Part Twenty-Eight: A day of love becomes a day of fury! Uranus' rage
Chibiusa pasted the last strip of lace around the edge of the paper heart in her hand, carefully patting down the edges so it would stick. "There!" she announced gleefully. "All finished." She sat back to survey her handiwork: an entire stack of pink and red construction-paper valentines. They were decorated with stickers, lace, little beads and smatterings of glitter, and though they were a little messy, one could easily tell that the child had poured her whole heart into them. "One for everybody," she smiled. The pink haired girl turned towards her future mother and Shinzui, who were also sitting at the kitchen table making valentines. She scowled with disgust at Usagi's pile of sloppy, gluey hearts with jagged edges. "Usagi-chan," she grumbled with her brows lowered, "you should be more careful when you are making gifts for other people."
In response Usagi grinned brightly and thrust an enormous red heart slathered with glitter in front of Chibiusa. "Here, Chibiusa-chan," she declared happily. "I saved the biggest one for you."
Immediately Chibiusa's frown melted away as she opened the little white card glued to the middle of her valentine. Despite the very messy kanji handwriting, she could still make out the message inside:
To Chibiusa-chan. Happy Valentine's Day! I love you very much.
Your friend,
Usagi.
The little girl threw her arms around Usagi's neck. "I love you too," she enthused. "Thanks, Usagi-chan!" The two of them then turned to look at Shinzui, who was placing the finishing touches on the last of her own valentines. They both sighed with admiration to see her neat stack of perfectly shaped, intricately decorated paper hearts, which had been cut carefully like paper snowflakes to make beautiful designs, and then pasted onto a different color background before being edged with lace and little origami flowers. The blind girl's head came up and she smiled at their envious oohing and ahhing.
"Here, Princess. Chibiusa-chan. These are yours." She handed them both two small pink hearts, each one with stars and crescent moons cut into them. There were little white roses surrounding the lacy borders. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said sweetly.
"Wow." Usagi fingered the perfect, smooth cuts in the paper. "These are so pretty, Shinzui-san! How did you do this? I mean…you can't see the scissors or anything."
Shinzui inclined her head gracefully. "I use my fingertips, and imagine the shapes in my mind," she responded with a light giggle. "It's fun. Thank you for telling me which paper was the right color."
In response both of the younger girls hugged her. "Thank you, Shinzui-san!" they exclaimed in unison. Shinzui laughed in that bell-like way and returned the embraces.
"You're very welcome."
Chibiusa's eyes fell on the valentine that Shinzui had just finished. It was larger and fancier than the others, made out of dark blue construction paper that had been cut so ornately that the design was the most delicate and prettiest of all. Tiny gold beads flowed around the edges, and the entire thing shimmered with gold glitter. Her eyes widened. "Who's that one for?" she wanted to know, looking at the blind girl.
Shinzui reached out and carefully placed the valentine on top of her stack. "Someone special," she answered softly.
Usagi's eyes met Chibiusa's, and the two girls shared enormous grins. "Oooh, Shinzui-san has a boyfriend, Shinzui-san has a boyfriend!" they both squealed at the same time.
Shinzui only smiled softly, but she didn't respond.
"Here, Shinzui-san," Chibiusa declared, sticking one of her valentines in front of the blind girl. "I made this one for you."
Shinzui ran her sensitive fingers over the beads and glitter, and her face brightened. "Thank you, Chibiusa-chan. It's beautiful."
Chibiusa nodded with satisfaction. "Yup. And it says 'Happy Valentine's Day to Shinzui-san. Thank you for being my friend.'"
Not to be outdone, Usagi also handed Shinzui a paper heart. "This one's mine," she interrupted proudly. "I made it especially for you."
Shinzui felt the awkwardly shaped heart that was still dripping with glue and plastered with stickers. But her smile of thanks was genuine. "It's wonderful, Princess. I love it." She could sense the friendship and love that Usagi had put into the project, and it filled her heart with warmth. "I'm very grateful for both of you," she said softly. "You'll never know how much. Thank you for your friendship and faith in me." Then she took a deep breath, regaining her composure, and smoothed a strand of pale hair out of her face. "Well now, ladies, if we're going to hand these out we'd better get started. Some of the senshi live pretty far away from one another." She rose to her feet.
The other two nodded emphatically, and Centauri stood up from his position at Shinzui's feet and stretched himself as Shinzui took hold of his harness. Gathering their valentines into small baskets that Shinzui had brought for the occasion, the three set out to distribute their handiwork to their friends.
The Avatar drummed his long, wickedly curved fingernails on the arm of his throne. "Lady Slipper," he growled, "where is my Silver Dagger?"
Lady Slipper bowed low. "Sailor Pluto was not the carrier, my lord," she answered hesitantly. "But I'm about to do what I should have done in the first place…I now know who the carrier is."
"Oh really?" The Avatar's brows lowered. "Do tell."
