Oh what a wonderful coincidence that ff.net has to crash, and then not be fixed until the day before I have to leave for camp. But fear not, faithful readers, for I will be back for one day, and one day only, on Friday, after which on Saturday night I must travel to University of New Hampshire for a three day rally which I was informed of exactly five days ago…rallies are really big scary competitions in which extremely mean and bitter people scrutinize you and your team's every action, and lock you in a little gray room for the duration…did I mention I have an extremely painful blister on my finger? ----*cough* Yes, I'm aware it's Thursday, aren't you happy I'm early? Yeah well, I want a shower.
…Onto news you care about…I have 100 reviews! *dances*…oh wait, you really didn't care about that either…and I was awarded the, "You're Fic Actually Doesn't Suck Award" courtesy of Sporanox. *bows* I'm honored. ^_^;;
Okay, one last thing before I allow you to read the fic, I have a quasi-funny story. A couple days ago, my ma and I were heading out to the scary ghetto city near our little tiny town that doesn't even have it's own high school for a trip to Staples and the Big Shiny New Super Wal-Mart. So I'm sitting in the car waiting for my mom to get done with yelling at the Staples lady who won't copy anything for her, and there's this big truck parked in front of me (which I happened to really want), and out of Staples comes this semi-old guy wearing this really ugly button down shirt, heading towards the truck I want. So upon closer inspection, (since I'm blind and don't like wearing my glasses so I can't see a damned thing when something's far away) this guy's shirt is actually a DBZ shirt, with a bunch of SSJ dudes on the front looking constipated and such (still an extremely ugly shirt). So I'm trying not to laugh since my mom was getting in the car and she already thinks I'm crazy. We drive away, and I glance one more time at my Dream Truck, and notice the license plate. Now I was really about to piss my pants, because this middle-aged bald dude's plate says Goku. So, that's my not so funny anecdote. Oh, and I think I've won the DBZ category of anime license plate spottings, as not only have I spotted Goku, but once saw a Mr. Popo on the highway. I get extra points too, because they were both in state, and I live in Bumfuck. Okay, okay, put down the sticks, I'm done being annoying.
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The next morning Usagi awoke to the familiar sensation of the sun warming her face as it peaked through her curtains, leaving rays to decorate her bedspread. Squinting a little, she opened her eyes and gazed out the window, trying to determine what time of day it was. She guessed about midmorning, and since it was a Sunday, did not worry about getting up.
She rolled onto her back and with a sigh, began to memorize the ceiling, while going over the events that had occurred the day before.
'I didn't think it was possible to be so confused…'
If only. If only she knew what to do. If only she could predict the future. If only things had been different.
Her thoughts turned to Trunks. Even as that happened she felt her stomach tighten pleasantly. She wasn't going to pretend that she hadn't liked him hugging her, no matter how guilty it made her feel.
It surprised her though, that while she had thought she would have compared him to Mamoru, she hadn't. In fact, Mamoru had been the last person she had been thinking about that night. If anything, the people that were making her feel guilty were the senshi.
If only she could make them understand. She loved them all as if they were sisters, and had always put their happiness before hers. But they had all grown so far apart. A deep chasm had been struck, sending everyone her separate way. It had not been the death of Mamoru that had created it, but the death of Sailormoon, and the rest of the legendary sailor senshi.
After the final battle with Galaxia, things began to change. The youma attacks all but ended, Mamoru and Usagi were reunited, the Starlights and their princess returned to space to rebuild their home planet. Michiru and Haruka left with Hotaru to continue their wanderings, and Setsuna disappeared back to the gates of time. Chibi-Chibi had simply flown away, as spontaneously as she had arrived. Once again it was simply the five inner sneshi, trying to survive high school. It had been the final battle, and Usagi looked forward to living a more normal life, at least, until the prophecy came about. At the turn of the millennium, the earth was to freeze over, halting everything, until another thousand years later, Neo-Queen Serenity was to purify the planet, and reawaken the world with the power of the holy ginzuishou.
On impulse, Usagi threw back her sheets and jumped out of bed, stumbling over to her dresser. Her fingers traveled across the surface to a small velvet bag. Untying the strings, she emptied its contents into her other outstretched hand. A crystal the size of a golf ball landed in her palm.
'It's saved me so many times…but not now. The light is gone.' She turned it over and over in her hands, noticing the way it never seemed to catch the sunrays that poured in through the window next to her.
After the battle with Galaxia, there had one last youma. It had been almost nothing, compared to what they had faced before, but nonetheless the inner senshi arrived to fight. They had defeated it with ease, and were congratulating one another. Usagi had let her transformation go, returning to her civilian form. There was a flash of pink ribbons around her body, replacing her fuku with her school clothes. The ribbons faded, and she turned to say something to the others. There was a soft clinking sound, and her locket fell to the ground in front of her.
She had stared in shock as it disintegrated before her eyes, leaving only the small crystal to lie on the sidewalk. There were several more flashes of light and ribbons as the others lost their transformations. They took out their henshin wands, only to watch them crumble away to nothing as well.
'Then Mamoru left…it's never had the same light since.' The outers appeared shortly after, reporting they too could not transform, with the exception of Setsuna, who would offer no explanation. It had been awkward, the only thing that had brought any of them together was their destinies, the fact that they all shared the same fate.
'Maybe this has happened for a reason. No one should know her own future. I had grown far too dependent on it. But now I have nothing…'
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"Where is he?" the woman adjusted her position in the cramped car, glaring out the window and towards the walled in yard across the street.
