I know, it took me forever, to get this out, but I've been swamped with homework! Plus I'm writing my new Bulma/Veggie fic, so that's taking up my time, too... But look, here's another chapter! It's a bit longer than the last one, so be happy, and read on!
It didn't take long to find their intended battleground. Usagi, although not trained to
recognize ki, did feel a familiar presence pulling her in a certain direction. After flying
for a few minutes, she quickly recognized her surroundings. How fitting it was that he
brought her back to the place she had almost died, the place where she was reborn in
another existence, given another chance to live, to love. She glanced at Trunks, who
landed in the familiar clearing beside her. A frown swept across her features. He
would have an advantage here, since this was where he opened the portal to travel to
this dimension. It was a power booster. Then again, she has an advantage, too; she
was fighting for the people she loved, and that gave her more strength than she knew
she was capable of ever possessing otherwise.
After a quick sweep of the area, Usagi's eyes finally settled on a particularly thick
tree that seemed to be dead, definitely a contrast to the others that were still green.
Focusing her thoughts, concentrating hard, Usagi sent out a mental message. 'I
see you. Now come out and fight.'
"With pleasure, my dear Usagi," Endymion sneered as he slowly ambled away
from the trees, stopping not ten feet from her.
"It'll be the last pleasure you'll feel," Usagi growled.
"Shut up and let's fight already!"
Before she could respond, Usagi was swept up into a circle of silver, completely
surrounded.
Trunks stood off to the side, watching worriedly. What the hell was going on?
Was he doing this to her? He glanced at the other man, who was just as transfixed
with Usagi as he was. He took that as a no.
Usagi could feel the warmth of the ginzouishou inside of her, growing warmer until
the heat seared her skin. She felt as if her blood were boiling! A stabbing pain fell
upon her forehead for a brief second. When the pain went away, she knew she would
have the trademark crescent moon of the Lunarian royal family. Her hair had also
grown longer and now sparkled a brilliant silver. Finally her body began to cool as the
silver light faded. Looking down, she saw the silken white material of the dress that
hugged her torso and billowed out at the waist.
Trunks rubbed his eyes, wondering if he were seeing things. But no, she was still
there; it looked like her, but it didn't. He was very confused.
Unlike Trunks, Endymion was not. His lips had once again curled into a degrading
sneer. "Serenity, it's about time you showed up."
"I am pleased that you were waiting for me, Endymion," Serenity's voice was lower
and more clear than her counterpart's.
'Wait a minute... Serenity?' Trunks wracked his brain for an explanation. He knew
that name...
**********
"I'm a princess..."
"The crystal lives in me. I am its power. It is mine..."
"We were reborn thanks to my mother, Queen Serenity..."
**********
That's it! It dawned on Trunks finally as he remembered bits and pieces of their
conversations. Usagi was Serenity! That would explain all of the power radiating from
her now.
Turning back to the two, Trunks didn't even acknowledge when Vegeta landed
beside him.
"What the hell?" Vegeta nodded to Serenity.
"Remember when Usagi said that she was a princess? Well, there she is."
Vegeta merely hmphed, his arms folded across his chest, a frown adorning his
lips.
Serenity paid no attention to the men at her left. She was too busy watching the
man in front of her, the one she used to love, the one she wished she could loathe with
all of her being but couldn't for some strange reason.
"Endymion," Serenity began, taking a step toward him. "I realize that you made
some mistakes, but I don't think that you should be condemned for them." She
lowered her gaze for a second. "I made some mistakes also, but they can be
corrected." She met his eyes. "I could heal you."
"Could you?" Endymion asked, his eyes shining with hope. "I'd be so happy if you
could just--shut the hell up!" he snarled at her, drawing his sword, his hand running
across the glinting blade all the way to the point.
"Gomen nasai," Serenity whispered sadly. Once again she was engulfed in a
bright light, and a minute later she stood as Sailor Moon. "But you know the
consequences," her voice hardened, eyes flashing dangerously. "Come on, Endy,
come and get me!"
Trunks watched in horror as Endymion, sword in tow, lunged at Sailor Moon,
swinging the blade at her with deadly force.