"That little Posiverse princess. She is the one with the Dagger, and I will retrieve it for you this very day, Avatar. You have my word."
The man on the throne snorted in derision. "As if that means anything. Listen up, Lady Slipper…if you fail me this time--"
"I will not fail you, my lord. Not this time."
"How exactly do you plan on testing Sailor Moon, hmm? She's stronger than you, Lady Slipper, and Orion protects her zealously."
Lady Slipper's sea green eyes narrowed. "I know this. But Sailor Moon has weak spots just as all those pitiful Posiverse humans do. If I take the little girl, she'll come to me herself."
"You mean my counterpart, ChibiMoon." The Avatar stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, you're right about one thing. Sailor Moon is ridiculously attached to the brat. And Orion will do what Sailor Moon tells her to." He nodded. "It might work. It had better work."
Lady Slipper inclined her head. "It will, my lord. I am certain."
"I want you to do something else, while you're at it," the Avatar added with a sudden evil glint in his eye. "To make sure that Sailor Orion is too distracted to defend her little friends…see that she and Sailor Uranus get put together on this one. That ought to keep Orion busy."
Lady Slipper frowned. "I hate Uranus," she muttered rebelliously.
"But Uranus hates Orion. It's the only really good thing that came from the end of the Great War." The Avatar's silver eyes, so like Orion's, glittered cruelly. "And we can use that to our advantage. Arrange it, Lady Slipper. I will take no chances. The vernal equinox is only a few short weeks away. We must have that Dagger."
Lady Slipper bowed again, her rose-colored braid touching the floor. "As you wish, Avatar."
"Dismissed." After a second, he called her back. "Lady Slipper?"
She had almost reached the door of the throne room, but she turned back to see what he wanted. The Avatar was staring at her with narrowed eyes. "Yes, my lord?"
"Don't come back without the Dagger," he ordered coldly. "Or you will have hell--and me--to pay. Understand?"
Lady Slipper inclined her head. "I understand."
"Good."
The Negaverse woman left the room, and strode quickly down the hall of the Avatar's palace. The sand has run out of the hourglass, she mused to herself. If I don't bring him that Dagger now it will mean my life. I cannot afford to fail this time. The heels of her sandals clicked on the hard stone floor. This would be her hardest battle yet…
**********
"Happy Valentine's Day, Haruka." The elegant violinist's teal hair brushed Haruka's cheek as she leaned over her shoulder.
"Huh?" Haruka turned for a moment to focus on her friend, but Michiru could tell that the racer was a million miles away. She smiled gently and brushed a strand of short sandy hair off her partner's forehead.
"Where have you wandered off to?" she mused tenderly. "You've gone away and left me all alone again, hmm?"
Haruka sighed heavily, her face weary. "I'm sorry, Michiru," she answered, doing her best to return the smile. All she managed was a sort of sad quirk at the corner of her lips. "I've just got a lot on my mind."
"I know. It seems like every day you slip farther and farther away from me." A note of sadness echoed through Michiru's voice as she ran her fingers through her partner's hair absentmindedly. "You're my best friend, Haruka. You're the most important person in the world to me. You think I can't see how much you're hurting?"
The tomboyish blond turned away from her then, back to the window. Tears stung Michiru's eyes at the rebuff. This was happening more and more often now. Haruka had never kept her feelings from her like this before…there had been a time when the two of them had shared a complete and unabashed honesty with one another about everything. But lately, her partner had been growing more and more distant, more and more silent. "Please, Haruka. Please, talk to me. Why won't you talk to me?" There was a heavy silence, and Michiru felt her eyes spill over as she blinked. "Don't shut me out like this, Haruka. I can't bear it. You're everything to me…everything. Let me help you."
"There's nothing you can do." The despair in the racer's rich tenor voice broke Michiru's heart.
"I can listen," the violinist protested, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I want to be here for you, Haruka. I want you to let me be the strong one for once." Another set of tears followed the first. "You don't always have to handle everything by yourself, you know."
Haruka's voice shook. "Michiru, can I ask you something?"
"Anything," came the response, and the beautiful musician took a seat on the window bench next to her friend, looking earnestly at the pensive face.
"Have you ever…" The deep voice trembled, and Haruka took a deep breath before continuing. "Have you ever been afraid of me?"
"What?" Her aqua eyes widened.
Haruka turned to look at her with impossibly sad gray eyes. "Be honest."
Michiru exhaled sharply. "No. No, of course not. I've been afraid FOR you, often. Especially lately. I don't understand what's been happening to you. But I've never, ever been afraid of you. You'd never hurt me."
"Don't be so sure." Haruka looked away, down into the street. "I can't control this. I don't know how to fight it. And every time I see her, it gets worse."
