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From the Beginning - Round Two
Part V ~ Chibi-Usa
Rating: PG 13 (language, some child abuse, please don't actually do
this!!! NEVER hit a child, this is simply to show how evil Beryl is)
Written by: Bethany ^_^
Editor: Meara
Author's Email: Bethany212@aol.com
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"Where are we?"
"I don't know Venus, but I can tell you that Usagi has been here,"
Mercury replied.
The darkness stretched on for miles in all directions, nothing
but blackness. Pluto pulled out the silver crystal and allowed
it's soft light to give a glow over the senshi. "Is everyone here?
Venus?"
"Yeah."
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter?"
"Yeah."
"Saturn, Neptune, Uranus?"
"Yep."
In the shadows that surrounded the senshi, the Three Lights drew
out their hension wands.
Seiya looked at his stick for a moment, slightly disheartened,
before holding it up and placing it on his ear. "Fighter Star Power...
Make-UP!"
Taiki looked around slowly, absorbing the conditions he found
himself in, and reasoning there was no other place he'd rather be than
helping the princess. "Maker Star Power...Make-UP!"
Yaten closed his eyes, enjoying the last moments of the 'free life'
that he thought he would enjoy. "Healer Star Power...Make-UP!"
"Healer, Fighter, Maker?" Pluto asked, going back to role call.
"Yes."
"Good, now that we're all accounted for, let's move, standing
here isn't helping a thing," Pluto instructed.
All the senshi glanced at Mercury. "Forty-five degrees north,"
she instructed, starting in that direction, everyone close behind her.
*****
"Well, well, well small rabbit, I see we're awake finally."
Chibi-Usa lifted her head up to look at the woman hatefully.
"Where are we?" she demanded.
Beryl smiled. "Now, is that any way to talk to the person who
could have your parents killed in an instant?"
Chibi-Usa gasped slightly. "You don't have them, my mom and
dad will be here any minute to rescue me and my mom will kill you!"
"Sure she will," Beryl smirked, "You have a lot of confidence in
that mother of yours. But she can't help you, she don't have the
crystal and she's locked up."
Chibi-Usa blinked away the tears that had filled her eyes, "You,
you..."
"Yes?" Beryl laughed at the child's search for words.
"YOU BITCH!" she screamed.
Beryl drew back her hand and hit her, "Listen to ME
you moon brat, you will never again insult me in my own home,
do you understand?" she hissed.
Chibi-Usa wanted to rub her face where the woman's hand had hit,
but she found that her hands were tied to the wall. She held back her
tears and glared at the woman with all the hate she could muster.
"I see you have your father's spirit, but it did him no more
good than it'll do you."
Chibi-Usa smiled wickedly, "It must have got him somewhere. Your
brainwashing didn't last all that long on him."
"Oh you know about that do you? Then you must also know that
he tried to kill your mother before she attacked him."
Chibi-Usa tried to hide her shock, "He wouldn't do that, my dad
loves my mom very much. He would never hurt her!"
"Oh but he did little rabbit," she said with a hint of pity.
"To think you could have been born a follower to the Dark Kingdom."
she laughed at the ironic situation.
"Never," Chibi-Usa spit. "My dad is a good man, he would never
allow you to rule him for long." But some of her earlier confidence had
faded.
"You know, you father insulted me once, and in turn I killed him.
I could do the same again."
Chibi-Usa couldn't hold back her tears this time, "You wouldn't!
Damn you! Don't you hurt my parents or I'll kill you will my bare hands!"
Again the child reeled as Beryl hit her.
Spots started flashing before her eyes, but she pushed with
all her strength to stay awake.
"You know, your a lot braver than your mother was at fourteen,
and your not even that old yet. But it takes more than bravery
to defeat the Dark Kingdom. Remember that." After giving the child
one last hateful glance, Beryl walked out a door, leaving her alone.
*****
"Mamo-chan, I think we're lost." Usagi pulled on his hand
to get him to stop. "I think this is the same tunnel we've been
in three times."
Mamoru thought back over the instructions the general had gave him.
"Here, I'll put this rose down. If we come back to it again, then we'll
stop and figure out what to do."
Usagi nodded as he produced a rose out of thin air and pushed it's
stem into a crack in the wall.
A few minutes later they came back across a rose stuck in the wall.
"Damn it," Mamoru mumbled, taking the rose out of the wall.
"Now what Mamo-chan? I'm scared." Usagi whined, "I'm not as
scared for myself as I am for Chibi-Usa. We have to find her."
"I know, let's try something different. Each time we go down a
hall I'll put a rose there, if we come across the same hall twice, then
we'll go down a different one."
Usagi thought for a moment. "But what if some one sees the roses,
then they'll know which way we went."
Defeat set it. "Then we'll just have to do the best with our
memories," Mamoru said, looking at Usagi to see what her reaction was.
Tears filled her eyes. "Mamo-chan, what if we don't find her in time?
What if that witch kills her?"
Mamoru pulled her into his embrace. "I won't let that happen.
Neither will Chibi-Usa, you know. She got the best from both of us.
She'll figure out a way to escape, I promise she'll be okay."
Usagi nodded and held out Chibi-Usa's locket. "Mamo-chan,
she can't transform, what if...what if she..." Mamoru placed his finger
over her lips, "Dameyo. We'll find her, ne?"
Again Usagi nodded sadly. "Hai."
Placing his arm possively around her waist, they again started
down the tunnel toward the unknown.
*****
"I see something!" Saturn stated in a loud whisper.
All the senshi looked up to see a large building. It was almost
completely covered in darkness except for a small light on the front.
"Kinda makes you wonder if they're expecting us, ne?" Jupiter mused,
actually cracking a smile while looking at the single light that resembled
at porch light.
"It doesn't make any difference, we've got to get in there and find
Usagi." Mars said, walking forward.
"Matte!" Mercury warned, "Let me scan it for youmas first."
Mars nodded and waited patiently as Mercury worked on her computer.
"All clear," she announced and started forward.
They all slowly made their way into the structure and huddled
into a corner. "Now where to?" Venus asked, glancing down the four hallways
that paired off in two directions.
"There's something...a life force is up ahead. Minna get back."
Mercury quickly ducked back into the shadows, everyone else following.
"Get ready to attack," Venus whispered, sending everyone into a
fighting stance.
*****
Usagi stopped again.
"Nani?" Mamoru asked, turning to see what had gotten her
attention this time.
"I don't know, I feel something. Like we're not alone in this
tunnel," she whispered, moving cautiously forward.
Mamoru pulled her back. "If there's something up there, I'm going
first." He left no room for argument as he stepped out from the shadows.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMAS---"
"MATTE!" Mamoru screamed, placing himself on the floor, covering Usagi.
Venus pulled her beam down and let the light shine on the
two figures on the floor. "Mamoru-san? Usagi-chan?" she asked
in disbelief.
"Hai Venus, do you think you could *think* before you attack next
time?" Mamoru asked sarcastically, helping Usagi to her feet.
"Usagi-chan!" the group squelled, taking turns hugging her.
"Daijobu?"
"Well besides being a little lost, we're both fine."
"What happened?" Mars inquired.
Usagi shuffled her feet. "The note that I got, it wasn't from
Mamo-chan, someone is trying to split us up."
Healer shook his head.
"See, I told you he still loved her," Fighter said proudly.
"We all knew that," Uranus deadpanned, smirking quietly at her.
Usagi looked back and forth between the arguing senshi. "Stop it
minna! We need to find Chibi-Usa, Beryl has her."
"Beryl?! She's dead!" Jupiter almost yelled.
Usagi shook her head thoughtfully, "Well she's not anymore, and
she has my daughter. We have to go find her!" The more she talked,
the more urgent her voice became.
"Sou, now let me pin point in on her energy and see what we can
come up with." Mercury started opening new screens on her computer.
*****
"Beryl!" Metallia screamed, "That moon brat and her prince are no
longer in the prison."
"Of course they are," Beryl stammered, looking into her crystal
ball, only to gasp as the only sight she found in the cell was General
Korntz, out cold. "Damn it, how do they do that?" she said with a hint
of envy.
"You had better find them!" Metallia demanded, dismissing Beryl.
Beryl went back to the room where Chibi-Usa was being held.
"Well it seems your parents are a little bit more wittier than I gave
them credit for. I'm sure we will get an unwanted visit from them
soon. We need to be ready to greet the royal family, ne?" she asked
wickedly.
Chibi-Usa continued to glare at her. Relief ran through her
veins. Any minute they would be here to rescue her.
Beryl grabbed the girls chin in her hand, "Answer me! Do you
think we should be ready for them?"
Chibi-Usa pulled her chin away from the woman's nails.
"Whatever," she spit.
A few minutes later an army of youmas came in and hid in
different parts of the room. Making sure that no one could see them,
Beryl put a gag in the child's mouth. "Wouldn't want you warning them,
so have a nice rest. Too bad you'll never wake up," she added with a
laugh.
Chibi-Usa's eyes widened in fear as Beryl hit her with a bolt of
energy. She fought the darkness as long as she could, but in the end
fell limp.
