Chapter 5
In Search Of the SIlver Crystal: Chibiusa's Secret
Aboard the Black Moon Clan's ship, Berthier paced up and down whilst waving a fan in front of her face.
"Gosh it's so hot," she said.
The other Specter Sisters were also preparing themselves, until Petz turned around.
"You like my new lip gloss?" She asked.
Berthier nodded.
"This summer, I'm planning on making the color of death all the rage," she continued.
"That's delicious and dark. It's the color of morning. It's a color that's so full of sin," Berthier replied with a light giggle.
"So what do you think?" Petz asked again.
"It's simply lovely," smirked Berthier.
"With this ribbon, I will turn any man into my willing slave," sneered Calaveras.
"That ribbon's much too bright, and you've got your mascara on way too thick, Calaveras. Take my advice, you really need to rethink your makeup," scoffed Koan.
"Please Koan, even though you're the youngest of the Spectre Sisters, it's not wise of you to be so judgemental of your siblings," said Hyena.
"You know Hyena, I actually do agree with what you said to Koan. But what about you and her wearing those different outfits in this heat? You trying to hide something that's underneath them?" huffed Calaveras.
Enraged at this insult, Hyena blasted Calaveras with Dark Firaga sending her sprawling to the ground.
"That's enough Hyena! We should all be working together!" snapped Koan.
"You will both be silent, or I will be forced to ask Sephiroth to kill the four of you!" Hyena barked back.
"I couldn't agree more, Hyena R. Droid," Rubeus' voice came from behind as he stepped into the conference room.
"While I understand your decision to put those four in their place, we still have a job to do. I've finally come up with a way to lure out the rabbit," continued the leader of the Spectre Sisters.
"Please tell us," replied the four sisters.
"Yes Rubeus, I too would like to know about this special assignment," added Hyena.
"The rabbit is deathly afraid of thunder," explained Rubeus.
"Oh, I get it, we'll use thunder and lightning to scare her. She'll run outside, and we'll turn her into a Heartless," said Petz.
"Well, well, I must say that I rather like the way you think Rubeus," added Hyena.
Rubeus nodded towards them.
"I have just the Droid among my minions to complete this task," continued Petz.
"How about this, Petz? I'll help you out on this task Rubeus has given you, and when the rabbit is at her most vulnerable, I strike her down, and let the Heartless make her one of them?" suggested Hyena.
"Okay then, follow me, Hyena," replied Petz, as they walked off.
As true to her word, dark clouds formed above Juban with a wave of her hand after she emerged from the dark corridor with Hyena.
"I summon you, Droid Furaiki!" she called to the darkness.
With a burst of darkness, the Droid emerged from the dark clouds, bearing two lightning rods in her hands.
"All right then, Furaiki, Petz and I have a task for you, summon forth powerful flashes of lightning and claps of thunder to lure out the runaway bunny," said Hyena.
"Now, wreak your havoc on the Juban District!" added Petz.
Pounding the drum loudly, Furaiki unleashed her power causing the sky to rumble above like a thousand war drums. At that instant, Usagi was surprised to see that a new storm had come, until another thunderclap made her run back to her house to be safe from the pouring rain.
"Hey mom, I'm back, can you get me a towel," she called to Keiko as she shook the water off her shoes.
"She's not here, Usagi," Sora and Luna said to her.
"Oh yeah, where'd she go?" Usagi asked her friends.
"Let's just say your mother went to go shopping with one of her friends today, and said that she'd be out till later. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'll get you a towel, and some dry clothes to change into after you change out of your wet clothes," explained Sora.
Usagi and Luna were surprised to hear that from Sora. They'd never seen this new side of him, especially since their first meeting.
"Wow, Sora, I'm actually surprised to hear you say that," said the dark colored cat.
"Yeah, well, I'm just glad Roxas and Xion have extra coats they used to wear during their time as agents of Organization XIII. Maybe they can help you stay dry when you head to school," replied Sora.
"Aw, thank you Sora, you're the best!" cheered Usagi as she gave him a hug, but accidentally got his clothes wet.
"Uh, no problem, Usagi. But, now I really need to change into dry clothes also," said Sora.
