RESSURRECTION
Chapter 2: "The Waiting Game"
By Bill K.
"How's she doing?"
Jupiter popped her head into the room, unwilling to enter all the way lest she seem pushy and yet so concerned about her friend that she couldn't wait for word elsewhere.
After Endymion returned from the sky with the limp, unconscious Serenity, her friends had acted quickly. The intact remains of a business was found and taken over by the senshi as a shelter for Serenity.
A cot had been rescued from what was left of an emergency shelter. Ami stood over the cot where Serenity lay, bending down and examining her patient. To the right of the cot, Endymion sat cross-legged on a mat. His hand held Serenity's and a golden glow faintly colored them both. He sat motionless, save for the rise and fall of his chest, seemingly in a trance.
To the left of the cot, Rei knelt on another mat. She was dressed in a blouse and slacks. These weren't what she usually wore when praying, but her priestess robes had long been consumed by the disaster. Her outfit was still whole and clean, a remarkable sight these days. It was that way because it had been what Rei had been wearing when she transformed to Sailor Mars before the final attack of the Frost Giants of Knorr and it escaped the destruction of that attack. The woman was absorbed in prayer, though the stress of her efforts was beginning to show on her face.
"She'll be fine," Endymion said distantly.
"I'll be the judge of that," Ami replied curtly.
Rei kept praying.
"She is going to be all right, isn't she?" Jupiter asked anxiously.
"I'm doing the best I can!" Ami said sharply. She felt Serenity's pulse again. "Although I don't know how much good that is! I have no vital sign monitors, no drugs - - I don't even have a stethoscope! I know how to help her, but I don't have the tools!" Her hands clasped together in front of her, the knuckles white from the pressure.
"Well, maybe we can salvage something from a hospital or something?" Jupiter offered.
"And power it how?" snapped Ami. "The utilities are still down! They're not coming back for a while, possibly not ever if Serenity doesn't get better! You can't run sophisticated cardio-pulmonary equipment without electricity!"
"Well, if it's electricity . . .!"
"No, Jupiter," Ami sighed with fatigue. "One of your lightning strikes would be direct current. It would probably fuse the machine's circuitry. It needs alternating current to operate and that's something you can't provide." Ami looked away in frustration.
"Come on! You'll do it!" Jupiter said encouragingly.
"Jupiter, the only thing that's keeping her alive right now is Endymion! All I'm doing is sitting here watching her die!"
"Hey!" Jupiter said. She came up behind Ami and began massaging her shoulders. "I know you're frustrated and I know you're scared. Don't give into it."
"But we've been through so much in the last two years. All the time we've spent fighting, all the people we've lost, all the suffering can't amount to this! She can't die now, not after everything we've been through!"
"She won't die," Endymion said. "I won't let her."
"See," Jupiter smiled timidly.
"That's fine as far as it goes. But he's not curing her. He's just keeping her alive. How long can he keep that up?"
"As long as there's breath in my body," Endymion whispered, not letting his concentration slip.
"Well unless there's some change in her, that will just mean we're going to lose you both!"
"Well she can have anything I've got, if it'll help," Jupiter volunteered. "You can take everything if it saves her - - and I'll bet there'll be others who'll make the same offer."
Ami looked away. "If it comes to that. We're not to that point yet."
At that point, Rei slumped to the floor. Ami crossed over to her and knelt down next to her. She could hear Rei mumbling, "Told her not to do too much . . ." as she examined her.
"What's wrong with her?" Jupiter asked.
"I think she's just fainted from exhaustion," Ami murmured. "Let her sleep. If she hasn't said enough prayers by now, then that means the gods aren't listening."
"Sure," Jupiter grinned. "So what do I tell the people outside?"
"Who's outside?" Ami asked.
"Have you been outside at all?" Ami just shook her head. "There's hundreds of people out there just waiting for word about how Usagi is. They saw what she did and felt the energy she and Endymion used to make the plants grow. I recognize a few faces, but most of them are perfect strangers."
