Chapter 10 "Fractured Hearts and First Meetings"
New York City, New York (United States of America)
9:45 PM (Eastern Time)
Some called New York City "the City that never sleeps" and "the big Apple". Tourists always puzzled over these two phrases when they came to the large city. The "never sleeps" part was true since even though some shops closed, others remained open or opened later at night. Street vendors took over when fancy and low-class fast food restaurants closed for the evenings. Nightclubs generally opened around midnight, giving a haven to the adventurous, wild, and insomnia driven crowd. No one really understood the "Big Apple" phrase but always made something up when a dimwitted tourist approached with the question. So far tonight Peter Parker and his date, Mary Jane Watson had not been bothered by the numerous tourists but the night was still young so to speak. An hour had past since both departed from the home of Peter's aunt and went exploring. Numerous clubs had been visited and bars hung out in. Not much of drinkers, the duo found themselves walking the still busy streets of New York City, looking for fun. The two held hands as they walked past a pair of Chinese tourists who were begging for someone to take a picture of them in front of Times Square. A quick glance and nod from MJ allowed Peter to break away to help them. MJ stood and watched as Peter negotiated a plan and picture with the jittery tourists. A smile crossed her face as Peter told the people to move over, which the people mistook for "CHEESE". In half broken English the Pair hugged each other and bared their sparkling white teeth, Peter slapped his forehead in frustration. Mary Jane laughed loud enough for Peter to play glare at her.
Meanwhile, Usagi, being Usagi, was hungry. Scooping up her puppy, Sukie, and setting her inside a large, woven handbag, she decided to take her chances on the streets of New York City. Of course, living in Tokyo had prepared her for big city life. It wasn't all that different, except there were more cars and less buses, and that everyone was speaking English, not Japanese. She could speak English, and speak it well, but it was obviously not perfect, and you could tell it wasn't her first language. She had discovered a talent for languages when she had first been forced to learn English at Juuban High. Whether it came from her love of talking or a hearkening back to her days as Princess Serenity when learning the languages of Silver Millennium was a necessity, she wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet on the latter. So she searched around for a nice Japanese restaurant; she wasn't quite willing to be open-minded about the American cuisine when she was so hungry. She strolled along the sidewalk; she had found her apartment a few hours before and had promptly taken a nap. Eyes alight with curiosity, Usagi stared at all the different people and sights, and took in all the unusual sounds and smells. It was strange, being Japanese in a city of Americans, even if being blonde made her seem more American than Japanese. She sighed. Why was she being so introspective? It wasn't like her at all. It was probably the hunger, she mused. And she was sure she stuck out in the crowd; even if she was only five foot (during the last few years of high school she sprouted four inches) she could tell it wasn't common for a woman to have hair well down to her ankles drawn up into 'odangos'. Suddenly, Sukie began barking uncontrollably. Her Senshi's sense going crazy, Usagi spun around to see a big, burly man who grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. Usagi dropped the handbag with Sukie, who immediately leapt out and started attacking her mistress' assailant. The man slapped the dog, sending it to the ground with an audible yelp. "Sukie!!!" Usagi cried, as the man cupped a hand over her mouth. Infuriated, Usagi bit his fingers and spun around to give him a high kick to the nose. "Damn BITCH!" the man yelled, holding his now-broken nose. He grabbed a knife from his pocket, and bore down on the petite blonde. "I'm gonna make you pay for that, bitch," he snarled, advancing upon her. A little afraid, she took a few steps back, her chest rising up and down with every heavy breath she took. Her blue eyes narrowed at the thug, who was still advancing. She shivered at the heavy smell of alcohol that clung to him, as well as the stench of body odor and the many layers of dirt and grime. "You won't TOUCH me!!" Usagi cried, eyes flashing. She raised her fists in a defensive position, staring him down. He leered at her, swaying with drunkenness. Then, in a flash, he leapt, the deadly blade mere centimeters from her throat. "Help!!!" she cried, "Please! Somebody!!"