"Have a little patience, he should be out here soon, he likes to train in that gravity simulator all day, from my guesses," the man replied coolly.
"I'm sick of waiting around for weak pathetic targets, I want to finish this shitty mission so we can kill Gero and then have our own fun,"
"Well we can't kill Gero until we have the files that that bitch Bulma stole." He explained patiently.
"And we have to get through Vejiita to get to Bulma." She finished.
"Exactly, so quit whining."
She still looked annoyed, but was silent.
Ten minutes later, and still there was no sign of Vejiita. The woman began to fidget again. Finally, after fifteen minutes, she spoke up. "Listen, if he's not going to show, why don't we just sneak in and steal the files, forget about Gero's stupid agenda and keep our own. We can deal with Vejiita later." She proposed.
He seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "What are you going to do if we run into him while we steal the files?"
"Kill him," she said, as though it were obvious. "All the better. I'm sick of waiting around. Let's do things my way for once."
He shrugged. "Whatever,"
She flicked a stray hair away from her face and grinned in satisfaction as they got out of the car and crossed the street.
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Usagi was oddly silent as she typed up invitations for a huge ball that Bulma was putting on. She had too many things floating around in her head to hum or listen to the radio, and was glad for something like typing to space out while doing. Bulma was keeping her too busy to brood anyway.
"Wow…everyone who's anyone is going to be at this thing…" Usagi said in amazement as she scrolled through the guest list. "Hey! Minako-chan's on here! And Ami-chan and Rei-chan…maybe I'll take Minako-chan into taking me as her date instead of that surfer she's been dating…even Michiru-san and Haruka-san are coming!"
"They'll be the musical entertainment," Bulma said with a smile as she walked in, catching the last part of Usagi's commentary. "Do you know them?"
"Y-yes, we were friends when we were in school," 'Sort of,' Usagi stammered, embarrassed at having been overheard.
"Then I'm sure you'll enjoy being able to catch up with them,"
"Yeah…wait, you mean I'm invited?!" Usagi asked in surprise.
Bulma stifled her laughter. "Of course you are, you're my personal assistant so you're invited, and a date too of course."
Usagi felt her excitement suddenly die. "Um, scratch the date part, I'll probably be going alone," she said, try to regain her cheery smile.
"Well if you can't think of someone to invite, Trunks can escort you," Bulma's expression reminded Usagi of a cat that had recently ingested a small bird.
"Oh no, that's really okay," Usagi stumbled out, feeling her cheeks redden. "I'm sure he'd much rather go with someone else, I don't even have to go at all, in fact, I think there's a great infomercial marathon on that night, and I just bought a fresh box of bonbons, so maybe I'd better just stay home,"
Bulma looked at her strangely for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Usagi-san, you have to be one of the funniest people I know," she said. "But don't worry about it, Trunks would love to take you, he'll pick you up at seven on Saturday night,"
"But, I don't have a dress!" Usagi weakly protested.
"I'm sure you'll be able to find something wonderful by Saturday," Bulma said, ending the conversation by leaving the room.
Usagi slammed her head against the keyboard. "Stupid brain, you keep letting me down in the excuse department," she grumbled, accidentally hitting the delete button. "Oh crap," she groaned, watching the twelve pages she had just typed vanish in a blink of an eye.
She managed to retype the missing pages quickly, and clicked on print with satisfaction. She glanced at her watch. "I just might get out of work early today," she said with a grin. A message popped up on the screen along with an obnoxious beep. "What do you mean there's no paper?!" Usagi demanded.
Her only reply was another obnoxious beep. Grumbling under her breath, she went in search of more paper for the printer.
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"Hurry up," he growled under his breath as he kept watch while his partner typed rapidly on one of Capsule Corps.' many computers.
"Give me thirty seconds," she replied in the same tone.
He waited impatiently as she downloaded the last of the files onto a disk, keeping as eye on the door.
"Finished," she said, pulling the disk form the computer and standing.
"Then let's get out of here," he said, beginning to leave.
"What about Vejiita?" She asked, following him.
"If you want him so badly, go for it, I have other things that need taking care of," he retorted.
"Fine, you take the disk, I'll go after Vejiita," she said impatiently handing him the object.
"Meet back at the lab,"
She only nodded, heading in the opposite direction.
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Usagi groaned in frustration as the printer began to spit paper all over the floor, while beeping incessantly.
"Stupid piece of junk!" She made to kick it, but thought better of it. 'I'll just save the files on a disk and take them home to print, at least I can work Minako-chan's printer, besides I want to get home to call her,'
Hurriedly she gathered her things and hastily saved the documents to a disk. "Wait until she hears that I'm going to the ball, who my date is, and that I don't have dress," she mused as she jogged down the hall. "She'll die,"
Usagi turned her infamous corner, only to run into someone, once again. The collision was so hard that she was knocked flat on her back, sending her items flying. The other person also dropped what he was carrying. She sat up, apologizing profusely.
"I'm so sorry! I need to stay away from this corner or something, I always run into people here! She scurried around, picking up her things and handing him what he had dropped.
"Whatever," he said coarsely, pushing by her.
Usagi watched him go, a look of offense and surprise on her face. "I said I was sorry," she rolled her eyes, and went in her own direction, not realizing she now carried the wrong disk.
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I'm tired, and losing inspiration…and since ff.net is maybe finally working again, I figure I'll just post this…yeah, we're reaching the end, maybe two or three more chapters…