"So what do they want with her?" Ami asked, sighing with fatigue. "Another miracle?"
"Eventually," shrugged Jupiter. "Right now, I think they just want to know that she'll be all right. Because I think they all realize that she's probably our only hope right now."
Ami bowed her head, seeming to be on the verge of tears. Then she summoned a reserve of strength from somewhere and pushed the emotions down.
"Tell them she's still alive," Ami said. "Tell them - - we're doing all we can."
Outside, Sailor Pluto watched the crowd. Occasionally her gaze would shift to Venus guarding the door to the shelter. Venus was good at concealing the concern she felt for the princess, as good as she was at concealing the fatigue she felt. The woman was far better at it than Pluto was. Her limbs felt as heavy as her heart did right now and she had neither the strength nor the inclination to conceal it.
An older man walked up to them. It took Pluto a moment to recognize him as the shock victim she and Ami had helped.
"Ah, I have found you," the man said and bowed to them both. "Thank you for helping me earlier. I am deeply in your debt."
"I am glad to see you up and around, Honored Sir," Pluto replied. "Are you feeling better?"
"As well as anyone else," he replied. "I fear none of us will be perfectly well for a great while." The old man sighed. "I remember the tales my grandfather told me of life in Hiroshima and the hardships they faced. I thought, in my youthful arrogance, that I understood what he was saying. But it seems only now do I truly understand." He seemed to want to say more, but hesitated.
"Did you wish something else of us, honored sir?" Pluto asked.
"Forgive me. I merely wished to offer what little I had to aid in the recovery of Sailor Moon." He looked down. "I have thought a great deal about death and dying during - - whatever period of time that has past. I am grateful for my life, understand. But there are others clearly more important than I am. If a sacrifice is needed, please let me be the one to make it, rather than someone such as her - - someone far more important to everyone."
"And what makes you believe that you are not important?" Pluto asked, staring at him with eyes that saw him, and yet did not. For a moment, the old man was taken aback. "Believe me, Honored Sir, when I tell you that I may see things that others cannot. I have seen how important you can be, should you not surrender to the despair that surrounds us. You play a vital role in life, far more vital than you grasp. We appreciate your gesture, but I would prefer that you live."
The old man looked at Pluto, unsure as to how to take her pronouncement. He understood what she said, but not how she could know it. Pluto only looked at him with a placid demeanor, peacefully awaiting any response he might make. At length, the old man bowed to Sailor Pluto and moved off. She turned and caught Venus staring at her with much the same wonder that the old man had.
"You know," Venus scowled warily, "any more, you're as spooky as Serenity." "You will come to understand," Pluto replied cryptically, "in time."
* * * *
In a secluded spot by the waterfront, amid the dark hulks of collapsed warehouses and the harbor cluttered with broken and useless ships, Sailor Uranus stood guard. She would alternately scan the sky and the area around them. The latter was to guard against any refugee desperate or greedy enough to attack them. The former was to guard against any possibly threat from space. To accomplish this, her Space Sword was drawn and ready.
While Uranus stood guard, Sailor Neptune selected a spot along the wharf that was in perfect harmony between the land, the sea and the air. She set aside the sea's soft lament for all the bodies within it and for all the desolation on land and summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror. Focusing her consciousness on the mirror, she used it to probe into the heavens.
Long moments passed. Neptune remained silent, focusing on the mirror, searching through it for the truth. Uranus stood guard, her already thin patience unraveling with the passage of every second. She glanced back at Neptune. The senshi clutched the mirror with both hands, staring into its face with glassy eyes and slightly parted lips. Uranus wanted to speak, but held her tongue. Forcing herself to look away, she scanned the area again for possible threat.
A sound to her left made her turn. However, it was just a rat skittering along the edge of the dark warehouse. From the matting of its coat and the rodent's gaunt look, it had fared little better than they had. Already the blessing of Serenity and Endymion's energy was wearing off and the tangle of vegetation it had wrought hadn't made it to the docks. Uranus felt her stomach growl. Mentally she growled back.
