~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose
I'm sorry guys, I really wish I had more time to work on this story. Before, I had all the time in the world, but now that I work 10 hours a day, go to school, do online classes, and homework, I barely can find time to paint my toenails, let alone write a story. But I won't give up! I hope you stick with me 'til the end, even if updates are so far apart they leave you wondering what the heck happened in the last chapter because it's been so long. Especially those who've been here from the beginning, back when I used to update every single day (Crazy, I know lol). XD
And a big thanks to those who review :) Every comment encourages me to write and update faster, and I'm not just saying that.
Okay, enough excuses. But to make it up to you, this chapter is longer than usual. Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
Chapter 42: All is Fair in Love and War
"What?" Seiya's eyes bugged out.
Usagi stared at Yaten in disbelief. She tried to wrap her mind around what the smallest Starlight was saying. Her friends were back. They were here. On Kinmoku. As the words settled in, anxiety gnawed at her belly.
Seiya glanced over at Usagi. The moon princess's face had gone ashen. Her hands were shaking in her lap.
Yaten shifted her weight from one side of her body to the other impatiently.
"We're supposed to go meet with them," she said, looking directly at Seiya. "The Princess's orders."
"Is Taiki down there?" Seiya swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood.
"I don't know. I don't know anything, the Princess just woke me up a minute ago."
"Where are they?" Seiya asked sharply.
"The entry room." Yaten backed towards the door, nearly tripping on the blanket that she'd animatedly stripped from the bed a minute ago to get Seiya up. Yaten lowered her chin. Her pretty face was scrunched up in fear.
"Hurry, Seiya. This doesn't sound good."
"Right. Thanks."
Yaten beelined out of the bedroom, almost crashing into the dresser on the way. She yanked the door shut behind her, but it didn't close completely. It creaked back open, groaning in protest until it came to a stop against the wall. The sound reminded Usagi of a haunted house.
Seiya eyed her apprehensively. Usagi still sat there in the middle of the bed in a daze. Seiya could only imagine what was going through her head right now.
Usagi bit down on her lip so hard it drew blood. She ran her tongue across the inside of her mouth. It tasted metallic.
"Well, I guess we won't have to go to Earth tomorrow after all," Usagi mumbled. She forced an uneasy laugh. An ache of dread wormed its way through her abdomen.
Seiya watched her, pained.
Usagi scrambled across the bed and got to her feet. "Maybe they have news about Chibi-" Her voice choked up as panic washed over her face. She raised her trembling hands. "Oh no. What if she's... What if they've come to tell me that she's..."
"Bun Head, just stay calm. We don't know that," Seiya touched her arm tentatively.
"Oh my god, Seiya." Usagi's knees felt like spaghetti noodles. She had to grip onto Seiya's forearm to stay upright. "Why else would they be here?" she squeaked.
"Maybe they're here to check on you," Seiya offered. "You left without telling them, right? I'm sure they're just worried. Let's not get carried away."
Usagi tried to keep her breathing in check. "But Yaten looked..." She struggled to find the right word. "Well, she lookef terrified! How can everything be okay?"
Seiya looked away, but didn't answer. Yaten had been pretty shaken. Seiya wondered if she was just emotional about seeing Minako again. She hoped that was the case, and it wasn't because she felt something terrible was about to happen. Yaten's sensitivity could occasionally foresee things, just like the way she could feel when new starseeds were born and died out.
Seiya's heart was throbbing wildly in her chest. The last time the others had shown up, they'd taken Usagi away. Cold anxiety bubbled inside her.
Seiya dove her hand into the pocket of her pajama shorts and fished around. Her fingers brushed against cool metal and soft feathers. Clutching the winged star piece, Seiya whipped her transformation wand out.
Blonde eyebrows knitted together. "What're you doing?"
"This qualifies as our duties. The three of us need to be on our toes."
"Oh. Right..." Usagi's head felt funny, like it was stuffed with cotton balls. She tried to shake off the sluggish, disoriented feeling of just waking up. Now of all times she needed to be alert.
