Sorry if that last chapter kinda sucked D: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation :)
Notes: I'm kind of just writing without a plan. The one Haruko and Akira came up with, I haven't even thought of yet, so just go wit' it :D
"AKIRA!" Sailor Earth hears as she and Tuxedo Mask try more doors, but only faintly. Then she hears a loud BANG! and waits, listening. There's another BANG!, but no more.
"What's up?" Tuxedo Mask says.
"Didn't you hear that? That sounded like… Haru. Haru's in trouble. She's in danger, i have to—"
"Akira, that bang means that—"
"Hel-lo, all! I would just like to tell our dear friends the Soldiers that your comrades Sailor Sun and Shingo Tsukino have found your Princess…. although they won't be leaving anytime soon! " He laughs incessantly, then the PA cuts off, and Earth is pissed.
"He thinks he can just take her like that! Not while I'm around! Haruko!" Earth starts off, sprinting.
"Do you even know where you're going?!" Tux shouts after her.
"To where Haruko is!" she responds without looking back.
Tux rolls his eyes and runs after her. "I don't think it's this way. I'm sensing Usako back the other way."
Earth stops and looks at him, torn. Usagi is her Princess that she's to protect, but Haruko is her partner. They're supposed to rely on each other. And plus, this is part of the plan. "Why don't you go after Usagi and I go after Haruko?"
"Because it's a trap. They want us to split up. We can't though."
Earth purses her lips. Their main objective is to find Usagi and get out of there, beating Lucifer along the way, but their plan involves the one not captured to find the one captured. They didn't expect for Usagi and the one captured to be separated, not even Haruko did.
But then, a thought hits Earth, what Haruko would say to her. "It's okay," she would tell her. "Find Usa-chan. That's why we're here."
"Okay," she says. "Let's go after Blondie."
"Are you sure?"
"Every second we waste could mean another second that brings them closer to death and us closer to captivity. Let's go."
~One Hour Earlier~
"I have a plan! Sort of," Sun whispered to Earth.
"What? Anything goes right now."
"If and when one of us gets captured, the other goes after her."
"That's stupid. The captivity is obviously bait."
"You said anything goes. And what I'm saying is, wherever they throw that person is probably close to where Usa-chan is."
Earth nodded. "Keep talking."
"So when that person is captured, the other goes after, distracts Lucifer or whoever's on guard, and takes Usa-chan back. We obviously need her power to fight back."
"But she's just a ghost. What's she gonna do?"
"We have the Crystal, and she's the only one who can use it because it's connected to her soul. Her soul is all we need."
"You got a plan B?"
Sun shook her head sadly. "That's all I have so far. We're really stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"If you can't think of anything else, and that plan fails, we're screwed."
"Thank you, Captain Pessimism. That's just what I needed to hear." Sun rested her arms on her legs and pressed her temples, probably trying to think up a plan B. Earth rubbed her back soothingly, trying to help. She really hoped Sun could think of something else, because they'd be really screwed otherwise.
Usagi's soul sits in a capsule in Lucifer's office, being totally useless. She hates it. With a burning passion. The one thing she lives for is to protect her friends, and she can't even do that. They have to race around this literal God-forsaken hell to find her, and try to beat Lucifer, which probably won't be successful, even with all the faith and trust she has in her friends. She's not a pessimist, and she knows they'll try, but this man… He's the Devil. You don't just beat the Devil. He has to exist, no matter what. So how in the world—or hell—are they gonna beat him?
She would sigh if she could. She hates this, the whole situation. If only she could do something. She heard two gunshots earlier, meaning two are down, three counting herself. She feels like crying, and she wishes she could to let off some steam. If only there was something she could do…
She twitches, and her capsule wiggles. She thinks about twitching so much it falls over and breaks, but what would she do then? She's just a little thing, not even herself. And plus, what if this liquid that she's in is keeping her alive?
She sighs. If it is sustaining her life, then he'll put her back up in a new capsule. But she thinks of all those people behind the doors, watching them as they passed in the hallway, but cowering from the man. They were souls, too.
Better to try then do nothing.