"Uranus?" Neptune said and her partner turned to her. "I'm not finding anything."
"I'm not hallucinating this," Uranus protested. "I'm not that far gone."
"I know you're not. I feel it, too. I'm surprised Pluto hasn't. But I can't find anything with the mirror."
"Could it be capable of hiding itself from the Deep Aqua Mirror?" Uranus asked.
"Why not? It's a big universe," Neptune replied, her lips thinning. "But that presents two questions: Why, and how powerful an entity is this if it can conceal itself from the mirror? Could even the Frost Giants do that?"
"Those are two questions I don't like the answers to," Uranus said.
Neptune nodded. Then, suddenly, she stared into the mirror in shock.
"What is it?" hissed Uranus. "What do you see?"
Neptune's face only hardened into a scowl. "We need to get to Usagi's side."
* * * *
Sailor Jupiter walked up to Sailor Venus and tossed her an orange. Venus, who was still guarding the door to the building where Serenity lay, caught it numbly. She stared at it for a few moments before she remembered it was to eat.
"Why don't you take a nap," Jupiter suggested. "I'll stand watch."
"What makes you think I need a nap?" Venus groused as she forced open the orange with her thumbs.
"Remember the zombies in all those horror movies you used to drag us all to?" Jupiter said. Venus nodded. "The way you look right now, you'd frighten them."
"I'm all right," Venus frowned, shoving the orange wedge into her mouth.
Jupiter stared, concerned. Venus hadn't risen to the bait. That meant she was really tired. Rather than argue, though, Jupiter peeked in through the door. Venus could be very stubborn when she was like this and Jupiter knew she'd have to wear the woman down through subtle cajoling. Momentarily breaking the tension, she peeked in the door again.
Inside the room, Endymion maintained his life support of Serenity. Rei still slept on the floor while Ami dozed in a chair. It tore Jupiter up to see Serenity like that, knowing there was nothing she could do.
"You'd think these gawkers would go home by now," mumbled Venus between bites.
"Go home to what?" Jupiter replied, closing the door. "There isn't a lot left in this city to go home to. Besides, I bet a lot of them figure their best chance is to be as close to Serenity as possible." Jupiter shook her head. "Man, I just can't get used to calling her that. But it's obvious she's not Usagi anymore. She's just so . . ."
"Would 'spooky' be the word you're looking for?" Venus asked, staring out into the crowd as she chewed on the orange.
"No," Jupiter said, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have a problem with what she's become?"
"Her extra firepower, no." Venus turned and faced Jupiter for the first time. "But haven't you noticed the way she acts and the way she carries herself ever since she 'evolved' to her Serenity level? It's almost like she's not human anymore - - like she's above us." Venusmade a non-committal shrug. "Maybe she is. Endymion's the same way."
"Jealous?"
"Me? No." Then Venus shrugged. "OK, maybe just a little. I don't resent her. It's just - - I'm wondering if she'll want to hang out with us now - - if we're beneath her. I'm going to miss those Saturday shopping trips."
"And the birthday parties she'd throw for us," smiled Jupiter.
"And how she could never keep them secret, no matter how hard she tried."
"And the little cards and gifts she would give you, right at the precise moment you were feeling down - - like she knew."
Venus sighed in resignation.
"One flaw in your thinking, though," Jupiter continued. Venus looked at her, intrigued. "You're assuming those days are over. She may be Serenity on the outside, but I'm willing to bet that Usagi's still inside. And we'll see it when she gets a chance to relax. She just hasn't had the chance yet."
"You are an incorrigible optimist," Venus replied, then downed the last of the orange. "Here's to incorrigible optimism." Venus smacked her lips. "Either I'm really hungry or that was one tasty orange."
"Serenity made it," grinned Jupiter, "so you know it was made with love."
