Notice:
Some of the events in this chapter are very vivid, and are
meant for you to get a better picture of what Usagi is going
through. However, some of the events in this chapter are
similar to the 9-11-01 attack on the WTC. They are not intended
to be a replica of that attack, and I do not wish for anyone
to take them that way.
I know that we all lost something on that day--our sence of
sercurity and freedom was threatened and it touched a lot of
hearts deeply. I know it did mine.
We are all haunted in some way by what happened on that day--
but if you are hurt deeper by it; lost someone or live close
enough--you might want to think twice before reading this
chapter. It could bring back some memories.
Like I said, I am not trying to rewrite what happened. When
I sit down to write a story, I try to do so in a manner where
you can see the things I see in my head. This was what I seen.
@------
Flee to Destiny
Chapter 9 - Unearthed Terrors
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: PG-13
@------
I stood immobile, my hands seemingly glued to the
banister. Fear made my blood run cold, and a shiver ran
up my spine and seemed to settle into my bones. Before
my very eyes came scenes the likes I had could never have
imagined. Nothing in my worst nightmares or expectations
could have come close to what was before me.
"Usako... oh my God." Mamo-chan was beside me in
mere seconds. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw his own
eyes grow with disbelief. He stood beside me for the
longest time, watching. Suddenly an explosion shook the
Earth, even the banister under my tight grip vibrated.
Flying shards of glass, building material and other objects
seem to rise from the Earth's surface and take flight.
The sound of shattering glass filled my ears, blocking
out every thought--every other sound. The front door slammed
in, Senshi filling the room. I didn't have time to think about
what was happening. I could hear the shouting around me, the
urgency in the Senshi's voices and Mamo-chan directing everyone.
In seconds Tuxedo Kamen had me tucked safely against his chest
and we were fleeing with the rest of the city.
What little I could see from my position blurred past.
Colors and shapes bleeding into one another until there was
nothing but a continuing blur. My head felt light; I could
hear people shouting, pain filled screams rising above the
city. Panic laced every voice; every breath in my body was
difficult. I felt something hit my head and suddenly the
darkness came, claiming me as another of its own.
I awoke to arguing voices. I sat up slowly, testing
my newfound awareness. I didn't recognize the room I was
in - but I did know the voices. Sailor Uranus and Sailor
Jupiter were standing over a computer, pointing to different
things and talking back and forth in heated tones. Because
of their voice levels I couldn't tell what they were saying,
but Jupiter turned around, her fingers pressed into her
forehead as she spoke again.
I removed the wet cloth from my forehead, noticing
that it seemed to be lightly stained with blood. Feeling
my forehead, I imagined the bump there might have something
to do with it. I sat up, preparing to stand up when I realized
that Shingo was sleeping on the floor in front of the couch
I was laying on. Stepping over him I walked towards the Senshi,
coming towards them I heard Uranus talking again.
"I know where it came from, but I'm telling you it's
not based there. That is just stupid. If it was that easy,
would we have not located the enemy long ago?" Uranus' index
finger was planted firmly on the computer screen, the pressure
of it causing her nail bed to turn white.
"But that is just the point Ami was trying to make
earlier. They base their energy out of this point here,"
Jupiter said slowly, as if she were repeating this for the
umpteenth time and determined to get her point across this
round. "There is no way they could be based anywhere else
in the city and still be close enough to set off those
explosions without harming their own base. If they were
underneath it all - instead of on the blunt end of it -
they could have pulled it off."
Their words seem to swim through my head, each making
it's self known one at a time. Explosion.... Enemy.... Base...
In the background of my thoughts the terror in people's voices
came back hauntingly. The glass breaking...
I blinked my eyes, pushing all of that aside as I strode
up to the two Senshi with calmness that I never would have
guessed I had in me. I still wasn't sure I did.
"What's going on?" I asked in a somewhat accusing tone.
I was their Princess, I should have been told what was happening
instead of being packaged and carried away like some piece of
meat. But from a different stand point I could also understand
their motives. In either case, I was fully awake now and becoming
impatience as both Uranus and Jupiter seemed to have lost their
voices when they realized they weren't alone.
Jupiter found her voice first, throwing a look that I
couldn't identify towards Uranus as she turned to me. I
crossed my arms; waiting for answers to the question I
wasn't sure I wanted the answers to.
"Remember the attack that Ami had predicted a couple of
months ago? Well, she might have been wrong about the time frame,
but she was right in thinking it was going to happen. About 9:42
a.m. a strange glow began in the Tokyo Towers. Over the recording
we took off the scanner we picked up that some policemen were
going over there to check it out. At 10:02a.m. they arrived.
What they found left grown men speechless when they came back
across their radios. The Outer Senshi," here Jupiter snarled
lightly, motioning with disgust towards Sailor Uranus. "Took
it upon themselves to go over to the Towers without notifying
one of us to what was happening."
"That's bull! We don't have to check in with the peanut
gallery every time we make a move!" Uranus said quickly, her
voice dangerously low. She stepped towards Jupiter, her fist
clinched.
Without thinking I stepped between the two taller women.
Narrowing my eyes, I turned to Uranus and in a voice that didn't
sound even remotely like my own, I stared her down. "Just lay
off of it, Uranus. Put your differences aside just this once.
Because it don't matter who done what, who has been around
longer or who is the oldest. We are all fighting for our lives
and the lives of millions of people on this planet. It wasn't
my choice, yours or Jupiter's to have this responsibility thrown
at us. But we have it and I'll be damned if I'm going to listen
to your superiority problems in the mist of an emergency."
I could have sworn I seen a flash of respect glint for
just a second in Uranus' eyes. I couldn't be sure, it was
then that she turned around and walked out of the room,
slamming her fist in the wall on the way out.
I turned back towards Jupiter, flames still in my gaze.
She seemed to have had something to say - but changed her mind
when she met my eyes. Instead she turned back towards the computer
screen. "Anyways, when the police tried to gain access to the
building, it exploded."