She wriggles again, feistily doing her best to knock the capsule over. As it finally tips, she feels excited and accomplished, but she knows it's only part of the job. The capsule hits the floor and breaks, and she's free. But she doesn't change. She stays the same, still wriggling like a fish out of water…
The water. It must be keeping her this way! She hops away, trying to dry herself off on the regretfully-dirty ground.
The door opens, and Lucifer is standing there. "Whoa!" he says, and tries to grab her, but she capers away, happy to finally get away from him. "Get back here!" he says frustratedly.
Suddenly, she's at her full, normal height, and she quickly slips through the door, a little excited that she can actually phase through like they do in all the anime and movies she grew up watching.
"See ya!" she says, and flies down the hallway.
He sees her following behind her, in such a rage she'd never seen before, and slips up a floor before he can catch her.
There's a shout a someone—a man—runs through her, and she clenches up, waiting for the impact, and lets out a squeal.
"Blondie?!"
"Usako!"
She opens her eyes to see Sailor Earth and Tuxedo Mask. "You guys!"
"Blondie, where are your clothes?" Earth asks, obviously amused.
Usagi looks down at herself for the first time to find herself, indeed, naked. Tuxedo Mask takes off his jacket and attached-cape and hands it to her. "Thank you," she mutters.
Earth laughs. "Aw, you guys are so awkward!"
"Shut up," Usagi says, slipping on the jacket and wrapping the cape around herself. It smells like him.
"Your brooch is in there, if you can use it," Tuxedo Mask says. He's way more than she deserves.
"Thank you," she says again, and searches for the brooch. She felt solid, but she doesn't know why she would suddenly be so. Her feet are on the ground, though before she'd been floating. She holds the brooch up and shouts, "Neo Moon Power, Make-Up!" but nothing happens. She prepares for the ribbons and giddiness and clothes that come with the transformation process, but none comes. Oh, no.
"Well, shit," Earth says. "We're screwed."
She stares at the brooch in confusion and fright. If she can't transform, than she really is useless. "N-Neo Moon Power, Make Up!" she tries again, to no avail.
Then it hits her.
The last time she couldn't use the Crystal, it was because she had unsurety in her heart. Maybe it's because of the fight she had with Mamoru earlier.
She sighs. She knows he probably didn't do anything wrong, thinking back now, but she was under so much stress before that she couldn't think straight.
"Listen, Akira, can I just talk to him alone?"
Earth shrugs. "'Kay. I'll entertain myself with trying to think up a plan C, because plans A and B seem to be failing."
She walks away, and Usagi watches her go. When Earth is out of fair earshot, Usagi sighs. "Okay. I need to be honest. I'm sorry for not believing you, I…" She laughs once without humor. "I don't even know what was going through my head earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said about him, and I know that none of it is true, heck, he was my best friend when… a while ago. I know everything going on is just my brain making up crap, and it's not fair to you or Seiya or anyone else involved. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. And I just, I—"
He puts a hand on your shoulder. "I know. It's okay."
She looks up at him, slightly afraid, but one look from those sapphire eyes says it all. They melt her heart as they always do, and she kisses him, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she pulls away, she leans her forehead against his and sighs. "I'm sorry."
"Times up!"
They all look to see Lucifer racing down the hall at break-neck speed. Usagi freezes.
"Run," she commands. "Akira, RUN!"
Akira runs in their direction, and just when she reaches them, Usagi grabs her hand, and she doesn't know what happens next.
Usagi peeks through one eye, the other squeezed shut.
"How did you do that?!" Earth wonders in awe.
"What?" Usagi asks, looking around. "What did I do?"
"Well, we're a floor higher now."
Usagi shakes her head. "I don't know. But we can't stay here. Who else is down?"
Earth looks away, and Usagi can tell by her face that one was Haruko.
"Who else?" she asks, looking at Tuxedo Mask.
He purses his lips. "I'm sorry."
She stares at him, processing this. Sorry for what?
Shingo. It was Shingo.
Her expression of confusion alters to one of horror. "He… He shouldn't have been here."
"He insisted on it, I mean, what were we supposed to do? You're his sister, he cares about you."
"That's exactly why he shouldn't of been here—!" She stops herself from saying more that would just dig her a deeper grave. She sighs. "In any case, we need to go to where he is."