The two friends stood there silently, guarding the entrance to where Serenity lay. They surveyed the crowd that stubbornly stayed nearby. The people all seemed blank shells of human beings. They seemed to be waiting for something. Whether they were waiting for another miracle from Serenity or just waiting to die was hard to tell. Venus dropped her gaze. It was hard looking at them. It was hard enough seeing the doubt and fear in the eyes of her friends and wondering if it was mirrored in her own. It was torture watching all these people wander around aimlessly, robbed even of their humanity by their circumstances.
And then she wondered if she'd ever regain her life. Was the fifteen years of work and sweat, trial and error, rejection and humiliation she'd invested in becoming a star now down the drain? Was she doomed to being another face in the crowd for the rest of her life? Was she to never again sample the sweet nectar of the spotlight and the adulation that came with it? Venus noticed a smudge of dirt on her glove and brushed at it, suddenly wishing she could be home soaking in a hot bath.
She looked up at Jupiter and noticed the woman's worried, faraway look. The senshi suddenly felt very small for what she had just been thinking.
"Why don't you go look for them," Venus said gently. Jupiter turned to her, surprised and confused by the blonde woman's statement. "Sanjuro and the kids. I can tell you're worried about them."
"I've already got a job," Jupiter replied tightly.
"We can handle it."
"She could be dead any moment," Jupiter said, her fear lingering just below the surface. "If she needs me and I'm not here, I'm not just shirking my duty, I may be dooming everyone! I hate it, but I can't look for them right now."
Venus looked on with sympathy.
"And San-san knows that," Jupiter whispered, her words as much for her own fears as for Venus. "He's taking care of them. He won't let anything happen to them." Jupiter let loose a nervous laugh. "When Serenity's back, I'll go look for them, and they'll probably be at the restaurant waiting for me."
Then a trickling tear betrayed Jupiter. She bowed her head, struggling to get hold of her emotions again. Venus closed the gap between them instantly and gripped Jupiter's shoulder. The lanky senshi seemed to sag gratefully against her friend.
"Besides," Jupiter said hoarsely, "I don't see you running out to look for Toshihiro."
"I'm not worried," Venus replied with a shadow of her normal jaunty self. "Toshi's too much of a creep to die. Besides, if he dies, ten percent of his agent has to die, too, so Hiroki'll make sure he survives."
Jupiter giggled through her tears despite herself. That eased Venus's spirits and the emotional crisis seemed to pass.
"It's Ichiro I worry about the most," Jupiter mumbled as she wiped a tear away. "He's so young and so easily intimidated by so many things. Just making it through this alive may not be enough. This is going to scar him. I just know it! And Akiko - - she talks tough, but she's just a baby, too."
"Well that's your fault for letting them out of the womb," Venus jabbed.
Jupiter shot the blonde an evil glare. Then the end of her mouth curled.
"You still have no class," Jupiter muttered.
The movement of feet on rubble caught their attention. Venus and Jupiter turned to the sound and saw Uranus and Neptune running up.
"Trouble?" Jupiter asked. Venus tensed for action.
"Company's coming," Uranus replied, then gestured to the heavens. "From up there."
"Aliens?" gasped Venus. "Or more Frost Giants?" Several of the gathered survivors heard her and panic began to spread through the crowd.
"No," was all Neptune got to utter.
Above them all came a brilliant red light. It seemed to burn like a fireball, yet traveled in a controlled pattern at a controlled speed. The gathered survivors fell back, many running for their lives in blind fear. The four senshi spread out and assumed defensive positions, prepared to ward off any new threat with their lives.
The fireball gently set down on the rubble-strewn street. It flared brilliantly, causing all that watched it to shield their eyes, then died away. Two figures emerged. Their vision recovered, Venus and Jupiter looked and saw Sailor Star Fighter standing protectively before Princess Kakyuu. With an elegance of movement that put the word 'graceful' to shame, the Princess glided up to the four senshi.
"It pleases me that we meet again," she said, bowing to them with humble deference, "though I am saddened by the circumstances. If I may be so bold as to make a request, would you please conduct me to Princess Serenity?"
