RESSURRECTION,
Chapter 3: "Fireball"
By Bill K.
"What do you want with her?"
The gruffness of the challenge Sailor Uranus made to Princess Kakyuu surprised both Jupiter and Venus. It surprised the surviving citizens of Tokyo that had been gathered waiting word on the condition of Sailor Moon. They were just now cautiously emerging from cover to see who the new people were. Anxiety rippled through the crowd as fears of a new confrontation so soon after defeating the "Ice Devils", as their last enemy had become known as, mounted. Her tone surprised Sailor Star Fighter and the tall, rail-thin woman started belligerently forward, her long, fine black hair twitching behind her like the great mane of a horse.
But Princess Kakyuu moved her hand out and blocked Star Fighter's path. The senshi obediently stopped, but turned angrily to her princess.
"Her tone belittles you!" protested Star Fighter. "And I can see the suspicion in her and her partner's eyes! It's an insult!"
"Only if taken as such, Star Fighter," Princess Kakyuu said in the gentlest of tones. Betraying no malice, as if she was incapable of it, she turned to her senshi. "They guard their princess the best way they see fit. We must not begrudge them this, for they do their duty with honor."
When Star Fighter relaxed reluctantly, Kakyuu turned back to Uranus and Neptune and gave them both a disarmingly placid smile.
"I am aware," she said, "of the recent ascension of Princess Serenity. I am also aware of the trouble your planet faces and of the distress Princess Serenity is in. I may be of some assistance to her and to you. I humbly ask you to permit this."
And she bowed to them. Uranus was completely taken aback and Neptune seemed surprised as well. Princess Kakyuu waited patiently for their permission, even though both got the sense she could blow past them if she chose. Then Jupiter and Venus moved into the picture.
"I think we can trust them," Jupiter said, with more of an edge to her voice than she wanted to show, for this was an old wound between her and these two outer senshi and she didn't want to reopen it. "Besides, it's Usagi's life in the balance. Do we have a choice?"
As always, Uranus deferred to Neptune. Neptune was still suspicious, but her expression of frustration told them she was looking for alternatives and not finding them.
"All right," Neptune grimaced and stepped from Kakyuu's path. "I apologize if we insulted you."
"I accept with gratitude," Kakyuu replied, bowing again. "Come, Star Fighter."
Princess Kakyuu glided through the door. Uranus and Star Fighter exchanged glares as she passed, for there were old wounds between them as well. But as Star Fighter neared the door, Uranus noted the woman's glare turn to an expression of dread. Was she dreading seeing Serenity near death? Or was she just dreading seeing Serenity?
Inside the room, Endymion looked up and saw Princess Kakyuu. He tensed until he saw Venus and Jupiter with her and Star Fighter. Through his fatigue he recalled his brief meeting with Princess Kakyuu after the conflict with Sailor Galaxia. He recalled Sailor Star Fighter, too. There was a brief, neutral moment of eye contact betweenthe pair. Then Kakyuu passed into his view.
"You have been keeping her alive through your bond," Princess Kakyuu said - - it wasn't a question.
"Yeah," Venus began, "Sailor Moon - - Serenity - - she tried to grow all the vegetation in the world back to feed everyone," and she swallowed down her emotions, "and I guess she overdid it."
"I am aware of this, too," Kakyuu replied gently.
She glided over to Serenity's side. Her aura jolted Ami and Rei and they both awoke with a start. Lightly she touched her hand to Serenity's forehead.
"She has pushed herself far beyond even her newly expanded ability," Kakyuu pronounced softly and everyone in the room, even Star Fighter, seemed to tense at the words. "Limitations are often a hard lesson to learn, particularly at times such as these."
"Can you help her?" Jupiter asked.
"Yes," Kakyuu smiled gently. "I shall add my energies to those of her life mate's and together we shall fan the flame of her existence."
"But Princess," Star Fighter asked, concerned. "The danger to you. . ."
"Is inconsequential," Princess Kakyuu replied. "She will live, dear Star Fighter, for she must. Any threat to me, however much remote, is secondary."
Princess Kakyuu closed her eyes. A fire red energy enveloped her body.
Outside Uranus and Neptune stood guard over the door. Neptune watched her lover channel her concern and frustration over Serenity's condition into nervous glances at the people crowding closer and closer for some sign that the woman who had saved them would be all right. She could tell Uranus wanted to be inside by Usagi's side, but knew her duty and remained on guard. It was a feeling she shared - - though she dealt with it better than Haruka did.
Neptune watched Uranus lock her gaze onto a woman in the foreground. The woman began gently sobbing and keening - - and Uranus snapped.
"What are you people all standing around here for?" Uranus bellowed at them. "Are you waiting for her to give you another miracle? The first one nearly killed her! There are other people around Tokyo who still need help! Go help them! Go do something with your lives besides stand here and wallow in your own self-pity!"