Beryl watched as the girl stopped struggling and hung from the
chains binding her hands to the wall. "Too bad rabbit. If you had been
born mine and Endymion's child instead of that princess's, you wouldn't be
in this situation right now."
Beryl left the room as it was for her visitors to find.
*****
"One more tunnel and we should be there," Mercury announced.
Mamoru stopped. "Usako, I want you to stay out here."
"Iie," she said defiantly.
"I mean it Usa, you don't have any powers, you could get hurt -
or worse in there. We don't know what will be waiting for us."
Usagi removed her hands from his. "Mamo-chan, she's my daughter,
I'm going in," she grumbled through gritted teeth.
"NO!" He said harshly.
Usagi looked at him through shocked eyes. "Don't you tell me 'no',
I'm going and that's final."
"You can't transform Usako, I don't want you--"
Pluto blushed her with embarrassment for not remembering she had
Usagi's locket earlier. "Ano, but I have something for you Usagi-chan."
Usagi smiled widely at the sight of her transformation locket.
"Arigato Pluto!" she said, hugging the locket. "MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP!"
Within seconds Eternal Sailor Moon, wings and all, stood in front of
the group. "Ok minna, the leader is back. Let's go teach these slimes
not to mess with the sailor senshi!"
Mars smiled. "It's good to have you back Sailor Moon."
Venus looked as if that wasan insult. "Are you saying I'm a bad
leader?" she whined at the senshi of Mars.
Mars growled, "No, but Sailor Moon is our rightful leader, I like
being under her rule slightly better."
"Mars! I didn't know you cared!" Sailor Moon said, astonished.
Mars smiled wanly. "Don't get used to it, it won't be long until I
find something to nag you about."
"Not now," Tuxedo Kamen said, grabbing Sailor Moon's arm, "We
have got to find Chibi-Usa."
Usagi blushed, then purpose set in and she straightened her
spine. "Let's go senshi."
*****
Chibi-Usa, still unconcious, allowed memories to drift through
her mind. Flashes of her life came and went. Suddenly she was
streteched in a tight position, floating through thin air. She raised
her head.
"Where am I?"
She looked around, but all that could be seen was nothingness.
"Am I dead?"
Suddenly a light flashed in front of her. When it dimmed, in
it's place was a small gray kitten.
"Diana!" she squeeled excitedly. "What are you doing here?"
The kitten smiled. "I'm here for your mother, she wants me to
lead you to her."
"My mother? I don't understand. Where are we?"
"We're in your mind. Come, the queen awaits." Diana turned to
walk away, leaving Chibi-Usa to figure out how to follow on her own.
The kitten disappeared and Chibi-Usa started to cry. "How do I
follow? Diana! Matte!"
She reached out to the place where Diana stood a moment before and
suddenly she was standing on a balcony in her princess dress. In front of
her stood two women, looking almost completely alike, except one had wings
on the back of her dress and a crown of jewels on her head.
"Mama!" she ran up and hugged one of the women. Then she stepped
back to view the other woman who was watching with a smile.
She eyed her curiously, forgetting that it was impolite for a
princess to stare.
"Small Lady," Neo-Queen Serenity reprimanded.
Chibi-Usa blushed. "Gomen nasai." She turned to the woman,
"I am Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity
of the Moon and King Endymion of Earth. It is a pleasure to make your
aquaintence." She smiled charmingly.
The woman smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you Small Lady, I am
Queen Serenity, the first ruler of the Silver Millenium."
Chibi-Usa stared, again forgetting her manners. "Your mama's
mother?"
"Small Lady, it is not nice to pry," Neo-Queen reprimanded gently.
Queen Serenity smiled warmly, giving the child a wink,
"Don't you say anything to her Serenity, I remember you never acted
like a princess. Don't expect more from your daughter."
"Mother, I expect more of her, because she knows better."
"And you didn't?" Queen Serenity raised an eyebrow amusingly.
Neo-Queen Serenity let out a light giggle then turned serious again.
"Small Lady, you have disappointed me and your father, you have given up."
"No mother, I haven't. I don't know what to do! Beryl is going to
kill you and daddy, what can I do? I can't transform." Tears of self pity
ran down her cheeks.
"I do not like that Small Lady, you know better."
Instantly Chibi-Usa straightened up her spine, pushed her tears back
and meet her mother's beautiful gaze. "Gomen nasai mother, it will not
happen again."
Satisfied with Chibi-Usa's posture, the Neo-Queen smiled warmly at her.
"Now you say you can't transform?"
"Yes," Chibi-Usa replied.
"Where is your locket?"
Chibi-Usa thought for a moment. "When the woman came and took me, it fell
off my shirt onto the bed."
"You didn't just forget it?" she inquired.
Queen Serenity smiled to herself at how well her daughter had grown up,
and how well she was raising her own daughter.
"No mother, I had it on," she insisted.
*****
Mercury scanned the room, then ushered the senshi to go on. They
entered a room that was completely empty except for a throne.
Moon gasped. "Chibi-Usa?" she cried, starting to run in the
adjoining room.
Chibi-Usa's small body was hanging limp from chains on the far wall.
She was unconcious and her face was bruised. Her pink hair fell around
her face, making her seem even more pathetic.
Tuxedo Kamen and Fighter both grabbed one of Usagi's arms to keep
her from running to her. "It could be a trick," Tuxedo Kamen warned.
"That... is... my... daughter!" she screamed between trying to
over power both men to get to the child.
"No, Usako, we don't know for sure yet, we could be walking into
a trap," Tuxedo Kamen whispered, trying to reason with his struggling wife.
Jupiter came up and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Remember
the doom and gloom girls? Remember how you were so sure that was Mamoru,
but it wasn't, and those girls killed everyone of us."
Pain crossed over Eternal Moon's face as she remembered that fateful
day when all the senshi had died, save the outer senshi who hadn't shown
up yet.
"Gomen ne Jupiter, but, but what if it is her? She don't look
alive..." Moon stopped struggling and threw herself in Tuxedo Kamen's
arms, crying.
Tuxedo Kamen held her, trying to keep his own emotions in check.
It was his daughter also, and if that really was her, someone was going
to pay.
*****
Beryl watched with a close eye as the sailor senshi entered the
room, but didn't proceed toward the child. "Smarter than they seem.
No matter, they will soon figure out that is indeed the small rabbit,
and when they try to free her…ha ha ha!"
*****
"Mother?" Chibi-Usa had been watching her mother and grandmother
carefully, but neither showed any sign that they believed her or not.
Neo-Queen Serenity sighed. "Small Lady, you must fight against this
evil, I will be here in your mind if your truly need me. Please...
ganbare." Slowly the two women faded away, leaving Chibi-Usa crying.
"Mama, matte. I don't know what to do."
A tall figure draped in a cape and tuxedo appeared before the small
princess. "Daddy?"
"Hai, Small Lady," the man answered.
Chibi-Usa ran up and hugged him tightly. "Daddy, I don't know what
to do, Mama won't tell me! I need help Daddy!"
"Small Lady, I am disappointed. I thought I taught you better than
this." His sad voice struck a cord in Chibi-Usa.
"Daddy, are you mad at me? Do you still love me?" she asked
worriedly.
King Endymion smiled. "Of course I still love you, I always will.
But you need to try harder. You are a warrior now, just like your mother
was once. As that warrior, Sailor Moon and the princess of the Moon, Earth
and Silver Millenium, you must figure out what to do on your own."
Chibi-Usa made a face. "But Daddy, Mom always had help, she had the
sailor senshi."
The king chuckled lightly. "No princess, your mother didn't
always have them around. There was a time when it was only she and I,
and times when it was only her. You too shall have senshi one day, but
right now is your solitary time. The only thing I can give you is a
guardian." He smiled warmly, "Well I could give you more, but then your
mother would skin me alive."
Chibi-Usa smiled. There was a tickle on her left foot and she
looked down to see Diana.
"This, Small Lady, is your guardian, just like Luna is your mothers
and Artemis is Lady Venus'."
Chibi-Usa picked the kitten up. "Thank you Daddy. I will do my best
and make you and Mom proud of me."
King Endymion turned a very serious look to the kitten. "Diana."
"Yes your Majesty?" she replied.
"You know what to do, I'm sure your parents taught you everything
they know. Please watch over my daughter as well as Luna and Artemis has
done before you."
"Yes, your Majesty." The kitten meet his gaze with determination.
King Endymion gave the kitten a small scratch under the chin before
disappearing into thin air. Once again leaving Chibi-Usa and Diana alone.
"Now what Diana?"
Diana looked up at her mistress. "I'm not the warrior here, you
have to decide."
"MO! You sound more like Luna than Luna!"
Diana giggled. "I take that as a compliment."
Chibi-Usa closed her eyes, and holding on tightly to Diana,
tried with all her might to ease back into her body.
*****
Mamoru stroked Usagi's hair, trying to reassure her. It wasn't
working.
Venus and Jupiter kept a close eye on the room before them,
making sure no youma's came out of the wood work.
