REAWAKENING
Book One of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars
by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)
December 1999 - April 2000
Revised - Summer/Fall 2002
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.
Episode 215: The third soul captured! Hogoshi's returning memories
"Wake up!" Wake up? What kind of question is that? Uranus gently tapped Pluto's shoulder. Pluto had been sleeping for a couple of days now. She needed to wake up. Uranus gently shook the dark soldier.
"Pluto," Uranus whispered. "Pluto, come on. Wake up."
Pluto stirred in her sleep. "What…" she whispered groggily. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared at Uranus in shock. "Uranus! You're alive!" Uranus nodded.
Struggling to sit up, Pluto stared around the dark room. "Where are we?"
"The Dark Moon," Uranus replied. "Wherever that is." She smiled at Pluto. "You've been sleeping for a couple of days now."
"Couple of days!?"
"It was the same with me," Uranus quickly assured. Pluto groaned. Remembering what had happened before coming hear, she buried her face in her hands.
"Is this the only place we can stay and still live?" Pluto asked. Uranus shook her head.
"Yes," she replied. "Hogoshi-chan just gave us some of our souls back for whatever reason." Uranus shook her head. "I still don't think she's evil though. By now, Michiru and Hotaru must have told Usagi-chan and the others about her. There's no other choice."
"So, who do you think is next?" Pluto asked. Uranus looked at her sadly.
"I don't want to think about."
Michiru floated slowly through the huge pool on her back. It was the only thing that kept her mind from focusing on the tragedy that awaited her soon. She didn't want to think what was going to happen to her. It was either her or Hotaru.
"Haruka, I wish you were here to tell me what to do." Being alone with out her best friend was nearly unbearable for her. Haruka had always been there and they were rarely separate. She didn't even know if Haruka was alive or not.
Clinging to it, she shook her head. She was about to go now too. There was no use thinking about what she could have done.
What she should have done.
Climbing out of the pool, Michiru heard footsteps on that far side of the large room. Glancing over, she saw no one that looked too familiar. Michiru was sure she had heard footsteps. Maybe it was just her imagination.
"It's not your imagination, Michiru-san," a voice said behind her. Michiru's eyes widened as she spun around. The brunette soldier stood behind her. Michiru rose to her feet in one swift movement.
"What do you want?" she growled. Hogoshi shrugged, but her green eyes were still sharp.
"Nothing," she said before giggling. Her laugh was sweet sounding. "Nothing much. Just your soul." Michiru glared at the girl. She knew that wasn't true. Trying not to slap the girl unconscious, Michiru stared at the girl with fierce blue eyes.
"You know my identity," Michiru said coolly. "That much is pretty clear. You also now I don't have my henshin pen so I can't fight you. So what are you waiting for?" Hogoshi cocked an eyebrow.
"Neptune, I know you're smart," she replied. She laughed as she brought out her transformation locket. "I know you're quick. And I know you know what I'm thinking. So the real question is: what are you waiting for?"
Narrowing her eyes, Michiru pointed accusingly at Hogoshi. "You took away Setsuna and...Haruka! If you want to fight against me, then that's the chance I'll have to take." Her eyes became sad. "I wish it hadn't come to this Hogoshi-chan." Hogoshi watched as Michiru walked across the room and reached into her duffel bag. Pulling out a green and silver pen, she turned back to Hogoshi. "I'm ready."
"Destiny cosmos power...!"
"Neptune crystal power...!"
"...make UP!"
There were two flashes of light, one aquamarine and one silver. The two sailor soldiers stood facing each other. Neptune concentrated and pulled out her aqua mirror. Destiny just smiled.
"If you need a weapon to help you win this fight," Destiny taunted, "then you're pretty much a goner." Neptune shook her head, her teal curls bouncing.
"If that's what you think, I feel sorry for you," Neptune whispered. Pulling her mirror up to eye level, she screamed, "Submarine Reflection!" Destiny just stood her ground and was blasted by the attack. As the sparkles from the attack cleared, Destiny stood in the same place, her arms crossed. She yawned and then smiled at Neptune evilly.
"Nice try Sailor Neptune," Destiny said, a wicked grin spreading quickly over her face. "This battle in mine! Cosmic Ring of Fate!" Before she even knew how to react, Neptune found herself on the ground, hurt severely. Her ears were ringing from the attack as she struggled to sit up, though her burning muscles were screaming for her to leave them be.
Gasping for breath, Neptune saw that her mirror had been knocked from her hand. The aqua-haired senshi turned to see Destiny standing only a few yards from her. "You're so evil, Hogoshi-chan. Why!?"
Destiny didn't respond, but lifted her fist above her head. "Soul..."
Neptune's eyes widened and then closed. It was over for her now...soon, she'd only be a memory to the other senshi. She opened her eyes again, struggling to blink back tears. To her left, she saw the other senshi running into the big room, too late. Cautioning to stay back, she turned back to Destiny, struggling to her knees.
"Hogoshi-chan...why?"
"...Acquire!" A blast of silver lightening burst through one of the upper windows, shattering it. Sailor Chibi Moon stared in horror as the lightning quickly approached Neptune. Her russet eyes widened in total fear.
Saturn turned away in anguish as the lightning bolt struck the weakened Neptune in the stomach, slamming her onto the floor. A glowing aqua orb flew from the crumpled body. Destiny gave the inner soldiers and Saturn a peace sign before silver bubbles erupted from the ground. She disappeared.