"Tuxedo Mask!" someone shouts, and they look to see Mars and Venus running their way. "Usagi?!" Their light run turns into a sprint, and they tackle Usagi with a hug. "How did you find her?!" Mars inquires.
"Naked," Earth says, smirking. Usagi glares at her.
"We didn't," Tuxedo Mask answers, ignoring her. "She found us."
Venus eyes their hands, still squeezing each other. "I'm guessing you two kissed and made-up?"
Usagi smiles. "Something along those lines. Anyway, we need to go before Lucifer gets here and we need to find Mercury and Jupiter and go save Sun and Shingo."
"Try your transformation again," Tux tells her, and she nods.
"Neo Moon Power, Make Up!" she calls out once again, but nothing happens, just like before. "B-b-but… Why?!" she wonders in frustration. "This doesn't make any sense!"
"Maybe it's because you're not in your body."
"But I'm still solid. I'm holding his hand! I can feel his warmth! Why can't I transform?!"
"There's no use agonizing over things you can't change," Mars says. "Listen, let's just go, and we'll figure something out. C'mon."
Usagi sighs. She will figure something out.
Mercury scans the area with her computer and visor. She looks down at the floor, not expecting to find anything.
Except she did.
"Jupiter! Over there! Five running figures!" She points to the ground, following the running, glowing, blobs in her vision. "It looks like they're on the floor above us!"
"Sweet! Supreme Thunder!" she shouts, and shoots the ground, creating a large hole. She promptly hops down through it to the floor below. "Here, jump and I'll catch you!"
Mercury puts her computer away and pinches her right earring, getting rid of the visor. She looks down in the hole and sees Jupiter with her arms extended.
"C'mon, I don't bite!"
Mercury swallows and vaults, trusting Jupiter to catch her. Jupiter's strong arms are around her and place her on the ground, making sure she's steady before letting her go. "Hey, guys!" she calls to the others, takes Mercury's hand, and runs toward their friends.
"Mercury, Jupiter!" Usagi calls, looking back.
"Usagi-chan?!" Mercury says, surprised. They found her?
"We'll explain everything later," Tuxedo Mask says, "but right now, we have to head toward where Shingo and Sun are being kept." He looks to his sister. "Lead the way."
Sailor Earth starts running down the hall again, and everyone follows. Mercury hopes that they can resolve everything, go home, and, after the huge party they're bound to throw, she can curl up on her couch and read a book. But of course, that's not going to happen for a while, so she just pushes on.
Sometimes, she just can't wait till the future when they don't have to fight anymore, and she knows her friends feel the same. She just can't wait.
"She's in here," Sailor Earth says, pointing to a door. "I can feel it. Bro, come help me get the door open."
"Okay. On three, one."
"Two."
"Three!" Together they bang against the door using their shoulders, but it doesn't work.
"Let me help," Jupiter says.
"One."
"Two.
"Three!"
They bang against the door again, but again, nothing happens.
"Well, you could always just ask."
Without looking, Earth knows who it is. "Well, the answer would've been 'no' anyway, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose. But politeness comes before all, don't you agree?"
"You wanna talk about politeness?!" She's pissed now. "You think it's polite to steal a someone's soul just for leverage?! Or to make us wander around this fucking wasteland like lab rats?! Or how about keeping somebody's parents from them, either while they're still growing up like Usagi and Shingo or before they're even a kid like me and Mamoru?! We were still toddlers!"
Lucifer shrugs. "Why is that my problem?"
"Ergh, you little bastard—!"
"Akira!" Usagi shouts, holding her back. "Settle down. Now. We still need to rescue Haru-chan."
"Whaddya think I'm doing, Blondie?! Gaze Of The Earth: Flora!" she shouts, and her eyes glow green.
Lucifer chuckles. "It's funny that you think your puny magic powers can actually challenge me." He blocks her strongest attack with his forearm and she grunts. It's okay, though; she still has a trump card. He grins, and she doesn't like the look of it, those knives glimmering with probably-poisonous saliva. "My turn." He opens his hand, and a sort of black ice filters from his palm.
"Dodge!" Earth shouts, and everyone does so, not out of obedience, but rather wanting to save their own skin. Earth looks around, counting heads. "Two, three, four, five... Six. We're missing Usagi," she says in horror. Where did they lose her?