Usagi backed off and apologized to him, but Riku stepped forward.
"Chibiusa hasn't returned from swimming class yet. We need to find her and bring her back home, since this storm is really intense," he said.
But a powerful burst of lightning made Usagi flinch and panic.
"Sorry Luna, but Usagi really doesn't like thunderstorms that much. Even though Makoto uses the element of lightning, when she's Sailor Jupiter," said Sora.
"Well, then I'll go and bring Chibiusa home," suggested Riku.
"Wait, you will?" asked Usagi.
"Yeah, just stay put with Sora. He doesn't mind thunderstorms all that much," replied Riku.
"Okay, but be careful out there Riku," sighed Usagi, feeling relieved.
Once he arrived at Juban Elementary School, Riku could see Chibiusa waiting inside when she saw the storm. Suddenly a powerful burst of lightning caused the young girl and several other students to flinch in fear.
"It's all right, we're all safe here," the pinkette said to her friends.
At last, one of the parents arrived, and motioned for her daughter, Kaoru to come with her. Then Chibiusa and the young boy sat outside but stayed near the entrance, when Riku arrived.
"Don't worry, I'm sure your father will arrive soon," he said.
At long last the car arrived, and the boy called Yoshido came to his father when he told him not to be late for Cram School. Once he was aboard, Chibiusa watched sadly as he waved at her, but Riku turned and gave the girl a respectful smile as he sat down beside her. He then heard her crying softly, and was worried about her, when another flash of lightning came from the sky, making her flinch, even as she heard the other kids talking to their mothers about what they wanted. Deep down, she thought of her own parents, as the thunder rumbled overhead.
"You really do miss your mother and father, don't you Chibiusa?" said Riku.
"I do," Chibiusa said sadly, but she soon began wailing loudly as she ran out into the pouring rain with Riku trailing behind her.
At the same time, Usagi, now dressed in one of Xion's coats, began searching for Chibiusa.
"Now it's really starting to pour. I hope I can get back before more lightning strikes," she said hurriedly.
Ironically though, another lightning bolt made her flinch and scream loudly, as Chibiusa hurried under the walkway with Riku following behind her. By the time she reached the school, Usagi searched high and low for her, until she suddenly remembered that Riku was taking her home. At the same time, Shingo was playing one of his video games when the phone began to ring, which distracted him, giving him a game over.
"Well, you win some, you lose some, right Shingo?" said Sora who stayed behind.
"Yeah, I guess," replied Shingo.
Finally he gave in and answered the phone.
"Hello, Tsukino Residence," he said.
"Hey Shingo, it's me. Can I talk to Sora?" Usagi asked on the other line.
"Oh, okay then," replied Shingo.
He passed the phone to Sora.
"Hey Usagi, what's up?" said the brunette Keyblade wielder.
"Um, has Chibiusa come home yet? I went to look for her at her school, But I couldn't find her anywhere. I've been searching for her for twenty minutes already. I was kinda hoping that she made it back home," replied Usagi.
"I don't think she's come back home either, Usagi. But, I'm also worried about her just as you and Shingo are. I'll meet up with you so that we can find her together," said Sora.
He soon hung up, and raced out the door, after telling Shingo to look after Luna.
"Great, now what do I do?" sighed Usagi.
But now she was really worried about her, and wanted to know where she'd gone. Stepping out of the phone booth, Usagi accidentally ran right smack into Mamoru. She suddenly apologized to him, but Mamoru wanted to know why she was out in the rain when Roxas arrived, just as Usagi said that Chibiusa had disappeared and couldn't find any trace of her.
"What, you mean she's gone missing?" the two guys asked, just as a bolt of lightning came from the sky, making Usagi flinch.
"Hold on you guys, let's go and find her together," suggested Roxas.
"Okay, let's go," said Mamoru, but he backed away from Usagi.
He then glared at her.
"I've already told you it's over between us. Don't make me say it again and again," he said venomously to Usagi.
"Mamoru, what are you so afraid of?" asked Roxas.
"I don't know Roxas, but we need to find Chibiusa," replied Mamoru.
"Okay then, if you're saying you want to help Usagi, then count me in as well," said Roxas.
"Thank you Roxas, now let's go," Mamoru replied with a nod.