Michiru didn't have to ask who the 'her' was. She was all too aware of the inexplicable hatred her friend experienced every time they were in the presence of Giseino Shinzui, or Sailor Orion. She wanted to interject with encouragement, but she could see her partner struggling to find words for her next comment, and she didn't want to interrupt. This was the first time in nearly a week that Haruka had said more than three words in a row to her, and Michiru wanted to keep her talking. So instead she reached out and took the long brown fingers into her own, intertwining their hands, and nodded.
Haruka sighed again. "By all rights I ought to adore Giseino Shinzui. She's a good fighter. She's smart, beautiful, a musician…so much like you. She's so…disgustingly perfect!" She spit out the last words bitterly. "But I hate her. I HATE her. Every time I see her, I want to kill her. It's damn near impossible to keep myself from smashing her pretty little blind face into the nearest wall." Haruka squeezed her eyes shut, her face contorted with pain, and without realizing it her grip tightened on Michiru's hand until the violinist whimpered involuntarily.
The light sound caused Haruka's eyes to snap open again, and she snatched her hand away as if she'd been burned. She stared at Michiru with horror in her gray eyes. "You see? You see?!! Just the thought of her makes me lose control." She held up her hand and looked at it with something akin to fear. "I could hurt someone without knowing it…even you." Haruka met Michiru's eyes with a sort of desperation. "Michiru, if I ever hurt you, I…" She couldn't finish her sentence. "What kind of monster am I?" she asked, her voice shaking again and so low that Michiru could barely hear her. She was staring at her hand as if it were some alien thing.
"Tenou Haruka, look at me." The gentle, sweet voice penetrated her fear, and the racer met her partner's tearfilled eyes. Michiru reached out again, deliberately, and took Haruka's hand into her own. She held it up between them, folding her slender fingers around the rough calloused ones. "You are not a monster, you hear me? You are the strongest, most courageous, most beautiful person I have ever known." She held the tanned fingers to her cheek, and Haruka could feel the warm, moist tears there. "Shinzui told me once that this is not your fault. I believe her."
Haruka's eyes narrowed. "I don't care what the hell she says!!" she bellowed, tearing her hand away and standing up. "This is my heart, Michiru. My heart." She emphasized the last two words by striking her own chest with her fist so hard that she could feel bruises. "No one is responsible for my feelings but me. If it's not my fault, whose fault is it?" She turned to the wall, and furiously smashed her fist into the plaster, creating a large hole. When she pulled her hand out the knuckles were bleeding, but she paid no attention. Her muscles trembled and she leaned forward to rest her burning forehead on the cool wallpaper. Again she pounded the wall with her bloodied fist, her whole body shaking.
Michiru watched her partner with tears continuing to stream down her face. She reached out and took Haruka's arm, pulling the taller girl down to her. Haruka fell to her knees at Michiru's feet, her head in her lap, and wrapped her powerful arms around Michiru's waist. Michiru cradled the blond head, resting her cheek on the soft short hair and rocking back and forth. "Shh. It's all right. It's all right."
Haruka did not cry. She never cried. But she clung to Michiru as if her life depended on it, her entire frame quivering uncontrollably. She'd never felt this helpless before…and Haruka did not like feeling helpless. "I'm sorry, Michiru. I'm so sorry."
"Shh." The musician tangled her fingers in the thick blond hair. "Don't worry. I'm right here, Haruka, and I'm not going anywhere. It's going to be all right."
**********
Shinzui stopped short at the entrance of the apartment building, and Chibiusa looked up at her curiously. "What's the matter, Shinzui-san?" she asked, as the blind girl's lips parted and she gasped under her breath.
For a second Shinzui could not answer. She felt Haruka's pain all the way out there in the street, and the intensity of it knocked the wind out of her. "Oh no. Oh no." The vacant eyes suddenly filled with tears, and the blind girl put a hand out against the building to steady herself. Centauri's head snapped up with concern.
"Shinzui, what is it?"
Shinzui shook her head, taking some quick deep breaths to compose herself. She tilted her head down towards Usagi and Chibiusa. "I think the two of you should do this one alone," she managed in a pained voice. "Here…take these and give them to Michiru and Haruka for me, would you?" She handed Usagi a delicate turquoise lace heart and the large, beautiful valentine that Chibiusa had noticed earlier. Usagi took them, and as she looked down at the big navy and gold heart she knew.
"This is for Haruka-san, isn't it?" she asked with wonder in her voice. "Shinzui-san, why doesn't she like you?"
Shinzui shook her head, her face tight. "It's not her fault," she murmured, mostly to herself. "It's not her fault."
Usagi's face was still a mask of puzzlement, but Centauri cleared his throat. "Princess," he said quietly. "It's best if you do what Shinzui says. We'll wait for you here." Still frowning, Usagi put the pretty valentines into her basket.
"I guess. Come on, Chibiusa-chan." The two Tsukino girls went through the large glass doors to deliver the last of their valentines, and the moment they were gone Shinzui sank to the ground, her back against the plate glass and her head buried in her arms.
