. Kenji and Jun looked at the others
with surprised looks but Mai seemed happy.
"Food fight!" she exclaimed and ran towards the others.
"Now Mai, wait a..." he began but didn't finish the sentence.
By using her telekinetic powers, Mai managed to make a slice of bread
mixed with yoghurt and marmelade fly up in the air and right into
Yasha's face. The bread then fell on the ground but the yoghurt and
the marmelade remained. Yasha nearly dropped her jaw in shock. But
shock turned to rage as her hair began to grow quickly. Before Mai
could prevent it, Yasha's hair had wrapped itself around her and
accidently tossed her right on Chie. Both Mai and Chie fell, but Mai
recovered quickly as she picked up a watermelon and aimed for Yasha.
Akira and Yasha stepped aside and both evaded the incoming
watermelon. Tomo transformed herself into Archangel faster than ever
and flew away fast. The watermelon was smashed into the wall. Mai
simply picked up the next item and tossed it, which happened to be a
carton of eggs. Yasha ducked and the carton flew towards Usagi. Usagi
gasped and raised her hands at the carton without thinking. The carton
exploded, sending what was left of the eggs right at Kenji and Jun,
who had done nothing but watched the whole spectacle.
The garden was shrouded in silence. Everyone stared at each
other. Tomo descended to the ground and reverted back to her human
form. Her clean Sailor fuku turned into her stained blue dress. Usagi
sat down on the bench, not knowing what to say. Suddenly they heard
footsteps. Everyone turned around to see Hikaru coming out from the
house. He took one look at everyone and then at Yasha. Her white shirt
was soaked because of a milk carton that Usagi had blown up. Hikaru
whistled at Yasha, who's shirt was more or less transparent.
"Nice shirt, Yasha."
"Oh, shut up, hentai," Yasha spat, glaring at him. Mai smiled,
knowing what Yasha would like what she had in mind. Mai used
telekinesis to send a piece of watermelon at Hikaru. Then, all hell
broke loose.
* * * *
Nearly one hour and lots of curses later, the Shin Senshi sat gathered
around the dining table. Each one held a cup of tea and in the middle
of the table was a plate with cookies. Apparently the cookies had been
the only things that had been saved from Usagi's new powers and the
food fight.
"So let me get this straight..." Chie began, breaking the
silence in the dining room. "Misao has left us, Akira doesn't care, a
demon showed up in my backyard, Usagi can now blow things up whether
she wants it or not, Yasha's mad at Akira, Misao's parents doesn't
know where Misao is and my favorite pot has been blown up."
"You forgot one thing," Tomo quietly said. Everyone turned
their eyes to her. "We don't have anything to eat tonight."
Although they sighed, Yasha, Kenji, Hikaru and Akira were happy that
they didn't have to eat Chie's cooking. Chie was slightly annoyed that
she wouldn't be able to try out a new recipe.
"We have some problems in this group and we need to solve them
now," Chie declared. "First, about Misao. When and why did she leave?"
"She left before you and Kenji came back from shopping," Yasha
answered. "She doesn't want to be a part of the Shin Senshi because
she feels that she reminds Akira of the past and she thinks that it's
her fault that Akira and Hikaru aren't the best of friends anymore."
"I called her parents," Tomo told. "It seems that she is at
home but she didn't want to talk to me."
Chie nodded and then looked at Akira. Akira for once didn't look cold
and uncaring. But rather than listening to what everyone had to say,
it seemed like he was in deep thought. Hikaru sat next to Akira and
seemed to be equally distant.
[Those two...] Chie thought. [They still haven't made up. I
always figured that Kenji would act as a peacemaker but lately he was
been with the Zealots so often. But Akira have to stop being mad at
Hikaru. We haven't had a fight against demons for a while but when the
time comes... I'd feel a lot better if they could just be friends
again.]
"Akira."
Akira looked towards Chie across the table. "What is it?" he asked.
Chie sipped at her tea and then spoke again.
"Be honest. Why are you still mad at Hikaru?"
Akira lowered his gaze, not wanting to look into Chie's eyes. "I'm not
mad," he replied. "I plan on forgiving him but... not just yet."