"Doushita no Mercury? Why are we not going in?" Moon asked
in a small voice.
Mercury glanced up, then looked back to her computer. "Something
isn't right. I'm not sure, but as soon as it's clear, we can go in."
"Personally, I am tired of waiting," Uranus moaned.
Neptune, Saturn, and the Lights nodded their agreement.
"Okay, I don't care if it's clear, we need to get in there before
something happens to us out here," Tuxedo Kamen announced, much to the
relief of Sailor Moon.
Venus nodded her head. "I think that we need to go in a couple at
a time, then if everything's clear Sailor Moon can go in."
Moon opened her mouth to protest, but was cut short by Tuxedo Kamen.
"Sou, that way if anything happens we still have a chance."
Sailor Moon looked around, twelve sets of eyes stared at her, daring
her to try and argue. "I see the 'Leader'" she put a lot of emphasis on
the word, "has been over ruled."
"In this case, yes, you have," Mars said, turning back. "Venus and
I will go in first, we'll make our way across the room to Chibi-Usa. Uranus
and Neptune, follow a few feet behind."
Venus gave her a nasty look, and continued in a 'I'm-the-leader-and-
don't-you-forget-it' look. "If all is still clear by the time the four of
us is in there, everyone except Sailor Moon, follow suit and find a place
in opposite ends of the room. Then and ONLY THEN, if it is clear, Sailor
Moon may come in."
Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. "Okay, let's
do this," Venus commanded, moving into the room cautiously with Mars beside her.
They made it to where Chibi-Usa was hanging. Venus took her pulse
and gave a very worried look to Mars, making sure Sailor Moon didn't see it.
"Nani?" Mars whispered, keeping half an eye on Venus and half on
the other senshi that had started coming in the room.
"There's no pulse," Venus whispered back.
"Oh no," Mars breathed, looking at the small child.
When all the senshi except Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were in
the room, Mercury pulled her visor over her eyes and started taking
readings. "Shimatta! Minna watch out!" as the words left her mouth
youmas started coming out of places that seconds before were merely walls.
Eternal Moon gasped, "Oh iie, Mamo-chan, what do we do?"
Tuxedo Kamen calmed her down. "Sailor Moon, what do we
always do when facing the enemy?"
Sailor Moon nodded. "We dust the slime balls."
Tuxedo Kamen smiled at her, then pulled out a rose as he entered
the room.
*****
Chibi-Usa slowly opened her eyes. It took her a long time to get
them opened and focused enough to see the room around her. Quickly her
memories started returning to her. She was still locked up, hanging from
the wall. But the earlier seemingly empty room was now filled with sailor
senshi fighting dozens youmas.
Directly in front of her was Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars, both
having it out with some pretty ugly, though human looking, youmas.
"CRESENT BEAM!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
Both youmas drew back, but was still alive. "Aku Ryo Tai San!"
Rei roared, jumping into the air with an anti-evil charm in hand.
The youma stopped in it's tracks, paralyzed. Mars took that
opportunity to attack it. "BURNING MALADA!"
She looked briefly over to Venus. "One down, forty nine to go,"
she huffed, before going off to attack another one.
Venus was having some problems with her new best friend. She
brought her fingers to her lips and kissed them softly, "VENUS LOVE
AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Still it stood.
Chibi-Usa gathered up all her strength to warn Venus of the youma
trying to attack her from behind. "VENUS WATCH OUT!" she screamed.
Venus turned just in time to dodge the thing behind her. She
moved back over to where Chibi-Usa was hanging. "Hey muchkin, you
alright?" she asked between kicking a youma down.
"Sure," Chibi-Usa said sarcastically, "I've been kidnapped by
the Dark Kingdom, I almost died, I'm hanging from my arms on the wall.
But other than that I'm peachy."
Venus smiled at the good natured giggle that Chibi-Usa gave
after that statement. "Well as long as your okay kid."
Tuxedo Kamen picked Sailor Moon up and moved her to a corner of
the room. The fight with the seeming endless army of youmas was still
going on, but Sailor Moon was out of energy. She fainted as Tuxedo
Kamen caught her.
Looking around frantically, he tried to pick out who would be
the best to watch over her while he helped the other senshi.
"Saturn, come here," he half said, half screamed.
The small sailor of Saturn came over immediately. "Hai Tuxedo Kamen.
What do you need?"
"I need you to put up your silence wall, and protect Sailor Moon,
while I fight."
She nodded, happy to be some help to the princess. She sat down
next to the fallen senshi. "Silence Wall!" A black wall of energy
surrounded the two.
Tuxedo Kamen gave one last worried look toward his wife before
going to fight.
"CRESCENT BEAM!" yet another youma went down at the mercy of a
sailor senshi.
Sailor Pluto went over to the wall where Chibi-Usa was still hanging.
"Small Lady, let me help you down. Do you think you are strong enough
to fight? The senshi are weakening by the minute and your mother is
already down."
Chibi-Usa nodded her head weakly. When Pluto started to undo the
chains, however, the ceiling started crumbling.
"Shimatta! It was rigged, everyone fall back!" Pluto screamed above
the fights going on in the room.
All at once all the youmas disappeared, leaving the senshi in a
room that was going to collapse on them any minute.
"How the hell do we get out of here?" Tuxedo Kamen asked anyone,
as he took his daughter from Pluto and handed her a locket.
"We could teleport, but without Sailor Moon, we may not have enough
power." Mercury answered, typing in something on her visor.
"Well, we have to try!" Venus ordered, gathering the senshi.
They all formed a circle around Sailor Moon. After Chibi-Usa
transformed, they all took hands.
Tuxedo Kamen called apon his Earth powers and channeled his energy into
the transportation as the rest of the senshi shouted their demands of their
planet powers.
"SAILOR TELEPORT!"
*****
"Ohh, where are we?" Venus asked herself, or anyone who would
answer, if there was anyone. It was pitch dark and she couldn't see
her hand in front of her face.
"My head hurts," someone groaned. After a minute of listening
Venus could make out Jupiter, just to the left of her.
"Is everyone here?" Mars called.
"I'm here," Uranus said, "So is Neptune, Saturn, Pluto and the
Lights." That much they had figured out when they landed almost
completely on one another.
"Sailor Moon? Chibi-Moon? Tuxedo Kamen? Mercury? Are you all here?"
No answer. The silence stretched on.
"Sailor Moon?!!" Venus yelled, getting up and bumbling into
someone.
Jupiter growled, "Watch it Venus!"
"I can't see a thing!" she retorted.
A light started burning in the sky, causing everyone to cover
their eyes.
"Welcome Sailor Senshi. You are in the Dark Kingdom time space; the
space between the Evil dimenion and Earth will be your eternal home."
"Beryl," Venus spit. "Didn't I kill you? Can't you just stay in
hell, or did you drive the devil insane?"
"A sense of humor I see, senshi Venus, but it will do you no good.
You are trapped, if you can get out of here, then you are free to go.
But I can promise you, there is NO way out." Beryl laughed, then
disappeared.
"Bitch," Venus said under her breath.
"Did anyone see Sailor Moon when the light appeared?" Seiya asked.
"No," everyone responded.
"Damn it, how are we suppose to find anyone or anything in this
darkness?" Mars mumbled.
*****
A throbbing sounded in Usagi's head as she opened her eyes.
Everything was pitch black. She shivered and rubbed her arms, only
to find out that all she had on was a simple, thin summer dress
and high heeled sandals. "I'm not transformed? What happened? Where
am I?" she asked herself.
Nothing.
"Hello?" she called.
Silence.
She moved her hand back to her lunar space pocket to get her crystal.
Her hand came back empty. "Iie," she whispered, repeating the same motion,
again coming out empty handed.
"No, the ginzuishou, it's gone?"
One last time she searched her pocket. Nothing.
"Now what? Where is everyone? Mamo-chan? Venus? Mercury? Mars?
Chibi-Usa?" she called frantically. "Some one?" by now she was whispering,
feeling tears threatening her.
"Mo--mmm--yy?" someone groaned.
"Chibi-Usa! Where are you? Talk to me so I can find you!"
The child turned over and tried to sit up, but her body refused to
listen. "Mom? Is that you? Mom, I'm scared!" she cried, then cried out
again in shock.
Usagi reached her hands in front of her until she felt familiar
pink pointed buns. "Chibi-Usa?"
The child threw herself in her mothers arms as best she could.
"There, there Chibi-Usa, it will be all right. We'll find everyone,"
she assured her, then silently prayed she was telling the truth.
"Where are we? How did we get here?" Chibi-Usa asked.
"I don't know, the last thing I remember is Mamo-chan carrying
me over to a corner of the room when all my energy was gone."
Chibi-Usa started remembering how she had fainted and then herself,
along with the rest of the senshi, teleported. "It didn't work..." she
mumbled.
"Nani?"
"We teleported, but it didn't work," Chibi-Usa explained.
Usagi was in deep thought for a long time. Trying to figure out
what to do. Finally a thought came to her. "Do you have your locket?"
"Yeah, doushite?"