Sailor Moon closed her eyes. This was the end... for him. She opened her eyes to
see a shocked Endymion staring back at her as she caught the blade flat between her
palms, just inches before he would have plunged it through her heart. With newfound
strength, she pushed the sword into his chest, knocking him backwards. The sword
left his hand, tumbling forgotten into the trees.
Both stood, furiously glaring at one another, neither relenting to the other.
Trunks had never seen her so sure of herself, so determined... Even Vegeta found
it difficult to take in how much stronger she had become in the short amount of time
she had been there. Kami forbid, he was even beginning to respect her for it! If there
was one thing he respected, it was fighting no matter what or how you felt.
Usagi definitely had that quality. She was by no means a cruel and hateful person,
but she knew what she had to do.
"I wasn't joking; I could heal you," Sailor Moon tried once again to get through to
her brazen ex-love.
"So I could become a pansy like your little boy toy there?" Endymion sneered in
Trunks' direction, a look of pure disgust crossing his features.
"I take that as a no," she muttered before lunging at him. Her knuckles cracked as
her fist smashed into his jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground. "Never talk about
him," she growled menacingly, watching him gracefully jump to his feet. He spit out a
mouthful of blood.
"You got it, sweetie," he grinned mockingly, taking a step closer to her. He
watched her, waiting for her to make a move. When she did he was ready.
She swung her leg around to kick him in the side, but he grabbed her foot and
pushed it the other way, making her lose her balance.
Quickly regaining her footing, Sailor Moon swung a fist at him, smiling when it
made contact with his stomach. As he doubled over in pain, she took the opportunity
to grab him by the hair, yank his head up, and punch him in the jaw again.
"Bitch!" he hissed as he swiftly kicked her legs from the back, causing her to
buckle to the ground. Wasting no time, he pushed her back into the earth and
straddled her stomach, holding her hands with one of his. "Who has the upper hand
now?"
She didn't get a chance to retort because his free hand closed around her throat,
putting pressure on her windpipe.
Sailor Moon's eyes bulged out as she struggled to free her hands to no avail. Her
legs were flailing, but they only made contact with air.
"Iie! Usagi!" Trunks couldn't watch the woman he loved die at the hands of this
psycho!
"Stay back," Vegeta grabbed his arm, roughly yanking him back, never taking his
eyes off of the struggle.
"I can't. He might kill her!" the young Saiya-jin exploded, his ki rising in both anger
and desperation. How could Vegeta expect him to stay out of it?
"Give her time," was all Vegeta said.
Trunks knew he had no choice but to stay out of it. Vegeta would never let him
help. 'Kami, please help her.'
Sailor Moon could feel the outline each finger was making on her throat. As much
as she tried, she couldn't seem to gather the strength to throw him off of her.
A little voice was breaking through in the back of her mind. She strained to hear
what it said. "I believe in you," the voice floated melodically in her head. "Believe in
your own strength." If she had the option, she would have smiled.
As if recharged, Sailor Moon suddenly threw Endymion off of her, seemingly
effortlessly. She stood, gasping for breath. Walking over to him, as he sat up, she
bent down next to him and placed her hand on his forehead. A silver glow emitted from
her hand, surrounding the both of them.
She closed her eyes, letting the power of the ginzouishou flow out of her fingertips.
She could feel it working.
Taking her hand away, the silver faded. Endymion's lifeless body rose into the air,
floating above her head. In a sudden shimmer, a projection of him appeared beside his
body. "Serenity," he smiled warmly.
Looking down, she found that she was indeed Princess Serenity. "Endymion, I
didn't mean to... I had no other choice," she began.
"You did what you had to do," he brushed away her guilt. "Do not worry. I will be
reborn. We will meet again..."
"Hai, again," she agreed, never taking her eyes off of the sky until his projection
and body faded.
She slowly made her way over to the two men who were waiting for her.
"Usagi, I thought I would lose you," Trunks murmured, his eyes sparkling with
unshed tears.
"You'll never lose me," she whispered as she collapsed in his arms, losing
consciousness.
Confused? Yeah, I had a feeling that might happen. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll answer em when I post the last chap... Yep, the next one will more than likely be the last... I want to thank everyone who stayed with me through this entire fic, through my loooooong spout of writer's block, and my less than frequent postings... I love you all! And don't worry, I'll throw in some Trunks/Usagi stuff in the next chap because I know you people are desperate for it!
