Thanks so much to everyone who sent me the outer's attacks. Wow, that was a
lot of response. I only wanted them to keep them in mind in case I needed
them, because as of yet, I haven't really found a very graceful way to have
people shout out attacks, but since so many people answered, I'll try to
use them more. I've also had lots of calls for Mamoru's death. I hadn't
really thought about it before, but now I'm considering it. If anyone wants
to plead for his life, or offer suggestions on how to off him, they should
act now. Thanks so much for all the encouragement, I would have updated
this sooner, but I didn't get the chance.
Usagi spun to stare at the sandy haired woman in the too-short skirt who had launched the attack as it flew harmlessly past her and hit the kedamono. Before the beast had time to react, it was pummeled with attacks on all sides, attacks signature to only one group of girls.
The outers had returned.
The other girls gaped or smiled triumphantly, whichever fitted them, at seeing the four newcomers close ranks around the monster. Usagi felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest at seeing them. She was completely unprepared to face them. After all, the outers had been in another country when she had been captured, and had distanced themselves from the other senshi when they had found out about her being abandoned. She wasn't angry at them, didn't want to hide herself from them. As far as she knew, they were still her friends.
Would they attack her? They wouldn't recognize her, and they might consider her a threat. Wouldn't be the first time they attacked without first asking questions. Usagi steeled herself for the worst.
The outers being much stronger than the inners, the kedamono was reduced to a fine dust in short order, blowing lightly in the breeze.
"Wow, great job, you guys!" Venus congratulated enthusiastically, walking as if to hug them. "It's so great to see you again! I can't believe you're back!" Neptune accepted the embrace coldly, with a stony silence, but Uranus stepped out of the way before the blonde even so much as touched her.
"We aren't here for you." Uranus spat scornfully. "We couldn't care less if that youma had you all for breakfast. We're here, because of her." She made a motion with her chin toward Usagi, whose blood ran cold at the sight of her friend's eyes. No recognition, none at all.
"Me?" She managed to squeak out.
Uranus nodded, crossing her arms. Obviously she had been chosen as spokesperson. That was a surprise, usually Pluto wanted to be the one in control. "We read about you in the newspapers. If you want to save the world, then join a worthier team, these good for nothing children aren't worthy of help from someone of your caliber. They don't deserve to help; they deserve to be left to die on their own. They abandoned their very own leader to rot, so stop helping them, or we'll stop you ourselves."
"I just can't do that. Yes, they don't deserve my help, I know that. But I just can't leave them to suffer when I know there's something I can do to help."
"Why show them mercy?" Pluto demanded, stepping forward. Uranus shot her a peeved look, and she blushed lightly, bowing her head.
Setsuna? Showing meekness? What was going on?
Usagi glanced at the inners, then at the outers. They had once been an inseparable team, and, she realized, it was her fault they had split. She had to right that, and there was only one way to do so. The same way she had kept them together before.
"It is my decision to fight with them, however much I dislike it." She said finally. "I have every right to that decision, and you have none." Dende, but she really didn't want to do this. Usagi closed her eyes and bit her lip as her shoulder blades began to itch.
The pain began the same as it always did, the wings retracting into her back inch by excruciating inch. It was worse this time, feeling the eyes of her former friends on her. She was only thankful there were no bystanders around. Of course the outers would have gotten rid of them before confronting their former teammates.
She screamed, despite her best efforts not to, blind to the other changes taking place on her body as smooth, milky white skin became slightly darker, crisscrossed with scars. As the white uniform became jeans and an oversized flannel shirt, the cuffs of the sleeves unbuttoned. Her eyes and hair returned to their natural colors, the crescent moon and twin stars on her forehead vanished.
And finally, the pain stopped. Breathing heavily, Usagi righted herself slowly, unsteadily, looking proudly, challengingly, at the outers. Minako hadn't recognized her, even in civilian form, the first time they had met, but she could see in her eyes that Uranus did.
"Koneko?" She whispered, eyes going wide and, surprisingly enough, wet. The other outers looked at her in shock, and Saturn squinted at her, then drew back, shock registering on the face of the teenaged girl.
"Serenity-sama!"
Usagi was suddenly wrapped in a very tight hug, the breath being squeezed out of her as a rather emotional senshi of the air tried to flatten her into a pancake.
"Haruka, it's okay.Ruk, I would like to breathe now please.Haruka?"
Embarrassed, Uranus released her, glaring at anyone who dared make a comment on her behavior. No sooner was she free, then she was being embraced enthusiastically by the other members of the outers. She felt warmed by their genuine affection and relief to see her again. Strangely enough, she hadn't felt that way when she had greeted the inners at her door. She couldn't fool herself, no matter how hard she tried to forgive them; she still harbored resentment for the way they had treated her.
