Chapter 8: Memories Are Forever, Part II
* * are for emphasis
Thoughts are in these thingies ~ ~
AN is Author's Notes
Standard Disclaimers Apply (I'm so SICK of saying that! Everyone knows I make no
claim to owning anything having to do with Sailor Moon besides the idea for this fanfic.
Sigh I am so put upon -_-)
Notes at bottom (Where else?)
Tanoshimu!
* * * * *
"Oi. Come on, now. Wake up."
Usagi felt the hand on her shoulder, shaking, shaking, shaking, as the voice
murmured on insistently, but dimly, as if both the hand and the voice were coming from
very far away. She frowned groggily, trying to move away from the annoying hand while
tuning out the voice. She was very good at tuning out. But just then –
"Usako. You have to wake up."
Her eyes snapped open. Mamoru's face was before her, a tenseness in his jaw and
a V creasing his forehead, telling her he was deeply worried about something.
~Wait a minute~
~Mamoru . . .?~
"Mamo-chan!" She quickly shot upright, unease coloring her face and tone.
"What
happened to your transformation?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, Usako, but it's happened to
all of us."
She looked around, *seeing*, for the first time, that they were not at their intended
destination. She only noticed as an afterthought that she and the other Senshi were in
their normal street clothes. The surroundings demanded too much of her attention to
leave room for such a mundane concern as missing transformations to detract from it.
She only took a second to feel for her brooch and, finding it still on her chest bow, gave
in to mixed feelings of puzzlement, astonishment, and awe.
It was all around grey, rocky, and *empty*. It was the emptiness that was most
oppressive. Usagi *knew*, with a certainty reserved only for absolutes, that they six were
the only ones in the entire . . . wherever this was. The silence was the silence of complete
and utter nothingness, and that might have been enough to throw her into a hysterical fit
of fright if not for the accompanying feel that the emptiness was . . . waiting. A soft,
subtle sort of waiting, a feeling that underscored the grey and the rocks and the ruins
wherever one looked.
~What the – ? Ruins?~
She focused on what she had thought had been a pile of jumbled rocks at first.
The jumble resolved itself into broken columns, battered staircases, wrecked buildings,
shattered walkways, and just a general mélange of destruction. And it was all grey. It
was as if the environs had leeched the remains of whatever color, whatever *life*, they
might once have held.
"Everything's . . . dead." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to shut
out the overwhelming bleakness. What made it worse was that everything wasn't *just*
dead. It had been murdered. The marks of violent death were everywhere. But old, very
old. The pain of all that had been lost resonated sharply with something deep within her.
Usagi shuddered as the centuries-old echo of that pain rolled through her.
"Usako." Mamoru held her by the shoulders. She blinked and focused on his
concerned features, grateful that he had interposed his body between her and the ruins.
His voice and manner were very tender, very careful. He helped her to her feet and asked
gently,
"Do you realize where we are?"
She looked at him,
mystified. She knew where they
*weren't*, but why was he
asking that question, in that tone, as if he expected *her* to know?
No, not *know*. Realize. Understanding dawned and slowly, oh so very slowly,
she raised her head to gaze at the night sky. For night it was, the stars flashing brightly
with a light that could never be seen from Earth's surface. It had been daybreak when
they'd left. Trembling more than a little, she turned her head.
Earth stood out against the silver-black backdrop (AN: That's one hell of a tongue
twister ^_~) like a blue-white jewel, glowing brilliantly with a glory all its own. Usagi
stared, bedazzled and more than a little in shock, until Rei's voice broke the awed hush.
"We – are on – the Moon. WE – ARE – ON – THE – MOON!" Her tone was
shaky and more than a bit wild, as if she didn't, couldn't, quite believe what she was saying.
The rest of the girls were in a similar state, unable to believe what was right in front of
their eyes. They started babbling at one another like the frightened teenagers they were
instead of the reincarnated saviors of the world they were supposed to be. Finally, one
rational voice cut through the furor.
"We are on the Moon." Spoken that way, entirely calm, wholly sure, fully in
control, Mamoru sounded like he might have been commenting that they were just out for
a walk in the park, or a stroll to the arcade. He made it sound *real*. He looked each girl
in the eye until he was satisfied they had come to their senses, then said, "Perhaps
someone might figure out what we are doing here at all, for I seem to recall that we were
aiming for D-Point in the North Pole. Right?" He raised an eyebrow at Ami, who started
and blushed, then pulled out her computer and began typing furiously. Mamoru surveyed
the others while they waited, Usagi's hand gripped deathly tight in his the only sign that
he was just as uneasy as the girls. She surely noticed, but said nothing, only gripped back
just as tightly, matching pressure for pressure. For that, the hold and the silence both, he
was grateful. Grateful and proud. His Usako was so strong when it was needed, he
would've felt ashamed by his fear if he hadn't known she was just as scared, more-so
probably, than he was. But he was proud she was controlling it so well.