Peter was tired, fatigue was trying to take over his body but the happiness he felt when he was around Mary Jane made him decide to skip sleep. So far the night out had been good for the usually social-handicap Peter and it seemed right for them to be out like this together. Peter's mind was wrecked though; he debated whether to tell Mary Jane about how he truly felt. He had lied many times before to protect the redhead but it didn't seem to match his actions. I need to tell her but I don't want her to get harmed or worse.... die like Gwen. He thought as the Chinese couple thanked him with hugs and praises in Chinese. A wave and nod came from the blushing Peter as he moved back to the laughing Mary Jane. Peter was too nice, least that is what he thought. Some mistook that for being perfect but in no way was Peter Parker "perfect". Peter was very self-aware of himself and was his own worst enemy, his past failures always plaguing him as he swung through life. Peter's self-doubting was put on hold as Mary Jane frowned at him.
"What is wrong Peter?" she asked as she put her hand on his shoulder, stopping the couple for a moment. Peter looked at the hand and frowned himself. "Nothing, just thinking" Peter said after a long pause which caused Mary Jane to pull away. "About her?....about Gwen? Peter, I cant compete with a ghost," Mary Jane snapped as she looked away from the man she loved, shocked at her outburst. "No, well sort of, I don't know," he said as a hidden tear went down Mary Jane's hidden face. I can't compete with a ghost, not a beautiful one like Gwen. She was so much more beautiful than me...man I need a cigarette. Mary Jane thought as she dug in her purse for her pack of cigarettes. The gorgeous redhead had started smoking about a year ago, stress went away when she smoked.... so did her problems. She knew she was killing herself but she didn't care...Peter didn't, or did he? She couldn't figure out the man next to her. Peter saw Mary Jane's search for the cancer sticks and felt a lump fall into his throat. I have to tell her, she is killing herself.... killing herself cause I cant get over Gwen. He thought as he grimaced. "MJ....I.....MJ, I want you...." He said as Mary Jane lifted her head to look at Peter's attempt to grasp the words he wanted and needed to say. Fighting the Rhino was easier than this.....damn I can't swing away from this now, Peter thought as he looked at the beautiful face in front of him. "What do you want?" Mary Jane asked as she hoped it was what she wanted to hear; she bent closer towards his face. "I want..." He started to say as they both pulled closer to each other. It looked as if they would kiss but a sharp cry made them pull back and Peter groaned. Why can't I ever win? he thought to himself, as the cry got louder.
"HELP!!!.....PLEASE SOMEBODY!"
Peter looked at Mary Jane and found that his sudden movement towards the cry didn't shake her. I wonder.... he thought I hope he doesn't figure that I know... Mary Jane thought with a frown.
A few blocks over, Usagi was fighting a losing battle. She may have been Sailor Moon, but she wasn't transformed and was still only a petite five- foot Japanese woman lost in the streets of New York City. She kicked and punched and fought with everything in her, but while she was beginning to tire, her attacker was not. Sukie still lay on the pavement; she was breathing, so Usagi knew she was still alive. Meanwhile, her assailant had grabbed her roughly and shoved her into a deserted alley. There was no one around, no one to cry out to for help. Usagi knew this was the end for her; to die here, alone and friendless, just another nameless blonde beauty stupid enough to be alone in New York after the sun went down. It was funny, she mused; somehow she had always imagined her death at the hands of a youma or another Dark creature, not at those of a common criminal. As Sailor Moon, she had fought against plenty of horrors not of this world.... and it wasn't enough. She was going to die here, and the people she loved most would never know what had happened. * * * * * *
"IIIIEEEE!!!" came the shrill cry from the sapphire-haired Senshi of Water and Ice, as a youma shot power at her that she couldn't dodge. It hit her, black lightening coursing through her veins and causing her back to arch and an endless scream escape her lips. Sailor Mercury fell to the ground then, one arm dangling limp at her side, before consciousness left her. "Mercury!!!" the other Senshi cried, rushing to their fallen comrade. Conspicuously, one was missing; the loud and beautiful Sailor Moon. While Sailor Venus gently grasped and protected Mercury, the others took the fight to the youma.
