~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose
A/N: 11/23/20 - This chapter was written in June 2013, six years before Billie Eilish released the song, "The Bad Guy". As I edit this story, I find it even more fitting now; the title for this chapter. Especially since almost every chapter in this story is titled after a song. This one originally wasn't, but it can be now. #coincidencemuch?
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
Chapter 23: The Bad Guy
The wind howled in the dead of the night, rattling tree branches against the apartment window. They scraped the glass like fingernails on a chalkboard.
The crescent moonlight burned treacherously into the room, dancing ominous shadows on the walls. Lying in his bed, his blankets strangled him like a boa constrictor. Wrapping tighter and hotter against his muscular body until it hurt to breath. Mamoru rolled over, stuffing his face into the pillow. The nightmare raged on, consuming his mind.
"Usako!" he called hopelessly into the darkness. In the distance, the beautiful girl with silvery blonde hair wrapped her delicate arms around a figure. She closed her eyes and rested her head onto the shoulder of the mysterious silhouette. Usagi didn't react to his pleading voice. Mamoru made an attempt to run towards her, but his legs wouldn't obey. It was as if they were tree trunks, rooted to the Earth.
Suddenly, the sun began to rise, a gigantic fireball that made him shield his eyes.
The morning sunlight reflected off Usagi's shimmering hair and warmed her body. She was wearing a thin gown of white that clung to her porcelain skin. The figure she clutched onto was none other than Seiya Kou. Although she looked vaguely familiar, Mamoru didn't recognize her at first. It was the long ponytail cascading over her shoulder that jogged his memory. 'She's the leader of the Starlights'. He remembered bidding them farewell on the rooftop a year ago.
Seiya wrapped her arms around Usagi in a gentle, yet protective, loving gesture. She too was wearing a similar gown, but of blue. Usagi ran her hands up the girl's back and to her shoulders. She tangled her fingers at the nape of her neck. Standing on her tip toes, she stretched up, closing her glittering blue eyes. Mamoru watched in horror as their lips met in a tender kiss.
"Usako!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, though he knew it was futile. 'Why? Why would she...? What's going on?!'
A glistening light caught the corner of his eye. He glanced around as the sunlight lit the surroundings. 'No...this can't be!' Tall, glass-like buildings pointed up towards the orange sky. They were sharp and geometrically shaped like diamonds growing from the ground.
Crystal Tokyo. If Mamoru could have moved, he would have stumbled backwards and fell on his butt. His eyes tore back from the glittering skyscrapers to the couple so close, yet so far away. That look in Usagi's eyes was something he'd never seen before. Passion. Love. Desire. She seemed so infatuated with the woman she couldn't see or hear anything else around her. Mamoru didn't know what to do. He could sense it was a dream, but it was nothing like he had ever felt before. He hadn't dreamed of Crystal Tokyo in years. It certainly hadn't looked like this.
"Mamo!"
Mamoru whipped around. At first he thought it was Usagi's voice, but it was too close. Standing to his side was a young girl who appeared to be eleven or twelve years old. She had big, crimson eyes filled with fear, and cotton candy pink hair tied in familiar cone-shaped buns.
"Chibi-Usa!" He gasped. He hadn't seen his daughter in two years, since she'd left after the defeat of Queen Nehelania. Seeing her face after so long was surprising, even if it was just a dream. Between Seiya and Chibi-Usa, it dawned on him that something wasn't right.
She threw herself around her father. "Mamo! Please! You have to do something!" she wailed into his chest. She clenched her fingers at his shoulders as she wept. Her grip was feeble and feathery like she'd lost all of her strength.
Mamoru's eyes widened in confusion. "Chibi-Usa, what's going on? What happened?" he asked.
The girl stepped away. She looked faint and discolored like someone had bleached her of color. "Mamo, I'm disappearing!" Chibi-Usa cried. "You have to do something before it's too late!"
He grabbed her hand, only to find he couldn't. His fingers traveled right through her as if she were an apparition. He could still see her, but with each passing second, she grew fainter and fainter. The grass behind her slowly became visible through her body.
"Chibi-Usa! What's going on? Why are you fading?" he asked frantically. He could feel his daughter drifting away right before his very eyes.
"Please, stop her!" Chibi-Usa cried. "Or I'll be gone for good!" She wrapped her arms around her stomach.
"Stop who?"
Chibi-Usa nodded over her shoulder. Mamoru's eyes traveled back to the two women embracing. He realized she must be talking about Usagi. If that was the case, he'd have no problem stopping that from continuing.
"Mama," she whispered. "Stop Mama." With those last words, she vanished.