"Uranus," Neptune said softly, touching the woman on the arm to try to reel her back in.
"Am I being too blunt?" Uranus snapped bitterly.
"They've been through a trauma," Neptune said.
"OK, they've been through a trauma! I'm sorry the trauma ripped them out of their safe, cozy little lives, but the trauma's over and they're alive! Now it's time to rebuild - - help the others who are worse off!" She turned back to the crowd. "Not stand around like a bunch of sheep waiting for someone to lead them around or promise them that they'll get their safe little lives back again!"
Some of the crowd began to move off. Others stayed put. Uranus noticed one of them was the woman who had been sobbing. She was a slight thing, bruised and tattered and dirty with unkempt black hair and a young face.
"Well?" Uranus barked.
"Not until I know she'll be all right," the woman said, maintaining her keening. "Because if she dies, nothing else matters."
Uranus was about to reply when a hand touched her arm. She turned to it, expecting Neptune.
"Please, Uranus," Serenity said gently, appealing to her friend's better nature. "She's only concerned."
"Serenity!" Uranus gasped. Then her shock changed to elation. "You made it!"
Before Serenity could reply, the woman was at her feet. She wrapped her arms around Serenity's right ankle and hugged tight.
"Thank you!" she sobbed. "Thank you for not leaving us! Thank you!"
Serenity knelt down and touched the woman's shoulder. The woman looked up at the blue eyes of charity and hope.
"Thank you for your concern," Serenity said with a hopeful smile. "But there are many more out there much worse off than I. Perhaps we need to help them now."
Serenity rose to her feet and faced the crowd. She straightened and closed her eyes. Suddenly everyone could hear her voice in his or her mind.
"People of Tokyo," she thought and everyone heard. "People of the world. This is - - Serenity. We face a daunting task. Much of our city - - much of the world - - lies in ruins. For most of you, the simple matter of finding food or medical attention seems an impossible task. I will try to help as much as my power will allow me. But I can do so much more with your help. Many hands working together can accomplish far more than can one person, even one such as I. Will you help me? Together we can rebuild our world."
Her shoulders sagged a little when she was done. Amid cheers and cries of ascension from the gathered crowd, she put her hand to her temple. Instantly Uranus and Neptune were beside her.
"Are you all right?" Neptune asked.
"Yes," Serenity smiled contritely, almost like the Usagi of old. "I'm trying to learn to pace myself. This is still all so new to me."
"You'll do it," Neptune replied, then hesitated a beat, "Serenity." It seemed to everyone that she was almost going to say 'Usagi'. Serenity's face flashed melancholy for a second, and then she touched their hands.
"You must both be exhausted," she smiled charitably. "Please, get some food and rest. I'm in good hands."
"All right," Neptune nodded uncertainly. Reluctantly she and Uranus moved off.
Serenity returned inside. She found Endymion sitting where he had been since this began, sleeping. A timid smile crept onto her face. In spite of everything that had happened and all the growing they'd done in twenty years, he still looked like a sweet little boy when he slept.
Jupiter was forcing Ami to eat. That elicited a grin from her. Venus was next to - - was it really Sailor Star Fighter? It had been so long and yet she seemed unchanged.
Then she noticed that Rei had noticed her entrance. And the look on Rei's face: concern for her, and something else - - a distance between them, a distance Rei sensed and seemed confused as to how to bridge. And instantly she sensed that Serenity had sensed it and glanced away uncomfortably. The others seemed to be taking their cues from Rei. The tension in the room seemed like a thing alive. Serenity just couldn't take it any longer and left the same way she came in.
Outside, Serenity avoided the stragglers from the crowd that still lingered for want of anyplace else to go. She glided around to the back of the building. It was relatively free of debris and just dark enough to suit her. Serenity leaned back against the wall and looked down. The tears came, softly at first, but eventually betrayed by dainty sniffles.
"The path ahead of you is indeed daunting," a voice whispered behind her. Serenity turned and found Princess Kakyuu.
"Forgive me," Serenity replied, wiping the tears away in embarrassment. "Thank you for your help."
"For one who gave life back to the universe?" Kakyuu replied gently. "I could do no less."
Serenity shifted uncomfortably, but knew better than to argue Kakyuu's judgment of her value to the universe.
"Do not feel self-conscious about your tears, Serenity. May I call you Serenity?"
"I'd really prefer Usagi, but I don't know if that's accurate anymore."
"Usagi, then," and Princess Kakyuu smiled warmly. "It is only natural for you to have doubts. You have ascended to something that is above the rest of your kind. This can be very intimidating."
"I don't want to be above the rest of them," whimpered Serenity. "I want to be the way I was before."