"It's not fair, Centauri. She shouldn't have to suffer anymore. She shouldn't have to suffer because of me."
"Shinzui, you have to give it time."
"It's been a thousand lifetimes!" she choked out with a sob. "And it gets worse, not better. She's never hurt this much before. It's never bothered her so much. Centauri, I can't stand this. I can't." She gave a shuddering sigh. "Why does this go on? Why does she continue to be punished for what I did? This isn't her fault. She SHOULD hate me. I hate myself."
Centauri wasn't sure what to say. He knew that there wasn't anything he could do to alleviate his mistress' guilt and distress at the moment…heaven knew he'd been trying to do that for thousands of years.
"I wish it could be like it was before…when she hated me and didn't care. At least that was my pain, not hers."
"You don't mean that," the golden retriever answered. "Uranus is healing. Perhaps this guilt she feels for her hatred of you is the beginning of something different in all of this. Perhaps this time she will be able to find forgiveness…"
"It's not worth it!" Shinzui retorted hotly. "I don't want her to forgive me. I don't deserve it. And she certainly doesn't deserve this suffering. I've caused her enough pain already." The blind girl's voice shook. "We have to find that Silver Dagger soon, Centauri. I have to get out of her life. I have to."
He licked her hand sympathetically, and curled up beside her. Sometimes, it was necessary to just allow her to grieve.
**********
There was a knock at the door. Michiru checked on her partner again before going to answer it; Haruka had a hammer in one hand and several nails sticking out of her mouth as she silently patched the hole she'd made in the wall. She met her friend's eyes for a brief moment, and received a nod. When she was sure that everything was all right she went to open the door.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Michiru-san!" Usagi and Chibiusa exclaimed brightly in unison.
Michiru laughed delightedly at the sight of the messy but affectionate valentines being thrust into her hands. "Usagi-chan…Chibiusa-chan…thank you. Please, come in."
Haruka looked up from her work and grinned around the nails between her teeth. "Odango atama. What brings you here?"
"We made valentines for you and Michiru-san, see?" Usagi handed a very glittery paper card to her. "Because you're our very important friends!"
Haruka chuckled low in her throat, and put the hammer down so she could remove the nails from her mouth. "Thank you, odango."
Chibiusa stared curiously at the partially mended hole. "Haruka-san! What happened to your wall?"
"Little accident," Michiru replied quickly without looking at Haruka. "Here, would you two like some Valentine cookies? I baked them this morning."
Usagi's eyes lit up. "Cookies!" she exclaimed happily, reaching for the plate of red frosted hearts.
Chibiusa's eyebrows lowered. "Usagi-chan," she grumbled, "You already ate six cookies and two cakes over at Mako-chan's house. You're going to be fat!"
Usagi stuck her tongue out at Chibiusa and took a cookie anyway. "I am NOT fat," she retorted, "and besides, you're the one who's always eating sweets."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Michiru and Haruka exchanged amused glances, and took the opportunity to read their cards while the younger girls were otherwise occupied. Michiru smiled sweetly and interrupted the argument. "These are such lovely valentines, girls. Did you make them yourselves?"
The girls broke off their arguing to nod enthusiastically. Usagi's eyes widened. "Oh, almosh fahgot," she mumbled around a mouthful of crumbs. Chewing quickly, she reached down into her little basket, and then pulled out the last two valentines as she swallowed. "Here, these are from Shinzui-san."
Haruka took an involuntary step back. "Is she… here?" she wanted to know, her voice suddenly a little hoarse.
Usagi shook her head. "Uh-uh. She stayed outside."
Haruka let out her breath in a sigh of relief, but looked down in trepidation at the exquisite gold-adorned valentine that she was being offered. Michiru came to the rescue smoothly, taking the blue heart from Usagi's fingers. "Oh, it's so pretty, isn't it, Haruka? And so is mine. Shinzui is such a talented person." She set the cards up on the counter without waiting for a response. "Be sure to tell her thank you for us, Usagi-chan."
Usagi nodded, busy stuffing another cookie into her mouth. Chibiusa rolled her eyes at her future mother, and then turned to Haruka. "Haruka-san, how come you don't like Shinzui-san? She's awful nice."
Haruka gave a nervous smile, her eyes darting to Michiru's. "Well… I… that is…" She was interrupted by the sudden motion of the apartment door as it was forced off its hinges.
Usagi gave a shriek of surprise and terror. The door flew into the room, slamming down flat on the floor, and Chibiusa instinctively lept backwards to avoid it. Haruka caught the child and snatched her away in time to prevent the door from falling on her. The four girls stared in disbelief as Lady Slipper marched into the apartment, her heels crunching over the splintered wood.
It took Haruka approximately half a second to register what had happened. In that half a second, Chibiusa was suddenly wrenched from her arms by an unseen force. The child flew across the room, and into Lady Slipper's hands. Haruka snarled. "You!"
