"I'm worried Artemis, what if this is something they can't handle?"
"Hush Luna, you know the girls are ready for anything!"
"Hai Artemis, but will they be ready to face themselves?"
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Authors Note: Hiya, I'm baaaaaaccckkk! I know, that's like the most overused line in the world (that and " -insert name- I am your father!") but hey, it still works. Okay, now we are getting down to some action! (Finally) Anyways, to feed my Ranma 1/2 cravings, this will sooner or later become a crossover. That's right, I've got the whole thing planned out in my mind! Unfortunately, I'm having a bit of trouble with Be Still My Heart (*sniff* *sniff* I've never had writers block before, it's scaring me!) SO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD: Some one give me direction, tell me what you would like to read about! Please? I'm to the point where I might not finish the series, and that would be a sad thing for me, that is the longest fanfiction I've ever written! Okays, well anyways, here goes nothing. I would say this one is much better then the last, but that's kinda reserved for BSMH. So here we go!
------------------------------H---E---R---O---S ----------------------------
Eyes I cannot not meet
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Disclaimer: You know, from now on, I'm just gonna stick this stupid thing at the bottom. I hate scrolling past these, they suck. Really. They do.
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"Good mornin' sunshine, Venus says hello!"
"Minako! Shut up!"
"It's 'the Earth says hello' Mina-chan."
"Same difference, Venus is a nicer planet!"
Silence.
"You wanna take that up with Mamoru-san? I'm sure he won't be pleased about that comment."
"Venus is considered Earth's twin you know..."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! What if Usagi-chan wakes up with a major headache?"
"She is up baka! Duh, even I saw that!"
"You guys are louder then you think you are." Four heads turned to see the small figure in the bed.
"You are up!" Rei exclaimed. Usagi tried not to roll her eyes, "Yes Rei-chan, Mina-chan pointed that out awhile ago."
"You don't have to be mean about it baka!"
"Baka?!"
"Thhhbbbbbb!"
"Oh yeah, THHHHBBBBB!"
"Good to see things are normal... well sorta..." Artemis' voice trailed off. Usagi opened her eyes fully this time. Makoto was in the corner flipping through some of Usagi's old manga (again), Ami was reading quietly (again), and Minako was ... well... Usagi wasn't sure what Minako was doing.
"Uh... V- babe?"
"Yeah?" she replied darkly.
"What are you doing by the window?"
"Counting the police cars, reporters, and news vans camped outside of your house." she said evenly, still with a dark expression on her face.
"NANI?!" Usagi screeched.
"Don't you remember what happened?" Makoto asked sitting down on the side of Usagi's pink bed. Usagi blinked slowly as she smoothed out her comforter with her fingers, tracing the pink bunnies jumping over the moon.
"I remember being cold, dark, hurt, and alone. Then I remember disbelief as it tore my brooch away, and being scared when the people started recognizing. I remember being buried alive, and Chibi Usa screaming. I remember crying for any of you and Mamo-chan to show up. I remember I felt like I was going to die, that my destiny had changed in a blink of an eye. Yes Mako-chan, I remember it quite well." she whispered, her voice cracking towards the end. The other Senshi just stared at her, A simple 'Yes' Mako-chan would have been adequate. Makoto thought, mouth agape.
Minako may do poorly in school, she may mess up every quote she possibly could, and she could been a little dense with happiness at times, but she sure as hell knew how to cheer people up.
"GROUP HUG!" she cried, hugging her princess. The others lunged towards Usagi, enveloping her in a massive hug.
"Usagi-chan, we're so sorry we weren't there!"
"It's all our faults!"
"We love you Usa-chan, we're so sorry!"
"We'll always protect you, don't you worry girlfriend!"
"Ribs... RIBS... AHHHH!"
"You heard the girl Rei-chan, go get her some ribs!"
"I think she meant that we were hurting her ribs."
The broke away simultaneously, and their apologies soon became no more then gibberish in Usagi's mind. Ah Ami, always the observant one. What would I do without her? What would I do without any of them?
"Did... Is Chibi Usa here?" she asked in a mere whisper. It was so low that the Senshi weren't sure they had heard it or not.
"Hai Usagi, I'm here." came a little voice from the doorway. Five heads whipped towards the flamingo haired girl in the doorway. Her pink hair was in the normal odangos, slightly longer then the previous years perhaps, but just as pink. She was wearing one of Usagi's old junior high uniforms, and Usagi realized with a slight smile, that she was probably going to have to donate some of her old clothing to the needy Chibi Usa Foundation. A cause that was definitely worth it.
"Come over here and give your, nearly deceased, future mother a hug." Usagi opened her arms, and the younger girl immediately launched herself into them, crawling up onto the bed.
"I thought you were going to die!" Chibi Usa cried, still clutching Usagi's pink nightgown. This was definitely not like Chibi Usa, something had to be wrong. Very wrong. Usually the little girl had the tendency to be... well... rather nasty and brattish.
To her at least.
"Ha! It takes more then a being buried alive to kill the champion of love and justice!" She tried desperately to lift the mood, but failed miserably. "Look Usagi-chan, everyone knows you're Sailor Moon now, everyone. You've been getting calls non stop from news reporters, and some lady from 20/40 or whatever... I think her name was like Barbera Waiters or something." Makoto managed to smirk with the rest of the girls at the upcoming part, "You're father told her to take her tv show and... '...stick it where the sun don't shine, because you ain't talkin' to my little girl!" Usagi and the others managed to laugh, Usagi nearly had to force it. The others didn't catch it.
"Anyways Usagi-chan, we've really got to be going... we promised our families we'd be back by noon today, and it's already one o'clock." Rei gathered herself from the chair, brushing a hand through her bedraggled hair.
"You guys! Go! Great, I've just become Usagi- Princess of the Problems." Usagi sighed sadly, and Chibi Usa patted her hand.
Rei walked up to her and gave her a *soft* hug, "Usa, you're never a problem to us, we'd do anything for you... don't you forget that, you hear me?" The other Senshi nodded in agreement.