"That can never be," Kakyuu told her sympathetically. "It is the way of things. However, while you may be beyond them in ability, you need not be beyond them here," and her hand touched Serenity's chest over her heart. "In fact, it is the wise ruler who remembers never to be beyond her people in her heart."
"But what's if it's already too late?" Serenity asked. "I see the way they look at me - - like there's a wall between us. Like I'm so far above them that they're afraid to even touch me. Even Haruka won't call me 'Dumpling' anymore. How do I get them back?"
"You must have patience and faith. They want to be with you, Usagi. They need you as much as you need them. They're just not sure the one to whom they are so devoted still exists. Give them time. A time will come when you will do something so uniquely 'Usagi' that they will know the one they love still exists within you."
Serenity stared at her feet, barely visible under the hem of her flowing white gown.
"I hope it's soon," she mumbled.
Around the corner from them, Rei stood and listened. Her gaze was on the toes of her shoes as well. Dabbing a tear from her eye, she made her way back to the others.
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up," Serenity said. "You seem to know so much about this."
Princess Kakyuu tried to smother a smile and couldn't. "Your trials are not unknown to me. I went through much of what you go through upon my ascension from Sailor Firestorm to Princess Kakyuu. I was guided at the time by a mentor who taught me how to live with and to use my newfound consciousness and ability."
"Really? Maybe you could help me - - if I'm not imposing? When do you have to leave?"
Princess Kakyuu smiled again. "I shall remain for as long as you have need of me, my friend. I only pray that you do not grow tired of me."
"Oh, no! Never!" gasped Serenity, some of the magic of her broad smile and dancing eyes returning to her expression. "I only hope I don't drive you away. I've never been a very good student."
Princess Kakyuu gathered Serenity's hands in hers.
"May I tell you a secret? Neither was I."
* * * *
"I was wondering where you got off to," Venus said. She and Sailor Jupiter walked down a broken street, passing a group of survivors burrowing through the rubble of a clothing store to try to salvage something.
"I'm sorry," Jupiter flushed. "I just had to get away from that whole scene with Serenity. We hurt her and I don't know about you, but I feel like a rat about it." She sighed. "So I figured I'd better get away before I do or say something to make things worse. And then I figured, now that she's all right, I ought to go look for my family."
"Hey, I didn't ask for your life story," jabbed Venus.
"You're lucky I'm too tired to crush you," grumbled Jupiter.
A clatter caught their attention. After listening intently, the two senshi picked up the frightened cry of a woman. Venus pointed in a direction and the pair sped for the source of the disturbance.
In the shell of a caved in floral shop, three men had a woman trapped. She was a ragged woman in her mid-twenties, her eyes peering bright with terror out of the hollows of her sunken face as she pressed against a surviving wall. The men, thin and tattered themselves, closed on her from three sides.
Venus raised her hand to use her attack, but Jupiter stopped her.
"Those shock waves might bring the building down on all of them," warned Jupiter. "I'll handle this." Summoning her power, Jupiter cupped a ball of electricity in her hand, wound up and bellowed, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
Turning to the noise behind them, the three men grew wide-eyed with terror. One turned tail and ran, but the blue-white ball of electricity exploded from the senshi and felled him in his tracks. The other two fell to their knees and pressed their heads to the ground, hoping to appease the monstrous sight before them.
"Don't move," warned Jupiter coldly.
"Mercy!" screamed one of the men, quivering in terror on the ground. By now, Venus had moved to the woman and was comforting her.
"They," the woman sobbed, "wanted my ring. It was my mother's. She gave it to me on her deathbed. It's all I have left!"
"You're safe now," Venus said as the woman cried on her shoulder. "Do you have a place to go?" The woman nodded mutely. "Then go there. We'll take care of these guys."
The woman gazed up at Venus timidly. Something in Venus's manner must have given her reassurance. She released Venus and quickly moved away, pausing only to glare at the men on the ground before she was out of the building and gone. Venus walked over to where the two men cowered.
"Leave it to a crisis of world-shattering proportions to send the rats scurrying out of their dens," Venus scowled.
"Forgive us!" one of the men cried. "We are weak-willed and gave in easily. We don't have the strength of you or the mistress of the lightning demon!"
"That rolls so easily off of your tongue!" snapped Jupiter. "You must have a lot of practice using it! Get up!"
"You know," grumbled the other man as they both got to their feet, "it's easy for you to criticize. We don't have your fancy powers to get by on."
Jupiter suddenly threw a palm thrust at the man. He blocked it easily, but she quickly turned, grabbed him by the arm and in one blinding motion he was on the ground on his back. Jupiter had her knee planted squarely on his sternum and her flat hand extended, the fingertips pressed to his throat.
"It's even easier for me to take your head off!" Jupiter growled. "You just remember this the next time you think about bullying somebody: There's always somebody who's bigger or stronger or more skilled than you who'll make you pay." Jupiter rose from him, then kicked the soles of his feet. "Collect your friends and help some of these people dig out. And remember what I said."
