Dark Side of the Moon
Part 4
by Eternal SailorM
Here's a bit more... Sorry the parts keep getting shorter....
********************
"Okay, Lina, what's the deal?" Zelgadiss demanded. "You would never
give up on the treasure that easily."
"I haven't given up on it at all, but we're going to need some more
help."
"Who do you have in mind?"
"I think we could really use Filia."
"Filia-san?" Amelia repeated.
"And then we're going back tomorrow."
"Lina-san," Silphiel began, her voice rather hesitant, "what's wrong
with you? You've been acting strangely ever since we got here."
She looked at them, the two sets of couples, and pasted a grin on her
face that she did not feel. "I'm fine, guys. Really, I am. There's no
sense wasting time now. Let's go."
They'd never understand, she thought to herself. Zel might have,
once, but not now, not anymore. Against her will, she found herself
stopping and turning around to face the house. But I bet Usagi would
understand. . . Understand what it means to be alone.
*********************
"Oh, Megami-sama," Usagi complained, "was the house always so empty?"
He shrugged his answer, and she went right back to moping. She'd been
doing that since the humans left the day before. He tapped her
shoulder gently, and she glanced back over at him; once he had her
attention, he pointed at the object on the wall she had once called a
clock. "You're right, my friend; it's almost that time again." He
sent her a very obviously concerned look. "I'm all right. I'm dead,
after all, so it doesn't really -"
The door downstairs burst open, and loud, startlingly familiar voices
drifted up to them. " -took you long enough to get here, Filia!"
"I'm sorry, Lina-san, but. . ."
But Usagi clearly wasn't listening to the golden-haired woman below.
She stood up and walked right up to the top of the stairs, the
closest he'd ever seen her come to going downstairs in all the time
he'd been with her, and whispered somewhere between happily and
angrily, "She came back. She came back." She sighed, her face
settling into a blank expression. "Why did she have to come back now?"
"Usagi," the demon whispered in her ear, "it seems your champion has
returned to you."
"Don't hurt her." She turned and stared up into his cold, ruthless
blue eyes. "I'm begging. Please. I haven't begged for anything in the
whole time we've been imprisoned here, but I'm begging now. Please
don't hurt her."
"As tempting as it is, especially hearing you beg me for something,
now I can't leave her alone."
"Why?" she demanded, her voice rising and the whole house's
temperature dropping.
"Because, since that little sorceress came here, you haven't
mentioned Haruka once. Not once. And while I am not abject to a break
from hearing about the woman you left me for, it certainly seems. . .
curious."
"Lina's my friend, nothing else."
"You said that about Haruka once too, remember? It doesn't exactly
reassure me."
"At the time, that was all we were. Please don't hurt Lina."
It smiled grimly. "Of course I will." It flitted up through the
ceiling toward her attic bedroom.
"What're we gonna do?" Usagi thought aloud. "We couldn't run them out
when we had days to do it; there's no way we could get it done in
fifteen minutes now."
"Absolutely not a chance," Lina answered. Usagi whirled to see Lina
leaning against the wall. "We're not leaving again this time."
"Demo. . . Lina. . .," Usagi nervously began, glancing over her
shoulder.
"No 'buts,' Usagi." She caught Usagi's arm and turned her back to
face her. "I'm going to find a way to save you."
Usagi smiled sadly, touching Lina's face very hesitantly; the
sorceress visibly had to fight down a shiver from the cold
touch. "I'm dead, Lina-chan. I've been dead longer than your world
has existed. There is no reason for you to try to save me." She bit
her lip in frustration. "If you want the treasure that badly, I'll -"
"This isn't about the treasure, all right?" Lina all but
screamed. "For once in my life, it's about something other than fame
or gold. I just -" She broke off for a moment, apparently losing some
of her steam. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "I just
want to help you, Usagi."
"You want to help? Then get out of here while you still can."
"No."
Usagi looked up at the clock then back at Lina. "It's too late
anyway." Downstairs, the door leading outside slammed shut and locked
itself. The ghost cast desperate eyes on the human and whispered
almost too softly to be heard, "Just please don't go upstairs, Lina-
chan."
