For the One I Love
Chapter Seven
"Star Fighter"
Seiya stopped at a small shop to buy himself some heavier clothing. Between trying to find something that fit right, looked good, and remained cheap, it wasn't a simple and fast task. By the time he had finished finding what he wanted, it was thundering and lightning worse than ever.
"These please." He handed over two warm shirts, a couple long pairs of pants and a deep purple coat over to the cashier. "How much?" He opened his wallet gloomily. The cashier who was a fairly young woman, chuckled.
"Bit down on money?" She asked him.
"You have no idea." Seiya replied.
"Well you know…if you're interested, I'll be leaving fairly soon. I'm moving out of town and they'll need to replace me. I could put a word in?"
"Really? That would be great."
"Here." She reached under the desk and pulled out two pieces of stapled paper. "Just fill this out and bring it back sometime. If you're still in school you'll need your high school's permission."
"Knew it." He thought. "Nope, I uh, dropped out of high school and live on my own now."
"Oh, haha that would explain your current situation, right? Well in any case just fill it out and bring it back to me and I'll hand it in personally for you."
"Thanks a lot." Seiya said happily folding the paper and sticking it in his pocket. "So… for now...errr how much?"
After paying and putting away his now incredibly more lightweight wallet; with jacket on against the heavy rain, Seiya started to make his way home longing for a bite to eat. He walked along a couple of streets and stopped at a corner. Across the street wearing a green raincoat and inside a phone booth, Seiya found himself running into Usagi for the second time that day. For a minute he debated whether he should go over to her, but right as he decided to she ran off.
"Oy, Dumpling! Wait up!" Holding tightly onto his bags he trailed after her. He caught up with her when they were a good way out of the buzz of the shopping district, surrounded only by a few smaller businesses and places to eat. "YO!" He screamed over the lashing rain, finally catching her attention.
"S-Seiya-san…" She stopped and whipped around. "You're still out?"
"It's just Seiya alright, and what are you still doing out here in this rain?" He asked.
"It's my, um- little cousin! She wasn't at school, she must have run off somewhere, I can't find her!"
"Your little cousin? Alright, why don't I help you look for her?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, just tell me where you want to look."
"Thank you Seiya!" She ran off a little ahead of him. Staring back as she started to round a corner she smiled, "I don't know what I'd do without your help- UMPH! Ahhh!"
At the sound of Usagi's scream Seiya quickened his pace, but instinctively jerked back around pressing himself up against the wall when he saw what the cause of the commotion was. Usagi had just smacked right into Mamoru Chiba.
"Oh… I'm sorry…Mamo-chan…" He peered around the corner as her voice faltered, realizing whom she just come face to face with. Mamoru stood there with a puzzled expression on his face, holding a dark red umbrella.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" He asked. Usagi took a step toward him and grabbed his sleeve. "Chibi-Usa is missing!"
"What? Chibi-Usa is?" Mamoru gasped. There was a loud crash of thunder as a bright flash of lighting lit the sky. Usagi screamed and jumped into Mamoru's arms. They stayed like that for a moment, and Seiya didn't feel like looking anymore.
"Mamo-chan…"
"Usa-ko…" There was another brief pause and then…
"Stop it." The voice came from Mamoru. "Like I said before, I don't want to go out with you anymore."
"They really had broken up." Seiya had suspected it, but it still felt surprising to actually hear it was true.
"Mamo-chan…" Usagi tried desperately to call out to him, but it didn't work.
"Never mind that, we have to hurry and find-"
"Dumpling, I think we should go this way." Seiya walked out from around the corner and walked up to Usagi's side. He grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction he was referring.
"Ah-" Usagi tripped over herself a bit, caught off guard by Seiya's sudden tug and hesitating over leaving Mamoru, who was staring between the two and their clasped hands.
"Usagi, you know him?" He asked.
"Of course she knows me, I'm her boyfriend." Seiya said boldly.