"And if you're ever in trouble, or some stupid person is giving you a hard time for being who you are, just call us and we'll beat the stuffing out of them! Right girls?" Ami yelled. The others stared at her blankly, and Minako reached over slowly, putting a hand to Ami's forehead. Ami had the decency to blush as the three other Inner Senshi chorused with a rather loud and hearty: "RIGHT!"
"Ja ne!" Usagi called as the girls disappeared through the bedroom door. Chibi Usa, who had retreated to the bedroom window began to grin. "What's so funny?" Usagi asked, shakily getting out of bed. "Just watch..." Chibi Usa whispered pointing towards the departing Inner Senshi.
"Are you friends with-"
"GET OFF THE GOD DAMN LAWN!" Makoto roared. Every camera man and woman took a step back onto the sidewalk, holding their breathes as one foolish man continued to block their path.
"Yes you've told us that but-"
"Get off the lawn before we RIP YOUR HEAD OFF! You insensitive jerk! She has feelings too you piece of scum!"
"Yes I hear that a lot but miss-"
"ETCHI! ETCHI!" Minako screeched at the top of her lungs, "This man is putting the moves on me!"
The news reporter obviously looked confused, but the leader of the Inner Senshi continued to scream until the other female reporters gave the male reporters nasty looks. Meanwhile, Ami, Rei, and Makoto had made it past all the other reporters, dodging the flashes of photographers and microphones pointed at their faces.
"NO! Usagi-chan! Darnit, she's running away behind the house! You'd better hurry and catch her before she gets to Tokyo Harbor! Her family has a boat there, and they were planning on sailing to ... er... the United States!"
In the blink of an eye, the reporters scrambled back into vans, packing up the trucks at lightning speed, and disappearing without a trace down the busy streets of Juuban.
"I CANNOT believe they fell for that..." Usagi muttered in disbelieve, shaking her head.
"That's the third time they've fallen for something like that, I swear they're getting more convincing every time." Chibi Usa paused and put a finger to her chin, "Well either that or the reporters are getting stupider, but either way it works as long as the reporters are gone."
"Right you are." Usagi agreed, patting her future daughter on the head.
"Now you can come downstairs! We have a surprise for you!" Chibi Usa said excitedly.
"If it's not Mamo-chan, I'm not interested." Usagi sniffed sadly.
"..."
"All right, I'll be down in a second, lemme get ready okay?" she stood up, stretching her shaky legs, "Hey Chibi Usa-chan?" she called as the little girl was exiting the room.
"Hai Usagi-chan?"
"Thank you. For saving me I mean, and for... uh.. well being here. Thank you."
The young girl smiled brightly, "You're welcome." then she merrily skipped out the door, leaving Usagi alone. She grabbed a blue shirt and shorts out of the drawer and placed them on her bed. She took of her nightgown slowly, evading any pain that could be avoided. She ran a finger along one of the bandages across her ribcage, wondering if Ami had done it. She glanced at her body, noticing that wasn't the only bandage. She had a couple on her thigh and one on her arm. The one on her chest was the most painful, and Usagi didn't doubt that she had broken a couple ribs. She began the task of putting her new clothes on. Getting them through her bad arm and leg was a little difficult, but nothing she couldn't handle.
_________________ b_r_o_k_e_n___________________
Usagi, after she had finished dressing, walked over to the bathroom, twisting the door open with her shaky hands. It scared her to death what happened last night, but she would never let anyone know that. Knowing that she was weak. Weak, weak, weak, some one who couldn't even defend herself, some one who had to rely on others to take care of everything for them. Weak, weak, weak. In a morbid way, she almost wished she had died, then maybe she could be happy. No more fighting, just peace. That was being selfish of her though, she should have know the peace wouldn't last, she should have known it was too good to be true. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No matter now, she was alive. Alive and kicking. As long as she was, she promised herself, she would never let anyone take over Earth. Take over what was hers to protect. No one.
She put her hands on the sink, steadying herself. She blinked away the sleep in her eyes before looking in the mirror...
... and nearly screamed. Sure she had noticed a couple of new silver highlights in her hair after the police officer... died... her mind was working fast now. What in the hell is going on? Her once blonde and golden hair was now a shimmering silver, white in the light. It fell past her ankles and onto the floor, even in her messy odangos. Amazing, truly. She didn't even feel the extra weight! It's longer then I am! She sighed, knowing she'd have to cut it to avoid any unnecessary attention and klutz attacks. Usagi ran a hand through her new found hair, enjoying the softness of it before running, weakly mind you, back into her room and grabbing the pink scissors off her desk, glancing around for Luna. She must be downstairs trying to explain everything... poor thing...
Once Usagi had walked (you never run with scissors- her mother taught her that) back into the bathroom, she set the scissors down on the counter, and began the task of undoing and twisting her buns back into place. Her hair, unleashed, had formed a small pile on the floor. I think the girls forgot to tell me something when I woke up, I think they forgot to tell me a lot of things... She washed her face, feeling more refreshed after doing so. She undid her odangos, letting her hair fall to her knees this time. She twisted it into a braid, and wraped it into a crown braid. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Usagi realized that she had been crying the whole time. I crying.... why am I still crying? She scrubbed at her eyes, whisking the tears away. C'mon girl, you're stronger then this! Get it together!
She almost laughed bitterly at herself. Oh yeah, she was so strong. She just stared at the mirror in shock, a small dark figure had formed it in, it was the outline of someone... but was it a male or female? She couldn't tell. All it was wisps of darkness with red eyes, glaring at her, almost staring through her.
"Serenity... Serenity..." it whispered evilly.
"Stop it! Go away!" she managed to whisper, even though it was meant to be a command.
"Serenity... you're friends are going to die.... Serenity.... Serenity what will you do?" it's flagitious voice was in her mind now.
"I'll protect them, I'll protect everyone!" she challenged.
"How will you protect them when you are dead Serenity... Serenity... who will protect you?"
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" She was expecting her parents to barge into the room with all the noise she was making.
"How will they protect you when they're all dead?"
Usagi grabbed the scissors of the counter and threw them at the mirror. All the evil voice did was laugh, at her, and at her weakness. The mirror cracked and shattered with the effort of her throw. She brought her hands up to her face to protect it as the glass flew everywhere, down the drain, on the floor, and on the counter top. They sparkled in the florescent bathroom lights, but the shadow figure still danced upon each one, mocking her.