"I don't have the ginzuishou, I don't know where it is. Can I use
your locket?"
Chibi-Usa knew her mother had told her not to let anyone else
have the locket, but she figured it was okay since this technically
*was* her mother. She took it off her chest and handed it to Usagi.
Usagi stood up and held the locket high. "Moon Prism Power...
Make-up!"
Nothing. "Nani?" she said aloud, then held the locket up again.
"MOOM PRISM POWER... MAKE UP!"
Nothing again. "Come on, you have to work!" she said, holding
it up once more.
*****
Tuxedo Kamen studied his surrounds as best he could in the dark.
"Usako?" He called. Empty silence greeted him.
"Usako?" he said louder.
A moan was heard not far from where he was standing. He went
toward it. "Usako? Is that you?"
"Noo," the voice moaned. "Damn, my head hurts, where are we?"
Now he recognized the voice of Mercury. "I don't know, daijobu?"
"Hai, daijobu," Mercury replied, shaking as she stood up. As
soon as she could stand up right without wobbling, she took out her
computer, turning on the light that shone from it.
Mamoru covered his eyes for a second against to the light.
After his pupils grew used to it, he walked over to where Mercury was
standing, typing on her computer, then stopping to take readings with
her visor.
"Well?"
"I don't know. Everything is negative space so I can't get
readings worth a damn."
Tuxedo Kamen looked around. "Negative space? You mean we're
still in the Dark Kingdom?"
"Hai."
"Where's everyone else, where is Usako?"
Mercury typed faster on her computer. "Nothing. I can't get a
reading on anyone."
Tux growled under his breath then stopped as he felt something on
the back of his neck. "Matte. Usako, she's transforming, but not quite.
It's like she can't," he mumbled, not understanding exactly what was
wrong and cursing to himself that he should have stayed in the middle with
her.
"What do you mean she can't? She has too!"
At the urgency in Mercury's voice, Mamoru paniced slightly. "Okay,
no time to stand here, we have to find her and the others."
"Sou," Mercury agreed and followed Tuxedo Kamen. He always knew
when Usagi was in danger, so he was there best luck right now.
They walked forever it seemed. The blackness slowly parting in way
of the light on Mercury's computer, only to close back up once they passed.
The ground was black and rough, other than that there was nothing. No
structures, nothing. Until now Mamoru had decided against screaming for
Usagi, as it might attract youmas. But he was getting desperate. Every
now and then he could feel her trying to transform, but she couldn't.
Suddenly he got an overwhelming shot of fear in him. Coming from Usagi.
"Oh no," he breathed. He stopped abruptly and turned to the right
of where they were heading.
Mercury looked up, and watched Tuxedo Kamen try to pin point
which way Usagi was. "Hey, I've got an idea. You can feel her, sou?"
"Hai, doushite?"
"Stand still a minute and concentrate on where she is," Mercury
commanded, opening her computer for what felt like the thousandth time in a
week. She started using her computer to enhance Tuxedo Kamen's connection
to Usagi, hoping if she could pin point it, then they could get a reading
on where Usagi was.
*****
The inner and outer senshi hand managed to get together. Grasping
hands, they started toward the darkness.
"Wish we could see," Uranus said. Suddenly one end of the group
stopped.
"Oye, I can't believe I forgot," Pluto mumbled, smiling slightly.
Mars tried to see the situation as funny, but failed miserably.
"Nani?"
Suddenly a bright light shone over the group. Everyone rubbed their
eyes to adjust them to the light. "Pluto..." Saturn whined, "Couldn't
you have said something twenty minutes ago?"
Pluto looked up at her time staff that was glowing brightly like a
street lamp. "Gomen nasai, I forgot. For that matter, we could get out of
here the same way."
"NANI?!?!" came at least eight startled replies.
"We could go to the time gate," Pluto explained. "But that won't help
Sailor Moon and the others."
Jupiter sighed. "Well then, let's go." Again the group started forward.
An hour later they stopped.
"Now what?" Mars growled.
Saturn and Neptune looked up from where they were sitting on the
hard ground. "I don't know about all of you, but our feet are killing us,"
Saturn replied in a piping, child-like voice that she didn't like.
Mars walked over and shoved her foot in Saturn's view. "How do you
think I feel? I have heels on!"
Venus went over and pulled her back. "Stop it, we are all tired.
But Saturn is smaller than the rest of us."
"Yeah and think about Sailor Moon out there, and we don't even know
if she's with anyone, or Chibi-Usa. She could be all alone out there.
We have to keep moving," Fighter stated, picking Saturn up.
"Your right Seiya, the princess and her daughter are in danger as
long as we don't know where they are. We have to keep moving for them,"
Taiki agreed, helping Neptune up.
Mars sighed heavily. "I know, I'm worried, that's all. Gomen
Hotaru-chan."
"It's alright Mars," Saturn replied, hugging the older girl from
her position in Seiya's arms.
*****
After five or six fruitless tries, Usagi gave up on transforming.
"Come on Chibi-Usa, we have to start looking for everyone."
Chibi-Usa tried getting up, but she couldn't. When she moved her left
leg she screamed out in pain.
Usagi felt her over and gasped when her hand ran over a large gash
in her daughter's leg "Oh Kami-sama," she whispered, hoping she hadn't
heard her.
"Nani?" Chibi-Usa asked.
Usagi gently removed the jacket that Chibi-Usa was wearing and wrapped
it around the wound as best she could. "Honey, don't touch that okay, you've
got a small injury and you don't want it to get infected." She struggled to
keep her voice even, instead of crying out her fear.
Chibi-Usa could tell that her mother was lying, but decided she would
only do that if she had to.
"Mom?"
"Yes sweetie?" by the sound of her voice, Chibi-Usa knew that
something was wrong.
"How can we go look for the others when my leg won't move?"
Usagi pushed the hair back away from her face, gathered her up in her
arms and started humming a lullaby. "It's ok. We will be fine. Remember,
I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."
Slowly the soft sound drew Chibi-Usa closer to sleep. "Mom?" she half
said, on the edge of sleep.
"Hmm?"
"I want daddy."
Usagi felt the tears threatening to over take her. "I know sweetie,
I want him too."
The silence that came as Chibi-Usa slipped into a dream world, scared
Usagi even more. She started crying silently, praying that Chibi-Usa would
be okay, and that Mamoru would find her soon.
"Mother, if you can hear me, please help us. I can't let her die, I
can't. She's my daughter. Please mother."
She sighed and laid down next to Chibi-Usa. "Twinkle twinkle,
little star, how I wonder what you are..." she sang the tune over and over,
somehow comforted by the sound of her own voice.
*****
Mamoru stood in one spot forever it seemed while Mercury worked on that
damned computer of hers.
"Mamoru-san, don't lose your concentration," she advised, never looking
up. He blew out a frustrated breath when faintly he heard a lullabye.
"Nani?" he whispered, struggling to hear it.
Again he heard a soft voice, but couldn't make out the words.
Mercury suddenly brightened. "I don't know what your thinking about, but
it worked! I've got a lock on her position!" she squealed, truly happy for the
first time since they found themselves in this endless battle. She started
running in the direction of the voice, Mamoru right beside her.
The two came apon Usagi sitting on the cold ground, holding a sleeping
Chibi-Usa. Usagi had her eyes closed, but her lips still moved as she sang
the soft lyrics that left her mouth.
Mamoru smiled, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his wife and child,
alive, well, and near him. Gently he leaned down and ran the tip of his finger
across Usagi's smooth chin. "Usako.."
".....twinkle twinkle little star...."
When she didn't stir, Mamoru looked worriedly at the Senshi of Mercury,
but the petite blue haired girl was busy scanning the two Sailor Moons. Mamoru
looked back to Usagi, noting the pained expression on her face and laid both
his hands on her shoulders. "Usako!"
Usagi's head rolled to the side, her mouth still moving to the soft song
she had been singing since Mamoru arrived. Her eyes fluttered open, then closed,
then opened completely. "M..Mamo-chan?" Her eyes closed again, and she leaned
her chin against Chibi-Usa's head. "Onegai, I need you Mamo-chan," she muttered.
"What's wrong with her?" Mamoru demanded.
Mercury bit her bottom lip as she typed, looking up breifly to take readings
from her visor, and looking down to calculate them again. Sighing, she closed her
palm-top and touched her earring gently to let her visor go. "I, there is.." At
the worried look on Mercury's face, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Sighing,
she opened her palm-top.
"Mercury!"
Biting her lip, Mercury looked up from her computer. "Gomen, Mamoru-san. I
just wanted to make sure of one thing--" Suddenly the computer in her hand started
blinking loudly, arrows and whatnot flashing across the screen in paniked flashes.
"There is.. life forces, headed our way!" Mercury whispered frantically. "And I
can't tell if they are human or not..."
---End Chapter Five.