"And not just a little explosion," another voice interrupted.
I looked around in time to see Luna jump up on the table and sit
next to the computer. She placed her paw on the mouse, clicking
on different pictures until a map was on the screen. It simulated
the building exploding and the chain effect from there. She stared
at the screen as if her eyes still didn't believe what they had
seen just this very morning.
Artemis - whom I hadn't even known was in the room up to
this point - began explaining what had happened. "The force of
the blast itself was large enough to take out everything in a
two mile radius. But it was being controlled, by the enemy we
suspect. Buildings caught on fire, windows shattered for miles
in all directions. But the energy disappeared just as quickly
as it had come, like it was sucked back down into the hull of
the ruins of Tokyo Towers. Mamoru-san's apartment was close
enough to the blast that all the windows in the building were
shattered, but that was the only damage. Buildings that were
closer to the Tower were leveled. The city is in a panic."
"W...Where is Mamo-chan?" I asked weakly, my hands shaking.
Images of fires, sounds of screaming people. A flood of emotions
filled my brain - but mostly terror. I was scared down to the
bone, cold and scared. "Where is everyone?"
Jupiter stared at me, her fist clinching and unclenching
at her side. Fear nailed me to the floor, leaving me speechless
and feeling like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my
body. My bottom lip started to tremble slightly and my hands
shook even as I drew them to my side. My eyes traveled to the
three in front of me, no one opening their mouth to speak.
Against my will a small sob rose in my chest and escaped my
mouth. Faster and faster my eyes dashed to look at the two
felines, then Jupiter. No one said a word. Nothing. The silence
was deafening, endless. My parched dry lips parted to release a
scream, a message embedded in it.
"WHERE?"
"We were ordered not to tell you, or to let you leave,"
Jupiter whispered, her green eyes swimming in emotions that
tore her apart. Sense of duty or friendship - the struggle
was hard. Her eyes focused on mine until she couldn't handle
the pain anymore and looked away. I couldn't believe my ears;
ordered? By Mamo-chan? He would do that, a part of my mind
reasoned. He doesn't want you hurt. But damn it, my other
reasoning argued, you are the Princess and Sailor Moon and
have a right to be with the other Senshi.
It took a moment for my body to respond to the orders
my brain was giving. Finally I felt my feet move and I turned
towards the door. A slim, uncertain hand reached out, grabbing
my arm. "Usagi-chan, I can't let you go," Jupiter nearly
whispered.
"You are in no position to stop me," I replied, yanking
my arm from her grasp and once more walking towards the door.
I pulled my locket out and fingered it as I made my way across
the room and to the doorway. "Luna, Artemis - stay here with
Shingo and keep us informed if you find anything new about the
enemy."
"Our communicators rely on the same antenna as that of
television and radios," Luna deadpanned. "Once you walk out
that door, I have no way to contact you since Tokyo Towers
is nothing but ashes."
I made no reply, just pulled the locket above my head
and closed my eyes. Again I felt a hand on my arm, almost
painfully Jupiter tried to pull the locket from my grasp.
"You aren't just making decisions about yourself anymore,
Usagi-chan," Jupiter said quickly, her eyes once more locked
with my own determined gaze. "You have a child to think about,
if you get hurt the least that may happen is to hurt the baby.
And it's not just your baby - it's also Mamoru's."
"Don't you think I know that?" I accused, yanking my
hand away from her and stepping back. I looked at the floor
for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. When I looked
back up, whatever it was Jupiter seen in my eyes made her
step backwards. "I'm going. Either you are with me," I paused,
pounding each word into the air to get across their full
meaning and nothing less. "Or you aren't."
Jupiter's eyes stayed locked with my own as I pulled
the crystal above my head and shouted my transformation. When
the lights died down, I turned and started up the steps that
would lead me above ground. For a moment I didn't think she
would follow, and pushed aside the meaning that it held in
my heart. A second before I opened the door that would lead
me into the arcade, I heard Jupiter. "Shimatta*," she grunted,
followed by her footsteps as she ran up the staircase.
@------
What I saw outside the confinements of the underground
room would haunt me for the rest of my life. As the chamber
to the Sailor V game** opened, allowing us to pass I tried not
to think about what would be on the outside. But as I stepped
out, my foot crunching on glass shards that lay everywhere -
I looked up and gasped. The shock of seeing lingering black
smoke in the once blue sky, cars toppled over and burning,
people walking aimlessly down the middle of the street, looking
around in shock, my stomach turned and my heart felt sick.
I tried to hide my reaction from Jupiter, but failed
miserably. She walked up beside me as I moved through the
doorway that once held glass to protect the inside from
nature's elements. Nothing but shards of glass remained
now. Covering my mouth with my hand, I looked up and down
the city street. What my eyes took in was nearly indescribable.
The street wasn't even distinguishable from the sidewalk. And
the people, the blank stares on their faces. The horror, the
heartache. The death. It smelled of death, of destruction.
A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, was tearing
through debris - tears streaking down her face. As we approached
her, she looked up and me and a light of recognition seem to
flicker in her deep hazel pupils. Her slim hands reached out
towards me, as if for help, and her features crumbled up in
agony. "Doushite?***" she cried pitifully. "Doushite...?"
I felt a sob rise in my throat and I stepped back.
Jupiter stepped in front of me, grasping the woman's hands
in her own. "Shhhh, it's okay. We are here to help. Are you
looking for someone?"
The woman numbly shook her head, looking down at her
blood stained hands and then at Jupiter. "I don't know," she
mumbled. "I don't know..." The amazon Senshi easily pulled
the woman to her feet and helped her inside the arcade and
sat her down. She said something to her that I couldn't hear
and then rejoined me.
From down the street the racing of a fire engine's horn
burst through the quiet - echoing through out the street.
Closer and closer it came until it passed, red lights flashing
until it was gone around a corner. Jupiter watched it go before
she began walking down the street in the same direction it had
taken. "Most of the fires are out now, but some are still
lingering and causing some threat to nearby homes. Mercury
and Neptune helped put most of them out when this first happened."