"We will meet again... Serenity..." The voice was in the air now. It disappeared and Usagi leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until she was in a sitting position. Her breaths came out slowly, and she let out a choked sob, picking up the pieces of the glass mirror that were surrounding her. Her palm slid against a sharp edge of a piece of glass shaped like a triangle. Funny it didn't feel like anything, she just watched the crimson liquid flow from her palm. She took a towel that was lying near her (Shingo had the habit of leaving them on the floor.... or maybe that was her...) and wrapped it around her hand. Okaa-san is going to have a fit. she thought, using a towel to wipe up the rest of the glass into the blue trash can. Happy with her fine job of cleaning, she left the bathroom and made a detour towards her room, throwing the bloody towel into her hamper and inspecting her hand.
The cut wasn't very deep, that's why it has stopped bleeding so soon, she supposed. Maybe she had imagined the blood.
Maybe. Probably not.
She walked out of her room, straightening her clothes and nervously running a hand along her braided hair. She hadn't seen her parents since the day before, she was worried that they... they wouldn't think of her quite in the same way. That they'd act differently, almost afraid and ashamed of her. The only person that was ashamed though was Usagi, she had lied to her parents for years, run off in the middle of the night and made up excuses. Excuses that would make her lie to run off and save the world. Excuses the broke her.
She took each of the stair steps carefully, almost like she was taking them one day at a time. Going down the steps could be very symbolic, you see, steps were like days in way. You start at the top, the beginning, and you get to the end and you're at the end. Well, it made sense to Usagi at least. She made it to the bottom, she heard the sounds of the TV on, and her mother in the kitchen. Lunch must have just ended, Usagi's stomach realized with a grumble, and she was starving. She took a step into kitchen, freezing at the doorway.
All of her fighting as Sailor Moon, seeing a man switch into a women, anything becoming a youma, never mind the rest of her experience, and never prepared her for this.
"THAT'S IT!" she cried as five pairs of eyes turned to meet her figure at the doorway. Usagi threw her hands up in air, "I'm going crazy... I am going bloody insane! I wake up and my hair is sliver, then I'm seeing people in the mirrors, then I come downstairs to find my fiancee who is SUPPOSED to be in America studying to fulfill his dream as a doctor, teaching my father- the same one who threatened to cut his privates off and shoot him with a rifle, if he ever came near me- how to throw a rose! And they're not even fighting! Nevermind that all, I haven't even tripped once today but I managed to cut myself! I'm just going to go back to bed..." she turned around slowly.
Mamoru and Kenji stared at the silver haired girl in surprise. "Uh... Usagi-chan, watch out. Shingo left his skateboard in the house- even though I told him not to- and it's right by the -" Ikuko was cut off by a wail. Mamoru was there in a flash, catching Usagi before she fell. Kenji blinked, Man, that kid moves fast... Ikuko wondered if she had seen him.
"I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm such a klutz!" Usagi cried into Mamoru chest.
"Yes, but you're my klutz." Mamoru said lovingly into her hair.
"That line only works so many times Mamo-chan..."
"But did it work this time?"
"Of course, because you said it." Mamoru gave her a kiss on the forehead, feeling Kenji's eyes burn into his back. He winced slightly. Just play it cool...
"Mamo-chan, I thought you were so mad at me!" she sobbed in his arms. He began to sway her back and forth.
"No Usako, just out of my mind with worry." She was still crying, and Mamoru didn't know what else to say. He had never been good at that sort of thing.
"Mamo-chan?" She pulled away from him suspiciously.
"Yes Usako?" he asked innocently this time.
"You're supposed to be in America right now remember? You used your ticket didn't you?" she gasped when it hit her, "You used the one that you were suppose to use for when you were done with your schooling!" she accused, pointing a finger.
"..." Mamoru put a hand behind his head.
"MAMO-CHAN! You threw away your future! That was your dream, your chance to become the world's best doctor! You can't go back now until you save up enough money!" she attempted to punch him in the chest. Her punishment for him being stupid. He caught her fist and pulled her close.
"Usako, I'd throw everything away for you." he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheeks one by one.
Ikuko cleared her throat, "Usagi-chan, I have your lunch ready for you, just let me heat it up for you." She pulled a red Kenji after her. Then reappeared and winked at her daughter, giving her the 'V-is-for-victory' sign.
"Food?" Usagi instantly perked up. Mamoru laughed and kissed her on the lips, she kissed him back, wrapping him in a hug afterwards.
"Mamo-chan, I was so scared..." her voice trailed off.
"I heard you calling me Usako, I'd never leave you." he cooed.
"You promise?" she asked hopefully.
"On my life." he whispered kissing her again.
"You better mean that Mamo-chan..." she giggled as he gave her a butterfly kiss.
"Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san!" Ikuko called from the kitchen.
"Coming Okaa-san!" She gave Mamoru one last kiss before practically running to the kitchen.
Mamoru stared after her for a minute, but then again it wasn't like he was counting so it made no difference to him in the least. To him, this was all a dream. Being back with Usako, getting along with her family (especially her father), seeing his future daughter -even though the reason she was here couldn't be good-, and being in a family. Mamoru would never tell Usagi this, but he was extremely jealous of her. Of her ability to trust people, express her love to anyone, and of her having a family. Oh sure, Usako was his family, she and Chibi Usa, but secretly he longed for parents, for someone to give him guidance for once. Something in his heart itched, and the imaginary voice in his head began to point fun at him.
Yet deep inside, he couldn't help but feel this dream might turn into a nightmare...
______________something_left_unspoken______________
*crunch*
*crunch*
*slurp*
*swallow*
*crunch*
*crunch*
*slurp*
"Whft?
There were collective sighs from the Tsukino's table.
"Is there something you want to tell us, Usagi dear?" Ikuko asked softly. Usagi gulped down her food. All eyes were on her now.
Her mother's caring glaze...
Her father's worry...
Shingo's amazement and pride...
Chibi Usa's encouragement, and well hidden adornment...
Mamo-chan's eternal love...
"Mm saylm mun.." she muttered incoherently, blinking innocently at the other's sweatdrops.