"Michiru-san!" Sailor Moon screamed, running over to the fallen soldier. Carefully, she held the limp body close to her. "Michiru-san , wake up. Please. Don't leave us. Don't go!" Neptune opened her eyes, slowly.
"Princess...please," Neptune whispered in a tortured voice. Her body began to fade. "Don't cry, okay?"
"No, not okay," Sailor Moon replied, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Never okay." Trying to smile, she looked down at the soldier of embrace. "Don't worry. I'll find a way to bring you back. And Haruka-san. And Setsuna-san. Somehow." Neptune smiled before everything went black. She disappeared in a shower of aqua sparks.
"I will find a way," Sailor Moon whispered. "Even if...even if..." But her voice gave out on her, and tears spilled down her cheeks. "I can't do this." Sailor Moon placed her hands on the spot Neptune once was. Looking out through blurry eyes, she saw the aqua mirror also slowly disappear.
"Saturn!" Chibi Moon cried. She ran over to her second best friend and wrapped her in a hug. "Please, don't you go too. You can't go. You can't!" The other senshi turned to the dark haired soldier, the only outer soldier remaining. They're eyes became sad as they realized the truth. Destiny had already taken the three older senshi. Only Saturn was left.
"Saturn, Saturn," Chibi Moon cried repeatedly. Clinging to her friend, she held on as though she'd never see her again.
Which in some ways was true.
A body slowly appeared on the cold pillar. The two outer senshi turned around in surprise. The blonde's eyes widened. "Neptune!"
Unlike the other two sailor senshi, Neptune immediately began to wake up. She blinked in surprise. "Where am I?" Struggling to sit up, she grasped her bow and breathed hard. "What the...I'm okay?" Neptune realized suddenly that someone was hugging her hard. Looking up, she realized it was Uranus.
"Uranus!" Neptune cried in vivacity. She hugged the blonde racer back as some of her heart was freed from worry. "You're alive..."
Pluto watched with twinkling eyes, knowing how hard it was for those two to be separate for a very long period of time. Neptune looked up at Pluto and blushed. "Sorry. It's just..."
"It's all right," Pluto said with a smile. "I already know." Neptune smiled in relief. Uranus let go of Neptune and helped her down from the pillar.
"Where are we?" Neptune asked, looking around the black room. It seemed as though there was no ceiling. She could see the stars up above.
"Dark Moon," Pluto replied. Her garnet eyes were dark. "Wherever that is. It exists, but it doesn't."
Neptune nodded, understanding a little bit. Dark Moon was in an alternative dimension. What dimension it was...who knew? Things were going from bad to worse.
Suddenly, Neptune felt heaviness on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw that Uranus was using her to support herself. Neptune raised a delicate eyebrow. "Are you okay Uranus?"
"Fine..." came a gasped response. Neptune studied the blonde for a moment. She had become noticeably thin. Her face was flushed pink and she was breathing in ragged breaths. Neptune couldn't believe she was fine.
"Are you sure?" Neptune asked again. She looked over at Pluto, who had also noticed Uranus' state. "You don't look okay."
Uranus looked as though she were about to say something else, but didn't. She just shook her head. Neptune stared at the taller girl in worry. Something was wrong.
Placing her gloved hand on Uranus' forehead, she checked to make sure her worries were correct. She stared at Uranus and sighed. Her forehead was too warm. "Uranus, you're sick."
Uranus stared at Neptune, wide-eyed. "Sick? How can I be sick?" It was clearly evident though. Pluto looked at the defiant racer.
"Well, you've been here for over week," she started in her timeless voice. "I'm guessing that you haven't been sleeping, you definitely haven't been eating, you're dehydrated, you're worried sick over the princess, and to top it off, your soul has been taken." Neptune agreed with Pluto.
"She's right," she said, tossing her teal curls. She grasped Uranus' hand. Uranus looked at the soldier of embrace skeptically as if she wanted to argue.
But suddenly, the world around her swirled, distorting everything in her view. Feeling very dizzy and nauseous, Uranus staggered, although she was standing on firm ground. Grasping Neptune's shoulder for support, she fell to her knees.
"Uranus!" Neptune cried, her eyes growing considerably wide. She knelt down beside the ill soldier, holding her tightly in her arms. Uranus' breathing was still in heavy gasps. She was shaking profusely.
"Neptune..." Uranus murmured before blackness overcame her world. Feeling herself losing consciousness, she whispered to Neptune in a barely audible voice, "Sorry..."
Neptune stared at the unconscious racer in shock. Taking a deep breath, she tried not to let her arms shake. Pluto knelt down next to the couple. She placed her white-gloved hand on Uranus' forehead and nodded.
"You were right," Pluto whispered. Shaking her head, she moved the green wisps of hair from her face. "I don't believe there is anything we can do about it. We don't have any medication for her and we can't get to the outside world."
Thinking about that for a brief second, an idea came to the teal-haired sailor soldier. "We can't, but someone we know can."
Author's Note: Bye, Michiru. You're dead now too. Now, where have I heard the name Dark Moon before? It sounds conspicuously familiar...(scratches head)
Um...prepare for the first half of the BIG battle next chapter. I really don't have any sardonic comments to add to this episode. It's too depressing for me talk about my poor writing skills. (sighs)
Until tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, you're only a day away!