"I don't remember much, just flashes of lights and sounds
of screaming. What happened? How long was I out?"
My eyes burned from the smoke that lay so thick in the air.
"Mamoru-san wrapped you as best he could in his cape to keep you
from getting hurt. But so much stuff was flying through the air
from the force of the blast that a piece of something - I'm not
sure what - hit you just the right way to knock you out cold.
Ami assured us that you were alright, maybe even for the best that
you had passed out at the time. That was about two hours ago."
In just two short hours the city, the lives of hundreds and
thousands of people, had been changed forever. I felt numb. We
cut across an alleyway, entering another street. The scene was
the same - death, smoke and destruction. I felt the sweet taste
of vomit lingering in my throat and I tried to swallow it back.
Thank God my baby was still protected in my womb, I would hate
for such a scene to ever be seen by his or her eyes. It was my
duty to see that it never did. We pressed on through the debris
and towards the remains of Tokyo Towers.
I could hear voices shouting back and forth to each other
as we approached. Above it all, one voice stood out among the
frenzy. I rushed forward, leaving Jupiter to follow in my steps.
Standing slightly away from the still burning building was Tuxedo
Kamen, talking to a fire fighter and pointing in different
directions as he spoke. I ran as fast as my legs would take me,
towards him. Towards the promise of his embrace and comfort that
I so desperately wanted; needed. I was a Princess, a Sailor Senshi
- but most of all, I was a frightened four month pregnant woman
who needed a string of security to hold on to.
It was like Mamo-chan could sense my presence. He looked
my direction, looking slightly surprised to see me running towards
him. When I reached him his arms opened and eagerly I buried my
face in the warmth and comfort of his love. I barely heard him
ask the firefighter to excuse him as he led me away from the
building. "Usako," he asked, his arms encircled around me tightly.
"What are you doing here?"
Suddenly I found I couldn't speak, couldn't think about
anything but my own fears and anxiety. Mamoru soothed me when
my tears broke free, falling down my face in salty rivers. "I'm
scared, Mamo-chan. I'm so scared..." I mumbled, rubbing my face
against the softness of his shirt - inhaling his scent to keep
me from drowning in the chaos around me. In response to my shaking
body, Mamo-chan tipped my chin up towards his, grazing his fingers
along my cheekbone before kissing me lightly. I struggled to be
the independent girl I was four months ago, the head-strong
Princess that didn't need her guardians or a love. But I couldn't
find that girl anymore. I wondered if she was real, or just an
illusion I made up while trying to cope with everything that had
been thrown at me.
It didn't really matter. What mattered to me was here and
now. And I needed Mamoru to hold me, and he answered my needs
with the same intensity that I yearned for. The world was blazing
around us, and I could forget all I had seen for a few precious
moments in time. I had the strength to block out the screams of
pain and agony - if only for a minute.
"I didn't want you to be here, Usako," Mamo-chan reprimanded
lightly when our lips parted. His voice was barely a whisper in
the wind to my ears, but the worry that laced it caused my heart
to jump in alarm. I looked up into his stormy blue eyes, flicking
with worry and pain that I was in any distress at all.
"Gomen nasai." The emotions in Mamo-chan's eyes were a mix
between worry and relief. I couldn't imagine what he had to be
relived about - unless it was that I was here where he could
protect me. I was soon to find out that my dashing hero, my
love, couldn't protect me from all the evil in the world that
was after me. It was a lesson both of us would learn the hard
way.
"It's okay, Usako," he assured me, burying his face in
my hair. "I just didn't want you to see all of this. To be
haunted by the images. I was only trying to protect you from
it. But I guess it was a lost cause - you are too pure and
caring to stay locked up when you could be helping. Just do
me a favor?" I nodded my head, willing to give him anything
in the world at that moment just to take the nervous edge and
urgency out of his eyes. "Be careful, I don't want anything
to happen to either one of you."
I meet his eyes squarely, his desperate plea calling
out to me. What would he do if something did happen to me
or the baby? I wondered. Since the night we spent on the beach,
the confessions he had made had me wondering just how much he
needed me. I could only hope it was as much as I needed him.
"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," I assured him. "My henshin provides
a protective barrier around the baby. And I'll be extra careful
for both of us."
"Be careful for all three of us," he asked softly, his
fingers still grazing my face while his other arm held on to
me like a man drowning. "Because I don't know what I would do
without you."
"Sailor Moon? What are you doing here?" I turned around,
face to face with a rather angry looking Sailor Mars. Her hands
were on her hips as she waited for my responce.
"I tried to stop her," Jupiter said matter-of-factly from
my left. Oh yeah, I thought. Speak up for yourself, and not for
me. Don't I feel special.
The sound of urgent voices stopped the conversation all
together. We all turned towards the debris, the final standing
column of the Tokyo Tower building crumbled - falling towards
the Earth. People who had been closest to the building were
running towards us, motioning and screaming to get out of
the way. Mamo-chan took off running, his hand still holding
mine securely. We stopped yards away when we could no longer
out run the smoke - Mamo-chan covering me with his cape.
"Hiroshi-kun!" a man called out, looking around
frantically through the small patches of people who were
running from the building. He ran towards us, grabbing
Tuxedo Kamen's arm and screaming as he pointed towards
the building. "My best friend is still in that mess!" he
screamed, pointing and yanking on Tuxedo Kamen's arm
frantically. "You have to help him!"
Mamo-chan grabbed my arms, squeezing almost painfully.
"Stay here," he commanded, not leaving me a chance to answer
- much less argue the point. I watched as my love and my best
friends ran into the cloud of dust, praying they came out
alive.
Clutching my mid-section, I stared at the lingering
smoke that filled the air. It traveled upwards into the
heavens for what seemed an eternity. I felt a sob clutch
at my throat, but I pushed it back. Time seemed to stand
still. The harder I wished to see Mamo-chan's form run
out of the smoke, the longer it seemed he had been gone.
Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours. Beside me
was the man who had cried for our help. He seemed to be
staring at me, rather than in the collapsing building. I
tried to look away, but it was as if he were commanding
me to stare at him. I opened my mouth to make an excuse
to leave him there when I saw him take something from
behind his back.
"Hello Princess," he said. I blinked at him blankly, his
words not making any sense in my jumbled thoughts.
Suddenly he pulled a white cloth into my viewing
and shoved it over my mouth, pulling me towards him as
he did so. I struggled against him, not understanding
until I seen his eyes flash bright red. Unable to hold
my breath any longer, I inhaled. A fiery sensation shot
down my throat, invading my lungs. My vision blurred and
I stumbled forward, my legs no longer supporting. The
disguised youma picked me up as if I weighed no more than
a bag of feathers and threw me over his shoulder. I tried
to fight him, but my limbs refused to listen. Drugged, I
thought. He must have drugged me with something. But what?
I couldn't think. I could do nothing as darkness loomed in
front of me, cradling my aching head and taking away the
pain.
@------
I awoke in small intervals. For a long time I could
hear voices speaking, but couldn't stay aware long enough
to open my eyes and see their owners faces. Pain came and
went, sometimes stronger than other times. In and out of
consciousness I slipped until finally the haze that had
kept me in it's confinements broke away. I blinked, the
room had a hazy quality to it - almost surreal. The voices
suddenly stopped - making me wonder if I had dreamt it all.
Perhaps when I opened my eyes I would be in Mamoru's bed -
safely tucked against his side. I feverishly hoped and prayed
- but knew the truth all the same.
The first thing that caught my attention was how dark
everything was. The walls were a deep gray, almost black,
and the bed I laid on was covered in black bedding. On the
small table that sat beside the bed was a lamp, with a black
shade. The light that radiated from it was a dusty stream
of yellow - almost nonexistent. The small glow bathed the
room in shadows. My imagination took flight, making every-
thing in the bottomless corners come alive. I stifled a
scream, pulling the blanket up to my chin and shutting my
eyes. "Mamo-chan," I moaned, almost crying. "Onegai..."
"Your precious Mamo-chan can't help you here."
My fears came alive when I realized I wasn't alone.
A small scream left my throat before I had time to try and
stop it. Shutting my mouth abruptly, I moved closer to the
head board of the bed. The woman at the end of the bed came
closer, the light casting on her fiery red hair and slanted
evil eyes.
"Who are you?" I meant for it to come out demanding,
but fear made my voice crack against my will.
"Why child," the woman said, coming around to the side
of the bed and looking down at me in pity. "You don't remember
me? Why, I was a big part of your life as a Princess." I stared
at her, but in my terrified state I couldn't think. "I'm Queen
Beryl. I destroyed your kingdom so long ago."
I blinked rapidly, shaking my head in denial. This wasn't
happening! my mind screamed. "My mother killed you..." I
whispered, my eyes so wide that it hurt.
"Now you see," Beryl said thoughtfully, running her
fingers through her long red hair. "That's where you are
wrong. Your mother sent everyone to the future so that you
could live, dear. Everyone." The irony of her statement
made my blood run cold. It seemed that my mother's wish
made more than a few complications in my life. The latest
one being rather dangerous, it seemed.
I tried to sit up, get a grip on my emotions and move
away. But none of this happened. Instead I found myself
staring at this mad woman as she reached out and ran her
hand over my stomach. "How's the little one? Well, I hope."
Her eyes homed in on my own gaze with a steely edge that
made me want to scream to the top of my lungs, and shiver
away with shame at the same time. "Ah yes, the child you
will bare. She will be very special, did you know that?"
I shook my head, fearful of her words. "Yes. And do you
know why? Because tonight my ruler will enter your womb
and steal your baby's soul."
I felt my head shaking back and forth, my arms
encircling my stomach as I rocked back and forth. "No..."
I whimpered. So afraid, so scared of what she intended to
do.
"Oh yes, she will. And in six months you will give
birth to the new ruler of this universe. You see," she
explained calmly, as if speaking to a child. "My queen
doesn't have a body, your mother destroyed it. So it
would be just fit if you were to provide her with one.
And after you give birth, if you are good and don't cause
me any problems, I will see that you live unhappily in
the deepest darkest dungeon I have. Just like your mother
sealed me away in the center of the Earth over one-thousand
years ago."
"You're insane!" I spat, finally regaining some
control over my voice. I glared at her with all the
hatred I could muster up, determined that nothing would
happen to mine and Mamo-chan's baby. Nothing. "I'll never
let you touch my baby!" I shouted.
She seemed amused by my vocal outbursts. She stood
up, a smile on her face. Her words went straight to my
heart and drove a hole of pain there. I gapped at her,
tears filling my eyes and flowing un-noticed down my face.
"I already have."
--End Chapter 9.
* - Shimatta translates to "Damn"
**- The Sailor V game in the manga was the passage way to
a room under the arcade where Luna had computers that were
hooked up to the Moon's computer system.
***- Doushite translates to "Why"
And because I fogot to put the meaning in the other chapter--
"neko-chan" translates to "Kitten". It's what Haruka refers to
Usagi by in the anime.
*Avoids flying objects* Geesh, come on! I love doing cliffhangers
for some reason ^^;; BUT as I was reading the reviews on
fanfiction.net (I love you guys ^_^!) I seen where Crissy
said something about how evil I am for doing that... and so
I felt a little bad.. and then my editor (love her, too ^_^)
pointed out how evil I was.... and since I'm trying to trade
in my horns for a set of angel wings (haha) Chapter 10's ending
is NOT a cliff hanger ^_^v (But I may still get killed for some
of the evil things I do in the chapter to make up for it :}~ )
Sailor Moon doesn't belong to be... yada, yada. If you are
interested in disclaimers, I think I wrote them in some other
chapters ^^;;
Chapter 10 - Like Mother, Like Daughter will be out this time
next week - until then keep those emails and reviews coming ^_^
Some of the events in this chapter are very vivid, and are
meant for you to get a better picture of what Usagi is going
through. However, some of the events in this chapter are
similar to the 9-11-01 attack on the WTC. They are not intended
to be a replica of that attack, and I do not wish for anyone
to take them that way.
