We're baaaaaaack! Here goes Chappy 8 from Alcandre and TimeAsunderQ, a spectacular collaborative effort that has taken a life of its own.
Chapter 8: Doctor! The Statue!!!!
"I will not have that kind of insolence on my TARDIS. You children, while traveling with me, must learn to respect my authority. At a little over 900 years, I do suppose that I deserve that!"
Usagi was up off the bed by the time the Doctor reached her. He made to pick her up and carry her out of the room to give her a "stern talking-to." Just as he had wrapped his arms around her waist, pinning her arms to her side, Rei jumped in, kicking the Time Lord behind the knees in an attempt to fell him. As he stumbled, she pulled his arms from around Usagi's body, allowing the Odango-atama to slip free and run back behind Rei.
"I told you to leave her alone! She didn't mean it, so don't lose your temper!!!!" Rei shouted. "Don't make me fight you Doctor!"
"I'll have you know that I wasn't going to hurt her. Children like her need discipline, and I was simply going to give her a warning. Besides I am a master of several martial arts. I am quite sure that you could do me no harm."
The two stared each other down for a moment, both sizing the other up. Rei, interestingly enough had more sizing to do than the Doctor.
Peri interrupted the staring contest. "Doctor, she's right. You must learn to control your temper…"
As the Doctor whirled around to face his companion, he bellowed, "TEMPER! TEMPER? I DO NOT HAVE A---," he looked contemplative as he finished, "temper."
Usagi peeked out from behind Rei, pathetically apologizing for her earlier actions. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Doctor, I won't do it again I promise. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, please don't be mad at me!"
Rei nodded. "When Usagi makes a promise, she keeps it. She truly did not realize that you were taking her seriously. She never means to make anyone mad."
By that time, the Doctor had cooled down considerably, his face back to its normal ambivalent and curious position. "I understand. Believe me that I would not have hurt her." To Usagi, he asked "Care to come out now?" smiling his most convincing smile.
"Not yet, I'm not so sure I want to. Give me a minute."
"Alright then. Here, allow me to continue asking questions while you calm down."
Rei responded with "That should be okay. Let's sit down again." She pulled Usagi out from behind her and gently nudged her towards the bed. The Doctor pulled his chair closer to the both of them. Peri took up a position between both parties, just in case.
"My next question is this: Where are these Time Gates located? And how did Pluto become the one to guard them?" The Doctor leaned forward on his chair, clasping his hands together to keep from seeming too anxious.
Rei looked at Usagi to make sure that she was alright, taking her mind off her earlier peril. Her friend nodded, giving a smile to reassure the Mars scout. Seeing that Usagi had returned to her normal self, she waved the other on to answer the Doctor's question.
Usagi brightened and began her reply. "Well, you see Doctor, we don't know the exact location of the Time Gates ourselves. We can have a key that transports us to the Time Gates, without telling us where we are heading specifically. And as for Pluto… She has always been the guardian of the Gates. From Time Eternal, as far as we know. She's older than you." She pointed a finger at him accusingly. "But SHE only *looks* 23!" Usagi smiled to let him know she was just kidding with him.
He grinned. "I get the picture. Thanks for the answers, but I have one last question, then you two may go." He paused, for effect. Peri had been looking bored, but even she sensed the tension in the air, straightening up to watch him.
"Alright, my last question is my most important." He was very serious when he looked between Usagi and Rei. His eyes were infinite, but held such a sadness as he asked, "If your job is to protect, then why haven't you been there to save it from the atrocities I have seen take place on this planet? The Dalek invasion, the Zygons, the Silurians, the Krotons, the Cybermen. Professor Stalman's inferno. Why do you save so few in such a small area?"
Rei bit her lip and Usagi looked away. "This can only be explained in mass numbers Doctor," the Mars scout began, "percentages if you will. The evil we battle starts on a small scale around Tokyo but, if let be, grows to envelope the world. We can only stop the evil around us so that it doesn't spread. We don't exactly have the same technology to travel through time and space to deal with evil. We can't stop it before it gets here, and we can't even get across long distances on Earth by ourselves."
Usagi locked eyes with the Doctor, determined to explain, yet hurt that she couldn't save everyone on Earth. "You fight actual entities, solid objects, races that invade from other places. We fight spirit forces, like Queen Beryl and Pharaoh 90. We've had allies such as the Pegasus. The forces we fight possess Earthly material. Humans or inanimate objects. Our job is to root these forces out of their Earthly counterparts. We fight beings that aren't "real." They are made from materials of the human world or of another world."
Usagi looked down at the floor. "I hate that we can't save every being in this world or other worlds that are in danger." She looked back up, tears forming in her blue eyes. "I mean, I fight for love and justice. I fight for beings that are tormented and hurt for no reason but pure evil. And I know thee are worlds and times that I can't visit, so I can't save those poor people. I don't like killing, it hurts every time, but if it saves innocent people, then so be it. If evil wants the world so much that it will kill without thinking twice about it, then I can kill it. But that doesn't mean I won't think twice about it." The tears were falling freely now, but Usagi just wiped them away. "To tell the truth, I hate the role I play. I am privy to all sorts of information I wouldn't know if I weren't Sailor Moon. I never used to think about the evils in the world, but I was forced to think about it and so… I just go along with it. I want nothing more than to be a "normal" girl."
Rei put an arm around the princess. "We all do, Usagi-chan." She sighed. "Demo, it's our job to save the world."
Usagi sniffed and wiped her eyes again. "Some job," she mumbled.
The Doctor cleared his throat, shocked by the change in Usagi and how she suddenly became serious. "Well," he stated. "That's all I really wanted to ask." He stood up and proceeded to the door. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you back to the Console Room and you can leave."
Usagi's head snapped up, Peri's mouth opened in surprise, and Rei sat up straighter. "But… I, uh-I" Peri stuttered.
"I don't want to leave yet!" Usagi blurted out.
The Doctor stopped and turned around. "What!? Just a few hours ago, the two of you were running away from me and demanding to be let out!"
"Yes, well," Re began. "We didn't really "know" you or Peri then." She looked over at Usagi, who nodded excitedly. "We'd actually like to stay the night." She paused then hastily added, "If it's okay with you."
The Doctor looked on in confusion. "I don't understand…"
"Doctor," Peri said. "We want to have a sleepover, or a spend-the-night party."
"Ooo, a party!" Usagi exclaimed, reverting back to her usual cheerful self.
"Ahh, I see," the Doctor said. "You want some girl time."
The three girls nodded, enthusiastically. The Doctor looked at the three, taking in their excited faces. He caught Peri's eyes and noticed the hope and pleading look in them. He sighed. "Alright, but just tonight."
Usagi jumped up. "Yay!!" she shouted.
The other two girls stood up as well and Peri started toward the Doctor. "Thanks, Doctor. I need this." She smiled and gave him a quick hug. Then, her smile turned evil. "But, you're not allowed in here." She turned the tall, well built man around and pushed him out of the room, slamming the door in his face. Giggling was heard in the room, a moment of silence and then, the door opened and a sign was placed on the outside. And then the Doctor was left outside the room by himself.
He glanced at the sign, "No boys…"The boys was scratched out and "Doctors" was placed over the word. The sign continued. "No Doctors Allowed!! (that means you!)"
The Doctor sighed and walked off, shaking his head. "What have I done?..."
To be continued…
Yes, what has he done? And what will Peri, Rei, and Usagi do all night? Will they have a midnight snack? Will they watch scary movies? Mmm, well, find out next time in Sailor… Who? Same crossover time, same crossover channel.