"What?!" Usagi panicked. Mamoru's eyes widened, looking Seiya over.
"You don't have to be shy about it, Dumpling." Seiya looked up into the confused and possibly hurt face of Mamoru Chiba. "If you want to help look, I suggest you do it on your own. Maybe next time you won't talk to my girlfriend so rudely. Let's go."
"Wait!" Usagi cried as Seiya pulled her away. "Hey!" She struggled slightly but Seiya continued to drag her forward. Usagi looked back at Mamoru who stood frozen in place as he became smaller and smaller in the distance. "Seiya, let go!" Usagi demanded. He finally let go of her wrist when they were over a couple blocks away. "Why, why would you do that?!" Usagi screeched. "Why did you tell him that?!" Seiya stiffened, he had never seen Usagi this visibly upset with him before. Guilt bubbled up inside him, which he tried increasingly hard to push back down. "Now he'll think… unnn…" She choked back tears. "He'll think I moved on… just fine… but I'm not… I'm not fine…"
"How can you love someone who's so cruel to you?"
"He's not! He's-"
"I heard your conversation Usagi." Seiya argued, agitated. Was this still not enough? Even though they were apart, why did it still feel the same? As if they were chained together somehow. Maybe Seiya just possibly hadn't gone far enough into her past. Maybe their relationship was already too involved at this point, and Seiya needed to go to a time where they truly have never met yet…
"We're just going through something- we-"
His thoughts and her words were put on hold when a tremendous roar caused Usagi to squeal and ram herself into his chest. She dug her hands into the front of his coat, quivering. "I- I can't take much more of this thunder... Seiya!" She tiptoed to peer around his shoulder. "Over there, it's Chibi-Usa!"
"What?" Seiya didn't catch what she said; his focus had been on her figure in his arms. He let go of her, looking over to where she was. In the distance was a giant beam of light that definitely couldn't be explained away as a lightning strike. "What the- that is? Hey, wait!"
They both ran off towards the fading light and finally came outside a building with a broken window. A sudden blast of blinding light illuminated the entry. Seiya grabbed Usagi's arm and pulled her back a little right as a small girl's scream echoed inside.
"Chibi-Usa!" Recognizing the scream Usagi pulled loose from Seiya and ran in through the broken glass, mysteriously floating as soon as she got inside.
"What the heck?" Seiya stopped right outside the doorway.
"Seiya get away!" Usagi shouted.
"What, why?" But then he saw it, what appeared to be a woman with long crazy hair and a horn in the middle of her forehead, carrying a giant drum sending electric energy everywhere. "Another monster?"
"Seiya!" Usagi pleaded.
"Right! I'll go around back and look!" He backed away from the door and once out of sight, pretended to run away dropping his bags on the ground. Seiya knew what was coming next.
"Moon Crystal Power Make-Up!" After she transformed and moved further in to the building, Seiya cautiously followed trying to stay hidden. It wasn't easy, trying to stay hidden and float in midair.
"So, you're the one responsible for the sudden rain and thunder!" Sailor Moon was floating right inside a doorway. "The scariest things are earthquakes, thunder, fire and Droids! How dare you disturb a peaceful town and terrorize small children. It's unforgivable! In the name of the Moon I will punish you!"
The Droid smiled. "Blow wind blow!" Its attack picked Sailor Moon up and smashed her against the wall.
"Sailor Moon!" Her friend who Seiya had just recently realized was there called out to her and so did someone else, "Hang in there Sailor Moon!" A small child with pink hair done up like Usagi's was floating in mid air as well.
"That kid…" Seiya said.
"Why, you…" Sailor Moon's voice brought her back to Seiya's main focus. She was struggling against the wall.
"Come on Usagi…get up…get up…" But she could barely move her head to face her enemy properly.