"So you're giving me the cold shoulder, but you still want to help just because Chibiusa's is involved? I get it, I see how it is now," Usagi was about to say, only for Roxas to grab her and slam her against the wall.
"Are you out of your mind, Usagi!? Chibiusa is just a young girl, and Mamoru's several years older than her!" he snapped.
"That's enough, Roxas. I know you're worried about her, but lashing out at Usako won't bring her back. She must be pretty helpless right now, lost in this rain. Yes, I'm worried about her, come on!" said Mamoru, as he rested his hand on Roxas' shoulder, but then suddenly walked off.
"Right," replied Roxas and Usagi, and they too followed him.
Usagi did see that Mamoru was still a good guy, but Roxas was still very suspicious about why he was acting differently. Meanwhile, Makoto and Ami were joined by Terra and Aqua in a cafe when they saw the pouring rain outside.
"Look at those two, I thought Mamoru said he didn't want to see Usagi anymore," she said.
"Yeah, but at the same time, they still care about each other, no matter how he feels," added Terra.
"Could be, but I think they should spend their time studying. Better than running around in the rain," replied Ami, earning a look of warning from Aqua.
"Ami, please, don't make the same mistake I made by putting your work before your friends. When I did, Ven said that I was acting irrationally, even when the Master told me to watch over Terra, and ensure that his darkness did not spiral out of his control," said Aqua.
"Oh, hey everyone, what are you all up to?" asked Rei, who arrived with Minako and the remainder of Sora's friends.
"Not much, we saw Ami here, and decided to join her for some lunch," replied Makoto.
"You're tellin' me, both Rei and I had a hard time with this rain, until we met up with Minako and the rest of our motley crew," said Axel.
"Yeah, I ducked in here waiting for the rain to let up, and I'd study some of my math, history, english, social studies and science, while I waited," said Ami, leading to Aqua giving her that foreboding look again.
"As for the rest of us, we've also been studying about the history of different people from the past, and about the many food groups," piped in Terra.
"It's funny how things happen," replied Minako as she sat down.
"Yeah, we always seem to run into each other," added Rei who also joined them.
"That's true, guys, but we're missing Usagi, who's the link to all of us," said Sora, who had also arrived.
"Oh, who needs that lazy bum Usagi, let's not even think about her today, all right guys?" smirked Rei.
Everyone nodded, except for Sora, who was worried about Usagi. He suddenly turned around and was about to walk away.
"You guys can have as much fun not thinking Usagi, but I'm not in a fun mood today. I'm gonna go find her," he said.
Unknown to them, Chibiusa was at the same place, but was hiding underneath them from the rain. Every time she saw a mother and her child, it reminded her of her parents, which made her sad. Pressing a button on Luna-P, she saw one of its eyes flickering, and an image of a woman appeared in it. Riku already knew it was Sailor Pluto, until Chibiusa addressed her as Puu.
"Puu, you're there," she said.
"Hey, Sailor Pluto. I'm worried about Chibiusa, because she wants to return to her mother," piped in Riku.
"You mustn't be so sentimental," replied Sailor Pluto.
"Puu, I want to use this key to go back and see mommy and daddy," squeaked Chibiusa.
"Hold on, what is that key Chibiusa has?" asked Riku.
"It is a time key, and it allows people who have a heart that's good and just to traverse time without the need of becoming portals, just as Xehanort once did. But while that Key allows her to go back in time, Small Lady mustn't use it impulsively. It's dangerous," explained Sailor Pluto.
"How can it be dangerous, when Chibiusa wants to return to her parents?" Riku asked again.
"I know how much your friend misses her parents, but in order to save her mother, Small Lady needs the Silver Crystal. She must stay in this world a little longer, along with her knights, the children of Sora Lucis Caelum. I promise you that one day, those bad people will be gone, and you'll be happy again. But she must remain patient until that time comes, understood?" replied Sailor Pluto.
The screen flickered and reverted back to one of Luna-P's eyes. Chibiusa called for Sailor Pluto, until another burst of lighting caught everyone's attention. Crying out in dismay, Chibiusa tried to use the key, as Riku followed her. She tried to use it, but it's power skyrocketed out of control.