The men bowed quickly and left in an even bigger hurry, taking their stunned companion. Venus turned to leave, but stopped when she saw Jupiter hesitating.
"I knew the woman who owned this shop," Jupiter said. "I met her at a meeting of the Juuban District Small Business Association. She was a real nice lady." Jupiter's jaw clenched tight, as if trying to stave off tears. "I hope she survived."
They turned the corner and stopped. Jupiter stared down the street at the little bakery/restaurant nestled in the middle of the block that had been her life and her dream. Then the disaster came. Now it was a broken shell. Tears were welling up and she clenched her jaw to keep them at bay.
"Oh, man," Jupiter whispered. "Just go ahead and rip my heart right out of my chest!" She felt Venus's hand on her shoulder. "All that work - - all those years of saving and the place was only open for five months."
"World dominating bad-guys have never been known for their timing," Venus mused.
The pair approached the husk of the shop. As she picked her way into the place through the door, Jupiter's foot brushed against something. Looking down, she saw it was one of the ornate wire napkin holders that used to adorn the tables in the restaurant section. Bending down, she picked it up and stared at it. She was going to cry - - she just knew it.
"Please tell me you're not going to start cleaning," a man's voice said from the back of the storefront.
"San-san!" Jupiter gasped, her mouth pulling into a wide smile. She quickly crossed over to the man and enveloped him in her arms. Though he was five foot seven and solidly built, Jupiter's frame encompassed him as she locked her arms around him and squeezed tightly. Her grateful lips sought out his and they locked in an embrace that spoke eloquently of their twelve - - no, it was now fourteen years of marriage and of their long separation.
"Hi, Sanjuro," Venus smiled. "How are you holding up?"
"Well," the man replied after disengaging his mouth from Jupiter's, "it was touch and go there for a while, but I'm still here, thanks to Usagi, I guess. Good to see you, Venus. That was her I felt reviving me, wasn't it?"
"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch with you sooner," Jupiter fretted. "It was just so . . ."
"I know," he smiled, gently caressing her face. "Senshi business. You got the job done."
"Where are the kids?"
"Just listen," Sanjuro whispered. Jupiter concentrated and heard footsteps through the rubble.
"Mama, Mama!" Ichiro yelled plaintively. Jupiter knelt down as her son ran up to her. She scooped the boy up in her arms and smothered him with kisses as he clutched his mother's neck, loath to let go. "I was afraid you weren't coming back, Mama!"
"Never think that, Ichiro," Jupiter whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I will always come back to you, even if I have to march through Hell itself!"
"Mom!" she heard Akiko squeal. The girl, smudged and tattered like her brother, scampered across the rubble-strewn floor. Jupiter knelt down again and took her in with her free arm while Ichiro hung on. The trio squeezed in tightly together. "You beat 'em, Mom! You beat 'em all, just like I knew you would!"
"I'm glad you knew," Jupiter grinned, hugging her daughter to her. "Frankly I had my doubts."
Sanjuro glanced over to Venus and noticed the senshi's eyes misting over.
"What's the matter, Venus?" he asked.
"Nothing," Venus said, flushing slightly. "I just - - it's nothing." She forced a smile onto her face. "Hey, kids, how about a hug for your favorite idol?"
The kids disengaged themselves from their mother and ran over to Venus. While they hugged, Jupiter turned to Sanjuro and caught his hand in hers.
"Was there any trouble here?" she asked.
"No, it's been pretty quiet." Sanjuro smiled puckishly. "And I've got a surprise for you. Come on."
Sanjuro led them to the back room of the storefront. Originally it had been divided up into a kitchen and a stockroom, but since the disaster had claimed their home, Sanjuro had set the place up as a temporary home for him and the children.
Jupiter's eyes popped in wonder. Growing out of the middle of the room was a huge fruit tree. She stumbled into the room, staring up at it as it thrust up into the sky, through the roof and up to the nourishing sun. Venus smiled and shook her head.
"Nice to see Usagi's aim hasn't changed," she chuckled.
"This isn't inconvenient for you, is it San-san?" Jupiter asked.
"No more than having most of the front of the building blown out," Sanjuro replied. "At least the kids won't have to go outside to get breakfast. Although I'm going to hate to have to cut it down when we begin to rebuild."
Jupiter looked at him funny, hoping she heard what she thought she heard.
"Did you think I was going to deprive the world of my wife's cooking?" he smiled. "Besides, I was beginning to like running a restaurant."
Jupiter threw her arms around him. "Baby, you're the greatest!" she cooed.
As their mouths found each other again, Venus quietly took the hands of the children and backed out, a huge smile on her face.