"Usagi, speak with your mouth open." her father implied, pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose.
Mom... Dad... Shingo, for the past four or so years, I've been sneaking out in the middle of the night, risking my life AND getting killed in the process, while lying to you on a daily basis. Does that clear everything up? Words could not describe how much she would have loved saying that. But, she stuck with the simplified version.
"Mom, Dad, Shingo, I'm Sailor Moon, the pretty-suited soldier of love and justice." she said taking a sip of orange juice. Her father reluctantly shelled out his wallet, mumbling something under his breath and handing her mother 10,000 yen, who snatched it out of his hand, stuffing it in her apron.
"I told you! But you didn't want to believe it! Hah!" her mother went back to washing breakfast's dishes.
Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi Usa blinked.
"You... knew?" Usagi drawled out slowly.
"Usagi, you're my daughter. You have a certain stance about you... and to be blunt, only you and Chibi Usa wear your hair like that." her mother looked up from her dishes.
"Then how come you never confronted me about it?!" Usagi cried slamming her fist down on the table. The dished and silverware rattled, and Usagi's fork flew in Shingo's frozen direction. Chibi Usa caught it before it made contact with his face.
Ikuko put a finger to her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Well, I wasn't quite sure myself until last night." she shook her head, turning back to cleaning the dishes before adding, "Sooner or later, if it was that important to you, you'd tell us. I always knew that."
"So you know about Mamoru then?" Chibi Usa asked, surprising her future parents by using his full name.
"Hai, he's Tuxedo Mask." Kenji answered over his newspaper.
"You TOLD THEM?" Usagi nearly screeched.
"Usa! I just came to 'scatter' the reporters. You're mother let me in." He patted her trembling hands.
"Un! He threw a rose and it hit one of the cameras! The guy was trying to act brave and shout stuff about damaging public property, but he ended up peeing his pants and running down the street when Mamoru showed up as Tuxedo Kamen!" Shingo cried enthusiastically. Usagi and the others joined him in laughing, but Usagi broke it by asking rather frantically where Luna was.
"She's at Central Command with Artemis." Chibi Usa answered, "They've been there all night, but they call in every so often to check on you." She took a sip of her orange juice.
"Where- no, 'what' would be a better question- is Central Command?" Kenji stuttered, "And isn't Luna your pet?"
Usagi coughed uncomfortably, "Well... Central Command is ... you have to promise you won't tell! Promise? All right... I'm not quite sure myself, but I believe Central Command is a base that Luna and Artemis- Minako and my advisors that talk- set up that's connected with the Moon Kingdom's main surviving computer system. We use it to track down enemies and ... well... figure stuff out... it's located under the Sailor V game in the arcade." Usagi finished looking placid. (*Authors note: While I'm mainly sticking to the anime plot, anything that has to do with with the manga with be justified with a *M* in parentheses*)
Dead Silence.
"I always knew that cat was different! So she and... Artemis you say? Talk?" Kenji put his newspaper down. Mamoru and the two Moon Princess' nodded.
"But what's the Moon Kingdom?" Ikuko inquired sitting down. Usagi choked on the eggs she was stuffing into her mouth, and Mamoru and Chibi Usa glanced at each other.
"What? What is it?"
*bleep* *bleep*
Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi Usa immediately shot up from their seats, thankful for the distraction, and dove towards the communicator in the next room.
"What's up?" Usagi asked, flipping it open.
"Oh! Usagi-chan! We were so worried about you!" Luna cried.
Usagi smiled, "There, there Luna... I'm fine now.... see all better GAAAH!" she gasped as Chibi Usa poked her in the ribs. Mamoru gave her a disapproving look. "She's lying, she's not all right!" Chibi Usa insisted.
"Baka! I'm fine!"
"You're only fooling yourself!"
"Why you little..."
"SO, Luna... what's going on? Have you found anything?" Mamoru quickly put it, calming the two girls.
"Hai, but I'm afraid it's bad news." Artemis said mournfully.
"Nani?!" Usagi cried, "What is it?"
"You won't be able to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon anymore." Luna whispered in a low voice. hanging her head.
That was it. Those eleven words.
You won't be able to transform ....
Able to transform...
You won't be able...
Usagi let out a startled sob, "Nani? What's wrong?! You're lying right? Ha ha ha... the joke's over now..." she was crying now. But even in her heart, she knew it wasn't a lie. That she couldn't transform anymore. She couldn't do anything anymore.
Mamoru put an arm around her, "Shhh... Usako... it's all right... shhh..." he cooed to her. "The youma ripped off a big chunk of the transformation locket... the only way to transform now would probably be to just use the Ginzuishou alone." Artemis finished.
"Will that work? I mean... well... she's only done it in a couple of her forms..." Mamoru's voice trailed off uneasily.
"So far, the only form Usagi would be able to transform into would be her second." Luna clarified.
They're talking like I'm not in the room! Usagi thought dryly.
"But even that's a long shot, we're not even sure that's going to work." Artemis added quickly, much to Usagi's distress. "Where's the ginzuishou now?" questioned Chibi Usa. "We have it here... Usagi, you or Chibi Usa have to come take it now, this is a total beacon to the enemy having it here." Luna ordered, leaning more towards Chibi Usa then Usagi.
"I'll-" Usagi cut Chibi Usa off, "I'll be right there, I need some fresh air and my muscles are cramped from staying in bed so long." Before Mamoru or Chibi Usa could stop her, she was all ready at the door. "Usako, I don't think that-"
"That I can take care of myself?" Usagi interjected, "Mamo-chan, I'm sorry, but I have to do this myself. I'll be back soon, and if I run into any trouble I'll hail you on the communicator." she flashed her communicator on her wrist to the two still sitting on the couch before heading out the door.
The future king of earth and his future daughter stared at each other. "That girl will be the death of both of us." Mamoru sighed, shaking his head. All Chibi Usa could do was stare after Usagi with her crimson eyes.
You're right Mamo-chan, in one way or the other...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Man I'm cruel! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! *stops* That's why the next chapter is out too! *laughes* Next time on Sailor Moon Heros: Enter Ranma Saotome and his multiple fiancees!
Luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
www.earthandmoon.homestead.com/Crescent.html
"Hush Luna, you know the girls are ready for anything!"
"Hai Artemis, but will they be ready to face themselves?"
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Authors Note: Hiya, I'm baaaaaaccckkk! I know, that's like the most overused line in the world (that and " -insert name- I am your father!") but hey, it still works. Okay, now we are getting down to some action! (Finally) Anyways, to feed my Ranma 1/2 cravings, this will sooner or later become a crossover. That's right, I've got the whole thing planned out in my mind! Unfortunately, I'm having a bit of trouble with Be Still My Heart (*sniff* *sniff* I've never had writers block before, it's scaring me!) SO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD: Some one give me direction, tell me what you would like to read about! Please? I'm to the point where I might not finish the series, and that would be a sad thing for me, that is the longest fanfiction I've ever written! Okays, well anyways, here goes nothing. I would say this one is much better then the last, but that's kinda reserved for BSMH. So here we go!
------------------------------H---E---R---O---S ----------------------------
Eyes I cannot not meet
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Disclaimer: You know, from now on, I'm just gonna stick this stupid thing at the bottom. I hate scrolling past these, they suck. Really. They do.
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"Good mornin' sunshine, Venus says hello!"
"Minako! Shut up!"
"It's 'the Earth says hello' Mina-chan."
"Same difference, Venus is a nicer planet!"
Silence.
"You wanna take that up with Mamoru-san? I'm sure he won't be pleased about that comment."
"Venus is considered Earth's twin you know..."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! What if Usagi-chan wakes up with a major headache?"
"She is up baka! Duh, even I saw that!"
"You guys are louder then you think you are." Four heads turned to see the small figure in the bed.
"You are up!" Rei exclaimed. Usagi tried not to roll her eyes, "Yes Rei-chan, Mina-chan pointed that out awhile ago."
"You don't have to be mean about it baka!"
"Baka?!"
"Thhhbbbbbb!"
"Oh yeah, THHHHBBBBB!"
"Good to see things are normal... well sorta..." Artemis' voice trailed off. Usagi opened her eyes fully this time. Makoto was in the corner flipping through some of Usagi's old manga (again), Ami was reading quietly (again), and Minako was ... well... Usagi wasn't sure what Minako was doing.
"Uh... V- babe?"
"Yeah?" she replied darkly.
"What are you doing by the window?"
"Counting the police cars, reporters, and news vans camped outside of your house." she said evenly, still with a dark expression on her face.
"NANI?!" Usagi screeched.
"Don't you remember what happened?" Makoto asked sitting down on the side of Usagi's pink bed. Usagi blinked slowly as she smoothed out her comforter with her fingers, tracing the pink bunnies jumping over the moon.
"I remember being cold, dark, hurt, and alone. Then I remember disbelief as it tore my brooch away, and being scared when the people started recognizing. I remember being buried alive, and Chibi Usa screaming. I remember crying for any of you and Mamo-chan to show up. I remember I felt like I was going to die, that my destiny had changed in a blink of an eye. Yes Mako-chan, I remember it quite well." she whispered, her voice cracking towards the end. The other Senshi just stared at her, A simple 'Yes' Mako-chan would have been adequate. Makoto thought, mouth agape.
Minako may do poorly in school, she may mess up every quote she possibly could, and she could been a little dense with happiness at times, but she sure as hell knew how to cheer people up.
"GROUP HUG!" she cried, hugging her princess. The others lunged towards Usagi, enveloping her in a massive hug.
"Usagi-chan, we're so sorry we weren't there!"
"It's all our faults!"
"We love you Usa-chan, we're so sorry!"
"We'll always protect you, don't you worry girlfriend!"
"Ribs... RIBS... AHHHH!"
"You heard the girl Rei-chan, go get her some ribs!"
"I think she meant that we were hurting her ribs."
The broke away simultaneously, and their apologies soon became no more then gibberish in Usagi's mind. Ah Ami, always the observant one. What would I do without her? What would I do without any of them?
"Did... Is Chibi Usa here?" she asked in a mere whisper. It was so low that the Senshi weren't sure they had heard it or not.
"Hai Usagi, I'm here." came a little voice from the doorway. Five heads whipped towards the flamingo haired girl in the doorway. Her pink hair was in the normal odangos, slightly longer then the previous years perhaps, but just as pink. She was wearing one of Usagi's old junior high uniforms, and Usagi realized with a slight smile, that she was probably going to have to donate some of her old clothing to the needy Chibi Usa Foundation. A cause that was definitely worth it.
"Come over here and give your, nearly deceased, future mother a hug." Usagi opened her arms, and the younger girl immediately launched herself into them, crawling up onto the bed.
"I thought you were going to die!" Chibi Usa cried, still clutching Usagi's pink nightgown. This was definitely not like Chibi Usa, something had to be wrong. Very wrong. Usually the little girl had the tendency to be... well... rather nasty and brattish.
To her at least.
"Ha! It takes more then a being buried alive to kill the champion of love and justice!" She tried desperately to lift the mood, but failed miserably. "Look Usagi-chan, everyone knows you're Sailor Moon now, everyone. You've been getting calls non stop from news reporters, and some lady from 20/40 or whatever... I think her name was like Barbera Waiters or something." Makoto managed to smirk with the rest of the girls at the upcoming part, "You're father told her to take her tv show and... '...stick it where the sun don't shine, because you ain't talkin' to my little girl!" Usagi and the others managed to laugh, Usagi nearly had to force it. The others didn't catch it.
"Anyways Usagi-chan, we've really got to be going... we promised our families we'd be back by noon today, and it's already one o'clock." Rei gathered herself from the chair, brushing a hand through her bedraggled hair.
"You guys! Go! Great, I've just become Usagi- Princess of the Problems." Usagi sighed sadly, and Chibi Usa patted her hand.
Rei walked up to her and gave her a *soft* hug, "Usa, you're never a problem to us, we'd do anything for you... don't you forget that, you hear me?" The other Senshi nodded in agreement.
"And if you're ever in trouble, or some stupid person is giving you a hard time for being who you are, just call us and we'll beat the stuffing out of them! Right girls?" Ami yelled. The others stared at her blankly, and Minako reached over slowly, putting a hand to Ami's forehead. Ami had the decency to blush as the three other Inner Senshi chorused with a rather loud and hearty: "RIGHT!"