It didn't take long to find their intended battleground. Usagi, although not trained to
recognize ki, did feel a familiar presence pulling her in a certain direction. After flying
for a few minutes, she quickly recognized her surroundings. How fitting it was that he
brought her back to the place she had almost died, the place where she was reborn in
another existence, given another chance to live, to love. She glanced at Trunks, who
landed in the familiar clearing beside her. A frown swept across her features. He
would have an advantage here, since this was where he opened the portal to travel to
this dimension. It was a power booster. Then again, she has an advantage, too; she
was fighting for the people she loved, and that gave her more strength than she knew
she was capable of ever possessing otherwise.
After a quick sweep of the area, Usagi's eyes finally settled on a particularly thick
tree that seemed to be dead, definitely a contrast to the others that were still green.
Focusing her thoughts, concentrating hard, Usagi sent out a mental message. 'I
see you. Now come out and fight.'
"With pleasure, my dear Usagi," Endymion sneered as he slowly ambled away
from the trees, stopping not ten feet from her.
"It'll be the last pleasure you'll feel," Usagi growled.
"Shut up and let's fight already!"
Before she could respond, Usagi was swept up into a circle of silver, completely
surrounded.
Trunks stood off to the side, watching worriedly. What the hell was going on?
Was he doing this to her? He glanced at the other man, who was just as transfixed
with Usagi as he was. He took that as a no.
Usagi could feel the warmth of the ginzouishou inside of her, growing warmer until
the heat seared her skin. She felt as if her blood were boiling! A stabbing pain fell
upon her forehead for a brief second. When the pain went away, she knew she would
have the trademark crescent moon of the Lunarian royal family. Her hair had also
grown longer and now sparkled a brilliant silver. Finally her body began to cool as the
silver light faded. Looking down, she saw the silken white material of the dress that
hugged her torso and billowed out at the waist.
Trunks rubbed his eyes, wondering if he were seeing things. But no, she was still
there; it looked like her, but it didn't. He was very confused.
Unlike Trunks, Endymion was not. His lips had once again curled into a degrading
sneer. "Serenity, it's about time you showed up."
"I am pleased that you were waiting for me, Endymion," Serenity's voice was lower
and more clear than her counterpart's.
'Wait a minute... Serenity?' Trunks wracked his brain for an explanation. He knew
that name...
**********
"I'm a princess..."
"The crystal lives in me. I am its power. It is mine..."
"We were reborn thanks to my mother, Queen Serenity..."
**********
That's it! It dawned on Trunks finally as he remembered bits and pieces of their
conversations. Usagi was Serenity! That would explain all of the power radiating from
her now.
Turning back to the two, Trunks didn't even acknowledge when Vegeta landed
beside him.
"What the hell?" Vegeta nodded to Serenity.
"Remember when Usagi said that she was a princess? Well, there she is."
Vegeta merely hmphed, his arms folded across his chest, a frown adorning his
lips.
Serenity paid no attention to the men at her left. She was too busy watching the
man in front of her, the one she used to love, the one she wished she could loathe with
all of her being but couldn't for some strange reason.
"Endymion," Serenity began, taking a step toward him. "I realize that you made
some mistakes, but I don't think that you should be condemned for them." She
lowered her gaze for a second. "I made some mistakes also, but they can be
corrected." She met his eyes. "I could heal you."
"Could you?" Endymion asked, his eyes shining with hope. "I'd be so happy if you
could just--shut the hell up!" he snarled at her, drawing his sword, his hand running
across the glinting blade all the way to the point.
"Gomen nasai," Serenity whispered sadly. Once again she was engulfed in a
bright light, and a minute later she stood as Sailor Moon. "But you know the
consequences," her voice hardened, eyes flashing dangerously. "Come on, Endy,
come and get me!"
Trunks watched in horror as Endymion, sword in tow, lunged at Sailor Moon,
swinging the blade at her with deadly force.
Sailor Moon closed her eyes. This was the end... for him. She opened her eyes to
see a shocked Endymion staring back at her as she caught the blade flat between her
palms, just inches before he would have plunged it through her heart. With newfound
strength, she pushed the sword into his chest, knocking him backwards. The sword
left his hand, tumbling forgotten into the trees.