Mamoru grasped for her. "Chibi-Usa!" he yelled, grabbing fistfuls of air where she once stood. Her pleading voice, sweet and innocent, rang like a bell in his memories. His daughter, whom he'd known for so long was now gone forever in the blink of an eye.
"Ah!" Mamoru jerked up into a sitting position. Bringing his hand to his forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut, and breathed heavily. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his body drenched in a cold sweat. Frustrated, he yanked the hot blankets off his body and chucked them to the floor. What the hell?
His apartment was dark, the slim moonlight shining through the window offered little for his eyes to see. Scrape. Scrape. The tree branches clawed at the glass. Mamoru reached for his bottled water on the nearby nightstand. Chugging the whole thing in one swig, he crushed the empty plastic in his hand.
This is why Setsuna came here yesterday, isn't it? It all makes sense now. This is bad, I can't believe I didn't see it coming! Seiya Kou. What kind of a monster are you? I won't let you take my Usako away from me like that. Not when Chibi-Usa's life is on the line. I won't allow it.
Mamoru clenched his teeth, the pain was overwhelming. Right at that very second, Usagi was on her planet, out of his reach. Although it killed him to admit, he knew Seiya couldn't be the only one at fault. He always feared that Usagi had never let her go, and now he was sure of it. It made him wonder how close the two of them had really become during his absence. The way Usagi looked into that woman's eyes was something else. He didn't like it.
He lowered himself back down, resting his head on the pillow. It was damp, covered from sweat. He flipped it over and rolled so he was facing the wall. One thing was for sure: he knew who he needed to talk to tomorrow. That is, if Setsuna hadn't already left.
Usagi woke up the next morning on the red couch. She and Seiya had ended up watching a movie together last night, and she fell asleep in her arms halfway through it. The morning sunlight fluttered in through the window, lighting the bedroom. It was another wonderful day on Kinmoku.
Sitting up, she realized that Seiya wasn't with her. Usagi rubbed her eyes and stretched. Huh? She looked down at the cashmere blanket in hand. This wasn't here last night...Seiya must have put it on me this morning. Usagi smiled to herself, feeling her heart warm at the kind gesture. She really does care about me, doesn't she?
"Hey, you're finally up."
Usagi looked over her shoulder, startled to see Sailor Star Fighter standing on the other side of the bedroom. The tall girl walked towards her wearing a familiar guardian uniform. Her hips swayed in short, black leather shorts, thigh-high boots sinking into the carpet with each step. Star-shaped earrings dangled from her ears accompanied by a thin, gold tiara across her forehead. Usagi hadn't seen her in her Sailor Guardian form since they first arrived on their planet. Was something wrong? Did something happen while she was asleep?
"Seiya?" she asked, confused.
Fighter walked around the couch and stood right in front of her. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you last night. I've got duty this morning. We've had the past few days off, but it's my turn today. I don't think I'll be done 'til this afternoon. Then Taiki, Yaten, and I have rehearsal and some other stuff to do so..." Fighter gave an apologetic smile.
Although she was relieved everything was okay, it was hard to hide her disappointment. She was hoping the two of them could hang out and do something fun. She'd forgotten they had a lot to do between rehearsal, preparations, and duties. Stupid me, Usagi thought. We're the ones who showed up out of the blue uninvited. Of course they already have plans. We've probably been getting in the way.
"Sorry, it's going to be pretty busy for the next two days," Fighter said, mistaking Usagi's quietness. "But hey, I'll make it up to you at the party. I'll spend the whole night with you by my side, 'kay?"
Usagi nodded, mindlessly finger-combing her locks over her shoulder. Seiya was already up and ready while she was still in bed. It made her feel even worse. "Of course! I understand. You guys have stuff to do, it can't be helped. We'll be fine, go on."
"Thanks for understanding." Fighter leaned one knee on the couch and eased in. Cupping Usagi's face with one hand before she could object, she kissed her softly on the cheek, just barely missing her lips on purpose.
Usagi stared up into the guardian's dazzling eyes as she pulled away. She could still feel the heat on her skin where her lips had been. Since Seiya had gotten sick, she was void of having those kisses. It was pleasant to have them back, especially now that she had no real reason to object.
Fighter smiled at her response and leaned in again, kissing her lightly on the other cheek as if she couldn't help herself. "Later, Bun Head," she whispered. She stepped back off the couch and waved.
"So, uh, I take it that you're feeling better?" Usagi called after her.
Fighter nodded. "Yes. It's all thanks to you that I've recovered so quickly. I don't know what I'd do without you, Bun Head."
Usagi shook her head. "No, it was nothing..." she mumbled. "Just...don't push yourself too hard, okay? You've still got to recover your voice."
"Don't worry, I"ll be fine. See you tonight."