"Fighter Star Power! Make...UP!"
Usagi watched as vibrant colors washed over Seiya's body, eroding her clothes as her leather Starlight uniform materialized in its place. It happened in the blink of an eye.
"Should I transform too?" Usagi asked dizzily, her hand already reaching to her brooch at her chest.
Fighter nodded.
Usagi took a deep breath. Although Seiya was used to walking around as Sailor Star Fighter during her duties around the palace, the only thing Usagi had ever associated transforming with was battles. It seemed uncanny to transform just to talk to the others. But since everyone else was in their guardian forms, it only made sense for her to be too.
"Moon Eternal! Make...UP!"
Sailor Moon opened her eyes as the pink lights and warm feeling fizzed away. She was complete; puffy pink sleeves, golden miniskirt, angel wings and all.
Four blue eyes met, and both guardians nodded. They were ready, for whatever may face them.
Fighter took a step close, the scent of her rose perfume tickling Sailor Moon's tiny nose. Black gloves reached out and interlaced with white gloves. Neither one of them said a word as they walked side by side out of the bedroom and down the hallway.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Sailor Moon's white boots echoed off the floor with each nerve-racking step. She tried to remember what the entry room looked like. It seemed like a year ago that they first arrived on Kinmoku.
As they passed the dining room and made a left into a door-less entryway, her memory was jogged.
The marble floor rolled out in front of them at their feet. It was so glossy, Sailor Moon could see her reflection in it. Her eyes had a crazed look in them, like a feral animal. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so anxious.
Bringing her focus up, she saw the tall walls that stretched out and curled around endlessly. They looked like they should belong in an ancient library with their golden wallpaper. Old-fashioned candles emitted a vanilla fragrance that melted in the olive-scented Kinmokian air. Burgundy furniture was scattered around, serving as a cozy place for guests to wait comfortably if they had meetings with Princess Kakyuu.
The atmosphere was soothing, but Sailor Moon couldn't settle down. It was quiet. Too quiet, almost eerily. Her heart gushed louder in her ears. The second she and Fighter stepped in, her eyes scanned around like a frantic radar.
Sure enough, standing just in front of the palace's main, castle-like doors, were seven sailor guardians looking slightly fraught; Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
"Everyone!" Sailor Moon cried out. Her worries melted like snow when she saw her friends. She rushed forward without thinking, her hand coming undone from Fighter's.
"Bun Head, wait-" Fighter winced as she slipped away.
"I can't believe you're really here!" Sailor Moon crowed as she neared the cluster of sailor guardians. The closer she got to them, the more she was convinced they weren't a mirage going to disappear. Eyes darting to each of them excitedly, she did a head count and noticed Pluto and Tuxedo Mask were not present. She thought those two of all people would be here to reprimand her for her recent actions.
"Yeah, well, if someone hadn't run off by themselves..." Mars rolled her eyes, placing her hands on the hips of her red skirt.
Venus nodded in agreement and turned to scold their leader. "Seriously! You had no idea how freaked out I was when you didn't come back! I figured you came here, but how could've I been sure? You really left us hanging."
Sailor Moon's shoulders drooped. "I'm really sorry everyone, I should've said something. I just... I didn't know what else to do! It was a spur of the moment thing."
"That doesn't surprise me one bit." Mars shot her an annoyed look, but the corners of her mouth slowly upturned into a relieved smile.
"Well," Mercury said, stepping forward. She raised a hand to her ear and pinched her blue earring between her index finger and thumb, making her visor disappear. "What matters now is that you're here."
"And safe," Jupiter added with a warm smile. She gestured over Sailor Moon's shoulder at Fighter, who'd come up behind her.
"Of course I'm safe. The Starlights have been here for me this whole time..." She turned around and smiled, touching Fighter's arm lovingly.