"Mars Flame Sniper!!!!" came the loud voice of the Senshi of Mars, Hino Rei. Her raven hair reached to the middle of her thigh, surrounding her brilliant red fuku as an equally brilliant flame arrow shot from her fingers, hitting its target. The youma shuddered at the intense pain of the scorching fire.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!!" the bright green of the Senshi of Jupiter's attack also hit its intended target, weakening it even more.
Meanwhile, Tsukino Usagi was still held tight in Motoki's embrace at the arcade. She had cried almost nonstop for the past few hours, chocolate shake untouched. It hurt Motoki to see her cry like this; she had cried many times before, of course, but this was different. This wasn't the shrill wail for attention she usually gave. Here, she made hardly any sound. The only noise was the occasional hitch for breath, and if you didn't see the continual bobbing of her shoulders and the great wet spot on Motoki's apron you might have mistook it for laughter. Then her communicator went off. She stood up from Motoki and wiped her tears from her eyes. "Arigato, Motoki-san," she said, sniffing. "I have to go now." Without waiting for a response, she ran out the door an into Tokyo's night.
"Moon Eternal!!" she called, as soon as she knew there was no one around, "MAKE-UP!!!!" A brilliant stream of ribbons and feathers consumed her body until she was no longer Tsukino Usagi, but Eternal Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice.
When she came upon the scene, it was of an unconscious Mercury held by a sobbing Venus and the other Senshi barely holding their own against a youma. Lately they had been getting some youma, but not really that strong and seemingly without a leader or unifying force. They normally were a piece of cake to defeat. When she saw Mercury, Sailor Moon nearly fell to the ground in shock.
"Mercury?" she asked, lip quivering. Her greatest fear was that one of her loved ones would die a death she couldn't protect them from, or couldn't bring them back from with the help of the Ginzuishou. And here, it looked as if her nightmare had become reality.
"We could use some help, oh _great _ leader," Mars snapped, indicating the youma. Shocked, and the pain of seeing Mars in bed with Mamoru earlier still stung deep. She could barely nod, but she pulled out the Moon Tier.
"Silver Moon!!! Crystal Power Kiss!!!!" she called, degrading the creature to dust. She then ran over to her fallen friend.
"Ami?" she asked, sobbing, voice cracking. "Ami?!"
"She's alive," Venus said coldly, "No thanks to you."
"Where were you?!" Jupiter demanded, "If you had been here we could have finished that thing off without Mercury getting hurt! As it is, she's half dead!!!"
Shocked and hurt, Sailor Moon took a few steps back. "But-but---" she tried, choking on the words as tears began to stream down her face.
"Oh, look," Mars said sarcastically, "Odango Atama's crying. Show me something I _haven't _ seen."
Sailor Moon buried her face in her hands and fled. * * * * * *
And when she was brought back to reality, all she saw was this petty, drunken thug, who was dirty and putrid, trying to force himself on her with his blade. What he wanted she had given to Mamoru, only to see him break her heart. And this man, he was going to use her, and then kill her. She almost wept.
"Help me," she said, voice weak, "Somebody....please...."
Peter came running around the corner in a dead run, his short hair blew back and forth as he pushed farther. He saw the man knelt over the girl holding a knife to her throat. I don't have enough time to change, I guess Peter Parker will be the hero of the day Peter quipped as he stopped right behind the thug. The man was twice the size of the small compact Parker and obviously lifted weights. "Hey you, why don't you pick on someone your own size" He said dropping into his usual cocky superhero attitude. He knew that he would have to hold back on some of the hits he would land and take a few hits to make it look like he was normal. The girl's long blond hair covered her face as the man looked up at Parker and gave an evil grin. "Uh oh" Peter said, keeping in character for the gathering crowd at the edge of the alley, and at the edge of the safety area. This is going to be interesting Peter thought to himself.
Mary Jane followed behind Peter as best she could in high heels but fell behind before he hit the alleyway. She suddenly felt a horrible fear in her stomach over this situation. He will be all right.... nothing will hurt him...he has faced worse than this she thought as she saw a crowd form around the alleyway, blocking her view of the impending brawl. "Let me through...dammit..." she cried as the crowd got larger and larger as did her fear for her love.