"Ja ne!" Usagi called as the girls disappeared through the bedroom door. Chibi Usa, who had retreated to the bedroom window began to grin. "What's so funny?" Usagi asked, shakily getting out of bed. "Just watch..." Chibi Usa whispered pointing towards the departing Inner Senshi.
"Are you friends with-"
"GET OFF THE GOD DAMN LAWN!" Makoto roared. Every camera man and woman took a step back onto the sidewalk, holding their breathes as one foolish man continued to block their path.
"Yes you've told us that but-"
"Get off the lawn before we RIP YOUR HEAD OFF! You insensitive jerk! She has feelings too you piece of scum!"
"Yes I hear that a lot but miss-"
"ETCHI! ETCHI!" Minako screeched at the top of her lungs, "This man is putting the moves on me!"
The news reporter obviously looked confused, but the leader of the Inner Senshi continued to scream until the other female reporters gave the male reporters nasty looks. Meanwhile, Ami, Rei, and Makoto had made it past all the other reporters, dodging the flashes of photographers and microphones pointed at their faces.
"NO! Usagi-chan! Darnit, she's running away behind the house! You'd better hurry and catch her before she gets to Tokyo Harbor! Her family has a boat there, and they were planning on sailing to ... er... the United States!"
In the blink of an eye, the reporters scrambled back into vans, packing up the trucks at lightning speed, and disappearing without a trace down the busy streets of Juuban.
"I CANNOT believe they fell for that..." Usagi muttered in disbelieve, shaking her head.
"That's the third time they've fallen for something like that, I swear they're getting more convincing every time." Chibi Usa paused and put a finger to her chin, "Well either that or the reporters are getting stupider, but either way it works as long as the reporters are gone."
"Right you are." Usagi agreed, patting her future daughter on the head.
"Now you can come downstairs! We have a surprise for you!" Chibi Usa said excitedly.
"If it's not Mamo-chan, I'm not interested." Usagi sniffed sadly.
"..."
"All right, I'll be down in a second, lemme get ready okay?" she stood up, stretching her shaky legs, "Hey Chibi Usa-chan?" she called as the little girl was exiting the room.
"Hai Usagi-chan?"
"Thank you. For saving me I mean, and for... uh.. well being here. Thank you."
The young girl smiled brightly, "You're welcome." then she merrily skipped out the door, leaving Usagi alone. She grabbed a blue shirt and shorts out of the drawer and placed them on her bed. She took of her nightgown slowly, evading any pain that could be avoided. She ran a finger along one of the bandages across her ribcage, wondering if Ami had done it. She glanced at her body, noticing that wasn't the only bandage. She had a couple on her thigh and one on her arm. The one on her chest was the most painful, and Usagi didn't doubt that she had broken a couple ribs. She began the task of putting her new clothes on. Getting them through her bad arm and leg was a little difficult, but nothing she couldn't handle.
_________________ b_r_o_k_e_n___________________
Usagi, after she had finished dressing, walked over to the bathroom, twisting the door open with her shaky hands. It scared her to death what happened last night, but she would never let anyone know that. Knowing that she was weak. Weak, weak, weak, some one who couldn't even defend herself, some one who had to rely on others to take care of everything for them. Weak, weak, weak. In a morbid way, she almost wished she had died, then maybe she could be happy. No more fighting, just peace. That was being selfish of her though, she should have know the peace wouldn't last, she should have known it was too good to be true. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No matter now, she was alive. Alive and kicking. As long as she was, she promised herself, she would never let anyone take over Earth. Take over what was hers to protect. No one.
She put her hands on the sink, steadying herself. She blinked away the sleep in her eyes before looking in the mirror...
... and nearly screamed. Sure she had noticed a couple of new silver highlights in her hair after the police officer... died... her mind was working fast now. What in the hell is going on? Her once blonde and golden hair was now a shimmering silver, white in the light. It fell past her ankles and onto the floor, even in her messy odangos. Amazing, truly. She didn't even feel the extra weight! It's longer then I am! She sighed, knowing she'd have to cut it to avoid any unnecessary attention and klutz attacks. Usagi ran a hand through her new found hair, enjoying the softness of it before running, weakly mind you, back into her room and grabbing the pink scissors off her desk, glancing around for Luna. She must be downstairs trying to explain everything... poor thing...
Once Usagi had walked (you never run with scissors- her mother taught her that) back into the bathroom, she set the scissors down on the counter, and began the task of undoing and twisting her buns back into place. Her hair, unleashed, had formed a small pile on the floor. I think the girls forgot to tell me something when I woke up, I think they forgot to tell me a lot of things... She washed her face, feeling more refreshed after doing so. She undid her odangos, letting her hair fall to her knees this time. She twisted it into a braid, and wraped it into a crown braid. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Usagi realized that she had been crying the whole time. I crying.... why am I still crying? She scrubbed at her eyes, whisking the tears away. C'mon girl, you're stronger then this! Get it together!
She almost laughed bitterly at herself. Oh yeah, she was so strong. She just stared at the mirror in shock, a small dark figure had formed it in, it was the outline of someone... but was it a male or female? She couldn't tell. All it was wisps of darkness with red eyes, glaring at her, almost staring through her.
"Serenity... Serenity..." it whispered evilly.
"Stop it! Go away!" she managed to whisper, even though it was meant to be a command.
"Serenity... you're friends are going to die.... Serenity.... Serenity what will you do?" it's flagitious voice was in her mind now.
"I'll protect them, I'll protect everyone!" she challenged.
"How will you protect them when you are dead Serenity... Serenity... who will protect you?"
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" She was expecting her parents to barge into the room with all the noise she was making.
"How will they protect you when they're all dead?"
Usagi grabbed the scissors of the counter and threw them at the mirror. All the evil voice did was laugh, at her, and at her weakness. The mirror cracked and shattered with the effort of her throw. She brought her hands up to her face to protect it as the glass flew everywhere, down the drain, on the floor, and on the counter top. They sparkled in the florescent bathroom lights, but the shadow figure still danced upon each one, mocking her.