As if the thought of them had reminded her of their presence, Usagi glanced at them over Neptune's shoulder. They stood together in a group, the inners and Mamoru, looking at her as if she had somehow betrayed them by not telling them who she was sooner. Truthfully, she hadn't told them now, she had told the outers, and the rest had just happened to be there. She tried to offer them a smile, but somehow it translated itself into a tight frown, and she turned her attention back to the friends who, she had no doubt, would have come for her had they been able.
"I'll explain everything, I promise!" She laughed under their torrent of questions. "No, I', fine now, how have all of you been? Hota-chan, I swear, I can't believe how much you've grown! I love your hair like that, Michiru, it's adorable. Oh no, Setsuna, I don't know why you weren't able to find me in the time line."
The laughter and questions stopped when they felt an alien presence in their midst. Mars stood just outside their little circle, frowning.
"Usagi has a lot of explaining to do, and we're not going to leave until we hear everything. You go, we'll follow. We did what was right when we left you, Usagi. Are you so selfish that you'd want the world to end because its protectors were killed trying to rescue you? You all can't keep blaming us for what happened, and you won't keep us from hearing what all happened."
The outers released their transformations, but still looked intimidating as they glared down at Mars and the other senshi. Finally, Haruka smirked. "Fine. We'll go to our house, and we don't really give a damn whether you children come or not."
Zeke watched from his hiding place at the rest of those irritable sailor senshi lost their transformations and began to walk down the sidewalk, eyes locked on the small blonde who had been getting such attention. She had changed in the time since he had last seen her. More beautiful than ever, braver, stronger. Really, he had done her a favor. And that transformation!
He'd known it was impossible for his magic to have not worked on her, that's why he had been so angry with her. To think she had such control over the beast inside her. She was truly an exquisite example of a living being.
He had been afraid when he had first heard of her return, listened to the reports from high ranking Kedamono of the new warrior girl who held such amazing power, but after seeing her, he no longer felt any kind of fear. After all, her power had come from him, and he could manipulate it. If he were to get hold of her in her tenshi form, he could control that power, that beauty.
And her weakness was oh, so easy to see. Her teammates, split right down the middle over her. The guilt must be horrible to bear.
It would all be so perfect, soon he would have everything he had ever wanted, and he'd make those annoying little senshi pay for putting off his conquest of Earth for so long. Soon the Earth would be open to Elvenkind, and all of humanity would bow to their supremacy. The elders would reward him greatly, all would know of his power, and he would finally be more important in the eyes of the world than his older brother. After all, how often was it that a second son of a powerful lord fallen from favor clawed his way to the highest reaches of the social ladder?
To Be Continued Hey, does anyone know what happened to Kenshin? Is CN planning to bring it back? I can't go on without my red haired former-samurai bishi!!!
Usagi spun to stare at the sandy haired woman in the too-short skirt who had launched the attack as it flew harmlessly past her and hit the kedamono. Before the beast had time to react, it was pummeled with attacks on all sides, attacks signature to only one group of girls.
The outers had returned.
The other girls gaped or smiled triumphantly, whichever fitted them, at seeing the four newcomers close ranks around the monster. Usagi felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest at seeing them. She was completely unprepared to face them. After all, the outers had been in another country when she had been captured, and had distanced themselves from the other senshi when they had found out about her being abandoned. She wasn't angry at them, didn't want to hide herself from them. As far as she knew, they were still her friends.
Would they attack her? They wouldn't recognize her, and they might consider her a threat. Wouldn't be the first time they attacked without first asking questions. Usagi steeled herself for the worst.
The outers being much stronger than the inners, the kedamono was reduced to a fine dust in short order, blowing lightly in the breeze.
"Wow, great job, you guys!" Venus congratulated enthusiastically, walking as if to hug them. "It's so great to see you again! I can't believe you're back!" Neptune accepted the embrace coldly, with a stony silence, but Uranus stepped out of the way before the blonde even so much as touched her.
"We aren't here for you." Uranus spat scornfully. "We couldn't care less if that youma had you all for breakfast. We're here, because of her." She made a motion with her chin toward Usagi, whose blood ran cold at the sight of her friend's eyes. No recognition, none at all.
"Me?" She managed to squeak out.
Uranus nodded, crossing her arms. Obviously she had been chosen as spokesperson. That was a surprise, usually Pluto wanted to be the one in control. "We read about you in the newspapers. If you want to save the world, then join a worthier team, these good for nothing children aren't worthy of help from someone of your caliber. They don't deserve to help; they deserve to be left to die on their own. They abandoned their very own leader to rot, so stop helping them, or we'll stop you ourselves."
"I just can't do that. Yes, they don't deserve my help, I know that. But I just can't leave them to suffer when I know there's something I can do to help."
"Why show them mercy?" Pluto demanded, stepping forward. Uranus shot her a peeved look, and she blushed lightly, bowing her head.
Setsuna? Showing meekness? What was going on?