Fighter didn't smile back. In fact, she wasn't even looking at Sailor Moon. Her gaze was locked under Uranus and Neptune's eyes. The couple stood at the back of the group, to the side in a standoffish manner. At first, Fighter was startled to see the three outer guardians here. The last time she had seen them was when they'd regained their starseeds. It hadn't surprised her that they never came to see them off on the rooftop when they departed Earth last year.
They looked nearly the same as Fighter remembered; Uranus appeared mad, Neptune looked unrealistically perfect, and Saturn came off as solemn, like a beautiful, antique porcelain doll.
Fighter had no hard feelings against them, but putting two and two together, it wasn't hard to guess why they were giving her looks like she was nothing more than a human who'd been transformed into a lowly phage.
Sailor Moon followed Fighter's attention, the smile evaporating from her face. She could see the daggers being shot at her lover. Her stomach sunk like it was made of lead.
Sailor Moon took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Listen, I know you're really angry at me for leaving, but I can explain-"
"Save it." Uranus narrowed her eyes on the blonde. Her words were razor-sharp. "We'll hear your excuses when we're back home again."
Sailor Moon's jaw dropped to the floor. "What?"
Fighter took a step forward and thrust her hand out protectively in front of Sailor Moon. "You're not taking her away again," she said firmly.
Neptune's face was laced with authority. "She doesn't belong here. It's because of you that her future is crumbling. Do the right thing and please stand back."
"No. If she wants to leave, she can. I'm not forcing her to stay." Fighter's gaze flitted to Sailor Moon for a brief second, then back to Neptune. "But I won't let you drag her away against her own will. That's wrong."
"Fighter..." Sailor Moon whispered.
"We'll see about that," Uranus muttered under her breath.
Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of heels clicking on marble stole everyone's attention. They turned around to see Princess Kakyuu entering the room. Her flaming hair was tied up under her dark green hat, flowing down in its usual fashion to her waist. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were wide with worry, but she still managed to look collected and in charge, the way a princess should appear.
Trailing at her sides were two of her guardians. Both girls were clad in short leather bottoms, bikini-like tops, and thigh-high boots. Their low ponytails swung back and forth from the nape of their necks with each step.
"Healer!" Venus tore across the room.
Healer stopped in mid-step. Her mouth popped open like a baby bird. Knowing Venus was here and seeing her here were two completely different things. Healer suddenly felt faint, as if she'd stood up too fast.
Venus crashed into her, throwing her arms around Healer's petite frame. Startled, the Starlight stumbled back a few steps, spinning to regain her balance.
"I missed you so much!" Venus gushed, clutching her tight.
"Venus..." Healer murmured into her buttery blonde hair. She smelled like honey and flowers. "I...can't believe you're really here," she choked out, tears stinging her eyes.
"I know, me neither." Venus pulled away, her hands still lingering on Healer's shoulders. She stared at her, speechless.
Healer caressed the blonde's rosy cheek. Venus placed her hand over hers and smiled. Through both of their gloves, she could feel Venus's warmth pulsating. The girl she'd dreamt about for the last week was finally standing in front of her, in the flesh.
Maker coughed awkwardly and turned her attention from the reunited couple to the others.
"Mercury- er... Everyone, what brings you here again?" Her plum-colored eyes didn't leave the guardian of water. She remained by Kakyuu's side, suppressing the urge to approach the others.
There was a long, pregnant pause as nobody answered. Mars studied the swirling texture of the floor at her feet. Jupiter tucked a cappicuno-colored curl behind her ear. Uranus and Neptune exchanged somber glances. Saturn remained silent. Mercury nibbled on her lip.
"Is everything alright?" Kakyuu asked carefully. Sailor Moon's situation lingered in the back of her mind. Should she have let them in? She regretted allowing Pluto and Tuxedo Mask in to turn things upside down the night of the party, but because it was the inner guardians this time, Kakyuu felt like she had no choice.
"No. Everything is not okay," Uranus said.
Sailor Moon sucked in a breath of air. "Is Chibi-Usa...?" Her words wobbled.