Continued in part 3
Chapter 2: "The Waiting Game"
By Bill K.
"How's she doing?"
Jupiter popped her head into the room, unwilling to enter all the way lest she seem pushy and yet so concerned about her friend that she couldn't wait for word elsewhere.
After Endymion returned from the sky with the limp, unconscious Serenity, her friends had acted quickly. The intact remains of a business was found and taken over by the senshi as a shelter for Serenity.
A cot had been rescued from what was left of an emergency shelter. Ami stood over the cot where Serenity lay, bending down and examining her patient. To the right of the cot, Endymion sat cross-legged on a mat. His hand held Serenity's and a golden glow faintly colored them both. He sat motionless, save for the rise and fall of his chest, seemingly in a trance.
To the left of the cot, Rei knelt on another mat. She was dressed in a blouse and slacks. These weren't what she usually wore when praying, but her priestess robes had long been consumed by the disaster. Her outfit was still whole and clean, a remarkable sight these days. It was that way because it had been what Rei had been wearing when she transformed to Sailor Mars before the final attack of the Frost Giants of Knorr and it escaped the destruction of that attack. The woman was absorbed in prayer, though the stress of her efforts was beginning to show on her face.
"She'll be fine," Endymion said distantly.
"I'll be the judge of that," Ami replied curtly.
Rei kept praying.
"She is going to be all right, isn't she?" Jupiter asked anxiously.
"I'm doing the best I can!" Ami said sharply. She felt Serenity's pulse again. "Although I don't know how much good that is! I have no vital sign monitors, no drugs - - I don't even have a stethoscope! I know how to help her, but I don't have the tools!" Her hands clasped together in front of her, the knuckles white from the pressure.
"Well, maybe we can salvage something from a hospital or something?" Jupiter offered.
"And power it how?" snapped Ami. "The utilities are still down! They're not coming back for a while, possibly not ever if Serenity doesn't get better! You can't run sophisticated cardio-pulmonary equipment without electricity!"
"Well, if it's electricity . . .!"
"No, Jupiter," Ami sighed with fatigue. "One of your lightning strikes would be direct current. It would probably fuse the machine's circuitry. It needs alternating current to operate and that's something you can't provide." Ami looked away in frustration.
"Come on! You'll do it!" Jupiter said encouragingly.
"Jupiter, the only thing that's keeping her alive right now is Endymion! All I'm doing is sitting here watching her die!"
"Hey!" Jupiter said. She came up behind Ami and began massaging her shoulders. "I know you're frustrated and I know you're scared. Don't give into it."
"But we've been through so much in the last two years. All the time we've spent fighting, all the people we've lost, all the suffering can't amount to this! She can't die now, not after everything we've been through!"
"She won't die," Endymion said. "I won't let her."
"See," Jupiter smiled timidly.
"That's fine as far as it goes. But he's not curing her. He's just keeping her alive. How long can he keep that up?"
"As long as there's breath in my body," Endymion whispered, not letting his concentration slip.
"Well unless there's some change in her, that will just mean we're going to lose you both!"
"Well she can have anything I've got, if it'll help," Jupiter volunteered. "You can take everything if it saves her - - and I'll bet there'll be others who'll make the same offer."
Ami looked away. "If it comes to that. We're not to that point yet."
At that point, Rei slumped to the floor. Ami crossed over to her and knelt down next to her. She could hear Rei mumbling, "Told her not to do too much . . ." as she examined her.
"What's wrong with her?" Jupiter asked.
"I think she's just fainted from exhaustion," Ami murmured. "Let her sleep. If she hasn't said enough prayers by now, then that means the gods aren't listening."
"Sure," Jupiter grinned. "So what do I tell the people outside?"
"Who's outside?" Ami asked.
"Have you been outside at all?" Ami just shook her head. "There's hundreds of people out there just waiting for word about how Usagi is. They saw what she did and felt the energy she and Endymion used to make the plants grow. I recognize a few faces, but most of them are perfect strangers."