"Bye."
Fighter gave one last smile before leaving.
Usagi sighed. After a minute of letting the news sink in, she finally got up and wandered back to her own room down the hall. It was going to be very dull without Seiya around. I hope the party comes quickly.
"Aw man, this sucks!" Minako whined. She flopped backwards onto her bed, her arms and legs spread out like she was going to make a snow angel in the sheets.
"What?" Rei asked, looking up from her magazine. She was sitting cross-legged on her own bed, on the other side of their room. Minako had dragged herself in after breakfast, upset about something.
"We aren't gonna get to see the Starlights very much until the party," Minako pouted. "What are we supposed to do around here? I want to go shopping again or something fun."
Rei rolled her eyes, setting the magazine down. "In other words, you're going to go crazy without seeing Yaten. Oh Minako, you're hopeless."
A warm blush bloomed on her face. "Yaten? Huh? Why'd you bring her up?" she sputtered. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind was rreeling. Oh no! How did she find out?!
Rei crossed the room and sat down on the edge of Minako's bed. She peered over her. "You don't have to hide it anymore, I know about you two," Rei said.
"Yaten...and me? Rei, why do you think that? Ahaha..."
Rei rolled her eyes. "Come on Minako, I know you better than anyone else. I can tell when you're in L-O-V-E," she teased, spelling out the word.
"What? No! We're not like that! I swear!"
"Then why is your face turning all sorts of red?"
Minako grabbed a nearby pillow and stuffed it over her burning face. "It's not!"
"Yes it is! Red like a cherry." Rei tried to pry it away from her face, but she only clenched it tighter. "Just spill, how long have you two been an item?"
"I'm telling you, we're not together!"
"Fine, I guess I'll just go ask Yaten myself if you won't admit it." Rei made a move to climb off the bed.
Minako's hand blindly reached out after her. Her voice was muffled as she spoke. "Don't! You can't tell anyone, Rei! Yaten doesn't want anyone to know."
"Why not?"
Minako removed the pillow and pulled herself into a sitting position, facing her friend. She hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't know. I think she's afraid Seiya and Taiki will give her hell. She doesn't get close to people, and especially not in that way. I think it's kind of embarrassing for her to admit. I promised I'd keep it a secret Rei, and I already spilled to Usagi a few days ago, so..."
Rei raised her eyebrows. "You told Usagi?" She couldn't help but feel hurt. After all, it was Usagi, and she could be a bit...ditzy.
"I didn't think it would hurt and it just kind of slipped out. I'm sorry for not telling you. I was going to, but I-"
"Don't worry yourself over it," Rei said quickly. "I'm just glad things are working out for you."
"Thanks. But hey, how did you know anyways, Rei?"
Rei gave her a look that said, you've got to be kidding me. She held up her hand and counted off each finger. "Saying her name in your sleep, flirting with her at lunch, wearing pajamas that clearly belong to her, and practicing that song with her for hours upon end..."
"Okay, okay, okay," Minako giggled. "I get it. You can stop now."
"She must really be something to make you this happy."
Minako nodded. "She is. I've been with people in the past, but this time is something special. Even though she comes off as impatient and cold-hearted, she's really just afraid of getting hurt by people and ends up pushing them away. But once you get to know her, she's really sweet and sensitive. And did I mention super cute!" Minako gushed.
"I'm happy for you."
"Thanks. I just hope it lasts..."
"What do you mean?"
Minako's slender shoulders rose and fell. "I don't know. It's going great now that I've convinced her to give us a shot, but the reason Yaten didn't want to start this is because we're not from the same planet. I want her to come with me back to Earth, but I know I can't ask her to do that. She's got her princess and duties here. I'd gladly stay so I could be with her, but I know I'd become homesick eventually. I still have my dream of being an idol and my own duty as a guardian too. Kinmoku isn't my home, I don't belong here. I bet she feels the same way about Earth."
"It looks like you and Usagi are in the same boat..." Rei mumbled.
Minako snapped her head up. "What did you just say?"
Rei's eyes widened. "Nothing!"
Minako studied her face. "You know about Usagi and Seiya, don't you? Did she tell you too?" she asked.
"No, well...yes. Minako, how do you know about them?" She didn't think Usagi wanted anyone to know about her and Seiya yet. Had she changed her mind?
"She told me a few days ago. When we were locked in that closet for hours we ran out of things to talk about and it just came up. She was really torn between Mamoru and Seiya. I told her to listen to her heart. I haven't asked her about it since, but I think I know who she chose."
"So we're the only ones who know about this mess?"
"I think so. She and Seiya are gonna have to work something out too. As selfish as it is, I'm glad Yaten and I aren't in this alone."