I know that we all lost something on that day--our sence of
sercurity and freedom was threatened and it touched a lot of
hearts deeply. I know it did mine.
We are all haunted in some way by what happened on that day--
but if you are hurt deeper by it; lost someone or live close
enough--you might want to think twice before reading this
chapter. It could bring back some memories.
Like I said, I am not trying to rewrite what happened. When
I sit down to write a story, I try to do so in a manner where
you can see the things I see in my head. This was what I seen.
@------
Flee to Destiny
Chapter 9 - Unearthed Terrors
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: PG-13
@------
I stood immobile, my hands seemingly glued to the
banister. Fear made my blood run cold, and a shiver ran
up my spine and seemed to settle into my bones. Before
my very eyes came scenes the likes I had could never have
imagined. Nothing in my worst nightmares or expectations
could have come close to what was before me.
"Usako... oh my God." Mamo-chan was beside me in
mere seconds. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw his own
eyes grow with disbelief. He stood beside me for the
longest time, watching. Suddenly an explosion shook the
Earth, even the banister under my tight grip vibrated.
Flying shards of glass, building material and other objects
seem to rise from the Earth's surface and take flight.
The sound of shattering glass filled my ears, blocking
out every thought--every other sound. The front door slammed
in, Senshi filling the room. I didn't have time to think about
what was happening. I could hear the shouting around me, the
urgency in the Senshi's voices and Mamo-chan directing everyone.
In seconds Tuxedo Kamen had me tucked safely against his chest
and we were fleeing with the rest of the city.
What little I could see from my position blurred past.
Colors and shapes bleeding into one another until there was
nothing but a continuing blur. My head felt light; I could
hear people shouting, pain filled screams rising above the
city. Panic laced every voice; every breath in my body was
difficult. I felt something hit my head and suddenly the
darkness came, claiming me as another of its own.
I awoke to arguing voices. I sat up slowly, testing
my newfound awareness. I didn't recognize the room I was
in - but I did know the voices. Sailor Uranus and Sailor
Jupiter were standing over a computer, pointing to different
things and talking back and forth in heated tones. Because
of their voice levels I couldn't tell what they were saying,
but Jupiter turned around, her fingers pressed into her
forehead as she spoke again.
I removed the wet cloth from my forehead, noticing
that it seemed to be lightly stained with blood. Feeling
my forehead, I imagined the bump there might have something
to do with it. I sat up, preparing to stand up when I realized
that Shingo was sleeping on the floor in front of the couch
I was laying on. Stepping over him I walked towards the Senshi,
coming towards them I heard Uranus talking again.
"I know where it came from, but I'm telling you it's
not based there. That is just stupid. If it was that easy,
would we have not located the enemy long ago?" Uranus' index
finger was planted firmly on the computer screen, the pressure
of it causing her nail bed to turn white.
"But that is just the point Ami was trying to make
earlier. They base their energy out of this point here,"
Jupiter said slowly, as if she were repeating this for the
umpteenth time and determined to get her point across this
round. "There is no way they could be based anywhere else
in the city and still be close enough to set off those
explosions without harming their own base. If they were
underneath it all - instead of on the blunt end of it -
they could have pulled it off."
Their words seem to swim through my head, each making
it's self known one at a time. Explosion.... Enemy.... Base...
In the background of my thoughts the terror in people's voices
came back hauntingly. The glass breaking...
I blinked my eyes, pushing all of that aside as I strode
up to the two Senshi with calmness that I never would have
guessed I had in me. I still wasn't sure I did.
"What's going on?" I asked in a somewhat accusing tone.
I was their Princess, I should have been told what was happening
instead of being packaged and carried away like some piece of
meat. But from a different stand point I could also understand
their motives. In either case, I was fully awake now and becoming
impatience as both Uranus and Jupiter seemed to have lost their
voices when they realized they weren't alone.
Jupiter found her voice first, throwing a look that I
couldn't identify towards Uranus as she turned to me. I
crossed my arms; waiting for answers to the question I
wasn't sure I wanted the answers to.
"Remember the attack that Ami had predicted a couple of
months ago? Well, she might have been wrong about the time frame,
but she was right in thinking it was going to happen. About 9:42
a.m. a strange glow began in the Tokyo Towers. Over the recording
we took off the scanner we picked up that some policemen were
going over there to check it out. At 10:02a.m. they arrived.
What they found left grown men speechless when they came back
across their radios. The Outer Senshi," here Jupiter snarled
lightly, motioning with disgust towards Sailor Uranus. "Took
it upon themselves to go over to the Towers without notifying
one of us to what was happening."
"That's bull! We don't have to check in with the peanut
gallery every time we make a move!" Uranus said quickly, her
voice dangerously low. She stepped towards Jupiter, her fist
clinched.
Without thinking I stepped between the two taller women.
Narrowing my eyes, I turned to Uranus and in a voice that didn't
sound even remotely like my own, I stared her down. "Just lay
off of it, Uranus. Put your differences aside just this once.
Because it don't matter who done what, who has been around
longer or who is the oldest. We are all fighting for our lives
and the lives of millions of people on this planet. It wasn't
my choice, yours or Jupiter's to have this responsibility thrown
at us. But we have it and I'll be damned if I'm going to listen
to your superiority problems in the mist of an emergency."
I could have sworn I seen a flash of respect glint for
just a second in Uranus' eyes. I couldn't be sure, it was
then that she turned around and walked out of the room,
slamming her fist in the wall on the way out.
I turned back towards Jupiter, flames still in my gaze.
She seemed to have had something to say - but changed her mind
when she met my eyes. Instead she turned back towards the computer
screen. "Anyways, when the police tried to gain access to the
building, it exploded."
"And not just a little explosion," another voice interrupted.