Peter ducked as the big man aimed his massive right hook towards the smaller man's face, hoping that he didn't move too fast. The poorly lit alley was not very wide and made fighting all the more harder for both, something Peter was trying to use for his advantage. "Listen, if you just give up now and run away, I wont hurt you," Peter quipped as the bigger man crashed his fist on a trashcan that Peter had side stepped from. "Hell no...I'm gonna crush you like a bug," the tattooed man bellowed as a couple cheers and jeers went through the watching crowd. The crowd was getting larger and soon a cop would notice the commotion. Then I can let this idiot get himself put in jail, Peter thought as his thinking caused him to take a hit to the stomach. "Owh" Peter wheezed as some people booed.
"Oh no!" Usagi gasped, struggling to her feet. Once there, she glared at the man, whom she had lovingly dubbed "Tattoo." Anger flashed across her pretty features, and she hefted a nearby metal lid from an unused trash can. She swung it, crashing the tin into Tatoo's head. He bellowed in pain and stumbled back a few paces before turning his ire back to the petite Usagi.
"Hey, baka!!!" she yelled, as the man turned to her and growled. She smirked. "Yeah, you! And baka means 'idiot,' by the way, and that suits you perfectly!" He lunged between her and Peter again, but she was prepared this time and leaped nimbly out of his way.
"Don't you have something better to do than pick on helpless women?!" she demanded furiously, "I won't forgive you!"
Peter looked at the foreign woman with an expression of incredulity. Just what was she thinking? Apparently Mr. Tattoo wasn't extraordinarily thrilled with being insulted by a mouthy young woman, as he started staggering back at her, still reeling from her attack with the trash can lid. The policemen suddenly breaking through the crowd spared Peter further action. Two of the officers clutched Tattoo, cuffing him and leading him away, while the third came over to talk to Usagi and Peter.
"You okay there, miss?" he asked Usagi, who nodded quietly.
"H-hai...I mean, yes, sir, thank you," she said softly, her soulful blue eyes slightly downcast. Content with her answer, the cop raked his gaze over her one last time before clapping Peter on the shoulder.
"Mighty good of you, son," he said as he walked off into the night.
Free of the responsibility of protecting her, Peter was able to look at Usagi clearly for the first time. Even under the harsh artificial light of New York City, there was no denying this woman's elegant beauty. It shone in her exquisitely chiseled face, in the graceful way she held herself, in the shining spun-gold hair that dusted her ankles, but mostly in the deep, expressive blue of her eyes. What kept his attention, however, was her stunning resemblance to a woman from his past, a woman he had buried.
Without thinking, he blurted out the first thing that came to his stunned mind:
"Gwen??!" The small blonde woman turned up to him, her wide sapphire eyes scanning him concernedly. He suddenly found himself feeling foolish. This woman wasn't Gwen...he knew that.
"I am sorry," Usagi apologized, her insightful gaze seeing far too much. "I am not Gwen. My name is Tsu- I mean, Usagi Tsukino." She smiled warmly, and bowed at him. "Many thanks for saving me."
It was odd, being bowed to by this woman...Usagi, was her name? She was decidedly foreign then...probably Asian, judging from her accent and the sound of her name.
"Er...You're welcome...." He was unaware of the strange look Mary Jane was giving him from the sidelines, as the woman bowed at him again.
"I will not forget your kindness. Good evening," that said, she turned, gathered up her purse and her puppy, and quickly walked away. While she seemed the epitome of foreign grace and culture to the crowd, she was incredibly nervous. The true reason to her quick exit was the bright blush creeping across her cheekbones, eerily reminiscent of her early teenage years. She shook her head, trying to will the color to fade from her face, but it was no use.
He has the most beautiful eyes... she thought, then caught herself. Stop it, Usagi! Don't even go there!
****************
A/N: Sorry it took so long! Hope this makes up for some of it. RL kinda floored me there for a while, and then my partner kinda quit on this story...but I'm back. Just don't expect the Spidey parts to be as good as they were. That's his expertise'.