YAY! Only eh... 7 more chapters to go? *sweatdrops* I can do it! Might not
be able to do it before I have to be at work, but I can do it! ^_^
3 Bethany
Bethany212@aol.com
03-19-01
From the Beginning - Round Two
Part V ~ Chibi-Usa
Rating: PG 13 (language, some child abuse, please don't actually do
this!!! NEVER hit a child, this is simply to show how evil Beryl is)
Written by: Bethany ^_^
Editor: Meara
Author's Email: Bethany212@aol.com
**************************
"Where are we?"
"I don't know Venus, but I can tell you that Usagi has been here,"
Mercury replied.
The darkness stretched on for miles in all directions, nothing
but blackness. Pluto pulled out the silver crystal and allowed
it's soft light to give a glow over the senshi. "Is everyone here?
Venus?"
"Yeah."
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter?"
"Yeah."
"Saturn, Neptune, Uranus?"
"Yep."
In the shadows that surrounded the senshi, the Three Lights drew
out their hension wands.
Seiya looked at his stick for a moment, slightly disheartened,
before holding it up and placing it on his ear. "Fighter Star Power...
Make-UP!"
Taiki looked around slowly, absorbing the conditions he found
himself in, and reasoning there was no other place he'd rather be than
helping the princess. "Maker Star Power...Make-UP!"
Yaten closed his eyes, enjoying the last moments of the 'free life'
that he thought he would enjoy. "Healer Star Power...Make-UP!"
"Healer, Fighter, Maker?" Pluto asked, going back to role call.
"Yes."
"Good, now that we're all accounted for, let's move, standing
here isn't helping a thing," Pluto instructed.
All the senshi glanced at Mercury. "Forty-five degrees north,"
she instructed, starting in that direction, everyone close behind her.
*****
"Well, well, well small rabbit, I see we're awake finally."
Chibi-Usa lifted her head up to look at the woman hatefully.
"Where are we?" she demanded.
Beryl smiled. "Now, is that any way to talk to the person who
could have your parents killed in an instant?"
Chibi-Usa gasped slightly. "You don't have them, my mom and
dad will be here any minute to rescue me and my mom will kill you!"
"Sure she will," Beryl smirked, "You have a lot of confidence in
that mother of yours. But she can't help you, she don't have the
crystal and she's locked up."
Chibi-Usa blinked away the tears that had filled her eyes, "You,
you..."
"Yes?" Beryl laughed at the child's search for words.
"YOU BITCH!" she screamed.
Beryl drew back her hand and hit her, "Listen to ME
you moon brat, you will never again insult me in my own home,
do you understand?" she hissed.
Chibi-Usa wanted to rub her face where the woman's hand had hit,
but she found that her hands were tied to the wall. She held back her
tears and glared at the woman with all the hate she could muster.
"I see you have your father's spirit, but it did him no more
good than it'll do you."
Chibi-Usa smiled wickedly, "It must have got him somewhere. Your
brainwashing didn't last all that long on him."
"Oh you know about that do you? Then you must also know that
he tried to kill your mother before she attacked him."
Chibi-Usa tried to hide her shock, "He wouldn't do that, my dad
loves my mom very much. He would never hurt her!"
"Oh but he did little rabbit," she said with a hint of pity.
"To think you could have been born a follower to the Dark Kingdom."
she laughed at the ironic situation.
"Never," Chibi-Usa spit. "My dad is a good man, he would never
allow you to rule him for long." But some of her earlier confidence had
faded.
"You know, you father insulted me once, and in turn I killed him.
I could do the same again."
Chibi-Usa couldn't hold back her tears this time, "You wouldn't!
Damn you! Don't you hurt my parents or I'll kill you will my bare hands!"
Again the child reeled as Beryl hit her.
Spots started flashing before her eyes, but she pushed with
all her strength to stay awake.
"You know, your a lot braver than your mother was at fourteen,
and your not even that old yet. But it takes more than bravery
to defeat the Dark Kingdom. Remember that." After giving the child
one last hateful glance, Beryl walked out a door, leaving her alone.
*****
"Mamo-chan, I think we're lost." Usagi pulled on his hand
to get him to stop. "I think this is the same tunnel we've been
in three times."
Mamoru thought back over the instructions the general had gave him.
"Here, I'll put this rose down. If we come back to it again, then we'll
stop and figure out what to do."
Usagi nodded as he produced a rose out of thin air and pushed it's
stem into a crack in the wall.
A few minutes later they came back across a rose stuck in the wall.
"Damn it," Mamoru mumbled, taking the rose out of the wall.
"Now what Mamo-chan? I'm scared." Usagi whined, "I'm not as
scared for myself as I am for Chibi-Usa. We have to find her."
"I know, let's try something different. Each time we go down a
hall I'll put a rose there, if we come across the same hall twice, then
we'll go down a different one."
Usagi thought for a moment. "But what if some one sees the roses,
then they'll know which way we went."
Defeat set it. "Then we'll just have to do the best with our
memories," Mamoru said, looking at Usagi to see what her reaction was.
Tears filled her eyes. "Mamo-chan, what if we don't find her in time?
What if that witch kills her?"
Mamoru pulled her into his embrace. "I won't let that happen.
Neither will Chibi-Usa, you know. She got the best from both of us.
She'll figure out a way to escape, I promise she'll be okay."
Usagi nodded and held out Chibi-Usa's locket. "Mamo-chan,
she can't transform, what if...what if she..." Mamoru placed his finger
over her lips, "Dameyo. We'll find her, ne?"
Again Usagi nodded sadly. "Hai."
Placing his arm possively around her waist, they again started
down the tunnel toward the unknown.
*****
"I see something!" Saturn stated in a loud whisper.
All the senshi looked up to see a large building. It was almost
completely covered in darkness except for a small light on the front.
"Kinda makes you wonder if they're expecting us, ne?" Jupiter mused,
actually cracking a smile while looking at the single light that resembled
at porch light.
"It doesn't make any difference, we've got to get in there and find
Usagi." Mars said, walking forward.
"Matte!" Mercury warned, "Let me scan it for youmas first."
Mars nodded and waited patiently as Mercury worked on her computer.
"All clear," she announced and started forward.
They all slowly made their way into the structure and huddled
into a corner. "Now where to?" Venus asked, glancing down the four hallways
that paired off in two directions.
"There's something...a life force is up ahead. Minna get back."
Mercury quickly ducked back into the shadows, everyone else following.
"Get ready to attack," Venus whispered, sending everyone into a
fighting stance.
*****
Usagi stopped again.
"Nani?" Mamoru asked, turning to see what had gotten her
attention this time.
"I don't know, I feel something. Like we're not alone in this
tunnel," she whispered, moving cautiously forward.
Mamoru pulled her back. "If there's something up there, I'm going
first." He left no room for argument as he stepped out from the shadows.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMAS---"
"MATTE!" Mamoru screamed, placing himself on the floor, covering Usagi.
Venus pulled her beam down and let the light shine on the
two figures on the floor. "Mamoru-san? Usagi-chan?" she asked
in disbelief.
"Hai Venus, do you think you could *think* before you attack next
time?" Mamoru asked sarcastically, helping Usagi to her feet.
"Usagi-chan!" the group squelled, taking turns hugging her.
"Daijobu?"
"Well besides being a little lost, we're both fine."
"What happened?" Mars inquired.
Usagi shuffled her feet. "The note that I got, it wasn't from
Mamo-chan, someone is trying to split us up."
Healer shook his head.
"See, I told you he still loved her," Fighter said proudly.
"We all knew that," Uranus deadpanned, smirking quietly at her.
Usagi looked back and forth between the arguing senshi. "Stop it
minna! We need to find Chibi-Usa, Beryl has her."
"Beryl?! She's dead!" Jupiter almost yelled.
Usagi shook her head thoughtfully, "Well she's not anymore, and
she has my daughter. We have to go find her!" The more she talked,
the more urgent her voice became.
"Sou, now let me pin point in on her energy and see what we can
come up with." Mercury started opening new screens on her computer.
*****
"Beryl!" Metallia screamed, "That moon brat and her prince are no
longer in the prison."
"Of course they are," Beryl stammered, looking into her crystal
ball, only to gasp as the only sight she found in the cell was General
Korntz, out cold. "Damn it, how do they do that?" she said with a hint
of envy.
"You had better find them!" Metallia demanded, dismissing Beryl.
Beryl went back to the room where Chibi-Usa was being held.
"Well it seems your parents are a little bit more wittier than I gave
them credit for. I'm sure we will get an unwanted visit from them
soon. We need to be ready to greet the royal family, ne?" she asked
wickedly.
Chibi-Usa continued to glare at her. Relief ran through her
veins. Any minute they would be here to rescue her.
Beryl grabbed the girls chin in her hand, "Answer me! Do you
think we should be ready for them?"
Chibi-Usa pulled her chin away from the woman's nails.
"Whatever," she spit.
A few minutes later an army of youmas came in and hid in
different parts of the room. Making sure that no one could see them,
Beryl put a gag in the child's mouth. "Wouldn't want you warning them,
so have a nice rest. Too bad you'll never wake up," she added with a
laugh.
Chibi-Usa's eyes widened in fear as Beryl hit her with a bolt of
energy. She fought the darkness as long as she could, but in the end
fell limp.