"Chibiusa, don't!" called Riku.
But it was too late. The key's power had become unstable and began to cause strange lights to appear around everyone.
"What is going on here?" asked Rei.
"Was it that thunder?" Makoto asked as well, as Ami struggled to recover her textbooks.
A flash of light soon burst up, and everyone was now floating up on the ground. Everyone was confused, but Sora knew that something had caused the gravity to go haywire, as he assumed his Equestrian Drive Form, despite Ami's surprise and excitement about what happened.
What happened!? Why can't I go back to daddy and mommy!?" cried Chibiusa, when Riku floated beside her in his Equestrian form.
"That's simple. You used that time key at the wrong time," he replied.
Crying out in dismay, Chibiusa's power burst up into the sky, which caught Petz's attention.
"Found you, Rabbit," she said, when Hyena joined her in his dark flyer form.
"And now, your story shall end," added Hyena.
The Droid, Furaiki saw it as well, and began floating down towards her.
"Look, that's Chibiusa's energy!" creid Usagi, when she noticed the beam.
Mamoru was aghast, but he noticed it as well. Meanwhile, Riku and Chibiusa were now floating in the strangest setting, but thanks to his Equestrian form, he was able to maneuver easily in the space around them, even when the little girl saw everything floating around them. Suddenly, Furaiki burst through the door, and began pounding the drum loudly, which sent lightning towards them, forcing them to dodge and flee up the stairs with Riku retaliating with Dark Firaga.
"Keep going, I'll hold her off!" called Riku, as he readied his Keyblade.
Furaiki fired more lightning bolts, that were deflected by Riku's Keyblade, just as Usagi arrived, and tried to help them. But she too was caught in the strange anomaly. At the same time, Sora and the others saw Chibiusa racing towards them, but saw the deadly being pursuing her after blasting past Riku.
"It's a Droid!" everyone cried out.
Furaiki blasted them back to the wall, which enraged Sora.
"THAT'S IT!" he screamed, brandishing his keyblade, and surged towards the droid.
Just as he did, Usagi reached for her transformation brooch and transformed into Sailor Moon to help him out as Furaiki attempted to finish them off.
"Stop right there!" she cried out.
"All right, Sailor Moon's here!" cheered Sora.
"Wait, Sailor Moon?" asked Chibiusa.
"That's right, I'm the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon!" replied Sailor Moon.
Chibiusa was confused, as she saw the action.
"So you're the one who's responsible for the sudden rain, thunder and lightning. Well I'm putting an end to all this stuff! You have terrorized all the innocent little children in this town, and that's beyond forgivable! So in the name of the moon, I'm punishing you!" continued Sailor Moon.
Furaiki retaliated by sending Sailor Moon against the wall, causing Sora's anger to grow even further.
"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done," he said darkly.
He lunged furiously at Furaiki, using his Equestrian form to help him fly as he swung furiously at the droid with his Keyblade. Furaiki retaliated against him with a lightning attack, but Sora deflected it right towards the ceiling, which surprised everyone, but Rei could see that the darkness inside of him was growing stronger, as Furaiki blasted Sailor Moon with lightning, making her numb all over, then began to prepare for the killing blow.
"Oh no, she's gonna finish her off!" cried Minako.
"AAAAARGH! I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL SAILOR MOON!" screamed Sora, as he transformed from Equestrian to Final and surged furiously towards his opponent.
Caught off guard by Sora's attack, Furaiki cried out in shock just as Tuxedo Mask arrived to see Sora showing no mercy towards the Droid by attacking furiously with no holds barred.
"Go get her, Sora, but know that when drums are played right, they are musical instruments that bring joy to people's hearts. But using it as a weapon is a disgrace to people everywhere. You'd do better to play a fine lively rhythm and dance to that instead," he said to Furaiki.
The droid tried to retaliate but the caped crusader sent four roses right at her, forcing Furaiki to retreat.
"Sailor Moon, let's end this!" called Sora.
"My thoughts exactly, Sora," replied Sailor Moon.
Together they combined their powers and prepared their final attacks.
"Moon Princess Halation!" cried the blonde.
"And now, Lethal Frame!" shouted Sora.