Rei put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're not alone. No matter how bad you guys are messing things up, I'll be here for you and Usagi. We'll think of something," she said. What else could we do? We'd go home and she and Usagi would be miserable all over again. I don't want to be the bad guy. It doesn't matter anyways, Usagi will do what she wants in the end, and Minako can't go a day without seeing Yaten, let alone the rest of her life. All I can do now is pray this thing doesn't blow up in our faces and be there for them, come hell or high water.
A grin lit up her face. "Thanks, Rei," Minako said. She reached out and gave her a hug.
Startled, Rei smiled. Closing her eyes, she hugged her friend back. She could smell her orange-scented shampoo and feel the heat of her soft body. She wanted to hold onto her forever. It killed her that it had to be this way.
"Uh, Rei?"
"Huh?" Rei opened her eyes, realizing how long she'd been embracing her. "Oh - sorry," Rei said and awkwardly pulled away.
"Ahaha, It's fine," Minako replied, tucking a strand behind her ear. It was quiet for a few seconds.
Rei changed the subject. "So...? How's it going with Yaten?" she asked, leaning in and narrowing her eyes with a devious gleam. "Have you guys kissed yet or not?" she demanded.
Minako's face flushed again. "What?! Rei!"
"Judging from your reaction I'd say that's a yes," Rei mused. She stuck her tongue out.
"That's not any of your business!" Minako laughed. "But since you asked...yes! Once or twice."
Rei pushed her shoulder playfully. "Get out! How was it? When was it? Come on, Minako, I know you, your dying to tell someone."
"Well, I guess you're right. Okay, so the first time - oh my god, I just about died - so we were..."
It was a bright and sunny afternoon, not a cloud in the blue sky. The cicadas were buzzing, the birds were chirping, and the air carried the scent of fresh-cut grass.
Hotaru Tomoe walked lightly down the block with the hot sun beating down on her. Luckily she was wearing a hat her father had bought her to protect her pale complexion. Despite the warm weather, Hotaru dressed in her usual long-sleeves and tights. She carried a woven basket in her hands.
Today was a good day. She'd spent the afternoon in the park with her father on a picnic. They had spent the earlier part of the morning making sandwiches and cutting fruits and vegetables. Young children were playing happily around them when they were about to leave.
"Is it okay if I stop by Haruka-Papa's and give them some of the extra cookies?" Hotaru had asked while they packed up their picnic.
"Of course, sweetie. You go on ahead, I'm going to finish packing up and head home. Is that alright?" Souichi Tomoe replied with a smile.
"Of course, daddy. The walk isn't too far to the bus station. I'll see you later then!"
Hotaru continued down the block. The Victorian-style house was just up ahead. It was a large home located in a more rural area of Tokyo, surrounded by lush trees and a white fence. She made her way up the driveway and to the door. Hotaru looked at her wrist. 1:12 PM. I hope they're home, these cookies are delicious if I do say so myself! Maybe I should have called first, oh well.
Knock, knock. After waiting for a few minutes, there still was no reply. Well that's odd, Setsuna-Mama is usually done with classes by now. The three of them had made it a point that she was welcome whenever she liked. After all, it was her second home. Hotaru hesitantly pulled the door open and stepped inside.
"Hello? Is anyone home? It's Hotaru," she called. Slipping her shoes off in the entryway, she walked down the hallway. The wooden floor felt glossy under her socks. "Is anyone here?" Hotaru sighed. I guess they're not back yet. I'll just leave the cookies here and go. She turned in the direction of the kitchen when a harsh voice made her freeze in her tracks.
"This is crazy! I knew we shouldn't have let her go, Michiru! The second you saw her in your mirror, we should have hauled her ass back here!"
Hotaru tensed. There was no mistake about it, that was Haruka's voice. It was coming from the living room at the end of the hall. Hotaru hesitantly made her way towards it.
"I just don't understand, Mamoru is such a nice man. Their future was so perfect, why throw it away? And for what?" The voice was light and airy, belonging to a curly haired Neptunian Princess.
"I know. I do not fully understand as well. I believe she has her reasons though," came a third voice, the most mature of the three.
Setsuna-Mama is here after all, Hotaru thought. She chewed on her thumbnail. What are they talking about?
"Like what?" Michiru's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Perhaps their relationship wasn't as perfect as it seemed," Setsuna said calmly.
"I don't care! No matter what, this is just unacceptable!" Haruka raged. "I won't just sit around and stand for it. We need to act now."
Hotaru sucked in a sharp breath of air. She couldn't stand this mystery any longer, and eavesdropping wasn't good for her health. She gathered her courage and stepped into the living room. "What's going on?" she asked.