"So what do they want with her?" Ami asked, sighing with fatigue. "Another miracle?"
"Eventually," shrugged Jupiter. "Right now, I think they just want to know that she'll be all right. Because I think they all realize that she's probably our only hope right now."
Ami bowed her head, seeming to be on the verge of tears. Then she summoned a reserve of strength from somewhere and pushed the emotions down.
"Tell them she's still alive," Ami said. "Tell them - - we're doing all we can."
Outside, Sailor Pluto watched the crowd. Occasionally her gaze would shift to Venus guarding the door to the shelter. Venus was good at concealing the concern she felt for the princess, as good as she was at concealing the fatigue she felt. The woman was far better at it than Pluto was. Her limbs felt as heavy as her heart did right now and she had neither the strength nor the inclination to conceal it.
An older man walked up to them. It took Pluto a moment to recognize him as the shock victim she and Ami had helped.
"Ah, I have found you," the man said and bowed to them both. "Thank you for helping me earlier. I am deeply in your debt."
"I am glad to see you up and around, Honored Sir," Pluto replied. "Are you feeling better?"
"As well as anyone else," he replied. "I fear none of us will be perfectly well for a great while." The old man sighed. "I remember the tales my grandfather told me of life in Hiroshima and the hardships they faced. I thought, in my youthful arrogance, that I understood what he was saying. But it seems only now do I truly understand." He seemed to want to say more, but hesitated.
"Did you wish something else of us, honored sir?" Pluto asked.
"Forgive me. I merely wished to offer what little I had to aid in the recovery of Sailor Moon." He looked down. "I have thought a great deal about death and dying during - - whatever period of time that has past. I am grateful for my life, understand. But there are others clearly more important than I am. If a sacrifice is needed, please let me be the one to make it, rather than someone such as her - - someone far more important to everyone."
"And what makes you believe that you are not important?" Pluto asked, staring at him with eyes that saw him, and yet did not. For a moment, the old man was taken aback. "Believe me, Honored Sir, when I tell you that I may see things that others cannot. I have seen how important you can be, should you not surrender to the despair that surrounds us. You play a vital role in life, far more vital than you grasp. We appreciate your gesture, but I would prefer that you live."
The old man looked at Pluto, unsure as to how to take her pronouncement. He understood what she said, but not how she could know it. Pluto only looked at him with a placid demeanor, peacefully awaiting any response he might make. At length, the old man bowed to Sailor Pluto and moved off. She turned and caught Venus staring at her with much the same wonder that the old man had.
"You know," Venus scowled warily, "any more, you're as spooky as Serenity." "You will come to understand," Pluto replied cryptically, "in time."
* * * *
In a secluded spot by the waterfront, amid the dark hulks of collapsed warehouses and the harbor cluttered with broken and useless ships, Sailor Uranus stood guard. She would alternately scan the sky and the area around them. The latter was to guard against any refugee desperate or greedy enough to attack them. The former was to guard against any possibly threat from space. To accomplish this, her Space Sword was drawn and ready.
While Uranus stood guard, Sailor Neptune selected a spot along the wharf that was in perfect harmony between the land, the sea and the air. She set aside the sea's soft lament for all the bodies within it and for all the desolation on land and summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror. Focusing her consciousness on the mirror, she used it to probe into the heavens.
Long moments passed. Neptune remained silent, focusing on the mirror, searching through it for the truth. Uranus stood guard, her already thin patience unraveling with the passage of every second. She glanced back at Neptune. The senshi clutched the mirror with both hands, staring into its face with glassy eyes and slightly parted lips. Uranus wanted to speak, but held her tongue. Forcing herself to look away, she scanned the area again for possible threat.
A sound to her left made her turn. However, it was just a rat skittering along the edge of the dark warehouse. From the matting of its coat and the rodent's gaunt look, it had fared little better than they had. Already the blessing of Serenity and Endymion's energy was wearing off and the tangle of vegetation it had wrought hadn't made it to the docks. Uranus felt her stomach growl. Mentally she growled back.