"We will meet again... Serenity..." The voice was in the air now. It disappeared and Usagi leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until she was in a sitting position. Her breaths came out slowly, and she let out a choked sob, picking up the pieces of the glass mirror that were surrounding her. Her palm slid against a sharp edge of a piece of glass shaped like a triangle. Funny it didn't feel like anything, she just watched the crimson liquid flow from her palm. She took a towel that was lying near her (Shingo had the habit of leaving them on the floor.... or maybe that was her...) and wrapped it around her hand. Okaa-san is going to have a fit. she thought, using a towel to wipe up the rest of the glass into the blue trash can. Happy with her fine job of cleaning, she left the bathroom and made a detour towards her room, throwing the bloody towel into her hamper and inspecting her hand.
The cut wasn't very deep, that's why it has stopped bleeding so soon, she supposed. Maybe she had imagined the blood.
Maybe. Probably not.
She walked out of her room, straightening her clothes and nervously running a hand along her braided hair. She hadn't seen her parents since the day before, she was worried that they... they wouldn't think of her quite in the same way. That they'd act differently, almost afraid and ashamed of her. The only person that was ashamed though was Usagi, she had lied to her parents for years, run off in the middle of the night and made up excuses. Excuses that would make her lie to run off and save the world. Excuses the broke her.
She took each of the stair steps carefully, almost like she was taking them one day at a time. Going down the steps could be very symbolic, you see, steps were like days in way. You start at the top, the beginning, and you get to the end and you're at the end. Well, it made sense to Usagi at least. She made it to the bottom, she heard the sounds of the TV on, and her mother in the kitchen. Lunch must have just ended, Usagi's stomach realized with a grumble, and she was starving. She took a step into kitchen, freezing at the doorway.
All of her fighting as Sailor Moon, seeing a man switch into a women, anything becoming a youma, never mind the rest of her experience, and never prepared her for this.
"THAT'S IT!" she cried as five pairs of eyes turned to meet her figure at the doorway. Usagi threw her hands up in air, "I'm going crazy... I am going bloody insane! I wake up and my hair is sliver, then I'm seeing people in the mirrors, then I come downstairs to find my fiancee who is SUPPOSED to be in America studying to fulfill his dream as a doctor, teaching my father- the same one who threatened to cut his privates off and shoot him with a rifle, if he ever came near me- how to throw a rose! And they're not even fighting! Nevermind that all, I haven't even tripped once today but I managed to cut myself! I'm just going to go back to bed..." she turned around slowly.
Mamoru and Kenji stared at the silver haired girl in surprise. "Uh... Usagi-chan, watch out. Shingo left his skateboard in the house- even though I told him not to- and it's right by the -" Ikuko was cut off by a wail. Mamoru was there in a flash, catching Usagi before she fell. Kenji blinked, Man, that kid moves fast... Ikuko wondered if she had seen him.
"I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm such a klutz!" Usagi cried into Mamoru chest.
"Yes, but you're my klutz." Mamoru said lovingly into her hair.
"That line only works so many times Mamo-chan..."
"But did it work this time?"
"Of course, because you said it." Mamoru gave her a kiss on the forehead, feeling Kenji's eyes burn into his back. He winced slightly. Just play it cool...
"Mamo-chan, I thought you were so mad at me!" she sobbed in his arms. He began to sway her back and forth.
"No Usako, just out of my mind with worry." She was still crying, and Mamoru didn't know what else to say. He had never been good at that sort of thing.
"Mamo-chan?" She pulled away from him suspiciously.
"Yes Usako?" he asked innocently this time.
"You're supposed to be in America right now remember? You used your ticket didn't you?" she gasped when it hit her, "You used the one that you were suppose to use for when you were done with your schooling!" she accused, pointing a finger.
"..." Mamoru put a hand behind his head.
"MAMO-CHAN! You threw away your future! That was your dream, your chance to become the world's best doctor! You can't go back now until you save up enough money!" she attempted to punch him in the chest. Her punishment for him being stupid. He caught her fist and pulled her close.
"Usako, I'd throw everything away for you." he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheeks one by one.
Ikuko cleared her throat, "Usagi-chan, I have your lunch ready for you, just let me heat it up for you." She pulled a red Kenji after her. Then reappeared and winked at her daughter, giving her the 'V-is-for-victory' sign.
"Food?" Usagi instantly perked up. Mamoru laughed and kissed her on the lips, she kissed him back, wrapping him in a hug afterwards.
"Mamo-chan, I was so scared..." her voice trailed off.
"I heard you calling me Usako, I'd never leave you." he cooed.
"You promise?" she asked hopefully.
"On my life." he whispered kissing her again.
"You better mean that Mamo-chan..." she giggled as he gave her a butterfly kiss.
"Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san!" Ikuko called from the kitchen.
"Coming Okaa-san!" She gave Mamoru one last kiss before practically running to the kitchen.
Mamoru stared after her for a minute, but then again it wasn't like he was counting so it made no difference to him in the least. To him, this was all a dream. Being back with Usako, getting along with her family (especially her father), seeing his future daughter -even though the reason she was here couldn't be good-, and being in a family. Mamoru would never tell Usagi this, but he was extremely jealous of her. Of her ability to trust people, express her love to anyone, and of her having a family. Oh sure, Usako was his family, she and Chibi Usa, but secretly he longed for parents, for someone to give him guidance for once. Something in his heart itched, and the imaginary voice in his head began to point fun at him.
Yet deep inside, he couldn't help but feel this dream might turn into a nightmare...
______________something_left_unspoken______________
*crunch*
*crunch*
*slurp*
*swallow*
*crunch*
*crunch*
*slurp*
"Whft?
There were collective sighs from the Tsukino's table.
"Is there something you want to tell us, Usagi dear?" Ikuko asked softly. Usagi gulped down her food. All eyes were on her now.
Her mother's caring glaze...
Her father's worry...
Shingo's amazement and pride...
Chibi Usa's encouragement, and well hidden adornment...
Mamo-chan's eternal love...
"Mm saylm mun.." she muttered incoherently, blinking innocently at the other's sweatdrops.