Another ocean of silence.
"Guys!" Sailor Moon's voice danced up the scale. "Answer me! Is Chibi-Usa okay?" She stumbled forward, tripping on her own boots. Fighter reached out instantaneously, but Mars stepped forward and caught her instead. She helped Sailor Moon upright again.
Uranus shook her head. "You come back here and have the nerve to ask a question like that? Unbelievable."
Neptune looked disappointed. "I thought higher of you as our Princess. I didn't think you would choose this in the end, but it seems I was mistaken."
"What? I don't...think I know what you're talking about..." She looked to her friends for help, but Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter avoided her eyes. Even Venus, who was still with Healer, had her gaze fixed to the floor.
"You knew that coming here might hurt Chibi-Usa," Saturn whispered sadly. Her purple eyes looked puffy and red as if she'd been crying recently.
"But you did it anyways," Neptune said.
"What...? No, that's not true! You guys have it all wrong! I didn't come to Kinmoku because I was giving up, I came here to get help from the Starlights."
"She's right," Fighter said, coming to her defense. "We were planning on returning to Earth today. To save her daughter. Together."
Uranus walked right up to the lead Starlight. Even with Fighter's heels, the dirty-blonde was several inches taller than her. Intimidating as that was, it didn't stop Fighter from holding her head high, keeping shoulders squared, and tilting her chin up.
"We don't need your help," Uranus growled. "Especially when you're the problem."
Anger flashed in Fighter's eyes. "What'd you just say?" she snapped.
The two of them glared at each other, electrical sparks zapping between their faces. Uranus could see her reflection in Fighter's inky pupils. She didn't know what it was, but Seiya Kou always rubbed her the wrong way.
Fighter could smell the woodsy cologne emanating off the guardian's body. Uranus was intimidatingly close, their noses mere inches apart.
Everyone in the room held their breath. Wide-eyed, Healer and Maker waited anxiously like track runners anticipating the gun to fire and initiate the start of the race. They rocked on their heels, ready to pounce if things suddenly went awry.
The tension in the air was so strong, Fighter could almost taste the stench on her tongue. She felt like at any given second Uranus might throw a punch that would send her flying the way she had during the Galaxia battle. Body tense, Fighter bent her knees in preparation for the oncoming attack.
Finally, after what seemed like a millennium, Uranus sorely turned away without saying a word and went back to the others. On her way back, she took Sailor Moon's thin wrist and dragged her along.
"H-hey! Stop it...!" Sailor Moon cried, attempting to wriggle out of her hold. Sailor Moon planted her feet on the floor to stay in place, but it was useless. The only thing protesting accomplished was leaving skid marks from her boots on the palace floor.
"Let her go!" Fighter reached out and grabbed Uranus's forearm. Uranus swiveled around and jabbed her elbow back, connecting with the Starlight's side. Fighter gasped a jagged breath of air and stumbled back. It wasn't excruciating, but still took her breath away.
"Seiya!" Sailor Moon cried in horror. She glared up at Uranus, too angry to articulate the unpleasant string of words that had welled in her head.
Mars shot forward, followed by Jupiter. The two of them blocked the way, leering at Uranus.
"I told you before we left," Mars said tightly. "I won't let you guys hurt her again."
"Me neither. And if you think so, you're going to have to get through me first," Jupiter bellowed.
Neptune joined her lover's side, her arms folded across her chest.
"This is our duty," she said. "It has to be this way. You will thank us someday when the future is as it should be."
"Bun Head..." Fighter reached after them, helplessly. A sinking feeling anchored her to her spot. She wanted to run after her, but her legs weren't obeying. It felt like someone had super-glued the bottom of her boots to the floor. Her mouth suddenly felt as dry as paper, and her ears started to ring like Sailor Iron Mouse's old-fashioned, telephone. This can't be happening. Not again...
"Now hold on just a second." Kakyuu frowned and took three steps after them. "Sailor Moon has informed us of the situation. I understand that being here with Fighter is endangering her daughter's existence, but surely there has to be another way to cooperate than this." Her voice was taut, as if she was masking how upset she truly was.