Sticks
Some called New York City "the City that never sleeps" and "the big Apple". Tourists always puzzled over these two phrases when they came to the large city. The "never sleeps" part was true since even though some shops closed, others remained open or opened later at night. Street vendors took over when fancy and low-class fast food restaurants closed for the evenings. Nightclubs generally opened around midnight, giving a haven to the adventurous, wild, and insomnia driven crowd. No one really understood the "Big Apple" phrase but always made something up when a dimwitted tourist approached with the question. So far tonight Peter Parker and his date, Mary Jane Watson had not been bothered by the numerous tourists but the night was still young so to speak. An hour had past since both departed from the home of Peter's aunt and went exploring. Numerous clubs had been visited and bars hung out in. Not much of drinkers, the duo found themselves walking the still busy streets of New York City, looking for fun. The two held hands as they walked past a pair of Chinese tourists who were begging for someone to take a picture of them in front of Times Square. A quick glance and nod from MJ allowed Peter to break away to help them. MJ stood and watched as Peter negotiated a plan and picture with the jittery tourists. A smile crossed her face as Peter told the people to move over, which the people mistook for "CHEESE". In half broken English the Pair hugged each other and bared their sparkling white teeth, Peter slapped his forehead in frustration. Mary Jane laughed loud enough for Peter to play glare at her.
Meanwhile, Usagi, being Usagi, was hungry. Scooping up her puppy, Sukie, and setting her inside a large, woven handbag, she decided to take her chances on the streets of New York City. Of course, living in Tokyo had prepared her for big city life. It wasn't all that different, except there were more cars and less buses, and that everyone was speaking English, not Japanese. She could speak English, and speak it well, but it was obviously not perfect, and you could tell it wasn't her first language. She had discovered a talent for languages when she had first been forced to learn English at Juuban High. Whether it came from her love of talking or a hearkening back to her days as Princess Serenity when learning the languages of Silver Millennium was a necessity, she wasn't sure, but she was willing to bet on the latter. So she searched around for a nice Japanese restaurant; she wasn't quite willing to be open-minded about the American cuisine when she was so hungry. She strolled along the sidewalk; she had found her apartment a few hours before and had promptly taken a nap. Eyes alight with curiosity, Usagi stared at all the different people and sights, and took in all the unusual sounds and smells. It was strange, being Japanese in a city of Americans, even if being blonde made her seem more American than Japanese. She sighed. Why was she being so introspective? It wasn't like her at all. It was probably the hunger, she mused. And she was sure she stuck out in the crowd; even if she was only five foot (during the last few years of high school she sprouted four inches) she could tell it wasn't common for a woman to have hair well down to her ankles drawn up into 'odangos'. Suddenly, Sukie began barking uncontrollably. Her Senshi's sense going crazy, Usagi spun around to see a big, burly man who grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. Usagi dropped the handbag with Sukie, who immediately leapt out and started attacking her mistress' assailant. The man slapped the dog, sending it to the ground with an audible yelp. "Sukie!!!" Usagi cried, as the man cupped a hand over her mouth. Infuriated, Usagi bit his fingers and spun around to give him a high kick to the nose. "Damn BITCH!" the man yelled, holding his now-broken nose. He grabbed a knife from his pocket, and bore down on the petite blonde. "I'm gonna make you pay for that, bitch," he snarled, advancing upon her. A little afraid, she took a few steps back, her chest rising up and down with every heavy breath she took. Her blue eyes narrowed at the thug, who was still advancing. She shivered at the heavy smell of alcohol that clung to him, as well as the stench of body odor and the many layers of dirt and grime. "You won't TOUCH me!!" Usagi cried, eyes flashing. She raised her fists in a defensive position, staring him down. He leered at her, swaying with drunkenness. Then, in a flash, he leapt, the deadly blade mere centimeters from her throat. "Help!!!" she cried, "Please! Somebody!!"