Usagi screamed again. "Chibiusa-chan! Give her back, Lady Slipper!"
Lady Slipper laughed. "You want her, little princess? You'll have to come with me."
"Lady Slipper!"
Haruka felt her blood freeze at the familiar voice, and she looked up to see Sailor Orion standing in the doorway, glaring at the Negaverse woman. Lady Slipper giggled again. "Running a little late, aren't we, Orion?" she sneered. Then she turned to Usagi. "Well, are you coming?"
"Princess, don't," Orion declared coldly, taking a step forward.
Lady Slipper wrapped one hand around Chibiusa's throat. "Come any closer and I'll kill her," she threatened. Orion stopped moving. "What will it be, Miss Moon? Either you come with me now, alone, or I kill your precious pink brat."
"You'll have to kill me first," Haruka growled, feeling the familiar rage racing through her veins and trying her best to keep it focused on the evil woman. She lunged forward to seize Chibiusa, but Lady Slipper narrowed her eyes and a sudden burst of energy knocked the motorcyclist off her feet and threw her back into the wall she'd just been working on.
"Haruka!" Michiru cried out in alarm, and Usagi shrieked.
"Stop it, stop it, please!" she begged Lady Slipper. "I'll come with you. I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt anybody."
"Princess, no," Orion protested, but Usagi fastened those crystal blue eyes on her.
"I don't want anyone else hurt," she declared firmly.
Lady Slipper nodded in satisfaction. "A wise decision. Let's go." She snapped the fingers of her free hand, and vanished along with Chibiusa and Usagi.
Haruka grunted and picked herself up from the floor, shrugging off Michiru's attempts to help her. Her blood was boiling, and she felt like her brain was on fire. In an instant her henshin pen was in her hand. "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!" she hissed.
Following suit, Michiru also produced her own pen. A few seconds later, two Sailor Senshi stood facing at Sailor Orion. "What are we waiting for?" Uranus demanded, the red rage nearly bursting behind her eyes. She wanted to kill something. Now.
Sailor Orion looked at her with concern. "Uranus, Neptune, are you sure you want to do this? Maybe I should go alone."
"Not on your life," Uranus snarled. "NOBODY breaks in my door and takes people out of my house. If you're not coming then get out of the way. We're wasting time."
Orion nodded. She could feel Uranus' fury, directed at her, and recognized the other girl's attempts to control it by channeling it towards their enemy. She knew that if the Magnificent Soldier didn't get a battle soon, she would lose control completely; and with Lady Slipper to fight against, she couldn't leave them to face her alone. "They're on the roof," she said simply. "Follow me."
As they raced through the halls towards the stairs, Sailor Orion focused her own energy on Uranus, sending her as much control as she possibly could. Uranus needed every bit of it. Orion sensed the tenuous hold that she was keeping on her hate, and her heart ached even as she reached out with her own emotions to help her fight it back. This was hate she deserved. She shouldn't be fighting it, and neither should Uranus. But the Princess' life, and Chibiusa's, were in danger, and there was no time for vengance or just rewards.
They reached the stairs and practically flew up the flights of steps. Though Sailor Orion was in fine physical shape, Uranus charged ahead of both her and Neptune, and Orion felt a wave of satisfaction from the enraged senshi. Uranus' love of speed was giving her a measure of positive feelings, which also helped in controlling the roiling negative ones, and Orion dropped her own speed, just a little; enough to give Uranus a greater lead.
Sailor Neptune cast a curious look over at Orion. She too, picked up on the waves of strength that the older soldier was sending to her partner, and she smiled with gratitude. She wasn't sure why Uranus had so many awful feelings for Sailor Orion, but she herself really liked the Sacrificial Soldier. There was something so genuine and generous about her…a self denial and courage that reminded her of her partner. It was really a shame that Uranus despised Orion. The two of them would make a formidable fighting team if they were able to work together at it.
Since Haruka and Michiru's apartment was only four floors from the roof of the sixty story building, the senshi were able to reach it in about one minute flat. Uranus burst through the final door at the top with the force of a freight train, and immediately caught sight of Lady Slipper and the other two girls. Lady Slipper had Chibiusa by the wrist, and the other hand held a small shiny knife. Usagi, standing in front of her, had her arm held out timorously and was covering her eyes with the other hand, screaming bloody murder all the while. Lady Slipper hadn't cut her yet.
Uranus' eyes were scarcely slits now, and she threw her fist in the air. "World Shaking!" she bellowed, sending her golden planet-shaped attack ripping through the surface of the apartment building roof. Sailor Orion and Sailor Neptune arrived on her heels, just in time to see Lady Slipper kick the ball of power away from her as if it were a troublesome dog nipping at her heels.