Beryl watched as the girl stopped struggling and hung from the
chains binding her hands to the wall. "Too bad rabbit. If you had been
born mine and Endymion's child instead of that princess's, you wouldn't be
in this situation right now."
Beryl left the room as it was for her visitors to find.
*****
"One more tunnel and we should be there," Mercury announced.
Mamoru stopped. "Usako, I want you to stay out here."
"Iie," she said defiantly.
"I mean it Usa, you don't have any powers, you could get hurt -
or worse in there. We don't know what will be waiting for us."
Usagi removed her hands from his. "Mamo-chan, she's my daughter,
I'm going in," she grumbled through gritted teeth.
"NO!" He said harshly.
Usagi looked at him through shocked eyes. "Don't you tell me 'no',
I'm going and that's final."
"You can't transform Usako, I don't want you--"
Pluto blushed her with embarrassment for not remembering she had
Usagi's locket earlier. "Ano, but I have something for you Usagi-chan."
Usagi smiled widely at the sight of her transformation locket.
"Arigato Pluto!" she said, hugging the locket. "MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP!"
Within seconds Eternal Sailor Moon, wings and all, stood in front of
the group. "Ok minna, the leader is back. Let's go teach these slimes
not to mess with the sailor senshi!"
Mars smiled. "It's good to have you back Sailor Moon."
Venus looked as if that wasan insult. "Are you saying I'm a bad
leader?" she whined at the senshi of Mars.
Mars growled, "No, but Sailor Moon is our rightful leader, I like
being under her rule slightly better."
"Mars! I didn't know you cared!" Sailor Moon said, astonished.
Mars smiled wanly. "Don't get used to it, it won't be long until I
find something to nag you about."
"Not now," Tuxedo Kamen said, grabbing Sailor Moon's arm, "We
have got to find Chibi-Usa."
Usagi blushed, then purpose set in and she straightened her
spine. "Let's go senshi."
*****
Chibi-Usa, still unconcious, allowed memories to drift through
her mind. Flashes of her life came and went. Suddenly she was
streteched in a tight position, floating through thin air. She raised
her head.
"Where am I?"
She looked around, but all that could be seen was nothingness.
"Am I dead?"
Suddenly a light flashed in front of her. When it dimmed, in
it's place was a small gray kitten.
"Diana!" she squeeled excitedly. "What are you doing here?"
The kitten smiled. "I'm here for your mother, she wants me to
lead you to her."
"My mother? I don't understand. Where are we?"
"We're in your mind. Come, the queen awaits." Diana turned to
walk away, leaving Chibi-Usa to figure out how to follow on her own.
The kitten disappeared and Chibi-Usa started to cry. "How do I
follow? Diana! Matte!"
She reached out to the place where Diana stood a moment before and
suddenly she was standing on a balcony in her princess dress. In front of
her stood two women, looking almost completely alike, except one had wings
on the back of her dress and a crown of jewels on her head.
"Mama!" she ran up and hugged one of the women. Then she stepped
back to view the other woman who was watching with a smile.
She eyed her curiously, forgetting that it was impolite for a
princess to stare.
"Small Lady," Neo-Queen Serenity reprimanded.
Chibi-Usa blushed. "Gomen nasai." She turned to the woman,
"I am Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity
of the Moon and King Endymion of Earth. It is a pleasure to make your
aquaintence." She smiled charmingly.
The woman smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you Small Lady, I am
Queen Serenity, the first ruler of the Silver Millenium."
Chibi-Usa stared, again forgetting her manners. "Your mama's
mother?"
"Small Lady, it is not nice to pry," Neo-Queen reprimanded gently.
Queen Serenity smiled warmly, giving the child a wink,
"Don't you say anything to her Serenity, I remember you never acted
like a princess. Don't expect more from your daughter."
"Mother, I expect more of her, because she knows better."
"And you didn't?" Queen Serenity raised an eyebrow amusingly.
Neo-Queen Serenity let out a light giggle then turned serious again.
"Small Lady, you have disappointed me and your father, you have given up."
"No mother, I haven't. I don't know what to do! Beryl is going to
kill you and daddy, what can I do? I can't transform." Tears of self pity
ran down her cheeks.
"I do not like that Small Lady, you know better."
Instantly Chibi-Usa straightened up her spine, pushed her tears back
and meet her mother's beautiful gaze. "Gomen nasai mother, it will not
happen again."
Satisfied with Chibi-Usa's posture, the Neo-Queen smiled warmly at her.
"Now you say you can't transform?"
"Yes," Chibi-Usa replied.
"Where is your locket?"
Chibi-Usa thought for a moment. "When the woman came and took me, it fell
off my shirt onto the bed."
"You didn't just forget it?" she inquired.
Queen Serenity smiled to herself at how well her daughter had grown up,
and how well she was raising her own daughter.
"No mother, I had it on," she insisted.
*****
Mercury scanned the room, then ushered the senshi to go on. They
entered a room that was completely empty except for a throne.
Moon gasped. "Chibi-Usa?" she cried, starting to run in the
adjoining room.
Chibi-Usa's small body was hanging limp from chains on the far wall.
She was unconcious and her face was bruised. Her pink hair fell around
her face, making her seem even more pathetic.
Tuxedo Kamen and Fighter both grabbed one of Usagi's arms to keep
her from running to her. "It could be a trick," Tuxedo Kamen warned.
"That... is... my... daughter!" she screamed between trying to
over power both men to get to the child.
"No, Usako, we don't know for sure yet, we could be walking into
a trap," Tuxedo Kamen whispered, trying to reason with his struggling wife.
Jupiter came up and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Remember
the doom and gloom girls? Remember how you were so sure that was Mamoru,
but it wasn't, and those girls killed everyone of us."
Pain crossed over Eternal Moon's face as she remembered that fateful
day when all the senshi had died, save the outer senshi who hadn't shown
up yet.
"Gomen ne Jupiter, but, but what if it is her? She don't look
alive..." Moon stopped struggling and threw herself in Tuxedo Kamen's
arms, crying.
Tuxedo Kamen held her, trying to keep his own emotions in check.
It was his daughter also, and if that really was her, someone was going
to pay.
*****
Beryl watched with a close eye as the sailor senshi entered the
room, but didn't proceed toward the child. "Smarter than they seem.
No matter, they will soon figure out that is indeed the small rabbit,
and when they try to free her…ha ha ha!"
*****
"Mother?" Chibi-Usa had been watching her mother and grandmother
carefully, but neither showed any sign that they believed her or not.
Neo-Queen Serenity sighed. "Small Lady, you must fight against this
evil, I will be here in your mind if your truly need me. Please...
ganbare." Slowly the two women faded away, leaving Chibi-Usa crying.
"Mama, matte. I don't know what to do."
A tall figure draped in a cape and tuxedo appeared before the small
princess. "Daddy?"
"Hai, Small Lady," the man answered.
Chibi-Usa ran up and hugged him tightly. "Daddy, I don't know what
to do, Mama won't tell me! I need help Daddy!"
"Small Lady, I am disappointed. I thought I taught you better than
this." His sad voice struck a cord in Chibi-Usa.
"Daddy, are you mad at me? Do you still love me?" she asked
worriedly.
King Endymion smiled. "Of course I still love you, I always will.
But you need to try harder. You are a warrior now, just like your mother
was once. As that warrior, Sailor Moon and the princess of the Moon, Earth
and Silver Millenium, you must figure out what to do on your own."
Chibi-Usa made a face. "But Daddy, Mom always had help, she had the
sailor senshi."
The king chuckled lightly. "No princess, your mother didn't
always have them around. There was a time when it was only she and I,
and times when it was only her. You too shall have senshi one day, but
right now is your solitary time. The only thing I can give you is a
guardian." He smiled warmly, "Well I could give you more, but then your
mother would skin me alive."
Chibi-Usa smiled. There was a tickle on her left foot and she
looked down to see Diana.
"This, Small Lady, is your guardian, just like Luna is your mothers
and Artemis is Lady Venus'."
Chibi-Usa picked the kitten up. "Thank you Daddy. I will do my best
and make you and Mom proud of me."
King Endymion turned a very serious look to the kitten. "Diana."
"Yes your Majesty?" she replied.
"You know what to do, I'm sure your parents taught you everything
they know. Please watch over my daughter as well as Luna and Artemis has
done before you."
"Yes, your Majesty." The kitten meet his gaze with determination.
King Endymion gave the kitten a small scratch under the chin before
disappearing into thin air. Once again leaving Chibi-Usa and Diana alone.
"Now what Diana?"
Diana looked up at her mistress. "I'm not the warrior here, you
have to decide."
"MO! You sound more like Luna than Luna!"
Diana giggled. "I take that as a compliment."
Chibi-Usa closed her eyes, and holding on tightly to Diana,
tried with all her might to ease back into her body.
*****
Mamoru stroked Usagi's hair, trying to reassure her. It wasn't
working.
Venus and Jupiter kept a close eye on the room before them,
making sure no youma's came out of the wood work.