Maker crossed her arms. "I wholeheartedly agree. We're involved in this too."
"We should work as one. They can help us," Mercury piped up, eyes glittering at the tallest Starlight.
Sailor Moon nodded quickly. "Yes! We're all sailor guardians!"
Uranus's jaw clenched. "None of you understand. You all seem to have forgotten whose interference is to blame."
"That's not true!" Sailor Moon shrieked, a volcano of anger erupting inside her. With her sudden adrenaline rush, she yanked her hand free of Uranus's grasp. "Seiya didn't do anything wrong! Don't you dare blame this on her!" The room fell hushed, everyone was stunned by her outburst.
Uranus studied her for a long time without saying a word. Finally, she let out a tired sigh and tugged her fingers through her pixie cut, suddenly looking much older than eighteen. "Please don't make this harder on us. We're just fulfilling our duty. Can't you see we're trying to protect you and Crystal Tokyo?"
"I know," Sailor Moon said, "but it doesn't have to be this way. I know that you and Neptune fight differently and that you always have. But putting Seiya down and yelling and fighting doesn't solve anything."
"Sailor Moon is correct. Please undo your transformations," Kakyuu coaxed, "we can discuss this here at the palace before we make any hasty decisions."
Saturn wrapped her fingers more tightly around the metal rod of her glaive.
"But...we don't have that kind of time," she murmured faintly. "Chibi-Usa..." She tilted her head away, bangs falling into her eyes.
Sailor Moon opened her mouth to speak, but only a dry explanation came out. Saturn was right - the clock was counting down like a time bomb. The worst part was that she didn't know how much longer they had. Dauntingly, Chibi-Usa could already be gone for all they knew.
A hot, consuming fear prickled across Sailor Moon's body. Where was Sailor Pluto when they needed her? If she knew Chibi-Usa was okay, she could relax. But she didn't know anything, and it made her want to fall to her knees and cry.
Sailor Moon squeezed her eyes shut. Why couldn't they give her a break? As if this wasn't stressful enough.
"Don't you care?" Uranus asked her. "Your future, even your daughter's life is at stake here." She took a step towards her princess before she could respond. "What happened to you?" She examined Sailor Moon's face as if an answer may lay there. Uranus looked immensely disappointed. "I just can't believe you're that selfish. To let her die as long as you're happy."
Sailor Moon recoiled as if she'd been slapped in the face. Uranus looked so crestfallen, Sailor Moon would almost rather she had lashed out than said those hurtful words. She looked away, filled with shame.
"You're wrong!" Fighter shouted. She marched straight up to Uranus with a fiery look burning in her eyes. "Sailor Moon is not selfish! She's the most honest, caring, and loving person I've ever met! How could you say something terrible like that?" Her whole body was quavering with fury. "Sailor Moon is your Princess!" Fighter went on. "Why don't you listen to her for once? I'm not even her guardian and I think I have more faith in her than you do!"
Uranus scowled. "You wouldn't defend her if you knew the half of it."
"Then enlighten us," Healer retorted sarcastically, circling around towards them. Venus hesitated, but hurried after her.
The muscle near Uranus's lip twitched. Her eyes, steady on Fighter, narrowed. "Her idealistic ways nearly destroyed the world once before," she said bitterly.
Fighter frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Sailor Moon squeezed her eyes shut, knowing exactly what Uranus was referring to. She tried to block the memories out, but dreadful images from two years ago flooded back into her mind like a damn had broken; the chaotic destruction, the shaking ground, the dark lightning that set the sky afire. The world had almost ended because of Sailor Moon's optimism and determination that Hotaru could be saved, despite the fact she was possessed by Mistress 9, and was ultimately the soldier of destruction. After she'd handed over the Holy Grail to the hands of the enemy, it seemed to be the end.
