Through New Eyes
Chapter 6
"KUSO!" Hiiro cursed and slammed a fist on the control panels of Wing Zero. Things were not going well for the pilots. More and more mobile dolls just kept coming in the battlefield, entering by the hundreds. Usually, they wouldn't have trouble like this on missions, but this space base seemed to have a lot of mobile dolls. Already, the pilots were in bad shape, and the battle wasn't even half way over.
Sandrock had lost one of its heat shuttles and many scratches decorated it's body. Deathscythe's wings were reduced to tatters and the energy scythe was reduced to a flickering green glow. Alton's dragon fang was now useless, having been severely damaged, and one side of it's double sided triton was no longer activating. Heavyarms was the worst off. All of its ammunition was gone and it could only deliver physical blows. As for Wing Zero, all of it's energy was down to almost nothing. Even the reserves had been sucked dry.
'I guess there's only one thing left to do.' Hiiro thought as he placed a finger over the self destruct button. 'Gomen nasai, Usa. I won't be able to come back from this mission...your warnings were in vain.' Taking a deep breath, Hiiro prepared to end his life. Suddenly, a bright light blinded his vision.
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"NANI!?!?" Usagi shrieked, staring at the gaping hole in her broach. "Wha-what's going on!?!" This can't be happening, this couldn't be happening. Where was the Ginzuishou? How could she help them if it was gone?
"No..." the word slipped out of her mouth. Slowly, Usagi sank to the floor. It was just like the last battle. She couldn't do anything! They would die, just like her senshi did. She would be as helpless as before! One year! One year and she still had not learned from that fatal mistake...a fatal mistake she couldn't afford to make again.
"No!" she would not make the same mistake again! Kneeling down on her knees, Usagi clasped her hands together and did something she hadn't done since she battled her first enemy, Metallia...she prayed. She prayed with all of her soul to...to what? Suddenly, Usagi panicked, she couldn't remember! Then, as if someone was still out there, watching out for her, wisps of memory swirled in her head...but they weren't her own memories...
["Come here, Luna." the faded image of Queen Serenity said, "This is our shrine, the center of the Moon Castle...the Prayer room...and that is the Crystal Tower, our column of prayer. If anything ever happened to this world, or our loved ones, we must pray to this tower...Then this planet would protect us...this moon."]
'Please, O sacred moon, protect them...help them...onegai! I can't lose them, not them too!' Usagi thought, praying with all of her might. An unseen wind swirled around her, obscuring her from view. Then, it disappeared, leaving the legendary moon princess in its wake. The golden crescent moon that adorned her forehead flashed.
The ancient moon groaned. It had not been active for so many years... the damage that humanity had done to it, the bases, the factories, mines, everything...they were all taking it's toll. However, it's mistress's heartfelt plea could be heard. Maybe once, just this one last time, it would help. Shuddering, the great moon released the hidden power within, sending waves of silver light washing over the battlefield.
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"What's going on!?!" Duo shouted, covering his eyes from the intense light.
The light died sown and Quatre could be heard over the intercom, "By Allah!" the golden haired boy breathed out. "What happened?" For, indeed, something had happened. The mobile dolls were no longer. They had been reduced to fine dust particles, and now floated harmlessly in space.
Wufei narrowed his eyes, "That onna had something to do with this!"
"Hn." Hiiro said, preparing to head back to Quatre's mansion.
Trowa stayed as silent as usual, following the battered Wing Zero into the Earth's atmosphere. However, his silent demeanor did not portray his hidden thoughts. 'Usagi, this was your doing wasn't it? This was the power of the moon...right?' His question remained unanswered throughout the journey back.
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Usagi slumped to the floor in a dead faint. Her crescent moon flickered and disappeared. A figure watched from the shadows in silence, tears shining in her eyes. Quietly, she walked over to the sleeping girl and knelt down, her yellow dress brushing against the floor. Reaching out a shimmering hand, she traced her young charge's face. "Gomen ne, Ohimesama. I wasn't there to protect you the first time around." A tear dripped down her face and disappeared before it splattered on the floor. "All I have left to give are memories. May they serve you well, Ohimesama." She stood up and smiled. Her form shimmered and she disappeared, leaving only a lingering scent of potpourri.
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Usagi woke up to the smell of food. Cracking open her eyes, she noticed she was no longer in the kitchen. "Wha-What? How'd I end up here?" she asked in confusion.
The servant put down her feather duster and walked up to Usagi. Placing a hand on her forehead, the servant muttered, "Hmmm...good, good, good! The fever's gone down. Master Quatre will be pleased." Picking up the feather duster again, she walked out of the room, only stopping to quickly dust off the gorgeous vase on the table-top.
Usagi sat up in her bed, back in her room. What had happened? She remembered the moon, its light washing over her. Giving her a new power? She reached to the brooch beside her pillow. She slowly flipped it open. No, it was still empty. She sighed and sat back against the pillows. Was she powerless now?
A tear trickled down her face. She was powerless, helpless…a burden. She sat there letting the silent tears drift. After a moment she angrily wiped them off. "Why am I crying?" she asked, angry at herself. She threw the covers of the bed off and stormed out of her room. She used to be strong, what was stopping her now? And then she froze, remembering. She was going to die, that was what was stopping her. After a moment she paused to lean against a wall before sliding to the floor.
'I'm useless,' she thought. 'I'm no longer Sailor Moon, I'm a worthless helpless dying fool.' She felt a sob choke her.
"Usagi!" a worried voice called. She didn't even turn to see Quatre. "You should still be in bed! Usagi you...your crying." The blond Arabian knelt down beside the golden haired girl. "What's wrong?" he asked.