"Doushita no Mercury? Why are we not going in?" Moon asked
in a small voice.
Mercury glanced up, then looked back to her computer. "Something
isn't right. I'm not sure, but as soon as it's clear, we can go in."
"Personally, I am tired of waiting," Uranus moaned.
Neptune, Saturn, and the Lights nodded their agreement.
"Okay, I don't care if it's clear, we need to get in there before
something happens to us out here," Tuxedo Kamen announced, much to the
relief of Sailor Moon.
Venus nodded her head. "I think that we need to go in a couple at
a time, then if everything's clear Sailor Moon can go in."
Moon opened her mouth to protest, but was cut short by Tuxedo Kamen.
"Sou, that way if anything happens we still have a chance."
Sailor Moon looked around, twelve sets of eyes stared at her, daring
her to try and argue. "I see the 'Leader'" she put a lot of emphasis on
the word, "has been over ruled."
"In this case, yes, you have," Mars said, turning back. "Venus and
I will go in first, we'll make our way across the room to Chibi-Usa. Uranus
and Neptune, follow a few feet behind."
Venus gave her a nasty look, and continued in a 'I'm-the-leader-and-
don't-you-forget-it' look. "If all is still clear by the time the four of
us is in there, everyone except Sailor Moon, follow suit and find a place
in opposite ends of the room. Then and ONLY THEN, if it is clear, Sailor
Moon may come in."
Sailor Moon stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. "Okay, let's
do this," Venus commanded, moving into the room cautiously with Mars beside her.
They made it to where Chibi-Usa was hanging. Venus took her pulse
and gave a very worried look to Mars, making sure Sailor Moon didn't see it.
"Nani?" Mars whispered, keeping half an eye on Venus and half on
the other senshi that had started coming in the room.
"There's no pulse," Venus whispered back.
"Oh no," Mars breathed, looking at the small child.
When all the senshi except Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were in
the room, Mercury pulled her visor over her eyes and started taking
readings. "Shimatta! Minna watch out!" as the words left her mouth
youmas started coming out of places that seconds before were merely walls.
Eternal Moon gasped, "Oh iie, Mamo-chan, what do we do?"
Tuxedo Kamen calmed her down. "Sailor Moon, what do we
always do when facing the enemy?"
Sailor Moon nodded. "We dust the slime balls."
Tuxedo Kamen smiled at her, then pulled out a rose as he entered
the room.
*****
Chibi-Usa slowly opened her eyes. It took her a long time to get
them opened and focused enough to see the room around her. Quickly her
memories started returning to her. She was still locked up, hanging from
the wall. But the earlier seemingly empty room was now filled with sailor
senshi fighting dozens youmas.
Directly in front of her was Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars, both
having it out with some pretty ugly, though human looking, youmas.
"CRESENT BEAM!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
Both youmas drew back, but was still alive. "Aku Ryo Tai San!"
Rei roared, jumping into the air with an anti-evil charm in hand.
The youma stopped in it's tracks, paralyzed. Mars took that
opportunity to attack it. "BURNING MALADA!"
She looked briefly over to Venus. "One down, forty nine to go,"
she huffed, before going off to attack another one.
Venus was having some problems with her new best friend. She
brought her fingers to her lips and kissed them softly, "VENUS LOVE
AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Still it stood.
Chibi-Usa gathered up all her strength to warn Venus of the youma
trying to attack her from behind. "VENUS WATCH OUT!" she screamed.
Venus turned just in time to dodge the thing behind her. She
moved back over to where Chibi-Usa was hanging. "Hey muchkin, you
alright?" she asked between kicking a youma down.
"Sure," Chibi-Usa said sarcastically, "I've been kidnapped by
the Dark Kingdom, I almost died, I'm hanging from my arms on the wall.
But other than that I'm peachy."
Venus smiled at the good natured giggle that Chibi-Usa gave
after that statement. "Well as long as your okay kid."
Tuxedo Kamen picked Sailor Moon up and moved her to a corner of
the room. The fight with the seeming endless army of youmas was still
going on, but Sailor Moon was out of energy. She fainted as Tuxedo
Kamen caught her.
Looking around frantically, he tried to pick out who would be
the best to watch over her while he helped the other senshi.
"Saturn, come here," he half said, half screamed.
The small sailor of Saturn came over immediately. "Hai Tuxedo Kamen.
What do you need?"
"I need you to put up your silence wall, and protect Sailor Moon,
while I fight."
She nodded, happy to be some help to the princess. She sat down
next to the fallen senshi. "Silence Wall!" A black wall of energy
surrounded the two.
Tuxedo Kamen gave one last worried look toward his wife before
going to fight.
"CRESCENT BEAM!" yet another youma went down at the mercy of a
sailor senshi.
Sailor Pluto went over to the wall where Chibi-Usa was still hanging.
"Small Lady, let me help you down. Do you think you are strong enough
to fight? The senshi are weakening by the minute and your mother is
already down."
Chibi-Usa nodded her head weakly. When Pluto started to undo the
chains, however, the ceiling started crumbling.
"Shimatta! It was rigged, everyone fall back!" Pluto screamed above
the fights going on in the room.
All at once all the youmas disappeared, leaving the senshi in a
room that was going to collapse on them any minute.
"How the hell do we get out of here?" Tuxedo Kamen asked anyone,
as he took his daughter from Pluto and handed her a locket.
"We could teleport, but without Sailor Moon, we may not have enough
power." Mercury answered, typing in something on her visor.
"Well, we have to try!" Venus ordered, gathering the senshi.
They all formed a circle around Sailor Moon. After Chibi-Usa
transformed, they all took hands.
Tuxedo Kamen called apon his Earth powers and channeled his energy into
the transportation as the rest of the senshi shouted their demands of their
planet powers.
"SAILOR TELEPORT!"
*****
"Ohh, where are we?" Venus asked herself, or anyone who would
answer, if there was anyone. It was pitch dark and she couldn't see
her hand in front of her face.
"My head hurts," someone groaned. After a minute of listening
Venus could make out Jupiter, just to the left of her.
"Is everyone here?" Mars called.
"I'm here," Uranus said, "So is Neptune, Saturn, Pluto and the
Lights." That much they had figured out when they landed almost
completely on one another.
"Sailor Moon? Chibi-Moon? Tuxedo Kamen? Mercury? Are you all here?"
No answer. The silence stretched on.
"Sailor Moon?!!" Venus yelled, getting up and bumbling into
someone.
Jupiter growled, "Watch it Venus!"
"I can't see a thing!" she retorted.
A light started burning in the sky, causing everyone to cover
their eyes.
"Welcome Sailor Senshi. You are in the Dark Kingdom time space; the
space between the Evil dimenion and Earth will be your eternal home."
"Beryl," Venus spit. "Didn't I kill you? Can't you just stay in
hell, or did you drive the devil insane?"
"A sense of humor I see, senshi Venus, but it will do you no good.
You are trapped, if you can get out of here, then you are free to go.
But I can promise you, there is NO way out." Beryl laughed, then
disappeared.
"Bitch," Venus said under her breath.
"Did anyone see Sailor Moon when the light appeared?" Seiya asked.
"No," everyone responded.
"Damn it, how are we suppose to find anyone or anything in this
darkness?" Mars mumbled.
*****
A throbbing sounded in Usagi's head as she opened her eyes.
Everything was pitch black. She shivered and rubbed her arms, only
to find out that all she had on was a simple, thin summer dress
and high heeled sandals. "I'm not transformed? What happened? Where
am I?" she asked herself.
Nothing.
"Hello?" she called.
Silence.
She moved her hand back to her lunar space pocket to get her crystal.
Her hand came back empty. "Iie," she whispered, repeating the same motion,
again coming out empty handed.
"No, the ginzuishou, it's gone?"
One last time she searched her pocket. Nothing.
"Now what? Where is everyone? Mamo-chan? Venus? Mercury? Mars?
Chibi-Usa?" she called frantically. "Some one?" by now she was whispering,
feeling tears threatening her.
"Mo--mmm--yy?" someone groaned.
"Chibi-Usa! Where are you? Talk to me so I can find you!"
The child turned over and tried to sit up, but her body refused to
listen. "Mom? Is that you? Mom, I'm scared!" she cried, then cried out
again in shock.
Usagi reached her hands in front of her until she felt familiar
pink pointed buns. "Chibi-Usa?"
The child threw herself in her mothers arms as best she could.
"There, there Chibi-Usa, it will be all right. We'll find everyone,"
she assured her, then silently prayed she was telling the truth.
"Where are we? How did we get here?" Chibi-Usa asked.
"I don't know, the last thing I remember is Mamo-chan carrying
me over to a corner of the room when all my energy was gone."
Chibi-Usa started remembering how she had fainted and then herself,
along with the rest of the senshi, teleported. "It didn't work..." she
mumbled.
"Nani?"
"We teleported, but it didn't work," Chibi-Usa explained.
Usagi was in deep thought for a long time. Trying to figure out
what to do. Finally a thought came to her. "Do you have your locket?"
"Yeah, doushite?"