"Can you put your differences aside for the time being?" Chie
went on. "I want you two to be friends, but if that can't happen in
the nearest time, then at least be civil to each other."
Both Hikaru and Akira nodded quietly. None of them said anything. Chie
went on to the next problem. She looked at Usagi. Usagi had kept her
hands down the table ever since the food fight had stopped.
"Usagi," Chie began. "When did you get this new power? And
what did you do to my favorite pot?"
"About an hour ago," Usagi answered, slightly embarrased. "I
was so upset about what I had read in the newspaper and all of the
sudden a demon just appeared behind me. I would have transformed, but
I was so angry that I didn't even think of it. And then the demon just
exploded."
"We don't really know where this new power comes from,"
Sachiko told. "My guess is that this power isn't something that Usagi
inherted unlike her Sailor Senshi powers. This power seems to be
triggered whenever Usagi is angry or panicking. But she can't control
it yet, which is why I have advised her to keep her hands down and
where they can't do any harm."
Mai couldn't help laughing. "That is one power that I wouldn't mind
having," she said. "That look on your face, Chie-san, with all the
food in your face was priceless!"
Jun nudged his sister with his elbow but neither he or the others
could help smiling at the memory of Chie being covered in food. Chie
cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Ahem! Now we got that covered... let's move on to what we
all came here for... to talk about the enemy. Jun-san, you said that
you had some information about the enemy. Tell us about it."
Jun nodded and his face expression became serious. "Mai and I have
been doing to research for some time. Because demons appear randomly,
people has always assumed that they come from another world or
something. This has proven to be wrong. In reality, the demons come
from Crystal Tokyo."
"No wonder..." Kenji said. "Why didn't anyone think of it
before? Crystal Tokyo has always been a target for demons."
"And Senshi," Yasha added. "When I found out that I was a
Senshi I wanted to leave home as quickly as possible and go to Crystal
Tokyo. Akira and Hikaru also grew up in other countries but came here.
But where in Crystal Tokyo do the demons come from?"
"When encountering Senshi many demons are defeated and what
remains of them is dust," Jun informed. "Somehow, the dust always
manages to disappear after the battle. That is why no one has been
able to take the dust to a laboratory and examine it. Demons that do
survive vanish. But some that are injured doesn't have the power to
teleport back. So what choice is left? To walk. Not many demons do
that but I have seen it happen. I followed a demon and it lead me to
where our last battle took place, the Crystal Palace."
"Impossible!" Sachiko called out. "The Crystal Palace has been
used by politicians and governments ever since Neo-Queen Serenity and
King Endymion left. How can demons possibly come from there?"
All the others wondered the same thing. It was common knowledge that
the Crystal Palace was the center of the government. But Jun shook his
head.
"Some parts of the Crystal Palace, yes," he replied. "But the
ones deepest inside, no. They haven't been used for years. I had Mai
use her powers to steal some documents once..."
"Please..." Mai cut off. "You make me sound like I'm your
subordinate."
"...and it turned out that the last time any part of the inner
Crystal Palace was used was while Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion
were still on Earth. After they left those parts of the palace
remained unused. As we all know, demons didn't appear until Neo-Queen
Serenity and King Endymion were gone."
"So that means...." Chie said. "The enemy has been here from
the beginning."
Finally! It took me SEVEN months to finish this chapter! Seven months!
At first I didn't know what to write, but once I sat down I wrote half
of the chapter in just three hours. I didn't intend to let Usagi blow
things up at first. But I felt that there wasn't enough Usagi in this
story. It was always demon attack there and demon attack here and
never Usagi feeling really frustrated. Another thing I didn't plan for
was Misao's leave. I wanted her to interact more with Akira but then I
realized that Misao leaving was for the best. So, sayonara Misao-san!
Komillia (komillia@hotmail.com)
http://komillia.tripod.com/mirai/index.html
23 February, 2002
Next:
Sailormoon Mirai Part XV: The visitor
Sachiko and Jun sense that someone has teleported from the Moon
Kingdom and to the Earth. She isn't the only one who does. Hecate
feels that something is going on and goes out to look for whoever
arrived on Earth. Who will find this person first? Hecate or the Shin
Senshi?