"Why -"
Lina didn't get to finish her question before an unseen force yanked
Usagi from her grasp and pulled her up though the ceiling.
"What was that, Lina-san?" the golden-haired woman asked, slowly
coming up the stairs. "Was that your ghost?"
"So you could see Usagi?"
"Just barely, just the faintest image of her. I could see her
talking, but I couldn't hear her, just a buzzing in my head."
"She's sad," Val put in. Lina glanced down at the small ancient
dragon. Reborn after the Dark Star incident two years ago, the boy
that had once been among their worst enemies, Valgaav, looked perhaps
four or five, though he seemed far more intelligent than his age gave
him reason to be. "She was sad because she's dead, but now she's even
sadder that you came back, Lina-san."
"That I came back?"
"Because now you'll be in danger."
Even he couldn't help staring down at the boy in awe. He'd read Usagi
perfectly in a matter of seconds.
A scream echoed through the house, and he started, so caught up was
he in the boy's insightful thoughts. Damn, Usagi still screams loud
enough to wake the dead, even after going through this every year in
all this time.
"Usagi!" Lina called, rushing towards the stairs at the end of the
hall. He tried to stop her, but his hand passed right through her.
Just as Lina reached the steps and was about to start up them, a
small explosion was heard in the room above her; it sounded very
similar to one of Jilas's guns.
*****************
25 March 2001
Okay, this may not be the place to put this, but I wanted to issue
some challenges/ask some questions to the fanfic community at large:
1) This is a challenge. I'd like to see a Gundam Wing/The Crow
fusion fic. I really think this would be cool; Duo or Hiiro as the
Crow. Too, too cool.
2) This is just a question that has been bothering me. This is for all
you game fans out there, especially fans of Fatal Fury and Street
Fighter. In an all-out match, who would win: Terry Bogard or Ryu?
E-mail me with your responses to either of these!
eternal_sailorm@hotmail.com
Part 4
by Eternal SailorM
Here's a bit more... Sorry the parts keep getting shorter....
********************
"Okay, Lina, what's the deal?" Zelgadiss demanded. "You would never
give up on the treasure that easily."
"I haven't given up on it at all, but we're going to need some more
help."
"Who do you have in mind?"
"I think we could really use Filia."
"Filia-san?" Amelia repeated.
"And then we're going back tomorrow."
"Lina-san," Silphiel began, her voice rather hesitant, "what's wrong
with you? You've been acting strangely ever since we got here."
She looked at them, the two sets of couples, and pasted a grin on her
face that she did not feel. "I'm fine, guys. Really, I am. There's no
sense wasting time now. Let's go."
They'd never understand, she thought to herself. Zel might have,
once, but not now, not anymore. Against her will, she found herself
stopping and turning around to face the house. But I bet Usagi would
understand. . . Understand what it means to be alone.
*********************
"Oh, Megami-sama," Usagi complained, "was the house always so empty?"
He shrugged his answer, and she went right back to moping. She'd been
doing that since the humans left the day before. He tapped her
shoulder gently, and she glanced back over at him; once he had her
attention, he pointed at the object on the wall she had once called a
clock. "You're right, my friend; it's almost that time again." He
sent her a very obviously concerned look. "I'm all right. I'm dead,
after all, so it doesn't really -"
The door downstairs burst open, and loud, startlingly familiar voices
drifted up to them. " -took you long enough to get here, Filia!"
"I'm sorry, Lina-san, but. . ."
But Usagi clearly wasn't listening to the golden-haired woman below.
She stood up and walked right up to the top of the stairs, the
closest he'd ever seen her come to going downstairs in all the time
he'd been with her, and whispered somewhere between happily and
angrily, "She came back. She came back." She sighed, her face
settling into a blank expression. "Why did she have to come back now?"
"Usagi," the demon whispered in her ear, "it seems your champion has
returned to you."