So were the Senshi, for that matter. Once a lucid, familiar voice had spoken up
and confirmed reality, the girls seemed to be handling it well. Rei was kneeling, doing a
little prayer thingie to measure the vibes of the place they'd landed in, Ami was still
typing, Makoto was poking around the ruins, careful not to touch anything, and Minako
was trying to henshin, unsuccessfully, with her pen.
Usagi shifted at his side, whispering, "How do you think we got here?"
Mamoru shrugged. "I don't know, Usako. Ami might be able to tell us."
She moistened dry lips, speaking hesitantly. "*Why* do you think we're here?"
"I don't know that either," his tone turned grim, "but I'm sure we'll find out."
She looked at him quietly for a few moments, then nodded. Her other hand joined
the one already holding his, and she clung as if her life depended on that unbreakable
grasp.
"Minna." Ami's soft voice drew them all to her as she continued. "I don't know
who, and I'm not sure how exactly, but someone or something – *grabbed* us, is the
closest I can come – in mid-teleport and pulled us here. And that same power is blocking
us from transforming."
"Probably one of Beryl's traps to keep us out of the way while she takes over
Earth," Mako growled, cracking her knuckles angrily, helplessly.
Rei shook her head, a strange look on her face. "No. No, I don't think it's Beryl.
There isn't any hint of the Dark Kingdom here. None at all. Not even old traces from – "
she hesitated.
"From when they invaded the Moon centuries ago," Minako finished flatly.
Rei nodded reluctantly and said, "There should be. There are other traces, many
others, and the ruins show obvious signs of battle, not just the falling down type of
disrepair you'd see if it had been abandoned." She waved a hand behind her, the gesture
teeming with repressed frustration and nervousness.
"Yes." Usagi sounded so odd, so distant, that the others glanced at her in concern.
Her eyes were glazed, unseeing, or perhaps seeing something more, something beyond
ordinary sight.
Mamoru slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders, suggesting, "Maybe we
should find this mysterious power and see what it wants from us."
The girls agreed, and Ami tapped a few keys, then pointed to the ruins. "There's
an energy signature over that way."
Mako grimaced. "I was afraid you'd say that." Then she shrugged
philosophically and took point. Ami followed, still typing away, while Rei, walking next
to her, concentrated on separating the myriad feelings she was picking up on. Mamoru
and Minako brought up the rear with a very distracted Usagi sheltered between them.
The unreserved desolation of the place discouraged any inclination for talk. Even
if mundane chatter might have been comforting, there was a-a *feel* to the air that
prevented it. No one wanted to breach the silence that had permeated the ruins for
centuries any more than absolutely necessary. It seemed disrespectful, somehow. As if to
disturb whatever presence that slept here, waiting, would be to awaken a leviathan too
awesome to contemplate, too transcendent to comprehend by those less than it.
The shattered ruins were scrupulously avoided, but even so, when they passed
through a narrow area, Minako brushed against a wall portion that was still standing. She
jumped back almost immediately, gasping in surprise as the seemingly solid rock
crumbled to powdery dust without a sound. The others turned to stare, then looked at one
another, wide-eyed with superstitious fear. All except Usagi, that is, who didn't seem to
notice anything was amiss. Finally, Mako gulped audibly and whispered, "Come on."
She started out again, beckoning for the rest of them to follow.
As they were walking, Ami quietly issued directions every so often. It soon
became clear that they were headed to the center of the ruined city. For city it had been.
If the ruins were any indication, it had been a glorious city indeed. Memories were
sparked and happy times recalled as a familiar sight was recognized under the damask of
destruction and bleak greyness. These memories were incomplete at best, the overall
picture remembered better than specific details. But the memories were there, and Usagi
was the one who felt them most strongly. If she wasn't blank and unresponsive, she was
flinching and whimpering in pain. When it was apparent she could go no further on her
own, Mamoru scooped her up in his arms and she buried her face in his shirt, trembling
uncontrollably.
The girls stopped and gathered around their friend worriedly. "Should we stop?"