In response, it seems, there's a crash as glass hits the floor and shatters in the room. Lucifer whips around and opens the door and they all look to find Usagi trying to frantically dry the souls she'd broken free. Soon enough, next to her appear Haruko and Shingo.
Naked.
Earth looks on approvingly, and Haruko rolls her eyes. "Here, baby," Earth says and hands Haruko her cape.
"Thank you," Haruko says, smirking. She wraps the cape around herself, under her shoulders, clipping the center part together. The train of it lays around her feet, much too long for the short redhead. She sighs. "I hate being short."
"I got this," Earth says, and presses the center part where the cape comes together, and it adjusts the size to fit Haruko.
"Aw, thanks, love!"
Earth's hand lingers, and Haruko's face reddens. She smiles politely.
"Oh, sorry," Earth says.
"Yeah, back on track, honey."
"I just couldn't help but notice... You have a pulse."
That stops everyone. "...What?" Haruko says, confused.
"Blondie, check."
Usagi feels the side of her throat with her fore- and middle fingers, and her eyes widen. "Y-Yeah. It's there."
"Me too," Shingo says.
Lucifer smiles. "That's because you're not dead yet. Anyway, don't change the subject." He disappears and reappears behind Usagi, grabbing her by the throat, making her choke. She seems to be trying to phase to transparent, but it's not working.
"Get your hands off her!" Tux says, and lunges.
Lucifer disappears again, but this time, he doesn't reappear.
"GODDAMMIT!" Tux screams, and punches the wall. He leans against it and slides to the floor, putting his head in his hands.
"Hey," Earth says, kicking him lightly. "Calm the fuck down. You're throwing a tantrum and that's not what she needs right now. What she needs is her 'knight in shining armor' or whatever to go find her and save her ass. Are you gonna be that guy, or do I have to?"
Tux looks up at her, and she raises her eyebrows expectantly. "Y'know, sometimes I really hate you."
Earth smiles. "Good. Hate is a passionate emotion. Now get your ass off the floor and get it together. For her."
Shaking his head, he stands. He sniffs and closes his eyes. "Top floor," he says. "It's really high. Like, crazy high. I don't even know how high it is, or how it doesn't at least poke above water level."
"This is hell," Earth says. "Things don't have to make sense here."
"We'd better get a move on if we want to be able to make it," Haruko says. "We should probably…"
With crushing realization, Earth knows that they're already too late. Usagi had the Crystal on her when she was taken. Lucifer has no doubt stolen it already and is well on his way to world destruction. She swallows and keeps her head down, not wanting to let on that she thought of that, to keep hope up. Right now, that's the most important thing. If there's no hope, there's no determination. No determination, no chance of saving her life and everyone else's lives.
Maybe they're not too late. Maybe Lucifer doesn't know.
They'll just have to find out.
Jose opens the door to his apartment shared with the Celestial Trio. "I'm back!" he calls. No reply. He thought there'd be at least one person here to greet him. "Hello?" he tries again, and moves to the back to check and see if someone's hiding or sleeping.
He opens the door to Akira and Haruko's bedroom, and staggers back. Usually, Haruko is a neat freak, but the room is in horrible condition. Clothes lay around everywhere, cloaking every surface. Books and papers lay askew across the floor, and the center of the mess—the closet—seemed to have erupted.
"Whoa! What the hell?" He looks around, and one, bright-pink paper stands out amongst the rest.
"Dear Jose,
The three of us have gone to take care of some business.
Please watch the apartment for us while we are away.
Thank you and much love,
Haruko"
She signed her name in English cursive and wrote his name in English print, both of them, as well as her kanji, extraordinarily beautiful. He never even knew she could write so neatly, but of course, it was to be expected of her.
He wonders what she means by "business". He hopes they're alright, but more than that, he wishes that they would've taken him with them if it was a fight. Well, nothing he can do now, so he just goes to kitchen and dives into the fridge. Better make the best of his time while he has it.
You're welcome :D I'll post crap on deviant soon, so that you guys can actually have a feel for what the characters look like instead of trying to read my mind through a screen or coming up with your own ideas, not that they're bad, but just not what I have in mind. Tell me what you think they look like! Haha :D