Peter was tired, fatigue was trying to take over his body but the happiness he felt when he was around Mary Jane made him decide to skip sleep. So far the night out had been good for the usually social-handicap Peter and it seemed right for them to be out like this together. Peter's mind was wrecked though; he debated whether to tell Mary Jane about how he truly felt. He had lied many times before to protect the redhead but it didn't seem to match his actions. I need to tell her but I don't want her to get harmed or worse.... die like Gwen. He thought as the Chinese couple thanked him with hugs and praises in Chinese. A wave and nod came from the blushing Peter as he moved back to the laughing Mary Jane. Peter was too nice, least that is what he thought. Some mistook that for being perfect but in no way was Peter Parker "perfect". Peter was very self-aware of himself and was his own worst enemy, his past failures always plaguing him as he swung through life. Peter's self-doubting was put on hold as Mary Jane frowned at him.
"What is wrong Peter?" she asked as she put her hand on his shoulder, stopping the couple for a moment. Peter looked at the hand and frowned himself. "Nothing, just thinking" Peter said after a long pause which caused Mary Jane to pull away. "About her?....about Gwen? Peter, I cant compete with a ghost," Mary Jane snapped as she looked away from the man she loved, shocked at her outburst. "No, well sort of, I don't know," he said as a hidden tear went down Mary Jane's hidden face. I can't compete with a ghost, not a beautiful one like Gwen. She was so much more beautiful than me...man I need a cigarette. Mary Jane thought as she dug in her purse for her pack of cigarettes. The gorgeous redhead had started smoking about a year ago, stress went away when she smoked.... so did her problems. She knew she was killing herself but she didn't care...Peter didn't, or did he? She couldn't figure out the man next to her. Peter saw Mary Jane's search for the cancer sticks and felt a lump fall into his throat. I have to tell her, she is killing herself.... killing herself cause I cant get over Gwen. He thought as he grimaced. "MJ....I.....MJ, I want you...." He said as Mary Jane lifted her head to look at Peter's attempt to grasp the words he wanted and needed to say. Fighting the Rhino was easier than this.....damn I can't swing away from this now, Peter thought as he looked at the beautiful face in front of him. "What do you want?" Mary Jane asked as she hoped it was what she wanted to hear; she bent closer towards his face. "I want..." He started to say as they both pulled closer to each other. It looked as if they would kiss but a sharp cry made them pull back and Peter groaned. Why can't I ever win? he thought to himself, as the cry got louder.
"HELP!!!.....PLEASE SOMEBODY!"
Peter looked at Mary Jane and found that his sudden movement towards the cry didn't shake her. I wonder.... he thought I hope he doesn't figure that I know... Mary Jane thought with a frown.
A few blocks over, Usagi was fighting a losing battle. She may have been Sailor Moon, but she wasn't transformed and was still only a petite five- foot Japanese woman lost in the streets of New York City. She kicked and punched and fought with everything in her, but while she was beginning to tire, her attacker was not. Sukie still lay on the pavement; she was breathing, so Usagi knew she was still alive. Meanwhile, her assailant had grabbed her roughly and shoved her into a deserted alley. There was no one around, no one to cry out to for help. Usagi knew this was the end for her; to die here, alone and friendless, just another nameless blonde beauty stupid enough to be alone in New York after the sun went down. It was funny, she mused; somehow she had always imagined her death at the hands of a youma or another Dark creature, not at those of a common criminal. As Sailor Moon, she had fought against plenty of horrors not of this world.... and it wasn't enough. She was going to die here, and the people she loved most would never know what had happened. * * * * * *
"IIIIEEEE!!!" came the shrill cry from the sapphire-haired Senshi of Water and Ice, as a youma shot power at her that she couldn't dodge. It hit her, black lightening coursing through her veins and causing her back to arch and an endless scream escape her lips. Sailor Mercury fell to the ground then, one arm dangling limp at her side, before consciousness left her. "Mercury!!!" the other Senshi cried, rushing to their fallen comrade. Conspicuously, one was missing; the loud and beautiful Sailor Moon. While Sailor Venus gently grasped and protected Mercury, the others took the fight to the youma.