"Look out," Orion warned, and grabbed Uranus from behind, throwing her to the side to avoid the returned attack. Uranus yelled furiously as Orion's hands came into contact with her shoulders, and as the power bounced harmlessly past them she shoved Orion away.
"Get off me," she growled, rolling herself a good distance from Orion before getting up. "I can take care of myself. Why don't you try doing something useful like using those Mini-Spheres of yours, instead of tossing me around?"
Orion stood up and shook her head. "It's too dangerous, Uranus. The Mini-Spheres are too destructive and someone in the building could get hurt." Behind them she heard Sailor Neptune release a Deep Submerge attack, but she didn't have to turn around to know that Lady Slipper would be unaffected by that one as well.
Uranus hissed between her teeth, and a vein in her neck throbbed. "Fine. Then stand here and watch, coward." What she really wanted to do was to blast another attack right at the repulsive taller soldier, but she was able to focus that impulse in a different direction. In a voice shaking with rage, she called out, "Lady Slipper! Let's see you get rid of this one!!" Her arm went up again. "World Shaking!" This time, she poured as much of her hate and anger into the words as she could. The golden energy exploded from her hand with a force like she'd never felt before.
"Uranus, no!!" Orion cried, realizing the strength of the attack and looking at Lady Slipper. Usagi had managed to dodge away from the menace of Lady Slipper's knife, but Chibiusa was still being held by the wrist.
Lady Slipper felt the vibrations in her defenses before the planet struck, and she knew a split second before she was hit that this attack what somewhat different from the first. Sure enough, it was. Her sea-green eyes widened in shock as the attack tore through her shields, and a split second before her body was enveloped in golden pain, she felt Chibiusa's hand being snatched out of her own.
Orion grunted with pain as the edge of the Shaking attack grazed her back. She clutched Chibiusa to her chest and rolled with her on the ground, feeling the skin of her knee and thigh grazed away when they skidded to a stop. Her head struck hard, so that little golden stars seemed to dance behind her eyelids for a moment. When she was finally able to open her eyes and focus, she checked on the little girl in her arms. "Chibiusa-chan, are you all right?"
The child nodded, but her russet eyes were fearful. "Sailor Orion, you're hurt," she cried, seeing the bleeding scrapes on the older senshi's cheek and brow.
Orion gritted her teeth as she forced her body to stand. It was not the first time she'd felt Uranus' World Shaking, and this time she hadn't even taken the full force, but it was nonetheless a decidedly unpleasant experience. "I'm all right, Chibiusa-chan. Find Usagi and get out of here, all right? She's the one Lady Slipper wants."
The pink haired girl nodded, and Orion turned to discover what had happened to Lady Slipper. She knew firsthand what Uranus' attack felt like, and suspected strongly that with the power that particular one had behind it, her former wife had not escaped unscathed. She was right. Lady Slipper was struggling to her feet, but she was obviously in pain. Orion turned to see Uranus grinning sadistically, her stony gray eyes shining with hate. The sight broke her heart. Oh, Uranus. What have I done to you? She felt like crying as Uranus summoned her shimmering space sword from her body.
"Now, Lady Slipper, you're finally going to get what you deserve." The senshi of earth moved forward, and Orion could see that there was no way Lady Slipper would have time to summon a defense.
I can't let this happen. I can't let her turn into me…this is wrong! Sailor Orion did not stop to think. She could not allow Uranus to become a murderer, to kill someone who could not fight back. No matter how evil Lady Slipper was, it couldn't end like this. Not like this. Orion lunged forward. "Lady Slipper!" she cried out, and as Uranus brought the sword talisman down for a death blow, Orion shoved the Negaverse woman off the edge of the building.
There was the sound of laughing as Lady Slipper realized she was saved. Uranus watched in disappointed fury as the falling woman gathered her remaining energy and shimmered out of sight, transporting herself from midair to safety. In a split second, it was over. Lady Slipper had escaped, and now Uranus' last threads of control snapped. She turned her wild eyes on Orion. "Why did you do that, you fool?" she screeched, seizing the taller girl by the neck. "I'll kill you!"
"Uranus, stop!" Sailor Neptune screamed out, but Uranus could not hear. She could not see. She could not think. Uranus wanted blood. Her vision filled with red, and she was lost to herself.
Orion's eyes filled with suffering as the disgust and loathing in Uranus' face burned into her soul. It was actually physically painful to face so much hate, and she went limp in Uranus' hand. It would be better to just let Uranus kill her now. It was no more than she deserved.
Sailor Uranus lifted Orion off the ground and flung her sideways almost twenty feet, using the incredible strength she was notorious for. Orion found herself hitting the ground for the third time, and she gasped as the breath was knocked from her body and her lungs collapsed on themselves. For a few seconds she could not remember how to fill them again.
Uranus let out a howl of glee, and brandished her space sword. What happened next took only a matter of seconds, but for Orion it seemed to drag out for agonizing hours.