Continued in chapter 4
Chapter 3: "Fireball"
By Bill K.
"What do you want with her?"
The gruffness of the challenge Sailor Uranus made to Princess Kakyuu surprised both Jupiter and Venus. It surprised the surviving citizens of Tokyo that had been gathered waiting word on the condition of Sailor Moon. They were just now cautiously emerging from cover to see who the new people were. Anxiety rippled through the crowd as fears of a new confrontation so soon after defeating the "Ice Devils", as their last enemy had become known as, mounted. Her tone surprised Sailor Star Fighter and the tall, rail-thin woman started belligerently forward, her long, fine black hair twitching behind her like the great mane of a horse.
But Princess Kakyuu moved her hand out and blocked Star Fighter's path. The senshi obediently stopped, but turned angrily to her princess.
"Her tone belittles you!" protested Star Fighter. "And I can see the suspicion in her and her partner's eyes! It's an insult!"
"Only if taken as such, Star Fighter," Princess Kakyuu said in the gentlest of tones. Betraying no malice, as if she was incapable of it, she turned to her senshi. "They guard their princess the best way they see fit. We must not begrudge them this, for they do their duty with honor."
When Star Fighter relaxed reluctantly, Kakyuu turned back to Uranus and Neptune and gave them both a disarmingly placid smile.
"I am aware," she said, "of the recent ascension of Princess Serenity. I am also aware of the trouble your planet faces and of the distress Princess Serenity is in. I may be of some assistance to her and to you. I humbly ask you to permit this."
And she bowed to them. Uranus was completely taken aback and Neptune seemed surprised as well. Princess Kakyuu waited patiently for their permission, even though both got the sense she could blow past them if she chose. Then Jupiter and Venus moved into the picture.
"I think we can trust them," Jupiter said, with more of an edge to her voice than she wanted to show, for this was an old wound between her and these two outer senshi and she didn't want to reopen it. "Besides, it's Usagi's life in the balance. Do we have a choice?"
As always, Uranus deferred to Neptune. Neptune was still suspicious, but her expression of frustration told them she was looking for alternatives and not finding them.
"All right," Neptune grimaced and stepped from Kakyuu's path. "I apologize if we insulted you."
"I accept with gratitude," Kakyuu replied, bowing again. "Come, Star Fighter."
Princess Kakyuu glided through the door. Uranus and Star Fighter exchanged glares as she passed, for there were old wounds between them as well. But as Star Fighter neared the door, Uranus noted the woman's glare turn to an expression of dread. Was she dreading seeing Serenity near death? Or was she just dreading seeing Serenity?
Inside the room, Endymion looked up and saw Princess Kakyuu. He tensed until he saw Venus and Jupiter with her and Star Fighter. Through his fatigue he recalled his brief meeting with Princess Kakyuu after the conflict with Sailor Galaxia. He recalled Sailor Star Fighter, too. There was a brief, neutral moment of eye contact betweenthe pair. Then Kakyuu passed into his view.
"You have been keeping her alive through your bond," Princess Kakyuu said - - it wasn't a question.
"Yeah," Venus began, "Sailor Moon - - Serenity - - she tried to grow all the vegetation in the world back to feed everyone," and she swallowed down her emotions, "and I guess she overdid it."
"I am aware of this, too," Kakyuu replied gently.
She glided over to Serenity's side. Her aura jolted Ami and Rei and they both awoke with a start. Lightly she touched her hand to Serenity's forehead.
"She has pushed herself far beyond even her newly expanded ability," Kakyuu pronounced softly and everyone in the room, even Star Fighter, seemed to tense at the words. "Limitations are often a hard lesson to learn, particularly at times such as these."
"Can you help her?" Jupiter asked.
"Yes," Kakyuu smiled gently. "I shall add my energies to those of her life mate's and together we shall fan the flame of her existence."
"But Princess," Star Fighter asked, concerned. "The danger to you. . ."
"Is inconsequential," Princess Kakyuu replied. "She will live, dear Star Fighter, for she must. Any threat to me, however much remote, is secondary."
Princess Kakyuu closed her eyes. A fire red energy enveloped her body.
Outside Uranus and Neptune stood guard over the door. Neptune watched her lover channel her concern and frustration over Serenity's condition into nervous glances at the people crowding closer and closer for some sign that the woman who had saved them would be all right. She could tell Uranus wanted to be inside by Usagi's side, but knew her duty and remained on guard. It was a feeling she shared - - though she dealt with it better than Haruka did.
Neptune watched Uranus lock her gaze onto a woman in the foreground. The woman began gently sobbing and keening - - and Uranus snapped.
"What are you people all standing around here for?" Uranus bellowed at them. "Are you waiting for her to give you another miracle? The first one nearly killed her! There are other people around Tokyo who still need help! Go help them! Go do something with your lives besides stand here and wallow in your own self-pity!"