"Mars Flame Sniper!!!!" came the loud voice of the Senshi of Mars, Hino Rei. Her raven hair reached to the middle of her thigh, surrounding her brilliant red fuku as an equally brilliant flame arrow shot from her fingers, hitting its target. The youma shuddered at the intense pain of the scorching fire.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!!" the bright green of the Senshi of Jupiter's attack also hit its intended target, weakening it even more.
Meanwhile, Tsukino Usagi was still held tight in Motoki's embrace at the arcade. She had cried almost nonstop for the past few hours, chocolate shake untouched. It hurt Motoki to see her cry like this; she had cried many times before, of course, but this was different. This wasn't the shrill wail for attention she usually gave. Here, she made hardly any sound. The only noise was the occasional hitch for breath, and if you didn't see the continual bobbing of her shoulders and the great wet spot on Motoki's apron you might have mistook it for laughter. Then her communicator went off. She stood up from Motoki and wiped her tears from her eyes. "Arigato, Motoki-san," she said, sniffing. "I have to go now." Without waiting for a response, she ran out the door an into Tokyo's night.
"Moon Eternal!!" she called, as soon as she knew there was no one around, "MAKE-UP!!!!" A brilliant stream of ribbons and feathers consumed her body until she was no longer Tsukino Usagi, but Eternal Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice.
When she came upon the scene, it was of an unconscious Mercury held by a sobbing Venus and the other Senshi barely holding their own against a youma. Lately they had been getting some youma, but not really that strong and seemingly without a leader or unifying force. They normally were a piece of cake to defeat. When she saw Mercury, Sailor Moon nearly fell to the ground in shock.
"Mercury?" she asked, lip quivering. Her greatest fear was that one of her loved ones would die a death she couldn't protect them from, or couldn't bring them back from with the help of the Ginzuishou. And here, it looked as if her nightmare had become reality.
"We could use some help, oh _great _ leader," Mars snapped, indicating the youma. Shocked, and the pain of seeing Mars in bed with Mamoru earlier still stung deep. She could barely nod, but she pulled out the Moon Tier.
"Silver Moon!!! Crystal Power Kiss!!!!" she called, degrading the creature to dust. She then ran over to her fallen friend.
"Ami?" she asked, sobbing, voice cracking. "Ami?!"
"She's alive," Venus said coldly, "No thanks to you."
"Where were you?!" Jupiter demanded, "If you had been here we could have finished that thing off without Mercury getting hurt! As it is, she's half dead!!!"
Shocked and hurt, Sailor Moon took a few steps back. "But-but---" she tried, choking on the words as tears began to stream down her face.
"Oh, look," Mars said sarcastically, "Odango Atama's crying. Show me something I _haven't _ seen."
Sailor Moon buried her face in her hands and fled. * * * * * *
And when she was brought back to reality, all she saw was this petty, drunken thug, who was dirty and putrid, trying to force himself on her with his blade. What he wanted she had given to Mamoru, only to see him break her heart. And this man, he was going to use her, and then kill her. She almost wept.
"Help me," she said, voice weak, "Somebody....please...."
Peter came running around the corner in a dead run, his short hair blew back and forth as he pushed farther. He saw the man knelt over the girl holding a knife to her throat. I don't have enough time to change, I guess Peter Parker will be the hero of the day Peter quipped as he stopped right behind the thug. The man was twice the size of the small compact Parker and obviously lifted weights. "Hey you, why don't you pick on someone your own size" He said dropping into his usual cocky superhero attitude. He knew that he would have to hold back on some of the hits he would land and take a few hits to make it look like he was normal. The girl's long blond hair covered her face as the man looked up at Parker and gave an evil grin. "Uh oh" Peter said, keeping in character for the gathering crowd at the edge of the alley, and at the edge of the safety area. This is going to be interesting Peter thought to himself.
Mary Jane followed behind Peter as best she could in high heels but fell behind before he hit the alleyway. She suddenly felt a horrible fear in her stomach over this situation. He will be all right.... nothing will hurt him...he has faced worse than this she thought as she saw a crowd form around the alleyway, blocking her view of the impending brawl. "Let me through...dammit..." she cried as the crowd got larger and larger as did her fear for her love.
