Chapter 2
Dimension SM
On the morning of June 30th, Usagi calmly rose on time. Quatre had somehow managed to bring a clock into the realm of dreaming, and though it was set to his time, he had taught her to convert it into her own. Whatever the clock said, she was two hours ahead of it. She had not been late to school since she first entered the realm. Although Usagi was able to see the clock Quatre had brought, she still had yet to see either him or Heero. The mist continued to keep them separated, as though it was not their time yet to meet face to face.
On this particular morning, though, Usa was not worrying about the dream. The bruises from fighting the previous night were still visible against her pale skin, and her parents were sure to take note of them. Usagi often wondered whether her parents were deliberately blind to her late night venture, or if they were just flat out stupid. To make matters worse, the senshi had once again been overly worried that she might get hurt. Indeed, the bruises were not the youma's fault, but had actually been caused by Venus knocking her out of a blast's path as she prepared to dodge. The last week had been dreadful, filled with constant reminders that she needed to be more careful. Mamoru had said nothing in her defense, which was quite possibly the thing that hurt the most, Usagi reflected as she headed down the stairs.
"Good morning Usagi!" Her mother called as she entered the kitchen. "How are you this morning, sweetheart?"
"I'm fine mom, but where are Shingo and Papa?" Usagi asked, confused. They were usually home for breakfast.
"Don't worry dear, your father had to go into work early, and Shingo needed to return a book to the school library." Ikuko turned from the breakfast she was making to glance at her daughter. "I'm afraid none of us will be home this afternoon, but you can make dinner for yourself, right?"
"Of course mama." Usagi said, taking a slice of toast from the stack on the table, then picked up her lunch and books. As she headed for the door, she added, "I'm sorry, but I need to meet some of my friends before school. Love you, and I'll see you tonight. Bye!"
Neither of them could have predicted all that would occur on this fateful day, so it is not surprising that they did not say more.
Dimension GW
The boys were yet again plotting a mission. As they prepared to leave, Quatre turned to Heero.
"Something feels odd, doesn't it? I don't know why, but I think something is going to happen to Usagi today. There just seems to be an event ready to take place, of a magnitude such that it can be felt even here." Quatre shook his head. "I hope she's ok."
Heero grunted and turned away, heading for his Gundam and the battle.
That Night, Dimension SM
Usagi sighed as she headed towards her home that afternoon. While at school, a thought had struck her. If today was June 30th, that meant it was her birthday. At first she thought she was wrong, surely her friends or family would have at least said something if it were really her birthday. However, the agenda book she had purchased to keep her final exam information in did not lie. Usagi had finished testing today, and it had been scheduled to end on her birthday. It seemed that no one cared that she was another year older.
Suddenly, her communicator went off. Usagi looked down at her "watch" and Ami's face appeared.
"Usagi-chan, we need your help. A youma is attacking the Crown Arcade. Please get here as fast as possible, and remember to Be Careful!" she spoke quickly, and there was fear in her voice. "Please stay out of the fight until we've weakened the youma, okay? We don't want you getting hurt."
"I'll be fine Mercury. See you in a few moments." Usagi disconnected her communicator and quickly transformed. As Sailor Moon, she could run twice as fast as normal, and heaven knows Usagi was quite speedy herself. She arrived in record time, and immediately noted everyone's position. Mars was staggering around on what appeared to be a broken ankle, Jupiter had cuts up and down her arms, and Mercury was lying on the floor, unconscious but not severely injured. Venus was the only one as yet badly hurt, but there were scrapes all over her body. Tuxedo Kamen was no where to be seen.
Without her even thinking about it, Usagi ripped off her tiara and threw it at the monster. It grunted in pain and turned towards her. As it lunged for her, Usagi prepared to dodge when suddenly, Jupiter screamed.
"Princess, be careful!" Her concentration pulled from its task, Usagi did not manage to avoid it properly. The side of her fuku was ripped, and a long gash trailed down her side.
Dimension GW
Heero and Quatre were walking down the street from the hanger where the Gundams were currently being kept when they suddenly collapsed.
"Usagi!" They both called aloud as they fell. Trowa caught Quatre, and Duo stopped Heero's fall. Coming from both of their sides was a small amount of blood. When Trowa and Duo peeled back Quatre and Heero's shirts, identically angry red lines glared back at them. The blood was spilling slowly out of the center of the lines, where the marks seemed to glow a deep shade of crimson.
"Hey, what's goin on here?" Duo questioned aloud. "Where did these wounds come from all of a sudden?"
"I don't know." Trowa responded. He proceeded to pick up Quatre and carry him back towards the apartment that the five pilots were currently sharing. For lack of a better idea, Duo lifted up Heero and followed him.
Dimension SM
Usagi hit something on the ground with a sickening thud, yet even in her weakened condition, she knew she had to defeat the monster. Venus had trapped it in her love chain seconds after it ripped Usagi's side to ribbons, and so Usagi had a moment to catch her bearings before attacking it again. Usagi noticed that she had landed on Motoki, and that while he was unconscious, he appeared to be alive and in relatively good health. Rage coursed through her veins as she realized the evil being before her had drained his energy. She rose to her feet and her moon scepter appeared in her hand.
"Don't Sailor Moon! You're too weak right now!" Mars screamed at her. Venus unintentionally dropped her chain and the youma took the opportunity to fling itself at her. Venus screamed as its claws dug into her back. Usagi knew there was no other choice. She started the familiar energy release sequence once again.
"Moon… Scepter… ELIMINATION!" She screamed, releasing the attack. It impacted against the youma, who immediately dropped Venus. However, it did not die. Now suffering from exhaustion, Usagi collapsed to her knees as Venus hit the floor, unconscious.
A red rose cut through the air, landing in front of the youma.
Dimension GW
Trowa could not stop himself from gasping when while using the stethoscope he suddenly heard Heero's heart rate drop.
"What's wrong now?" Wufei asked calmly.
Duo shot him a look. "Don't you know how serious this is? If they die, we're down two Gundam pilots. Pilots who we NEED to defeat OZ."
Trowa had moved to examine Quatre, and could not keep his face from paling as the phenomenon was duplicated.
Dimension SM
"Now, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask yelled. "Defeat it!"
Usagi looked up at him for a moment. In his eyes, she saw every time he called her a meatball head, every occasion where he avoided the words she so often told him, I love you, saw how childish he thought her, and even more now than ever, she saw the times he refused to speak in her defense. Mamoru didn't care about her, and so she would not allow herself any regrets in leaving him behind. She willed the Silver Crystal to appear between her hands.
"Moon… Cosmic… POWER!" Usagi screamed, not allowing herself to think of the things that might have been. She poured the full
force of her feelings into the tiny gem, and watched as the youma was destroyed. She then gave the crystal a command. Take away the memories of me that they carry. she thought even though they have misunderstood me, I will not leave them pain. The Silver Crystal heard and granted her wish even as her body disappeared from the physical realm, bringing one other person with her.