Both stood, furiously glaring at one another, neither relenting to the other.
Trunks had never seen her so sure of herself, so determined... Even Vegeta found
it difficult to take in how much stronger she had become in the short amount of time
she had been there. Kami forbid, he was even beginning to respect her for it! If there
was one thing he respected, it was fighting no matter what or how you felt.
Usagi definitely had that quality. She was by no means a cruel and hateful person,
but she knew what she had to do.
"I wasn't joking; I could heal you," Sailor Moon tried once again to get through to
her brazen ex-love.
"So I could become a pansy like your little boy toy there?" Endymion sneered in
Trunks' direction, a look of pure disgust crossing his features.
"I take that as a no," she muttered before lunging at him. Her knuckles cracked as
her fist smashed into his jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground. "Never talk about
him," she growled menacingly, watching him gracefully jump to his feet. He spit out a
mouthful of blood.
"You got it, sweetie," he grinned mockingly, taking a step closer to her. He
watched her, waiting for her to make a move. When she did he was ready.
She swung her leg around to kick him in the side, but he grabbed her foot and
pushed it the other way, making her lose her balance.
Quickly regaining her footing, Sailor Moon swung a fist at him, smiling when it
made contact with his stomach. As he doubled over in pain, she took the opportunity
to grab him by the hair, yank his head up, and punch him in the jaw again.
"Bitch!" he hissed as he swiftly kicked her legs from the back, causing her to
buckle to the ground. Wasting no time, he pushed her back into the earth and
straddled her stomach, holding her hands with one of his. "Who has the upper hand
now?"
She didn't get a chance to retort because his free hand closed around her throat,
putting pressure on her windpipe.
Sailor Moon's eyes bulged out as she struggled to free her hands to no avail. Her
legs were flailing, but they only made contact with air.
"Iie! Usagi!" Trunks couldn't watch the woman he loved die at the hands of this
psycho!
"Stay back," Vegeta grabbed his arm, roughly yanking him back, never taking his
eyes off of the struggle.
"I can't. He might kill her!" the young Saiya-jin exploded, his ki rising in both anger
and desperation. How could Vegeta expect him to stay out of it?
"Give her time," was all Vegeta said.
Trunks knew he had no choice but to stay out of it. Vegeta would never let him
help. 'Kami, please help her.'
Sailor Moon could feel the outline each finger was making on her throat. As much
as she tried, she couldn't seem to gather the strength to throw him off of her.
A little voice was breaking through in the back of her mind. She strained to hear
what it said. "I believe in you," the voice floated melodically in her head. "Believe in
your own strength." If she had the option, she would have smiled.
As if recharged, Sailor Moon suddenly threw Endymion off of her, seemingly
effortlessly. She stood, gasping for breath. Walking over to him, as he sat up, she
bent down next to him and placed her hand on his forehead. A silver glow emitted from
her hand, surrounding the both of them.
She closed her eyes, letting the power of the ginzouishou flow out of her fingertips.
She could feel it working.
Taking her hand away, the silver faded. Endymion's lifeless body rose into the air,
floating above her head. In a sudden shimmer, a projection of him appeared beside his
body. "Serenity," he smiled warmly.
Looking down, she found that she was indeed Princess Serenity. "Endymion, I
didn't mean to... I had no other choice," she began.
"You did what you had to do," he brushed away her guilt. "Do not worry. I will be
reborn. We will meet again..."
"Hai, again," she agreed, never taking her eyes off of the sky until his projection
and body faded.
She slowly made her way over to the two men who were waiting for her.
"Usagi, I thought I would lose you," Trunks murmured, his eyes sparkling with
unshed tears.
"You'll never lose me," she whispered as she collapsed in his arms, losing
consciousness.
Confused? Yeah, I had a feeling that might happen. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll answer em when I post the last chap... Yep, the next one will more than likely be the last... I want to thank everyone who stayed with me through this entire fic, through my loooooong spout of writer's block, and my less than frequent postings... I love you all! And don't worry, I'll throw in some Trunks/Usagi stuff in the next chap because I know you people are desperate for it!