Peter ducked as the big man aimed his massive right hook towards the smaller man's face, hoping that he didn't move too fast. The poorly lit alley was not very wide and made fighting all the more harder for both, something Peter was trying to use for his advantage. "Listen, if you just give up now and run away, I wont hurt you," Peter quipped as the bigger man crashed his fist on a trashcan that Peter had side stepped from. "Hell no...I'm gonna crush you like a bug," the tattooed man bellowed as a couple cheers and jeers went through the watching crowd. The crowd was getting larger and soon a cop would notice the commotion. Then I can let this idiot get himself put in jail, Peter thought as his thinking caused him to take a hit to the stomach. "Owh" Peter wheezed as some people booed.
"Oh no!" Usagi gasped, struggling to her feet. Once there, she glared at the man, whom she had lovingly dubbed "Tattoo." Anger flashed across her pretty features, and she hefted a nearby metal lid from an unused trash can. She swung it, crashing the tin into Tatoo's head. He bellowed in pain and stumbled back a few paces before turning his ire back to the petite Usagi.
"Hey, baka!!!" she yelled, as the man turned to her and growled. She smirked. "Yeah, you! And baka means 'idiot,' by the way, and that suits you perfectly!" He lunged between her and Peter again, but she was prepared this time and leaped nimbly out of his way.
"Don't you have something better to do than pick on helpless women?!" she demanded furiously, "I won't forgive you!"
Peter looked at the foreign woman with an expression of incredulity. Just what was she thinking? Apparently Mr. Tattoo wasn't extraordinarily thrilled with being insulted by a mouthy young woman, as he started staggering back at her, still reeling from her attack with the trash can lid. The policemen suddenly breaking through the crowd spared Peter further action. Two of the officers clutched Tattoo, cuffing him and leading him away, while the third came over to talk to Usagi and Peter.
"You okay there, miss?" he asked Usagi, who nodded quietly.
"H-hai...I mean, yes, sir, thank you," she said softly, her soulful blue eyes slightly downcast. Content with her answer, the cop raked his gaze over her one last time before clapping Peter on the shoulder.
"Mighty good of you, son," he said as he walked off into the night.
Free of the responsibility of protecting her, Peter was able to look at Usagi clearly for the first time. Even under the harsh artificial light of New York City, there was no denying this woman's elegant beauty. It shone in her exquisitely chiseled face, in the graceful way she held herself, in the shining spun-gold hair that dusted her ankles, but mostly in the deep, expressive blue of her eyes. What kept his attention, however, was her stunning resemblance to a woman from his past, a woman he had buried.
Without thinking, he blurted out the first thing that came to his stunned mind:
"Gwen??!" The small blonde woman turned up to him, her wide sapphire eyes scanning him concernedly. He suddenly found himself feeling foolish. This woman wasn't Gwen...he knew that.
"I am sorry," Usagi apologized, her insightful gaze seeing far too much. "I am not Gwen. My name is Tsu- I mean, Usagi Tsukino." She smiled warmly, and bowed at him. "Many thanks for saving me."
It was odd, being bowed to by this woman...Usagi, was her name? She was decidedly foreign then...probably Asian, judging from her accent and the sound of her name.
"Er...You're welcome...." He was unaware of the strange look Mary Jane was giving him from the sidelines, as the woman bowed at him again.
"I will not forget your kindness. Good evening," that said, she turned, gathered up her purse and her puppy, and quickly walked away. While she seemed the epitome of foreign grace and culture to the crowd, she was incredibly nervous. The true reason to her quick exit was the bright blush creeping across her cheekbones, eerily reminiscent of her early teenage years. She shook her head, trying to will the color to fade from her face, but it was no use.
He has the most beautiful eyes... she thought, then caught herself. Stop it, Usagi! Don't even go there!
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A/N: Sorry it took so long! Hope this makes up for some of it. RL kinda floored me there for a while, and then my partner kinda quit on this story...but I'm back. Just don't expect the Spidey parts to be as good as they were. That's his expertise'.
Sticks