"Uranus?" Neptune said and her partner turned to her. "I'm not finding anything."
"I'm not hallucinating this," Uranus protested. "I'm not that far gone."
"I know you're not. I feel it, too. I'm surprised Pluto hasn't. But I can't find anything with the mirror."
"Could it be capable of hiding itself from the Deep Aqua Mirror?" Uranus asked.
"Why not? It's a big universe," Neptune replied, her lips thinning. "But that presents two questions: Why, and how powerful an entity is this if it can conceal itself from the mirror? Could even the Frost Giants do that?"
"Those are two questions I don't like the answers to," Uranus said.
Neptune nodded. Then, suddenly, she stared into the mirror in shock.
"What is it?" hissed Uranus. "What do you see?"
Neptune's face only hardened into a scowl. "We need to get to Usagi's side."
* * * *
Sailor Jupiter walked up to Sailor Venus and tossed her an orange. Venus, who was still guarding the door to the building where Serenity lay, caught it numbly. She stared at it for a few moments before she remembered it was to eat.
"Why don't you take a nap," Jupiter suggested. "I'll stand watch."
"What makes you think I need a nap?" Venus groused as she forced open the orange with her thumbs.
"Remember the zombies in all those horror movies you used to drag us all to?" Jupiter said. Venus nodded. "The way you look right now, you'd frighten them."
"I'm all right," Venus frowned, shoving the orange wedge into her mouth.
Jupiter stared, concerned. Venus hadn't risen to the bait. That meant she was really tired. Rather than argue, though, Jupiter peeked in through the door. Venus could be very stubborn when she was like this and Jupiter knew she'd have to wear the woman down through subtle cajoling. Momentarily breaking the tension, she peeked in the door again.
Inside the room, Endymion maintained his life support of Serenity. Rei still slept on the floor while Ami dozed in a chair. It tore Jupiter up to see Serenity like that, knowing there was nothing she could do.
"You'd think these gawkers would go home by now," mumbled Venus between bites.
"Go home to what?" Jupiter replied, closing the door. "There isn't a lot left in this city to go home to. Besides, I bet a lot of them figure their best chance is to be as close to Serenity as possible." Jupiter shook her head. "Man, I just can't get used to calling her that. But it's obvious she's not Usagi anymore. She's just so . . ."
"Would 'spooky' be the word you're looking for?" Venus asked, staring out into the crowd as she chewed on the orange.
"No," Jupiter said, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have a problem with what she's become?"
"Her extra firepower, no." Venus turned and faced Jupiter for the first time. "But haven't you noticed the way she acts and the way she carries herself ever since she 'evolved' to her Serenity level? It's almost like she's not human anymore - - like she's above us." Venusmade a non-committal shrug. "Maybe she is. Endymion's the same way."
"Jealous?"
"Me? No." Then Venus shrugged. "OK, maybe just a little. I don't resent her. It's just - - I'm wondering if she'll want to hang out with us now - - if we're beneath her. I'm going to miss those Saturday shopping trips."
"And the birthday parties she'd throw for us," smiled Jupiter.
"And how she could never keep them secret, no matter how hard she tried."
"And the little cards and gifts she would give you, right at the precise moment you were feeling down - - like she knew."
Venus sighed in resignation.
"One flaw in your thinking, though," Jupiter continued. Venus looked at her, intrigued. "You're assuming those days are over. She may be Serenity on the outside, but I'm willing to bet that Usagi's still inside. And we'll see it when she gets a chance to relax. She just hasn't had the chance yet."
"You are an incorrigible optimist," Venus replied, then downed the last of the orange. "Here's to incorrigible optimism." Venus smacked her lips. "Either I'm really hungry or that was one tasty orange."
"Serenity made it," grinned Jupiter, "so you know it was made with love."