"I don't have the ginzuishou, I don't know where it is. Can I use
your locket?"
Chibi-Usa knew her mother had told her not to let anyone else
have the locket, but she figured it was okay since this technically
*was* her mother. She took it off her chest and handed it to Usagi.
Usagi stood up and held the locket high. "Moon Prism Power...
Make-up!"
Nothing. "Nani?" she said aloud, then held the locket up again.
"MOOM PRISM POWER... MAKE UP!"
Nothing again. "Come on, you have to work!" she said, holding
it up once more.
*****
Tuxedo Kamen studied his surrounds as best he could in the dark.
"Usako?" He called. Empty silence greeted him.
"Usako?" he said louder.
A moan was heard not far from where he was standing. He went
toward it. "Usako? Is that you?"
"Noo," the voice moaned. "Damn, my head hurts, where are we?"
Now he recognized the voice of Mercury. "I don't know, daijobu?"
"Hai, daijobu," Mercury replied, shaking as she stood up. As
soon as she could stand up right without wobbling, she took out her
computer, turning on the light that shone from it.
Mamoru covered his eyes for a second against to the light.
After his pupils grew used to it, he walked over to where Mercury was
standing, typing on her computer, then stopping to take readings with
her visor.
"Well?"
"I don't know. Everything is negative space so I can't get
readings worth a damn."
Tuxedo Kamen looked around. "Negative space? You mean we're
still in the Dark Kingdom?"
"Hai."
"Where's everyone else, where is Usako?"
Mercury typed faster on her computer. "Nothing. I can't get a
reading on anyone."
Tux growled under his breath then stopped as he felt something on
the back of his neck. "Matte. Usako, she's transforming, but not quite.
It's like she can't," he mumbled, not understanding exactly what was
wrong and cursing to himself that he should have stayed in the middle with
her.
"What do you mean she can't? She has too!"
At the urgency in Mercury's voice, Mamoru paniced slightly. "Okay,
no time to stand here, we have to find her and the others."
"Sou," Mercury agreed and followed Tuxedo Kamen. He always knew
when Usagi was in danger, so he was there best luck right now.
They walked forever it seemed. The blackness slowly parting in way
of the light on Mercury's computer, only to close back up once they passed.
The ground was black and rough, other than that there was nothing. No
structures, nothing. Until now Mamoru had decided against screaming for
Usagi, as it might attract youmas. But he was getting desperate. Every
now and then he could feel her trying to transform, but she couldn't.
Suddenly he got an overwhelming shot of fear in him. Coming from Usagi.
"Oh no," he breathed. He stopped abruptly and turned to the right
of where they were heading.
Mercury looked up, and watched Tuxedo Kamen try to pin point
which way Usagi was. "Hey, I've got an idea. You can feel her, sou?"
"Hai, doushite?"
"Stand still a minute and concentrate on where she is," Mercury
commanded, opening her computer for what felt like the thousandth time in a
week. She started using her computer to enhance Tuxedo Kamen's connection
to Usagi, hoping if she could pin point it, then they could get a reading
on where Usagi was.
*****
The inner and outer senshi hand managed to get together. Grasping
hands, they started toward the darkness.
"Wish we could see," Uranus said. Suddenly one end of the group
stopped.
"Oye, I can't believe I forgot," Pluto mumbled, smiling slightly.
Mars tried to see the situation as funny, but failed miserably.
"Nani?"
Suddenly a bright light shone over the group. Everyone rubbed their
eyes to adjust them to the light. "Pluto..." Saturn whined, "Couldn't
you have said something twenty minutes ago?"
Pluto looked up at her time staff that was glowing brightly like a
street lamp. "Gomen nasai, I forgot. For that matter, we could get out of
here the same way."
"NANI?!?!" came at least eight startled replies.
"We could go to the time gate," Pluto explained. "But that won't help
Sailor Moon and the others."
Jupiter sighed. "Well then, let's go." Again the group started forward.
An hour later they stopped.
"Now what?" Mars growled.
Saturn and Neptune looked up from where they were sitting on the
hard ground. "I don't know about all of you, but our feet are killing us,"
Saturn replied in a piping, child-like voice that she didn't like.
Mars walked over and shoved her foot in Saturn's view. "How do you
think I feel? I have heels on!"
Venus went over and pulled her back. "Stop it, we are all tired.
But Saturn is smaller than the rest of us."
"Yeah and think about Sailor Moon out there, and we don't even know
if she's with anyone, or Chibi-Usa. She could be all alone out there.
We have to keep moving," Fighter stated, picking Saturn up.
"Your right Seiya, the princess and her daughter are in danger as
long as we don't know where they are. We have to keep moving for them,"
Taiki agreed, helping Neptune up.
Mars sighed heavily. "I know, I'm worried, that's all. Gomen
Hotaru-chan."
"It's alright Mars," Saturn replied, hugging the older girl from
her position in Seiya's arms.
*****
After five or six fruitless tries, Usagi gave up on transforming.
"Come on Chibi-Usa, we have to start looking for everyone."
Chibi-Usa tried getting up, but she couldn't. When she moved her left
leg she screamed out in pain.
Usagi felt her over and gasped when her hand ran over a large gash
in her daughter's leg "Oh Kami-sama," she whispered, hoping she hadn't
heard her.
"Nani?" Chibi-Usa asked.
Usagi gently removed the jacket that Chibi-Usa was wearing and wrapped
it around the wound as best she could. "Honey, don't touch that okay, you've
got a small injury and you don't want it to get infected." She struggled to
keep her voice even, instead of crying out her fear.
Chibi-Usa could tell that her mother was lying, but decided she would
only do that if she had to.
"Mom?"
"Yes sweetie?" by the sound of her voice, Chibi-Usa knew that
something was wrong.
"How can we go look for the others when my leg won't move?"
Usagi pushed the hair back away from her face, gathered her up in her
arms and started humming a lullaby. "It's ok. We will be fine. Remember,
I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."
Slowly the soft sound drew Chibi-Usa closer to sleep. "Mom?" she half
said, on the edge of sleep.
"Hmm?"
"I want daddy."
Usagi felt the tears threatening to over take her. "I know sweetie,
I want him too."
The silence that came as Chibi-Usa slipped into a dream world, scared
Usagi even more. She started crying silently, praying that Chibi-Usa would
be okay, and that Mamoru would find her soon.
"Mother, if you can hear me, please help us. I can't let her die, I
can't. She's my daughter. Please mother."
She sighed and laid down next to Chibi-Usa. "Twinkle twinkle,
little star, how I wonder what you are..." she sang the tune over and over,
somehow comforted by the sound of her own voice.
*****
Mamoru stood in one spot forever it seemed while Mercury worked on that
damned computer of hers.
"Mamoru-san, don't lose your concentration," she advised, never looking
up. He blew out a frustrated breath when faintly he heard a lullabye.
"Nani?" he whispered, struggling to hear it.
Again he heard a soft voice, but couldn't make out the words.
Mercury suddenly brightened. "I don't know what your thinking about, but
it worked! I've got a lock on her position!" she squealed, truly happy for the
first time since they found themselves in this endless battle. She started
running in the direction of the voice, Mamoru right beside her.
The two came apon Usagi sitting on the cold ground, holding a sleeping
Chibi-Usa. Usagi had her eyes closed, but her lips still moved as she sang
the soft lyrics that left her mouth.
Mamoru smiled, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his wife and child,
alive, well, and near him. Gently he leaned down and ran the tip of his finger
across Usagi's smooth chin. "Usako.."
".....twinkle twinkle little star...."
When she didn't stir, Mamoru looked worriedly at the Senshi of Mercury,
but the petite blue haired girl was busy scanning the two Sailor Moons. Mamoru
looked back to Usagi, noting the pained expression on her face and laid both
his hands on her shoulders. "Usako!"
Usagi's head rolled to the side, her mouth still moving to the soft song
she had been singing since Mamoru arrived. Her eyes fluttered open, then closed,
then opened completely. "M..Mamo-chan?" Her eyes closed again, and she leaned
her chin against Chibi-Usa's head. "Onegai, I need you Mamo-chan," she muttered.
"What's wrong with her?" Mamoru demanded.
Mercury bit her bottom lip as she typed, looking up breifly to take readings
from her visor, and looking down to calculate them again. Sighing, she closed her
palm-top and touched her earring gently to let her visor go. "I, there is.." At
the worried look on Mercury's face, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Sighing,
she opened her palm-top.
"Mercury!"
Biting her lip, Mercury looked up from her computer. "Gomen, Mamoru-san. I
just wanted to make sure of one thing--" Suddenly the computer in her hand started
blinking loudly, arrows and whatnot flashing across the screen in paniked flashes.
"There is.. life forces, headed our way!" Mercury whispered frantically. "And I
can't tell if they are human or not..."
---End Chapter Five.
YAY! Only eh... 7 more chapters to go? *sweatdrops* I can do it! Might not
be able to do it before I have to be at work, but I can do it! ^_^
3 Bethany
Bethany212@aol.com
03-19-01