Usagi glanced at the inners, then at the outers. They had once been an inseparable team, and, she realized, it was her fault they had split. She had to right that, and there was only one way to do so. The same way she had kept them together before.
"It is my decision to fight with them, however much I dislike it." She said finally. "I have every right to that decision, and you have none." Dende, but she really didn't want to do this. Usagi closed her eyes and bit her lip as her shoulder blades began to itch.
The pain began the same as it always did, the wings retracting into her back inch by excruciating inch. It was worse this time, feeling the eyes of her former friends on her. She was only thankful there were no bystanders around. Of course the outers would have gotten rid of them before confronting their former teammates.
She screamed, despite her best efforts not to, blind to the other changes taking place on her body as smooth, milky white skin became slightly darker, crisscrossed with scars. As the white uniform became jeans and an oversized flannel shirt, the cuffs of the sleeves unbuttoned. Her eyes and hair returned to their natural colors, the crescent moon and twin stars on her forehead vanished.
And finally, the pain stopped. Breathing heavily, Usagi righted herself slowly, unsteadily, looking proudly, challengingly, at the outers. Minako hadn't recognized her, even in civilian form, the first time they had met, but she could see in her eyes that Uranus did.
"Koneko?" She whispered, eyes going wide and, surprisingly enough, wet. The other outers looked at her in shock, and Saturn squinted at her, then drew back, shock registering on the face of the teenaged girl.
"Serenity-sama!"
Usagi was suddenly wrapped in a very tight hug, the breath being squeezed out of her as a rather emotional senshi of the air tried to flatten her into a pancake.
"Haruka, it's okay.Ruk, I would like to breathe now please.Haruka?"
Embarrassed, Uranus released her, glaring at anyone who dared make a comment on her behavior. No sooner was she free, then she was being embraced enthusiastically by the other members of the outers. She felt warmed by their genuine affection and relief to see her again. Strangely enough, she hadn't felt that way when she had greeted the inners at her door. She couldn't fool herself, no matter how hard she tried to forgive them; she still harbored resentment for the way they had treated her.
As if the thought of them had reminded her of their presence, Usagi glanced at them over Neptune's shoulder. They stood together in a group, the inners and Mamoru, looking at her as if she had somehow betrayed them by not telling them who she was sooner. Truthfully, she hadn't told them now, she had told the outers, and the rest had just happened to be there. She tried to offer them a smile, but somehow it translated itself into a tight frown, and she turned her attention back to the friends who, she had no doubt, would have come for her had they been able.
"I'll explain everything, I promise!" She laughed under their torrent of questions. "No, I', fine now, how have all of you been? Hota-chan, I swear, I can't believe how much you've grown! I love your hair like that, Michiru, it's adorable. Oh no, Setsuna, I don't know why you weren't able to find me in the time line."
The laughter and questions stopped when they felt an alien presence in their midst. Mars stood just outside their little circle, frowning.
"Usagi has a lot of explaining to do, and we're not going to leave until we hear everything. You go, we'll follow. We did what was right when we left you, Usagi. Are you so selfish that you'd want the world to end because its protectors were killed trying to rescue you? You all can't keep blaming us for what happened, and you won't keep us from hearing what all happened."
The outers released their transformations, but still looked intimidating as they glared down at Mars and the other senshi. Finally, Haruka smirked. "Fine. We'll go to our house, and we don't really give a damn whether you children come or not."
Zeke watched from his hiding place at the rest of those irritable sailor senshi lost their transformations and began to walk down the sidewalk, eyes locked on the small blonde who had been getting such attention. She had changed in the time since he had last seen her. More beautiful than ever, braver, stronger. Really, he had done her a favor. And that transformation!
He'd known it was impossible for his magic to have not worked on her, that's why he had been so angry with her. To think she had such control over the beast inside her. She was truly an exquisite example of a living being.
He had been afraid when he had first heard of her return, listened to the reports from high ranking Kedamono of the new warrior girl who held such amazing power, but after seeing her, he no longer felt any kind of fear. After all, her power had come from him, and he could manipulate it. If he were to get hold of her in her tenshi form, he could control that power, that beauty.
And her weakness was oh, so easy to see. Her teammates, split right down the middle over her. The guilt must be horrible to bear.
It would all be so perfect, soon he would have everything he had ever wanted, and he'd make those annoying little senshi pay for putting off his conquest of Earth for so long. Soon the Earth would be open to Elvenkind, and all of humanity would bow to their supremacy. The elders would reward him greatly, all would know of his power, and he would finally be more important in the eyes of the world than his older brother. After all, how often was it that a second son of a powerful lord fallen from favor clawed his way to the highest reaches of the social ladder?
To Be Continued Hey, does anyone know what happened to Kenshin? Is CN planning to bring it back? I can't go on without my red haired former-samurai bishi!!!