Uranus had fallen to her knees in defeat. Her hoarse voice had screamed out, "Sailor Moon, are you happy now? ANSWER ME!"
A shiver ran to the end of her spine. Sailor Moon pushed the haunting memories away.
"But the world was saved and Hotaru survived," she pointed out, standing taller.
Uranus pursed her lips. "Barely."
Neptune nodded. "Regardless of what happened in the end, we have to do what we know is right. So the past doesn't repeat itself... So the future is corrected..."
Sailor Moon stared at them incredulously. They don't believe in me, she realized. They don't think I can find a way to have both Chibi-Usa and Seiya.
She bawled her fists, feeling insulted. What would she have to do before she could fully win over their trust? How many times would she have to save them to prove herself worthy? Her hope to save Hotaru had succeeded, but Uranus and Neptune couldn't look past the fact that it nearly hadn't. They couldn't look past the fact of working together with the Sailor Starlights against Galaxia either, even though they had a similar enemy. Why did they have to make things so difficult? Why did they always have to challenge her like this?
"You know, the way you treat your princess baffles me," Healer interrupted loudly. She shook her head, realizing just how different things worked on Kinmoku and Earth. She could never imagine Fighter or Maker bossing Kakyuu around the way some of the guardians dictated Sailor Moon's decisions. Healer didn't understand how Sailor Moon took it. If that was her, she would've kicked their asses by now and shown them who was boss.
"Please stay out of this." Neptune sent Healer a frozen glare.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Healer shot back.
"Stop it, please," Sailor Moon begged, hurrying between her comrades. "Don't fight anymore! I don't want this!"
"You're right. Enough is enough." Uranus reached towards her. "We're leaving, whether you like it or not."
Sailor Moon shrugged away before Uranus could touch her.
"No," she replied sternly. "If you take me, then you take Fighter with too. That's the deal."
"Bun Head..." Fighter's heart swelled.
Uranus let out a pent-up breath. She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, right between her eyebrows, as if she was trying to mitigate a headache. When she finally glanced up, there was a new, searing passion etched on her face.
"I don't want to do this. But if that's the way you're going to be, you leave us no choice." Uranus looked at Neptune knowingly. They nodded in unison.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Fighter demanded.
Sailor Moon paled. She knew that frenzied look aflame in their blue and green eyes all too well, unfortunately. It was the same determined countenance they wore when they'd sought after retrieving a heart crystal.
The duo stood side to side, their faces raw and driven. The inner guardians were dumbstruck, frozen in confusion. Healer and Maker tensed. Saturn gripped her glaive so tightly, it looked like it was going to snap in two.
"What is going on?" Kakyuu asked shrilly.
They ignored her. Uranus manifested her talisman sword out of a soft, amber glow between her hands. Her fingers wrapped around the golden hilt. The razor-sharp edge glinted like a deadly knife. Neptune pulled out her mirror. Raising the powerful reflector away from her body, her elbows bent in a protective stance.
"Stop! It doesn't have to be this way," Sailor Moon pleaded. "Please... It doesn't always have to come down to this! Put your weapons away, I don't want to fight you two!"
"Stand aside," Neptune commanded. "They need to understand how serious this is."
The blood drained from Sailor Moon's face when she realized it wasn't her they planned on attacking. "What? No!" She lunged to throw herself in front of Fighter, the same way Seiya had done to protect her from Sailor Tin Nyanko's gun, but Neptune was too quick.
The guardian of the sea was fast to put Sailor Moon's petite body in a tight lock. One hand wrapped around her stomach, and the other clasped Sailor Moon's hands together behind her back.
"NO!" Sailor Moon struggled and thrashed, but Neptune was stronger than she looked. Horrifyingly, this seemed too familiar. When they had challenged Sailor Moon to a duel after the Mistress 9 ordeal, Neptune had held Sailor Moon down like this on her knees while Uranus charged at her in full-on attack mode. Only this time, Uranus was running forward with a sword and her target wasn't Sailor Moon.
It was Sailor Star Fighter.