The girl shook her head and hid her face in her hands, tears trickling down between her fingers. "I'm going to die aren't I?" she asked knowing the answer.
The blond Arabian put his arm on her shoulder. "Usagi-chan, don't give up. The victory is for you and you alone." The golden haired girl lifted her eyes to look at the boy. He smiled and she turned her gaze away.
"Victory," she whispered. "If you win a war…is it a victory if you're the only one alive?" His smile disappeared instantly and a fist grabbed his heart. Casualties. Innocents.
He didn't know what to say. "Usagi…it is the future you live for." She looked at him once more. "If people die, there will be a generation to survive and live, to carry on your purpose." She nodded slowly and after a moment he stood up. "Are you hungry?" he asked. The girl nodded slowly. "Let's go get something to eat."
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The servant stopped walking in the middle of the hall, holding a feather duster. She looked thoughtful for a moment. She walked over to a table and dusted it. Reached up to dust a vase. She looked over at a statue. She shook her head. "Tut tut, so dusty!" she dusted it off and nodded in satisfaction before walking off.
"HEY!" Duo cried at the back of the servant. "What are you doing shoving that feather duster in my face?!"
(did that have any purpose? Yes and no)
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After a meal she felt a lot better. Her tears were forgotten as she stood on the balcony. Why did she always find herself here? Her gaze rested upon the music box Quatre had purchased. She gently reached over and opened it, the soft music floating out. She began humming softly with the song, closing her eyes remembering the concerts. The Three Lights, the hate, the trust, unity, loyalty, everything was bound with one common cause. Galaxia and the star seeds. Even though they were staring death in the face, everyone was fearless. Because everyone was together. She opened her eyes, banishing away the memories. "Can I still be that fearless leader?" she asked aloud.
Silence. It wasn't like she really expected a reply. The music stopped and she reached over to wind it up once more but realized that a hand had closed the box. She looked up to meet the eyes of Hiiro. She straightened herself and stared at him in the eye. Fearless, she thought to herself. "Do you need me?" she questioned.
He said nothing, a somewhat uncomfortable silence in the air. Even the birds were afraid to speak. After a few seconds or was it minutes? he decided to speak. "Usagi, all of us nearly died today."
She didn't react, merely listened, keeping her gaze steady. She was hoping that she wasn't showing the fear that began to eat away at her. "I know you did something. But what?" he asked.
How did he know? What did she do? She was thinking frantically hoping she would remember. It took her a little bit to remember. "I…I prayed." He stared at her, silently informing her that wasn't a good enough answer. "I prayed to the moon, my guardian. I knew you were in danger and I tried to transform. It didn't work! I don't know why. The Ginzuishou, it just…disappeared. I panicked and then I remembered my first major battle back when I was fourteen.
"Luna prayed to the moon. We're connected, I guess it's because she was my guardian. When she prayed, I knew it and I received the power to defeat Metallia. I was desperate and I wasn't thinking. I just prayed, more because I was desperate and panicking but it worked. I'm glad all of you are safe."
"Like I said Usagi, we nearly died today. We're alive thanks to you," an uneasy silence filled the air again. "Thank you," he stated before hastily turning away and leaving.
Did he just say…thank you?
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The braided boy stared out the window. His thoughts tangled as he tried to sort through them. Usagi…she was dying. He knew that and yet he was getting tangled in her life's web. Everyone seemed to be acting up lately. Hiiro and Trowa seemed quieter than normal. Quatre was more concerned about everything. And Wufei…was just Wufei. Grumpy but more thoughtful it seemed. Life wasn't all about honor and justice anymore for the Chinese boy. It seemed as if he had created a deeper secret purpose now that the war was over.
But what of himself? What about Duo Maxwell? Life didn't seem very meaningful. There was the war. He fought the war. He won the war. And yet after the war there was nothing left. The junk yard didn't seem as appealing anymore. If he thought about it, now that the war wasn't the main point of his life, he needed to get a job and actually start a life. Perhaps Usagi would know something about getting a life. He nearly laughed. He wondered how many more people had the same problem as he did. They were without a purpose and were searching for one. It struck him then. All of them needed a purpose. Their common bond was the war, and now that it was over, they were searching for a purpose.
Hiiro was…well Hiiro was a machine. A mean lean fighting machine! He probably didn't care much for a purpose of life. Trowa…he might actually want an identity. What surprised him somewhat was that he didn't return to the circus immediately. Perhaps he was afraid of facing Catharine. She was most likely his only family tie. Quatre had spent the whole entire time after the war doing nearly nothing but reading or wandering around his mansion. When Usagi came around he seemed to take charge of her like a mother to a child. He seemed to have made Usagi his main purpose of life at the moment. But when Usagi passed on… Then there was Wufei. Wufei wasn't doing much but he seemed to do more reading. The braided boy had caught him once with glasses on. He had laughed so hard that he nearly died. Of course because Wufei was all red in the face and he could nearly see the steam rising from his head. He didn't think he had ever run harder all his life just to get away from Wufei then.
Usagi. Usagi was one big mystery. She appeared out of no where and wiggled her way into their life. And now she had him knotted and rooted deep. He must be more insane than he had originally thought. Head over heels tumbling down a hill to a giant cliff. That was what was happening to him at the moment. The moment Usagi died he would fall off that cliff. He was setting himself for misery in the end. He blinked back tears for a moment. Would Usagi die just like Sister Helen and Father Maxwell? He looked down at his hands. He had been helpless, unable to save them. In the end, he knew he couldn't save anyone. Not even Usagi. Could he?
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Well. I finished the chapter. It started off with Silver Shadows writing it and then it switched off to me. Strange ne? Well…nothing much to say. Review? Please?