Ami asked. "Go on and leave you two here, maybe?"
"No," Mamoru said softly. "No, she'll be all right. It's just a bit much for her. And
I think," an unreadable expression flickered across his features, "I think she's being
affected by this presence we all feel. She may be what it's been waiting for."
The girls looked wary and uncertain. They obviously hadn't thought of that.
Mako ventured, "Is that a good thing? If this presence is what's keeping us from
transforming . . ."
"I don't think we're in danger. At least," he amended, "not from anything here."
"How do you know that?" Minako challenged.
"A feeling. I can't explain more clearly than that. Don't you feel it?"
Rei nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's there, all around us. It's almost like – "
"Almost like coming home."
Usagi's voice startled them, so unexpected was it. Her head was up, her eyes
clear and focused on her friends. In a strong voice she said, "Put me down. I'm okay
now." When Mamoru hesitated, she smiled gently and reassured them, "Honto, minna.
Daijoubu."
Once on her feet, Usagi immediately started off. Her friends had to rush to keep
up with her, and nothing they called out slowed her in the least. She obviously knew
where she was going, and the determination in her stride spoke louder than any shout that
she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.
She stopped abruptly at the top of a rise in the land, staring intently at something
hidden from the others' view by the hilltop. When they reached her, they saw what had
made her halt so suddenly.
"This is it," Ami breathed, clutching her computer spasmodically.
"How did she know?" Minako asked rhetorically.
Usagi shook her head. "It just . . . felt *right*, if that makes any sense."
"I think we all understand." Mamoru threaded his fingers through hers and the six
stood motionless, studying their destination.
A single, intact pillar stood upright about thirty paces in front of them, apparently
made of crystal, or a substance very much like. It was undamaged, and as they drew
nearer, they saw that, unlike the adjacent landscape, this spire had retained its color. The
blue-white of centuries old ice, it flickered and gleamed with a weird inner light.
"This is it?" Rei wondered softly.
"Ami-chan?" Mako said.
"This is definitely what my computer's scanners were picking up. There is a
power contained within this spire," Ami confirmed.
"What now?" Mako demanded.
"Why don't we – " Mamoru began, then broke off as Usagi's hand slipped from his
and she moved to within touching distance of the spire.
"Usako?"
She half-turned, murmuring, "It's all right. Don't be afraid." Her attention was
wholly fixated on the spire. She was so intent she didn't even feel it when Mamoru
grabbed her hand. She just stepped closer and raised her free hand, laying it flat against
the smooth side of the spire. The light inside flickered several more times, each flicker
weaker than the one before, until it finally died out altogether. The spire appeared as
dead as the rest of the ruins.
* * * * *
Rei: Usagi-baka! You've really done it now!
Usagi: Nuh-uh! Didn't do nuthin' but touch it!
Rei: With you, that's all it takes!
Usagi: Rei-chan's mean! sticks out tongue
Rei: Yeah? Well you're stupid! sticks out tongue
Usagi: talks around tongue Bossy, loud-mouthed brat!
Rei: talks around tongue Clumsy, whiny coward!
Ami nervously breaks into the name-calling tongue war while Makoto, Minako,
and Mamoru stand back and sigh.
Ami: Um, guys? I think we should get back to the story. There are a lot of nice
people waiting to see what happens.glances at the nice people, thoroughly embarrassed
Usagi and Rei's mouths snap shut and their eyes grow *very* round as they slowly
turn their heads to meet all the angry stares directed at them from the 'nice' people. They
gulp and grin sickly as their faces turn an identical shade of red.
Minako: I think they get it.
Mamoru: apologizes to all the nice people Sorry about that everyone.
Mako: nods, satisfied, and grins evilly It won't happen again.
MaiyaV: Maybe. insert sunny smile here Back to the show!
* * * * *
Slowly the light flashed back into being, growing brighter, stronger, until the
whole column was aglow. Faintly, an image could be seen forming in the center on the light.
It grew and solidified until all present could make out the shape of a tiny woman, no more
than knee high. Usagi let her hand fall away and she stepped back. The lady followed
her movement, gliding out of the column 'til all that connected her to it was a thread of
light. She hovered chest height in the air, eyes closed, absolutely motionless.
"She looks like Usagi," Mako breathed.
She did indeed, but an older, more mature version, for all her size. Or, rather, lack
of size. The lady's facial structure was almost identical, and her hair was styled in
odagoes. The most telling similarity was the crescent moon mark on her forehead. But
this lady possessed such a regal bearing that nothing, not even her diminutive size, could
detract from it.