"Uranus," Neptune said softly, touching the woman on the arm to try to reel her back in.
"Am I being too blunt?" Uranus snapped bitterly.
"They've been through a trauma," Neptune said.
"OK, they've been through a trauma! I'm sorry the trauma ripped them out of their safe, cozy little lives, but the trauma's over and they're alive! Now it's time to rebuild - - help the others who are worse off!" She turned back to the crowd. "Not stand around like a bunch of sheep waiting for someone to lead them around or promise them that they'll get their safe little lives back again!"
Some of the crowd began to move off. Others stayed put. Uranus noticed one of them was the woman who had been sobbing. She was a slight thing, bruised and tattered and dirty with unkempt black hair and a young face.
"Well?" Uranus barked.
"Not until I know she'll be all right," the woman said, maintaining her keening. "Because if she dies, nothing else matters."
Uranus was about to reply when a hand touched her arm. She turned to it, expecting Neptune.
"Please, Uranus," Serenity said gently, appealing to her friend's better nature. "She's only concerned."
"Serenity!" Uranus gasped. Then her shock changed to elation. "You made it!"
Before Serenity could reply, the woman was at her feet. She wrapped her arms around Serenity's right ankle and hugged tight.
"Thank you!" she sobbed. "Thank you for not leaving us! Thank you!"
Serenity knelt down and touched the woman's shoulder. The woman looked up at the blue eyes of charity and hope.
"Thank you for your concern," Serenity said with a hopeful smile. "But there are many more out there much worse off than I. Perhaps we need to help them now."
Serenity rose to her feet and faced the crowd. She straightened and closed her eyes. Suddenly everyone could hear her voice in his or her mind.
"People of Tokyo," she thought and everyone heard. "People of the world. This is - - Serenity. We face a daunting task. Much of our city - - much of the world - - lies in ruins. For most of you, the simple matter of finding food or medical attention seems an impossible task. I will try to help as much as my power will allow me. But I can do so much more with your help. Many hands working together can accomplish far more than can one person, even one such as I. Will you help me? Together we can rebuild our world."
Her shoulders sagged a little when she was done. Amid cheers and cries of ascension from the gathered crowd, she put her hand to her temple. Instantly Uranus and Neptune were beside her.
"Are you all right?" Neptune asked.
"Yes," Serenity smiled contritely, almost like the Usagi of old. "I'm trying to learn to pace myself. This is still all so new to me."
"You'll do it," Neptune replied, then hesitated a beat, "Serenity." It seemed to everyone that she was almost going to say 'Usagi'. Serenity's face flashed melancholy for a second, and then she touched their hands.
"You must both be exhausted," she smiled charitably. "Please, get some food and rest. I'm in good hands."
"All right," Neptune nodded uncertainly. Reluctantly she and Uranus moved off.
Serenity returned inside. She found Endymion sitting where he had been since this began, sleeping. A timid smile crept onto her face. In spite of everything that had happened and all the growing they'd done in twenty years, he still looked like a sweet little boy when he slept.
Jupiter was forcing Ami to eat. That elicited a grin from her. Venus was next to - - was it really Sailor Star Fighter? It had been so long and yet she seemed unchanged.
Then she noticed that Rei had noticed her entrance. And the look on Rei's face: concern for her, and something else - - a distance between them, a distance Rei sensed and seemed confused as to how to bridge. And instantly she sensed that Serenity had sensed it and glanced away uncomfortably. The others seemed to be taking their cues from Rei. The tension in the room seemed like a thing alive. Serenity just couldn't take it any longer and left the same way she came in.
Outside, Serenity avoided the stragglers from the crowd that still lingered for want of anyplace else to go. She glided around to the back of the building. It was relatively free of debris and just dark enough to suit her. Serenity leaned back against the wall and looked down. The tears came, softly at first, but eventually betrayed by dainty sniffles.
"The path ahead of you is indeed daunting," a voice whispered behind her. Serenity turned and found Princess Kakyuu.
"Forgive me," Serenity replied, wiping the tears away in embarrassment. "Thank you for your help."
"For one who gave life back to the universe?" Kakyuu replied gently. "I could do no less."
Serenity shifted uncomfortably, but knew better than to argue Kakyuu's judgment of her value to the universe.
"Do not feel self-conscious about your tears, Serenity. May I call you Serenity?"
"I'd really prefer Usagi, but I don't know if that's accurate anymore."
"Usagi, then," and Princess Kakyuu smiled warmly. "It is only natural for you to have doubts. You have ascended to something that is above the rest of your kind. This can be very intimidating."
"I don't want to be above the rest of them," whimpered Serenity. "I want to be the way I was before."