"NO!!!!!" From the corner of her eye Orion saw Usagi appear from behind, running at Uranus, trying to stop her advance. What was she still doing here? She was supposed to have left with Chibiusa. She shouldn't be here. Orion didn't have the breath to cry a warning. Uranus was beyond reason now, and wouldn't recognize the princess. This could only end badly. In horror, Orion watched helplessly as her beloved princess seized Uranus' shoulder. With an animalistic snarl, Uranus used her other arm to grab the tiny Sailor leader's wrist. In a quick, savage motion, Uranus flipped the smaller girl over her head, and Orion heard the sickening snap and Usagi's resulting scream of pain as her arm was broken with her own body weight. Ponytails flying, Usagi was wrenched through the air with scarcely an effort. Uranus, maddened to the point of insanity, threw the injured Usagi off to the side like a broken doll. With that, Orion's body recalled its ability to breathe, and she drew in the sharpest, most painful rush of air that she'd ever taken in her life.
"Princess…" she moaned, but her voice was too far gone to be heard, and it was too late. Usagi had struck her head on the edge of a fan casing mounted to the roof, and was out cold.
"Usagi-chan!!" That was Neptune's voice. "Uranus!" The aqua haired soldier flew in from the right, and again Orion tried to cry a warning. Neptune didn't understand. Uranus was no longer in control of her own body, and not even Sailor Neptune would be able to get through now.
"Stop," she croaked hoarsely, again too faintly to be heard and too late to be heeded.
Uranus' head came up as this second obstruction appeared in her path. Blinded by rage and completely oblivious to her own actions, Uranus seized Neptune by the throat and shoved her up against the low wall that ran around the edge of the building. Neptune's lovely turquoise eyes widened with terror as she realized that Uranus was going to throw her off the building just like Lady Slipper. "Uranus," she choked out, the iron fingers at her throat suffocating her windpipe. "It's me, Neptune. Don't do this. Fight it…you have to fight it." She could feel herself losing equilibrium. It was a long way down, and Neptune didn't have Lady Slipper's ability to transport herself to safety. If she went over the edge of the wall she wouldn't stop until she'd struck pavement. And Haruka…Haruka would never forgive herself.
But the blond soldier's face twisted into a sneer, and she only pressed Neptune harder against the edge of the wall. Neptune dug her heels into the ground in a frantic attempt to keep her balance. "Please…Haruka, please…"
At the sound of her name on Neptune's lips, Uranus hesitated. At the back of her mind, and through the numbing rage, there was something calling out to her, telling her that this wasn't the one. Not the one she wanted to kill. The bloodlust seared through her body, scorching the inside of her chest, and her fingers rebelliously tightened against that little voice of protest until it could no longer make a sound. But that nagging feeling still persisted. There was something wrong about this. The one she had in her hand was the wrong one. This wasn't who she hated. This was someone different. She didn't want to kill this one. This was…. This was….
"Michiru." The name suddenly formed on her lips, blazing across her memory like fire. Her eyes suddenly found a focus, and slowly, very slowly, she began to realize exactly what was happening. Her hand, around Michiru's neck. Her arms, holding Michiru over the edge of a sixty story building. Her body, forcing her weight on Michiru's body so that she would fall. And Michiru's face, purpling with lack of oxygen, contracted in fear. She was trying to kill Michiru.
"Oh my god." The sneer on her face melted into an expression of abject horror. She released Neptune's neck and pulled her forward, preventing her from falling. The Elegant Soldier coughed and choked as the pressure at her throat was suddenly released, allowing her to breathe. Uranus let go and stumbled backwards, turning to see Usagi lying a few feet away. The petite girl was unconcious, her arm bent at an unnatural angle, and a growing pool of blood beginning to stain one of the long blond ponytails. Sailor Uranus felt the bile rise in her throat. She was going to be sick. "Oh my god. What have I done?" She met Sailor Orion's silvery eyes, as the Sacrificial Soldier finally regained her footing.
Now, the absolute shame and abhorrence of what she had been doing overpowered even her hatred of Orion, and she met those sad, sad silver eyes with shock. "What have I done?" she choked out, stumbling back a few more steps.
Orion was torn. She wanted to go to Uranus, to comfort her, to reassure her that it would be all right. But the truth was, she didn't know if it would be. And the one thing that she was certain of was that Uranus didn't need any contact with her right now whatsoever. The best thing would be to get out of her sight before she did more damage…but not without Usagi. She turned away from Uranus and knelt by Usagi's side. Her Music Sphere could reset the bone, but she couldn't use it now. That blood meant that Usagi had hit her head; Orion found the gash on the left temple and was relieved to find that it was bloody, but not deep. Still, there was always the possibility of concussion with a head wound, and she was loathe to move Usagi until she knew for sure. Looking back up at where Uranus was standing, however, she knew she had no choice. She couldn't stay, and she certainly couldn't leave Usagi here in this condition. It was a good thing that Usagi was unconscious, because Orion knew this was going to hurt. She bent down and carefully scooped the tiny Sailor leader into her arms, mindful to support the broken bone. Rising to her feet, Orion met Uranus' eyes one last time before pressing the stone set into her bracelet. Invisibility wrapped itself around her and the girl in her arms, and she turned away. She had to get Usagi to the Guardians. Broken bones were a little more difficult to fix, and she would need their help. Deep down, though, she knew that Usagi's injuries were not the most severe that had been suffered today. And the injuries to Uranus' soul would be the most difficult to mend, if they were mendable at all.