As if Mako's words had been some sort of signal, the lady's eyes opened and she
faced the people around her, fixing her gaze, at last, on Usagi.
"Greetings all." Her voice matched her manner, dignified and proud. "It has been
a long time. It is good to see you all again." The sincerity in her tone made the words
inadequate and clumsy. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus." She looked at each in turn as
she named them. "Endymion." A pause. "Serenity." Here she smiled, and the warmth in
it made the surroundings seem a little less desolate, a little more alive. "I would be very
surprised if any of you remember me. I am – rather, I was – Queen Serenity."
Startled gasps met this revelation as the lady continued. "Actually, I am a
projection of the Queen. A small piece of her consciousness, stored in the Moon's
computer system. I had hoped never to be needed, but I realized I was to hope in vain.
Therefore, I am here. My kawaii Serenity," the Queen smiled again, "you have grown
so."
"Mother," Usagi choked out.
"My purpose is to remind you all of what came before. Since you are here, you
must have recalled your past lives. But not all your memories have awakened. I am to
help you remember everything." With that, the spire's light swelled and enveloped them
all in its mandorla.
* * * * *
~The Silver Millennium was a time of peace for all the planets in the Solar
System. Relations were good with every government, and war was unheard of. But one
day, on Earth, there arose a faction discontent with the rule of the Moon. These humans
were jealous of the Moon people's power and immortality. They wanted it for
themselves, but if they couldn't have it, then no one could.
~The ruler of Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity, broke off relations with Earth
when it became apparent further contact would do more harm than good. None actually
believed the humans would start anything serious, and it was reasoned that if the source
of this faction's dissatisfaction were removed, they might calm down a bit.
~Now, the Queen had a daughter, the Princess Serenity, who had fallen in love
with the Prince of Earth, Endymion, and he with her. They continued to see one another
secretly, and he confided in her his fears that nothing would stop his people from
attacking. Hatred and jealousy for the people of the Moon had swept the planet.
~The Prince pledged his love to the Princess, and his loyalty to the continuity of
the Silver Millennium. If there was to be war, he vowed, he would fight with the people
of the Moon.
~The Princess was sorrowful that he had to make such a heartrending choice, but
she felt her love for the Prince burn more brightly than ever. When the humans finally
attacked the Moon, there was no stopping them. Then, it was learned, they were backed
by a powerful evil. The leader of the humans was one self-styled 'Queen' Beryl of the
Dark Kingdom, who was the avatar of Queen Metallia. They ripped through the Moon's
forces as if they were no more than wet paper. It soon became clear that none would walk
away from this fight.
~Beryl desired the Earth Prince. This desire, and the jealousy sparked when she
discovered his love for another, were what allowed Metallia to gain control of Beryl as an
avatar. Metallia fed off the hate and rage she kindled in humanity's heart.
~When Beryl and Endymion faced each other at the last, he pled with her to cast
Metallia aside, for if she had the will, Metallia could have no hold over her. But Beryl
was too lost in her hatred and her lust for power. In her rage at not being able to win the
Prince of Earth for herself, she struck him down in front of the Princess.
~Overcome with anguish, the Princess picked up her love's sword and turned it on
herself. She could not, would not, live without him.
~By this time, all was lost. The Prince and Princess were dead, as were the
Princess's guardian Senshi, the foremost protectors of the Silver Millennium. It appeared
as if Beryl and Metallia had won.
~That was when Queen Serenity raised the Silver Crystal. Maboroshi no
Ginzuishou. The single greatest power in the Solar System. Perhaps the Universe.
Utalizing the full power of the Silver Crystal costs the user her life. If she wanted her
daughter to live, Queen Serenity knew she had no other choice. Silver Millennium was
lost, but she could grant her people the chance for peaceful, happy lives.
~She used the Silver Crystal to send her people to the future, to be reborn with no
memory of their previous lives, with the hope that her daughter would be happy. The
only drawback was that the Queen could not pick and choose who to send and who to
leave. Metallia had been weakened, but was by no means destroyed. She and Beryl were
sent as well, along with their Dark Kingdom forces, and Queen Serenity was wise enough
to realize that they would try to subjugate the Earth of the future the way they had the
Earth of Silver Millennium. So provision was made for the Princess and her Senshi to be
able to protect their new home.