"That can never be," Kakyuu told her sympathetically. "It is the way of things. However, while you may be beyond them in ability, you need not be beyond them here," and her hand touched Serenity's chest over her heart. "In fact, it is the wise ruler who remembers never to be beyond her people in her heart."
"But what's if it's already too late?" Serenity asked. "I see the way they look at me - - like there's a wall between us. Like I'm so far above them that they're afraid to even touch me. Even Haruka won't call me 'Dumpling' anymore. How do I get them back?"
"You must have patience and faith. They want to be with you, Usagi. They need you as much as you need them. They're just not sure the one to whom they are so devoted still exists. Give them time. A time will come when you will do something so uniquely 'Usagi' that they will know the one they love still exists within you."
Serenity stared at her feet, barely visible under the hem of her flowing white gown.
"I hope it's soon," she mumbled.
Around the corner from them, Rei stood and listened. Her gaze was on the toes of her shoes as well. Dabbing a tear from her eye, she made her way back to the others.
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up," Serenity said. "You seem to know so much about this."
Princess Kakyuu tried to smother a smile and couldn't. "Your trials are not unknown to me. I went through much of what you go through upon my ascension from Sailor Firestorm to Princess Kakyuu. I was guided at the time by a mentor who taught me how to live with and to use my newfound consciousness and ability."
"Really? Maybe you could help me - - if I'm not imposing? When do you have to leave?"
Princess Kakyuu smiled again. "I shall remain for as long as you have need of me, my friend. I only pray that you do not grow tired of me."
"Oh, no! Never!" gasped Serenity, some of the magic of her broad smile and dancing eyes returning to her expression. "I only hope I don't drive you away. I've never been a very good student."
Princess Kakyuu gathered Serenity's hands in hers.
"May I tell you a secret? Neither was I."
* * * *
"I was wondering where you got off to," Venus said. She and Sailor Jupiter walked down a broken street, passing a group of survivors burrowing through the rubble of a clothing store to try to salvage something.
"I'm sorry," Jupiter flushed. "I just had to get away from that whole scene with Serenity. We hurt her and I don't know about you, but I feel like a rat about it." She sighed. "So I figured I'd better get away before I do or say something to make things worse. And then I figured, now that she's all right, I ought to go look for my family."
"Hey, I didn't ask for your life story," jabbed Venus.
"You're lucky I'm too tired to crush you," grumbled Jupiter.
A clatter caught their attention. After listening intently, the two senshi picked up the frightened cry of a woman. Venus pointed in a direction and the pair sped for the source of the disturbance.
In the shell of a caved in floral shop, three men had a woman trapped. She was a ragged woman in her mid-twenties, her eyes peering bright with terror out of the hollows of her sunken face as she pressed against a surviving wall. The men, thin and tattered themselves, closed on her from three sides.
Venus raised her hand to use her attack, but Jupiter stopped her.
"Those shock waves might bring the building down on all of them," warned Jupiter. "I'll handle this." Summoning her power, Jupiter cupped a ball of electricity in her hand, wound up and bellowed, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
Turning to the noise behind them, the three men grew wide-eyed with terror. One turned tail and ran, but the blue-white ball of electricity exploded from the senshi and felled him in his tracks. The other two fell to their knees and pressed their heads to the ground, hoping to appease the monstrous sight before them.
"Don't move," warned Jupiter coldly.
"Mercy!" screamed one of the men, quivering in terror on the ground. By now, Venus had moved to the woman and was comforting her.
"They," the woman sobbed, "wanted my ring. It was my mother's. She gave it to me on her deathbed. It's all I have left!"
"You're safe now," Venus said as the woman cried on her shoulder. "Do you have a place to go?" The woman nodded mutely. "Then go there. We'll take care of these guys."
The woman gazed up at Venus timidly. Something in Venus's manner must have given her reassurance. She released Venus and quickly moved away, pausing only to glare at the men on the ground before she was out of the building and gone. Venus walked over to where the two men cowered.
"Leave it to a crisis of world-shattering proportions to send the rats scurrying out of their dens," Venus scowled.
"Forgive us!" one of the men cried. "We are weak-willed and gave in easily. We don't have the strength of you or the mistress of the lightning demon!"
"That rolls so easily off of your tongue!" snapped Jupiter. "You must have a lot of practice using it! Get up!"
"You know," grumbled the other man as they both got to their feet, "it's easy for you to criticize. We don't have your fancy powers to get by on."
Jupiter suddenly threw a palm thrust at the man. He blocked it easily, but she quickly turned, grabbed him by the arm and in one blinding motion he was on the ground on his back. Jupiter had her knee planted squarely on his sternum and her flat hand extended, the fingertips pressed to his throat.
"It's even easier for me to take your head off!" Jupiter growled. "You just remember this the next time you think about bullying somebody: There's always somebody who's bigger or stronger or more skilled than you who'll make you pay." Jupiter rose from him, then kicked the soles of his feet. "Collect your friends and help some of these people dig out. And remember what I said."