The two friends stood there silently, guarding the entrance to where Serenity lay. They surveyed the crowd that stubbornly stayed nearby. The people all seemed blank shells of human beings. They seemed to be waiting for something. Whether they were waiting for another miracle from Serenity or just waiting to die was hard to tell. Venus dropped her gaze. It was hard looking at them. It was hard enough seeing the doubt and fear in the eyes of her friends and wondering if it was mirrored in her own. It was torture watching all these people wander around aimlessly, robbed even of their humanity by their circumstances.
And then she wondered if she'd ever regain her life. Was the fifteen years of work and sweat, trial and error, rejection and humiliation she'd invested in becoming a star now down the drain? Was she doomed to being another face in the crowd for the rest of her life? Was she to never again sample the sweet nectar of the spotlight and the adulation that came with it? Venus noticed a smudge of dirt on her glove and brushed at it, suddenly wishing she could be home soaking in a hot bath.
She looked up at Jupiter and noticed the woman's worried, faraway look. The senshi suddenly felt very small for what she had just been thinking.
"Why don't you go look for them," Venus said gently. Jupiter turned to her, surprised and confused by the blonde woman's statement. "Sanjuro and the kids. I can tell you're worried about them."
"I've already got a job," Jupiter replied tightly.
"We can handle it."
"She could be dead any moment," Jupiter said, her fear lingering just below the surface. "If she needs me and I'm not here, I'm not just shirking my duty, I may be dooming everyone! I hate it, but I can't look for them right now."
Venus looked on with sympathy.
"And San-san knows that," Jupiter whispered, her words as much for her own fears as for Venus. "He's taking care of them. He won't let anything happen to them." Jupiter let loose a nervous laugh. "When Serenity's back, I'll go look for them, and they'll probably be at the restaurant waiting for me."
Then a trickling tear betrayed Jupiter. She bowed her head, struggling to get hold of her emotions again. Venus closed the gap between them instantly and gripped Jupiter's shoulder. The lanky senshi seemed to sag gratefully against her friend.
"Besides," Jupiter said hoarsely, "I don't see you running out to look for Toshihiro."
"I'm not worried," Venus replied with a shadow of her normal jaunty self. "Toshi's too much of a creep to die. Besides, if he dies, ten percent of his agent has to die, too, so Hiroki'll make sure he survives."
Jupiter giggled through her tears despite herself. That eased Venus's spirits and the emotional crisis seemed to pass.
"It's Ichiro I worry about the most," Jupiter mumbled as she wiped a tear away. "He's so young and so easily intimidated by so many things. Just making it through this alive may not be enough. This is going to scar him. I just know it! And Akiko - - she talks tough, but she's just a baby, too."
"Well that's your fault for letting them out of the womb," Venus jabbed.
Jupiter shot the blonde an evil glare. Then the end of her mouth curled.
"You still have no class," Jupiter muttered.
The movement of feet on rubble caught their attention. Venus and Jupiter turned to the sound and saw Uranus and Neptune running up.
"Trouble?" Jupiter asked. Venus tensed for action.
"Company's coming," Uranus replied, then gestured to the heavens. "From up there."
"Aliens?" gasped Venus. "Or more Frost Giants?" Several of the gathered survivors heard her and panic began to spread through the crowd.
"No," was all Neptune got to utter.
Above them all came a brilliant red light. It seemed to burn like a fireball, yet traveled in a controlled pattern at a controlled speed. The gathered survivors fell back, many running for their lives in blind fear. The four senshi spread out and assumed defensive positions, prepared to ward off any new threat with their lives.
The fireball gently set down on the rubble-strewn street. It flared brilliantly, causing all that watched it to shield their eyes, then died away. Two figures emerged. Their vision recovered, Venus and Jupiter looked and saw Sailor Star Fighter standing protectively before Princess Kakyuu. With an elegance of movement that put the word 'graceful' to shame, the Princess glided up to the four senshi.
"It pleases me that we meet again," she said, bowing to them with humble deference, "though I am saddened by the circumstances. If I may be so bold as to make a request, would you please conduct me to Princess Serenity?"
Continued in part 3