~The time of the Silver Millennium ended, destroyed then forgotten in the distant
recesses of time, and the Solar System had been set a new course to follow to its ultimate
destiny.~
* * * * *
The vision of the past receded and normal sight returned. Usagi found herself
clasped against Mamoru's chest, tears leaking down both their faces. The other girls were
similarly mourning their lost past. The vibrant glamour of the spire had dimmed to a
muted glow, and Queen Serenity's image had turned wispy-looking and transparent. She
faded even more in the few moments they took to gather their collective wit.
"Queen," Minako whispered, "nani – ?"
"The past," she replied faintly. "Full knowledge of your past is needed if you wish
to preserve your future. Now you have that knowledge, and my purpose is fulfilled."
With a last, wistful smile, the last vestiges of Queen Serenity's spirit faded away.
There were various cries of "Queen!" and "Matte!" and Usagi's anguished "Okaa-
sama!" but all that was left was a fleeting "Good luck," that dwindled away even as the
Queen's projection had.
The stillness was bittersweet, the fullness of completed memories warring with
the knowledge that what was to come would be worse than what had come before if they
didn't defeat the Dark Kingdom once and for all. This time, should they fail, Earth would
have no second chance.
At length, Ami wiped her eyes and, checking her computer, said in a subdued
voice, "We can henshin now."
No one responded for a minute, then Mako shook herself. "In that case, we
should get going."
"We don't have time to waste just standing around here," Rei agreed.
"We're the Sailor Senshi." Minako smiled. "People are depending on us."
Mamoru shot her a wry grin. "We?"
The girls giggled, relieving the tension and sadness hanging in the air. "Well,"
Minako corrected, "the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. Ne, minna?" They nodded,
big grins on their faces, then everyone glanced at Usagi.
She nodded, a slow smile blooming on her face. "Hai," she said softly. "We are,
aren't we? I guess we haven't much choice." The words were harsh, but the tone was
content, accepting, finally, of a fate that had been pushed onto all of them. Usagi
transformed, Mamoru and the girls following her lead. Minutes later, the Moon was
empty and desolate once again.
* * * * *
End Chapter 8
OK, OK, OK! I'm sorry you all had to wait so long for this chapter. I have no excuse for
not getting it out sooner from the time the seventh chapter was posted to about a month
ago, except that I just wasn't interested in working on this chapter. I'm almost done with
this fic, and I have problems with endings. I don't like them. So yes, I am intentionally
procrastinating, and I will, in all likelihood, continue to procrastinate. YOU HAVE
BEEN WARNED. But, I did promise someone a month ago that this chapter would be
out in ten days, and it would have been. The thing is, I probably shouldn't have set such a
definite time, because I think I jinxed myself. I was typing this up, I was in the middle of
the chapter, and the hard drive on my laptop burned out, it fried, the circuits exploded,
complete and total meltdown. I AM NOT KIDDING. Just count yourselves lucky I write
everything down AND save it on a disk, otherwise you wouldn't have a chapter 8 at all.
OK, apologies have been offered and, presumably, accepted. On with the notes, of
which there are, admittedly, few.
Blah blah, blah blah, blah blah. Think manga and you'll have the concept for the whole
chapter. But then, this whole fic has been leaning more and more towards the manga, and
less towards the anime.
Yes, the Moon was a completely depressing place, and your point is?
Mamoru – well, what can I say? I rather liked the way he turned out for this chapter. He's
NOT indifferent, not stuck with the oh-I'm-so-much-older-and-more-mature-and-you're-
all-foolish-little-'fraidy-cats-whoever-thought-you-could-be-superheroines-what-made-
you-think-you-could-possibly-save-the-world-etc-etc superior attitude problem the anime
gifted him with, and don't we all just love them for it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Complain all ya want, but I think Usagi's reaction to her surroundings
is realistic, and it's my fic.
Now, 'bout that little scene, you know the one I'm talking 'bout. I just can't seem to get
through a serious chapter without relieving said seriousness in some way. That scene was
it.
Tragedy, heartbreak, and sacrifice. What more can a person ask for? And it only gets
better from here on in! ^_^
Send all, well, um, ok, maybe not *all* comments, to: maiyav@yahoo.com
"Tell all the truth but tell it slant,
Success in circuit lies,
Too bright for our infirm delight
The truth's superb surprise;
As lightning to the children eased
With explanation kind,
The truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind."
~Emily Dickinson
Good Journey,
MaiyaV ^_~
Japanese Word Key:
Kawaii – 'Cute'
Okaa-sama – 'Mother', very formal