I looked around in time to see Luna jump up on the table and sit
next to the computer. She placed her paw on the mouse, clicking
on different pictures until a map was on the screen. It simulated
the building exploding and the chain effect from there. She stared
at the screen as if her eyes still didn't believe what they had
seen just this very morning.
Artemis - whom I hadn't even known was in the room up to
this point - began explaining what had happened. "The force of
the blast itself was large enough to take out everything in a
two mile radius. But it was being controlled, by the enemy we
suspect. Buildings caught on fire, windows shattered for miles
in all directions. But the energy disappeared just as quickly
as it had come, like it was sucked back down into the hull of
the ruins of Tokyo Towers. Mamoru-san's apartment was close
enough to the blast that all the windows in the building were
shattered, but that was the only damage. Buildings that were
closer to the Tower were leveled. The city is in a panic."
"W...Where is Mamo-chan?" I asked weakly, my hands shaking.
Images of fires, sounds of screaming people. A flood of emotions
filled my brain - but mostly terror. I was scared down to the
bone, cold and scared. "Where is everyone?"
Jupiter stared at me, her fist clinching and unclenching
at her side. Fear nailed me to the floor, leaving me speechless
and feeling like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my
body. My bottom lip started to tremble slightly and my hands
shook even as I drew them to my side. My eyes traveled to the
three in front of me, no one opening their mouth to speak.
Against my will a small sob rose in my chest and escaped my
mouth. Faster and faster my eyes dashed to look at the two
felines, then Jupiter. No one said a word. Nothing. The silence
was deafening, endless. My parched dry lips parted to release a
scream, a message embedded in it.
"WHERE?"
"We were ordered not to tell you, or to let you leave,"
Jupiter whispered, her green eyes swimming in emotions that
tore her apart. Sense of duty or friendship - the struggle
was hard. Her eyes focused on mine until she couldn't handle
the pain anymore and looked away. I couldn't believe my ears;
ordered? By Mamo-chan? He would do that, a part of my mind
reasoned. He doesn't want you hurt. But damn it, my other
reasoning argued, you are the Princess and Sailor Moon and
have a right to be with the other Senshi.
It took a moment for my body to respond to the orders
my brain was giving. Finally I felt my feet move and I turned
towards the door. A slim, uncertain hand reached out, grabbing
my arm. "Usagi-chan, I can't let you go," Jupiter nearly
whispered.
"You are in no position to stop me," I replied, yanking
my arm from her grasp and once more walking towards the door.
I pulled my locket out and fingered it as I made my way across
the room and to the doorway. "Luna, Artemis - stay here with
Shingo and keep us informed if you find anything new about the
enemy."
"Our communicators rely on the same antenna as that of
television and radios," Luna deadpanned. "Once you walk out
that door, I have no way to contact you since Tokyo Towers
is nothing but ashes."
I made no reply, just pulled the locket above my head
and closed my eyes. Again I felt a hand on my arm, almost
painfully Jupiter tried to pull the locket from my grasp.
"You aren't just making decisions about yourself anymore,
Usagi-chan," Jupiter said quickly, her eyes once more locked
with my own determined gaze. "You have a child to think about,
if you get hurt the least that may happen is to hurt the baby.
And it's not just your baby - it's also Mamoru's."
"Don't you think I know that?" I accused, yanking my
hand away from her and stepping back. I looked at the floor
for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. When I looked
back up, whatever it was Jupiter seen in my eyes made her
step backwards. "I'm going. Either you are with me," I paused,
pounding each word into the air to get across their full
meaning and nothing less. "Or you aren't."
Jupiter's eyes stayed locked with my own as I pulled
the crystal above my head and shouted my transformation. When
the lights died down, I turned and started up the steps that
would lead me above ground. For a moment I didn't think she
would follow, and pushed aside the meaning that it held in
my heart. A second before I opened the door that would lead
me into the arcade, I heard Jupiter. "Shimatta*," she grunted,
followed by her footsteps as she ran up the staircase.
@------
What I saw outside the confinements of the underground
room would haunt me for the rest of my life. As the chamber
to the Sailor V game** opened, allowing us to pass I tried not
to think about what would be on the outside. But as I stepped
out, my foot crunching on glass shards that lay everywhere -
I looked up and gasped. The shock of seeing lingering black
smoke in the once blue sky, cars toppled over and burning,
people walking aimlessly down the middle of the street, looking
around in shock, my stomach turned and my heart felt sick.
I tried to hide my reaction from Jupiter, but failed
miserably. She walked up beside me as I moved through the
doorway that once held glass to protect the inside from
nature's elements. Nothing but shards of glass remained
now. Covering my mouth with my hand, I looked up and down
the city street. What my eyes took in was nearly indescribable.
The street wasn't even distinguishable from the sidewalk. And
the people, the blank stares on their faces. The horror, the
heartache. The death. It smelled of death, of destruction.
A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, was tearing
through debris - tears streaking down her face. As we approached
her, she looked up and me and a light of recognition seem to
flicker in her deep hazel pupils. Her slim hands reached out
towards me, as if for help, and her features crumbled up in
agony. "Doushite?***" she cried pitifully. "Doushite...?"
I felt a sob rise in my throat and I stepped back.
Jupiter stepped in front of me, grasping the woman's hands
in her own. "Shhhh, it's okay. We are here to help. Are you
looking for someone?"
The woman numbly shook her head, looking down at her
blood stained hands and then at Jupiter. "I don't know," she
mumbled. "I don't know..." The amazon Senshi easily pulled
the woman to her feet and helped her inside the arcade and
sat her down. She said something to her that I couldn't hear
and then rejoined me.
From down the street the racing of a fire engine's horn
burst through the quiet - echoing through out the street.
Closer and closer it came until it passed, red lights flashing
until it was gone around a corner. Jupiter watched it go before
she began walking down the street in the same direction it had
taken. "Most of the fires are out now, but some are still
lingering and causing some threat to nearby homes. Mercury
and Neptune helped put most of them out when this first happened."