Invisible tears streamed down invisible cheeks, the salt stinging her bleeding scrapes. This was her fault. It was all her fault. Once again she'd managed to hurt the people she loved most in the world. The ones she had sworn to protect. How could she have been so foolish? She should have gone alone, should have made Uranus and Neptune stay behind. She should have let Uranus kill Lady Slipper. She should have let Uranus kill HER. As Orion made her way out of the building with her precious burden, she found herself begging God to let her die. She just wanted to die again, and get it over with.
**********
Uranus stared at the place where Orion had vanished with Usagi. She knew that Usagi would be safe with Orion…Orion would get help. But her own heart was failing her. Her breathing came in quick gasps as reality asserted itself more and more brutally. She had been ready to kill Sailor Orion, a person who had never done anything but good for them since the moment she'd arrived in their midst. And she had lost control so completely that she was unaware of Usagi's presence, or Michiru's either, for that matter. She'd nearly killed both of them. And it was all for no reason. She was a monster. That was the only possible explanation for all of this. She was more of a monster than Orion had ever been, because she knew better. It almost cost the lives of her most beloved friends.
The memory of Usagi's twisted arm rose in front of her eyes again, and this time she could recall the loud crack of bone as she had pulled the tiny, defenseless and untransformed Sailor leader over her shoulder. She could still hear the heartwrenching shriek of pain, and feel the dead weight of the limp form in her hand before she flung it away. Uranus' throat burned, and she bent over suddenly, retching. Her stomach heaved and she felt like she was turning inside out.
"Uranus. Uranus, are you all right?"
She jumped as Sailor Neptune laid a hand on her arm, and with the back of one hand she wiped her mouth as she straightened up. "Don't touch me," she gasped hoarsely. "Don't touch me, don't look at me, don't come near me."
Neptune's eyes filled with tears as she watched her partner. She couldn't even begin to imagine the guilt that Uranus was putting herself through at the moment, but the sight of her getting sick all over the roof was a good indication that this was extremely serious. "Uranus, it's all right. It will be all right, you'll see."
Uranus shook her head, her eyes wild. "No. No, no, no. It's not all right. It will never be all right." The red marks on Neptune's fair skin stood out like brands, and Uranus looked down at her own hands in revulsion. The fingers curled into fists of their own accord. I was trying to kill her. I WANTED to kill her. I wanted to kill all of them. What's happening to me? She felt her stomach heave again, and doubled over to spit out even more bile.
"Uranus…" Sailor Neptune took a step towards her.
"Stay away from me!!!" Uranus stumbled back a few more steps to the wall at the edge of the roof. "Oh, god…" She looked up at the sky, the infinite blue sky that she loved so much. Now it seemed to be hiding itself from her, hiding behind dark clouds that frowned down on her in disgust and repellence. "Oh god, what have I done?" I want to die. Please, please just let me die. How could any of them ever forgive her? Sailor Orion would hate her now, and with every reason. How could she ever look Sailor Moon in the face again after what she'd done today? She'd sworn to protect the solar system and its future queen. She was a traitor to her own cause.
Her gaze, crazed with despair, grasped at Sailor Neptune's image, taking in the exquisite features, the worried eyes, the extended arms. So beautiful. The most beautiful girl in the universe. She remembered that same face, inches from hers, eyes wide, nostrils flared in terror. Those same arms at her wrist, trying to pry her hand away. And that beloved voice calling her name, begging her not to take her life. Michiru, her partner, the one person in the universe closer than a friend, closer than a sister, the person that she lived and breathed for, had looked into her eyes with fear for her life. If she could destroy Michiru in a fit of blind rage, she was capable of anything.
Oh god, please, I want to die.
Her hands gripped the edge of the wall behind her, and a sudden thought dawned. Without another word, Uranus straightened her legs, threw out her arms, and let herself fall backwards, over the edge. Her feet flew over her head in a perfect, terrifying arc, and she disappeared.
Sailor Neptune's heart stopped. "URANUS!!!" she shrieked, her voice breaking in fear. "Uranus, no!!!!" Running to the wall, she leaned over as far as she dared and screamed again.
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!" It was a sound that pierced the streets of Tokyo with ominous echoes.