The two attacks hit the droid head on, sending her out the window as she disintegrated into nothing, while the gemstone landed in Petz's hand.
"Cursed fools," she hissed.
"Uh oh, looks like you failed," said Berthier who appeared beside her.
"It's of no concern, Berthier. But, the old saying goes that if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," replied Hyena who was also watching the battle.
"Hyena's right, Berthier," agreed Petz.
"So what will you do now?" asked Berthier.
"Nothing," replied Petz.
"Yes, we will find a way to ensure the girl you call the rabbit becomes her demise, soon. In the meantime, I suggest we inform Rubeus of our mishap. So let's retreat," added Hyena, who teleported back to Rubeus' ship after Petz left.
"Right behind you," replied Berthier, who also vanished into the dark corridor.
"Very well done, you guys," said Tuxedo Mask as he floated down to the ground.
But he slipped on a can and fell over, but the low gravity still helped him float.
"I don't understand, why are we still floating?" asked Sailor Moon.
"Why don't you ask her about this?" replied Riku, pointing to Chibiusa.
"Big Brother's right, it's because of me," said the little girl.
"It's true, what Chibiusa did was an accident," said Skylight who arrived with his sisters, and used levitate.
"Hold on, are you saying that Chibiusa did this, Skylight?" asked Ami.
"Yep, we should have told Chibiusa to be careful with that key of her's," Scarlet replied.
Chibiusa then used the key to return gravity to normal, but this caused the Ami, Minako, Rei, and Makoto to land on top of Sora, with minimal injuries.
"Oops, sorry Sora," squeaked the young girl.
"It's fine, Chibiusa," replied Sora, despite the strain of getting up from under the other girls.
"So, what's with this necklace?" asked Makoto who got up first, but was suddenly stopped by Scarlet who had Rumbling Rose in her hand.
"Makoto, step down! These items are called time keys. Chibiusa was trying to use the one she had to try and return home," explained Scarlet.
"Go home?" Rei and Axel asked in confusion.
"Can you tell us where it is, little one?" Terra asked as well.
"Her home is where her real mother is from," replied Ivory.
"Well where exactly is Chibiusa's mother?" asked Ami.
Chibiusa however, looked sadly at the ground.
"It's okay, just tell me where you came from," said Makoto.
"We will Makoto. But first, can you please let Chibiusa go first?" asked Skylight.
"Won't you please tell us the truth about you? Maybe then we can help you," said Sailor Moon.
Chibiusa turned towards Usagi, but she suddenly remembered Sailor Pluto's words about how she needed the Silver Crystal to save her mother from the darkness.
"Chibiusa, we all care about you. We're your friends and we want to keep you safe," said Minako as she placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder.
"I think that's enough, everyone has some things they don't want to share with others," interjected Tuxedo Mask.
"But we just..." Makoto was about to say.
"It's best to give Chibiusa some time to herself, until she's ready to share her secrets with us," said Sora.
This made Chibiusa happy, as Makoto released her hand, and allowed her to run to the caped crusader's arms.
"Aw, man," groaned Usagi.
"Let it go, Sailor Moon. It's best that we leave Chibiusa alone for a little while," said Sora.
Then he turned to Tuxedo Mask.
"Take care of her Tuxedo Mask. This isn't a request from one soldier to his commander, it's a plea from one man to another," continued the spiky-haired brunette.
"Thanks for understanding, Sora," said Chibiusa.
The next day, Chibiusa was walking with Mamoru who was still in his Tuxedo Mask attire, while Sora and Usagi watched them from a safe distance.
"Good grief, that girl's gone and stolen away the heart of my Tuxedo Mask," groaned Usagi.
"I know, Usagi. But like he said, some secrets are best left unsaid until those who have kept them for so long are ready to share them, despite the heavy price they have," replied Sora.
"But hey, I guess it's okay," said Usagi, who cheered up a little.
"Yeah, she's a good kid, I'll give her that much," smirked Axel.
At that very same moment, Chibiusa noticed a rainbow and pointed it out to Mamoru who smiled contentedly at it.
"Wow, how beautiful," mused Usagi.
"Yeah," grinned Sora, as he and the rest of their friends look upon the rainbow as well.