The men bowed quickly and left in an even bigger hurry, taking their stunned companion. Venus turned to leave, but stopped when she saw Jupiter hesitating.
"I knew the woman who owned this shop," Jupiter said. "I met her at a meeting of the Juuban District Small Business Association. She was a real nice lady." Jupiter's jaw clenched tight, as if trying to stave off tears. "I hope she survived."
They turned the corner and stopped. Jupiter stared down the street at the little bakery/restaurant nestled in the middle of the block that had been her life and her dream. Then the disaster came. Now it was a broken shell. Tears were welling up and she clenched her jaw to keep them at bay.
"Oh, man," Jupiter whispered. "Just go ahead and rip my heart right out of my chest!" She felt Venus's hand on her shoulder. "All that work - - all those years of saving and the place was only open for five months."
"World dominating bad-guys have never been known for their timing," Venus mused.
The pair approached the husk of the shop. As she picked her way into the place through the door, Jupiter's foot brushed against something. Looking down, she saw it was one of the ornate wire napkin holders that used to adorn the tables in the restaurant section. Bending down, she picked it up and stared at it. She was going to cry - - she just knew it.
"Please tell me you're not going to start cleaning," a man's voice said from the back of the storefront.
"San-san!" Jupiter gasped, her mouth pulling into a wide smile. She quickly crossed over to the man and enveloped him in her arms. Though he was five foot seven and solidly built, Jupiter's frame encompassed him as she locked her arms around him and squeezed tightly. Her grateful lips sought out his and they locked in an embrace that spoke eloquently of their twelve - - no, it was now fourteen years of marriage and of their long separation.
"Hi, Sanjuro," Venus smiled. "How are you holding up?"
"Well," the man replied after disengaging his mouth from Jupiter's, "it was touch and go there for a while, but I'm still here, thanks to Usagi, I guess. Good to see you, Venus. That was her I felt reviving me, wasn't it?"
"I'm sorry I didn't get in touch with you sooner," Jupiter fretted. "It was just so . . ."
"I know," he smiled, gently caressing her face. "Senshi business. You got the job done."
"Where are the kids?"
"Just listen," Sanjuro whispered. Jupiter concentrated and heard footsteps through the rubble.
"Mama, Mama!" Ichiro yelled plaintively. Jupiter knelt down as her son ran up to her. She scooped the boy up in her arms and smothered him with kisses as he clutched his mother's neck, loath to let go. "I was afraid you weren't coming back, Mama!"
"Never think that, Ichiro," Jupiter whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I will always come back to you, even if I have to march through Hell itself!"
"Mom!" she heard Akiko squeal. The girl, smudged and tattered like her brother, scampered across the rubble-strewn floor. Jupiter knelt down again and took her in with her free arm while Ichiro hung on. The trio squeezed in tightly together. "You beat 'em, Mom! You beat 'em all, just like I knew you would!"
"I'm glad you knew," Jupiter grinned, hugging her daughter to her. "Frankly I had my doubts."
Sanjuro glanced over to Venus and noticed the senshi's eyes misting over.
"What's the matter, Venus?" he asked.
"Nothing," Venus said, flushing slightly. "I just - - it's nothing." She forced a smile onto her face. "Hey, kids, how about a hug for your favorite idol?"
The kids disengaged themselves from their mother and ran over to Venus. While they hugged, Jupiter turned to Sanjuro and caught his hand in hers.
"Was there any trouble here?" she asked.
"No, it's been pretty quiet." Sanjuro smiled puckishly. "And I've got a surprise for you. Come on."
Sanjuro led them to the back room of the storefront. Originally it had been divided up into a kitchen and a stockroom, but since the disaster had claimed their home, Sanjuro had set the place up as a temporary home for him and the children.
Jupiter's eyes popped in wonder. Growing out of the middle of the room was a huge fruit tree. She stumbled into the room, staring up at it as it thrust up into the sky, through the roof and up to the nourishing sun. Venus smiled and shook her head.
"Nice to see Usagi's aim hasn't changed," she chuckled.
"This isn't inconvenient for you, is it San-san?" Jupiter asked.
"No more than having most of the front of the building blown out," Sanjuro replied. "At least the kids won't have to go outside to get breakfast. Although I'm going to hate to have to cut it down when we begin to rebuild."
Jupiter looked at him funny, hoping she heard what she thought she heard.
"Did you think I was going to deprive the world of my wife's cooking?" he smiled. "Besides, I was beginning to like running a restaurant."
Jupiter threw her arms around him. "Baby, you're the greatest!" she cooed.
As their mouths found each other again, Venus quietly took the hands of the children and backed out, a huge smile on her face.
Continued in chapter 4