"I don't remember much, just flashes of lights and sounds
of screaming. What happened? How long was I out?"
My eyes burned from the smoke that lay so thick in the air.
"Mamoru-san wrapped you as best he could in his cape to keep you
from getting hurt. But so much stuff was flying through the air
from the force of the blast that a piece of something - I'm not
sure what - hit you just the right way to knock you out cold.
Ami assured us that you were alright, maybe even for the best that
you had passed out at the time. That was about two hours ago."
In just two short hours the city, the lives of hundreds and
thousands of people, had been changed forever. I felt numb. We
cut across an alleyway, entering another street. The scene was
the same - death, smoke and destruction. I felt the sweet taste
of vomit lingering in my throat and I tried to swallow it back.
Thank God my baby was still protected in my womb, I would hate
for such a scene to ever be seen by his or her eyes. It was my
duty to see that it never did. We pressed on through the debris
and towards the remains of Tokyo Towers.
I could hear voices shouting back and forth to each other
as we approached. Above it all, one voice stood out among the
frenzy. I rushed forward, leaving Jupiter to follow in my steps.
Standing slightly away from the still burning building was Tuxedo
Kamen, talking to a fire fighter and pointing in different
directions as he spoke. I ran as fast as my legs would take me,
towards him. Towards the promise of his embrace and comfort that
I so desperately wanted; needed. I was a Princess, a Sailor Senshi
- but most of all, I was a frightened four month pregnant woman
who needed a string of security to hold on to.
It was like Mamo-chan could sense my presence. He looked
my direction, looking slightly surprised to see me running towards
him. When I reached him his arms opened and eagerly I buried my
face in the warmth and comfort of his love. I barely heard him
ask the firefighter to excuse him as he led me away from the
building. "Usako," he asked, his arms encircled around me tightly.
"What are you doing here?"
Suddenly I found I couldn't speak, couldn't think about
anything but my own fears and anxiety. Mamoru soothed me when
my tears broke free, falling down my face in salty rivers. "I'm
scared, Mamo-chan. I'm so scared..." I mumbled, rubbing my face
against the softness of his shirt - inhaling his scent to keep
me from drowning in the chaos around me. In response to my shaking
body, Mamo-chan tipped my chin up towards his, grazing his fingers
along my cheekbone before kissing me lightly. I struggled to be
the independent girl I was four months ago, the head-strong
Princess that didn't need her guardians or a love. But I couldn't
find that girl anymore. I wondered if she was real, or just an
illusion I made up while trying to cope with everything that had
been thrown at me.
It didn't really matter. What mattered to me was here and
now. And I needed Mamoru to hold me, and he answered my needs
with the same intensity that I yearned for. The world was blazing
around us, and I could forget all I had seen for a few precious
moments in time. I had the strength to block out the screams of
pain and agony - if only for a minute.
"I didn't want you to be here, Usako," Mamo-chan reprimanded
lightly when our lips parted. His voice was barely a whisper in
the wind to my ears, but the worry that laced it caused my heart
to jump in alarm. I looked up into his stormy blue eyes, flicking
with worry and pain that I was in any distress at all.
"Gomen nasai." The emotions in Mamo-chan's eyes were a mix
between worry and relief. I couldn't imagine what he had to be
relived about - unless it was that I was here where he could
protect me. I was soon to find out that my dashing hero, my
love, couldn't protect me from all the evil in the world that
was after me. It was a lesson both of us would learn the hard
way.
"It's okay, Usako," he assured me, burying his face in
my hair. "I just didn't want you to see all of this. To be
haunted by the images. I was only trying to protect you from
it. But I guess it was a lost cause - you are too pure and
caring to stay locked up when you could be helping. Just do
me a favor?" I nodded my head, willing to give him anything
in the world at that moment just to take the nervous edge and
urgency out of his eyes. "Be careful, I don't want anything
to happen to either one of you."
I meet his eyes squarely, his desperate plea calling
out to me. What would he do if something did happen to me
or the baby? I wondered. Since the night we spent on the beach,
the confessions he had made had me wondering just how much he
needed me. I could only hope it was as much as I needed him.
"Don't worry, Mamo-chan," I assured him. "My henshin provides
a protective barrier around the baby. And I'll be extra careful
for both of us."
"Be careful for all three of us," he asked softly, his
fingers still grazing my face while his other arm held on to
me like a man drowning. "Because I don't know what I would do
without you."
"Sailor Moon? What are you doing here?" I turned around,
face to face with a rather angry looking Sailor Mars. Her hands
were on her hips as she waited for my responce.
"I tried to stop her," Jupiter said matter-of-factly from
my left. Oh yeah, I thought. Speak up for yourself, and not for
me. Don't I feel special.
The sound of urgent voices stopped the conversation all
together. We all turned towards the debris, the final standing
column of the Tokyo Tower building crumbled - falling towards
the Earth. People who had been closest to the building were
running towards us, motioning and screaming to get out of
the way. Mamo-chan took off running, his hand still holding
mine securely. We stopped yards away when we could no longer
out run the smoke - Mamo-chan covering me with his cape.
"Hiroshi-kun!" a man called out, looking around
frantically through the small patches of people who were
running from the building. He ran towards us, grabbing
Tuxedo Kamen's arm and screaming as he pointed towards
the building. "My best friend is still in that mess!" he
screamed, pointing and yanking on Tuxedo Kamen's arm
frantically. "You have to help him!"
Mamo-chan grabbed my arms, squeezing almost painfully.
"Stay here," he commanded, not leaving me a chance to answer
- much less argue the point. I watched as my love and my best
friends ran into the cloud of dust, praying they came out
alive.
Clutching my mid-section, I stared at the lingering
smoke that filled the air. It traveled upwards into the
heavens for what seemed an eternity. I felt a sob clutch
at my throat, but I pushed it back. Time seemed to stand
still. The harder I wished to see Mamo-chan's form run
out of the smoke, the longer it seemed he had been gone.
Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours. Beside me
was the man who had cried for our help. He seemed to be
staring at me, rather than in the collapsing building. I
tried to look away, but it was as if he were commanding
me to stare at him. I opened my mouth to make an excuse
to leave him there when I saw him take something from
behind his back.
"Hello Princess," he said. I blinked at him blankly, his
words not making any sense in my jumbled thoughts.
Suddenly he pulled a white cloth into my viewing
and shoved it over my mouth, pulling me towards him as
he did so. I struggled against him, not understanding
until I seen his eyes flash bright red. Unable to hold
my breath any longer, I inhaled. A fiery sensation shot
down my throat, invading my lungs. My vision blurred and
I stumbled forward, my legs no longer supporting. The
disguised youma picked me up as if I weighed no more than
a bag of feathers and threw me over his shoulder. I tried
to fight him, but my limbs refused to listen. Drugged, I
thought. He must have drugged me with something. But what?
I couldn't think. I could do nothing as darkness loomed in
front of me, cradling my aching head and taking away the
pain.
@------
I awoke in small intervals. For a long time I could
hear voices speaking, but couldn't stay aware long enough
to open my eyes and see their owners faces. Pain came and
went, sometimes stronger than other times. In and out of
consciousness I slipped until finally the haze that had
kept me in it's confinements broke away. I blinked, the
room had a hazy quality to it - almost surreal. The voices
suddenly stopped - making me wonder if I had dreamt it all.
Perhaps when I opened my eyes I would be in Mamoru's bed -
safely tucked against his side. I feverishly hoped and prayed
- but knew the truth all the same.
The first thing that caught my attention was how dark
everything was. The walls were a deep gray, almost black,
and the bed I laid on was covered in black bedding. On the
small table that sat beside the bed was a lamp, with a black
shade. The light that radiated from it was a dusty stream
of yellow - almost nonexistent. The small glow bathed the
room in shadows. My imagination took flight, making every-
thing in the bottomless corners come alive. I stifled a
scream, pulling the blanket up to my chin and shutting my
eyes. "Mamo-chan," I moaned, almost crying. "Onegai..."
"Your precious Mamo-chan can't help you here."
My fears came alive when I realized I wasn't alone.
A small scream left my throat before I had time to try and
stop it. Shutting my mouth abruptly, I moved closer to the
head board of the bed. The woman at the end of the bed came
closer, the light casting on her fiery red hair and slanted
evil eyes.
"Who are you?" I meant for it to come out demanding,
but fear made my voice crack against my will.
"Why child," the woman said, coming around to the side
of the bed and looking down at me in pity. "You don't remember
me? Why, I was a big part of your life as a Princess." I stared
at her, but in my terrified state I couldn't think. "I'm Queen
Beryl. I destroyed your kingdom so long ago."
I blinked rapidly, shaking my head in denial. This wasn't
happening! my mind screamed. "My mother killed you..." I
whispered, my eyes so wide that it hurt.
"Now you see," Beryl said thoughtfully, running her
fingers through her long red hair. "That's where you are
wrong. Your mother sent everyone to the future so that you
could live, dear. Everyone." The irony of her statement
made my blood run cold. It seemed that my mother's wish
made more than a few complications in my life. The latest
one being rather dangerous, it seemed.
I tried to sit up, get a grip on my emotions and move
away. But none of this happened. Instead I found myself
staring at this mad woman as she reached out and ran her
hand over my stomach. "How's the little one? Well, I hope."
Her eyes homed in on my own gaze with a steely edge that
made me want to scream to the top of my lungs, and shiver
away with shame at the same time. "Ah yes, the child you
will bare. She will be very special, did you know that?"
I shook my head, fearful of her words. "Yes. And do you
know why? Because tonight my ruler will enter your womb
and steal your baby's soul."
I felt my head shaking back and forth, my arms
encircling my stomach as I rocked back and forth. "No..."
I whimpered. So afraid, so scared of what she intended to
do.
"Oh yes, she will. And in six months you will give
birth to the new ruler of this universe. You see," she
explained calmly, as if speaking to a child. "My queen
doesn't have a body, your mother destroyed it. So it
would be just fit if you were to provide her with one.
And after you give birth, if you are good and don't cause
me any problems, I will see that you live unhappily in
the deepest darkest dungeon I have. Just like your mother
sealed me away in the center of the Earth over one-thousand
years ago."
"You're insane!" I spat, finally regaining some
control over my voice. I glared at her with all the
hatred I could muster up, determined that nothing would
happen to mine and Mamo-chan's baby. Nothing. "I'll never
let you touch my baby!" I shouted.
She seemed amused by my vocal outbursts. She stood
up, a smile on her face. Her words went straight to my
heart and drove a hole of pain there. I gapped at her,
tears filling my eyes and flowing un-noticed down my face.
"I already have."
--End Chapter 9.
* - Shimatta translates to "Damn"
**- The Sailor V game in the manga was the passage way to
a room under the arcade where Luna had computers that were
hooked up to the Moon's computer system.
***- Doushite translates to "Why"
And because I fogot to put the meaning in the other chapter--
"neko-chan" translates to "Kitten". It's what Haruka refers to
Usagi by in the anime.
*Avoids flying objects* Geesh, come on! I love doing cliffhangers
for some reason ^^;; BUT as I was reading the reviews on
fanfiction.net (I love you guys ^_^!) I seen where Crissy
said something about how evil I am for doing that... and so
I felt a little bad.. and then my editor (love her, too ^_^)
pointed out how evil I was.... and since I'm trying to trade
in my horns for a set of angel wings (haha) Chapter 10's ending
is NOT a cliff hanger ^_^v (But I may still get killed for some
of the evil things I do in the chapter to make up for it :}~ )
Sailor Moon doesn't belong to be... yada, yada. If you are
interested in disclaimers, I think I wrote them in some other
chapters ^^;;
Chapter 10 - Like Mother, Like Daughter will be out this time
next week - until then keep those emails and reviews coming ^_^