"Boom Flash!" The Droid gathered more electric energy from her drum and threw it in Sailor Moon's direction, hitting her. She writhed in pain as the electric shock coursed throughout her body. When it was done she hung limp in the air, sweat dripping off her face. "I... feel numb…" The enemy moved in closer, gathering even more electricity from her drum and closing in on Sailor Moon. She looked up weakly at her attacker.
"No! She's going to get killed!" Minako screamed.
"Damnit Sailor Moon!" Seiya clenched his fist. "Fight back…"
It was as if right about then, a single red rose should have pierced the Droids drum and saved Sailor Moon, but no such thing came. "EIYYAAHHH!" Seiya screamed at the same Sailor Moon did, but for a very different reason. Sharp pain pulsated throughout Seiya's head, causing him to feel overheated and weak. A distant rumble echoed throughout Tokyo, shaking the building they were in. The rumble's sound seemed to produce visible waves, rippling through the air like water in a pond, or maybe that was just Seiya's blurred vision.
"Sailor Moon! SAILOR MOON!" Seiya strained his eyes to look at Sailor Moon's limp body hanging in the air. A small trickle of blood extended from her mouth, beads of sweat floating around her head.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Usagi!" Chibi-Usa panicked. She dropped a freshly wet cloth from her hands before charging at Usagi's bedside.
"Wait, be careful!" Yaten jumped from his chair and held back Chibi-Usa's arms, restraining her from touching the twitching Usagi. She was groaning more heavily, her face a visible red as sweat dripped down the side.
"What's wrong with her?" Chibi-Usa cried, still fighting against Yaten's hold. "She looks like she's in pain!"
"Taiki!" Yaten hollered for his friend. He appeared at the door, immediately followed by Haruka, Michiru, Minako, Artemis and Luna. "Help me with her!" Taiki ran over to Yaten and helped restrain the kicking Chibi-Usa.
"What's wrong with her?" Haruka demanded. "How long has she been this bad?"
"Just now." Yaten huffed.
"Something must have happened in the past." Luna distressed. "Something significant changed. Minako- call Setsuna on the communicator and let her know! … Minako!"
"Huh?!" The blonde who had been staring down at Usagi fearfully, snapped too. "R-right."
Chibi-Usa slid onto the floor still in Yaten and Taiki's hold. "This is all my fault…" She grieved, fighting back tears. The two let go of the girl, letting her sit there. "If I hadn't have shown Seiya the stupid time key, if I had just listened-" She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder.
"Chibi-Usa, this is not your fault, I promise you." She looked up at Michiru's comforting words.
"But-"
"And don't worry, we'll help Usagi, and nothing bad will come to this time period, okay? We'll fight to make sure it doesn't, just like always." The small girl wiped at her eyes, and nodded. "C'mon." Michiru helped Chibi-Usa from the ground and started to steer her away.
"Poor girl." Artemis said as he watched Michiru lead her away to her own bedroom, to rest for a while. "This whole situation has to be especially hard on her, and she's still just a kid too…"
Haruka walked over to the doorway and picked up the wet cloth Chibi-Usa had abandoned there. It was still cold. She went to place it on Usagi's forehead, only she was moving around too much. Carefully, she dabbed at her instead.
"Damnit." Haruka cursed. "What is going on back then?"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Sailor Moon!" A mixture of voices shouted; Seiya could only make out his own among them.
"Hee hee…" The Droid smiled, getting ready for the finishing blow. "SAILOR MOON!"
"This can't have been what happened…" Seiya thought desperately. "She's going to die…" He shakily reached down into his pocket, and found what he was looking for. "I won't let that happen!" "Fighter Star Power… Make-Up!" Rid of most the weakness he felt, Seiya transformed into Sailor Star Fighter.
"Like a shooting star breaking through the darkness! Sailor Star Fighter! Stage On!" Everyone turned their head at Fighter's appearance.
"A… Sailor Senshi?" Ami gasped.
"What?!"
"Get away from Sailor Moon you trash!" Fighter yelled. The Droid took aim at her instead.
"Boom Flash!"