"Usagi, speak with your mouth open." her father implied, pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose.
Mom... Dad... Shingo, for the past four or so years, I've been sneaking out in the middle of the night, risking my life AND getting killed in the process, while lying to you on a daily basis. Does that clear everything up? Words could not describe how much she would have loved saying that. But, she stuck with the simplified version.
"Mom, Dad, Shingo, I'm Sailor Moon, the pretty-suited soldier of love and justice." she said taking a sip of orange juice. Her father reluctantly shelled out his wallet, mumbling something under his breath and handing her mother 10,000 yen, who snatched it out of his hand, stuffing it in her apron.
"I told you! But you didn't want to believe it! Hah!" her mother went back to washing breakfast's dishes.
Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi Usa blinked.
"You... knew?" Usagi drawled out slowly.
"Usagi, you're my daughter. You have a certain stance about you... and to be blunt, only you and Chibi Usa wear your hair like that." her mother looked up from her dishes.
"Then how come you never confronted me about it?!" Usagi cried slamming her fist down on the table. The dished and silverware rattled, and Usagi's fork flew in Shingo's frozen direction. Chibi Usa caught it before it made contact with his face.
Ikuko put a finger to her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Well, I wasn't quite sure myself until last night." she shook her head, turning back to cleaning the dishes before adding, "Sooner or later, if it was that important to you, you'd tell us. I always knew that."
"So you know about Mamoru then?" Chibi Usa asked, surprising her future parents by using his full name.
"Hai, he's Tuxedo Mask." Kenji answered over his newspaper.
"You TOLD THEM?" Usagi nearly screeched.
"Usa! I just came to 'scatter' the reporters. You're mother let me in." He patted her trembling hands.
"Un! He threw a rose and it hit one of the cameras! The guy was trying to act brave and shout stuff about damaging public property, but he ended up peeing his pants and running down the street when Mamoru showed up as Tuxedo Kamen!" Shingo cried enthusiastically. Usagi and the others joined him in laughing, but Usagi broke it by asking rather frantically where Luna was.
"She's at Central Command with Artemis." Chibi Usa answered, "They've been there all night, but they call in every so often to check on you." She took a sip of her orange juice.
"Where- no, 'what' would be a better question- is Central Command?" Kenji stuttered, "And isn't Luna your pet?"
Usagi coughed uncomfortably, "Well... Central Command is ... you have to promise you won't tell! Promise? All right... I'm not quite sure myself, but I believe Central Command is a base that Luna and Artemis- Minako and my advisors that talk- set up that's connected with the Moon Kingdom's main surviving computer system. We use it to track down enemies and ... well... figure stuff out... it's located under the Sailor V game in the arcade." Usagi finished looking placid. (*Authors note: While I'm mainly sticking to the anime plot, anything that has to do with with the manga with be justified with a *M* in parentheses*)
Dead Silence.
"I always knew that cat was different! So she and... Artemis you say? Talk?" Kenji put his newspaper down. Mamoru and the two Moon Princess' nodded.
"But what's the Moon Kingdom?" Ikuko inquired sitting down. Usagi choked on the eggs she was stuffing into her mouth, and Mamoru and Chibi Usa glanced at each other.
"What? What is it?"
*bleep* *bleep*
Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi Usa immediately shot up from their seats, thankful for the distraction, and dove towards the communicator in the next room.
"What's up?" Usagi asked, flipping it open.
"Oh! Usagi-chan! We were so worried about you!" Luna cried.
Usagi smiled, "There, there Luna... I'm fine now.... see all better GAAAH!" she gasped as Chibi Usa poked her in the ribs. Mamoru gave her a disapproving look. "She's lying, she's not all right!" Chibi Usa insisted.
"Baka! I'm fine!"
"You're only fooling yourself!"
"Why you little..."
"SO, Luna... what's going on? Have you found anything?" Mamoru quickly put it, calming the two girls.
"Hai, but I'm afraid it's bad news." Artemis said mournfully.
"Nani?!" Usagi cried, "What is it?"
"You won't be able to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon anymore." Luna whispered in a low voice. hanging her head.
That was it. Those eleven words.
You won't be able to transform ....
Able to transform...
You won't be able...
Usagi let out a startled sob, "Nani? What's wrong?! You're lying right? Ha ha ha... the joke's over now..." she was crying now. But even in her heart, she knew it wasn't a lie. That she couldn't transform anymore. She couldn't do anything anymore.
Mamoru put an arm around her, "Shhh... Usako... it's all right... shhh..." he cooed to her. "The youma ripped off a big chunk of the transformation locket... the only way to transform now would probably be to just use the Ginzuishou alone." Artemis finished.
"Will that work? I mean... well... she's only done it in a couple of her forms..." Mamoru's voice trailed off uneasily.
"So far, the only form Usagi would be able to transform into would be her second." Luna clarified.
They're talking like I'm not in the room! Usagi thought dryly.
"But even that's a long shot, we're not even sure that's going to work." Artemis added quickly, much to Usagi's distress. "Where's the ginzuishou now?" questioned Chibi Usa. "We have it here... Usagi, you or Chibi Usa have to come take it now, this is a total beacon to the enemy having it here." Luna ordered, leaning more towards Chibi Usa then Usagi.
"I'll-" Usagi cut Chibi Usa off, "I'll be right there, I need some fresh air and my muscles are cramped from staying in bed so long." Before Mamoru or Chibi Usa could stop her, she was all ready at the door. "Usako, I don't think that-"
"That I can take care of myself?" Usagi interjected, "Mamo-chan, I'm sorry, but I have to do this myself. I'll be back soon, and if I run into any trouble I'll hail you on the communicator." she flashed her communicator on her wrist to the two still sitting on the couch before heading out the door.
The future king of earth and his future daughter stared at each other. "That girl will be the death of both of us." Mamoru sighed, shaking his head. All Chibi Usa could do was stare after Usagi with her crimson eyes.
You're right Mamo-chan, in one way or the other...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Man I'm cruel! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! *stops* That's why the next chapter is out too! *laughes* Next time on Sailor Moon Heros: Enter Ranma Saotome and his multiple fiancees!
Luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
www.earthandmoon.homestead.com/Crescent.html