"Don't hurt her." She turned and stared up into his cold, ruthless
blue eyes. "I'm begging. Please. I haven't begged for anything in the
whole time we've been imprisoned here, but I'm begging now. Please
don't hurt her."
"As tempting as it is, especially hearing you beg me for something,
now I can't leave her alone."
"Why?" she demanded, her voice rising and the whole house's
temperature dropping.
"Because, since that little sorceress came here, you haven't
mentioned Haruka once. Not once. And while I am not abject to a break
from hearing about the woman you left me for, it certainly seems. . .
curious."
"Lina's my friend, nothing else."
"You said that about Haruka once too, remember? It doesn't exactly
reassure me."
"At the time, that was all we were. Please don't hurt Lina."
It smiled grimly. "Of course I will." It flitted up through the
ceiling toward her attic bedroom.
"What're we gonna do?" Usagi thought aloud. "We couldn't run them out
when we had days to do it; there's no way we could get it done in
fifteen minutes now."
"Absolutely not a chance," Lina answered. Usagi whirled to see Lina
leaning against the wall. "We're not leaving again this time."
"Demo. . . Lina. . .," Usagi nervously began, glancing over her
shoulder.
"No 'buts,' Usagi." She caught Usagi's arm and turned her back to
face her. "I'm going to find a way to save you."
Usagi smiled sadly, touching Lina's face very hesitantly; the
sorceress visibly had to fight down a shiver from the cold
touch. "I'm dead, Lina-chan. I've been dead longer than your world
has existed. There is no reason for you to try to save me." She bit
her lip in frustration. "If you want the treasure that badly, I'll -"
"This isn't about the treasure, all right?" Lina all but
screamed. "For once in my life, it's about something other than fame
or gold. I just -" She broke off for a moment, apparently losing some
of her steam. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. "I just
want to help you, Usagi."
"You want to help? Then get out of here while you still can."
"No."
Usagi looked up at the clock then back at Lina. "It's too late
anyway." Downstairs, the door leading outside slammed shut and locked
itself. The ghost cast desperate eyes on the human and whispered
almost too softly to be heard, "Just please don't go upstairs, Lina-
chan."
"Why -"
Lina didn't get to finish her question before an unseen force yanked
Usagi from her grasp and pulled her up though the ceiling.
"What was that, Lina-san?" the golden-haired woman asked, slowly
coming up the stairs. "Was that your ghost?"
"So you could see Usagi?"
"Just barely, just the faintest image of her. I could see her
talking, but I couldn't hear her, just a buzzing in my head."
"She's sad," Val put in. Lina glanced down at the small ancient
dragon. Reborn after the Dark Star incident two years ago, the boy
that had once been among their worst enemies, Valgaav, looked perhaps
four or five, though he seemed far more intelligent than his age gave
him reason to be. "She was sad because she's dead, but now she's even
sadder that you came back, Lina-san."
"That I came back?"
"Because now you'll be in danger."
Even he couldn't help staring down at the boy in awe. He'd read Usagi
perfectly in a matter of seconds.
A scream echoed through the house, and he started, so caught up was
he in the boy's insightful thoughts. Damn, Usagi still screams loud
enough to wake the dead, even after going through this every year in
all this time.
"Usagi!" Lina called, rushing towards the stairs at the end of the
hall. He tried to stop her, but his hand passed right through her.
Just as Lina reached the steps and was about to start up them, a
small explosion was heard in the room above her; it sounded very
similar to one of Jilas's guns.
*****************
25 March 2001
Okay, this may not be the place to put this, but I wanted to issue
some challenges/ask some questions to the fanfic community at large:
1) This is a challenge. I'd like to see a Gundam Wing/The Crow
fusion fic. I really think this would be cool; Duo or Hiiro as the
Crow. Too, too cool.
2) This is just a question that has been bothering me. This is for all
you game fans out there, especially fans of Fatal Fury and Street
Fighter. In an all-out match, who would win: Terry Bogard or Ryu?
E-mail me with your responses to either of these!
eternal_sailorm@hotmail.com