"Star Serious Laser!" The attack hit the Droid's and cancelled it out. "How about another one? Star Serious Laser!" Fighter's second attack broke right through the Droids drum.
"Bibibibibibi Furaiki!" It screamed as its own energy electrocuted itself. She fell to the ground shivering.
Star Fighter managed to angle herself around to try and float to Sailor Moon, but somebody else had already beaten her there.
"Sailor Moon? Please wakeup." Tuxedo Kamen smacked her gently against the cheek until she opened her eyes.
"Tuxedo Kamen…" She smiled weakly. "Did you… save me?" He remained quiet for a moment before telling her the truth.
"No," He said. "I got here too late..."
"Then who?"
Tuxedo Kamen looked up at Fighter and Sailor Moon's eyes followed. "Who are you?" He asked.
"I am, Sailor Star Fighter." She said purposely. There was no hiding from this one.
"Sailor?"
"Star Fighter?"
"… A Senshi, but - how?" Makoto finished the parade of confused anxiousness.
Fighter looked to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, ignoring the other girls' perturbation. "Sailor Moon if you are well, you should destroy this thing, and…please know I'll always be here to protect you." Fighter pulled herself back out of the doorway which Sailor Moon originally came, hastily trying to get out of the floating maze and undo her transformation.
"Sailor Moon…" She heard Tuxedo Kamen's voice.
"R-right." Straitening up as much as she could, Sailor Moon pulled out her wand and pointed it at the Droids heart. "Moon Princess Elimination!" It flew right out of one of the glass windows, turning to dust along the way. "Another Sailor Senshi, and…?" Sailor Moon looked around at everyone floating. "Just what's going on here anyway…"
"I'm sorry, it's my fault." Seiya, now untransformed outside the main building and firmly on the ground, could barely make out the Sailor Senshi inside.
"What? Chibi-Usa you caused this?" Ami asked floating closer to the girl.
"Yeah, I'm sorry." Chibi-Usa grabbed at something around her neck. Seiya craned his body inside the building too get a better look but firmly held onto the outside so he wouldn't continue to float upward. He saw in her small hand the exact same key Seiya wore around his own neck.
"It is her. That small dumpling." He had wondered briefly when Usagi mentioned a cousin, and her name had sounded familiar to him too. She had just looked much younger than he would have expected her to.
Chibi-Usa tucked the key back into her shirt and slowly everyone started falling back to the ground. Rei, Minako, Makoto and Ami all landing with a hard thud, sprawled across each other.
"Hey, what the heck is that?" Bruised, but not broken, Makoto grabbed at Chibi-Usa's arm to get a better look at the key.
"Let go! I just wanted to go back home!" She shouted.
"Go back? Home? Where is that?" Rei asked.
"The place where my mom and everybody else are!" Chibi-Usa continued to struggle to escape Makoto's grip.
"Where are your mom and everybody else?" Ami questioned her further. Chibi-Usa lowered her head.
"Where did you come from?" Makoto asked kindly.
"No! Let me go!" The pink haired child shouted.
"If you tell me honestly, I'll help you." Seiya looked at Sailor Moon. "Come on, please tell me. I promise you I'll help…"
"Chibi-Usa Chan, come on, please talk to us." Minako said bending over and placing her right hand on the small child's shoulder. "We'll protect you and-"
"I think that's enough!" Tuxedo Kamen's voice cut her off. "Everyone has things they don't want to talk about."
"But-" Sailor Moon started.
Chibi-Usa smacked away Makoto's arm and ran into Tuxedo Kamen's arms, where he welcomed her with a hug. "Tuxedo Kamen!" She said happily. He picked her up and they both smiled to each other brightly. But Usagi wasn't paying attention as they gazed lovingly at one another. Her mind was elsewhere.
Seiya, squashed against the wall and no longer looking inside so as not to be seen by the staring Sailor Moon, clearly heard her say, "Sailor Star Fighter…"